Barely Legal Aliens

[jay-ell]

Pedro and I welcomed a new addition to our family today.  After what seemed like months of waiting, we brought home our precious baby...



We're so proud!  

Needless to say, I haven't posted today because I've been gaming.  

Delicious.

[jough]

Mmm... toy computers...

That's wonderful looking.  Like something from a Geiger painting.

[pmcd9]

I saw one of those yesterday and I was so shocked that I asked a total stranger (another shopper) if it was real.  They didn't know either.

Is this thing real JL?

~Paul

[slink]

Ah yes! I do rather like those cases, and they seem to put together a fairly good system, unfortunately I'm at that level of geekiness, that even if I'm after a really stupidly pretty case I have to buy it seperately and all the components likewise! I've tried to deal with this problem, but alas. My doctor won't help me out either!

[CortJstr]

So is that a case and you built the guts yourself, or is that a whole system?

[mwn8989]

its a whole system, and damn is it good lookin, and from what i hear they preform as well as they look

[jough]

Not to knock JLs new toy, but if you want performance and value out of a system (i.e. the most bang for your buck) the AlienWare PCs aren't really the way to go, as you end up paying waaaaaay too much for your computer, BUT if you like the styling and want a machine that's designed for gaming, you probably can't do better - it does come with killer sound and video cards, and while the processor and memory may be a little lacking, at least you get a large and unusual looking plastic case that people will marvel at.  "Is that a real computer?"

And it's bundled with really nice speakers.  But you can get the same hardware (speakers included) by putting together your own system for under $1,500.

So basically you're paying an extra $1,000-$1,500 for the case - whether that's worth it or not is something people have to decide for themselves.

Great review from CNET (I've been researching this because I need a new PC and this looked to be a good deal... at first...):

http://reviews.cnet.com/Alienware_Area_51/4505-3119_7-21109578.html?tag=pdtl-list

In short: great PC (except for the memory - only 256Mb?) but only a 5.6 out of 10 on the value meter. Ouch.  Nice, though.  If I was an avid gamer I'd drop $3,000 on this bad boy.

Plus, there's a 48% negative user review rating.  Even those shitty Dell computers get rated more highly than that (although most of the complaints were about AlienWare's customer service, rather than about the PC itself).

Let us know how you like it in a month, JL.  They're coming down in price by about $400 by the end of the month, so maybe the "Dodge Viper of PCs" will be more viable then.

[jay-ell]

We decided specifically decided not to build our own, having been down that road before, and having decided that what usually happens is we put together a machine for very little cash with the intention of upgrading it later as things break/become outdated/money becomes available, and then we end up with the situation where we have a seven year old computer with a couple grand invested that's never been top-of-the-line.  So we bought the best machine we could afford with the least bundled accessory crap.  We're both hardcore gamers so Alienware was a natural choice -- but I looked into other options first.  

The thing is, we just wanted the box.  No penis, no keyboard, no speakers, nothing.  I priced it all over the web, and other companies won't let you buy a machine without a keyboard and stuff (which is why we have half a dozen keyboards lying around doing nobody any good).  Most companies have a basic model to which you can add features, but Alienware will let you delete accessories to your heart's content, so you don't end up paying for stuff you don't want or need.  

We got a 120 GB hard drive, 3.0GHz Pentium 4, and a GeForce 4 256 MB graphics card, 512 MB of RAM.  There are other nice things (Audigy 2 6.1 sound card, etc.) but those are the basic specs.  We already had a good set of speakers and a 21" flat screen monitor, and we got a good wireless penis at Best Buy.  We also added a DVD-ROM and some software.  We paid less than 2 grand for the whole thing including shipping, which, according to my research, is a pretty good deal.  

Yeah.  It's a sweet machine.  Without a doubt the best computer either of us have ever had.  I'm pleased, and I imagine that feeling isn't going to go away.  

Plus, it looks bitchin'.

[slink]

GeForce 4 256 MB graphics card.

What have you done to me! You made me all jealous seeing as how I've been stuck on a Geforce 2 MX 32MB for too long. I've upgraded the rest of my system but my GFX card was last. I was waiting for the money to get an FX 5900 ultra for Doom3 next year, but alas, I got sick of waiting and decided to get a nice FX 5600 256MB to see me through for a couple of months til I can afford a top of the line one.
Now I just have to wait for it... Gah!

[jay-ell]

After looking through the comments on Jough's link, I do have to say that I got crazy bad service from their credit department.  I don't want to go into the whole story here, but I waited more than a month from the time we placed our order to recieve the machine.  However, after I called to complain (and bitched out some people in the process) they ended up refunding the $144 in shipping costs and sending us a $50 gift card to Best Buy (bringing the total cost of the machine down to $1750).  

In my experience, pretty much any computer manufacturer you deal with (except Apple) is going to dick you around.  I ordered a laptop for my boss from Dell two months ago and I had almost as much trouble and more of a delay with them -- despite the fact that we ordered a prefab  and they have a contract with the statewide university system.  Their NC State Contract rep failed to return my calls and e-mails for over a week; they confused my university with another school in a neigboring city; they delayed processing for 2 weeks because they "needed our tax exemption certificate" (we're not tax exempt); and, when the computer arrived, the one upgrade we requested (to add a floppy drive to the laptop) shipped separately -- they didn't even install it for us.  

Given my experiences with Dell and Alienware over pretty much the same period of time, I have to say that I got shitty service from both companies, and the Alienware machine was much cheaper and much better.  (Granted, laptops are more expensive than desktops, but this one was $3200 and the specs were less than impressive.)  So if you're in the market for a computer and you don't want to build it yourself, just bend over now and save yourself the trouble.  You're going to get screwed one way or the other.

[CortJstr]

I remember fighting about stupid freaking Roxio with every company. Apparently there is no way to buy a machine with a CD burner with having some Roxio/Adaptec piece of crap software getting installed. Plus the fact that nobody will give you an actual nice (read: Plextor) drive anyway.