Alienware and AMD have signed an exclusivity agreement for the Ryzen Threadripper chips, and according to the fine print, the Area-51 will be the only prebuilt machine to boast the 16-core powerhouse until the end of 2017.
Of course, this comes to the dismay of other PC makers such as Maingear and CyberPower, to name a few.
Fortunately, the Dell subsidiary is no tyrant of sorts that's out to hoard all the Threadripper CPUs or anything like it, as it's only targeting the competition and not the consumers. In other words, DIY desktop builders can still grab AMD's monster of a chip.
Alienware Area-51 Holds The 'Thread-Ripping' Power
The Area-51 is among the highlights of Alienware during E3 2017. It's an updated version of the company's top-of-the-line gaming PC, and as mentioned earlier, it'll come with a Threadripper chip.
It's also available with Intel's new Core X-Series processors, including the anticipated Core i9. That said, the options include the Core i7-7800X (six cores), Core i7-7820X (eight cores), and the Core i9-7900X (10 cores).
Where are the 12-core, 14-core, 16-core, and 18-core i9 CPUs? Well, Alienware didn't announce them as available options just yet since the chips are scheduled to launch later this year, after all.
On the graphics side of things, there are numerous configurations to choose from: one Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti, two GTX 1080 Ti cards in SLI, or even three Radeon RX 480 units in Crossfire.
Alienware has yet to announce the pricing info, but at any rate, it's a safe bet to assume the Area-51 won't come cheap. As for the release date, the Threadripper variant is expected to launch on July 27, while the Core X-Series is set for Aug. 22.
More Alienware Gear At E3 2017
Aside from updating the Area-51 gaming PC, Alienware took the spotlight at E3 2017 with keyboards, mice, a monitor, and more.
Alienware unveils a gaming monitor: Called the Alienware 25 Gaming Monitor, it has a pretty straightforward name. It provides a refresh rate of 240 Hz and a 1-millisecond response time, delivering the experience with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution.
It's available for $499.99 for the AMD FreeSync model or $699.99 for the Nvidia G-Sync version on June 13.
Alienware brings not one but two gaming keyboards to the table: The Advanced Gaming Keyboard and Pro Gaming Keyboard are among Alienware's peripherals that aim to invade gamers' homes.
First off, the Advanced Gaming Keyboard is fitted with brown KaiHua switches and mechanical keys along with five keys designed for macro commands and ambient LED lighting.
Meanwhile, the Pro Gaming Keyboard features everything the Advanced Gaming Keyboard has to offer, but it sports a volume roller, an onboard memory to store macro commands, and RGB backlit keys.
They are both available on June 13, where the Advanced Gaming Keyboard is priced at $89.99 and the Pro Gaming Keyboard at $119.99.
Alienware has mice up its sleeves: Alienware is putting up two mice to go along with its two gaming keyboards, and they are the Advanced Gaming Mouse and Elite Gaming Mouse.
The two are practically the same, offering DPI-switching buttons, swappable parts, customizable LED lights, and remappable buttons.
However, the Elite Gaming Mouse provides weights inside that can be adjusted to the user's preference and five DPI modes instead of the Advanced Gaming Mouse's three.
The Advanced Gaming Mouse is priced at $49.99, while the Elite Gaming Mouse at $89.99. They'll both be available on June 13.
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On that note, the PC maker is slated to roll out the 15.6-inch Alienware 15 laptop with a GTX 1080 under the hood on June 27.
The Bottom Line
Alienware is holding on to AMD's Ryzen Threadripper chips with a tight grip throughout 2017, but it's not making an enemy out of DIY PC builders by keeping the CPUs from them.
More than that, the company also took the wraps off peripherals that match the theme of the Area-51, both in terms of design and offerings on the gaming side of things.
