LostMyNarbles
Member
System just got dropped off by Fedex. Going to start updating it and installing the applications and games I want then I'll post my impressions later.
Is the 5400 HDD as limiting as some of the reviews state? Would hate to also have to upgrade to a SSD.
Regarding the wireless controller, perhaps they've fixed it. A few years ago, however, the receiver kept crapping out on people. I ended up just tossing it and going wired for my controller (which would be an option for the Alpha too, I suppose). I was sorta hoping that the Alpha would have a built-in receiver rather than rely on the Microsoft OEM one (which also takes a valuable USB port).
Is it possible to capture footage from the HDMI input into the Alpha?
Could you build a more powerful pc with the same budget? I may get into pc gaming but exploring my options right now.
I underestimated exactly how bad the hard drive was in this thing. Gaming performance has been great, but the general desktop performance was a horrible experience. It took forever to load and stuttered like crazy. I ended up installing my SSD and now this thing is performing as fast as my full tower did. So if you can afford an SSD I'd highly recommend one.
I'll probably do a write-up of my impressions after a few days of use if anybody cares. I've spent most of today updating Windows/Drivers and now I'm starting over after deciding to do a fresh-install on the SSD instead of a recovery.
I'd love to know more about the process of swapping out the HDD for an SSD. How did you reinstall the Alpha UI?
If you reinstall from a backup using Alien Respawn it'll come installed. If you are doing a fresh Windows 8 install you can get the software off of Dell's website.I'd love to know more about the process of swapping out the HDD for an SSD. How did you reinstall the Alpha UI?
I ordered on Friday and it arrived on Tuesday. Very fast shipping since I chose the normal 3-5 days.For the ones who bought one recently with the dell deal. How long did delivery take from the date you ordered?
For the ones who bought one recently with the dell deal. How long did delivery take from the date you ordered?
I saw this on SD and I'm really tempted to jump in. Curious what you guys think of this vs building my own? The build I was recommended is is great, but I'm curious if this will quench my PC gaming needs for a living room PC. Granted the build is double the cost, just curious what people in this thread think. Thank you!
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($178.89 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($53.10 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($96.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290X 4GB Tr-X OC Video Card ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
It entirely depends on what you plan on playing and what kind of performance you're looking for. That's a very nice build you have there, but factoring in the cost of Windows 8 I estimated it to cost $970 which is significantly more expensive than this machine.I saw this on SD and I'm really tempted to jump in. Curious what you guys think of this vs building my own? The build I was recommended is is great, but I'm curious if this will quench my PC gaming needs for a living room PC. Granted the build is double the cost, just curious what people in this thread think. Thank you!
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($178.89 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($53.10 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($96.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290X 4GB Tr-X OC Video Card ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
It also works on the desktop.I read that you can hit the bumpers and triggers and use the left stick as a mouse pointer -- is that only a Steam Big Picture thing or also the Windows desktop?
It also works on the desktop.
I don't believe it is built in to Windows 8. I think it's either built in to their system or when you install Alien UI it contains the software that enables it.That's super -- hopefully with that and the OSK I won't need a wireless KB+M. I'm willing to do it if I have to, but would prefer not to.
Think I'll get one and eventually an extra brick (looks like a standard one that Dell sells separately) and HDMI cable so I can swap it easily from one TV to the other depending on which isn't in use. In a few years when I go to upgrade I'll put an ipac on it and toss it in a cabinet.
Edit: Is using the controller as a mouse built-in to Windows 8 or is it additional software? Wired work as well as wireless? Trying wired on my Windows 8 laptop and it doesn't seem to work, but I may be missing something.
If you're doing a fresh install of Windows first go to Microsoft's site and create a USB recovery drive. Then when you're booting up the system for the first time make sure the USB that the recovery files are on is inserted and it'll have you start the process of installing windows. When you first load the system up it'll have no drivers installed so you'll need a wired internet connection to proceed. Next you'd want to go to Dell's website and install all of the drivers in the menu's. They'll say "This will automatically install upon restart once downloaded", but don't listen to that and just click the files and install them as they download because the auto-install never worked for me.Once you get a proper internet connection the Windows Product Key should automatically register as it did for me since I believe it is tied to the hardware and then you'll want to finish by doing all the Windows 8.1 updates.Stupid Question,
If I want to install an SSD on my alpha how do i transfer windows and the alpha steam UI ? My alpha came with no windows CD or Steam UI CD.
I don't believe it is built in to Windows 8. I think it's either built in to their system or when you install Alien UI it contains the software that enables it.
Here's the Windows Recovery Link.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media
Alienware Alpha drivers page.
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/product-support/product/alienware-alpha/drivers
Here's a guide I followed to do the process.
http://latam.alienwarearena.com/for...ware-alpha-fresh-windows-install-to-ssd-guide
It entirely depends on what you plan on playing and what kind of performance you're looking for. That's a very nice build you have there, but factoring in the cost of Windows 8 I estimated it to cost $970 which is significantly more expensive than this machine.
This PC is really for somebody who doesn't require games to be at consistently at max settings in 1080p/60fps and is just looking for a great gaming machine for a good price. The Alpha is an amazing value at $400 (Or less with Dell Advantage/Student Discount) and depending on the game you'll either max it out or play around Medium/High/Very High in 1080p with usually 30fps. The downsides (In my opinion) of the Alpha include the fact that you are limited to upgrading only the CPU/RAM/HDD and that it doesn't have an audio jack so you'll either need a USB>Audio converter or in my case I connected my speakers to my Monitor instead of the PC.
The PC you listed should easily be able to max most games in 1080p/60fps and you'll have more room for upgrades should you choose to in the future. The benefit with that in mind is in 3-4 years (Or sooner) you could say "Hey I like PC gaming maybe I'll get more parts" and you'll easily be able to upgrade what you want, but with the Alpha in 3-4 years if you want a significant upgrade you'll need to buy a new system or completely build a PC yourself.
Those are some things to consider, but really it comes down to the simple question of if you want to max out games or if you will be okay cranking down the settings and still getting a satisfactory experience. I owned a huge gaming tower before buying the Alpha and have since sold off the parts for it. In my case I just never did enough "heavy" gaming to justify having all that power and I'm very happy with the Alpha's performance in a MUCH quieter and smaller package.
@StaticJam This is the RAM I bought from Amazon. I installed it today and have had no issues with it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KQCOTCM/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Stupid Question,
If I want to install an SSD on my alpha how do i transfer windows and the alpha steam UI ? My alpha came with no windows CD or Steam UI CD.
Just ordered one of these since I was badly in need of a PC upgrade, really liked the small form factor and all that too.
Something I haven't been able to find though; how noisy is this thing?
Here's a post from the gta performance thread:
Runs pretty well on the Alienware Alpha i3, busting the VRAM limit with everything in very high and MSAA off and still maintaining around 35fps downsampling from 1440p. At 1080p I hover around 50 with drops to 45.
GTA V PC Performance Thread
Man, GTA 5 absolutely chugs on my i3 Alienware Alpha machine, even with all settings turned to low. Any idea why my performance would be so different to his or what else I could do? I've tried assigning the process to high priority in task manager but it did not help.
What is your RAM like? Mine is upgraded to 12GBs, I also overclocked the GPU and have the games running from an external 7200 HDD.
It's been whisper-quiet while playing games.
So it comes with two memory slots but only one occupied with a 4gb? I'm thinking of going with an additional 8gb for the other slot. Someone linked http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KQCOTCM/?tag=neogaf0e-20 earlier and that was deemed OK. Best Buy has http://www.bestbuy.com/site/corsair-vengeance-8gb-1-6ghz-ddr3-sodimm-laptop-memory-multi/5036585.p for about the same price. Will either work? Any preference? Still torn on what to do with the HDD situation -- I'll cross that bridge later I think.
Edit: Any issues with mixing the new 8gb memory module with the existing 4gb?
Someone must be aggressive because they're setting up Alpha demo stations next to PS4s and Xboxes in retail stores around here... I was shocked to see a stand in the wild, and laughed. Hope they make a killing and introduce Steam to a whole new audience.
Crayon,
Yes its just like any other PC. You can even remove the Steam UI if you don't like it.
Asus and a handful of other companies are going to keep making awesome small living room PC's, with or without Steam OS. I think there is a great future ahead for pre-built living room PC's.
It really is!