I wanted to break it down, to see exactly what the savings would be if I decided to make my own computer vs. buying one from alienware. So for ****s and giggles, I made a custom Alienware computer and tried to find similar parts on newegg in order to draw a comparison. I would like Betty and other Gurus opinion and suggestions.

ALIENWARE AURORA ALX - $5,678.00 (FREE SHIPPING)
-AMD FX-60
-Alienware AlienIce" 2.0 Video Cooling
-Alienware ALX Full-Tower Chassis
-Alienware 650 Watt ATX 2.0 Power Supply
-Dual 512MB PCI-Express x16 NVIDIA GeForce" 7800 GTX - SLI Enabled
-2GB Low Latency Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz - 2 x 1024MB
-148GB RAID0 (2 x 74GB Serial ATA 10,000 RPM w/8MB Cache)
-16x Dual Layer DVDR/W Drive
-Integrated High-Performance 7.1 Surround Sound with S/PDIF and Coaxial Digital Outputs
-Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 with Service Pack 2

CUSTOME HOME BUILT (New Egg Parts) - $3800 + shipping
-AMD FX-60 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103608 - $1,319.00
-Cheap Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119068 - $49.99
-A 650w Power supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817159056 - $149.99
-Dual 512MB PCI-Express x16 NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143044 - $1500
-2 GB DDR 400mhz Ram - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146970 - $195.00
-Dual 10k Raptors - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144160 - $300
-A DVD R/W Drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106013 - $41.99
- A 7.1 support sound card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102188 - $115.00
- Windows SP2 Home - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837116194 - $100.00

So in conclusion the savings worked out to be around $1,700 however the Alienware would have an advanced liquid cooling system, comes built and ready to go, professionally tweaked and enhanced to make sure it works as best it can. It also comes with a 1 year warantee.

Still... at a savings of $2,000 one could live without the liquid cooling system and the fancy schmancy stuff... that is of course if the layman can actually put it together from a bucket of parts and incoherent instructions. ...and hopefully the chosen parts are actually compatible.

CONCLUSION: It's disheartening to know that Alienware is basically sticking a $1,700 labor bill up the consumers arse... It makes it very hard for me to give someone that amount of money, knowing that if i had the know how I could make the same thing and have 2grand to throw around on other things.

FINAL THOUGHT: It would be much cheaper to buy the parts, fly Betty or Gibson to Pennsylvania, pick them up at the airport, feed and shelter them for the weekend, and have them build my computer. :|

ADD: I also checked OverdrivePC, they can make basically the same system for $5,175.00 narrowing the gap to closer to $1400

www.overdrivepc.com

You don't need the AMD FX-60 processor. You can easily get by with a much cheaper processor. You don't need a sound card, as most motherboards have built-in sound. You can take the CD/DVD drive out of your old computer and put it into the new one, assuming you have one. You can probably get a "free" copy of Windows if you know where to look...

You forgot the motherboard. I'll assume you spend $130 on that, and $85 on the processor (which is really all you need to spend)

That'll cut your total cost down to $2,410.

Make sure the processor and motherboard have the same FSB (front-side bus) speed.

Personally, I don't like the idea of liquid running through my chassis, but that's just my paranoia.

It all comes down to what your abilities are, and what you are willing to risk. I build my own because I'm more confident in my abilities to assemble and setup my computer than I am in the guy at the factory. Also, I think Alienware's cases are butt ugly, and they don't put the exact brands I like in every part. At the same time I take the risk of getting a bad part at newegg and having to go through the RMA process to get a replacement. Oh, and building your own is a very satisfying experience.

So, who's abilities are you more confident in, your own or the guy at the factory?

You don't need the AMD FX-60 processor. You can easily get by with a much cheaper processor. You don't need a sound card, as most motherboards have built-in sound. You can take the CD/DVD drive out of your old computer and put it into the new one, assuming you have one. You can probably get a "free" copy of Windows if you know where to look...

That'll cut your total cost down to $2,500 or so.

Ok... good point, I can score a "free" Windows Professional I guess...
If you saw my current CD Drive you would laugh... it's some crap $19.95 CD (Not DVD) Drive that I got to replace my old one. Ok... I can drop the sound card... that's good, I only have 5.1 speakers anyways.

..and yeah I probably don't need the FX-60 (But I was just using it to draw a comparisson between the two.)

...and that's still $2,500 to call ALL-IN on.... and my computer intellect is at best a pair of 10's with a King - Ace - Three on the table.

I have a linux server that I run out of my house... I built it from the ground up for a total of $400. If you just want to get your feet wet without spending that much money, you could do that, too.

Then you could download & install Fedora and enter into the wonderful world of Linux! :nice:

So, who's abilities are you more confident in, your own or the guy at the factory?

The guy at the factory, hands down.
He's had training. He knows what he is doing.
Now granted he may be a moron in most respects, but he still knows more about this particular field.

I'm not confident in my own abilities, mostly because of all the computer problems that I deemed "unfixable" over the years. Sure, I can plug things in according to the manual, and build the machine according to instructions... it's the "after" part that scares me off. Got everything put together, start the computer, and then begin the nightmare.

all you have to do is get into the BIOS and make it boot directly from your Fedora CD :D

all you have to do is get into the BIOS and make it boot directly from your Fedora CD :D

a.) What would a guy like me want/need linux for.

b.) The word BIOS scares me to death. The first thing I think of is the old windows where you had to do that C:/asdf/boot/blahblahblah stuff...

I'm more familiar with:
>>>>CLICK THIS BUTTON<<<< to install.

k

>>>>CLICK THIS BUTTON<<<<< to continue.

k

>>>>CLICK THIS BUTTON<<<<< to register.

skip, never remind me

a.) What would a guy like me want/need linux for.



So you could run your own MySQL database and your own Apache web site with custom-written PHP scripts to make a web application?

Oh, wait, nevermind...


b.) The word BIOS scares me to death. The first thing I think of is the old windows where you had to do that C:/asdf/boot/blahblahblah stuff...


All you do it hit "F1" or "Delete" when the computer first boots up. Then it takes you into an interface that is really very easy to navigate...

You might not even have to do that if the BIOS comes pre-confgured to boot from CD (which most of them do) but let's face it: if you can't navigate a BIOS, you shouldn't be building your own computer...

It's a lot of money you're talking about to have someone else basically do the one thing you feel uncomfortable with....namely, installing the operating system. Buy the parts, put it together, call someone from DA, and install the OS, pocket your 1.5k, and play some great games.

Or, buy all the parts, drop them off at your local computer shop, and have them put it all together, for a couple hundred bucks. You still save a butt-load of money, (which, I might add, can be spent on some very cool games to play on your new uber machine).

They are not talking about flashing your BIOS they are talking about entering your BIOS configuration on boot, which is something essential to do if you want to enable drives etc.

I went through the same debate with myself about 6 months ago...buy an Alienware or build my own. I chose to buy the Alienware.
Basically, anytime you build a computer it's going to require time to assemble, and time to debug problems with the newly assembled system. Then time to tweak performance, and more time to install and configure software.
Since I don't have a lot of time at the end of the day to devote to building a new PC, I chose to pay the additional cost of an Alienware just so I wouldn't have to to bother with the details.
If you have a lot of time on your hands, or you don't have enough $$ to consider the Alienware, then building your own is probably the better option.

Ok... for the hell of it... let me run down a list of what I would use if I were to actually make my own computer. You tell me if anything would conflict, or if something else would be better suited.

First the CASE I chose:
Thermaltake XASER, Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum/Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133154 It got good reviews...and is $50 cheaper than the Lian one Betty had suggested (..and it has a $20 rebate on top of that)
It's also Real Big, which means more space, which should make it easier for a n00b like myself. It includes 4 fans which should keep it nice and cool.. and some USB ports on the front which is handy. COST: $130.00 (after rebate)

Next I need to choose a PROCESSOR... so I'll say the FX57 because It's cheaper than going with the best, and I'm sure the difference is negligible for what I'll be doing (Games.) Plus it's, or so I hear, the fastest single core on the market. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103558
COST: $1011.00

HARDDRIVE - I guess dual 74GB 10k Raptors... because it seems like the norm for the gaming community. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144160
COST: $266.00 (after rebate) OR perhaps a Single 150GB 10k Raptor... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136012 for $294.00 (I'm not sure which would be better.... suggestions?)

CD/DVD DRIVE - Uhh... this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152058 because it's only $40.00 and I don't know what the difference is between this one and similar ones that are twice the cost. Perhaps it's not as fast, but I don't really care how long it takes to install the game... and that's all I'll really be using it for. It got out of 5 eggs, so it can't be all that bad. COST: $40.00

RAM - No friggin clue what the difference is between the brands. I do what 2 gig of ram though... I like ram. :| Anyways... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227210 because it's $200 for 2 gig after rebate. I AM OPEN FOR SUGGESTIONS here... I don't want to skimp on this. COST: $200.00 (after rebate)


Ok... need your help on the rest!

Video Card - This is where I am the least knowledgable... I really have no friggin clue... I want the biggest baddest video card available in this thing.
I do know that the VCard is the most important piece regarding gaming. So I need it to be compatible with everything out, and everything to come. Probably a 512MB of some sorts... Can I run two in order to boost it to the limit. If this is possible/logical I'm probably looking at $1500 for this.

Power Supply Derr.... no clue. Whatever you tell me I need.

Whatever else I need...

With video cards, you have two choices. Get the latest and greatest from ATI, or get the latest and greatest from NVidia. I'm a NVidia guy, because I've had problems with ATI cards in the past. Just buy the top-end model of whatever their latest card is. It's gonna be obsolete in 18 months anyway, but at least if you get the best now, it won't be obsolete in 12 months.

Once you've chosen the graphics card, find out how much power it needs, and buy your power supply accordingly.

As for the processor, you really don't need to spend $1000 on it. The processor in my gaming machine cost $85 and it performs great. You won't get any benefit from having a faster processor than your graphics card, because all the heavy processing for games goes through the graphics card anyway.

Don't forget the motherboard! You won't get far without one... Find out what kind of motherboard slot your graphics card occupies, what kind of slot your processor occupies, and what speed its FSB is (front side bus) and buy a motherboard accordingly.


EDIT: On a side note, when I bought my last video card I was strapped for cash but I really wanted a card that didn't have problems with Call of Duty (my previous ATI card did have problems with that game) So I bought the stripped-down version of the latest and greatest NVidia card. It's a GeForce 6200, and it only cost $89. It runs everything I have beautifully.

SO what the hell does the processor do then... O_O

$85 vs. $1000 and you are telling me it will make no difference in gaming?

The one you're looking at is a 64-bit processor with a 1GHz front side bus.

You'd have to buy Windows XP 64-bit edition to use it, and games aren't written for that OS.

just buy your own parts and fly Gibson out:D

I think it all looks good except for the RAID 0.

I dont think I would do that if I were you.
you will get a small performance increase, but if either one of the hard drives chokes you have lost everything.
Do they have the option of adding a 3rd drive and doing RAID-5?

You'd have to buy Windows XP 64-bit edition to use it, and games aren't written for that OS

that is not true.
You dont have to buy windows XP 64 to use a 64 bit processor.

and most 32 bit applications will run fine on windows XP 64.
They just wont take advantage of the 64-bitness of it all. :P

...okay. but the point is that spending $1000 on a 64-bit processor won't help your gaming performance.

The point of buying a 64 bit processor is the fact that it is the direction the technology is moving, and his hardware will remain 'relevant' longer.

more and more apps will be released that are 64 bit, and his hardware will support them.

..and by the time there are enough apps available to justify a purchase of a 64-bit processor, the prices will have dropped dramatically.

Well, it's inevitable, all of the currently manufactured AMD's are 64 bit and so are most of the Intels. 64 bit doesn't really cost extra anyway.

and by the time there are enough apps available to justify a purchase of a 64-bit processor, the prices will have dropped dramatically.

prices will always go down. Thats why I dont buy the "newest" chip.
I just picked up an X2 4200. it's great for me.
But some folks like the fastest thing available, even if they have to pay a premium to get it. This is america damnit! stop talking like a commie and let Eric buy his chip!
;)

Will the AMD ATHLON FX60 with dual 512Mb GeForce 7800 GTX's dramatically increase the performance of my toaster, or will the results be negligible?

:|

I think you should consider an ABS, or maybe a Betty special if ya trust me enough.
I went to ABS and put this together:
LOGITECH CORDLESS DESKTOP MX3100 2-TONE RF WIRELESS KEYBOARD
Mitsumi 8-In-1 Card Reader with Floppy Drive Combo (Black Color)
Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2
ABS Stealth Black ATX Mid-tower Case (Black Color)
Enermax Whisper II 2.0 SLI 535W Power supply
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium nVIDIA nForce4 SLI AMD Socket 939 Socket Motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 FX-57 2.8GHz 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939
Thermaltake K450
Corsair XMS Extreme Memory 2GB (2 x 1GB)
Quantity 2 of Geforce 7800GTX 256MB/256-bit GDDR3 PCI-E
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum 7.1 with 1394
Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10000RPM 8MB SATA x2 (RAID 0)
Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA II
Sony 16x DVD-ROM Drive (Black Color)
NEC 16X DVD+/- RW Dual Layer Drive (Black Color)

Total cost
$4,163.99
plus $65 shipping to Pennsylvania
$4,228.99

Will the AMD ATHLON FX60 with dual 512Mb GeForce 7800 GTX's dramatically increase the performance of my toaster, or will the results be negligible?

:|
Negligable, but in a year or two when newer more advanced games come out, you may see a difference.

Though the FX57 is faster in gaming, I would go with a dual core, as it will cut down on system stalls and make for a better all around computing experience.:nice:

for what it is worth.. I did not notice much (if any) difference between my single core athlon and my dual core X2 athlon for anything except my audio apps, which support multiple processors.
For everything else the difference was negligable.

That's odd. I just base this off my experiences with a dual PII I had some years ago. I never got a single stall on it while my PIII at work stalled left and right.

I think Feenix566 has the wrong idea about the Ath 64 line.

It's not just the 64-bit abilities. The entire architecture of the processor is more advanced than the older procs. I've run same-clock-rate Athlons against each other and the newer 64-bit procs (in a totally 32 bit environ) still beat the 32-bit procs soundly.

well maybe I do have the wrong idea. the only time i research the latest technologies is when i'm shopping for new computer parts, and my current configuration is working fine for me.

all I know is that I spent $80 on my processor, and $89 on my graphics card, and the thing runs COD2 like a charm :nice:

for the difference in price, you could buy a new computer every year for ten years for the same price as one computer that you expect to last for ten years.

that's not an unreasonable outlook either. Whatever works for ya.
I had a ahrd time upgrading to the X2 recently.. I wanted to wait until clock speeds were higher, but it seems they have leveled off a bit, and chip manufacturers are going to dual-core route to make up for it.

If my studio were a bit busier I would have looked seriously at a dual dual-core opteron setup. That woulda been sweet for the audio stuff.

Hell I'm game, I need a vacation anyways :D