buying 5790 today after MUCH thought...

TOTALLY serious about the much thought.

I'm a bit nervous...... but the above thread really made me feel quite better about it.

Has anyone else ordered one?

[1] Area-51® m5790

Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7600 2.33GHz 4MB Cache 667MHz FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Windows® Vista Basic
Display: 17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD - Saucer Silver
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz - 2 x 1024MB
System Drive: Extreme Performance (RAID 0) - 200GB (100GB x 2) Serial ATA 1.5Gb/s 7,200 RPM w/ NCQ & 8MB Cache
Primary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/ Software
Video/Graphics Card: 256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go 7600
Sound Card: Intel® 7.1 High-Definition Audio
Wireless Network Card: Internal Intel® PRO Wireless 3945 a/b/g Mini-Card
Communications: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet & 56K V.92 Modem
Power: Surge Protector - APC Pnote ProC6 Mobile Surge Protector
Power: Additional Battery - Alienware® Area-51 m5790 8-cell Lithium-Ion Battery
Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service / Alienware® Respawn
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mousepad
Alienware Extras: AlienInspection - Exclusive Integration and Inspection - $100 Value - FREE!
Free Alienware® T-Shirt: Free Alienware® T-Shirt - Black

 

I've thought about buy a min-spec 5790 with a T7600G just so I could put the G processor in my M1710. IMO if you're springing for the T7600 you should go the extra $100 for the T7600G. It is overclockable to an unstressful 2.86Ghz or a (fan) screaming 3.16ghz. Then you will have the max performance available for this architecture. The 7900GS card is nicely OC'able also, either moderate or screaming, so you can have a very zippy (technical term) little unit for some time to come.

 

Also, since you're already spending extra money on your system, you might consider the Vista Ultimate. It looks cheaper than a retail Vista Ulti upgrade. I don't know much about Vista but you might again get more bang for your buck. (Problem with buying a new laptop, the upgrades just never end.)

 

Thanks. I don't plan to overclock, that's really just asking for trouble and I need this machine to remain stable. I was actually really surprised they were overclocking.

As for the Vista, I actually am going to wipe it clean when I get it and install XP. I wouldn't touch Vista with a 10 foot pole for atleast a year or so.

 

Congratulations, those are some high-powered and expensive components in there.

I'm running Vista right now; I haven't experience any problems so far but gaming isn't that great (a bit slow).

 

well lets see how it goes. i ask my computers to do a lot of high powered stuff, so the components are a must... now I'm just going to see how alienware pans out in terms of the quality of the shipped product, and the quality of their service. i am not ashamed to admit i am more than a little skeptical and concerned about it all.

as for vista.... you know, its just one of those things.... windows is always bug ridden for a good while, and when you deal with another software suite like adobe CS, you will likely have compatibility issues until they catch up to eachother. Frankly, I don't feel i NEED vista (or xp for that matter.. windows just gets bigger and more bloated all the time), and CS2 is finally working smoothly on XP pro.... i'll keep it that way until the upgrade makes sense. The most appealing thing about vista is their security, and frankly, I can do things on my computer that will have the same level of security without taking up a jillion gbs of space.

And thats the thing sometimes.... upgrades are sometimes worth it. Sometimes, they're not. I still run office 2003. IMO, it far rivals XP,which i uninstalled to roll it back to 2003, and is less bloated. Acrobat 8? HATE it. The new previewing function for print is something I should really like as a print designer, and yet the fact that I can't turn it off and everything looks washed out? Drives me up a wall. i'm considering rolling back to 7. But CS2 has vast advantages over CS1, and I am eagerly anticipating CS3.

 

Go for the x1800, or x1900, bang for the buck.

 

yeah, but those are both about 500$ more and since I don't do any 3-d rendering, what would be the point?

 

Lol, this is a gaming machine you're buying. The best graphics card is always the most important option.

 

If you're not gaming, then even the Go7600 will be overkill. Although the m5790 is designed for gaming, you can use it for anything you want.

 

I just wanted to take the time to figure out why you said this in the previous thread.

"let me say that I have discounted Macs altogether. I was excited about the possibility of windows on a mac due to my software and font needs, however I have discovered that Mac is really not supportive of this, and I may be flying blind."

All the latest MacBook Pros support Windows XP via Bootcamp. Everything is completely compatible. Software and font needs is a non issue because of this. Let me tell you that some of the most sucessful graphic designers and video producers use Mac. This is one of the things Mac is known to be good for. With Photoshop CS3 becoming binary, You will be using it in a more stable, fast environment. There is less overhead in OSX than Vista.

"Also, for the cost of their computers, I find their support and warrantee system to be severely lacking. "

Read this please: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...a-computer-306/windows-or-macintosh/index.htm

A professional study has proven Apple has the best technical support of any computer manufacturer. Apple is known to be one of the best and user friendly tech supports out there. And they're not based in India.

Take a look at Alienware's support. They can't even design their own laptop. Instead they stick some rubber on top of the Compal/Uniwil chasis and call it their own. Search on google for Alienware and you will find this link to be #3 on the front page: http://www.badsoftware.com/alienwaresucks/
Also browse this forum and you will find countless posts about complaints of alienware.

How do I know this? I was about to buy an alienware until people on these forums and some of my IT friends steered me in the right direction.

Now I'm not going to tell you not to buy an Alienware, but I don't want to see bogus statements with no facts behind them.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

Actually, my statements aren't bogus, they're my opinions, and they're backed by the following:

Regardless of bootcamp or parallels, both options I investigated, Apple itself will give you absolutely no support for windows. Further, I was unable to find
a mac tech that would be able to help me so long as I was running windows. Since almost all my software is Windows based, I would be working mostly in Windows. After consulting the Apple boards (which I did), i was convinced this was pretty well a stupid move to make by the Apple users themselves who said so outright, due to the fact that only a certain portion of the HD can be partitioned to Windows, so I'd be losing a large percentage of my Mac.

Everything is NOT compatible, that's bad data. Many drivers haven't been developed yet, and so you have to "hack" them, such as the second button on the mouse. For that much money, I'm not hacking anything.

I went into Apple 3 or 4 times, asking to see one of their MBP's running windows and each time they looked at me like I had three eyes and declared that I would never see that (even though they were running the commercials touting windows on the mac) and he had heard a rumor that some third party place in a city about 30 miles away might be running an imac with windows, but no, he could not find out which, where, etc for me. And that while I could install it, once I did, the genius bar wouldn't be able to help me since they didn't support windows. I also think he cursed my future children once I turned around.

I really don't happen to enjoy the OS environment since 9x, I was a Mac user back when I was in design school, and at that time, everyone used Macs. however, I will tell you that even the best design schools now employ both Macs and PC's and that CS2 actually runs smoother on Windows than the Mac OS, check around. That might well change in CS3, but who knows.

As for service, this is what I meant. In order to get my Mac serviced, I need to make an appt at the genius bar. Now, my experiences relate ONLY to the genius bar in my city, which i've visited many times for ipod issues, for other computer issues, etc, but people could easily bleed out waiting for the genius bar, despite their appointments. Waiting 5-6 hours does not seem uncommon, which is why I generally try to avoid the genius bar.

I went into Apple a slew of times looking at MBP's, and twice I asked about the service, etc. I was told that 70% of MBP issues cannot be resolved onsite, and require an average of 3-5 days repair. I asked if there was an upgraded service plan. There was not. I later learned that there actually is (my own research), the procare plan, but really, all that does is allow you to make a reservation online. There still isn't onsite support, you have to go to a mac store, and you can't even drop it off, you must sit there and wait. I just wasn't willing to do that, I don't think that's a good level of service. Again, my opinion.

Now, Alienware. As I said, I am a bit worried, which is why I got, in writing, assurances about their service plan, and I know I'm taking a bit of a risk. But as for what's inside the alienware? Not to make a sweeping generalization, but they're all about the same inside these days, particularly with macs running intel chips. I've heard plenty of horror stories about MBP's as well. Atleast with a windows based machine, I have some level of knowledge, I have a computer tech willing and able to work on it, and an onsite service plan.

I think in the end, what is important is that YOU like YOUR computer. I was, just for the purpose of the discussion at hand, without going into detail, saying that I did not want to consider macs.

 

As for the graphics card, it IS a gaming computer, but a gaming computer being bought for someone who does no gaming I will be using it for high end graphics work.

 

Since you want to make this personal I'm going to respond to each of your statements.

"Regardless of bootcamp or parallels, both options I investigated, Apple itself will give you absolutely no support for windows. Further, I was unable to find a mac tech that would be able to help me so long as I was running windows. "

Bootcamp will be fully supported with the release of Leopard in the coming Spring. I don't understand what kind of support you would need in windows unless you're downloading viruses and hacking your system files.

"Since almost all my software is Windows based, I would be working mostly in Windows. After consulting the Apple boards (which I did), i was convinced this was pretty well a stupid move to make by the Apple users themselves who said so outright, due to the fact that only a certain portion of the HD can be partitioned to Windows, so I'd be losing a large percentage of my Mac. "

You can configure how much space you want to alot to the Windows Partition. Macbook Pro's have the option of upgrading up to 200gb of space. And if you need more there is always a firewire 800 outlet.

"Everything is NOT compatible, that's bad data. Many drivers haven't been developed yet, and so you have to "hack" them, such as the second button on the mouse. For that much money, I'm not hacking anything. "

1. Windows XP runs completely native on Macs. This means all the hardware has drivers that work pretty much flawlessly. And if those drivers are not 100%, they will be upon Leopard release. All the people who have Macbooks have been reporting flawless performance.

2. You don't "hack" anything. Right click in XP bootcamp works the same as it does in Mac. This is the trackpad we are talking about. If you want to right click using an external mouse, it works 100%. I've never heard of a graphics designer who uses a trackpad anyway.

"I went into Apple 3 or 4 times, asking to see one of their MBP's running windows and each time they looked at me like I had three eyes and declared that I would never see that (even though they were running the commercials touting windows on the mac) and he had heard a rumor that some third party place in a city about 30 miles away might be running an imac with windows, but no, he could not find out which, where, etc for me. And that while I could install it, once I did, the genius bar wouldn't be able to help me since they didn't support windows. I also think he cursed my future children once I turned around. "

Yes, for asking that question I am also going to say you have three eyes and you will never see that. The same reason you don't walk into Bestbuy and have them show you linux or mac running on an HP.

"I really don't happen to enjoy the OS environment since 9x, I was a Mac user back when I was in design school, and at that time, everyone used Macs. however, I will tell you that even the best design schools now employ both Macs and PC's and that CS2 actually runs smoother on Windows than the Mac OS, check around. That might well change in CS3, but who knows."

Yes it does, because CS2 needs to be run through Rosetta on Macs. Photoshop CS3 is in beta and running fast and smooth on Macs. As a graphics designer you will upgrade to CS3 when it comes out anyway. For now, CS2 works just fine.

"As for service, this is what I meant. In order to get my Mac serviced, I need to make an appt at the genius bar. "

Wrong. You can call Apple and they will have you ship the laptop to them for repair. Alienware sure doesn't have any centers around you and you better get it straight that they will give you a hassle for an onsite repair job.

"Now, my experiences relate ONLY to the genius bar in my city, which i've visited many times for ipod issues, for other computer issues, etc, but people could easily bleed out waiting for the genius bar, despite their appointments. Waiting 5-6 hours does not seem uncommon, which is why I generally try to avoid the genius bar. "

CompUSA should also be able to repair your laptop. Just to note: 5-6 hours is faster than waiting 1-10 days to schedule an onsite repair.

"I went into Apple a slew of times looking at MBP's, and twice I asked about the service, etc. I was told that 70% of MBP issues cannot be resolved onsite, and require an average of 3-5 days repair. "

The same is for any laptop. Alienware techs will not just appear in front of you with a sparkle of your magic dust. You will have to wait for them to order the part and schedule an appointment. They will make you ship to depot under most circumstances.

"I asked if there was an upgraded service plan. There was not. I later learned that there actually is (my own research), the procare plan, but really, all that does is allow you to make a reservation online. There still isn't onsite support, you have to go to a mac store, and you can't even drop it off, you must sit there and wait. I just wasn't willing to do that, I don't think that's a good level of service. Again, my opinion. "

1. I question your opinion here. The Apple upgraded warranty extends 3 years. With American Express you get an extra year of complimentary service.

2. Have you ever had onsite service? I want you to take a look at who works in onsite service. Half the people who work in these companies that repair laptops at people's homes are McDonald's quality workers. The last guy who came to my home to do an onsite repair a. had the wrong part with him b. couldn't see the screws c. was not qualified. Let's get a reality check.

If you want your laptop being handled by someone who doesn't care then by all means enjoy your onsite support.

"Now, Alienware. As I said, I am a bit worried, which is why I got, in writing, assurances about their service plan, and I know I'm taking a bit of a risk. But as for what's inside the alienware? Not to make a sweeping generalization, but they're all about the same inside these days, particularly with macs running intel chips. I've heard plenty of horror stories about MBP's as well. Atleast with a windows based machine, I have some level of knowledge, I have a computer tech willing and able to work on it, and an onsite service plan. "

Apple wouldn't be doing business if everyone was like you. The fact of the matter is that Apple has sold more MacBook Pro's than Alienware has sold m5790's.

"I think in the end, what is important is that YOU like YOUR computer. I was, just for the purpose of the discussion at hand, without going into detail, saying that I did not want to consider macs."

You can consider whatever you want but once again make sure that people know you are expressing OPINION and not just badmouthing according to what you hear.

 

Zentox/hzp, please keep this conversation on-topic. If you want to continue your conversation, please do it in the Apple forum or in private. Thanks.

 

what conversation? its a one sided attack. either way, i hope that zentok and his mac have a very long happy life together with many children.

I am very happy with my purchase. Thanks for almost everyone's help.

 

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