The Hochfelsen & Kani law firm is investigating claims that Dell misled consumers when it marketed its 2019 Alienware Area-51m as fully upgradable.
Our firm is advising various individuals who were lured into spending thousands of dollars on the promise of the product’s "unprecedented upgradability" and were shocked when the company failed to deliver on that promise with the release of the second generation Area-51m.
In January 2019, Dell made a promise to consumers that the Alienware Area-51m R1, much like a desktop computer, had a fully upgradable CPU and GPU. Gamers, who have longed for such functionality, jumped at the opportunity to purchase an Alienware Area-51m R1. Despite its significant price tag, which exceeded $5000 for a fully optioned device, the notebook sold extremely well.
With the release of Area-51m R2 in June 2020, owners of the R1 have taken note that the R2 features Intel’s 10th-gen CPU as well as Nvidia’s new RTX SUPER series of GPUs, which represent a significant upgrade from the R1.
When consumers started asking questions about the procedure to upgrade the R1 to the hardware specifications of the R2, Dell said in a statement:
"The Area-51m R1 only supports GPU upgrades within its current generation of graphics cards" and that "There is no upgrade program to Super for Area-51m R1."
It has taken only one year for the upgradeability of the Area-51M R1 to become obsolete. Now, consumers who paid thousands of dollars for the R1, instead of upgrading their core components as Dell promised them they could, must again spend a thousand to purchase an entirely new notebook to stay up-to-date with gaming technology.
If you bought an Area-51m R1 and felt Dell’s marketing efforts were misleading, you are not alone. Hochfelsen and Kani LLP is in contact with several people in this category.
Under federal and state consumer protection statutes, it is possible to file class action claims over false advertising and related violations. Class actions enable plaintiffs who might not find it financially feasible to individually sue a large corporation like Dell, to assert their rights in court collectively.
If a class action lawsuit against Dell for its alleged false and misleading advertisement regarding the upgradeability of the Alienware Area-51m R1 does indeed occurs and leads to a favorable settlement, you may be compensated for losses you may have suffered as a result of the company’s false promises.
The Holy Grail of the Upgradeable Laptop
When Dell announced the release of the first generation Alienware Area-51m, it described the new product as a laptop which could finally compete with desktops in terms of upgradability. With a socketed CPU and a modular graphic card, the new laptop promised to allow users to upgrade to the latest CPU and graphic processor.
Laptop Graphic Processing Units ("GPU") cannot usually be upgraded because manufacturers believe it is not profitable to maintain the same platform across various product generations.
Dell claimed it had created a laptop GPU card standard for its Alienware-51m line, which meant that the Alienware Area-51m 's GPU could eventually be upgraded to future versions of Nvidia's mobile GPU chipset, including the RTX 2080 SUPER and the next-generation RTX 3080 or the RTX 4080.
Consumers were led to believe that Dell would create a series of compatible GPU modules that would fit its Alienware Area-51m line. But the dream of an upgradeable platform was short-lived.
On its website, Dell still states,
“Gamers have made it clear that they’ve noticed a lack of CPU and GPU upgradability in gaming laptops. The Area-51m was engineered with this in mind, finally allowing gamers to harness power comparable to even the highest-performance desktop.”
Gamers know it’s all about the GPU, and new games require increasingly more powerful GPUs. Dell's failed promise of upgradeability has left gamers who spent thousands of dollars on the Area-51m R1 with no option but to watch their notebooks drift into obsolescence.
If you bought the laptop thinking you wouldn’t have to purchase a new one for a while, you are not alone. Many people are in your situation, and we believe Dell is liable for misleading its customers.
Calling Buyers of Alienware Area-51m
If you purchased an Alienware Area-51m or have information about misconduct by Dell in connection with Dell's alleged misleading claims of upgradeability, please contact us.
We are exploring the possibility of filing a class-action lawsuit, and you may be eligible to become a class member. You have rights under various consumer protection statutes, and we can help you hold Dell accountable for its false promises.
If you become a class member in a potential class action, our experienced consumer advocates will work with you to maximize recoveries and expose Dell’s misconduct.
Our team of investigators and experts are working to gather all the evidence necessary to build a solid case against Dell. Our attorneys have recovered millions of dollars from companies that have wronged consumers.
Connect with us today for a complimentary case assessment: