Why Alienware?

Thats my question. Why do you guys choose to get an Alienware over something like a Sager? This is NOT a flame thread, I really want to know.

I've always thought of Alienware as the King of PC gaming, but after looking at Sagers, and the fact that you can have twice as good of specs with a Sager than an Alienware for the same price, I wonder why you still choose Alienware.

So if you could help me out, with why you choose Alienware, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

 

Aesthetics aesthetics aesthetics (flashy lights, cool case design)
and the smartbay is what hooked me

 

looks (very sleek and very professional looking 'ripley'- to me), smartbay, integrated graphics, upgrade ability.
while some aspects of the flashy lights i am not hooked on, the few i do like are props in my book. mainly how the keyboard is lit - it is not just backlight only.
while i have prefered black, the silver is growing on me fast.
one thing that just hits me wrong with clevo base is the VGA port...just kinds rubs me like they are behind the times with that...i am not a fan of slanting books that much either.
with all this taken into account though, the smartbay and the dual graphic solution is what got me the most.

 

yea basically what BattleDuck said.

 

- Design
- Smart bay
- Option to change to integrated graphics (BinaryGFX)
- Lights!
- Easy to upgrade

 

example? it got better upgrade ability than others?

 

Well, basically it's easier to upgrade than others notebooks because all you have to do is open the bottom part comparing to the m1730 which you have to take out the bottom screws, open hard drive cage and take out a hidden screw there, remove the LCD then Keyboard just to upgrade the graphic card.

 

have you looked at the Sager's? Thinkpads are even easier, 1 screw for HDD, 1 screw for RAM, no bottom plate need to be open.

 

and graphics? CPU?

Don't for get that Thinkpads are not gaming laptops

 

This is the reason why I chose Alienware. Find me a sager that looks just as great or even better and I'll think about it.

 

then i add increased security....
i mean what if the 'one' screw were to come loose? oops! lol

 

then you should have stated "Easy to upgrade compare other gaming laptop". but Sager's are equally easy, so this reason is invalid.

 

they do have security switches in case screws got lose. I suggest you take a look at them in person before you making such comments.
there are reasons why my t43p cost me $3400 with $2000 worth of performance.

 

^yeah,my X40 has them too!what can i say?IBM rock S!

 

I would choose an Alienware over a Sager for:

Design
Size (the m15x is 1.3" thick vs. the NP8660 being 1.45"-1.95" thick)
Features (Smart Bay, plus it's the first gaming notebook to have BinaryGFX)
Hardware (Alienware had the 8800M GTX in a 15" on the market around seven months before Sager)

Sager has a good build quality, and I'm probably going to get flamed on what I'm about to say, but I honestly think that Sagers look like a step up above Chinese knock-offs.

 

i was poking fun nirvana - not attempting to be quoted - thought my smilies would have given me away....but alas....
besides, i do not want an IBM anyway....otherwise, yes, i would have looked at em before commenting...

 

that's 1.3" w/o screen, with lip closed it's 1.7"-1.8".

nope, I just wanna say thinkpad got the best design out of all the laptops i owned.

 

Are you sure about that? I saw pictures comparing it to a 1"-1.4" thick XPS M1530 and the m15x wasn't much bigger.

 

I am pretty sure about that, I tried my friend's.

 

yeap,Nirvana is right..have u sean that MBP vs m15x pictures?

 

One thing I've noticed and that I've heard other people say is that the rubber feet on the bottom prop up the notebook. If you measure it off of a table I've heard people say that it was 1.3". If you measure it off of a table, it's 1.7".

 

Nirvana, do you have an m15x? It's 1.3" thick with lid closed, I just measured it . And it's little above 1.5" at the back with the rubber. I also took pictures of it with the m1530. I also suggest you taking a look at the m15x in person before you making such comments.

 

if you read my post #19, I did, there are few guys using m15x in my school.

 

I did read it, but I am sure you didn't measure it

 

but I am sure it's more than 50% thicker than macbook pro when i put them side by side.

 

What is smartbay?

and still, your spending an extra $1000 on looks? Im gathering looks is the only reason so far, and heck for $400 you can get a Sager with a custom paint job.

 

nobody looked at my posted picture?even without putting them side to side it is clear that AW w/o closed lid is thicker!

 

Before i ordered my m17x, i went to Rock and looked at the fastest/most powerful Sager notebook 9626.
I specced it the same as the m17x to see the price difference and found that although alittle cheaper it wasn't by alot.
If i remember correctly (sometimes a little hit and miss lol) there was only 2 - 3 hundered difference in the price and the Sager couldn't offer the same Sager couldn't offer the same size HDD's as Alienware at the time (which was inportant for me, 117Gb Music and counting).

Whilst the 9626 looks ok, it still resembles the XPS1730 without the horrible colouring. Also it has two buttons to configure and that's about it for "features", apart from that, it was boring.
The specs were the same as the m17x but, no smart-bay (i don't use the DVD drive all of the time so this was a good idea), VGA socket (Eh?) but, basically it's looks put me off.
The lack of real "it's cheaper" factor and character, combined with it's blocky, if not boring design made me choose the m17x, ok it might be a bit more money but compare the two and which will get the "wow" factor?

I'm not flaming Sager, they make good machines just don't look as nice as the m17x in my opinion....sorry (",)

Just my 2p...

OB

 

$1000? More like $290. I just configured a m15x vs. a Sager NP8660 direct from Sager with a WUXGA screen, 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, and 8800M GTX/9800M GT, 160GB 5400rpm HD, and the pricing was $2059.00 vs. $2,349.00. Plus Alienware has to spend a good amount of money and marketing and design, and I'm sure AlienFX lighting costs them a good amount of money to add to so many areas. I'll pay $300 more for design and size. The NP8660 doesn't look horrible, but it's not too good-looking either. Like I said, and I'm sure that I'll get flamed for this, the Sager looks like a step up from a Chinese knock-off. SmartBay lets you swap out the optical drive to add an extra battery for double the battery life or a HD for extra space.

 

It's obvious, the Macbook Pro is 1" thick while the m15x is 1.3" (just the chassis) and 1.5" with rubber feet; so, the m15x will look 50% bigger. Don't forget the screen on the m15x opens differently than the Macbook pro that's why it is also higher. I see that difference comparing it to the m1530 too.

I don't know if there are different m15x's with different sizes but mine is what I stated above.

 

@MICHAELSD01, you forgot about the taxes.
so for m15x, it's $2,545.73 shipped. for np8660, people generally buy from xoticPC, and it's $1972 shipped.

 

Ditto that.

 

Tax is out of Alienware's control. Just sayin'. A $300 premium isn't too bad.

 

still doesn't change the fact that you have to pay for it.

 

Right now Smart bay is the smart way.

I would like to see a youtube video with the Sugar playing the same game as M15X with a smart bay battery just on Battery power and see who win? Then see who has to plug in frist.

 

Honestly, I don't think you will have a good experience playing games on the m15x unplugged since the graphic card will be under-clocked, but I agree that smart bay is a very useful feature

 

how about both gaming in sauna room see who get fry first?

 

hmm,my counting give me other results

Sager NP8660 (Built on Clevo M860TU) PRE ORDER
- 15.4" WUXGA "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Screen (1920x1200)
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- ~Intel® P9500 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.53GHz w/6MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 25 watt
- 512MB PCI-Express nVidia GeForce 9800M GT DDR3 DX10 (User Upgradeable)
- None Standard
- ~ 2,048MB DDR3 1066MHz Dual Channel Memory (1 SODIMM)
- None Standard
- Standard Finish
- ~Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- ~ 500GB 5400RPM (Serial-ATA II 300 - 8MB Cache)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5300 802.11 a/g/n Wi-Fi Link
- None Standard
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- None Standard
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Carying Case Optional (Select if desired)
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- None Standard
- None Standard
- ~Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Installed (64&32-Bit CD Included) w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- None Standard
- None Standard
- 3 Year Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Based Toll Free Tech Support
(Year2 & 3 Labor Warranty through Xotic PC)
total 2330+50=2380$




Design & Display: Silver Ripley Design
Display: 15.4" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD (1200p)
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - Blue
Video/Graphics Card: NVIDIA® GeForce® Series - 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800M GTX
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 2.5GHz (6MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
Notebook Tuners and Remotes: Without Media Center Remote Control or TV Tuner
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 1024MB
System Drive: 500GB 5,400RPM (8MB Cache)
Optical Drives : 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Wireless: Internal Intel® Wireless 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card
Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Keyboard Options: Non-Illuminated Keyboard – Exclusive Design
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mesh Cap
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mousepad
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mobile Binder
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Personalized Nameplate
Alienware Extras: Owner Identification Card
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m15x Protective Cloth Sleeve
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m15x Keyboard Diagram Overlay
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m15x Smooth Mylar Touchpad
Avatar: Alienhead 3D
Window Style: Default Window Style
Mouse Pointers: Standard Mouse Pointers
Power Plan: Standard Power Plan
Automatic Updates: Automatic Updates On
Time Zones: (GMT - 5.00) Eastern Time (US & Canada

total=2900+280=3180$ w/o FX

hmm,+ if we add the fact that 8660 has montevina and ddr3 memory

P.S.if i have a mistake in my counting then i m sorry

 

Are we off topic?

 

I don't think so. the topic is "why alienware", we are right on track by comparing it to others.

 

Do the above posts actually answer this question?

 

We all know that Alienware has overpriced RAM and HDs. If you compare them the way I did, you'll see a $300 difference. This is how people spend $4k on a laptop, they buy into overpriced upgrades. If you configure the system smartly and take two minutes to install RAM and a new HD, you won't have a huge problem with Alienware's pricing.

 

Someone mentioned comparable price, and it's being debunked. Seems on topic to me.

 

i think looks is a part of it honestly.
but it is just not looks alone (to the OP) - you need to add smartbay and binaryGFX to the mix.
no other notebook has these features to offer. (no i did not do a google search - lol - just going off what i have seen while searching for notebooks in general - so dont beat me up nirvana...lol)

and as i said - a vga port just screams ancient tech to me

 

Montevina offers BinaryGFX to any laptop.

 

BTW, I just saw LeathalLottery's (he used to be known as Alienware/User) new video review on his m15x, it really changed my mind about ordering now. I think it's more because of the way silver looks after a while and that black will look much better, and it's not a bad idea to give Alienware a little more time to fix some of the m15x's problems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfQhp4xxYag

 

I bought the m15x cause i wanted a 15' inch computer with the 8800m GT or equal GPU, no other laptop on the market can offer that at the moment. (m860TU hasnt been shipped yet so dont bring that one up).

So that is the first, gaming performance.

Second is battery time, I will be flying a lot back and forth to Asia and back and I needed a computer that will stay alive watching movies and writing/reading word documents through a 7 hours flight. The only 15 inch laptop that can offer that at the moment together with gaming performance is the m15x.

So second, battery life.

I live in the EU and checked up on Clevo resellers here in the EU and they are not cheaper by a lot compared to AW. (this is in the case I would wait until end of august to get the m860TU) So as m15x has the monopoly in the two above categories that was a must for me, I have nothing else to compare to but still they won the pricing category. (There is no other cheaper option on the market right now, irrelevant if it is the ONLY option )

So third, price

I wanted a well-known brand that I knew would take care of me and treat me with respect, and had numbers to the CS department from several different countries. This was after having a zepto which crapped out on me and then I had to call Sweden from the UK to get support, which cost ****loads! So comparing this to Sager, or another EU reseller. Guys to be honest, you are only well known on this forum, i have never heard of Clevo before and that says a lot since I was in the market for a laptop 3 years ago. Sorry but you can come and say all you want that "Clevo resellers" dont spend money on advertisement and instead on lower prices and better support, but fact remains when a Clevo reseller goes bust it wont even make the headlines. If AW goes bust then there will be headlines most definitely. What kind of protection does that give you, the only real weapon a customer has is bad publicity, if the company is not even known by the general public that bad publicity weapon is gonna do 0.00001 damage per year. Plus AW pumps out a lot more products than any of the Clevo resellers, which gives experience.

So fourth, reliability and warranty

And yes, the classical, looks. Ofcourse if I was asked the question, you win the prize of a Clevo or a Alienware designed laptop with same specs. Which one do you chose? I would chose AW as most of their laptops are better looking. I have been interested in a MBP due to the illuminated keyboard, now m15x came out with same thing but better performance so the illuminated keyboard is great for me during late night gaming sessions or LAN parties with the lights out.

Fifth, design and illuminated keyboard

 

True, It's Hybrid SLi. And you can switch between graphics card without a restart. But 7 months ago the m15x was the only one that had that feature, but you have to make a system restart to switch between them.

 

ok - i stand corrected....

 

Yeah, that's the thing that people forget when they compare the Sager. Alienware did all of this and more in a better size and chassis seven months ago. Other notebook manufacturers are just catching on. I think Alienware was the first notebook manufacturer in history to release the best video card on the market into a 15" notebook. The Sager is as big as a 17", while the m15x is comparable to an average 15" notebook in size.