Poll: Alienware laptop or PS3?

[Gh0st1y_H]

I might have to buy a new laptop, so either way I end up spending around $1600 on some new tech. Either I get rid of my PS3 and the 10 or so games I have for it and buy an Alienware laptop, or I buy a 15" Macbook for schoolwork and stick with my PS3. (NOTE: I already have a couple computer games I'll be playing, and will only buy one or two new ones to replace the old games I lost.)

The Alienware laptop I'll be getting will also be 15", and will have the following specs:
Intel® Core? i7-620M 2.66GHz (3.33Ghz Turbo Mode, 4M cache)
1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz
500GB SATAII 7,200RPM
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)

I'll admit, I'm not very computer savvy. If my laptop is going to get phased out of gaming faster than my PS3 based on the specs above, then I won't buy it. If they're going to last around the same time, I'll get the laptop.

Also, if it helps at all, the games I like to play include RTS games, FPS games, and very few RPGs. (Read: BioWare. I'm pretty biased in Alienware's favor here, considering Starcraft 2 is coming out soon and I'll have no way to play it if I don't buy this computer.)

This thread is for anyone to tell me which side of gaming is better, and pretty much add anything possible to help me choose.

 

[Mr.Black]

Alienware, solely because you want Starcraft 2.

 

[Volafortis]

Get the Alienware. It'll run VERY hot (as all gaming laptops do), but those specs are above PS3 hardware. Actually, they're only slightly below my current gaming rigs specs.

 

[Gh0st1y_H]

Heating was the problem I had with my last laptop. What would you guys suggest I do to minimize any and all chances of having my system melt again? (For the record, I kept my laptop on and in between two pieces of wood to allow for massive heat buildup. A stupid move, I know, so I'll be keeping this one somewhere slightly less retarded. Probably between 2 slightly more distant pieces of wood.)

 

[thatstheguy]

I'd suggest building a desktop if possible if only to greatly reduce the cost. If you have to go with a gaming laptop, I'd say go with the Alienware. I've never used they're products before, but I've heard decent things about them.

 

[OptimalPrime]

hmmm lets see, something that will be obsolete in a year or something that still has 5-7 years left. PS3!

(sorry pc gamers, i just dont see the appeal)

 

[Burst6]

PC technology moves fast. For all you know the moment you buy the computer a new one comes out that is 100 times better.

 

[Sleekgiant]

PC or console................why PC of course, next question

 

[shadow skill]

PS3 is a better buy in this case. Laptops usually don't have the kind of expandability you would want for PC gaming.

 

[acosn]

Heating was the problem I had with my last laptop. What would you guys suggest I do to minimize any and all chances of having my system melt again? (For the record, I kept my laptop on and in between two pieces of wood to allow for massive heat buildup. A stupid move, I know, so I'll be keeping this one somewhere slightly less retarded. Probably between 2 slightly more distant pieces of wood.)

Heating is a constant problem with any computer, and by extension laptops. A computer is effectively a machine when you get down to it, and just like a car's engine heat causes problems.

Your best bet is to not buy a laptop at all, or rather, buy one that's not intended for gaming. Dedicated graphics cards only increase the heat load and make things more problematic.

Now, if you're like me and need the portability over anything else, there are options, just not what you think.

Alienware computers and laptops are over priced, and they skimp on the parts that you wouldn't typically ask about. To boot they typically have heating problems. My roommate freshman year had a laptop that couldn't run video games so long as the temperature outside hit anything above 70 degrees because the internal sensors would trip. It was an alienware. GG.

I'd recommend an ASUS laptop- they're just generally good and they're not ripoffs.

That won't do away with your problems though, it'll just make them less tedious. The biggest thing about maintaining your laptop is keeping the damn thing clean. Assuming it's not flawed at a fundamental level simply keeping the parts and intake / outtake ports dusted and clean will keep it running reliably much longer. Reasonably you'd crack open the case at least once every 2-3 months, and preferably more. I run my laptop like a ***** and it still runs perfectly 2 years later because I take care of it. My dell tower desktop didn't do that. Didn't last half that time before I had to replace the graphics cards.

The other thing you can do is buy a cooling pad. You don't want to go too expensive- the two big things they're supposed to do is elevate your laptop (gives more room for air to exit from your laptop, since it WILL have vents on the bottom) and funnel the hot air away faster.

The problem is that no two laptop cases are exactly alike, so there's no one way to properly design a cooling pad. Most of them are cheap, and will break like no one's business. Four months after I bought mine it started making an irritating wiring noise that I simply could not put up with.

TL;DR:
Buy a laptop, just don't buy apple crap (grossly over priced for nothing special- they're not even built for gamers. Stay the fuck away) and don't buy Alienware (Its owned by Dell, if that doesn't tell you anything, they're over priced for what you get, and are notorious for heat load issues)

 

[stutheninja]

alienware just for the fact of its portablity and access to the same junk ps3 has

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Buy a laptop, just don't buy apple crap (grossly over priced for nothing special- they're not even built for gamers. Stay the fuck away) and don't buy Alienware (Its owned by Dell, if that doesn't tell you anything, they're over priced for what you get, and are notorious for heat load issues)

Orrrr... get a desktop that has the same performance as the laptop and spend the price differnce (which is significant for higher end systems) and get a netbook for portable computing needs.

But yeah... Apple stuff, unless you have a specific reason for needing/wanting one, are overpriced and Alienware rigs have never been worth the money even before Dell bought them and their quality turned to shit. I mean, really, if you want to blow an arseload of money on some 'cool' case, get something using a Thermaltake case.


*Disclaimer: I despise laptops so my opinions are biased against them.

 

[Sebenko]

hmmm lets see, something that will be obsolete in a year or something that still has 5-7 years left. PS3!

(sorry pc gamers, i just dont see the appeal)

PC technology moves fast. For all you know the moment you buy the computer a new one comes out that is 100 times better.

Stop being so ignorant.
Gaming PCs don't suddenly become obsolete in a year. I built mine in 2007 and it's still going fine, running most games on high settings (And before you make that claim, no, consoles do not run all games on the highest settings- usually around medium)

OP: Buy the alienware. You don't want to associate with people like these. We might be elitist, but we have the best cakes at our parties.
[small]That sounds like a euphemism. For what, I don't know.[/small]

That setup should mostly be fine, but don't think it'll be spending much time away from a power socket. It should run for a good amount of time, but gaming will suck that battery dry.

Orrrr... get a desktop that has the same performance as the laptop and spend the price differnce (which is significant for higher end systems) and get a netbook for portable computing needs.

If he needs a laptop for school, a netbook won't be much use. And neither will a desktop.
Of course, there are better choices than an alienware gaming laptop for school

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

If he needs a laptop for school, a netbook won't be much use. And neither will a desktop.

That can be a pretty big 'if' though. Unless you plan on running high resource demand progs, a laptop is a waste of cash... certainly, there are reasons both academic and personal to want to run those progs but if you're not then it's waste.

 

[AlphaOmega]

If you have to pick between those 2, the ps3.

Alienware is overpriced + laptops are overpriced for the preformance you get out of them.

 

[Flames66]

hmmm lets see, something that will be obsolete in a year or something that still has 5-7 years left. PS3!

(sorry pc gamers, i just dont see the appeal)

Let me explain. PC gaming is loved by many for several reasons; Mods, communities, dedicated servers, RTS games better aiming in FPSs, MMOs, More complex interfaces and probably lots of other reasons that I've missed.

If there is something about a game that people don't like, a lot of the time someone in the modding community will fix it. Mods can increase the life of a game by decades, making an old game fresh and interesting again.

Dedicated servers on online games allow communities to have their own specific online meeting place where they can play by their rules and with their friends.

Many people (myself included) cannot stand console controllers. They are frustrating to aim with and do not have enough buttons. Because of this, RTS games just do not work on consoles and I recommend the Alienware Laptop to the OP for this reason, as he wants to play Starcraft 2.

Disclaimer: I am not trying to convert you into a PC gamer, Just helping you see the other perspective.