Alienware: Worth it or not?
By
BurningChick,
Posted on: 2010-12-31 16:49 in ALL ACCESS Gameplay Technical Issues Bugs
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let me put it this way.|
Originally Posted by NewScrapper
I'm in the market for a new computer, and naturally I'd like to have one that will play whatever CoH can crank out not only now but for years down the road. A couple of my friends at the office recommended Alienware, but another friend says I should just buy myself a <$500 standard PC and upgrade it with a good graphics card. I'm prepared to shell out as much as $2,000 for a new Alienware PC if it's going to last and do well, but is that overdoing it?
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Dell owns Alienware. Alienware's are not hand-built by Alienware technicians. They are built in the same factories as Dell Inspirons.
If you want to buy a Dell, that's up to you.
Don't buy an Alienware PC. Contrary to the [H]ardOCP crowd's most fervent beliefs, red lights and black plastic do not in fact make your games run faster, and futureproofing is a fool's endeavour when purchasing a PC. Spend a thousand bucks or so tops on parts from a reputable online shop, buy your most computer savvy friend a case of beer, and have her assemble your new box o' stuff into a great rig. Then use the other thousand bucks for upgrades later on.
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And maybe a steak dinner and a movie as well? I don't usually got for beer on the first date but yes. The best way to future proof your pc for at least three months (maybe six depending on parts) is to have a friend help you put one together.
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Originally Posted by Emberly
Don't buy an Alienware PC. Contrary to the [H]ardOCP crowd's most fervent beliefs, red lights and black plastic do not in fact make your games run faster, and futureproofing is a fool's endeavour when purchasing a PC. Spend a thousand bucks or so tops on parts from a reputable online shop, buy your most computer savvy friend a case of beer, and have her assemble your new box o' stuff into a great rig. Then use the other thousand bucks for upgrades later on.
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Find me ingame @Norlon
Winter ST
when Alienware was its own thing they were great.
nowadays, as mentioned...if you want a dell, buy a dell.
The Nethergoat Archive: all my memories, all my characters, all my thoughts on CoH...eventually.
My City Was Gone
Considering that my current PC is a 6-year-old Dell, I'm not particularly Dell-averse, except for the fact that getting a new power supply required me to literally take a hacksaw to the back of my case to get it to fit. I was told Alienware avoids such issues.
Not really wanting to put one together myself (even if a friend puts in the labor). Pre-built computers are fairly cheap now, and I would at least like to have something that comes with a year or more of customer support in case something goes wrong. Think I should just find a good computer store in the area? Best Buy, or something like that? Or are there better deals online?
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I have a dell and like it just fine- the problem with the current Alienwares is that they're charging a premium for a name that no longer carries the cache of cutting edge machines hand built by wild-eyed hardware geeks- it's just another Dell box. Which isn't necessarily bad, but isn't worth paying extra for.|
Originally Posted by NewScrapper
Considering that my current PC is a 6-year-old Dell, I'm not particularly Dell-averse, except for the fact that getting a new power supply required me to literally take a hacksaw to the back of my case to get it to fit. I was told Alienware avoids such issues.
Not really wanting to put one together myself (even if a friend puts in the labor). Pre-built computers are fairly cheap now, and I would at least like to have something that comes with a year or more of customer support in case something goes wrong. Think I should just find a good computer store in the area? Best Buy, or something like that? Or are there better deals online? |
My buddy has one of the Dell 'performance' rigs (XPS i think?) and he loves it.
The Nethergoat Archive: all my memories, all my characters, all my thoughts on CoH...eventually.
My City Was Gone
I'd have to add my voice to the "Avoid Alienware" crowd. They're expensive and not very Upgrade-Friendly.
That $2000 would be MUCH better spent on building a computer yourself. If you can't build it yourself then get a tech savvy friend to do it. If you don't have any computer geek friends available, then you could even pay to have Best Buy's Geek Squad to build it for you, although their abilities range from 'They did it just fine' all the way down to 'a blind quadriplegic monkey could have done better' and they are pricey.
If I didn't have my dad to build my computer for me I'd probably go to Geek Squad, I'm paranoid about even TOUCHING computer parts for one very good if really odd reason.
My body acts like an anti-technological field. I can't use wireless devices (mice, keyboards and even phones) under a certain power range or they just DIE when near me. Also when I was a teenager my dad was teaching me to build a computer and was going to have me install the whole thing bit by bit. He bought a brand new 1gig drive, the biggest on the market at the time and handed it to me. I felt a jolt of electricity pass through me, and when I installed it the entire drive was dead. It's like I took a huge magnet to the whole thing and fried it from front to back. And the thing is I had already de-shocked myself by touching some metal before grabbing it! Just 'pfft', gone.
I sit in my zen of not being able to do anything right while simultaniously not being able to do anything wrong. Om. -CuppaJo
It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, the hands acquire shaking, the shaking becomes a warning. It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind in motion.
If you must buy a customized pre-built computer, my only recommendations are ibuypower.com and cyberpowerpc.com. No, I haven't really bought from them. As far as I know, their customer support is very mediocre, but otherwise the computers are cheap. My recommendation is research the parts from the list. These two sites basically just buy parts from certain manufacturers which are certainly easily acquired through newegg (not that they get them from newegg) and just assemble them.
And no. HELL NO to Geek Squad. That's possibly worse than Alienware. They are merely part-time salesmen posing as technologically literate geeks.
Personally, I build my own computers, and mine looks better than the Alienware cases anyways. And Customer support? I call myself. Only problem is that other people ask me to fix their computers especially when I built it for them.
Personally, I love building it myself. It has never been easier.
Windows 7 is cake to install compared to XP.
H: Blaster 50, Defender 50, Tank 50, Scrapper 50, Controller 50, PB 50, WS 50
V: Brute 50, Corruptor 50, MM 50, Dominator 50, Stalker 50, AW 50, AS 50
Top 4: Controller, Brute, Scrapper, Corruptor
Bottom 4: (Peacebringer) way below everything else, Mastermind, Dominator, Blaster
CoH in WQHD
Anyone ever use www.pugetsystems.com? They're expensive...maybe hella-so...but they get consistent rave reviews from customers with regard to shipping, customer service, and whether what you get actually works.
You could go to www.mwave.com and pay them $80 to build your custom PC. Cheap if you don't know how to build it. They don't have as good a selection as newegg but they carry most parts.
They could easily build you something close to Father Xmas' budget gaming rig. So that's maybe $800 which is alot less than a "cheap" alienware.
H: Blaster 50, Defender 50, Tank 50, Scrapper 50, Controller 50, PB 50, WS 50
V: Brute 50, Corruptor 50, MM 50, Dominator 50, Stalker 50, AW 50, AS 50
Top 4: Controller, Brute, Scrapper, Corruptor
Bottom 4: (Peacebringer) way below everything else, Mastermind, Dominator, Blaster
CoH in WQHD
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As a decade long member of [H], I have never seen anyone seriously field Alienware after they were bought by Dell as an option without getting laughed off the forums. Hell, the sections of the forums that matter, they were laughed off even when Alienware built their own machines. [H] is an enthusiast, DIY site. Numbers mean something, the case and "red lights" do not.|
Originally Posted by Emberly
Don't buy an Alienware PC. Contrary to the [H]ardOCP crowd's most fervent beliefs, red lights and black plastic do not in fact make your games run faster, and futureproofing is a fool's endeavour when purchasing a PC. Spend a thousand bucks or so tops on parts from a reputable online shop, buy your most computer savvy friend a case of beer, and have her assemble your new box o' stuff into a great rig. Then use the other thousand bucks for upgrades later on.
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Otherwise, I agree. Buy the parts and roll your own.
As a long time member, I have a little bit of an obligation to chill the spread of dirty lies!
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I'll have to agree with this as I often frequent that site, though I don't necessarily make my presence known as I have yet to post in that forum yet have been visiting since 2003. The only Alienware name that is possibly not laughed off are Alienware laptops, though I seriously do not recommend them. It's a much harder feat in trying DIY laptops.|
Originally Posted by Mephisto_Kur
As a decade long member of [H], I have never seen anyone seriously field Alienware after they were bought by Dell as an option without getting laughed off the forums. Hell, the sections of the forums that matter, they were laughed off even when Alienware built their own machines. [H] is an enthusiast, DIY site. Numbers mean something, the case and "red lights" do not.
Otherwise, I agree. Buy the parts and roll your own. As a long time member, I have a little bit of an obligation to chill the spread of dirty lies! |
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Originally Posted by NewScrapper
Anyone ever use www.pugetsystems.com? They're expensive...maybe hella-so...but they get consistent rave reviews from customers with regard to shipping, customer service, and whether what you get actually works.
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Now that I'm browsing through Pugetsystems, their prices... are atrociously overpriced. I mean... $90 bucks on that Asetek Liquid cooling system when it costs around $70 on a Corsair H50 which is actually the exact same thing except it's not called Asetek? Add 431 dollars for a 6970 over a GT210 when a Radeon 6970 costs 370 dollars on newegg? At least the hard drive prices were reasonable. Almost. The Tuniq TX-4 thermal paste costs like 6 bucks for a whole tube, which can basically be used for like 3-5 uses, but they are charging you for single use. That Asus 25.5 Monitor they list? It's less than 300 bucks on newegg while it's 400 on pugetsystems. You might as well buy the monitor separately. Well, I also recommend that when choosing your system if buying from ibuypower or cyberpowerpc. But yes, at least ibuypower and cyberpowerpc have more reasonable prices with a more modest "assembly charge" added on to the parts, but of course sacrificing the customer service part.
Honestly, the prices almost gave me an aneurysm. Though I think FalconNW is the worst offender for that. Sigh, and this is why people keep saying that gaming on a PC is expensive... when it's not that expensive or shouldn't be that expensive.
Is father xmas guide to comps in his sig reputable?
im in the market for a new comp as well and would like to build my own. I've read his sig and some people say the parts he's suggesting aren't combatible.
id like a rig that could handle diablo III when it releases, and of course this game with maxed setting if possible.
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Originally Posted by Shadow Ravenwolf
My favorite combo is Faceplant/DebtCap with the TeamWipe Ancillary
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Originally Posted by Dispari
Yeah, I like Blasters too.
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Originally Posted by JamMasterJMS
Is father xmas guide to comps in his sig reputable?
im in the market for a new comp as well and would like to build my own. I've read his sig and some people say the parts he's suggesting aren't combatible. id like a rig that could handle diablo III when it releases, and of course this game with maxed setting if possible. |
Never argue with "Santa" or you won't get any presents.
Yes, its quite good. I *might* change a part or two for something nicer but its good if you are not up to date with the latest hardware trends.
If you plan to spend more than $1000 then Sandy Bridge CPUs are due out and will make of a nice CPU if you go the intel route. If you plan to buy AMD buy cheap.
My advice is that new stuff comes out all the time so I prefer the "cheaply but often" vs "expensive but every 5 years"
If your machine is already 5 years old, then most likely the AMD X3 Athlon for $75 is a steal and still a nice upgrade.
H: Blaster 50, Defender 50, Tank 50, Scrapper 50, Controller 50, PB 50, WS 50
V: Brute 50, Corruptor 50, MM 50, Dominator 50, Stalker 50, AW 50, AS 50
Top 4: Controller, Brute, Scrapper, Corruptor
Bottom 4: (Peacebringer) way below everything else, Mastermind, Dominator, Blaster
CoH in WQHD
My machine died, as in dead.
I haven't played coh in probably 2 months. I get my forum fix from my phone. I appreciate ur response but I don't follow. Should I go intel or amd?
please advise.
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Originally Posted by Shadow Ravenwolf
My favorite combo is Faceplant/DebtCap with the TeamWipe Ancillary
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Originally Posted by Dispari
Yeah, I like Blasters too.
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I am writing this on a Father Xmas $1200. ( The old price point, 11 months ago...)
The machine works wonders, all Ultra mode settings maxxed out in Praetoria 8x AA 16x AF at 1680x1050 resolution 60 fps ( I use VSync.)
I had bad luck with Corsair PSUs, had to replace 2 before I bought an Antec 750 instead and it is still working great.
MOST IMPORTANTLY Father Xmas was kind enough to write an entire assembly process available here on the forums!!!
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=209744
I highly recommend buying and building a Father Xmas system...
The Sly Bold Renardine - " I am Scraptastic!"
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Originally Posted by JamMasterJMS
My machine died, as in dead.
I haven't played coh in probably 2 months. I get my forum fix from my phone. I appreciate ur response but I don't follow. Should I go intel or amd? please advise. |
The way it lines up:
Intel = fastest chips
AMD = best bang for the buck
You really can't go wrong with either company. Both produce awesome chips. Intel edges AMD on speed, but you pay a premium for those extra FPS.
Check out Digital Storm Online ( www.digitalstormonline.com ). They seem to be what Alienware was years ago.
Kyle Al'Mordu - Lvl 50 MA/SR Scrap
Fusion Force!
TRIUMPH
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If you want to go cheap, go AMD.|
Originally Posted by JamMasterJMS
My machine died, as in dead.
I haven't played coh in probably 2 months. I get my forum fix from my phone. I appreciate ur response but I don't follow. Should I go intel or amd? please advise. |
If you want the machine to be a little faster and you got lots of money, go intel.
Most programs are still single threaded. So the AMD X3 is a good buy for the price. Long run, an x4 or x6 CPU would be better but "investing" in the computer world is a bad investment since electronics evolve so fast.
What died on your machine anyways?
H: Blaster 50, Defender 50, Tank 50, Scrapper 50, Controller 50, PB 50, WS 50
V: Brute 50, Corruptor 50, MM 50, Dominator 50, Stalker 50, AW 50, AS 50
Top 4: Controller, Brute, Scrapper, Corruptor
Bottom 4: (Peacebringer) way below everything else, Mastermind, Dominator, Blaster
CoH in WQHD
Keep in mind that Corsair and Antec are PSU resellers. They buy their PSUs from someone else and slap their label on it. There are PSU fan sites which go around and disect those things and they have good testing equipment. So its important to know who actually made it and which version you get. Like the Antec Earthwatts series. Delta and Seasonic make them but its up to the buyer to find out who makes which one.
Antec has several models of PSUs some are good some are not so good. Same with Corsair. See www.hardwaresecrets.com or www.jonnyguru.com if you are interested.
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Originally Posted by Renardine
I am writing this on a Father Xmas $1200. ( The old price point, 11 months ago...)
The machine works wonders, all Ultra mode settings maxxed out in Praetoria 8x AA 16x AF at 1680x1050 resolution 60 fps ( I use VSync.) I had bad luck with Corsair PSUs, had to replace 2 before I bought an Antec 750 instead and it is still working great. MOST IMPORTANTLY Father Xmas was kind enough to write an entire assembly process available here on the forums!!! http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=209744 I highly recommend buying and building a Father Xmas system... |
H: Blaster 50, Defender 50, Tank 50, Scrapper 50, Controller 50, PB 50, WS 50
V: Brute 50, Corruptor 50, MM 50, Dominator 50, Stalker 50, AW 50, AS 50
Top 4: Controller, Brute, Scrapper, Corruptor
Bottom 4: (Peacebringer) way below everything else, Mastermind, Dominator, Blaster
CoH in WQHD
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I always thought so. |
Originally Posted by JamMasterJMS
Is father xmas guide to comps in his sig reputable?
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The overall guide is a bit long in the tooth and I do have a topic reserved for a new one, but I've been half waiting on the new Socket 1155 Sandy Bridge reviews.Quote:
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im in the market for a new comp as well and would like to build my own. I've read his sig and some people say the parts he's suggesting aren't combatible. id like a rig that could handle diablo III when it releases, and of course this game with maxed setting if possible. |
There are other lists of course. TechReport has a new one and here's their previous one. Bit-tech.net most recent one, January should be out shortly. And there are plenty of builds at Tom's Hardware.
Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components
Tempus unum hominem manet
The advantage of AMD for CPU/Motherboard today is they have a single CPU socket that covers their entire range of product.
Intel currently has three. The older Socket 775 is for their value line, even though you can still get the high end CPUs like the quad Q9650, but you can get a better bang for the buck with Intel's mid range line based on Socket 1156, which is soon to be replaced with Socket 1155 and the new Sandy Bridge CPUs. However if you want $XTREME$ gaming performance with more than two video cards then there is Intel's Socket 1366 with it's cheapest CPU starting just under $300 and going up to $1100. And rumors is that Socket 1366 will be replaced later this year with Socket 2011 with quad channel memory.
Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components
Tempus unum hominem manet
Note: I took the cue about Mwave and just posted a new thread with what I was able to make of Father Xmas' builds on there, with substitutions for items that are either not sold there or out of stock. Would appreciate your input!
Father Xmas builds on Mwave?
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?p=3419203
I'm in the market for a new computer, and naturally I'd like to have one that will play whatever CoH can crank out not only now but for years down the road. A couple of my friends at the office recommended Alienware, but another friend says I should just buy myself a <$500 standard PC and upgrade it with a good graphics card. I'm prepared to shell out as much as $2,000 for a new Alienware PC if it's going to last and do well, but is that overdoing it?