Is Alienware a good product

[Smartbass]

Was thinking of getting the best gaming pc i can get any suggestions?
Was looking at Alienware intel 3.8 quad core ati vid card 5970
$2,000 sound right?

[WeAreLegion]

Alienware costs a lot, you can build a better PC for cheaper, but if you not into building your own and have the money, Alienware is good, through many will disagree.

[freeloader105]

$2,000 sound right?

No. Anything above $1000 is increasingly stupid. It is much cheaper and more effective to upgrade gradually. You have better hardware overall and save more money. Take my word for it.

[Baron_Fel]

It would be fine. Any prebuilt would, they arent going to sell you ♥♥♥♥ and even if they do they will replace it with their warrenties.

but you can make your money go ALOT farther if you build it yourself.

[Mastershroom]

Alienware systems are excellent. Of course, as others say, you can build a computer yourself with the same components for less money, but pre-built systems like Alienware are ideal if you aren't comfortable building from scratch. And they have excellent warranty, which is great, unlike a home-made setup, in which case you have different warranties from different companies for different parts.

[rotNdude]

What model of Alienware are you looking at?

As others have said, you can save money by building it yourself but you also have to deal with the lack of warranty for the entire system and will be troubleshooting individual component issues if they arise.

[Nik00117]

I own a m17x alienware laptop I enjoy it, the quality of it is rock solid. Yes I know I could of gotten a better spec laptop for less elsewhere.

[l33tguy]

Alienware which dell bought out is alright but like others stated you can build yourself a pc for much less with higher quality parts. Paying over $1000 isn't really stupid it depends on what platform / cpu you go with along with other hardware of the system. For a video card it is normal to pay $300-$400 for a high end card. A lot of people pay $500-$650+ for video card/cards which I can see your point but let them spend there money if they want. If you go Intel core I7 on the 1366 socket you will spend over $1000 but if you know how to spend wisely you can get a core i7 1366 platform + a high end video card for $1300 which isn't that bad.

[TheRAGER]

I recently built a computer. I spent a little over 2k on it.
A similar build would have cost me through alienware between $100-$500 more.

I didnt go to school to learn how to build computers. it took me a lot of time researching everything about every part after work each day.

Alienware cost more cause:
1) They know what they are doing and wont make a mistake
2) the work is being done for you.
3) The warranties are great.

When building your own computer you have to worry about a lot of things. like when you 1st get a part, was it shipped DOA? 1 of my 6 2gb of RAM sticks was DOA.

Also only get a computer to what your needs will be.
Some people think im crazy for having a core i7 950 and 12gb of RAM. Not only do I plan on doing high end gaming I also plan on using different tools that use rendering and multitasking.


Honestly $1,000 into a computer would be great and last you a while.
I spent the extra not only for what I am doing on it but also for the upgrade options later. Another thing to think about.


In short, Alienware is Not bad if you dont know 100% how to build a computer and will save you A lot of time, you will pay a lil more however.

[GoDMiN]

Was thinking of getting the best gaming pc i can get any suggestions?
Was looking at Alienware intel 3.8 quad core ati vid card 5970
$2,000 sound right?

From what I hear, no. Mainly because their made by dell and they're well known for very bad customer support and being SUPER overpriced, which I can say they are. You'd be better off buying from iBUYPOWER or building your own rig. Building your own rig will be cheaper and you'd get to deal with the actual manufacturer rather than having to go to dell.


Alienware cost more cause:
1) They know what they are doing and wont make a mistake
2) the work is being done for you.
3) The warranties are great.

1) Not really, people get broken Dell PCs all the time over the internet

2) Yea, but I don't consider that a good thing tbh. Because at least if you mess up you're most likely going to know what it is.

3) No they're not. My friend bought a Dell laptop (tried to talk him out of it) and with in less than a month the screen broke. He called to try to get them to fix it, and they basically told him to go ♥♥♥♥ himself

[t3haxle]

As far as gaming PC's go, Alienware's pretty much on top if you're looking for prebuilt. Some retailers, like Cyberpower and iBuypower, are known for using generic parts, crap cable management, doa parts, so on, and so forth. However I hear digital storm is another very high quality gaming PC manufacturer, so you can go there if you want another option. Also, you'll probably have an easier time upgrading with Digital Storm, they use more standard parts as opposed to Alienware cases. I would strongly recommend building your own, I built mine a couple months ago and didn't have many problems, aside from buying a flash drive instead of an HDD (lawl)

All I used for the most part was the motherboard, cooling fan, and case manual. Although I also used a PC gamer article for a little help with cabling.(Even though it's a mess in there, gah there's no where to put the cables)

Bottom Line: Yeah, go Alienware if you don't want to build your own. My family hasn't had any real problems with dell, and aside from my desktop and my sister's laptop, that's what we have.

[l33tguy]

Was thinking of getting the best gaming pc i can get any suggestions?
Was looking at Alienware intel 3.8 quad core ati vid card 5970
$2,000 sound right?

Oh yeah I just took a look on the alienware site, even on the cheapest gamer desktop with all default parts then I upgraded to the Overclocked Intel® Core™ i7 975 Extreme (3.6GHz, 8MB Cache) that was an extra $1200. So you can add at least $1000 to your $2000 which is a total of $3000.
The Alienware Aurora with all default parts except upgrading the CPU to the one mentioned above core i7 975 extreme overclocked to 3.6ghz is $2400. The aurora is the cheapest desktop as stated and that price is including the cheapest video card which is the gts 240 which is not that great. Add at least another $250 for a decent video card (5870) you are up to $2650.

You could save money by not going with the 975 extreme cpu or just try from another manufacturer.

You can get a much better deal going with digital storm custom computer. They have specials going on.. $600 off in promotions.
http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=341237
Starting at $1583,included gtx 275, overclocking options affordable if needed..

You get more for your money with digital storm ATM with the specials.

Alienware would not be the wise choice IMO.

[Baron_Fel]

1) Not really, people get broken Dell PCs all the time over the internet

3) No they're not. My friend bought a Dell laptop (tried to talk him out of it) and with in less than a month the screen broke. He called to try to get them to fix it, and they basically told him to go ♥♥♥♥ himself

1. then you send it back and you get a new one at no cost

3. if your friend broke the screen, its his fault. The warrenty doesnt cover accidental damage.

[rotNdude]

1) Not really, people get broken Dell PCs all the time over the internet

People get broken PCs all the time from any manufacturer.

2) Yea, but I don't consider that a good thing tbh. Because at least if you mess up you're most likely going to know what it is.

No you aren't, unless you understand all the components and have spare components to test with. If you don't have spare components, you're searching in the dark.

3) No they're not. My friend bought a Dell laptop (tried to talk him out of it) and with in less than a month the screen broke. He called to try to get them to fix it, and they basically told him to go ♥♥♥♥ himself

I find this very hard to believe. I have always had good service from Dell when a system is under warranty. What do you mean by the screen broke?

[Raging Hamster]

Dell buying them doesn't mean anything outside of business.

Same alienware people putting them together, same alienware people for support, same alienware quality.

It is not like Dell bought them and started tossing in Insperon parts with Alienware labels on them.

It gave alienware an avenue into retail stores that they didn't have before and access to their supply chains; it also allows Dell to piggyback on their (alienware) name and also allowed Dell to start selling AMD powered PC's.

Enough with the "OMG DELL BUyS ALIeNWaRE!!*@*@( THEYZ ARE PEWP NOWZ!!!!"

wholly-owned-subsidiary people....look it up.

Having said that, they are really expensive. If you want a pre-built, go with Digital Storm or BallisticGamingPC.
.

[Larry1212]

I find this very hard to believe. I have always had good service from Dell when a system is under warranty. What do you mean by the screen broke?

Fist + Screen = Broken. lol

[l33tguy]

Dell buying them doesn't mean anything outside of business.

Same alienware people putting them together, same alienware people for support, same alienware quality.

It is not like Dell bought them and started tossing in Insperon parts with Alienware labels on them.

It gave alienware an avenue into retail stores that they didn't have before and access to their supply chains; it also allows Dell to piggyback on their (alienware) name and also allowed Dell to start selling AMD powered PC's.

Enough with the "OMG DELL BUyS ALIeNWaRE!!*@*@( THEYZ ARE PEWP NOWZ!!!!"

wholly-owned-subsidiary people....look it up.

Having said that, they are really expensive. If you want a pre-built, go with Digital Storm or BallisticGamingPC.
.


I agree with the Ballisticgamingpc website. They have really good prices compared to Alienware.

[Dan H]

Build it yourself. Buying a pre built 'gaming' PC is like spending $20 to have your car's oil changed. You'll learn some money saving skills.

[GoDMiN]

I find this very hard to believe. I have always had good service from Dell when a system is under warranty. What do you mean by the screen broke?

What Dell are you talking about? They're well known for ♥♥♥♥ty support. Even Dell admits they have ♥♥♥♥ty support.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxnTBXbS0a8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4fewJ-D2o0&feature=response_watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHhUNOdJULg

1. then you send it back and you get a new one at no cost
Yea good luck with sending something back to Dell.

3. if your friend broke the screen, its his fault. The warrenty doesnt cover accidental damage.

He sat it on a table and the glass in front of it cracked, not slamed on the table, not dropped, he put it down like you would any other laptop.

[rotNdude]

What Dell are you talking about? They're well known for ♥♥♥♥ty support. Even Dell admits they have ♥♥♥♥ty support.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxnTBXbS0a8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4fewJ-D2o0&feature=response_watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHhUNOdJULg

Thanks. Those three videos on youtube have definitely convinced me not to buy from Dell anymore! Now I just have to figure out who to purchase 15,000 PCs from the next time we do a corporate refresh.

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Hewlett_Packard
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Dell

[IcarusNine]

Thanks. Those three videos on youtube have definitely convinced me not to buy from Dell anymore! Now I just have to figure out who to purchase 15,000 PCs from the next time we do a corporate refresh.

My sarcasm sensor is mildly tingling, but it might be a false positive.

[Mastershroom]

Dells are decent systems, and their support is not perfect, but it gets the job done. If you get the cheap $400 Inspiron laptops, then yeah, you'll get mediocre support based in India. Even still. I've had issues with my two Dell laptops in the past, and the support guys took care of it. They sent me a prepaid empty box, I sent my laptop back to them, and got it back a week later all fixed up.

And support is even better if you buy one of their business models (like the Latitude or Precision series). North American-based support personnel, and on-site repairs, often on the next business day.

[Critshot213]

you should get this
http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5655855&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs
or
http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5325259&Sku=I455-50003

[BababooeyHTJ]

What model of Alienware are you looking at?

As others have said, you can save money by building it yourself but you also have to deal with the lack of warranty for the entire system and will be troubleshooting individual component issues if they arise.

This you pay for a warranty on a tested product. You know that every component will work together with no tweaking on your end.

[nlessvenom]

Dell has fantastic support, my sister's 4 year old dell inspiron laptop was cooked. They sent a guy to our house who worked on it all day untill it was fixed. He was very helpfull and very knowledgeable. We still had warranty after 4 years... We payed for it, but it payed off.

[Bulletbrain7]

This you pay for a warranty on a tested product. You know that every component will work together with no tweaking on your end.

I almost bought an Alienware in 2007. A nearly 4K machine. I decided against them and went with Digital Storm. While Digital Storm has annoyed me from time to time, they did make lots of exceptions to solve problems, including offering me a free upgrade in July of 2009 of every major component and extended my warranty by 18 extra months over the initial 3 years.

Alienware isn't going to do that. But you pay extra for the luxury of a good warranty. But Alienware is more expensive than digital storm and they don't use better components.

Look around Alienware isn't the only choice.

By the way, I build and service my own PC's now.

[nlessvenom]

You might want to give these guys a look:

http://www.bfgsystems.com/ (www.bfgsystems.com)

[freeloader105]

Yeah, after looking at Digital Storm's website, I definitely hold them on the same level as Alienware now.

[Barso]

Build your own.
You will save money, learn alot, look at the finished PC with pride and realise that sometimes building your own PC is part of the whole hobby of why you enjoy PC's over consoles.
O know your missing a warranty but you do get warranties on all the parts you install.
Sometimes even 5 year warranty included at no extra cost on enermax PSU's and lifetime warranties on EVGA graphic cards.
I built a monster of a PC with an EVGA GTX295, EVGA classified motherboard, core i7 920 running at 3.6Ghz on water, 6 GB G.SKILL RAM all in a cosmos s case with noctua case fans with a samsung 24inch 1920x1200 for about the same price as the alienware PC you are thinking of.

[freeloader105]

Barso is right at how overpriced Alienware and Digital Storm are. I'd say you're paying about 2x as much for those parts. Then again, I can only see these companies appealing to someone who has a lot of money and little computer knowledge or too little time. For anyone who really wants and cares about those top of the lines specs, IMO, the most fun aspect would be handling them yourself, putting them together, etc.. for half the cost.

But alas, I'm going in circles again.

[Nik00117]

I am actual owner of an alienware product, well I got EXACTLY what I wanted. I know I could of gone elsewhere.

Their m17x laptop is a beast of a machine.

Here's why I'd buy an alienware, if money of no concern to me, which at the time it wasn't.

Outside of that I wouldn't, and i'm an owner of an m17x

[Furious_]

You should build your own computer, you will save alot of money. I built my own computer, and it was for the first time when i did. It was quite easy actually :D Only 8-9 parts to put in there and some screws. I didnt know a ♥♥♥♥ing thing about computers when i decided to build my own but i just watched a couple tutorials on youtube. :P