46 replies to this topic

[TCcomputers29]

Hey guys/Gurls
Well my friend wants me to build a custom PC for him but someone keeps telling him to get an alienware. Any tips on convincing him?
well i told him that alien ware uses OEM Mobos and craps parts.
here is the specs of the Custom.

Intel Core I7 2600K
Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3R-B3
2 x 4GB G.SKILL 1333MHz RAM
Powercolor 6950 2GB Edition
1TB Seagate 7200RPM 32MB HDD
LG Blu-Ray Combo CH12LS28
Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 Full Tower Chassis
OCZ ZT750w PSU
TP-Link WN851N Wireless-N
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
about 1.5k
i keep telling him it is a very good build for playing games and watching 1080p vids.
Thanks

[Tjj226_Angel]

You should get 1600mhz ram and a 1gb GPU, but other then that, buy separate parts.

[vandreadstriker]

Really depends on what Model he's looking at.. If he's picking the Aurora, he's getting an X79 rig which would be better then the one you've chosen.
But I do agree that it's better to build your own for a couple of reasons:

-You're only buying what you need. (e.g you wouldn't need X79 for a gaming rig)
-You can pick your own brand
-You know what you're using and know what's compatible with it
-The fun of building your own rig
-You save money for not paying stupid marked-up price

Hope this helps

[Tjj226_Angel]

Really depends on what Model he's looking at.. If he's picking the Aurora, he's getting an X79 rig which would be better then the one you've chosen.
But I do agree that it's better to build your own for a couple of reasons:

-You're only buying what you need. (e.g you wouldn't need X79 for a gaming rig)
-You can pick your own brand
-You know what you're using and know what's compatible with it
-The fun of building your own rig
-You save money for not paying stupid marked-up price

Hope this helps

Which brings me to a point I want to make. We are just trying to convince your friend to do a build right? I just want to make sure because the current setup is probably not the best gaming setup and there are some things that need to be tweaked.

[flareback]

I've always done custom builds. I enjoy it.

[spectrascope]

Alienware mark up is nuts.
options
ASUS Sabertooth X79 LGA 2011 - 329.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 -319.99
Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E 3.2GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 2011 130W Six-Core -599.99
PowerColor AX7970 3GBD5-2DHV3 Radeon HD 7970 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 - 549.99
COOLER MASTER COSMOS II -349.99
CORSAIR Professional Series HX1050 1050W - 219.99
OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2 Max IOPS RVD3MIX2-FHPX4-240G PCI-E 240GB - 829.99
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1502FAEX 1.5TB 7200 - 149.99
LG Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X - 79.99
TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 - 44.99
Phanteks PH-TC14PE 140mm UFB - 89.99
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - 99.99
----------------------------------------------------------
About ~$3700 per newegg blow the doors of Alienware
--------------------------------------------------------
More affordable option - per newegg
--------------------------------------------------------
Thermaltake Level 10 Series Level 10 GTS Black - 109.99
PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W - 149.99
GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 - 144.99
Intel Core i7-2700K Sandy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 - 339.99
G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 - 129.99
GIGABYTE GV-R787OC-2GD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit 359.99
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD1 2.5" 128GB SATA III - 164.99
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1502FAEX 1.5TB 7200 - 149.99
LG Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X - 79.99
TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 - 44.99
Phanteks PH-TC14PE 140mm UFB - 89.99
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - 99.99
+ free 4 SD card and free $20 newegg gift card
-----------------------------------------------------------------
about ~$1820.00 per newegg.

[vandreadstriker]

Alienware mark up is nuts.
options
ASUS Sabertooth X79 LGA 2011 - 329.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 -319.99
Intel Core i7-3930K Sandy Bridge-E 3.2GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 2011 130W Six-Core -599.99
PowerColor AX7970 3GBD5-2DHV3 Radeon HD 7970 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 - 549.99
COOLER MASTER COSMOS II -349.99
CORSAIR Professional Series HX1050 1050W - 219.99
OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2 Max IOPS RVD3MIX2-FHPX4-240G PCI-E 240GB - 829.99
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1502FAEX 1.5TB 7200 - 149.99
LG Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X - 79.99
TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 - 44.99
Phanteks PH-TC14PE 140mm UFB - 89.99
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - 99.99
----------------------------------------------------------
About ~$3700 per newegg blow the doors of Alienware
--------------------------------------------------------
More affordable option - per newegg
--------------------------------------------------------
Thermaltake Level 10 Series Level 10 GTS Black - 109.99
PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W - 149.99
GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 - 144.99
Intel Core i7-2700K Sandy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 - 339.99
G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 - 129.99
GIGABYTE GV-R787OC-2GD Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit 359.99
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD1 2.5" 128GB SATA III - 164.99
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1502FAEX 1.5TB 7200 - 149.99
LG Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X - 79.99
TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 - 44.99
Phanteks PH-TC14PE 140mm UFB - 89.99
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - 99.99
+ free 4 SD card and free $20 newegg gift card
-----------------------------------------------------------------
about ~$1820.00 per newegg.

I don't think he would need 2133MHz RAMs.
And, if he's just gaming and watching movies, he could just get a 2500K and save another $100

[AZNguyen]

If you're going to get a 6950 2GB, might as well get a used one still under warranty and unlockable for around $180-225. Will last him for awhile on 1080p resolution.

[hornybluecow]

simple, it;s cheaper to build yourself and if you are willing to spend the same amount of money you can get a super rig!. in any case it's about half the price to build the same exact computer.

about 2 years ago when the 1366 socket was the newest i did a price check and alienware wanted $5,000 for the same rig (2x 285 GTX) when i paid around 1k total for the whole rig (at the time).

[Mikesnow]

the reason things get marked up from a manufacurer like that and what you pay the extra money for is the extra software that you get, the fact you know it's going to work, and for support and warranty. When you pieced everything together you have to go through the crappy rma process alot of these companies have. You can get a doa product in assembly, or you can get something thats not matched correctly or optimised for the products, so all the support is then on yourself, which is great if you can handle that. With manufactured parts, they have their mb, v-cards, ram, psu, bioses, etc made specifically engineered for that particular pc and it is tested before it ever leaves so you know it works. Also the support you won't have to do, you call they send out a tech, you pay nothing, and it will normally be much much faster then an rma. Theres good and bad for both. But your not paying extra for the parts it's all the other stuff, that your paying for.

[TCcomputers29]

thanks for your quick replies
well, he wants me to build it in june so i will use all of your points to keep him interested. since ivy bridge and the new 600 series and 7000 series of GFX cards are now available, i may do some furthermore adjustments to the specs.

PS. can anyone tell me why BEATS are a complete rip off.

[Stonerboy779]

Wouldn't say beats are a complete rip off but I also wouldn't say they where well priced or really high quality.
There is much better stuff out there.