PC nerds!

[Rooster]

just bought a alienware m11x. customized it yesterday and it will be here sometime next month. i got pretty much what was recommended or better. i know how to fix computers or what all the fancy speak means. below is the specs. i would like to know if i got a decent computer. im gonna use it for the occasional game playing but im nowhere near a hardcore pc gamer. just some games in between classes this summer. im gonna mostly use it for college stuff. and photoshop masters edition. so picture and video editing is my main concern. let me know what the nerds think. i know i should have asked before i bought but its too late now and the anticipation was killing me!. lol also got a 2tb external hard drive a wireless mouse, headset and a external disk drive.


Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish
Intel Core i7-2617M 1.5GHz (2.6GHz Turbo Mode, 4MB Cache)
NVIDIA GeForce GT540 graphics with 2.0GB Video Memory and Optimus
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
Alienware M11x 90W A/C Adapter
11.6in High Def (720p/1366x76 with WLED backlight
750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
Personalized Nameplate
Personalized Nameplate Trigger
AlienFX Color, Mars Red
Alienware Command Center Software, M11x
Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate, 64bit, English
DataSafe Local BackUp
Vista PC Restore
DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG
Hinge Up WLAN -BLACK
Adobe Acrobat X Reader Factory Installation, CNB
Integrated High-Definition Surround Sound Audio (5.1)
Intel Advanced-N WiFi Link 6250 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO Technology with WiMax
Automatic Updates: On
Dell Hardware Warranty Plus On-Site Service, Initial Year
No Mobile Broadband Selected
Internal Bluetooth 3.0

i think i fixed it now.

[Wrider]

Damned good computer but for the love of God separate it out!

[MAZIN]

Sounds good but why do you need a vista restore disc when your running windos 7 ultimate?

[Rooster]

i dont know how to sort it out. lol. i copied and pasted it and this is what came out.
and i dont know what goes with wich or i would. its looks like hammered dog shit. lol.

i have no idea about the vista thing. i didnt change that part. i only clicked on the windows 7 thing and clicked next. lol

[Zach929rr]

That cpu spec can't be right. If it is, whatthefuckareyoudoing.jpg.

[Rooster]

LMAO! its right. all i did was copy and paste. besides the smiley face, whats wrong with it?

[Zach929rr]

In retrospect, it does look more like a budget build. I thought the graphics card was as GTX 540, not a GT 540. What was the price on it if you don't mind me asking?

[Ricky]

First thing I see is it's a lynnfield Core i7 processor, which means no triple channel memory. Thumbs down on that, but that's just my preference. I tend to use a ton of memory, so having that much more memory bandwidth is important to me. To understand the difference between lynnfield and bloomfield i7 procs, go here: http://tech.icrontic.com/articles/ma...really-better/

At work I'm running a geforce 9800 on a core i7 Bloomfield 2.67GHz overclocked to 3.61GHz on the OEM heatsink and fan, with 12GB of triple channel memory. At home I have a 2.8GHz bloomfield overclocked to 4GHz with a geforce gtx460 and 6GB triple channel memory. I've been playing Portal 2 on it with every setting at the max, and it's awesome.

[Rooster]

First thing I see is it's a lynnfield Core i7 processor, which means no triple channel memory. Thumbs down on that, but that's just my preference. I tend to use a ton of memory, so having that much more memory bandwidth is important to me. To understand the difference between lynnfield and bloomfield i7 procs, go here: http://tech.icrontic.com/articles/ma...really-better/

At work I'm running a geforce 9800 on a core i7 Bloomfield 2.67GHz overclocked to 3.61GHz on the OEM heatsink and fan, with 12GB of triple channel memory. At home I have a 2.8GHz bloomfield overclocked to 4GHz with a geforce gtx460 and 6GB triple channel memory. I've been playing Portal 2 on it with every setting at the max, and it's awesome.

that made somuch sense to me. lol.

[Rooster]

In retrospect, it does look more like a budget build. I thought the graphics card was as GTX 540, not a GT 540. What was the price on it if you don't mind me asking?

it kind of a budget build. like i said, im not a hardcore gamer nor do i need the fastest computer known to man. my mind doesnt move that fast. lol. i think after the discounts it was just over $1600. wich was about all i can afford. im suprised i replaced the basics it came with better or "best" stuff they offered. is alienware not what it use to be? i thought they were the leading company in gaming and high speed computers. am i wrong?

[Ricky]

That computer has 4 memory slots with 2 channels of memory. Euqate this to a freeway with 2 lanes of traffic. The cars on that freeway are the stuff going in and out of memory. If you have 1000 cars/min (arbitrary number), the 2 lane freeway is jammed (bottleneck). With triple channel memory, it's like adding another lane to a freeway, increasing memory bandwidth 50%. A triple channel computer has 6 memory slots (2 slots for each memory channel)

[Zach929rr]

I think you can build a much nicer computer off newegg for that money, but it depends how important their warranty is to you.

[Rooster]

That computer has 4 memory slots with 2 channels of memory. Euqate this to a freeway with 2 lanes of traffic. The cars on that freeway are the stuff going in and out of memory. If you have 1000 cars/min (arbitrary number), the 2 lane freeway is jammed (bottleneck). With triple channel memory, it's like adding another lane to a freeway, increasing memory bandwidth 50%. A triple channel computer has 6 memory slots (2 slots for each memory channel)

oh ok. i get it now. i thought the I7 thing would make all the cars sports cars. lol i got the 750gb drive cause im not gonna have allot of stuff on the computer itself. i got the 2tb external so i can keep most of my information on that keeping the computer itself mostly free and "faster" i guess.

[MAZIN]

it kind of a budget build. like i said, im not a hardcore gamer nor do i need the fastest computer known to man. my mind doesnt move that fast. lol. i think after the discounts it was just over $1600. wich was about all i can afford. im suprised i replaced the basics it came with better or "best" stuff they offered. is alienware not what it use to be? i thought they were the leading company in gaming and high speed computers. am i wrong?

They sold out to dell, still good but dell controls the name now.

[Rooster]

I think you can build a much nicer computer off newegg for that money, but it depends how important their warranty is to you.

never heard of new egg. im not really concerned about warranty. that and i have no idea how to "build" a computer.

[Rooster]

so dell makes them now? so pretty much i bought a dell computer with another name on it?
i thought dell was the middle man and alienware didnt want to deal with the sales.

[Zach929rr]

Case in point. Here is a recent build I was looking at doing in January, but put it off a few months to see what Sandy Bridge pricing was going to do. Down the video card a few models, take out all this extra shit i have in here that you wouldn't need. Boom $1600. Building a computer is like legos. And in the handful I've built from scratch over the past decade, the ONLY component failures I've had were the power supply in my first desktop, which died a few years after my brother gave it to me, and the ram in my current desktop took a shit after 5 years of use about a year ago.

1 EVGA SuperClocked GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 012-P3-1572-AR Video Card
Item #:N82E16814130595
Return Policy: VGA Replacement Only Return Policy

$369.99


1
Antec Twelve Hundred Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
Item #:N82E16811129043
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy

$159.99

2
GELID Solutions FN-PX08-20 Case Fan with Intelligent PWM control
Item #:N82E16835426010
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$23.98

4
OKGEAR 24" SATA 6 Gbps Cable, Straight to Right Angle W/Metal Latch, Black
Item #:N82E16812123171
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$17.96

1
Western Digital VelociRaptor 150GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #:N82E16822136296
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$109.99

1
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Item #:N82E16819115072
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy

$224.99

4
Rosewill 18" Serial ATA II cable with metal latch, Model RC-18"-SA2-90-BK, Black
Item #:N82E16812119231
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$9.96

1
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Full
Item #:N82E16832116717
Return Policy: Software Standard Return Policy
-$40.00 Instant
$299.99
$259.99

1
COOLER MASTER Silent Pro RSA00-AMBAJ3-US 1000W Power Supply
Item #:N82E16817171049
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant
$189.99
$169.99

1
ZALMAN MFC1-Combo 5 Channel Fan Controller
Item #:N82E16811999220
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$49.99

1
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory
Item #:N82E16820145224
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy

$139.99

1
GELID Solutions FN-TX09-20 Case Fan
Item #:N82E16835426004
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$12.99

1
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm sleeve CPU Cooler
Item #:N82E16835103065
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$29.99

2
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #:N82E16822136317
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$159.98

1
Athena Power 12" EPS (24Pin) connector Extension Cable
Item #:N82E16812198007
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$5.49

1
StarTech SCREW6_32_3 Screws For HDD
Item #:N82E16817998100
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$4.99

1
ASUS P8P67 PRO ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #:N82E16813131682
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$5.00 Instant
$189.99
$184.99

1
ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS
Item #:N82E16827135204
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$16.99

Grand Total:$1,952.24

[Ricky]

oh ok. i get it now. i thought the I7 thing would make all the cars sports cars. lol i got the 750gb drive cause im not gonna have allot of stuff on the computer itself. i got the 2tb external so i can keep most of my information on that keeping the computer itself mostly free and "faster" i guess.

That's where they get you, because there are two types of i7 processors. The cheaper ones are the lynnfield (dual channel). Because more is built into the processor, and less is on the motherboard, making the motherboards cheaper.

The one advantage of lynnfield is that they tend to offer a slight advantage in gaming graphics in a single video card setup, compared to bloomfield. But it's so minimal that the additional memory latency from lynnfield almost makes it moot.

[Rooster]

dam, is my setup "ok" for what i need it for? or do i need to cancel my order and get something different or something?

[Zach929rr]

Just saying that (in my opinion) you could have gotten much better for your money, warranty or not. And learned how a computer pieces together, so if it breaks, you don't have to call mr. tech guy.

[Ricky]

Yeah, I've got a friend that is totally computer stupid, and I helped him order a computer piece by piece and helped him assemble it over SKYPE! (he lives out of state) Now he's all educated, and sorta knows what he's talking about and has even told me a few stories about going into people's houses and fixing their computers for them. He just has a better understanding now.

Without trying to bash Alienware, it is what it is. I don't know how much has changed since they were taken over by Dell, but I was never really impressed with their older machines. Assembled machines are less headache, and there's no hassle in component compatibility, and figuring out why your damn computer won't POST after putting it together. Building a computer from scratch, or even a barebones kit, is less expensive. You are going to pay extra for that Alienware name and support and special nameplate on the outside.

When I rebuilt my computer, I spent <$900 because I only had to replace the motherboard, processor and memory. Already had a case and power supply and everything else, from my previous build. And keep in mind that bloomfield itself is easily $200 more than lynnfield. How much did you spend on this one?

[Rooster]

i guess ill have to save up money and buy 1 part at a time and put it together myself.

[Rooster]

Yeah, I've got a friend that is totally computer stupid, and I helped him order a computer piece by piece and helped him assemble it over SKYPE! (he lives out of state) Now he's all educated, and sorta knows what he's talking about and has even told me a few stories about going into people's houses and fixing their computers for them. He just has a better understanding now.

Without trying to bash Alienware, it is what it is. I don't know how much has changed since they were taken over by Dell, but I was never really impressed with their older machines. Assembled machines are less headache, and there's no hassle in component compatibility, and figuring out why your damn computer won't POST after putting it together. Building a computer from scratch, or even a barebones kit, is less expensive. You are going to pay extra for that Alienware name and support and special nameplate on the outside.

When I rebuilt my computer, I spent <$900 because I only had to replace the motherboard, processor and memory. Already had a case and power supply and everything else, from my previous build. And keep in mind that bloomfield itself is easily $200 more than lynnfield. How much did you spend on this one?

just over 1600 for the whole thing. that includes a 2tb external, external disk drive, 360 game controller and a computer headset.

[Devaclis]

My Alienware rig is a great system as well. The Warranty is solid. 4 hour, on site support. Yeah, it is pricey but sometimes paying more for a solid system that is custom built for you, with full documentation, support, and proven reliability as a "system" is worth it.

I could sure as hell build a Ferrari GT replica out of old VW parts and it would be nice. But if I had the money, I would rather have the actual Ferrari GT.