What's so bad about alienware laptops?

[sicily428]

7 hours ago, MSM_15 said:

Yeah, but what about the cpu, the gpu, psu, etc.

 

I don't think it's possible to buy these parts for laptops

Alienwares are soldered BGA laptops

 

check clevo p750dm2, clevo p775dm3, clevo p870km1, msi 16L13. they have a desktop cpu and a mxm gpu so you can buy and upgrade those parts

 

 

this is a mxm gtx1070

 

thisis a gtx 1080

 

 

here more infos

 

[Amaranth]

59 minutes ago, Falkentyne said:

There are only 2 problems with Alienware laptops.

 

1) the EXTREMELY incompetent and downright sometimes DANGEROUS Dell techs that BREAK stuff in your laptop when they come to your house to service them with the premium warranty.  This is starting to be a big problem if you read notebookreview forums.

 

I don't think they're any better or worse than any other techs (but then I do all of my own work or privately contract someone to do it for me so your mileage may vary if you're going to rely on them more). Personally I've only had one issue with a Dell tech and Dell overnighted me a replacement unit to make up for it so even when they mess up I've found that Dell tries to make the consumer happy.

 

59 minutes ago, Falkentyne said:

 

2) the badly balanced crappy Tripod heatsink design, which causes core temperature differences, which are made worse by improperly sized thermal VRM pads.  Those are the main issues, which usually require you do a repaste and rebalance or bend the heatpipes slightly, or buy and cut some properly sized thermal pads to avoid the balance issue.

Sadly that's not unique to Alienware.

But, yes, the design is imperfect, to say the least, and if you get a bad unit you're either going to have to send it back for a new one or do some work on the laptop yourself/hire someone to do that work for you. Although, just so people don't do something that might damage their laptops, you actually only need to bend one of the tension arms on the heatsink and *not* the heatpipes themselves - iUnlock has a good guide on NBR and soon there will be an even more detailed on his new Liquid Hz forum that just went live.

[Amaranth]

1 hour ago, MSM_15 said:

But I heard they fixed it with the kaby lake models... But I'm not 100% sure about that.

The temperatures are a lot better out of the box now, not as good as if you mod your system and repaste with Liquid Metal but still good, and you don't have to repaste even if you're overclocking - that said, if you're technically knowledgeable enough to do it yourself or can afford to have someone else work on your system it is worth investing some time or money into the laptops to make them run even better.

[sicily428]

6 hours ago, Droidbot said:

It is, for the most part. 

 

Broadwell and later are soldered to the PCB, so you'll need to get a premade mobo or a desktop mobo, like some Clevo chassis. 

GPU is mounted by the MXM socket, and GPUs are quite common for these. Eurocom for example offers upgrade kits for some of their older laptops so they can get them up to speed with the latest GPU upgrades. Machines that came with Fermi GPUs can be upgraded to Kepler 680M, 7970M, etc. 

PSU is just general - 330W bricks are common as well. 

IMHO this is incorrect as hell. 

Alienware is as good as ever. Their laptops feel solid, well built. Ask any reviewer or owner. 

The 'Alienware is shit' is just almost a meme at this point. 

 

Their machines run cool, are easy to maintain, and you can upgrade your machine in the future quite easily. 

The mid-2013 Alienware 17 can be upgraded with a fucking 1070, and yet '''lol no upgrades'''

Please make some research before talking about alienware

old alienware (17x r3, 17x r4, 18x r2) had a mxm upgradable gpu but new alienwares don't have a upgradable gpu. they have soldered cpus/gpus

here a review of an alienware 17 r4 made by iunlock

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/alienware-17r4-15r3-disassembly-repaste-guide-results.797373/

 

this is the mobo

 

Soldered GPU

 

nowadays only clevo and msi make gaming laptops with a mxm gpu

[sicily428]

3 hours ago, MSM_15 said:

Right now, I can get an Alienware laptop that has i7-7700k, gtx 1070 and 120Hz screen for $1690!!

i don't think so

i7-7700k is a desktop cpu. alienwares use soldered mobile cpus

[sicily428]

11 hours ago, MSM_15 said:

Well, are there any good alternatives? (120Hz is a must for me)

this has a 120hz display

http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-clevo-p775dm3-g-custom-built-gaming-desktop-replacement-laptop.html

 

desktop cpu +mxm gpu

 

 

 

 

[Droidbot]

3 hours ago, sicily428 said:

-snip-

nowadays only clevo and msi make gaming laptops with a mxm gpu

Shit, really? Thanks for the info. 

 

 

[Amaranth]

57 minutes ago, Droidbot said:

Shit, really? Thanks for the info. 

 

 

 

Most of their stuff is still soldered and the stuff that isn't is primarily hybrids (a soldered CPU with a MXM GPU). The main issue is that Intel isn't making LGA laptop CPUs anymore so unless you're making a system that with at least some desktop parts you won't have any non-BGA options.

 

And if you want something 14" or smaller there aren't any LGA options (the closest you'll get is a 15" model from MSI, or a rebrand of the same thing, and that's bulky in it's own right).

[Droidbot]

54 minutes ago, Amaranth said:

 

Most of their stuff is still soldered and the stuff that isn't is primarily hybrids (a soldered CPU with a MXM GPU). The main issue is that Intel isn't making LGA laptop CPUs anymore so unless you're making a system that with at least some desktop parts you won't have any non-BGA options.

 

And if you want something 14" or smaller there aren't any LGA options (the closest you'll get is a 15" model from MSI, or a rebrand of the same thing, and that's bulky in it's own right).

Yeah, CPUs have been soldered only since Broadwell. 

 

And there was never LGA laptop CPUs, only PGA (pin grid array, like AM4) 

 

Clevo offer a chassis with a LGA1151 socket and a GTX1050Ti (S o l d e r e d, AaaaAAAAa), as well as their high end desktop replacement machines with dual MXM sockets. 

 

This is why I own my current laptop, it's PGA based and CPUs are cheap as hell (when they come up, I want a 3740QM and they're always $200+ if they're available)

 

Tell me something I don't already know, friend.

Edited July 22, 2017 by Droidbot

[genexis_x]

13 hours ago, MSM_15 said:

I hear a lot of people saying that Alienware laptops are bad, but they don't give a good reason for why they're bad.

 

But there wre some reasons I heard for why they are bad:

 

-Overpriced (I don't think it's overpriced anymore. Especially with the new models)

-Thermal issues (This issue was know with the sky lake models, but I heard they fixed it with the kaby lake models)

 

-Bad customer service (other brands have this same problem. also, this isn't a big problem to me.)

 

Can someone explain why people don't like Alienware laptops?

 

Because, I might be getting one with a 120Hz screen. I have tried looking for other laptops, either they're actually overpriced or have a pretty bad design.

Who the hell said that Alienware is bad

 

They're just overpriced compared to other competitors. However build quality is excellent.

 

Thermal issues occurs in most laptops with powerful hardware if you didn't do some tweaking.

 

Alienware is under Dell, Dell support is solid.

[Pendragon]

lol okay who the fuck still thinks Alienware is overpriced has 0 idea how to purchase electronics. firstly, if ur buying at MSRP you're an idiot. Sorry. Just a fact. Dell also has combinations of the most disgusting deals that all stack with each other as well as dell outlet for sick deals all the time. you combine a few cash back online referral sites + newsletter discounts + haggling the shit out of the dell rep and you can get sick deals all the time. 

[sicily428]

6 hours ago, Amaranth said:

 

Most of their stuff is still soldered and the stuff that isn't is primarily hybrids (a soldered CPU with a MXM GPU). The main issue is that Intel isn't making LGA laptop CPUs anymore so unless you're making a system that with at least some desktop parts you won't have any non-BGA options.

 

And if you want something 14" or smaller there aren't any LGA options (the closest you'll get is a 15" model from MSI, or a rebrand of the same thing, and that's bulky in it's own right).

There are still Laptops with a Intel LGA Cpu

 

this is a list of laptops 15"/17" with a lga cpu:

-clevo n350w

-clevo n650du

-clevo w650kj1

-clevo w650kk1

-clevo n850kp6

-clevo p750dm2

-clevo p775dm3

-clevo p870dm2

-clevo p870dm3

-clevo p870km

-clevo p870km1

-msi 16L13

[poop_987]

15 hours ago, sicily428 said:

this has a 120hz display

http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-clevo-p775dm3-g-custom-built-gaming-desktop-replacement-laptop.html

 

desktop cpu +mxm gpu

 

 

 

 

Sounds good! Is it a good idea to buy it from their website?

[sicily428]

4 minutes ago, MSM_15 said:

Sounds good! Is it a good idea to buy it from their website?

yes, Hidevolution is a really good reseller. It is a prema partner and makes the cpu delidding

 

[poop_987]

I just found this laptop with a gtx 1060, i7-7700HQ and 120Hz for $1400

 

Is it a good deal?

https://m.newegg.com/products/9SIA8S159T9298?cm_re=Eluktronics_Pro-X-_-9SIA8S159T9298-_-Product

[sicily428]

14 minutes ago, MSM_15 said:

I just found this laptop with a gtx 1060, i7-7700HQ and 120Hz for $1400

 

Is it a good deal?

https://m.newegg.com/products/9SIA8S159T9298?cm_re=Eluktronics_Pro-X-_-9SIA8S159T9298-_-Product

It is a clevo p650hp6. yes, that is a good laptop IMO

http://forum.notebookreview.com/media/p650hp6-g-full-view.1564/full?d=1486531063

[poop_987]

Is the gpu upgradeable on this laptop?

http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-p950hp6-custom-built-gaming-laptop-w-nvidia-gtx-1060.html

[sicily428]

8 minutes ago, MSM_15 said:

Is the gpu upgradeable on this laptop?

http://www.hidevolution.com/evoc-p950hp6-custom-built-gaming-laptop-w-nvidia-gtx-1060.html

this is a list of gaming laptops with a mxm upgradable gpu:
-clevo p750dm2

-clevo p750dm3

-clevo p775dm3

-clevo p870dm2

-clevo p870dm3

-clevo p870km

-clevo p870km1

-msi 16L13 (eurocom tornado F5/ evoc 16L-G-1080)

-msi gt62vr 6rd

-msi gt62vr 7rd

-msi gt62vr 6re

-msi gt62vr 7re

-msi gt72vr 6rd

-msi gt72vr 7rd

-msi gt72vr 6re

-msi gt72vr 7re

-msi gt73vr 6re

-msi gt73vr 7re

-msi gt73vr 6rd

-msi gt73vr 7rd

-msi gt83vr 6re

-msi gt83vr 7re

-msi gt83vr 6rf

-msi gt83vr 7rf

 

Other gaming laptops use bga gpus so not upgradable

 

[poop_987]

1 minute ago, sicily428 said:

this is a list of gaming laptops with a mxm upgradable gpu:
-clevo p750dm2

-clevo p750dm3

-clevo p775dm3

-clevo p870dm2

-clevo p870dm3

-clevo p870km

-clevo p870km1

-msi 16L13 (eurocom tornado F5/ evoc 16L-G-1080)

-msi gt62vr 6rd

-msi gt62vr 7rd

-msi gt62vr 6re

-msi gt62vr 7re

-msi gt72vr 6rd

-msi gt72vr 7rd

-msi gt72vr 6re

-msi gt72vr 7re

-msi gt73vr 6re

-msi gt73vr 7re

-msi gt73vr 6rd

-msi gt73vr 7rd

-msi gt83vr 6re

-msi gt83vr 7re

-msi gt83vr 6rf

-msi gt83vr 7rf

 

Other gaming laptops use bga cpus so not upgradable

 

Wow! Thank you so much for the help!

[poop_987]

But where can I find these mxm gpus?

[sicily428]

6 minutes ago, MSM_15 said:

But where can I find these mxm gpus?

MXM GPU Resellers in the world

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/mxm-gpu-resellers-in-the-world.804197/

[sicily428]

18 minutes ago, MSM_15 said:

Wow! Thank you so much for the help!

you are welcome

[Imglidinhere]

On 7/22/2017 at 0:50 AM, Pendragon said:

lol okay who the fuck still thinks Alienware is overpriced has 0 idea how to purchase electronics. firstly, if ur buying at MSRP you're an idiot. Sorry. Just a fact. Dell also has combinations of the most disgusting deals that all stack with each other as well as dell outlet for sick deals all the time. you combine a few cash back online referral sites + newsletter discounts + haggling the shit out of the dell rep and you can get sick deals all the time. 

You know, I hear this all the time, but no one ever shows a video of what you should say, how you should say it, what references you should make and what comparisons you should use, because any time that I've ever attempted to haggle down the price I get told a flat "Welp that's the price, sir, Sorry I can't help you." and then I get hung up on. The only videos that are shown are people... doing something to an older model. There's nothing on the newer machines... Also... really, exactly what deals are you referring to? Because any laptop that I have to go out of my way to find deals for to make it affordable enough to purchase, versus something a good few hundred cheaper with the same specs and equal cooling, is not worth anyone's time.

 

If it's an overclocker's dream, they should list that, not market it to people who have no idea and effectively scam people with garbage products. You can't use only the 1% of positive cases out of the full list to show off how hard you can push a laptop after modifying the cooling and spending tens of hours tweaking a $1700 system. Sorry but that's a poor argument. When somebody pulls any product out of the box, especially a PC, noone should have to tweak ANY settings for it to run within spec without throttling... and that's not just an opinion, that's an irrefutable FACT. 

[Pendragon]

10 hours ago, Imglidinhere said:

You know, I hear this all the time, but no one ever shows a video of what you should say, how you should say it, what references you should make and what comparisons you should use, because any time that I've ever attempted to haggle down the price I get told a flat

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/aw-dell-ordering-advice-how-to-save.456885/

^ life skill. there are a dozen other threads on nbr show casing people getting deals from reps. 

 

10 hours ago, Imglidinhere said:

Also... really, exactly what deals are you referring to? Because any laptop that I have to go out of my way to find deals for to make it affordable enough to purchase, versus something a good few hundred cheaper with the same specs and equal cooling, is not worth anyone's time.

 

this was the base price. ebates had 20% on dell. signup for newsletter got you 10% off first purchase. haggling with the sales rep got you anywhere from an additional 5-10% off. 

[Pendragon]

11 hours ago, Imglidinhere said:

Because any laptop that I have to go out of my way to find deals for to make it affordable enough to purchase, versus something a good few hundred cheaper with the same specs and equal cooling, is not worth anyone's time.

well thats up to whoever wants to purchase it to decide. some people hate money. 

 

11 hours ago, Imglidinhere said:

When somebody pulls any product out of the box, especially a PC, noone should have to tweak ANY settings for it to run within spec without throttling... and that's not just an opinion, that's an irrefutable FACT. 

All batches of CURRENT alienware KABY lake laptops are fine. does not throttle at stock. 

 

Side note. When I get back from work I'll post my convo with the sales rep to prove how some people can get deals.