Entered CNET Catalog: 11/19/2005
SKU: CNETALIENWAREAURORA3500646800
Manufacturer: Alienware Corporation
Product summary
The good: Above-average performer; gives you room to grow, including a slot for a second graphics card; 10 USB 2.0 ports.
The bad: Boring case; small hard drive; entry-level speakers; so-so monitor.
The bottom line: Alienware's affordable Aurora 3500 gaming rig puts the pedal to the metal, but you'll be happier if you bring your own monitor and speakers along for the ride.
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 12/08/2005
Alienware's ultra-high-end ALX systems may grab the headlines, but the company can still build a gaming PC that doesn't require a second mortgage. Witness the Aurora 3500, the entry-level model in Alienware's AMD-based Aurora line. A competent, if somewhat unexciting, gaming PC for users who want that Alienware cachet but don't have a lot of extra cash, the Aurora 3500 starts at $689. Our $1,995 review unit includes upgrades that deliver high-end performance, though the bundled monitor and speakers fail to impress. Neither peripheral kills the deal, and if you have your own already, you can shave something off the price and still end up with a powerful gaming PC that has the potential to grow with you.
The jet-black Aurora 3500 eschews the alien-head cases for which Alienware is known and instead uses a more understated midtower chassis. We're not sure why the company opted for this model; according to the Aurora 3500's online configurator, you can select the full-tower case for $21 less.
The midtower case is not without its merits, however. For one, it has a smaller footprint (16.7 inches high by 7.8 inches wide by 18.3 inches deep) than the clunky full-size case (22 inches high by 9.5 inches wide by 22.5 inches deep). The smaller chassis also has a lockable, double-hinged front door that folds around to the side of the case, where it stays neatly out of the way. This feature is handy in that it solves the common door-is-always-flopping-around problem, but the plastic construction seems flimsy. One accidental knock with a knee or an elbow would likely do some damage (the Aurora 3500 is not the only system with this problem). We're also less than thrilled with the front-panel USB 2.0, FireWire, and audio ports, which are deeply recessed behind a spring-loaded access panel.
Despite its relatively small footprint, the Alienware Aurora 3500 remains an extremely expandable system. It's neat and roomy on the inside, with ample space for extra drives, cards, and RAM sticks. It also features a whopping 10 USB 2.0 ports (and two FireWire, for those counting).
We appreciate the plastic locking mechanism that holds the graphics card in place. All too often, we receive PCs with cards that have jostled loose in shipping, resulting in a system that won't boot. This simple contrivance prevents that from happening. Speaking of graphics cards, the Aurora comes with the enviable Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT--and room for a second one, should you someday to decide to invest in an SLI configuration. This expandability is crucial for gaming systems, and we're glad to see Alienware make the allowance for upgrading. The near-ridiculous 650-watt power supply gives you plenty of power overhead as well.
Before you upgrade the graphics, however, you may want to consider investing in a larger hard drive: the included 160GB Serial ATA II drive probably won't satisfy power users. Thankfully, for just $66 extra, you can opt for a 250GB drive at the time of purchase. As for everything else--the single-core AMD Athlon 64 3800+ processor, the 1GB of dual-channel PC3200 RAM, and the double-layer DVD burner--the Aurora 3500 is more than sufficiently stocked. You can also upgrade it with a dual-core CPU down the road, thanks to the motherboard's AMD-compatible Socket 939 chipset.
In its current configuration, however, the Alienware Aurora 3500 is well suited to gaming and day-to-day computing. Its SysMark 2004 scores placed it exactly where we expected it on the application-performance scale, which is to say that it's capable of handling common tasks with aplomb. Its score of 187 was second only to that of the overclocked Velocity Micro Gamer's Edge DualX. For gaming, you should have no problem with the likes of Doom 3 and Half-Life 2, even with all the graphics bells and whistles turned on. You might need to dial down the settings for newer games, such as F.E.A.R. or Call of Duty 2, but the Aurora 3500 will still tackle them well enough for all but the pickiest performance wonks.
While we're happy with the Aurora 3500 on the inside, on the outside it's plain to see where Alienware skimped to meet our sub-$2,000 criteria. We were displeased with the slightly fuzzy picture quality of the AOC LM740e monitor, a 17-inch analog LCD with limited tilt range and blown-out colors. Some fiddling with the contrast and brightness settings helped, but ultimately this is not a superior monitor. At least its 12ms response time kept movie and game images free of ghosting and streaking.
Similarly, the bundled Creative Inspire T3000 speakers--two satellites and a subwoofer--are competent but hardly powerful enough to please serious gamers. We think a $2,000 PC should come with better than a $40 set of speakers. Likewise, we wouldn't mind finding at least one game in the box, if not antivirus software, but Alienware provides little more than CyberLink's PowerDVD and Nero's OEM suite of disc-burning software.
The company is a bit more generous in the service department, offering 24/7 toll-free phone support on top of its one-year warranty (which includes onsite service). The only downside is that adding just one more year to the coverage costs a whopping $195. You'll also find comprehensive support for the Aurora 3500 online, with a knowledge base, driver downloads, and Alienware's My Hive Personal Support Area, which features help specific to your exact configuration.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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BAPCo's SysMark 2004 rating | |
SysMark 2004 Internet-content-creation rating | |
SysMark 2004 office-productivity rating |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Half-Life 2 1,024x768 4XAA 8XAF | |
Half-Life 2 1,600x1,200 4XAA 8XAF |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Doom 3 1,024x768, 4XAA and 8XAF | |
Doom 3 1,600x1,200, 4XAA and 8XAF |
Find out more about how we test desktop systems.
System configurations:
ABS Ultimate M5 Vortex
Windows XP Home SP2; 2.4GHz AMD Athlon 64 3800+; Nvidia Nforce-4 chipset; 2,048MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 6800 GT (PCIe); Seagate ST3200826AS 200GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA
Alienware Aurora 3500
Windows XP Home SP2; 2.4GHz AMD Athlon 64 3800+; Nvidia Nforce-4 SLI chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT (PCIe); Samsung HD160JJ 160GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA
Maingear Prelude 64
Windows XP Home SP2; 2.0GHz AMD Athlon 64 3200+; Nvidia Nforce-4 SLI chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; two 256MB Nvidia GeForce 6800 GS (PCIe SLI); two WDC WD2500KS-00MJB0 250GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA; integrated Nvidia Nforce-4 RAID class controller (RAID 0)
Velocity Micro Gamer's Edge DualX (Athlon 64 3700+)
Windows XP Professional SP2; 2.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 3700+; Nvidia Nforce-4 SLI chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT (PCIe); WDC WD2000JB-00GVC0 200GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 User Rating: 
1/10
avoid alienware
Pros: lol, there are no pros
Cons: I've sent the alienware back 3 consecutive times in April 08 to July 08. They still did not fix the motherboard issue and there is a problem with windows loading. Support is basically unresponsive
User Rating: 
3/10
Advertised as the best but has subpar hardware and bad support
Pros: cool looking
Cons: Harware fails and software support is bad
Bad product that has a great advertising scheme to fool you. Don't be.
User Rating: 
10/10
Sold Out (Ohio)! Has got to go while capital spending is high.
Pros: Nothing good here; the x8 SLi motherboard is lacking.
Cons: Not - currently not a market cap professional.
User Rating: 1/10
NEVER BUY ALIENWARE
Pros: No Customer Service
Cons: VERY BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE
The motherboard went out....Alienware tried to claim the card caused it.
They charged us over $200 to send it back for service under warranty. I paid a couple of hundred more to upgrade the power supply.
The computer was stuck at Alienware for a couple of weeks. Their Customer Service (not funny...that is what they call it) said that they replaced the motherboard and the power supply per my request.
They told us on a couple of occaisions that it was shipped......NOPE.....you got it.
They finally shipped it back. The box was damaged in shipment. The tower (did I mention I paid over $4,000 for the tower alone) and they shipped it back wrapped in cardboard. No one would ship a tower like that the way it was packed.
The case was damaged.....and guess what....IT DIDNT WORK.
Alienware said not their problem.
Want to bet Alienware.
You buy one of their products ALL I can say is buyer beware, and have an attorney on retainer, you will need him......and YES I do.
User Rating: 
4/10
HORRIBLE SUPPORT!!! LONG AND INEXCUSABLE wait time for replacement parts!!!
Pros: good computer but if you need help don't depend on these guys!
Cons: HORRIBLE SUPPORT!!!!! LONG AND INEXCUSABLE wait time for your replacement parts!
How long does it take to pack up 2 hard drives and ship it? The customer service was HORRIBLE too because they kept telling me to call back and they had no updates from the other department. What kind of communication does this place have? Why isn't there any communication between departments? Why does a loyal customer that owns a desktop and recently bought a new laptop from them have to go through this kind of trouble?
I believe the only reason why they are treating me like this is because my warranty was about to expired. Alienware does not want to honor its warranty to the end! The first time I had an issue with the hard drive it only took me 20-30 minutes until they issued me a new hard drive. They sent the hard drive to me the same week. That was the first year when I got the desktop. This time it took me OVER 3 HOURS to prove to them that I needed the new hard drives. They had me do the same tests over and over again. They kept trying to tell them me that it might be something else. I had the feeling that they did not want to send me new hard drives. They wanted to somehow keep me on the phone until I gave up. It was a HORRIBLE experience!!!!! I work in the IT field and I call other pc companies all the time to replace parts and I have NEVER had this kind of inexcusable experience in my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been a loyal customer and this is how a loyal customer gets treated!
User Rating: 
9/10
Customer Serivce???
Pros: Alienware Customer Service
Cons: Expandibility
I think their service is way, way above the norm and I would not hesitate to recommend their products.
PS I do not work for Alienware.
User Rating: 3/10
Alienware Support is TERRIBLE
Pros: None to speak of - just a standard PC
Cons: Low quality products, horrible support, overpriced
User Rating: 1/10
Avoid Alienware at all costs, This units, and company are HORRIBLE
Pros: Looks Goode
Cons: Terrible serivice, the units break often
These are horrible, they run hot, the warranty dept is absolutely terrible. I bought two machines and it was the biggest waste of 9000 dollars ever. You are better off with any, and I mean ANY system made by anybody else. BUYER BEWARE! You will regret it. Turn back, don't make the mistake i and many others have made. Both machines i bought stop operating within a month. They don't put in what you pay for,. and if you don't realize it withing 15 days, your screwed!!!!!!
User Rating: 
8/10
Amazing System, slightly hight price.
Pros: Top of line components.
Cons: Pricey, waiting was torture.
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