Alienware vs. Cyberpowerpc?

[rhugga]

I'm stuck on the fence between an Alienware desktop ($3700) or a cyberpowerpc ($3900 but significantly better motherboard, ram, and features)

I've been buildings rigs for ages now and was overclocking way back when it wasn't so brainless and easy. Lately though I've just wanted something that I don't have to mess with, troubleshoot, and something with 3-4 years of hardware support.

So the last 8 years I've gone with Dell because their support was decent and I didn't have to worry about weeks of downtime waiting for RMA and parts and stuff and since I telecommute downtimes like that impact my productivity. My current gaming rig is still handbuilt but tired of being a desktop tech and just want something that is hassle free.

Recently I bought my mom an Inspiron laptop and completely regret it. Not only is the laptop inferior to like-priced models at Best Buy I was astonished at how bad their support has fallen. Almost 30 hours on the phone with support, spanning dozens of calls and not a single time was I ever talking to someone in the US with good english. HUGE RED i love you. I am now returning that laptop and have purchased an Asus for my mom instead. (also because I can get it with Windows 7 instead of 8)

So support is no longer my determining factor when considering dell so that leads to my query - is Alienware really worth it? After chatting with their sales people on their website, none have ever really given me the details I was looking for regarding the motherboard and its features, the type of RAM (vendor), etc...

With cyberpowerpc all the detail you'd ever want is there and you can cross reference reviews on newegg.

So I was considering a cyberpowerpc but buying my video card from newegg with the extended replacement plan.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[corkyg]

Since Alienware is a Dell subsidiary, and you are down on Dell, it seems like the best choice for you is Cyberpower.

 

[DaveSimmons]

CyberPower offers standard parts and a much larger selection of them. You can put together a mix that's closer to what you'd get buying from Newegg. The drawback is that I've read that customer service isn't the best.

> ($3900 but significantly better motherboard, ram, and features)

What will the PC be used for? That sounds like overkill.

You might look at the sticky thread of questions to answer, and answer them here along with listing the parts that you were planning to buy.

 

[thescreensavers]

since you have built rigs in the past Id see how much money you can save by building. If you have decent parts you shouldn't have any more issues than any other computer you might buy. Understandably you just want convenience but 4k for a computer i'd sacrifice a little for better hardware

 

[rhugga]

CyberPower offers standard parts and a much larger selection of them. You can put together a mix that's closer to what you'd get buying from Newegg. The drawback is that I've read that customer service isn't the best.

> ($3900 but significantly better motherboard, ram, and features)

What will the PC be used for? That sounds like overkill.

You might look at the sticky thread of questions to answer, and answer them here along with listing the parts that you were planning to buy.

Well its a gaming rig but also my work rig. I run several Linux VM's and do a lot of compiling of C/C++ code and also run an Oracle database in one of the VM's so I'm a heavy power user. My current rig is 4yrs old and cost $4500 and I'm pushing its limits now.

Most of that $3900 price tag was a Nvidia Titan video board ($1000) and 32gb of their highest quality RAM and some upgrades related to cooling and soundproofing (maybe another $500 of that cost).

So at about the same price as Alienware but significantly better components. I'm just worried about Cyberpowerpc's support just as much as Dell.

One thing that really tipping me towards Cyber is Dell outsourcing all their support overseas.

1) After speaking to maybe 12 support people over a 2 week period very few spoke good English to the point it hindered the support effort. And the Indians always seem to have bad attitudes and always seem very arrogant.
2) I'm not comfortable with agents having access to my personal information that are outside the protection of our laws
3) I'm not comfortable with a company that outsources jobs in this economy.

Anyone have experience with Cyber and their support? The website doesn't list much detail with regards to their support.

 

[DaveSimmons]

> and some upgrades related to cooling and soundproofing (maybe another $500 of that cost).

If noise is an important issue, another vendor to consider is Puget Systems:
http://www.pugetsystems.com/

They have a reputation for high quality, good service, and have specialized in low-noise PCs for a long time, even partnering with SilentPCReview.com

 

[rhugga]

> and some upgrades related to cooling and soundproofing (maybe another $500 of that cost).

If noise is an important issue, another vendor to consider is Puget Systems:
http://www.pugetsystems.com/

They have a reputation for high quality, good service, and have specialized in low-noise PCs for a long time, even partnering with SilentPCReview.com

Well my current rig has a 1200-watt power supply (Thermaltake) that sounds like a Sun M9000 running in my room. I have several drives and dual ATI boards so I needed to power.

I've since bought a nice home NAS and no longer have a need for so many drives in my chassis. I'm also going with a single video card solution as well.

So regardless of what I get I don't think sound will be an issue. The Cyber system I spec'd out is gonna have an 800w power supply.

 

[Sleepingforest]

For single GPU, the most you'd need is 550W. Even a Titan can only draw 250W at most (75W PCIe connector, 75W 6-pin connector, 150W 8-pin connector, and your CPU won't draw more than 150W or so, even with overclocking.

 

[mfenn]

Sounds like what you want is a Precision. AFAIK, all Dell Business support is in the US. At least, every one I've ever talked to is.

Failing that, Cyberpower and Alienware service completely different markets. Cyberpower just puts together a machine built with commodity parts. Alienware has a lot of custom design that goes into their chassis and boards. There are plusses and minuses to both approaches of course.

Finally, $3900 sounds like a lot of money for the specs that you've laid out. You could get something that's functionally the same for a lot less by making smarter component choices.

 

[tuxberg]

1. Obligatory "build it yourself, because you'll save a ton," comment here.

2. My experience with Dell (through work) has been good recently, but the caveat here is that we're pro-support clients. I don't know how large the disparity is between that and average support.

3. I have worked on a cyberpower desktop (neighbor's) that was a few years old and it was surprisingly well-built. Most of the "custom gaming pc," that I run across have embarrassingly terrible cooling solutions, bad mobos, generic PSUs, etc. His case was well ventilated, had some good quality parts, and even cable management was done right.

Being that I have only seen one of them, I can't vouch for their quality control, but if you are set against building your own pc (which is fantastically easy these days, imo) then you could do worse than cyberpower as far as I've seen. I don't know anything about alienware systems, but I do know that dell is always willing to haggle. If you are thinking about paying list price for an alienware computer, then you're probably paying too much. Call them up and try to get them down at least 10%. There are probably some alienware enthusiast communities willing to let you know what they paid and how much you can expect to get out of such a discount. You might be able to do the same with cyberpower, but I don't know how willing they are to negotiate. Still, there's no harm in calling both of them (letting them know you are torn between their systems) and see who offers a better deal. Win/Win for you

Best of luck!

 

[SithSolo1]

Might want to look at www.Falcon-nw.com They may cost more but from what I have read over the years their service is 2nd to none.

 

[Eureka]

I'll tell you this much... Alienware service is separate from Dell service (or at least Dell consumer service), and is top notch. I had a laptop with the accidental warranty, I would call in, wait a max of 5 minutes, and get instant replacement if they couldn't determine a software replacement. Either ship it back for bigger issues, or tech on-site within a business week.

 

[Saffron]

Might want to look at www.Falcon-nw.com They may cost more but from what I have read over the years their service is 2nd to none.

Plus their air-brushed paint jobs are bad ass! Just having that ability to brag to friends about the custom paint job you have your PC is worth it! IMO

 

[Steltek]

If you think Dell support is bad, I hope you never have to deal with Acer support. Overall, I'd have to rank my last Acer support experience only slightly above having burning bamboo skewers forcibly driven under my fingernails.

Dell Business (even Dell Small Business) is definitely better than Dell Home for sure.

It remains to be seen how the new Dell will go once it goes private again.

 

[KeithP]

Well its a gaming rig but also my work rig. I run several Linux VM's and do a lot of compiling of C/C++ code and also run an Oracle database in one of the VM's so I'm a heavy power user. My current rig is 4yrs old and cost $4500 and I'm pushing its limits now....

Forgive me if you have already thought of this, but given that description I would buy two separate systems, one for work and one for gaming, with a KVM switch to share the monitor(s) and a high quality NAS device for data.

This way, if one system goes down, you still have other to use until it gets fixed.

And if you pay for the upgraded "pro" support from Dell, it is based in the US and, from my experience, quite good.

-KeithP

 

[TallBill]

I owned a cyber power desktop, was a great machine. Ran for 3+ years till i had mobo issues. Parted it because I needed a portable laptop.