Alienware vs Sager

Hi guys, I made a similar thread in the alienware forums, but had more specific sager questions so here goes:

I'm in the market for a new laptop ~2,000+ and have been eyeing the alienware R3 @ $2400.

I have been looking at other laptops and... alienware, actually seems to be cheaper than most of its competitors by a wide margin. I've been getting recommendations to go for the Sager NP9870-S, and I matched it for the R3 and it's actually about $500 more expensive than the alienware and it only has the 6700 i7 instead of the R3's 6820HK i7. To be fair, the sager does have the 980 desktop version instead of the mobile and taking that out would level it out to same price as alienware but...it would have a less powerful cpu for the same price :/

Anyway, component for component, would you guys go alienware? I do like how well put together it looks as the Sager looks a little more "blocky" and just not so well put together, also looks bigger. Also...the display on the alienware is 100% adobe rgb? that's pretty good no? I can't seem to find it on sager's, but I'm assuming it's not as good?

I also heard customer service for dell is terrible and that they're based in costa rica and india, and...I actually try to buy as "small" and local whenever I can, so it seems sager is a good way to go, no?

I do find the "amplifier" aspect of the alienware something interesting though and something I may like to take advantage of in the future...(probably not though).

Well...any help or maybe even completely different suggestions on laptops is appreciated.

 

Just curious, what are you using the computer for?

The Sager has a desktop i7 6700, not the 6700hq. This is the full on desktop processor not the mobile version. So in both CPU and GPU you would be getting the desktop versions which are about ~30% more powerful than the mobile versions.

Sager is located in the US, so if you get it from them or from a reseller of Sager's, you would be talking with someone based in the US as well.

 

@pat@XOTICPC

I'm actually going to school for VFX. So I'll be running simulations in Houdini, modeling, texturing, compositing things in Nuke and then editing all of that in something like Premiere for my reel. I'll be spending a majority of my time in Unreal 4 though.

My macbook pro just isn't cutting it and though I like apple's customer support and nice build quality, they don't have anything powerful and "portable", and the one they do have that's close to that is just insanely apple taxed.

 

@vosswaterbottle, do you mind posting a link to the other thread you mentioned in your OP? Thx.

Also, you did catch pat's post that the P870DM can be loaded with DESKTOP components (CPU and GPU) and not the more anemic laptop counterparts?

 

@jclausius

sure, it's pretty much the same info, but was wondering if alienware guys would purchase again. Also, I know it's a thread that's been asked many times, but it always seems the major issue was the "alienware tax", but...it seems like they've priced it down and actually made it cheaper than competitors, so that's why I'm also asking:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/would-you-purchase-again.792967/

 

Definitely agree on how the AW feels to be put together better and kinda has slightly better looks.

But the Sager is much more modular and performs better. Do not fall for the model number convention, the 6700k is definitely a better processor and has a lot of Overclocking headroom.

As for the display, i will not suggest you go for the 4k Display on either of them, i have the 4k 100% aRGB display and trust me most of the 3D packages have not been updated for high DPI support yet. And the work arounds are clunky as hell.

If AGA is an important factor, definitely get the AW, the support is great and everything, but getting a flawless unit is a hit or miss.

I use my system for VFX work as well, mainly with Houdini/3DS Max and Maya. I do a lot of heavy simulation work and back to back rendering in Mantra / Vray and NukeX for heavy compositing work. For all of this i couldn't find anything better than the system in my signature. Unreal 4 will benefit a lot from the 980 (desktop) as well.

Instead of opting for a 4k / 100 % aRGB , i would suggest getting a good full size monitor. The scaling in windows right now will destroy your eye. Not to mention the 980M in the AW or the 980 desktop in the 9870-S , both are not good enough to run games at 4k with decently high settings. The AUO Panel on my system is beautiful though, once you calibrate it and everything.
But yes the 4k Display on the AW will be much cheaper than getting the 4k Display on the NP9870-S. (Though im not sure if Sager/Xotic PC provide that) .

If you decide to go with Sager, XoticPC/LPC are great stores to check out. If you decide to get the same system, just unbranded , it called the Clevo P870DM-G and i would recommend looking at HIDEvolution.

 

@bloodhawk

hey! wow, thanks for all that

Yeah, I was reading up on the scaling issue which does concern me especially since some of the places I do freelance for are still on UDK and that of course isn't going to be upgraded to 4K any time soon (if at all).

Having 100% aRGB is somewhat important- the 4k probably not as much. Sager does have the 4k option, not sure about the color though.

So...all in all...what would you recommend then? Sager, Alienware, or this Evoc (where did you get it)? Also...price limit is a soft $2400

 

I havent come across any 100% aRGB non 4K panels. Not really sure how Dell is doing it. But for the Sager NP9870-S / Clevo P870DM-G (both are the same) the 4k panels are the same as the one as i have, the AUO B173ZAN01.0 .

The Sager and the EVOC are exactly the same system, they are based off of the Clevo P870DM-G chasis, and then rebranded / configured to user spec by different brands like Sager /Origin / Obsidian / Eurocom etc.

I got mine from HIDEvolution. But forget about 4k @ $2400 if you are planning on going the Sager / Clevo way. ( i changed my panel on my own so it was way cheaper for me).

Will you be able to link me to where the AW system offers 100% aRGB.

 

I probably made that up as I thought I saw it somewhere, but it probably was just 4k.

Soo.... for $2400 it sounds like alienware is the best price/performance?

 

Nope. Not by a long shot.

IF you want the 4k display and are on a tight budget. Then the AW might work best for you. But any other way i would go with Sager / Clevo.
Also the AW will not work with the desktop 980 (Then again you have AGA) and the Processor will struggle with heavy rendering and Simulation work in the future.

Also from specs i just noticed that the AUO Panel i mentioned above is better than the one Dell seems to be using. (400 nits vs 300 nits)

End of the day, go with what makes you happy. There will always be opinions and biases. Trust me you dont want to end up spending $2500+ and then regret later on.

 

Oh man, yeah I suppose the AGA would work, but yeah seems like the processor's going to be a bottle neck for sims. Also..it would make the notebook a desktop pretty much :/

 

Yep and Yep.

Take your time with deciding what you want to get.

Right now the main thing i would be concerned with is getting a problem free unit from Dell. Not saying that Sager / Clevo might not have issues, i just haven't seen many with for the later ones. (Heck my GPU died after 2 months or so, but that could also have been because of my mistake by pushing it too much xD)

 

Well most of this stuff is essentially a lottery. Sometimes you get one that runs for 8 years, sometimes you get one that dies 1 day after warranty expires (Thanks Samsung Galaxy Nexus!). At the consumer level, reputable resellers will most definitely have better customer service, since well competition and whatnot. And the fact that they actually speak English (which is not true for "Dave" from Dell technical support, sure "Dave", with the Indian accent huh?).

 

I'm actually Indian
Trust me a lot of times when you are talking to a rep with that perfect American accent, it's actually some Indian dumbass with no idea of what he is doing.

But from what I have seen with the CLEVO retailers here in the US, all of the customer support is in house so no dealing with Dave

Heck XOTIC PC upgraded my friends normal data ssd to a m2 ssd for free just so that his order doesn't get delayed.
When my GPU died, HIDevolution got a new one processed within 4 days and overnighted it to me at no extra cost, even though I offered to pay for the expedited shipping.
There are lot of examples like these around.
But ultimately it is as you say. - LOTTERY .

 

lol there is a difference and you can tell if you paid attention. Indians that grew up in America use less "proper English" (aka more slang), and depending on the terminology, its not too difficult to determine which region of America they grew up in. Indians in India (even with "American accents" tend to use more "proper English" and they wont understand a lot of short hands and slang in either chat or on the phone. Nothing against Indians and all, but the ones Dell hires just doesn't care, at all.

 

Amen.

 

A lot of business is repeat business in our sector

 

Honesty ... nice !

And one more vote for the P870DM-G with K (better lottery pick), but without the 4k. They're surcharging by about $300 or over, considering the panel itself is at most $75 more than the fhd (the cost if which should be deducted). Anyway, buy that thing aftermarket for around $150 (make sure it's not a 'compatible' screen and ask for zero dead/stuck pixel if you want) plus the 4k lcd cable for ~$40 (ask reseller or rjtech). Selling the fhd+cable would net $75 minimum, so you'd have the same 4k for only $115 extra.

 

Holy **** the prices for the panel dropped so hard. I got mine from China with 5 days delivery for $210 3 months back.

I do have the 4k Cable for sale in the Marketplace. (Cheapest you will find it anywhere)

 

Ah....thanks guys! Yeah the more I look into it, the more I'm leaning Sager, if only to support a small company that seems to still care about what they're putting out there like alienware used to. Not sure if to go through Sager directly or Xotic.

The 4k screen is actually on "sale" right now for $175 but not sure if I want just because it's going to make switching back and forth UDK and UE4 easier. Wish they had a student discount, lol.

 

Go Xotic PC, and PM @pat@XOTICPC , i recommended them to 2 of my friends and they came through both times. (Since both my friends wanted standard NP9870-S and are not into over clocking). If you want the system with the unlocked BIOS etc etc, look into HIDEvolution. (These guys do standard systems as well)

 

I've had a few of the new Alienware machines, as well as a few Clevo (Sagers).

As has been mentioned, the Clevo model in question can be equipped with the DESKTOP i7, so you can't compare it to the Alienware. Ditto for the GPU.

While the AW machines have a better/more solid build quality (and a better warranty, in theory), the performance of the Clevo machines is miles better (thanks to packing in desktop components).

The cooling mechanism of the AWs can't adequately cool both the components and chassis very well, and you end up with a really hot keyboard and surface, whereas the Clevo manages to cool both its components and chassis fairly well. To put this into perspective, the Clevo often manages to cool its desktop CPU + GPU better than the AW does its mobile CPU + GPU.

Combine that with the ability to fully customize your Clevo to your liking, and there's little reason to go with the AW. Not if you're after real performance.

 

Thanks for the kind feedback @bloodhawk. Always appreciated, especially on a Monday.