Well I splurged and got myself a new Alienware laptop.

[JCitron]

After pondering for well over 3 months, I finally broke down and got myself a new laptop.

Alienware 15 MLK, CTONVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 980M with 8GB GDDR5
15.6 inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS Anti-Glare 220-nits Display
Intel® Core™ i7-6700HQ (Quad-Core, 6MB Cache, up to 3.5GHz w/ Turbo Boost)
32GB Dual Channel DDR4 2133Mhz
512GB PCIe SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Storage)
Killer 1535 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit English

There were a lot of considerations and compromises that went into the order. I went with an Alienware over a Gigabyte, ASUS, or MSI because I have an old Alienware 17MxR1 I can trade in for an additional discount of $300 off the machine on top of the promotional discounts and other stuff thrown in by Dell.

With the machine I made some compromises on the display. Initially I was going to go with the 4K display, but then again at 15.8 inches diagonal, I went with the bit older but faster 1980 x 1080p resolution. Given that we work with tiny text on menus, this is a good compromise, I think, and the price is a bit lower.

Other than that, I decked out the rest of the machine with lots of RAM hard drive space and the GTX980 instead of the lesser display card.

The machine comes in in about a week's time.

John

 

[wilts747]

Should you find its not really what you wanted I'm more than happy to receive second hand gifts. Enjoy, good luck. Peter

 

[JCitron]

You are welcome Peter. I'm sure it will be fine.

John

 

[itareus]

Seems like a beefy machine John, keep us posted when it arrives !

Chris M

 

[bendorsey]

Lucky you. I've seen a few Alienware laptops and the folks that had them loved them.

I've been running an Alienware Aurora Tower for 6 years. Its been fantastic but it is starting to get a little testy around the edges (and the new Alienware Area-51 is calling "buy me buy me buy me", lol).

I'm sure you will enjoy yours.

Ben

Ben

 

[JCitron]

Lucky you. I've seen a few Alienware laptops and the folks that had them loved them.

I've been running an Alienware Aurora Tower for 6 years. Its been fantastic but it is starting to get a little testy around the edges (and the new Alienware Area-51 is calling "buy me buy me buy me", lol).

I'm sure you will enjoy yours.

Ben

It's time to visit Area-51 one then. I can't complain about the quality of my now 6 year-old laptop I am trading in. (reminds self to do that tomorrow). This time around I opted for the 15-inch display because the 17 is a bit heavy to lug around.

This machine will work well, I think, for my portable needs. I will be doing a demonstration of Trainz at an event in my area that Steamboat and I are working with. We needed a machine that will run T:ANE and I found an excuse to buy one.

John

 

[PC_Ace]

Sounds great! Keep us informed when it arrives and you have it configured to your T:ANE preferences.
Should run T:ANE really well and be a great companion during downtime whilst you're out storm-chasing!

 

[JCitron]

Sounds great! Keep us informed when it arrives and you have it configured to your T:ANE preferences.
Should run T:ANE really well and be a great companion during downtime whilst you're out storm-chasing!

I sure will update on how it works. I have a feeling it will operate exceptionally well, if not the same as my desktop, which is similar specs except for the video card being an older GTX780ti.

You got it, instead of watching reruns on non-premium cable TV, I'll be Trainzing instead. I have to make sure I don't forget and stay up too late though.

John

 

[ish6]

Hello John ---

Congrads, sir, on your brand new baby there! :hehe: --- Like Ben said above, I, too have friends that have Alienware, and they just love their alien pc! And like Chris said above, keep us updated, please!

Enjoy your new toy when it reaches your hand, John!!!

Take Care
Ish

 

[pdkoester]

I read the specs of the laptop you ordered, you will be very satisfied.

 

[blueodessey]

Nice work with Alienware, you'll do well Sir John, can't wait to hear how this horse runs at the Track! Congrats!

 

[JCitron]

I can't wait for the machine to arrive, the ETA is 5/23! This will give me a week to setup the machine/copy data over and prep it for my trip west.

My free 33-inch TV comes this week.

Thanks for the congrats. I'll definitely let everyone know how it works, which I'm sure will be fine. Alienware never let me down before.

John

 

[Paulsw2]

It sounds great, but just wondering if there are any heat issues with this high spec laptop?

Paul

 

[rjhowie]

Good for you John.

I have been seriously thinking of getting a 14" Gigabyte gamer (noticed you looked at that make!) as it is only 1.7k in weight (dashed wish they would stick to Imperial) and handy when I want to travel and take Trainz with me. When I hear a roar here in Glasgow I will know it is not thunder but a cheer of success in the ex-colonies for an awaited arrival!

Bobby

 

[pdkoester]

It sounds great, but just wondering if there are any heat issues with this high spec laptop?

Paul

Judging by the back being entirely exhaust port, should be fine.

 

[JCitron]

The machine (Baby!) has arrived yesterday evening. I've been installing and updating T:ANE and have yet had a chance to play around with the machine outside of that. It boots up fast though!

 

[ish6]

The machine (Baby!) has arrived yesterday evening. I've been installing and updating T:ANE and have yet had a chance to play around with the machine outside of that. It boots up fast though!

Hello John, sir

Congratulation to the new addition to your family, sir!:udrool:

Suggestion: Take a picture, or two and post here on this thread! :wave:

Have fun trainzing, among other pc stuff, and keep us updated!

I know you're super happy!!!!

Take care now!
Ishie

 

[PC_Ace]

Cigars all around, I'd say! (in another era, that is. Too pc these days.)
Enjoy...

 

[nawlins]

The machine (Baby!) has arrived yesterday evening. I've been installing and updating T:ANE and have yet had a chance to play around with the machine outside of that. It boots up fast though!

Congrats on new arrival, John! Hope the baby doesn't keep you up at nights. I look forward to reports on your experiences with this new addition to your family.

Cheers

 

[rjc0235]

Always thought alienware were a bit over priced (then again i hit them just when they were at tehir worst) but oh boy have they utterly nailed down ridiculously powerful laptops that you know will work. just remember to keep the vents dust free!