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Dell's Haswell-Powered Alienware X51 R2 SFF, a PC Gamer's Console Alternative
MojoKid writes "Dell recently introduced their Alienware X51 series of small form factor gaming PCs but until now, squeezing in components that were powerful enough for the enthusiast gamer was a significant thermal challenge. Intel's recent Haswell Core processor release, as well as NVIDIA's GeForce 670 series graphics cards have changed the game considerably though. The X51 R2 is shaped similar to to an Xbox 360 Slim, and though it's slightly larger, it would be right at home in a living room setting. Alienware is also bundling Steam Big Picture mode installations with systems as well. Performance-wise, with its latest CPU and GPU upgrades, the system is over twice as fast as the first generation X51, again thanks to Haswell and upgraded NVIDIA GeForce graphics. The console-sized PC is capable of running virtually any current gen DX11 title at full 1920X1080 HD resolution and high image quality settings."
that at $700 (starting) it's not really a viable alternative to a $400 PS4. Yeah, yeah. I'm sure it'll be more powerful. But that didn't work out well this generation. Everything had to be toned down graphics wise so you could port it to the consoles. Even Crysis.
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I think the fact that Dell is essentially creating a "Console PC" says a lot about how bad the PS4 and XBone consoles offerings are for this generation. Bad enough that other PC companies are going to try and mussel in on the action.
by purchasing it without windows. Not a bad deal me thinks. http://www.alienware.com/ubuntu/featured_systems.aspx#tab_Featured_Systems
https://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/desktops/thinkcentre/m-series-tiny/
I've got one for XBMC. It works a treat.
.. right up until I read "Dell"
Yeah, in this article:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/12/tech/gaming-gadgets/microsoft-defends-xbox-one/
Microsoft explains how their game machine is... "digital"... which is vastly better than all that old-style crap.
I don't really understand the appeal of pre-built "high end" Alienware machines besides the case (if you're into that sort of thing). Building a machine can be a lot of fun, and it's not exactly hard. I realize not everyone has the time/ability for these things, hence these offerings. I view it as (highly) over paying for something which can be done better. Also, why the bragging about including steam "big picture mode"? It's not unique to Alienware... is Steam still obscure after being around for 9+ years?
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Does it compensate for your tiny penis too?
Windows 7?
My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
come on dell 7200 ones dont cost that much
No, but there is an app for that.
Maybe not, but "full" 1080p is hardly the territory "Alienware" try to claim. Aren't the people that buy their computers the same that want 3+ monitor support and a crotch attachment?
All I can think of when I see the name "Dell" now is "Oh yeah, the machines that power PRISM".
This promoted story is simply an advertisement by a company that has directly paid the owners of Slashdot. This is just how dumb Slashdot's owners think you all are!
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Obama has moved massive amounts of US military force into Jordan, and now has issued a pathetic "Iraq has WMD" style lie against Syria, claiming the sarin gas Obama provided to the Islamic terrorists was actually used by the government of Syria. The lie about the use of sarin gas by Assad is designed to allow Obama to use the US forces in Jordan to directly wage war against Russian and Syrian forces in Syria. Meanwhile, Tony Blair in person is orchestrating a declaration of war against Syria by the EU.
Slashdot will be one of the organs telling its sheep that the extermination of hundreds of thousands of Syrians, and the replacement of their secular regime with an extremist Islamic state that hates women, is a GOOD thing.
Is anybody else struck by how ghastly the internal wiring is?
SFFs tend to be a little on the cluttered side; but that this is just grotesque, random cable bundles(not even clipped in place, as Dell's boring business models tend to be), teeny little fans that will inevitably make a high whining noise within six months, it's just dreadful.
SSD is the first thing I looked for and it seems to only be available in the most expensive model. I would be extremely interested in picking up several of these if the cheaper models had SSD as an option.
but until now, squeezing in components that were powerful enough for the enthusiast gamer was a significant thermal challenge. Intel's recent Haswell Core processor release, as well as NVIDIA's GeForce 670 series graphics cards have changed the game considerably though
Uh... Haswell doesn't change anything in this regard. Haswell doesn't change the thermal envelope under load, which is what it's doing when gaming. It only reduces power consumption under idle conditions.
How is this a equivalent alternative? Consoles and PC largely have different games between them. For the "serious gamers", consoles and PCs dont replace, but supplement each other.
Dont forget that console games are usually more expensive
Is LAN gaming with PCs really cheaper than same-screen gaming with a console? Compare one copy of a $60 console game that supports one to four controllers per machine to four copies of a $40 PC game. As far as I can tell, only the deep discount of a Steam sale (or possibly support for multiple USB game controllers when playing on a big screen) would possibly bring the price of PC gaming anywhere near that of same-screen console multiplayer.
It is if you consider that besides playing games, you could also use the Alienware machine to develop your own games
I want to develop my own games, but since when are most people like me? The market is crowded enough, and the majority appear to prefer the output of well-known game studios. Besides, as CronoCloud has explained to me several times, the days when a one-man project could sell easily are long gone, and I don't think most people have the leadership skills to bring a team of a dozen people together.
as well as play all of the indie, F2P and other games that are PC-only
By "indie", are you referring to games developed by alumni of the mainstream video game industry or by companies started by people who have never had a chance to work in The Industry? I was under the impression that consoles remain popular because most people don't want indie games; they want recognizable names such as Super Halo Bros. and Call of Madden.
So you'd need a PC and a PS4.
If you're referring to the fact that a console gamer is still likely to need a PC for homework and Facebook and YouTube and the like, not everyone who needs a PC needs a new PC. Since the GHz wars have ended, it's become more and more viable to keep using an existing five-year-old PC or get a Craigslist special.
And on the PS4 you'd be stuck playing console games which is a major drawback.
If the PS4 ends up with excellent titles in every genre save RTS, then please explain how being stuck with PS4 games "is a major drawback".
You're better off going to newegg and getting some randomly slapped together PC they have [than a Dell brand PC]
Among popular Newegg/TigerDirect DIY PC kits, how many are both 1. small form factor (that is, not a full-size tower that won't fit in well next to a living room TV because it's more XBOX HUEG than the original Xbox) and 2. suitable for playing PC games with graphical complexity comparable to that of forthcoming PS4 games? Intel integrated graphics, for example, didn't catch up with even PS3 graphics until Ivy Bridge.
no one wants to buy a computer with Windows 8 on it
I bought a computer with Windows 8 on it for my aunt. Of course, I waited to do so until I knew I could restore a Windows 7-style experience with Classic Shell.
And buying Ikea makes someone a tinkerer redneck?
If Ikea can make money selling flatpack furniture kits, why can't Apple make money selling a flatpack Mac? Apple could cut a trademark license check, as it did to Cisco with the iPhone and iOS marks, and call it the "iKea".
There are more pieces involved in assembling a dresser than putting together PC.
It's also a lot easier to kill a PC kit with electrostatic discharge than to kill a flatpack furniture kit.
Say your old machine can do 60 fps at a given heat rate, but the new one can do 240 fps. If you set a game's frame limiter to 60 fps to match your monitor's refresh rate, then the CPU and GPU will be under load 25% of the time and idling 75% of the time, therefore emitting fewer watts of heat.
Your paying double the price for a PC that you could build yourself that is less cost than a console. Add in Steam Sales and PC Gaming is the cheapest option right now and is not a walled garden.
I'm pretty sure there are enough different companies who are looking to make money that there can be more than just two platforms for games.
Two, yes. Six, not so much. Wii U, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Ouya, Steam boxes that ship with Windows, and Steam boxes that ship with Linux make six.
And by the way, how do you know what "most people want"?
Mostly comments on Slashdot and elsewhere to the effect "You are a geek stuck in the Slashdot echo chamber, and the preferences of Slashdot users are by no means representative of those of the public." See, for example, the posts linked from this collection of "nobody wants a PC in the living room" posts. I've been collecting arguments for and against living-room PC gaming here.
Why don't you just boot into offline mode
I'm not sure what you mean by "boot into offline mode". I was under the impression that Steam needed to go online every few weeks to renew the games' cached receipts for offline mode. I was also under the impression that Steam would default to online mode if the computer has a network connection at the time Steam starts. Or have things changed since I last tried a Steam game?
Consoles and PC largely have different games between them.
Apart from first-party stuff like Halo and Mario, what notable games are on more than one console but not on PC? If so, the publishers are missing out because PC games can use the same HDTV monitors and the same Xbox 360 controllers as Xbox 360 games.
And that flaw is the standard motherboard and by extension the heavily dependency on standard components. Standard components are awesome, in particular if you want to build your own machine.
This is something to be more like a game console with PC concept of upgradability. So, in my opinion, they should have kept only the gaming related components standard(CPU, GPU and memory). Everything else should be integrated in a custom and clean motherboard just like the old school Mac Pros were(RIP).
If I have to deal with all those cables, standard fan, power supply unit and harddrive bays, I rather just build my own from scratch. It's also going to be cheaper.
A budget AMD APU with a decent motherboard seems like a more viable alternative to me. Probably get under that PS4 $400 price. Budget gaming PC, not bad.
You find many AAA console games at Gamestop for $8?
For $8 per player, yes. Console games are far more likely to support same-screen multiplayer, which means one could buy four copies of a PC game for $32 total or one copy of a console game for $32.
XbOne is a contraction of Xbox One.
But if you're an adult who actually does things, there's no way to say it's economical to have a console and a computer, when the computer can play the dual role.
If you live alone, I agree. But a couple with two children might find it cheaper to buy one shared computer, one console, and extra controllers than to buy a separate computer for each member of the household.
I own both. The choice comes down to if I buy the 60 dollar xbox version of borderlands 2 or the 30 dollar pc version with better graphics. I bought the pc version on sale for under 10 dollars and I play it on my 50'' tv with an xbox controller.