Alienware 16/18 Area-51 (2025)

[HomerJS]

Time to start discussing the relaunched ones!

 

Support for Alienware 16 Area-51 AA16250 | Manuals & Documents | Dell US

 

Support for Alienware 18 Area-51 AA18250 | Manuals & Documents | Dell US

 

Homer S

[HomerJS]

First question,

 

Anyone using this with the T4 dock? I can only seem to get one monitor active.

 

Homer

[GrandesBollas]

I'm really excited about the 18 Area 51 with 5090.  But the 175w power limit on the laptop 5090 (which essentially renders the 5090 into a 5080) is a turn-off for the current generation.

[HomerJS]

On 6/19/2025 at 8:13 AM, GrandesBollas said:

I'm really excited about the 18 Area 51 with 5090.  But the 175w power limit on the laptop 5090 (which essentially renders the 5090 into a 5080) is a turn-off for the current generation.

Thus has it ever been. Where else can you get a 5080 in a laptop? Not counting an eGPU of course, but then it isn't in the laptop.

 

I'm still exploring my 16 Area-51 w/5090M. This replaces my classic AW M18xR2 (1070M) so a huge step up.

Homer

[lostclusters]

This is basically a cut and paste from PCGAMER forum. Didn't see this until after I posted there.

 

I have been looking all over for a forum discussing the new Alienware 18 Area-51 laptop model AA18250. I have not been able to find much. Nothing recent anyway. The model number AA18250 actually cover multiple variants with the intel core 9 275hx cpu and either nvidia 5070, 5070 ti, 5080, or 5090 gpus. The ram and ssd size may figure into it as well, I'm not sure.

I have one with the 5070 Ti gpu. It is a beast! The cooling system in it keeps the cpu and gpu temps way under 75 degrees C using 3dmark fire strike stress, extreme stress, and ultra stress tests. I get around 200 fps in stress and 55-78 fps in ultra stress tests, while using the performance mode on the laptop. I was able to save $500 as a result of a promotional sale dell is currently running.

A resent bios update has caused a slight performance degrade but I have been assured a fix is coming. The performance numbers I posted above is what I am currently getting. Also, I tried to install another ssd in slot 2 (there are 3 slots) and the retaining bracket for the heat shield was missing from the motherboard. A simple bracket that screws into screw mounts on the motherboard which are on the motherboard. After a couple of sessions with dell tech support, dell is sending out a tech to replace the entire motherboard! Unbelievable. Evidently the manufacturer left the off and dell can not get them soon enough.

[pathfindercod]

LTNS - old NBF member here. Cant seem to find much with the 51 18 5090 benchmarks and with bf6 in particular. I just got one and want a larger external monitor to pair it with and still get great performance. I really want the 34” wd aw 3425 I think it is 2.5k 1440pz what little I have found the mobile 5090 would struggle at 2.5k resolution basically. This blows my mind it would be so weak. 
anyone have experience with a 34” ws oled or a 27qhd. Guess could run the 3440 wa at 120hz? That would be the common denominator or lower refresh rate for smooth play?

tnx

steve

[s1rrah]

On 8/2/2025 at 6:04 PM, lostclusters said:

This is basically a cut and paste from PCGAMER forum. Didn't see this until after I posted there.

 

I have been looking all over for a forum discussing the new Alienware 18 Area-51 laptop model AA18250. I have not been able to find much. Nothing recent anyway. The model number AA18250 actually cover multiple variants with the intel core 9 275hx cpu and either nvidia 5070, 5070 ti, 5080, or 5090 gpus. The ram and ssd size may figure into it as well, I'm not sure.

I have one with the 5070 Ti gpu. It is a beast! The cooling system in it keeps the cpu and gpu temps way under 75 degrees C using 3dmark fire strike stress, extreme stress, and ultra stress tests. I get around 200 fps in stress and 55-78 fps in ultra stress tests, while using the performance mode on the laptop. I was able to save $500 as a result of a promotional sale dell is currently running.

A resent bios update has caused a slight performance degrade but I have been assured a fix is coming. The performance numbers I posted above is what I am currently getting. Also, I tried to install another ssd in slot 2 (there are 3 slots) and the retaining bracket for the heat shield was missing from the motherboard. A simple bracket that screws into screw mounts on the motherboard which are on the motherboard. After a couple of sessions with dell tech support, dell is sending out a tech to replace the entire motherboard! Unbelievable. Evidently the manufacturer left the off and dell can not get them soon enough.

 

Hi there.

 

Can you tell me how you approached Dell?  Did you phone in?  Did you talk via support chat, etc.?  I'd like to see if I can obtain what I assume are bracket and heat shields for the drives, as I can clearly see the mount holes you mention around the two NVME slots, which are obviously for a dual NVME cooling bracket.

 

I just (unexpectedly) moved to an Area 51 18 (5090/64gb/2TB) from a very dependable, still great, still warrantied, 2021 Area51m R2.

 

I wasn't planning on being into the new A51 18 but I am now. I was casually browsing Dell's website last Labor Day weekend and did a simulated config on Dell's website with my personally preferred RTX5080M, 32 GB of RAM, and the basic 2TB system NVME. Plan was to add more RAM later and plug in one of the several good NVME's I have lying about.

 

This was at the beginning of Labor Day, and that same day, I get an email from my local MicroCenter listing all the Labor Day deals and whatnot. Among those deals was an A51 18 but with a 5090, *64 GB* of ram, and the same single 2TB NVME I had in the build/cart at Dell.

 

But the MicroCenter 5090 build with/ 64 GB ram was marked down from $4333 to $3100, which was a few hundred less than the build I had at the Dell website, believe it or not. So that kinda gave me a nudge, and so now I'm in it, going through the system migration/setup/etc.

 

Like you, the first thing I did was pop the back open and install the two 2TB 990Pros I had on the shelf. But, I think my rig was/is the same as yours. All there was on the mainboard were the two empty NVME slots with the obvious NVME insertion slots and the retainer screws, no heatsink, no thermal pads, nothing. So I was kinda like, "wha?" ... instantly trying to figure out how I was going to keep the two 990Pros cooled since those are particularly hot-running drives.

 

Anyhow, having a bag of tricks in the closet filled with putties, thermal pads, copper shims, kapton tape, etc., I just hacked it with thermal pads on the mainboard thick enough to just support the two extra NVMEs, then put another strip of thermal pads on top of the 990Pros, then stuck about four perfectly sized copper shims onto the top thermal pads and taped everything down with strips of Kapton tape.

 

It works. I guess. The two 990Pros get up around 65c which is a good bit hotter than I'd like while the stock, Hynix 2TB system NVME stays super chilly and never really goes over 40c. But MAN, I'd certainly have preferred to find some sort of bracket or otherwise that would allow more appropriate NVME cooling shields for the two extra 990Pros.

 

Thanks in advance for any tips, mang.

 

~s