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Well.... my phase saga doesn't seem to want to end..... - Page 2

post #21 of 49
3/6/06 at 11:49pm
Thread Starter 
thanks guys.

I had a much better experience when I got my AW desktop a couple years ago. This time it just seemed like I couldn't get a straight answer from anyone. Even the lady trying to keep me from cancelling didn't call me back.

Anyway... I'll be popping in from time to time I'm sure. I still own an AW desktop for the time being.
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post #22 of 49
3/6/06 at 11:58pm
OK - I'm sure this is another obvious point for someone as experienced as you are - you are going to search/wait for a good coupon deal on the Dell, right? I saved about $1500 bucks on mine, but never would have known to look if I hadn't checked out the Dell threads here.
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post #23 of 49
3/7/06 at 12:01am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
OK - I'm sure this is another obvious point for someone as experienced as you are - you are going to search/wait for a good coupon deal on the Dell, right? I saved about $1500 bucks on mine, but never would have known to look if I hadn't checked out the Dell threads here.

I have a discount program through my company which is a pretty good deal.

I can get a completely top of the line XPS m170 for under $4000.

I am comfused by the dell forums though. All those people keep talking about their 9300's and posting benches for those. Nobody seems to have or know what an m170 would be... I thought m170 was their top of the line.

I know! I know! Off topic for this forum.... but still.....
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post #24 of 49
3/7/06 at 12:19am
Dude, I would have to be dragged from my AW order...
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post #25 of 49
3/7/06 at 12:30am
Thread Starter 
Believe me... it wasn't an easy decision.

In the end it was all about comfort. When I spend $4600, I want to be REAL comfortable with my purchase. Getting double talk, inaccurate answers, and month and a half long delays is NOT what I'd call comfort. I just kept having nightmares about a system failure and me being without a school and gaming computer for a MONTH.

Dell will send someone out to fix it within a couple days. That's comfort enough for me.

That does NOT mean I'm not weeping my loss of the Aurora though. It had the power and the looks that I wanted. Instead I'm sacrificing the bleeding edge power and the looks for reliablility and speedy repairs.

I'd still rather AW had never put me in the position of making this decision though. Had I work up this morning and it was in Phase 9 I wouldn't be looking back. Seeing Phase 5 all over again was the straw the broke the camel's back and sent me over the edge.
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post #26 of 49
3/7/06 at 12:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by msduncan
I have a discount program through my company which is a pretty good deal.

I can get a completely top of the line XPS m170 for under $4000.

I am comfused by the dell forums though. All those people keep talking about their 9300's and posting benches for those. Nobody seems to have or know what an m170 would be... I thought m170 was their top of the line.

I know! I know! Off topic for this forum.... but still.....

Please, Please, don't pay $4,000 for the M170. I paid $2,000 for the XPS 2 (go6800 Ultra - you would expect the go7800GTX to cost a few hundred more). The 9400 is the rage - given it has dual core - but note it has the vanilla 7800, not the GTX, so it's not much better than the 6800 Ultra. I'm not trying to bring you back to Alienware, just suggest you take some time to do some more research. You can get the 17" with a Pentium M 2.0GHz and the go7800GTX for about $2500-2800. Check Sager and Hypersonic in addition to Dell. This will be a sweet gaming machine, but it will not be great at multi-tasking.
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post #27 of 49
3/7/06 at 1:38am
Thread Starter 
I'm primarily interested in gaming. Multi tasking? Heaviest I'd be doing is word processing while surfing the web.

Hypersonic -- I do know I could basically remake my AW laptop by ordering through Hypersonic. Do they have quality machines and good customer service?
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post #28 of 49
3/7/06 at 2:02am
ya alot of people have fx7's and they seem pretty good, but the decision is all up to you. i would have the aurora over the dell xps 170
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post #29 of 49
3/7/06 at 2:09am
Thread Starter 
Is the advantage of the Aurora primarliy in multitasking?

In other words can the dell hold a candle to the aurora in gaming?
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post #30 of 49
3/7/06 at 2:18am
Thread Starter 
On Shazza -- if the m170 kicks butt for gaming, but it's lighter -- would it be that good desktop replacement solution for gaming that I could also take with me to grad school classes?
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post #31 of 49
3/7/06 at 9:02am
You'll be able to use your M170 in class - especially if it's a few times a week and you're not spending all day walking around a campus. It's about 9lbs, plus the power adapter is a real brick, and you'll need the adapter if you want to take notes in class. It is lighter than the m7700, but it is still large - as are all 17" models. You can turn the flashing LED lights off, but it will still attract some attention.

It sounds like the M170 or one of the other 17" Pentium M models is a good choice for you. If only the m5700 came with the 7800GTX card...
The m7700 will be more future proof, but it doesn't sound like you need the multitasking capability (e.g. encoding video while gaming, etc).

I saw your thread in the Dell section - some good advice there. I doubt you want to do the 9300 pin mod, so I'd recommend getting the top of the line M170. I think 2.0GHz is plenty for the CPU, but you might as well go for the 2.26. Obviously, you'll want 2GB RAM (can be purchased cheaper from Newegg), and the go7800GTX card.

Good luck with your decision - and don't abandon us. You are still an Alienware owner
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post #32 of 49
3/7/06 at 12:11pm
The XPS2 is a great computer. Yes, its cheaper. Alienware (i finally am admitting) is overpriced for the high end retail. But dont sway your views so early. Once you recieve your system, Im sure, we will all be grateful. (except for seeing our debts crank up another 4k) I am an atheist but if there were a god, I would put my faith to AW. I kno they are having a tough time right now getting on track, but soon enough, the time I have spent waiting wont matter!!!!
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post #33 of 49
3/7/06 at 12:13pm
Anyone know how to get onto the support page for new drivers? They say that you need to input your email, which i have. Yet they cant find it in the directory... Is this another flaw in our beloved AW's website? Or am I just, well.....
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post #34 of 49
3/7/06 at 1:05pm
Thread Starter 
I haven't yet ordered my Dell due to waiting on AW to truely cancel my order.

Call me crazy paranoid but I'm a little nervous about ordering before AW confirms that my money is being credited back.

BTW -- I might hold on to my AW Desktop (if I can get the wife to buy in on this) and have the Dell. That way I'm part AW and part Dell owner. Also that means that next year I could upgrade my AW desktop with a dual core or something so I'm not left behind.

The AW laptop sure is sexy though. I'm still sad that I felt compelled to do this. Might have been different had the lady CALLED me back like she said she would. Too many broken promises. Someone needs to start a customer focus program at AW to get things back on track.
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post #35 of 49
3/7/06 at 1:11pm
MS DUNCAN,

I know your AW order made you upset... But I would NEVER order a DELL XPSII over an AW no matter how bad the service. I would just cancel my order and wait to find something I like.. The dell has a 2.26 ghz processor... that is just sad...


Sorry about your situation... P.S. I am waiting for a AW MJ12a... I hope everything work outs

Peace
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post #36 of 49
3/7/06 at 1:22pm
What's sad about a 2.26GHz processor? It's a Pentium-M...so not comparable to the Pentium 4...
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post #37 of 49
3/7/06 at 3:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dana0550
MS DUNCAN,

I know your AW order made you upset... But I would NEVER order a DELL XPSII over an AW no matter how bad the service. I would just cancel my order and wait to find something I like.. The dell has a 2.26 ghz processor... that is just sad...


Sorry about your situation... P.S. I am waiting for a AW MJ12a... I hope everything work outs

Peace
Just a reminder: The clockspeed wars are over. Ghz doesn't really mean a whole lot anymore. Don't forget, most AMDs are clocked under 3Ghz.

The 2.26 Pentium M is a great chip, far better than the P4. Yes, not as good at multitasking, but if you want to game, it's perfectly fine.
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post #38 of 49
3/7/06 at 3:03pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks guys! Should I place the order before I get credited? I can surely trust AW to cancel the order and refund the money, right?
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post #39 of 49
3/7/06 at 5:08pm

Understanding..........

I can truly understand msduncan's thoughts here...... AW Steve has contacted me and I hope I can clean up this mess I am in. I bet there is something going on in the design (but that's just wild guess at this point). I plan at this point to hold on tight and try to take driving role in my adventure instead of that passenger bit I was playing. Heck, was I tech in a former life. (no ryme intended)
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post #40 of 49
3/7/06 at 6:17pm
Thread Starter 
Well the deed is done. Check sig for my new on-order rig. I'm sorry it didn't work out with AW. CyberP's turnaround time had a huge part in this for me... if this is truly going to be the replacement for my desktop, in NO way do I want to spend a month waiting for repairs.

Ironically the huge lengthy delay that happened with this machine is what soured the deal for me.... and gave me time to read the horror stories like his. I know that my machine might very well have never had an issue... BUT.... if it did I was going to have to go without my main hobby for a month, which would totally kill me.

Good luck to all my friends here! I'll drop in from time to time and let you know how things are going. I'll try to keep a presence in the community.
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