Myth Busters: Alienware Overpriced

It's quite funny really, because you don't hear ACTUAL Alienware owners complaining about the price they paid for their machines - they were quite content to pay the supposed "inflated prices" because they knew what they were getting, which was top of the line equipment with second to none warranty support. These customers knew EXACTLY what they were buying from the start, and as such, they were completely happy to pay the "associated" premium for said machinery.

Now, most (if not all) of these opinions that Alienware is "overpriced, I can build a desktop cheaper, blah blah blah" come from people who do not actually own Alienware, but yet they are the ones who constantly bang on about the price of them. WHY!!!!!! - I mean, do you hear AW owners crying into their cornflakes at the thought that they could have had maybe two or three lower powered machines (with worse product support and build quality) for the price of their single high performance, well built, well supported machine? - NOPE!

Many people on this forum "pigeon-hole" Alienware owners as being "elitist", simply because of their own PERSONAL choice to buy what they bought. It's of no one else's business how they spend their money, just like it not really any of our business how non-Alienware owners choose to spend their money either. At the end of the day, it's all down to personal choice.

It all boils down to individual "justification" - and what we find, because of that, is simple. Those who cannot justify the cost to themselves, then turn around and start mud-slinging at those who CAN justify it - again, WHY!!!!. You guys who don't want to (or can't justify) the expense should stop crying and moaning about it. If you can't justify it, and prefer to build a desktop or buy an alternative notebook, that's fine too - but that cannot be used in the argument about over-pricing because that is YOUR CHOICE (I say choice because we often hear the old cherub of "yeah, I coulda afforded two Alienware's but......) This is YOUR choice, you make it - it doesn't mean my/our choice is wrong because of the differences in our purchases.

Sure, there are alternatives to Alienware. Those other alternatives require the owner to compromise in certain areas, wether that be build quality, warranty support, bios features, aesthetics etc etc. Yes, you probably can build a desktop cheaper that performs similarly, but you compromise on portability - many AW owners actually prefer to have desktop performance in a portable form factor. Yes, I could spec. up a Clevo (or similar) like an AW M18x, but I'd be getting a big ol' lump of plastic compared to a solid aluminium, sleek looking machine. I'd also be compromising on warranty support and bios limitations. Are those features worth paying for? - again, personal preference, but I'd say so. Those who disagree are well within their rights to do so, but be aware of the differences before hand, PRIOR to being quick to criticise people who do NOT want to compromise in ANY area.

I'm fed up with people categorising Alienware owners as "elitist snobs" who mock other notebook owners - my money, my choice - get over it. (if you don't like the pricing, vote with your wallet (as you do have the choice to do so) and stop complaining about the prices in the first place..... )

Oh, one final thought. Here we have a thread about "Alienware being overpriced" - in an Alienware forum, yet are there any threads, in any other sub-forum, which insinuates the opposite to this????? - kinda of like..."Are MSI machines cheap and nasty?" (I'm not saying they are or not!) - NOPE! - Why?, well I'll leave that thought with you.....probably because Alienware owners couldn't give a rats testicle about if they are or not, however, it seems acceptable for non-Alienware owners to be obsessed with this over-priced "garbage" debate.

 

You raise some interesting points, but some of your arguments are flawed.

You say that "Many people on this forum "pigeon-hole" Alienware owners as being "elitist", simply because of their own PERSONAL choice to buy what they bought" when this is not the case. People pigeon-hole Alienware owners as elitist because of their attitude towards other hardware, not for the hardware they bought. Just because someone spends $5,000 or whatever on a laptop doesn't mean that everything else is automatically inferior. Many Alienware owners however seem to feel that because they spend so much on their laptop that it simply must be better, which often isn't the case, at least in certain areas.

Second, I can't speak for everyone else, but I was an Alienware owner. I had an M17x R1, and I loved it. Since then however I've gotten back into desktops, and I find they offer me lots of things laptops can't. I've also gotten to really like my matte IPS monitor. That's the main reason I haven't bought any recent Alienware laptops: Not because I can't, simply because I don't want to; I don't like them. Depending on what the R5 turns out to be, I may well get one.

I will admit that Alienware laptops have things other companies don't. Dell's warranty system is absolutely fantastic, and far and about anyone else's. This alone would be worth the price premium for me. However, they are severely lacking in other areas. Glass-covered TN panels? Seriously. That's decidedly mediocre. The build quality of most their laptops is above average also, with the M18x in particular being very well made.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that there are positives and negatives to owning an Alienware laptop. I (and others) just get a little frustrated when owners completely dismiss these negatives as "poor people hating". The fact is, they're (the laptops) not perfect. That's all.

 

I've been a mod for as long as you've been a member and I can tell you that it's always been like this for one brand or another. Mac v. PC? That's worse. We have to protect the Apple owners from attack from trolls (and sometimes from themselves). Brand loyalty is an odd (yet understandable) thing with fanboyism a more recent phenomenon (starting about 8 years ago or so with regards to tech). Of course fanboyism leads to a myopic view of things. But manufacturers sure do love it. Sometimes they take if for granted and think a little cost cutting here or there or a bug will go unnoticed. AMD and Apple learned that lesson among others.

Anyway, there isn't a forum on the web where you can go and have a dissenting view of some tech that people adore and come away unscathed. Even comparative speak can get you cut. Like turtles, it's fanboys all the way down.

So when you think about it, the dissenter is much more off putting, as it were, than the crowd with adoration in common is to the dissenter. The dissenter is figuratively "comin' up in tha house callin' they baby ugly. What?! Oh no he didn't! Mmm-mmm. Imma set this hot mess straight."

Logic? Reason? Versus love? LOL. It can happen. But it can take the "magic" away and nobody wants that.

Dunno. Have to go with what John says.

Exactly. They just seem worse when looked at in a class warfare sort of way. Like with Mac v. PC. Look at the adjective commonly used... "elitist."

 

Valid points, all taken. Maybe I've just steered myself away from the more... opinionated forums subconciously or something, but I haven't really come across much fanboyism at all. The biggest offender other than the the Alienware forum here that comes to mind are the AMD/NVIDIA forums on OCN. Maybe it's just because I tend to be more active in niche forums - SFF, silent computing, etc. which tends to be more brand-neutral.

 

LOL. Stay with me...

Think about it. Mac owners think the same. Act the same. Lenovo folks do too. Panasonic ToughBooks (Do NOT get them started)? All of them think their's is best. So much so that they wouldn't recommend anything else (heaven forbid). Most anyone who buys anything at a premium thinks the same. Benz and BMW owners scoff at a Hyundia or some such. Audiophiles scoff at some $199 home theater system. And on and on. ...and on.

When someone buys anything, they reject the other things by default. Their reasons amount to the other products as being either inferior or overpriced and all the associated opinions and feelings that go along with that.

Frustration comes from surprise or an inability to achieve a desired result. So what you're really saying is, "I do really care and I want my words to be appreciated." Basic human desire. Nothing wrong with that. You just picked the wrong section to obtain that.

Sadly, things got so bad that a person had to be locked up a bit. And for what really? Because he couldn't walk away (after being warned and getting an infraction) and took it so personally that he was rebuffed for rebuffing a majority? Because his critical opinion wasn't well received? Had to attack a mod in a section about the product who owns the product? That's some passion right there. Went out like a martyr. Props.

If one goes into one's house and says, "hey look, you're kid... yeah, I gotta tell ya, he's not so special. Not even really all that cute as a matter of fact. I wouldn't waste money on private schooling. I mean, just look at him. Does he try to put square things in round holes? Yeah? No? Anyway, face facts. You're kid is flawed. You should have moved downtown where the school tax is cheaper. You'd be getting you're money's worth then. Say, I'm thirsty. Can I get a drink or something? And none of that instant mix stuff. Something in a can. Better yet, a bottle. Oh and ice in a glass. Thanks."

(You see what I did there? Do ya? Huh? Huh?)

How well will that be received? Exactly. And that's what someone does when they call owners of something expensive "elitist" or point out flaws or try to make them feel as if they wasted their money. If they happen to call things less expensive, "junk" or "inferior" that is to be expected. Otherwise they would have bought that other stuff and not this other stuff. Off putting? Sure. But there are sections of the forum that extol the virtues of the less expensive stuff. Lots of bright people there trying to get the most out of their less expensive stuff. Some of the most creative ideas for improvements come from these sections.

Oh the strata of "stuff." Funny isn't it? It's just "stuff."

In closing; technically, coming up in a section of the forum to levy dissent about a product and/or the owners of it while not being a present owner of it is considered trolling. Give or take. (No worries, no harm will come to you. I'm partial. I like you. ) But what purpose is there in doing it? Make them see the light? What light? Want to retort their opinions of other stuff? Why? It's an individual preference.

Just sayin'.

 

I don't agree with some of what you said, 2.0. But for the most part, well put. (I'm on a phone and your post is too large to quote and reply to. I'll get around to it eventually, haha.)

 

Alright, I can see where you're coming from. I knew going into this my views wouldn't be well received. I figured I'd give them (for what it's worth) so as maybe to give people another side of the coin, as it were. Whether that's for better or worse I'm not even going to touch. It wasn't my intention to make people feel like they wasted money, though I suppose there was an element of "your kid isn't that special" to it.

And as I said, it wasn't my intention to cause a big fuss (though I think everyone knew this thread would descent into madness eventually, to be fair) but I do appreciate that technically I shouldn't be doing what I'm doing, though I think being a previous owner of something that was arguably higher quality than the current M17x negates that to an extent.

 

Speaking personally, I'm quite happy to have anyone criticize (constructively, of course) any aspect of Alienware machines. You raised what I would call a valid point over the display on the M18x - whilst it is far from being poor compared to other notebooks, it's certainly no Retina display or IPS panel - like you, I own a matte IPS external which is FAR more pleasurable to use.

That aside, and speaking here about the flagship M18x, I don't really feel that there are any other areas of major discontent. Okay, there are probably a whole host of "wish list" things that could be improved upon, but the same could be said of any notebook as there is no such thing as a perfect machine - not that I know of anyway.

Criticism based solely on it's price alone is pretty much a one sided argument that can never be won, because it comes from those who perceive it as being outrageously expensive, and therefore elect not to buy Alienware. Value for money is in the eye of the purchaser, and as such, what one person perceives as good value may not meet with the next guys perception of value for money. So, it again boils back down to personal choice.

I do agree with you regarding your notion of "just because it's expensive does not automatically make it better". That's a very sensible approach to take. It also should not grant licence for those who have bought these machines to "sneer" at people who chose not to buy Alienware products, for whatever reason, and seek out other manufacturers/solutions for their computing requirements.

I think it's safe to say that whatever products we own (wether computing or cars, clothes, etc etc) that we all made our purchases/choices based on our individual evaluation of desire/value for money, and none of us like those choices to be questioned. That's what 2.0 was getting at. If I walked into an Apple store and started decrying their products to their fanbase, it would not be met with appreciation. Do I like Apple products? - Hell no.

So, it's a case really of "each to their own" - there is no right or wrong purchase choices because they are all made on an individuals idea or notion of what is best for them. If you, or anyone else feels that Alienware is over-priced, you have the choice....banging on the same old "oooo, it's a rip off" drum is not gonna get anyone anywhere, so the door is thatta way for anyone adopting that mentality -------> (j/k)

 

At least this one only took a few pages to sort out.

 

Well said stevie.

Group hug time!

 

I have one major complaint about Alienware M18xR2 which I'm pretty sure everyone owning one should have....
And that is....That set of 3.0 ports on the right side of the machine are garbage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I said that.

Now, group hug.

 

Actually, I pigeon-hole them as "forever 12"

 

Just how should we hug, though? like this? (man, even hugging is complicated! )

 

It wasn't the BB people telling me AW was bad, it was the people I talked to at LAN parties.

Several of them had extremely negative experiences with alienware desktops and CS before they started building their own machines (most of them use desktops).

 

At least we can give them credit for recognizing that we are, in fact, superior.

 

so the new systems supposed specs dropped.. no ips for me thank you very much.. if given the option i wouldn't take it..

 

Did you not just see the big mess of an argument that resulted from comments like this?

 

C'mon bud... really? Lighten up... We're talking about electronics and buying preferences, not core values, ethics or religious beliefs. If someone takes offense to such harmless humor they have some very serious issues that warrant professional assistance. That's really no different than the comment about "forever 12" and I thought that was hilarious.

 

You know...I was thinking "forever 21" till I looked at it again..

 

To be honest, I appreciate being called elitist and told that I wasted my money on sooooo many AW's.

It basically means I am super rich and can afford to waste money on the most expensive and still have a decent meal, and not resorting to $2 noodles at night

But in the end, like its said, it all comes down to personal preference and opinion, nothing else matters.

In my personal choice, when someone tells me aw is bad or over priced and how they got this performance out of a mac or toshiba(cheapest laptops here and always on sale here), I ask 2 questions, can your laptop beat my laptop in benchmarks? And will your laptop manufacturer come to your house, to fix your laptop tomorrow, if something went wrong tonight, this is usually enough to negate the argument.

 

I fixed that for you before the haters kick in.

 

Thanks, but as they say, haters gonna hate, gamera gonna game and benchers gonna bench

 

Now you already know that was a given

This is for those who can't see the "plain before ones eyes" situations.