[Hardware] Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 (2021) Review: Proud and Loud

[-Kenzo]

AMD’s new Ryzen 5000 processors are some of the best CPUs you can build with right now according to our benchmarks hierarchy, but they’re also facing serious stock problems. That makes pre-builts with these chips all the more enticing, and the Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 is so proud of its AMD processors that they’re in the name.

2021’s refresh of the Ryzen Edition R10 is the first all-AMD desktop we’ve looked at that shows off both the Ryzen 5000 series of processors and Radeon 6000 series of GPUs, and given that pre-builts are the easiest way to buy these parts right now, we’re keen to see how they stack up against Intel and Nvidia’s offerings in a pre-built environment.

But being a pre-built, it doesn't just provide an opportunity to look at fancy new AMD components but is also competing with the best gaming PCs. We’ve reviewed other Auroras in the past and have had problems with the cooling options and noise, and none of that changed here. But for those who want easy access to AMD's latest and hard-to-find components, it's still worth a look.

Alienware’s jet-engine style Aurora case is back on the new Aurora Ryzen Edition R10, although this is our first time looking at it in a full black coat of paint. The result is that our review unit ended up looking both plain and extravagant at the same time. Unlike the two-tone "lunar light" version of the case, which costs an additional $30 and is both black and white, the Alienware logo alongside the all-black version does not light up, nor is there any additional branding alongside it. The front I/O panel still features a ring light around it and includes a light-up alien-head power button, but the case is otherwise unassuming- aside from its shape.

Perhaps more concerning than aesthetics, though, is the build’s cooling. There’s just two fans in the PC, a 120 mm intake near the front and a 120 mm exhaust fan attached to the radiator on thecomputer’s liquid cooling system. These work in tandem to take cool air throughout the system and spit hot air out of its vents up top, but that doesn’t leave much airflow to work with. There’s also two additional side air vents that claim to help with intake, as well as the potential for air to escape out of the holes on the machine’s back, though there aren't any fans to help with that. 

As a result, this machine gets almost anxiety-inducingly loud even on idle, leaving me wondering if perhaps another fan could have been fit inside the case. With more balanced cooling, I’d hope for less noise.

This is a micro-ATX chassis, however, so space is a luxury. At 18.9 x 17 x 8.77 inches, it’s smaller in some ways than recent Ampere options like the iBuyPower RDY IWBG207 with an RTX 3080, which is 18.9 x 19.2 x 8.5 inches. However, the also micro-ATX HP Omen 30L does fit two case fans and a 120 mm radiator inside its case despite being a smaller 17.7 x 16.8 x 6.6 inches.