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*shrugs*
retired moderator
Original Poster
#1 Old 8th Nov 2013 at 3:30 AM
Default How do these compare? (Ignoring price and brand name)
I'm curious how the specs of a particular local deal compare to what someone could get with the customizable options of either an Alienware X51 or Alienware Aurora. I'm especially curious about the graphics card.

Local deal includes:
AMD FX-8350 8-Core Black Edition processor
240GB SSD
2TB SATA2 HD
16 Gig DDR3-Ram
Windows 7
Nvidia GeForce 660 TI 2GB DDR5


Price and Alienware-myth aside, what would be better?

I don't mind if you call me "MSD" or something for short.
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Scholar
#2 Old 8th Nov 2013 at 6:36 AM
Huh? How can you ignore price?

The Alienware X51 comes in multiple varieties. But let's say you compare it to the most powerful, and hence most expensive, X51.

X51:
i7 4770
8GB DDR3 1600Mhz
1TB SATA3
GTX 760 1.5GB
$1099 + tax

The processor and GPU on the X51 mentioned above are faster than the FX-8350 and GTX 660 Ti, but it doesn't have as much RAM and it doesn't have an SSD. They are faster, but only one step up. If you're just playing The Sims, you won't notice a difference between the two processors or the two graphic cards since they're both above what you need to get 60 fps. You will however notice faster loading times with the SSD and 240GB is big enough for your OS, The Sim, all your expansions and all of your CC.

However if you plan on playing something more demanding than The Sims, you may think about going with the X51 and then adding an SSD, assuming that the Alienware case will accommodate it. I'm not sure it will though since it seems to me it's a slim case.
*shrugs*
retired moderator
Original Poster
#3 Old 9th Nov 2013 at 1:37 AM
Thanks.

I guess I could have worded my post better. What I meant about "ignoring the price" was that I was looking more so at the quality, compatibility, and performance of the parts (i.e. if I were to get the same parts elsewhere and not necessary at Alienware/Dell's price).

I don't mind if you call me "MSD" or something for short.
Tumblr
Perhaps someday I'll have leisure time back...
Scholar
#4 Old 11th Nov 2013 at 3:14 PM
Dell uses their own motherboard and power supplies, so if you were to get the same specs from someone other than Dell the brand of the MB, PSU and GPU would be different. Quality depends on the brand.

For MBs I prefer Asus. If I can't get Asus or Asus is too expensive I go with MSI or ASRock, whichever is cheapest.
For PSUs I like Corsair HX or CX series. I'll also recommend other specific models of Seasonic and Antec, but its really specific models/series.
For GPUs it varies, but right now Gigabyte Windforce and Asus DirectCU II are great.
For Cases I like Cooler Master, Antec, Corsair and Fractal Design.
For RAM I like G.Skill.
For SSDs I like Intel or Samsung.
 
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