Opinions on Alienware laptop?

vectra

Just wondering what these are like lads?
my son is on about buying one that he can use for college and a bit of gaming.
This one he is looking atM15x
Cheers

x in the city

a 'bit' of gaming. :rolleyes::rolleyes:


its a good laptop, no doubt. but a wee bit over priced, and i dont think you can play games properly in such hi res on a screen that small.

I find it a bit expensive.

x in the city

vectra wrote: »

Just wondering what these are like lads?
my son is on about buying one that he can use for a bit of college work and for gaming.
This one he is looking atM15x
Cheers

FYP..!

Quandary

I'm looking at the same laptop myself

if you can afford it I would definitely go for the GTX460M graphics card as it is streets ahead of the standard one that comes with the machine.

Nice laptop, but im thinking Alienware are a bit overly expensive!

vectra

x in the city wrote: »

FYP..!

Actually no.
You MMP

What I posted was what i meant.
if it were for gaming ONLY or MOSTLY as you put it then it would be a gaming PC I would build for him which is another option as he has his Netbook for college work which is perfectly fine.;)

vectra

Quandary wrote: »

I'm looking at the same laptop myself

if you can afford it I would definitely go for the GTX460M graphics card as it is streets ahead of the standard one that comes with the machine.

Nice laptop, but im thinking Alienware are a bit overly expensive!

Indeed.
Somebody was saying to go for a Dell XPS as it is almost identical.?
Is this true?

Personally i would prefer he build a PC instead

Quandary

vectra wrote: »

Indeed.
Somebody was saying to go for a Dell XPS as it is almost identical.?
Is this true?

Personally i would prefer he build a PC instead

I have been looking at whats on offer from Dell at the moment and the XPS line seems to be fading away a bit from what I can see. The XPS laptops dont offer fantastic graphics card options anymore. Dell are trying to shift any gaming customers over to buying Alienware.

I agree, building your own desktop will pay off if you shop smartly but you can't beat the convenience of having a gaming laptop

I used to build all my PC's, but I lost my enthusiasm for tweaking and over-clocking so I took the plunge and started buying gaming laptops instead!

I know your upgrade options are very limited with laptops but as long as you get the right set up from day one, it should last about 2.5 or 3 years at least!

It's ALL about the graphics card. If I were u I would break the bank to get a good graphics card as this is what will give you a bit of future proofing when it comes to gaming!

Best of luck, and let me know what u end up going for!

Quandary

Here is a laptop GPU list list grouped in order of performance. Quite handy to know exactly what the card your buying is capable of!

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html

vectra

So, Is there a gaming laptop you would suggest?

Quandary

vectra wrote: »

So, Is there a gaming laptop you would suggest?

I have been looking at a few US sites like

http://www.v3gamingpc.com/notebooks.html

The plus side is ya get a really hi spec model for less than the price you would pay for a Dell or other local equivalent, and thats including expensive shipping costs from US to Ireland.

The downside of course, is the after sale support. My last 2 gaming laptops have been Dell models and I have been delighted with the support and the performance.

My positive past experiences with Dell is telling me to stick with what I know, but my greed for more value is making me consider other options

In my honest opinion the M15x Alienware model with GTX460M graphics card is a happy medium when you take everything into account - performance, after sales support, price (at a stretch ) and quality of laptop.

Im torn between that and taking a chance on a US custom gaming laptop like what is offered by the above website!

Jumpy

I have an M17x and its brilliant. But it weighs a goddamn ton.

Bloody thing is made out of metal.

Quandary

Jumpy wrote: »

I have an M17x and its brilliant. But it weighs a goddamn ton.

Bloody thing is made out of metal.

Haha, they're a big lump of kit alright but then again, they do perform to the same level as some hi spec gaming desktops!

What graphics card setup did u go for, if you dont mind me asking?

Jumpy

THe only option I had was either a single or Crossfire HD 5870s, I went for just the one.

demanufactured

Alienware laptops are not the same machine they were when "Alienware" built them , they are flashy looking dells...ie, Cheap generic parts....and WAY overpriced.

Overheal

if he wants to game tell him to build a lan-box. a full PC in the space of a shoebox.

shuffles03

What about an Origin laptop? www.originpc.com

The original Alienware execs setup Origin after the Dell takeover. They believed that the boutique aspect was now gone.

MackDeToaster

Are those Origins a Sager/Clevo reseller ? Try Kobalt in the UK for a closer crowd, I hope to get a G170 from them soon once the Sandy Bridge start shipping properly.

BizzyC

MackDeToaster wrote: »

Are those Origins a Sager/Clevo reseller ? Try Kobalt in the UK for a closer crowd, I hope to get a G170 from them soon once the Sandy Bridge start shipping properly.

Dont go to kobalt. Their machines get good reviews but their service and build times are unbelievably bad.

My dealing with them lasted 5 months... 3 months waiting for my machine and then 2 months waiting on my refund.

Quandary

BizzyC wrote: »

Dont go to kobalt. Their machines get good reviews but their service and build times are unbelievably bad.

My dealing with them lasted 5 months... 3 months waiting for my machine and then 2 months waiting on my refund.

Really? Ive been considering them too recently and was hoping. To come across someone who hasd dealt with them. They seem to use pretty good equipment in their builds, what was. Your main problem apart from the scandalous wait times for your build? Also how log ago did you buy a kobalt machine?

MackDeToaster

I've heard they've sometimes been crap alright, but apparently they've gotten some new people in who seem to be really on the ball. I've picked this up from the forums at notebookreview.com but I suppose I'll soon find out for myself :eek:

BizzyC

My issue was only settled in February.
Placed the order in October.

Spent months getting various, and sometimes conflicting, excuses from them as to why my machine was delayed. On each occasion I was only made aware of delays after the deliver date expired and I had to enquire where my laptop was.

Even after I was promised a refund, it was a month until they processed the refund, another month until I actually got my money back.

Without a doubt, the worst company I have ever dealt with.

Quandary

BizzyC wrote: »

My issue was only settled in February.
Placed the order in October.

Spent months getting various, and sometimes conflicting, excuses from them as to why my machine was delayed. On each occasion I was only made aware of delays after the deliver date expired and I had to enquire where my laptop was.

Even after I was promised a refund, it was a month until they processed the refund, another month until I actually got my money back.

Without a doubt, the worst company I have ever dealt with.

Its a shame to hear about the bad experience you had, I wonder have they improved at all because they have some great options, especially in their laptops! I'm interested in getting a 15.6" laptop and was hoping to get as powerful a graphics card as possible and haven't really come across many places that do specs as high as Kobalt do!

BizzyC

I'd definitley still go down the sager/clevo route though.

Got myself a Sager 8120 from the US instead of the Kobalt one.
Thing is a beast and a really good value for the parts used.

colm21

alienware laptops always looks so dam good but the only problem is that they are really expensive. i would only consider getting one if your a real hardcore gamer.

Quandary

BizzyC wrote: »

I'd definitley still go down the sager/clevo route though.

Got myself a Sager 8120 from the US instead of the Kobalt one.
Thing is a beast and a really good value for the parts used.

I was looking at a few US sites alright, how long did it take Sager to get your machine together and delivered to you from the date you ordered it?

Also are you happy with the build quality?

shuffles03

Yeh, Origin are Clevo. It's more the customer service that catches my eye about them. Even the little things like your system being shipped in a wooden crate. I like the personal touch. My only gripe with them is the look of the machines. If they could look something like Alienware ie an in-house design it would be the perfect package in my eyes.

shuffles03

Although I would really love an Alienware system, I've heard so many problems with system failures and poor customer service. I like the idea of a system being built just for me - kind of like how Falcon Northwest and Origin do etc.

shuffles03

I don't like the way Alienware has now become a conveyer belt system.

BizzyC

Build time was quick, only problem is that you cant use an Irish CC to pay.
I didn't get international shipping though, had it collected over there and carried back.
Once i had sorted the payment, the machine was at the delivery address a within a week.

I haven't had a single issue with it yet. Drivers needed some updating when I got it, but apart from that the machine is a beast and has been running smoothly.
Definitely the best machine I've used to date.

The other advantage of the Sager/Clevo route is that everything is pretty much upgradable.

Sephiroth_dude

Have a look at the rock laptops there nice.