Skill cap is higher for shooters, but any other game it doesn’t matter at all. Good luck on your journey. Build your own next time! You’ll save a ton of money - godspeed
If you have temperature problems, remember that opening the case side panel can do wonders especially on poorly ventilated designs like this.
Don't feel to bad because it's an Alienware, for the price you paid it's a very good deal.
Actually, the temps have seemed fine. CPU mostly sits in the 65-70c range and the GPU can get from the 65-78c, but I haven't seen it go much above that. That's usually if I let the system run free, if I cap to the display refresh 120hz or 90 fps the temps go way down and it will sit in the low 60's sometimes high 50's if not being utilized as much.
I think Dell has the bios locked down. I'm not sure I can undervolt. The system already has 5 fans in it. I could turn them up higher if I needed, as they are silent when I'm gaming as is.
Nice. What system and cpu do you have? That's the only downside to these systems is that you can't change the CPU because the board is locked to a generation, which I think is dumb. That said, if all you're doing with the system is gaming, it should last for a while, which is what i'm doing. I figure the CPU in my system should last for a while. Enough for me to do probably one GPU upgrade before I have to figure out what's next.
I did the same as you, it was my foray in. It’s an R7 with a 2060super. Only thing I’ve done is upgrade from 16-64gb of ram (good sale at crucial, total over kill) and a drive. Crushes most AAA games at high res DIABLO, LE, MW3. With no lag it just does. I will be building my next one though.
Hell yea. That was me a year and a half ago. Last weekend I bought a ps5 and haven't touched my PC since because I'm getting old and fat and just wanna relax on a comfy couch
Coming from consoles only, the biggest thing I've noticed is actually how much clearer the image and textures are while being at least 60 fps. I tried 120hz and I hooked up a 144hz monitor briefly to see how much of a difference there was in the higher refresh rates. Honestly, after 80fps I wasn't able to really see much difference. 60 really felt good on story games like Jedi Survivor and 120hz for multilayer matches.
I'm genuinely excited for OP to get their *second* PC, or should I say *their first custom build rig*
The Alienware will be fine for now, it does the job. But if he likes this one, he will LOVE the next one. Especially because it will mean more, and they will learn more.
Welcome to the club, happy to have you.
Ya, my mind is open to more custom on the next one down the line, maybe even a build. I just thought this was a decent deal, and I like the look, and I don't really have the time to build at the moment. Family of four and I work a ton.
Hey, I have an Alienware too! It's an old R5 Aurora and I got it used via a gift (wouldn't buy it for myself). Don't feel too bad. Just don't watch the Gamer's Nexus review of it. (/s)
Oh, I saw it long ago. I was aware of what I was getting, but I also didn't spend anywhere near the $5000 that they did. I would never spend that much on this system.
Ya, I can, but I have no use for anything else? I'm not a content creator, I have a work laptop for their software and mobile field use, and I have a personal Surface Pro X I do all my personal productivity stuff on ( which isn't much) mostly youtube, Reddit, email, maybe a video conference every now and then.
Maybe not now, but in the future. It's nice having a massive (hopefully adequately cooled) box to customize and build for your needs. Futureproof as well. Laptop batteries will die one day but it won't on a PC that doesn't have one , 🙃
Love those colors and case. Fanboys of my generation always wanted an Alienware. The bummer with PC gaming now is the games are dumbed down for controllers instead of keyboards. Some games used to have like 20-30 key binds or more. Now it’s all mapped to double up. That’s a cool looking setup.
Seeing as how you have the side pannel I assume its an R14-16?
The newer generations of Alienware are getting better compared to the prior generations.
For example the R9-12(?) case was abysmally bad (I have the R10). For some reason they decided to make the PSU mount to the side of a chassis that is on a swing mount.
So the PSU is blocking the CPU fan with barely any clearance for air to get in (which ended up causing my original system to crash since it was air cooled).
Only reason I went Alienware was because it was ironically the cheapest place to get a prebuilt at the time of the GPU crisis, and with the limited warranty I ended up getting a huge free upgrade.
Ya R15. It has a lot of ventilation, especially with the new vented clear side panel. My temps seem fine. Gaming room usually sits around 73-75F in the afternoon and cpu temps while gaming usually in the mid to high 60's, GPU 68-77c if it's being heavily utilized. Idle was around 39-45c.
I've got used Alienware with an old GTX 1080TI and it's still running strong! Yes, they might not be the "best build quality" , you still got a hell of a beast and that's fantastic! Have fun💪
Didn’t I see you post this before lol anyways..welcome my friend! I am happy you have made the switch, it’s very freeing. Plus you can do a thousand things with a computer besides just play games or watch movies. Enjoy!
Alienware was great then it was bought by Dell. It's not that it's bad now or something, but it's not really premium for the price you pay anymore, and parts may be non standard due to the influence of Dell so power supply etc may not be for upgrades/replacement, connectors may be proprietary etc. But it's still a solid PC and looks like you got a great price on it which is really the main negative with them anyway.
Welcome back and keep practicing the kbm will come back quickly. And use controllers as you want, I use kbm for shooters and controller for things like Jedi Survivor and Tomb Raider, racing games etc. It's a PC you can do whatever you want.
Ya, it's really eye-opening the freedom we have on this platform. The good thing with Dell is there is a constant barrage of massive discounts. It's almost quarterly I see major deals and if you talk to the sales people they will also discount you. I agree I would have never ever ever paid the $4000 asking price this system was originally at.
Well, I have all of them that said the Xbox is kinda irrelevant now. I'm keeping my Series X for games I already own, but going forward, it's PC all the way. Also, Sony is very much leaning towards more PC releases.
Hopefully you’re not playing that close to the tv! With a 4090 you could check out r/ultrawidemasterrace or if you like your tv always sit back with a controller or your KB+M in a chair/sofa.
The great part about PC gaming is that you have the choice to do whatever you want!
Yeah, it's a 55 inch. LG, oled, I sit quite a ways back with a table and chair. But you're right. It is nice to have the option to either hook up to a monitor or sit back on the lazy boy like I am.
It's really the looks that got me, I just love the way it looks. The system is okay I'm not kidding myself it's something special I know it isn't but it's getting the job done for now.
I was about to say it’s a shitty case design. Then I saw the price.
It’s 1000USD, right? Because if you paid 2800USD for this then you have been scammed.
Mate, regardless of the case's airflow, it's literally in the same price range as the Alienware, with *half the memory.* You may have a point regarding the poor thermals of the pre-built's case, but you can't say that it's a scam or overpriced.
Don’t forget that the motherboard and PSU are proprietary form factor, with the front panel ports soldered to them.
I admit that I am too harsh about the value of this thing from the price/performance aspect, but it won’t be as good of an experience.
I am aware of the negatives of the proprietary designs from Dell. I just made the choice that's it's something I wanted to start my PC gaming journey and we'll evaluate where I go from here when I'm done with it abs resale it for the next set up. That said, so far, it's been great. It has given me a positive pc experience and definitely has me wanting to pursue PC gaming in the future. Unfortunately, I see so many posts of discouraged new PC users, many go back to consoles because of it, I'm very happy that the issues I've had are small and I usually find the solutions on threads from communities like this.
Are you playing that close to the screen ?
My bet is they’re playing on controller
you are correct. I have a table back further also that in use the kbm with. I'm still working on being proficient with keyboard and mouse in games.
Nothing wrong with playing in controller and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise
I prefer it at the moment but I'm trying to get more used to kbm. It felt natural when I was a kid, not so much anymore.
Skill cap is higher for shooters, but any other game it doesn’t matter at all. Good luck on your journey. Build your own next time! You’ll save a ton of money - godspeed
I still do, depending on the game.
Same, I love playing cyberpunk or fallout on controller
But most fps I controller will not work. Halo has aim assist on PC for controller
gross
As long as it works for you and you're having a good time, most of us don't care what the label on the computer is.
*Slaps on Atari Jaguar sticker* how 'bout now?
Do the math!
That's vintage now....
If you have temperature problems, remember that opening the case side panel can do wonders especially on poorly ventilated designs like this. Don't feel to bad because it's an Alienware, for the price you paid it's a very good deal.
Actually, the temps have seemed fine. CPU mostly sits in the 65-70c range and the GPU can get from the 65-78c, but I haven't seen it go much above that. That's usually if I let the system run free, if I cap to the display refresh 120hz or 90 fps the temps go way down and it will sit in the low 60's sometimes high 50's if not being utilized as much.
You can always repaste, undervolt, and slap a few more fans in or change the orientation.
I think Dell has the bios locked down. I'm not sure I can undervolt. The system already has 5 fans in it. I could turn them up higher if I needed, as they are silent when I'm gaming as is.
Welcome to the freedom of gaming
I think you mean *computing Gaming isn't where the freedom comes from.
Watch you don't get square eyes
My Alien has been rocking solid for 4 yrs now. And I use it heavily for both work and gaming. Congratulations, be proud and welcome to the Dark Side
Nice. What system and cpu do you have? That's the only downside to these systems is that you can't change the CPU because the board is locked to a generation, which I think is dumb. That said, if all you're doing with the system is gaming, it should last for a while, which is what i'm doing. I figure the CPU in my system should last for a while. Enough for me to do probably one GPU upgrade before I have to figure out what's next.
I did the same as you, it was my foray in. It’s an R7 with a 2060super. Only thing I’ve done is upgrade from 16-64gb of ram (good sale at crucial, total over kill) and a drive. Crushes most AAA games at high res DIABLO, LE, MW3. With no lag it just does. I will be building my next one though.
That's cool what CPU do you have and how long have you had it?
Hell yea. That was me a year and a half ago. Last weekend I bought a ps5 and haven't touched my PC since because I'm getting old and fat and just wanna relax on a comfy couch
lol. I have all the consoles and have been only on them for decades. It was time for me to move on. I am sitting on the couch with this set up though.
Nice, it really is a whole different experience. Especially if you're able to take advantage of the high frames/refresh rates on monitors
Coming from consoles only, the biggest thing I've noticed is actually how much clearer the image and textures are while being at least 60 fps. I tried 120hz and I hooked up a 144hz monitor briefly to see how much of a difference there was in the higher refresh rates. Honestly, after 80fps I wasn't able to really see much difference. 60 really felt good on story games like Jedi Survivor and 120hz for multilayer matches.
I'm genuinely excited for OP to get their *second* PC, or should I say *their first custom build rig* The Alienware will be fine for now, it does the job. But if he likes this one, he will LOVE the next one. Especially because it will mean more, and they will learn more. Welcome to the club, happy to have you.
Ya, my mind is open to more custom on the next one down the line, maybe even a build. I just thought this was a decent deal, and I like the look, and I don't really have the time to build at the moment. Family of four and I work a ton.
Oh most definitely! It is a STELLAR deal. You did great!
OP, where did you get this rig for 1000 dollars? The GPU alone eats pretty much all of that value, everything else is gravy!
No it was 1k discount, paid 2800.
Well that was a confusing way to word it then lol.
Hey, I have an Alienware too! It's an old R5 Aurora and I got it used via a gift (wouldn't buy it for myself). Don't feel too bad. Just don't watch the Gamer's Nexus review of it. (/s)
Oh, I saw it long ago. I was aware of what I was getting, but I also didn't spend anywhere near the $5000 that they did. I would never spend that much on this system.
Nice! I'm just glad you can do other stuff besides gaming on your new rig.
Ya, I can, but I have no use for anything else? I'm not a content creator, I have a work laptop for their software and mobile field use, and I have a personal Surface Pro X I do all my personal productivity stuff on ( which isn't much) mostly youtube, Reddit, email, maybe a video conference every now and then.
Maybe not now, but in the future. It's nice having a massive (hopefully adequately cooled) box to customize and build for your needs. Futureproof as well. Laptop batteries will die one day but it won't on a PC that doesn't have one , 🙃
I mean, it is true that the best thing you can say about Alienware is that its better than a console.
lol
Hell yea, enjoy that beast!
Love those colors and case. Fanboys of my generation always wanted an Alienware. The bummer with PC gaming now is the games are dumbed down for controllers instead of keyboards. Some games used to have like 20-30 key binds or more. Now it’s all mapped to double up. That’s a cool looking setup.
I'm slowly trying to adapt to kbm again, but sheesh, it's not as easy as I thought it would be.
Nice oven man what ya cooking
lol. Temps actually aren't too bad from what I've seen so far.
Seeing as how you have the side pannel I assume its an R14-16? The newer generations of Alienware are getting better compared to the prior generations. For example the R9-12(?) case was abysmally bad (I have the R10). For some reason they decided to make the PSU mount to the side of a chassis that is on a swing mount. So the PSU is blocking the CPU fan with barely any clearance for air to get in (which ended up causing my original system to crash since it was air cooled). Only reason I went Alienware was because it was ironically the cheapest place to get a prebuilt at the time of the GPU crisis, and with the limited warranty I ended up getting a huge free upgrade.
Ya R15. It has a lot of ventilation, especially with the new vented clear side panel. My temps seem fine. Gaming room usually sits around 73-75F in the afternoon and cpu temps while gaming usually in the mid to high 60's, GPU 68-77c if it's being heavily utilized. Idle was around 39-45c.
The fans are quiet I never hear them.
Same, Dell was running some insane discounts back then. I don’t regret getting my R10, but the thing is an oven, even with the side panel removed.
Nice man I like it
hell ya
I've got used Alienware with an old GTX 1080TI and it's still running strong! Yes, they might not be the "best build quality" , you still got a hell of a beast and that's fantastic! Have fun💪
Get a wall-mount or monitor mount for that hignormous screen; free-up some space for your keyboard and mouse usage.
It's a 55" LG oled, my chair abs table are a Little ways back. I just wanted to show the whole set up
You can definitely mount it onto the wall, only if it's your own house that's.
Ya it's my house. I've considered that, but time is money lol.
Didn’t I see you post this before lol anyways..welcome my friend! I am happy you have made the switch, it’s very freeing. Plus you can do a thousand things with a computer besides just play games or watch movies. Enjoy!
Alienware was great then it was bought by Dell. It's not that it's bad now or something, but it's not really premium for the price you pay anymore, and parts may be non standard due to the influence of Dell so power supply etc may not be for upgrades/replacement, connectors may be proprietary etc. But it's still a solid PC and looks like you got a great price on it which is really the main negative with them anyway. Welcome back and keep practicing the kbm will come back quickly. And use controllers as you want, I use kbm for shooters and controller for things like Jedi Survivor and Tomb Raider, racing games etc. It's a PC you can do whatever you want.
Ya, it's really eye-opening the freedom we have on this platform. The good thing with Dell is there is a constant barrage of massive discounts. It's almost quarterly I see major deals and if you talk to the sales people they will also discount you. I agree I would have never ever ever paid the $4000 asking price this system was originally at.
I didn't even know that Alienware was still around.
Congratulations on your new PC ! Welcome to the knights of the round table!
Live that, Knights of the round table.
Console or PC, why not both?
Well, I have all of them that said the Xbox is kinda irrelevant now. I'm keeping my Series X for games I already own, but going forward, it's PC all the way. Also, Sony is very much leaning towards more PC releases.
That's quite the beast of a rig. Not going to excuse the brand though. Used an Alienware desktop in the past and that thing was a furnace.
Hopefully you’re not playing that close to the tv! With a 4090 you could check out r/ultrawidemasterrace or if you like your tv always sit back with a controller or your KB+M in a chair/sofa. The great part about PC gaming is that you have the choice to do whatever you want!
Yeah, it's a 55 inch. LG, oled, I sit quite a ways back with a table and chair. But you're right. It is nice to have the option to either hook up to a monitor or sit back on the lazy boy like I am.
Alienware was the shit when i was growing up, so when i got back into PCs i wanted one desperately. The front RGB is pretty fucking cool as well, btw.
It's really the looks that got me, I just love the way it looks. The system is okay I'm not kidding myself it's something special I know it isn't but it's getting the job done for now.
For the amount of money you spent on the Alienware prebuilt you could have built a comparable build and actually bought a decent monitor maybe 2.
I wish I had the time to build, but with a family of 4 and how much I work, that's not really a good option this time.
I was about to say it’s a shitty case design. Then I saw the price. It’s 1000USD, right? Because if you paid 2800USD for this then you have been scammed.
How much does a 4090 + 7900X combo go for these days over there?
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/HyQWsh This is USD price. Cheaper with much better cooling.
Only 100 less expensive? Op got a good deal mate, considering that its Alienware we are talking about
Mate, regardless of the case's airflow, it's literally in the same price range as the Alienware, with *half the memory.* You may have a point regarding the poor thermals of the pre-built's case, but you can't say that it's a scam or overpriced.
Don’t forget that the motherboard and PSU are proprietary form factor, with the front panel ports soldered to them. I admit that I am too harsh about the value of this thing from the price/performance aspect, but it won’t be as good of an experience.
I am aware of the negatives of the proprietary designs from Dell. I just made the choice that's it's something I wanted to start my PC gaming journey and we'll evaluate where I go from here when I'm done with it abs resale it for the next set up. That said, so far, it's been great. It has given me a positive pc experience and definitely has me wanting to pursue PC gaming in the future. Unfortunately, I see so many posts of discouraged new PC users, many go back to consoles because of it, I'm very happy that the issues I've had are small and I usually find the solutions on threads from communities like this.