Alienware 16X Aurora Review: A Return to Form for This Gaming Laptop

But with the 115-watt RTX 5060 in the Alienware 16X Aurora, you can expect to play most games at smooth frame rates in standard 1920 x 1200 resolution. Outside of very light games, you can play AAA games at native resolution at high settings, but it will likely require some upscaling to get it to more enjoyable frame rates. For example, in Cyberpunk 2077, you’ll need to drop the resolution to 1200p and graphics preset to High to average a smooth 82 fps. Turning on DLSS to Balanced will bump that up to 107 fps.

Marvel Rivals is a game where the strong CPU performance of the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX comes in handy over cheaper gaming laptops. Compared to the Lenovo LOQ 15 with the same GPU, the Alienware 16X Aurora was averaging around 5 percent faster frame rates in 1200p at Medium settings. That’s interesting, as the LOQ 15 outperforms the Alienware 16X Aurora in benchmarks like 3DMark Steel Nomad.

I did notice that the surface temperatures on the Alienware 16X Aurora got quite warm. I understand that some uncomfortable warmth is inevitable at a certain point, especially during long gaming sessions, but the 16X Aurora stayed warm for longer than I wished it did. It never got so hot that it was unbearable, but the warmth tends to linger long after the game was closed and the fans stopped.

My time with the 16X Aurora made me wonder if the RTX 5070 version might also be a solid buy. (I haven't tested it.) Currently on sale for $1,650 with 32 GB of RAM and a terabyte of storage, it's quite an upgrade for $200 more than my RTX 5060 test unit. If the higher-quality display isn’t as big a deal to you, the base Alienware 16 Aurora with the RTX 5060 is $200 cheaper than the 16X, and likely performs just as well. Interestingly, it still comes with a higher resolution 2560 x 1600 display, though the refresh rate is lower, and the screen isn't as bright. Without testing it, though, I can't comment on things like the touchpad quality or the display's color performance.

There are cheaper ways to get RTX 5060–level performance, but there are also more expensive options, like the Lenovo Legion 7i Gen 10, which has an OLED screen but is currently $150 more. With the Alienware 16X Aurora’s impressive display, high-quality touchpad, and decent battery life, there are just enough good things here to make it worthwhile, especially at discounted prices. When I received my review unit, the configuration I tested was $1,450, and within a few weeks it's now $1,550, while the configuration with more memory has been reduced to $1,300. Dell's prices will fluctuate constantly, but it always seems to have a solid discount on one of the configurations.