I want to get a new gaming computer, but I don't really feel like spending the hours to research and build my own this time.

Has anyone bought an Alienware computer? Are they pretty decent? I know they're overpriced, but do they at least give you a quality product and have good customer support?

3/8/2006 10:54:20 PM

yeah, they are pretty quality, and as you said you will overpay by a good chunk

[Edited on March 8, 2006 at 10:56 PM. Reason : dunno about CS though]

3/8/2006 10:55:57 PM

by what percentage are they overpriced? are we talking 10% more or 50% more?

3/8/2006 10:57:02 PM

overpriced, way more than 10% (compared to other companies)

you can buy the same components and build for maybe 50%-60% the price as alienware (unless their prices have come down)

[Edited on March 8, 2006 at 10:59 PM. Reason : ]

3/8/2006 10:59:09 PM

Have a laptop, their Support sucks even though i have a supposedly nice warranty they wont cover anything. Dont bother.

3/9/2006 10:05:35 AM

get a dell xps dimension system.

I've had one for more than a year now and couldn't be happier with the quality.

3/9/2006 10:08:16 AM

only get an xps if you can wait for the conroe based chips. dell does not use AMD in their consumer desktops yet.

If you're not concerned with saving money, then an AMD based gaming system from Alienware, falcon northwest, or voodoopc would be a very nice thing.

An alienware arora with an fx-57 processor, 1 gb of ram, and an ati x1900xtx graphics card will cost about the same as a dell xps with a pentium EE 955 processor, 1gb of ram, and an nvidia 7800gtx graphics card (both about 2889.) The alienware will outperform the xps as configured however the xps as configured comes with a 19 inch flat panel monitor. The xps will be cheaper probably, but ignoring free monitor deals the alienware will outperform the dell xps at similar pricings.

You can however get some slickdeals coupon codes and shit for dell and not for alienware. You can also get up to 12% off dells by going to dell.com/ncstate. So maybe if money is an issue and you see a good deal on their site, the xps would be an alright choice. In general though, dell's lack of AMD proccesor choices makes it a piss poor choice for a real high end gaming machine. They also don't let you chose the most powerful graphics cards (the x1900 series from ATI.)

[Edited on March 9, 2006 at 10:21 AM. Reason : ]

3/9/2006 10:10:59 AM

Considering that you can save upwards of 50% by building a gaming computer yourself, I think a little research would be worth it.

3/9/2006 12:08:34 PM

just build it yourself, or have some nerdy friend do it for you.

but if you REALLY want to waste $$$, buy alienware. if you want to waste $$$ normal-like get an xps

3/9/2006 12:15:12 PM

Definitely overpriced... my brother-in-law spent a few grand with Alienware for his PC and he will never go through them again.

If you are looking for the immediate future then go with Dell Dimension XPS. I have a one time use coupon for 1/3 off any PC over $999 so you can get a nice machine with a killer LCD monitor for a great price. I toyed around with the idea of an XPS with 24" LCD and it was about $1,000. If you need the coupon let me know.

3/9/2006 1:41:56 PM

i need the coupon

3/9/2006 9:01:05 PM

fuck i need a coupon like that too - i was just going to be lazy and buy a machine now instead of waiting for the next gen processors because my vid card and HD both died within the same month

3/9/2006 9:10:29 PM

The lower-end desktops (Area 51 5500) are priced in the $1300-$1500 range. You could probably get somebody to build it for $1000 or less. You can also take parts from your current rig and put it in your new one ... how often are you really going to need need two dvd burners? I also personally don't like the fact I have to pay extra for an operating system every time on a new computer when I already have 3-4 legal licenses of the damn thing.

The higher end desktops I think are worth it if you make that much money in a week. Otherwise, I'll pass on the liquid cooling and sli video cards ... both which will be either broken or outdated in 5 years time. You could buy two new systems in that period of time with comparable specs for half the price.

3/9/2006 9:15:58 PM

0TMVDLWLB$QTB6 (33% off select desktops)
One time use only so post if you use it.

3/9/2006 9:40:48 PM

yeah, they are a rip. A friend of mine got one a few years ago, and a few months later, I built a top of the line one myself and paid almost a third of what he paid for his. And they dont give you your own copy of windows (or they didnt then), so its a pain in the ass to reformat without putting all of their shit back on the computer.

3/9/2006 10:48:06 PM

I bought mine over four years ago and it came with my own copy of Windows XP Pro. Yeah, I overpaid, but I also had no idea how to build one back then. The thing still runs great though, I've added a little RAM, but I can play all the newest games at decent settings.

3/9/2006 10:55:16 PM