Dell XPS 15 vs Alienware 15

[RavynnM]

Hello there!

After 4 years with my almost dead Dell XPS 17 laptop, i am looking into getting a new one. I am stuck between choosing these 2 laptops:

Dell XPS 15 Non-Touch @ $1,649.99
6th Generation Intel Core i5-6300HQ Quad Core (6M Cache, up to 3.2 GHz)
8GB DDR4 RAM
15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge
1TB 5400RPM Hard Drive + 32GB Solid State Drive
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M with 2GB GDDR5

Alienware 15 @ $2,153.99
Intel® Core™ i5-6300HQ (Quad-Core, 6MB Cache, up to 3.2GHz w/ Turbo Boost)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 965M with 2GB GDDR5
12GB DDR4 at 2133MHz (4GBx1+8GBx1)
15.6 inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS Anti-Glare 220-nits Display
256GB PCIe SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Storage)

I heavily use google chrome and stream tv/movies. I also occasionally play the Sims 4 (high settings, since i use high now). I also need lots of GB for HD tv/movie storage. I personally like the design of the Dell XPS 15 better but i am not sure if it would be a better deal to get the Alienware. I don't do any video/audio editing.

This also doesn't need to be portable, as my laptop stays at home in the same area. Due to this, battery life isn't a concern. However, i want the laptop to last as long or longer as my current one.

What should I buy? Side note, i live in Canada.

 

[Nullifier3]

If all you're doing on it is watching videos and playing sims a minimum of $1700 is crazy. You could get a laptop half that price and it would be just as good for your needs.

 

[RavynnM]

I do want a high quality laptop, i've been very satisfied with my Dell XPS 17 from 2011, which was considered high quality back then.

 

[Nullifier3]

I do want a high quality laptop, i've been very satisfied with my Dell XPS 17 from 2011, which was considered high quality back then.

Well then I would go with the Dell instead of Alienware because you would be paying out the nose for a "Gaming" laptop. Alienware's only real advantage is the boot SSD which is nice but not for that price difference.

 

[RavynnM]

I do want a high quality laptop, i've been very satisfied with my Dell XPS 17 from 2011, which was considered high quality back then.

Well then I would go with the Dell instead of Alienware because you would be paying out the nose for a "Gaming" laptop. Alienware's only real advantage is the boot SSD which is nice but not for that price difference.

Thank you! I think i just needed someone to tell me it would be crazy to get the Alienware. Do you think the 32 GB SSD cache with the 1TB 5400RPM would make the XPS faster? I'v never used SSD before.

 

[Nullifier3]

I do want a high quality laptop, i've been very satisfied with my Dell XPS 17 from 2011, which was considered high quality back then.

Well then I would go with the Dell instead of Alienware because you would be paying out the nose for a "Gaming" laptop. Alienware's only real advantage is the boot SSD which is nice but not for that price difference.

Thank you! I think i just needed someone to tell me it would be crazy to get the Alienware. Do you think the 32 GB SSD cache with the 1TB 5400RPM would make the XPS faster? I'v never used SSD before.

The SSD would pretty much hold any smaller programs you use all the time. They can be super useful if you need something all the time to load almost instantly. Also if you ever wanted to, later on you could always buy a larger SSD and make that the boot or whatever else you wanted.

Glad I could help!