Alienware X51, Alpha or build my own pc?

[357WOW]

I would like to buy a small, good pc, but it seems confusing to do, many complain Alienware, and that I would come out no more expensive, make myself a small pc, (because I do not have much space) or buy one.

Also, what is the difference between x51 and alienware alienware alpha?

[Shipwreck]

At a quick glance, cause any Alienware made since they where bought by Dell is pretty much crap and not worth purchasing except for aesthetics.

The X51 has the capabilities of a midgrade laptop, and unless it comes with a monitor it isn't worthwhile, especially since it would be almost impossible to upgrade it.

Alpha is POS console knockoff with horrid specs, it might be able to do what it says, but I would only trust it to be a media PC. For playing movies and browsing the internet and such.

Unfortunetly to get your moneys worth out of a gaming PC there pretty much is a minimum size you have to go with which is about twice the size of either of those PCs.

How much space do you have to work with, budget, and type of games (with example titles)?
I might be able to give you some suggestions that would work out for you.

[Space Coward]

If you want something cheap, I could link you to an excellent laptop for $700 (starts at $500, but a little extra for a high-end graphics card). It's about 15" and either 1366x768 or 1920x1080.
Quad Core AMD A10 (2.5 GhZ?) is the processor, btw.

[Covertpoet]

Im still getting it

[_I_]

build your own, there are some very good m-itx builds that can beat alienware in quality and performacne at that price range

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bcJGVn

[Pomelo]

Kill-Cam Celebrity eredeti hozzászólása:

If you want something cheap, I could link you to an excellent laptop for $700 (starts at $500, but a little extra for a high-end graphics card). It's about 15" and either 1366x768 or 1920x1080.
Quad Core AMD A10 (2.5 GhZ?) is the processor, btw.

AMD mobile CPUs are horrible for gaming. Very low performance.

OP, take a look at mITX systems, or rather, build yourself one. They are small, yet many mITX cases can hold normal sized hardware, just need to put more attention to cooling.

_I_'s suggestion is very good, I'm using a Bitfenix Prodigy as my case too, and while there are slimmer mITX cases, it's already noticeably smaller than a standard PC tower. I can actually have it standing on my desk and it isn't higher than my monitor.

[Rhy]

hello guys. i want to buy myself a alienware 17. can someone say how good it is? or how bad it is?

[Rove]

MVG357WOW eredeti hozzászólása:

I would like to buy a small, good pc, but it seems confusing to do, many complain Alienware, and that I would come out no more expensive, make myself a small pc, (because I do not have much space) or buy one.

Also, what is the difference between x51 and alienware alienware alpha?

BUILD YOUR OWN !

What's your budget?

This should beat any Alienware Alpha (if the rumour that it basically has a overclocked GTX 750 ti / GTX 860m in every model bottom to top are true) in gaming performance at less than the price of the lowest model of Alienware Alpha:

FX 6300 & R9 270X build for gaming
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Rove/saved/9tWJ7P
Base Total: $609.49
Mail-in Rebates: -$115.00
Total: $494.49

Plus this is easier to upgrade & can overclock the CPU a bit if you get a good 3rd party cooler.

For less than the price of a X51 ($1300~) that's better than the build above make these:

AMD FX 8350 & R9 290X
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Rove/saved/Fwjp99
Estimated Wattage: 543W
Base Total: $1154.43
Combo Discounts: -$25.00
Mail-in Rebates: -$80.00
Shipping: $11.91
Total: $1061.34
Big powerful beast of a ATX gaming system with a multiplier unlocked CPU for overclocking.
Note that any serious overclock to the CPU will require a high performance 3rd party cooler or the CPU is likely to overheat. Maximum temperature is 60 Celsius so you should target not more than 55 Celsius at most when at 100% use constantly. Overclocking is not recommended unless higher performance is actually required as it will void the 3 year warranty and it can break your stuff though can also be very safe if well done.

OR

$1000~ Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 & GTX 970 gaming, streaming & video editing PC.
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Rove/saved/bCPV3C
Base Total: $1076.01
Mail-in Rebates: -$25.00
Shipping: $11.98
Total: $1062.99
Petite micro-ATX high on electricity efficiency and performance for more than just games.
Note that this CPU is multiplier locked and not meant to overclock. The Xeon E3 1231 V3 also has Hyperthreading and 8MB cache which makes it basically just like a i7-4770 except it has a very slightly lower Turbo speed and no integrated graphics. The Xeon brand is meant for high performance, high reliability workstations and servers. With lower maximum power use this system should run cooler which is good for the smaller case.

Oh and for the OS you can install Linux Mint, any other Linux including Steam OS for free or fork over a extra $100 for WIndows 8.1 64bit. Linux can install from USB Flash Drive.

[Overwhelmingly]

Shipwreck eredeti hozzászólása:

At a quick glance, cause any Alienware made since they where bought by Dell is pretty much crap and not worth purchasing except for aesthetics.

The X51 has the capabilities of a midgrade laptop, and unless it comes with a monitor it isn't worthwhile, especially since it would be almost impossible to upgrade it.

Alpha is POS console knockoff with horrid specs, it might be able to do what it says, but I would only trust it to be a media PC. For playing movies and browsing the internet and such.

Unfortunetly to get your moneys worth out of a gaming PC there pretty much is a minimum size you have to go with which is about twice the size of either of those PCs.

How much space do you have to work with, budget, and type of games (with example titles)?
I might be able to give you some suggestions that would work out for you.

Oh its actually really easy to upgrade the x51. Swapping your graphics card literally takes less than 5 minutes.. cpu takes a little longer but it technically is the same as custom build just in a smaller case with some lights.

357WOW eredeti hozzászólása:

I would like to buy a small, good pc, but it seems confusing to do, many complain Alienware, and that I would come out no more expensive, make myself a small pc, (because I do not have much space) or buy one.

Also, what is the difference between x51 and alienware alienware alpha?

Sorry I know this thread is old but still. Alienware products are not worth buying unless you really want that Alien head on your case or the AlienFX lights. Even tho the cases are wonderful. Excellent cooling and very decent quality. The parts they use are the same you would probably use (well... besides the PSUs and the RAM. The ram they use is either Foxconn standard or Hynix Semiconductor.) another positive aspect is that if anything breaks you will always deal with only one company (dell) instead of dealing with like 10 different ones depending on which part broke.
Also. The alpha is smaller and the GPU is soldered to the board while the x51 is bigger but easy to upgrade. Besides that they are technically the same thing.. a small desktop while the x51 has better parts.

Again if you dont need the Alien head on your case or the lights just build a PC.. you will save money.

Please note: Im a serious Alienware fanboy.. I currently own 4 working AW computers and I even owned a Area-51 m9750 back in the day (and I still have it.. its just broken :/). For that if I tell you to build your own PC that really means something.

-Experienced Alienware fanboy. :)

Ass Pancakes .:rookie Panda:. eredeti hozzászólása:

hello guys. i want to buy myself a alienware 17. can someone say how good it is? or how bad it is?

Used to be a great laptop but now that the CPU and GPU are soldered to the Motherboard I wouldnt buy one. If that doesnt matter for you the Amp makes it a really unique laptop. (even tho its still overpriced as hell).

[NexGen-3D]

To be honest, you will not be able to beat the base model Alienware Alpha for size, performance and price, no matter what you look at, anything with better specs will be larger and more expensive, the i3 is perfect for gaming and the 860m is equal to a 750ti, you get a compact machine for only $599 AU, that can play games and it even comes with a wireless xbox controller, thats worth $50 on its own, so your actually paying $550 for the machine, I have looked and all the mini/nuc type machines, any that has a discrete graphics option is too expensive, anything cheaper than the Alpha doesn't have a discrete graphics card, if you go down the mini-itx option you will end up with a machine much larger than an Alpha and you will also have to purchase an OS, lets do a quick price, $100 for the mainboard (H97), $150 for an i3 (Haswell), $200 for a 750ti, $100 for an itx case (RVZ01), $100 for the power supply (450watt SFX), $65 for a HDD (500GB), $100 for 8GB ram kit (Dual Channel Kit), $140 for your OS (Win 8.1, thats nearly $1000, and all those components are similar spec to the Alpha, you will pay nearly double for a machine that has similar specs and will be larger in all dimensions, the only bonus is you can upgrade the system (Alpha's CPU, Ram and HDD can be upgraded too), you can however build a machine with lower specs for the same price and cheaper, I built an RVZ01 steam box with all high end gear, cost me over 2K, its unreal, but I will be purchasing several Alpha's and use them as streaming clients with ability to run games locally rather than build something, purely for aesthetics and value for money.

The Alpha is a perfect little HTPC/Game Machine for most people, if your a hard core gamer then you will definitely want to build your own powerhouse rig.

[Rove]

kung-foo-kamel eredeti hozzászólása:

To be honest, you will not be able to beat the base model Alienware Alpha for size, performance and price, no matter what you look at, anything with better specs will be larger and more expensive

You can build your own for cheaper from parts that will be the same or better.

You can literally "clone" the Alienware Alpha with your own i3 or better and GTX 750 ti or better if you want.

It will perform as well or better (depending on the exact parts you used) and will cost the same or less.

The only thing it won't have is the small size, you will probably have to do a standard width micro-ATX or mini-ITX build because "slim" parts (case, PSU, GPU/adapter, DVD) aren't in much demand and thus are much more expensive as far as I've seen.

I have to admit that IN Australia you are currently right about the base model Alpha being pretty unbeatable but that changes as soon as you add any upgrades and it's only because it's on sale right now + you guys in the AU pay bad prices for PC parts.

Here's a Alpha Clone for the same original price as the Alpha base model is $100 off right now so it's cheaper.

Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor
ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Seagate Momentus Thin 500GB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive
Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card
Xigmatek Recon ATX Mid Tower Case
Silverstone Strider Essential 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply
Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)
http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/YwQwnQ
Total: $703.00

Still like I say as soon as you add any upgrades to that the advantage is gone. Also this base system does have a CPU that's 700MHz faster than in the Alpha. Also the GTX 750 ti can be overclocked while I'm not sure the ALpha can be. Most likely not due to cooling.

Also if you are willing to get a non-clone AMD based system you can get one with similar performance for the same price as the Alpha and retain your ability to upgrade:

AMD A8-5600K 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor
Gigabyte GA-F2A75M-HD2 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard
Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Seagate Momentus Thin 500GB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive
Asus Radeon R7 250X 1GB Video Card
Xigmatek Recon ATX Mid Tower Case
Silverstone Strider Essential 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply
Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)
http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/Bnvsf7
Total: $603.00

As a bonus this APU in this build has 2 extra cores and 1MB extra cache above the i3 and it is also unlocked for overclocking. I would not advise overclocking much without a better cooler than the one included though you can a little if you underclock the integrated graphics at the same time.

Anyways Australia, for as long as this sale lasts, is a special case. Most places building cheaper & better is easy. Even in Australia for the next model up for $1000 it's easy to beat.

this build would just blow the $1000 AUD Alpha right away:

Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor
MSI CSM-B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Galaxy GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card
Xigmatek Recon ATX Mid Tower Case
Thermaltake SMART 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)
http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/ZjVf4D
Total: $988.00

If you are thinking "but the controller is $50" you can move it back down to a GTX 750 ti and other exact Alpha spec parts and it will be like $900 +$50 for the controller saves you $50 and gets you a upgradeable desktop.

Like I say in other countries building is much cheaper than in Australia and the benefits are even more extreme.

[Space Coward]

Rove eredeti hozzászólása:

kung-foo-kamel eredeti hozzászólása:

To be honest, you will not be able to beat the base model Alienware Alpha for size, performance and price, no matter what you look at, anything with better specs will be larger and more expensive

You can build your own for cheaper from parts that will be the same or better.

You can literally "clone" the Alienware Alpha with your own i3 or better and GTX 750 ti or better if you want.

It will perform as well or better (depending on the exact parts you used) and will cost the same or less.

The only thing it won't have is the small size, you will probably have to do a standard width micro-ATX or mini-ITX build because "slim" parts (case, PSU, GPU/adapter, DVD) aren't in much demand and thus are much more expensive as far as I've seen.

I have to admit that IN Australia you are currently right about the base model Alpha being pretty unbeatable but that changes as soon as you add any upgrades and it's only because it's on sale right now + you guys in the AU pay bad prices for PC parts.

Here's a Alpha Clone for the same original price as the Alpha base model is $100 off right now so it's cheaper.

Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor
ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Seagate Momentus Thin 500GB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive
Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card
Xigmatek Recon ATX Mid Tower Case
Silverstone Strider Essential 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply
Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)
http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/YwQwnQ
Total: $703.00

Still like I say as soon as you add any upgrades to that the advantage is gone. Also this base system does have a CPU that's 700MHz faster than in the Alpha. Also the GTX 750 ti can be overclocked while I'm not sure the ALpha can be. Most likely not due to cooling.

Also if you are willing to get a non-clone AMD based system you can get one with similar performance for the same price as the Alpha and retain your ability to upgrade:

AMD A8-5600K 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor
Gigabyte GA-F2A75M-HD2 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard
Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Seagate Momentus Thin 500GB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive
Asus Radeon R7 250X 1GB Video Card
Xigmatek Recon ATX Mid Tower Case
Silverstone Strider Essential 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply
Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)
http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/Bnvsf7
Total: $603.00

As a bonus this APU in this build has 2 extra cores and 1MB extra cache above the i3 and it is also unlocked for overclocking. I would not advise overclocking much without a better cooler than the one included though you can a little if you underclock the integrated graphics at the same time.

Anyways Australia, for as long as this sale lasts, is a special case. Most places building cheaper & better is easy. Even in Australia for the next model up for $1000 it's easy to beat.

this build would just blow the $1000 AUD Alpha right away:

Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor
MSI CSM-B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Galaxy GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card
Xigmatek Recon ATX Mid Tower Case
Thermaltake SMART 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)
http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/ZjVf4D
Total: $988.00

If you are thinking "but the controller is $50" you can move it back down to a GTX 750 ti and other exact Alpha spec parts and it will be like $900 +$50 for the controller saves you $50 and gets you a upgradeable desktop.

Like I say in other countries building is much cheaper than in Australia and the benefits are even more extreme.

For AMD, I'd drop that processor and GPU. You could instead get an Athlon 860k for $75 and an R7 260x for $100.

[Rove]

Kill-Cam Celebrity eredeti hozzászólása:

For AMD, I'd drop that processor and GPU. You could instead get an Athlon 860k for $75 and an R7 260x for $100.

I agree completely except that on the Australian PC Part Picker there was no 860K available so I had to use the A8 and a cheaper R7 250X to compensate for the higher CPU price.

[Space Coward]

Rove eredeti hozzászólása:

Kill-Cam Celebrity eredeti hozzászólása:

For AMD, I'd drop that processor and GPU. You could instead get an Athlon 860k for $75 and an R7 260x for $100.

I agree completely except that on the Australian PC Part Picker there was no 860K available so I had to use the A8 and a cheaper R7 250X to compensate for the higher CPU price.

I still wouldn't go with an A8. You're paying extra for a GPU you won't even use.

At that price, you might as well go for an FX 6300.

[Rove]

Hey I did the best I could on Australian PC Part Picker at the time, check it yourself and see if you can find better that's actually available.

[_I_]

whats your budget for the build?

if its under $800 aud, buy a console instead

the lowest i would go on a new gaming build
http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/dxYKLk

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.00 @ Centre Com)
Motherboard: MSI CSM-B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($85.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($85.00 @ IJK)
Storage: *Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.00 @ Centre Com)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($179.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: *Silverstone RL01B-W-USB 3.0 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: *Silverstone Strider Essential 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $821.00

of if you want to overclock, the g3258 beats fx6300 at most games
http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/6PsQnQ