Alienware 13 (2016) Pre-release discussion thread.

I think its priced rather well... At $1799 (USD) you get OLED and the i7-6700HQ. The RAM and SSD can be upgraded with better and cheaper options. The only thing I might have considered upgrading on my order was the Killer wireless.

 

It's new guys. Let it start circulation and give it a month or so and the prices will come down via sales/coupons etc.

 

Exactly; most people know that they should never buy the Dell RAM and Storage upgrades. Pretty much all Big names price them 60% above Newegg/Amazon

 

Here's a good game-play video:



Nailed it with this one. I really do want this laptop but I can't justify the price. Someone give me a 20% off coupon!

 

Hell, if you buy a Samsung SSD you'll get a free copy of Watch Dogs 2 (I also got a 10% off coupon pop-up for browsing and signing up for their emails, cheapest price I found) - http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/watchdogs/ , Newegg has the promo too

 

ah nice. was about to buy the 950 pro... but it looks like even the evo 960 is better, with better pricing.

only thing is I need to wait a month for it unless I buy a pro.

 

It may not be a big deal, but its worth noting that he played those games off an external drive.

 

Another review

jMc

 

oh boy

if you can't justify the price of a laptop of this build quality with these specs, then it's not a problem with alienware. it's a problem with you....you just can't afford it man...

save up some more $ and get one later, get an extra job, sell a kidney, donate sperm, prostitution, do wutchu gotta do brah. but one thing i can say is, the price on this laptop is definitely justified. gimme the name of any other competitor gaming laptop (under 15inch category) that offers a better value proposition.

THAT HAVING BEEN SAID.......if you're in the US though, you can try coupon code alienwareesports for 10% off, sign up for a free dell advantage account for free 5% cash back, (10% with financing), use ebates to get another 10% cash back.

all in all, i was able to get the aw13 OLED base config for $1799 pre-tax for $1354. not bad eh?

 

I ended up ordering the new Alienware 13 with the OLED option. I wish other manufacturers had OLED options but Alienware is the only choice.
They charge $150 to go from TN to IPS and ~$350 for IPS to OLED.
Razer Blade or Gigabyte Aero 14 with a 1060 and OLED would be sweet. The Alienware is bulkier and heavier but hopefully that translates into better thermals.
It seems like all the new Alienwares use junk thermal paste but I'm willing to repaste.

Total price was $2462.87cdn (~$1840usd) for i7/8gb/512gb/OLED with an estimated delivery date of December 14.
The upgrade from 256gb to 512gb for $150 seemed ok since you can't downgrade and it's a Toshiba NVMe drive.
NVMe pricing in Canada is pretty bad and the cheapest alternative would be Intel 600p 512gb for ~$250.

For Dell Canada:
10%OFFALW still works and you can use the MPP site for some additional discounts.
MPP site: http://www.dell.com/learn/ca/en/cadhs1/ ... pp-ca?l=en
MPP is about 2% off and you can also get a 5% MPP coupon here: https://webapp.dell.epsilon.com/CA/CVM/ ... ?c=CA&l=en
This makes the cheapest OLED option ~$2050 + tax.
You can also get some additional money back from ebates (2%) and sign up for Dell Advantage (5%).

 

No, not really... I can afford it, I just can't justify it (having owned previous Alienware).

Anyway, how exactly were you able to get those discounts? I spoke with someone and he only gave me 2% off.

 

Does anyone know which power adapter this unit comes with? Which power adapter would I need to purchase as a secondary? I prefer smaller travel size, but figure this requires a beast of a power adapter ~ 180W. I did see one on the site that looks pretty slim and is 220W. Not sure if that is the right one.


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Keep trying with different reps each time. It takes patience, but eventually you can get ~20-25% off. You have to have a firm budget when you talk to them.

 

What if you've already put 10% coupon on the order, along with the dell member 2% and 5% rewards back, and are currently checking out through ebates (currently 10% cash back)?

Seems too good to be true if they are willing to add another 20% on top of that!

 

I think it's one or the other. Either you go through the rep or go through e website. Rep cant discount and add back to your cart and they can't change the price of what is in your cart

 

You can't add a coupon code to a negotiated price unfortunately.

 

ah well. if I manage to get 25% though i'd take it.

I'm just squirming around here waiting for the 1080 to show up, paranoid thinking there will be less deals once it's revealed.

 

I'm with you there mate. The Uk is always left till last or mugged off with price

 

My god! Gears 4 looked insane. Bet in person that screen looks even better.

Still waiting on uk site to update with prices

 

How does that conversation typically start? Any tips to get the 20-25%?


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Do you think the 1366*768 display is still bad as predecessor?

 

I imagine they will be over $1000 off by next summer (when Pascal is refreshed or Volta comes out).

 

It is already one of the cheapest 13inch gaming laptops out there. While having the best chassis. Dont expect such massive discounts. Its simpl unreasonable.

 

The Alienware Mystery Coupons may come back by Thanksgiving.

10%, 15%, 20%, and sometimes 30% off coupons.

 

How much of an advantage does the i7-6700HQ have over the i5-6300HQ? I've been out of the loop these days but from what I can gather the former has hyperthreading while the other do not. I'm planning to have one bought for me this holiday season but my budget maxes out at +/- $1500. I'm coming from a ULV-equipped laptop, so I imagine the step up to a standard voltage CPU would be significant.

 

It's a noticeable step up in performance, and supports DDR4 as well. You may want to wait until January when the new 7700HQ comes out.

 

Why? The 7500u is like literally an OCed 6500u. I really don't see the point in waiting for Kaby Lake when it'll make almost no difference for gaming. It's just clocked tad higher, IPC is nearly identical.

How are temps on the R3? Any good reports yet?

The i5 is way better than a ULV cpu, and the i7 is a lesser but still decent step up because of higher clocks and hyperthreading. I would recommend the i7 honestly because the clocks on the i5 are a little low for a 1060.

 

7/03/2016 07:54:07PM Session Started with Agent (TIP_Roxin M)
07/03/2016 07:54:07PM Robert Bergen: "2_236"
07/03/2016 07:54:13PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "Welcome ! My name is Roxin M. and I will be your US Home System Sales Chat expert. I can be reached at [email protected]. How may I help you with your purchase today?"
07/03/2016 07:54:15PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "Hi Robert"
07/03/2016 07:54:38PM Robert Bergen: "A question please,"
07/03/2016 07:55:16PM Robert Bergen: "Does the AW 13 system with OLED screen come with the GTX965m Graphics card."
07/03/2016 07:57:06PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "Glad to have you in my chat line today, I'd be happy to assist you."
07/03/2016 07:57:41PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "One moment please as i check on that."
07/03/2016 07:58:57PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "upon checking. here is a pakcage with 13.3 inch QHD (2560 x 1440) OLED and NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 965M"
07/03/2016 07:59:11PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "here is the link"
07/03/2016 08:02:38PM Robert Bergen: "One more question please... Estimated shipping is in 31-35 business days; is that typical? or is this some sort of pre-order?"
07/03/2016 08:03:03PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "that is right since its a build to order laptop,"
07/03/2016 08:03:36PM Robert Bergen: "Thank you for your help"
07/03/2016 08:04:29PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "welcome Before I let you go, I just want to ask if you've heard of the Dell Preferred Account and Dell Advantage Loyalty Program?"
07/03/2016 08:06:09PM Robert Bergen: "Yes I have a Dell Preferred Account"
07/03/2016 08:07:20PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "Great! Currently we offer 12 months special financing on all new Alienware purchases is a no interest if paid in full by August, 2017."
07/03/2016 08:07:28PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "are you planning to make a purchase today?"
07/03/2016 08:09:01PM Robert Bergen: "On the Fence. The OLED screen is very inciting, but it comes a little over budget"
07/03/2016 08:09:50PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "i see. how much are you looking to spend for a new system?"
07/03/2016 08:11:00PM Robert Bergen: "1700"
07/03/2016 08:12:09PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "before tax, right?"
07/03/2016 08:12:22PM Robert Bergen: "yes"
07/03/2016 08:13:09PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "im not making any promises yet but i'll see what's the best price i can get for that."
07/03/2016 08:14:34PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "there will be sales tax for CT . will it be ok if pull up your dell profile so i can better checkk for applicable savings?"
07/03/2016 08:15:00PM Robert Bergen: "ok"
07/03/2016 08:15:47PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "Thanks. May i please have your name, billing and shipping address , phone number?"
07/03/2016 08:17:29PM Robert Bergen:...........................................
07/03/2016 08:17:40PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "Thanks. One moment please."
07/03/2016 08:19:05PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "by the way Robert, for your Dell Preferred Account, do you have business or personal credit account?"
07/03/2016 08:19:31PM Robert Bergen: "personal"
07/03/2016 08:19:52PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "Great. kindly give me a few minutes to check for the best price for you."
07/03/2016 08:21:48PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "and Robert, If you're attending a school or working with a company that's affiliated with Dell, I can quote this package with an additional 2% off. ( Military Veteran, School Student/Alumni or purchasing for student )"
07/03/2016 08:23:40PM Robert Bergen: "I go ............................................... University"
07/03/2016 08:24:04PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "Great. that will qualify."
07/03/2016 08:24:16PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "please bear with me as i work on your quote"
07/03/2016 08:26:11PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "by the way, Will you need Microsoft Office application?
we highly recommend that you get the Microsoft Office 2016 pre-installed to your computer. The Microsoft Office Home and Student for $149.99, has full word, excel and powerpoint."
07/03/2016 08:26:15PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "would you like to add this?"
07/03/2016 08:27:09PM Robert Bergen: "i get it free from the university"
07/03/2016 08:27:43PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "oh. okay "
07/03/2016 08:29:09PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "just want to let you know that this system only comes standard with 1 Year Premium Support. I recommend that you upgrade your service plan to at least 2 Year of Premium Support for $129 with improved service offering that provides Support for"
hardware and software (apps, OS, OS upgrade, networking and backup including installed 3rd party device) issues and feature our *SupportAssist Technology* for 24/7 AUTOMATED issue detection which will enable our advanced technicians to PROACTIVELY conta
ct you for critical issues and send out an onsite technician with replacement parts in 1-2 business days. With this you get faster issue resolution spending up to 90% less time on the phone and up to 59% fewer steps to resolve the issue.
07/03/2016 08:30:32PM Robert Bergen: "I don't think i will need the 2 year support. But I would like the 1 year accident protection"
07/03/2016 08:30:54PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "alright.let me add that. its $59 for 1 year."
07/03/2016 08:33:04PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "and Robert, upon checking all possible savings, here's the best price we have"
07/03/2016 08:33:07PM Agent (TIP_Roxin M): "Subtotal # $1,639.63
Taxtotal # $96.73
Shippingcharges # $0.00
TotalPrice # $ 1,736.36"

TL R
System in question was normally $2088 after tax, I paid $1736.36. That was 17% off with hardly trying

 

Yes, why would you ever get this option

 

So, I managed to get the Alienware 13 for $1661.66 after tax. Went ahead and bought it with the justification being that my birthday is coming up.

I'll file for bankruptcy later.

 

Are any of you guys slightly disappointed with the lack of g-sync on this model?

 

Nope, not at all. The QHD OLED display (with 1ms response time) on the AW 13 is impressive.

And I bought a mini-DP to DisplayPort cable and plan to use my external 144Hz 1080p display to game. Recommended!

 

You know how to charm. Is business what your into?
I need to work my A game if I want more than 10%. I thought that was pushing it when I ordered the AW15


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I managed to purchase it through the Member Purchase Program with my University as my "employer." This gave me 5% off the top, plus another 10% off with a coupon ( on page 15 of this thread), and then had a 10% eGift card which will come around Christmas for using partial payment toward my Dell Preferred Account.

The link to this Member Purchase Program area was hidden: http://www.dell.com/en-us/member/sh...tegory?categoryPath=laptops-alienware-laptops

Not the best deal in the world but I can't complain (as I don't have a laptop).

 

G-Sync would have a huge impact on battery life since it's not compatible with Optimus.

 

Now to figure out what kind of case to get for this thing... It's odd.

 

Everyone purchasing this system, check out this memory before overpaying for Dell's crap:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01BNJL8K2/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1478095585&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=16gb+ddr4+kingston+impact&dpPl=1&dpID=41pJ82he+eL&ref=plSrch

A single 16GB DDR4 2400Mhz SODIMM for $100. I'll be purchasing this myself.

 

Thanks for the information. This is good stuff!


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Yeah I am going to keep trying tunitl I get someone to help me out so far most have been only able to give me 11.8% discount and thats it.

 

Keep trying until you find a good rep. The first guy I spoke with didn't even know about Dell Advantage... I had to mention it to him.

Don't know what Dell is doing these days.

 

You guys opting for the Windows 10 Pro upgrade or not?

 

I did.

 

Windows 10 pro is a must. Windows 10 home is seriously gimped.

The cost to upgrade later at home is $100 so you save $50

 

In regards to what? If you wanna do $90 better. Get home version. Get a $10 pro key on eBay.
I've had no problems. My bro has had no problems. And now my mate had just bought one. You get to have both versions too


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I actually get Windows 10 Pro free through my University, so I definitely would not pay extra for it. They don't provide you with any recovery media, anyway.

 

isn't the key the only thing needed anyways? you just download win10 onto a stick and plug it in.

will have to do this reinstall when i get mien since I'm not shelling out for dell's ssds.

we should all be avoiding dell ram and storage. wifi card also. can get better versions for much cheaper.

 

Looking into it a bit more it does look like I would be eligible for a free Windows Education upgrade - which is actually better than Pro (they removed Cortana, but added a lot of other stuff to it). Saved me $50.

 

That's that one I have!

What really sucks is the estimated delivery date of December 6th. Anyone else have an earlier day?

 

I have a few questions before I bite if anyone could please help me solve them?

1: What is the refresh rate for the alienware 13 OLED display?
2: I am still undecided between the alienware 17 with 1070 or the 13 with the 1060. What is the performance diff between both?
3: I currently own an alienware 15 with 970m, will it be an improvement if I decide to go with the 1060?

Thanks guys

 

lol meanwhile. uk people still hitting the refresh button whilst you have an an actual delivery date. we dont even no when it becomes available to order