Why spend more for an Alienware?
Written: Sep 26 '06 (Updated Aug 17 '08)
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Pros: Lightweight, Outstanding Power, Low Price!
Cons: Warrantee is horrible and computer died shortly after warrantee period.
The Bottom Line: Buy a Dell, the warrantee is better.
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| jeffs320's Full Review: A.B.S. ABS MAYHEM G3 Eclipse R70 NoteBook (ABS3422... |
When we were getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan with the 25th Infantry Division back in 2004, a friend of mine bought an ABS computer because he said it was the same specs as an Alienware computer at about $1000 cheaper. At that time I had an old Compaq Presario POS laptop that ran everything I needed it to, plus I had a Dell Latitude D600 laptop with 1GB of RAM that I had issued to me at work, so I could run anything I needed to with no problems and didn't see the need to buy another computer. That was a little over 2 years ago now, and naturally technology has changed quite a bit and my junky old laptop will no longer run games that I need it to.
So when I was getting ready to deploy to Iraq in July of this year with the 82nd Airborne Division I started looking for computers. With the deployment pay I would have coming to me soon, I started looking at an Alienware Laptop. I got one all ready for how I wanted it to run and it was going to run around $2700 including the $130 shipping for 5 day shipping. I remembered about the ABS computer my friend bought so I pulled up their web site and did the specs for this computer the same as the Alienware and it came out to be $1770 including the $120 for overnight shipping. The one thing that this computer doesn't have that the Alienware did was a SATA hard drive, but that isn't worth $1k to me. And the Alienware did not have the built in 1.3 Megapixel web cam that this computer does, which is nice for when I can get to the MWR network where I can use the web cam to see the wife and kids.
The thing I liked about ABS is that they have the base model of this computer, which starts at $1499, and then you can add to that whatever upgrades you want. Here is how I upgraded mine:
AMD Turion 64 Bit 2.0 GHz Processor (the 2.2 GHz was sold out at the time)
2 GB RAM
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 256MB Video Card
100GB 7200 RPM Western Digital Hard Drive
Windows XP Professional
It also comes standard with an 8x DVD Burner, built in Wireless NIC, 15.4" Widescreen LCD, and weighs in at only 5.9 LBS.
One of the big positives for the ABS computers is that they are not loaded with all kinds of software that you will never use. When I worked tech support for Sony about 6 or 7 years ago, that was one of the complaints I got all the time from customers was that there was too much software on the computer that they never used. That is one way that computer companies such as ABS can keep the price of the computer low compared to a VAIO is that you do not have to pay for all the software packages that Sony includes with their computers. Not only are you not paying for the computer, but also you have to keep in mind that the average home computer user could become very confused and frustrated trying to figure out what all that high speed software is that came with his computer, even if he has no use for it.
Naturally I really dig the power that such a relatively small laptop can put out, and the display is gorgeous compared to the regular LCD screens on our Dell and Panasonic work computers, but the thing I really wanted to comment on was the service that was provided by the employees at ABS. When I ordered the computer the web site said it would ship in 5 days, which would have been on Monday, 31 July 2006. I was supposed to leave for Iraq around Wednesday or Thursday of that week, so when I paid for overnight shipping that would have worked out perfectly. Then my timeline shifted a bit and we were supposed to fly on Tuesday, 1 August, so I called ABS and they said it would be no problem to have my computer put together and shipped by that Friday so I could receive the computer no later than 15:00 EST on Monday and then would fly the next day. They were very cool about it and did everything they could to help me out and I really appreciated that.
Just to finish the story, my timeline shifted again and I had to leave my house by noon on 31 July, the day my computer was to be delivered. I checked the tracking info that ABS sent me and that morning at 08:00 it was loaded on a FedEx truck to be delivered to my house. Just as another note of thanks, I called FedEx and told them the situation and 20 minutes later they delivered my computer to the house with just enough time for me to pack it, get changed and leave the house. The driver told me that the dispatcher called him and told him I was about to leave for Iraq and he came directly to my house when he got the call. That was too stinkin cool.
Anyway, between the performance for the price of the computer and the support I received from the people at ABS, I would definitely recommend this computer to anyone. I have had no problems with it and have been working it like a dog for the last 2 months. I have been cleaning it regularly with compressed air to keep the sand out, but even with the amount of sand that has gotten in it I haven't had the slightest amount of trouble.
**Edit - 18 August 2008**
I just wanted to update my review of this laptop because I did have some problems with it. I took this laptop to Iraq and back and then was travelling around the country about every other week or so for a week at a time and brought this computer everywhere with me. About 11 months after I bought the computer the hinges on the LCD screen started to crack, and when I called ABS they told me that there was no way to prove it was not physical damage and so they would not fix it under warrantee. Then I started having problems about 14-15 months after I bought the computer where it would lock up for no reason when I was playing games with a lot of graphics (World of Warcraft locked it up a lot), but at this point the warrantee period was over. The best thing I could figure out was that the video card was overheating and causing the computer to lock up completely, and I even have it on a really good cooling pad and it still doesn't help.
So before I came back to Iraq again a month or so ago I gave that laptop to my kids (plugged in an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse and they are using it as a desktop computer since the hinges have completely broken now and the screen won't stay open at all) and bought a Dell XPS M1530. Dell offers a much better extended warrantee and I am very happy so far with the Dell.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 1770.00
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: Greater than 15 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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Epinions.com ID:
jeffs320
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 - Top 500 |
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Member: Jeff
Location: Fayetteville, NC
Reviews written: 266
Trusted by: 38 members
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