I can believe i'm saying this.....

[macgeek2005]

AlienWare Aurora m9700 Laptop

AMD Turion 64 Mobile ML44 2.4Ghz
17" Widescreen 1920x1200 Resolution Display
2GB Dual Channel DDR SO-DIMM at 400Mhz
2x100GB 7200rpm Hard Drive
8x Dual Layer Superdrive
Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GS/256mb
Gigabit Ethernet
Tilting 1.3 Megapixel Camera

$3,294.00

Apple MacBook Pro Laptop

Intel Core Duo 2.16Ghz
17" Widescreen 1680x1050 Resolution Display
2GB 667mhz DDR2 SO-DIMM
100GB 7200rpm Hard Drive
8x Dual Layer Superdrive
ATI Radeon X1600/256mb
Gigabit Ethernet
Front Row/iSight

$3,201.00

Yeah..... I look at the bottom of my screen and I think to myself "What am I using right now that I won't be able to use on that Alienware machine".

I have iTunes (Check), iChat/MSN Messenger (Check), Firefox (Check), Acquisition (Limewire, Check), Text edit (Microsoft Word, Check), Quicktime (check).

In other words, I could be using everything i'm using right now, on a PC. Using AIM messenger instead of iChat, Limewire instead of Acquisition, and Microsoft Word instead of Text Edit.

Look at the differences in power between the two laptops. Look at the video card of the Alienware. Look at the CPU, the Dual Hard Drives. I mean... and for another $399, I could have gotten Dual Video Cards!!!

I don't know what to think.

[jsw]

The MBP weighs 6.8 pounds. What's the weight penalty for the Alienware?

Edit: never mind. 8.5 pounds, probably closer to 9 with the extra drive.

Doesn't seem like much, but it is.

[.Andy]

The MBP weighs 6.8 pounds. What's the weight penalty for the Alienware?
8.5 pounds. 1.85" thick. No mention of battery life on tech specs page that I can find.

and windows......

[jsw]

It has - literally - over 2.5 times the volume of the MBP.

Basically, you could stack two 17" MBP's and an old 12" PB and that's the volume you're talking about.

But, yeah, better graphics, no contest.

As a portable, the Alienware sucks. As a transportable gaming system, it's pretty phenomenal.

[Mernak]

Apple MacBook Pro Laptop

Intel Core Duo 2.16Ghz
17" Widescreen 1680x1050 Resolution Display
2GB 667mhz DDR2 SO-DIMM
100GB 7200rpm Hard Drive
8x Dual Layer Superdrive
ATI Radeon X1600/256mb
Gigabit Ethernet
Front Row/iSight

$3,201.00

Yeah..... I look at the bottom of my screen and I think to myself "What am I using right now that I won't be able to use on that Alienware machine".

I have iTunes (Check), iChat/MSN Messenger (Check), Firefox (Check), Acquisition (Limewire, Check), Text edit (Microsoft Word, Check), Quicktime (check).

In other words, I could be using everything i'm using right now, on a PC. Using AIM messenger instead of iChat, Limewire instead of Acquisition, and Microsoft Word instead of Text Edit.

Look at the differences in power between the two laptops. Look at the video card of the Alienware. Look at the CPU, the Dual Hard Drives. I mean... and for another $399, I could have gotten Dual Video Cards!!!

I don't know what to think.

im hoping that this laptop is not just for those apps, if so you spent way too much money(IMHO), im planning to get a $1500 macbook (including 2GB 2rd party RAM) and it is going to be overpowered for what im using it for(which is basically the same programs with some games added in and the occasional iMovie). Also while the AMD has 64 bit processing the MB/P has 2 cores(which allow more effiecent multitasking, and so few programs use 64 bit, but i may be wrong on this count). Also another factor is that the MBP has OS X and is able to duel-(tri-,i think i heard about people doing that at least) while the AMD only has windows(and possibly duel-bootin linux)

[Spock]

Three words, Dell Owns Alienware.

[jsw]

Three words, Dell Owns Alienware.
And just so we're all clear, "owns" literally means "owns"... not that anyone could have possibly taken it the other way.

[Blackheart]

And just so we're all clear, "owns" literally means "owns"... not that anyone could have possibly taken it the other way.

LMAO

But seriously, go with the Alienware. There are over 114,000 programs for Windows... you can't get nearly that amount on a Mac!

/sarcasm

[QCassidy352]

the advantages of the alienware seem to be:
screen res
video card
extra HD

advantages of the MBP:
OS X
.85" thinner
1.7 lbs
almost certainly better battery life

For me, this is a hands down win for the MBP, absolutely no contest. OS X alone would do it for me, but add in the absolute bulk of the alienware and I'm pretty repelled by it.

But then, i can't possibly imagine needing more than a 256 MB Radeon 1600 and a single 100 GB 7200 RPM drive. Can you??

[plinden]

im hoping that this laptop is not just for those apps, if so you spent way too much money(IMHO), im planning to get a $1500 macbook (including 2GB 2rd party RAM) and it is going to be overpowered for what im using it for(which is basically the same programs with some games added in and the occasional iMovie).

Yeah. Wow, I used to be able to run all these:
I have iTunes (Check), iChat/MSN Messenger (Check), Firefox (Check), Acquisition (Limewire, Check), Text edit (Microsoft Word, Check), Quicktime (check).

on my 2002 vintage 1.8GHz P-4 Dell. Plus Resin and Tomcat JSP webcontainers. Plus Thunderbird, cygwin, and also compiled my Java code. Hell, I even ran IBM's Websphere for a while - it was a dog but was usable, just about.

You'd get much better cost-effective computing with a Mini or a $300 Celeron PC. Seriously. I'm not taking the piss. You don't need either a MBP or an Alienware for what you're running.

[macgeek2005]

Well, I use iLife as well. And I do some gaming..... CoD 2, Quake 4, Doom 3.

There is no way in hell i'm getting a PC ever. I just thought it was interesting that I could get such specs and be able to do everything that i'm doing right now on it.

[ug.mac]

I can not see any advantage on AlienWare at all. We are talking about a LAPTOP, are we?
There is no information I can found at AlienWare about its battery life, but dual GPU, dual high speed HD, a 17" display and AMD processor I can never expect it more than 1.5 hours. If Apple decided to sacrifice battery life then we already have dual dual-core PowerPC G5 in Macbook Pro (or Powerbook G5 maybe) last year, but it just doesn't make sense to people who are looking for a portable computer as well as Apple itself. Portable computer is about balance - performance and reliability. So if you need such performance that AlienWare provides, do yourself a math how long can you enjoy before battery runs out.

[macgeek2005]

alright alright fine. I agree.

[idea_hamster]

It's true that you can run all the same useful apps (or their equivalents) on an Alienware laptop.

And don't forget that there are lots of other programs that you'll have access to if you do switch to a PC. A short sample:

VBS/Haptime.A-mm
VBS/LoveLetter.A-mm
VBS/Redlof.A-m
W32/Agobot!0153
+W32/Bagle!ITW#85
W32/Blaster.A
W32/Blaster.B
W32/Blaster.C
W32/Blaster.D
W32/Blaster.E
W32/Blaster.F
W32/Codbot!ITW#16
W32/Funlove.4099
W32/Golten
W32/Inforyou-mm
W32/Korgo.AA
W32/Locksky!ITW#12
W32/Mydoom.BA-mm
+W32/Mytob!ITW#466
W32/Netsky.B-mm
W32/Sober.J-mm
W32/Sobig.E-mm

;)

[iProd]

And just so we're all clear, "owns" literally means "owns"... not that anyone could have possibly taken it the other way.
I think I know what you're saying...Dell pwned Alienware, and now Alienware is gonna go down **** creek? :p

[h0e0h]

my best friend has a brand new Alienware "laptop" and let's face it, he has to do 500 push-ups every day just to be buff enough to carry that thing too and from his destinations. (ok, maybe i fibbed a little bit. maybe he does the 500 push-ups because he's in the army, but maybe he only is mandated to do 200 and the other 300 are to beef him up to tote the Alienware). But it's really hard to pass up those two external blue alien eyes for a stupid, half-eaten apple. now that i think of it, aliens are WAY more scientific than newton and his apple, you should go for the alienware...

[/ignorance]

[Smallville]

Why does every laptop made by Apple have to be a high-end machine? If you want a high-end laptop, get the Alien or get a Pro.

There are some people who'd like a basic Mac laptop for word processing, Internet conection, mail and maybe photos for a sturdy work computer. Not everyone is a software engineer or designer or gamer.

These unrealistic requests of the supposed low-end consumer books are starting to price-out people like me.

[THX1139]

People often have limited view points when it comes to computing. They usually think only of what they need their computer for without regard to the various needs of other users. So, if someone is only using their computer for web browsing/email and an occaisonal game, they would think having a 9 pound computer to be crazy. Same thing with extra processor speed, additional Vram or even a second hard-drive. These people automatically think the MacBook Pro to be the best deal simply because it's built better, weighs less or can run iTunes. That may be true for some folks, but there are people who NEED power and are will to give up conveniences such as weight and battery power to have portablity in a desktop equivilent. For example, I don't care how much the laptop (portable) weighs as long as I can carry it to a job location, or out of the office and still be able to get some serious work done.

I do video compositing, 3d animations, and high rez design for print. I would love to have a portable that would replace my desktop solution even if I had to keep it plugged in, or needed to buy a rolling cart to carry it. For portablity, a desktop is out of the question - I don't think Starbucks would be happy if I plugged a Quad in at one of their stores! It would be really awesome if Apple would create a high-end portable-notebook type computer that compared with, or exceeded those Alienware specs. Maybe even a Quad processor notebook, that was the size of a small briefcase? Even if it weighed 10-12 lbs and had little to no battery life, I'd buy it. I would gladly trade convience for power! Of course, I'd also own a cheap Macbook for everyday tasks or when I didn't have to push a lot of pixels around.

[Mord]

even if the alienware was the same size and had the same batterylife i'd still got for the macbook, the core duo is a much faster chip clock for clock and it's a dual core which more than makes up for the graphics card in serious work, the x1600 is no slouch like the x600 and 9600 were.

anywho, it is fat ugly heavy and had the battery life of my 5 year old ibook battery.

so it's a 7900 higher res screen and an extra HD for:

one cpu core, an inch thicker, 1/4 the battery life, ugliness, loss of fertility due to heat,

[janey]

If i was serious about gaming, I'd go alienware (although, I'd have doubts about the whole dell buying alienware thing) over the mbp. Wouldn't care about the size or the weight (hey, think of it as being better than lugging around a 60lb desktop and display and keyboard and a case of bawls to a lan party). The specs on the alienware are better for gaming, in fact are better than the mbp's in most cases (i'm an amd fangirl, ...) despite the extra weight.

[Mord]

i just carry around my HD and my x800XT PE, all my school computers have the same bios password and agp slots.

:cool:

if i were a *serious* gamer i wouldn't have any friends thus i'd stay inside all the time.

[stefan15]

Worth checking out as well.. if you need 17" screen..
http://voodoopc.com/showroom.aspx?productID=1087

[Dafke]

I have iTunes (Check), iChat/MSN Messenger (Check), Firefox (Check), Acquisition (Limewire, Check), Text edit (Microsoft Word, Check), Quicktime (check).


Dude, you don't need a $ 3000 laptop to use those programs :rolleyes:

[Core Trio]

Why does every laptop made by Apple have to be a high-end machine? If you want a high-end laptop, get the Alien or get a Pro.

There are some people who'd like a basic Mac laptop for word processing, Internet conection, mail and maybe photos for a sturdy work computer. Not everyone is a software engineer or designer or gamer.

These unrealistic requests of the supposed low-end consumer books are starting to price-out people like me.


Im pretty sure he was comparing the Alienware to the MacBook Pro

[dmw007]

I can not believe that you are seriously considering buying the Alienware laptop.

It is heavier, shorter battery life, thicker case, slower CPU (the Core Duo beats the Athlon 64 X2- it can beat a Turion 64), the MBP uses faster RAM, and you can't run OS X on it- you have to use Windows XPee.

I assume you bought the RAM for the MBP from Apple, going third party should lower the price quite nicely.


Please come to your senses and go with a MacBook Pro! :eek:

[someguy]

My brother just bought a PC Laptop!!!!! (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=195635)

What the hell, kid?

[dmw007]

loss of fertility due to heat,

The big problem you get if you buy the Alienware laptop. ;) :D

[octoberdeath]

MBP all the way... it has a keyboard that can tell when its dark and lights up!!! that right there does it for me...no seriously. ok maybe that its anodized aluminum and runs OS X too.

[someguy]

MBP all the way... it has a keyboard that can tell when its dark and lights up!!! that right there does it for me
G4 PB's do that too.

[dornoforpyros]

why oh why do these threads keep popping up?

Yes, Macs cost more, they look nicer, they run better and the OS is superior, so your paying a premium for a better machine. IMO (and I think many other Mac users) the extra bit you pay is worth it.

These threads are akin to comparing a honda civic to a mustang, wow...one cost more than the other, they both have 4 wheels, and an engine. Why would anyone get a mustang?

[jessica.]

It's true that you can run all the same useful apps (or their equivalents) on an Alienware laptop.

And don't forget that there are lots of other programs that you'll have access to if you do switch to a PC. A short sample:

VBS/Haptime.A-mm
VBS/LoveLetter.A-mm
VBS/Redlof.A-m
W32/Agobot!0153
+W32/Bagle!ITW#85
W32/Blaster.A
W32/Blaster.B
W32/Blaster.C
W32/Blaster.D
W32/Blaster.E
W32/Blaster.F
W32/Codbot!ITW#16
W32/Funlove.4099
W32/Golten
W32/Inforyou-mm
W32/Korgo.AA
W32/Locksky!ITW#12
W32/Mydoom.BA-mm
+W32/Mytob!ITW#466
W32/Netsky.B-mm
W32/Sober.J-mm
W32/Sobig.E-mm

;)
hahaha classic!

But to the OP. I think you have a very valid point and if you're not hooked on OSX then you found the MBP's replacement it seems. I mean, I wouldn't want it, but hey---that's me not you.
So I say go for it. And you get 2x hdd...which I think is great!

[dpaanlka]

Anybody that says "i'm a professional video editor" or "i am serious about gaming" and then goes and buys a laptop clearly isn't thinking of their own proclaimed priorities. No matter how powerful a laptop is, there is always going to be a significantly more powerful (and cheaper) desktop out there somewhere. The truly best solution for people who are actually professionals or really serious about gaming is to have an ultra powerful deskop, and then a fairly cheap laptop for the road, which together probably costs the same as one butt-ugly 10lb Alienware.

In other words, I could be using everything i'm using right now, on a PC. Using AIM messenger instead of iChat, Limewire instead of Acquisition, and Microsoft Word instead of Text Edit..

You could be using Microsoft Word on a Mac. Plus, PCs don't have options that even resemble iLife. But wait a second, what are we even talking about? Do you need a $3000+ computer for AIM, Limewire, and Word?

[janey]

Anybody that says "i'm a professional video editor" or "i am serious about gaming" and then goes and buys a laptop clearly isn't thinking of their own proclaimed priorities....
Who says the laptop has to be the main machine? I know plenty of people who have laptops and higher-end desktops both. Laptops are at least more portable than the desktops, and it's not like it's a huge performance hit.

Hell, why is anyone buying a laptop when it's obvious that desktops with similar if not better specs are cheaper than a laptop? It's usually the portability :p

[dpaanlka]

Who says the laptop has to be the main machine? I know plenty of people who have laptops and higher-end desktops both. Laptops are at least more portable than the desktops, and it's not like it's a huge performance hit.

I think the problem starts to come when people point to the 1" thin MBP and complain that it doesn't have the power of a desktop, or an Alienware laptop, which by all definitions is essentially a desktop.

[freeny]

Dont forget that on a Mac, when you drag an icon from your dock, it goes away in a cool little puff of smoke! :eek:

Enjoy your Alienware dude!:rolleyes:

[dmw007]

Dont forget that on a Mac, when you drag an icon from your dock, it goes away in a cool little puff of smoke! :eek:


Ah yes, such a cool little animation! :)

[FF_productions]

I'm not really surprised by those specs that the alienware has...
Apple never really has had "performance" computers that really break the speed barrier, OSX and FCP are really the only reasons I have a Mac, or else I'd have a crazy PC running....windows...

[tristan]

Do you want to spend your day in Windows XP Pro/Vista or OS X? That's what it comes down to.

[wxboss]

Alienware is still over priced IMHO. I have always drooled over their computers, but the price factor is too much.

For a gamer who doesn't have time to build their own pc and has the dough, it's a good buy, but you still have to wrestle with Windoze.....I'll pass on that.