The whole process of building and preparing the PC was longer than what I had expected. The shipped product and packaging was in very good conditions. In fact I think the packaging is a bit excess and can be cut down to reduce costs. Printed documentation that comes with the new PC does not seem to be professionally made and it is not detailed enough. Customer support was courteous and knowledgeable enough to handle the specific issues that I have regarding the purchase order. All in all I feel that I was dealing with a trusted company, though some of the processes can certainly be improved.

Very impressed with the size and quality of the laptop. Slightly heavier that I expected but not too heavy to handle with ease. Everyone, including my eldest son, a foresic computer scientist, are impessed with the look, feel a speed of the computer.

i recently ordered from alienware and i was very happy with what i got, the thing is HUGE! its deffinitly an awesome computer i can play anything i want on super high settings and it owns it all, i got the wartime edition and added a few upgrades, the price is high but thats basically what it cost for a superduper comp lol.

I bought my desktop around 2 months ago and i am using it for autocad and 3d rendering and in my opinion it was the best i could find outthere. you might think the prices are a little high but with the quality and the service you get you ll realize that you are paying the right price

PROS:  
It is really a rocking system for video games,I use to have such a bad case of the lags playing even simple games and now I enjoy it very much. World of Warcraft totally rocks.  
The system itself looks total awesome and I love the way the casing looks like a "Little Green Man" from mars.  
Alienware provides the top of the line equipment and components and makes it look great and affordable for all budgets, I compared the pricing if I would of built it myself using the same exact products not likewise ones and it figured well into about $2800 and I payed $1500 for mine, so do the math,all I can say is thanks Alienware. So for a top of the line system and to be an envy amongst gaming geeks this is the way to go.  
 
 
Cons:  
 
The first is the Windows Vista..it totally sucks after being an XP man, but this isn't really Alienware fault.  
The other I had was right after getting the system almost 2 weeks later Alienware dropped the price $160.50 and I hadn't even got my first bill. I called and asked about a credit adjustment and they said no it was in there clause. I read it and the only thing it says is pricing could vary from the websites actual price because components do change in price and they may not have updated it yet. Most companies give a 30 day pricing guarantee or refund if the item goes on sell or you find it somewhere else with in 30 days. I could of seen 2 months or so, but less then 2 weeks come on Alienware.  
 
Anyways besides the complaints about the price drop it is a good solid system and well worth it even if I didn't get a refund...lol.

This review was modified by its author, Jelly Biggs, on 9/10/09 11:14 PM.

I purchased the Area-51 X58 gaming system. This was my first purchase from Alienware and I could not be more pleased. I compaired what I ordered in my machine to what I would have spent at Newegg and was supprized at how competitive the prices were and I am sure I could never have gotten the cables as neat and out of the way as they did. I had no issues from the online ordering to unpacking and setting up the computer.

I purchased an Aurora desktop system last year and was extremely pleased with it's performance, so when my old laptop bit the dust, my first logical choice was to get another Alienware. When I first got my M17, I was a little annoyed with it. There are a few quirks that normal laptops don't have, but you learn to love them. Like how the keyboard is stretched far back so you have a good resting pad when you write or game. When the time comes to upgrade I'm definitely going for Alienware again.

i have ordered three computers from alienware, one desktop and 2 laptops and i am quite pleased with their products.  
1) their website is quite nice and i like the format of the pc and laptop customizing pages  
2) they were quite responsive when i had questions regarding a recent order  
3) the only trouble i have had with their products is the Vista operating system but who hasnt had problems with Vista?  
4) i would recommend their systems to a friend and certainly would purchase another system from them  
5) the lead time from order to receiving my systems was 10 days which is fairly reasonable

I ordered an Area 51 X58. I did the entire process online. It was simple, smooth and I had my customized system in like 10 days! I was a little surprised at the weight and size of the thing, but it kicks ass! It of course came with Windows Vista 64 Ultimate. Not Alienware's fault for that disaster! I swapped over to Windows 7 Beta after 3 days of Vista Hell. Win 7 runs amazingly on this machine, make sure you get the upgrade option! This is one mean machine though! It does everything for me. It is my gaming machine, data cruncher, and the core of my entertainment system. It is a little pricy for some of the upgrades, but you get what you pay for and I have yet to be disappointed. One note to Alienware... get Razor to make you a cool Alienware keyboard. I would have gladly paid $ 80.00 more for it vs the standard logitech crappy $ 20.00 one you sent with it. Same with the mouse.

This review was modified by its author, gwm007, on 9/10/09 7:14 PM.

I recently bought an M17 laptop from alienware. I must say it is one fo the best machines that i have played on thus far. the graphics card is not even the highest quality card out there and it still does an amazing job at running the games i play such as prototype, (a very difficult game graphics card wise). my only pet peeve with the laptop is its overall size. a 17 inch screen is what it is but it has the size on it for a 20. when compared with that of my girlfriends seventeen inch screen mine could eat it and still be hungry for more. It is my school computer as well so it made it difficult to find a laptop bag that would fit as well. all in all, the performance on the computer is what really matters. it has the capabilities of a desktop wrapped into a convenient notebook. and about the touch pads... they arent as bad as a previous post said they are. :]

Maximum service and quick response.  
This is my second purchase from Alienware in 12 months and both times, I was impressed at the quality of the finished computer. I received exactly what I wanted - cutting edge technology that worked out of the box. The shipment was received on time and the extras included (hat, ID card, and desktop manual) put a smile on my face.  
But the service is what puts Alienware on top in my book. I've dealt with other internet computer stores and have been sorely disappointed. I wanted to save a buck or two and wound up with a disappointing tier three product instead of the top of the line computer I got from Alienware.  
I will (and do) recommend Alienware for all my gamer friends and all my business associates who need first rate technology that works with a service center that really, really seems to want to make me happy.  
I would like to see them lower their prices but the cost vs value is already fairly good.  
Overall, Alienware is the only place I will go to in the future for any more of my desktop computer needs.

It was a good buy 4/5. Only reason for a non 5/5 is because it's obviously a little cheaper to build your own and you get a satisfaction of doing it yourself but they do not compare with a professionally built computer. I am completely satisfied with the machine itself, runs perfect plays everything out on the market. It's quiet, cool and does exactly what it was intended to, very happy with it.

Alienware Customer Service is a joke... nothing but lies, guesses, and broken promises:  
Order for Area-51 M15X laptop placed 5/27/09 showed schedule to ship 6/1.  
Immediately rescheduled to 6/3 as soon as the order was accepted.  
Actually shipped 6/8/09.  
After reloading operating system 3 times and hourly reboots, internet connection problems, etc. Alienware finally authorized the return on 8/12/09. They advised it would take them up to 2 weeks to fix and return the unit.  
As of 9/8/09 they claim the unit was delayed in shipment and not received until 8/19 yet FedEx has delivery signed on 8/17.  
Worse, they say the unit has been rebuilt twice yet they do not know when it can be expected to ship.  
They never could provide status.  
They could not transfer me to someone that could help.  
They could not refund my money.  
On a positive note, when I asked the customer service agent if he wanted negative things to be said about Alienware he responded "of course not" yet he was not interested in doing anything to improve the situation.  
I spent $1,502.58 over 3-1/2 months ago and finally got a working laptop after hours and hours of phone calls and emails with tech service agents that never knew anything!  
Alienware says they will extend the warranty an additional 90 days but have never updated my account. Also they promised to upgrade the memory but did nothing. They promised too many things - I count 11 various lies that I have in writing in emails and they don't care!  
I wanted my money back so I could buy a Dell.  
After 3 more lengthly phone calls (shortest was 20 minutes) on 9/10/09 I was allowed to speak with an Alienware/Dell supervisor who contacted the Alienware repair center and found out that they still could not fix the Area-51 computer and were running diagnostics again. He then offered to cancel the system and credit my Visa card (even though all agents I had talked to previously insisted they could not do refunds). But he actually submitted a cancellation ticket and another department then contacted me and said absolutely no refunds so I had to cancel the Dell order and continue to wait. They promised to do a 48 hour burn-in test and yet the next day they had finished. They promised to ship by 2 day service but sent it by 5day ground. They promised to ship it to our new address but sent it to the old so it took another 3 days to finally arrive.

This review was modified by its author, BillT909, on 10/7/09 12:05 PM.

As customers we forget about how impatient we can be and rush the building process. To build a water-cooled PC, it takes a lot of care and time, please don't forget this. Give them 2-3 weeks at the least, call, file a ticket if they take more time, but don't try to push their buttons, they're going to make your PC beautiful in the end. Don't rate them on their time, trust me, be patient for a few weeks and you will receive the perfect machine!

A few months ago I purchased an M17 laptop from Alienware. It took a little longer than I expected from initial order to delivery but once I did get it I was impressed.  
 
During the first month I noticed a persistent problem with the touch pad. The cursor would jump around the screen if my finger was left stationary for a while. I explained my complaint to Alienware and I am satisfied with how they handled my problem. They gave me a list of things to try and one of them solved the problem.  
 
There is a lot of empty space around the touch pad and it's a nice area to use with a wireless mouse but otherwise it just looks goofy.  
 
My only other comment is that the laptop runs pretty hot with this quad core cpu and dual core gpu.