Curse

Aracos79 · Nov 19, 2005, 05:28 PM // 17:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by kg_lildude1

nebucanezar obviously you didn't read my price vs quality post because alienware IS not worth it when you can get the same or BETTER computer for cheaper

what really sucks is my school computers run on processors that aren't even on the open market, one the only benefits of DoD schools

My school's computers still run P3's with Windows 98. They aren't even compatible with the new stuff anymore. Kids will come in with projects they put together on their home computers (usually XP based systems) and find out they can't print them out or run them because of the Win98 systems. Highly annoying.

I want to thank everyone for their positive contributions to the thread. I have to say that right now I'm leaning towards just buying a prebuilt. I went to the Alienware website and built a pretty good Aurora system (the Athlon based ones) for about $2200. I saved the specs in a cart while I continue to think it over.

To those of you supporting Dell... me and people I know have just had too many problems with Dell's to take that option very seriously. I want the next computer I buy to last me a good 2 or 3 years without any problems. In my experience, it's just a matter of time before a Dell gives you problems... and it's usually sooner rather than later.

I looked at Falcon Northwest and a couple other places. They looked really good... actually too good. $2000 is really my limit here, and most of the stuff I found on those sites were $3000+. I just can't afford to spend that much on this. Maybe I'll look at that ibuypower site that somebody mentioned.

Obivously this is a large investment for me, and I'm looking for all the input I can. Thanks for the help, and keep the ideas coming.

COunt it If it GoEs · Nov 19, 2005, 05:33 PM // 17:33

my dad went to this computer store, bought all the parts, told the guy to give me the best gaming stuff he had
got home
helped him put it together the whole day[im talking about the wholeee computer, i had a nice flatscreen screen already]
next morning it was running at speeds that was 10 times more then ive expected. happy gaming ever since
so do it urself
its worth it, i dont know the exact cost of mine, but it definetly wasnt 2200 like an alienware

Aracos79 · Nov 19, 2005, 06:21 PM // 18:21

Ok... I've priced a few more options, and it looks like Alienware is not the way to go. For the same price as the Alienware (with no monitor) I can get a comparable Dell XPS 400 (with a 17'' flat panel) or an IBuyPower Athlon (with a 19'' flat panel). As somebody else mentioned though... the IBuyPower system seems a little TOO good to be true. Does anyone else out there have experience with that seller that they'd be willing to share?

Diestro · Nov 19, 2005, 07:19 PM // 19:19

Over the past few years, thing have changed alot on the gaming rig market. There was a time that Alienware was the hands-down best. That time has passed. I'ld put them at least third on the list, maybe fourth. Falcon-Nortwest, VooDoo, and Dell all seem to beat them fairly consistantly these days when you compare the total package of price, performance, and customer service. The one thing they all have in common, and the one thing that will keep me building my own rigs for a long time to come, is pre-loaded software. Rarely can you have a system come pre-loaded with only the OS, and most often the other software they load are worth nothing more than wasting hard drive space. Dell brings along a problem that the others don't (unless this has changed fairly recently), and that's prioritory hardware. Dell was one of the old HP, Compaq,Gateway, etc. prebuild companies that used hardware designed to not be easily upgraded by the user. In some instances it could be impossible, although this may not be the case these days, as user upgradability has become one the most demanded options from computer buyers. If Dell has changed its hardware policies, then they would probably be number one for total value, as you can usually get nice extras at no extra charge, be it bigger hard drives, monitors, increased memory (which is tops for a gaming rig).

Aracos79 · Nov 20, 2005, 01:29 AM // 01:29

After quite a bit more research... I think I have it narrowed down to three vendors:

Alienware
Falcon Northwest
Velocity Micro

Velocity Micro was a name I hadn't heard of until I started poking around CNET's tech review area. Their "DualX" gaming rig got a pretty good review from normally reserved CNET. Granted they reviewed the top-of-the-line model, and I'd be getting something much lower... but it was very encouraging. I like their customization options more than Falcon, and they aren't all about flashy neons like Alienware.

Anyone have any experiences with Velocity Micro they'd like to share? Still craving any and all input.

Old Dood · Nov 20, 2005, 01:35 AM // 01:35

No Experiences...I have read good reviews over the years in PC Gamer Magazine though.

However it is true that Falcon Northwest has seemed to be the best of that bunch...from what I read of course.

twicky_kid · Nov 20, 2005, 01:45 AM // 01:45

go custom built. my computer cost $600 for hardware. same hardware from dell or alien would have been $1500+.

if you have good credit you can get computer parts extremely cheap. you just need to know where to look.

Aracos79 · Nov 20, 2005, 01:57 AM // 01:57

Well one other thing that I'm finding very attractive about Velocity Micro is their warranty. 3 years on parts and labor, plus 1 year of full tech support. And that easily tops both Falcon and Alienware.

nebucanezar · Nov 21, 2005, 07:38 PM // 19:38

kg_lildude1
nebucanezar obviously you didn't read my price vs quality post because alienware IS not worth it when you can get the same or BETTER computer for cheaper

Actually i did. And the part cost breakdown is given to you when you set up an alienwar. you would have known this if you bothered to visit their site. Compare what they charge per part to lets say newegg.com and they are relatively the same. As i myself spent about two weeks comparing prices and warrantee's and parts availability.
now lets see. My geforce has a 5 year as do all parts on my pc which is on site repair service included. I paid around 1800 for mine including norton system works 2005 including the newest firewall and antivirus. My own copy of windows xp pro and all install discs no bundle software. My moniter is a 17 inch sony flatscreen. The only thing that i bought that was expensive was the geforce and the fx 57 wich way outperforms any pentium including dual cores on the market today on any standardized benchmark tests. But all in all it comes down to preferance and that is the bottom line. People can spit numbers at you all day but unless you have actually played on the rig then it doesnt matter. Its all just numbers.

[edit] the fx 57 was around 900 when i bought it but that was not a part of the aurora package it was an upgrade as well as the 7800 geforce.

Xue Yi Liang · Nov 21, 2005, 08:03 PM // 20:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aracos79

Well one other thing that I'm finding very attractive about Velocity Micro is their warranty. 3 years on parts and labor, plus 1 year of full tech support. And that easily tops both Falcon and Alienware.

Think again. It's not just the quantity of warranty to consider - it's the quality. Quantity can always be bought - quality can't.

Falcon NW has the best service in the entire industry, bar none. Their telephone support staff is required to have at least a year experience in assembling PCs. (Typical phone service reps from most other PC makers know less about PCs than you do - they are just given a list of 10 most common complaints and give you the runaround about rebooting or reinstalling to fix problems - they act as a buffer between you and the real techs. A big pain in the neck, if you ask me.)

Also each machine that Falcon builds is allocated one specific technician to take care of the machine. If you have to send it in or have questions you will always get the same person - so he/she is personally responsible for the quality of support. I believe their name tag is included with the machine.

I never owned a Falcon NW machine - but, since I learned all this, it may be my next PC.

Aracos79 · Nov 21, 2005, 08:23 PM // 20:23

I just thought I'd go ahead and close this out and let ya'll know what I decided on. I went with Velocity Mirco. I called them up and talked with one of their reps, and we built my machine exactly how I wanted it. They were very helpful and even financed the rig for me. I was impressed with Falcon, but they just didn't offer some of the options that I was looking for.

Here's what I ended up with:

AMD Athlon XP 64 x2 3800+ Dual Core Processor
1GB of RAM
200 GB hard drive
nVidia GeForce 7800 GTX 256 mb Video Card

It should be here in about 2 weeks, and I'll let ya know how it works out once I get it hooked up and firing. Thanks once again for all the input and advice. One thing is for sure... Alienware IS overrated.

chris_nin00 · Nov 21, 2005, 08:25 PM // 20:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aracos79

Here's what I ended up with:

AMD Athlon XP 64 x2 3800+ Dual Core Processor
1GB of RAM
200 GB hard drive
nVidia GeForce 7800 GTX 256 mb Video Card

Absolutely beautiful!! I could cry!

You should've got a terabyte of gigs. They make those now.

How much is it gonna cost you?

Aracos79 · Nov 21, 2005, 08:38 PM // 20:38

I'm witholding the price for now. When it arrives and I find out if it was worth it I'll tell you what I paid.

chris_nin00 · Nov 21, 2005, 08:39 PM // 20:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aracos79

I'm witholding the price for now. When it arrives and I find out if it was worth it I'll tell you what I paid.

Well, Where's is the fun in that?

Old Dood · Nov 21, 2005, 09:11 PM // 21:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aracos79

I'm witholding the price for now. When it arrives and I find out if it was worth it I'll tell you what I paid.

My guess would be around 2K.

SOT · Nov 21, 2005, 09:14 PM // 21:14

I've had an alienware pc in the other room going on 3 years now and it still runs faster than my newer machine which is a dell. The Dell has more ram, LMAO.

If you wanna spend that kinda money, Alienware is a solid pc investment, but if you wanna have money left over for games and whatnot (like most of us lol) part-it-up yourself. Cheaper, and you learn shit.

Nuff said

j_unit66 · Nov 21, 2005, 09:18 PM // 21:18

ati radeon 850 is a solid card dont spend that extra 1000$ on an overrated pc, u may as well get your brother to put it together for u.

kg_lildude1 · Nov 21, 2005, 10:24 PM // 22:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by nebucanezar

kg_lildude1
nebucanezar obviously you didn't read my price vs quality post because alienware IS not worth it when you can get the same or BETTER computer for cheaper

Actually i did. And the part cost breakdown is given to you when you set up an alienwar. you would have known this if you bothered to visit their site. Compare what they charge per part to lets say newegg.com and they are relatively the same. As i myself spent about two weeks comparing prices and warrantee's and parts availability.
now lets see. My geforce has a 5 year as do all parts on my pc which is on site repair service included. I paid around 1800 for mine including norton system works 2005 including the newest firewall and antivirus. My own copy of windows xp pro and all install discs no bundle software. My moniter is a 17 inch sony flatscreen. The only thing that i bought that was expensive was the geforce and the fx 57 wich way outperforms any pentium including dual cores on the market today on any standardized benchmark tests. But all in all it comes down to preferance and that is the bottom line. People can spit numbers at you all day but unless you have actually played on the rig then it doesnt matter. Its all just numbers.

[edit] the fx 57 was around 900 when i bought it but that was not a part of the aurora package it was an upgrade as well as the 7800 geforce.

what did i pull a prebuilt customized alienware computer price from my ass? of course i've been to their website, and you obviously did not read my post because i selected two prebuilt models and customized them to same specs, to compare actual pricing, of course you can always make your own computer for cheaper, but my post was directed towards tech noobs that buy prebuilt because they have no earthly idea how to make one from scratch

Green Booger · Nov 21, 2005, 11:48 PM // 23:48

i dont care about alienwares, i just like the cases

Aracos79 · Dec 07, 2005, 02:26 PM // 14:26

Ok... I know this is a big time "rez sig" on an old thread, but I promised ya'll the results, so here they are. The price for the whole rig was about $2500. I installed Guild Wars and World of Warcraft last night and was able to run both of them at maxed graphics settings. Oh... and GW still looks better than WoW.

The real test is going to come tonight. I'm going to install Far Cry and see if my new hardware is beefy enough to run that system hog at anywhere near top settings.