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Alienware Alpha Windows gaming PC $399 from Dell

O

outunderthestars

Banned
UPDATE:

commish said:
If anyone is interested in this machine and missed the last deal, there's a new deal going on that's even better. $399 with a $70 rebate, so effectively $330.

http://slickdeals.net/f/7859143-ali...roller-329-99-after-rebate-with-free-shipping
Click to expand...





Gren and harson posted this in the Alpha impressions thread, and I thought it was worth sharing

Alienware Alpha $399 with coupon code

alienware-alpha-product-photos-13.jpg


Specs
  • Intel Core i3-4130T Dual-Core CPU
  • 4GB DDR3L
  • 500GB HDD
  • Alpha Chassis with NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPU 2GB GDDR5 (customized GTX 860)
  • Xbox 360 Wireless Controller
  • Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160 1x1
  • Windows 8.1


Let's get the normal prebuilt PC stuff out of the way: It does not have an upgradable GPU, yes, you could build something more powerful for less, LOL Alienware, etc.

I have owned one of these since launch and love the thing. At $399 with windows and a wireless controller it is less than the Steam OS version!
 
K

Kinthalis

Banned
Yeah, as a little box to take aroudn with you on vacation or maybe as a sompliment to say your gaming den, sounds good. It's not for me, but I can definitely see the appeal.

The cool thing is that DX12 and Open GL Next will only extend the gaming power of that little guy in the future.
 
BibiMaghoo

BibiMaghoo

Member
That looks really nice, so it's a shame they gouge the eyes from UK customers.

£448.99

That's $663. Not worth it.
 
M

Malick[AI]

Member
Just picked one of these up this week. It is amazingly small, like the size of a Wii.

Swapped in another 4 GB of RAM and an SSD and am quite impressed.
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
bomblord1 said:
How does the 860M stack up against the 7850?
Click to expand...

Not sure, but here are some benchmarks from the launch.

Batman: Arkham Origins
FXAA High, All DirectX 11 Features Enabled, PhysX Normal = Average 65fps

Metro: Last Light Redux
Medium Quality, 4xAF, Tessellation Off = Average 58fps

BioShock Infinite
Very High Quality = Average 55fps

GRID Autosport
High Quality, 4xMSAA = Average 75fps

Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition
Medium Quality, Normal Anti-aliasing = Average 66fps

Tomb Raider
HIGH Quality setting, 1080p,= 63.3 average fps
 
J

JayWood2010

Member
Honestly if youre going to invest into PC gaming id recommend just building one. Still a decent price for a pre-built PC though
 
I

IzzyF3

Member
JayWood2010 said:
Honestly if youre going to invest into PC gaming id recommend just building one. Still a decent price for a pre-built PC though
Click to expand...

I bought one and it should arrive today. I saw the insides of this thing and even if I can build something this compact, I don't think I'd have the confidence that it won't overheat. Bit the bullet because I wanted the simplest machine to play PC games (main computer is a Mac now).
 
D

Durante

Member
That's a really good price for a SFF PC of that size and with those specs, especially since you can upgrade the memory (which seems like the largest drawback).
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
Mung said:
Why do they make gaming PCs look so 'I'm trying to look futuristic and cool'?
Click to expand...

The alienware logo and corner LED's can be adjusted to any color, brightness, or even turned off. I turned mine off and it ends up having a very stealthy look in my entertainment center. I think it looks better than my PS4. :)

BPoole said:
Not a bad price. This is what Steam Machines need to shoot for
Click to expand...

Totally agreed. As someone who is fascinated by the small form factor pc market, I think that the real opportunity is in the $400 - $700 price range. Anything over that and it gets harder and harder to see the value in pre-built.
 
S

Seanspeed

Banned
hodgy100 said:
yes it would, but you have to assemble it and thats defeating the point.
Click to expand...
That's not the problem. The problem is that you can't build a PC with those specs in that form factor for the same price. The small size of this thing is basically what makes it unique, not it being pre-built.
 
J

Jaded Alyx

Member
Seanspeed said:
That's not the problem. The problem is that you can't build a PC with those specs in that form factor for the same price. The small size of this thing is basically what makes it unique, not it being pre-built.
Click to expand...

People will seemingly forever not understand this.
 
D

Dennis

Banned
Seems like a good deal for people who wants an instant backlog of 3000 games but don't require them to run in 4k
 
X

Xiao Hu

Member
Really crave that style of case and format. Concerning the case: Where can find the X51 case? EBay has only the complete PC, but I want to customize the compounds.
 
R

Rezae

Member
Seems pretty decent for what it is, when you consider the form factor. Definitely a good entry point for someone on a budget that doesn't want to mess with building a PC, but just wants to jump in and have another "console" in their entertainment center.
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
Xiao Hu said:
Really crave that style of case and format. Concerning the case: Where can find the X51 case? EBay has only the complete PC, but I want to customize the compounds.
Click to expand...

I don't think that they sell the X51 case, but there are a ton of small form factor pc cases on the market.

btrboyev said:
It will run most games at 1080p 30fps+ just fine. So it's not a bad little system.
Click to expand...

It seems to run games a little better than a XB1, and around the same/slight worse than the PS4
 
P

pezley

Banned
I went for the X51 and upgraded it to the GTX 970. One of the best things I have done regarding my PC. I had a custom built media centre before and have no regrets swapping for the smaller form factor. It's quiet, powerful and efficient. It looks good, boots straight into steam big picture mode and feels right at home alongside my consoles. Would recommend it to anyone

For anyone who suggests you can build a better PC for the money... yes you can. No one would argue that but some people want some thing with some style. I have built all my previous PC's and none have hit the spot as for design, previously I had the LC 16m Silverstone, an absolutely classy looking media centre but it was still effectively a PC on it's side internally. These are built with custom parts to create some very clever internal designs. My X51 is GTX 970, 16gb Ram, i7 at 4ghz, 256gb SSD with another 1.5tb internal drive + Bluray drive, all in a chassis the same size as an Xbox one with a great ( granted, this is subject to everyone ) design. Find another case that can handle those parts in that size and design.
 
QuantumZebra

QuantumZebra

Member
This is actually fairly decent for anyone who wants to get into PC gaming cheaply.

An AMD build would be way better and cheaper doe
 
B

bomblord1

Banned
btrboyev said:
Why? It's the same price as a ps4 and it will play games better than it with a much larger library of games.

It seems like a great deal for those who want to step into PC gaming.
Click to expand...

Are we sure it plays games better than the PS4? I'de like to see a direct comparison to this i3 model and the same game running on the PS4. Preferably a recent game and a game running at the same res and settings.
 
Denton

Denton

Member
Pretty damn great for the price. Everything great PC gaming offers in tiny box with preinstalled system and controller ? Very nice.
 
L

leeh

Member
BibiMaghoo said:
That looks really nice, so it's a shame they gouge the eyes from UK customers.

£448.99

That's $663. Not worth it.
Click to expand...
Holy heck. Really? I was thinking $399 is really cheap, and it'd probably be around $380 in the UK, but $663! That's ridiculous. We really get shafted.
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
Exploratory said:
This isn't playing games better than a PS4 lol.
Click to expand...

Well it certainly plays Fallout 3, New Vegas, Valkyria Chronicles, Mass Effect etc better than my PS4. ;) That said, you'd be surprised by how well the Alpha handles current gen games as well.

The lack of backwards compatibility on the current gen consoles really sucks.
 
R

reSpec Gaming

Member
For people who build PC's: What you're really buying for $399.99

- Small form factor case $100
- Modified 860m (750ti equivalent roughly) $150
- Windows 8 $100
- Xbox 360 Controller $30
- Power supply (side note, you're allowed to use a more powerful one and it doesn't void the warranty) $50

Everything else you'd upgrade. So notice I didn't include the price of the ram, hard drive, and processor and it's already over $400 based on average retail prices (I kind of guessed on the power supply). So unless you're getting a deal on parts (or pirating Windows, naughty you) then this is a good base to build a computer off of.
 
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