Dell Alienware Area 51 R7 Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 3.5 GHz - SSD 2 TB - 32GB

Combining AMD's Ryzen CPU with Nvidia's fastest graphics cards ought to result in a multitasking gamer's dream PC. The Alienware Area-51 Threadripper Edition is so equipped, tackles multimedia tasks quickly, and delivers smooth 4K gameplay.

The Area-51 Threadripper Edition's frame is metal, and it's clad in molded plastic panels. Instead of the classic rectangular box of most desktop PCs, the system is an irregular hexagon, with three short sides and three longer sides. The domed left- and right-side panels are silver, while the back and front panels are black plastic with slats for cooling. It measures 22.4 by 10.75 by 25 inches.

Alienware's usual multi-zone lighting effects let you customize RGB lighting in nine areas over most of the Area-51's surfaces. You can control the lighting effects in the Alienware Control Center utility. A set of lights turn on inside the case when you open the left-side door, so you can see the motherboard and components while tinkering, and a similar row of lights shines on the rear I/O ports for visibility when plugging and unplugging cables.

Cool air flows into the front of the PC, passes over internal coolers for the CPU and GPUs, and hot air exits the back. As a result of the efficient airflow, the fans barely speed up to an audible level, even when running our benchmark tests.