Alienware Aurora celebrates 25 years of desktop gaming with new design and better airflow

Alienware's new Aurora gaming desktop was unveiled today, giving us a good glimpse into what the newly redesigned Legend 2.0 is all about. The updated design aims to tackle the most important part of keeping your gaming PC running at its optimal level – airflow. After seeing the changes to Alienware's flagship gaming desktop, I like what I see and here's why.

Over the past 25 years, Alienware has put out some impressively powerful gaming machines. Some good, others not so much. But seeing the Aurora gaming desktop evolve into what it is today, it's apparent the company is listening to its customers.

The recently launched Alienware X-Series gaming laptops are thinner than ever and run even cooler thanks to a redesigned heat management system. It looks like the new Aurora gaming desktop is following suit with a serious overhaul to airflow management thanks to a slick new design to the chassis itself.

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Alienware's new Aurora redesign boasts quite a lot of benefits, too. Here's just a quick list of what Alienware claims the new Aurora Legend 2.0 design offers:

• New component layout optimizes acoustics and makes upgrading even easier
• Room for up to four 120mm fans
• 1.5x the internal volume compared to the R12 and R10
• Up to 16% quieter during idle with liquid cooling options
• Up to 3% lower CPU temps compared to current models
• Up to a 5% increase in GPU performance compared to predecessors

The new open air layout is a much needed upgrade to the chassis itself, increasing airflow by up to 50%. That alone should make Alienware's new Aurora gaming desktop a top competitor for best desktop gaming PC, as those who prefer to use fans over thermal will see a decent increase in performance.

Alongside the improved airflow situation, the new Aurora also features an improved thermal cooling option. Housing up to four 120mm system fans and liquid cooling options, those who prefer thermal options will be just as impressed. Thanks to the open layout, the Aurora's new chassis provides improved acoustics to quiet down component noise.

Modern gaming desktops in general are producing less heat and eating less voltage thanks to improved components. But while enhanced cooling systems on GPUs and CPUs help, this new open air design should do wonders for Alienware's flagship desktop. Previous Alienware Aurora desktops handled cooling well in their own right, but this new Legend 2.0 design sounds like it'll take air cooled systems to the next level.

As a bonus, the new Aurora chassis will also feature an optional transparent left-side panel, letting owners use AlienFX customizable lighting to set their own style with eight unique lighting zones to personalize.

Pricing for the new Alienware Aurora gaming desktops are still yet to be announced, but it would be wise to expect to see prices slightly higher than current models.