- Strong 3D Graphics
- Includes 17" LCD Monitor
- External Serial ATA Port
- Smaller Sized Hard Drive
- Limited Software Bundle
- Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Desktop Processor
- 1GB PC2-5400 DDR2 Memory
- 160GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
- 16x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
- Alienware 17" 12ms LCD Monitor
- ATI Radeon X1600XT Graphics Card with 256MB Memory
- Intel HDA Audio
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Six USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and eSATA Port
- Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, MS Works 8
8/8/06 – Alienware is still very much focused on PC gamers when it comes to their desktop PC lineup. The Area-51 5500 is their new mainstream desktop based on the new Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 processor. This version features half the cache of the higher end Core 2 Duo chips, but performance is still quite strong especially for gaming compared to the previous Pentiums. Matched up with this is 1GB of PC2-5400 DDR2 memory.
Storage is a bit lackluster for the Area-51 5500. It ships with a very limited 160GB SATA hard drive while most comparably priced systems feature a 250 to 320GB drive. On the plus side, the system is one of the first to feature an external SATA connector. This allows for new external SATA hard drives that have performance equal to their internal counterparts. A 16x DVD+/-RW dual layer burner is standard.
Since the Area-51 5500 is targeted towards gaming, the graphics get an upgrade over most mainstream systems. It features a Radeon X1600XT graphics card that allows the system to play most 3D games at high resolution without frame rate problems. They system also includes a 17” LCD screen which is welcome albeit somewhat small for PC gaming.
Software is also a bit of an issue with the Area-51 5500. The included Media Center Edition OS has features which are most useful if an optional TV tuner and remote are purchased. Also, the software bundle only includes a very limited Works 8 suite.
