Alienware vs Selfbuild

Started by Con, August 09, 2017, 02:36:44 PM

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Ubercat

I have an eight year old quad core Digital Storm that's still working fine. I've never had any problems but the last few months it's periodically made funny noises that I suspect are either the HD or one of the fans getting onto it's last legs.

I just bought a new 500G SSD as a precaution and I'm going to pay my local Whole Foods Sushi guy to install it for me while explaining every step of the process including the migration of the OS and other programs. He's a PC expert :nerd: as well as a Sushi one! I haven't installed new hardware in a PC since I had my first 386SX back in '91 or so.

In a couple months or so I'll either get a new DS gaming monster system or pay the Sushi guy to build me one. We'll be a 2 PC household then and the old one can primarily be my wife's. She doesn't use very demanding software and her games are fairly simple. Bejeweled 3 and the like.
"If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten you labelled a radical 50 years ago, a liberal 25 years ago, and a racist today."

- Thomas Sowell

MIGMaster

I've done both. I built my own PC's for years, but it just doesn't make sense anymore. It cost more to buy each component then it does to buy certain pre-built systems.  The catch is it depends on what kind of pre-built system you are looking at. Falcon NW and Alienware charge a large amount for system assembly and integration - but you tend to get better support - other companies charge less for similar hardware, but the support just isn't there.

With the Canadian dollar the way it is, I usually buy Cyberpower or iBuypower and do all my own work, upgrades, yadda, yadda.

Time tends to be the big factor - if you want to maximize gaming time, a quality pre-built is easily worth the money.

OJsDad

I was at a customer site this week, and on my home I stopped at Micro Center.  Looking at through their add when I got home, I saw this.

It's from a company called PowerSpec.  I've never heard of them, but this looks like a great price.  I also like that they detailed they parts that are used in the machine.  Most of the others seem to just use generic terms.

PowerSpec G428;    $1699      http://www.microcenter.com/product/479097/G428_Desktop_Computer

Intel Core i7-7700K Processor 4.2GHz
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB GDDR5X
16GB DDR4-3000 RAM
2TB HDD+500GB SSD
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro-64-bit
ASUS 24x DVDRW Drive
Multi-in-One Memory Card Reader
10/100/1000 Network
802.11ac Wireless
Display Not Included


Here are other PowerSpec systems that they have.  http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.aspx?Ntk=all&sortby=match&N=4294967292+4294965234&myStore=false
'Here at NASA we all pee the same color.'  Al Harrison from the movie Hidden Figures.

GDS_Starfury

Quote from: Barthheart on August 11, 2017, 08:39:04 AM
Good grief guys, there's nothing wrong with 3D printers.... I have a beef with how Stagger uses his 3D printer....

and how do you think next generation vibrators are designed?
Toonces - Don't ask me, I just close my eyes and take it.

Gus - I use sweatpants with flannel shorts to soak up my crotch sweat.

Banzai Cat - There is no "partial credit" in grammar. Like anal sex. It's either in, or it's not.

Mirth - We learned long ago that they key isn't to outrun Star, it's to outrun Gus.

Martok - I don't know if it's possible to have an "anti-boner"...but I now have one.

Gus - Celery is vile and has no reason to exist. Like underwear on Star.


Staggerwing

Quote from: GDS_Starfury on August 18, 2017, 07:41:02 PM
Quote from: Barthheart on August 11, 2017, 08:39:04 AM
Good grief guys, there's nothing wrong with 3D printers.... I have a beef with how Stagger uses his 3D printer....

and how do you think next generation vibrators are designed?

Using a holodeck for prototyping?
Vituð ér enn - eða hvat?  -Voluspa

Nothing really rocks and nothing really rolls and nothing's ever worth the cost...

"Don't you look at me that way..." -the Abyss
 
'When searching for a meaningful embrace, sometimes my self respect took second place' -Iggy Pop, Cry for Love

... this will go down on your permanent record... -the Violent Femmes, 'Kiss Off'-

"I'm not just anyone, I'm not just anyone-
I got my time machine, got my 'electronic dream!"
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OJsDad

Con, did you ever get your new system?
'Here at NASA we all pee the same color.'  Al Harrison from the movie Hidden Figures.

Con

I was planning on getting it in September.  Its been a busy and expensive month and we did our parenting rite of passage and took the kids to Disneyland.....now it might be October since the Mouse sure knows how to gouge you...that bill is truly eye popping

Con

MIGMaster

Once you get it post some pics - always like looking at new systems  :dreamer:

Con

Pulled the trigger on it today.  My current rig has suffered about 8 bluescreen of death in the last two weeks and I was getting more and more nervous that something big was going to fail.  I got it in 2010 so I got my moneyworth out of it.  Just dont have the time to troubleshoot the old one or throw more money into a replacement graphics card or whatever is causing the bluescreen problem to keep it limping along.

Specs are
Alienware Aurora R6
   
Intel® Core™ i7-7700K Processor (4-Cores, 8MB Cache, Turbo Boost 2.0, Overclocked up to 4.4GHz)
850 Watt Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply with High Performance Liquid Cooling   
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1080 Ti with 11GB GDDR5X
16GB HyperX™ FURY DDR4 XMP at 2667MHz;    
256GB M.2 PCIe SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s

I will be scavenging keyboards and mice and monitors plus additional SSD and multi terabyte drives from the old computer
Couple of other little bits and pieces and expedited shipping has set me back $2000 even.

bbmike

"My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplace of existence."
-Sherlock Holmes

"You know, just once I'd like to meet an alien menace that wasn't immune to bullets."
-Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart

"There's a horror movie called Alien? That's really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you!"
-The Doctor

"Before Man goes to the stars he should learn how to live on Earth."
-Clifford D. Simak

OJsDad

Con, did you get your new computer. 

I put an M.2 PCIe drive on my new computer and it totally boots in less than 2 minutes from power on.

Hope you enjoy your new gaming experience. 
'Here at NASA we all pee the same color.'  Al Harrison from the movie Hidden Figures.

Con

I ordered it and have been hitting the tracking log button like a frenzied lab rat hoping for a piece of cheese.  Latest update is it will arrive on Monday.  Here is hoping that FedEx with all its metrics and data and years of experience is wrong and it gets here Saturday  :crazy2:

OJsDad

You're not looking well Con.  Hopefully your not going to be out next week with the flu.   O:-)
'Here at NASA we all pee the same color.'  Al Harrison from the movie Hidden Figures.

Barthheart

Yeah that new PC flu can hang on for a couple of days....  ;)

Con

OK New computer arrived today here are my very rough first impressions
Alienware has gone very minimalist.  My old Area 51 came with a leather bound manual, alienware swag, CDs and an alienware holder, mouse pads etc.  This one came with a computer and a cable.  I kept searching the box to make sure I wasn't missing anything.
The old area 51 was a heavy metal beast with solid metal components and chassis.  The new one is more plasticity and much more compact.
Lack of manual had me scratching my head on how to open it up until I went and watched some online videos.  I eventually found a manual on the Dell site that cleared up a lot of questions.
The new one has some superb design and engineering in it runs super quiet is ultimately much more transportable and compact so it can fit on desktops instead of taking a big chunk of precious leg room away from me under the desk.

Issues I have run into that are my own fault
1. I have a dual monitor setup but one monitor is 7+ years old and doesnt have HDMI cables so I cant connect it.  I checked and a similar OK replacement monitor is in the $250 range and since I am not a twitch type gamer I will be fine with that level of resolution etc.
2. I really messed up on the storage drives.  I went with the cheapest option thinking I could scavenge a 500GB SSD and a 3TB and 1TB ultra fast drive from my computer.  Well it turns out the that the SSD that comes with the new computer is plugged directly onto the moptherboard.  So using the old 500GM SSD as my boot drive is not as good an option and since I didnt know this ahead of time I went with the smallest memory for the on board motherboard SSD.  I am sure this will come back to haunt me at a later date.  I am not 100% sure the drive bays that are free are compatible with all the different drives I have so I am going to have to do some hill billy PC engineering to get them to fit (or consolidate etc).
3. I knew this going in but I hate changing from windows 7 to windows 10.  I am sure its better but I like my old comfortable windows 7 knowing how to navigate and do what I wanted to do.  I am spending a huge amount of time trying to disable most of the windows 10 features (looking at you Cortana)