Alienware Questions

[Sharif]

Don't know if I am allowed to ask questions about how computer companies operate in here but if I'm not, please delete the thread.

I am seriously thinking of getting an Alienware but have a few questions. I am going to get WinXP Pro with it and I am wondering if it is a normal version of XP Pro or is it like customized for the system, also can Alienware ship the PC with hard drive that does not have a OS loaded?

Second, is it cheaper to get things like speakers and other peripherals from Alienware or should I get it from newegg?

Currently I am looking at the Area-51 systems in the gaming machines section. Since I will be doing a lot of Audio work on the PC (plus gaming), which sound card should I consider? Also, is getting the "video cooling" add on worth it ($70 extra)? Any other things I should watch out for?

Thanks.

[Tin]

build your own, youll save much more money . you can build something similar to an alienware for roughly 30% cheaper...thats alot of money since youre not spending pocket change on your system. heck, i was just reading an add for an alienware system...with the new 925 intel chipset, and they dont even include a video card, it uses onboard. needless to say, they want 2 grand for it .

[Sharif]

How exactly am I saving money though? I configured a Dell and it came around the same price as an Alienware when configured with most of the same parts. Then I went to newegg and tried to see what the total would be for the same parts too with an additional $550 in mind for the ATI X800XT PCI-E card....

[Yuanji]

well, they charged 2 grand for the same thing you could spend mabye 1300-1400 on newegg for.

[Tin]

think of it this way though. youre paying all of that money, you cant upgrade it yourself without voiding the warranty. then they charge you more for an extended warranty, whereas most computer components come with a 1 year to 3 year warranty, whereas alot of memory comes with a lifetime warranty. lets say when your warranty is up, and your hard drive fails, you dont have the original packaging to send it back in order to get a replacement. the only computers that are real bargains are the dells and such that are designed for websurfing and emailing. gaming systems should be built yourself, youll save money.

[Sharif]

I don't see how I am really saving money at all, think about it. If I order an Alienware now, I can get the same parts that won't come out for months now. Seriously guys, give me some strong reasons not too.

[Tin]

Originally Posted by Sharif I don't see how I am really saving money at all, think about it. If I order an Alienware now, I can get the same parts that won't come out for months now. Seriously guys, give me some strong reasons not too.

youre saving money because youre not paying out the wazoo to be the first in line. just because alienware claims they build the fastest machine doesnt mean you cant build a better one cheaper. you just have to know what to shop for. of course if you go out and buy the most expensive stuff the price difference gets smaller, but if you research your hardware and go see what the different manufacturers have to offer, you ALWAYS save money. i only have around $750 tied up into my system, a comparable alienware runs about $1200....so go figure.

[Sharif]

Ok tell me this, the following will cost me $2400 from Alienware:

P4 3.0GHZ PROCESSOR
1GB DUAL CHANNEL RAM PC 4200 (i think)
80GB SATA DRIVE
WIN XP PRO
ATI X800 XT PCI-E CARD
PCI-E MOBO (don't know which one)
Audigy 2 ZS 7.1 channel sound card
Klipsch 2.1 speaker set
Alienwares video cooling ($70)
480w PSU
LiteOn dvd drive
LiteOn CDRW drive
1 yr warranty on the system

Can I get all that by October 1 for a better price?

[Hi Ho]

OK... $100 less with a 19in Viewsonic monitor, 200GB SATA hard drive, CoolerMaster aluminum case, and XP Pro:

Case
Cooler Master WaveMaster Blue/Silver ATX Mid Tower Case, Model "TAC-T01-EB" -RETAIL - $148.00

Motherboard
ASUS "P5GDC-V Deluxe" 915G Chipset Motherboard For Intel LGA 775 CPU -RETAIL - $189.00

Video Card
ASUS ATI RADEON X800 XT Video Card, 256MB DDR, 256-Bit, DVI/VIVO, PCI-Express, Model "EAX800XT/TVD/256-8" -RETAIL - $601.00

Power Supply
Enlight ATX 420W P4 Power Supply, Model "EN-8420934" -RETAIL - $39.88

CPU
Intel LGA 775 Pentium 4 530 3.0 GHz, 800MHz FSB, 1MB L2 Cache, Hyper Threading Technology - Retail - $205.00

RAM
Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 1G(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - OEM - $155.00

Hard Drive
Seagate 200GB 7200RPM Barracuda 7200.7 SATA Hard Drive, Model ST3200822AS, OEM Drive Only - $128.00

Keyboard/Mouse
Microsoft BLACK Multimedia Keyboard PS/2 102keys -OEM - $19.00

Logitech MX700 Cordless Optical Mouse USB/ PS/2 -RETAIL - $36.00

Monitor
ViewSonic E90f+SB 19" PerfectFlat CRT Monitor –RETAIL - $214.00

Optical Drives
NEC 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive, Model ND-2510A SW BGE, OEM - $73.00

Asus 16X DVD-ROM Drive, Model DVD-E616P1, Retail - $29.00

Sound Card
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS PCI Sound Card, Model "SB0350" -RETAIL - $79.99

Speakers
Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified Personal Speaker System -RETAIL - $159.00

Operating System
Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack SP1a - OEM - $141.00

SUB TOTAL: $2,227.86
SHIPPING: $73.00
TOTAL: $2,301.74

Now I would say that the PCI-E X800 XT is a bit excessive and is really not a good bang for the buck right now. Only the best of the best cards can even take advantage of AGP 8x right now. PCI-E gives no performance increase at this time. Unfortunately there aren't any motherboards with both an AGP slot and a PCI-E x16 slot.

[bfore13]

I bought a custom built PC last year (see sig) and compared Alienware, Dell, Hypersonic and ABS. ABS blew away the competition and was about $400-500 cheaper (my PC cost ~ $1600). I also got it when 3 yr ext warranty was still standard. I compared all companies on RessellerRatings.com and ABS came out on top there as well.

I know most on this board and others say build it yourself but I would only have saved $100-200 at most by doing so. However, I was upgading from a 5 yr old P2 400 and I wasn't planning to OC or do anything to void the warranty. The warranty and their high customer service marks gave me peace of mind. Fortunately, I haven't had to use them in the year and a half I've had it. ABS uses the same brand name parts you'd get from newegg and they do a nice job on the internal wiring and airflow. BYO isn't for everyone.

I'd also recommend buying your speakers and monitor from a local B&M store.

[Yuanji]

why do you need pc 4200 ram??? was it a typo?
Edit- also, if you build your own you get to pick different parts. i'm pretty sure a 6800GT AGP is good enough to last you a couple of years and is 200 less then the X800XT. Also, NVidia has better driver writers i think. Not sure if you wanna start out buying a sound card probably best to test out your onboard audio cuz i think recently its gotten a lot better. if you choose to go LGA775 with the PCIE cards, i would wait a while for better value cards to come out on that end. PCIE has yet to have a need to be utilized

[Sharif]

Ok, I am really trusting you guys on this because y'all definetly know more than me. My budget is really $2000 (excluding a 17' flat-panel montior) for the system and peripherals (max $2300) and the main things I will be doing on it is gaming, graphics & 3D work, and audio production; just a all around high-performance system you know.

Some games I will play:
- Flight Simulator 2004
- Counter Strike
- Warcraft III
- UT 2004

Programs I will use frequently:
- Photoshop
- Illustrator
- After Effects
- Flash MX
- Dreamweaver
- 3DS Max OR Maya 5 (depending on what my employer gets me )
- Reason 2.5 OR Pro Tools (audio production software)
- Notepad

Must run WinXP Pro. Now, I am considering on getting a system with PCI-E graphics because it is supposed to be much faster and it IS the future standard of graphic cards right? And I can't afford to upgrade every year and stuff so this computer has to last me, performance-wise for at least 4 years. Now that you guys know all this, what should I do?

[Hi Ho]

Well minus the monitor, the system I posted above would cost about $2,062.74.

[Sharif]

Hi Ho, you say that PCI-E is excessive right now. But don't you think that it being the next standard in gfx cards, I should consider it being that I need this computer to last me at least 4 years? I could definetly save like $300 if I decide to build an AGP system, if then, I would get the ATI X800XT PE graphics card (or the Pro version).

[Tin]

Originally Posted by Sharif Hi Ho, you say that PCI-E is excessive right now. But don't you think that it being the next standard in gfx cards, I should consider it being that I need this computer to last me at least 4 years? I could definetly save like $300 if I decide to build an AGP system, if then, I would get the ATI X800XT PE graphics card (or the Pro version).

X800XT PE isnt worth it in my opinion. theyre going for $560 to $600+ right now, which is outrageous. ATi is using their overwhelming success as a marketing tool to sell their latest and greatest....thats how computer technology works. look at the Geforce 6800 Ultra...still high priced, but is a tad lighter on the wallet, and it performs just as good as an X800XT PE. personally, i would just go with a 6800GT, thats the best bang for the buck high end card right now, and will play anything an X800XT PE will. benchmarks only show you what you cant see, so take them with a grain of salt.