Alienware Alpha

[Matt_Twinkletoes]

so my cousion wants to get a pc, she doesn't want to build one either. so I saw the Alienware alpha for 500 US dollars and I looked at the specs and it was pretty good for 500, it says it's a console what exactly is it?

[RichardsD]

It's a small form factor PC running Steam's OS.  Its' specs are certainly not too bad for the price.

[SIGSEGV]

It's pretty good, it's a small PC running SteamOS that has bluetooth and support for Xbox wireless controllers. I'd say it's pretty good.

[Matt_Twinkletoes]

It's a small form factor PC running Steam's OS. Its' specs are certainly not too bad for the price.

so I'm not sure if there is a wireless card in it. can she buy a usb one and would be good? and I also read you can upgrade the ram to 8gb once you've purchased it.

[ForsakenLive]

Depending on what's she going to be playing. The GPU on it is a mobile one (GTX 860m), so you are expecting laptop performance here.

[Matt_Twinkletoes]

Depending on what's she going to be playing. The GPU on it is a mobile one (GTX 860m), so you are expecting laptop performance here.

she plays potato games like nosgoth csgo and gmod.

[ForsakenLive]

she plays potato games like nosgoth csgo and gmod.

Then it's fine

[cheeze_tartz]

It's a small form factor PC running Steam's OS.  Its' specs are certainly not too bad for the price.

 

 

It's pretty good, it's a small PC running SteamOS that has bluetooth and support for Xbox wireless controllers. I'd say it's pretty good.

No, the Alpha runs WIndows 8.1. it's just a regular desktop PC in a small form factor.

[cheeze_tartz]

The Alienware Alpha is a descent PC for $500. You can upgrade the CPU if you would like, but sadly, not the GPU. (Since it gets outdated the fastest). You can use the included Xbox 360 Controller or use a Keyboard and Mouse. The base model actually ran Crysis 3 on High at 35+ FPS.

[cheeze_tartz]

so I'm not sure if there is a wireless card in it. can she buy a usb one and would be good? and I also read you can upgrade the ram to 8gb once you've purchased it.

It comes with a wireless card

[Kyuubixchidori]

The Alienware Alpha is a descent PC for $500. You can upgrade the CPU if you would like, but sadly, not the GPU. (Since it gets outdated the fastest). You can use the included Xbox 360 Controller or use a Keyboard and Mouse. The base model actually ran Crysis 3 on High at 35+ FPS.

Its equal to a 750ti, and is on sale for 400$.

It has a PCI based WiFi card, so down the road op can always just get a external GPU. More complicated but a 750ti level machine for 400$ is crazy

[Kyuubixchidori]

I know that she doesn't want to build one, but she could literally build a PC for 2/3 of that price, and although it might be more bulky and such, it will give her a lot better performance. Just let her know. 

Im buying this tomorrow, can you please elaborate how you could build a pc for close, let alone cheaper?

[Kyuubixchidori]

An Alienware Alpha is a SteamOS running machine that retails currently for $550. If you really want me to go into depth, I can give you a PC part list that can run Windows 8.1 for that exact same price that can kill the Alpha. Respond back if you would like the list. I'm happy to help. 

Im literally about to order one, as they are on sale for 400$. if you can kill one by all means go for it. 

[Kyuubixchidori]

 

-snip-

so wait, slower cpu, slower gpu, and more expensive? please elaborate

[Matt_Twinkletoes]

Didn't mean to post that three times - sorry, my computer acted up

an i3 is still better then an Athlon

[Kyuubixchidori]

I'm not quite sure what you mean - the Alienware Alpha is running a 3rd-gen i3 at 3.3GHz on the Alienware website. It costs $499.99 on the Alienware website. The 650 Ti Boost outperforms the 860M in benchmarks and performance, although it is not as fast. The quad-core AMD design outpreforms the Dual-Core Intel design. I don't know where you saw $400, but I looked on Amazon, Newegg, and even Cowboom and saw nothing. I do not want to argue here - you may be right. I am just stating what I know.

its a sale right now, check the hot deal section. promo code drops it to 399. the 860M is modified, if you check benchmarks it blows other 860Ms out of the water. its on par with a 750ti. 

 

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/227/AMD_Athlon_X4_760K_vs_Intel_Core_i3_i3-4130T.html

 

the I3 is marginally better. but you can swap in any 1150 socket CPU. so it opens the door to really any intel chip

[Kyuubixchidori]

I do see your point, and you have proven me wrong for the most part. I am just a sucker for more cores however - I really take advantage of them when editing and running complex programs. If you're just going to be using this computer for Steam games however, an i3 should be good. I will admit, if the Alpha is really on sale for $400, that's a pretty damn good price for the specs. I'm just a fan of building PC's and more cores, but I use my PC for rendering buildings, and drawing designs and such. Thanks for the input on the Alpha - I think I know what to get my brother for his birthday!

well when this bad boy gets a desktop I7, it will a be a beast you can hold in your hand. 

 

and yeah its no problem, I love to talk it out, because I cant mess up a 400$ purchase. Ill be stuck with this as my PC for a while, and want to make sure its the right choice

[Matt_Twinkletoes]

Dual-core sub 3.5GHz is better than quad-core sub 4.8GHz? Please explain.

when did clock speed matter? and hyper threading helps right? pretty sure this speaks for itself that a Pentium G3258 at stock beats the x4 860k