Alienware Aurora R5 Review: Small Stature, Big Performance

Grand Theft Auto V

Rockstar's GTA franchise might just be the most infamous in all of gaming. There's more to it, however, than just shooting people up, dealing drugs, and stealing fast cars. GTA V let's you explore an uncanny likeness of Southern California's greater Los Angeles area with segments that could easily be mistaken for photographs of the real deal. Our benchmark ranges from mainstream 1080p to gorgeous 4K.

At 1080p we find that the GTX 1080 inside the R5 actually has a little bit of trouble, which caused an unexpectedly low average framerate. We suppose it isn't too bad to say "a bit of trouble" means clocking only 147fps on average in one of the prettier games out there. No matter, at QHD and 4K the Aurora R5 is back on top where the GTX 1080 can really stretch its legs with a sizeable lead over the GTX 980 Ti's.

Thief

Square Enix set the tone for Thief by saying, "Garrett, the Master Thief, steps out of the shadows into the City. In this treacherous place, where the Baron’s Watch spreads a rising tide of fear and oppression, his skills are the only things he can trust. Even the most cautious citizens and their best-guarded possessions are not safe from his reach." The Thief series has been popular for years, not only for its interesting story lines and unique gameplay, but because the games have consistently featured excellent graphics and imagery, and leveraged bleeding edge technology, like AMD's Mantle API, for example.


Thief caps off a strong benchmarking run for the Aurora R5 with another victory on all counts here. Check out how much more efficient it is at higher resolutions in particular with an astonishing 9fps gain over the GTX 980 Ti in the iBuypower Revolt 2 at 4K and over a 20fps gain at 1440p, while consuming less power (power consumption data is presented on a previous page).