Sorry, I should rephrase what I said. For us computer geeks, Alienware is overpriced. Sure, if you can't be bothered or think it too risky that's fine. But if it's gonna save me a 1000 bucks, I'd definitely have a crack at making one. If you can make a computer, or even think you can, you would most likely be better of with a custom build.
Not all of the Alienware machines are extremely overpriced.
There was a deal on a Alienware Aurora Desktop, i7 2600K based machine recently that was available for $1000 before tax.
I just priced an i7 2600K, Asus Mobo, and 8GB of ram and it was $530 just for those 3 parts., so now you only have $470 to get a Fancy case, an 875Watt PSU, GTX580 video card, 1TB hard disk, dvd drive, liquid cpu cooler, mouse and keyboard, and a Windows 7 license.
btw, the GTX580 itself is $460, so there is no way to build this cheaper than buying that Alienware.
Alienware Aurora Desktop Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 1 $1,289.00
Alienware Aurora Desktop
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
CPU Liquid Cooling
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Operating System DVD
1.5 GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580
Wave Systems Software
24X CD RW/DVD Combo Drive
1 TB SATA II Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Alienware AVATAR 1
Alienware TactX Keyboard
Matte Stealth Black 875W Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply
125V Power Cord
Processor: Intel Core i7-2600 processor (8MB Cache, 3.4GHz)
Alienware TactX Mouse
8 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz (4 DIMMs)
Image Restore Software
64BIT Operating System
Save 20% on any Dell Outlet Home Desktops with this coupon! - $257.80
Alien Aurora R3: 1 Yr Ltd Warranty, Basic Service after Remote Diagnosis (Included In Price) $0.00 1 $0.00
Subtotal: $1,031.20
Shipping and Handling: $29.99
Shipping Discount: -$29.99
Sales Tax: $85.07
Total Amount: $1,116.27
I have certainly seen instances where I cannot build a machine with the same specs and save any money (unless I hunt for the absolutely cheapest part that I can find and order from 1/2 dozen vendors). I've actually recommended on several occasions that people at work buy a particular Dell because with a free monitor, or free video card upgrade or the like that I cannot build it cheaper. You gotta look around.
The thing about Alienware is they aren't a "boutique" builder anymore. They are just Dells with a very high price tag. Plus, you get the commercial bloatware you get from corporate builders.
I went with MAINGEAR. I absolutely LOVE the experience! Best machine I have ever had. Expensive? That's relative. I don't think it was for what I got.
It was a toss up between MAINGEAR and Origin PC. Turns out Origin are the folks from Alienware before the Dell buy out. Nice machines. Fairly priced too, IMO.
It's not all Alienware. Perhaps just a couple of the 'high-end' products. This particular computer doesn't look overpriced in the slightest.
I agree entirely. Some manufacturers give great deals on particular products while their high-end products are sold at ridiculously high prices.
Anyway, there's always custom builders out there if you don't want to do it yourself. A friend of mine went to such a store and chose pointed at the parts he wanted and they put it together in a few days. He built a decent system with 8GB RAM, 2TB HDD, i7-2600k and an HD 6870 for just over a thousand bucks.
I went with iBuyPower and love both the laptop and desktop I got from them. They have live sales assistance too in case you have questions about stuff like what PSU you should get, etc.
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