Testseek.com have collected 78 expert reviews of the Alienware Alpha and the average rating is 71%. Scroll down and see all reviews for Alienware Alpha.
February 2015
(71%)
78 Reviews
Average score from experts who have reviewed this product.
Users
(89%)
124 Reviews
Average score from owners of the product.
71010078
The editors liked
It's powerful for the price. Small
Too! Easy to drop it in a bag and carry to a friend's house. Fantastic for LAN parties. The customizable lighting is kind of cool. Five USB 3.0 ports (one for USB dongles
Hidden under a panel) gives me plenty of connec
Handles games nicely on HDTV
Small footprint
Cool chassis
Upgradeable design (for such a small system)
Low power consumption
Very little noise
Surprisingly quiet under gaming loads
It's amazingly well price for the size and gaming performance you get
The compact Alienware Alpha plays a huge library of PC games in a living-room-friendly format
And it works with a standard Xbox 360 controller
Solid gaming performance. Good connectivity. 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. Includes wireless Xbox 360 controller. Compact chassis.
Good performance for price
Compact shell also allows easy access for (some) upgrades
Smal
Portable desig
Runs quiet when gamin
Growing game library has more than
500 title
Solid graphics performance
Very portable
Brings PC gaming to the living room.
Compact Design
Include all necessary connections and peripherals
Offers higher resolution
Good performance for most games released in 2014
Affordable price
Decent performance provides
Alpha UI creates a solid console illusion
Custom gamepad drivers solve most mouse and keyboard problems
Makes it easy to play PC games on a TV
The editors didn't like
That blasted 5400rpm hard drive. Not a single one of Alienware's pricier configs has a faster storage option. I asked
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No recovery partition means you can't easily swap out that drive unless you plan to clone it yourself. If
Can't compete with larger PCs
Begging For An SSD
Still not the perfect PC game console experience
Could use a slightly higher performance GPU
It's built around the Steam gaming platform
So it's harder to use for PC games purchased elsewhere. The custom UI is slow and clunky
And the base configuration is underpowered for long-term use
Loading games is more difficult than on a gaming console. GPU can't be upgraded. Lacks DVI and VGA ports. No keyboard or mouse included
No solid-state storage makes for slow startup and load times
Graphics aren't upgradable
Limited support for non-native Steam games
No 3.5mm audio jack
More expensive than traditional game console
Entering text in console mode is tediou
Slow hard driv
Takes too long to boot Alpha UI
Can't upgrade GPU
Slow hard drive
Only 4GB of RAM
Still some bugs to iron out
Low frame rate on high settings
Outdated GPU
The Alienware Alpha pricing varies from $549 to $899 depending on the configuration. This is really a good choice if you want to enjoy a huge game catalog on Steam like me
Therefore
I totally recommend the
5
400RPM hard drive is a big performance bottleneck. Doesn't handle nonSteam games elegantly. Upgrades aren't as great value.
Painfully long load times
Overprotective console mode blocks some games from running
Compact Design, Include all necessary connections and peripherals, Offers higher resolution, Good performance for most games released in 2014, Affordable price,
Low frame rate on high settings, Outdated GPU, The Alienware Alpha pricing varies from $549 to $899 depending on the configuration. This is really a good choice if you want to enjoy a huge game catalog on Steam like me, therefore, I totally recommend the
Published: 2015-02-17, Author: Dave , review by: makeuseof.com
Buy it if you want an easy way to get a PC (and the flexibility that comes with) hooked up to your TV. Get an Xbox One or PS4 if you want the best graphics for your money...
Handles games nicely on HDTV, Small footprint, cool chassis, Upgradeable design (for such a small system), Low power consumption; very little noise
Can't compete with larger PCs, Begging For An SSD
Systems like the Alienware Alpha are designed to bridge the gap between PC and console gaming experiences – and they're attempting this without the SteamOS and new-fangled controller that got everyone stirred last year. There is an audience for the Alienw...
Published: 2015-01-26, Author: Jimmy , review by: maximumpc.com
Very portable, brings PC gaming to the living room.
Can't upgrade GPU, slow hard drive, only 4GB of RAM, still some bugs to iron out
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Published: 2014-12-28, Author: Marco , review by: hothardware.com
Abstract: We first caught wind on the Alienware Alpha in the lead-up to Valve's Steam Box announcements, prior to the Consumer Electronics Show. If you're unfamiliar with the Alienware Alpha, it is a sleek, small form factor gaming PC, designed specifically for gam...
Published: 2014-12-26, Author: Tim , review by: techspot.com
Decent performance provides
5,400RPM hard drive is a big performance bottleneck. Doesn't handle nonSteam games elegantly. Upgrades aren't as great value.
The Alienware Alpha is a good first attempt at the perfect living room gaming PC. The form factor is ideal for this sort of system: compact with a good selection of ports, adjustable RGB LED lighting, and decent cooling with a touch of upgradeability. It'...
Good performance for price, Compact shell also allows easy access for (some) upgrades
No solid-state storage makes for slow startup and load times, Graphics aren't upgradable, Limited support for non-native Steam games, No 3.5mm audio jack
If you're looking for a compact, budget-friendly gaming PC, or something to get your Steam games running on your TV, Alienware's Alpha is packed with potential. But at least until a future software update, you'll have to bust out a mouse to install and l...
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(70%)
Published: 2014-12-12, Author: Sean , review by: engadget.com
Alpha UI creates a solid console illusion, Custom gamepad drivers solve most mouse and keyboard problems, Makes it easy to play PC games on a TV
Painfully long load times, Overprotective console mode blocks some games from running, Driver issues can cause trouble with some titles
If you absolutely have to have a Steam Machine right now, you're not going to do better than the Alienware Alpha. Still, it's a mere stepping stone towards bigger, better and more complete PC game consoles....
