Alienware Abduction

A thing of beauty...
I unboxed an Alienware today. An experience not unlike getting into your first nice, new car. Everything looks so clean, so crisp, so amazing, you want to savor every moment. So I did. Even though it wasn't mine. When I was a young consultant putting PCs together for clients, I had a scale I called the Out of Box Experience. This scale from 1-10 was based upon how easy or difficult it was to take a PC from research to order, from order to shipping and from arrival to setup. This may not seem significant until you have to set up one or two hundred PCs to determine how well a company does it's job affects how well you would do yours. Alienware scores a 9.75 out of 10. I wouldn't hesitate to work with or recommend the company's product again.

Once upon a time, Gateway Computers had the best out of box experience, by far. You could open their Holstein-patterned boxes, unpack the machine and be up in minutes; cleanly, crisply and efficiently. But those days seem to be far gone. Most consumer-level tech is poorly made, breaks easily and often fails to work right out of the box. Quality control just isn't as high as it use to be. Planned obsolescence is another article...

For those not in the know, Alienware was a computer hardware manufacturer, before it came under the mega-corporate control of Dell Computers, that produced one of the world's finest boutique Intel platform PCs. Not a boast, just a simple fact. Their hardware has won numerous awards from all of the most prestigious technical magazines, companies and industries. They had innovative designs both internal and external and their computers changed the landscape of the PC manufacturer, for the better.

Their current relationship with Dell seems to be one of a hands-off distributor but it is hard to get the full story. I was afraid that when Dell became their owner, that the quality of the machine would suffer since their two markets are completely different, but it would appear that Alienware continues to do what it does best; producing one of the best and affordable PCs money can buy.

That old-time religion
I became a believer nine years ago when I got my first Alienware computer. I bought a store display that had some hours on it and had been on display for about a year. The vendor sold it to me for about 40% of the list price and the device was fully equipped. Until that point, I had never owned a high-quality computer of my own. My day jobs always had the best technology money could offer, but at home, I got by with whatever I could put together myself.

Alienware changed all that for me. The first Alienware ATX case was large, but fully configurable and I added new hardware including a new video card, a new DVD-RW, two new hard drives, a new sound card and more RAM. During that time, I never considered getting another computer. When my Alienware gave up the ghost, eight years later, I knew that there would never be another computer for me. When I bought my next new computer, it would be an Alienware; end of story.

As fate would have it: My next two or three computers were either corporate donations, contest winnings or other strange twists of fate that would allow me to have decent computers without me spending a lot of money. I never forget about an Alienware, I just didn't give it any real thought since new computers kept appearing. Then a friend asked me to replace hers. She had a small form-factor Dell that was getting long in the tooth, slowing down and just performing poorly (it needed RAM and a much faster processor but the device was not worth taking apart to replace those components). She said she wanted a computer that would last her five years and would be powerful enough for her to do anything she could think of. She said buy what you would buy for yourself.

I said Alienware, of course.

You could hide a body in that thing...
So I went to their website and found an affordable unit. With a widescreen monitor, two year warranty and tax included it came to just under $2,000. It was a powerful, but affordable box with specifications I thought would last her for some time. If my previous experience was any indication, I would not be needed here again for at least five years. (I surmise that she will probably need a RAM upgrade at some point in the future since I specced it with just 3 gigs and Vista wants half of that just to open up.) But I figured that she could start with this config and work her way up over time.

I ordered the Alienware Aurora system and it took a week to ship. Not sure why it took a week, but FedEx ground kept a perfect eye on it and it delivered when it said it would. The FedEx employee dropped it right inside my door and with nary a bump or scratch on the box. I noted the tag: Assembled in Mexico, which is why it was shipped through Los Angeles and the City of Industry in California. One day when I have time, I will have to find out where in Mexico it was made and make a trip there. It would likely prove to be an interesting journey.

The first thing I noticed is the immense shipping box for computer its size. It was 17" x 26" x 33" It wasn't a problem, I was just surprised. Being detail-oriented, I checked the packing list before I opened it and everything was in order. I did not expect anything unusual but at the same time, I have opened hundreds of computer packing labels and have occasionally found that I was looking at someone else's computer. It would be better to find that out before I open it.

The specifications were:
Alienware Aurora Desktop
Cosmic Black - 525w Power Supply
Single CD/DVD RW drive
Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Sound Card
Intel Core i7 920 (2.66 GHz, 8 MB Cache)
3 GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1067Mhz (3x1024MB chips)
Single 1.68GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 192 Core
500 GB SATA 7200 RPM Hard Drive
Windows Vista Home 64-bit Premium with Windows 7 upgrade coupon
And a Dell 23" Wide display. The display shipped in a different box.

I noticed the box made no sounds as I rotated it for opening. There was nothing rolling around and if there were Styrofoam peanuts, they were packed tight. Upon opening, I was pleasantly (and yet unpleasantly) surprised to find the packing material was different than I expected. There was no Styrofoam or cardboard inserts. Instead, there were these tightly fitted polymer-plastic inserts that were custom fit to the shape and position of the containers within the main box. The inserts make sure nothing in the box moved at all. Tightly fitting but easy to remove. I was only disappointed because of the carbon profile of the inserts, but liked the fact that these inserts were so perfectly fitted there was no movement in the package. I suspect, since you have to use the box they came in to ship them back to Alienware, they wanted to make sure they would retain their shape and resistance to injury over time. There were two boxes within the shipping box. The smaller box contained the keyboard, mouse, heavy duty power-cable and product manual with a leather cover and an Alien Grey's head on it. There was also a mouse-pad in the roof of the keyboard shipping box.

I had to turn the main shipping box on its side to remove the PC, which is stored in a slide out tray with more of the poly fitted holders at the bottom of the box. The PC is stored in an inner box 13" x 17" x 28". When I opened this box, the PC was covered with another of the polymer inserts across the top of the system again ensuring a tight fit within the custom fitted smaller box. Here I encountered my first difficulty with the Out of Box Experience. The PC has to be lifted from the box but there are no easy lift points. So I tipped the PC forward by the lip on the back of the system, reached into the box and lifted the system free. It was not too heavy (about 25 pounds) but it was a bit ungainly. I tipped the containing box on its side and put the computer on the box's side. (No this is not recommended but the construction of the box supported the weight of the PC until I could get a better grip to move it to the setup area.)

Love is a many-splendid thing
Once I set it up, I looked at the unit and marveled at its clean design. This was no ordinary computer. This was a labor of love for someone. The system was beautiful and functional. There was a ventilation grill across the top of the device, stylish with tiny hexagonal holes generously distributed to ensure proper heat loss. Near the front of the top was a positive action control point that when depressed exposed two USB ports, a Firewire port and headset/mike ports. The contact point stayed exposed until pressed again. Further forward was the Alienware icon, the Gray Alien head. This head, when depressed opened a sliding door that exposed three front bays, one of which has the DVD-RW drive in it. The door can be slid upward and locks into place when the DVD drive is not in use.

At the back of the device is another positive action lever that opens the side of the computer. The door pops open and is easy to remove. Inside of the door itself is a metal plate cunningly crafted with alien language symbols and icons shaped into the metal itself. It's a little thing but it made me smile just the same. It prepared me to looking into the heart of the beast itself. Inside, its clean lines and easy to understand layout were a blessing to a veteran technologist's eyes. There were four slide-in bays for extra hard drives on the bottom near the front. The RAM chips were directly at the back of the computer within easy reach without any offending cables in the way.

The cables running down the back wall of the PC were hidden behind what appeared to be a spinal cord (more points for cool) and kept out of the way. Looking backward toward the rear of the computer, the video card and the sound card were hidden behind a door (again, crafted with alien sigils) that opened out. Above those cards, were the CPU behind a cooling fan and a strange radiator device, that I suspect was part of the closed water cooling system. The back ports of the device, showed another five USB ports, another Firewire port and an external SATA port (I did not even know such a thing existed, I felt so old in that moment.)

I had to put the 23 inch wide-screen monitor (Dell S2309W) together with its base, a ten second operation and I plugged the sleek black monitor which has no other identifying markers beyond the Dell logo on the front into the DVI adapter and then into the video card. I started the beast up and for a moment, it roars to life and I was afraid that its noise level was going to be something my friend would complain about, but it was only during the Power On Startup Test (POST) that there was a problem, then she settled down into a nearly inaudible purr.

Needless to say I was in love. The device has four LED light sets, one under the Gray Alien head, one under the front panel, one on the left side and one on the right side. They were set to the defaulted purple my client wanted but I accidently turned on the Alien control system software and discovered they could be any color. To quote South Park's Cartman: Sweet!

I was unhappy that the device shipped with Vista. I personally, would have perferred to have XP but that did not appear to be an option. It also came with an upgrade certificate and serial number should I be ready to upgrade to Window 7 at some point in the future. All of the installations and client updates went smoothly and without issue. All of my friend's hardware and consumer-tech was able to be installed without issue and she seemed thrilled with its performance.

Awesome phenomenal cosmic power
To test the quality of the videocard, I did load my favorite MMORG, EVE Online. A visually stunning and graphically challenging game so I thought it would be a good test of the PC's performance. EVE ran beautifully and I even took a fighting ship out to see how well it would perform under live-fire conditions. Nary a hiccup, no slowdowns, no frame-rate loss even when it was running at the maximum configuration for video performance. You could see every flash of laserfire, every explosion of missiles, and the torpedo special effects were simply stunning. I annihilated my enemy, with such hardware, how could I not?

I was undone. Now I knew what I must do. I must have my own Alienware. Again. Nothing less would do now.

Curse you Alienware. I curse you with more wealth and prosperity, more loving designers, more magnificent hardware, and thronging masses who will become aware of the high quality of the hardware that you create and that they flock to you in droves. I fling this curse at you knowing I will be one of the loyal masses who won't rest until an Alienware sits in my living room helping me dominate anyone with a lesser machine and foolish enough to get into my targeting sites. May such a curse last upon you for a thousand years!

If you are looking for a machine for yourself or someone you love and want to splurge, just a little, the Alienware Aurora is the way to go. One day, I will have to see how the other half lives and get the $3500 Alienware machine. I may never leave home again... Happy Halloween! Now I am going to go see my friend...

Pros: Fast, powerful, visually stunning device.
Cons: None - other than having to run Windows Vista.

About the Company
Alienware Corporation is the leading manufacturer of high-performance computer desktop, notebook, media center and professional systems. Alienware offers unique and award-winning products that incorporate state-of-the-art components, innovative engineering, and unprecedented customer service to deliver the ultimate in performance and style.

Alienware has earned an unparalleled reputation by creating best-of-breed products that offer superb, uncompromising quality. Widely recognized as faster, more powerful, and more innovative than competing machines, Alienware systems consistently win awards from publications such as the New York Times, Home Theater, PC Gamer, Computer Shopper, PC World, and more. With an unwavering passion to build the world’s most powerful computers, Alienware will continue to set the high-performance standard.

Founded: In 1996 by avid gamers and spirited entrepreneurs Nelson Gonzalez, CEO, and Alex Aguila, COO and President

Funding: Acquired by Dell Corporation in March 2006 as a wholly-owned subsidiary

Headquarters: 14591 SW 120 St, Miami, FL 33186-8638

Additional Offices: Call center in Costa Rica, full facility European Branch in Ireland and a full facility Pacific Rim Branch in Australia.

Employees: 700+ worldwide

About the Author: Thaddeus has a WordPress technology and science commentary blog called Storm Warnings: A Matter of Scale and can be reached at ebonstorm(at)gmail.com.