The next desktop in Alienware's Area-51 line is showing up on radars, carrying Intel's eight-core i7 processor and tailed by a curved, ultraHD monitor.
Shunning the traditional tower design, the triangular Area-51 might look a bit creepy on grainy, shaky video recorded by a cell phone -- though with it's flattened edges, it's technically a hexagon.
Codenamed "Triad" by Alienware, the latest Area-51, with handles built into two sides, was designed to maximize cooling and improve portability. It's a bit more monstrous than Alienware's Windows OS console, in terms of power and weight, but Area-51's design makes it a little easier to move to another room or building than the previous entries into the series.
"The iconic new industrial design, inspired by Alienware's Epic design language, is engineered to provide maximum performance," states Alienware. "The new design ensures high-performance components are properly cooled by pulling in fresh cool air at the front and warmed air is exhausted diagonally and away from the chassis out the rear."
Alienware says its attention to ergonomics makes the Area-51's front and rear ports visible when the desktop is resting on its belly, while users can tilt the unit to access its ports when the computer is standing.
Inside, the Area-51 can be kitted out with six- or eight-core Intel i5s - Alienware wasted no time in taking advantage of Intel's new Extreme Edition processors. The Area-51's motherboard supports up to 32 GB of RAM and an option for one of AMD and Nvidia's three top GPUs.
Topping off the high-end gaming desktop, Alienware parent Dell will release its 34-inch curved display for the Area-51 shortly after the computer makes first contact in October. The ultraHD monitor, with a resolution of 3440x1440, will arrive in China in November and become available in the rest of the world in December.
"We're excited to reveal the reimagined Alienware Area-51, a system that is the result of 18 years of innovation fueled by our love of gaming," says Frank Azor, general manager of Alienware. "We questioned everything and then began working on a system based on how we actually use our full-tower desktops rather than based on what was quick, easy or comfortable for us to design. The Area-51 features the all-new Triad chassis, designed from the ground up to deliver on exactly what gamers want: state-of-the-art performance, scalability and ease of use."
