How do you guys save/pay for your M17's

So I spec out my M17 and before clipping coupons and haggling on the phone the grand total comes in at $4,293.25 tax included

Now.. this is a big investment and I can't finance it rite now and I want to buy my M17 before my Chevy Cruze get's built then I will have 2 car notes

Now... I have until Oct. to save up but the thing is... I'm not a saver

Never have and never will... won't get into detail unless asked, So my best option is to hand my Aunt $400-$600 every 2 weeks until I have enough

So coming up with my plan, it led me to ask how do you guys do it? Unless some of you guys are rich... how do you save/pay for your Alienware's

 

another good way to lower the price, is simple things that arn't completly nessesary "at the current time" that can be updated later.

e.g invest i a smaller HD, or lower ram. as in a month or two. You can just pop down to your local computer store and buy another stick of ram, or a bigger HD.

this is not the most cost effective way to do things, but it allaows you to get what you want faster.

if you could please post up the spec's you chose, i'm sure many people here could help you to save money. as for saving you don't need to give it to your aunt. just roll it all up in rubber bands and put it in your draw. the bigger the roll gets the more you won't wanna spend it and watch it grow

 

well not exactly sure what you're aimin for what specs you want im sure you could cut alot of money dropping your specs If you're going for a 920 plus all the max specs i can see why you where quoted alot drop it down the 920 is useless for most ppl especially when you consider price a 720QM or 620M even a 540M are decent CPU's id stick with the dual 5870's if you chose those and drop your hard drive selection to the lowest and upgrade them later on plus you can upgrade your own mem later on 8 gigs is kinda overkill you can make a somewhat affordable system im sure you can knock off almost a grand dependin on what you chose + coupons and haggling it maybe more just depends the core things you would want are the 5870's and the RGBLED(if you want it),6300 wifi card everything else is upgradeable later RAM, HDD, CPU(if you want). and most of the time it is cheaper than buying through dell. also the post above is a good idea rubber banding your money and watching it grow. Anyway post your specs and let us know what you dont want to give up on.

 

Take a well paying job in Iraq. Danger = $$. More danger, More money. Anyhow I would do as richy said. You don't need 8GB RAM, or a Dell SSD. That can be picked up later with better aftermarket stuff. As far as saving, just focus on what it is you want if you feel like spending. It's your moeny so you gotta decide where it goes.

 

I did what you suggested so I made some changes except for CPU...

Genuine Windows® 7 Professional, 64bit, English
Intel® Core™ i7 820QM 1.73GHz (3.06GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache)
1 Year Premium Service Plan
CrossfireX™ 1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5870
17-inch WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 RGB LED (1200p)
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
250GB 7,200RPM SATA-II HDD
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Intel® Ultimate N WiFi Link 6300 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO Technology
Space Black - Anodized Aluminum
Xbox 360 Corded Controller - Chill White
Alienware Orion Laptop Backpack - Fits Laptop of Screen Sizes Up to 17" - Black
Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2010
Internal Wireless Bluetooth® 2.1 with EDR

Price is $3,625.98 now

I was already aware of the upgradable stuff... what I had before was a raid HD, the red color, and some other crap... nothing hardcore

 

you can always buy an external blue ray drive/burner for cheaper then just the bluray rom from alienware, knocks off a few hundred.

if you got it with a i7 720 you can always buy a 920 off ebay for $450 later down the road. this will also save money if you "want to get it now".

this may bring you down to almost the $3000 mark

 

I was already aware of the upgradable stuff... what I had before was a raid HD, the red color, 6 gigs of mem. and some other crap... nothing hardcore

Ima downgrade to the 720 ( I already know that"s more than enough) just felt as though you shouldn't skimp out on CPU and GPU

Your rite about the Blu ray... keep forgetting bout ebay

lol ... I love you guys

 

You can also buy those add ons later or from diff places that controller you can get for like 25 bucks from amazon thats what i did you can buy a backpack or something else I use a Jansport backpack and i can pack my mouse + pad,xbox controller, headset, laptop+ charger and more that can save you some money as well Like we have said stick to the core items you want that you cant upgrade later, you can purchase the bluray burner from dell later for half the price I was quoted 157 to upgrade compared to 300 at purchase + you can purchase office later or you can get it most of the time from your school(if you attend school) cheaper in some cases free.

 

just built this for $2,683.99 before discounts also dont forget that 240 watt adapter its a must with these laptops even single card systems

Code:

enuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Intel® Core™ i7 720QM 1.6GHz (2.8 GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
1 Year Basic Service Plan
CrossfireX™ 1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5870
17-inch WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 RGB LED (1200p)
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
250GB 7,200RPM SATA-II HDD
Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
240 Watt 3 Prong AC Adapter with 6 ft Power Cord
Intel® Ultimate N WiFi Link 6300 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO Technology
Lunar Silver - Anodized Aluminum
Personalize
Quasar Blue
Steam and Portal™ Factory Installed
Also Includes
Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
Internal Wireless Bluetooth® 2.1 with EDR
Adobe Acrobat Reader
150 Watt Adapter
Automatic Updates: On
Standard Nameplate
	Important Product and Service Details
	Dell Return Policy

 

Thanks for your service man... I really appreciate it

 

I'll say it again... I love you guys

 

Hey I was editing my post you might not have seen it just make sure you order that 240 watt adapter its a must with these systems its under power protection. I had the 150 watt for a single card system and it wasnt enough. Can't imagine for a dual card system you would throttle bad. No prob bud hope to see you enjoying this laptop as much as i do

 

i would though consider investing $50 or so and buying a dual usb 3.0 pci card. deffinatly worth the money

 

No prob, did two tours with the military here and now I'm here as a contractor. Thats where the money is at.

As for the 240W adaptor, it should be default if you order a crossfire system or the 920 CPU.

 

I'm just going to post my 2cents: Don't get microsoft office. Download OpenOffice when you get it. Open Office=free microsoft office

 

Also If you want to make your order cheaper don't buy the Orion Backpack through Dell. Get it at newegg, it is $30 cheaper, and you don't have to pay tax or shipping (depending on your location). And it arrives within 3 days.

 

I believe ANTOnline where I bought mine has it for $65.00, so there are a lot of alternatives to Dellienware on this in particular.

 

How dangerous is it where you are now? Will your M11x take a bullet at some point when it's time to upgrade

I'm sure you've already heard, but take that quote, CALL them and place the order, and also sign up beforehand with an email account for the newsletter and get $50.00 off...

 

oops - wrong thread - Admin please delete this post.

 

Hey Muscle Master apply for the dell credit thing maybe u can get it with that if your set up exceed ur dell credit limit u can pay the rest with a deb card or w/e

 

I would definately not buy any add ons or accessories.. just the main pc / laptop.. buy all accessories online for better deals

 

$4300 lol... It better be made out of pure gold for that money...

How do I get money? By actually ummm... working? in my case, as a graduate student with a relatively low salary. And by not wasting money on useless things ... for example not wasting it on $4300 laptop ^^

 

Working and having good credit, helps to take advantage of those 12 month no interest payment plans.

 

I never use credit cards. They tend to be a RIP OFF. And you pay more then you should.

 

"having a hamburger instead of steak"


I still have my parents to rely on to pay the bills, so my summer job pays for my computers.

 

ah, well I just happen to make decent money...

 

Where I'm at, it's not too bad actually, I've been here when it was a lot worse. I'd be more worried about me dropping the thing. Although rockets and artillary shells probably would do a good job. In that case,thats why I got accidental coverage. It accidentaly got hit with a 120mm mortar shell

I only use credit cards out of convinience. After making the purchase I pay it off immediately online. Makes it easy, and I never carry a balance so I never pay anything extra such as interest and late fees. They are good if you can avoid the temptation to dig yourself in debt. Plus it helps build your credit.

 

yeah pretty pricey laptop but works awesome

 

How do you save/pay? By working and not spending in other areas. What kinda question is this? Dell doesn't just give these away. And I don't think any of us are independently wealthy.

 

i save money picking up aluminum cans on the street

 

I saved money from goverment funded allowance All students get em, ~300 dollars a month, and after 1 year and a half it adds up

 

You could save a good deal of money by just getting the basic Windows 7 version as well. Get the 720 CPU, DUAL 5870s and the 1920x1200 LCD. Don't get anything else. Like many have already mentioned, all that other fancy stuff can be bought elsewhere. And now that I've had a blu-ray drive, I will opt out on my next laptop. At 1920x1200 resolution, on a 17" screen, the pixel density is so high that I can live watching standard DVDs. On a 1920x1080 52" TV screen, it's a lot more noticeable. And that's where you buy a >$100 blu-ray player from Wal Mart.

 

He has already solved the issue this thread should be closed

 

......,,,,,,,,,!!!? Here, I'm giving you some punctuation marks. Use them!

 

Nice, this thread should have been closed, but I appreciate the grammar lesson. Now can this thread be closed, or do we need more asinine posts in here about grammar usage. Also, thanks for adding to this thread hr9kraeuchi like a mature adult. I am sure you must be busy being the grammar police and all....lots of threads to sift through.

 

I own a 2010 Camaro SS/RS, love your sig

 

Here is the way I look at it.
1. What am I spending money on? Entertainment, business, etc..Entertainment is not necessary, while business is to afford all these toys. Business could be considered as a what I'll be doing after getting out of school and using the computer for. Most businesses except your own, supply computers and laptops.
2. What do I expect to do with the computer? Games, or just word things surfing the net? You do not need a speed demon for word or minimal gaming.
3. Do not spend a lot of money to impress your friends. They are not buying the computer you are. You are buying the machine for your use which is.....give some forethought for what you are going to do with the machine.
4. Most good laptops are upgradeable. However the technology is ever so short. This means that the machine you purchase in two weeks is obsolute in just weeks from receiving it. So keep the upgrade path in mind. What I've seen is that when a person buys a laptop for instance they use it for quite some time before they think and feel it needs to be upgraded. So in that light they usually do not upgrade it they just go buy another that has the latest techs.
5. (THis is not a plug for DFS just some food for thought) You could always go thru Dell financial services. Now wait a second , do not yell at me. Thru that you could get the machine and make your payments to suite your income. I know the interest rates are high but that gives you an avenue to get the machine. If you do I would definately get the accidential damage warranty for as long as you think you will be making payments, also so you do not get into the position that you dropped your machine and it is not working without a warranty of any kind. In other words paying for something that is not working at all.

(I assume you did get a waranty on your avatar (chevy)!

Just my thoughts...

 

I traded cattle for mine.

 

For myself, I take advantage of the no interest financing option through the Dell Preferred Program. Make the payments on time and it simply spreads those thousands of dollars out over 12 months at no additional cost to me.

Sometimes threads can live on even though the OP has a solid answer. But you already knew that.

 

So the no interest financing is working out well for you? I haven't seen much feedback on it besides what you just said.

 

Absolutely. We buy all our computer stuff from Dell and now Alienware because of it (and I've had a great history with Dell products). It's better than trying to save up because we're bad at it. And not getting hit with interest makes the purchase easy to make since we have an income that can support the monthly payments but not any additional interest BS.

We also try and do the same with other big purchases like home appliances and furniture.

 

Just keep in mind the offer is only valid if you pay it all off within the promotion period. If you don't, you will suffer accrued interest.