Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Alienware?
My previous threads have all been about trying to find a solid gaming pc for around $1100, but I looked around scraped together about another $400. So I've been looking around and I've always wanted an Alienware, but when I googled Alienware Good or Bad I found a lot of horror stories so is this a good brand to do this custom order
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&kc=&oc=DPDODZ1
With an upgrade to Radeon 5870
or
Comments
I bought an Alienware machine back in 2008. A couple of hours after hooking it up, the lighting system on the case went screwy. I called up their support department which informed me that I'd need to send the machine back in order for it to be fixed. There was no way I was sending it back after just opening it, especially considering that it'd take between two weeks and a month (or more) for them to return it.
Since the case lighting wasn't going to kill my gaming experience, I stuck with it until two months later when the cooling system stopped working properly and the machine overheated whenever I tried to do...well, anything. Again I was told I would have to send the system back, so I figured this would be a good time to get the lighting fixed as well. I put in a support order to have both issues handled, shipped it out to them, and received it back 3 weeks later with a working cooling system...and lights that were still busted. Whatever, I wasn't going to go another 3 weeks without my primary machine.
Fast forward about 6 months and the motherboard began to give me issues where it wouldn't post. This became a recurring problem and I found myself having to reset the CMOS about once every few months. Eventually it became a monthly issue. Around September last year, it became a daily issue. At that point I said screw it, bought a new machine through ibuypower.com (which was much, much cheaper than what I paid for Alienware), and its been running smooth ever since.
Well, aside from the video cards that I took out of my Alienware machine and put into the new one going bad. I think I left out the whole corrupted RAM issue from the Alienware machine as well, huh?
Moral of the story: Alienware, to me, is nothing but overpriced glitchy hardware and poor customer service. Don't pay for a fancy name when all they are doing is building a machine out of things other people made.
Check out my blog, Adventures in Atys!
I had one before, over-priced and the case was busted on arrival. I now buy all my rigs here and have never been happier. If you have one close to you I highly recommend checking them out.
"Censorship is never over for those who have experienced it. It is a brand on the imagination that affects the individual who has suffered it, forever." - Noam Chomsky
I highly recommend to build your own system, you'd get way more bang for your buck.
Alienware well. . let's put it this way, I've never heard a story from a customer that ended with them frolicking off into the sunset. In their case, you don't get what you pay for. . you pay for a name and an overpriced plastic case.
If you've never built a computer system before, it's okay. It's not rocket science, there's tons of videos all over the internet giving detailed instructions to help beginners snap together their home system. It should take you no more than 2 hours to assemble a computer system.
As for warranties, every component comes with a manufacturer warranty, so don't think you're not covered. If anything, the warranty coverage on each component should be more comforting than some mass produced pre-built manufacturer warranty that you have to pay 100's of dollars to extent over a year from makers like dell. Pretty much all components have atleast a 1 year warranty, mainstream manufacturers have 2-5 year, even lifetime warranties.
i thought about building and then i decided i dont have the experience
ive only opened my case once or twice
Well you can't really blame alienware since dell owns them now. But i would definitely go with Jianyu and buy an ibuypower i have been thinking about buying one from them for a long time i have researched there reliability and it's pretty good and there customer service is supposed to be amazing, i would have bought one recently but spent the money on skis, but I've tried out there customization and you save about $400-1000 on average most i ever got was a saving of $3,000 on a maxed out ibuypower compared to an alienware so there definitely a good deal.
I'm sorry, your post reads like a load of bullshit.
Ibuypower is the exact opposite of customer service and reliability. I wouldn't recommend them to an enemy.
Now with 57.3% more flames!
ive only heard terrible things about them did iBuyPower pay u to say that
alienware was bot by dell so now noth are dell crapy computer!
Build your own, stay away from Alienware....overpriced and poor customer service.
It's ok if you've never built your own system. If you can replace RAM, you most likely can build your own system. It's really not much more difficult that that. Add to that a little research will go a long way to making you proficient enough to build your own.
Sites like newegg.com spell out things for you so that it's difficult to buy mismatched parts and you can always come here and throw some ideas around, ask questions about your possible build, etc.
Einherjar_LC says: WTB the true successor to UO or Asheron's Call pst!
Well I've heard that they've actually gotten better since Dell bought them out, but I still think they are garishly ugly and overpriced. If you absolutely won't build yourself, then just go ibuypower or digital storm, if you got the $ then Falcon Northwest ha!
Allienware is for.
A. people that have way to much money to waste
or
B. people who dont know any better and do not realize they can build the same machine themselves for 1000 less.l
I recommend Cyberpower, it is only a little more expensive than building it yourself, and in return they build it for you to your custom specs. The support is fine, and aside from initial lemon issues with hardware, you don't really need support anyway.
Cryptic is trying a Customer Development approach to MMO creation.
actually an alienware would cost me 60 dollars more than this build (But with a 500gig hd)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4240166&Sku=CP1-I7-920
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5083579&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5233225&csid=ITD&recordsPerPage=10&body=REVIEWS#tabs
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4978986&CatId=89
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4776232&CatId=1842
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5589521&CatId=139
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4307845&csid=ITD&body=REVIEWS#tabs
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5250616&CatId=2533
and a radeon 5870
stop trying to sell me cyberpower and ibuypower they are crap
No i was not payed by ibuypower to say that im just a 16 year old kid who has been looking for a good gaming computer and out of all the online websites I've looked ibuypower seems the best and I've read dozens of review sites and the worst thing i found about customer service was that someone would get a jerk on the phone who wouldn't do anything and all they had to do was call back later and get another customer support person.
Just read your post above this and ok i wont say anything else was just trying to help.
May I recommend newegg if you are going to part and build? otherwise check out digital storm, see what they have to offer you might like.
If you just want to buy I would go with Digital Storm a couple of my buddies ordered from them and have not had any problems. I plan on getting my next pc from them also, to lazy to build one this time
lol
Step 1: Make a thread.
Step 2: Ask for help.
Step 3: Don't listen them.
Step 4: Tell people to stop trying to help.
Step 5: Lose Money.
My two cents, Alienware is crap.... but TigerDirect is worse. At least with Alienware they don't send out tons of DOA and consistantly screw up specs on the parts they sell.
I'm going to buy a projector from them, not because I want to or they are cheap... they are just the only online seller of it and it's the most highly rated projector sub $1500. I would much rather pay another $50 or so to buy from NewEgg or pretty much anyone else, if they had it.
But, you know. If you think the 2 best PC Builders on the market are crap, but you think the most over-inflated PC builder is good and the worst part dealer is good........ then it's your money and your headache, not mine. I've already had my fair share of headaches with TigerDirect.
Like Trading Card Games? Click Here.
I'm sorry, your post reads like a load of bullshit.
Ibuypower is the exact opposite of customer service and reliability. I wouldn't recommend them to an enemy.
I hate to say this but I agree with him. My gaming PC is an iBuyPower which I bought from New Egg. The first time I have ever bought like this to save some money. Though the specks on my PC are fantastic, Ive had some sound issues, freezing issues (which occurred the very first time I tried to update the critical updates with Vista), a USB port that doesnt work. Ive called Ibuypower twice and they are very unhelpful with their tech support giving answers as if you graduated from tech support school, or always referring you back to reinstall everything from scratch. They dont make the time to walk you through things.They dont even come with any user friendly manuals so you understand the components of your PC and what they can and cannot do or be upgraded to.
There Is Always Hope!
So yeah, basically what you can gather from the rambling nonsense on this thread is this:
Build your own computer, it's cheaper and you don't have any extra headaches from 3rd party assemblers.
It's extremely easy, there's no reason to even consider paying someone else to do it for you.
Getting 1 lemon doesn't mean they are a bad company. Bad tech support isn't really excusable, but that doesn't mean their builds are crap.
Like my opinion about Tiger Direct above your post. I didn't just get 1 or even 2 parts DOA or mis-listed. I got a DoA or a mis-listed part about half the time over a period of 2-3yrs using them. But, when you get those mis-listed parts or DOA, they will take it back........ at cost to you. Sometimes, it's going to cost you $50 or more to send them some of the crap back. Not to mention, they try to make out like a DOA or mis-listed part is somehow your fault and try everything they can to get out of replacing it.
I have been using NewEgg on the other hand for about 6-7yrs now. I have ordered probably 10s of thousands of dollars in parts from them and I have only had a handful of broken parts on stuff like cases, but they were all because of UPS and not DOAs. No faulty or catastrophic failure on parts. The few times I've had to contact them, I've received really great and friendly support.
Like Trading Card Games? Click Here.
Got an Alienware for Xmas. No problems at all. Not one.
check this out
http://www.excaliberpc.com/594937/asus-g73jh-a1-17.3-notebook.html
better than the alienware imo
I would never get alienware... overpriced junk, If you know even alittle about a computer you could build your own, get your parts from microcenter, they have great prices and if you have one in your area, have them put it together for you....
Alienware is overpriced. I'm not saying they're not great. Obviously they have a great reputation for their products. Fot you are paying at least a grand for their name. There are many custom PC companies like iBuypower and CyberPC that can do it for half their prices. But nothing beats just building you own if it's a desktop. And yes NewEgg is better than Tiger Direct. I have ordered many parts for over 2 years now and have had no issues. In fact all the parts of this PC I'm on now was all ordered from NewEgg.
Getting too old for this $&17!