Another Gaming Laptop Question: Alienware alternative + same build quality

[Direttafis]

I tend to ramble so here's a quick summary:

-want 17 inch gaming laptop
-GTX 1070
-6700HQ or better
-Alienware 17 r3 build quality or better
-$1700 or less (I can get these specs in an Alienware 17 r4 for that price)
-strong warranty with accidental damage required
-no Asus

-Don't care about drive, display, memory



Okay I need to get another computer as my wife's is going to crap finally after 8 years.

We have a toddler and no ability to sit in an office at a desk... so would LOVE LOVE LOVE to build a machine WAY better than a laptop... but it would sit unused in an office while we search for a laptop to buy we can move with us. So that is not happening

First let me get this out of the way.

So I would like to find a 17 inch laptop with a GTX 1070. I don't care about the hard drive or RAM. That is something I can take care of later. I have 10 HDDs, 3 SSDs... I'll get an m.2 PCIe NVMe SSD later and 8 gigs of memory is plenty for now and something I can take care of later. I don't care about a 4k display. 1080 looks fine, and lets be honest.... 1080 is vertical and they started measuring horizontal when the whole 4k thing started... dirty marketting... so I am perfectly fine with my.... 2k display?

Only things that matter are: 17" display, 1070 GPU, a case that is big enough to dissipate the heat, build quality!

Alienware seems like the company everyone loves to hate; for the reasons I have always read about, I avoided them. I have owned the Asus G72, G73 and G75. I needed a computer earlier this year that fit 4 criteria = Needs to be portable, needs to have at least a 17" display, needs a dedicated GPU, absolutely needs to have thunderbolt to run my firewire equipment. Only two laptops fit those needs earlier this year: AW 17r3 and Asus G752. There were concerns floating around about the Asus Thunder3 only being 20 Gbps so I went with the Alienware and hoped for the best.

I discovered two things when shopping for this Alienware... It was in fact the LEAST expensive of the two options at the time. The build quality astonishingly is fantastic!!

While I LOVE Asus, I owned 3, the Alienware 17 r3 simply crushes it in build quality. The whole machine feels solid, the display doesn't flop around, the keyboard doesn't feel flimsy ... I love Asus, but after 3 of those and 1 of these I feel spoiled now.... This computer feels like a premium machine and was well worth it.


So what I am wondering because I read ALL OVER THE PLACE about Alienware being too expensive AND other computers being of better build quality is this:

CPU: 6700HQ
GPU: GTX 1070

Same or better build quality in materials, ect...
$1700

Not starting up a debate... But if the specs, price and build quality can ALL be beat... I want to know before making a purchase!! Asus is off the table. Love 'em... but had 3 and this machine crushes all three in build quality, why would I think the 4th would be any different.

Oh and add warranty to that!!!!! Being the proud owners of a small level 3 Human... accidental damage warranty is a HUGE plus!!

Also a non soldered GPU would be sweet... I know I do lose that with the Alienware.

 

[BadActor]

https/www.sagernotebook.com/Notebook-NP8173.html

 

[Autocrat]

MSI or Razer are good brands to look into.

 

[Direttafis]

I have been looking at msi. Haven't looked at Razer yet.

Sager or any company using those cases is out after this gem: http/forum.notebookreview.com/threads/new-sager-np8173-s-arrived-damaged-out-of-the-box-can-anyone-attest-to-sagers-customer-service.795449/

Even if everything else looks fine and works well the one thing that stuck out to me was "that light bleed looks normal.... "

 

[Oliver_21]

You mention IT NEEDS TO BE A 17 INCH LAPTOP but you never explained why

The bigger the laptop it the less portable it becomes

If you are looking for portability why don't you go for a 15.6 inch laptop?

In case you want a bigger screen and have no concerns about the size, why don't you pick a desktop or mini computer?


Anyways, somebody mentioned razer, there are actually razer laptops with 1070 graphics cards because they are all supposed to be thin, as a matter of fact you only find razer laptops with either, integrated GPU or GTX 1060, the build quality is good but don't expect that much performance

Then you have MSI and sager

I don't like their designs much though they have the best build quality so far.

Here you have some models:

http/www.pro-star.com/index.php?r=product/detail&model=P670RS-G

http/www.pro-star.com/index.php?r=product/detail&model=P650RS-G

one cool thing about these ones is that they have a base config, that means 8GB of RAM and no SSD, therefore, they are much cheaper (only $1500 US)
so if you already have lots of storage you can go add it and you are ready to go

 

[Direttafis]

Thank you for the response.

17 at least 18 even better but not in my price range. Though the gt80 looks awful sexy... Feel bad for all of those that were "guaranteed" an upgrade when they spent that much on a machine only to get hosed with the pascal release. I would need a signed notorized letter delivered personally by their lawyer on retainer at those prices.

Portable meaning I don't need to grab my box, display, keyboard, mouse, cables, etc when I want to move from room to room. I can sit in bed and use it. ... I suppose mobile would be the appropriate term rather than portable. A desktop that folds in half! Like for $4k case you can get from europe would be sweet!

I have only had two brands, asus and alienware, so my experience in build quality is limited. I can say the Alienware is extremely solid and I expect as much at the price point. Where I suppose I am wondering about the build quality is that everyone seems to think they're way over priced. So I assumed I was not looking in the correct places because I am only seeing a 100 - 200 price difference and if the quality beats then a 6% price difference is worth knowing the little things won't bother me down the road.

MSI is a definite contender for brand and build quality from everything I have read.

Anyone that has owned both have anything to say.

Also had a poor experience with razor once... Unit broke in under a year... Yes I couldn't find my receipt but this was a unit that was also in production for under a year... And yes 1+1=2 ... So a bad experience checks them out as well.

Normal light bleed for $1600 - $3000... Yeah... No...

 

[velo3100]

First I will need the websites you visit. Second, msi is a good manufacturer as far as I have heard. Their gt dominator range is very good for your purpose. The only other laptop manufacturer is the barebone ones.

 

[Purpletalon55]

Op you said alienware 17 r4 , the r4 isn't out yet. As for recommendations go with Sager.

 

[Direttafis]

Thanks again for the responses.

At the moment it is going to be between MSI and Alienware. Who ever has the lowest price for the same warranty and hardware. Looks to me that those two are the highest quality materials used in production... Just short of going with... Origin? And wow... Priced out.

The r4 is released as I have an invoice for one to be delivered 10/28/16 sitting in my email.

I did ultimately cancel this order for a couple reasons. 1. I grabbed it with the 1060. The 1070 looks significantly better, though the difference between the 1070 and 1080 doesn't look so huge and the peice gap doesnt justify. 2. I wanted to research options, hence this post. As well as just kinda see what happens with prices, as these are extremely new. May see a drop around the holidays or even Q1 of 2017.

So I am watching for sales as well as tracking tech growth... On top of that we may see an HQ/HK Kaby Lake cpu introduced Q1 or Q2 2017. Depending on performance difference that would also mean grabbing the up to date cpu or if performance differences aren't huge and only power related a 1070 computer with a skylake cpu may be reduced in price with the kaby lake introduction.

Sager just makes me nervous after that last read. When spending this much on a computer I honestly want the absolute best build quality available within a few hundred dollars of the competition. A few hundred is really worth knowing I won't have light bleeding from the monitor, a solid non squishy keyboard, tight hinges on the monitor, strong cooling, fantastic warranty

 

[Oliver_21]

Portable meaning I don't need to grab my box, display, keyboard, mouse, cables, etc when I want to move from room to room. I can sit in bed and use it.

Don't expect to get that with a 17 inch laptop they might weigh over 9 pounds

Do bare in mind what I say 15 inch is portable, beyond that it's desktop replacement, not to move it

 

[Oliver_21]

Thanks again for the responses.



1. I grabbed it with the 1060. The 1070 looks significantly better, though the difference between the 1070 and 1080 doesn't look so huge and the peice gap doesnt justify. 2. I wanted to research options, hence this post. As well as just kinda see what happens with prices, as these are extremely new. May see a drop around the holidays or even Q1 of 2017.

The 1070 is definitely the best card in terms of price to performance

 

[Purpletalon55]

the alienware 17 R3 i have has the tighest hinges ever so i basically have to pry it open. which means it will last forever make lenovo hinges look like plastic junk.

 

[jqx363]

I wouldn't bother buying an Alienware laptop if you wish to upgrade in a few years time. I bought my Alienware m15 in 2011 and my battery died a few weeks ago. Contacted Alienware/Dell support and was told they no longer support this and I cannot get a replacement battery. I was told to search online for the replacement battery. I shelled out roughly A$2000 for the laptop in 2011. I have no complaints with laptop itself although the harddrive is really slow and have gamed enjoyably for the past 5 years. But if it means I cannot upgrade and need to shell out another $2000+ for a new machine then I rather go for one that I can upgrade in piecemeal. I know this doesnt answer your question but my point is, don't go for the Alienware if you want to upgrade instead of replace in 5 years time.

I tend to ramble so here's a quick summary:

-want 17 inch gaming laptop
-GTX 1070
-6700HQ or better
-Alienware 17 r3 build quality or better
-$1700 or less (I can get these specs in an Alienware 17 r4 for that price)
-strong warranty with accidental damage required
-no Asus

-Don't care about drive, display, memory



Okay I need to get another computer as my wife's is going to crap finally after 8 years.

We have a toddler and no ability to sit in an office at a desk... so would LOVE LOVE LOVE to build a machine WAY better than a laptop... but it would sit unused in an office while we search for a laptop to buy we can move with us. So that is not happening

First let me get this out of the way.

So I would like to find a 17 inch laptop with a GTX 1070. I don't care about the hard drive or RAM. That is something I can take care of later. I have 10 HDDs, 3 SSDs... I'll get an m.2 PCIe NVMe SSD later and 8 gigs of memory is plenty for now and something I can take care of later. I don't care about a 4k display. 1080 looks fine, and lets be honest.... 1080 is vertical and they started measuring horizontal when the whole 4k thing started... dirty marketting... so I am perfectly fine with my.... 2k display?

Only things that matter are: 17" display, 1070 GPU, a case that is big enough to dissipate the heat, build quality!

Alienware seems like the company everyone loves to hate; for the reasons I have always read about, I avoided them. I have owned the Asus G72, G73 and G75. I needed a computer earlier this year that fit 4 criteria = Needs to be portable, needs to have at least a 17" display, needs a dedicated GPU, absolutely needs to have thunderbolt to run my firewire equipment. Only two laptops fit those needs earlier this year: AW 17r3 and Asus G752. There were concerns floating around about the Asus Thunder3 only being 20 Gbps so I went with the Alienware and hoped for the best.

I discovered two things when shopping for this Alienware... It was in fact the LEAST expensive of the two options at the time. The build quality astonishingly is fantastic!!

While I LOVE Asus, I owned 3, the Alienware 17 r3 simply crushes it in build quality. The whole machine feels solid, the display doesn't flop around, the keyboard doesn't feel flimsy ... I love Asus, but after 3 of those and 1 of these I feel spoiled now.... This computer feels like a premium machine and was well worth it.


So what I am wondering because I read ALL OVER THE PLACE about Alienware being too expensive AND other computers being of better build quality is this:

CPU: 6700HQ
GPU: GTX 1070

Same or better build quality in materials, ect...
$1700

Not starting up a debate... But if the specs, price and build quality can ALL be beat... I want to know before making a purchase!! Asus is off the table. Love 'em... but had 3 and this machine crushes all three in build quality, why would I think the 4th would be any different.

Oh and add warranty to that!!!!! Being the proud owners of a small level 3 Human... accidental damage warranty is a HUGE plus!!

Also a non soldered GPU would be sweet... I know I do lose that with the Alienware.

 

[Purpletalon55]

I wouldn't bother buying an Alienware laptop if you wish to upgrade in a few years time. I bought my Alienware m15 in 2011 and my battery died a few weeks ago. Contacted Alienware/Dell support and was told they no longer support this and I cannot get a replacement battery. I was told to search online for the replacement battery. I shelled out roughly A$2000 for the laptop in 2011. I have no complaints with laptop itself although the harddrive is really slow and have gamed enjoyably for the past 5 years. But if it means I cannot upgrade and need to shell out another $2000+ for a new machine then I rather go for one that I can upgrade in piecemeal. I know this doesnt answer your question but my point is, don't go for the Alienware if you want to upgrade instead of replace in 5 years time.

I tend to ramble so here's a quick summary:

-want 17 inch gaming laptop
-GTX 1070
-6700HQ or better
-Alienware 17 r3 build quality or better
-$1700 or less (I can get these specs in an Alienware 17 r4 for that price)
-strong warranty with accidental damage required
-no Asus

-Don't care about drive, display, memory



Okay I need to get another computer as my wife's is going to crap finally after 8 years.

We have a toddler and no ability to sit in an office at a desk... so would LOVE LOVE LOVE to build a machine WAY better than a laptop... but it would sit unused in an office while we search for a laptop to buy we can move with us. So that is not happening

First let me get this out of the way.

So I would like to find a 17 inch laptop with a GTX 1070. I don't care about the hard drive or RAM. That is something I can take care of later. I have 10 HDDs, 3 SSDs... I'll get an m.2 PCIe NVMe SSD later and 8 gigs of memory is plenty for now and something I can take care of later. I don't care about a 4k display. 1080 looks fine, and lets be honest.... 1080 is vertical and they started measuring horizontal when the whole 4k thing started... dirty marketting... so I am perfectly fine with my.... 2k display?

Only things that matter are: 17" display, 1070 GPU, a case that is big enough to dissipate the heat, build quality!

Alienware seems like the company everyone loves to hate; for the reasons I have always read about, I avoided them. I have owned the Asus G72, G73 and G75. I needed a computer earlier this year that fit 4 criteria = Needs to be portable, needs to have at least a 17" display, needs a dedicated GPU, absolutely needs to have thunderbolt to run my firewire equipment. Only two laptops fit those needs earlier this year: AW 17r3 and Asus G752. There were concerns floating around about the Asus Thunder3 only being 20 Gbps so I went with the Alienware and hoped for the best.

I discovered two things when shopping for this Alienware... It was in fact the LEAST expensive of the two options at the time. The build quality astonishingly is fantastic!!

While I LOVE Asus, I owned 3, the Alienware 17 r3 simply crushes it in build quality. The whole machine feels solid, the display doesn't flop around, the keyboard doesn't feel flimsy ... I love Asus, but after 3 of those and 1 of these I feel spoiled now.... This computer feels like a premium machine and was well worth it.


So what I am wondering because I read ALL OVER THE PLACE about Alienware being too expensive AND other computers being of better build quality is this:

CPU: 6700HQ
GPU: GTX 1070

Same or better build quality in materials, ect...
$1700

Not starting up a debate... But if the specs, price and build quality can ALL be beat... I want to know before making a purchase!! Asus is off the table. Love 'em... but had 3 and this machine crushes all three in build quality, why would I think the 4th would be any different.

Oh and add warranty to that!!!!! Being the proud owners of a small level 3 Human... accidental damage warranty is a HUGE plus!!

Also a non soldered GPU would be sweet... I know I do lose that with the Alienware.

Sorry alienware is amazing, any maker of laptops won't support parts for that long. Sorry to burst your bubble but supporting obsolete hardware is just pissing money down the drain. Only sagers offer upgradeable gpus but those are expensive like prohibitively $800+ for a mxm gpu