XoticPC to sell Alienware

YAY.....

Forum - XoticPC to sell Alienware!? - XOTICPC Forums

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Very interesting!

 

Yes, apparently they've been in talks with Dell awhile now and have finally come to an agreement! Great pricing though.

 

wont it be hard to get discounts tho...?

 

They do have the standard the $50 NBR discount, besides the 3% cash discount.

 

Sorry, my ears perked up at the sound of "the $50 NBR discount" - may I ask, what's that?

 

The main reason I didn't go with Alienware is because of the cost. It was easily 500+ more then any other comparable option is was looking at. With xotic pc selling it now atleast somewhat comparable price wise, even though you're still paying a premium for the look.

 

I say Nay. Not only it's not cheaper vs buying directly, they also can't match the discounts that you can (rarely) get through Dell reps. It's not uncommon to to be able to shave 10-15% off the list price if you have patience and time.

 

XoticPC's price is really good because only Nebraskans have to pay tax. I got $200 off my M17x when I bought from Dell, but it ended up barely less than the same configuration from XoticPC.

 

So much for the coupon codes/gift card codes if you're going to buy Alienware through XoticPC, but I guess it is always a good thing to have an alternative seller for Alienware.

 

I assume you don't pay taxes cuz xoticpc and would dealing with warranties go threw them or dell or they deal with Dell for you?

 

Looks like you still buy the dell Alienware warrenty.

 

loled at option to remove unwanted bloatware.

also the more extended warranties will cost you more.

 

I was contemplating switching to Alienware from Mythlogic (Clevo) a week ago and would have done just that had I been able to order it from XoticPC. I was just too leery of Dell's customer service + shady discount haggling + outrageous component markups + sales tax + limited customization options. The opportunity to purchase Alienware sans Dell support and sales tax along with Xotic's (admittedly miniscule) discounts for NBR members makes this really appealing to me. Too bad it would not really save me any waiting time for the 7970M to switch now.

 

Would I be correct in saying that an advantage in buying from xoticpc (or maybe even powernotebooks) rather than dell is that I'm almost guaranteed to not get a DOA laptop since they test the system before shipping?

 

That and no sales tax, which makes up for almost any discount you would get by haggling with Dell.
You also get a larger variety of parts choices and you can have them apply thermal paste.

 

The idea of Xotic testing the systems before shipping to make sure they're up to snuff AND no sales tax is really compelling for potential buyers.

This is similar to purchasing from Xotic versus buying directly from Sager. You get much more personable support and the systems are checked pretty rigorously which is a plus.

Finally, you get a much larger spread of upgrades/options with better pricing.

This is a GOOD thing for buyers.

 

This is a good thing in general to get more distribution and options, but don't most Sager builders just send the order directly to the factory? The thing they do add is deal with the support, etc...but the machine is still built by Sager and Xotic doesn't see the machine afterwards it is built. I think Mythlogic actually builds the machine themselves with the Clevo parts and they are different in how they work, but it's been a while since I've followed the whole Clevo/Sager info.

It really just depends on your patience and tolerance with dealing with Dell. There is no doubt (at least in the PAST) that pricing wise, if you are patience, you can do 25-30% off. From the direct sales thread about a month back, people were getting about 15% or so.

Pretty much all the manufacturers have issues with support, but it seems if you keep hammering, Dell will eventually get it taken care of after much time and possibly different reps.

 

It's nice that Xotic is selling AW systems but its adding a middle man to the process of ordering IMO, doesn't really add a lot of value. If add-on prices are a concern, just buy an AW with a high end GPU and add the rest yourself, Dell doesn't care. Now if Xotic warranties the parts they add for 1+ year then I can definitely see the plus of ordering from them if that's what concerns you. Or you could just buy the parts from a 3rd party and use their warranty for RMA purposes.

 

I would buy from Xotic for my next laptop if they had an option for a different Thermal Paste than IC Diamond. Does anyone know if they have added an option for anything more than that?

As to warranty's/service contracts... why buy them? Waste of money and you never get the support you pay for. Most things you ever need to do or know about your machine are pretty easy to learn and cheaper to do yourself. I learned that one the hard way and have been building or buying custom machines and upgrading or servicing them myself ever since. No one can beat the customer service they can provide to themselves.

Thanks for the great news Jubei. +Rep

 

Hey guys just came across this thread.

@Salticid We can do other Thermal Compounds upon request, that is no problem at all

@5150Joker Any parts we customize will have the same warranty through us as is purchased on the laptop. So if a customer opts for the 2 or 3 Year Warranty we will match it on the custom parts we install.

Make sure to ask about our discounts we do offer NBR Members discounts based on configuration. We are excited to sell AW Machines.

Feel free to PM me or any of our reps should any of you have questions!

 

Thanks for the Info. Justin! WOW! An XoticPC Retailer in the ALIENWARE thread for the first time!

 

Ha is it me or is Alienware not all that great? They seriously need a refresh

 

That is fantastic news, Justin! Thanks so much for the info, I guess I should have asked sooner. Though as you didn't have AW when I bought in March I didn't get to ask about it.

Will Rep you as soon as I'm allowed to give more.

 

They just refreshed them. What exactly is it that is "not all that great?" They have the newest processors and the M17x and M18x have the 7970m GPU.

 

I think what he means by refresh is the design, and I can sort of agree with that. I love the look, but they have been about the same thickness for like 5 years now... cutting a few eighths of an inch off the m18x or m17x would make them a lot more desirable for a lot of people.

 

This isnt quite true. There are exceptions to everything. If you mean 3rd party or depot only then its slightly more true but even that has an exception here and there.

 

Oh, with that I agree. I don't know how much they can take off the M17x/M18x with the 7970Ms but the M14x should really be smaller seeing as how many ultrabook-esque laptops are now comfortably fitting a 650M and i7-Bridge in a half the thickness and 3/4 the weight.

 

There's always exceptions to general statements. But if you read around, even AW has enough people who have really bad experiences with in-home service, never mind 3rd party and Depot insanity. It remains true that you really get the best experience doing it yourself, if you're up for learning it and taking responsibility for your actions. Then no one can come in and mess up your system out of lack of experience/training/time/working parts or what have you. I see "trained" people messing up systems terribly all the time, and then I end up fixing their mistakes. And I really don't see the point in spending thousands more over the cost of an AW on the gamble that the next tech in my machine - at my home or not - may have any combination of these problems. But then this last is my own opinion.

Having said that, I do understand that a lot of people don't want to learn to do that, have no real interest in it, and/or feel that for the amount of money they spent they shouldn't have to. I don't agree, but I understand it.

 

IC. I have no issues doing my own service but it doesn't diminish the value of warranties. Parts can be $ sometimes. Sorry to argue but the "never" is over the top for me.

Wish Xotic well. There are likely some loyal customers that appreciate the option with options One cool thing is they might have the ear at Dell we never would.

 

Well unfortunately I put together an order for a M17x with Xotic and they won't give the $50 NBR discount on these. Or so they say - did anyone else get it?

 

Pm justin. I got the same problem witth other rep.

 

Its such a shame to see that there are so many good PC stores in the US. Here in the UK we are really restricted. Im trying to find an M18x at a discounted rate but its hard to find at the moment!

 

I believe the NBR discount applies only to Sager machines, although I'm not sure.

 

yeah that's what the rep on xotic site told me, until I pm'd Justin.

 

Ok I'll PM him, thanks for the tip.

Also wondering for anyone who ordered from Xotic lately, what was your build time (between when they take payment and when it ships) ? They told me 6 to 12 days which was longer than I was expecting. Only custom change on my M17x is switching the primary hard drive for a SSD.

 

also note that if you take the $50 discount, your cash discount becomes 2% instead of 3%

 

Darn even before customizing and with the $50 discount and 3%, the M17x is so expensive! And still no option for a better matte screen option

 

thanks for the informative post there.

 

Why is AW selling through resellers now? And what is the benefit of doing so?

I see AW being sold by PowerNotebooks, BTOTech and now XoticPC just announced they are as well.

You are very welcome!

 

AW is a niche market and the resellers have some of that market. Now that they are selling AW dell gets more exposure then just from the main stream website sales. They will make less per unit from the resellers but the quantity of sales, exposure, parts, and service fees over the long term will make them money.

I still stick by that AW needs a refresh and you have much better options for less money out there.

 

I'm probably going to use XoticPC when I order my M18x, depending on GTX 680 availability and cost. I made a few calls trying to get a deal from Dell, and the most I could get was 5% off + 5% gift card. Which basically came out to just about the same as Xotic, but with Xotic I don't have to open another Dell Preferred Account to get the deal and I can buy a 30 day no dead pixel guarantee as well which should get me a good screen for sure.

 

and you won't have to pay for tax (in my case)

 

Have you tried using the sales assistance thread? My order (in sig) ended up being $50 cheaper than what it would have been going through Xotic including taxes with $340 in Dell promo e gift cards on top of that.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ales-assistance-thread-redux.html#post8594002

 

I was factoring in tax. The Dell deal was a little bit better, but that is factoring in the gift card that I would then have no use for as it takes 2-3 weeks to arrive.

All around I'll pay $50 more and install my own RAM and SSD rather than deal with MIR style crap and opening another credit line. Not to mention I bought 2 Samsung 830 128gb SSDs for $90 a piece, which is a hell of a deal.

I'm going to try that, I still have a few more posts to make before having PM rights. Right now though I'm waiting to see GTX 680 availability and pricing. I'd much prefer 680's, so maybe it's a good thing Dell didn't give me a great deal yet.

Really hoping to find out about the 680's soon, I'll be living out of hotels for my new job and will need my gaming fix when I get back at night.

 

The 680M will probably cost $200 more than the 7970M.

 

Considering Alienware charges $150 more for the 675m over the 7970m. Look for the 680m to be a MINIMUM of $200 more than the 675m or $350 more than the 7970m. Probably more.

 

I'd really prefer nvidia drivers for a multi card setup like the m18x, but 200 more a piece isnt worth it.

Hoping for a surprise price.

Hmm. That sucks.

 

Sorry if this isn't the right place for this, but I didn't know where else to ask.

I was curious about the warranty if buying through xoticpc. If I had them put in a non-Dell part like one of the ssd's and something goes wrong with, say, the cpu, requiring the laptop to be shipped to Dell for repairs, how would that be handled? Would I have to take the ssd out and ship it without a harddrive? Would Dell accept that?

If anyone has information, that'd be really helpful

 

Hmm well so far not very impressed with build time on my order. It is almost up to the max 12 business days and still no word on shipment. One of the reasons I went with a reseller instead of direct from Dell was I assumed it would be quicker. Guess not?

 

that's a bit odd. Did you try contacting them?