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Does anyone on Snapzu own an Alienware laptop?

Am considering purchasing an Alienware 17 R3 and was curious if anyone has/had one (or any other Alienware laptop model) and what are your thoughts on the brand. Does it heat up easily? Any performance issues? Are they sturdy (for travelling, moving around)? Any pros and cons are very welcome.

7 years ago by NomadiChris with 6 comments

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  • OL44893
    +7

    Sorry nope. Looked into them a while back, desktops but tad pricey for me. That said, I've always heard good things about them from the gaming community. Apologies not more help. Good luck.

    • NomadiChris
      +5

      Appreciate it. Yeah, I've been reading good things about them too. They seem to me pretty reliable and most reviews are highly positive. The price is a bit high though so would like to know if they are really as good as advertised :D

      • OL44893
        +7

        Well, my biggest question would be keeping it cool. I don't know what your focus is but for heavy gaming methinks keeping a laptop cool is the big issue. My friend eventually built his own desktop for gaming and then picked up a reasonable laptop for work & school related stuff. I sorta do the same, not that I'm a big gamer anymore but desktop devoted to that stuff and a laptop for other stuff. If you have any techy skills at all you can build a screaming desktop way cheaper.

        All that said. I do recall a review saying Alienware a tad over priced for what you get BUT damn. Just look at them right? I mean how f**king cool! So uhm, cool factor (^_^).

        • NomadiChris
          +5

          They do look awesome. Actually, I play 1 or 2 games per year (very picky) so I'd usually use it for work but when I do get to play my 2 yearly games, I want to play them on a good piece of hardware :D Sadly, I can't get a desktop since I'm always travelling. For sure, a custom desktop would be the best thing in terms of performance, no doubt about it. As far as cooling goes, I use a top cooling pad. I doesn't actually do that much but I'd like to think it extends the laptop's lifespan with at least a couple of months, overall.

  • TheCliche
    +5

    Like /u/OL44893 said, a laptop will struggle to stay cool under load. Any laptop. Alienware specifically is owned by Dell, and thusly just a repackaged Dell XPS. Decent hardware, but overpriced. Alienware used to have outstanding customer service before the buyout in the early 2000s, so the extra money was justifiable. Now, however, you can find equivalent hardware for cheaper in an Asus or Acer.

    If your intent is to game, and you're less worried about the portability, I would strongly advise building your own desktop. Its cheaper. Also cooler.

    • NomadiChris
      +5

      Cool, thanks. Yeah, sadly I can't have a desktop (am constantly travelling) so laptop has to do it. Interesting what you said about Alienware being a repackaged Dell XPS. I bought my current laptop by a similar logic: found the best price-hardware combo in a ASUS F550JX. This one wasn't too well advertised but it's been a hell of a laptop, I was able to do pretty much anything with it. Will probably keep digging, I'll probably go with an Alienware if I don't find anything else that's (almost) as good and has a lower price.