NVIDIA 6150
Mech: That’s just an “off the shelf” model. Last time I checked, Alienware did not even make a comperable model.
The one you linked does NOT have
If you do all those upgrades on Alienware (except the monitor size, which cannot be done, they don’t offer one that big) the price jumps to $3,338.00 vs Sager at $3,229.00 and Sager’s got a bigger screen.
Mine was under $1100 :-P
@ncscswitch:
Mine was under $1100 :-P
The one I’m going to buy, probably, is only $946.86 with $150 mail in rebate and $50 instant rebate.
But if you wanna go full desktop replacement, it’s gunna cost you what a desktop cost in 1995-1999, about $3k for a good one.
I thought I did rther well… respecteable PC, 19" flat panel, and 3-in-1 printer/scanner/copier, plus a nice assortment of software.
With Angel’s flat panel, the router, cables, etc. the total was under $1500, and we have $65 in mail in rebates.
Sales were pretty impressive last week due to NC’s Sales Tax Free weekend this weekend. PC’s up to $3500 are included in teh sales tax exemption, so retailers had some serious sales the past couple of weeks trying to get folks to not hold off on buying PC’s until this weekend to avoid sales tax (they still have sales quotas to hit int he weeks before Tax Free Weekend :-) )
@ncscswitch:
I thought I did rther well… respecteable PC, 19" flat panel, and 3-in-1 printer/scanner/copier, plus a nice assortment of software.
With Angel’s flat panel, the router, cables, etc. the total was under $1500, and we have $65 in mail in rebates.
Sales were pretty impressive last week due to NC’s Sales Tax Free weekend this weekend. PC’s up to $3500 are included in teh sales tax exemption, so retailers had some serious sales the past couple of weeks trying to get folks to not hold off on buying PC’s until this weekend to avoid sales tax (they still have sales quotas to hit int he weeks before Tax Free Weekend :-) )
But, dear, that’s a PC! You cannot really compare the price of a PC vs a Laptop, PCs will have better technology and lower prices!!! I’m crying foul!!!
Meanwhile, I just upped myself to $1399.56 with $200 in rebates (150 mail in, 50 instant) + 10% employee discount (my company does all the install work for CompUSA, but we have to wear their shirts when we do it in most states) for a HP pavilion dv8327cl.
17" Widescreen
1024MB DDR2
240GB HDD (5400 rpm I’m sure)
XP Media Center
Intel Centrino Duo (which I’m told is better then the AMD Turion since it’s a dual core and 64 bit, instead of just 64 bit…)
128 MB Graphics by NVidia
Altec Lansing speakers…I love them, they’re almost as good if not better then Bose’ IMHO.
ABG Wireless, of course.
Only upgrade I’d want is a TV Tuner.
All that and it’s only $1,079.61 + tuner card + tax! (And I have a gift card for them too…free gift from their CEO for paying us a month late.)
But if I had unlimited assets, I’d get the Sager. Common, SLI 256MB Graphics boards! It’s a gamer-girl’s wet dream…and women don’t get wet dreams!!!
Get this one:
http://www.sagernotebook.com/pages/notebooks/product2.cfm?ProductType=5950&SubType=V
19.0" Wide Viewing Angles WSXGA+ Active Matrix LCD Display with Super Clear Glossy Surface
AMD Turionâ„¢ 64 ML-44 Processor
And more parts that will cause you to sell a kidney…And they say Laptops cannot make desktop gaming system replacement units! Bah!
There’s a big if there. That’s if you’ve got the loot.
Mech: That’s just an “off the shelf” model. Last time I checked, Alienware did not even make a comperable model.
The one you linked does NOT have
- SLI 256MB Graphics cards
- 19" Clear View Technology, Zero Dead Pixel Guarentee Screen
- Has a 60GB 5400rpm Drive, not an 80GB 7200 rpm Drive.
- Has 1024MB DDR 233 RAM, not 1024MB DDR 400 RAM
- Comes with the ML-34 not the ML-44 processor
- Comes with a CDRW not a DVD +/- R/RW
If you do all those upgrades on Alienware (except the monitor size, which cannot be done, they don’t offer one that big) the price jumps to $3,338.00 vs Sager at $3,229.00 and Sager’s got a bigger screen.
Wha!? I dont think you understood that page I linked. You make the configuration that you want and at the bottom it will give you the exact price depending on what you wanted or didnt want. I made a configuration with the exact same specs as that laptop you showed and it was almost 500 bucks cheaper. It does have 256 MB SLI graphics cards and a DVD R/RW. You can also choose beetween a M34 Turion or an M44 Turion. It also has options for the RAM you also listed and HDD. Im not saying that laptop you showed sucks. However if you want to save some money so you can spend it on, lets say……booze…or strippers…then that one I linked would probaly be more preferable.
@ncscswitch:
Mine was under $1100 :-P
Not bad……seems like a good buy. My friend made a good PC with almost the same specs as yours for about the same price…but he also got a sweet ass wide screen monitor.
Yeah, I know I could have made this myself for less, if I were confident in my technical ability.
The kicker though in a PC under $1500 is included software. You can definitely save money on the hardware, but then you end up paying through the nose for software. With the under $1500 PC’s, the software load on most package systems is what shifts the price in favor of the package.
High end units though… definite cost advantage to doing a TigerDirect or similar empty case and add on construction. :-)
Mech: That’s just an “off the shelf” model. Last time I checked, Alienware did not even make a comperable model.
The one you linked does NOT have
- SLI 256MB Graphics cards
- 19" Clear View Technology, Zero Dead Pixel Guarentee Screen
- Has a 60GB 5400rpm Drive, not an 80GB 7200 rpm Drive.
- Has 1024MB DDR 233 RAM, not 1024MB DDR 400 RAM
- Comes with the ML-34 not the ML-44 processor
- Comes with a CDRW not a DVD +/- R/RW
If you do all those upgrades on Alienware (except the monitor size, which cannot be done, they don’t offer one that big) the price jumps to $3,338.00 vs Sager at $3,229.00 and Sager’s got a bigger screen.
Wha!? I dont think you understood that page I linked. You make the configuration that you want and at the bottom it will give you the exact price depending on what you wanted or didnt want. I made a configuration with the exact same specs as that laptop you showed and it was almost 500 bucks cheaper. It does have 256 MB SLI graphics cards and a DVD R/RW. You can also choose beetween a M34 Turion or an M44 Turion. It also has options for the RAM you also listed and HDD. Im not saying that laptop you showed sucks. However if you want to save some money so you can spend it on, lets say……booze…or strippers…then that one I linked would probaly be more preferable.
@ncscswitch:
Mine was under $1100 :-P
Not bad……seems like a good buy. My friend made a good PC with almost the same specs as yours for about the same price…but he also got a sweet a** wide screen monitor.
Actually, when I made it the same, actually as close as I could, which means a little less, it was $800 more expensive.
You sure? I did it again and it was still cheaper. I even added extra stuff like mouse, batteries, etc. and it still came out like 300 bucks cheaper. Meh, to each their own. I dont like laptops. Other than their portability, they offer nothing to me. I can make a pretty kick ass shuttle for like half the price of that laptop. :-D
Laptops are much cheaper to use. 59 watt batter instead of 600 watt power supply. Doesn’t require half the fans and cooling technology. Doesn’t need a batter back up system. Has internal speakers so you don’t need power guzziling speaker systems. And they take up a lot less room then 5.1 surround sound speakers + battery back up + surge protector + keyboard + mouse + mouse pad + 17" monitor (CRT or LCD). Not to mention the average computer I’ve owned, needed roughly 7 or 8 outlets to run everything, a laptop needs 1 for the laptop and 1 for the wireless cable router, that’s it! And, like icing on the cake, a laptop can be unplugged and moved with ease.
Laptops are much cheaper to use. 59 watt batter instead of 600 watt power supply. Doesn’t require half the fans and cooling technology. Doesn’t need a batter back up system. Has internal speakers so you don’t need power guzziling speaker systems. And they take up a lot less room then 5.1 surround sound speakers + battery back up + surge protector + keyboard + mouse + mouse pad + 17" monitor (CRT or LCD). Not to mention the average computer I’ve owned, needed roughly 7 or 8 outlets to run everything, a laptop needs 1 for the laptop and 1 for the wireless cable router, that’s it! And, like icing on the cake, a laptop can be unplugged and moved with ease.
Well maybe a laptop would be good for you since you are always on the go. Me on the other hand, need a desktop PC for gaming and music/movies (mainly gaming). I need extra room to have extra HDD (I have a crap load of games I play and all of them take up like 4 GB of space each.) As for the speakers, I do agree with you on that. I dont give a a crap about how my games sound, as long as they have audio. My friends on the other hand would beg to differ, buying themselves soundblaster sound cards and buying huge sound systems. However, if I ever did want a sweet sound system, I know for a fact that I have a PCI slot ready for it. Thats also another reason why I love desktops, all the space I have to put extra stuff on it. Right now I have a TV tuner, modem (im on dial up weep), and my graphics card taking up my motherboard. If I wanted to I can add a wireless modem, a sound card, a 2nd tv tuner, or an even better Network card then my onboard one. Also I have room for two DVD drives so I can do easy DVD to DVD burning……and on top of that I have two HDD. You cant pack that much hardware into a little laptop. Also Quad SLI might be popular in the future, and a laptop might not be able to do it just yet (at least for cheap). It is a power guzzler but I love all the stuff I can do with it. :wink:
You can get an awesome gaming laptop though. Twice as much as what I’m spending on myself…then again, I am going from 512MB graphics, 2GB DDR1 ram, 2 USB 1.0 ports and 620 GB HDD (4 drives) to 240GB Hdd, 128MB Graphics, 1 GB DDR2, ram and 4 USB 2.0 ports…
Laptops & Desktops each have their places.
Laptops - More expensive, less powerful than desktop counterparts (expect 25% less performance than a comparative desktop model), easier to damage, shorter lifespan, limited upgrades & reconfiguration (if any). However, they are mobile and becoming more prominent. As far as I know, you can’t build one of these yourself.
Desktops - Cheaper, more powerful than laptop counterparts, highly configurable & allow for upgrades, longer lifespan, can be built from case up.
What it really comes down to is whether you need the mobility and how much money you have. Most people would be better off with a desktop.
Laptops & Desktops each have their places.
Laptops - More expensive, less powerful than desktop counterparts (expect 25% less performance than a comparative desktop model), easier to damage, shorter lifespan, limited upgrades & reconfiguration (if any). However, they are mobile and becoming more prominent. As far as I know, you can’t build one of these yourself.
Desktops - Cheaper, more powerful than laptop counterparts, highly configurable & allow for upgrades, longer lifespan, can be built from case up.
What it really comes down to is whether you need the mobility and how much money you have. Most people would be better off with a desktop.
Actually, you can configure them yourself with major name brands now. Sony, HP, Gateway, Dell and Toshiba all offer configurators for their laptops.
As far as upgradability, you can upgrade optical drives, hard drives and memory only, as far as I know. You can add on peripherials but that reduces the mobility of the unit. (Now you’re packing up a laptop, printer, extrenal number pad, external mouse, scanner, camera, PDA, etc….)
Laptops & Desktops each have their places.
Laptops - More expensive, less powerful than desktop counterparts (expect 25% less performance than a comparative desktop model), easier to damage, shorter lifespan, limited upgrades & reconfiguration (if any). However, they are mobile and becoming more prominent. As far as I know, you can’t build one of these yourself.
Desktops - Cheaper, more powerful than laptop counterparts, highly configurable & allow for upgrades, longer lifespan, can be built from case up.
What it really comes down to is whether you need the mobility and how much money you have. Most people would be better off with a desktop.
I guess thats the best way to sum up the differences of laptops and desktops. To me computers are meant to be at your house to be enjoyed with the huge wide screen monitor and the kick ass sound system. Laptops are pretty good for buisness people that are always traveling from city to city. Like I said, if you are a person on the go, then you need a laptop thats on the go too. As long as you dont get a MAC for a laptop then its cool.
Yea, well this will be my first ever non-work related laptop. Just wish I had the full 3500 for a REALLY good laptop!
The kicker with spending money on PC’s…
No matter how high end you go, you are still outdated in less than 2 years, obsolete in 3, and just about SOL in 4; unless you are able to do some major upgrades along the way, but even then it is a brief extension.
And to be honest, other than high end gaming or video editting, you really do nto need a super powerful system. For Office type applictions, you can actually go bargain basement.
For example. that Celeron system I just replaced… 4 1/2 years old. Was low-end when I bought it, but still was completely viable as an office machine. Had I not had 2 major viral induced crashes over the years, I probably would not have even replaced it now. Except for Games, and that it was slower than you can imagine emptying the digital cam…
And with laptops, you have to add one other factor in… theft.
So, rather than go for all the bells and whistles on a laptop, get a viable one, and replace it in 2 years with another viable unit. You’ll save a few thousand dollars, and not really be out any functionality, except at the highest end apps.
Exactly, Switch. But then again, I’m not doing high end gaming anymore. No more World of Warcraft, no more Everquest, no more FFXI, no more Dark Ages of Camelot or any other high end games. I play Ceasar, I play Axis and Allies and I do message forums…not like I need SLI 512MB cards with Quad-Core Processors, if you know what I mean.
