Story 2014-08-30 2RX6 New Alienware Area 51 machine: angled for better ventilation

New Alienware Area 51 machine: angled for better ventilation

by
in hardware on (#2RX6)
story imageDell's just come out with an innovatively-designed new gamer machine in their Alienware series: it's vaguely hexagon-shaped, preventing you from placing it against a wall and decreasing its ventilation. Looks cool.
You'll notice the angled corners and somewhat of a triangular shape (with twice as many sides). According to Dell, you can place the Alienware Area 51 against the wall and not have to worry about thermals getting out of the control. That's because there's a controlled gap and a sharp angle that ensures only a small part of the system actually rests against the wall, whereas there's still plenty of room for hot air to escape up and away.

This design also offers users easy access to rear ports, though if you need more room, you can rotate the chassis like a ball so that the rear is facing upward instead of an at angle. Another advantage to all those angles is it makes the occasional transportation chore easier -- there are more places to grab hold of compared to a traditional desktop.
Slashdot linked to it and got tons of flak about it being a Slashvertisement, but I think it's cool hardware. Have a look: what do you think?
Reply 4 comments

No thanks. (Score: 1, Insightful)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-08-31 00:18 (#2RXD)

Seems a bit gimmicky to me. Is this a real problem that people often face?

And it will look a lot less elegant with a bunch of wires poking out of the top/back.

Cool (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-08-31 09:48 (#2RXQ)

A brand new way to dent the wall?

Re: Cool (Score: 1)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2014-08-31 16:44 (#2RXX)

I think increasingly there's some pride in design and this thing isn't really meant to be hidden under a desk/table. You're right about the wires though: thought the same thing about Apple's new "trashcan Mac."

Consumers don't know better (Score: 1)

by spacebar@pipedot.org on 2014-09-01 01:29 (#2RY9)

I'd say a bigger problem than putting a computer to a wall is putting it on the floor, which, they're still going to do with this. I have serviced so many floor computers that have fans completely chocked from dust, pet hair, and bug carcasses. That said, it looks snazzy.