Alienware: Great, Greatest, or overpriced

[Dunleavy]

having a very hard time finding a new PC (cant build one) but the Alienware Aurora 7500 looks really good. upgraded to dual AMD X2 processor and dual NVIDIA GeForce video cards. seems to have everything i was looking for (high end multi-tasking performance and above average graphics)...but...very pricey, i'm well over my sizeable budget, and when i spend that kind of money i dont want to hear about stories from unhappy buyers. anyone have a personal experience with the Alienware company and their computers?

thanks!

[Raiders Army]

My current desktop is an Alienware. My previous desktop was a Dell. The Dell crashed about once every nine months or so. I've had the Alienware for a little over 2 years and it hasn't crashed once.

I went with the Alienware because it was comparative in cost to a Dell. Also, the hard drive was clean when I got it. No AOL offers, etc.

[vex]

Great, but overpriced.

[Draft Dodger]

Great, but overpriced.

++

bought one a few years ago. love the machine - very stable.
was diappointed in the tech support, which was no better than what I got on my old Gateway.

[flere-imsaho]

Machines for specialized purposes (i.e. Alienware for gaming) are still more cost-effective to build yourself. But if you're uncomfortable doing that, then Alienware's a pretty good machine for that purpose.

[Dunleavy]

I went with the Alienware because it was comparative in cost to a Dell.


i wish that was true now, but good hear no problems

[Butter]

If you know anybody that can build a machine for you, they could probably do it for half of what Alienware charges for their stuff. It is better than average, but it's also much higher priced than average.

[Joe Canadian]

Great systems... but you can easily make a similar PC yourself for a fraction of the cost. There are tonnes of guides from PC mags out there on the net.

[condors]

I am using one right now although it is dated,(i have never had any problems with it and it was great when i got it) i went to their website and was very dissapointed at how much their prices have gone up.

[hawk4669]

I'm on my (old) Alienware now. Never have had any problems with it (aside from problems I have caused ;) ), and had great luck with their tech support.

But pricey? Absolutely. I'm a computer novice, but next time I will probably chance building my own machine (with the help of my tech-savvy wife).

Cheers!

[jbmagic]

build your own system. its the best way to go

[Joe]

how the fuck do you build your own computer? are there instructions somewhere or what? I wouldn't even know what all of the necessary parts are called :(

[Schmidty]

I've never understood why people would buy a pre-assembled desktop computer. It's like putting together legos. Quite honestly, even a caveman could do it.


edited to replace moron with caveman

[Joe]

guess I'm a moron

[Schmidty]

guess I'm a moron

Naw, I was harsh. I'm typing up instructions right now.

[Schmidty]

Dola.

1. Buy a motherboard and processor that is in a range that the board can use. If you don't want to buy a processor seperately, just buy a board with a processor built in.

2. Buy a case. Doesn't need to be pricey, but it does need to fit the motherboard in it. Just ask a dude at the store if you aren't sure.

3.Buy a power source. Make sure the power is sufficient for the board (just read the info that comes with the board).

4. Put in the power source and the motherboard. You just simply screw them into place. The case will have holes that match the board.

5. Buy a hard drive and floppy drive (if necessary). Connect them to the board with the cords that come with them (IDE cable, etc.)

6. Buy a CD-Rom/DVD drive. Connect it to the board with corresponding cords. Instructions will make it clear.

7. Buy a video card and sound card of your choice. Plug them into place on the board. It will be obvious where the video card goes (AGP slot), and the sound card will just go in one of the PCI slots (there should be a lot of those on the side). Sometimes a motherboard will come with a sound card built in, but NEVER buy one with an "onboard" video card.

8. Buy some RAM and plug into the appropriate slots on the board. Your manual for the board will tell you where they are, and likely will be labled "DDR" or "DIMM" slots. (DDR is much better)

9. Plug your power supply into the board and start that puppy up!!!

10. If all goes well, just install windows via the CD drive. You know what to do next.


edit: There are other cool things you can install later. By the time you do this basic build, you should be a pro, so installing other hardware should be no problem.

[Dunleavy]

Quite honestly, even a caveman could do it.

sounds like a line out of that Geico commerical with the cavemen.

as easy as your 10 steps are, as i caveman i'd just assume pay a couple extra bucks for it to be done by someone who knows what they are doing. with Alienware out, Monarchcomputers.com seem like a good site to have my baby built. it will be based around an AMD athlon64 X2 4200 processor and ATI X800XL video card. from there looking to max out memory and find a motherboard that can handle it all.