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[Chittagong]

Hmm, now I'm tempted to just pull the trigger. I really want one.

I love mine to bits.

For what it's worth, I was super worried this would turn out my worst buyers remorse ever before buying. But I have used mine more than any console - 1080P Battlefield 3 and Batman, Diablo 3, Legend of Grimrock, Alan Wake... And Plex for media. Plus 1080P Wii. Superb machine.

 

[JB1981]

I'm waiting for the next upgrade as well. Its been a while now so why not wait a few more months.

I feel like you can always play the waiting game. There will always be something better. I've been thinking of buying this thing for days now LOL. It's between this and building a PC. But I like how small this thing is. I could use it upstairs and downstairs with minimal hassle. Not very easy to lug around a huge PC tower. I should just do it. If I don't like it I guess I can always sell it.

 

[Kibbles]

So it's recommended to get the i5 model over the i7? Why?

Fuck it, I'm getting the OP's setup. GTX555 have resale value? I haven't seen any on ebay or anything yet.

 

[Chittagong]

So it's recommended to get the i5 model over the i7? Why?

Fuck it, I'm getting the OP's setup. GTX555 have resale value? I haven't seen any on ebay or anything yet.

There are a few reasons I chose i5 over i7.

- supposedly going i7 doesn't really help gaming performance
- it's cheaper, but with the 555 comes still with a better GPU
- it should be cooler in theory, which should be helpful for the beefier GPU. However, I don't have verified temps of both, and the heat is very well compartmentalized so this might not be that big a benefit in reality

Haven't yet got around to sell my GTX555. This guy called Ray2K was selling his for $150, dunno if he got it sold.

 

[JB1981]

There are a few reasons I chose i5 over i7.

- supposedly going i7 doesn't really help gaming performance
- it's cheaper, but with the 555 comes still with a better GPU
- it should be cooler in theory, which should be helpful for the beefier GPU. However, I don't have verified temps of both, and the heat is very well compartmentalized so this might not be that big a benefit in reality

Haven't yet got around to sell my GTX555. This guy called Ray2K was selling his for $150, dunno if he got it sold.

Saw that dude's videos on YouTube. He upgraded to the 560ti and then the 7870. I think he had to modify the chassis to fit the 7870 though

 

[Emperor Bohe]

is it worth it to get one of these things now? or should I just wait until the next gen consoles come out?

 

[j0hnny_385]

is it worth it to get one of these things now? or should I just wait until the next gen consoles come out?

IMHO, that's a VERY broad question.
Personally, I wouldn't compare this (or any other PC) to a console regardless of it's size & form factor.
It all comes down to choice. This is a great machine but you can make a better machine for less money (IF you know how). I think this is a great device. Yes, a bit expensive, but I guess people who don't know how to build their own machine of this type "pay for the comfort".
On the other hand, next-gen consoles aren't even annouunced and every info released so far is just rumors & speculation. Who knows what'll we get in the end, and when (end 2013. , early 2014.?).

If you want to jump to PC gaming, buy this. It's a great piece of hardware. If you have "PC building skillz" (hehe), then build something of your own (for less money).
If you don't have an X360/PS3 yet, buy one of those. They're still great machines with ton of great games.

Regards.

edit: I'm a MEMBER now! yay! \o/

 

[Emperor Bohe]

IMHO, that's a VERY broad question.
Personally, I wouldn't compare this (or any other PC) to a console regardless of it's size & form factor.
It all comes down to choice. This is a great machine but you can make a better machine for less money (IF you know how). I think this is a great device. Yes, a bit expensive, but I guess people who don't know how to build their own machine of this type "pay for the comfort".
On the other hand, next-gen consoles aren't even annouunced and every info released so far is just rumors & speculation. Who knows what'll we get in the end, and when (end 2013. , early 2014.?).

If you want to jump to PC gaming, buy this. It's a great piece of hardware. If you have "PC building skillz" (hehe), then build something of your own (for less money).
If you don't have an X360/PS3 yet, buy one of those. They're still great machines with ton of great games.

Regards.

I have all three consoles, so buying something like this would be more so for playing games that are to be released in the next few years that are above the current console gens capabilities. I guess it is a good idea to wait until the next few consoles are announced first..

 

[Karak]

I have all three consoles, so buying something like this would be more so for playing games that are to be released in the next few years that are above the current console gens capabilities. I guess it is a good idea to wait until the next few consoles are announced first..

That sounds feasible. I have this system and though I love it I don't recommend it to anyone except for a VERY niche group. VERY. However those who I have helped get it and set it up for are very happy.

For me, more importantly, is that for an Alienware system its sort of an anomaly. Its not that poorly priced(USA) compared to what I would have expected. I think it is their best product in years and may be their best product ever. But in the end it is still Alienware which comes with its own...guidelines

 

[Chittagong]

I have all three consoles, so buying something like this would be more so for playing games that are to be released in the next few years that are above the current console gens capabilities. I guess it is a good idea to wait until the next few consoles are announced first..

I have all three consoles as well. The reasons I got the X51, in order of priority

- there was an increasing amount of PC games I wanted to play: Diablo 3, Legend of Grimrock, Sim City 5, Company of Heroes, Star Craft 2 chapter Ii
- I felt the itch for a next gen style graphics jump, 1080P 60FPS Ultra Battlefield 3, Skyrim or Witcher 2 feel crazy immersive
- games are a lot cheaper. A lot. Like, Fallout New Vegas is £8, latest Assassins Creed is £15 and so forth - and I can use my 360 controller still
- I wanted to play Wii with good graphics

I figured I'd get a good 2 years of mileage before next gen consoles.

 

[Marty Chinn]

Are they doing a refresh soon? It seems like you can't customize them on Dell's site anymore.

 

[j0hnny_385]

I have all three consoles as well. The reasons I got the X51, in order of priority

- there was an increasing amount of PC games I wanted to play: Diablo 3, Legend of Grimrock, Sim City 5, Company of Heroes, Star Craft 2 chapter Ii
- I felt the itch for a next gen style graphics jump, 1080P 60FPS Ultra Battlefield 3, Skyrim or Witcher 2 feel crazy immersive
- games are a lot cheaper. A lot. Like, Fallout New Vegas is £8, latest Assassins Creed is £15 and so forth - and I can use my 360 controller still
- I wanted to play Wii with good graphics

I figured I'd get a good 2 years of mileage before next gen consoles.

And you're perfectly valid on all points. As a PC gamer for over 20 years I still use the platform and will continue to do so for as long as I can. My first console ever was X360 in '09 and then PS3 in '10. so yes, I love PC gaming and this X51 machine is great because it allows you take PC into the "couch-comfort-I'm-in-the-living-room-playing-on-a-huge-TV" domain where consoles usually dominate.

 

[CTE]

Are they doing a refresh soon? It seems like you can't customize them on Dell's site anymore.

I can on the Canadian site.

 

[Ledsen]

Are you sure about that $150 number? I'm in Sweden (which means very expensive comapred to, say, the US, and more comparable with yours), and with some currency converting you paid $500 more than I paid for my midi tower system (i5 2500k, GTX 560Ti).

 

[wazoo]

I have all three consoles as well. The reasons I got the X51, in order of priority

- there was an increasing amount of PC games I wanted to play: Diablo 3, Legend of Grimrock, Sim City 5, Company of Heroes, Star Craft 2 chapter Ii
- I felt the itch for a next gen style graphics jump, 1080P 60FPS Ultra Battlefield 3, Skyrim or Witcher 2 feel crazy immersive
- games are a lot cheaper. A lot. Like, Fallout New Vegas is £8, latest Assassins Creed is £15 and so forth - and I can use my 360 controller still
- I wanted to play Wii with good graphics

I figured I'd get a good 2 years of mileage before next gen consoles.

I almost bought a X51, but went to a customized part, because I could and was helped (now I have something cheaper, cooler, more efficient, and more powerful), but I understand that for people not taking the time this is a great possibility.

I went to this, because
- I wanted to play current games the best it could be
- I feel PC gaming quality and diversity has exploded in the last few years
- multi platform games bought on PC are a good investment (less DRM, more mods, you will be able to play them for years without fear of losing BC, and so on)
- Wii HD !!
- cheap games and competition among stores (unlike the consoles) mean cheap games

 

[mrklaw]

I really want one of these, but I've been waiting for the first upgrade. Ivy Bridge should help with this type of PC, right?

no. For laptops, the improved GPU should be worth waiting for, but for desktops with discrete graphics its not a big step forward like Sandy Bridge was.

IMO you're better off seeing if the tail end of Sandy bridge means lower prices before they switch over to Ivy Bridge and buy now.


Chittagong, how quiet is it when just sitting on the windows desktop? Curious whether it'd make a decent HTPC too, running plex client and server? That way I could swap my mac mini out which would lower the cost of switching to something like this.

I guess you can mod in quiet fans if needed?

 

[Kubricks Ghost]

Very interested in OP set up.. Possible dumb question alert! - What are the audio out options as i would like to connect to my amp?.. Thanks.

 

[j0hnny_385]

Very interested in OP set up.. Possible dumb question alert! - What are the audio out options as i would like to connect to my amp?.. Thanks.

COAX, optical TOSLINK, HDMI and the standard "multi color" pins for default 5.1 speakers:

 

[Kubricks Ghost]

COAX, optical TOSLINK, HDMI and the standard "multi color" pins for default 5.1 speakers:

Thanks! Much appreciated.

 

[Tobor]

The HDMI will carry audio to a TV, right?

 

[Diablohead]

I was going to build a shuttle pc at some point but i'd pay a little more for the i5 model of the x51, my current pc is now starting to show it's age with it's old c2d, and although it costs more I would love a smaller pc like this instead of a tower.

 

[j0hnny_385]

The HDMI will carry audio to a TV, right?

yes. or to you amp if it's HDMI capable:

[X51] -------HDMI (carrying both audio & video)-------[AMP]-------HDMI-------[TV]

 

[Chittagong]

no. For laptops, the improved GPU should be worth waiting for, but for desktops with discrete graphics its not a big step forward like Sandy Bridge was.

IMO you're better off seeing if the tail end of Sandy bridge means lower prices before they switch over to Ivy Bridge and buy now.


Chittagong, how quiet is it when just sitting on the windows desktop? Curious whether it'd make a decent HTPC too, running plex client and server? That way I could swap my mac mini out which would lower the cost of switching to something like this.

I guess you can mod in quiet fans if needed?

It is really quiet when on desktop mode and even in Plex. I can hear my MacBook Pro on my working desk further away, I can hear my external hard disc, but not the X51 that's closer to me. When gaming expect at worst 1st gen Xbox 360 levels (assuming you can the Fan 2 at 75% as you should).

Very interested in OP set up.. Possible dumb question alert! - What are the audio out options as i would like to connect to my amp?.. Thanks.

The HDMI will carry audio to a TV, right?

Yes. I'm using HDMI, getting superb 7.1 sound.

 

[diffusionx]

This is exactly the kind of machine people like me will buy to get into pc gaming:

Is it the most powerful? No
Is it more expensive than building one? Yes

But I have yet to see another commercially available desktop that is as appealing as the X51's are at this point.

Price it out - I found that the X51 commanded about a $150 price premium from a similar system. Both for the low-end and high-end - which obviously makes the high end a better deal.

To me, $150 is not bad for a warranty + case + not having to build it (and yes I've built PCs).

 

[Felix Lighter]

I'm for anything that helps get more people into PC gaming easier that is not egregiously priced.

 

[Tobor]

Are they doing a refresh soon? It seems like you can't customize them on Dell's site anymore.

Marty's right. I can't find anything but the $699 model available from Dell.

 

[MrBelmontvedere]

putting a PC together from scratch is half the fun...the other half being playing the actual games.

to each his own I guess.

 

[Ledsen]

putting a PC together from scratch is half the fun...the other half being playing the actual games.

to each his own I guess.

Regular people don't want to build their own entertainment devices. Us PC builders are in a small, small minority.

 

[JB1981]

Marty's right. I can't find anything but the $699 model available from Dell.

You can customize on the US Dell site.

 

[Tobor]

You can customize on the US Dell site.

Link? I can't figure out their shitty web site.

 

[JB1981]

Link? I can't figure out their shitty web site.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-x51/pd.aspx

 

[DSmalls84]

Regular people don't want to build their own entertainment devices. Us PC builders are in a small, small minority.

Not that I wouldn't be interested in building a pc, but in my case my wife didn't want me to have a giant tower sitting in my living room. This was pretty much the only thing I could fit in my entertainment center. I remember seeing in Game Informer a few years ago a boutique pc that looked like a receiver but it was like $2000-$3000, but until the X-51 I haven't really seen that concept made affordable.

 

[Tobor]

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-x51/pd.aspx

That's the link I was at. You can't actually change the specs anymore. Up to last week there was a lot more stuff on that page. It's all been removed but the $699 model.

 

[diffusionx]

That's the link I was at. You can't actually change the specs anymore. Up to last week there was a lot more stuff on that page. It's all been removed but the $699 model.

Yes you can. Hit Select under the $699 price.

 

[JB1981]

That's the link I was at. You can't actually change the specs anymore. Up to last week there was a lot more stuff on that page. It's all been removed but the $699 model.

That's weird because I can select the $899 version, get in and start personalizing.

 

[Tobor]

Yes you can. Hit Select under the $699 price.

Oh, FFS. I was hitting the customize and buy button. What a shitty web site. Thanks.

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

I'm very interested in this. I'm halfway to building my own rig but this seems like it would be a perfect match for me.

Question time-

How big is difference in the i7 to i5? Specifically the longevity of the rig. I want it able to be on the high-max scale for a couple years. So is the i7 a better choice?

Also how does the 555 stack up in terms graphical power. Can I run max BF3 without issue out of the box?

 

[thechristoph]

I'm very interested in this. I'm halfway to building my own rig but this seems like it would be a perfect match for me.

Question time-

How big is difference in the i7 to i5? Specifically the longevity of the rig. I want it able to be on the high-max scale for a couple years. So is the i7 a better choice?

Also how does the 555 stack up in terms graphical power. Can I run max BF3 without issue out of the box?

Everyone says i7 isn't really worth it for games. I have the i7 and don't really care that I spent the extra money. I bought it for futureproofing, personally. Maybe one day games will take advantage of the extra features the i7 brings to the table, maybe not. It's a gamble.

I don't have BF3 but I have Skyrim, Civ 5, and Mass Effect 3. All of these games run at max settings with no lag or hiccups.

 

[wazoo]

i7 is useless for gaming.

GTX 555 is a OEM version of 560 with less power, but enough for most games currently, just do not push all details to the max and apply crazy mods packs. I would rate it at half the power of a 7850.

you can find plenty of videos on youtube with the X51 to see.

 

[longdi]

while you can get something slicker and more powerful at that price (silverstone/lian li aluminium cases), it is not as easy building in a matx or minitx cases...take it from someone who built quite a few..

i would also think razor should have gone this way instead of their mac-clone blade laptop...

 

[longdi]

i7 slower in games? take it with a pinch of salt but for a matx built i5 churns out less heat...although you can disable HT..

to the OP, on hindsight, i would have gotten a stock exhaust cooling 7850...the top blower you have only recycle heat in the casing.

 

[Marty Chinn]

Oh, FFS. I was hitting the customize and buy button. What a shitty web site. Thanks.

I think the page was different last night for some reason. There wasn't a select option last night. Also when I switched to IE from Chrome, I got different results from hitting the customize and buy button. Even then, it was two different machines and now it's four. Not sure WTF is up with their site.

Edit: Also why don't I have the option to select a Blu Ray drive in all the configs?

 

[wazoo]

while you can get something slicker and more powerful at that price (silverstone/lian li aluminium cases), it is not as easy building in a matx or minitx cases...take it from someone who built quite a few..

I took a lan li instead of the X51 and paying for making it built is very cheap when all thing considered.

 

[Tobor]

I think the page was different last night for some reason. There wasn't a select option last night. Also when I switched to IE from Chrome, I got different results from hitting the customize and buy button. Even then, it was two different machines and now it's four. Not sure WTF is up with their site.

Edit: Also why don't I have the option to select a Blu Ray drive in all the configs?

Maybe they removed the BluRay option? I was hoping there was a model with no optical drive at all, but I get they didn't want to make a second case.

You pulling the trigger on this, or waiting for Ivy Bridge?

 

[Marty Chinn]

Maybe they removed the BluRay option? I was hoping there was a model with no optical drive at all, but I get they didn't want to make a second case.

You pulling the trigger on this, or waiting for Ivy Bridge?

I'm not sure yet. I've been going back and forth so I was just looking to price out a built machine but it's been so difficult on their site to do that. The BluRay option is available on at least two of the configs, but not one of them. I just don't get why it wouldn't be available in all the configs. There should be nothing that prevents them from doing it. It's one of the things I always hated about Dell was how different computers that you try to build will have different limiting options that make no sense as to why it's available on one but not the other.

I think Ivy Bridge is only going to be a benefit for power consumption and heat benefits. Not sure what else it brings to the table for something like this so I'm not sure if waiting for Ivy Bridge is worth it. Waiting for newer faster hardware might come with it though so that might be a reason to wait instead of Ivy Bridge itself.

 

[Chittagong]

I'm not sure yet. I've been going back and forth so I was just looking to price out a built machine but it's been so difficult on their site to do that. The BluRay option is available on at least two of the configs, but not one of them. I just don't get why it wouldn't be available in all the configs. There should be nothing that prevents them from doing it. It's one of the things I always hated about Dell was how different computers that you try to build will have different limiting options that make no sense as to why it's available on one but not the other.

Lol, their site/ order system is just shit, there is nothing preventing bluray in any of the configs, it's a standard tray an a standard plug from the mobo. You can slide any standard slot drive into it.

 

[JB1981]

After doing some comparisons today (and yes this may not be a terribly grounbreaking insight) but it seems the biggest bottleneck here is the GPU. The performance benchmarks for the GTX 555 don't seem too hot, especially if you are looking for 30fps+ at max settings 1080p.

For $899 I can probably build a custom rig with a faster CPU and much better GPU. This would be the first time I ever built a PC and I'm quite nervous about pulling the trigger and doing it. I just keep envisioning a nightmare scenario where I can't get it to work.

 

[NinjaFridge]

After doing some comparisons today (and yes this may not be a terribly grounbreaking insight) but it seems the biggest bottleneck here is the GPU. The performance benchmarks for the GTX 555 don't seem too hot, especially if you are looking for 30fps+ at max settings 1080p.

For $899 I can probably build a custom rig with a faster CPU and much better GPU. This would be the first time I ever built a PC and I'm quite nervous about pulling the trigger and doing it. I just keep envisioning a nightmare scenario where I can't get it to work.

There's a good chance it probably wont work the first time and then you'll panic and spend ages trying to figure out whats wrong before you notice you didn't connect one of the wires.

 

[Ledsen]

After doing some comparisons today (and yes this may not be a terribly grounbreaking insight) but it seems the biggest bottleneck here is the GPU. The performance benchmarks for the GTX 555 don't seem too hot, especially if you are looking for 30fps+ at max settings 1080p.

For $899 I can probably build a custom rig with a faster CPU and much better GPU. This would be the first time I ever built a PC and I'm quite nervous about pulling the trigger and doing it. I just keep envisioning a nightmare scenario where I can't get it to work.

There will always be some hand-wringing moments during a PC building process, and sometimes it won't start the first time and you'll have to find out why. Then you'll figure it out, be ecstatic and enjoy the finished product that much more. Also, what's great about building your own PC is that if any one component breaks, you just replace that instead of having to get a whole new machine.

 

[Chittagong]

After doing some comparisons today (and yes this may not be a terribly grounbreaking insight) but it seems the biggest bottleneck here is the GPU. The performance benchmarks for the GTX 555 don't seem too hot, especially if you are looking for 30fps+ at max settings 1080p.

For $899 I can probably build a custom rig with a faster CPU and much better GPU. This would be the first time I ever built a PC and I'm quite nervous about pulling the trigger and doing it. I just keep envisioning a nightmare scenario where I can't get it to work.

Don't worry dude. Once I got the 7850 in and concluded there is no way it will fit in, I was in full on panic mode. Even then there was a guy on youtube who was nice enough to actually do a video to show how to slide it in, just for me. And ever since I figured out all the snags. If you run into problems, just PM me, I will try and help.