Alienware's Core i7-980X-infused Area-51 puts other rigs to shame

[wafflehammer]

Oh yea..add in the fact it's probably crap mobo/ram/psu it drags the value down even more

 

[BWLAF]

No guesstimation, I found the cheapest price I could for the parts (or rough equivalent where necessary) and took a calculator to it - came out at 6080 odd AUD, where the Aurora, same specs + warranty is about 6400 AUD

 

[dirkpitt45]

Well you either picked expensive parts or added wrong. There is NO WAY you can pick the same parts (which are all low quality cheapos in alienware) and end up with the SAME price. It doesn't work that way, and it never has. Building is always, always, less expensive for high end systems, because the companies know all the smart people who care about their money will build theirs, and all the people who don't really care will buy the pre-builts. There is ZERO point in buying a 4k+ "gaming" machine, cause you can build the same for $500-$1000 less. On low budget builds, going with integrated graphics, sometimes the difference is very small and buying a pre-built is a good idea.

Tell you what; show us a screenshot of these parts and store you found that added up to the same price, and we'll believe you.


EDIT: Even with your prices, $300? Idk about you but $300 is a months pay for me, part time but hey. And 6k..... jeez, you Aussies get screwed in so many ways its almost funny.

 

[wafflehammer]

^^^ last bit of that should get some focus. some countries the parts are higher. So if dell is building these over here for cheaper they can sell them for a bit lower (which means they will only cost a bit more than building yourself)

 

[BWLAF]

Alright, there is 18 different tabs, so I'll just provide links (note, I couldn't find equivalent cooling yet, still looking for that):

CPU

RAM

GPU (2)

HDD (2)

Mobo

Case

PSU

Blu-Ray Drive

Mouse

Monitor

Speakers

Mouse Pad

Keyboard

Sound Card

Headset

The Aurora has a couple of other things in it too, but they aren't really consequential (Media card reader etc)

Also, because I am actually researching a gaming computer right now, please give me examples of the low quality parts Alienware use, because that is important, as I have only heard/read good things about their part quality (except for one retard who overclocked her CPU way too high and burnt it out on the first day she had it)

 

[wafflehammer]

^^^^ if you're researching for parts dude..seriously..stay at the $1,000-1,500 range. Anything above that is just wasting money unless you're gonna use phase cooling and crank that sucker up

 

[BWLAF]

What is a build you would recommend in that case?

And I've never heard of phase cooling, what is it?

 

[wafflehammer]

What is a build you would recommend in that case?

And I've never heard of phase cooling, what is it?

phase change cooling.....uhm....imagine the motor/whatever thing in refrigerators that do all the condensing / etc to keep it cool. Well..that with a tube + cpu plate all the end....

like -150C temps lol...

a build for that range? I'd go i7 920, 5870, 6gb RAM, any decent $250-300 mobo, your pick of everything else

 

[BWLAF]

sounds... awesome 0.0

How does this sound:

920

Dual 5870's

RAM as above (6GB 2k MHz for 300 ish, it's a pretty decent price)

Mobo as above

Velociraptor HDD (If more space needed, although I doubt it, can add 7.2k secondary)

Case, PSU (maybe toned down to 1k or 800W), speakers, headset, sound card, mouse, keyboard, monitor, disc drive as above

Are you talking US or AUD, by the way? I haven't looked these up, cause I've gotta get off my *** and do some cleaning/mowing, but is that a decent build within, or jsut outside of, your stated price range? And what do you suggest I get as cooling for the CPU? I intend to clock it to 3.8 - 4.0 GHz, would I need liquid for that? If so, what is a reliable liquid cooling system for a decent to low price?

A few other questions:

What is a good brand for keyboard, mouse, etc... I have had difficulty with wireless keyboards disconnecting at inopportune moments, so I definitely want to go with a wired keyboard...

Can you tell me if all the selected parts are compatible? Links are above, to mobo and such... if not, what is a mobo they will be combatible with?

Finally, what difference does a mouse pad make? It was only 50 bucks or something, so I figured I'd throw it in, as Alienware ship one as well... Apparently they can make a massive difference, especially cause my desk is coffee stained and a tad broken (I'm in Brisbane, and there was a massive storm in Nov 2008, it flooded my desk and so now it is warped...) and covered in cat hair... essentially screwed up

Thanks for the help, as I said I am still doing the research, and this is likely to be a next year thing too, for when I am done with year 12 (gah!)

 

[wafflehammer]

velociraptors are terrible..slow..any 7200rpm drive can do what they do

too sleepy to look through parts, any decent well known brand is okay. Just stay away from stuff like the velociraptors that go on about speed..because they are usually mediocre at best.

about the mouse pad..i dunno..i haven't used one in years lol they always started peeling and got on my nerves