We Gutted Alienware's Area-51m Beast Gaming Laptop With Ease

If you've been following the gaming hardware scene, it's likely that you're somewhat familiar with Dell's incredibly slick Alienware Area-51m, which is an absolute beast desktop replacement gaming laptop. This machine was unveiled at CES 2019 and packs inside the sort of hardware that most desktop gamers would envy, nevermind a portable platform. Something that really sets the Alienware Area-51m apart from the laptop masses is how easily the components can be replaced for upgrades or repair.

HotHardware has put together a video that shows a teardown of the Alienware notebook and gives you a look at what buyers can expect to find once the bottom lid is taken off the machine. One of the simple, cool features is seen right away, the screws that hold the bottom cover on are retained inside the cover when loosened. That means no missing tiny screws when you go to button things back up.

As soon as the bottom cover comes off, much of the hardware is right there for replacing - including RAM, storage, wireless LAN card and the battery pack. Should owners ever need to clean the fans or replace one that proves defective, fan access is easy as well. The battery power connector is easily accessible with the back cover off (for safety's sake), and the battery is also user-replaceable should you ever need to go that route.

The video doesn't stop at the easily accessible hardware right inside the back cover, however. We tear the machine all the way down, completely removing bits until the entirety of the motherboard, CPU, and GPU are seen. We will soon have a full review of the Alienware Area-51m gaming notebook for your perusal. The teardown video and our benchmark preview can hold you over until that full review is published early next week.

Without giving too much away, this laptop is actually a desktop killer that you can take with you on the go for high-end gaming anywhere you may be.