Alienware Alpha Can You Beat Its Price Point.

[Jtbrig7390]

Like the title says can you beat the price point of a Alienware Alpha. Now don't get me wrong I have never been a big fan of Alienware and normally they are just overpriced old hardware in a bundle.

But these bundles and what they can do dose seem really good at there price point.

Here is the most cheap model and its spec.

Alienware Alpha i3 4130T 4GB 500GB - $549 "Comes with about $100 worth of games"

Alienware Alpha Specs Processor: Intel Core i3-4130T Dual-Core Processor (3M Cache, 2.9GHz)
Operating System: Exclusive Alienware Alpha Console Interface w/ Microsoft Windows 8.1 64 Bit, English
Chassis: Alpha chassis with NVIDIA® GeForce® GPU 2GB GDDR5
Video Card: Alpha chassis with NVIDIA® GeForce® GPU 2GB GDDR5
Memory: 4GB DDR3L 1600MHz Memory
Hard Drive: 500GB SATA 6Gb/s
Game Controller: Xbox 360 Wireless Controller (Black) with USB adapter
Wireless: Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160 1x1 + Bluetooth 4.0
Slots: 2x DDR3 SoDIMM Sockets
Ports: External Chassis Connections, 2x USB 2.0 (Front), 2x USB 3.0 (Back), 1x RJ45 GbE, 1x HDMI-Out 1.4a, 1x HDMI-In, 1x optical audio out (Toslink)
1x DC in
Internal Chassis Connections 1x USB 2.0 - Tool-less access via bottom door

That is the most cheap model and ill post a link showing the rest. http://www.gamestop.com/collection/alienware-alpha

I made a thread awhile back looking into getting a PC and at the end of the month I will be finally getting a new PC. But these cought my eye and I really want to see how well the $900 one runs. Gamespot did review of this model here and it ran games like Tomb Raider at 1080p near 60fps on high settings.



It also doubles as a PC of course so I do believe you can just hook a USB Mouse and Keyboard in and use it like a normal PC.

So guys tell me what do you think of this setup and can the price point be beat at all.

I am really wondering now that finally I can get me a PC like I been wanting to. I am waiting until near the end of the month to post "another" pc build thread since I have done some already in the past. I would have gotten one sooner but RL things got in the way

So what do you guys think and I am going to try to update the thread with a video of the High end model.

Edit: I still may just build me a desktop but this I though was interesting and was wondering if you can beat its price point.

DigitalFroundry doing a benchmark

[Fascinate]

Ya, just no lol. Build a proper PC and buy a controller. It doesn't even state what video card it has, just "nvidia 2gb" LOL.

I see what you are saying tho, this could be an xbox one or a ps4 that doubled as a PC. In reality it makes more sense to buy each seperately, even if it costs a bit more to do it.

[Jtbrig7390]

Ya, just no lol. Build a proper PC and buy a controller. It doesn't even state what video card it has, just "nvidia 2gb" LOL.

I see what you are saying tho, this could be an xbox one or a ps4 that doubled as a PC. In reality it makes more sense to buy each seperately, even if it costs a bit more to do it.

It is a Custom Nvidia Maxwell GTX CPU at 2gb ddr3 I do believe. ill try to find more info on it and post it.

What I was getting at is can you build a pc that outgames this one at the same pricepoint. Its just something I was wondering is all and I kinda like the idea of this as a small media box for the living room. Also you can upgrade both the CPU and Ram at anytime u want.

I figured you can outdo the $900 model but at $600 I'm not so sure and thats why I asked. I'm not a fan of Alienware I just though this was neat.

[Fascinate]

Oh, easily. For one thing the CPU in this box is a T model, which means low power (much slower than full on desktop CPU's). Secondly we would have to find out what video card it has, i can bet you its not even as fast as a desktop 750ti (which is only 130 bucks).

[Jtbrig7390]

Oh, easily. For one thing the CPU in this box is a T model, which means low power (much slower than full on desktop CPU's). Secondly we would have to find out what video card it has, i can bet you its not even as fast as a desktop 750ti (which is only 130 bucks).

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/di...-spec-analysis

The chosen graphics processor found in the Alpha is based on the GTX 860M - which, at an architectural level at least, is identical to the desktop GTX 750 Ti we reviewed earlier this year (both are based on Nvidia's GM104 chip design). Alienware reckons that this GTX 860M has been clocked higher than it ever has before, and although the firm won't be drawn on performance, it hopes that it will produce better results than the standard desktop 750 Ti.

Seems you can do 1080p high setting gaming and get at lease 30fps "I know PC gamers want 60fps" but also I read if you drop it to 720p you can get 60fps.

also

Based on our tests with the desktop version, this graphics architecture runs Crysis 3 at a locked 30fps at native 1080p on the high preset, and you can hit something approaching a fixed 60fps on Battlefield 4 on high settings by adjusting resolution to 900p.

Here is Digital Foundry showing a benchmark for it on a few games and showing bothed it OCed a little and not OCed.

[Cerunnir]

Oh, easily. For one thing the CPU in this box is a T model, which means low power (much slower than full on desktop CPU's). Secondly we would have to find out what video card it has, i can bet you its not even as fast as a desktop 750ti (which is only 130 bucks).

CPU, low power or not, is rarely a bottleneck in a gaming computer. In the wast majority of games a normal i3 will perform pretty close to an i7, even if the i7 is much faster in synthetic tests. If I wanted to build a budget gaming computer, I would save as much as possible on everything except the GPU, where I'd put as much as possible.

[Fascinate]

These forums sometimes lol. Anywho, ya to answer your question you could build a much more powerful desktop for less money.

[Jtbrig7390]

I just think the little box is neat. For what it dose and as small as it is I think its neat and all.

- - - Updated - - -

These forums sometimes lol. Anywho, ya to answer your question you could build a much more powerful desktop for less money.

I was kind asking to put a build together post it that can beat it.

Not to try to sound like a smartass so don't take it that way. At its pricepoint with everything it can do it dosen't seem halfbad. Not saying I am buying one but looking at reviews and all of it really makes me want to build a small media box LOL.

I will still be building a desktop later in the month but as I said this cought my eye and I though it was neat.

[Fascinate]

Well again you would have to find out the relative power of the GPU inside that box to know definitively what GPU we would have to include in the build to best it. You can just do napkin math:

i3-120 bucks
gtx 750ti 130 bucks
4gigs memory 30 bucks
PSU 30 bucks
HDD 40 bucks
Motherboard 40 bucks
Case 30 bucks

Thats a little over 400 and would surely spank the alienware.

[Iamanerd]

I'm on my phone right now but when I'm home I'll put a build together with an unlocked Pentium that'll beat that $549 model. Also one thing to consider is they're probably using 8.1 with Bing as well so there's no cost for Windows which will be tough but doable.

[Jtbrig7390]

I'm on my phone right now but when I'm home I'll put a build together with an unlocked Pentium that'll beat that $549 model. Also one thing to consider is they're probably using 8.1 with Bing as well so there's no cost for Windows which will be tough but doable.

Yes its using 8.1. To be clear I am not buying it just though it was neat. I love computer stuff and seeing these small box's push decent graphics and what not. Sooner or later I am going to build me a media box that can do light gaming. But ill build my desktop first.

- - - Updated - - -

Well again you would have to find out the relative power of the GPU inside that box to know definitively what GPU we would have to include in the build to best it. You can just do napkin math:

i3-120 bucks
gtx 750ti 130 bucks
4gigs memory 30 bucks
PSU 30 bucks
HDD 40 bucks
Motherboard 40 bucks
Case 30 bucks

Thats a little over 400 and would surely spank the alienware.

Well from the link I posted its even or slightly over a 750ti. Also you got to count shipping and a OS. But you could be right.

The DF videos gave a little info on the GPU and they benchmarked it slightly over a 750ti like I said. I am kinda impressed they push that much out of it and only pull 100w since the PSU is 150w.

Also it coming with the 360 controller and those games is a neat bonus.

Edit: You can get the cheap one from amazon for $500 or slightly less http://www.amazon.com/Alienware-ASM1...lienware+alpha

[Fascinate]

If that has an 860m inside of it thats actually a slower cut down version of a desktop 750ti, btw.

[Jtbrig7390]

If that has an 860m inside of it thats actually a slower cut down version of a desktop 750ti, btw.

I am just going off of DF's benchmark and they said

The chosen graphics processor found in the Alpha is based on the GTX 860M - which, at an architectural level at least, is identical to the desktop GTX 750 Ti we reviewed earlier this year (both are based on Nvidia's GM104 chip design). Alienware reckons that this GTX 860M has been clocked higher than it ever has before, and although the firm won't be drawn on performance, it hopes that it will produce better results than the standard desktop 750 Ti.

Thats all the info I can get on it atm.

[Deleted]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($106.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($55.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury White Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec NSK4100 ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $512.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-09 04:30 EST-0500

Bit more then 500, but TBH has better specs than the 600 dollar version. There is some room left in there for a wireless card (600 budget). But there can be some dollars shaved of there without losing performance. I think the PSU can be cut down to a 450 watt version, but I have no clue about good low cost PSU's. I am not to happy about the case either. Seems coolermaster does not sell the N300 in the states.... That is a good case for 30-35 euro's.

But performance wise, the 270x is a lot better than the 750ti and that 860m. Not to mention that this is no low voltage CPU.

[Jtbrig7390]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($106.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($55.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury White Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec NSK4100 ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $512.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-09 04:30 EST-0500

Bit more then 500, but TBH has better specs than the 600 dollar version. There is some room left in there for a wireless card (600 budget). But there can be some dollars shaved of there without losing performance. I think the PSU can be cut down to a 450 watt version, but I have no clue about good low cost PSU's. I am not to happy about the case either. Seems coolermaster does not sell the N300 in the states.... That is a good case for 30-35 euro's.

But performance wise, the 270x is a lot better than the 750ti and that 860m. Not to mention that this is no low voltage CPU.

Cool thx for the post. I still find the idea of this little box neat but I had a feeling if you could build ur own PC you would still do better.

Like I said wasn't planing to buy one just wondered if it could be beat at since a cheap price point.

[Deleted]

The cool thing about the alienware is the looks. It does look you could put that next to your TV (aimed for that of course). While my build is just in a standard case. If you want something like that in ITX you would need to spend some more. I can have a look later.

Plus the controller and games. But pure hardware wise, you are better of building yourself

Hmmm, not that bad price wise! Although, Im not 100% it would all fit :P

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($106.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($91.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury White Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($31.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $567.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-09 04:56 EST-0500

[Ghâzh]

You guys posting prices have to account in a copy of windows 8.1 too, which the alienware includes.

As hard as it is for me to say, I think it's not too bad for it's price. For two things mainly; copy of windows and that small form factor case. Both of which would cost you more if you built it yourself. (also the bundle of games and xbox controller are nice but of no value to me personally)

I could see this being useful for someone clueless on a budget who just wants to get a complete product with warranty and customer support. If you know anything about hardware it'd still be worth it to do it yourself, even if it cost you a little bit more. In my opinion anyway.

[Remilia]

With all the peripherals, OS and such. It's actually pretty hard to beat it. Wouldn't be bad for someone whose just looking for a simple machine.

[Warrax]

Even if the price is good, it's not worth buying. OEM parts, generic low-mid end nvidia card, 60fps at 720p is so 5 years ago. You're at least better of with a custom build that you can tweaks perfectly even if you pay a little more in the end. Pre-builds sucks whatever the price.

See poll results

[Lathais]

Without even trying hard you can easily beat it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130T 2.9GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($39.89 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($40.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($123.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.75 @ OutletPC)
Total: $503.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-09 15:16 EST-0500

That was simply using the CPU listed in the build and the GPU that was said to be about equal. As others have already shown, you can get far more than this for the same price, this was just for direct comparison. You still have enough left over for the controller so all you miss out on is the $100 worth of games.

That said, for someone who does not/can not build themselves or doesn't want the hassle, it seems like it's a pretty good deal. Especially since you get warranties and customer service and know who to call if something does not work right. You can avoid having to troubleshoot yourself, then see where you bought which part at and call them and try to get an RMA.

It's not something I would personally spend money on, but it's not bad for what it is.