Alienware or ABS?

[AbominableJinx]

I am configuring a pc with both companies and was wondering which would be better? I know the first thing someone will say is build your own, and I respect that, but I do not have the time, patience or knowlege for that right now. I just want to buy one, and not get another HP, compaq, or dell. Here are my configurations. The ABS is about the same for about $2100, but it has the 9800 card,and will charge me tax and shipping since I am in California. But I dont really want to go over $2000 .

Alienware Area51

Intel Pentium® 4 Processor w/ HT Technology 3.2GHz ...Northwood
ASUS® P4C800-E Deluxe - Intel 875P Motherboard
1GB Dual Channel DDR PC-3200 SDRAM at 400MHz - 2 x 512MB (Kingston)
ATI RADEON? 9600 XT 128MB DDR w/Digital and S-Video Out
160GB Seagate® Barracuda 7,200 RPM w/8MB Cache
Lite-On® 16x DVD-ROM Drive with Software DVD Decoder
Lite-On 52x32x52x CD-RW Drive
Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy® 2 ZS High Definition 7.1 Surround
3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive - Black
US Robotics® 56K V.92 Performance Pro
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2
AlienIce? Video Cooling System
Alienware case Conspiracy blue

Grand Total $1905 Free shipping

 

[lookouthere]

too expensive

 

[bigboxes]

C. Build your own.

All prices from Newegg.

Intel Pentium® 4 Processor w/ HT Technology 3.2GHz ...Northwood $289.00
ASUS® P4C800-E Deluxe - Intel 875P Motherboard $174.00
1GB Dual Channel DDR PC-3200 SDRAM at 400MHz - 2 x 512MB (Kingston) $165.00
ATI RADEON? 9600 XT 128MB DDR w/Digital and S-Video Out $163.00
160GB Seagate® Barracuda 7,200 RPM w/8MB Cache $108.00 (SATA)
Lite-On Black 52X32X52X16 Combo Drive $41.50
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS GAMER Limited Edition PCI Sound Card $111.00
NEC 3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive - Black $9.00
US Robotics® 56K V.92 Performance Pro $67.99
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2 $141.00

Total: $1269.49

Your listed price: $1905

Difference: $635.51 Use that $$$ to buy a case and a video cooling solution and have $$$ left over.

 

[ChineseGuy]

Originally posted by: bigboxes
C. Build your own.

All prices from Newegg.

Intel Pentium® 4 Processor w/ HT Technology 3.2GHz ...Northwood $289.00
ASUS® P4C800-E Deluxe - Intel 875P Motherboard $174.00
1GB Dual Channel DDR PC-3200 SDRAM at 400MHz - 2 x 512MB (Kingston) $165.00
ATI RADEON? 9600 XT 128MB DDR w/Digital and S-Video Out $163.00
160GB Seagate® Barracuda 7,200 RPM w/8MB Cache $108.00 (SATA)
Lite-On Black 52X32X52X16 Combo Drive $41.50
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS GAMER Limited Edition PCI Sound Card $111.00
NEC 3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive - Black $9.00
US Robotics® 56K V.92 Performance Pro $67.99
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2 $141.00

Total: $1269.49

Your listed price: $1905

Difference: $635.51 Use that $$$ to buy a case and a video cooling solution and have $$$ left over.

Or go with an Athlon 64 system, and save a couple of hundred of dollars. And they out preform P4 system

 

[AbominableJinx]

Lol, guess no one can read what I said about building my own. Thanks anyways people

 

[trexpesto]

9600XT will barely cut it. I am surprised Alienware even sells them with it. Could dish it off on someone else. Can you get it with the 6800 or 6800 GT?

 

[ChineseGuy]

It's not that hard

 

[Mik3y]

Alienware just looks better, but ABS for everything else.

 

[Mik3y]

note that the 9600 xt sucks for new games like doom 3 and half-life 2. you gotta go 9800 pro at least for smooth performance, though not the best gfx quality.

 

[yankeesfan]

I would really consider building your own. It is very easy with the many good photo guides on the internet. As a first-time builder, I built my own in one night. The money you save could be used for other things.

 

[AbominableJinx]

Hmmm below are the other cards they have.

I know this company is outrageous as the devil, but like I said, unfortunatly, building is just not an option for me. For one thing, I live like 45 miles from a city with a pc parts store, and if i mess up, which I will (hehe I know me..... I cant even put together a model!). And I cant trust anybody near me to put one together for me....bad enough trusting a name brand outfit to do this! These legalized pirates at Alienware have a 15% restock fee which is absolute B.S., so either way, im gonna lose

I have just been puting off getting a new pc for 2 years now, and am still stuck with a old HP, which is a brand I do not want to go back to cause they are full of internt companies software, spyware, and other un-needed junk.





ATI RADEON? X800 XT Platinum Edition 256MB DDR3 w/Digital and TV Out - Limited Availability [+403

ATI RADEON? X800 PRO 256MB DDR3 w/Digital and TV Out [+293

NVIDIA® GeForce? 6800 Ultra 256MB DDR3 w/Digital and S-Video Out - Limited Availability [+397

NVIDIA® GeForce? 6800 GT 256MB DDR3 w/Digital and S-Video Out - Limited Availability [+305

NVIDIA® GeForce? FX 5900 XT 128MB DDR w/Digital and S-Video Out [+46 or $1/mo.]

 

[wfbberzerker]

just build it. you'll be happier in the end.

 

[trexpesto]

mechBgon's is a great building guide.

Game performance is hugely controlled by the videocard nowadays, as much as CPU even. Which is why everyone has vid card comments.
A 9800 Pro is 184 at newegg now, the 6800's are 270 - 290ish.

Some of the GT's are bundled with Doom3, so that could make them more worthwhile. $400 ish.

This and the next page show the 9600XT vs other cards out now on Doom3. The next page shows how it runs at lower resolution and quality settings.
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2146&p=4

 

[yankeesfan]

Originally posted by: trexpesto
L=mechBgon's}[L=http://www.omnicast.net/~tmcfadden/guides/build/index.html[/L]]http://www.omnicast.net/~tmcfadden/guides/build/index.html[/L][/L] is a great building guide.

Game performance is hugely controlled by the videocard nowadays, as much as CPU even. Which is why everyone has vid card comments.
A 9800 Pro is 184 at newegg now, the 6800's are 270 - 290ish.

Some of the GT's are bundled with Doom3, so that could make them more worthwhile. $400 ish.

This and the next page show the 9600XT vs other cards out now on Doom3. The next page shows how it runs at lower resolution and quality settings.
[L=http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2146&p=4]http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2146&p=4[/L]

work on your linking skills

edit: sorry, had to say it

 

[chuwawa]

Well, you don't have to build it yourself but you can have another store build it for you. Itll still be hundreds of dollars cheaper and you don't have to hassle yourself. Go look at the yellow pages of the nearest city and check out the computer stores there.

 

[ChineseGuy]

Or if you have some friends that know computers pretty well, you could aks them too.

 

[LordPhoenix]

Build Yer Own.

 

[Lyfer]

If you can't build your own go with ABS then. Or even get a barebone from mwave.com, they'll put the together the cpu/board/case for you and test it. All you have to do is install the PCI/AGP/HD's/DVD drive and OS.

 

[Lyfer]

Here's a quote from mwave.com, for $1,700.58 you get:

Barebone box includes the following assembled/tested:
Asus K8N-E Delux
Athlon 64 3400 Boxed Retail
1gb (512mbx2) Kingston DDR400
Lite-on 52x32x52 CDRW
Mitsumi Floppy
ANTEC SX835II Case w/350 SmartPower

Extras you have to install yourself (very easy):
Gainward Geforce 6800GT Retail BOXED
MS Windows XP PRO SP1 OEM CD
US Robotics 56k V.92 Perfomance modem
Creative Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS Gamer RETAIL
NEC 3500A 16xDVD Dual Layer Burner
Seagate 200GB serial ATA 7200RPM HD

You save $200 and get an INSANELY faster CPU/Video Card and bigger HD. Installing your sound/video/HD is a piece of cake.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

I set up something at falcon northwest.

Case: Praetorian PAC-To1-EK
Enermax Whisper 450 Watt PS
Microsoft XP Home
Asus K8VSE Deluxe
AMD Athlon 64 3000
Zalman CPU Cooler
PC3200 1gig
Geforce 6800 GT
Seagate 80 GB SATA HDD
Lite-On 8x DVD+-RW
3Com 56K V.90 Internal Modem

Cost 2147.00
That should squash the alienware system since it has a video card that will kill the 9600XT five times before it hits the ground.

 

[freeject]

Dont even go near alienware. Stick with a barebones company like Monarch (www.monarchcomputer.com). Or if you absolutely must have EVERYTHING preinstalled, then go with one of the less-mainstream companies like CyberPowerInc, ABS or iBuyPower. You wont see any commercials by these guys, but their ads are in many pc mags. They'll build and warrantee a pc for much less than an equivalent dell.

 

[Anubis08]

There is either a company or person in your area who would be willing to build your computer for a lot less than the money you would save ordering on Newegg. I would try that option as I would build it for someone in my area if they needed it for a LOT less than $600+ dollars.

 

[MangoTBG]

Keep the PC you have. Since it's an HP it'll be worth 10xs the money you payed for it in 5 years.

Don't ask why, I just know.

 

[trexpesto]

This is fun!
From Monarchcomputer.com: LINK
A64 system which will smoke that Alienware, includes 6800GT, 2yr on-site support, windows, anti-virus. They set it up and test it before shipping. I think shipping is ~ 80 to Nevada. I think they are in Georgia, so elsewhere you don't pay tax. I would change it to just get the cheapest memory and order 2x512 sticks of mushkin or corsair from newegg. THIS MUSHKIN or THIS CORSAIR

$49.00 .... 800069 Monarch GT64 Custom PC/WS (Athlon 64)
$58.00 .... Cases: 100493 - PS 400W - Enermax CS-5171LBFS-B Mid-Tower
$101.00 .. Motherboards: 110832 - Abit KV8 PRO Audio/GB-LAN/USB/SATA/DDR-40
$218.00 .. Processor: 120732 - AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 1MB (754) <--1 MB Cache baby!
$21.00 .... Heat Sink Fan: 130150 - Thermaltake A1772 AMD Recommended for Opt
$292.00 .. Memory: 140307 - DDR (400) 3200 - 1 GB Corsair (CMX1024-3200PRO)
$128.00 .. Hard Drive: 150125 - IDE - Western Digital (WD2000JB SE) 200 G
$93.00 .... CD-RW/DVD-RW: 160453 - DVD-RW - NEC ND-2500A/GBP 4X/2X-DVD+-RW/8
$15.25 .... Floppy Drive: 170101 - Mitsumi 1.44 MB 3.5" Floppy Drive
$455.00 .. Video Card: 190457 - XFX GeForce 6800 GT 256MB DDR3/8XAGP/TV-OUT<-- BOO YAH!
$19.00 .... Modem: 200102 - QuickConnect 56K V.92 PCI Modem - <-- Why you want a modem??
$154.00 .. Operating System: 210111 - Microsoft Windows XP Professional
$79.00 .... Warranty: 800094 - 24/7 Tech Support + Plus 2 Year Onsite Warranty
$0 ........... Monarch Logo Stickers: 270642 - Monarch GT 64 Logo
$99.00 .... Antivirus: 310109 - Norton SystemWorks Professional 2004
$9.00 ...... Round Cables: 150012 - Yellow round Hard Drive cables 40-pin
$0 ............ Far Cry Promotion: 270846 - FREE Full DVD Version of Far Cry - $39.95 value

----------------------------------------------------------
$1,790.25 Subtotal for your selected options :thumbsup:

Edit: I just checked them on Resellerratings.com and they are god-like! 9.36 score!

 

[yhelothar]

Get ABS... I don't know how you configured ABS to cost more than Alienware, but ABS should only cost around $50 more than if you got the parts from newegg, as they are the same company!
I just configured an AMD M3 gaming systemfor $1838 with:

SENNHEISER PC 135 USB PC HEADSET - RETAIL
UBI SOFT FarCry DVD - Special AMD Bundle Offer - Limited Time Offer
Free Microsoft Rise of Nations - PC Game
Free Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004
COOLER MASTER WAVE MASTER CASE WITHOUT POWER SUPPLY MODEL "TAC-T01-E1C" -RETAIL
Antec 480W Power Supply TRUE480
MB ASUS K8V SE DELUXE K8T800 RETAIL
AMD ATHLON 64 3400+ 512K L2 CACHE THE ONLY 64-BIT WINDOWS COMPATIBLE PROCESSOR - OEM
Quantity 2 of Corsair XMS Series 512MB PC3200 DDR400 184-Pin
eVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6800GT Video Card 256MB GDDR3 256-Bit DVI/TV-Out 8X AGP Model "256-A8-N344-
Quantity 2 of Maxtor 80GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache Serial ATA (ATA150)
NEC 8X Black Dual Layer DVD+RW/-RW Drive Model ND-2510A OEM
Aopen Internal 56K V.92 Voice/Data/Fax PCI Modem
2Net 1 Year 24/7 Tech Support &amp; Onsite Service | (Concurrent with Standard Warranty)

This system will ABSOLUTELY DESTROY the one you configured, it will be over 5x faster in games. I'd bet the coolermaster wavemaster looks a heck of a lot better than cheesy looking alienware case!

Alienware should be one of your last choices!