Uh RIPOFF... $4000+? Good Grief. I got my Gateway P6831FX for $1250. 3 gigs ram, 250 gig drive, GEFORCE 8800M GTS, 17 inch with HDMI out, Firewire, Bluetooth, DVDRW, second hardrive bay with Raid Controller, AND IT LOOKS AWESOME. HMM 1250 or 4000... Gosh for 10% performance difference I think Ill stick with the Gateway!!! Check out Anandtech.coms review of it. A real Laptop for Real people...

Total rip-off and not the least bit feasible. Maybe for rich kids this notebook is a deal. I agree ap90033, the gateway you have is almost on par for half the price. So $2000.00 for a shiny outer shell with a skull or something painted on it and an Alienware case badge? No thanks.

Seriously I thank you ap90033 for sharing the gateway laptop info. I thought the Dell XPS M1530 was worth the money but it seems that the gateway notebook got better deal. And on top of that I though this Alienware notebook is a must for me when I have the money lol. Yeah I guess Alienware really spreads the name I guess.

Too everyone bashing this laptop, there are a few things you need to know before comparing it with other mainstream laptops, made by companies with extremely bad reputations for their laptop quality.

#1: This laptop uses a very effective cooling system for its graphics card which is more powerful than the one in your system. Also when your system over heats and shuts down or your frame rates drop through the floor, you'll see where the extra cost factors come in.

#2: It uses a Intel Extreme processor, not a standard Core Duo, or Quad. I noticed no mention of what speed or spec your processor is as compared to this one. But I am positive it is not the same. And again the cooling system in this laptop (for the processor) is far more advanced then what you are using.

#3: I run a computer repair shop, and guess who I make all my money off of-- All you Gateway and Dell laptop owners who can't figure out why your laptops all of a sudden quit working right after your warranties
run out. Then when I tell you that your motherboard is bad, or that I need to replace your LCD, or that you need to get a new laptop because you now have an expensive paper weight, maybe then you will understand where the extra cost factors come in to play.

#4: The LCD's and the motherboard chipsets and the batteries, in all Dell and Gateway computers are made extremely poor, and often times they cut costs with these to rake in more profit. How do you think the price is so low? Your comparing the 2008 BMW 7 series of laptops to a 1990's Ford Taurus of laptops in my opinion. Sure it might still run, but it will overheat on you daily, break down more often then it starts, and will run slow as a dog when it runs at all. And when it finally breaks down, you'll be on your own.

#5: This price premium is not intended for everyday users such as yourself, this laptop is designed for the enthusiast market who want the best performance they can get for their mobile computing needs. While many of you look at this laptop and go where is the extra cost? I don't see the value.. Thats because its in the engineering, the small details. The keyboard is better, the screen is brighter, the battery will have a longer life, and the graphics and processing cooling systems will run for longer , much longer periods before you need to give this laptop a cooling break. The motherboards bios will be more robust allowing for adjustments, and the Operating System won't be cluttered with tons of crap you don't need.The ram will run cooler and have better timings and the raid array will already be setup, and run flawlessly.

The price is not right for you..that is correct, but don't write a review on something if you have no understanding of how it works or what goes into it to make it better. Sure a Ferrari and a Ford Focus are both cars, and they will both get you from point A to point B, but one will get you there alot faster, with alot more style.

This laptop is designed for the guys who want to drive the ferrari, not the Focus.

To Ap90033, (and anyone else)

I am now extremely amused by your comment comparing you laptop to this one. Let me explain:

Maybe you arent aware of your laptop's specs, but I will list them for you here.

Your Gate Way:
1.6ghz Core 2 Duo
250 gb 5400 RPM hard drive
3 Gb Ram
(1)as in single, 8800m GTS
17" LCD standard 1440 resolution.

Now here is the Alienware:

2.8 GHZ Core 2 Extreme Processor w/ 800mhz FSB
4 Gb of High Performance Ram (DDR 2 667)

Dual,(as in SLI'd) 8800m GTX Graphics Cards. W/ 512mb of Gddr3 memory each. "Currently the worlds fastest Mobile GPU" x 2.

Raid "0" performance array with up to 1 terabyte of space, using 7200 rpm hard drives. Not 5400 rpms.

A high definition 17" LCD @ 1920 x 1200 with Clear View (1200P)


So in closing: You comparing your laptop to this Alienware, is utterly the most retarded thing I have ever read. YOUR LAPTOP IS A JOKE.

Have a nice day.