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Area-51:sentia Review - Booga - Cyborg Green

post #1 of 32
1/19/04 at 6:27am
Thread Starter 
The Decision:
It was love at first sight! Our eyes met and I peered into the soul of a work of art through a pair of almond shaped green eyes. It's only natural that I take a closer look . . . Read More


I designed my review to be as close to other reviews you will find in C-NET and others. But the experience was not the same for some reason. Then it dawned on me what it needed - BANNER ADS!

But I wanted to make sure that the page would not be cluttered with pop-ups. So instead I signed up Alienware's Affiliate program and added the banners from Alienware. If you are thinking of buying, please click the link and give a fellow forum member the commission earned from it. It does not change the price for you, but it helps me pay for mine.

Thank you for your support!
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post #2 of 32
1/19/04 at 7:18am
nice review, do you mind stating what it cost you and go into more detail about the vid. card thanks =P
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post #3 of 32
1/19/04 at 7:29am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yang88She
nice review, do you mind stating what it cost you and go into more detail about the vid. card thanks =P
The only option I selected on my Sentia enthusiast is 1x512 RAM instead of the default 2x256.

SubTotal: $1,934.00
Shipping: $70.00
Discount: $100.00 Sentia Promotion; Instant Rebate
Tax: .00
Order Total: $1,904.00

I also asked Alienware to waive the shipping costs so I can put it towards another year of warranty. They agreed to waiving shipping costs if I add 2 years warranty which was a good compromise.

I am not sure what you mean when you ask to go into detail about the video card. What I have on my review isn't all that exciting - I know. But the card obviously is not going to impress the gamer crowd that make up this forum. But for the games that I do play, such as Counter-Strike, Quake3, and Unreal, the performance is awesome!

quote from my review which mentions the video card:
Quote:
Centrino - Intel® Extreme Graphics 2 technology
I have read many posts describing the Intel extreme as a weak video card for gaming. Which I will agree that it is not at the top of the league. But the design of the video card is to make up as part of the CENTRINO system which is focused on low power consumption. But the games listed above ran without skipping and handled it like a champ. I would consider the games I tested moderate in terms of video demands and would like to get the chance to test further on heavier games.

Searching the net I found many articles describing the Intel Extreme Graphics 2 as a less than capable video option. Some would go as far as saying that games like Quake and Counter-strike will not work. i admit that after reading some of these articles degrading the Intel, I experienced buyers remorse and was tempted to change my order for the the "GAMER Area-51". But changing my order for the area-51 Gamer would have defeated the whole reason I was replacing my Compaq - I need good battery life without sacrificing processor power.
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post #4 of 32
1/19/04 at 11:33am
thanks for review, btw fernando was my rep as well
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post #5 of 32
1/19/04 at 2:24pm
great review, yeah I'm not a big gamer, but was just curious as to how the vid card held up as far as mild game play and dvd play....why didn't u just get the lowest ram and upgrade the ram yourself...it's cheaper no?...again great review....best of luck, very nice machine
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post #6 of 32
1/19/04 at 4:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yang88She
great review, yeah I'm not a big gamer, but was just curious as to how the vid card held up as far as mild game play and dvd play....why didn't u just get the lowest ram and upgrade the ram yourself...it's cheaper no?...again great review....best of luck, very nice machine
For the games I listed and games like it, it is amazing. Photoshop, Macromedia, Swish also run without a skip.

You're right about upgrading the memory myself, but the surge of the impulse buy I was experiencing wouldn't allow it. I guess the feeling was like buying a car and getting the spare doughnut tire to drive off the lot so I can buy my own when I get the chance. Didn't want the hassle and did not want my lappy diminished in any way.

I designed my review to be as close to other reviews you will find in C-NET and others. But the experience was not the same for some reason. Then it dawned on me what it needed - BANNER ADS!

But I wanted to make sure that the page would not be cluttered with pop-ups. So instead I signed up Alienware's Affiliate program and added the banners from Alienware. If you are thinking of buying, please click the link and give a fellow forum member the commission earned from it. It does not change the price for you, but it helps me pay for mine.

Thank you for your support!
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post #7 of 32
1/19/04 at 6:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by shyy
thanks for review, btw fernando was my rep as well
Fernando is cool! When he could not reach me via e-mail when my mail server was down, he called me just to confirm a change in my order.
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post #8 of 32
1/19/04 at 8:59pm
Awsome review. And that's a concerned worker. And do they pay for the laptops tax? Charging 361 for my desktop... : \
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post #9 of 32
1/19/04 at 9:21pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hazard
Awsome review. And that's a concerned worker. And do they pay for the laptops tax? Charging 361 for my desktop... : \
Orders outside of Florida is not imposed tax. Not sure how it works for orders outside the country.
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post #10 of 32
1/19/04 at 9:31pm
I think there is an export tax, dunno though.
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post #11 of 32
1/19/04 at 9:44pm
Ok, thank you. That's probably why. Like I said before, that's an awsome review... Kinda getting the urge to go laptop.
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post #12 of 32
1/19/04 at 9:57pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hazard
Ok, thank you. That's probably why. Like I said before, that's an awsome review... Kinda getting the urge to go laptop.

Thank you! Before deciding on the Alienware, I searched for information about the Area-51:Sentia and found very little. Review sites did not have any real reviews and I wanted to make sure that there is something out there. Google search now finds these forums when searching for the Sentia.
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post #13 of 32
1/20/04 at 1:39am
I just wanna chime in and say What a Great follow up to an already excellent review Booga. This is by far the best review of the Sentia I've seen on the Net! I'm almost ready to get one for the wife!

We are truly lucky to have you as a poster on these boards. Thanks again!

-Craig
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post #14 of 32
1/20/04 at 5:14am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig
I just wanna chime in and say What a Great follow up to an already excellent review Booga. This is by far the best review of the Sentia I've seen on the Net! I'm almost ready to get one for the wife!

We are truly lucky to have you as a poster on these boards. Thanks again!

-Craig
This forum is the support group that I needed to weather past the wait that I endured. To show my appreciation I will give back by participating here.

Thank you!
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post #15 of 32
1/23/04 at 12:22pm

Video Card Performance

Booga - have you tried out the vid card with more demanding games yet??? Just curious as to how it would perform with Call of Duty, etc. I'm trying to decide between Sentia and 51M2, don't really need a super high end machine since I will be working and gaming on it. (mostly work)

I actually like the looks of it. I have seen other posts where the case etc is getting knocked. Thanks for the pics.
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post #16 of 32
1/23/04 at 10:57pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dabigbone
Booga - have you tried out the vid card with more demanding games yet??? Just curious as to how it would perform with Call of Duty, etc. I'm trying to decide between Sentia and 51M2, don't really need a super high end machine since I will be working and gaming on it. (mostly work)

I actually like the looks of it. I have seen other posts where the case etc is getting knocked. Thanks for the pics.
The imprssion that I hav looking at screenshots of COD, I would think problems with frame rates. Just checked their site and there is a demo download. I will try this out tonight and let you know how it goes.

But if you are a true gamer, I do suggest the Area-51m.

But the Sentia has performed very well for me, and I can suggest it many times over.
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post #17 of 32
1/24/04 at 8:30am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dabigbone
Booga - have you tried out the vid card with more demanding games yet??? Just curious as to how it would perform with Call of Duty, etc. I'm trying to decide between Sentia and 51M2, don't really need a super high end machine since I will be working and gaming on it. (mostly work)

I actually like the looks of it. I have seen other posts where the case etc is getting knocked. Thanks for the pics.

The Sentia with Intel Extreme runs Call of Duty with no problems. The only choppy part is when the tank hits the house I was camping in. :-)
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post #18 of 32
1/24/04 at 2:01pm

Thanks Booga

Thanks for looking into that Booga. I'm trying to decide if I should just get a laptop and use it as a desktop replacement, or go with both a new desktop and Sentia laptop for work on the road. I just hate having two computers and trying to keep files updated etc.

Thanks for your review and help. I really like the Sentia based on your review.

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post #19 of 32
1/24/04 at 2:20pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dabigbone
Thanks for looking into that Booga. I'm trying to decide if I should just get a laptop and use it as a desktop replacement, or go with both a new desktop and Sentia laptop for work on the road. I just hate having two computers and trying to keep files updated etc.

Thanks for your review and help. I really like the Sentia based on your review.

Just to clarify, the choppy game play I described is when the explosion is so close to you, the sound begins to echo as you walk around in a daze. Not at all a problem with the VId card.
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post #20 of 32
1/24/04 at 6:09pm
Oh yeah - its the "Saving Private Ryan" effect in Call of Duty. Thanks again for the help. I think I am sold.
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