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The usual drill...

post #1 of 27
8/6/04 at 5:18am
Thread Starter 
I have been lurking around and am new to the forum.
Here is the deal: I am young (starting college this fall) and need a lap top. I have been looking for too long and need to start making some decisions. I will be in a small dorm with a room mate and will be on a wireless campus, so a notebook is vital. At this point I am pretty much locked into getting an Area 51m.
Problem: This will be a complete forum n00b post. I occupy many other forums and the type of post I am making is annoying. So bare with me…
I have not done enough homework on the 51m. I like knowing everything I can about a product before I buy it. This is also important because I am putting up a lot of money for the comp. I have been working all summer, so I have not had a lot of time to find the material I need to read. If anyone has specific posts, websites, reviews (good and bad), or any reading that I should do, please save me some time and provide a link. What I am looking at for a notebook right now is: 51m performance. 3.2 ghz, 1gb of ram 2X512mb, Radeon 9700, Sound Blaster 3D audio, 80gb, DVD +/- RW, Wireless PCMCIA Card, Blue Tooth adapter.
Questions: Any point in upgrading support to 2 or 3 years? AW has certain add-ons which seem like just a money maker for them: Alienrespawn? Video Optimizer? Autopsy automated support? I have read their descriptions. Can I get the low down on these and what’s worth doing?
I noticed the two wireless cards have a 5 dollar difference and the PCMCIA card has a “longer” range. I don’t know enough about wireless technology, can someone explain the difference in the cards? I plan to either connect the notebook into my stereo or run it off some cheap Klipsch’s and was looking at getting the SB 3d Audio…Any of the upgrades worth it for my use?(I don’t know anything about sound cards) When it comes time to do upgrades on your laptop, how upgradeable are the 51m’s? When I put together IDENTICAL set ups for the 51m performance and the 51m extreme (I use the specs above) there is about a $100 price difference. If the specs are identical, why is the price different? What do you get with the Extreme? If you have some advice on what I should look into upgrading or downgrading, please let me know. Also, how do you guys like the 9700 so far (I know there are some posts on this). One last thing for now: I saw an ad for www.prostargaming.com laptops… I have never seen them but their price matched with their specs are impressive… Anyone ever hear of them? Sorry about the novel… And please ANY help is appreciated as I need to order soon. Thank you for reading~Krezer ~
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post #2 of 27
8/6/04 at 5:41am
hi kray,
if you havent checked out http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1650.html, do so. it has helped me to find the combination of bang for buck/customer service review that i am looking for. i am a newbie here too and have yet to purchase a lappy....cause im waiting to get back to the states. anyway, a few companies offer "respawn" style disks and other perks....i am currently looking at hypersonic as a possible source for my compy but many people like pctorque for their lower prices, its all good as far as im concerned. i would like to get an alienware too, it looks like they are coming out with some new lappys soon, which might reduce the prices of the rest of their line.
i am personally going to get the full warranty and accident protection plan(from hs), because i plan on keeping it for that long and my job isnt just down the street.
cheers!
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post #3 of 27
8/6/04 at 11:26am
I would upgrade support because it would suck for something to happen to the laptop and then you'll be stuck paying for it. Stuff always happens.

ReSpawn - Is like a recovery CD that will make all your settings go back to how it came from the factory, i.e. all drivers installed and such... it brings XP and drivers CDs for free so you can always do this yourself

Video Optimizer is a videocard overclocking tool, if you plan on OCing, you might as well get it so it is covered in your warranty

The internal card is inside your laptop and the external is in the PCMCIA slot. I use the PCMCIA slot one and I have a rather long range.

Can't help you in the speakers area. I use the onboard audio and built-in speakers.

No idea about the price difference, make sure it is exactly the same

I love my 9700, runs Doom 3 very well.

And my review: http://www.pgnx.net/articles.php?page=full&id=5351

Let us know if you need anything else
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post #4 of 27
8/6/04 at 11:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KRAY-zurf
I have been lurking around and am new to the forum.
Here is the deal: I am young (starting college this fall) and need a lap top. I have been looking for too long and need to start making some decisions. I will be in a small dorm with a room mate and will be on a wireless campus, so a notebook is vital. At this point I am pretty much locked into getting an Area 51m.
Problem: This will be a complete forum n00b post. I occupy many other forums and the type of post I am making is annoying. So bare with me…
I have not done enough homework on the 51m. I like knowing everything I can about a product before I buy it. This is also important because I am putting up a lot of money for the comp. I have been working all summer, so I have not had a lot of time to find the material I need to read. If anyone has specific posts, websites, reviews (good and bad), or any reading that I should do, please save me some time and provide a link. What I am looking at for a notebook right now is: 51m performance. 3.2 ghz, 1gb of ram 2X512mb, Radeon 9700, Sound Blaster 3D audio, 80gb, DVD +/- RW, Wireless PCMCIA Card, Blue Tooth adapter.
Questions: Any point in upgrading support to 2 or 3 years? AW has certain add-ons which seem like just a money maker for them: Alienrespawn? Video Optimizer? Autopsy automated support? I have read their descriptions. Can I get the low down on these and what’s worth doing?
I noticed the two wireless cards have a 5 dollar difference and the PCMCIA card has a “longer” range. I don’t know enough about wireless technology, can someone explain the difference in the cards? I plan to either connect the notebook into my stereo or run it off some cheap Klipsch’s and was looking at getting the SB 3d Audio…Any of the upgrades worth it for my use?(I don’t know anything about sound cards) When it comes time to do upgrades on your laptop, how upgradeable are the 51m’s? When I put together IDENTICAL set ups for the 51m performance and the 51m extreme (I use the specs above) there is about a $100 price difference. If the specs are identical, why is the price different? What do you get with the Extreme? If you have some advice on what I should look into upgrading or downgrading, please let me know. Also, how do you guys like the 9700 so far (I know there are some posts on this). One last thing for now: I saw an ad for www.prostargaming.com laptops… I have never seen them but their price matched with their specs are impressive… Anyone ever hear of them? Sorry about the novel… And please ANY help is appreciated as I need to order soon. Thank you for reading~Krezer ~
Ok you asked for it here is my opinion on what I have seen work best. I would get the 2 year support at a minimum if it was a desktop i would say you could get by with the 1 year but these laptops get moved around alot and replacement parts are not as readily avaiable for laptops as for desktops. Alienware Respawn is nice but I suggest saving the money and getting something like norton ghost instead this way you can make an image as soon as you get it effectively emulating what respawn does but then you can tweak it to your liking and make another image the way you want it not the way the factory wants it this is just My opinion but i fyou dotn want to fool with that the respawn is a good thing to have. The Video optimizer lets you overclock your video card while remaining under warranty i fyou are unfamiliar with over clocking and want to try it out on yout laptop then get this option if you not than leav it alone. you can get the same software alienware uses its called powerstrip and its free but its not under warranty if you blowup your system its your problem. I have used powerstip without any problems. As for the autopsy automated suport it all depends on your current PC skill i fyou feel comfortable working on your own ocmputer then I would not bother but i fyou want that extra added security and the ability to make it someone elses problme then sure why not. Ok well teh PCMCIA thing is easy the PC card is external and goes inthe slot tothe left of the keyboard and can be removed easliy and the internal is inside youcomputer and stays there all the time and leaves the other PCMCIA port open. I personal use the PCMCIA card even though I have an internal one becaue the simple fact is it jsut works better. Go with PCMCIA all the way onthat one. If you want to hook up to your stereo the SB external is a great way to go and give you some great options if you can afford it I would go with that. AS for the price difference I wuld recheck it if you config the same they should be the same price! As for prostargaming I have never herd of them so Buyer beware as always. If I where going to get a latop it would definatly be sager or alienware.

Hope this helps!
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post #5 of 27
8/6/04 at 12:05pm
Also, when looking at accessories (i.e., speakers, monitors, external soundcard, etc.), check newegg.com. Often you can save money, and Alienware charges you extra shipping for those things anyway, thus negating the value of "free shipping" on those items. Still, if ordered with a system, Alienware offers very good prices on a few accessories. Check out the z-680 speakers. $340 in the Gear Shop, but only $257 if ordered with an Area-51m. That's the same price (or lower!) than NewEgg.
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post #6 of 27
8/6/04 at 12:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gossard267
Also, when looking at accessories (i.e., speakers, monitors, external soundcard, etc.), check newegg.com. Often you can save money, and Alienware charges you extra shipping for those things anyway, thus negating the value of "free shipping" on those items. Still, if ordered with a system, Alienware offers very good prices on a few accessories. Check out the z-680 speakers. $340 in the Gear Shop, but only $257 if ordered with an Area-51m. That's the same price (or lower!) than NewEgg.
I highly agree Its realy hard to beat neweggs prices and the shipping is excelent usualy gets to you in 3 days or less on standard saver shipping.
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post #7 of 27
8/10/04 at 5:47am
Thread Starter 

Results

Well, after months of reading, research, and studying here is what I am interested in ordering. Area-51m™

Warranty: 2-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support with Onsite Service
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
Case: Area-51m Case with 15.4" WideSXGA+ 1680x1050 LCD Display - Saucer Silver
Processor: Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor w/ HT Technology 3.4GHz 800MHz FSB w/ 512KB Cache
Motherboard: SiS648FX + SiS963L AGP8X Chipset
Memory: 1GB DDR PC-3200 at 400MHz - 2x512 SO-DIMMs
Video Card: Area-51m ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON™ 9700 Module with 128MB DDR and Half-Life 2 Coupon Bundle
Sound Card: Sound-Blaster Pro Compatible 3D Audio
Hard Drive: 80GB 5400 RPM ATA100
Smart Bay One: 4x2x8x DVD+/-RW / 16x10x24x CD-RW Combo w/Software
Ethernet NIC: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet NIC
Wireless Network: External Wireless 802.11a/b/g PCMCIA Card
Bluetooth: Belkin® Bluetooth™ USB Adapter
Modem: 56K Modem with V.92 Technology
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Remote Control: Area-51m Multi-function Infrared Remote control
Optional Mouse: Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 - USB - Space Black
Security Locks: Targus Combination Notebook Security Cable
Alienware Exclusive Offers: Gamespot Complete - Free 90-day Trial (a $20.85 value)
Alienware Exclusive Offers: 10% off your next EB Games online purchase
Benchmark Software: 3DMark®03 Standard Edition
Productivity Software: Microsoft® Works Suite 2004 ($89.99 MSRP)
Free Alienware T-Shirt: Free Alienware® T-Shirt - Black (a $10.00 value)
Free Alienware Mousepad: Free Alienware® Mousepad (a $14.95 value)
Automated Support: AlienAutopsy: Automated Technical Support Request System

A damn good set up to get me through those 4 years! This is basically my ideal set up right here, and I am still looking at the possibility of modifying it. For instance: I am wondering whether the 3.4GHz is worth the extra cash over the 3.2 GHz. I remember a link that was in a post on here which showed all of the processors (from P4's to AMD) benchmarked. I think the post was showing that the extreme edition p4's did not make that much of a difference. I cannot find this link or post and if anyone has it, please send it my way. The only other thing I plan on changing right now is the Microsoft Suite 2004. I have Office XP pro sitting around and can just use that unless there is a reason to get the software. If anyone has any recommendations or anything else you see which should be brought to my attention, please let me know. I am going to have to dig through the couch to find spare change to afford this set up, but I hope it will be worth it. Thanks for all of your help
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post #8 of 27
8/10/04 at 10:06am
If your gonna keep it for 4years i would go for the most powerful you can afford beacuse the more powerful you buy from stock the longer i *should* last.
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post #9 of 27
8/10/04 at 10:11am
I'd get rid of the Alien Autopsy. A lot of people here have said that it's pretty useless.
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post #10 of 27
8/10/04 at 10:24am
Id buy it, Uninstall it, Use Email and they do seem to priority people who bought it.
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post #11 of 27
8/10/04 at 10:53am
Well, he said that he wasn't the most knowledgeable so it would help that he has Alien Autopsy as it would let him give Alienware an exact error.

Did you order already Kray?
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post #12 of 27
8/10/04 at 11:37am
I am also a n00b on the forums here. I have been following these forums for about a month. I am gonna be getting a new lappy in just under a year and have started researching. I have a couple questions on this topic. I have noticed that a bunch of different places offer systems under their own name that basically seem to be the exact same as the Sagers. Is this true or do they just use the same chassis? THey all seem to offer the same componants. Also is this necessarily bad? Does this indicate that they are just kinda generic computers that are resold? Does the Sager brand offer more than say an exactly identical computer with a different brand name. Also, for the AW's, it seems that most of the complaints about service and whatnot seem to surround the "upgradable graphics." Though I do enjoy gaming and will need some high performance video for 3d graphics / digitil editing / etc... I am not sure I would be as concerned with having upgradable graphics as I am ok not having the absolute highest settings or absolute highest benchmarks. So how is AW service in general without considering the upgradable graphics problems? Finally, if I am waiting almost a year, do you think I can expect pci-e to be integrated and will the A51m still have the same chassis / look as it does now (as I really like the current chassis / look. Also I understand answers to that question will be opinion and speculative. Thanks in advance and sorry bout the long followup post. I think these forums are an excellent source of information.
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post #13 of 27
8/10/04 at 12:43pm
From what has been posted around here, I would expect the Alienware chassis to be the same. Now, whether they change the look, who knows? They seem to have a winner (in terms of sales) on their hands, so I doubt they will alter much at all in the coming year. Speaking of which, it is almost guaranteed that PCI-e will make it into an Area-51m in the next year's time, which Alienware reps have said will be the beginning of a new stream of gpu upgrades. If you are patient, go ahead and wait for it.

Almost every laptop seller in the world is really a laptop "reseller". In other words, some company (compal, clevo, uniwill) builds a barebones laptop, and then sells it to companies like Alienware, Voodoo, Hypersonic, etc. The latter then usually install a couple components, customize the look (paint job, alien eyes, etc.) and sell it to customers. Right now, Alienware is using Uniwill platforms, and they have won many awards of the strength and style of these laptops. Other companies use Clevos and whatnot, hence why they look different from the Alienware (aside from the eyes and all that). Sager gets lots of praise, so check them out. You won't get the same kind exclusivity you find in Alienware or Voodoo, but you will probably get more for your money in terms of performance.

Always remember: There comes a point where money commands more money. Look at BMW 330Ci. The Infiniti G35 coupe smokes it in just about every objective category, but because BMWs have always cost so much more, they are perceived as more special, as a sign of one's own wealth and social status. The same is true of Voodoo and (to a lesser extent) Alienware. Nothing wrong with that, but keep in mind that it really is very possible to pay more just to get something that costs more and, therefore, exclusivity of ownership.
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post #14 of 27
8/12/04 at 3:34pm
Thread Starter 
I have been delaying on ordering this computer now... I was all ready to order when my brother brought to my attention that in his opinion the 80gig hard drive would be noticeably slower than the 60gig 7200. I have read many past post saying that it is really not that noticeable, but if the extra 20 gigs is that important, then get it. I am just wondering if anyone has any opinion contrary to the one above. I will be doing some gaming on this computer but a lot of use will go to playing videos and music. Will the 5400 effect playing music and vids? The other question I had is with the Hitachi hard drives you get an 8mb cache. Can anyone explain? Thanks for all the help! I swear I will order eventually thinkJose!
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post #15 of 27
8/12/04 at 4:36pm
I'd go with the 60GB 7200rpm drive over the 80GB one, I'd trade the extra speed for the 20 GB definitely. And if it's an option, I'd go with no wireless card and get an ORiNOCO ComboCard, they're spendy at places like Newegg and ZZF, but you can get them off eBay for decent prices. Far better performance and range. DEFINITELY stay away from the internal wireless. It sucks.

The "AlienAdrenaline" thing is pretty much a joke AFAIC, I've never seen it identified as such in my system, just as PowerStrip, which someone else mentioned you can get for free. Of course if you use it and then fry your card its not under warranty, etc., but I don't think these cards really NEED overclocking, they're great out of the box.

From my experience, Alienware customer service is decent/average, I've had no excellent experiences with them and have dealt with quite a few mindless customer service reps in the past few days. Your mileage can (and probably will) vary.
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post #16 of 27
8/12/04 at 4:43pm
I'm waiting :P

The drive thing is up to you. Do you want to lose 20GBs of space in exchange for a few seconds at boot-up or loading an application?
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post #17 of 27
8/13/04 at 5:15am
Thread Starter 
Statikuz peaked my interest about the wireless card. I looked at the specs for the external card that AW provides: 802.11b - 18 dBm
802.11g - 18dBm @6Mbps / 15dBm @54Mbps
802.11a - 17dBm @6Mbps / 13dBm @54Mbps

I do not know much about WiFi, but from what I remember dBm dictates your range. My campus is huge, so I wanted a card that could handle the space. So 15-18 dBm would give me about 100-150 feet, which just doesn't seem like a lot. Then again, I have never used wireless on a campus so I am not sure how good that is. I have read some other posts on the card, but I still need some input. With a rather large campus, should I look into getting an aftermarket card? I am going to make a safe assumption that my campus is running off of G (I will call to make sure). If the AW external card is not good for a very large campus, what card would you recommend? Here is the link for Proximo's: http://www.proxim.com/products/wifi/...ard/index.html I won't do it if it will cost more than $70-$75. Please, input would help.
Next issue: Alienrespawn. I read a post that confused me when comparing it to Ghost. With respawn, if you use their cd do you have to re-install windows? If you use Norton's Ghost do you have to re-install windows? What are some major differences besides that AW burns a cd specified to your comp. If you take a current image with Ghost, will it back up the current drivers and settings? What else will it back up? I am going to go read about it on Norton's website right now (should have done this before i posted!) Finally, I am probably going to go with the 3 year service. If I get the 3 year service, will autopsy be a standard feature or would I still have to pay the extra money? I read the description for it on AW website, but could not decipher my answer.
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post #18 of 27
8/13/04 at 10:08am
I believe Autopsy is still 48 bucks extra, but dont hold me to it.
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post #19 of 27
8/13/04 at 12:13pm
Normally it is extra, but here's a plan: Order your machine on the phone. Tell them you only want the one year warranty. They will of course then try to sell you the three year one. Politely ask if that includes this "AlienAutopsy" thing you have "heard so much about". They will say no. Then tell them the three year just doesn't really sound worth it without AA, and I'll bet they throw it in for free if you go for the three year.
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post #20 of 27
8/14/04 at 12:25am
Yeah, the ComboCard is what I have... there's not really a point to spring for the Gold version, as I think the only difference is 152- instead of 128-bit security on wireless-b networks [or something like that]. My Silver edition card was $40 new off eBay; they're usually a lot more elsewhere. I'd go for one of those if you're really going to need wireless capability, its not that spendy and you'll definitely appreciate it. I'm not sure about dBm indicating RANGE, I know it does indicate signal strength, which relates to range, but on a campus that's serious about its wireless access, there's probably enough APs around for you to never be TOO far away from one.

AlienRespawn is basically AW rebranded Norton Ghost... they send you a CD with a bootable version of Ghost, and a DVD with the image of the computer at factory specs. If you get Ghost and take an image of your computer, yes, it backs up everything on your system, including drivers.
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