Is Alienware good?

[Litargirio]

2 minutes ago, Profoundsoup said:

@don_svetlio is straight up wrecking kids in this thread. Also like @ShadowCaption said, no point in trying to argue with stupid. I will share one of my favorite quotes of all time. “Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.”

We're not arguing. We're having a civilized discussion. Go away.

[don_svetlio]

1 minute ago, Litargirio said:

We're not arguing. We're having a civilized discussion. Go away.

- you sure are salty.

[Dackzy]

1 minute ago, don_svetlio said:

SNIP

nononononononono

BUY A THINKPAD AND BE HAPPY

[Kachunkachunk]

I'm an Alienware M17x R3 owner here. I don't think I'll get another Alienware, but it's not written off as a brand necessarily.

 

The short of what I'm posting below is: Do your reading and research on the system you think you're interested in, regardless of brand. You need to see what kind of issues and behaviors owners are contending with, and see if that's OK to you.

 

And I don't think you really want to get an Alienware unless the brand premium (cost increase) happens to be mitigated in some way, or you are quite problem-averse and really depend on a quick turnaround to solve issues with the system. Their support really is very timely and professional. A lot of other alternative brands will not compete in this space and you could be left system-less for a lot longer than what Dell/Alienware will pull off. Support needs to be a priority for you if you depend on the system day-by-day.

 

You really do get a quality system that Just Works, and is backed well by Dell/Aleinware. But again, do your research and reading! Learn from others before you buy unless you're a resourceful type and like trailblazing through issues.

 

 

Longer story in case you have too much time on your hands:

(Gather around and listen!)

 

The R3 series lineup varies considerably in behavior and upgrade options, like other years. It's the way notebooks are. I can't really speak for their desktops but I imagine it's average or below average in that space, too.

 

More specifically in my case, the GTX 580m in the M17x R3 notebooks are very prone to thermal throttling (at about 83 degrees C, which is very easy to reach, even after blowing out the system and putting it atop a notebook cooler). The chassis design or something else, anyway, was just not good enough to dissipate the heat from this GPU.

 

It was crippling for gaming - you'll get a good run for a few minutes, then it runs like dogshit for a few minutes while voltages are cut to cool the GPU down. I just frankly stopped using the notebook for any intensive gaming anymore. Older titles were maybe fine, or I could cap the framerates and essentially, try to lower the TDP requirements for whatever I'm doing.

 

It worked out as a colossal waste of money (something north of $3000, not counting SSDs and additional RAM down the line - I went almost full-retard on this one during the build selection because... reasons. And money).

 

Reflashing the GPU with altered VBIOS, and adjusting fan curves did not really help much. The latter, by the way, results in an eventual sudden reboot for some folks like me.

Again, more reasons to really do your research and see what Owners Lounge experiences and interests seem to cover. It wasn't long before I eventually did come across all this kind of information.

 

It's pretty specific to this particular laptop, I guess. Dells and Alienwares tend to have some vendor-specific idiosyncrasies around the fan controller or sensor stuff too.

 

As a last resort, swapping out the GPU (or any offending component) for a more efficient/stable one is an option but you're then left with depending on custom driver modifications, sometimes. Again often due to the way these proprietary boards, firmware, or BIOS behave.

In such circumstances, you have to look at making accommodations in your OS. Upon swapping a GPU out for an unsupported one (i.e. not offered as part of the R3 lineup), Windows 8.1 and newer require disablement of driver signing whenever you want to do an install of a modified .inf driver to get it working.

Not to mention, that's $500-600 you could have instead put toward a newer notebook that already had a faster GPU in it (like a desktop-grade 1080) in a thinner, lighter form factor, and other more modern factors.

 

All told, the hardware felt good quality. Reviews were generally good. You need to seek the user experiences and longer-term noise on the product.

 

Beyond the thermal throttling, it was probably the nicest notebook I've ever used! There's indeed a premium that's unnecessary for the majority of types to frequent these forums, though. Maybe arguably for everyone else. I don't think anyone here could tell you that it's absolutely a good idea to get an Alienware, no.

[RxL]

2 minutes ago, ShadowCaptain said:

yeah Shitty Link, they legit threw an expensive camera lens delivery, over the garden fence, and left it outside

finally someone else that actually knows what im talking about with that company im pretty sure they disbanded or liquidated if im not mistaken

2 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

they are also super slow and really expensive, I am clueless about how they do it

yea some companies are ludicrous and i have no idea how they get away with it let alone still be running as a company 

[Dackzy]

Let me put it this way, I would rather have a Alienware than a Asus ROG laptop or a Acer predator.

[ShadowCaptain]

Just now, RxL said:

finally someone else that actually knows what im talking about with that company im pretty sure they disbanded or liquidated if im not mistaken

yea some companies are ludicrous and i have no idea how they get away with it let alone still be running as a company 

 

DHL are wank too

 

DPD are where its at! these guys are fucking pros, it even tells you the name of the driver ,you can call his mobile, and you can track it live!

[Dackzy]

Just now, RxL said:

yea some companies are ludicrous and i have no idea how they get away with it let alone still be running as a company 

Oh PostDanmark is run by Danmark aka the state...

[NumLock21]

When Alienware was by itself then it was expensive, after they got bought by Dell, price has dropped down to reasonable levels. Where it's not too bad. Want a laptop for performance not some entry low end GPU, then Alienware is one of them. The other is their premium support. The non gaming from Dell will be their XPS.

[don_svetlio]

Just now, NumLock21 said:

When Alienware was by itself then it was expensive, after they got bought by Dell, price has dropped down to reasonable levels. Where it's not too bad. Want a laptop for performance not some entry low end GPU, then Alienware is one of them. The other is their premium support. The non gaming from Dell will be their XPS.

XPS, Vostro and Latitude - those are the high end Dell machines

[RxL]

Just now, ShadowCaptain said:

 

DHL are wank too

 

DPD are where its at! these guys are fucking pros, it even tells you the name of the driver ,you can call his mobile, and you can track it live!

Yes DPD is the business in the NW also i always get the same driver on every parcel that is delivered by DPD i should invite him in for a brew next time ha and i haveno quarrels with DHL never had a problem but everyone has their own experience with them mine as it stands for now is second to none up with DPD but ofc DPD is the best

[ShadowCaptain]

Just now, NumLock21 said:

The non gaming from Dell will be their XPS.

Yeah and XPS are decent too, especially laptops!!!

 

I had some XPS gaming laptops in the past too like the m1730

[NumLock21]

Just now, don_svetlio said:

XPS, Vostro and Latitude - those are the high end Dell machines

Isn't Vostro their entry line up. I know Latitude is their business line.

[RxL]

2 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

Oh PostDanmark is run by Danmark aka the state...

as per the state (most countries states) providing trash service nothing new there unfortunately

[don_svetlio]

Just now, NumLock21 said:

Isn't Vostro their entry line up. I know Latitude is their business line.

Vostro is also entry-level Business. Inspiron is the mainstream.

[Dackzy]

Just now, RxL said:

as per the state (most countries states) providing trash service nothing new there unfortunately

good thing that I have UPS, yes they are the best ones here  

[Dash Lambda]

31 minutes ago, don_svetlio said:

Their Vostro and Latitude lines are up there with the ThinkPad series.

I've heard great things about XPS, though I've only really dealt with the Latitude.

 

My old school's elementary robotics team (of which I was basically a coach) was given Dell Latitudes to use, and basically not given anything else for years. They were pretty slow, they didn't have a lot of storage space, their battery life was shit, all that stuff due to being old and not even very high spec'd at the time, but dear god they stood up to a decade of daily use by elementary school children with only one fatality.

[don_svetlio]

3 minutes ago, Dash Lambda said:

I've heard great things about XPS, though I've only really dealt with the Latitude.

 

My old school's elementary robotics team (of which I was basically a coach) was given Dell Latitudes to use, and basically not given anything else for years. They were pretty slow, they didn't have a lot of storage space, their battery life was shit, all that stuff due to being old and not even very high spec'd at the time, but dear god they stood up to a decade of daily use by elementary school children with only one fatality.

Current Latitudes are pretty good

[BuckGup]

They are overpriced, and have sooooooo much bloatware on them and sometimes a custom windows theme that looks horrible. If you want a laptop there are seriously better options.

[ShadowCaptain]

2 minutes ago, SamStrecker said:

They are overpriced, and have sooooooo much bloatware on them and sometimes a custom windows theme that looks horrible. If you want a laptop there are seriously better options.

What bloatware? they come with some utilities such as backup software and stuff to control the lighting and other such stuff, but they come pretty clean

 

Overpriced? in the laptop realm they really arent, they are on par with other high end gaming laptops, sometimes cheaper, sometimes more, but aorund the area

Never seen them have a custom windows theme on and ive owned a few

 

The desktops could be considered overpriced especially compared to a home build but again compared to other prebuilts is about on par

[NumLock21]

2 minutes ago, don_svetlio said:

Vostro is also entry-level Business. Inspiron is the mainstream.

Vostro and Inspiron are part of their consumer line up where they bought some over to their business side, due to its cheap price. Their business line up is the Latitude and Precision.

[BuckGup]

28 minutes ago, ShadowCaptain said:

What bloatware? they come with some utilities such as backup software and stuff to control the lighting and other such stuff, but they come pretty clean

 

Overpriced? in the laptop realm they really arent, they are on par with other high end gaming laptops, sometimes cheaper, sometimes more, but aorund the area

Never seen them have a custom windows theme on and ive owned a few

 

The desktops could be considered overpriced especially compared to a home build but again compared to other prebuilts is about on par

Yeah I was comparing the desktops. The laptops are like every gaming laptop. Expensive, heavy, and thick. 

[PRTI]

This thread is so entertaining i might start eating popcorn again...

 

Muthafucking Savage

[Dash Lambda]

1 minute ago, keNNySOC said:

This thread is so entertaining i might start eating popcorn again...

 

Muthafucking Savage

Corn puffs are better. You don't have to deal with the shells.

[PRTI]

Just now, Dash Lambda said:

Corn puffs are better. You don't have to deal with the shells.

I love corn puffs,but did not know what they were called in English

 

I hate the shells