Opinions on Alienware Laptops

[theworminator]

Alright, I'm gonna go into mechanical engineering next year. So I'm planning ahead. I can get a Dell M90 (which is a workstation laptop) for like over 3 grand, or I can get a gaming grade laptop from Alienware for maybe 2.5 grand. And this will be for like...probably moderate rendering and stuff. Plus moderate gaming. But the better the GPU, the faster the rendering.

My question is, Alienware laptops, are there any known problems with them? Alienware in general? (And yeah, I know their tech support sucks. But it's still probably better than the main Dell tech support). And compared Alienware to Dell.

Note: I know I should build my own :lol: . But since I need it to work immediately when I get it, I'm buying. And Falcon-NW is too expensive for me. I'm based in Canada.

 

[angry_ducky]

A couple things:

1) It's not worth it to build your own laptop, as it's very time-consuming, and you'll probably spend more money than if you had just bought a Dell.

2) The rendering that you'll be doing... Is it Direct3D or OpenGL? If it's the latter, you'll probably want to go for the Dell, as you'll be able to get one of ATI or nV's workstation cards (ATI FireGL and nVidia Quadro). However, workstation cards, whose drivers are optimized for OpenGL, don't perform very well in games.

3) I've read some very negative stories about Alienware's customer support, especially when dealing with dead computers. So I'd take that into account when you're going to drop a lotta $$$ on a laptop. From what I've heard, Dell's support had been going down recently, but it's still better than Alienware's.

My cousin has a Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop. His CD drive got screwed up by a firmware update (from Dell, ironically), and Dell replaced it free of charge. He was on the phone for 1 1/2 hours, but the problem got resolved. Also, he calls teh small business support, which is supposed to be better than the regular support.

4) For the record, Dell bought Alienware earlier this year.

EDIT: Would you care to post the specs of the two machines you're looking at, for comparison purposes? Thanks

-Ducky

 

[theworminator]

I know about Dellienware . But I think they're operating seperately. But anyways. And it's OpenGL rendering, as it's probably AutoCAD.

M90:
- T2500 (don't know why they haven't upgraded to Merom yet, they might later)
- 2 gigs of DDR2-667
- Nvidia FX 1500m
- 100 gig 7200 HDD
- 17 inch screen
-Win XP Pro
-Price: 2900 CND before tax and shipping

Alienware M5750:
- T7200
- 2 gigs of DDR2-667
- ATI Radeon Mobility X1800
- 100 gig 7200 rpm HDD
- 17 inch screen
- Win XP Pro
-Price: 2600 CND before tax and shipping

(Note, for the Alienware, I can probably bump down the price by moving down the hard drive and to XP Home, as the M90 doesn't have those options)

 

[angry_ducky]

I know about Dellienware . But I think they're operating seperately. But anyways. And it's OpenGL rendering, as it's probably AutoCAD.

M90:
- T2500 (don't know why they haven't upgraded to Merom yet, they might later)
- 2 gigs of DDR2-667
- Nvidia FX 1500m
- 100 gig 7200 HDD
- 17 inch screen
-Win XP Pro
-Price: 2900 CND before tax and shipping

Alienware M5750:
- T7200
- 2 gigs of DDR2-667
- ATI Radeon Mobility X1800
- 100 gig 7200 rpm HDD
- 17 inch screen
- Win XP Pro
-Price: 2600 CND before tax and shipping

(Note, for the Alienware, I can probably bump down the price by moving down the hard drive and to XP Home, as the M90 doesn't have those options)

Judging by those specs, the Dell is better than the Alienware for rendering, whereas the Alienware will beat it in gaming.

EDIT: I think that most universities will only allow computers running XP Pro to connect to their networks. A security thing, I beleive, as Pro has more advanced networking features.

 

[theworminator]

Yeah. I usually game on my Xbox 360 (*dodges random insults*), so gaming isn't the most important. I guess it's a question of if I want to spend over 3 grand on a laptop. Assuming Dell upgrades to Merom, with no increase in price, would it last for 4 years?

 

[Heyyou27]

I'd go for the Alienware.

 

[angry_ducky]

Yeah. I usually game on my Xbox 360 (*dodges random insults*), so gaming isn't the most important. I guess it's a question of if I want to spend over 3 grand on a laptop. Assuming Dell upgrades to Merom, with no increase in price, would it last for 4 years?

It IS possible to get Merom on the M90; look here:
http://www1.ca.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/precn_m90?c=ca&cs=CABSDT1&l=en&s=bsd

For $2887, you get:
- T5600
- 2GB DDR2-667
- 100GB 7200 RPM HDD
- Fancy-schmancy DVD burner (save $70 and change it to a DVD/CD-RW combo drive)
- Quardo FX 1500M
- XP Pro

This looks nice, and it should last you a good 4 years.

 

[angry_ducky]

I'd go for the Alienware.

Did you read any of my posts? Did you even look at the specs of the two machines? The Dell will kick the Alienware's ass in rendering, as it has a Quadro GPU, as opposed to a regular Radeon. The Alienware will win in gaming, but he has a 360, so that's not a priority.

 

[theworminator]

Nice, and I save 13 bucks *grins*. Still over 3 grand for a computer. You get what you pay for I guess, but is it worth it? And will it last all 4 years of undergrad? Because I don't want to upgrade or buy another laptop until end of those 4 years.

 

[crualtortus]

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/ntbkx64sli.asp?v=d

there. you can get a nice ass notebook with dual 7900gtx for $3000. if because it is to expensive because its us dollers then go with a lower model. but dual 7900gtx will dominate games. And your applications, regardless if its openGL.

 

[theworminator]

I'm not sure even Geforces in SLI will match a single Quadro card. Because Quadros are OpenGL optimized, and Geforces are not. Plus the AutoCAD website specifically says that Geforces and Radeons aren't really recommended. Also, it's a Turion processor, which, from my knowledge, is a "tad" bit slower than a Merom. And 3 grand USD is too damn much. I'm already questioning 3 grand CND.

Is Dell the only ones who offer decent workstation laptops?

 

[angry_ducky]

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/ntbkx64sli.asp?v=d

there. you can get a nice ass notebook with dual 7900gtx for $3000. if because it is to expensive because its us dollers then go with a lower model. but dual 7900gtx will dominate games. And your applications, regardless if its openGL.

The only area in which the CyberPower beats the Dell is in gaming. The Dell will eat the CyberPower in OpenGL, CPU-intensive apps (Turion doesn't compare to Merom), and especially in multitasking (Merom=dual-core, Turion=single-core; you do the math).

Plus, the Dell has a faster hard drive and twice the RAM.

 

[angry_ducky]

Is Dell the only ones who offer decent workstation laptops?

HP might also have some nice stuff; I'll check their site.

 

[crualtortus]

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/ntbkx64sli.asp?v=d

there. you can get a nice ass notebook with dual 7900gtx for $3000. if because it is to expensive because its us dollers then go with a lower model. but dual 7900gtx will dominate games. And your applications, regardless if its openGL.

The only area in which the CyberPower beats the Dell is in gaming. The Dell will eat the CyberPower in OpenGL, CPU-intensive apps (Turion doesn't compare to Merom), and especially in multitasking (Merom=dual-core, Turion=single-core; you do the math).

Plus, the Dell has a faster hard drive and twice the RAM.

then make substitutions. it doesnt matter, dual 7900 gtx will destroy anything.

 

[theworminator]

Maybe in a gaming environment (and even then maybe *coughX1900XTXcough*) but in an OpenGL environment, Quadros and FireGLs rule the battlefield.

 

[angry_ducky]

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/ntbkx64sli.asp?v=d

there. you can get a nice ass notebook with dual 7900gtx for $3000. if because it is to expensive because its us dollers then go with a lower model. but dual 7900gtx will dominate games. And your applications, regardless if its openGL.

The only area in which the CyberPower beats the Dell is in gaming. The Dell will eat the CyberPower in OpenGL, CPU-intensive apps (Turion doesn't compare to Merom), and especially in multitasking (Merom=dual-core, Turion=single-core; you do the math).

Plus, the Dell has a faster hard drive and twice the RAM.

then make substitutions. it doesnt matter, dual 7900 gtx will destroy anything.

In gaming, but not in OpenGL applications. Dual 7900s will provide some great gaming, but they will be eaten by a single Quadro in AutoCAD. The Quadro cards have special drivers that are specifically optimized for OpenGL workstation apps.

@Worminator: I looked on HP's website (Canada), but I wasn't able to customize any of the PCs. Look at the bottom of this page, at the "mobile workstations":
http://www.hp.ca/products/static/notebooks/

The nw8440 looks nice, but not as good as the Dell.

 

[theworminator]

Price being put aside, maybe I"m just worried about Dell's infamous tech support and the assembly line's knack to put unwanted software (or spyware) onto computers. Would this affect even the business workstations?

 

[AddictiveHerring]

I'm not even going to read this thread, I am going to say

I think Alienware laptops are way overpriced.

I would actually buy a macbook pro and install windows on it before I bought an Alienware. Actually I think Mac is about to update there macbook lineup if you have 2.5-3 k you can build a kickass fucking mac, then put windows on it.

Take a look at this, A real gaming grade laptop, I think Voodoo makes the best laptops in the world, I would take one over an alienware or a F N W.

http://www.voodoopc.com/system/quotekitchen.aspx?productID=1084

Add 2 gigs of DDR2 120 GIG 7200 rpm HD and A t7600 plus all the standard stuff etc. including the 7600 and whatnot and it comes to about 3 k including the north american shipping Xp pro and a year of overnight shipped service.

These laptops are unparralled the most beautiful computers I have ever seen, the paintjobs are orgasmic. They use only the highest quality components and never cut corners. I don't think you could do better, you can get an ultralight here that will have the juice to do what you want to. Please do yourself a favor and take a look at these. I want one more than anything in the world that is also a laptop. lol.

 

[Heyyou27]

I'd go for the Alienware.

Did you read any of my posts? Did you even look at the specs of the two machines? The Dell will kick the Alienware's ass in rendering, as it has a Quadro GPU, as opposed to a regular Radeon. The Alienware will win in gaming, but he has a 360, so that's not a priority.Do you know why Quadro and FireGL cards cost so much? It's not for this godly performance you're imagining in OpenGL rendering, but for the standards the hardware has to undergo, such as color correctness etc.

 

[theworminator]

Note: I do not want a gaming laptop. I want a laptop that can render AutoCAD, will last me 4 years, and will not turn me into a hobo with it's price. Which rules out Falcon-NW and Voodoo. And Mac's don't have the hardware needed.

 

[theworminator]

Correct colors is also nice :lol:

But yeah, workstation cards ARE optimized for OpenGL, and will function better.

 

[voxel]

The Quadro cards have special drivers that are specifically optimized for OpenGL workstation apps.

Frankly this is BS. In my experience, Quadro cards are rather expensive and slow. What they offer to businesses is certification and compatibility for the extra $500-1000. On Desktop PCs you can download the Quadro drives, modify the INF file and use them with your GeForce 6/7xxx series cards.

Dual 7900gtx would kick ass... check out notebook video card reviews:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3056&guide=Graphics+Card+Guide+2006

My X1400 runs Maya 7/8 fine, but X1600/X1800 or 7900 would be the minimum I'd choose these days.

 

[voxel]

But yeah, workstation cards ARE optimized for OpenGL, and will function better.

Function better yes... I wholeheartedly recommend them for businesses (use them at work), but for home/school use - NO.

Frankly, you could be quite happy with a HP nx9420 (I wanted to buy this for my 3D work - though the M90 was calling my name). Laptops are pretty sh*tty for 3D work anyhow.

 

[theworminator]

So...the Alienware would still provide good performance? While being cheaper? (Hahah, Alienware being cheaper) And too bad the m5750 doesn't come in any other colors.

 

[AddictiveHerring]

lol, that's what happens when you don't even read the thread, but seriously that computer at base price which includes shipping, and includes the canadian prices will beat most other machines of the same price. They aren't economical machines, but they do pack serious hardware and they are decently priced compared to other "gaming grade computers" except the desktops, specially the 24 k gold plated one. The toms hardare computer can't compete with the 24 K 24 K gold voodoo machine lol.