Some questions befor buying.

[Arrawan]

Hi guys,
I've been wanting an Alienware for a longtime.
After owning an XPS and being robbed I thought about it and am about to make the purchase.
This is what I might get:
M14x: i7-3630QM, 14" (1366 x 768 | 720p), 16GB DDR3, 750GB 7200 RPM, 2 GB DDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M, Broadcom BCM4352 5GWiFi 2x2ac.

I managed to get a $300usd discount because it has windows 8 and it sucks. so total of ~$2200 usd.

Any way, the thing holding that purchase is the warranty. If I wan't to extend the warranty for 3 years (basic) it's like 600 bucks more. I had just seen some lenovos and they are offering to expand your warranty for 3 years for just $1.
It made me think, if it's that expensive, the warranty, it's because you need it; meaning it WILL fail. But I really don't know since I've never owned an alienware nor know some one that has. I've owned Dell before and never had an issue.

So you guys have had the M14x for a while, how reliable are them? Is extending the warranty to 3 years a must? Not that I don't want to, but damn it's $600 extra for which I could get a SSD.

Thanks a lot and hopefully I'll be back here as a happy owner of an Alienware.

 

[Maelstrom]

I would forget about 16GB of RAM and wait until later to see if you really need it. You probably will never use more than 8GB. You should definantly upgrade the screen to 900p because that's one of the few things you can't upgrade later after you purchase the laptop. I don't even know why 720p is an option. You probably don't need the 2GB video card as you probably won't use more than 1GB of it. Other than that I don't see a problem.

I don't see extending the waranty needed as much unless you have a higher risk of damaging it (like carrying it around a lot and such).

 

[MattyB]

From what people have said around here on other threads I would definitely upgrade the screen like Maelstrom said. Apparently the cheaper screen is pretty bad. I would go for a 2GB GPU just for future use since you can't change that decision later either. Things like RAM, HDD and CPU can be upgraded if you want later.

 

[Commy1]

The warranty is pretty hefty, the biggest question I think you should ask is, will those specs still be useable in 3 years?
I bought an m14X R1 with the 555M and I sold it within a year of owning it because the card was already struggling. The 650 will obviously last a bit longer but 3 years? I think you could deal with a 2 year warranty. Computers now a days are almost meant to be disposable, identifying that time to sell for the best price is something everyone needs to learn. Most people are of the mind that you should run whatever it is you buy into the ground and then buy new, I don't see the problem with buying new, running with it for as long as you can, selling and buying an upgraded version.
As mentioned, you will be able to upgrade the CPU, RAM and HDD on your own, but if you're not confident in that, then don't plan for it. Mobile CPU's aren't an off the shelf product anywhere and remember the GPU is soldered onto the board, so replacing it will mean an entirely new MOBO. As far as I know, Dell will charge you an arm and a leg to upgrade the MOBO with the new GPU on it, but it can be done.

Think about your situation and what you think you need, how long you plan to use it, how you plan to use it, etc then purchase.
I truly wish that it was possible to custom build laptops. They keep saying the PC is dead, but people just kind of realized that buying a PC outright is lame, especially when most people would rather have an iPad or tablet they can carry around rather than be stuck to a desk. Specific components is where powerful PC's will always be from now on.

 

[SpyderBite]

It's been a long time since I have owned a computer longer than 18 months. So, I haven't been adding any additional warranties to my new computers lately. Most warranties don't cover lost or stolen or accidental damage anyways so portability is only a small factor. If you purchase with a credit card, check with the issuing bank. Many, especially Amex add an additional year of coverage automatically.

 

[AeonSoul]

Also, keep in mind that you don't need to purchase the extended warranty right of the bat, you can extend it later on if you really need it.

 

[Arrawan]

Thank you very much for the answers. They were exactly what I needed. I will consider all those points and see my options.

Cheers,

 

[Sleepy]

One other thing I would like to add is , the warranty you will find you can get from them much cheaper than that , you
Did well getting some $ off for the win 8 thing but please trust me .... Play a bit of hard ball with the sale team on the phone and you WILL see that price come down loads more ,, I got all my warranty nearly free and I managed to get around $900 knocked off the total price from around $3,800 down $2,900 ish .. And the warranty is the thing they can discount the most ... Ring again and say you would like to buy it , but you want the extra things and if they can give you a better price you will buy it now .... Then when you get your better price .. Still say you will need to ring back and repeat once more ... Remember they REALLY want to sell you a Alienware hope this helps you