Alienware knows people are getting their tax returns soon

[Harrison]

So they are fucking spamming emails about instant rebates and sales on PC's etc.

Sneaky bitches...

[Rust]

So they are fucking spamming emails about instant rebates and sales on PC's etc.

Sneaky bitches...

Funny they'd email you, then. Don't you have to actually earn money and pay taxes to get a refund?

--R.

[Diekan]

Anyone who'd seriously consider paying the astronomical prices that Alainware charges should have their head examined.

[dammuzis]

but they have an alien head on them

[Narrock]

Anyone who'd seriously consider paying the astronomical prices that Alainware charges should have their head examined.

/concur

You can look at everything that's inside an Alienware box, and then buy everything on Newegg and save yourself probably 1500-2500 bucks

[Jei]

its more for the purpose of being able to say "hey i have an alienware"

and it also has an alien head on it

[The Kizzy]

So they are fucking spamming emails about instant rebates and sales on PC's etc.

Sneaky bitches...

Funny they'd email you, then. Don't you have to actually earn money and pay taxes to get a refund?

--R.

ok, that made me choke on my reheated breakfast pizza

[Narrock]

lol, that was a good one even if it did come from Rust.

[fefn]

If I was fuckin loaded I'd buy Alienware once every 6 months. I'd never order parts and build a computer myself again.

[Harrison]

That's half of the fun though...

Knowing what you are using was made by your own hands is nice.

[Narrock]

That's half of the fun though...

Knowing what you are using was made by your own hands is nice.

Except when you have to RMA stuff and it puts you off even further. I like to get everything done at once. It really sucks when you have to send stuff back in and have to wait another week and a half.

[Captain Insano]

I guarantee anyone who bought a system from Alienware then built one themselves would find that the alienware was less problematic and probably benchmarks faster then the DIY system.

These companies fine tune their systems and do quite a bit of testing to insure that the components that make up their systems work properly together. That is the biggest problem with DIY shit... The components are often times top quality but often don't play nicely together.

That being said I just bought some brand new Dell Optiplex GX280's for my business and home use.... They work sweeeet.

[Tikker]

That's half of the fun though...

Knowing what you are using was made by your own hands is nice.

I wouldn't really consider putting together prefabricated parts into the appropriate slot, building something with your own hands

[Diabolik]

There's nothing like a hand-crafted ASUS motherboard.

[Harrison]

That's half of the fun though...

Knowing what you are using was made by your own hands is nice.

I wouldn't really consider putting together prefabricated parts into the appropriate slot, building something with your own hands

Tell that to the millions of people who don't even know what RAM is and still use their computer.

[Captain Insano]

I have hand-built probably around 2500+ machines in the last 8 years, most of those during a massive rollout of computers for the military I was involved with... I am damn good at it. I tell anyone considering it not to waste their time unless they have a very specific need that cannot be met by purchasing a system from Dell, IBM etc. With today's rock bottom pricing for prebuilt machines there is no reason to waste the time or money doing it yourself, not to mention the fact that you will have to pirate all the necessary software.

[Harrison]

Waste the time and money?

#1: You save money.

#2: If it takes you longer than a few hours to get it together and subsequently up and running, you don't belong doing it to begin with.

[Martrae]

Unless you want decent parts that haven't been RMA'd already or want a power supply that's not gonna fry your machine.

[Narrock]

Really Ralf... I can build a machine 2x better than Dell's top-of-the-line ripoff machine and have it working perfectly, AND save money on top of it. If anything, Dell causes more trouble and heartache because they load up their machines with stupid proprietary software that bogs down the machine with lag, and eats up RAM.

It happened to my dad, my sister, an old roommate of mine, and my girlfriend... not to mention other people who I've heard that bought a Dell. Dell is not your friend. Go to Newegg or Pricewatch and build your own system. Dell systems are cheaper than their counterparts, but you can still save money and have the exact components you want and not have to upgrade right after taking it out of the box.

[Stabfase]

who gives a shit

[Narrock]

Lots of people obviously...

[Diekan]

Ralph is trying to start some new internet business, probably dealing with computers... which makes people who build their own system his enemy.

Fact is, pre-fab computers are over priced pieces of shit. You'll spend 1500 dollars for a machine that has a Pentium 4 in it... great! umm but who made the other components? They're all just as important... but most people don't think about that.

[Lyion]

I built my own PCs back when they required soldering.

Right now with low price shops that get deals in bulk and cheap software, there's really no reason to build one unless its a personal hobby.

I built my PC last year just to do it and to make an uber gaming rig.

There isnt enough justification to do it, though, when compared to the free software, better support, and savings in time from just ordering a pre built system.

That doesnt include Alienware as they are a 'name' and you always pay top $$ for that. However, ordering from Dell or Cyberpower is a good deal and you have no time or bullshit to deal with. If you price it with non pirated software it comes up about equal without taking in the fact you get far better support and the ability to get a new PC if your current one craters.

[Captain Insano]

Really Ralf... I can build a machine 2x better than Dell's top-of-the-line ripoff machine and have it working perfectly, AND save money on top of it. If anything, Dell causes more trouble and heartache because they load up their machines with stupid proprietary software that bogs down the machine with lag, and eats up RAM.

It happened to my dad, my sister, an old roommate of mine, and my girlfriend... not to mention other people who I've heard that bought a Dell. Dell is not your friend. Go to Newegg or Pricewatch and build your own system. Dell systems are cheaper than their counterparts, but you can still save money and have the exact components you want and not have to upgrade right after taking it out of the box.

How much did you pay for all the software? Win XP Home full version is 200 bucks alone. Don't tell me you stole that software? Stealing is one of those commandmants and no one wants moses coming down from heaven to throw fireballs at all the sinners... tisk tisk ; ) I guarantee you can't beat dells price if you purchased all the software legit you need to run a computer.

/just kidding by the way with the moses jokes.

I have to agree to a degree with you... When I resell Dell's/Toshiba's etc I strip them of their software and start with our own and make the systems fast again using only certain critical software components from Dell/Toshiba and leaving out all the junk.

Considering a lot of the software is actually paid for, and you have a real warranty I think buying is a much better way to go for 99 percent of the people.

The only time I build is if I need a solid server with maybe a large RAID array mirrored to a duplicate server using Veritos with automated backups to DLT's or something mildy complicated like that instead of handing twice as much cash over to that bitch Carlie Fione at HP... oh snap she got fired... Hmmm maybe I might actually consider buying an HP product again.

[veeneedefeesh]

I just bought some brand new Dell Optiplex GX280's for my business

We started buying the 280's and they are nice, however it is a royal pain in the ass to have to stock SATA and ATA HDD's for spares, PS2 is now obsolete, etc. We still have some systems in our organzation that only have 2 USB slots and you have to carry different kinds of KBs and mice as well for replacements. Not being able to attach any kind of monitor to a 280 is a bit of a pita as well.

I am not saying that technological advances arent good, but having to stock two different types of equipment just because you dont want to upgrade your whole organization at once is a pita.

Also Ralf is right about the software cost being a major factor. my home system cost me about $250-$300 to build myself, but I pirated all the software, and cannabalized several older PCs for stuff (I had an old case with 12 drive bays that made my life alot easier and I wanted a second CDROM drive so I could copy directly from one to another) If I would have actually paid for my version of Windows, MS Office, and other crap I would have been better off buying from Dell. As that I work for a gov't agency legality is important.

It is also nice to be able to make a phone call and have parts sent to you for free (under warranty and overnight no less) as opposed to going through the bureaucratic bullshit of filling out a requisistion, waiting 2 weeks for a purchase order, going to get the part, and then installing it yourself. This is especially true if you support 300+ machines seperated by 120 miles of highway and a river.