First off I would like to tell a bit about the lead-in to me deciding to go with Alienware. I originally planned on purchasing the parts myself and building it by myself, but then I saw $600 off Alienware systems. I configured a system and it was about the same amount of money it would have cost to build it myself, so I jumped on it. Originally I was one of the people who thought that Alienware was super over priced, and only rich "nubs" bought them, but you will see my current views on them. Please read ALL the way through before judging what I say.
System specs:
Here are the system specs and why I chose them:
AMD 64 3500+ Winchester (90nm) - The fastest processor before the huge price gap (several hundred more for the 4000+)
ATI x800 XT - Best performance with HL2 ($100 more for the PE? You've got to be kidding me)
1gb Samsung RAM - No real world performance increase with the "extreme" RAM unless you plan on overclocking, but I'm paying for the warranty so no point in OCing.
NEC 3500 - Dual layer, etc etc
Onboard sound - I have no personal need for an extra sound card
Price after rebate: 1,461
Purchasing/Pricing:
There are many overpriced items on Alienware systems. AlienIce for 70 bucks? It's just some extra fans and LED's, which you can install yourself. AlienAdrenaline for 40? How about using some other program like Powerstrip, ATItool, or the Omega drivers for free?
BUT, with the 500 MIR pricing was brought back down and very very nice, assuming you don't order the overpriced items.
Ordering/wait time
I bought this expecting a huge wait time, and for the first week I thought I was going to go through it. They don't seem to update their site very much, because for 1 whole week I was stuck in phase 3. I was even going to call them and threaten to cancel, but then it jumped to phase 9. Order shipped out after less than 2 weeks, and reached my after about 2.5 weeks. VERY impressed.
Packaging/Initial thoughts
The box was HUGE. Everything was VERY VERY well packed, thought a bit hard to get the case out. I took the box off and the case almost fell over. It's all good though. The case was humongous (sp), but very cool looking. The accessories box was pretty cool, and had a lot of stuff. They even included the cables for the video card and an extra firewire + usb2 card. The mousepad that came with it is very nice too. I had to open the case to install my SCSI card, and the wiring was all very very neat and tidy.
The computer
First let me say this: PARTS ARE PARTS. If you build it yourself, order it from Dell, Cyberpower, ABS, or Alienware, PARTS ARE PARTS. When you buy an Alienware you are mostly paying for the "Alienware experience," the special case, and support. But other places have good support too. That being said:
I absolutely love this computer. Everything came setup great, and it's wonderful. No problems whatsoever (only had it for two weeks though). Anyone, though, should remember to tweak their system once they get it. Alienware benchmark said the system got 5000 on 3dMark05, but after I installed latest drivers and made some tweaks I got 5,580.
Overall
Overall I have been very impressed with Alienware. I expected them to use the cheaper 130nm Newcastle for my processor, but they actually used the Winchester 90nm, which leads me to believe that they truly are geared towards gamers. The system runs great out of the box, the case is beautiful, and everything is happy with the computer and me.
Was it worth my money? Every penny of it.
Would I buy from them again? Maybe. If this system was without the rebate and 1,961, it would not have been worth it. But with the rebate this is phenomenal. So when I purchase my next computer I will definately consider Alienware.
Alienware gets my reccomendation for great systems, but it also depends on how much of your wallet you are willing to give out. If you are a rich gamer and don't want to DIY, then I'd pick Alienware without blinking. But if you are budget concerned like me, I'd wait for Alienware to have rebates like they did now.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them...
System specs:
Here are the system specs and why I chose them:
AMD 64 3500+ Winchester (90nm) - The fastest processor before the huge price gap (several hundred more for the 4000+)
ATI x800 XT - Best performance with HL2 ($100 more for the PE? You've got to be kidding me)
1gb Samsung RAM - No real world performance increase with the "extreme" RAM unless you plan on overclocking, but I'm paying for the warranty so no point in OCing.
NEC 3500 - Dual layer, etc etc
Onboard sound - I have no personal need for an extra sound card
Price after rebate: 1,461
Purchasing/Pricing:
There are many overpriced items on Alienware systems. AlienIce for 70 bucks? It's just some extra fans and LED's, which you can install yourself. AlienAdrenaline for 40? How about using some other program like Powerstrip, ATItool, or the Omega drivers for free?
BUT, with the 500 MIR pricing was brought back down and very very nice, assuming you don't order the overpriced items.
Ordering/wait time
I bought this expecting a huge wait time, and for the first week I thought I was going to go through it. They don't seem to update their site very much, because for 1 whole week I was stuck in phase 3. I was even going to call them and threaten to cancel, but then it jumped to phase 9. Order shipped out after less than 2 weeks, and reached my after about 2.5 weeks. VERY impressed.
Packaging/Initial thoughts
The box was HUGE. Everything was VERY VERY well packed, thought a bit hard to get the case out. I took the box off and the case almost fell over. It's all good though. The case was humongous (sp), but very cool looking. The accessories box was pretty cool, and had a lot of stuff. They even included the cables for the video card and an extra firewire + usb2 card. The mousepad that came with it is very nice too. I had to open the case to install my SCSI card, and the wiring was all very very neat and tidy.
The computer
First let me say this: PARTS ARE PARTS. If you build it yourself, order it from Dell, Cyberpower, ABS, or Alienware, PARTS ARE PARTS. When you buy an Alienware you are mostly paying for the "Alienware experience," the special case, and support. But other places have good support too. That being said:
I absolutely love this computer. Everything came setup great, and it's wonderful. No problems whatsoever (only had it for two weeks though). Anyone, though, should remember to tweak their system once they get it. Alienware benchmark said the system got 5000 on 3dMark05, but after I installed latest drivers and made some tweaks I got 5,580.
Overall
Overall I have been very impressed with Alienware. I expected them to use the cheaper 130nm Newcastle for my processor, but they actually used the Winchester 90nm, which leads me to believe that they truly are geared towards gamers. The system runs great out of the box, the case is beautiful, and everything is happy with the computer and me.
Was it worth my money? Every penny of it.
Would I buy from them again? Maybe. If this system was without the rebate and 1,961, it would not have been worth it. But with the rebate this is phenomenal. So when I purchase my next computer I will definately consider Alienware.
Alienware gets my reccomendation for great systems, but it also depends on how much of your wallet you are willing to give out. If you are a rich gamer and don't want to DIY, then I'd pick Alienware without blinking. But if you are budget concerned like me, I'd wait for Alienware to have rebates like they did now.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them...
but alienwares all look about the same anyways hehe (and they all look cool).
