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Dell Inspiron 9100 Or Alienware Area-51m?! Please Help Forum!

post #1 of 25
10/3/04 at 5:25am
Thread Starter 
Hey guys, college has started for me and I've yet to purchase a new laptop. I've been lagging it because my parents asked that I do extensive research on laptops before I consider buying one.

Initially, I wanted a reliable laptop that would last me for at least the rest of college. (The next 3-4 years?). I figured I would want a laptop that would be a little better than average so that it would not be outdated in two months or something. Other than that, I love to game. But I have had bad past experiences with desktop computers and have been deprived of good computer games for the passed 3-4 years. So I want a system that would not only be reliable and still be compatible with software for the next 3 years but I also want something that would be a gaming machine! BUT! ...

After 1 month of research, I have settled between an Alienware Area-51m and a Dell Inspiron 9100. Unfornately, my budget is only around $2300. So I am in a bit of a dillemma and need your (the forum's) advice.

So my budget is $2300.
With this, the best I can configure an Area-51m is this:

Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager
Case: Area-51m Case with 15.4" WideSXGA+ 1680x1050 LCD Display - Cyborg Green
Processor: Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor w/ HT Technology 3.0GHz 800MHz FSB w/ 512KB Cache
Motherboard: SiS648FX + SiS963L AGP8X Chipset
Memory: 512MB Corsair XMS DDR PC-3200 at 400Mhz - 2x256MB 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: 40GB 5400 RPM ATA100
Smart Bay One: 24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD Combo w/Software
Ethernet NIC: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet NIC
Wireless Network: Internal Wireless 802.11a/b/g miniPCI Card

Compared to a configured Dell Inspiron 9100 with these specs:

Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz
1 GB DDR RAM
256 MB ATI RADEON 9800
40 GB
24X CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive with Sonic RecordNow
Dell® Wireless 1450 Internal Wireless (802.11a/b/g, 54Mbps)

As you can see, the Inspiron is the better buy and is 5 dollars less than the Area-51m. However, after reading many reviews on the both the Alienware and the Dell, I feel that those who purchase Alienware laptops are so satisfied that they must go back to forums such as this and recommend it to many others like me who are looking to buya laptop. The Alienware also looks way cooler than the Dell Inspiron 9100. I first saw it( the dell) when my friend brought it into a lecture; from the side it looked a PS2 with a screen attached to it. It looks very big and heavy, but durable. Also, the reviews by Dell owners are not as passionate as the Alienware owners. They sometimes complain about the customer service, weight, or some other malfunctions of the laptop. The only complaints I've heard from the Alienware peoples is the many "phases" in which the laptop goes through.

Okay, sorry..talked enough. Now my main question is: Should I get the Area-51m or the Inspiron 9100?

Series of mini-questions:

1) Do I even need a laptop as powerful as the Inspiron that I configured for college?
2) Do you guys think that it is worth it to buy the Area-51m for $2218 when I can get another laptop model (such as the Inspiron 9100) with better specs FOR LESS?
3) As a freshman college student in need of a laptop, what else should I consider when buying a laptop other than the processor speed, ram, graphics card, wireless cards etc etc.?
4) When it comes to laptops, is there such thing as quantity vs. quality? For example, the specs on the Inspiron are obviously better than the Area-51m. BUT...can it also be that the Area-51m would still run better on games just because Alienware Inc. somehow builds there laptops for peak performance and Dell doesn't? Even though the Inspiron has the high quality stuff and higher numbers ( the quantity), does that mean its overall quality will be better than the Area-51m? (with the specs I've given)

Please feel free to leave and comments, opinions, or recommendations. I am in need of a laptop.

Thank You Very Much

-beauxespirits

P.S.

For those of you who leave updates, comments, information, messages, and rumors...you are very much admired for the effort you make in providing knowledge to those (like me) who don't know jack about laptops. Thanks again.
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post #2 of 25
10/3/04 at 5:51am
the 9100 is better spec'ed (waaaaaaaaaaay better) and costs less - end of story. my recommendation for college - cut down on the processor and the wifi card (you will never run into an A network) and be sure to get complete care.
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post #3 of 25
10/3/04 at 6:05am
if your looking for mobility, then the 9100 will not be a good thing for you. however if you are looking for a semi portable gaming machine, then it will be great. if your a gamer, then you cant beat the 9100, if you want portability, and your not too into games, then you should look elsewhere.
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post #4 of 25
10/3/04 at 6:07am
i say 9100~~
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post #5 of 25
10/3/04 at 6:18am
I'm in college right now typing at my desk on of course, my i9100. When I got here I saw my roomate had one also (a little more beefed up) as well as a few people in my hall. The main complaint you hear about is the weight but I have yet to see anyone bring a laptop(including the light ones) to class. That doesn't mean you couldn't, I have a back pack it fits in but I haven't really needed to take it anywhere yet. But anyway straight to the point, I love this thing! Between the alienware and teh i9100 I think it's hands down the i9100. The only thing is that you might find the 40gb hd a little small depending on what you do with the computer. Oh, and to second what MNguyen said, you could propably do fine with a lot less. I'm very happy with mine and check out my sig. The only thing I may upgrade when neccessary is the vid card and possibly ram.
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post #6 of 25
10/3/04 at 11:34am
WOAH...too much writing people!!!...Okay by saying i9100 i am guessing that u r in Europe, right? Alot of universities in europe are starting hot spots, so a wan card is good to have. 2ndly I'VE HAD BOTHI refunded the AW for a i9100, and i have no regrets what so EVERRR.. the aw sucked ass. Bottom line u can upgrade GPU, CPU, HDD, RAM..anything really on the i9100..so u would never be left outdated ... I MUCH PREFER i9100..MUCH.............and yes ur specs are a bit to good if u dont want it for gaming. I would say if u dont want it for gaming:

2.8Ghz
512 Ram
mR9800
40GB 7200rpm

...done thats my opinion.- Its not heavy, beside what ppl say but it is quite thick...doesnt bother me a bit..
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post #7 of 25
10/3/04 at 11:54am
9100 hands down, but if you want some other views maybe a cross post in the Alienware forum would be useful to you.

Some things to consider are the size and weight of the 9100, and whatever you get I'd strongly consider Complete Care if I were in college...
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post #8 of 25
10/3/04 at 12:42pm
if you plan on using this thing in more mobile settings you might wanna consider the dell 8600, since you aren't as concerned with gaming this might be the answer for you. You could get a larger harddrive, and a still decent video card but get a lighter laptop with decent battery life, something that you might need if you wanna take this to class. If you just want a big beefy machine go with the 9100 if you don't care about battery life and weight.
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post #9 of 25
10/3/04 at 1:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovearea51m_1
WOAH...too much writing people!!!...Okay by saying i9100 i am guessing that u r in Europe, right? Alot of universities in europe are starting hot spots, so a wan card is good to have. 2ndly I'VE HAD BOTHI refunded the AW for a i9100, and i have no regrets what so EVERRR.. the aw sucked ass. Bottom line u can upgrade GPU, CPU, HDD, RAM..anything really on the i9100..so u would never be left outdated ... I MUCH PREFER i9100..MUCH.............and yes ur specs are a bit to good if u dont want it for gaming. I would say if u dont want it for gaming:

2.8Ghz
512 Ram
mR9800
40GB 7200rpm

...done thats my opinion.- Its not heavy, beside what ppl say but it is quite thick...doesnt bother me a bit..
I did the same thing but got the XPS, which is the same thing. The Alienware is not all it's cracked up to be (IN MY OPINION!!).

LOL you should change your name to Lovedarea51m_1
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post #10 of 25
10/3/04 at 2:42pm
I wanna.. but i cant .... i would name my self : i_thought_i_loved_area51m_but_then_found_out_it_was_crap_and_went_with_i9100_and_n ow_i_love_i9100.
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post #11 of 25
10/3/04 at 2:44pm
I had a slightly higher budget (~2,500), did almost 2 months of research only considering the same two systems you are, and in the end I bought the 9100. It's been almost 2 months since I've had it now and I haven't regretted it for a second. I'm also at college and this was my first laptop so you're basically in my situation. The main reason I bought the 9100 is because it outperforms the Alienware in gaming despite the fact that Alienwares are supposed to be the ultimate gaming machines (maybe their desktops are but their laptops obviously don't even come close). I still haven't had the desire to take my laptop anywhere so the battery life and weight aren't a factor. In the time that I've been on campus I've seen several people bring their laptops with them to class or something else like that, but most college campuses have plenty of computer labs everywere anyway, and it's just not helpful at all in class.
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post #12 of 25
10/3/04 at 3:08pm
get COMPLETECARE because you dont want to be screwed if you drop the machine. also, if it happened to fall into a pool a year and a half from now when they dont have anymore 9100 but a much more powerful notebook......
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post #13 of 25
10/3/04 at 3:49pm
I suspect that the enthusiasm fot the 9100 is a bit muted compared to the AW because the Dell audience is a bit older. The 9100 isn't nearly as "cool" as the AW, and the buyers/posters reflect that, I think.
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post #14 of 25
10/3/04 at 3:51pm
I got the i9100 because I wanted a laptop that would last me for the next 3 years. The Mobility Radeon 9800, which is based off of the new ATI R420 core, is about twice as fast as Alienware's current fastest laptop graphics chip, the MR9700. All other specs between the Area-51M are very similar. The only other difference that I can see between the two systems is the warranty services that are offered. In my opinion, I think Dell's CompleteCare is much better because it covers accidental damage.
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post #15 of 25
10/3/04 at 6:15pm
Just a suggestion...if you're a gamer you might want to blow the extra cash (i don't think it's a whole lot more) on the 60 gig 7200rpm harddrive...then you'll really be kicking butt compared to the aw. Definately though, the Dell you created is better...
imho what's under the hood is more important than the paint job...

btw, I agree with IntgrSpin...we're a bunch of old farts...
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post #16 of 25
10/3/04 at 7:01pm
welll...my 18 year old cousine freaking loves the i9100!!! i think it looks "cool".. the AW is not respectable as the i9100, the AW just looks like somthing for kids, like some sort of a console not a serious laptop, honestly i wouldnt be too proud of taking a green laptop with a picture of an alien (super nerdy) to a class or cafe....the i9100 looks like a real laptop and has much more power than AW....The selling point of AW is that its a gaming device...yet the i9100 has benchmarks almost 45-50% higher than the area51m....doesnt make much sense going with that pile sh.....getting a bet pissed off...trust me as a consumer of AW dont go for AW ....Dell 4 year customer...never regreted....MY opinion...i have just heard of wayyy more unsatisfied AW customers rather than dell customers.
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post #17 of 25
10/3/04 at 7:13pm
my reasons for choosing the 9100:
-the price (w/ coupons) was low for the specs i got
-the fans on the 9100 IMO are better for cooling because the set up is well thought out for the amount of heat these things can produce under full loads, but the system stays pretty cool for the user (those directly in front of the comp may feel warm because the heat blows out the back end of the lappy)
-the weight isn't that bad with a backpack
-the gaming power is unmatched in the mobile area for now and should be up to playing future games well into the next few years
-the case of the 9100 feels very solid compared to my old Dell 5000e

As people have been saying earlier, for the money and the power the 9100/XPS systems can't be beat... for looks, i guess AW systems look nice because of the paint and metal lid (green color is extremely nasty though)

also: get the 60GB7200RPM hd when you buy your system... go with initial 512 memory if you have to because the slower hd lags soo much and if you want to save even more go with the 256mb set up and go online and buy 1gig of memory elsewhere for cheaper...
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post #18 of 25
10/3/04 at 10:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by IntgrSpin
I suspect that the enthusiasm fot the 9100 is a bit muted compared to the AW because the Dell audience is a bit older. The 9100 isn't nearly as "cool" as the AW, and the buyers/posters reflect that, I think.
Sorry bud, but buying a laptop simply because it's cool is not a good reason. There are many more aspects to consider. With all things equal, COOL, could be the tie breaker.
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post #19 of 25
10/4/04 at 12:47am
as many have posted, the most logical reason us Dell'ers aren't as vocal is, we don't need to blow our own horns to make ourselves feel good about our systems. There was a thread this past week with someone asking why so many AW peeps hate Dell. The rough synopsis: the 9100 is cheaper, has the better video card now (was equal), better warranty.

so, lets keep everything in perspective. And if you are not in the US, that's gonna make a little of this invalid.

you're in college, so very seriously, getting a deal on the Dell 4 yr onsite warranty with Compete care should be priority. At least 3 yrs, but sometimes Dell will have 4yr with a $100 mail in rebate that makes it equal to 3yr. If you can get that do so. now why this first? You're at college. It's that simple. at college, it doesn't matter how careful you are, it's the other few thousand folks you gotta worry about. Roommates, guys down the hall, you name it. You are not going to want a system with a mail in service contract when it's the week before finals or midterms and the computer picks that moment to die. You're gonna want it fixed in 1-2 days, not in the mail for 2 weeks. And CC covers silly things like stepping on the screen, spilling beer inside, yada yada yada.

2nd, (I'll assume you're a gamer since you're looking at these two) get the 9800 as it's cheaper up front and simply, it rocks that much.

3rd, unless Dell is offering double ram free, get the 60gn 7200 rpm driver before the 1gb ram.

4th, 1 gb ram. leave this as 4th, since it's much cheaper to buy 2 sticks of 512 ram than buying a new HD. And you'll likely stress out less with the 7200 rpm drive when you're in a hurry. Any kind of load times are better, if you do anything like video editing, you'll hate yourself if you have a 5400rpm drive (and some laptops out there have 4200 rpm still)

If you are not an avid gamer, flip the 9800 to last and move the HD to 2nd.

again, memory is the easiest to find online, simple ddr400/pc3200 sodimm with 200 pins. under $200 today's prices.

since you're on a budget, I'd suggest the wsxga screen too, to save money. and the 2.8 cpu. keep the overall system cost down, get the 4yr warrant/CC. If after building the base you have room for a 3.0, ok. Keep in mind, these use the desktop p4 cpus, so finding an upgrade is super simple as prices drop if that ever becomes an issue. But very little you'll do in school (unless you are into graphics design or video editing type stuff) will benefit from 200MHz cpu. Office won't care when you're typing those term papers

and find a nice, solid, roomy backpack (suggest ones built for 17" laptops, fits better, more roomy).

double check with the school too, some have pricing deals already with Dell. I know someone here got a little extra good deal cause his school had a Dell account for the students to buy with.
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post #20 of 25
10/4/04 at 4:23am
I would definately recommend the i9100 over the AW. I love mine. Probably the best purchase I've made in quite a while. As for the AW people promoting their rigs so much? Well I was browsing their section a little today and I must say I was pretty much baffled at how much they talk about the XPS/I9100's. The number 1 reason that people over there offer for getting an AW over a XPS/I9100 is because the AW is "sexier" and "sexy". What kind of freaking reason is that?? That's the dumbest most immature thing I've heard in the past week. Seriously, what type of person makes a statement like that? Anyway there's my mini rant against humanity. If you don't mind a little extra weight and a little bit bulkier laptop, as well as short battery life, then the i9100 is the top dog right now.


-Myhre
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