"To start off, seeing the box arrive at my house made me giddy. I knew that when I opened it, I would finally have the computer I'd been anticipating. What I wasn't expecting was what was in the box. Just seeing the care taken into packing my Alienware Aurora, I knew they weren't playing around. It runs like magic right out of the box. Even when I was installing a wireless network card, the size of the computer makes it easy to manuver around without catching on to things. All the cables inside are wrapped up together nicely, there is enough space to move around, and it looks good inside as much as it does on the outside. My Aurora ran Crysis on high settings without a problem. I have had no problems referring Alienware to everyone. Out of the 3 computers I've bought, Alienware blew my mind. My next laptop will definately be an Alienware. "

"I ordered a Area 51 PC early in May , it took until the middle of June to get here, but it was definetly worth it. Its nice to be able to run Crysis on full settings along with a host of other games. Alienware may not have the best customer support, but they can sure as hell make a great computer with a perfect wiring job. Everything worked great I haven't had a single problem with my Alienware and I will definatly be ordering from this company again. 96% Alienware :)"

"Hi everyone, i bought an alienware Area-51 m9750, the purchase was amazing, i'm a intenational customer from mexico and the shiping was fantastic, it arrive even 2 days before the estimated date. I just had a problem, for international customers the took like one week to proced the payment, lots of security and acount checking. Another thing that i don't like too much is that they didn't mentioned that i need to pay lots of taxes here in my country for importing the computer. I paid like $350 bucks, actually is the 15%, Well that is not a complain.., when i received the package it was... soooo cool!!:P perfectly packaged, all in box was nice and the most important the performance you won't get dissapointed and for sure you will turn heads when you are checking your e-mail in starbucks :D. On the last but no the less important was the customer service in spanish!! that was great!!it made an amazing way to buy. what are you waiting go to alienware.com and get yours one of these masterpiece.!"

"I'm a gamer. I build my own PCs to get the best possible performance and do not skimp on the materials, whatever the cost. When it came to picking a laptop, which I couldn't build for myself, I chose Alienware because they build a system for me like I would build for myself.

They don't cut corners, and if it's not right, they don't ship. I know that some customers have received a system that needed work and have had to send their laptop back for repair, but I haven't seen many complaints that Alienware didn't make it work right. I, myself, have had to send my older Alienware laptop in for repairs (failed hard drive controller) and received it back working good as new.

I believe that repeat business speaks alot about the consistent quality and performance of Alienware. To that end, I admit unreservedly that I have bought 4 Alienware laptops so far; first a 15", then (2) 17" (one for me, one for my wife), and finally a new 15" with the latest hardware and a bit more mobility than my 17". Two of my friends also bought Alienware laptops for similar reasons.

If you have the means to purchase one, there is no reason to regret that decision later in my opinion. This is how YOU would build one, if you were building it for yourself.

It's not hard to guess what my next laptop, when the time comes, will be."

"The customer service was excellent. The product I received, a laptop, is excellent. I had a small problem with my keyboard, it was replaced no problems and a very fast manner."

"That's Alienware allright; fast in delivery, performance and service. When I recieved my Desktop PC, I was surprised. How exactly could I have rexcieved my order in just 3 days? As I setup my computer I was yet again amazed at the efffeciency of Alienware. The second I powered on, a 3-minute loading time was the only hitch in the otherwise oil-slick ride. Thanks, Alienware"

"Great laptop, great service I am very happy with my product. I will be buying another one soon."

"Very happy with the product. Runs faster and is more reliable than I thought it would be. Everything shipped out on the day they said it would and I couldn't be happier."

"I bought an Alienware Aurora may 15th 2008. About a week later this huge black box arrives on my doorstep. I had heard the rumors, but it was a little surprising none the less. The out of box experience was great, I open the box and inside I find this neat Neo-Styrofoam packing material in the shape of all my components and holding in almost cage like fashion the tower itself. I must say that when the alienware website was explaining their expanded bays, and upgrade space, I never fathmomed that they were this serious about their standards. The tower is a behemoth! Right out of the box this tower looked like an alien monolith. I is almost 50% higher than other cases I've seen and is twice as long. In any case, no pun intended, It's not the size that matters but the power it packs. So After a quick 3 minute move, and plug in procedure we boot it up. The first startup was fairly basic but it was fast, everything I had wanted was factory installed and no long vista wait time. The sheer power of the computer completely drills the specifications for direct x10 and vista compatibility. Before I had undergone lag with vista, with this my computer almost had a sense of precognition. Load times were amazing, and the raw amount of performance was just awing. Alienware's desire for customer and product quality is definitely a guarantee they don't back down from. So far my computer has not even shown signs of slowing or anything, even with all my added extra "junk". If you want a computer that is a power house, and will last you a lifetime, I recommend buying into the Alienware experience."

"Alienware – a name synonymous with speed, performance, and reliability. And this is exactly what you get from Alienware.

Being an avid reader of PC Gamer for over the last 10 years, I’ve read numerous articles and reviews of Alienware PC’s – the Aurora, Area-51, Area-51 7500, etc. It’s only recently that I’ve become an adopter of the brand, and boy, am I sure glad I did.

I’ve built my own PC’s, and I’ve also ordered through Dell in the past. Having a significant lack of time and recent troubles with customization at Dell, I decided to check out Alienware – figuring it’d be around my price range and allow for the customization I required.

I was certainly right to do so – I was able to build the PC that I wanted and keep it within a comparable price range to what I had previous built at Dell. I typically use my PC for 3D modeling in 3D Studio Max and texturing with Photoshop and zBrush, so I needed something fast. What I got was something blazing fast. It doesn’t hurt that my games look phenomenal and run silky smooth too.

After selecting everything I wanted, placing the order was a snap. Using Alienware’s online order status pages kept me in the know about my PC’s building progress, and receiving a tracking number for shipping was pointless: the PC shipped on a Friday night, and it arrived at my doorstep at 10:30am on Monday! (This was the regular standard shipping and handling to Canada, by the way)

During the process of selecting parts, I had a few questions regarding parts that weren’t available, and I was helped by an extremely courteous and knowledgeable Sales Support Agent. She gave me a no-nonsense answer, and I was on my way – quick, to the point, helpful.

Getting the package is a neat experience; like a giddy child on Christmas morning, this giant black box decorated with an Alien head sits in front of you. Sheer joy overwhelms you. Everything in the box is carefully packaged so as not a scratch appears on anything. Setup is well documented in the included binder, and everything is GO in 20 minutes.

The case Alienware uses is the Porsche of the PC world – drop dead sexy, sleek and amazing looking. Internal wiring management is top-notch, and the systems airflow is fantastic.

Gaming, media creation, or just general use, Alienware is a brand that will last. As for the clichéd saying, you pay for what you get – and this holds true to Alienware. All of my future PC’s and laptops will adorned with the Alienware head.
"

"I ordered an Aurora Laptop Machine, it came with best shipping packaging, No scratches, working perfectly, Fast Shipping and Customer Service attention to the receiving end. This was a happy experience and I recommend Alienware as a prime Customer service all along. Many Thanks. George Gonzalez Alienware Customer"

"Alienware made a poor choice in using Dealtree for their Trade In program. Dealtree has no customer service and only replies to your comments via email. Alienware is no help in contacting this subcontractor if you have problems. DO NOT USE ALIENWARE'S TRADE IN PROGRAM - YOU WILL ONLY GET HEADACHES."

"Alienware is the way to go. I recieved my notebook exactly when they said I would and couldn't be happier with the power and speed."

"the computer was not loaded and does not start windows system as was not loaded, called customer service and tech support nothing anyone could do. called back got supervisior and is overnighting disk to load and i am to call tech when get also got run around and hung up on. for 2500.00 it should have done at least that and a lot more. all they could do was send the disk!!!!operateions disk. do not buy from alienware....

update
we receieved the operating disk 2 days in stead of next day. i spent an hour and a half on tech support to get the disk loaded and then download drivers.
i wasnt paid to do thier job nor was i really compensated for the problems on my 2500.00 dollar beginning paperweight.
thier offer of compensatiion was 100.00 to spend at alienware . next day shipping on the operating disk. i dont consider that compensation! also yesterday when i returned home i had a message from virgil castinella wanting me to update my posting here so they do read it. and here is my new post to what took place. they have not made me happy and yes my system does now work after 2500.00 and 3 hrs of tech and waiting 3 days for it to work after reciept. If i am not compensated for the problems of the crap they put me thru they will lose me as a customer forever and i will make sure others know how they do .
this is my second computer from them and the first one i bought had no drivers loaded . so i'm feeling pretty much like a fool the second time around. i am not satified but am glad the system finally works....for now.

i have read aleinware's answer and it is very funny they say here they want to make it up to me and understand my time is valuable also and yet they have all my phone numbers and have yet to call and work out teh details of the satifaction. nor have i received email to reflect thier answer.
i am not sure at this time if that is just to look good.
i await thier phone call. if they have need of the numbers again they certainly may email me at either this email or my other one, this is the screen name and aol.com. thank for allowing me to tell about teh company and the dealings i have had. agian i await thier call or email communications."

"I ordered a desktop from Alienware with a GeForce 9600 GT video card. It was shipped on time but FedEx took 5 days to ship what should have only taken 3.

It was 2 days later before I was able to set the system up but when I did I started seeing problems.

The video driver keeps having an error and that eventually leads to the "blue screen of death". Called tech support and they think I have a bad video card so I am waiting on the new one now. The big question here is, why was the computer shipped out when it isn't working right? I started getting this error within 5 minutes of me turning on the computer. I am sure if it did it to me that soon, it had to have done it to them as well.

Also, there were some customizations that I asked for (downloading Firefox for one) that were not done. Why ask people for that if you aren't going to actually do it?

Overall, my Alienware experience is not good. Hope it works right when the new video card arrives. Which should be within 1 to 3 more days depending on SlowEx.


UPDATE:

About 3 days after I made this review my new video card arrived. I installed it (good thing I know what I am doing) and sent back the old card. Once the new video card was installed and drivers loaded everything is working great. But my original question still stands; Why was this not checked at the factory? They even claim to put the computers through quality assurance before they are shipped.

Also, I received an email stating that since I had the problems I had, they restarted my warranty to that date (about 2 weeks later than original purchase). They also told me that I would receive an Alienware backpack for free. Not that I really wanted a backpack but it has never arrived so I can only guess that they fed me even more B.S.

Even though my problems were corrected, I do not feel confident in this company any longer.


****UPDATE 2/5/10****

At the end of September 2009 this computer died. Motherboard toasted. Lasted barely over a year. Definitely not worth the price I paid. "