Originally Posted by Marquee Man they need to make cards that you can swap out the core ship and the memory on. So that if you buy a 256mb card you can upgrade later to a 512mb. Or even the Core to. Back in the days you can do that with ATi card. Adding more memory. This way we can get that same detail and FPS with less on upgrading.
1) 2t = gay
2) not enough storage - i must be like uber hardcore cause i know i'd fill 1tb damn quick!
3) FUGLY case - they used to be real deep and shiny - but now they all look mank and pre-fab
4) 2t (slower)
ok, its impressive that theyve managed to do it so damn quickly!
nice hardware, but i really dont like those alienware cases. they look like plastic, its terrible. if they were more metallic looking and less alien looking too id like them. wouldnt buy it though, even if i had the money.
Originally Posted by BlitzenWagon wow that ram is slloowwww.... i have no experience with 2gb of ram but my sandra bench is almost double that with my 2x512s.
God, it seems the trolls come about every time there's an Alienware review about. It's really getting quite old. This just happens to be a sample that Alienware has sent bit-tech. There are different/more options for each particular line of systems that they offer. You can get that system with 4GB of system ram and 2x1GB sticks as well. They have a plethora of options available allowing you to pick from some of the best hardware on the market. The build quality is well above par as well with cable management being better then what most people ever do in their personal rigs (my own included for the time being.) Alienware hasn't built their name because they sell **** products, afterall.
In complete and all honesty, if I could afford one of their high end systems, I'd buy it in a heart beat. Their build quality (yes, I mentioned it before) and technical support are excellent. Quite frankly, I love building my own computers but nowadays, it just seems to be more and more of a headache considering you need to pick out the appropriate motherboard/cpu/memory combo plus graphics, power supply, case, storage device, and so on and so on. It becomes quite a pain in the ass to try and decide what componets you want to buy and Alienware makes it very simple for you.
Some of you are bitching saying "Why would you pay that much money for that system when it's going to be outdated in a couple of months?" But you feel to realize that being on the bleeding edge of technology will cost you a premium whether it's coming from an OEM or you're building it yourself. Sure you might save a little bit of money by building it yourself, but like bigz said, are you going to have the ease and convience of being able to call one phone number and getting all of your problems sorted? I think not. You pay that premium for a reason... they do have employees to pay and investers they need to keep happy by making a profit. When you build a computer for someone, do you charge them just the price of components or do you charge extra? Do you offer 1-4 years of warrenty service and will replace any parts that go out even if the manufacturer's warrenty has expired? I don't think you do. Also, Alienware do offer liquid cooling in their ALX line of computers (also just noticed that it's an option in their Aurora line as well) for those of you that don't know. And besides, what other tower desktop can you walk into a room and instantly know who made it without seeing a brand written across the front?
On to the review itself now... that is simply an awesome rig and I would love to have it sitting under my desk. I do question their choice of ram to send you guys but that's something that's left to their PR guys. If you still have the case, is there anyway you could get a dB reading of the total noise of the computer under full load and idle? That's something that I'd love to see. Also, upon publishing of the article, you can configure the computer at Alienware's website. http://www.alienware.com/intro_pages/fx-60.aspx?source=2598 I received a link (albeit slightly different due to some nice discounts) in my e-mail very early this morning. Good review albeit the reviews seem to get shorter and shorter with each passing. What's the total system boot time with this sucker? What about the bit-tech rig? How about some reboot times as well? Something that would be nice to see in OEM reviews would be the boot times such and those and possible loading times such as the level loading time in Half-Life 2 (it's absoluetly atrocious on my machine at the times being).
Originally Posted by bloodcar God, it seems the trolls come about every time there's an Alienware review about. It's really getting quite old. This just happens to be a sample that Alienware has sent bit-tech.
Why is it that unless you have something positive to say, you're a troll? I just happen to think that pretty much most people on here could, given the money, build a system that would comnfortably outperform that, for less money.
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Originally Posted by bloodcar In complete and all honesty, if I could afford one of their high end systems, I'd buy it in a heart beat. Their build quality (yes, I mentioned it before) and technical support are excellent. Quite frankly, I love building my own computers but nowadays, it just seems to be more and more of a headache considering you need to pick out the appropriate motherboard/cpu/memory combo plus graphics, power supply, case, storage device, and so on and so on. It becomes quite a pain in the ass to try and decide what componets you want to buy and Alienware makes it very simple for you.
How so? Like you said, they have a plethora of options, so you still haev to choose!! FOr instance, I don't see why I should pay all that money for a rig that has 4 sticks of average RAM running in 2T, no matter how fast it is... cos it would only be faster still if they thought about it more.
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Originally Posted by bloodcar Some of you are bitching saying "Why would you pay that much money for that system when it's going to be outdated in a couple of months?"
Never been something I worry about to be honest, but it's just a rip off IMO. Is paying about 1000 more than you need to worth the tech support? If we bought any other product, and then had to pay 1000 to get some after sales service we'd be calling Watchdog, or some other consumer rights show to complain.
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Originally Posted by bloodcar are you going to have the ease and convience of being able to call one phone number and getting all of your problems sorted?
Damned expensive support if you ask me.
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Originally Posted by bloodcar Do you offer 1-4 years of warrenty service and will replace any parts that go out even if the manufacturer's warrenty has expired?
The rig will be obsolete by then, who cares? Let's be honest again... how many people on here still use (as their main rig) the same machine they had 4 years ago? Three? I bet a large chunk of people reading this haven't got a rig that's 2 years old, so what is the big deal about a 4 year warranty on a complete system? When Dixons or Comet try to sell you these "Extended warranties", we all complain and expound about them being a rip off, yet when alianware do it, it's suddenly a fantastic idea that's worth paying a grand premium for.
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Originally Posted by bloodcar I don't think you do. Also, Alienware do offer liquid cooling in their ALX line of computers (also just noticed that it's an option in their Aurora line as well) for those of you that don't know. And besides, what other tower desktop can you walk into a room and instantly know who made it without seeing a brand written across the front?
Depends if you think buying a brand is a good idea or not doesn't it? Also... it depends if you think it's the ugliest thing you've ever seen in your life or not, doesn't it?
I'm sorry.. I just don't get it. Great review and all... yes, it's a fast rig... but does no one else think that case looks really, realy cheap and nasty? Does no one else think that drooling over those CS:S results is pointless when any one of us in here, given the budget, could build a rig that would hand it it's own ass for less money?
I'm sorry if you consider saying anything other than what a great rig it as trolling, but I think it's a rip-off, and considering the cost, not that fantastic either.
Just seems expensive for what amounts to no more than an extended warranty and some marginally neater cables, and then to add insult, stick it in a old chassis and dress it up in a cheap plastic fascade that would be, quite frankly, an embarrassment for anyone other than a 14 year old to have on show.
I guess I'm not part of Alienware's target demographic is all. Like I said, great work in getting a FX60 in a OEM rig so soon... yes, it's fast, and yes it's a great rig... but.. no thanks.
I built a comporable system on Newegg for $5138.51. Of course, you don't get the support and warrantys that Alienware offers. I'd love to have that system.....ooohhhh *drool*
I factored in $250 for the case figuring that, plus some of the extra widgets and accesories would be about $250 or maybe even less.
If you have the money to spend almost 5200 dollars on a self-built comp, there's no reason to spend some more and go for Alienwares with warrantys.
Originally Posted by mattthegamer463 if they were less alien looking id like them.
Catch 22, if they were less alien looking, then they wouldn't be alienware.
I actually like their style of cases...
as mentioned before, they're unique - instantly recognisable, and original. Whereas most other manufacturers just use a standard case from Silverstone and the likes.
Originally Posted by Pookeyhead I'm sorry.. I just don't get it. Great review and all... yes, it's a fast rig... but does no one else think that case looks really, realy cheap and nasty? Does no one else think that drooling over those CS:S results is pointless when any one of us in here, given the budget, could build a rig that would hand it it's own ass for less money?
I'm sorry if you consider saying anything other than what a great rig it as trolling, but I think it's a rip-off, and considering the cost, not that fantastic either.
Just seems expensive for what amounts to no more than an extended warranty and some marginally neater cables, and then to add insult, stick it in a old chassis and dress it up in a cheap plastic fascade that would be, quite frankly, an embarrassment for anyone other than a 14 year old to have on show.
I guess I'm not part of Alienware's target demographic is all. Like I said, great work in getting a FX60 in a OEM rig so soon... yes, it's fast, and yes it's a great rig... but.. no thanks.
No, I think you have missed the point. If you were to go to another system builder and find something with a similar specification for less money, that's a fair comparison. Comparing a DIY computer to a pre-built and saying "I could build that for less myself" is what I'd consider trolling.
I'm being hypothetical here but if you can build that for less, great. If you can build that for less, as well as sell the system brand new for less than Alienware and provide on-site support, along with some form of telephone support (I'm not sure what Alienware's is these days, but most big system builders are 24/7/52).
If you think that you can 'build the same system for less', are you including on-site support and telephone support? That's what most people forget about pre-builds.
I could certainly put the hardware together for less, but I couldn't sell the system for less. Also, where are you planning to buy the two GTX 512's from? Nowhere stocks them.
QFT. And I'd imagine that people with that amount of money to splash out on a rig will be using their time to make more money, rather than to fiddle about with building one themselves.
Also the point about it being outdated in a few months - this is true if you build it yourself or not. It is true of any of the individual components if you choose to buy them seperately. In fact it's a given for any bleeding edge part/system.
Of course it's a fact that when you buy hardware it already is out-dated but what my point and the point of many others is: Paying this much money for a system that's outdated very very soon (1-2 months) is just for those lazy guys.
And don't start yelling at me Bigz but the 24/7/52-support doesn't make up the overpricing of this rig for me. AND if you update your configuration after you bought it, like in 1.5 years, what then with your warranty? Gone I'd say, wouldn't you?
The only thing I really have to agree is the stock thing. You can't just go out and buy 2 GTX 512's and 1 FX-60. But at the end for me it's way overpriced.
I don't quite understand why people keep going on about systems - DIY, store bought or otherwise - being outdated in a matter of months. I think someone even said that the system would be "obsolete" soon.
Given the specifications of the Alienware rig in the review, I seriously doubt that it will be "obsolete" in a matter of months. I currently am running a DIY rig that I built almost 2 years ago, and it runs Quake 4 with reasonable settings. Granted, I can't turn on all the bells and whistles, but the point is that the game is still very playable.
I'd be willing to bet that any computer with two 7800GTX 512 video cards, an FX-60 processor and 2 GB of ram will be able to handle your computing needs for quite some time.
If I had the money and the access to parts, I'd love to put together a system like that. but I enjoy putting things together. If I had the money, wanted to play games with (currently) top of the line hardware, but didn't know a lot about building computers, I'd buy one.
Originally Posted by aon`aTv.gsus666 And don't start yelling at me Bigz but the 24/7/52-support doesn't make up the overpricing of this rig for me. AND if you update your configuration after you bought it, like in 1.5 years, what then with your warranty? Gone I'd say, wouldn't you?
The only thing I really have to agree is the stock thing. You can't just go out and buy 2 GTX 512's and 1 FX-60. But at the end for me it's way overpriced.
It's overpriced and I don't doubt that - I actually agree with you there. I personally wouldn't drop 4.5K on this rig if I had the money to. However, if you can find me a system builder offering a similar configuration for less money, I'm happy to say that it's overpriced for a pre-build.
It's definitely overpriced compared to a BYO, but without comparing to another system builder offering a similar warranty and support package, it's hard to say that it is over priced compared to the competition. If Alienware is a one man band in this particular market, they can charge what they want, pretty much. :)
Originally Posted by Pookeyhead Why is it that unless you have something positive to say, you're a troll? I just happen to think that pretty much most people on here could, given the money, build a system that would comnfortably outperform that, for less money.
As bigz said, people who come on and say "I can build that myself for less" are pretty much trolling. Especially when it just seems to be the same bunch of people saying the same thing each and every review. If you wanna build it yourself for less, well then kudos for you.
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Originally Posted by Pookeyhead How so? Like you said, they have a plethora of options, so you still haev to choose!! FOr instance, I don't see why I should pay all that money for a rig that has 4 sticks of average RAM running in 2T, no matter how fast it is... cos it would only be faster still if they thought about it more.
You don't really seem to understand my point, do you? When buying from a place such as Alienware, the range of products in a hell of a lot smaller then if you were to buy each part yourself. Go hop over to Newegg.com and tell me just how many different 7800GTX cards you see there. Lots. That takes a huge headache out of trying to pick the part you actually want. The ram that use is actually a fairly nice set of ram to boot. The option for 2x1GB isn't currently listed on the website, but I can assure you that you can get it. It really should be on their selection list in the near future.
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Originally Posted by Pookeyhead Never been something I worry about to be honest, but it's just a rip off IMO. Is paying about 1000 more than you need to worth the tech support? If we bought any other product, and then had to pay 1000 to get some after sales service we'd be calling Watchdog, or some other consumer rights show to complain.
Again, it seems to have flew right over your head. Yes, you're paying extra, but you're getting tech support and warrenty work from one place and not a dozen or more with varying warrenty times. At least I know that if I buy a computer from Alienware then I only have to worry about one single, solitary warrenty and not having to dig through a stack of papers if an individual component goes out on me.
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Originally Posted by Pookeyhead Damned expensive support if you ask me.
24/7 Live phone tech support and on site support as well. The money is worth not having to deal with the hassle of troubleshooting and mailing off a part you think might be causing the problem only to find out when the replacement arrives that it wasn't. It's happened.
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Originally Posted by Pookeyhead The rig will be obsolete by then, who cares? Let's be honest again... how many people on here still use (as their main rig) the same machine they had 4 years ago? Three? I bet a large chunk of people reading this haven't got a rig that's 2 years old, so what is the big deal about a 4 year warranty on a complete system? When Dixons or Comet try to sell you these "Extended warranties", we all complain and expound about them being a rip off, yet when alianware do it, it's suddenly a fantastic idea that's worth paying a grand premium for.
Personally, when I buy a rig, at that point in time it is top of the line and I'm normally using that computer for 2, 3, maybe even 4 years before I purchase a new one. Buying bleeding edge may cost a premium, but you're also getting something that's going to last you for quite a while still even though it's long since been antiquated. Hell, until recently, my main rig suited me just fine and I wasn't feeling the need to purchase a new system until the release of Day of Defeat: Source.
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Originally Posted by Pookeyhead Depends if you think buying a brand is a good idea or not doesn't it? Also... it depends if you think it's the ugliest thing you've ever seen in your life or not, doesn't it?
They do have another case, you know? It's really not that bad looking and in fact, I think bit-tech reviewed one of Alienware's systems in their new case.
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Originally Posted by Pookeyhead I'm sorry.. I just don't get it. Great review and all... yes, it's a fast rig... but does no one else think that case looks really, realy cheap and nasty? Does no one else think that drooling over those CS:S results is pointless when any one of us in here, given the budget, could build a rig that would hand it it's own ass for less money?
I'm sorry if you consider saying anything other than what a great rig it as trolling, but I think it's a rip-off, and considering the cost, not that fantastic either.
Just seems expensive for what amounts to no more than an extended warranty and some marginally neater cables, and then to add insult, stick it in a old chassis and dress it up in a cheap plastic fascade that would be, quite frankly, an embarrassment for anyone other than a 14 year old to have on show.
I guess I'm not part of Alienware's target demographic is all. Like I said, great work in getting a FX60 in a OEM rig so soon... yes, it's fast, and yes it's a great rig... but.. no thanks.
I still don't think you understand that when you buy from an OEM, you're not just paying for the parts. As I said earlier, the OEM that you're buying from has to pay it's employees. Do you think that there's going to be people putting your system together for free? I really don't see that one happening. And Alienware pays their employees fairly nicely to boot. They also need to have a profit margin. You know, that thing where you actually make money and don't spend more money then you bring in? Yeah, it's normally a good idea if a company posts a profit. As for other high end OEMs. The cost of the same system is marginally the same. Hell, VoodooPC and FalconNW offer system that far exceed the proce of any Alienware bundle and in all honesty, their cases are fairly ugly as well. I've quite come to appreciate the look of the big alien head and wouldn't mind it sitting under my desk.
And just remember, this system isn't catered to Joe Blow sitting there, they have lines of products that cater to the Average Joe with the Average Joe sized wallet. Remember a few years ago when ALienware started sellign rigs at BestBuy? I do, and I remember all the bitching and complaining done then. "Oh, now EVERYONE will own an Alienware computer and they won't be what they were!" Was along the lines of what was said. Now I don't know if they're still selling through BestBuy as it's been several years since I've been to one, but the point has been made. This system is made for those people who have the money to buy what they want but don't want to go thorugh the hassle and headache of building their own. Did you build your *insert rediculously fast sports cars here* or did you buy it from a dealership? The principle is the same. You can build your own car from the ground up but why bother if you can buy the exact same thing already built? Only the people who thoroughly enjoy building will continue to buy all the seperate components and assemble them when they've all arrived.
Savrow are the worst offenders for overcharging from what I've seen, but any bespoke pc builders will be. there is so little competition and the rich without brains type will happily buy into that sorta thing. anyway, killer comp for sure.
Same components, better case (LL V1000), 3,427 pounds. While Puget doesn't officially ship to England, I'm sure something could be arranged if someone wanted to spend that much money. Also, the folks at Puget would wire up the spare USB headers inside the case, something I noticed Alienware didn't do.
Same components, better case (LL V1000), 3,427 pounds. While Puget doesn't officially ship to England, I'm sure something could be arranged if someone wanted to spend that much money. Also, the folks at Puget would wire up the spare USB headers inside the case, something I noticed Alienware didn't do.
Don't forget import tax, VAT and you won't be far from £4500. (VAT is 17.5% and import tax should bring it up to about 30% including VAT), that takes the price to £4455 plus shipping, which will be rather a lot... I shipped two printers to Taiwan not long ago and that cost me the best part of £60 to ship them. They don't weigh quite the same as a computer with that specification.
Just taking a US to UK conversion shows nothing other than how bad we get it in Rip Off Britain.
:( I think people have completely missed the entire point of this review. The review was done to showcase what Alienware has to offer, not give specific systems details for people to say they can buy it cheaper from somewhere else or build it cheaper themselves.
Lol, this computers are so silly... First of all, you can get the same computer, if not a better one, for well bellow £3000. The solution with four 512mb dimms, what's that about? And the appearance? Well... I'm rooting for VoodooPC.
And, correct me if I'm wrong, I believe the timings are 2-3-2-5 (6?), not 2-3-2-2...
Originally Posted by Big SturL Lol, this computers are so silly... First of all, you can get the same computer, if not a better one, for well bellow £3000. The solution with four 512mb dimms, what's that about? And the appearance? Well... I'm rooting for VoodooPC.
First of all, thanks for reading the thread and not trolling.
</sarcasm>
Find me a configuration link of a pre-built system with that specification and is available to purchase in the UK for less than £3000.
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And, correct me if I'm wrong, I believe the timings are 2-3-2-5 (6?), not 2-3-2-2...
That's a typo, I will correct it - thanks.
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The next person to troll this thread with "I can build the same system for less" without providing sufficient evidence of it being available for purchase in the UK will have their account suspended for a week. I have no problems with people saying this system is overpriced if they can back up their claims. In simple terms, trolls are not welcome on bit-tech's forums.
I hate to have to say this, but people are beginning to take the ****ing piss.
Comments 26 to 50 of 100
It's coming.
1) 2t = gay
2) not enough storage - i must be like uber hardcore cause i know i'd fill 1tb damn quick!
3) FUGLY case - they used to be real deep and shiny - but now they all look mank and pre-fab
4) 2t (slower)
ok, its impressive that theyve managed to do it so damn quickly!
What are the speeds for your ram?
:?
In complete and all honesty, if I could afford one of their high end systems, I'd buy it in a heart beat. Their build quality (yes, I mentioned it before) and technical support are excellent. Quite frankly, I love building my own computers but nowadays, it just seems to be more and more of a headache considering you need to pick out the appropriate motherboard/cpu/memory combo plus graphics, power supply, case, storage device, and so on and so on. It becomes quite a pain in the ass to try and decide what componets you want to buy and Alienware makes it very simple for you.
Some of you are bitching saying "Why would you pay that much money for that system when it's going to be outdated in a couple of months?" But you feel to realize that being on the bleeding edge of technology will cost you a premium whether it's coming from an OEM or you're building it yourself. Sure you might save a little bit of money by building it yourself, but like bigz said, are you going to have the ease and convience of being able to call one phone number and getting all of your problems sorted? I think not. You pay that premium for a reason... they do have employees to pay and investers they need to keep happy by making a profit. When you build a computer for someone, do you charge them just the price of components or do you charge extra? Do you offer 1-4 years of warrenty service and will replace any parts that go out even if the manufacturer's warrenty has expired? I don't think you do. Also, Alienware do offer liquid cooling in their ALX line of computers (also just noticed that it's an option in their Aurora line as well) for those of you that don't know. And besides, what other tower desktop can you walk into a room and instantly know who made it without seeing a brand written across the front?
On to the review itself now... that is simply an awesome rig and I would love to have it sitting under my desk. I do question their choice of ram to send you guys but that's something that's left to their PR guys. If you still have the case, is there anyway you could get a dB reading of the total noise of the computer under full load and idle? That's something that I'd love to see. Also, upon publishing of the article, you can configure the computer at Alienware's website. http://www.alienware.com/intro_pages/fx-60.aspx?source=2598 I received a link (albeit slightly different due to some nice discounts) in my e-mail very early this morning. Good review albeit the reviews seem to get shorter and shorter with each passing. What's the total system boot time with this sucker? What about the bit-tech rig? How about some reboot times as well? Something that would be nice to see in OEM reviews would be the boot times such and those and possible loading times such as the level loading time in Half-Life 2 (it's absoluetly atrocious on my machine at the times being).
Why is it that unless you have something positive to say, you're a troll? I just happen to think that pretty much most people on here could, given the money, build a system that would comnfortably outperform that, for less money.
How so? Like you said, they have a plethora of options, so you still haev to choose!! FOr instance, I don't see why I should pay all that money for a rig that has 4 sticks of average RAM running in 2T, no matter how fast it is... cos it would only be faster still if they thought about it more.
Never been something I worry about to be honest, but it's just a rip off IMO. Is paying about 1000 more than you need to worth the tech support? If we bought any other product, and then had to pay 1000 to get some after sales service we'd be calling Watchdog, or some other consumer rights show to complain.
Damned expensive support if you ask me.
The rig will be obsolete by then, who cares? Let's be honest again... how many people on here still use (as their main rig) the same machine they had 4 years ago? Three? I bet a large chunk of people reading this haven't got a rig that's 2 years old, so what is the big deal about a 4 year warranty on a complete system? When Dixons or Comet try to sell you these "Extended warranties", we all complain and expound about them being a rip off, yet when alianware do it, it's suddenly a fantastic idea that's worth paying a grand premium for.
Depends if you think buying a brand is a good idea or not doesn't it? Also... it depends if you think it's the ugliest thing you've ever seen in your life or not, doesn't it?
I'm sorry.. I just don't get it. Great review and all... yes, it's a fast rig... but does no one else think that case looks really, realy cheap and nasty? Does no one else think that drooling over those CS:S results is pointless when any one of us in here, given the budget, could build a rig that would hand it it's own ass for less money?
I'm sorry if you consider saying anything other than what a great rig it as trolling, but I think it's a rip-off, and considering the cost, not that fantastic either.
Just seems expensive for what amounts to no more than an extended warranty and some marginally neater cables, and then to add insult, stick it in a old chassis and dress it up in a cheap plastic fascade that would be, quite frankly, an embarrassment for anyone other than a 14 year old to have on show.
I guess I'm not part of Alienware's target demographic is all. Like I said, great work in getting a FX60 in a OEM rig so soon... yes, it's fast, and yes it's a great rig... but.. no thanks.
I factored in $250 for the case figuring that, plus some of the extra widgets and accesories would be about $250 or maybe even less.
If you have the money to spend almost 5200 dollars on a self-built comp, there's no reason to spend some more and go for Alienwares with warrantys.
Catch 22, if they were less alien looking, then they wouldn't be alienware.
I actually like their style of cases...
as mentioned before, they're unique - instantly recognisable, and original. Whereas most other manufacturers just use a standard case from Silverstone and the likes.
I'm being hypothetical here but if you can build that for less, great. If you can build that for less, as well as sell the system brand new for less than Alienware and provide on-site support, along with some form of telephone support (I'm not sure what Alienware's is these days, but most big system builders are 24/7/52).
If you think that you can 'build the same system for less', are you including on-site support and telephone support? That's what most people forget about pre-builds.
I could certainly put the hardware together for less, but I couldn't sell the system for less. Also, where are you planning to buy the two GTX 512's from? Nowhere stocks them.
Also the point about it being outdated in a few months - this is true if you build it yourself or not. It is true of any of the individual components if you choose to buy them seperately. In fact it's a given for any bleeding edge part/system.
And don't start yelling at me Bigz but the 24/7/52-support doesn't make up the overpricing of this rig for me. AND if you update your configuration after you bought it, like in 1.5 years, what then with your warranty? Gone I'd say, wouldn't you?
The only thing I really have to agree is the stock thing. You can't just go out and buy 2 GTX 512's and 1 FX-60. But at the end for me it's way overpriced.
Given the specifications of the Alienware rig in the review, I seriously doubt that it will be "obsolete" in a matter of months. I currently am running a DIY rig that I built almost 2 years ago, and it runs Quake 4 with reasonable settings. Granted, I can't turn on all the bells and whistles, but the point is that the game is still very playable.
I'd be willing to bet that any computer with two 7800GTX 512 video cards, an FX-60 processor and 2 GB of ram will be able to handle your computing needs for quite some time.
If I had the money and the access to parts, I'd love to put together a system like that. but I enjoy putting things together. If I had the money, wanted to play games with (currently) top of the line hardware, but didn't know a lot about building computers, I'd buy one.
-monkey
It's definitely overpriced compared to a BYO, but without comparing to another system builder offering a similar warranty and support package, it's hard to say that it is over priced compared to the competition. If Alienware is a one man band in this particular market, they can charge what they want, pretty much. :)
You don't really seem to understand my point, do you? When buying from a place such as Alienware, the range of products in a hell of a lot smaller then if you were to buy each part yourself. Go hop over to Newegg.com and tell me just how many different 7800GTX cards you see there. Lots. That takes a huge headache out of trying to pick the part you actually want. The ram that use is actually a fairly nice set of ram to boot. The option for 2x1GB isn't currently listed on the website, but I can assure you that you can get it. It really should be on their selection list in the near future.
I still don't think you understand that when you buy from an OEM, you're not just paying for the parts. As I said earlier, the OEM that you're buying from has to pay it's employees. Do you think that there's going to be people putting your system together for free? I really don't see that one happening. And Alienware pays their employees fairly nicely to boot. They also need to have a profit margin. You know, that thing where you actually make money and don't spend more money then you bring in? Yeah, it's normally a good idea if a company posts a profit. As for other high end OEMs. The cost of the same system is marginally the same. Hell, VoodooPC and FalconNW offer system that far exceed the proce of any Alienware bundle and in all honesty, their cases are fairly ugly as well. I've quite come to appreciate the look of the big alien head and wouldn't mind it sitting under my desk.
And just remember, this system isn't catered to Joe Blow sitting there, they have lines of products that cater to the Average Joe with the Average Joe sized wallet. Remember a few years ago when ALienware started sellign rigs at BestBuy? I do, and I remember all the bitching and complaining done then. "Oh, now EVERYONE will own an Alienware computer and they won't be what they were!" Was along the lines of what was said. Now I don't know if they're still selling through BestBuy as it's been several years since I've been to one, but the point has been made. This system is made for those people who have the money to buy what they want but don't want to go thorugh the hassle and headache of building their own. Did you build your *insert rediculously fast sports cars here* or did you buy it from a dealership? The principle is the same. You can build your own car from the ground up but why bother if you can buy the exact same thing already built? Only the people who thoroughly enjoy building will continue to buy all the seperate components and assemble them when they've all arrived.
http://www.pugetsystems.com/configgaming.php?parts=10762,11920,3432,2260,2444,8343,614,11911,10566,95,9360,1879,371,2970,1883,159,124,1878,10939,7261&hd1q=2&hd1n=RAID%200
Same components, better case (LL V1000), 3,427 pounds. While Puget doesn't officially ship to England, I'm sure something could be arranged if someone wanted to spend that much money. Also, the folks at Puget would wire up the spare USB headers inside the case, something I noticed Alienware didn't do.
Just taking a US to UK conversion shows nothing other than how bad we get it in Rip Off Britain.
And, correct me if I'm wrong, I believe the timings are 2-3-2-5 (6?), not 2-3-2-2...
</sarcasm>
Find me a configuration link of a pre-built system with that specification and is available to purchase in the UK for less than £3000.
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The next person to troll this thread with "I can build the same system for less" without providing sufficient evidence of it being available for purchase in the UK will have their account suspended for a week. I have no problems with people saying this system is overpriced if they can back up their claims. In simple terms, trolls are not welcome on bit-tech's forums.
I hate to have to say this, but people are beginning to take the ****ing piss.