Dell Seeks Street Cred
It appears that Dell can add the titles of overpriced eye-candy to their resume following their acquisition of perennial geek modding favourite: Alienware. Word is that Dell, who doesn’t exactly have the sparkly cool reputation in the gaming industry (especially following the lukewarm reception of their gaming laptop), is lookin’ to git down with today’s fashionable geeks who feel the need to pry off every piece of manufacturer housing and replace it with something glowing, spinning or uber-shiny.
Séan Captain mentions a bit of good to come out of this for Dell-using gamer, saying:
What’s most remarkable about Alienware’s success is that its computers cost up to twice as much as a comparable Dell and take longer to arrive—an average of about three weeks to assemble and ship vs. about five days for a Dell…Alienware is not simply a glowing-eyed figurehead. The company has real technical chops and a record of producing high-end equipment. It also understands better than Dell how to cater to demanding, geeky customers. Dell’s upgrade policy is a constant source of annoyance for its more computer-savvy customers. You can add components to your desktop PC, but you must buy the parts from Dell to retain warranty coverage; if you want to upgrade your laptop, a technician must come to your house and do the work. Alienware, in contrast, allows people to add components purchased anywhere. It recognizes that its customers are enthusiasts who can handle upgrades, and it doesn’t penalize them by withholding tech support.
Now we can have the best of both worlds: cruddy irritating customer service (if Dell takes over that segment of Alienware operations), and inflated prices. Rah!
Now my computer ain’t exactly fancy, and I play a lot more console games than I do PC, making the need for a spectacular gaming rig a little unnecessary, but how do you folks out there who mod, mod, mod feel about this buy out? Has Alienware dropped in your estimations (if it was ever off ground level) by association with the ultra-dull Dell? Is Dell having a corporate mid-life crisis, with Alienware the business equivalent of a Porsche? Despite assurances that Alienware will remain autonomous, how much, and for how long do you figure the parent company can keep its fingers out of the pie?
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2 opinions for Dell Seeks Street Cred
Tor
Apr 18, 2006 at 1:41 am
Or just go the easy and semi-cheap way and build your own comp.. a skill all gamers should have lvld a bit *nods*
Kamyar
Apr 18, 2006 at 11:37 am
I’ve purchased an alienware pc for gaming and while it served me well, I say its not worth the money. For starters, you can put together a MUCH better system at a fraction of the cost if you do it yourself. Secondly, you’ll have absolute control over your system and can fix issues easier. Last, the alienware cases are just too big and bulky. They suck in dust and dirt better than my vacuum cleaner.
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