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.
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.
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.
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.