Alienware is Looking Into PC Component Manufacturing

AlphaAtlas

[H]ard|Gawd
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Alienware is "looking into" manufacturing components for desktops PCs. Historically, many of Alienware's products have only been available as part their pre-built systems. But, according to an interview with Dell XPS GM Frank Azor by PCGamesN, Alienware is thinking about selling those parts individually. They're even entertaining the notion of building components like GPUs and SSDs, but according do Frank Aznor, they won't enter that market unless they can do it well. He said "What we don't want to do is just put our name on something. The Alienware name comes with a brand promise, and if we don't deliver on that promise to customers consistently, they're going to stop trusting the Alienware brand. So if I can't deliver that promise in a product category, I'm not going to try because I have too much to lose."

When asked about whether the component market was a segment Alienware would consider moving into, the answer offered by the brand's top exec was more positive than expected from the stalwart system builder. "It absolutely is," Frank Azor says. "And, you know, funnily enough talking to NZXT their inspiration for the company was Alienware because they wanted the Alienware chassis [Predator] and they didn't want to necessarily buy the entire system - and that's the only way you've ever been able to get an Alienware. But, yeah, it's absolutely a segment of the market that we are looking at."
 
I can see this working in one or two scenarios.

They brand it to things that are actually superior than competitors.

Just like their EGPU box is the best with their proprietary Alienware connector (significantly better than other EGPU boxes that use Thunderbolt)

Another Fata1ty type branding on various products that are more or less identical performance and quality will be a fart in the wind.


Otherwise releasing their AlienFX lighting in partnership with other high end products as a license might work really well. I don’t think it’s very widely known how cool AlienFX can be in games. I wouldn’t be aware except it’s turned on by default on my recent Alienware laptop and games i don’t even expect start charging the RGB colors of the laptop in theme with the games actions. Why not put it on your favorite case, mouse, monitor, keyboard, speakers, etc? Turn it off if you don’t like it, but the cool factor is there and it actually adds to the experience when your keyboard or mouse or RGB lighting helps serve to indicate something important is happening on-screen.
 
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Dell branded GPUs already exist, not sure who actually made them though. That being said, marking up hardware just due to the brand name doesn't work as well as marking up a whole computer. If prices are fair, and quality excellent, people will buy.
 
I cannot see this going anywhere other than effectively licensing their name/brand on existing manufacturers' stuff.
 
Alien RAM would be sweet with Alien logos everything else would kinda be covered up.
Maybe bring back the old Style Alien Cases but the front of the bezel would be a problem.
 
099alx.jpg



2009 case
 
Alienware system have consistently been some of the most proprietary and impossible to repair desktops and laptops ever made.

While I'm all for more options in PC hardware, if Dell continues on the path of highly unusual non-standard motherboards, cases and cooling systems I can't say that it adds anything good to the PC environment.
 
Alienware system have consistently been some of the most proprietary and impossible to repair desktops and laptops ever made.

While I'm all for more options in PC hardware, if Dell continues on the path of highly unusual non-standard motherboards, cases and cooling systems I can't say that it adds anything good to the PC environment.

Amen. I'm currently rebuilding 3 Alienware systems circa 2010 ish. Two X58's and an P67 based system, in the hopes of getting a few Fortnite machines running on the cheap for my kids. What a pain in the ass. Two separate daughter-cards have to come along, and the PS is NOT ATX standard, which I found out the hard way. F'n wires everywhere! *edit* Oh yeah, and the cases are JUNK. Every single power button is broken, and you have to short it out with a paperclip/wire/etc.
 
Alienware system have consistently been some of the most proprietary and impossible to repair desktops and laptops ever made.

While I'm all for more options in PC hardware, if Dell continues on the path of highly unusual non-standard motherboards, cases and cooling systems I can't say that it adds anything good to the PC environment.
I can't speak to their desktops, as I've never had one to work on - but I've worked on several alienware laptops (2011, 2016, 2017), and alienware alphas (steam gaming boxes) and they were quite easy to work on - in fact I'll go so far as to say exceptionally well designed for repair or component upgrading. Must be very model dependent.
 
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alienware is still alive? well just turn my hat sideways and turn up the third eye blind cd, lets go watch men in black. my mom can drive.
 
They were easy to work on in 2000 when I get one. Pretty sure by the time I trashed the case it had been repurposed several times.

This was long before the dell acquisition.
 
I can't speak to their desktops, as I've never had one to work on - but I've worked on several alienware laptops (2011, 2016, 2017), and alienware alphas (steam gaming boxes) and they were quite easy to work on - in fact I'll go so far as to say exceptionally well designed for repair or component upgrading. Must be very model dependent.

Gotta agree on this one, I owned/worked on a m17x r2 and a M18x r1 and both were really easy to work on, both much easier than any other laptop that I've worked on.
Must help that those "laptop" are so huge.
 
They could make a killing offering a custom single board computer that kicks ass.
The mod community in that area wants more power for gaming and they could deliver. Something akin to a Tegra in GPU and 8 fast fast cores.

I've seen people put more money in a $35 Raspberry Pi than a cheap Gaming PC, when you count fans, heatsinks, memory, USB plugs, add on boards and cases.
 
Never cared for their case designs and high prices, but I worked on a few of their older desktops (around 2007) and they seemed solid. Great for the average Joe that just wants a pre-built gaming PC, but build your own and save some money if you can.
 
Never cared for their case designs and high prices, but I worked on a few of their older desktops (around 2007) and they seemed solid. Great for the average Joe that just wants a pre-built gaming PC, but build your own and save some money if you can.
They have very high resale value though.

I bought a m11x Alienware laptop refurb in 2012 for about 500 from Dell outlet. I sold it used on eBay in 2017 for $250.
 
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