Planning to buy a gaming alienware laptop.

• Sapphireoath wrote on 2012-09-15 01:22

  Quote from Noxctis;951599:

  It does look nice but it's integrated. I'm looking for something I can customized just in case. And isn't that a notebook? I heard they're different from laptops and such. Unless they're the same? @.@ Sorry I are newb..

  
  
  That graphics card is dedicated, not integrated. Quite a few games would have to be on Low to be playable (some can go to Med/High) with that card (http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-630M.63761.0.html benchmarks for a few games at the bottom)
  
  Edit: MSI seems to have pretty reasonable prices, currently looking at this one: http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/47158-ge60-0nc-028au-ib73614g75s7p
  Note: That is in AUD, and I'm not sure what the equivalent model in the US would be (028"au" I assume means an Aus model). But I found the 650M offers a good balance between cost and performance (for me anyway)
• Noxctis wrote on 2012-09-15 01:31

  Quote from Sapphireoath;951617:

  That graphics card is dedicated, not integrated. Quite a few games would have to be on Low to be playable (some can go to Med/High) with that card (http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-630M.63761.0.html benchmarks for a few games at the bottom)
  
  Edit: MSI seems to have pretty reasonable prices, currently looking at this one: http://www.scorptec.com.au/computer/47158-ge60-0nc-028au-ib73614g75s7p
  Note: That is in AUD, and I'm not sure what the equivalent model in the US would be (028"au" I assume means an Aus model). But I found the 650M offers a good balance between cost and performance (for me anyway)

  
  
  
  Yeah I kind of don't want to have to be on low quality to play some of the games tho. And that's interesting. I didn't know there was differences between Aus and NA when it comes to laptops/comps. I figure they be all the same.
• Kazuni wrote on 2012-09-15 01:33
  Alienware isn't exactly complete customization, and the any extra "just in case" it offers is hardly worth a few hundred dollars. It might be to you, if you want to spend it there, but you don't even need complete customization, and judging from this thread, you wouldn't be able to capitalize on it anyway. $600 isn't going to get you a computer (laptop especially) that's going to run everything on very high, either, unless you get some sort of sick bargain.
• Noxctis wrote on 2012-09-15 01:47

  Quote from Kazuni;951629:

  Alienware isn't exactly complete customization, and the any extra "just in case" it offers is hardly worth a few hundred dollars. It might be to you, if you want to spend it there, but you don't even need complete customization, and judging from this thread, you wouldn't be able to capitalize on it anyway. $600 isn't going to get you a computer (laptop especially) that's going to run everything on very high, either, unless you get some sort of sick bargain.

  
  
  Ah I see. Alright. I guess I'll just save up for a high end desktop then. Thanks. :]
  
  edit: Although the desktop I linked seems really good tho. D:
• Kazuni wrote on 2012-09-15 02:08

  Quote from Noxctis;951634:

  Ah I see. Alright. I guess I'll just save up for a high end desktop then. Thanks. :]
  
  edit: Although the desktop I linked seems really good tho. D:

  
  
  uhhh desktop..?
  you said you were looking for laptops ._.
• Yanm wrote on 2012-09-15 02:44
  Well, Alienware along with MSI and Sager/Clevo while not exactly offering complete customization, it's pretty damn close to it. There are people that have taken the GPU out of their old Mx15, and placed a GTX 570M in there, and some have even put a 7970M in there. As far as Alienware's price goes. . .I'm normally the last person to defend them, but the price online isn't written in stone. What you could do is haggle. "Oh, I really want this laptop, but I'm short by xx, or I can only spend xx, but I really would buy this laptop." They want your money, and it often works. Some people have customzied an Mx14 for $1600 and got it for $1200. Still out of his price range by a long shot, but there are computers that are just as strong as that one, but as far as gaming laptops go, not much beats Alienwares build quality and warranty to be honest. Though. . .that one you linked has a terrible 768p resolution. I'd advise to at least go for 900p, which is HD+, or 1080p which is Full HD. You can't really find any for THAT price, but if you do save up, you'll have some more options around. . .$850 and higher range.
• Reptile wrote on 2012-09-15 03:09

  Quote from Kazuni;951580:

  Me neither, really, but regardless of whether it's a laptop or not, Alienware will overcharge you for fancy aesthetics.
  
  You could check newegg or the regular dell computers, or even amazon. I found my last laptop on newegg and got a very good deal on amazon for the exact same computer, and the laptop before that was just from dell. I'm using a desktop now, but I also got it from dell during the Canada day sale. It was $300 off.
  
  But yeah, if you're looking to save money at all, Alienware isn't what you want. It's like buying Razer accessories. Pretty, but not that substantial, and definitely not warranting its price.
  
  *edit
  Also I wouldn't recommend buying anything from Acer. At all. I've just had terrible computers and terrible service from them. It's cheap and it looks like a bargain, but with them you get what you pay for.
  Oh and, try NCIX, if you want. I was planning on getting something from them but I got a great deal on this one, so..

  
  
  all but one of our laptops are acer and they're great laptops. I don't have much experience with them on desktops, but I've never had a problem with them.
  If you want to save money steer clear of alienware.
• Knightmehre wrote on 2012-09-15 03:12
  You should throw out things like brands and look at specs.
• Noxctis wrote on 2012-09-15 04:01
  @ The other person,
  
  xD I meant laptop. My bad. I talked to customer service and they explained a lot to me about things. I'm surprised by their patience since I'm a novice at this sort of thing. I never bought anything online. xD
  
  And I'm loving the warranty!
  
  

  Quote from Yanm;951658:

  Well, Alienware along with MSI and Sager/Clevo while not exactly offering complete customization, it's pretty damn close to it. There are people that have taken the GPU out of their old Mx15, and placed a GTX 570M in there, and some have even put a 7970M in there. As far as Alienware's price goes. . .I'm normally the last person to defend them, but the price online isn't written in stone. What you could do is haggle. "Oh, I really want this laptop, but I'm short by xx, or I can only spend xx, but I really would buy this laptop." They want your money, and it often works. Some people have customzied an Mx14 for $1600 and got it for $1200. Still out of his price range by a long shot, but there are computers that are just as strong as that one, but as far as gaming laptops go, not much beats Alienwares build quality and warranty to be honest. Though. . .that one you linked has a terrible 768p resolution. I'd advise to at least go for 900p, which is HD+, or 1080p which is Full HD. You can't really find any for THAT price, but if you do save up, you'll have some more options around. . .$850 and higher range.

  
  
  Exactly! Hahah, and I love the warranty that comes along with it. Thats why even if it costs a lot more than usual, to be able to replace parts and such for free? Like cracked screens, dropped laptop, or spills, that would costs over 200 dollars to repair. It really seems worth it.
  
  And I never thought of haggling, I'll do it when I get the money but I'll haggle simply to save money. I still need to buy a cooling pad and such.
  
  
  

  Quote from Knightmehre;951670:

  You should throw out things like brands and look at specs.

  
  
  I did come to that conclusion and even then Alienware still does a great job. I talked with customer services and everything. And they explained a great deal about gaming in the present and in the future. And how strong the laptop is. Add that with the warranty, I really think its worth it.
  
  So yeah, thanks everyone. xD I decided to buy the alienware. Although I'm waiting a tiny bit since I only have 600 but now that I know I can haggle. I'll start doing so when I have a little more.
• Cucurbita wrote on 2012-09-15 04:13

  Quote from Noxctis;951681:

  I did come to that conclusion and even then Alienware still does a great job.

  
  
  Its not because its 200 dollars more expensive than it should be when you factor in the parts. Alienware is such a scam. Just like Razer. I can't believe how easily they get away with throwing on an extra 15% price just by marketing directly to "gamers".
  
  Are they seriously charging 75 dollars for 2GB of RAM? I could pick one of these up for 25 dollars.
  50 dollars for a 250GB hard drive upgrade... except I could buy a 750GB external for like that much now.
  Some of these upgrades shouldn't even exist. Its almost like they purposely downgraded the device and then offered "upgrades". Hats off to the marketing team for knowing how to milk their customers. A default resolution of 720p is atrocious in this day and age and whoever came up with it should either be given a promotion for providing the company another sly way of making money off gullible gamers or fired for being absurd.
  
  You'd have to spend an extra 200 dollars on its default price tag to not get gimped, so you'd have to spend at least 1200 dollars on this thing, and its not even that good.
  
  scam.
  
  scam scam scam.
  
  I got my G74SX for cheaper than that, its better in every regard, and I'm not even that impressed with it.
• Kazuni wrote on 2012-09-15 05:00
  ugh I'm asian and so cheap and alienware is just so terrible for anyone without money gushing out of their ears.
  
  warranties are such a scam most of the time. I mean honest to god unless you're running around with your laptop all the time or have some sort of affinity with having large cups of juice around your computer there is no reason for you to damage it enough so that the warranty is worthwhile.
  
  

  And they explained a great deal about gaming in the present and in the future. And how strong the laptop is. Add that with the warranty, I really think its worth it.

  
  
  Okay I'm going to be blunt here. It sounds like that one time one of my friends went into Body Shop and bought $180 worth of lotions and body sprays because the sales associate convinced him that he "needed" duplicates of all the products he already splurged on.
  Is gaming in the present and future really important to you? Are you going to go pro because you have a pretty alienware laptop? No. Quite honestly you could've gotten the laptop for way lower (it's all because of the pretty pretty lights), and the sales associates are going to say anything they need to to get you to buy their overpriced products.
  
  Alienware can't uphold its prices by using specs and quality alone so they throw in some flattery and making it seem like you buying a laptop will benefit the future of gaming plus some slick marketing techniques and you'll be out of your pocket by an extra $300. Just like Razer. Pretty things that come in a pretty package sold to you by pretty people, but outside of that there's not much to it.
• Cucurbita wrote on 2012-09-15 05:09

  Quote from Kazuni;951702:

  warranties are such a scam most of the time. I mean honest to god unless you're running around with your laptop all the time or have some sort of affinity with having large cups of juice around your computer there is no reason for you to damage it enough so that the warranty is worthwhile.

  
  
  No warranty on anything I buy ever.
  
  I've dropped my monitor 3 times, works fine.
  Spilled milk through the keys of my laptop, works fine.
  
  Had I bought a warranty, it would expire this month, and I would've wasted the money. If something is bound to go wrong with a computer, it will happen within the first 3 weeks which is usually the general return policy on products, or after a year due to wear which is usually when warranty ends anyways.
  
  Of course, you can be safe and buy a warranty, but then theres no real difference between buying a warranty from Dell for an Alienware as to buying a warranty from anywhere else for any other product. Sometimes there are some ridiculous catches, but you just have to read the fine print before you agree. While I'm inclined to say Best Buy warranties are scams too, but they do cover everything, including if you felt like showing up to the store's customer service desk with the fully working laptop, smashing it into pieces with a hammer, and saying "its my last week of the warranty and I want you to replace it with a new one", which I actually maybe should've done.
  
  Whether you get a warranty or not depends entirely on how much you trust yourself to not bust it into a million pieces. But don't get sweet talked into thinking someone's warranty program is better than another. Even walmart gave me full coverage on my Nintendo Wii for a year for only 15 dollars. The fine print is where it matters.
• Kazuni wrote on 2012-09-15 05:18
  Warranty shouldn't even be a selling point for a product unless you're a klutz and you've had a history with busting computers.
• Noxctis wrote on 2012-09-15 06:07
  I owned a lame computer for 6 years and nothing has ever happened to it. And I don't really buy things online and such so I figured a free 1 year warranty wouldn't hurt, especially since it's so expensive. The cooling system seems pretty awesome as well. Liquid cooling + fan and all. I game a lot and all.
  
  Having it being able to be customized, if not fully, would help in the future. And the laptop looks good too. :] Even though that shouldn't matter as much, I enjoy it nonetheless.
• Cucurbita wrote on 2012-09-15 06:23

  Quote from Noxctis;951734:

  Having it being able to be customized, if not fully, would help in the future. And the laptop looks good too. :] Even though that shouldn't matter as much, I enjoy it nonetheless.

  
  
  I'm not sure where the customization thing comes in. How is it supposed to help you in any way shape or form? I went through the whole list on the page, and all I really got were "upgrades" that are trash and overpriced, and options like "do you want steam preinstalled?" and "which desktop background do you want?" which is actually really sad and pathetic.
  
  Also, liquid cooling is another scam.