Alienware or roll my own?

[n00b]

I am considering buying an Alienware Area-51 Enthusiast with upgrades, which
will have the following equipment:

HD : Seagate 120GB 7200rpm EIDE Ultra ATA 100
MB : Intel D875PBZLK
CPU: Intel P4 3GHz 800 FSB
MEM: 1 GB DDR SDRAM PC-3200
VC : ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB w/DVI & s-video
DVD: Pioneer DVR-106 4x DVD+-R/W Drive
CD : Plextor PlexWriter ATAPI
SND: Creative Audigy 2

With the incidentals (floppy, mouse, keyboard, zip, and Windows XP)
Alienware wants $2,628 for this rig.

I can put together a matching system from parts for $2018. Basically the
Alienware would cost me $600 more for the custom cooling, support for 1
year, and a nifty-looking case. There is no monitor included.

Anyone here own an Alienware that can give feedback? I like having control
over what explicit parts go into the system, and saving $600 would be nice.
But there is a lot to be said for it being someone else's fault when your
computer releases the magic smoke.

Thanks.

 

[philo]

I am considering buying an Alienware Area-51 Enthusiast with upgrades, which
will have the following equipment:

HD : Seagate 120GB 7200rpm EIDE Ultra ATA 100
MB : Intel D875PBZLK
CPU: Intel P4 3GHz 800 FSB
MEM: 1 GB DDR SDRAM PC-3200
VC : ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB w/DVI & s-video
DVD: Pioneer DVR-106 4x DVD+-R/W Drive
CD : Plextor PlexWriter ATAPI
SND: Creative Audigy 2

With the incidentals (floppy, mouse, keyboard, zip, and Windows XP)
Alienware wants $2,628 for this rig.

I can put together a matching system from parts for $2018. Basically the
Alienware would cost me $600 more for the custom cooling, support for 1
year, and a nifty-looking case. There is no monitor included.

Anyone here own an Alienware that can give feedback? I like having control
over what explicit parts go into the system, and saving $600 would be nice.
But there is a lot to be said for it being someone else's fault when your
computer releases the magic smoke.

Thanks.

i have to admit that those alienware machines look really great...
but an extra $600 in the bank may look even better...
plus i'm sure you could pick up a pretty nice looking case anyway

 

[Firebird81]

Or Falcon Northwest? Ahh, suddenly the plot thickens....

 

[mcheu]

I am considering buying an Alienware Area-51 Enthusiast with upgrades, which
will have the following equipment:

HD : Seagate 120GB 7200rpm EIDE Ultra ATA 100
MB : Intel D875PBZLK
CPU: Intel P4 3GHz 800 FSB
MEM: 1 GB DDR SDRAM PC-3200
VC : ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB w/DVI & s-video
DVD: Pioneer DVR-106 4x DVD+-R/W Drive
CD : Plextor PlexWriter ATAPI
SND: Creative Audigy 2

With the incidentals (floppy, mouse, keyboard, zip, and Windows XP)
Alienware wants $2,628 for this rig.

I can put together a matching system from parts for $2018. Basically the
Alienware would cost me $600 more for the custom cooling, support for 1
year, and a nifty-looking case. There is no monitor included.

Anyone here own an Alienware that can give feedback? I like having control
over what explicit parts go into the system, and saving $600 would be nice.
But there is a lot to be said for it being someone else's fault when your
computer releases the magic smoke.

Thanks.

How about a compromise.

Head down to your local neighborhood computer shop, and price them out
for a computer that's equipped this way (be very specific about
components).

If you go with an Antec, Dragon, ChiefTec or ChenMing, and a power
supply 400+ W power supply from Antec, Kingwin, or Enermax, you'll
have a case/supply combo that's of comparable quality and appearance
(a year or so ago, it would have been the same case too).

Pick out your keyboard, mouse, OS, and Monitor (you'll probably be
able to find something better than the Alienware offering).

Once all is said and done, even if you specify the components, if the
store builds it, they will usually warranty it. Typical warranties
(at least locally) are 1 year parts and 3 years labour. That way,
you can have someone to blame for any poof incidents. You'll probably
still come in under budget, and most shops will give a slight discount
on the total if it's all bought as one system -- of course that's
between you and the store.

The only drawbacks that I see are:

1. You may need to make some compromises depending on what's in stock
(eg. you might have to go with a beige case, and maybe do with
whatever brands they have stocked).

2. You won't be able to get that bulbous Alienware case (though I've
seen Alien head decals and fan covers at many shops and computer
shows, and the 1040 case variants I noted are identical to Alienware's
yesteryear cases).

3. Total price might not be as good as shopping the parts from
multiple vendors.

4. If you choose the wrong vendor, the company might disappear along
with your warranty. Of course, the same could be said of boutique
vendors like Alienware if enough people start thinking the way what
you're thinking.

 

[Duddley DooRight]

I have never purchased an Alienware computer, but I think they are
definitely overpriced. A lot of retail computers are overpriced. If you
want to price out the parts, I suggest you go to:
www.newegg.com
dont forget to add shipping costs.

The trick here is to know what parts you can get from where so that the
shipping is free. It is the shipping cost which can kill a computer
builder. That is why it is best to get a list of parts together before you
start ordering.

Dell also makes a Gamer Machine. They have a little bit of flexibility as
to what parts you add to it, like video card, memory hard drive, etc.

For $3,000.00 I would expect 2 hard drives and a DVD burner. A lot of new
games will be coming out on DVDs and not CDROMs. You do not really need a
floppy, get a Flash memory reader instead.

I am not too impressed with their cases. I think they look ugly. Antec
makes some nice Sonata Cases wich can have 2 12cm fans which is designed to
cool more efficiently and run quietly. You can not beat an Antec power
supply for their quiet operation and the extremely low levels of heat they
create. Antec just previewed a very beautiful Aluminum Case at Quake Con
which will come out in the Fall. Cheiftec also makes excellent Aluminum
Towers with good ventillation. Their are many others that sell at
www.newegg.com
Thermaltake a CPU cooling company also makes some pretty cases with good
cooling and the popular X Design. Lian Li is another name that comes to
mind which exclusively makes Aluminum Computer Cases mostly in highly
polished aluminum which are quite good and elegant to look at. The selection
is endless at New Egg.

There is always something newer coming out. ATI is working on video card
chips now designed for 8X AGP or PCI Express, which is a faster AGP type of
BUS that Intel will be coming out with in new chipsets pretty soon. Nvida is
not twittling their thumbs either. Might want to read this kind of news at
www.theregister.com
which is a British IT News site. This is a very interesting site from a
European Perspective. They have a very fresh and effervescent sense of
humar in their blunt way of telling it like it is, that is missed in the
American Media Industry.
$3,000 is not that bad depending on what they include. Things like large
monitors and expensive 6.1 speaker systems can push up the price a bit.