Alienware sells tacky, overpriced machines IMO, but it would be foolhardy to not acknowledge that there are gamers out there who want a gaming machine and don't care to understand component specs or how it all fits together.
No matter how much effort you put into perfecting the interior configurations of your self-built system, you could very well end up with a generic and bland off-the-shelf case that poorly reflects all your hard work.
Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER
jterrell,
You seem bitter, why? Regardless, they are targeting the many new DIYers not the experienced ones. Do you honestkly believe they are foolish enough to think we will buy that rubbish? Come on! They know damned well more people are joining the DIY crowd every day and they are trying to intimidate them into staying with a "special" pre-built and not do it themselves. If you really believe that they are trying to get DIYers that have been rolling their own for years to buy an AW then I have some realestate you would be interested in
Now you are just preachin' to the choirOriginally posted by: jterrell
Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER
jterrell,
You seem bitter, why? Regardless, they are targeting the many new DIYers not the experienced ones. Do you honestkly believe they are foolish enough to think we will buy that rubbish? Come on! They know damned well more people are joining the DIY crowd every day and they are trying to intimidate them into staying with a "special" pre-built and not do it themselves. If you really believe that they are trying to get DIYers that have been rolling their own for years to buy an AW then I have some realestate you would be interested in
Bitter? Not at all. I haven't bought from them. The last pc I bought OEM was a Micron that is still running solid like 5 years later as a web/email machine though I did reformat it as a linux box. I wouldn't hesitate to order from mpc, as they are now known, again if I wanted an OEM box with winblows.
How do you think people got so ignorant? Buying OEM!!!
The entry-level DIY which is generally a high school or college kid is exactly the person who should be reading these boards and building their own pc. The learning experience is more valuable than the pc itself.
Do I think anyone should buy OEM and deal with all that pre-loaded aol/earthlink/various trial ware crap? Yes. Older working professionals who have no desire to learn about the inner working of their pc and/or have serious time constraints. I'd even advise retired folks to build your own if they are healthy enough and have an interest. They generally have free time and it is a good hobby.
The more intelligent the pc user community becomes the less the majority will be attacked by spam and malware.
The main reason to buy OEM is for support yet support has fallen to pathetic levels where you are lucky if the call doesn't go to India and ask you for 15 bucks upfront to speak to a guy in New Delhi who doesn't even have a pc in front of him.
Alienware is a boutique who aims at kids and users in general who would be much better off as a DIY'r than a supporter of OEM. I do have an issue with AW trying to dumb down the noobs. They need to be educated. The experience DIY'rs all fell in that category at one point.
Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER
What the hell are you talking about? Those are the 3 items likely to survive through multiple upgrades if you buy high quality the first time! The PSU is the single most important component in the build. While I don't agree with Zebos' picks because they don't match my personal preferences, he picked high quality components that could be around for years after the rest of the system gets sold off.Originally posted by: Pciber
Originally posted by: Zebo
For example this confiqured at newegg was $2453
http://secure.newegg.com/app/W...it=VIEW&ID=1178472
$212 on a case?
$600 on a 22" CRT monitor?
$130 on a power supply?
Your spending money in all the wrong places.
This is a comparison of a prebuilt high-end system and a high-end DIY system for you, not a customer build you are trying to maximize profit on. The 3 parts in question are where you absolutely must be willing to pony up! Otherwise your high-end system is nothing of the sort IMHO.
Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER
My perspective on the topic is this; Alienware makes very good points if you are an inexperienced DIYer or are simply essaying your first attempt vs prebuilt. Honestly, I can't imagine most of us seriously perusing AW for a purchase, and I doubt AW does either, so I don't believe we are intended to be a segment of the target audience/market focus.
There are waves of n00bs pouring in to the message boards every month that have questions about what they should buy, rate their intended build specs, and the thousands of pleas for help because they are unable to troubleshoot issues with the new build due to lack of experience. Look, a monkey can build their own PC, it is when things go awry *which is quite often judging from post on tech forums around the net* when experience along with knowledge of platform and product specific issues becomes invaluable. A n00b could spend weeks trying to get a problem resolved through posting for help, searching, and installing and reinstalling software and hardware, and if all else fails, RMA time and shipping costs. It is enough to make these poor souls wish they just ordered that AW system to begin with.
In the end, for our crowd it amounts to satire and a cause for derisive laughter, but for the inexperienced, I believe it is a good check list of items that need to be evaluated and weighed. If time=money for the prospective buyer, and they have little to no experience with building and upgrading PCs, then the process of acquiring the knowledge about the hard&software that they will need, how to integrate all of it properly, and the potential for a time consuming and fustrating troubleshooting adventure, should all be carefully considered before going DIY over OEM. I think that is exactly what that AW propaganda attempts to do, albeit with a very proAW slant, and that the points are all valid for the n00b.
And we haven't even gotten to the DIY factors of using overclocking to enhance value, the many nuances involved with an overclock depending on the particular components or which to choose for that matter, bios flashing/editing, how to evaluate the stability of the overclock, the risks involved from voiding the warranty and being out the money spent on the hardware, ect. We all take it for granted because it is practically 2nd nature now, but when you started out was it that way?
I'd go so far as to submit spending more on the AW is a better investment for the aforementioned crowd, why? Because they won't get caught up in this highly infectuous DIY game of constant costly upgrades and fads that drain their wallets through out the year after year after year Instead they will have an expensive one time cost system that since they are blissfully unaware isn't up to our crowds snooty standards, will likely satisfy their computing needs for years to come
Originally posted by: Astu222
their case is cheap plastic, not high end.
Originally posted by: zerocool84
CAT6 cable 10ft...............$30 damn
Originally posted by: Pciber
Originally posted by: Zebo
For example this confiqured at newegg was $2453
http://secure.newegg.com/app/W...it=VIEW&ID=1178472
$212 on a case?
$600 on a 22" CRT monitor?
$130 on a power supply?
Your spending money in all the wrong places.
Originally posted by: malak
I purchased a Dell because I had a friend who was just like everyone else here. "Build your own! You'll save money!" Wait, I don't have $800 to go spend. I was a college student. With financing, I could get a Dell and actually have a machine instead of not having a computer and waiting months and months to save up for one.
This time around I went with Alienware. The #2 rig below was only $1800. That's way cheaper than I could buy at any other place, and I'm getting high-end.
My friend thought he did, and found some of his hardware conflicted with other hardware and ran into a lot of issues.
I'll go through and see how much it may have costed at newegg, but I have a feeling the price of possible failure is much higher than a peaceful mind.
Originally posted by: Zebo
Problem is Juan, the DIY community, for the most part, does'nt have $2500 to pony up all at once. But instead tap various past computers for parts and "time upgrade" which may in fact have them spending $2500 over two years, but they can manage that on thier allowance/low pay jobs because it's amortized over two years. So that's all they see, the big $2500 all at once, which warps thier prosective and leaves them with anti-AW, Anti dell XPS etc bias.