I have almost too much experience with Alienware. And my advice would be ... please reconsider your options.
Alienware went through some major upheavals recently. The company was sold, and afterwards, was moved to a new location.
The combination of the two events has made communication between the different departments almost non-existent.
The technical support department has been staffed with individuals who aren't actually technicians ... they are promoted salespeople. I talked to one woman who wasn't sure what a floppy drive looked like. I swear. She had to pull up a picture of one on her computer in order to (with help from another "tech") identify the component.
The salespeople, for the most part, are unable to take down an order correctly ... and can't spell. Or keep track of their files. My file is probably still laying on Chris Olsen's desk, buried under his lunch, and a ton of other files he never bothers to read. Chris is head of the Sale Department. Very polite ... and very full of it. Excellent lip-service, if you are into that sort of thing.
The warranty company is a running joke, and the last conversation I had with the CEO of the company led me to believe that he is still in the process of attempting to find a third-party who at least knows how to return a phone call. Competence being a distant second priority on the list.
I have spent so much time on the phone with this company that I actually have the home phone number of the CEO, just in case something else goes wrong with my current machine over the next 3 years. Now ... imagine what you might have to go through with your computer in order to reach this point with any manufacturer. How many people order a Dell, and end up with Michael Dell's phone number, just to get warranty work performed?
The machine I am currently running was assembled, as a warranty replacement, by the head of the technical support division, Roland Poitevien. The computer wouldn't boot when it arrived ... because he had configured both of the two hard drives as slaves. There was supposed to be intensive testing done on the computer before it was shipped ... I'm still trying to figure out how he managed that feat. Someone should also tell him how to plug in the power leads on the mainboard ... he had that screwed up, too.
This was after he told me that this machine had been assembled as a review machine, as if it was being sent to a magazine like Maximum PC, or another third-party, for a national review. They took pictures, to use it as reference model. But it wouldn't boot. Almost funny, huh?
This is my fifth computer from Alienware. Three of them have been sent back. One replacement was shipped to a guard post in Massachusetts, was signed for, and disappeared. It took me two days to convince these morons that I live in North Carolina, and didn't know a soul in Massachusetts. They also sent a replacement monitor to somewhere in Arizona.
I could site dozens of incidents concerning Alienware, and the incompetence of the people who work there. I know at least ten of them by name, and could send you a list of who to avoid. It's that bad.
This is the bare facts ... on my honor. Hell, call and ask for Roland. I expect that the sound of my name will make him blanch. The feeling is mutual. You couldn't pay me to ever deal with them again. Just the thought makes me feel nauseous. I had to call them (not including the calls to the warranty company) 47 times over a three month period to finally get some help with my last computer, which was dead in the water. That's right ... <i>47</i>. I documented the calls, who I talked to, and what was discussed.
As for the issue of the P4 vs the Athlon ... there's tons of information about this, all over the Net. There's enough on this forum alone to keep you reading for several hours. Take it all in ... and decide for yourself.
But if you want my opinion ...
The P4 with the Intel 850 board is rock solid. The most stable system I have ever owned. But the Athlon 1.4 is faster in most respects. My preference with an Athlon would be with the 760 chipset.
Opinions may vary.
If you really want a retail gaming machine of the highest quality, and don't want to build it yourself ... I'd highly suggest you contact Falcon Northwest. Compare the reviews and the customer response's around the Internet ... it's a much better deal. Just checking out their aluminum cases ought to be enough to make you take a second look.
Oh, and by the way ... wrong forum. ;-)
<A HREF="http://www.falcon-nw.com/site.htm" target="_new">http://www.falcon-nw.com/site.htm</A>
See ya .... Toejam31
<font color=purple>My Rig:</font color=purple> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=6847" target="_new">http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=6847</A>
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