What do you guys think of Alienware PCs?

[Gregg_Seipp 569]

I'm looking at this one which has an RTX 4090. https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/alienware-aurora-r16-gaming-desktop/spd/alienware-aurora-r16-desktop/useahctor16i08

They also have a model with a 4080Ti here. https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/alienware-aurora-r16-gaming-desktop/spd/alienware-aurora-r16-desktop/useahbtsr16igxxd

I've had Dell XPS computers for years and been happy with them.  Thoughts?

Gregg

[Iadbound 211]

The reviews are mediocre. 

I would build it yourself if you can. 

[tpete61 228]

Your about to get a multitude of opinions making your choice no easier!

I would NEVER ask for advice like this on a Flight Sim Forum!!!

 

[Maladoror 89]

Happy yes. I would not of bought an Alienware, my wife bought it for me for Christmas. You can get a similar or less priced prebuilt. Alienware uses proprietary parts and is not friendly when trying to upgrade components. Alienware will also throttle the system to Intel specs where others will go beyond intel specs and increase performance. Of course, with an Alienware you will never have the problem that some 13th and 14th intel CPUs are having problems when running beyond specs.

Edited April 25 by Maladoror

[Gregg_Seipp 569]

9 minutes ago, tpete61 said:

Your about to get a multitude of opinions making your choice no easier!

I would NEVER ask for advice like this on a Flight Sim Forum!!!

 

I guess, really it comes down to the fact that I don't want to build my own this time so I'm looking for a prebuilt.  I want to avoid the build yourself forums.  

[Tuskin38 6,581]

If you don't want to build one yourself, there might be a local computer place that will build it for you.

[vbazillio 2,292]

Bought an Aurora R11 with a 3080 but the small case make it very noisy. It becomes a second PC for MSFS dev and finally, I bought an second pre assembled PC at ly local shop just afterward. So, I wouldn’t recommand as a MSFS user.

Edited April 25 by vbazillio

[Speedbird 217 135]

Got an R15 Aurora with 13900KF and 4090 last year and very happy with it. I have been building my own PCs from scratch for 20 years before that but decided it was time for a change.

[YukonPete 594]

19 minutes ago, Speedbird 217 said:

Got an R15 Aurora with 13900KF and 4090 last year and very happy with it. I have been building my own PCs from scratch for 20 years before that but decided it was time for a change.

Most people go the other way. Terrible PC's

[Gregg_Seipp 569]

1 hour ago, vbazillio said:

Bought an Aurora R11 with a 3080 but the small case make it very noisy. It becomes a second PC for MSFS dev and finally, I bought an second pre assembled PC at ly local shop just afterward. So, I wouldn’t recommand as a MSFS user.

That's the other possibility, I guess.  Have someone local build it for me.  

[Bdub22 1,616]

I went with Jetline Systems back in 2020, mostly because there was a huge shortage (read: scalping) on 3xxx video cards and because I knew I wanted to build a system dedicated only to flightsim and those kind of shops were the only way to get your hands on a video card without paying 3x for it. I have always been super happy with what they shipped me. I will admit, I did have a hiccup with them. I kept getting CTD's and their response was pretty much "its a new platform, we're seeing that all over the place", and of course, they weren't wrong about that. However, after doing a lot of research on my own, I finally discovered it was simply a setting in BIOS. I can't remember exactly what it was, but once I un-ticked a box, I never had a CTD again. I was slightly annoyed that that one simple trick fixed everything and they seemingly didn't know about it. However, my experience was great and they really were great to work with. Long story short, if you're going to go with a pre-built for flightsim, look into companies that do that exclusively and stay away from Alienware. I've read some stories about their overpriced builds. 

[LRBS 948]

2 hours ago, Gregg_Seipp said:

I'm looking at this one which has an RTX 4090. https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/alienware-aurora-r16-gaming-desktop/spd/alienware-aurora-r16-desktop/useahctor16i08

They also have a model with a 4080Ti here. https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/alienware-aurora-r16-gaming-desktop/spd/alienware-aurora-r16-desktop/useahbtsr16igxxd

I've had Dell XPS computers for years and been happy with them.  Thoughts?

Gregg

I would suggest visiting Microcenter in Charlotte if you don't feel comfortable building a PC yourself. At first, I was intimidated by the idea of assembling a computer. It took me approximately two weeks to find the correct parts and about three days to complete the build. However, by thoroughly researching each component, you can ensure that your build exceeds the quality and attention provided by many vendors. Don't settle for anything less than excellence - take the time to do your homework.

[Funky D 275]

35 minutes ago, LRBS said:

I would suggest visiting Microcenter in Charlotte if you don't feel comfortable building a PC yourself.

I'll second this, and MicroCenter also has prebuilt machines (I believe PowerSpec is their in-house brand, and they also sell iBuyPower, Asus, Alienware, and some other brands). They can even help you pick out parts and build a custom machine for you from scratch if you'd like. I'm a fan of XPS laptops (and Alienware laptops) as well, but as others mentioned, you'll probably want to avoid Alienware desktops. Aside from the proprietary parts, a friend of mine bought a fancy water cooled Alienware system on a whim, and even with the water cooling that thing always sounds like a jet about to take off. I prefer leaving the jet sounds to MSFS.

If you're within a few hours of a MicroCenter it's definitely worth the trek. But a word of caution: the place is like a candy store for everything tech and they usually have pretty good sales, so you may want to steer clear of browsing the aisles if you want to keep your wallet happy!

[Gregg_Seipp 569]

1 hour ago, Funky D said:

I'll second this, and MicroCenter also has prebuilt machines (I believe PowerSpec is their in-house brand, and they also sell iBuyPower, Asus, Alienware, and some other brands). They can even help you pick out parts and build a custom machine for you from scratch if you'd like. I'm a fan of XPS laptops (and Alienware laptops) as well, but as others mentioned, you'll probably want to avoid Alienware desktops. Aside from the proprietary parts, a friend of mine bought a fancy water cooled Alienware system on a whim, and even with the water cooling that thing always sounds like a jet about to take off. I prefer leaving the jet sounds to MSFS.

If you're within a few hours of a MicroCenter it's definitely worth the trek. But a word of caution: the place is like a candy store for everything tech and they usually have pretty good sales, so you may want to steer clear of browsing the aisles if you want to keep your wallet happy!

Okay, I'll look them up.  I've had Alienware laptops and XPS desktops for years.  I love their warranties.  They've always taken care of issues.  Never had an Alienware desktop.

EDIT:  They have their grand opening in Charlotte May 10.  This one is similar to the Alienware:  https://www.microcenter.com/product/677549/hp-omen-45l-gt22-2090-gaming-pc

Gregg

Edited April 26 by Gregg_Seipp

[FBW737 516]

Build your own!