Which laptop would be better?

[Rostum]

Re: Which laptop would be better?

It's a shame alienware have extremely bad customer support, and I've heard a lot of horror stories about them.

Same with VoodooPC, and Hypersonic.

Personally, I wouldn't suggest a desktop replacement like TGM posted above. Simply because they create so many problems and cost too much (especially with heating issues). Sager are a *very* good brand (they also have a desktop replacement, but same deal), and places like PCTorque and Powernotebooks.com offer some of the best support around. I'd seriously take a look at the Sager 5720 (when it comes out with dual core, which is in a few weeks).

Also, resellerreviews.com is the place to get proper reviews on the current resellers of CLEVO and other barebones.

Edit: When will people learn desktop processors *don't* go into notebooks?
They're coming out with 64bit/dual core processors specifically designed for notebooks, which means no overheating more battery power and more power in general.

[Jarre]

Re: Which laptop would be better?

Wow - very nice Grandmom, like the colour etc. and the screen shots, makes a mockery out of my Desktop PC lol!!!!

Thanks for sharing them with us.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Which laptop would be better?

It's a shame alienware have extremely bad customer support, and I've heard a lot of horror stories about them.

Same with VoodooPC, and Hypersonic.

Personally, I wouldn't suggest a desktop replacement like TGM posted above. Simply because they create so many problems and cost too much (especially with heating issues). Sager are a *very* good brand (they also have a desktop replacement, but same deal), and places like PCTorque and Powernotebooks.com offer some of the best support around. I'd seriously take a look at the Sager 5720 (when it comes out with dual core, which is in a few weeks).

Also, resellerreviews.com is the place to get proper reviews on the current resellers of CLEVO and other barebones.

Edit: When will people learn desktop processors *don't* go into notebooks?
They're coming out with 64bit/dual core processors specifically designed for notebooks, which means no overheating more battery power and more power in general.

Funny, Alienware is rated #1 in customer support in several of the pc mags that I read. I also spoke with friends and colleagues before making my decision and heard only great stuff about Alienware. So you hear "horror" stories and I hear praise.

I had my laptop up and running constantly last night for 11 hours and it didn't get any warmer than my desktop pc. If people are super concerned about heat there are a couple of coolers on the market that work like a charm and cost approx. $40 or less. A few of my colleagues let me check out the ones they use but I haven't decided if I need one or not. After last nights session, I don't think I do.

Who said that desktop procs go into notebooks? If you read the entire thread you'll see that I posted my laptop's specs and "Processor: AMD Athlonâ„¢ 64 X2 4200+ with HyperTransport and Dual Core Technology" is up there plain as day. I stated that people are using some of the high end laptops to replace their desktops. I'm using mine for both portability and for the small clean footprint it takes up on my desks.

[--e]

Re: Which laptop would be better?

Portable laptops and desktop replacement laptops are totally different beasts. I play exclusively on my laptop and it's fantastic. I can pick it up and take it anywhere, use it for LAN parties or as a media center PC. People who bitch about desktop replacement laptops not having enough battery life or being too heavy are totally missing the point.

Alienware are incredibly expensive for what you get. You pay for the name and the exlusivity, but you get quite a bit in return. Me? I'd buy a falcon northwest. And I wouldn't even consider anything that's not widescreen. Once you're spoiled, there's no going back.

Glad you're diggin it, TGM. It sure as hell is pretty.

--e

[kuu]

Re: Which laptop would be better?

Funny, Alienware is rated #1 in customer support in several of the pc mags that I read. I also spoke with friends and colleagues before making my decision and heard only great stuff about Alienware. So you hear "horror" stories and I hear praise.

I had my laptop up and running constantly last night for 11 hours and it didn't get any warmer than my desktop pc. If people are super concerned about heat there are a couple of coolers on the market that work like a charm and cost approx. $40 or less. A few of my colleagues let me check out the ones they use but I haven't decided if I need one or not. After last nights session, I don't think I do.

Who said that desktop procs go into notebooks? If you read the entire thread you'll see that I posted my laptop's specs and "Processor: AMD Athlonâ„¢ 64 X2 4200+ with HyperTransport and Dual Core Technology" is up there plain as day. I stated that people are using some of the high end laptops to replace their desktops. I'm using mine for both portability and for the small clean footprint it takes up on my desks.

Actually alienware does have pretty bad support. They have a very anal RMA policy and do run arounds fairly often, signs of the "make it quietly go away" ideal. You can usually google it. The only place that really gives a thumbs up for them is well...on their own site.

About over heating issue...well on and off, it's hard to tell with notebooks, since notebooks unlike desktops have a very tall enviormental variable.(Material of desk, lap?Bed?, how high is it from ventilation, what's running(dvd drive would raise it fast) etc etc). the 360 issue all over again...sometimes the smaller, the more that can happen, not less.

This is why most makers don't put desktop parts into labtop, it's much easier to have it under, then over. That's why core duo have technologies like variable cpu scaling, to put reliablity over power.

Some people will try to make their labtop into a desktop(Power over reliablity) but don't try to push your views onto to other. Most people will flip it. On the move, on the go, and must be available asap.

And now that Alienware has been brought by Dell...well you'll have a lot more critics...

[framerate]

Re: Which laptop would be better?

I had 2 alienwares prior to my Macbook Pro and sadly, I have to agree with the bad customer support.

The worst part, which probably jaded me, is when my friend tripped over my Sentia Extreme power cable and busted it off the inside. I called alienware (out of warranty mind you) and wanted to buy replacement parts so I could fix my baby. They wouldn't even give me the time of day =(

Granted I WAS out of warranty, but they could have still helped me out since I was willing to pay.

I ended up selling the laptop on eBay =( (as is)

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Which laptop would be better?

Actually alienware does have pretty bad support. They have a very anal RMA policy and do run arounds fairly often, signs of the "make it quietly go away" ideal. You can usually google it. The only place that really gives a thumbs up for them is well...on their own site.

About over heating issue...well on and off, it's hard to tell with notebooks, since notebooks unlike desktops have a very tall enviormental variable.(Material of desk, lap?Bed?, how high is it from ventilation, what's running(dvd drive would raise it fast) etc etc). the 360 issue all over again...sometimes the smaller, the more that can happen, not less.

This is why most makers don't put desktop parts into labtop, it's much easier to have it under, then over. That's why core duo have technologies like variable cpu scaling, to put reliablity over power.

Some people will try to make their labtop into a desktop(Power over reliablity) but don't try to push your views onto to other. Most people will flip it. On the move, on the go, and must be available asap.

And now that Alienware has been brought by Dell...well you'll have a lot more critics...

You do know that Dell is rated one of the highest in customer service right? You do know that Dell owns Alienware right? You have read about Dell's great ratings right?

As far as overheating, I had just received my laptop yesterday and in the 11 hours that I was "playing" with it, I ran it through the gambit. I installed several games/drivers/apps so there is your dvd going for quite some time. I also watched some videos on it. I was d/l'ing like a maniac. I was gaming on it. And I even did some word processing on it, albiet not much. My son also helped me "test" it out so the poor thing never had a moments rest. I would say its a good indication of any overheating problems and there wasn't one.

As far as flipping, I came to this thread and gave my opinion to the OP as to which of the systems he listed, I would buy. I told him that I had just purchased a high end lap top and gave my specs. We were having a perfectly fine conversation until people like you had to impose the "your stuff ain't shit" attitude in the thread. So maybe you should take some of your own advise.

[kuu]

Re: Which laptop would be better?

You do know that Dell is rated one of the highest in customer service right? You do know that Dell owns Alienware right? You have read about Dell's great ratings right?

Personally, professionally, and just plain consensus, is that buying Dell is buying too cleaply.

If you want to contridict a good amount of the PC community go ahead, but really...

Let's take a look at a quote dated feb.20.06 that's pretty resent right?

While the most recent changes appear incremental, Dell's overall tech support scores for desktop PCs have dropped substantially since 2001, said Jeff Fox, senior project editor at Consumer Reports. Dell scored a rating of 74 in December 2001 and a 65 in September 2002.


Dell's score has "stayed down and hasn't gone back up," Fox said. "We can't say why... but they haven't solved whatever problem that brought it down, whether that's increased volume [or] outsourcing. It's probably a number of different factors."

The PC industry as a whole isn't very good in Techsupport anyway, but Dell moves such as outsourcing to india doesn't really help.

[Rostum]

Re: Which laptop would be better?

Funny, Alienware is rated #1 in customer support in several of the pc mags that I read. I also spoke with friends and colleagues before making my decision and heard only great stuff about Alienware. So you hear "horror" stories and I hear praise.

I had my laptop up and running constantly last night for 11 hours and it didn't get any warmer than my desktop pc. If people are super concerned about heat there are a couple of coolers on the market that work like a charm and cost approx. $40 or less. A few of my colleagues let me check out the ones they use but I haven't decided if I need one or not. After last nights session, I don't think I do.

Who said that desktop procs go into notebooks? If you read the entire thread you'll see that I posted my laptop's specs and "Processor: AMD Athlonâ„¢ 64 X2 4200+ with HyperTransport and Dual Core Technology" is up there plain as day. I stated that people are using some of the high end laptops to replace their desktops. I'm using mine for both portability and for the small clean footprint it takes up on my desks.

Kuu said it best for the first paragraph.

A notebook getting as warm as a desktop is unacceptable to me, but there are a lot of notebooks that do unfortunately. And yes you can get coolers, but I'd rather just buy a PC for the amount of power vs. money, compared to buying a notebook with a cooler that just sits on my desk most of the time.

As far as I know, that is a desktop processor. They haven't released 64bit/dual core processors specifically for notebooks yet (AMD are releasing one during May, and Intel are releasing one at the end of the year). And yes that would cause a lot of the heating issues.

And using a notebook that weighs 13lbs for portability and the fact that it has a very short battery life? Um, why? Sure it takes up a bit less on a desk, but if you add in the cooling stand, then a desktop really doesn't take up that much more space. Unless you've got a beast of a CTR screen.

EDIT: http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1867.html

This is a very well respected and accurate rating site. Trust me. And that is one of the most poor ratings. Only 2.73 rating for six months? That is so bad. Usualy the most top-notch are around 8 - 9.9 for six months.

Powernotebooks and PCTorque actually provide the same notebook that you bought TGM. Exact same model (All these companies just polish up CLEVO models). And those have some of the best support I've heard. Of course you don't get it in blue, but if you really wanted a out there design, just take it into Smooth Creations for them to paint it for you.

Edit2: (Sorry, didn't see the second page properly)

"As far as flipping, I came to this thread and gave my opinion to the OP as to which of the systems he listed, I would buy. I told him that I had just purchased a high end lap top and gave my specs. We were having a perfectly fine conversation until people like you had to impose the "your stuff ain't shit" attitude in the thread. So maybe you should take some of your own advise."

I was just trying to offer my personal advice. I wasn't saying anything that you are accusing me off. I simply am telling the OP and also you seeing as you were more interested in it, that Alienware would be a bad choice. There's no need for you to get upset about that, or start talking aggresively.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Which laptop would be better?

One thing that has always puzzled me is how people seem to take something out of nothing. Where did I get 'upset' Omecle? And why did you think I was talking to you since I quoted kuu? Interesting.......

Like I said before, I've read good things about alienware/dell and I've had friends and colleagues say good things. So frankly what you have to say doesn't mean squat to me. Let's see a total anonymous stranger over trusted family, friends, and colleagues........who should I listen to??

And to each their own, you would prefer a desktop, some prefer a laptop, and some prefer BOTH and thats me. I have an excellent desktop pc that I built and though I could have given it a shot and tried to build a laptop, {No, thanks.} So I did some investigating, talked to people I trust, and made my decision. It took me 6 months but I did eventually and I'm quite happy with it. It doesn't over heat or run exceptionally hot, fast as hell, its portable (though I'll only take it out a couple times a month), and fyi, I could care less that it's blue......in fact I'm not too fond of the shiny blue exterior, its a little flashy for someone my age. Whats unacceptable to you is perfectly fine to some of us and thank God for that.

[Jarre]

Re: Which laptop would be better?

You do know that Dell is rated one of the highest in customer service right? You do know that Dell owns Alienware right? You have read about Dell's great ratings right?

Maybe in american grandmom but here int eh Uk is another storey.

Our culture is stiff upper lip and except it, Dell do take advantage. They wont expect an imediate law suit if they screw up wich is what would happen in alot of cases in the US's screwed up judicial system. (I mean come on woman winning case against Macdonalds for scalding her tongue on a Hot Coffee saying they didn't warn her it would be hot? )

This ain't a jibe at individuals, its just how your culture is developing, unfortunately it is heading across our water to ourselves with adds for suing the council if you trip on the pavement, suing your neighbour because his hedge is 3 cm to high (this is one won by the complaintant last week near where I live).

Back to Dell.....

For one thing when you phone up Dell in Amercia you get someone from America to talk to. When we phone up here int eh UK, we speak to someone in India!!! They have no clue. My friend had an argument with a guy in India who insisted the quote my mate wanted him to recall was called a Guarentee, no joke, we recorded the conversation!!!!

(didn't help when he finally got to Dell HQ in the UK after 20 minutes arguing, and spoke to someone there, she couldn't help him either and he put hes foot in it with the following phrase...

"what are you blonde or something?" .............. she was

Dells customer service here in the Uk is crap, and I will refuse to use them because of this. Seeing Alienware being taken over by them is a sad sight to me.

[silentsteel]

Re: Which laptop would be better?

hey, I was wondering, how well do you think a XPS M140 would work?

Intel® Pentium® M - 700 Sequence
Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition
512MB shared2 DDR2 SDRAM
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900
60GB 7200rpm Hard Drive

Trying to go for one that works well, but doesnt cost a whole ton. . .

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Which laptop would be better?

hey, I was wondering, how well do you think a XPS M140 would work?

Intel® Pentium® M - 700 Sequence
Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition
512MB shared2 DDR2 SDRAM
Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900
60GB 7200rpm Hard Drive

Trying to go for one that works well, but doesnt cost a whole ton. . .

Well as I said before, I'm not too fond of the Intel series. That proc speed is around what my son uses right now and he's disgusted and upgrading soon....well as soon as his pocketbook can handle it! LOL But all in all, its a good midgrade one but I wouldn't get anything under 2Ghz.

Home Edition....make sure you find someone with professional and install that asap! LOL

512 ram is a bit on the low side for todays games. I wouldn't go under 1gb.

The graphics card scares me the most. For me it was one of the most important components in my system since I was using it for gaming. Do your research on it first!

[Rostum]

Re: Which laptop would be better?

One thing that has always puzzled me is how people seem to take something out of nothing. Where did I get 'upset' Omecle? And why did you think I was talking to you since I quoted kuu? Interesting.......

Like I said before, I've read good things about alienware/dell and I've had friends and colleagues say good things. So frankly what you have to say doesn't mean squat to me. Let's see a total anonymous stranger over trusted family, friends, and colleagues........who should I listen to??

And to each their own, you would prefer a desktop, some prefer a laptop, and some prefer BOTH and thats me. I have an excellent desktop pc that I built and though I could have given it a shot and tried to build a laptop, {No, thanks.} So I did some investigating, talked to people I trust, and made my decision. It took me 6 months but I did eventually and I'm quite happy with it. It doesn't over heat or run exceptionally hot, fast as hell, its portable (though I'll only take it out a couple times a month), and fyi, I could care less that it's blue......in fact I'm not too fond of the shiny blue exterior, its a little flashy for someone my age. Whats unacceptable to you is perfectly fine to some of us and thank God for that.

I was assuming you were talking to both Kuu and I. And it did seem like you were getting upset just because we've suggested that Alienware and Dell have a very bad customer support -- hell I've even given proof to back it up.

And you can trust your friends all you want, just don't get upset when you find the support going down the drain, and problems starting on your notebook.

And I actually prefer both. I have a desktop that I've built myself and I am currently in the market to get a Sager 5720, which I feel is a lot better than having "the best performance, when I can't use it without a power supply for just over 30 minutes", of course a desktop processor (such as your AMD) is going to beat a notebook one, but that's not to say that notebook processors aren't powerful or anything. And with far less problems, better support, and more portability.

Take this post a whatever you will, but I'm just trying to feed the OP about what I think would be a good notebook if they have a bit of money to spend. The XPS170 actually does look pretty good, and it has the 7900GTX card in it, I'm told. Although I'm still extremely iffy on Dell.

[Reize]

Re: Which laptop would be better?

Hello, I'm a new member, my attention was brought to this thread via MSN messenger chat with Omecle.

I often post on Computer forums and keep up with what's going on in the technical world and would consider myself rather savvy with computers, with my specialty being in notebooks rather than desktops.

First thing's first...

silentsteel:

I wouldn't get an XPS M140 for playing FFXI, or any game whatsoever...

The GMA 900 IGP in it severely limits it, and there's a good possibility that it won't play FFXI very well, if at all.

If you're really pressed for money, the cheapest notebook I can think of that can play FFXI that is still rather good is the Compaq Presario V2000Z. It'll play it reasonably well and leave room for other games as well, albeit not the newest ones.

Secondly...

Alienware and Dell, lovingly dubbed Dellienware by many after, before, and during the merger, are both, or should I say is, a big business company. Thus they will NEVER have the same kind of customer service and tech support you can get from a smaller company or reseller simply because, they can brush a failed sale off because of their popularity. whereas, a smaller company sees that as putting the food on the table, a bigger company sees it as putting the down payment on the yacht fleet.

But even those smaller companies can have faulty machines, but it's lesser so, but in the bigger companies, with the amount of machines they put out, that fraction of faulty parts turns into a real problem. People post so many good and bad things about different companies it can turn your brain sideways trying to comprehend all of it.

Alienware is not the best gaming computer seller out there.

There I said it, and it's true.

Would you like to know why? Because Alienware doesn't make its own computers, they come from an Original design Manufacturer, kind of the dirty little secret of the computer industry. They're stuffed with parts, rebadged and shipped off. there are other companies that buy from the same ODM as Alienware... Sager, Hypersonic, VooDooPC, WidowPC, the list goes on and on... Thus, Alienwares aren't the best out there. They have access to the exact same parts and stuff as the other companies I've listed and sell pretty much the same computer without the huge rubber eyes.

That's all I have to say right now. I'll be checking in...