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When last we left off on the Frugal Alien episodes, we were examining the concept to see if there was a way to build a computer with an Alienware look, but not the price. My research into the subject has yielded 2 design "lines" within the relatively modern era. What we've discarded are the really ancient "tall tower" designs, and the current X51 shrunken mini-gamer chassis.
Unfortunately, I've also had to discarded my personal favorite; the Area-51 ALX chassis of 2009.
They just didn't sell enough of them for very many to be out there in the market and therefore, simply too expensive. What we ended up with are the Aurora R1 through R4 of relatively recent vintage. That's the design with the sliding front drive cover (post-Dell buyout), and the iconic 7500 with the swinging drive-bay door. Although older and lacking in the really sophisticated LED lighting, these are considered to have the classic (pre-Dell) Alienware look.
Classic or next gen Cool? Weeeelll...... there's more to it than that. Oh yeah: they tend to run about the same price used. Soooooo......
Aurora 7500
Aurora R4
If you'll take a minute and look at the insides closely, you'll see that the R4 (R1-4, actually) only has room for a Micro-ATX, motherboard. Duoooooohhhhh! Yes, I'm aware that there are several boards ranging from very decent to downright top notch in that form-factor, but there aren't nearly as many. And what does that translate to in the market? That's right......higher prices (on average). Sure, I'd be happy to build on an Asus Maximus IV or even the Gigabyte GA-Z77mx, but I can routinely find way more of the equivalent ATX sized boards at a generally lesser price-point. So there: decision made.
Well actually, that wasn't all there was to it. There's the cool factor and the sliding door and Alien FX lighting has that in spades. However, not too long ago, I ran across a video where a guy "modded" an Alienware 7500 ALX case to a matte-black/carbon fiber look with paint and rubberized shelf-liner. Now, THAT'S COOL!!! So, this is the direction that we're probably going to go.
There's more of course. As a result of all this discussion, I've been keeping track of how much these cases cost on eBay (mostly). Besides learning that the 7500 and R1/2/3/4 cost about the same ($150-200 after shipping), I also learned that a careful shopper can sometimes get a machine with "issues" for about the same costs as just a bare case. This adds a new wrinkle to the situation, in that it allows for the possibility of being able to use the machine at minimal additional cost by replacing defective part(s) while accumulating funds for new ones. It started with a local machine on Craigslist, but it was sold before I could contact the seller. However, last week, I found an identical machine on eBay that was showing gibberish on the POST screen. Of course, it could very possibly be a major part such as the motherboard, but that's doubtful for this symptom. In all probability, it's the graphics card failing. Unfortunately, my student wasn't ready and didn't have the $200 it didn't sell at! So I contact the seller to see if he was going to relist it, consider having a "Buy It Now" price. And as is often the case, he answered back that he was going to relist it, but if he was to put in a BIN, was there a $$$ that I'd be willing to pay? At this point, we are going back and forth trying to get the "all-in" (including shipping) price below $200. That would be very cool and a good start to Project "Frugal Alien". So, stay tuned.
In might be one of the most improbable of all the improbable success stories in the computing industry. I know I've railed against it in the past, and banged my head against an expensive failed M7700 project. The fact of the matter is that they (now a part of Dell) are ridiculously expensive for what you get. In fact, you don't have to build your own to get a better deal. You can in fact find any number of manufacturers out there that'll sell a you a better deal. However, there's just a little something about them that draw people. Kind of like owning a Jeep product. It's expensive and doesn't make sense, but they are still a success. In fact, while I was looking through Youtube videos, I came across a guy who collects Alienware desktops! This nut has something like 5 or 6 of them, mostly less then 4 years old, so you can imagine how much they costs him!
What started this weird (for me anyway) post? In fact, there's nothing frugal about this firm that makes it's money completely due to cache, and not on substance. Well, it's a weird story. This, like most other years, I have a student who's not only good at my class, but also are interested in things that I'm interested in...., however, oddly, this year.....it's a girl! It's rare, since the top history students at this age tend to be boys, and of course, interest in computers, doubly so! She and some other students have decided to start a Computer Club at our school. As part of that, she wants to build her own computer. .....Not just any computer, a Gaming Computer! One that will make her teenage younger brother jealous!
Let me make this clear. We live in the "burbs", but not the type where there are Mercedes in driveways and pools in every other back yard. The percentage of residents with college degrees is in the low 20's, so yeah, it's pretty much working class. So, the probability of a parent (in the case, a single parent) will pony up for a $3000-5000 PC isn't good. So, we'll need to be inventive and look at alternatives. Right up my alley!
One of the things I do like about Alienware is that regardless of how unusual the exterior, they seem to basically use regular parts on the inside. I watched a Youtube video where a guy took an older model and updated it by replacing the motherboard, etc. PING! ....Which is precisely what I think can be done with my student.On top of that, I even came across a great candidate for it this weekend! I found an ad on Craigslist for an Aurora 7500 (Core2Duo generation) model that the owner had pulled the processor, and RAM, but everything else intact for $175. I'd bet that he'd take somewhere between $150 and $160 for it, but even at the full price, it'd be a decent starting point for her till she can save enough to upgrade the guts.
From there, it's a series of incremental upgrades till she'll eventually have a decent gaming rig..... all without outlaying huge chunks of cash (at least for a 16 year old) at a time.
Much of the cache of Alienware is that they are just "cool". However, the concept would be all the more cool if it can be frugally and successfully done! Stay tune to see if I have better luck with these guys the second time around!
