Help a mom out?

I'm a pretty tech non-savvy mom with a very tech-happy kid. He wants a "gaming computer" for Christmas, namely an Alienware. I worry that he has fallen completely for their marketing and that we can get him a great computer without paying for the Alienware name. But, he's quick to remind me that I don't know a thing about gaming laptops, hence why I am hoping that some of you can help me out!

One of the key considerations is that he does NOT play first-person shooter kinds of games - he plays Minecraft with lots and lots of mods, but that's pretty much it. He does play a LOT of Minecraft, though.

If I wanted my kid to have a laptop (must be a laptop) that will be amazing for Minecraft and school work, what should I get? If the budget is about $1000 (preferably lower), is the $999 entry level Alienware 13 really the best computer for him?

 

Negative on the AW13. It has a low-voltage dual-core processor and no dedicated graphics card. Minecraft is pretty unoptimized and heavy on the CPU, even with mods. You can probably find a Clevo W230SS with a quad-core i7 and GTX 860M for around a grand.

 

I definitely agree with the Clevo W230SS suggestion. The Alienware 13 is not worth it at all. It's quite frankly an embarassment to the AW name for its specs.

If you want a bigger machine than the 13", then the Clevo W350SSQ is a 15" and the Clevo W370SS is a 17" and both are in the same vein as the W230SS, essentially just different screen sizes.

If you wish to find them, they can be found here: Custom Laptops, Gaming Notebooks, Custom Gaming Laptops | XOTIC PC

They are named the Sager NP 7338 (13"), NP 7358 (15") and NP 7378 (17").

 

Lenovo Y50 doesn't look too shabby.
Amazon.com : Lenovo Y50 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop (59425944) Black : Computers & Accessories

 

Nah, the default screen is awful.

 

Yeah, the 1080p one is a huge downgrade from the >90% sRGB screen on the Y500/Y510p. How is the screen on the W230SS?

 

The display on the 7338 is pretty decent no matter which resolution option you go for.

 

^^

And one more vote for the W230SS.

 

I see... A friend of mine has an older Y series laptop with 660 and full HD panel. When I saw it I thought it was pretty sweet. Too bad Lenovo made a decision to put a crappier panel in the base model. Bad Lenovo, bad! OK when, Clevo it is .

A note of advice to OP. Certainly don't want to teach someone who is a parent, while not being one myself, but your kid stated that he wants an AW, which would prolly mean he wants AW and nothing else. If your kid is a smart person he will take that Clevo, but if not, maybe it would be a smart move to say him in advance what you are getting him or save the receipt. Or give him that grand and say "add your savings and get whatever laptop you want!"

 

Please for the love of everything, try to get a clevo p650se from xotic pc. It is 1200 dollars with so much more than aw 13 packed inside (aw fanboy speaking here!) unless you drop 3k on aw and currently aw also doesnt offer latest gpus, it is just waste of money.

 

Sounds like your kid wants an Alienware pretty bad. He may be happier with the Alienware just because it's an Alienware. I know how that is... But performance wise, I do not recommend the Alienware 13. As mentioned several times above, it is far behind in the gaming market. Perhaps next year when they upgrade the internal components it may be somewhat better. But for now, stay away. The Sager NP7338 is probably your best option at this point, if you have absolutely no wiggle room in your budget.

If you don't need a brand new system, and your kid doesn't mind a larger system, I would strongly recommend taking a look at Manufacturer Refurbished Alienware 17's on eBay (click here). The Alienware 17 is a great machine - it's upgradeable, runs cool, and has an excellent warranty. And best of all...it's an Alienware. Your kid will love it. :thumbsup: You may also want to give Alienware a call. Explain your situation and they will probably refer you to the Outlet. You can order and negotiate with them over the phone.

P.S. A lot of the Manufacturer Refurbished machines are in new condition, returned within the 30 day return period and have no issues. They also come with a 1 year warranty if anything should go wrong.

 

Yep, that's the Y580 with the 660M and it has the same solid 1080p glossy TN panel as the Y500 and Y510p.

 

Hmm ... a lot of helpful responses in this thread ... I'm thinking we're all thinking ' If it were my mom and that budget; what would I want for Christmas?'.

Never had that kind of present from my mom, but she was better at gaming than the rest of us anyway ... hell, she was an addict .

Oh, and to be sure; this Clevo W230SS we're talking about is the exact same laptop as the Sager NP7338. Nice thing is that there's a lot to customize, so (unless you want to keep the surprise) you might arrange a budget and let him chip in too (with as much of his own savings as he wants) and allow him to choose from all the options available. What he'll choose will be to his own liking (ssd?), and he'll have something far superior to the AW13 (top=Clevo, bottom=AW, green=good, red=poor). Additionally, since it's his savings too, he'll take extra care of the little monster.

 

You guys are so awesome! And yes, he is quite enamored with Alienware, but he is a smart kid who will respect the opinions of people who really know their stuff. He wants the Alienware because he thinks it's The Best. I'm going to share some of your responses with him and see what he thinks! Anyone else that wants to weigh in...please do! And thanks again!

 

If you'd come here trying to buy an Alienware 17 about three months ago, we'd have told you it was one of the best for sure. But the AW13 is VERY weak and unlike anything I ever remember Alienware producing. The clevo will do him well, we promise. Remember he can pick the size of the laptop as I noted in my original post; they're mostly the same excepting the size of the screen (and laptop) really.

 

Buy him a 17" Alienware if he insist on that brand. The AW13 is garbage.

Best bang for the dollars are Clevo notebooks though. If you want the best warranty, ie have a tech guy come home to you and fix it instead of waiting weeks after sending it away to a service center, Alienware is the best choice

 

Virtually impossible with the OP's current "budget" lol

 

I am reiterating this! I really think people on a budget should consider Clevo P650SE. It comes with an amazing package:

i7 4710hq (ok processor)
970m (second best mobile GPU on market)
8GB RAM (will survive, not too shabby, also 1x8GB, so you can upgrade it by slapping another 8GB SODIMM later on! forgot to add it is 32GB max )
1TB 7200 RPM HDD (good storage, not SSD, but you can upgrade it later)
1080p FHD Matte Screen
2 Free m.2 slots!
1" thick! only 5 pounds...

FOR A TOTAL OF 1230 DOLLARS! This is seriously ridiculous. I know it is 200 out of your budget, but your kid will fall in love with this machine I tell you (I am not a Clevo/Sager sales rep ). Just show him the machine:

XOTIC PC | Sager NP8651 (Clevo P650SE) - 15.6" Gaming Notebook

its just a love machine

 

Agreed on the P650SE. Edit - the review in the Sager forum seems promising.
I personally own the W230SS. It is a great machine with few shortcomings. I recommend it second.

 

As a single dad of two young boys and as a computer/laptop/gaming enthusiast, for the love of God, please do not buy the AW13. If anything go for the MSI GS60 if he doesn't like the plain look of the Clevo (at a +$600-$700 cost mind you). But your best bang for the buck is definitely the Clevo P650SE or Sager NP8651 if they want something fairly thin and light... and opt for the 1080p IPS screen.

 

I have to say that Clevo P650SE looks like a great deal.

 

he wants an alienware

 

The only alienware he's getting that's worth its salt will come with the broken 880M or the gimped Kepler 860M, and cost well over $2000. These clevos are the best chance she really has, unless she's up for bumping their budget another $600 for a solid MSI GT60 or something.

 

http://www.microcenter.com/product/438187/ROG_GL551JM-DH71_156_Laptop_Computer_-_Black_Aluminum
ASUS ROG GL551 series GL551JM-DH71 Gaming Laptop Intel Core i7 4710HQ (2.50GHz) 16GB Memory 1TB HDD NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M 2GB 15.6" Windows 8.1 64-Bit - Newegg.com
Amazon.com: ASUS ROG GL551JM-DH71 15.6" Gaming Laptop w/ GeForce GTX860M 2GB GDDR5 and Optimus Technology, 1 TB 7200RPM HDD: Computers & Accessories

ABOVE - Same ASUS Laptop: Quad 4710HQ/860m/16GB. That's the best for $1k

Personally, the graphics card in the $1000 range are on borrowed time as the new nvidia cards are a significant jump in performance. The cards in laptops in this price range [the 860m is the best] won't run the new Assassin's Creed game. The new GTX 970m is a new DX12 card with almost double the processor count of the 860m. DX12 API [an instruction set that makes the graphics card do the graphics] doesn't officially come until next year. That's a "baked in" performance jump waiting to happen.

I know I'm about to be shooting well past your budget, but at the same time I'm pointing you towards a laptop that has the muscle to run a lot of games that will also be for the next gen consoles [multi-platform games]. In other words,it will last 2-3yrs longer than laptops with a 860m. A laptop with a 970m has a chance at remaining relevant for the lifespan of the PS4/Xbox 1. It may not play every game 5-6 years from now, but there should still be some console ports here and there at least

To use two desktop cards of similar performance, here is the approximate performance difference.

AnandTech | Bench - GPU14

Ok, so...the laptop is $1350 [$1308 cash/check]

XOTIC PC | Sager NP8651 (Clevo P650SE) - 15.6" Gaming Notebook

If you do happen to get it [...tell him it's his birthday present too if it soften the expense rationale] there is a few options to take.

Special #12 is the application of a better thermal paste for free. It is usually $35

At "wireless network", there is a free upgrade to dual band wireless [Sager - Intel® Dual Band AC 7265 [M.2 Chip] 802.11 A/AC/B/G/N 2.4/5.0GHz + Bluetooth™ 4.0], you have to choose it to get it.

You have to add the Operating System [Windows 8.1] [I figured it into the price I gave]

 

I have to agree but...

he wants an alienware

 

Kids shouldn't always get what they want. I think Mom rightfully has a say here especially as it will be mostly her money. Be happy with what you get

The OP has intelligently come to educate herself here and now the boy will likely get a machine more than twice as powerful as the aw13.

To add Iam a proud Alienware owner. Unfortunately these days the brand isn't anything like it used to be...

 

You can get an Alienware 17 that has better specifications than the Alienware 13 on eBay for $1250~. You can also call Alienware and they will basically give away Outlet systems by offering $400-$700 discounts, sometimes more. If he really wants an Alienware, I think a refurbished Alienware 17 is the best option.

---

All (or most) of the people on this forum are geeks who know technology pretty well. We all do not recommend the Alienware 13 because it has a weak CPU and an old GPU, but more than 9 out of 10 people buying Alienware's simply don't care about that. A problem for us may not be a problem for them. Put yourself in his shoes. If a person has $300k to spend on a dream car and wants a Lamborghini, he/she will buy a Lamborghini. They won't purchase a modded GT-R just because it will be a bit faster.

If the kid wants Alienware, let him have it. Don't let your personal feelings get in the way of someone's dream.

 

J.Dre is right. You can get really good deals on Ebay or by haggling with the Alienware sellers.
So if mom plays her cards right, she can get a good deal for AW17.

But I have to agree with the people recommending Clevo machines too.
Clevo P650SE got amazing value and your son will get one awsome machine with the newest GTX 970M which is much better than the 880M on the AW17.

Realisticly you can`t expect much of a gamer notebook for $1k anyway.

MSI GT60 with GTX 970M is also an option I guess, but its priced at $1499
http://www.xoticpc.com/msi-gt60-dominator1065-p-7599.html

 

That's why I suggested [post #24] the Sager NP 8651, at $1350 [$1308 cash/check] with OS it is the cheapest laptop with a GTX 970m.

 

I love my P650SE its a fantastic notebook. It's fairly durable too. I don't think he will appreciate the aesthetic given his age but he will like that he can play pretty much any game out there

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

@The Mom:

If you want your kid to be happy, just buy him the Alienware 13. He won't care about anything mentioned in here. He will be happy either way. He'll be able to play all of the games he wants to play. It is a reliable machine and has a great warranty, too.

Further Alienware discussion / information can be found here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-13-m11x/

 

Love the idea above about making this Christmas + birthday...gotta manage that the younger siblings still believe in the Big Guy in Red, so I have to navigate that carefully!

Random question - I assume any of the computers you guys are suggesting will be perfectly fine for school work? He takes a lot of online classes and such (homeschooled) and will still need it for writing papers and doing assignments (he will be far more efficient at these things, BTW, since he is free to play games once his daily work is done! ).

 

For school work I think a larger screen will be better (yet another plus for p650se ). But anyone of these laptops should be fine. Just make him look at this thread and show him all laptops we mentioned, after this if he is still insisting on AW, then so be it. But we all are AW users and unless you drop 2-3k on it, it is just not worth it because the premium you pay for the chassis and build quality is just too much unless you marginalize the difference with additional components. AW 13 is suffering from one significant issue though, the CPU is very VERY weak, it will cause trouble in school work (if it involves anything with CPU computing) and running multiple tasks in parallel on windows. Tell him Clevo p650se is the most powerful machine among all mentioned in this thread, yet it still does look good, doesn't break the piggy bank, plus still very upgradeable (3 free RAM slots, 2 free m.2 mSATA SSD slots), has very accessible interior, second best cooling among all suggested. Just a love machine I tell ya

 

Get him the AW13 so he'll learn looks isn't everything in life.

*not intended to be taken seriously

 

Correction: Get him the AW13 so he'll learn looks is everything and it doesn't matter what's on the inside.

 

It is what it is.

 

I think we're scaring the mom.

Anyway, if she reports that she can bump the limit to $1300, then awesome. We can go with that.

Until then, the W230SS, W350SSQ and W370SS are remaining my recommendations so we don't strong-arm her into spending over budget. They'll still do just fine for everything he wants too.

By the way @ thread starter, don't feel bad about asking more questions, or relaying questions from your son to us. We promise we won't bite =D.

 

Hi Mom!

Lucky kid! How old is he if I may ask?

Thing is I dont trust my kid lugging around with my laptop.
I scolded my wife after she started asking my kid to fetch the laptop for her.

AW's cool looks may have sold it to him, but specs wise and for that budget then Clevo it is!
I am planning to buy the AW 13 specced out because I can afford it and spread the payment to 24 months without interest! =D

If your kid is the clumsy type, Dell Alienware's accidental damage coverage is a must for him - this will give you peace of mind too =)
And oh if you order the AW now, it might not be able to make it for Christmas! So hurry!

Regards,
AW hopefull

 

I actually think the Y50 is a great option as well at this price range.

 

Definitely, if you can overlook the sub-par 1080p screen.

 

You guys (and hopefully gals!) have been amazing. The kid made his decision today, and I have to say I'm pretty proud of him. That said, he wouldn't have gotten there without you guys!

First, I had him read this entire thread, as well as a Facebook thread where I asked my tech-savvy friends the same question (so, hard core gamers AND practical parents of gamers!). What he came away with - and I concurred, but was happy he got there on his own - was that JUST playing Minecraft doesn't require a massive machine...BUT, there is a whole world of "crazy good computers" out there that he's not even begun to learn about. Ultimately, I gave him three options:

1) Get the Alienware 13
2) Get the Clevo you guys recommended (but it would have to be for Christmas AND his birthday...even the $999 Alienware was really pushing the budget) or
3) Get a lower cost machine now, but with a great processor and dedicated graphics card, with an eye towards saving for an Alienware 17 (or similar) sometime in the future

To my complete surprise, he chose Option 3! His reasoning was that he only plays Minecraft now, and he knows that I'm not super keen on him playing a lot of the more intense games yet (he's 11). But, he knows that will change in a few years (well, he hopes that will change in a few years! ), and then he would like a really tricked-out computer. He is willing to help fund that purchase in a few years by saving up, etc.

So, I was able to get him a Lenovo Y series with an i7 processor and a dedicated graphics card still on a DEEP Black Friday discount for under $700. Compared to his plain-vanilla, low-end Celeron-powered Asus, this will feel like a Ferrari for Minecraft (I hope!!), and he now has a goal to shoot for in the future. I think there's only about a 0% chance he would have happily chosen "not Alienware 13" without your collective input.


Thanks again!!! We'll be back in a few years when he's ready to buy his Super Machine!

 

Just curious, which Lenovo laptop is it? *Looks down*

 

I hope that Lenovo does him well. Good luck. :thumbsup:

 

The one that is on sale for $679 (from $1099) on this link:

Lenovo Y40 Laptop | 14" High-Performance Gaming Notebook PC | Lenovo US

 

Hmm, hate to ruin your day, but that system has the same "weak" CPU the Alienware 13 has.

You'd be better off with the Alienware 13. It at least has a great warranty and is built like a tank.

 

None of those are very good. Look at the processor (CPU) names. Do you see the "U" on them? That means "ultra low voltage" and very bad for gaming. Avoid any laptop that shows a "U".

I highly suggest looking at the exact models that have been recommended to you from here. I don't want to offend you, but the minute you start "price hunting" for laptops, especially under $1000, you start ending up with very weak parts or very bad build quality (to save on $$ on the manufacturer's part).

Edit: Just read the post about his decision. Give us a little bit and we might be able to find you a nice machine with an 850M and a decent CPU for you to look at. Should be cheaper than the $1000.

 

Screw that. The 860M is much better than the 850M, even with a ULV processor.

 

I was thinking of a non-ULV one XD. I keep seeing people suggest them now and then, but I can't remember.

 

Not really if you're talking 850M GDDR5, which is just a lower-clocked 860M. They're the exact same GPU.

 

Which model of the Y40 is it exactly? It seems like plenty to just play Minecraft, don't listen to these guys that are going to nitpick about it to no end. Dude is 11 after all.

Actually.. the cheapest one has a 4210U instead of 4510U.. I'd garner they'd all be good enough for an 11 year old to play Minecraft. Don't worry too much.

My first computer when I was 11 was a TRS-80 Model I.. that was 1982 though...