Help please! Alienware vs Scan 3xs systems both spec'd need to decide

Hi all,

I have been a long time lurker but have finally joined as I am really stuck right now.

I have basically budgeted about £2200 for a pre-built system. I am going to be using a buy now pay later finance plan (to pay cash in 2008 with no interest), so I am slightly limited to a few manufacturers, and I am not really keen to build it myself, I am definitely going the pre-built way.

So far I have made the following specs:

The first is from Alienware, the price is £2,279.50

Quote:

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[1] Area-51™ 7500

Operating System: Genuine Windows® Vista Home Premium - English
Warranty: AlienCare 1-Year Free Phone 24/7 and Collect & Return
Chassis: Alienware® P2 Chassis - Saucer Silver
Chassis Upgrades: Alienware® AlienIce™ 3.0 Video Cooling - Nova Yellow
Power Supply: 700 Watt Alienware® Approved Multi-GPU Power Supply
Motherboard: Alienware® Approved NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Motherboard
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz 8MB Cache 1066MHz FSB
Memory: 4GB DDR2 Performance SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 x 1024MB
Video Card: 768MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GTX
System Drive: Single Drive Configuration - 250 GB Serial ATA 3 Gbit/s, 7,200 RPM with 8MB Cache
Storage Drive: 500 GB Serial ATA 3 Gbit/s, 7,200 RPM with 16MB Cache
Optical Drive One: 18x Dual Layer DVD±R/W Drive
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster® X-Fi Xtreme Gamer
Network Card: Integrated High Performance Intel Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (DSL-ready)
Removable Storage: Alienware® 28-in-1 Digital Media Reader / Writer
Monitor: 22" Dell UltraSharp Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor
Mouse: Microsoft® Basic Optical Mouse Black
Security Software: Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal Professional - 12 month subscription Included!
Alienware Extras: AlienWiring - Exclusive Internal Wire Management - £50 Value - FREE!
Alienware Extras: AlienInspection - Exclusive Integration and Inspection - £50 Value - FREE!
Alienware Extras: Alienware® T-Shirt - FREE!
Alienware Extras: Custom Alienware® fUnc Mousepad - FREE!
Alienware Extras: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager - FREE!

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A concern of mine is whether or not the Alienware system will be very loud, as I have read in reviews that noise can be excessive, so I also toyed with the following spec:

Price: £2,248.95

Quote:

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[1] Area-51™ 7500

Operating System: Genuine Windows® Vista Home Premium - English
Warranty: AlienCare 1-Year Free Phone 24/7 and Collect & Return
Chassis: Alienware® P2 Chassis - Saucer Silver
Chassis Upgrades: Alienware® AlienIce™ 3.0 Video Cooling + High-Performance Liquid Cooling
Power Supply: 700 Watt Alienware® Approved Multi-GPU Power Supply
Motherboard: Alienware® Approved NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Motherboard
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6700 2.66GHz 4MB Cache 1066MHz FSB
Memory: 4GB DDR2 Performance SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 x 1024MB
Video Card: 768MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800 GTX
System Drive: Single Drive Configuration - 250 GB Serial ATA 3 Gbit/s, 7,200 RPM with 8MB Cache
Storage Drive: 500 GB Serial ATA 3 Gbit/s, 7,200 RPM with 16MB Cache
Optical Drive One: 18x Dual Layer DVD±R/W Drive
Sound Card: High-Definition 7.1 Performance Audio - Standard
Network Card: Integrated High Performance Intel Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (DSL-ready)
Removable Storage: Alienware® 28-in-1 Digital Media Reader / Writer
Monitor: 22" Dell UltraSharp Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor
Keyboard: Logitech® Deluxe Keyboard UK - Space Black
Mouse: Microsoft® Basic Optical Mouse Black
Security Software: Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal Professional - 12 month subscription Included!
Alienware Extras: AlienWiring - Exclusive Internal Wire Management - £50 Value - FREE!
Alienware Extras: AlienInspection - Exclusive Integration and Inspection - £50 Value - FREE!
Alienware Extras: Alienware® T-Shirt - FREE!
Alienware Extras: Custom Alienware® fUnc Mousepad - FREE!
Alienware Extras: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager - FREE!

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That spec is water cooled and to keep the budget in the realms of what I want to pay I have dropped the Quad core to get water cooling.

Now these are the two systems I have set up with Scan:

The first is priced at £2,106.59

Quote:

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Case: Akasa Mirage-62 V2 Midi Tower Case - Hi-End - Overclockers & Gamers Best Choice
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad-Core Q6600 775 2.40 GHz 1066MHz FSB 8MB Cache Retail
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9700-LED Super Aero Flower Cooler (775 AM2 754 939 940)
Overclocking: 3XS System Core-Logic Overclocking *0 - 10%*
Memory: 4GB (4x1GB) Corsair XMS2 Dominator DDR2 PC2-6400 (800) Non-ECC Unbuffered CAS 5-5-5-15 DHX
nVidia VGA-The Way It's Meant To Be Played™: 768Mb XFX 8800GTX Extreme PCI-E (x16) Mem 1900 MHz GPU 600 MHz 128 Stream 2x DVI HDTV
System Drives: 500 Gb Samsung HD501LJ Spinpoint T SATA300 7200 rpm 16MB Cache 8.9 ms NCQ
Storage Hard drives: 500 Gb Samsung HD501LJ Spinpoint T SATA300 7200 rpm 16MB Cache 8.9 ms NCQ
Floppy Drive Flash - Card Readers & Writers: Mitsumi FA404M 1.44 Black FDD+Int USB2 7 in 1 Card Reader (SM MMC SD CF MD MS) Fits in 3.5" FDD Bay
DVD Writer : Lite-ON LH-20A1S-11C LiteOn 20x DVD±R 8x DVD±DL DVD+RW x8 -RW x 6 DVD-RAM x12 SATA Retail
Sound Card: Creative X-FI Xtreme Gamer PCI 7.1Ch Sound Card OEM
TV Tuner card: Hauppauge Win TV Nova-T 500 MCE Dual Digital DVBT Tuner+Remote LowProfile PCI
Operating system: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32Bit
Software - DVD Decoding: NVIDIA DVD - Bronze edition - Dolby 2.1
TFT Monitor: 22" Iiyama PLE2200WS-B Widescreen VGA DVI 1680x1050 5 ms 1000:1 300 cd m2 Speakers Black
Keyboards Keyboard & Mouse Pack: Logitech Cordless Desktop LX 710 Keyboard with Laser Mouse
Acoustic Sound Proofing: AcoustiPack Standard Acoustic Material Kit
Extended Warranty: Standard 3XS System Warranty

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This is the second system from Scan that was is £2,309.37

Quote:

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System Overview

Case: Akasa Mirage-62 V2 Midi Tower Case - Hi-End - Overclockers & Gamers Best Choice
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad-Core Q6600 775 2.40 GHz 1066MHz FSB 8MB Cache Retail
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9700-NT nVidia Tritium Super Aero Flower Cooler
Memory: 4GB (4x1GB) Corsair XMS2 Dominator DDR2 PC2-6400 (800) Non-ECC Unbuffered CAS 5-5-5-15 DHX
nVidia VGA-The Way It's Meant To Be Played™: 768Mb XFX 8800GTX Extreme XXX PCI-E (x16) Mem 2000 MHz GPU 630 MHz Dual DVI HDTV
System Drives: 500 Gb Samsung HD501LJ Spinpoint T SATA300 7200 rpm 16MB Cache 8.9 ms NCQ
Storage Hard drives: 500 Gb Samsung HD501LJ Spinpoint T SATA300 7200 rpm 16MB Cache 8.9 ms NCQ
Floppy Drive Flash - Card Readers & Writers: Mitsumi FA404M 1.44 Black FDD+Int USB2 7 in 1 Card Reader (SM MMC SD CF MD MS) Fits in 3.5" FDD Bay
DVD Writer : Lite-ON LH-20A1S-11C LiteOn 20x DVD±R 8x DVD±DL DVD+RW x8 -RW x 6 DVD-RAM x12 SATA Retail
Sound Card: Creative X-FI Xtreme Gamer PCI 7.1Ch Sound Card OEM
TV Tuner Card: Hauppauge Win TV Nova-T 500 MCE Dual Digital DVBT Tuner+Remote
Operating system: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32Bit
Software - DVD Decoding: NVIDIA DVD - Bronze edition - Dolby 2.1
Software Application: MS OFFICE 2007 60 Day TRIAL Home&Student
TFT Monitor: 22" Iiyama PLE2200WS-B Widescreen VGA DVI 1680x1050 5 ms 1000:1 300 cd m2 Speakers Black
Keyboards Keyboard & Mouse Pack: Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 3000 Laser Keyboard Mouse
Case Fans : 120mm Akasa Amber Case Fan 3 Pin 2 Ball Bearing Ultra Quiet
Acoustic Sound Proofing: AcoustiPack Deluxe (v2) Acoustic Material Kit
Extended Warranty: Standard 3XS System Warranty

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Now I know ALienware has a rep for being expensive and that you pay a premium for the brandname, but the specs I have set up does not seem excessively expensive compared to the Scan system. The downside is that the Alienware specs do not include a TV Tuner.

Overall, I quite like the look of the Alienware, and whilst I would not spend £3000 for one, at this price they are attractive.

Some questions, do I need a Quad core, I have selected them as to be able to hold out for a long time before upgrading, secondly is just how loud will all of the above systems be? Are Alienware PC really loud, even if water cooled?

I know this is my first post, and I am asking a lot, but I am at the end of my tether, I really need to decide today as to which system I am going to buy.

Any help and feeback will be greatly appreciated. As a final reminder, building my own system is not really an option for me, and I am aware that it would save money, but there you go.

Thanks guys!

Alienware is hideously overpriced rubbish.

You could probably pick up all the parts yourself and get someone to build it for you for less than half of what alienware charge....and the cases are seriously fugly :)

I'm not seeking people just to say "over priced rubish".

As I said I have no interest in buying the seperate parts myself, and prefer the but now pay later option. I fully accept that this will mean that it will be a more expensive option.

The Alienware is comparably priced here to the Scan system, and I want some real feedback from people as to which system they would opt for. I really want to complete the transaction today, so any help is greatly appreciated.

he's giving you his opinion, the alien ware machien is over priced therefore he's recommending scan.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ikonia

he's giving you his opinion, the alien ware machien is over priced therefore he's recommending scan.

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I'm not attacking him mate, I just want more reasoning. The Scan system is priced more or less the same, so it would be great if someone could say "the Alienware is over priced because you get far less than the Scan system because..."

Really and truly I did not set out to buy an Alienware system, as I know that they have a markup price based on their reputation/appeal. However, when I did the two specifications, they actually did not seem too bad. That got me thinking that I was missing something, I know Scan have a terrific reputation, but I am aware that they are generally better value than Alienware. So I am sitting here confused as to why the prices are so similar, as I assume the Scan spec to be far superior due to the prices similarity but can't see where.

I will try and answer some of your questions.

With regards the quad core CPU, this all depends on what you are using the system for. If you are doing any editing/ 3D work this will help but for general use and gaming there is very little performance. Please note that Intel are launching more Quad CPU's later this year so this could be an option as the core 2 systems run very fast already. With regard to how quiet systems are, we can put quiet fans in the system, add sound proofing to the case and in some systems add water-cooling. the water-cooling is really only an option i would use for enthusiasts who over clock their systems as this need to be maintained and can be very costly. We can always add a decent CPU fan to help with the noise. Obviously i cannot comment on Alienware's noise maybe they can post back but you should find our service and systems are second to none.

Spartans,

you are quick i just get 1 reply out and you have posted another.

One of the reasons for price is that we custom build each system as we do not mass produce systems this sometimes makes the price of systems look a little more expensive.

then add the fact that we only use quality components, this could be one of the reasons. I will try and help where i can with any other questions and do not want to be bias to say buy one of our systems, but they guys here do such a great job of builing the system i am getting them to build my new one shortly.

Hope the above helps a little and hope you become a system customer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phillip @ Scan

I will try and answer some of your questions.

With regards the quad core CPU, this all depends on what you are using the system for. If you are doing any editing/ 3D work this will help but for general use and gaming there is very little performance. Please note that Intel are launching more Quad CPU's later this year so this could be an option as the core 2 systems run very fast already. With regard to how quiet systems are, we can put quiet fans in the system, add sound proofing to the case and in some systems add water-cooling. the water-cooling is really only an option i would use for enthusiasts who over clock their systems as this need to be maintained and can be very costly. We can always add a decent CPU fan to help with the noise. Obviously i cannot comment on Alienware's noise maybe they can post back but you should find our service and systems are second to none.

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Thanks Phillip, much appreciated.

With regards to the Dual core v Quad core, I just want to be as future proof as possible so that I do not need to upgrade CPU/motherboard etc.. for as long as possible. I realise that the Quad may not give me any real gains in the short term but as software is developed to take advantage I would see better value in the long run (my view may be naive on this).

With regards to the noise, I chose the Zalman CNPS9700-NT nVidia Tritium Super Aero Flower Cooler, is this a quiet fan? Also does your sound proofing make a big difference?

Many thanks for your answers, it is much appreciated.

the majority of reviews for 3x3 systems from scan that i have seen have all ways received good reviews and there customer service is 2nd to none, alienware for a while received a bad rep for overpriced poor spec'd machines looks like they have improved.
You havent really stated what you want to do with the machine as well which would give ppl more of an idea

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mcmiller

the majority of reviews for 3x3 systems from scan that i have seen have all ways received good reviews and there customer service is 2nd to none, alienware for a while received a bad rep for overpriced poor spec'd machines looks like they have improved.
You havent really stated what you want to do with the machine as well which would give ppl more of an idea

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You are right.

Basically I want a system to play some games on, do some video editing with some photo editing too. Don't get me wrong, I wont be doing serious editing, so the main reason for a high end spec is to enjoy gaming. I will also add, I want a decent system that will handle Vista and last me some time without having to lay a finger on it to upgrade for quite some time.

:mrgreen:

We try and make machines as future proof as possible. Like mcmiller posted we are getting very good reviews and we try and go the extra mile to help customers.

The Zalman is a very good cooler and sound proofing helps a little, whilst it does not reduce the noise by 100% everything helps.

The specs you have posted will allow you to get a decent system with great options to advance in the future.

Personally i would still go with the 6600 Core 2 CPU as we can get a lot out of this for overclocking and the price you save will allow you to get a mich faster Quad later.

I personally would go for the scan system, for a few reasons. Firstly ive been a member here for 2/3 years now going by the amount of posts, and all ive got and read from scan is that they do pride themselves in their work, and generally let there customer service speak for themselves. When you do buy ur system from scan, they have their own forum section setup and are always answering questions on a daily basis.
Secondly, i dont like the way alienware spec their systems. Scan actually state what ram ur getting(which is actually v quick ram) whereas alienware call it "performance ram" which we all know will be mediocre.
The case is a great choice, and the illyama are known to be great monitors. You getting a slightly more clocked 8800GTX with the scan setup.

Now out of the 2 scan system u specced, i go for the first one as i cant see where that extra 200£ has gone??? apart from the xxx edition 8800GTX

Scan will surely be better support, should anything go wrong.

Hence, they get my vote.

But to be perfectly honest.....BOTH of them are hideously overpriced IMHO.

Go quad core if buying a system for that sort of price at the moment.
It is not much more as a percentage of system price, and while you won't feel the benefits much at the moment, you will in the future.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Clunk

Alienware is hideously overpriced rubbish.

You could probably pick up all the parts yourself and get someone to build it for you for less than half of what alienware charge....and the cases are seriously fugly :)

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Absolutely agree.
Also, looking at their specs, its all 'Alien-Ware Approved' with nothing actually specced by the manufacturer which would IMMEDIATELY set my alarm bells ringing. Just because AlienWare say its 'Approved' by them it certainly doesnt mean its any good. In fact, it would probably as low end as they could get away with for that price.
Steer clear and either get a friend to build it for you or go to Scan.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Merlin4458

Secondly, i dont like the way alienware spec their systems. Scan actually state what ram ur getting(which is actually v quick ram) whereas alienware call it "performance ram" which we all know will be mediocre.

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ugh i didnt notice that they dont actually specify what parts they use just that its "alienware approved" which could be cheap generic rubbish and probadly is, scan have specified every component in the machine, this for me personally gives me alot more confidence as you can read individual reviews performance spec's etc .. for the components

To clarify its not gerneric i forget the exact brand i can find out..

Calling alienware overpriced rubbish is true to an extent, there laptops have presented themselves quite well, and i know that thier service is very good..

however i would always go with the scan as you are getting all named parts and you know EXACTLY whats going in, however although im sure the alienware parts are very good, it could be an asrock board you get in there as opposed to a top spec evga/asus or whatever.

Plus this forum is very usefull in terms of scan support.

I would only every buy pcs from scan, and vadim (if i could afford them) but i build my own and mostly use scan also, because of the support forum.

Good luck

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spartans

I want some real feedback from people as to which system they would opt for.

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neither, i'd buy all the parts myself. but since you probably can't/don't have the time to do that i'd say go for the scan one. its cheaper and at least you know what parts you are getting. as for watercooling, thats just for enthusiasts most of the time, sure its cool and quiet but most people use it to overclock their system. better stick with a quad or if you want stick it out till the newer quads come out from intel.

Thank you very much guys, this has been helpful, especially Phillip from Scan for taking time out to respond.

My intention was the Scan, but I did feel a slight allure from the Alienware as I actually really like the case (it is subjective I know, but my girlfriend even said that she loved the look of it), and I have also been conditioned by Alienware's marketing into believing they are super systems, the fact that the price is not as stupid as it used to be (I remember doing a spec a few months ago that was similar and £3,000+) just got me interested.

I am concerned about the fact that their components are not named as has been mentioned by some of you, its a lot of money so why the lack of transparency.

I'm still not fully decided, I have no idea why I am dithering so much, I guess its because my head is saying Scan, and I just like the look (and rep) of the Alienware.

Aaaargh!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spartans

Hi all,

Some questions, do I need a Quad core, I have selected them as to be able to hold out for a long time before upgrading, secondly is just how loud will all of the above systems be? Are Alienware PC really loud, even if water cooled?

I know this is my first post, and I am asking a lot, but I am at the end of my tether, I really need to decide today as to which system I am going to buy.

Any help and feeback will be greatly appreciated. As a final reminder, building my own system is not really an option for me, and I am aware that it would save money, but there you go.

Thanks guys!

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You don't need Quad Core yet - most things don't take advantage of dual core, and those that do generally don't see much benefit beyond quad core.

It's hard to guess future proofing, but in my opinion it's quite likely that anything that does require higher numbers of cores is likely to also require a later generation processor as well. So my advice would be go for the best dual core you can afford now, and only upgrade to quad when you need to, as by then you'll be able to get a much better quad.

Alienware are not loud at all, especially if you get the soundproofing options. I've only heard the aircooled ones, and what noise there is isn't annoying at all.

To go against the trend somewhat, I would recommend the Alienware systems - you *do* get amazing build quality, and while I'm not doubting the same thing also applies to the Scan system, there's a certain something to the Alienwares that gives you a bit more pleasure owning one. It's just the little touches, but they are very very nice machines.

If you are spending that much maybe look at Vadim?

Why not built yourself?

And I would go for Scan over Alienware any day.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Azza

If you are spending that much maybe look at Vadim?

Why not built yourself?

And I would go for Scan over Alienware any day.

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I looked at Vadim but they are beyond my budget and do not offer any finance options.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kalniel

You don't need Quad Core yet - most things don't take advantage of dual core, and those that do generally don't see much benefit beyond quad core.

It's hard to guess future proofing, but in my opinion it's quite likely that anything that does require higher numbers of cores is likely to also require a later generation processor as well. So my advice would be go for the best dual core you can afford now, and only upgrade to quad when you need to, as by then you'll be able to get a much better quad.

Alienware are not loud at all, especially if you get the soundproofing options. I've only heard the aircooled ones, and what noise there is isn't annoying at all.

To go against the trend somewhat, I would recommend the Alienware systems - you *do* get amazing build quality, and while I'm not doubting the same thing also applies to the Scan system, there's a certain something to the Alienwares that gives you a bit more pleasure owning one. It's just the little touches, but they are very very nice machines.

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Thanks Kalniel, I did not see any soundproofing options apart from water cooling?

Also, there is no TV tuner listed, would you consider it a problem to instal an after market one?

spartans, listen to the people. without being arragant we prob know alot more about pc;s and have more experience with certain manufacturers. We have all bar none suggested scan for obvious reasons. Would u give 2300£ to a company and jsut hope that the ram they dont specifiy is good. If ur that worried about the look of the case, spend 80 u save from the scan built and get another one, even though i personally really like the antecs design.

Its ur call, but u would be silly not to go for the scan

I would definitely go with scan because they are a top company who I trust and their systems always review well and they only use quality components.

I configured this, its a shame they do give the option of a P35 or P965 board really but oh well:

Quote:

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1 *No Custom Colour Required*
1 Intel Core 2 Quad-Core Q6600, 775, 2.40 GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 8MB Cache, Retail
1 Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro - P4 up to 4.4GHz - S775 Dual Core / Core2Duo Ready
1 *No System Overclocking*
1 4GB (4x1GB) Corsair XMS2 Dominator, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 5-5-5-15, DHX
1 768Mb XFX 8800GTX PCI-E (x16), Mem 1800 MHz, GPU 570 MHz, Stream 128, 2x Dual Link DVI/HDTV
1 *No ATI VGA Card Required* (nVidia required)
1 *No Specialist Card Required*
1 150 Gb Western Digital WD1500ADFD Raptor Enterprise, SATA150, 10000 rpm, 16MB Cache, NCQ, 4.6 ms
1 **No Raid Card required**
1 500 Gb Samsung HD501LJ Spinpoint T, SATA300, 7200 rpm, 16MB Cache, 8.9 ms, NCQ
1 Mitsumi FA404M 1.44 Black FDD+Int USB2 7 in 1 Card Reader (SM/MMC/SD/CF/MD/MS) Fits in 3.5" FDD Bay
1 *CD/DVD Not Required*
1 Samsung SH-S183A/BEBN Black SATA 18x18 ±R Dual Layer DVDRW Writer OEM UK inc Nero 6.x
1 *No Soundcard Required* (Onboard option only)
1 Hauppauge Win TV Nova-T 500 MCE/Dual Digital DVBT Tuner+Remote
1 ***NO MODEM/ADSL REQUIRED***
1 ***NO WIRELESS ADAPTOR REQUIRED***
1 Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32Bit
1 ** No Remote Control Required **
1 NVIDIA DVD - Gold Edition Dolby 5.1/Digital Headphones/Dolby Pro Logic IIx
1 MS OFFICE 2007 60 Day TRIAL Home&Student
1 BitDefender Internet Security V10 FULL RETAIL (2year/2machines)
1 *No Software Required*
1 22" Viewsonic VX2235wm , Widescreen TFT, 1680x1050, 5 ms, 700:1, 280 cd/m2, Speakers, Black
1 Logitech G11 Keyboard "The Little Daddy of Gaming keyboards" inc Programable & backlit keys, UK
1 Razer Copperhead Laser Gaming Mouse Tempest Blue LED - USB - 800/2000 dpi, 32KB Memory, Onboard Bios
1 *Speakers Not Required*
1 *Heaphones Not Required*
2 120mm Sharkoon 2000 "Golf Ball" Quiet Case Fan
1 AcoustiPack Deluxe (v2) Acoustic Material Kit
1 *Hard Drive Not Required*
1 Standard 3XS System Warranty

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EDIT: BTW i wouldn't get a quad core right now but if its what you want go for it, in current games a duo with a higher clock will be faster than a quad with a lower clock, however the software will hopefully mature...

neil.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Merlin4458

spartans, listen to the people. without being arragant we prob know alot more about pc;s and have more experience with certain manufacturers. We have all bar none suggested scan for obvious reasons. Would u give 2300£ to a company and jsut hope that the ram they dont specifiy is good. If ur that worried about the look of the case, spend 80 u save from the scan built and get another one, even though i personally really like the antecs design.

Its ur call, but u would be silly not to go for the scan

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No doubt you guys know more, that's why I'm asking.

:mrgreen:

To be honest I doubt that Alienware use shoddy components as they get excellent results in benchmark tests and would not have built their reputations with sub standard stuff, almost all reviews are glowing about the actual product, its the price which is the main sticking point, and understandably so. Generally I would say they have silly prices, and in many cases unjustifiably so, because of this many in the custom build community have an instant dislike towards them. Like I said my attraction to the system was the fact that it is not priced the way I would have expected it to be.


The aesthetics are really the last thing I should be looking at, and the Scan system is awesome and twice I have almost finalised the sale, but I just cant help being slightly seduced by the Alienware.

I am really dithering here!!!

You know why they get excellent results in benchmarks though dont you?

Look here.

Some reputation theyve built :rolleyes:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Clunk

You know why they get excellent results in benchmarks though dont you?

Look here.

Some reputation theyve built :rolleyes:

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I read that and the way Alienware reacted was shocking, however...

The review of the Alienware by Hexus that prompted the controversy was quite clear:

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Performance is just where we'd expect it to be given the default-clocked components. We had hoped that Alienware would have indulged in a little overclocking on this SKU but that's not been the case. We reckon that's fine if backed up by aggressive pricing. However, this Area-51 7500's biggest drawback is, frankly, an exorbitant price-tag of £3112 excluding delivery. That kind of outlay would buy you our comparative Vadim PC, which is significantly faster than the Alienware in almost every regard, and still leave you £200 change. Alternatively, you could opt for the MESH PC, which is equipped with faster graphics and ships with a 20-inch TFT, speakers, and discrete soundcard, and save yourself over £600 in the process.

So no matter which way we dress up the Alienware's performance and feature-set, it's relatively poor in comparison to SKUs that we've reviewed recently. Value for money may not be the greatest concern in this sector of the pre-built market but when you can get substantially more for less, it becomes impossible to recommend this particular Area-51 7500.

There's nothing much intrinsically wrong with the SKU, and other publications reviewing it in isolation may well find it to be a winner... Here at HEXUS, however, we aim to bring you an impartial buyers' guide by providing in-depth information. As such, if you've £3,000 burning a hole in your pocket and want a high-performance PC, there are better and cheaper alternatives to the Alienware Area-51 7500. Now if the price was to drop to, say, £2112.......


HEXUS.awards
In view of the fact that the sample successfully completed a 12-hour test without failure, we certify the Alienware Area-51 7500 an Extreme HEXUS Labs.

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Now that review is from last year, the price of £3000+ is just ludicorus, and Alienware were rightly slated for it. However, the price now for a half decent system is not that bad, it is at least comparable to other manufacturers.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spartans

No doubt you guys know more, that's why I'm asking.

:mrgreen:

To be honest I doubt that Alienware use shoddy components as they get excellent results in benchmark tests and would not have built their reputations with sub standard stuff, almost all reviews are glowing about the actual product, its the price which is the main sticking point, and understandably so. Generally I would say they have silly prices, and in many cases unjustifiably so, because of this many in the custom build community have an instant dislike towards them. Like I said my attraction to the system was the fact that it is not priced the way I would have expected it to be.


The aesthetics are really the last thing I should be looking at, and the Scan system is awesome and twice I have almost finalised the sale, but I just cant help being slightly seduced by the Alienware.

I am really dithering here!!!

---

actually for a while alienware where using onboard ac97 audio, in £2000k rigs!!! shocking. I also saw a comparison where a magazine brought a £2k alienware rig and compared it against one which they had made there was a very tiny performance difference something like 3 -4% but the cost difference was huge, hundreds of pounds.
I also agree with ppl saying quad core is a waste of money and hardly any benefit at the mo go for something like a water cooled e6600 that would last quite a while

I'd recommend Scan cos I know for a fact they have immense customer service, I can't do the same for Alienware as I've never used them.

I second what everyone says about the quad-core too, unless you're doing hardcore editing and need the performance from day one there's absolutely no point. It won't be future proof as compared to future quad-cores the Q6600 will no doubt be laughable. Get the best dual-core you can afford and enjoy superb performance from the day you own the machine.

Problem with half the people on here sprartans is they haven't used alienware....
I have used them but not bought..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by arbitor

Problem with half the people on here sprartans is they haven't used alienware....
I have used them but not bought..

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How were your experiences using Alienware mate?

Well i must admit The equipment was fine, the ac97 sound on some of the desktops was a large issue..

But at the end of the day they are slightly overpriced.. they do look awesome and you will get respect from all people that donbt know much about pcs for ever.. But i mean for the fact that they cant provide enough detail on what the motherboard is ect ect i would go scan

Id pick scan too purely on the fact they actually say what your getting, as most people here have said.

Scan's specs didn't say what motherboard they were using did they? Make sure they give you a new p35 chipset one, performance increases of 5-10% over nvidia 680i chipset if I recall correctly.

Personally I'd never let someone else build my system for me as it's a hobby to me. It seems alien just thinking about it. Scan are pretty good though, the only complaint they ever get is about their courier which is out of their hands really.

Although if I might be so rude to say, getting a good system now and then another good system in 18 months is probably better than getting an awesome system now and in 3 years time having the same rig. I mean, it'll still run, probably very well, just... it wont be as awesome as it once was :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dreaming

Scan's specs didn't say what motherboard they were using did they? Make sure they give you a new p35 chipset one, performance increases of 5-10% over nvidia 680i chipset if I recall correctly.

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This is the scan motherboard is an Asus P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP iP965, S775, PCI-E (x16), DDR2 533/667/800, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX

The Aienware is an NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Motherboard with FSB at 1333MHz

I have had more time to think about this, I am taking the monitor option out of both specs and will go with the new Samsung 22" SyncMaster 226BW.

I have also taken out the TV tuner from the Scan system, as I really want a Card that allows me to copy VHS tape onto my HDD whilst still having Digital In, none of the Scan cards provide both.

The Alienware Spec I am looking at now for a Quad Core and 4Gig RAM ( 4-4-4-12) I spoke to Alienware and they said they use various sources for RAM, but all are high quality, and they would be happy to let me know when building what is going in so that I can object and they change RAM. Price is around £2,100. The Scan now comes in at £1,900.

Both systems are almost identical, and I am hopelessly torn. I want to submit this order at some point tonight so that they can start getting underway before the weekend.

I appreciate that most people here have pointed me towards Scan, so why am I still debating the Alienware? Have I been so brainwashed on the brand?

Aaaargh

Yes yo have been brainwashed to an extent, they look sexy, they are expensive and you probably always wanted one, now you are in a position to buy one your not thinking..

But either of those systems will be great, i just reckon go scan because they arent owned by dell?

Either way its going to be a humdinger of a system, one you will definatley enjoy :)

Yea, as others have said you can't really go wrong with either of the systems. If it was my £2,000... I think just on past experience I'd go with scan because I trusted them.

yes you have been brainwashed lol but if your bothered about the looks of the machine choose the p180 case that is a seriously sexy case lol

One of the guys at work has had a horrible horrible horrible experience with Alienware.

The machine packed up one day and he contacted Alienware, after a short chat the UK Support guy refused to speak to them and they ended up being put through to the US. The guy there was very helpful.

Once they opened the case they realised the machine hadn't been together too well and cables were lying in the bottom of the case. Alienware arranged for the machine to be picked up.

Two months down the line the machine has been returned, actually may have been longer. He was about to get a Solicitors letter off to them asking for a refund.

Moral of the story - go for Scan.

I completely forgot about Chillblast:

Quote:

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Akasa Mirage-62 Aluminum Case

CPU:Intel Core 2 Quadro Extreme QX6700 2.66GHz Quad Core overclocked to 3.0GHz

Total Ram 4 Gig

Corsair XMS2-6400 C4 TwinX PC2-6400 2GB

Memory 2:

Corsair XMS2-6400 C4 TwinX PC2-6400 2GB

Motherboard:
Asus P5B Deluxe Motherboard LGA775

Asus Geforce 8800 GTX 768MB PCIe Retail

Optical Drive:
NEC AD7173A 18x DL DVD±RW LabelFlash Black OEM IDE

PSU:
OCZ GameXStream 600W PSU ATX 2.01
OCZ GameXStream 600W PSU ATX 2.01

Black Internal 3.5" 17-in-1 Card Reader

Hard Drive 1:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB 16MB Cache SATA-II

Hard Drive 2:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB 16MB Cache SATA-II
Sound Card:
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio

Operating System:
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32-Bit OEM
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32-Bit OEM

Warranty:
Chillblast 2 year collect and return warranty with lifetime support


Keyboard and Mouse:
Logitech Cordless Desktop MX5000 Laser Keyboard & Mouse

---

Total products cost inc.VAT: £2,118.38

:surprised:

This looks like a no brainer guys, that system is awesome, it is actually superior to the other two, and has an extra year's warranty thrown in.

Any views on Chillblast, if the response is good this system is as good as ordered.

Another factor of selling as many machines as alienware do compaired to scan.

Same as we get told to stop slating mesh, yes they appear crap but they sheer numbers of machines means more problems.

Now scan sell nowhere near as many machines as alienware i doubt so i mean they aren't comparable on that front

Custom pc have always rated chillblast :)

If it's not too late to give advice, i'd go for the scan system, indeed i did last year :P Scan built the computer i'm currently using and it's superb. There were a few problems (basically software issues) when i received the machine, but their customer service was truly amazing, everything was sorted and it's been working perfectly ever since. Everything is very well put together and solidly built. Delivery wasn't a problem, it was sent in a mahoosive box and very well packaged and they sent the boxes for the components that are inside too! It is a bit noisy but that's my fault for getting a cheaper motherboard with a whiny fan instead of a passive heatsink lol. Anyway scan will always be getting my pc orders whenever i need a new one!

Hope this helps

Andy

Its a tough question you have asked to be fair, i dont know if there is any alienware owners on here, so there goes your advice, alot of the people on this forum buy from scan so they even if they have bought a screen and received good CS are reccomending scan on no real basis of the machine,

is there not an alienware owners club or forum, same with chill blast you can check out?

The point MANY people are missing is the customer service factor.

Basically, we all know that the Scan machine would be every bit as powerful as the Alien Ware one.

The Alien ware has the bling factor to push it up and a system bought because of this bling is a blinkered decision.

Where Scan will stand head and shoulders over almost all others is that if anything goes wrong you have this forum, a phone number for immediately assistance and 100% knowledgable people to help you out.

No-one has actually given a reason to go AW over Scan yet.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by arbitor

Problem with half the people on here sprartans is they haven't used alienware....
I have used them but not bought..

---

Quote:

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Originally Posted by arbitor

Its a tough question you have asked to be fair, i dont know if there is any alienware owners on here, so there goes your advice, alot of the people on this forum buy from scan so they even if they have bought a screen and received good CS are reccomending scan on no real basis of the machine,

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It's not for you to assume why people are recommending SCAN - in fact it's a bit off for you to say people are recommending them on no real basis.

There are people who have experience of Alienware machines here, of course. Rubbishing other peoples advice is petty, and ill-informed. And you don't need to repeat yourself ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Blitzen

No-one has actually given a reason to go AW over Scan yet.

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I already did actually :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by arbitor

Its a tough question you have asked to be fair, i dont know if there is any alienware owners on here, so there goes your advice, alot of the people on this forum buy from scan so they even if they have bought a screen and received good CS are reccomending scan on no real basis of the machine,

---

My colleague at work doesn't recommend Alienware after his experience. I'm sure you can count me as someone who has experience of Alienware as I listened to this guys full story!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spartans

Thanks Kalniel, I did not see any soundproofing options apart from water cooling?

Also, there is no TV tuner listed, would you consider it a problem to instal an after market one?

---

Sorry for the late reply. Alienware used to offer foam soundproofing as an option.. I see they've dropped it so maybe it's not needed anymore. Maybe worth giving them a ring about it.

It's not a problem at all to install an aftermarket TV Tuner - adding/changing components to an Alienware computer is a joy :)

Spartan all these machines you are picking are going to give prity much same performance levels give or take a few % which you probadly wont notice unless your into benchmarking, you need to start looking at other issues like warranty customer service how easy it is to return it if its faulty.

You can buy that acoustic foam youself and it put it in

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amjedm

My colleague at work doesn't recommend Alienware after his experience. I'm sure you can count me as someone who has experience of Alienware as I listened to this guys full story!

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There somewhere down the line is a problem like this with evvery company.

The point i was making was that alienware being a bigger player prob have more probelms just by the number of machines they shift compaired to scan.

tbh im over this, scan fest on this forum always will be, i like them, they are good,but so are other places. chillblast after doing some reading up seem ok too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by arbitor

tbh im over this, scan fest on this forum always will be, i like them, they are good,but so are other places.

---

I think your being overly harsh, i think ppl on here tend to recommend scan alot more because they are easy to talk to, in forums on phones etc.. where as ebuyer, ocuk can be rather hard to speak to (using them as examples).
I have read some horror stories on here about ocuk, but when i had problem it was sorted np same with ebuyer whereas when i had a prob with scan i found the customer service fella rather annoying and infuriating to point where i complained on scans forum, and they very kindly sorted it for me.

Yes i know what your saying, but ocuk, and ebuyer are hardly renowned for thier systems, ( if they do them at all) Scan systems are great from what i have read in cpc and what not, but you cant base one of thier systems on your expeirence with them for another component.

Although saying that all components are universal so in theory the only thing that should decide one company from another is how it looks... and their customer service.. so i guess its horses for courses

Quote:

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Originally Posted by arbitor

Although saying that all components are universal so in theory the only thing that should decide one company from another is how it looks... and their customer service..

---

There's quite a bit more to it than that :p

Yes there is but why?

people say to me whats better out of two brands then really the only thing it "should" come down to is CS as the compaonets are in reality all availbile to every brand so why should a mesh break any faster than anything else?

The way it's put together?

Okay look at it this way. A lot on the people on this forum recommend Scan due to their excellent service over the web, in forums, and on the phone.

Living in Bolton I very rarely deal with Scan in this way, I drop by their HQ instead. I talk the the staff in person, experience their tech support first hand and chat with other customers while I wait. From all this, I can conclude that Scan are flat out awesome.

So not only do you know how good they are to deal with in terms of mail order (thanks to the other posts in this thread), but you now know that, for want of a better phrase, 'behind the scenes' the guys and girls at Scan really do everything they possibly can to make for an excellent customer experience.

Based on this, you know that you won't go wrong when buying your system from Scan. However, if you've already made up your mind and ruled Scan out then state so because if you don't, people are going to continue recommending Scan and it'll be falling on deaf ears.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kalniel

The way it's put together?

---

How many ways are there?

Well if you decide Scan I will look after you with extra special care, thank you NIGHTSHADOWUK for your kind words which are correct we do try our best. I can not comment on how many systems we ship compared to our competitors as I do not have this information but I can tell you that we ship a lot of machines to different end users.

We pride ourselves on quality so it is beneficial to us to ship working computers with a very low returns rate. We only use the highest standard of equipment and will never recommend products which are likely to corrupt your system 6 months down the line.

A case should not be the deciding factor on your choice between competitors as usually it's whats inside the case that matters, (I am sure you have heard that saying in different context)

Regards

spartan why dont u put ur final choices up in ur next post.

The chilblast and the scan that is :)

any we can go over what is better in terms of bang for your buck, and what is better for customer service/warranty

jb

Merlin, Paul and Arbitor (amongst others), I really appreciate all your help.

To cut a long story short, someone hit the nail on the head, I wanted an Alienware when I was younger, but could not really afford one. Now I am in a position to buy one and found one with decent specs at an almost reasonable price. However, the case although it looks nice, is aimed at a market about 10 years younger than me (at least).

Anyway, my Scan set up is this:

Quote:

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System Overview

Custom Coloured Cases: *No Custom Colour Required*
Case: Akasa Mirage-62 V2 Midi Tower Case - Hi-End - Overclockers & Gamers Best Choice
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad-Core Q6600 775 2.40 GHz 1066MHz FSB 8MB Cache Retail
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9700-LED Super Aero Flower Cooler (775 AM2 754 939 940)
Overclocking: 3XS System Core-Logic Overclocking *0 - 10%*
Memory: 4GB (4x1GB) Corsair XMS2 Dominator DDR2 PC2-6400 (800) Non-ECC Unbuffered CAS 5-5-5-15 DHX
nVidia VGA-The Way It's Meant To Be Played™: 768Mb XFX 8800GTX Extreme PCI-E (x16) Mem 1900 MHz GPU 600 MHz 128 Stream 2x DVI HDTV
ATI VGA: *No ATI VGA Card Required* (nVidia required)
System Drives: 500 Gb Samsung HD501LJ Spinpoint T SATA300 7200 rpm 16MB Cache 8.9 ms NCQ
Storage Hard drives: 500 Gb Samsung HD501LJ Spinpoint T SATA300 7200 rpm 16MB Cache 8.9 ms NCQ
Backup: *No Back up Required*
Backup Accessories: *No Media Required*
Floppy Drive Flash - Card Readers & Writers: Mitsumi FA404M 1.44 Black FDD+Int USB2 7 in 1 Card Reader Fits in 3.5" FDD Bay
DVD ROM DVD Writer: *CD DVD Not Required*
DVD Writer : Lite-ON LH-20A1S-11C LiteOn 20x DVD±R 8x DVD±DL DVD+RW x8 -RW x 6 DVD-RAM x12 SATA Retail
Sound Card: Creative X-FI Xtreme Gamer PCI 7.1Ch Sound Card OEM
Operating system: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32Bit
Software - DVD Decoding: NVIDIA DVD - Gold Edition Dolby 5.1 Digital Headphones Dolby Pro Logic IIx
Software Security: Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007 OEM 1 Year Subscription
Keyboards Keyboard & Mouse Pack: Logitech Cordless Desktop LX 710 Keyboard with Laser Mouse
Speakers: *Speakers Not Required*
Headphones: *Heaphones Not Required*
Acoustic Sound Proofing: AcoustiPack Deluxe (v2) Acoustic Material Kit
Extended Warranty: Standard 3XS System Warranty

---

I would like to change both Hardrives to 2 x 500 Gb Seagate ST3500630AS Barracuda 7200.10, SATA300, 7200 rpm, 16MB Cache, 8.5 ms, NCQ

Change the speakers to: Logitech X530 5.1 Speaker System 71W RMS - PC/DVD/PS2/XBox Ready

Could I also change the DVD burner to a LiteOn 20X 20x DVD±R, 8x DVD±DL, DVD + RW x8/-RW x6, DVD-RAM x12, IDE, Black, OEM, Lightscribe

Could you provide me with a full quote and let me know how I could order that spec with the finance option. An estimated shipping date would be great too.

One final thing, I would like to get the 22" Samsung SM226BW, Widescreen LCD, 1680x1050, 2 ms, 3000:1, 300 cd/m2, Black monitor,

----------------------

Above is the spec I have for Scan, on their config screen the total was £1,881.75 inc VAT, the monitor will be another £250 and something on top to upgrade the DVD burner, speakers and HDD drives.

The Chillblast spec is this:

Quote:

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Intel Core 2 Quadro Extreme QX6700 2.66GHz Quad Core overclocked to 3.0GHz

Corsair XMS2-6400 C4 TwinX PC2-6400 2GB
Corsair XMS2-6400 C4 TwinX PC2-6400 2GB

Asus P5B Deluxe Motherboard LGA775

Asus Geforce 8800 GTX 768MB PCIe Retail

Akasa Mirage-62 Aluminum Case

NEC AD7173A 18x DL DVD±RW LabelFlash Black OEM IDE

OCZ GameXStream 600W PSU ATX 2.01

Black Internal 3.5" 17-in-1 Card Reader

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB 16MB Cache SATA-II

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB 16MB Cache SATA-II

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32-Bit OEM

Chillblast 2 year collect and return warranty with lifetime support

Total products cost inc.VAT: £2,079.50

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Youll need vista 64 bit with these systems.