Should I buy an Alienware?

[ozium]

I'm starting University soon and I need a good powerfull laptop for my Engineering course. I've been considering an Alienware for quite a while now but I'm still unsure whether I should buy i or not. I've heard allot of complaints about them such as the screen hinges cracking or them arriving broken or faulty (though most of these complaints were about the older models)

I'm thinking of getting the M14x with Upgraded CPU (from i5 to i7) and an upgraded screen. Does anyone else here have the M14x and if so, have you had any problems with it?

I should probably point out that I look after Electronic equipment very well and I'm not planing on carrying it around much.

 

[renegade7]

An Asus will give you about as much power for around half as much

 

[BigTortoise]

An Asus will give you about as much power for around half as much

Came to say this. The ROG laptops are some of the best there are out there, especially when it comes to price/performance.

Alienware is overpriced for what you get and you're really paying for the label and the flashy lights. not to mention the cooling one those things burns like hell.

 

[Sephychu]

Alienware costs 50% more for a shiny alien head. Buy Asus, or something.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

I'm starting University soon and I need a good powerfull laptop for my Engineering course. I've been considering an Alienware for quite a while now but I'm still unsure whether I should buy i or not.

Don't bother.

Get a Sager laptop with an i5 or i7 CPU, and make sure the GPU is a nVidia Fermi based unit (400 or 500 series GPU - make sure it's a discrete card not integrated) and also runs nVidia Optimus. Reason for that is if you're doing bulk calculations it's a set up that will allow you to run off the onboard graphics and repurpose the GPU to help carry the CPU load when the situation demands it.

Well, okay, it doesn't have to be a Sager laptop but whatever you get should have an Intel Sandy Bridge i5 or i7 as well as the nVidia gear I mentioned. That way you'll get maximum flexibility from your laptop, whether you're running heavy engineering calculations and models or gaming your head off.

 

[TacticalAssassin1]

Only if you're literally finding it hard to breath with so much cash floating around the house.
Get something sensible. Alienware computers are only for the hardcore gamers that somehow make a shitload off doing let's plays on youtube.

 

[Hyperrhombus]

As said above, alienware is overpriced. You could do a lot better for the same money buying something that isnt labelled "gamer" from the very start.

 

[mikey7339]

Don't, Alienware computers look pretty but the mark-up for the brand label is insane. Go to Newegg.com and find a laptop with the same specs you were looking at from Alienware.

EDIT: Also, since your buying this for university, keep in mind the odds of someone seeing a nice Alienware laptop and getting the urge to swipe it are much higher than if you have a normal looking laptop.

 

[KaiserKnight]

No, it is over priced. You are mainly paying for the name and case, find one you like then go to a site where you can build your own. In the end the build your own is cheaper (when you go to some sites 'build your own' means telling them what you want and they put it together for you)

I have two friends who actually make a living off gaming (well one is gaming and the other one works on websites and such) and they have both told me its over priced and not worth it.

 

[zfactor]

An Asus will give you about as much power for around half as much

Yup, this.

Or you can build our own for less. It is actually easy to do, even if you do not know a lot about computers...

 

[renegade7]

An Asus will give you about as much power for around half as much

Yup, this.

Or you can build our own for less. It is actually easy to do, even if you do not know a lot about computers...

True, a desktop is ideal for gaming, but a laptop has its advantages, especially for a student, mainly that you can take your schoolwork with you.

 

[Dr. Pepper Unlimited]

I guess I'll jump in just to be the broken record, as what I would say has been said many times before. Alienware is the same as anything else, but with an inflated price tag so you can say you have an Alienware rig. It's not worth the money...ever.

 

[Dyme]

Bought a Netbook for University. ~300?, and of course only for text based stuff.

And a desktop PC at home 800? and you have a good PC.

And Alienware is really expensive. That's all I know about them. Dell is too expensive.