Asking opinion about gaming laptop bargains (impulse buying) - Alienware 17 R4

Lrazgrizhan on 17/01/2018 - 03:43
Last edited 17/01/2018 - 03:44

Hi fellow Ozbargainers, this is my 1st time make an thread, so please be nice :).
Recently I am planning to upgrade my laptop for heavy gaming but my budget roughly about upto 1500.

Long story short I am looking at several deals, even looking at preowned at gumtree as well. but by an accident, i went to dell refurbished website laptop.

i clicked the alienware laptop and got a product that is quoted "as new" with the spec as

Alienware 17 R4 Gaming Laptop, Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700HQ (Quad-Core,
6MB Cache, up to 3.8GHz w/ Turbo Boost);16GB DDR4 at 2400MHz
(2x8GB);512GB PCIe SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s
(Storage);Windows 10 Home (64bit) English;;Killer 1535 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and
Bluetooth 4.1;17.3 inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS Anti-Glare 300-nits
Display;NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5;Power Supply :
Alienware 180W AC Adapter;Lithium Ion (68 Wh) Battery;Backlit Keyboard

The price quoted is $2119, I chatted with the sales rep , he said it is like brand new no minor marks or anything just only some customer cancel their order. since it is way more than my previous budget , but for the impulse of getting should I go for it or not? is it worth the investment? polls also posted. thank you all,

ps, any opinion also greatly appreciated.

Poll Options

  • 4
    + GO for it
  • 19
    + Not worth it
Computing

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 17/01/2018 - 05:47
    +1

    They are heavy and overheat regularly, you could build a decent desktop for the same cost.

    • vinni9284 on 17/01/2018 - 07:51

      I agree with stormII

      I have 3 Alienwares (2 x 17" & 1 x 13") over the years, the fans are very loud and they are quite bulky. Especially the 17" ~ 4 - 5KGs.

      My 13" has an Alienware graphics amp and has died twice (faulty IC - power controller) so now I am questioning the quality and reliability of these newer units.

      The only good thing I can say about the Alienware, is that you can add a dedicated Graphics amplifier with a GPU for example, add a GTX1080 and then you connect your laptop by cable to the back of it when you get home and it switches to the better GPU.

      The amp then outputs to your dedicated monitor.

      So basically, it saves you upgrading your laptop in a hurry and most out there (if not all now) have the GPU part of the PCB. Laptops don't come with MXM-type graphics these days (replaceable & upgradeable GPU like a RAM drive) or if so it's very hard to find.

      Edit: I can see most ppl voted that it is not worth it but IMO it is not too bad of a price. I mean @ JB, the price would be closer to $3K and many are forgetting that it is a 17" unit with 512GB SSD. Although it has a GTX1060 but don't forget the res is only FHD and will play well. It is not a 4K screen.

      Cheers

      • razgrizhan on 17/01/2018 - 10:34

        i see, yeah unfortunately i prefer laptop because i am a bit mobile out of other cities everytime. and yeah the bad things about alienware is the heavy stuff. thank you for your advice :). the upgrade gpu things also quite interesting

      • razgrizhan on 17/01/2018 - 10:49

        since you had 3 previous alienware, what is good thing about alienware besides the cons? if we are selling it due upgrade the price is still quite good because of the name of the brand like apple?

        • vinni9284 on 17/01/2018 - 11:03

          I have 3 Alienwares due to buying them for a bargain.

          Like any laptop, the biggest killer is heat. The IC chips are BGA welded, meaning the solder can detach over time off the board when they run hot for a long time. That can render the laptop useless and these days it is not really worth to repair.

          Therefore, you have to factor clear air flow/dissipation of heat upon use hence have a laptop cooler which will give the laptop greater life longevity.

          Tbh, I am generally happy with the other 2. They are quick, built robust and I love the RGB Chroma Lighting effects which stand out from the rest.

          Cheers

        • razgrizhan on 17/01/2018 - 11:15

          @vinni9284: The price of this alienware also attracted me (ozbargainers instinct ) hahaha. i have laptop cooler from my previous laptop from cooler master with 4 big fan . thanks for the info as a alienware user, very helpfull. how about the price if you want to sell your alienware is it good like an apple brand or not?

        • vinni9284 on 17/01/2018 - 11:31

          @razgrizhan:

          One thing I have learnt.

          Buy the laptop that makes YOU happy. You will get a mix of people that are subjective. There is always something that you can pick on with anything.

          The good thing about the Alienware is that you can buy the Alienware amplifier (Usually second hand for $100 off Gumtree), can add another graphics card if "eventually" the GTX1060 struggles. So there is some form of future-proofing.

          Don't forget, the LED screen is only FHD and the GTX1060 will "easily" handle every game on full settings IMO. If it was a 4K screen, then you need the GTX1080, but then get ready to spend $5K for it.

          The amplifier is an Alienware proprietary item so you can expect it to work well. Not an external add-on that can be buggy. There are other brands that you can add but not sure about them.

          Generally, Alienware holds their value well due to popularity. You are buying a mid-tier machine so you are not going to lose as much as a higher-tier machine with depreciation if you decide to sell.

          I will keep my machines as I like Alienware.

          But that's me.

          Buy what you like and makes you happy. You have warranty with Dell and going by my experience, they are rapid.

          Cheers

        • razgrizhan on 17/01/2018 - 12:05

          @vinni9284: Thanks so much for the advice cheers

        • razgrizhan on 17/01/2018 - 14:14

          @vinni9284: i am planning to playing it connected to my tv ? I had old tv panasonic vierra is it okay with it or you think i should upgrade my tv into 4k?

        • vinni9284 on 17/01/2018 - 14:21

          @razgrizhan:

          Don't waste your money on a 4K TV. You need at least a GTX1080 to run 4K smoothly and that is on only medium settings depending on game.

          Edit: Btw, you just can't get any 4K TV that will smoothly display the games such as @4K:60Hz 4:4:4 8Bit HDR10. You need a mid-tier / higher end TV such as an OLED. So add another $1800+ to the price.

          The GTX1080i will do all settings, but then that's another $1100 for the card.

          The Alienware that you have picked above will struggle to run 4K but smooth on 1080p

          Stick to your trusty Panasonic @ 1080p:60Hz

          Cheers

        • razgrizhan on 17/01/2018 - 21:44

          @vinni9284: awesome i didnt know that hv to hv gtx1080 to run 4k smoothly.

        • vinni9284 on 17/01/2018 - 22:16

          @razgrizhan:

          If that is the case then I'd advise you to hold off and do more research before purchase.

          That way, you won't make a regrettable "impulsive" buy

          :-)

    • Oz8argain on 17/01/2018 - 10:24

      That's not the point. OP wants a laptop because he/she might travel a lot or need to take it to school/work. Obviously desktop is better at dollar to performance ratio but what's the point if you're not home 5 days a week ? I personally have a 2k gaming PC I have upgraded over the years but I'm never at home to use it and it became an expensive decoration

      • razgrizhan on 17/01/2018 - 10:35

        yup thats correct i travel a lot so desktop pc is not an option

    • razgrizhan on 17/01/2018 - 10:38

      yeah ideally desktop would be cheaper and easier to build up but mostly i do travel a lot so pc is out of option

  • AlienC on 17/01/2018 - 07:23
    +1

    You can do better.

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/355134

    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Dell-Inspiron-15-7000-Gaming-Cor…

    $1359 AUD

    https://www.harveynorman.com.au/acer-predator-helios-300-15-…

    $1796 AUD

    My personal favourite: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-i7-7700HQ-1060-6GB-G3-5…

    Items: AUD 1,305.97
    Shipping & handling: AUD 44.97
    Courtesy Credit: -AUD 13.05
    Total before tax: AUD 1,337.89
    Estimated tax to be collected: AUD 0.00
    Import Fees Deposit AUD 221.43
    Order total: AUD 1,559.32

    Only issue is you need either a travel power adapter plug or new Australian power supply which is roughly $100 AUD and no Australian warranty. Ignore the courtesy credit but it's about $1600 AUD shipped from Amazon US. You can sell the US power supply if you want to recoup your costs or look for a trade.

    Just noticed your one is 17.3" the ones I listed is 15.6" sorry if this changes things but the core components should be the same main difference is the storage but you will want your own SSD and HDD combo.

    Honestly if you are paying over $1600 AUD for a gaming laptop aim for a GTX 1070 on one of the eBay sales or refurbished deals.

    They don't come often but when they do you can score nvidia GTX 1070 15.6" laptops for around $1900 AUD best I think I ever seen was $1700-1800 AUD but that was a one off.

    • razgrizhan on 17/01/2018 - 10:36

      thank you for the alternative choices you are giving. is acer good compared to dell?

      • AlienC on 17/01/2018 - 13:54

        Pretty good imho. Was recommended by many reputable reviewers and none have said anything bad about it. Check Amazon negative ro critical reviews if you want the real scoop on the underbelly of this laptop.

  • Oz8argain on 17/01/2018 - 11:01

    Not sure if you've seen Lius tech tips on youtube, he reviews a lot of gaming laptops

    • razgrizhan on 17/01/2018 - 11:16

      never saw him mates, will try too look for him on youtube now thx for the info

      • AlienC on 17/01/2018 - 13:53

        Acer Predator Helios 300 was recommended by Linus and Dave 2D and a few other tech review YouTubers.

        Not sure what the new king is now but this was their recommended pick last year for performance budget.

        If you had a friend coming from America you could score some killer deals but import duty tax for Australians kills it.

        • razgrizhan on 17/01/2018 - 14:11

          Yeah the tax and the dollar rate,plus dont know about the warranty is it good at australia or not compared dell

        • AlienC on 17/01/2018 - 14:59

          @razgrizhan: personally warranty means nothing to me as if this dies in 2-3 years you will be wanting a new one by then unless you are really frugal.

          Most likely you won't even be able to get it covered by warranty and personally I like to fix my own stuff when it comes to hardware.. But building it is another thing.

        • razgrizhan on 17/01/2018 - 21:42

          @AlienC: i cant fixed my own mate :( thanks anyway for the advice

  • dexx on 25/06/2018 - 11:50

    Anything better than Alienware for portable gaming?

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