Huge Alienware sale live at Dell: save up to $400 on the latest gaming laptops with these 3 hand-picked deals

The official Dell Store is hosting a massive back-to-school sale this week, featuring a wide range of discounts on high-end Alienware gaming laptops. If you're a college student with flush pockets, then it's definitely a good time to consider picking one up.

As TechRadar's deals editor, I've been poring through this week's sale at the official Dell store to find the best value options. There are plenty of choices, but I've narrowed it down to just three deals covering a range of budgets, of course.

For a (relatively) affordable, do-it-all gaming laptop for college, consider the Alienware 16 Aurora for $1,449.99 (was $1,599). With an RTX 5060 graphics card and Intel Core 9 chipset, this one is perfect for everyday use outside of gaming. Although, of course, an RTX 5060 is still more than capable of smooth frame rates.

For something with a little more power, consider this Alienware 16X Aurora for $1,799 (was $2,099) or the Alienware 16 Area-51 for $2,949 (was $3,499). Both of these machines feature higher-end RTX 5000 series graphics cards and are actually quite good value for gaming laptops with such powerful specs. You can read about these machines in more detail below.

Alienware gaming laptop deals at Dell

Alienware 16 Aurora: was $1,599.99 now $1,449.99 at Dell

Graphics card: RTX 5060 8GB
Processor: Intel Core 9-270H
RAM: 16GB DDR5
Storage: 1TB

<p>Several RTX 5060 models are on sale at Dell today, but my pick of the bunch is this brand-new Alienware 16 Aurora. Not only do you get a decent RTX 5060 graphics card here, but this machine also features a powerful Intel Core 9 chipset, which pairs up nicely to offer solid performance at 1080p resolution.

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Alienware 16X Aurora: was $2,099.99 now $1,799.99 at Dell

Graphics card: RTX 5070 8GB
Processor: Intel Core 9-275HX
RAM: 32GB DDR5
Storage: 2TB

<p>For a more powerful machine, I'd recommend this up-specced Alienware 16X Aurora: a machine that features a potent combination of an RTX 5070, Intel Core 9, and 32GB of RAM. While the RTX 5070 is still only 8GB of VRAM here, this machine shouldn't have any issues with even graphically demanding games on its 1600p 240Hz display.

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Alienware 16 Area-51: was $2,099.99 now $1,799.99 at Dell

Graphics card: RTX 5080 16GB
Processor: Intel Core 9-275HX
RAM: 32GB DDR5
Storage: 1TB

<p>And finally, last but certainly not least, check out this price cut on the stunning 16-inch Alienware Area-51. This is one of the brand's highest-end machines and comes with a price tag to match. With that said, you do get an RTX 5080 graphics card, Intel Core 9 chipset, and 32GB of RAM, which are impressive specs for the money. If you're looking for smooth frame rates for a few years down the line, this is a good option.

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More back-to-school sales this week

• Amazon: 45% off supplies, tech & clothing
• Apple: $150 gift card with Mac & iPad purchase
• Backpacks: Adidas & Jansport from $9.99
• Best Buy: $500 off laptops, printers & monitors
• Chromebooks: deals starting at $169
• College: 50% off Kitchen gadgets, furniture & tech
• Dell: laptops & monitors starting at $249.99
• Nordstrom: 20% off Nike, Adidas & UGG
• Samsung: up to $800 off for students & educators
• School supplies: deals starting at $4.99
• Target: 30% off kids' clothing, uniforms & backpacks
• Walmart: supplies, backpacks, clothing & tech from $5