Saving £££ in the UK buying ANY Dell/AW system OR accessories - please contribute!

Figured I might as well post in here, instead of the thread where I ask how to buy an M18x as a dutch customer (m18x isn't sold here).

Have been in contact with Stevie's rep to talk about my wishes, hope to receive a quote from him soon

I've read through all the 126 pages of this thread, to find information about parcel forwarding services.
Some members have used https://www.forward2me.com with good results, and the price is also not really the issue. So I think I am gonna go with that company if I come to a deal with stevie's rep

So I'll keep you people updated on how, what and when

 

Let's hope he gets back to you with some good figures :thumbsup:

 

He did, he made me a cracking deal. Basically the price of the base system with my minimum requirements (3.6xx pounds), which I am very comfortable spending as I told him, but he threw in about 500 pounds of extra's and upgrades, resulting in the same price (which I wanted to spend). Though with a 10% discount coupon, I think I would be close to the offer, which still makes it a great offer.

Now for me back to the figures, it's going to be a bit of a hastle to make a payment to dell UK without owning a CC.
Have to do a bank transfer, the problem with this is that it has to be the EXACT amount of the quote, not a penny more, not a penny less, else the order will get into problems at Alienware. The problem with this is, that I order my bank to make a payment in Euro's, thus can't predict the exact amount of Pounds that would be, as it's depending of the Currency which fluctuates at the moment the actually make the payment. I also can't 'play safe' and pay 50 euro's extra, just to make sure it's enough, as it HAS to be the exact amount.
Looking at the US resellers, it might be easier for me to do a paypal payment to one of the US resellers, which will likely give me a better spec m18x-r2, which even taking customs in account will cost me less in the end. But i'd actually feel really bad not to order from stevie's rep after all the time he took for me and stuff he did.

Choices choices, time to investigate tonight and make the decision tomorrow.

But, I can only recommend anyone who is even remotely thinking of buying an Alienware to talk to steviejones's rep, it doesn't get any better then this.
He really thinks with you, and you get the feeling he makes it a sport to figure out the best system for you and give you as much stuff you like as he can (don't like extra warranty? fine, how about I toss in some faster memory for you? or killer wireless instead?), with stuff YOU want.
If you say something isn't really interesting for you, he'll talk to you and what you use the notebook for, to give you something you do like.

 

Told you he was good. Hang on, I meant to say brilliant.....not wanting to "big him up" too much, but, he is the best Dell rep i ever had the pleasure of dealing with.

 

Waiting on a fresh quote ! emailed Stevies rep this morning GO GO M18x R2

 

Decided not to go with the (great) offer which Stevie's rep made me.
I am able to get a system with far better specs, for less money (I am a Dutchman after all ) in the end including taxes, import duties and shipping charges by importing from the US.
I can however not stress enough that it is really worthwhile to have a chat with Stevie's rep, as he makes you a cracking deal and you know that what he offers will be the cheapest you can get it when not importing. For me it turns out I was able to make another deal elsewhere, but I think in 95% of the time you will not get any better then Stevie's rep, without taking some risks with importing and taxes like I will be doing.

I ended up with the following new machine:
Alienware M18x R2 - Stealth Black
i7- 3940XM
32GB Memory
Dual Samsung 256GB SSD raid0 (512 total)
Western Digital 1TB
18.4" Widescreen Display FULL High Definition WLED (1920x1080p)
Dual NVidia GTX 680M SLI
Blu-Ray/DVD/RW CD/RW Combo Drive
Webcam/Bluetooth
AlienFX Illuminated Keyboard | Bigfoot Networks Killer Wireless-N 1103 MIMO
12 Cell Battery & 330watt charger

First time i'm going with NVidia again in maybe 10 years, always swore to ATI, but the 680m SLI just interests me a lot as I already have the 7970m in my m17x-R2 and I don't want to buy what for my feeling I already have, and like to experiment with something new next to my m17x ^^.

Getting quite excited ^^

 

Just a quick line if people don't know yet...

Topcashback.co.uk are offering a 11.1% cashback on all dell products if you go to the site via their link. It stacks with the standard dell coupons, so if you can afford the initial extra outlay, you could be getting a 21.1% discount with free shipping.

Just a thought.

TJ

 

Thanks for posting it up! - for folk interested in Alienware, the discount is only 6.06% - of course, if you find a Dell coupon for 10%, it all adds up I guess......I think this one expires Today: ZTWB5?M9G0FNMF and this one has 5 days left: M18K144RV02?CN (both for 10% off any Dell desktop or laptop - not sure if they work, just found via a quick Google).

 

Free bump for Stevies rep !

 

Fresh 10% voucher put up this morning by Dell on the UK site FV$RHZXDZDNX20

 

Just out of interest, how much of a discount can Stevie's rep get us? 21.1% cashback is pretty tempting, but at full spec still a lot of money. Has anyone recieved a discount of about 20%, if not more? I'd pm my details but at the moment Im not in the position where I could go through with the purchase, even if I was made an amazing deal...

TJ

 

#

The cashback on Alienware is only 6.6% so its really not worth the hassle in all honesty .. as for how much discount you can get from a rep it really depends on a deal per deal basis .. i have one pending atm ,
I'll post up the details once it's all sorted !

 

As Garry said, it really depends on the specification of the machine being considered. For example, you won't get offered 20%+ discount on a basic M11x - not a cat in hell's chance. Now, if you were looking at the M18x with a medium to high specification, extended warranty and the trimmings, you stand more chance of getting that kind of deal.

 

I hope you don't mind but I have a few questions.
Would I get student discount?
When would the money be taken out of my back account?
For £1200 what specs would I looking at for a m17x ?
Thanks

 

Well, there is a EPP scheme for students and other affiliated employees, so I presume so. My rep cannot combine his discount on top of EPP discount though - it's one or the other. If paying by debit card, the funds are normally taken, from recollection, when your order ships after being built - so maybe a week or so after placing your order. I can confirm this with my chap if you like....

As the base price of the M17x R4 is £1299 to start, for £1200 you aren't going to get many upgrades in at all that would bring the machine into the £1200 mark. For example, just upgrading the GPU to a 7970m would make the machine's list price £1458.99. I would say the max. my guy could do off that would be around 10% ish. Your EPP discount may not be that high. If he did discount by 10%, the machine is still coming in at around £1,300 with just the upgraded GPU.

Maybe your best bet would be to look at the avenue of combining the Dell 10% code with the TopCashBack discount of 6% and see how much your machine would come out at then. I can assure you though, for that kind of spec, my rep won't be able to "move the earth" for you.....

If you want to see what kind of deal he could do, feel free to drop me a PM and I am sure he would do his best for you.

 

Do they really only take payment after shipping ? id like confirmation on that myself lol though i could ask myself

 

It's either upon shipping or upon the machine going into production. Pretty sure it's one or the other, I just can't recall off the top of my head as it's been a while since I ordered my last machine in Dec '11. I can ask him for clarification.

 

Card won't be officially charged until the item has been shipped. Funds on the card will be checked/held when the order is placed (your available balance will be lessed by the laptop). You should be able to get a decent discount, might have a old quote somewhere see if that could help, I got my M17x shipped with a 680m and 1080p screen for £1350. Just need to see when there is good discount codes and offers on the m17x.

 

Payment is taken once the laptop is shipped - I remember this from previous order. My current order is still in production and no payment has been taken.

 

Did you get that from the gentleman that Steve refers you to as that seems like a great deal. I've been trying to get a good price using codes etc but cannot get anywhere near that price

 

I was just very lucky on the timing, they had a automatic discount of £205 on my order + 10% off (code) + free delivery (code) + cashback as well (~5%)

Quote is attached, can't give you my exact quote number but when you do find a good price online then ring someone show them a screenshot and they will make it into a quote so they can honour the price even if a code expires.



They sometimes have decent offers, just depends if and when you find them.

 

thanks for the info wish i could get something close to that now

 

For clarification - Dell put a hold on all payments(reserve funds) till the item is shipped ,
Got this direct from a Dell rep .

 

Just a query, as someone in the EU purchasing from the US site, would you have been able to make use of the warranty and accidental damage insurance? I imagine even if you were you would have to pay for the shipping back to the states? Can someone please clarify this as unfortunatley the price gap between two identical m18xs on the uk and us versions of the website came out at a collosal £1,400!!!

 

Yes and No.

The default 1 year coverage won't be international, you will have to buy additional international coverage and/or accidental damage insurance.

I for one, outside factory defects and stuff dying on me the first few months, don't care that much about warranty. I'll send it back if it has stuff going on the first few months, after that I prolly already upgraded to the R3, or I have likely already replaced half of the parts with upgrades.

Please note Dell US will not send you an Alienware to the UK. You will need to use a forwarding address, and you will also have to pay import taxes (all extra costs, especially the import taxes will be hundreds of pounds).
I bought through a reseller, which also gives me warranty and will assist if I might need help, and makes me not needed to use a forwarding address in the US. On top, you can try to have them mark the Value package for a bit less (although you take a little risk here if something happens to the package due to insurance).

So in short, yes the US is a lot cheaper but there are some 'but's you should consider, and know exactly what you are doing when importing and how you do it, else you might not have a big price gap after all and could potentially end up even paying more then in the UK.

 

Thanks for the tip Jiggymf. My fiancee is currently back in the 'States and Im over there regularly enough to visit her. If i were to get my rig from the US, i would have had it delivered to her address, and then just take it in my hand luggage on the flight home. Might even be a way around the import tax as there's no way of proving that I didnt bring the laptop with me from the UK.

Just out of interest, what reseller did you use?

TJ

 

I thought the warranty is international? You jst have to get it changed to the UK when you receive it? Lol a m17x/m18x is pretty much 50% of weight and size of hand luggage as well

 

Yeah the warranties are international. I think you have to notify them by email to let them know you moved.

 

I'm pretty sure (pretty, so not 100% ^^) this is the case if you buy somewhere in Europe, but for the US at least I was told that it wouldn't automatically be valid here (the Netherlands).
Now I think of it, that might also be due to the fact that the m18x is not sold here.

 

Just thought I'd give an update on this. My order is out of production and has now shipped, though still sitting in Shanghai. Total discount came to 31% compared to current price. Not too shabby!

 

Excellent!!!

 

Hey guys,
Is it worth upgrading to the Alienrespawn Premium?
I am planning to do a full backup because my m17 r3 just made beeping sounds after switching it on from hibernation mode and I am worried that I will lose all my files.

Thank You,

 

Unless you have another preferred back-up software/utility, the full version is pretty good from what I have read.

 

Hey steviejones133, am looking at buying an XPS 13 or maybe a Vostro. Is it something I can discuss with your rep?

Am a new poster and this might be frowned upon, for which I can only apologise. I stumbled on this thread from a google search. Am after a 13" or small-ish 14'' with a good battery life.

 

Sure, he can help with any Dell product. Obviously savings to be had are linked (to a degree) to how much you are spending, but I am sure he can help you with some kind of discount. PM me when you are ready to proceed with your enquiry.

 

Truely appreciate the help especially as am a newbie who has barely contributed.

Cannot for the life of me find how to PM. Is it because of my low post count?

 

Yeah - once you have made about 5 posts you should get access to PM. You can click on my name and keep checking - when you have access, you will see an option to send a private message.

 

Good time to buy again Dell have an automatic £150 discount off the m18 on the site also new 10% voucher up today ! CJJFXZ2C0MZ$S2

 

Thanks Garry_L,

You have got me thinking now... M17x vs M18x

 

M18x all the way LOL.....but I am biased

 

If the funds can swing it ... Go m18 all the way the highest spec the wallet can handle

 

If you have the budget and prefer power over portability, i'd definitely consider the m18x...

 

I realize there is a separate thread for this. However, really grateful if I can get some quick advice while on the topic of M18x.

Have gone for a basic configuration for the M18x:

English Windows® 7 Home Premium (64 BIT)
8192MB (2x4GB) 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 680M
500GB 7,200rpm SATA 3Gb/s HDD
BluRay Combo (Blu-ray read only, DVD, CD read & write)
Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di with THX TruStudio Pro Software
Killer Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO with Bluetooth 4.0
3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3630QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
Integrated Skype HD Certified FullHD Camera with dual digital microphones
Alienware M18x Nebula Red - Anodized Aluminum

Is there anything you would recommend changing?

1) Will install the SSD myself
2) Could also go for the standard 6GB RAM and upgrade it myself
3) Is there a significant difference, in terms of performance, between i7-3630QM and i7-3740QM. Worth the extra £160?

 

If you are looking to get it for the best price as standard , It is best to keep things like ram as stock and upgrade them after market ..
Best way to spend cash is the best GPU and CPU you can go for , As for the 3630QM it's a completly locked CPU unlike the 3740QM wich has a 400mhz OC available so a good idea for the cash !

 

I agree with Garry, if you are looking for best bang for your money, don't bother with the ram upgrade from Dell - go with the 3740qm, as it will give you more flexibility to OC the cpu. As for the rest, pretty much as you said - SSD yourself and anything else you want to upgrade after too....be sure to keep original Dell components for warranty purposes. (I always do).

 

Thank you once again guys!

Have finally booked the M18x:

Processor: 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3740QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.7GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
Display: 18.4" WideFHD (1920 x 1080) WLED LCD
LCD Back Cover: Nebula Red - Anodized Aluminum
Memory: 8192MB (2x4096) 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
Hard Drive: 500GB 7,200rpm SATA 3Gb/s HDD
Optical Drive: BluRay Combo (Blu-ray read only, DVD, CD read & write)
Graphics: 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M
Audio: Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di with THX TruStudio Pro Software
Wireless: Killer Wireless-N 1103
Operating System: English Windows 7 SP1 Home Premium (64 BIT)

First of all a big thank you to jiggymf for making me cancel my previous M17x order with 675M and for pointing me in the direction of steviejones. Positively, nobody should buy from Dell without contacting steviejones, first.

steviejones - Thanks a ton! I am quite pleased with the offer your contact's colleague made for the aforementioned spec :thumbsup:

 

Thanks for the kind words, It's great to hear that you managed to bag yourself a killer deal on your new machine. Glad I could play a part in saving you some cash! - you certainly will have a major improvement over your previous M17x order, that's for sure

 

That is a wicked setup, and very future proof (can swap the processor for something more powerfull in the future if needed, can add 2nd GPU for SLI etc)

You can not possibly regret this when you get it, it's a completely different league, I guarantee you.
Taking your m18x to a LAN party or just somewhere where other 'geeks' are will never be the same.
Wathcing someone brag about his just built PC, fastest there is, NASA'd love to have it etc.
And then quietly install your m18x, watch the crowd gather around it, and see the guy with the 'fastest' pc wonder why the f... a bloody notebook is twice as fast as his NASA pc. And has LEDs ^^

Let us know how you find the system when you get it!

 

Payday bump ! The M18x r2 offer finishes today also

 

Hello! I want to buy an alienware m18x but also want to keep the cost down. I'm going to install ram and hdd's myself are there any other £££ saving techniques? Im also going to use that cashback site and try and find a voucher code.