Alienware vs Gateway FX

**Mobi** · 07-06-10, 11:59 AM

I might be passing up building my own rig and looking into buying an alienware computer or a gateway FX computer. Both available at best buy....

Best buy prices on the Alienware computer $1599 and I forgot about the gateway fx computer price

What do you guys think about these two brands of computers?

**Phyrelight** · 07-06-10, 12:07 PM

Alienware is just a gaming PC by dell and they aren't bad. I have never been a big fan of gateway for gaming. They are fine for mom and pop surf the web machines. You are always better off building your own if you have the skills to do it.

**HeavyG** · 07-06-10, 05:35 PM

Both are over priced. You are paying a "tax" to have their logo on your machine. They may be fast machines for what they are, but you can build faster.

**vafaskillz** · 07-06-10, 05:42 PM

I have had plenty of experience with alienware laptops and only one alienware desktop (before they were dell). All I can tell you is that you are paying for peace of mind and looks. Alienwares are flashy in the sense that you can customize the leds all around the machine which is really cool if you like bright lights like I do. A lot of people think they are juvenile, but everyone has their own tastes. As far as peace of mind.....if anything goes wrong, dell customer care makes sure you are satisfied and will even send a tech to your home to fix any hardware issues. I have had them overnight me damaged parts and my comp is up and running within days. Of course you can build your own comp for cheaper, but again....the main reason I would ever not build my own machine is for the warranty and no hassle repairs.

Good luck!

**QuickLightning** · 07-06-10, 05:42 PM

The deals can sometimes be decent since they will come with a copy of the OS, a monitor and all that jazz if you have absolutely nothing going into this deal... Generally you are much better off building your own machine though. This is especially true if you are paying out the ass for a high end "gaming" machine.

Grab an OS cd key from an older machine or from a student deal and scrounge up whatever working parts you have around (dvd drive, case, monitor etc.) and you will save a lot of cash.

**QuickLightning** · 07-06-10, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by vafaskillz

I have had plenty of experience with alienware laptops and only one alienware desktop (before they were dell). All I can tell you is that you are paying for peace of mind and looks. Alienwares are flashy in the sense that you can customize the leds all around the machine which is really cool if you like bright lights like I do. A lot of people think they are juvenile, but everyone has their own tastes. As far as peace of mind.....if anything goes wrong, dell customer care makes sure you are satisfied and will even send a tech to your home to fix any hardware issues. I have had them overnight me damaged parts and my comp is up and running within days. Of course you can build your own comp for cheaper, but again....the main reason I would ever not build my own machine is for the warranty and no hassle repairs.

Good luck!

You have had much better luck with Dell than what I have seen then. I wouldn't trust Dell or Gateway customer support with much of anything... Both are a pain in the ass to get support from and will try to charge you for fixing their problems in my experience.

HP on the other hand is great! I broke my cheapo laptop from them and they sent me a brand new upgrade (nearly double specs) free of charge as they didn't produce my model anymore.

**vafaskillz** · 07-06-10, 05:51 PM

On my last alienware laptop I had a dead pixel on the LED screen. I had already waited 3 weeks for my laptop and was extremely displeased. I called and complained to the manager from the Nashville plant (my hometown, w00t w00t) and expressed my frustration. Not only did they build me a new one within a week, but they upgraded me to a free blu ray drive, an extra 4 gigs of memory, and a headset. IMO, thats ridiculously good customer service. I also called them this past week and asked for a discount on the new 3d 120hz monitor and they gave me 150 bucks off the 499 pricetag JUST for telling them my budget cannot go over 400 after tax. <3 dell.

yep...im taking th dip into 3d gaming...ill be sure to write up a review. Ugh....I just can't stomach another 200 for the nvidia 3d kit.....in due time.