Alienware missing the mark?

[d_stilgar]

What do you think of the new Alienware computers? I'm not sure how I feel about the Aurora or Aurora ALX. mATX, really? There are some things I like and some I don't. I really like the redesigned laptops. They look good and "stealth mode" is a really good feature which throttles back the CPU and GPU so that the laptop runs on 65W. Nice!

My laptop would be $3500
My Aurora ALX would be $5200

In either case it looks like they are moving in a new direction.

[Zephik]

I like pretty much everything about Alienware lately. They're really focusing on high-end gaming rigs and the new designs looks pretty cool. The only thing I don't like are the high price tags. lol

I'll miss the old laptop designs though, those were awesome. They still are. The chassis alone go for a small fortune on ebay. But I also like the new chassis just fine as well, even if they are a bit ginormously humongous.

[d_stilgar]

A note on that, you can get a chassis on the alienware website for ~$200. Not bad IMO.

[DaveW]

I gotta be honest, that laptop reminds me of the IBM Thinkpad. When I think high-end gaming laptop, I do not think IBM Thinkpad.

http://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/988/988196/dell-halts-xps-line-releases-new-alienware-laptop-20090529062902449-000.jpg

http://www.usedlaptopcomputers.com/ibmr40.jpg

If you hadn't noticed that before, I may have ruined it for you. Sorry!

-Dave

[FuzzyPlushroom]

I'll admit it, I'm inspired by the motor-driven top ventilation in the ALX. Outside of that, steaming pile of meh.

[Zephik]

They both have keyboards, a screen and are a bit squarish? lol I can't see the resemblance at all... probably a good thing I suppose.

Here's a review just for kicks and giggles. Apparently the screen isn't all that, but the beast performs just as well as it looks. And at the size of a small car, it better!

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5234

[d_stilgar]

I just like the fact that they sell a 15" laptop (more my size, 17" is huge) that is 1920x1200. I love that.

[progbuddy]

I just don't find the price attractive. MacBook Pro 17" = $2500 with 3 GHz core2duo and many GB of memory, extremely wide color gamut LED backlit display.

That laptop is thicker than Rosie O'Donnell's jelly rolls.

[FuzzyPlushroom]

I just don't find the price attractive. MacBook Pro 17" = $2500 with 3 GHz core2duo and many GB of memory, extremely wide color gamut LED backlit display.

That laptop is thicker than Rosie O'Donnell's jelly rolls.

Well, with a 2.8. Looks like that has a pretty-good GF9600M, a slower HDD (but a larger one) by default, and a higher standard resolution. I'm equipping these comparably, though - same processor, RAM, hard drive speed/capacity, resolution, and so forth. I won't be including an extra battery for the Alienware because the MBP isn't capable of this. I'm using the standard warranties (fight about that if you like) and you can add another $49 to the Alienware's final total if you want a real recovery disc (which is pure-grade refined BS). Office '07 for the Alienware was $20 cheaper than '08 for the Mac, but I still ignored it. I could add a 24" LCD for $279/$899 respectively but again disregarded this option.

$2,224 for the Alienware, $2,549 for the MacBook. The cheaper Alienware offers a more powerful video card and a replaceable (but probably weaker) battery; the MacBook is easier to transport and, of course, ships with Snow Leopard.

I'd hesitate to call either a "deal".

Both machines have:
2.8 C2D
4GB DDR3-1066
500GB 7200RPM HDD
17" 1920x1200 screen
Slot-loading DVD+RW
Serious geek cred in the right unwashed circles

The 'Pro has a GeForce 9600M/512MB, the M17x a GTX 260/1GB.

[x88x]

Yeah, I'd say the main thing you're getting with the Alienware is the GTX260 and the name (though the name has lost pretty much any credence it once had...). I wouldn't say I'm a proponent of either, but the MBP is supposed to get pretty crazy battery life. For a better cost comparison, maybe upgrade the M17x's battery to something that gets the same time.

[d_stilgar]

I don't care so much about the name, but the GTX260 and a 1920x1200 in a 15" is something you just don't see in other laptops. I'm someone who has never owned a laptop and it's mostly because of the hassle of moving/carrying one around everywhere, poor battery life in powerful laptops, but horribly underpowered machines with great battery life. I can always always get the same performance in a desktop for a quarter of the price.

This is why I like this new laptop. Alienware is doing something really cool (and funny in a way) by bringing back the turbo button. That said, I would probably go for a netbook first. These laptops are great for desktop replacements and LAN machines, but the cost is so high!

[FuzzyPlushroom]

Yeah, I'd say the main thing you're getting with the Alienware is the GTX260 and the name (though the name has lost pretty much any credence it once had...). I wouldn't say I'm a proponent of either, but the MBP is supposed to get pretty crazy battery life. For a better cost comparison, maybe upgrade the M17x's battery to something that gets the same time.

It offered me the option to buy an extra battery, but that would be impossible with a MBP, so I didn't. A good point, though.