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N3RD_01 35.8K Views
Dec 3, 2025 4:24 PM

Dell EDU: Alienware Aurora Desktop: Ultra 7 265F, RTX 5080, 16GB DDR5, 1TB SSD

$1,575

$2,480

36% off
+ Free Shippingat Dell Technologies
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Deal Details
Dell has for EDU Accounts: Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop (ACT1250), as configured below, on sale for $1574.99 (discount appears at checkout). Shipping is free.

Thanks to Community Member N3RD_01 for sharing this deal.

Note: You must create/sign in with a verified EDU account; active Military, First Responders, and Healthcare accounts may also qualify for this discount.

Specs:
  • Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (20-Core, 66MB Total Cache, 1.8GHz to 5.3GHz) Processor
  • 16GB Dual Channel DDR5 Memory (2x 8GB - Green) 5200 MT/s
  • 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Solid State Drive (SSD)
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 Graphics
  • 1000W Platinum Rated PSU, Clear Door & 240mm Liquid Cooler
  • Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) 802.11ax Wireless LAN and Bluetooth
  • Dell Wired Keyboard (KB216, Black) + Dell Wired Mouse (MS116, Black)
  • Windows 11 Home
  • Inputs:
    • Front:
      • 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports
      • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) port with PowerShare technology
      • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C port with PowerShare technology
    • Rear:
      • 1x USB4 (20 Gbps) Type-C port with Power Delivery
      • 2x 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports
      • 2x USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) ports with SmartPower
      • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C port
      • RJ45 Ethernet port

Editor's Notes

Written by Nate650 | Staff

Original Post

Written by N3RD_01
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Dell has for EDU Accounts: Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop (ACT1250), as configured below, on sale for $1574.99 (discount appears at checkout). Shipping is free.

Thanks to Community Member N3RD_01 for sharing this deal.

Note: You must create/sign in with a verified EDU account; active Military, First Responders, and Healthcare accounts may also qualify for this discount.

Specs:
  • Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (20-Core, 66MB Total Cache, 1.8GHz to 5.3GHz) Processor
  • 16GB Dual Channel DDR5 Memory (2x 8GB - Green) 5200 MT/s
  • 1TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Solid State Drive (SSD)
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 Graphics
  • 1000W Platinum Rated PSU, Clear Door & 240mm Liquid Cooler
  • Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) 802.11ax Wireless LAN and Bluetooth
  • Dell Wired Keyboard (KB216, Black) + Dell Wired Mouse (MS116, Black)
  • Windows 11 Home
  • Inputs:
    • Front:
      • 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports
      • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) port with PowerShare technology
      • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C port with PowerShare technology
    • Rear:
      • 1x USB4 (20 Gbps) Type-C port with Power Delivery
      • 2x 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports
      • 2x USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) ports with SmartPower
      • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C port
      • RJ45 Ethernet port

Editor's Notes

Written by Nate650 | Staff

Original Post

Written by N3RD_01

Community Voting

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Top Comments

rsplatpc
84Comments
26Reputation
$50 more to upgrade to 32gb
Go to Comment

Community Reviews

The Alienware Aurora stands out as a compact RTX 5080 gaming desktop with an Ultra 7 265F, fast DDR5, and SSD options that can make the price feel strong for the hardware. The best value points are the 5080 configuration, the 32GB RAM and 2TB SSD upgrades, and occasional stackable savings from AmEx, PayPal Pay in 4 cashback, ID.me, or employer discounts. The main concerns are Alienware's proprietary motherboard, power supply, and case, which can make future upgrades or repairs harder. Pricing also moved around during the thread, with some checkout totals landing much higher than the headline deal. A strong spec sheet, but the upgrade path and final cart price matter.

  • The configuration can include a 1000W Platinum rated PSU, a Clear Door, and a 240mm liquid cooler.

    rsplatpc

  • The system can be configured with a 2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe SSD and an RTX 5080 16GB GPU.

    rsplatpc

  • The Aurora ACT1250 can support two RAM slots, which enables a straightforward memory upgrade path.

    rsplatpc

  • PayPal Pay in 4 can unlock a limited-time 20% cashback offer up to $250 when used through the PayPal app rewards.

    OG_Kangster

  • The deal can be over and a $1400 max purchase limit can prevent ordering the desktop configuration.

    rsplatpc

  • Alienware Aurora systems can use proprietary motherboard and PSU parts, which can make replacements expensive after failures.

    SumDuud

  • The motherboard can have only two RAM slots, so upgrading later can require replacing both modules rather than adding one stick.

    flatlight

  • EDU and other discount programs can fail to apply at checkout, including EPP-style discounts that did not resolve after contacting Dell support.

    TyresianK

Common Questions (4)

AI-generated summary based on comments from the community. Updated ago

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71 Comments

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Dec 4, 2025 5:21 PM
176 Comments
Joined Aug 2012
mattbslickDec 4, 2025 5:21 PM
176 Comments
Quote from rsplatpc View quoted comment :
$50 more to upgrade to 32gb
Yes, that is correct if you do it through Dell, ty for bringing that up. Not everyone does that, and you would think the mobo would have more than a single RAM slot, but it does not. 16gb is just not enough for W11 desktops (in my scenario)
2
Dec 4, 2025 7:40 PM
17 Comments
Joined Aug 2008
smartbuyer001Dec 4, 2025 7:40 PM
17 Comments
deal might be dead
Dec 4, 2025 10:26 PM
84 Comments
Joined Dec 2016
rsplatpcDec 4, 2025 10:26 PM
84 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank

Quote from mattbslick View quoted comment :
Yes, that is correct if you do it through Dell, ty for bringing that up. Not everyone does that, and you would think the mobo would have more than a single RAM slot, but it does not. 16gb is just not enough for W11 desktops (in my scenario)
The Aurora comes with 2 RAM slots.

"Memory
The following table lists the memory specifications that are supported on your Alienware Aurora ACT1250.
Table 1. Memory specificationsDescription
Values
Memory slots
Two"

https://www.dell.com/support/manu...lang=en-us
1
Pro
Deal Editor
Dec 4, 2025 10:49 PM
13.7K Comments
Joined Jun 2008
Nate650
Pro
Deal Editor
Dec 4, 2025 10:49 PM
13.7K Comments
Quote from LordVader3425 View quoted comment :
Link doesn't work for me, anyone knows why?
Does it just keep loading for you? I see that too, but it worked when I tried a different browser.
Original Poster
Pro
Dec 4, 2025 11:00 PM
3.8K Comments
Joined Nov 2018
N3RD_01
Original Poster
Pro
Dec 4, 2025 11:00 PM
3.8K Comments
Quote from smartbuyer001 View quoted comment :
deal might be dead
Must be signed into edu or other qualified account, discount appears at checkout.
Pro
Dec 4, 2025 11:41 PM
8.5K Comments
Joined Nov 2017
Slick_Drone
Pro
Dec 4, 2025 11:41 PM
8.5K Comments
Quote from fawzi View quoted comment :
i have amex 100 off 500 so maybe i can bring it down even further by splitting the payments into 3. so basically 300 less with tax it is around 1400. personally i still dont think it is worth it, maybe because i'm too poor for this
You have three Amex cards with the same 100 off 500 offer?
Pro
Dec 4, 2025 11:44 PM
8.5K Comments
Joined Nov 2017
Slick_Drone
Pro
Dec 4, 2025 11:44 PM
8.5K Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank

Quote from mattbslick View quoted comment :
Yes, that is correct if you do it through Dell, ty for bringing that up. Not everyone does that, and you would think the mobo would have more than a single RAM slot, but it does not. 16gb is just not enough for W11 desktops (in my scenario)
There's no way any desktop motherboard being made today has one dimm slot.
1

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Pro
Dec 4, 2025 11:58 PM
2.2K Comments
Joined Aug 2014
fawzi
Pro
Dec 4, 2025 11:58 PM
2.2K Comments
Quote from Slick_Drone View quoted comment :
You have three Amex cards with the same 100 off 500 offer?
yes, created one for each family member and i check which offer is on which card
Dec 5, 2025 12:00 AM
3.3K Comments
Joined Jan 2007
flatlightDec 5, 2025 12:00 AM
3.3K Comments
Quote from mattbslick View quoted comment :
Just a heads up on this if you want more RAM (you will), you need to replace the single stick of 16gb with either a 32, 48 or 64gb.
It says it comes with 2x8. But since there are only 2 UDIMM slots you'll have to replace both if you want to upgrade
Dec 5, 2025 12:18 AM
216 Comments
Joined Sep 2019
CarraxDec 5, 2025 12:18 AM
216 Comments
Great
Dec 5, 2025 12:31 AM
18 Comments
Joined Nov 2018
P3canP13Dec 5, 2025 12:31 AM
18 Comments
Quote from N3RD_01 View quoted comment :
Must be signed into edu or other qualified account, discount appears at checkout.
Works for me
Dec 5, 2025 12:40 AM
399 Comments
Joined Nov 2011
PogChampmonkaSDec 5, 2025 12:40 AM
399 Comments
Is this 265f any good? Is it worth upgrading cpu?
Dec 5, 2025 12:40 AM
1.9K Comments
Joined Dec 2014
BrianH5624Dec 5, 2025 12:40 AM
1.9K Comments
Holy crap
Dec 5, 2025 12:40 AM
399 Comments
Joined Nov 2011
PogChampmonkaSDec 5, 2025 12:40 AM
399 Comments
Quote from rsplatpc View quoted comment :
$50 more to upgrade to 32gb
It's showing as +100 for me

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Dec 5, 2025 12:55 AM
321 Comments
Joined Nov 2011
kevinuoDec 5, 2025 12:55 AM
321 Comments
Quote from rsplatpc View quoted comment :
$50 more to upgrade to 32gb
sorry.. how can i get $50 to upgrade to 32gb? i saw $100?

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