Thinking of buying alienware x51 r2

[Jimmy Cyprus]

Hello guys i'm new to the forum and since the next generation of gaming is upon us i want to upgrade from my xbox 360 into a pc. I dont want to build my own because i dont know the first thing about pc hardware and equipment, the task is just too daunting for me even though i'm willing to learn down the road. I was searching for something to ease me into pc gaming, something to just plug into my hdtv and be good to go(just like a console). My search brought me here. I found this alienware x51 r2 on ebay with the following specs:

3.90ghz i7-4770s CPU Quad Core
8 GIG DDR3 (1600mhz, 2x4GB)
128GB SSD
1 TB Hard Drive (7200RPM)
AMD Radeon R9 270 with 2GB GDDR5

Windows 8
DVDRW
UK Spec
"N" WIFI
330W AC Adaptor
Internal High-Definition 7.1 Performance Audio with WAVES MAXX Audio

The price for this is 1000GBP(not cheap by any stretch) Is it worth it? I've searched this forum and a lot of users complained about overheating. Is this something i should worry about? The point of paying over the top for alienware is that i don't have to worry about maintenance like other desktop pc's.

Any advice you have for me guys is very much appreciated!

Thanks!

[eram]

Get an unbranded version with the same specs and save £300

You do not get any extra cooling in alienware over a regular desktop case. You can get much better cases than a stock alienware for a tiny fraction of the price.

Check this out and see if you are saving any money
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=43&catid=2473

(overclockers is not the cheapest by a long way but its a good place to start)

[Jimmy Cyprus]

I checked them out! It costs about the same including the shipping. I just thought alienware x51 was made with console gamers in mind i.e is better suited to be paired with your hdtv rather than a monitor! Or this doesn't matter?
Thank you for the reply!

[[UFO] rad87gn]

引用自 Jimmy Cyprus：

I just thought alienware x51 was made with console gamers in mind i.e is better suited to be paired with your hdtv rather than a monitor! Or this doesn't matter?

Technically not true and it doesn't matter.

[Sire Bear]

If you are not confident you can always buy a prebuilt one from

Aria
Overclockers
Scan


Or you could use one of those store that build for you

Pc specialist
DinoPC
Cyberpowersystem

[DonVonHulio]

This was shown on my feed recently. This is a post by Nvidia which has al the advertisement jargon one would want, but also a list and rough price point to build a mini ITX PC good enough for Nvidia themselves to use as advertising.

http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/guides/geforce-gtx-750-ti-mini-itx-pc-build-guide

Also saves me time in listing everything manually....
Also, alienware is just a overpriced Dell that has been molested by LEDs.

[Rove]

If you can build your own it'd be much much better for the same price or less.

I'd advise to avoid Alienware (and any prebuilts) cause building your own is just better.

For example if you are willing to move up to MicroATX form factor & case here is what you could get for around 1000 GBP:


*Intel Core i7-4820K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor
*Cooler Master Seidon 120V 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
*MSI X79MA-GD45 Micro ATX LGA2011 Motherboard
*(2 x) Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
*Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
*Mushkin Chronos 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
*PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card
*Zalman ZM-T1 MicroATX Mini Tower Case
*EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
*Pioneer BDR-209DBK Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
*Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2W0Wz
Base Total: £1024.87
Shipping: £9.60
Total: £1034.47

It should really trounce the Alienware you listed @ the same price. Only thing you need to do besides put it together is call the place that sells the motherboard and make sure it has the latest BIOS installed already that is compatible with the 4th gen i7 4820K CPU. Since if it's a old BIOS then you'd need to update it to use that CPU which would be difficult without a 3rd gen LGA 2011 CPU to use meanwhile. So just check with the retailer, they may even update it for you before sending it if it wasn't done already.

Personally if it was me I'd use full ATX & AMD CPU to save some cash like this:

*AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor
*Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
*(2 x) Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
*Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
*Mushkin Chronos 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
*PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card
*Zalman Z5 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case
*EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
*Pioneer BDR-209DBK Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
*Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2W171
Total: £896.75

I used the stock cooler on the AMD build since it's free and good at stock speeds. The Intel i7 4820K CPU did not come with a cooler which is why I added the watercooler.

You can always add a performance cooler to the AMD build later if you want to overclock, just make sure it can take at least 200w TDP or more!

[senseidongen]

With the X51, you pay an understandable premium to not only have it pre-built, but for the console-sized form factor. This was a pretty unique selling point but more and more system builders and component manufacturers are targeting console sized PCs (finally a consumer case in the form of the silverstone Raven RVZ01 that supports 90 degree riser mounted GPUs :D :D - too expensive for me though, considering I'd need to get a mini-ITX board, and I doubt I could cram my corsair H60 in there...).

Pretty soon, quite a few manufacturers are releasing their "steam machines" (console sized PCs designed for the living room to compete with Xbone and PS4) so you could look into that but not much information on pricing yet.

Are you fussed about the slim case? If you could tolerate something that's 175mm deep instead of ~100mm, I'd recommend somewhere like pcspecialist - you can use their configurator to spec out a PC which they then build for you. You get a 1 year warranty with the option to extend if required so just as good as alienware in that regard. I agree that you should build your own because I truly believe that anyone can do it, but I do understand your reservations.

For guidance on parts:

CPU: intel i3 or i5 (socket LGA 1150) or AMD FX-6300 (AM3+ socket) or Athlon X4 760K (FM2+ socket)

GPU: R9 270/GTX 660

RAM: 8GB 1600MHz CL 9

PSU: 450W+ (preferably 80+ bronze rated or better)

motherboard: one that supports SATA 6Gbp/s and USB 3.0 with correct CPU socket

[Mr.Hemiroids]

I would personally advise you to look around at sites like Best Buy and Amazon. Look up gaming PC. If you do enough looking and research you can find a PC considerably cheaper prebuilt. And the money you save you can buy accessories and games etc.

[Dick Cheney's Shotgun]

Alienware is notoriously overpriced and the support is what you would expect from Dell. Listen to everyone else, build your own or buy something without the brand markup.

[Rove]

引用自 Mr.Hemiroids：

I would personally advise you to look around at sites like Best Buy and Amazon. Look up gaming PC. If you do enough looking and research you can find a PC considerably cheaper prebuilt. And the money you save you can buy accessories and games etc.

Careful if you do that, there are some better than Alienware but there are also definetly some worse rip-offs.

[M.]

With hope it's not too late yet.
I got my X51 because well, i enjoy nerdy stuff (a PC the size and look of a console? Yesssir!). I have a second PC, and HTPC, which replaced it since then.

MY 51 had a gtx 670 ftw (never had any problem, tdp isn't that big). Your main problem will be CPU overheating in some games. MY GC is well handled by Precsion X with a custom cooling setup. But those idiots at Dell went the way to place lights everywhere on the case when first thing needed here is PASSIVE COOLING! (caps)

Mark my words: if you plan to play games at full specs, you'll be limited by the power supply (max 330W, meaning a 760ti/670 will be the max you can fit in, and blower type, else it spreads the heat inside your case, which is something you don't want).
Then because the CPu is cooled down by a standard fan, it will overheat, make your comp shut down when some heavy stuff appears on screen.

You want something nice and slick like a console? Get a Raven RVZ 01 from silverstone. It's the same size (bit bigger but the PSU is inside, and it goes up to 450W), and you won't get any cooling problem. As I type, I'm having mine assembled to sit on my desk as a working/gaming PC (the htpc one stayiing in my living room). The RVZ01 accepts too better components (some tests were made with a 770 inside).

Just stay away from Alienware. Good ideas, terrible building.

[SilentHorizon]

I recommend staying away from alienware, they price all their stuff way to high. Do a DIY build which will save you money and you get satisfaction from building your own computer.

[mika]

I cant speak for AlienWare themselves but where I work which shall remain nameless we sell em and i must say there is a purpose these pcs exist, I myself have never gamed on a Alienware but it is pleasing to the eye the designs they have going. Heres my thoughts according to the specs if u price every component out you end-up paying premium just beacuse it has an alien head on it lol. I would build my own system like the guys are telling you, not only will you get a batter and faster system overall but you can end-up saving money also!....... For people who dont wanna get there hands dirty then just go out and buy a pre-built system, theres no shame in that! Dollar vs dollar performance you will lose buying prebuilt. Good luck with your pc.

[Sebly]

I've got the same problem as you do. I've browsed the web, and people are all saying to buy the i5 as the i7 is almost the same for gaming. I personally want to stay around 1000 AUD (Yes i am aussie) but want that good performance. I dont mind if i have to build it or have it come pre-built, but i want the performance of the Alienware x51 R2 and my target price. So can anyone give me a good PC build/Prebuilt PC with my requirements?
Thx, Sebdemo1

[Rove]

引用自 ASE sebdemo1：

I've got the same problem as you do. I've browsed the web, and people are all saying to buy the i5 as the i7 is almost the same for gaming. I personally want to stay around 1000 AUD (Yes i am aussie) but want that good performance. I dont mind if i have to build it or have it come pre-built, but i want the performance of the Alienware x51 R2 and my target price. So can anyone give me a good PC build/Prebuilt PC with my requirements?
Thx, Sebdemo1

Tower only
http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/3mQa3
Total: $1008.00