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Alienware Alpha first impressions and benchmarks

R

reSpec Gaming

Member
Sanctuary said:
I still have no idea who these kinds of units are aimed at, similarly Steambox. It's like a console that plays PC titles. I'm clearly biased, but how many people that have been mostly console exclusive players care about something like this, and how many people that are PC exclusive already (or maybe a mix of the two) would want one of these as well? You can already easily build your own medium to small PC tower that's very portable and can fit in most places easily. I'm not seeing the cost/performance ratio coming close in these self-contained boxes yet. Alienware, Falcon and any of those other elite botique brands are way too expensive for a sleek looking tower.

Building a PC is nowhere near as overwhelming as what it could be a decade or two ago.
Click to expand...

I'm a nearly PC exclusive gamer (I say nearly because I just recently got a Wii U) and I have built all of my desktop PCs before this since 2002. This honestly appealed to me mostly because of the case as someone who frequently does LAN gaming at different locations. It's smaller in your hands than it looks in pictures. It's smaller than the Wii U. There are small form factor cases I was looking at but none as attractive as the Alpha.

Pricing out the parts (at least in Canada - maybe due to our dollar doing poor lately) came to roughly the same price minus Windows 8 and minus the extra 360 controller - so it was cheaper than building one and if I did build it, it wouldn't be in as nice of a case.

I'm used to Alienware being ridiculously overpriced but I really felt there's a lot of value in this as a PC. Anyone wanting to build a system around a GPU that's like the 750TI should consider this system.

So, it's a pretty niche market for these guys but... I happen to fit in that market so good for Dell in targeting me, lol.

TsunamiOfSwagger said:
Would you be able to upgrade the base i3 model to the i5 specs for less than the current price difference of £120? Dont know much about processors to make my own comparison.
Click to expand...

Depending on sales and stuff - if you're JUST buying the processor, it would be cheaper to buy the processor. If you were also getting another 4gb of RAM and a 1tb hard drive too - you might come out slightly ahead if you just purchased the upgrade from Alienware. Probably worth it to buy an i5 yourself, some ram, and a SSD hard drive instead though (something I sort of wish I did instead). I, however, do not know the market price for European parts - just saying from what I know in Canadian pricing.

Fezan said:
Isn't i7 overkill with this gpu.
Click to expand...

For gaming, yes it is. In my rundown, I said in hindsight I may have just done the i5. I also do video editing/photography but I don't see myself doing much of that on this machine. I got the i7 just in case I wanted to, heh.
 
D

DPB

Member
TsunamiOfSwagger said:
Would you be able to upgrade the base i3 model to the i5 specs for less than the current price difference of £120? Dont know much about processors to make my own comparison.
Click to expand...

No, the i5 4590T is about £150, and that's not including a cooler either. There are cheaper i5 CPUs available, but they aren't the low-power versions, so they might not be compatible with the Alpha, and I've never seen a Haswell i5 for cheaper than £130 anyway.
 
T

TsunamiOfSwagger

Member
So its best if you just buy the i5. Is there any way you can get a reduced price if you contact by phone, or are the customer service staff unable to lower the price?
 
T

The Real Abed

Perma-Junior
Wouldn't the i7 also be good if you plan on streaming to Twitch too or would it not be recommended to even try? Not that I ever plan on doing that but you never know.
 
C

CorruptionDee

Member
I recently received my i7 model, and I'm very impressed. This isn't some monster 4K desktop rig, but so far it has handled every game very smooth at the highest or close to the highest settings at 1080p. It's a great kit, primarily because it isn't some monster desktop rig. The thing is tiny, like the original wii. I haven't seen anything on the market that's as portable and aesthetically pleasing.

The only real negative is that the GPU isn't upgradable and the included Samsung 2Tb drive is very slow. Other than that, it's a great pC that can do anything you need due to the fact that it runs Windows 8.1. I'm thinking of upgrading the RAM to 16GB and installing an SSD to further improve performance.
 
T

tim.mbp

Member
CorruptionDee said:
I recently received my i7 model, and I'm very impressed. This isn't some monster 4K desktop rig, but so far it has handled every game very smooth at the highest or close to the highest settings at 1080p. It's a great kit, primarily because it isn't some monster desktop rig. The thing is tiny, like the original wii. I haven't seen anything on the market that's as portable and aesthetically pleasing.

The only real negative is that the GPU isn't upgradable and the included Samsung 2Tb drive is very slow. Other than that, it's a great pC that can do anything you need due to the fact that it runs Windows 8.1. I'm thinking of upgrading the RAM to 16GB and installing an SSD to further improve performance.
Click to expand...

SSD is definitely worth it. My Alpha now boots to the ConsoleUI in like 6 seconds.
 
C

CorruptionDee

Member
tim.mbp said:
SSD is definitely worth it. My Alpha now boots to the ConsoleUI in like 6 seconds.
Click to expand...

I can only imagine. I'm just waiting until I can afford a 1TB SSD, because it would kill me to go from 2TB to 500GB. That, and I'm considering slapping in 16GB of Corsair Vengeance RAM.

I can see where the HDD itself causes stutter, it's as though the slow 5400rpm speed can't keep up with the action and is bottle necking the entire system.
 
.hacked

.hacked

Member
Upped my ram to 8gb on my base unit and paired it with a Bluetooth headphone adapter so I can use the same set of headphones I plug into my ps4 and Xbox one controllers. I am loving it, been playing a lot of the borderland pre sequel. Loading up my steam library and streams to my MacBook wonderfully with steam in home streaming.

So much gaming in such a small little box.
 
L

littlepooch21

Member
.hacked said:
Upped my ram to 8gb on my base unit and paired it with a Bluetooth headphone adapter so I can use the same set of headphones I plug into my ps4 and Xbox one controllers. I am loving it, been playing a lot of the borderland pre sequel. Loading up my steam library and streams to my MacBook wonderfully with steam in home streaming.

So much gaming in such a small little box.
Click to expand...

how did you set it up to stream to your macbook?
 
C

CorruptionDee

Member
kms_md said:
the crucial MX100 512GB SSD is the SSD wirecutter recommends for upgrades in general (and is the one i have ordered for my alpha).
Click to expand...

That's a great deal from a reliable, High quality brand. I was eyeing the WD Black2 myself, as it features a discrete 120GB SSD and 1TB HDD in one small package. It seemed like such a great solution, but mixed reviews have me weary. I wish someone had experience with it specifically on the Alienware Alpha.
 
A

alexandros

Banned
Why are you people enjoying your Alphas? You're not supposed to do so, I was told that no one wants these things and they have no use.
 
oneils

oneils

Member
Zia said:
I know it's a waste of money for those that build their own PCs, but as a Mac person that hasn't been interested in PC building in nearly a decade something like this is pretty appealing. If Bloodborne weren't right around the corner I'd seriously considering flipping the waste of space that is my PS4 and going Nintendo/PC-only until late in the gen when I can catch up on the Sony exclusives on the cheap.
Click to expand...


The form factor can make it very appealing, even to those enthusiasts that make their own builds. I think it would be very difficult to build something similar (in such a small space) at that price.

Very interesting machine. I wish I knew about it a few months ago (just built a new pc).
 
dugdug

dugdug

Banned
Playing Alien Iso on this machine in 60 FPS when I was just playing it on PS4 at 30 surprised me. Still pretty happy with the Alpha. I hope Alienware aren't done with the UI, though.
 
C

CorruptionDee

Member
outunderthestars said:
That looks like a great option! I might have to pick that up. :D
Click to expand...

That's what I said. That's a really good price, but with modern games topping over 40GBs, you'd run out of space in no time. With that said, it's on short list. I'm also looking at this for its price and performance :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226596&cm_re=mushkin_reactor-_-20-226-596-_-Product

$360 for a 1TB SSD is pretty impressive. Tweak Town gave it a very good review.
 
K

kms_md

Member
CorruptionDee said:
That's what I said. That's a really good price, but with modern games topping over 40GBs, you'd run out of space in no time. With that said, it's on short list. I'm also looking at this for its price and performance :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226596&cm_re=mushkin_reactor-_-20-226-596-_-Product

$360 for a 1TB SSD is pretty impressive. Tweak Town gave it a very good review.
Click to expand...

Agreed, but I typically only keep several games installed at a time. I don't anticipate running up against a full drive.
 
P

pizzapizza64

Member
Everything is going swimmingly (using a wii u pro controller with a dongle I bought on Amazon...), but I can't get my wireless 360 controller to sync with the Microsoft dongle. Both devices will light up, so both are receiving power...anyone else have trouble with this?

Edit:

I unplugged it then plugged it back in and now everything is okay. Weird.
 
L

littlepooch21

Member
bearcatjosh said:
Everything is going swimmingly (using a wii u pro controller with a dongle I bought on Amazon...), but I can't get my wireless 360 controller to sync with the Microsoft dongle. Both devices will light up, so both are receiving power...anyone else have trouble with this?

Edit:

I unplugged it then plugged it back in and now everything is okay. Weird.
Click to expand...

how did you get a wii u pro controller to work with it?
 
F

fwpx

Member
I've been looking in to one of these. Can someone sell me on it? I'm looking for something to last multiple years and is capable of playing multiplayer games, and run emulators so I can retire some of my older consoles.
 
R

reSpec Gaming

Member
fwpx said:
I've been looking in to one of these. Can someone sell me on it? I'm looking for something to last multiple years and is capable of playing multiplayer games, and run emulators so I can retire some of my older consoles.
Click to expand...

I see this having the shelf life of a laptop that was about $1000 to buy (for like the i5 model). So should be solid for 3 years. What multiplayer games were you looking at/emulators you were wanting to run? I'm playing CS: Go, Starcraft II, and LoL at max settings (in fact, it's a little overkill for those ie. LoL running at 200fps). Emulators I haven't tried any on this rig but my "old" computer ran Dolphin great for Project M so I'm sure this puppy would do just fine as well for that.

Ifrit said:
If only I could upgrade the GPU in this, I'd be all over it
Click to expand...
Look at the Alienware X51? I thought about going that route just for that. You pay more but I guess you're paying more for wanting to be able to upgrade the card.
 
D

da_stabbah

Member
i'm also seriously debating grabbing one. i7 for me so it lasts a few years (even if gaming outgrows it, still decode video and stuf)

can it handle games like:
starcraft II
WoW
DOTA 2
LoL
Warhammer 4K RTS game
at 1080p with good framerate?

also, is there issue with cpu throttling to keep cool like on the Gigabyte BRIX?

thanks!
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
da_stabbah said:
i'm also seriously debating grabbing one. i7 for me so it lasts a few years (even if gaming outgrows it, still decode video and stuf)

can it handle games like:
starcraft II
WoW
DOTA 2
LoL
Warhammer 4K RTS game
at 1080p with good framerate?

also, is there issue with cpu throttling to keep cool like on the Gigabyte BRIX?

thanks!
Click to expand...


I see no reason why it couldn't handle those games.
 
R

reSpec Gaming

Member
da_stabbah said:
i'm also seriously debating grabbing one. i7 for me so it lasts a few years (even if gaming outgrows it, still decode video and stuf)

can it handle games like:
starcraft II
WoW
DOTA 2
LoL
Warhammer 4K RTS game
at 1080p with good framerate?

also, is there issue with cpu throttling to keep cool like on the Gigabyte BRIX?

thanks!
Click to expand...

I am playing LoL and SC 2 at 1080p at 200 FPS with the i7... So yes, yes it does.

Not sure if there's any sort of CPU throttling. Long nights of LAN gaming and the system has stayed fairly cool. Been meaning to monitor the temperature actually and I haven't done that yet during long gaming sessions - I'll let you know results once I test that myself.
 
R

reSpec Gaming

Member
TsunamiOfSwagger said:
Are all models able to play the witcher 3 with the specs that have been announced?
Click to expand...

Probably need at least the i5 to play on Medium settings I'm guessing? The minimum recommended processor is the same as my other computer with a 2500k that plays Mordor on Medium with a Radeon 6870 at 1080p 45-60fps while my i7 Alpha plays that on high at 45-60fps. Again I'm guessing but should do it on Medium at a playable level.

It's a pretty safe bet that any game planned to also launch on PS4/Xbox One you should also be able to play on the Alpha with some tweaking of the settings. I'd always recommend at least the i5 (or upgrading to an i5 yourself).

Edit: Noticed earlier you already said you ordered the i5, nice.
 
D

da_stabbah

Member
reSpec Gaming said:
I am playing LoL and SC 2 at 1080p at 200 FPS with the i7... So yes, yes it does.

Not sure if there's any sort of CPU throttling. Long nights of LAN gaming and the system has stayed fairly cool. Been meaning to monitor the temperature actually and I haven't done that yet during long gaming sessions - I'll let you know results once I test that myself.
Click to expand...

thanks for the reply
also, have you (or anyone else) tried Diablo 3 on this? how does that game perform?
 
T

TsunamiOfSwagger

Member
reSpec Gaming said:
Probably need at least the i5 to play on Medium settings I'm guessing? The minimum recommended processor is the same as my other computer with a 2500k that plays Mordor on Medium with a Radeon 6870 at 1080p 45-60fps while my i7 Alpha plays that on high at 45-60fps. Again I'm guessing but should do it on Medium at a playable level.

It's a pretty safe bet that any game planned to also launch on PS4/Xbox One you should also be able to play on the Alpha with some tweaking of the settings. I'd always recommend at least the i5 (or upgrading to an i5 yourself).

Edit: Noticed earlier you already said you ordered the i5, nice.
Click to expand...

Yes, I presumed I would be ok. I am new to the whole PC thing, so I just wanted to make sure it could run on it.
 
T

TsunamiOfSwagger

Member
Got my alpha yesterday. Very impressed with it. I like how simple it is to use, especially the text input using the controller on big picture mode.
Although I would prefer to use a X1 controller, not sure if it can be connected using the wireless dongle supplied, anyone know if you can?
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
TsunamiOfSwagger said:
Got my alpha yesterday. Very impressed with it. I like how simple it is to use, especially the text input using the controller on big picture mode.
Although I would prefer to use a X1 controller, not sure if it can be connected using the wireless dongle supplied, anyone know if you can?
Click to expand...

I don't believe the XB1 controller will ever support the 306 wireless dongle. :(
 
J

JMTHEFOX

Member
TsunamiOfSwagger said:
Got my alpha yesterday. Very impressed with it. I like how simple it is to use, especially the text input using the controller on big picture mode.
Although I would prefer to use a X1 controller, not sure if it can be connected using the wireless dongle supplied, anyone know if you can?
Click to expand...

Currently, there is no wireless dongle for the X1 wireless controller.

However, the controller is plug and play if you can connect the controller via micro usb cable.
 
I

IAmRandom31

Banned
As soon as a steam machine releases with a 280X or Geforce GTX 970 or something like that, I'll have my target locked and acquired.

Def. want to get my giant full tower case out of the living room and gone from the house, but none of the steam machines have caught my interest just yet. My PS4 is the go-to console for any games these days as my 6770 is just trash now for new games.
 
F

FordGTGuy

Banned
IAmRandom31 said:
As soon as a steam machine releases with a 280X or Geforce GTX 970 or something like that, I'll have my target locked and acquired.

Def. want to get my giant full tower case out of the living room and gone from the house, but none of the steam machines have caught my interest just yet. My PS4 is the go-to console for any games these days as my 6770 is just trash now for new games.
Click to expand...

You can put a 970 in a Alienware X1.
 
I

IAmRandom31

Banned
FordGTGuy said:
You can put a 970 in a Alienware X1.
Click to expand...

yeh id rather it just come built in

I'll lob as much as 800-900$ on a steam machine with the right look and equipment. just waiting for the right one.

I would then have my super high powered console sized PC for multi-plat gaming and my PS4 for all the exclusives.
 
F

FordGTGuy

Banned
IAmRandom31 said:
yeh id rather it just come built in

I'll lob as much as 800-900$ on a steam machine with the right look and equipment. just waiting for the right one.

I would then have my super high powered console sized PC for multi-plat gaming and my PS4 for all the exclusives.
Click to expand...

X1 is a excellent value for what you get.
 
I

IAmRandom31

Banned
FordGTGuy said:
X1 is a excellent value for what you get.
Click to expand...

Yeah but its pretty much a mid-range PC for todays games, if even that high. I would want something that will have atleast 3GB-4GB of VRAM, a pretty stout CPU, and atleast 8GB system memory.

I'll wait for something more along those lines to come out.
 
P

pizzapizza64

Member
Does the i3 Alpha stream well to the nvidia shield portable? Is it hard to set up/configure the streaming? Sorry for the newb question.
 
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