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Forums - PC Discussion - PC Gamers: Any thoughts on the Alienware Alpha console? (& steam boxes)

 

On a $500 budget, What would be best?

Alpha 8 18.18%
 
building a PC 36 81.82%
 
Total:44

Yes, if i wanted an underpowered games console I would buy a PS4/XBO, If i wanted something to play steam games, I'd build a gaming rig.



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A good analogy is that Alienware is trying to sell a premade sandwich, and is charging extra money for it being premade. You could go out and buy the fixings for your sandwich and build it yourself at a cheaper price. And you have the power to make your sandwich however you like!



#1 Amb-ass-ador

anthony64641 said:


on the contrary, Ive seen benchmarks for the alpha (i3 model) running games on high and sometimes even ultra on 1028p, given it was less then 60fps but for most games it did over 40, lowest 30. Which is.... surprising to say the least. i feel like a major draw back would be that its duel core, quad is becoming the norm

Can I ask which games? Plus thats also the point... With a custom PC... You can upgrade ur CPU and GPU as well as everything else if need be



                  

PC Specs: CPU: 7800X3D || GPU: Strix 4090 || RAM: 32GB DDR5 6000 || Main SSD: WD 2TB SN850

Captain_Yuri said:

Can I ask which games? Plus thats also the point... With a custom PC... You can upgrade ur CPU and GPU as well as everything else if need be


I mean, if he's primerily a console gamer, and is interested in buying a steambox instead of building a PC, does it matter if he upgrades? I mean, consoles aren't upgradable. If the Alpha can run PS4/XBO games now, why would it need to be upgraded to run games built for the same hardward in 6 years?

At least, coming from another console gamer that's vaguely interested in PC games, simply for the market place, that's the way I see it.



spemanig said:
Captain_Yuri said:

Can I ask which games? Plus thats also the point... With a custom PC... You can upgrade ur CPU and GPU as well as everything else if need be


I mean, if he's primerily a console gamer, and is interested in buying a steambox instead of building a PC, does it matter if he upgrades? I mean, consoles aren't upgradable. If the Alpha can run PS4/XBO games now, why would it need to be upgraded to run games built for the same hardward in 6 years?

At least, coming from another console gamer that's vaguely interested in PC games, simply for the market place, that's the way I see it.

Well thats the thing... It wont be able to... More and More games are requiring quad core cpus in order to even run games (less so cause they require it and more so that they are lazy to code it in) and the 750Ti isn't a very good card. I mean, if hes going to spend $500, he may as well get the best possible PC he can get instead of one that will be meh at best. I would rather choose a ps4/x1 than the alienware alpha where as say, if he has his own copy of windows or if he can get windows from somewhere else, he can get a fairly good PC for just $500. Like here is a PC that I quickly made for $500 and it will pretty much beat the alienware alpha while having that upgradiblity factor

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($65.99 @ NCIX US) (Easily Overclockable to 4ghz in stock fan)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($60.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.98 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270 2GB Dual-X Video Card  ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($61.49 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer  ($18.75 @ Amazon)
Total: $492.16

(Of course, you don't really want to use that cause u would want to find one store + price match instead of multiple stores and put more thought into it but as an example)



                  

PC Specs: CPU: 7800X3D || GPU: Strix 4090 || RAM: 32GB DDR5 6000 || Main SSD: WD 2TB SN850

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Captain_Yuri said:

Well thats the thing... It wont be able to... More and More games are requiring quad core cpus in order to even run games (less so cause they require it and more so that they are lazy to code it in) and the 750Ti isn't a very good card. I mean, if hes going to spend $500, he may as well get the best possible PC he can get instead of one that will be meh at best. I would rather choose a ps4/x1 than the alienware alpha where as say, if he has his own copy of windows or if he can get windows from somewhere else, he can get a fairly good PC for just $500. Like here is a PC that I quickly made for $500 and it will pretty much beat the alienware alpha while having that upgradiblity factor

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($65.99 @ NCIX US) (Easily Overclockable to 4ghz in stock fan)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($60.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.98 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270 2GB Dual-X Video Card  ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($61.49 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer  ($18.75 @ Amazon)
Total: $492.16

(Of course, you don't really want to use that cause u would want to find one store + price match instead of multiple stores and put more thought into it but as an example)


Wait, so even the the Alpha is stronger than the PS4, it won't be able to even run some of it's games in the future? Maybe this is ignorant to say, but the last thing I'd want to do if I owned a PC is constantly have to upgrade it.



These are my thoughts on Alienware in general; no. Overpriced designer brand. I would much rather spend the same on a gaming rig instead.



spemanig said:


Wait, so even the the Alpha is stronger than the PS4, it won't be able to even run some of it's games in the future? Maybe this is ignorant to say, but the last thing I'd want to do if I owned a PC is constantly have to upgrade it.

Well, with PC, you dont consistantly have to upgrade it if you spend more than a console. If you spend about the same amount as a console in terms of inital price, then of course as we all know, PC's can't really do it. PCs are built to do many things where as consoles are specialized for games so you can't really expect a PC to have the same performance as a console at  the same price or else no one would really buy a console imo. You spend more, get better graphics and you get a PC that can do much for than a console.

And I would say the alienware alpha is weaker than the ps4 actually if the ps4 has a 7870, a 750Ti (on the alienware) is certainly weaker than a 7870

Think of it like this, an old i5 2500k that came out in 2011 is good for this entire generation and so is the Ram and everything else. The only thing that needed to be upgraded was the GPU and thats it. It is hard to predict how the CPU requirements will be for next gen as of right now but most likely, the i5 should be able to get you through the next gen as well but don't quote me on that since its too early to tell.

Although, maybe next year, if you spend as much as a console on a PC, you just might be able to do it



                  

PC Specs: CPU: 7800X3D || GPU: Strix 4090 || RAM: 32GB DDR5 6000 || Main SSD: WD 2TB SN850

spemanig said:
Captain_Yuri said:

Well thats the thing... It wont be able to... More and More games are requiring quad core cpus in order to even run games (less so cause they require it and more so that they are lazy to code it in) and the 750Ti isn't a very good card. I mean, if hes going to spend $500, he may as well get the best possible PC he can get instead of one that will be meh at best. I would rather choose a ps4/x1 than the alienware alpha where as say, if he has his own copy of windows or if he can get windows from somewhere else, he can get a fairly good PC for just $500. Like here is a PC that I quickly made for $500 and it will pretty much beat the alienware alpha while having that upgradiblity factor

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($65.99 @ NCIX US) (Easily Overclockable to 4ghz in stock fan)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($60.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.98 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270 2GB Dual-X Video Card  ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($61.49 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer  ($18.75 @ Amazon)
Total: $492.16

(Of course, you don't really want to use that cause u would want to find one store + price match instead of multiple stores and put more thought into it but as an example)


Wait, so even the the Alpha is stronger than the PS4, it won't be able to even run some of it's games in the future? Maybe this is ignorant to say, but the last thing I'd want to do if I owned a PC is constantly have to upgrade it.


I have my gaming rigs for 4 years or more and I've never upgraded a single component in any of them. I could keep my current rig for two more years if I wanted to and still play new games; I simply choose not to.

PC gaming is different from console gaming but the "need for constant upgrade" myth is not something to take to heart, unless you always buy the cheapest components and/or take really poor care of your stuff.



Please do not get an Alpha. The thing is junk. Build your own. It's super easy, you'll get a better product, and it'll be something to take pride in.

The build that Captain_Yuri posted is pretty much the standard build for budget gaming. The biggest worry isn't the G3258, because that thing is amazing for the price, even though it's only dual core, but the 270 and its 2GB of ram I would worry about. I would strongly suggest saving up for a 280x or something with 3GB of vram for future games because 2GB is starting to become outdated.