Alienware Laptops: Why the Hate?

[Bootskii]

First of all, I know why their desktops suck, but I'm interested in the laptops. And please don't tell me to just build a desktop. I know they're more powerful, but I need mobility.

 

I hear people complain about Alienware laptops all the time, but the only real reason I've heard so far is that they're overpriced. After less than 10 minutes of research, I find the cost:performance ratio pretty much the same as any other gaming laptop, and sometimes less expensive. Customer reviews are above average.

I've owned a Dell before (not an Alienware) and the customer service is better than HP's, and especially better than MSI's (I've owned 3 laptops, one from each respectively mentioned brand), and that 2009 laptop is still alive and kicking. So if the build quality reflects any other Dell, then it's nothing to worry about. My dad's video production company has 2 Dells that are almost 20 years old and refuse to die, and they still have my 2009 machine running smoothly.

 

So, what am I missing? Do they have bad longevity? That's one aspect I'm having a hard time finding.

[HPWebcamAble]

I think Alienware laptops are fine as far as gaming laptops go. Who said otherwise?

[DarkBlade2117]

I don't know about you but MSI in my experience has fantastic Customer Service.

Personally I just hate the way they advertise Alienware laptops and what they are "hyped" to do and all that.

Dell? I honestly can't compare Dell and Alienware even though they are technically the same company. I'd have much more respect for someone with like a Lenovo Y70 or a Dell XPS then some shotty alienware laptop though that is me.

[tt2468]

6 minutes ago, DarkBlade2117 said:

I don't know about you but MSI in my experience has fantastic Customer Service.

Personally I just hate the way they advertise Alienware laptops and what they are "hyped" to do and all that.

Dell? I honestly can't compare Dell and Alienware even though they are technically the same company. I'd have much more respect for someone with like a Lenovo Y70 or a Dell XPS then some shotty alienware laptop though that is me.

Not only is alienware overhyped to people who are new to pc gaming, it is way overpriced. Alienware is one of the main reasons console peasants, i mean PLAYERS think pc gaming is so expensive. It's because they give you an i5 cpu for $2000. Any of their pcs can be made with the same specs for at least $50 cheaper. Don't even get me started on their indian tech support. I have a dell r220, and not even the business tech support was worth anything. Dell tech support is COMPLETELY worthless.

[exercutor5]

22 minutes ago, tt2468 said:

It's because they give you an i5 cpu for $2000

I cannot find any evidence of them currently charging an i5 for $2K.

 

22 minutes ago, tt2468 said:

it is way overpriced

And from these few words, we definitely can tell you haven't been doing much research.

[tt2468]

3 minutes ago, exercutor5 said:

I cannot find any evidence of them currently charging an i5 for $2K.

 

And from these few words, we definitely can tell you haven't been doing much research.

im wrong then

[Bootskii]

OK, so, if Cost:Performance is the same as everyone else's (if anything, it's actually a little cheaper), then we're left with the annoying hype (which doesn't matter in the end), and mixed results with customer service.

 

What about build quality and longevity? I know it's crap for their desktops (apparently they cheap out on motherboards), but we're dealing with laptops. Who has personal experience with owning one for a long-ass time?

[exercutor5]

1 minute ago, Bootskii said:

OK, so, if Cost:Performance is the same as everyone else's (if anything, it's actually a little cheaper), then we're left with the annoying hype (which doesn't matter in the end), and mixed results with customer service.

 

What about build quality and longevity? I know it's crap for their desktops (apparently they cheap out on motherboards), but we're dealing with laptops. Who has personal experience with owning one for a long-ass time?

My Alienware 14 is still kickin ass since 3 years ago. It's display overclocked to 90Hz.

[Bootskii]

1 minute ago, exercutor5 said:

My Alienware 14 is still kickin ass since 3 years ago. It's display overclocked to 90Hz.

Thank you  I'm looking at a 15 myself. What would be your biggest complaint?

[exercutor5]

1 minute ago, Bootskii said:

Thank you  I'm looking at a 15 myself. What would be your biggest complaint?

The weight, and the noise of the fans, but regarding the noise of the fans, it may just be the 14 itself as it only has one fan for both the CPU and GPU.

[Bootskii]

9 minutes ago, exercutor5 said:

The weight, and the noise of the fans, but regarding the noise of the fans, it may just be the 14 itself as it only has one fan for both the CPU and GPU.

Yeah, it's hard to find a laptop less than 17" with quiet fans. Not too much of an issue with me personally. Thanks for your input!

[Ho0pz4sho]

Alienware laptops used to be stupidly expensive. Especially when they were pretty much the only ones on the market that were actually doing massive advertising for their laptops. As long as people bought their laptops, there was no reason to decrease the price.

 

Nowadays, the story is different. They've pretty much lined up with the competition. Basically, both of their top models are rated in the top 10 gaming laptops on NotebookCheck. When talking about high-end gaming laptops, the decision usually just comes based on user preferences.

 

Some people are Apple fanboys, some are Razer fanboys and some are Alienware fanboys. And although Apple and Razer are still shit, Alienware got out of the shithole when Dell bought them. ^^

[Mark77]

Nothing wrong with Alienware-brand laptops from Dell.  The problem is with "gaming laptops" generally.  In a nutshell, the problem with gaming laptops is that you pay top dollar for components which can't possibly, on account of the form factor, match their "desktop" counterparts.  And once you've paid this extra money, you still suffer poorer performance/battery life on account of the nature of the form factor.  And of course, expensive repair parts compared to more commonly mass-produced "business" counterparts.

 

Gaming laptops aren't terribly interesting for gamers who want top performance and framerates.  They're not interesting to those who want maximum battery life, price economy, and portability.  So who are they really attractive to?  That's why I would suggest that people don't tend to think too fondly of Alienware, a brand name synonymous with gaming laptops. 

[Ho0pz4sho]

5 hours ago, Mark77 said:

Nothing wrong with Alienware-brand laptops from Dell.  The problem is with "gaming laptops" generally.  In a nutshell, the problem with gaming laptops is that you pay top dollar for components which can't possibly, on account of the form factor, match their "desktop" counterparts.  And once you've paid this extra money, you still suffer poorer performance/battery life on account of the nature of the form factor.  And of course, expensive repair parts compared to more commonly mass-produced "business" counterparts.

 

Gaming laptops aren't terribly interesting for gamers who want top performance and framerates.  They're not interesting to those who want maximum battery life, price economy, and portability.  So who are they really attractive to?  That's why I would suggest that people don't tend to think too fondly of Alienware, a brand name synonymous with gaming laptops. 

You pay top dollar for mobility. Not for components. That's what desktop maniacs don't really understand. You can't pack your desktop pc + monitor + whatever the fuck else you have connected in order to use it, and travel every week/month. And I'm not even talking about moving from country to country. Just moving as a whole. From room to room, house to house, city to city. Wherever the fuck you need to go, you can always take your laptop with you.

 

Effectively, all you need in order to play games on a laptop is a power outlet. There's no need to talk about battery life, because desktops are ALWAYS plugged in and you're fucked if there's a power outage and you don't have an external PSU. Except maybe the graphics card (which is probably going to change with the new 10xx generation) there's no real difference between gaming desktops and laptops, hardware wise.

 

Ofc, the prices are higher because the entirety of the hardware is packed in a 2-4 kilogram case. With the latest developments (eGPU docks) it's going to be easier now to transform a laptop into a desktop, without losing the mobility when you need it. However, you'll never be able to transform a desktop into a laptop.

[asd360]

I don't understand how people so strongly believe that alienware is a pile of BS. Personally, I own an Alienware 17 R3 running a 6700HQ, and a GTX 970M. The performance of these parts is amazing, and I LOVE being able to MOVE ABOUT MY HOUSE  and ACTUALLY GO PLACES. All that you can complain about is the weight (at seven pounds, this is NO lightwieght). Their support has been amazing, answering all of my questions and I have yet to have a single problem with either Dell (my sister's XPS 13 had an audio problem) OR Alienware's tech support and RMA. To be honest, I could have cheaped out and bought a 15 but wth Yolo. My point here is, Alienware gets so much hate and I really dont know why because you could do WAY worse than to buy an Alienware.

 

BTW: A small problem is that this is a POWER HUNGRY BEAST, if you want to use it without plugging it in, you need to be on POWER SAVER EVERYTHING.

[D2ultima]

Alienware's hate, as some people said a little here, is baseless.

 

ALL gaming laptops get hate from people extrapolating knowledge from somewhere near 2005. NOBODY does research on new models and replies ABOUT current models. Ever.

 

Alienwares used to be extremely expensive, but they offered *THE* most options available for laptops. Ever. Their BIOSes (especially the unlocked ones from svl7) allowed the absolute most options. Overclocking was right in your BIOS. You could use a MUX switch to switch from iGPU-only (best battery life), Optimus/Enduro (compromise of performance + battery life; dGPU is a number cruncher and iGPU runs all displays) or dGPU-only (all options restored in NCP and CCC; custom resolutions/refresh rates possible, desktop recording with shadowplay possible, no performance loss or compatibility issues with Optimus/Enduro, etc etc). You could slot in any MXM 3 card from a GTX 260M to a GTX 880M and it'll boot without issue. No BIOS updates etc necessary. Even the M17x R1 had a 880M shoved into it and it booted without problems. It was THE upgrade-able machine. Best out of the box cooling. Most features. They were in a class of their own. Did they deserve their ridiculous price tag? I don't think so. But sometimes you could get them with pretty big discounts ($1000 or so discount was commonly reported), and I'd say they were worth that.

 

What now?

 

Well nVidia tried getting more power in their drivers, and it screwed over the older Alienware machines. Especially in SLI. People with 120Hz panels reported being unable to boot on newer drivers, people got black screens installing, people with SLI got garbage throttle performance even at stock, etc. All sorts of bullshit went on. They've been fixing things, however let's be honest: it took about a year and a half for everything to be fixed. It was too long to wait for some people, and they were basically the only affected manufacturer.

 

And while this was going on, Alienware decided to cut out EVERYTHING that made them special. No MUX switch, no unlocked BIOSes, no 120Hz options, Optimus-only solutions, soldered CPU and soldered GPU, no ability to buy the unlocked soldered CPU (skylake gen; 6820HK) without selecting the 4K panel (at least for the 15" model), etc. All sorts of crap. Are they inherently that bad machines? Not the AW17 R3/AW15 R2 models. The AW17 R2 and AW15 R1 had HUGE throttling issues and those machines should be avoided by EVERYONE. They gave up on fixing those throttling issues, even, and just released the skylake models like it was nothing.

 

Are they the best? Nowhere near it. Are they the worst? Not even close. Are they the cheapest? No, that goes to Clevos rebranded by Sager. Are they worth a buy? That's more up to you than not, however as far as I can see the market, no. They need to try harder.

[Hamako]

What I like about Alienware is that you are not only getting a gaming laptop, but also a very good laptop in most other regards. Granted, the bigger ones are quite thick and heavy, so you probably won't use them as your daily driver anyway, but that doesn't diminish the fact that most models (obviously not all) have a great build quality with easy serviceability, very decent keyboards, good displays and are generally just a joy to use. The smaller models even have decent battery life. I've played around with a few Alienwares, but I myself only own a M11x R3 at the moment.

 

Back in the old days when Netbooks reigned supreme, it was one of the hottest machines around. (no pun intended) Every kid dreamed of one I also wanted it desperately. I bought mine for well over 300 pounds last year, which is fairly steep IMO. Nevertheless, a good M11x is essentially more of a collectors model at this point, so I didn't really care. I collect a bunch of laptops and I have been reserving a spot for the M11x for years.

 

Anyway, the M11x really blew me away in terms of general quality. (even the hinges are really good) It was very easy to take apart and spare parts are still relatively easy to find. (unlike MSI and Clevo) I even upgraded the display to an IPS display. Don't get me wrong, I had a MSI in past and currently also own a Clevo, and they are both brilliant machines in their own regards. I don't have extensive experience with the newest Alienwares, but you can't really go wrong with them.

 

The problem with most pc gamers is that they are blinded by specs. I don't blame them. After all, that's essentially what you have to look out for when building a desktop. Looking at specs and using those to compare price to performance ratios etc. They don't usually worry about the quality of the screws or the quality of the plastic used on the tongue of a USB port, just to pick two extreme examples.

 

However, as any non-gamer laptop-enthusiast will know, laptops are not only about specs. In fact, there are users (like me), who don't give a damn about specs. I'll happily go with the slowest Core i3, 2GB of RAM and a 32GB SSD and pay 2000$ if the rest of the laptop is amazing. I'm getting off-topic here, and I am aware that a gaming laptop obviously needs decent performance, otherwise it's completely useless, but the point I'm trying to make is that the value of a laptop can't be measured by its specs or performance alone and that Alienwares aren't as overpriced as people think.

[D2ultima]

44 minutes ago, Hamako said:

What I like about Alienware is that you are not only getting a gaming laptop, but also a very good laptop in most other regards. Granted, the bigger ones are quite thick and heavy, so you probably won't use them as your daily driver anyway, but that doesn't diminish the fact that most models (obviously not all) have a great build quality with easy serviceability, very decent keyboards, good displays and are generally just a joy to use. The smaller models even have decent battery life. I've played around with a few Alienwares, but I myself only own a M11x R3 at the moment.

 

It was very easy to take apart and spare parts are still relatively easy to find. (unlike MSI and Clevo).

 

The problem with most pc gamers is that they are blinded by specs. I don't blame them. After all, that's essentially what you have to look out for when building a desktop. Looking at specs and using those to compare price to performance ratios etc. They don't usually worry about the quality of the screws or the quality of the plastic used on the tongue of a USB port, just to pick two extreme examples. However, as any non-gamer laptop-enthusiast will know, laptops are not only about specs.

 

In fact, there are users (like me), who don't give a damn about specs. I'll happily go with the slowest Core i3, 2GB of RAM and a 32GB SSD and pay 2000$ if the rest of the laptop is amazing.

Ironically, as I said just above, your knowledge is a bit outdated. This kind of attention and solidness pretty much ended at the AW17 R1 and AW18 time. They've made a COMPLETE 180 with what they offered and their features.

 

Clevo you say?

 

Specs aren't everything. Build quality, cooling, sturdiness, etc are all things. What I think people actually do however, is not only expect that once the specs hit a machine it obviously is going to work properly (because OEMs are SO good at making sure the customer is #1, right?), and put a huge importance on everything being super lightweight. I.E. basically defying the laws of physics. If everyone would just understand that super lightweight & thin machines should use weak hardware to keep cool, everything would be fine.

 

I think you're exaggerating a little bit there, though. There's no way on this planet I would ever pay $2000 for an i3, 2GB of RAM and a 32GB SSD no matter how amazing the rest of the machine is.

[DankLord]

I did a lot of research a while back and I think they are pretty good. I think the main reason for the hate is that they don't take in the build quality and functionality. Some would say they are too thick but that is due to the large cooling system. They are also priced around the same price as other brands, I think this hate just stems from their general reputation. 

[Hamako]

16 hours ago, D2ultima said:

Ironically, as I said just above, your knowledge is a bit outdated. This kind of attention and solidness pretty much ended at the AW17 R1 and AW18 time. They've made a COMPLETE 180 with what they offered and their features.

Like I said, I don't have extensive knowledge of the newest machines, but despite losing some of their gaming roots, they are still pretty good laptops overall. I am hesitant about upgrading from my Clevo to a newer machine, because I'd also be losing the MXM card unless I go with the models with desktop CPU. However, times are changing, and soldered components are becoming the norm. Nowadays, soldered isn't too bad, as GPU's don't die as easily anymore (remember 2003-2007?) and I never ended up upgrading my GTX675MX anyway. YMMV.

 

16 hours ago, D2ultima said:

I think you're exaggerating a little bit there, though. There's no way on this planet I would ever pay $2000 for an i3, 2GB of RAM and a 32GB SSD no matter how amazing the rest of the machine is.

Obviously, I just wanted to make it clear that specs are not everything.

 

16 hours ago, D2ultima said:

Specs aren't everything. Build quality, cooling, sturdiness, etc are all things. What I think people actually do however, is not only expect that once the specs hit a machine it obviously is going to work properly (because OEMs are SO good at making sure the customer is #1, right?), and put a huge importance on everything being super lightweight. I.E. basically defying the laws of physics. If everyone would just understand that super lightweight & thin machines should use weak hardware to keep cool, everything would be fine.

I have no idea what you are trying to say.

[D2ultima]

5 minutes ago, Hamako said:

I am hesitant about upgrading from my Clevo to a newer machine, because I'd also be losing the MXM card unless I go with the models with desktop CPU. However, times are changing, and soldered components are becoming the norm. Nowadays, soldered isn't too bad, as GPU's don't die as easily anymore (remember 2003-2007?) and I never ended up upgrading my GTX675M anyway. YMMV.

 

Obviously, I just wanted to make it clear that specs are not everything.

 

I have no idea what you are trying to say.

I understand the not wanting to upgrade feel. However, regardless of how much manufacturers want to make disposable the new norm to save $$, it doesn't mean it's good for consumers. It's also less about "I want to upgrade" and more about "if something dies, I don't need to replace the entire laptop". Which is what happens now. There's a guy on NBR whose 970M died just out of warranty and he has to buy a new machine entirely now, instead of just getting a card and replacing that. But I guess if all someone wants is to keep a machine for a year then sell and upgrade to a new one, it doesn't matter much.

 

Yeah I get it. But a littttle less exaggeration next time

 

I'm trying to say that people don't really consider "specs only" for laptops; but more that they assume "if a laptop has X specs, then regardless of its physical parameters, it will perform perfectly, because OEMs won't release something that doesn't work perfectly", and that people put the most importance on whether a machine is small and/or looks & feels good to the touch, rather than considering the parts that matter aside from specs (build quality, sturdiness, cooling, modularity, ease of access for parts to clean/repaste/etc, etc). And that that's the real problem. I've never noticed someone actually hunt specs ALONE for a laptop.

[Hamako]

That guy could have just bought a new mainboard instead of buying an entirely new machine.

 

8 hours ago, D2ultima said:

I'm trying to say that people don't really consider "specs only" for laptops;

 

OK I get it now. Obviously not all people do, but the impression I have gotten from this forum is that almost all people who aren't actual laptop enthusiasts do in fact only hunt for specs.

[D2ultima]

4 hours ago, Hamako said:

That guy could have just bought a new mainboard instead of buying an entirely new machine.

 

 

OK I get it now. Obviously not all people do, but the impression I have gotten from this forum is that almost all people who aren't actual laptop enthusiasts do in fact only hunt for specs.

New mainboard is essentially a new machine, though. CPU is a few hundred $$. GPU is a few hundred $$. Both are attached to the motherboard, which is a few hundred $$. Buying a new mainboard is in essence buying a new machine. Sure you can re-use RAM and storage and the chassis, even, but a newer model might very well cost similar prices to a motherboard replacement, and might just be better overall. Plus, it's a replacement on an out-of-warranty machine; the new parts aren't going to be under warranty, so if anything dies again shortly, he'd have literally wasted many hundreds of $$.

 

Yeah I maybe could have explained myself better. But no, the original reason I stopped posting here for quite some time is because EVERYBODY seemed to have $1000 (in whatever currency they happened to be in) and expected to get great performance with good cooling and build quality. And it ended up with a crapton of people recommending Lenovo Y50s because cheap + decent specs for the price. And anybody with more $$ would be hunting Razer blades or MSI GS series etc, and telling them to get something SLIGHTLY thicker/heavier that'd keep them much better would have me getting nearly slain in the comments. Budget = "specs pls". Little bigger budget = "I want thin & light + long battery and I don't care if the machine otherwise performs like garbage, because it's a laptop".

 

Etc etc. I've been around many places other than here, though. I might be mixing in other experiences. But generally anybody who I DON'T find on NBR has exceedingly warped ideas of what laptops are good and bad. Mainly from articles praising Razer Blades and ASUSes.

[Hamako]

11 hours ago, D2ultima said:

New mainboard is essentially a new machine, though. CPU is a few hundred $$. GPU is a few hundred $$. Both are attached to the motherboard, which is a few hundred $$. Buying a new mainboard is in essence buying a new machine. Sure you can re-use RAM and storage and the chassis, even, but a newer model might very well cost similar prices to a motherboard replacement, and might just be better overall. Plus, it's a replacement on an out-of-warranty machine; the new parts aren't going to be under warranty, so if anything dies again shortly, he'd have literally wasted many hundreds of $$.

I mostly use business laptops so spare parts are abundant and cheap. That's one of the downsides of gaming laptops.

 

11 hours ago, D2ultima said:

Etc etc. I've been around many places other than here, though. I might be mixing in other experiences. But generally anybody who I DON'T find on NBR has exceedingly warped ideas of what laptops are good and bad. Mainly from articles praising Razer Blades and ASUSes.

Yeah I agree. I haven't been active on NBR for a very long time though. Not sure how things are going over there at the moment.