iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
HotHardware’s Asetek and Alienware Aurora R12 Hot Summer Gaming PC Giveaway is over. HotHardware announced “Paul D” as the winner on August 24, 2021, four days after the announced August 20 closing date. There is no active entry opportunity for this promotion.
Who won the HotHardware Aurora R12 giveaway?
HotHardware’s August 24, 2021, winner announcement named Paul D and asked him to provide contact details to arrange delivery. That confirms the giveaway concluded; the announcement does not establish whether a similarly named promotion is currently running. Read HotHardware’s winner announcement.
What was the prize?
The prize was a Lunar Light Alienware Aurora R12 gaming desktop with an Asetek-powered closed-loop all-in-one (AIO) CPU cooler. The announced configuration was:
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute- Intel Core i9-11900F, an eight-core processor
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics
- 32GB of DDR4-3200 memory
- Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 networking
- 1TB NVMe SSD boot drive and 2TB HDD for additional storage
Together, the two drives provided 3TB of stated storage capacity. HotHardware’s August 19 announcement and August 24 winner post both described this configuration. See the original giveaway announcement.
#1 Best Overall
- [Intel Core i5 Gaming Processor] Released in 2021 The Alienware Aurora R12 Gaming Desktop in Dell's Alienware family comes with all the latest technology including DDR4 Memory clocked at a whopping 3200MHz and a 11th generation Intel 6-core Processor. The Six cores on the the Core i5-11400F processor allows for exceptional multitasking. To save power the processor will run @ 2.6Ghz under low use but will boost to 4.4GHz under heavy use for powerful performance!
- [Graphics] This Alienware Aurora R12 Gaming Desktop comes with a a Dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti graphics card with 8GB of Dedicated Graphics Ram great for gaming or photo and video editing
- [High Speed RAM And Enormous Space] The 16GB DDR4 RAM Running @ 3200MHz will let you smoothly run multiple applications and browser tabs all at once and a 2TB (2000GB) Hard Disk Drive and a second 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive will provide fast startup, fast data transfers, and allow for large file storage!
- [Operating System] Windows 11 is Microsoft's latest Operating System released in 2022 and if you want to downgrade to the older windows 10, you can downgrade with an easy download from Microsoft's website.Windows Pro comes with everything that Windows Home comes with, plus extra features your organization might require like active directory and bitlocker device encryption (normally an $100 upgrade if purchased seperately).
- [Extra Details] Wifi and Bluetooth come integrated. A keyboard and Mouse are included. [PORTS & SLOTS] (2x) Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports | Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports with Powershare technology | Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 Port with Powershare technology | Headphone/Line Out | Microphone/Line InRear Ports 6. SPDIF Digital Output (Coax) | SPDIF Digital Output (TOSLINK) | RJ-45 Killer E3100G Gigabit Ethernet | (6x) Type-A USB 2.0 Ports | Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 2 with Powershare technology (up to 15W) | Type-A
When did it run, and who could enter?
The original announcement, published August 19, 2021, gave August 20, 2021, as the deadline and limited eligibility to residents of the United States and Canada. It also said Canadian winners would be responsible for applicable delivery duties and taxes, and that winners were responsible for applicable taxes on prizes. These were terms for that historical promotion, not guidance for other giveaways.
How did entry work?
HotHardware described 16 ways to earn entry points, including liking or subscribing to social-media sites and visiting pages. Those entry routes applied to the 2021 event and are obsolete now that the winner has been announced. Do not treat the old entry links or terms as a way to enter a current sweepstakes.
Rank #2
- Dell Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop
- Intel Core i7 11th Gen i7-11700KF Eight-Core Processor 3.6GHz (5GHz With Turbo Boost)
- 1TB SSD Hard Drive & 16GB RAM Memory
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Graphics Card
- Wireless Wifi & Bluetooth, Keyboard and mouse. Windows11 Home
Is this exact Aurora R12 configuration available now?
The announcements establish what the 2021 prize included, but do not establish current stock, pricing, or availability of that exact system. “Alienware Aurora R12 gaming desktop” is a useful phrase for identifying the product in historical coverage; confirm the specifications and seller details of any listing you find rather than assuming it is the giveaway configuration.
Was the giveaway real?
HotHardware published the giveaway announcement on August 19, 2021, then published a winner announcement naming Paul D on August 24. Those two posts document the promotion and its conclusion. They do not establish that any other message or current offer using the giveaway’s name is authentic.
HotHardware’s original announcement was written by Managing Editor Marco Chiappetta. It described Asetek’s cooler as a closed-loop AIO; no separate product comparison is needed to identify the prize.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- [ INTEL Core i5 Gaming Processor ] Released in 2021 The Alienware Aurora R12 Gaming Desktop is DELL's latest release in the Alienware family. It includes a 1 year warranty with on-site Service and comes with all the latest technology including DDR4 Memory clocked at a whopping 3200MHz anda 11th generation INTEL 6-core Processor. The cores on the Core i5-11400F processor allows for exceptional multitasking. To save power the processor will run @ 2.6Ghz under low use but will boost to 4.4GHz u
- [ Graphics ] This Alienware Aurora R12 Gaming Desktop comes with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card with 10GB of Dedicated Graphics Ram great for gaming or photo and video editing
- [ High Speed RAM And Enormous Space ] The 8GB DDR4 RAM Running @ 3200MHz will let you smoothly run multiple applications and browser tabs all at once and a 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive will provide fast startup, data transfers, and large file storage!
- [ Operating System ] Windows 11 is Microsoft's latest Operating System released in 2022 and if you want to downgrade to the older windows 10, you can downgrade with an easy download from Microsoft's website.The Home Edition will come with everything you need but you can also upgrade to windows pro from the windows store for $100.
- [ Extra Details ] Wifi and Bluetooth come integrated. A keyboard and Mouse are included. [ PORTS & SLOTS ] (2x) Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports | Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports with Powershare technology | Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 Port with Powershare technology | Headphone/Line Out | Microphone/Line InRear Ports 6. SPDIF Digital Output (Coax) | SPDIF Digital Output (TOSLINK) | RJ-45 Killer E3100G Gigabit Ethernet | (6x) Type-A USB 2.0 Ports | Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 2 with Powershare technology (up to 15W) | Typ
Rank #4
- [Intel Core i5 Gaming Processor] Released in 2021 The Alienware Aurora R12 Gaming Desktop in Dell's Alienware family comes with all the latest technology including DDR4 Memory clocked at a whopping 3200MHz and a 11th generation Intel 6-core Processor. The Six cores on the the Core i5-11400F processor allows for exceptional multitasking. To save power the processor will run @ 2.6Ghz under low use but will boost to 4.4GHz under heavy use for powerful performance!
- [Graphics] This Alienware Aurora R12 Gaming Desktop comes with a a Dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti graphics card with 8GB of Dedicated Graphics Ram great for gaming or photo and video editing
- [High Speed RAM And Enormous Space] The 8GB DDR4 RAM Running @ 3200MHz will let you smoothly run multiple applications and browser tabs all at once and a 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive will provide fast startup, fast data transfers, and allow for large file storage!
- [Operating System] Windows 11 is Microsoft's latest Operating System released in 2022 and if you want to downgrade to the older windows 10, you can downgrade with an easy download from Microsoft's website.The Home Edition will come with everything you need but you can also upgrade to windows pro from the windows store for $100.
- [Extra Details] Wifi and Bluetooth come integrated. A keyboard and Mouse are included. [PORTS & SLOTS] (2x) Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports | Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports with Powershare technology | Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 Port with Powershare technology | Headphone/Line Out | Microphone/Line InRear Ports 6. SPDIF Digital Output (Coax) | SPDIF Digital Output (TOSLINK) | RJ-45 Killer E3100G Gigabit Ethernet | (6x) Type-A USB 2.0 Ports | Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 2 with Powershare technology (up to 15W) | Type-A
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
