The big story in gaming laptops at CES 2021 is that PC makers are adding Nvidia's new GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs to all new machines, and Alienware is no exception, with the Alienware m15 and Alienware m 17 R4 notebook lines, which will add 30-series cards. But Dell's gaming subsidiary will also take advantage of AMD's new technology this year with the Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 desktop. Fans of either GPU maker should be satisfied.

At CES 2021, Tom's Guide received a digital briefing from Dell, which described two new laptops and one new desktop. But these products are not cheap: the least expensive desktop starts at $1,080 and the laptops start at $2,150 each and go up from there. All of the hardware listed below will begin shipping on January 26.

Like many other gaming laptops, the Alienware m15 will start 2021 with Nvidia's powerful GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs. More interestingly, the m15 will offer display panels with refresh rates of up to 360 Hz and storage options of up to 4 TB.

As before, the Alienware m15 is available in a variety of configurations, so let's compare the least expensive and most expensive options:

The base Alienware m15 R4 costs $2,150 and features an Intel Core i7- 10870H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series GPU (Alienware does not specify which GPU), 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 360Hz 1080p display, and 4-zone RGB keyboard.

At the other end of the spectrum (price not announced, but I assume "expensive") is an Intel Core i9-10980HK CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series GPU (which one is a mystery again), 32 GB RAM, 4 TB + 512 GB SSD storage, 60 Hz OLED 4K screen, and an Alienware m15 model with per-key RGB keyboard.

Every model will have an Ethernet port, three USB-A ports, microSD card reader, Thunderbolt 3 port, mini-Display port, HDMI 2.1 port, Aliwnare Graphics Amplifier port The The laptop measures 14.2 x 10.9 x 0.8 inches and weighs between 4.7 and 5.5 pounds.

Gamers looking for a larger laptop should consider the Alienware m17 upgrade. While the screen is larger, it is similar to the 15-inch variant. And like the Alienware m15, the m17 starts at $2,150 and goes up in price depending on how fancy you want it.

In terms of internal specs such as CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage, the m17 configuration options are exactly the same as the m15 options above, down to the inclusion of an undetermined GeForce RTX 30 series.

The major difference lies in the screen options. At the minimum, you get a 144Hz 1080p display with G-Sync technology, and at the maximum, a 60Hz 4K display with Tobii eye tracking. (However, the m15 may actually have a cleaner screen since it is not an OLED.)

The port situation is also the same as above, including an Alienware Graphics Amplifier port for those who want to turn their laptop into a hybrid desktop at home.

The laptop measures 15.7 x 11.6 x 0.8 inches and weighs between 5.5 and 6.6 pounds, depending on configuration.

Finally, for those who want a powerful gaming machine but not necessarily a mobile one, there is the Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 upgrade, similar to the 2020 model but with AMD's Ryzen 5000 series CPU and Radeon RX 600 XT series GPU. Also, this time around, the system can be equipped with up to 128 GB of RAM, which is double the limit of previous systems.

Desktops are relatively easy to customize, and as you might imagine, there are a great many configurations available. There are 16 processor options alone, not to mention RAM, storage, and GPUs. The cheapest model costs $1,080, but the most expensive models cost more. (Alienware has not yet announced the upper limit.) )

For $1080, you get an AMD Ryzen 5 3500 CPU, 8GB RAM (3200MHz), 1TB HDD, AMD Radeon RX 5300 GPU, Wi-Fi 5 network card, 2 programmable lighting zones, and 550W power supply.

If you go the exact opposite route, you can get an Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 with an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X CPU, 128GB RAM (3400MHz), 2TB SSD + 2TB HDD storage, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 GPU, optical DVD/RW drive, Wi-Fi 6 network card, 3 programmable lighting zones, and 1000W power supply (liquid cooled). (We wish it had a Blu-ray option, but it still looks like a very luxurious rig.)

Alienware's general sales pitch has been the same for years: the Ryzen Edition R10 could be a bit more affordable at the lower tiers, which is good, even if laptops start expensive and go up from there. That said, Alienware's offerings are also generally very good, and this year's models should follow suit. We'll know for sure when we get our hands on one in the next month or so.