Question:
HP vs. Gateway vs. Alienware
Okay guys, I know I spoke of getting the XPS m1210. But the gaming thing has really bothered me, because I am currently Vista with no issues at all. My desktop is an Gateway Intel Pentium D 820 Dual Core, with a Nvidia 7900 GT, and Audigy 4, with 500 gigs (I have a lot of music and dvds) 1 dvd+rw, and 1 dvd reader. Now I can run Doom 3, and Counterstrike and Battlefield 2, and Ghost Recon beautifully, and umm I will be purchasing Battlefiled 2142 soon.
As you can imagine all these games are fairly graphic intensive, but I never got my gpu over 58.
Now it has dawned on me, that what i think I really need is a desktop replacement. As it stands, I wont be running a lot of games on this, but the games I do run will probably be graphic intensive.
So heres what I narrowed it down to.
Hp dv9000t, Core 2 Duo 2ghz, 17in WSXGA with Nvidia Geforce Go 7600 512mb, 1 gig ram, 100 gig 7200 rpm hdd, with mic and camera. $1,997.99
vs.
Gateway NX860XL, Core 2 Duo 2ghz, 17in WSXGA+ TFT with Nvidia Geforce Go 7900 GS 256mb, 2 gigs of ram (lowest allowed by Gateway), 100 gig 7200 hdd, no mic or camera included. $2,034.99
vs.
Alienware Area 51 M5550, Core 2 Duo 2ghz, 15.4in WideXGA with Nvidia Geforce Go 7600 256mb, 1 gig ram, 100 gig 7200rpm hdd, no mic or camera. $2,077.00
Aside from the listed materials, they have pretty much the same features, in that dvd burners (double layer), OS, and et cetera.
You may ask what I plan on using this for, (abusive) multimedia. After carefulyl examing my habits I have learned i am quite addicted to a computer.
Now weight is a factor as I will be using it for school usage, but more than likely it'll sit in my trunk, until I bring it out to the library, so I then weight isn't that big of deal seeing how I work out anyways, besides 8lbs is really nothing. I also would like something I can use before I fall asleep, lay in bed and chat away like the internet pimp I am, but whatever. The camera and mic thing is pretty cool, and I'd like one, but then again I'd like something that can play battlefield 2142 with relative ease. But also I need something I can use for school, so it has to run MS office 2007 and Vista. I'm open to upgradeability of hardware. Now in terms of software I am a minimalist as I use "other" methods to get the software I want (rahter than add them into the product price), like office 2003 or 2007, or Mac OS X 10.5, or Norton parition magic or whatever, you get my drift.
Essentially a desktop replacement. I don't anything gawdy, like dell XPS 1710 or 2010. I guess I should not have included the Alienware eh? But that's a lot less ugly than the XPS 17in line up.
I'm not filling out that form again. It seems like the alienware is the weakest option, with the gateway definitely a strong first, but the hp with the camera and mic and above average gpu memory makes it more difficult. I have looked outside of these and they get sometimes too heavy or too ugly or not enough power.
Sorry for the long post, but the options are nearly endless.
Answer:
Re: HP vs. Gateway vs. Alienware
I would say go for the Gateway. Its just got a muchmore capable graphics card then all the others, and a load of RAM, which will always come in handy. The 7600 is a very good card, but at inflated resolutions, may struggle a bit, of your into games with the settings on high/medium. Hope this helps.
Answer:
Re: HP vs. Gateway vs. Alienware
yeah I was leaning towards the gateway. I mean the camera is cool, but i have to realize, 1.3 mp is not a lot and soon enough it will be outdated. phones are instituting 2.0. I can go without a camera, i have been for a while now.
Running vista rc1 x64 on one gig is sufficient, but i will say, that 2 gigs would help out a lot, I've been able to freeze/crash the system a couple times and I've had it since friday night.
Answer:
Re: HP vs. Gateway vs. Alienware
If you could post A faq itwould help :)
Why not dell E1705 with core 2 duo and Nvidia 7900 GS for U$ 1,400.00?
By the way if I where you I would maximize my ram to 2 GB.
Another thing, if you are going to school why not using a 15.4" or 14"???? If weight is a problem, you should not go with a desktop replacement, speccially when you can find the same specs for about the same price in smaller versions.....
Ps: between the 3 brands I would go with HP, second alienware and NOT with gateway.
PS2: I would check sony Vaio
Answer:
Re: HP vs. Gateway vs. Alienware
Even I would suggest Dell E1705
I just ordered
Intel Core 2 Duo 7200 2.0GHz/667MHz/4MB
nVidia GF 7900GS 256
1GB RAM/667MHz
80 GB5400
and total for 1430 including taxes
u can upgrade RAM to 2GB at 200$ + HDD at 7200 rpm if u want!
Dont forget Intel Core 2 Duo is better than Dual Core!
Answer:
Re: HP vs. Gateway vs. Alienware
I would stay away from Gateway if I were you...lowlymarine's FAQ says
Gateway used to be a very respectable company, with quality made-in-the-USA products. Then they bough eMachines and all of their problems. Now Gateways are shoddily constructed, made in Malaysia, and have zero tech support and warranty behind them.
if you're going to school you are going to want a computer with tech support and a chance to survive more than a year. go with the Dell E1705 (if you HAVE to have a high powered gaming notebook); even if their tech support is difficult they DO back their computers. but I would still consider their smaller notebooks (M1210 among them), because the ones with GPUs can at least do something decent with the games you're talking about.
I love my M140 14.1" (for everything other than gaming that is), and I'm going to be VERY happy with the M1210.
Answer:
Re: HP vs. Gateway vs. Alienware
Hmm I didn't think the inspiron came with that high end of a graphics card. Though even with 1 gig of ram it still costs about 100 bucks more than the Gateway. Like I said wieght isn't as much of a big deal, however, I will look at this dell a lot more closely, for along time I was considering an m1210, but was bothered by the premium for the size and that craptacular graphics card. I'll upgrade the ram for the dell (if I buy one) for a lot less. They mark up crazy on ram and harddrives when it comes to online orders.
PROCESSOR: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T7200 (4MB Cache/2.00GHz/667MHz FSB)
OPERATING SYSTEM: Genuine Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition with re-installation CD
LCD PANEL: 17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife™
MEMORY: 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz
HARD DRIVE: 100GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
OPTICAL DRIVE: 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
VIDEO CARD: 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS edit
WIRELESS OPTIONS: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 Internal Wireless and Bluetooth
Accessories
BATTERY OPTIONS: 80 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
SOUND OPTIONS: Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™ HD Software Edition
Some one really needs to build a laptop that is small and can seriously game on.
Answer:
Re: HP vs. Gateway vs. Alienware
This card should give you much more performance, and for the price...... It´s certainly the right choice if your budget is short.
Answer:
Re: HP vs. Gateway vs. Alienware
Sounds like you would like something that is a good desktop replacement but is a little bit portable. I would try the HP NC8430 if I were you. Check it out here:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en...1-1839150.html
Good luck and happy computing!
Answer:
Re: HP vs. Gateway vs. Alienware
Even tough I woulld stay with E1705 i just want to mention a good deal at Sony:
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTE...ters_FE_Series
It is 15.4" and offer Nvidia 7600 Core 2 1.66ghz duo for 1200.00 lol!!!