*Official* Alienware Launch Discussion Thread

why Alienware is over priced ?

I had compare between MSI , ASUS , Alienware;

MSI GT70 Dragon Edition II , ASUS G750JH and Alienware 17

I had customized with the exact same spec and Alienware is $1,000 more.

 

I paid $3200 for an SLI 780M and 4930MX 18. Find me a Clevo for the same price. And somehow, I doubt that even with the 17. When I was comparing when I bought my 17, the 17 was $400 more, and after haggling was the same price.

 

IS this the dual card sli Nvidia gtx 780M ?

how come it show GTX 770M not the GTX780M -



OPERATING SYSTEM Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit, English edit
PROCESSOR Overclocked Intel® Core™ i7-4900MQ processor (8MB Cache, up to 4.0GHz w/ Intel® Turbo Boost) edit
MEMORY 16GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz edit
HARD DRIVE 1.5TB RAID 0 (2x750GB 7200RPM) + 64GB mSATA SSD Caching edit
SUPPORT 1 Year Alienware Basic Support edit
OS RECOVERY OPTIONS Windows 8 Recovery Disk Not Included edit
My Accessories
OFFICE SOFTWARE Microsoft® Office Trial edit
MCAFEE LIVESAFE No Anti-virus Requested edit
ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM
Alienware 18 Alienware 18
VIDEO CARD Dual NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 770M with 3GB GDDR5 - NVIDIA SLI® Enabled
LCD 18.4" WLED FHD (1920 X 1080) TrueLife Display
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BD-ROM, DVDRW, CD-RW)
WIRELESS CARDS Broadcom 4352 802.11 ac 2x2 and Bluetooth 4.0
Primary Battery 8-cell Lithium Ion (86 wHr)
Power Supply 330W A/C Adapter
AUTOMATIC UPDATES US 125V Power Cord
Keyboard English Keyboard
Driver Broadcom 4352 Driver
Systems Management Alienware Command Center 3.0
Color Choice Silver-Anodized Aluminum
Shipping Material Shipping Material
RESOURCE DVD Resource DVD
LABELS Windows 7 OS Label
OPTICAL SOFTWARE No Optical Software required
Documentation/Disks Documentation, English
Placemat Setup Instructions English
Retail Software Dell.com Order
Packing Label Dell.com Order
ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE Additional Software
FGA Module AW18_1403_055


Dell Price $3,299.00

 

I guess we buy it for the name, hehehe. Besides that, I prefer Alienware and Clevo's cooling system over that of MSI and ASUS. I had an MSI GT683r and I didn't like the fact that it had only one fan to cool both CPU and GPU. Even after I repasted with Tuniq TX-4 temps are still high but not to the point of throttling. as for the ASUS G73, It would have been a good laptop, it has a nice design, good cooling, however it was such a headache to get to the heatsink to repaste. you need to take out a lot og things before you get to the GPU/CPU.

 

List price was $5k with an extended warranty. Using Dell's coupons, which they give out several times a year, on top of haggling, you can pay way less than any other brand. The 780M SLI set up is currently unavailable on the Dell web site.

 

There should be at least a 15% markup added to ASUS laptops since it's very likely that you're going to be stuck with their craptastic support or what passes for service at some point. At least here in the US, Dell's service is more often than not a huge advantage over anyone else's.

 

Actually I am an Indian >< and my nice american girlfriend who of course lives in America is gifting me the laptop haha

 

Okay so this is a really important question of mine and I need to make a decision within today. Have ordered the Alienware 17 base edition which has the GTX 765m 2GB graphics card. The default display is 1600x900 which I've ordered. The laptop is in production at the moment. Since it is an alienware so you can just imagine what it'd be used for...GAMING!!! with some programming and all. Should I ask them to upgrade it to 1920x1080 full HD display? The only bad points I've heard about such a big display is that text on screen would appear too small but I was wondering if it'd be so small on a 17.3 inch screen. Also will my games take a big hit in terms of FPS when it'd come to 1920x1080 screen? Please help.really urgent.

 

Remember.. U can downgrade screen resolution but never upgrade... Go for the 1080p... It is a fantastic screen despote not being IPS panel... The letter sometimes can be quite small but there is nothing wrong in reducing the screen resolution...

The 900p screen will probably be a nightmare to be sold later on...
And dont even consider upgrading later to a 1080p because i will be at least double of the price that u get if u buy with 1080p in the first place!!

 

To be honest, you are paying thousands for a laptop and skimping on the display. You are gonna be looking at it all the time. Personally, I think that there are 3 things to look at when buying - they are:

GPU - get the best you can afford at the outset
CPU - get the best you can afford at the outset
Display - get the best you can afford at the outset

If you follow those golden rules, you will save yourself a lot of additional expense later on down the line. Upgrading a display will more than likely be at least double the cost of buying it at the start.

Remember, you can reduce the resolution on a 1920x1080 panel, but you cannot increase it on a 1600x900 panel. For those games that might take a performance hit (which won't be many) you can always reduce some of the in game settings. The 765m is is a very capable card, not top end, but very capable and you won't suffer by gaming at 1920x1080 sufficiently to justify a lower resolution screen.

Bottom line - get the best display, you won't regret it.

 

Can't the GPU be upgraded later on? Also how much of a frame drop can I expect? I am very happy to play games at high, not crazy about ultra settings and all, as long as the game looks pretty am happy

 

Sure, the gpu can be upgraded later on. It will cost you more than buying at the outset, which is why I mentioned getting the best you can afford at the start. If you want to see what kind of FPS you will get with the 765m, have a look at this link: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M - NotebookCheck.net Tech

If you scroll down, you will see examples of various games and settings and FPS for that card.

 

Yeah I've read all this. Actually I don't even remember how many websites have I checked. Endless O_O u just seem like an experienced person so was asking for your personal opinion ^_^

 

No problem! - if it were me, I'd look at trying to squeeze to a 770m and the 1920x1080 screen. I think that's an additional $400 over base, which you might be able to get discounted if you speak to a rep. You could even look at a 'second tier' 17, which starts at $1,924 - you get the screen upgrade, the 770m and 8gb more ram. You could see if you could haggle the price a bit, too..

770m performs a fair bit better than a 765m in games: http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-770M.88995.0.html and upgrading to one afterwards is likely to cost you around $400 minimum from the likes of Ebay - and that will have limited warranty vs. minimum 12 mths via Dell if you buy it at the start with your machine. That's why it's cheaper to get it in the configuration than upgrade afterwards. Same goes for the display. Upgrading from Dell is going to be VERY costly, probably double those prices - that's if you can get them to sell you a card on its own afterwards, as people wanting a 680m will testify to....very difficult to get hold of as an upgrade and very expensive.

 

Thanks a lot. I'll see what can I do with all the options you've provided me with

 

If you register for Dell advantage, you also get a 5% eGift card to spend at Dell.....I'd try to haggle the best deal you can for a mid tier base machine...

 

Well I didn't get any tax on my laptop since I ordered it on a tax free weekend.Saved 107$ right there Seems my luck has ran out. The laptop is in production and today is a weekend ~.~ I read somewhere that you cannot change anything about the order once it is in production Nooooooooooooooooo!!! D: D: D:

 

you should be able to cancel it I would imagine

 

They will most likely tell you they can not cancel once production starts. They will say it will ship to you except it. call and get a prepaid waybill for return. They will then offer some discount for you to keep it. You can refuse send it back and reorder the one you want. Since you already called to cancel and are going to reorder there will be no restocking fee. As the others have stated about the screen, my advice is always get the best you can afford now as upgrades on the big items screen, CPU, GPU are very costly. Memory, hard drives are cheaper from 3rd parties. Good luck. :thumbsup:

 

Thanks a lot for all your helpful advice. I'll see what can be done now

 

They tell you that, but it's perfectly possible to cancel once it's in production. Just have to find the right rep. I did it with my original 18 order once I got the 30% off coupon.

 

How stupid dell Australia can be?

4930mx, gtx780sli, 750gb hdd + 64gb msata for $5328
Or
4900mq, gtx770sli, 2x 750gb hdd + 64gb msata for $5499

Rest is all same, stupid choices on the website.

 

What would everyone say is most commonly considered to be the best screen/display on an Alienware 14 or 17 model right now (not interested in the 18)?

I know that both the 14 and 17 offer 1080 options, but amongst those, which screen is best in terms of contrast and color? Also, what about the "Truelife" 3D option for the 17? I don't care about 3D, but is it a better display regardless?

 

It's simple, no choice whatsoever except resolution, don't have first hand experience so I am going to reserve my judgement. IMO for normal gaming/surfing/movies they all are ok, for anything serious work (ie, photoshop/video/graphics), none are good enough.

For photoshop I need 95%+ gamut LCD, glossy/matte doesn't matter to me, but other than precision, dell doesn't have any for me, so everyone I know, who owns an alienware, uses an eizo for serious work, especially where colours matter. Something like spyder color calibrator, works quite good but compared to a proper IPS panel with 95%+ gamut, alienware doesn't even come close (can't even call it decent) when it comes to true colours.

 

I appreciate your response, but that doesn't answer my question. Perhaps I phrased it poorly.

I am already decided on an Alienware laptop, either the 14 or 17, not the 18. I do not do any video or photo editing or anything professional. I simply want to know which screen amongst the 14's and 17's 1080 options is considered to be the best:

The 14's 1080 screen?
The 17's non-3D 1080 screen?
Or the 17's "Truelife" 3D 1080 screen?

Which screen amongst those looks best in terms of contrast and color? Or are they all pretty much the same? That's all I want to know.

 

Well, without actually seeing the screens side by side, you'll have a hard job finding someone who owns all 3 to give you a comparison. If you look at the first post on this thread, it has pretty much all you need to know. The 14 is the only machine with a true IPS panel, so technically the best panel in the range for colour reproduction. The 17's screens - well, the 3d panel will be brighter but more reflective (truelife) vs. the non 3d being less bright but also more matte.

Unfortunately, there is very little information floating about regards to the actual panels themselves in terms of gamut, contrast etc. If you can narrow it down using the above - ie. if you prefer glossy to matte, that should help eliminate things. Until someone posts up calibrated information, its a bit hit and miss....

You can find info on the 14's 1080 panel on this review - mediocre, it seems - even for IPS: Review Alienware 14 Notebook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews

A 17 review here on NBR by Charles: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=6887&review=alienware+17+gaming+laptop

 

Thanks for that info.

I'm somewhat torn between the 14 and 17 and was just wondering if one panel was considered more outstanding than others, but that doesn't seem to be the case...which may have been what vs3074 was saying, as well.

Guess something else will have to be the deciding factor. Even though I use them for gaming, I do normally like small(er) form factors, and I like aiming for the smallest model I can get from a manufacturer that still does 1080p. But I just wonder if I wouldn't rather have a bigger screen this time, considering that I really don't move my current laptop very often. The GPU in either is fine as I'd be coming from a 540M...so even the leap to 765M would be drastic. Oh, well, I'll figure it out.

 

The 120Hz screen on the 17 is phenomenal, IMO. At least for gaming. I'm on an 18 now, and while the colors/viewing angle are better since it's an IPS, it's not quite as bright and I really do notice a difference between 60 and 120Hz. Mouse is less responsive for sure when playing FPSs. Battery life sucks on the 17 with the 120Hz screen though. I got 2.5 hours tops. I can easily manage over 4 on my 18 with the iGPU. The screens on the 14s are too dim, IMO. And they're unbearably noisy.

 

Maybe consider that the 14 is a one-shot deal. If you don't like the GPU or it gets too old to do the job, there is no upgrade path. Ready or not, you'll be buying a new machine rather than upgrading. The GPU is integrated with the motherboard. Because of its diminutive size, there is not enough space to accommodate a robust cooling system. The CPU and GPU share a common heat sink and fan because there is no room to fit anything more into such a small chassis.

I would steer clear of the 3D option for the reasons mmolteratx mentioned. It can present some other technical issues as well, since the Intel HD graphics is not compatible with the 120Hz display. The other thing is if you accidentally (or on purpose) enable Secure Boot in the BIOS your machine may not boot and you may encounter difficulty getting back into the BIOS to disable Secure Boot. If you're a big fan of 3D, then it might be to die for in spite of these potential drawbacks.

These are both excellent machines, but it's always good to know what you are buying before you pull the trigger. I don't like being surprised by things later on.

Alienware 14 Owner's Manual | Dell Product Support

 

I've read this Thread with interest.

I've currently got an Alienware 14 on order - full house, all the bell's and whistles - but I'm torn between accepting it or going MacBook Pro but waiting for them to update to Haswell too.

I use a MBP now circa 2008 and iPad Mini but before that an Alienware 17 inch model. I used to play games exclusively PC and laptop at the time but for the last few years I use PS3, soon to be PS4 and the Vita for portability.

For business purposes, the MBP is struggling so last week I ordered a Sony Vaio Fit. Upon reflection, I cancelled and ordered the Alienware 14 instead. I have a desktop for work too albeit not one capable of playing any demanding games on so thought the 14 might give me an additional gaming option for PC titles not available on PS3 and still meet work demands.

But I like the phenomenal screen on the Retina MBP and in October they will match the 14 for processor and memory, albeit I expect the graphics won't be as fast.

Soooo, gotta decide! The Alienware 14 might be with me later this week or early next so a bit of a dilemma here.

 

I know this will sound critical, but it sounds to me like you don't know what you want, as you cancelled one machine to order another, now you're thinking of possibly returning a custom built machine from Alienware for a MBP. It amazes me how many people place custom orders for these machines without having made their minds up 100% one way or the other. Let's face it, buying anything 'custom' is not like buying something off the rail in a department store that can be returned with no adverse affect to the retailer - as they just hang it back on the shelf for resale to the next Joe. With a custom machine, Dell will have to re-sell these returns via the outlet because they cannot re-sell them as new by law, or strip them for parts. Either way, they are at a loss.

Whilst it is the customer's right to return within their allotted return window, surely it would be more practical/conscientious to actually have made a decision before placing an order? - or is that just me??

 

I'm astounded by how many people have sent back their machine for something like bumping up to the next CPU level. Again, nothing wrong with that but it feels abit exploitive happening in such mass.

 

The configurations are not custom in the same way as you might order a car with custom paintwork - these are 'customisations' that are fairly generic and relatively limited therefore it will be absolutely no problem for the manufacturer to pass on to the next in line for the same config.

So, no, I have no qualms about cancelling an order.

As for knowing what I want, nope, still undecided. But since there is no Dell outlet for me to view the machine first hand, they must accept that some folks who are fairly critical will want to see before they finalise purchase - this is normal. With Apple I can go to any number of stores and have a play first so no need to order and then cancel.

My wife orders clothing from store's online and decides if she wants to keep them when she actually gets to see them - none of these stores have an issue with re-stocking unwanted items.

If I want a Dell product that has some configuration options, I'm not going to just order the base and see if I like it, I'm going to order the one I might potentially keep. This is the nature of the online business model - they have this factored in, so no, it isn't exploiting them as they have saved a huge sum of money in not maintaining physical outlets.

This is good sense to me - I'm 44 and successful in business, I am successful because I don't throw money about without checking all my options first

 

I do photography as a hobby - has anyone with the AW 14 got any photo-editing and viewing experience with the IPS screen? Is it fine? I'm just concerned reading all the complaints about yellow tints etc.

 

I don't have anything against what 1stKnight is saying, but it seems just like a waste of time to buy something which you may enjoy and not do any reading or research on, and have to buy it again and go through all the hassles of a return where you may be dinged restocking fees. Unlike going to Target to return clothes or what not, you MAY and probably will be charged restocking fees and they spell this all out in the "fine" print. You may be all ok with that since that's your right, but it's also their right to ding you 15% or 20% since they clearly spell it out if you don't return within a certain time frame...

Maybe it's just me, but I tend to do all my research first, then place orders. It's a hassle and you may not care how Dell runs their business, but I assume since you're "successful in business", you would at least value your own time as well to save yourself future headache.

Like if I customize and buy a new Porsche or BMW or whatever, even if I put in a deposit on the order, I can still cancel and get my money back, but I'm also just wasting my own time if I don't know what different options are on the car...which I would assume most people would care for. It really doesn't do you much good to place all these orders and cancellations. As you probably already noticed, you've wasted time and hassles already.

Just do all your reading upfront and buy when you are ready. What's so hard about that? Some people don't like people buying and cancelling and returning as this drives up the cost in the end for everyone with how much Dell charges for systems. Sorta like eBay costs more to do business so you see prices being a lot higher there now than say 10 years ago. Also like people buying stuff from Costco and simply returning it after a long time since it's Costco's return policy. Abuse it and Costco "can" ban you. Same goes for Amazon. Google it and you'll read about Amazon banning people for too many returns as well.

Again, I don't care if this is your way of testing something, but it takes less time/effort to spend a few hours reading than to sit on the phone with dell support and process a return system. Just some friendly advice...

 

I think most folks would recommend using an external monitor for any photo type work. None of these IPS screens have a very wide color gamut and doubt anyone would recommend them for photo work.

 

@joecait

I see, so you believe you can do all your research by simply looking at pictures, reading other people's responses and looking at manufacturer's specifications? If that's good enough for you then great

Some people want to have first-hand experience so as to make a 100% informed choice. I can read through 1000 reviews and understand the specifications of any given item but until I can see it in the flesh and play with it for a bit, I won't be able to make that final decision.

Online businesses go online to cut-out the costs of managing premises and the staff associated with them - as such, they factor in by law the fact that some customer's will want to see before they buy and therefore this is catered for. I wouldn't purchase anything online where it isn't.

If an online retailer bans me for returning items I don't want within the cooling off period having decided it isn't quite what I hoped it would be then I wouldn't want to deal with them .

In terms of time wasted - I'd sooner end up with a product I'm happy to live with for the year or two or three that I'll use it for the sake of a few wasted hours getting there than simply putting up with something I'm not entirely happy with so as to avoid upsetting an online retailer.

With the car analogy, you can visit a car showroom and get a first-hand appreciation for what you want. If you choose a non-standard colour you pay a non-refundable deposit and understand the risks associated with that. Buying a laptop online where you can choose between a couple of different speed CPU's or HDD sizes is not comparable - these are minor customisations that will not affect the retailers ability to resell to another customer as the odds are far higher that they meet the same requirements of others.

Thanks for the friendly advice though but I'll stick with my own purchasing model

 

What model is that then? - order and buy everything first and then decide afterwards? Sounds a bit like a kid in a candy store that can't decide on what sweets to buy, but taking them all home with him instead, returning the ones he didn't really like saying "Here you go Mr. Sweet Shop owner....I've had this one in my mouth and sucked it for only a short time......" - Just like the shop owner cannot sell it again as new, same goes for returned machines for Dell. Obviously, outlet machines are sold off cheaper - so Dell cannot realise the 'new market value' of said returns.

I thought you guys in the States had the ability to walk into your local Fry's, BestBuy or Micro Centre and maybe have a look at the Alienware's on display in store - or am I mistaken?

 

I don't think I've seen Alienwares anywhere, but I never go to Best Buy or most stores it seems so I wouldn't know.

I guess for me, the AW models aren't really that different that I "need" to compare them. It's easy since for me, it's 18" and that's it. Never considered 17 or 14. You also can't compare internal things like CPU, memory, etc...I suppose even though I consider myself common man, I still like the max potential of the 18.

With cars, I also tend to not care if this feature does this or that. I'm more in if I want the maximum performance one, I just do that and adjust my own driving to go along with it.

If you do go through ordering a few systems and returning them, please share how it goes here since I'm curious how much of a hassle it all is.

 

Micro center displayed them but I think they pull them out of the store becaused no one want to buy an anchor weight for a gaming system . with the new alienware it may be lighter but hoping they put them in store so my son can test it.

 

All of you people who provided me with great replies, I wanted to tell you that they could not upgrade my laptop screen of the Alienware 17 from the default HD+ 1600x900 display to the FHD 1920x1080 coz the order got shipped. So I wrote them a mail and they replied back saying that they are very sorry and they would offer me a 225$ discount O_O yaaaay already had my tax removed since bought it on a tax free weekend. I am thinking that sending the laptop back to them and then reordering is going to take another 15 days or so and I clearly haven't ever seen the difference between the HD+ and FHD screens. I think that I'd stick with my order and see what exactly it is like. I am working in a software company and I clearly am not going to get that much time to play and all. So if I'd be really unsatisfied with the HD+ then I can always buy an external HDTV. What do you people say? Also I don't really watch Full HD movies anyway so do you think that HD+ screen would be great if all I care for is good FPS in games and a decent movie watching experience?

 

I've been living with an HP laptop with a 720p screen for a couple years now and have been content with it. I do know what I am missing out on not having a nicer 1080p or higher res screen, but without having such a monitor sitting right next to this screen I don't really notice or care. Though I know once I receive my Alienware 18 I will definitely prefer its screen.

I'm sure the 720p screen will work perfectly fine for you, and like you said there is always the option for getting a higher res external monitor.

 

when you get your Aienware 18 can you post a review in you tube about the cons and pro on gaming not much review out there now. ( like how hot the bottom get and keyboard get and when it got hot does the games froze up, how many hours of gaming can you get on battery and how many hours can you get without gaming ).

 

Did some comparisons between my 4930MX/780M SLI 18, my step dad's 3610QM/680M M17xR4 and my little bro's 2670QM/555M M14xR1. 18 definitely has the best screen by quite a long shot. Much brighter, much less reflective, way nicer blacks and more accurate colors. Also calibrated much nicer out of the box. Performance of the M17xR4 is still great. My stepdad isn't into extreme OC'ing, so at mild overclocks, he's scoring a 7100 3DMark11 graphics score and a 6800 overall, which is just slightly lower than what what the 17 I owned scored at stock. The 14xR1 is pretty pathetic though. 1200 graphics score and and 1400 overall. 18 with a very mild overclock is a 14000 graphics score and a 12000 overall. Keyboard on the 18 is way nicer than on the older models. Fit and finish is much nicer. If I owned last year's machine, or even an M18xR1 with upgraded 680Ms, I certainly wouldn't bother upgrading though.

 

Oh man that picture makes me want mine SOOOO BAD

 

same hope the 780Ms come back in stock on the lower models soon

 

I'm holdin out for the 780's. Ive got to! I've been waiting to buy a super beefed up laptop for 2 years. I was going to do 770's but 780's and I'll be good for a couple years. Only part is I want car parts as well and a 3200$ laptop doesn't help that haha.

 

Good call on holding out for 780M. It will be worth the wait. There is little point in buying a new beast with 770M because that is the equivalent to going back about 2 generations in terms of performance. Might as well get an older machine with 580M/675M from Dell Outlet and save a few bucks rather than settling for 770M. The performance will be similar, and a lot cheaper.

 

But that is a 900p screen so that should be better than the 720p right? and also not that far away from the 1080p!!!

 

Well I started with the 900p display when I first bought my machine and then upgraded to the 1080p panel and there is no way I'm ever going back. Not only is there more pixels, but the 1080p panel is much much more vibrant and has way better contrast levels as well. Just my 10 cents

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