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Alienware Alpha first impressions and benchmarks

O

outunderthestars

Banned
UPDATE: R2 impressions are beginning to roll in:

Forbes video impressions

Computer Shopper review:

Shacknews review




Jason Evangelho from Forbes has been covering the micropc market and looks to have the first hands on impressions and benchmarks for the system. Note: His impressions are based on the $549 base model (i3, 4GB ram, modified GTX 860M with 2GB vram)

aw_alpha_asm100_eml_03-1940x1278.jpg


Screen-Shot-2014-11-19-at-9.27.48-PM.png


UI: First, a few words about the Alpha’s initial setup: It was a piece of cake. Before you even see the traditional Desktop (an area which, depending on your needs, is a completely optional experience), the Windows 8 setup is handled by using the left stick of the Xbox 360 controller as a mouse cursor, navigating your way through the time zone, language, and internet settings. The onscreen keyboard activates when it needs to, and the entire setup went off without a hitch.

Once you’re clear of those menus, you’re greeted by the “Alpha UI,” a clean and modern interface which presents you with the option of entering Console Mode or Desktop Mode. If you take the red pill (Console Mode) you’re whisked away to an environment that’s smart enough to stay out of its own way, while suppressing everything annoying and familiar about Windows. You can launch Steam’s Big Picture Mode from here (it’s pre-installed — and there’s no bloatware, by the way), manage your network settings, customize the AlienFX lighting, and tweak your display and audio settings. You’ll even be able to handle Windows Updates.


Benchmarks: My benchmarks will take a unique approach, in that I’ll present the settings needed to achieve an average of 60fps at 1080p (always 1080p).

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

unnamed-2.jpg


(Free games included with Alpha)


initial conclusions: As I said, my first impression is overwhelmingly positive. I knew the custom UI was a game-changer, but I worried about receiving an anemic, underpowered machine. That worry has dissipated, and I’m looking forward to exploring more of what the Alpha has in store for both new and veteran PC gamers. Stick around!

It's a good article, and well worth checking out.

EDIT: PC World has a nice review up now:


Running Far Cry 4 alongside the Xbox One, it was clear the Alpha was superior in graphics quality.
Click to expand...


The Alienware Alpha should be viewed as a great console complement, rather than a replacement. The Alpha isn’t smooth enough to be the hardcore console gamer's sole experience, especially if that gamer wants the carefully controlled environment of the consoles. If that console gamer, however, wanted to sail the vast ocean of PC gaming, where fantastic titles can be had for a pittance, the Alpha would be a wonderful addition to a shelf that already holds the Xbox One, PS4, Ouya and Wii.
Click to expand...

alienware_alpha_smallpcs-100532171-large.png


Positive review from techcrunch

http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/12/ali...-tiny-package/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0i6..._mNMnz&index=4
 
R

riotous

Banned
The age of the mini-gaming PC has been upon us for a few years now.

But I'm worried a lot of these machines being hyped now will be quickly having problems due to the increased VRAM requirements for games.

Same with gaming laptops.
 
G

Gries

Member
Does the Alienware Alpha have an internal or external power supply?

The huge power brick is what always bothered me about my alienware x51.
 
T

The Abominable Snowman

Member
I'm trying to wait to see AMD's Carrizo Desktop APU, but the wait is getting harder and harder.

I wonder how this baby handles overclocking

I wanted a HTPC before Christmas.
 
M

Mendrox

Member
riotous said:
The age of the mini-gaming PC has been upon us for a few years now.

But I'm worried a lot of these machines being hyped now will be quickly having problems due to the increased VRAM requirements for games.

Same with gaming laptops.
Click to expand...

This. I would buy one in 2-3 years when cards have more VRAM than now. Else you will have to buy a new one next month (see AC:U etc.)
 
Denton

Denton

Member
So, it is much smaller than PS4, let alone Xbone, price competitive due to included games and free multiplayer, it is similarly powerful as consoles (probably more powerful than Xbone), and it has thousands of games available, as well as all the full functionality of PC?

Pretty cool machine.

Not one for me, since I already have even more powerful PC in my living room. But if I wanted some cheap living room PC, this seems like a pretty good choice.
 
C

CyberPunked

Member
Not for me, but sounds like it could hold appeal for someone indimidated by building a PC.
What desktop GPU is its GPU comparable to?
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
Gries said:
Does the Alienware Alpha have an internal or external power supply?

The huge power brick is what always bothered me about my alienware x51.
Click to expand...

The author had this bit in the article:

"Given its diminutive square frame, it does require a medium-sized laptop style power brick. But it clocks in at only 4.5 pounds, 2-inches tall, and 7.8-inches wide. Its smaller than the Wii U; considerably smaller than the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. And yet it packs quite a performance punch."

I saw it once in a youtube video and it seemed somewhat smaller. Much smaller than the Xbox One's brick. I will take measurements on Monday.

EDIT: From Jason's FB page " 2.9" wide, 6" deep, 1" tall"


mocolostrocolos said:
How upgradable is this thing?

Will a slim GTX 970 fit?
Click to expand...

No. This device is roughly the size of a fatter Wii. The Ram, HDD, and CPU are upgrade-able, but the GPU is not.
 
Denton

Denton

Member
O

outunderthestars

Banned
Jacobi said:
The games benchmarked aren't really too demanding... Stuff like AC Unity probably runs a lot worse...
Click to expand...

This is clearly not intended to be a high end machine. It retails for $549 with a controller and full Windows 8.1.

I don't think that it is realistic to expect it to compete with high end custom rigs.
 
Z

Zia

Member
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.
 
I

IKizzLE

Member
They should make one the size of an xone and upgrade performance so it's stronger than current gen consoles for 550.
 
R

RPGamer92

Banned
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...
Yeah this does seem like a good way for Mac people to play PC versions of games like Skyrim without having to build a PC as well.
 
T

tim.mbp

Member
Jacobi said:
The games benchmarked aren't really too demanding... Stuff like AC Unity probably runs a lot worse...
Click to expand...

There's videos of people with laptops playing on very high settings getting 30+ fps. Don't know how much different this will be from a 860m though.
 
Z

Zia

Member
RPGamer92 said:
Yeah this does seem like a good way for Mac people to play PC versions of games like Skyrim without having to build a PC as well.
Click to expand...

I mean, I use Boot Camp to play all of that stuff but there isn't a similarly convenient HTPC solution.
 
SmokedMeat

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Actually I'm really curious as to how well it will run newer games like CoD AW, Unity, Far Cry 4, Dragon Age, etc.

If it can run them better than my PS4, then this could actually be something to consider. And then like any other disposable electronic device you sell it in a couple years and buy a newer model when there's a need to upgrade.

When I look at it the same way I would a console, I think it becomes more appealing. Plus there's the benefit of free online and not having to start over with a new gaming collectrion.
 
D

deleted

Member
That's really well thought out! Maybe I'll look into the 2nd or 3rd gen when I'm upgrading the next time.

Hopefully this is a lasting trend, I like my PC quiet and small - I'm willing to sacrifice power for that.

ShinUltramanJ said:
Actually I'm really curious as to how well it will run newer games like CoD AW, Unity, Far Cry 4, Dragon Age, etc.

If it can run them better than my PS4, then this could actually be something to consider. And then like any other disposable electronic device you sell it in a couple years and buy a newer model when there's a need to upgrade.

When I look at it the same way I would a console, I think it becomes more appealing. Plus there's the benefit of free online and not having to start over with a new gaming collectrion.
Click to expand...

Don't forget you'll get most of your games way cheaper way faster.
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
xyla said:
That's really well thought out! Maybe I'll look into the 2nd or 3rd gen when I'm upgrading the next time.

Hopefully this is a lasting trend, I like my PC quiet and small - I'm willing to sacrifice power for that.
.
Click to expand...


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.

CosmicQueso said:
The X51 is such a fantastic machine.
Click to expand...

It really is!
 
S

Shig

Strap on your hooker ...
I really don't understand all the "Well, what more can you expect for that price?" forgivenesses granted here. You can get laptops with universally better specs at similar prices, and this removes the significant cost of a screen from that equation, among other components.

It's a decent price for an Alienware product, but that's not exactly high praise.
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
Shig said:
I really don't understand all the "Well, what more can you expect for that price?" forgivenesses granted here. You can get laptops with universally better specs at similar prices, and this removes the significant cost of a screen from that equation, among other components.

It's a decent price for an Alienware product, but that's not exactly high praise.
Click to expand...

Can you point me to a $550 laptop with "universally better specs"

Edit: Jason says to ask him questions and he will try his best to answer them. I can post the answers back in the tread.
 
Denton

Denton

Member
Shig said:
I really don't understand all the "Well, what more can you expect for that price?" forgivenesses granted here. You can get laptops with universally better specs at similar prices, and this removes the significant cost of a screen from that equation, among other components.

It's a decent price for an Alienware product, but that's not exactly high praise.
Click to expand...

I'd love to see that laptop, because at least in my country none such exists. The cheapest one that has 860M is 1100 dollars.
And it has freedos instead of Windows 8.1
 
R

riotous

Banned
Shig said:
I really don't understand all the "Well, what more can you expect for that price?" forgivenesses granted here. You can get laptops with universally better specs at similar prices, and this removes the significant cost of a screen from that equation, among other components.
Click to expand...

You are unlikely to find a laptop with an 860M that isn't paired with an i7 and other expensive parts (like you mentioned the screen.) Which means those models are at least $1,000.

It's a decent price for an Alienware product, but that's not exactly high praise.
Click to expand...

Alienware has competitive prices in the markets they are in.
 
N

NervousXtian

Thought Emoji Movie was good. Take that as you will.
Seriously, for the price.. it's a pretty damn good PC considering controller and full version of windows with a 750 equivalent.

I'm seriously thinking of getting this as a 2nd PC for the kids this Xmas.
 
D

Durante

Member
What's still the most surprising thing about this Alienware product for me personally is that it's not fugly.

Remove the alien head and I'd even call it nice looking.
 
S

Shig

Strap on your hooker ...
outunderthestars said:
Can you point me to a $550 laptop with "universally better specs"
Click to expand...
All right, I guess the graphics card is pretty beefy upon further inspection. I was mainly trained on the RAM and HDD space; 4GB and 500GB respectively are what $200 dirt-cheap laptops are packing, I was expecting something a bit more impressive to be the baseline on a gaming rig.
 
F

Fezan

Member
High on crysis 3 with only 30fps indoor is highly disappointing. it wont last this generation. especially when cross gen will stop coming
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
Seanspeed said:
Wait, it comes loaded with Windows?
Click to expand...

Yes, it has full Windows 8.1. You can boot to the traditional desktop within the custom UI.

Shig said:
All right, I guess the graphics card is pretty beefy upon further inspection. I was mainly trained on the RAM and HDD space; 4GB and 500GB respectively are what $200 dirt-cheap laptops are packing, I was expecting something a bit more impressive to be the baseline on a gaming rig.
Click to expand...

I think they really wanted to hit a ~$500 price point so that set the baseline specs. It still comes with an i3 and a respectable GPU. That said, I personally chose the i5 model with 8GB;s of ram and a 1TB hdd. Amazon had it on sale for $640 and I couldn't pass up the upgrade for that kind of money.
 
S

Seanspeed

Banned
Shig said:
All right, I guess the graphics card is pretty beefy upon further inspection. I was mainly trained on the RAM and HDD space; 4GB and 500GB respectively are what $200 dirt-cheap laptops are packing, I was expecting something a bit more impressive to be the baseline on a gaming rig.
Click to expand...
You can upgrade to 8GB RAM and 1TB harddrive for like $50 more, which is definitely what I'd recommend doing. Beyond that, things start to get quite pricey, though.

alexandros said:
Yup.
Click to expand...

outunderthestars said:
Yes, it has full Windows 8.1. You can boot to the traditional desktop within the custom UI.
Click to expand...
Thats pretty damn good, then.
 
C

Connex

Neo Member
I'm seriously considering picking one of these up for Steam game streaming and LAN parties. Might be able to convince my friends to finally get into PC gaming with one of these
 
N

NervousXtian

Thought Emoji Movie was good. Take that as you will.
Seanspeed said:
Wait, it comes loaded with Windows?
Click to expand...

Denton said:
And Steam already preinstalled, and most likely all the drivers etc.
Click to expand...

Steam preinstalled isn't as important as it having full Windows (which would cost you $100) and the custom UI that makes booting into Steam BPM all done with a 360 controller.

When you really break it down:

$40 for controller.
$100 for Windows
$130 for Video Card

That's $270 of a $549 machine already.

So another $280 into the slick case, the ram and mobo/cpu.

Yes, the GPU isn't upgrade-able.. but that's expected. Though you'd be able to get a good few years out of this running most games at a respectable level.. and later use it to stream more power hungry games from your main PC.

As a secondary PC.. that's portable.. and TV ready? It's a pretty damn good deal honestly.
 
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