Laptop showdown.. Alienware vs Dell

CrazyCase · 10-09-2002, 01:45 PM

Now i was looking into both dell and alienware for a new laptop. which of these two do you think is a better deal:

Dell Inspiron 8200 with:

1.8 ghz, Dell ultraSharp
Free nylon carring case
Free lithium battery
512 mb DDr PC 2100 Ram, 2 DIMM
30 gb hard drive
8x dvd-rom
ATI Radeon 9000 64 mb DDR 4x AGP
3 year warranty plut 3 year at-home service
MS XP Home
MS Works Suite 2002 w/ Money 2002
Norton Antivirus 2002 09 day trial
internal 56k modem
integrated lan
internal truemobile 1180 miniPCI card (Wi-Fi certified)
floppy drive
and the multimedia cable kit (s-video, compisite video, audio)

price: $2,434.00

or

alienware area 51 with:
color = space black
intel p4 2.26 ghz with 533 fsb w/ 512 kb cache
Intel 845E+ICH3M chipset -FC- PGA- 478 pin DDR
512 mb DDr PC2100 - two Dimms
40 gb hard drive 5400 rpm
ati mobility 9000 64 mb ddr
sound blaster compatible audio
3.5 flopy drive
8x dvd-rom
integrated lan
56k modem
MS XP PRO
12month subscription to computer games magazine
alien autopsy: automated techincle support request system
aliencase toll free 1-year 24/7 on-site warranty

price: $2559.00

difference $154. Which is a better deal?

daveleau · 10-09-2002, 01:49 PM

You didn't mention the screen type and size. That is really the most differing aspect of most laptops. If one has a 14 inch dual scan screen and the other a high res TFT 17", there is a huge difference. I know these are going to be a lot closer than my illustration, but there could be differences in the screen that would warrant ou buying the Dell instead. If the screens are identical, I'd go for the AW.

PresterJohn · 10-09-2002, 01:54 PM

between those two...i would go with the dell. laptops aren't very user-serviceable if you develop problems and service/support is a key consideration here.

edit: btw, are you sure about the dell specs...price seems a bit high for a sub 2ghz cpu.

CrazyCase · 10-09-2002, 01:57 PM

the dell has a 15.0 inch screen and the alienware has a 15.0 inch screen as well.

CrazyCase · 10-09-2002, 01:59 PM

and yes i am sure of the price, i still have the screen open. I might be able to get the dell a little cheaper, but not much.

FreakyOCR · 10-09-2002, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by PresterJohn
between those two...i would go with the dell. laptops aren't very user-serviceable if you develop problems and service/support is a key consideration here.

edit: btw, are you sure about the dell specs...price seems a bit high for a sub 2ghz cpu.

Looks like he added a three-year warranty to that.

The Dell will be more mobile and have better battery life.

The Alienware is what they like to call a desktop replacement. It uses a desktop CPU and is larger and heavier than the dell. AFAIK

CrazyCase · 10-09-2002, 02:03 PM

yeah the dell is like 2 lbs lighter or so. That is a good point.

osprey4 · 10-09-2002, 02:14 PM

Dell has a good reputation for laptops. However, my stepmother had a bad experience where hers died due to a bad motherboard and Dell service claimed it went bad because she spilled something on it (which she hadn't). She paid for the repair because she wanted her computer back, and eventually, she worked her way up the ranks until someone at Dell agreed to reimburse her for the repair.

My work computer is a Latitude C600, nice but a bit heavy.

claco · 10-09-2002, 02:21 PM

Why compare prices for the AlienWare?

They are marked up horribly just for a nice case color and badge, otherwise they are just a Clevo/Sager.

At least compare the Dell to a Sager via powernotebooks.com

I bet the difference in price between the Sager and a AlienWare, you can max out the features, and make the comparison to Dell a little more real.

aviax · 10-09-2002, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by PresterJohn
between those two...i would go with the dell. laptops aren't very user-serviceable if you develop problems and service/support is a key consideration here.

edit: btw, are you sure about the dell specs...price seems a bit high for a sub 2ghz cpu.

The cpu on the Dell is a P4m, which only recently began to exceed 2 Ghz, so they're still pretty expensive even at sub 2 levels.

Word of warning - Dell's reputation for service after sale is steadliy sliding. They also have at least one example in their history of bad product design (Inspiron 7000 and active memory problems - since I own one I could tell you a lot). That said, they still overall enjoy an excellent reputation...

What I find missing from these comparisons are things like the speed of the HDD on the Dell system (probably slower than 5400); whether or not the optical drive on the Dell is a combo or DVD only; and what is upgradable on both systems. Actually, I do know what is supposed to be upgradable on the A51m. According to their website, the A51m is upgradable in regards to the CPU, HDD, active mem, and optical drives. I don't know how important such an issue is to anyone else, but I like the idea that the CPU is upgradable, anyway (again, ask me about my Inspiron 7000... I dare you...

)

Just so no one gets the wrong idea: For the most part, I have had good experiences with my Dell, but I'm not sure I can recommend them based on my experiences. Of course, I have no experience with the Clevo 56N (the other comp in this comparison) or with Alienware. Still, my advice would be the Alienware, but do check around for better prices. Look under the buying advice area of this board...

EDIT

Also, is the Dell system USB 2.0 compatible? The Alienware is...