ALIENWARE HORROR STORIES - Are they true?

Just know that you over paid. Motokid6

Hi guys I don't know whether this is the right place for the topic but here goes. I ordered my ALIENWARE M17X with custom specs around 5 days ago (i'm in uk). I went on searching online about user experiences (you can understand my excitement and impatience lol) and I found like thousands of horror stories about faulty machines and lack of customer support. I'm kind of worried because obviously there's a lot of money involved. Now some users again defend Alienware saying that the neigh-sayers are just haters. I guess a lot of gamespot users own alienware machines. Can you guys please give me an idea about what I should actually expect? Thanks looseyourself87

Thats the worst assumption anyone can make and its so wrong, if anything GS people DONT own alienware.

I had 3 M17x that were either DOA or were slower then a 6 year old laptop

Well, I'm not sure if it's true but I heard that once Dell took them over, the quality and reliability of Alienware products were weakened. They are also overpriced.

You should have built a PC yourself.

Well, you just lost yourself quite a bit of money. Would have been cheaper to build it yourself.

Well, you just lost yourself quite a bit of money. Would have been cheaper to build it yourself.

airshocker

Lets see you build a laptop.

Well, you just lost yourself quite a bit of money. Would have been cheaper to build it yourself.

airshocker

Build a laptop? 

Since Dell bought Alienware almost 10 years ago, I have heard that quality has suffered some and if they no longer have good customer service, again, Dell.

[QUOTE="airshocker"]

Well, you just lost yourself quite a bit of money. Would have been cheaper to build it yourself.

WhiteKnight77

Build a laptop? 

Since Dell bought Alienware almost 10 years ago, I have heard that quality has suffered some and if they no longer have good customer service, again, Dell.

M17x = 17" laptop

Would anyone recommend me to ask for one for a graduation gift?

My sister is getting a good computer (she wants a Mac - I know), so I figured I'll get an expensive gift too. I want an Alienware but would I be better off with a different company game computer?

Everytime you buy a new computer or put one together there are going to be defective parts that crap out a couple of days or months in. Last week I built my new computer from scratch and my graphics card crapped out on day two, I sent it back and my new one should get here on monday 

Alienware's are fine for people with the money to throw around and whom don't want to deal with building one themselves, but as with any computer there is a chance that a part can go bad no matter who builds it, as long as alienware honors the warranty you would be fine with them.  

You'll be happy with it, every company out there has their horror stories to go with them i guess. People (like myself) don't like Alienware because they are far too expensive and you can build your own custom PC for much less and still be ahead of the Alienware.

One thing i do like on the Alienware's are the case, they look nice lol. Hope you enjoy it when it comes and happy gaming.

[QUOTE="Motokid6"] Just know that you over paid. Nick3306

not as bad as a mac, though.

on that note, go look up Dell.  That is who owns Alienware, and who is likely responsible for building and supporting your PC.

how much was it?

how much was it?

lostrib

[QUOTE="lostrib"]

how much was it?

Mcspanky37

might as well spend like 800-1000 on a desktop and the rest on a regular laptop

Probably no more than any other laptop company. Alienware computers are awesome though. 

Think it depends on where you are in the world. The horrorstories of when Dell bought them, seem to have some weight in some countries, mind you that was around the time when the takeover had just taken place, overall it seems the quality got up again after a while, and over here (northern Europe) it was pretty much what they always were.

They can be on the steep side, but that is all the negative I can give them, and on laptops I can give little complaints for that either (prefer the Asus gamer lappys over the alienware ones, but that is strickly a matter of taste, nothing else)

oh how y gonna miss built up your pc puting every screw in it !!! its really awesome to build one , true indication of how you Love your PC and how much you spent time in it !!!!!!

built like 4 PC's and everytime i enjoy it the max !!!!!!!!!!! 

It's funny how people get as far as the word Alienware and they just stop reading. As mentioned, the M17x is a laptop so all the "duuuuuh, just build it yourself" comments don't really apply. While there are a few "open platform" laptop options, I haven't been too impressed with any of them in terms of form factor and overall build quality.

To the TC's question, the general consensus is that the overall quality of Alienware products has decreased since Dell bought them. Still, if you're going for laptops they are a pretty decent (if pricey) option. I bought an M17x several years ago. It was a great laptop for me for a few years and before the warranty ran out one of the video cards started overheating. Dell replaced it for free, and since the R1 was out of production at that point they upgraded me to an R2. Overall, their in-warranty support has been pretty decent in my experience. Their build quality is also pretty good for the R1 and R2 models. I haven't personally used an R3 or later so I can't comment on those directly.

-Byshop

There are better options for the money.

I don't own a Dell or Alienware but through my work I found Dell support to be quite helpful. Always managed to get part etc reasonably quickly.

Like many have said Alienware is over priced though but if you want to show off factor (with peeps who don't know better) then it'll certainly gain attention.

I bought an Alienware M17x R3 because I traveled a lot. It worked fine for two years before I sold it, I'm sure it's still working now. Whenever I was home I used a laptop cooler with it just in case. I thought it was a great device. 

I did however once spill a bit of drink on the keyboard. All the keys were fine except for the space bar that got really **** up and no matter what I tried doing it kept stick. Eventually I popped the key off to clean it and kept popping it off hear and there to try and fix it myself. I broke the hinge. I called up customer service and totally lied and said the hinge broke from normal use. The keys weren't really sticky anymore and the guy sent over a technician like two days later to replace the keyboard. So all in all, I had a pretty good experience, however unless you travel I would just build a desktop as it's not that hard if you watch some videos.

Dell has one thing that build your owns will never have. WARRANTY ! Sure you can send your ram or video card back to Newegg or wherever....and wait for a couple of weeks. Or you can have the broken part shipped over night for free by Dell. But they are a little overpriced...but if you don't want (or care to ) build your own and have the satisfaction and comfort of knowing if anything goes wrong...Dell will fix it. I don't know much about their laptops though...just desktops. You could do way worse then Dell though....Alienware. Don't ask about Dell here...read real reviews from real tech reviewers.OgreB

You're saying this as if Dell has "infinite" warranty. You meant to say it's more convenient because you don't have to deal with separate warranties for each component if you build your own PC. Which in actuality, isn't very inconvenient.

Most parts if you build your own has pretty good, lengthy warranties. For example, Corsair power supply units depending on the series are 5 or 7 years respectively. EVGA GPUs have a 3-year warranty. No offense, but you made it sound like building your own PC with newly purchased components do not come with warranty.

I purchased my CPU and Motherboard from Fry's and I received a bonus extended 3 yr warranty for each product, free.  Sometimes you can run into really great deals.

Hi guys I don't know whether this is the right place for the topic but here goes. I ordered my ALIENWARE M17X with custom specs around 5 days ago (i'm in uk). I went on searching online about user experiences (you can understand my excitement and impatience lol) and I found like thousands of horror stories about faulty machines and lack of customer support. I'm kind of worried because obviously there's a lot of money involved. Now some users again defend Alienware saying that the neigh-sayers are just haters. I guess a lot of gamespot users own alienware machines. Can you guys please give me an idea about what I should actually expect? Thanks looseyourself87

I have had mine since the last week of November. Honestly, my favorite computer that I have ever owned. I purchased a medium stock, M14x. It plays all the games as well as one would hope, great for College and fun to show off to friends. I have not had a single problem with it. It gets loud, but all gaming computers do and I take great care of mine (cleaning screen, blowing air out, cleaning keyboards, etc). 

Laptops are not designed well for serious gaming, they lack power, they overheat when they're used with powerful GPUs and they're overpriced. But there's nothing wrong with Alienware Laptops, they're just expensive.

Not only is building it yourself cheaper, but you can hand pick every component. I haven't bought a PC (other than laptop) since 1995.

I have a m11x netbook, they don't make them that small anymore I think. I liked it.

Though hah Alienware :lol: :lol: the price/performance ratio gets ridiculous as you pay more for it. I am also not a fan of big bulky models since I plug them into tv and monitors anyway, lets say I go to friends house than I can plug it in thus negating the screen size.

Than again I am not a big fan of having an expensive laptop since it becomes out of date quickly due to the lack of ability to upgrade.

Im currently using an M14x with custom specs and I have had no issues with it so far. Had it for about 3 years now and I LOVE it. :) Enjoy the laptop

I will never buy a desktop Alienware PC ever again. 

Not only is building it yourself cheaper, but you can hand pick every component. I haven't bought a PC (other than laptop) since 1995.

vfibsux

And seeing as how this whole thread is about laptops, what exactly is your point?

-Byshop

[QUOTE="vfibsux"]

Not only is building it yourself cheaper, but you can hand pick every component. I haven't bought a PC (other than laptop) since 1995.

Byshop

And seeing as how this whole thread is about laptops, what exactly is your point?

-Byshop

Oh, I see.......you're one of those.

My point, sir (sarcastic respect), is not only is building it yourself cheaper, but you can hand pick every component. But who am I kidding? You didn't even get it the first time.

Number one, sir (very sarcastic), the op did not state laptop and I will be damned if I am going to research the model he bought to post on a message forum.

Number two, I am not the only one here who is talking about desktops, yet you chose to come all the way down this thread and pick on my post.

Number three, reporting your post as a thread disruption, because you came in here to start **** with me instead of contributing to the thread.

Number four, you don't have to sign your posts, we know you posted it. Duh.

If you insist on a laptop intead of a pc, why not just get a low to medium priced one at say $1000 to $1500?

Because if you look at the specs, there is often not that much difference in terms of power compared the some the "gaming laptops".

[QUOTE="lostrib"]

how much was it?

Mcspanky37

Ouch.  My Asus is the same exact thing except with a 650 instead of the 660.  It was $800

Oh, I see.......you're one of those.

My point, sir (sarcastic respect), is not only is building it yourself cheaper, but you can hand pick every component. But who am I kidding? You didn't even get it the first time.

Number one, sir (very sarcastic), the op did not state laptop and I will be damned if I am going to research the model he bought to post on a message forum.

Number two, I am not the only one here who is talking about desktops, yet you chose to come all the way down this thread and pick on my post.

Number three, reporting your post as a thread disruption, because you came in here to start **** with me instead of contributing to the thread.

Number four, you don't have to sign your posts, we know you posted it. Duh.

vfibsux

Any my point is, you're just -another- one of the dipsh!ts who posted in the thread without bothering to read it (and realize that we aren't talking about desktops). The reason I call this out is because it's annoying as hell when people jump into the discussion to share their two cents without bothering to read what the TC or anyone else has already written.

But hey, it's completely up to you whether you want to come off sounding like an idiot or not.

-Byshop

[QUOTE="Byshop"]

[QUOTE="vfibsux"]

Not only is building it yourself cheaper, but you can hand pick every component. I haven't bought a PC (other than laptop) since 1995.

vfibsux

And seeing as how this whole thread is about laptops, what exactly is your point?

-Byshop

Oh, I see.......you're one of those.

My point, sir (sarcastic respect), is not only is building it yourself cheaper, but you can hand pick every component. But who am I kidding? You didn't even get it the first time.

Number one, sir (very sarcastic), the op did not state laptop and I will be damned if I am going to research the model he bought to post on a message forum.

Number two, I am not the only one here who is talking about desktops, yet you chose to come all the way down this thread and pick on my post.

Number three, reporting your post as a thread disruption, because you came in here to start **** with me instead of contributing to the thread.

Number four, you don't have to sign your posts, we know you posted it. Duh.

[QUOTE="vfibsux"]

Oh, I see.......you're one of those.

My point, sir (sarcastic respect), is not only is building it yourself cheaper, but you can hand pick every component. But who am I kidding? You didn't even get it the first time.

Number one, sir (very sarcastic), the op did not state laptop and I will be damned if I am going to research the model he bought to post on a message forum.

Number two, I am not the only one here who is talking about desktops, yet you chose to come all the way down this thread and pick on my post.

Number three, reporting your post as a thread disruption, because you came in here to start **** with me instead of contributing to the thread.

Number four, you don't have to sign your posts, we know you posted it. Duh.

Byshop

Any my point is, you're just -another- one of the dipsh!ts who posted in the thread without bothering to read it (and realize that we aren't talking about desktops). The reason I call this out is because it's annoying as hell when people jump into the discussion to share their two cents without bothering to read what the TC or anyone else has already written.

But hey, it's completely up to you whether you want to come off sounding like an idiot or not.

-Byshop

As for you others defending this clown, bite me. You are why this community has turned to utter **** the past couple years. 

[QUOTE="Byshop"]

[QUOTE="vfibsux"]

Not only is building it yourself cheaper, but you can hand pick every component. I haven't bought a PC (other than laptop) since 1995.

vfibsux

And seeing as how this whole thread is about laptops, what exactly is your point?

-Byshop

Oh, I see.......you're one of those.

My point, sir (sarcastic respect), is not only is building it yourself cheaper, but you can hand pick every component. But who am I kidding? You didn't even get it the first time.

Number one, sir (very sarcastic), the op did not state laptop and I will be damned if I am going to research the model he bought to post on a message forum.

Number two, I am not the only one here who is talking about desktops, yet you chose to come all the way down this thread and pick on my post.

Number three, reporting your post as a thread disruption, because you came in here to start **** with me instead of contributing to the thread.

Number four, you don't have to sign your posts, we know you posted it. Duh.

^thread disruption, better report