[NFK777]

I'll try to make this as short as possible:


I don't know very much about computers, and like an idiot I ran into fry's electronics a couple weeks ago (Sep. 6th) and decided to buy a computer without asking for advice first. Luckily, I can still return the PC within one month of purchase.


The reason I'm thinking of doing so is that I think I got ripped off and paid for flashing lights and name brands.

I don't know all the details, but I know some of the major specs. I paid $2000 for this PC.

Alienware Aurora
Liquid Cooling
Intel i7 920
6GB DDR3 1333mhz RAM
1TB Hard Drive
Dual Radeon HD 5870


I am convinced I could have got more for my money, even if the case and the little alien control program are nifty.

I can still return this thing, what should I do? What can I build myself or have built for me for $2000? I can go a little higher, maybe 2200-2300 if the specs will improve a lot. Please help!

[coastie65]

NFK777, on 26 September 2010 - 08:32 PM, said:

I'll try to make this as short as possible:


I don't know very much about computers, and like an idiot I ran into fry's electronics a couple weeks ago (Sep. 6th) and decided to buy a computer without asking for advice first. Luckily, I can still return the PC within one month of purchase.


The reason I'm thinking of doing so is that I think I got ripped off and paid for flashing lights and name brands.

I don't know all the details, but I know some of the major specs. I paid $2000 for this PC.

Alienware Aurora
Liquid Cooling
Intel i7 920
6GB DDR3 1333mhz RAM
1TB Hard Drive
Dual Radeon HD 5870


I am convinced I could have got more for my money, even if the case and the little alien control program are nifty.

I can still return this thing, what should I do? What can I build myself or have built for me for $2000? I can go a little higher, maybe 2200-2300 if the specs will improve a lot. Please help!

Hi and welcome to the forums. Over all. it looks like a pretty good rig, as long as you haven't encountered any problems. a lot of plusses. For one the Liquid Cooling. Secondly, two Radeon HD5870 Cards in Crossfire is something. From a persoanl point of view, if I had plunked down $2000 for that rig and it was working fine with no issues, It would stay. The member who know me, know that at some point and if the motherboard supported it, and I am assuming it will, I would move to 1600 Mhz ram. I have a 920 in here ( Gateway ) and it does fine. I have considered upgrading to a 960, but at around $569 for that thing, it'll keep. I think you are in good shape as long as there no problems. You can also "tweak" it some later on down the road. As to getting ripped off, I don't think so. That is anything but an entry level computer. I have seen less computer, for more money, that's for sure.

This post has been edited by coastie65: 27 September 2010 - 06:09 AM

[LincolnSpector]

Hi, NFK.

As Coastie said, you paid a fair price for a very powerful computer. In that sense, you didn't get ripped off.

OTOH, if you don't need so powerful a PC, you made (or were talked into) buying more than you need. If you're a hardcore gamer, or a professional film editor or graphic artist, this sort of power makes sense. Otherwise, it probably doesn't.

What do you intend to do with this PC?

Lincoln

[Car54]

I second and third coastie and Lincolns comments. My first impression when I read the specs was that it really is a beast, and for a fair price. I don't know if you can self build for cheaper with what you have, but for you, it POSTs up, you know it works, and you have a warranty on it.

I did go to Dell Alienware web site to see if it could be built and sold from them cheaper with the specs you gave, it is the same price, only with you, you didn't have to pay shipping, and you could have returned it easily if something was wrong. That is quite the beast, as long as you know your going to be taking advantage of all that power and Graphics power, then I would defiantly keep it, I know I'm jealous.

This post has been edited by Car54: 27 September 2010 - 07:40 AM

[NFK777]

Minor gripe, but it certainly detracts from the appeal of an alienware computer case:


The Aurora model has its own PSU that fits with the side lighting panels. The thing is, if I want to upgrade to a PSU that will support, say, dual HD 5970s in the future, I will lose my side panel lighting effects.

Maybe I should go with a low end Area 51 if possible, with a single 5970 GPU. That way, I can crossfire another one in the future.


Or build my own. But the thing is that I'm worried about repair/warranty issues as I am not knowledgeable enough to fix problems on my own. I haven't even built my own PC before. All I know is that I can get something with similar specs, but with 1600mhz RAM and an Intel i7 980x Extreme Edition processor (!!!!) for around 2500-2700 if I build it myself.

FML. I don't know what I should do.

[Car54]

In your first post, your specs showed Dual(2) Radeon HD 5870, is that correct?, cannot the power supply handle the volts needed for the Dual 5970s? (sorry I didn't look up the volts needed for Crossfire 5970s)

To be honest, the best thing I ever did PC wise is build my first PC. I learned allot that way, as I spent about 30+ hours online reading reviews, doing research and comparing what would work with what. Most thing you buy for it will have some sort of warranty, my EVGA GTX 285 is warrantied for life, some things maybe for 1 year. The thing I like about my own build is, that I can upgrade it as I want (knowing what my MOBO can handle), and not worry about voiding a warranty. Say you kept the Aurora, and you wanted to change out your PSU before your warranty was up, Alienware/Dell may say you just voided your warranty by doing that, so that's something to consider.

Neweggs user feedback on products really helps, as well as what you could get here, just something to think about.

This post has been edited by Car54: 27 September 2010 - 12:11 PM

[waldojim]

The only important question i want to ask you - what KIND of liquid cooling are they using? Is it a sealed cooling solution like that of the Corsair H50, or is it a proper liquid cooling solution with reservoir and all? IF it is the latter, then remember you have a good deal of maintenance involved. Just like your car, you need to change those fluids out from time to time. But there is more to it now, you need to make sure you have no bacteria growing in it, no deposits building up, flush the system from time to time, etc.

I am not saying that liquid cooling is a bad thing, in fact it is a great thing to have. I am just warning you, that it is not just a "set it and forget it" system then.

[logicalsam]

you got BURNED dude...$2000 i could build a computer with a fair bit more power and similiar cooling...mabey not as fancy looking but definitaly better specs...check out www.tigerdirect.com i do almost all of my computer related shopping there or www.evga.com...you coulda got the core i7 980 extremem or a am3 phenom x4 3.5ghz proc easily 16gb's of ram a bigger hdd...blueray player/burner water cooling....you coulda realy had a superior machine for this price...

[waldojim]

logicalsam, on 19 October 2010 - 01:50 AM, said:

you got BURNED dude...$2000 i could build a computer with a fair bit more power and similiar cooling...mabey not as fancy looking but definitaly better specs...check out www.tigerdirect.com i do almost all of my computer related shopping there or www.evga.com...you coulda got the core i7 980 extremem or a am3 phenom x4 3.5ghz proc easily 16gb's of ram a bigger hdd...blueray player/burner water cooling....you coulda realy had a superior machine for this price...

That may be true - IF he wanted to build it himself. As it stands, some people like to purchase systems pre-built so they don't have to mess with it. Get off your high horse, it won't work out well here.

[RonaldGeikenwq1y]

I spent about $2000 on a computer about 3 1/2 years ago, and it is not as powerful as the one you bought, but I am well pleased and still using it today. It has a Q6600 processor and 4 gig of ram with 32 bit Vista Ultimate. I have put lots of 3rd party programs on it to take care of things that I was doing at the moment. When I finally get a new computer I will likely pay less, but going to the high side for me was a wise decision. When I purchased my Computer, there were many others at much higher prices, but getting a computer that will handle the things that you like to do can be worth it. If you had the $2000 and it was no financial pain, then it is probably worth it. My $2000 computer was a good purchase for me, since after 3 1/2 years, I am well pleased with it and it has never failed to do anything that I wanted. If $2000 caused you financial hardship, then by all means you should take it back. I had the computer that I am using mainly right now built by a computer builder in New York. I wanted to go to a RAID 1 configuration, and you can't buy that conveniently in a pre-made computer.

[myloginname]

logicalsam, on 19 October 2010 - 01:50 AM, said:

you got BURNED dude...$2000 i could build a computer with a fair bit more power and similiar cooling...mabey not as fancy looking but definitaly better specs...check out www.tigerdirect.com i do almost all of my computer related shopping there or www.evga.com...you coulda got the core i7 980 extremem or a am3 phenom x4 3.5ghz proc easily 16gb's of ram a bigger hdd...blueray player/burner water cooling....you coulda realy had a superior machine for this price...

Really, you cannot get that type of machine for $2000...unless you find REALLY good deals. the 980X is $1000, 16GB of RAM will easily cost you $400-$600....a GOOD water cooling at least $100, a good HDD at least $100. that adds up to $1600-$1800. PSU at least $200, and then the GPU, mobo, and case in the last $200...not going to work. And like waldo said, he is looking at a pre-built machine. For the $2000 price, the machine he picked is a pretty good one.

[AppleGeekXX]

Sounds like a great PC. Not a rip-off. Definitely something. My advice: Get some more RAM.

[LiveBrianD]

AppleGeekXX, on 25 October 2010 - 01:33 PM, said:

Sounds like a great PC. Not a rip-off. Definitely something. My advice: Get some more RAM.

6GB is plenty still. I've got 4GB in this Core i5 system and it's plenty for what I use it for (web, email, photo editing, video editing, some gaming).

[waldojim]

LiveBrianD, on 25 October 2010 - 04:11 PM, said:

AppleGeekXX, on 25 October 2010 - 01:33 PM, said:

Sounds like a great PC. Not a rip-off. Definitely something. My advice: Get some more RAM.

6GB is plenty still. I've got 4GB in this Core i5 system and it's plenty for what I use it for (web, email, photo editing, video editing, some gaming).

even for heavy gaming, and video editing 4GB is enough.

The only issue I have had is when I try to run a virtual machine at the same time...

[will1973]

NFK,

I'd say you paid for the name, but it is a well built PC for high end gaming. That being said, I have to agree with earlier posts that you could have built one for a lot less and still had almost everything you got in your system. Building a PC really isn't that hard once you know the fundamentals of what a PC is made up of. If you've ever replaces a device (i.e., CD rom, hard drive, etc...) then you probably have enough know-how to get started with a PC build of your own. TigerDirect, Newegg, and even Microcenter .coms are great places to search and buy parts from.

IMHO, liquid cooling is a non-necessity for the most part. It looks cool and yes, it provides a higher level of cooling to your system, but is it necessary to have all that power for most gaming? I'm running at Ultra settings on almost every high end game out there and I don't have that cooling nor do I believe that dual vid cards are needed either, commonly with a standard 60fps.

Thermaltake CPU Case, Asus M4A79TD Evo Mobo, 600W OCZ PSU, 4G Kingston DDR3 1600 mem,750G Seagate Barricuda HD, Athlon II x4 3.0ghz cpu, single ATI 5770, windows 7 premium (64bit)= all for around $800

[compnovo]

will1973, on 26 October 2010 - 07:51 AM, said:

IMHO, liquid cooling is a non-necessity for the most part. It looks cool and yes, it provides a higher level of cooling to your system, but is it necessary to have all that power for most gaming? I'm running at Ultra settings on almost every high end game out there and I don't have that cooling nor do I believe that dual vid cards are needed either, commonly with a standard 60fps.

Hi will1973, welcome to the forums,
I tend to agree with you about the liquid cooling. I'm sometimes tempted just because I haven't tried it before, but I always hold back because I don't overclock so what would be the point? Bragging rights with my cheapy Athlon II quad core? (a GREAT proc, BTW). Likewise I've passed on dual video cards, but that's due to finances more than anything else, I'm supporting three builds.

This post has been edited by compnovo: 26 October 2010 - 08:08 AM

[logicalsam]

lol...it is VERY rare you can find a prebuilt thats anywhere near the price it would cost you to build it unless your doing like a $300 prebuilt...then your not realy getting a computer your getting a pda.....

[logicalsam]

building your own computer on average will save you about 20% on overall costs..sometimes more sometimes less depending on your shopping skills and time you put into pricing ect...and to boot in most cases homebuilt is easier to upgrade and easier to overclock...software ocing...while it is still ocing it is weak you wont get much out of it and it tends to heat up your system more and is much less stable...prebuilts are realy out there for those that dont want to take the time to learn to build their own pc so they pay for 'labor' and a name....only time i suggest getting a prebuilt is if it's a laptop those can be tricky to build and often hard to find a mobo/case/gpu for that meets the specs you want..