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Alienware to give fee-free upgrades!?

post #1 of 15
1/14/03 at 12:27pm
Thread Starter 
Ok,

There's a small column in this month's Maximum PC mag that states that Alienware is now offering to upgrade folks' Area51m notebooks free of labor costs (they only charge for parts)! I went on AlienWare's site, however, and could find no confirmation of this.

I'm looking to buy a Clevo-type laptop and so far I like what I've read about the Sager 5660. Who needs AlienWare and their supposedly lackluster support? However, the idea of upgradeable motherboards, video cards, etc. in the future is enticing.

Does anyone know if pctorque or sager, etc. will take an upgrade order (I'm thinking motherboard)? I've seen some folks talking about it in the forums but without conclusion.

Thanks!
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post #2 of 15
1/14/03 at 12:36pm
Considering how much they charge for everything else I bet alienware will charge an arm and a leg for those parts.
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post #3 of 15
1/14/03 at 12:51pm

ouch

Quote:
Originally posted by vanfanel
Considering how much they charge for everything else I bet alienware will charge an arm and a leg for those parts.
except when they have a half price sale and will only charge half an arm and half a leg, or your choice, one arm or one leg. he he
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post #4 of 15
1/14/03 at 1:05pm
Thread Starter 

But what about Sager?

Agreed- Alienware's prices leave much to be desired. But what about Sager- are manufacturer upgrades an option?
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post #5 of 15
1/14/03 at 1:08pm
With the price of alienware the second notebook could be free
(and they will not loose money)
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post #6 of 15
1/14/03 at 1:30pm
I don't know if sager will offer anything like that... last time I asked, they said no. That was several months ago. Perhaps with the onset of another system with the same config but some different additions, they might consider it...
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post #7 of 15
1/14/03 at 4:34pm
Thread Starter 

Addtl' upgrade question

Thanks all for your input. Basically what I'm hearing is it's unlikely that Sager will upgrade laptops.

So I pose a slightly different question:

For those of us who feel brave enough, are these new mobos and other components available for purchase elsewhere so that we can make our own mods? Of course the components would have to physically fit, but is it possible to even attain these items outside of purchasing a new laptop?

Thanks,
Jason
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post #8 of 15
1/14/03 at 5:02pm
Possibly another question to ask sager to see if they're willing to sell parts? If you're desperate enough you may actually be able to buy the parts from vendors like alienware.

However, if you're planning on upgrading your motherboard for the sake of having a better video card (which is basically the only thing that can't be upgraded) than I'd say it isn't worth the cost to get those few fps in games or those couple extra features. You will have probably spent upwards of $400+ (guess only) and see marginal improvements. I suspect it may cost even more.
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post #9 of 15
1/14/03 at 5:09pm
Thread Starter 

Certainly true

Vanafel,

I agree! I have no issue working off a later model graphics card- jeez- I still have an nVidia geForce (the original) working in my main box. Everything runs with effects off etc. but I manage. I'm thinking more into the future- perhaps a year or two down the road- like if a new proc comes out that must run on a new chipset, etc.

-J
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post #10 of 15
1/14/03 at 5:15pm
Well then you might be able to get parts from sager or other vendors as I suggested however, keep in mind that notebook revisions will eventually take place and a year from now I suspect the motherboard layout/design could be completely different from what is in there now. I'm not sure how long clevo's been using this motherboard design but I'm sure they have plans on making changes in the future.
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post #11 of 15
1/14/03 at 5:28pm
Thread Starter 

Form factor fan

Wouldn't it be nice if there were some sort of form-factor standard? :-)
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post #12 of 15
1/14/03 at 5:34pm

Re: Form factor fan

Quote:
Originally posted by only1miller
Wouldn't it be nice if there were some sort of form-factor standard? :-)
that would be cool The need for designing newer, lighter and more portable laptops is still there but I couldn't see why there couldn't be a standard for desktop replacement notebooks. Anyone want to gather up all the manufacturers for a meeting
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post #13 of 15
1/15/03 at 9:14pm
You can buy individual components from Eurocom.ca.

The prices on Clevo parts from them are quite reasonable.
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post #14 of 15
1/15/03 at 9:17pm
But not motherboards which is 1 of the things mentioned in the thing in maximum pc..
at least i didnt see motherboards on eurocom's site..
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post #15 of 15
1/15/03 at 9:39pm
I agree with vanfanel. With laptops it isn't worth it to buy a whole new motherboard to get a new graphics chip. A computer like the current 8886 will play games for a long time to come... otherwise gaming companies would alienate a lot of potential buyers. The market is saturated right now as far as computers are concerned, so the gaming industry doesn't want to push the requirements.

Also, newer mobos might and might not fit. The new technologies like firewire2 might fit in there... but if they don't, then there will be a new design out. Personally, I'd get what I can afford and stick with it and (if it's a Sager) be happy with it (because what else could you be :-) except overjoyed). Best of luck to you!
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