Is Alienware still good since the Dell takeover?

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Elpie

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#228844 25-Jan-2018 13:18

I'm looking at buying a prebuilt PC, primarily for gaming, and keep coming back to Alienware. I'm hesitant because I've always considered Alienware overpriced and never had a lot of respect for Dell builds. Now that Alienware is Dell I'm even more meh about the whole thing. There's not, however, a whole lot of choice in Canada and I'm not finding much feedback here. Hence, back to trusty Geekzone to ask - is Alienware worth it these days?

I'm looking at spending around the $2000 Canadian mark. Annoyed that I need to buy now, right after all the issues with meltdown, etc surfaced, but needs must.

If not Alienware, what other suggestions? As I said, mainly gaming, some video work, some programming, some other work stuff, but its the gaming specs that are the most important. Ideas? Reasons I shouldn't touch Alienware?

Coil

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#1946555 25-Jan-2018 13:21

"I'm hesitant because I've always considered Alienware overpriced" You got that one right.
They also have poor compatibility with hardware and have very limited upgrade ability.
I wouldn't touch an alienware, I bought a Gigabyte Sabre 15 with a 1060 in it. Runs mint.

*The US models of my laptop seem to stick with the 1050Ti which is cheaper and also a very good card.

michaelmurfy

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#1946557 25-Jan-2018 13:24

I've had some hell dealing with them over an issue. I've also blogged about it. I wouldn't recommend Alienware to anyone.

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Elpie

1304 posts

Uber Geek

#1946559 25-Jan-2018 13:32

michaelmurfy:

I've had some hell dealing with them over an issue. I've also blogged about it. I wouldn't recommend Alienware to anyone.

I vaguely remembered that and kept thinking about it when I was looking at the latest Alienware Aurora.

My problem is that there's limited options for decent prebuilds in Canada and importing from the US isn't an option (customs duties are horrendous). I don't want to do my own build this time around and going to a local shop isn't an option (my French isn't good enough to explain exactly what I want - I'd probably end up ordering toothpaste instead of thermal paste).

So, prebuilds it is. And, if not Dell then who?

Elpie

1304 posts

Uber Geek

#1946562 25-Jan-2018 13:37

Coil:

I wouldn't touch an alienware, I bought a Gigabyte Sabre 15 with a 1060 in it. Runs mint.

*The US models of my laptop seem to stick with the 1050Ti which is cheaper and also a very good card.

Finding good cards is getting harder and harder. Over the past two months any decent graphics cards have almost doubled in price - where they are even in stock. Cryptocurrency mining is taking the market. I wanted a 1080Ti but the last price I was given for one was just over $2,000. If I got one out of the US I was still looking at $1500. It's ridiculous.

Buying all the components, or a complete unit, out of the US is not an option due to the import duties in Canada. I never thought we were lucky in NZ until I came here!

michaelmurfy

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#1946566 25-Jan-2018 13:43

If it is for a desktop build then take a look at the HP Omen series (http://store.hp.com/us/en/mdp/desktops/hp-omen-desktop#!&tab=features) - far better than the Alienware PC's.

Elpie

1304 posts

Uber Geek

#1946586 25-Jan-2018 14:00

michaelmurfy:

If it is for a desktop build then take a look at the HP Omen series (http://store.hp.com/us/en/mdp/desktops/hp-omen-desktop#!&tab=features) - far better than the Alienware PC's.

Thanks. Showing my picky side now - the HP's are more expensive than Dell, even with their current sale on. Also generation 7, compared to Dell's gen 8.

michaelmurfy

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#1946628 25-Jan-2018 14:38

But they're not Dell so it is a win-win! But honestly if your heart is set on the Alienware then don't let me stop you. Maybe support in the US is better.

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Elpie

1304 posts

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#1946810 25-Jan-2018 18:01

michaelmurfy:

But they're not Dell so it is a win-win! But honestly if your heart is set on the Alienware then don't let me stop you. Maybe support in the US is better.

I'm not going with Dell, after re-reading your experience then scouring Reddit for more such experiences. Alienware support isn't handled by the same support as Dell, but its rubbish. Interestingly, the custom builders from the original Alienware, now building killer gaming rigs in Florida, have the same bad customer support rep so maybe its cultural for that company, past and present.

While I appreciate the HP suggestion, it's way too under spec and overpriced for what they're offering. Maybe its different for NZ. Getting recommendations for prebuilds is tough in NZ, I know. Much easier to build your own (or gaming on laptops). But, maybe some other suggestions will come through.

Batman

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#1946838 25-Jan-2018 20:34

you mean building a gaming desktop?

surely there are computer shops that can build you an amazing system for half the price of the Alien (in NZ that would be true)

Elpie

1304 posts

Uber Geek

#1946889 25-Jan-2018 22:07

Batman:

you mean building a gaming desktop?

surely there are computer shops that can build you an amazing system for half the price of the Alien (in NZ that would be true)

Nope, there's not. The Alienware Aurora I was looking at was actually a decent price (under $2000). There's a shortage of components and getting hold of decent graphics cards is becoming really hard. Prices are fluctuating madly, if you can even find cards in stock. For the cheapest GeForce GTX 1080Ti, at $1400 plus taxes, there's a six month backorder. Otherwise, you can pay well over $2000 for the card alone (check out Amazon Canada)

1060 & 1070 cards are also unavailable. There's not even other sellers listings for them on Newegg.

So, it's cheaper to buy pre-built, and also the only way I can get what I want right now.

ratsun81

508 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1946983 26-Jan-2018 08:55

Not sure if you have looked into this already but another option is to jump onto the Nvidia website and lookup battlebox.

They will link to retailers that do pre-builts to spec, which didnt seem too terribly priced.

lxsw20

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#1947009 26-Jan-2018 09:33

Nothing suitable pre built on newegg?

Elpie

1304 posts

Uber Geek

#1947043 26-Jan-2018 11:01

I'm answering myself now.

Alienware has good prices in North America, especially now with RAM, GPU, and some other components pricing going sky-high.

However, the customer service isn't good (understatement if all the forums with complaints are to be believed). Alienware desktops are somewhat upgradeable, but are very limited in expandability.

I just bought: ABS Battlebox Essential Vortex Aries NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Intel i7-7700K (4.2 GHz) 32 GB DDR4 240 GB SSD 2 TB HDD Windows 10 Home 64-Bit ALI122. $1800

That will do me for now.