Alienware vs RazerBlade vs Aftershock

[labixiaoxin]

Let's Discuss.

 

[AljarYK]

Based on price comparison (best bang for buck, from best to worst)
Aftershock > Alienware > Razer

I will use the 15 inch as a base model of comparison. (17 inch ver. should not differ much)

Razer:
Start off with Razer first. I've nothing against it, I am a Razer fan and have many Razer gaming peripherals - mouse, keyboards, mouse mats and headset, but the laptop is a real no-go.

Firstly, its overpriced, with the cheapest Razer 2015 HD 256GB version priced at SGD 3000. The pricier QHD 256GB version (which can be found in local stores) is tagged at SGD 3599. If you know where to buy (Hint hint Gamepro@funan), you can get it at a few hundred $$ off if you don't want the freebies (gaming mouse/mousepad/headset). Nevertheless, its still the most expensive out of the 3.

Secondly, its specs are the lowest out of all 3 (as of 1 Jan 2016). Razer Blade is running on 4th Gen Intel Core i7 and GTX 970M which is good for a gaming laptop, but can be better with the price tag. It also boasts only an 16GB DDR3 ram instead of DDR4 which is what is mostly found in the market right now. The 2016 version, which might be coming out soon will probably have the latest 6th Gen Intel i7 but will still be tagged at the same, exorbitant price.

Lastly, the form factor. It is a beautiful piece of art, I have to admit. It is so much like a Mac (I am a mac user) and I was so tempted to buy it at one point in time. That, is also what makes this laptop a huge no-go. The cooling system. The Razer Blade can get so overheated that is no joke. It'll definitely get fried if you use it for continuous gaming over the course of a few years. Do a quick google search and you can find everything you need to know about it.

Razer Blade is well, good if you like portability and look stylish, have money to burn. But if you have a budget to keep, nah.

Alienware
Next, up Alienware. My personal favourite and I recently bought the Alienware 15 because of a promotion which I'll be talking about later.

Nothing much to say about this, the top model which has 6th Gen Intel Core i7, 16GB DDR4, GTX 970M is priced at SGD 2799 which is well, abit pricey albeit still within an acceptable margin. It could do better with a GTX 980M with that price but thats what you get for buying for the brand. It does have a good and "cool" form factor though, with customisable keyboard lighting etc. Oh, and it comes with 1 year warranty which covers accidental damage. Means you can spill water on it and get it repaired for free. How nice. The biggest downside and the complain I have with it is the size and weight. Hell, it is HEAVY for a 15 inch laptop, at 3.1kg. It is quite bulky as well and you'll need a big bag. Its justification for it is, good cooling system.

The best part of Alienware is its Graphic Amplifier. Its this gimmick which allows you to house a DESKTOP GPU and connect to your laptop. It also has its own power source so you don't have to worry about your laptop not drawing enough power. So what does it mean? Firstly, it means your laptop can become more of a "desktop" replacement as it is using a desktop GPU and secondly, after 3-4 years and your laptop GPU has degraded, you can still enjoy the same or better performance by buying a desktop GPU and using the Amp. The Amp is priced at SGD 419 and not inclusive of the desktop GPU. I got this for free during the promo and even got 200 off when I said I do not want the freebies when i bought at Gamepro@funan.

Aftershock
Lastly, Aftershock. A truly innovative, cheap and best of all, a local brand which I'll like to support. A lot of my friends have bought from Aftershock and sang praises about it.

Its "maxed out" version of the S-15 (ignoring disk space upgrade, the default is 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD which is sufficient) which is equivalent to the Alienware 15 and Razer Blade 2015, is priced at about 28xx and it features the best specs among all, with 6th Gen Intel i7, 16GB DDR4 and GTX 980M (finally, a 980M)

It is also light, at 2kg and has a smaller form factor. Personally I find the laptop quite plain but there's this option where you can customise the colors etc of your case! It also boasts 3 fan which makes its cooling rather fantastic and you won't feel the laptop getting heated up.

Conclusion:
Get a Razer only if you have the money and don't care about anything else. Its pricey and yet you don't get what you pay for. (Unless you find the form factor is what you are paying for)

As for alienware, its has been cheaper as compared to like 5 years ago, but it still sits between Razer and aftershock. I like it because its looks futuristic, and its stats are quite decent for its price. If you like its looks and are willing to fork out abit more, go for it. Its not as overpriced as Razer.

If you're the a money-minded person and want to make all your $$$ spent worth it, Aftershock is your best bet. You're even doing Singapore a favour by supporting a local brand, so why not?

 

[SimonLam]

Well written

 

[chiaRH]

Let's Discuss.

anything particular about those 3 brands for the dicsussion? how come others like asus, msi etc not included?

 

[watzup_ken]

I think there's been quite a lot of such general comparisons going previously. In the end, the conclusion is largely the same. Razer and Alienware tends to be overpriced for the same specs. Razerblade is sleek and compact, but heat is going to be a problem.

Aftershock tends to be more budget friendly with the same specs, which I think is one of the main selling points. The after sales service tend to be much better from my opinion. Also, you have an option to customize your laptop to your needs or budget (although I noticed the options such as changing processor is no longer available for most series). Most brands only give you a couple of standard setups.

 

[bleachberu]

Would be great to compare against other gaming brands like Asus and MSI.

 

[labixiaoxin]

So I had a chat with the sales person at aftershock and the customer service doesnt sound very friendly like those wan buy then buy dowan buy then dont ask so many question kind. Not impressed.

But I called Dell and the customer service quite friendly and was able to throw in some perks. But then again not really interested in a U processeor and GTX 960M is kind of a fail when 980M is already out.

 

[chiaRH]

So I had a chat with the sales person at aftershock and the customer service doesnt sound very friendly like those wan buy then buy dowan buy then dont ask so many question kind. Not impressed.

But I called Dell and the customer service quite friendly and was able to throw in some perks. But then again not really interested in a U processeor and GTX 960M is kind of a fail when 980M is already out.

What exactly did the Dell person try to sell to you that has only a "U-series processeor and GTX 960M"?

Dell has Alienware stuff like the Alienware 15 and 17 which I'm pretty sure have superior GPUs than the 960m


Also the 960M is a huge leap forward from its x60M series equivalents in the older kepler and fermi era. You cant say its a fail just because there exist something better than it in raw performance. If anything less than top-of-the-line is consider a fail, then go get one of the MSI Titans that uses the desktop 980 in SLI

 

[Aftershock PC]

Hi labixiaoxin , we apologise if you felt that way after speaking to one of our staff, its definitely not what we'd like to bring across, though of course delivering the ideal mentality to everyone on our growing team(especially our newer guys) is something we're actively working on. Service and support has always been out utmost priority. If you could Pm us whom you spoke with that made you feel this way, that'd be best so we can work to improve.

Being able to answer long detailed questions has always been one of our strong suites , as many of the forum members here can attest to. We often go out our way to meet complex and unique requirements for our individual customers as that is part of our value add as well as our after sales service.

if you have detailed questions, do feel free to Pm us or even send us your contact details and we'd be more than happy to discuss in detail with you, as well as any questions you may have.

Do visit our bendemeer office if you have very technical or detailed questions, since you get to talk to the engineers instead as well as the senior guys.

 

[Swordsman]

So I had a chat with the sales person at aftershock and the customer service doesnt sound very friendly like those wan buy then buy dowan buy then dont ask so many question kind. Not impressed.

But I called Dell and the customer service quite friendly and was able to throw in some perks. But then again not really interested in a U processeor and GTX 960M is kind of a fail when 980M is already out.

are you referring to the funan branch ?

 

[Ciruno]

Sound like Aftershock is the way to go. So the next question is, where to buy? I've been looking at the latest Expos (IT Show, PC show) and it doesn't look like they are giving much perks compared to buying at the mall.

 

[Alienwaree]

Based on price comparison (best bang for buck, from best to worst)
Aftershock > Alienware > Razer


Conclusion:[/SIZE][/B]
Get a Razer only if you have the money and don't care about anything else. Its pricey and yet you don't get what you pay for. (Unless you find the form factor is what you are paying for)

As for alienware, its has been cheaper as compared to like 5 years ago, but it still sits between Razer and aftershock. I like it because its looks futuristic, and its stats are quite decent for its price. If you like its looks and are willing to fork out abit more, go for it. Its not as overpriced as Razer.

If you're the a money-minded person and want to make all your $$$ spent worth it, Aftershock is your best bet. You're even doing Singapore a favour by supporting a local brand, so why not?

I agree on your conclusion. But just for the fun of it, I say Alienware. Because my name lol. anyway, Lazada GSS now. Shd be able to get Alienware at cheaper price. can also use shopback mah.

 

[chiaRH]

I agree on your conclusion. But just for the fun of it, I say Alienware. Because my name lol. anyway, Lazada GSS now. Shd be able to get Alienware at cheaper price. can also use shopback mah.

went to look at lazada's gss promos, look at the 980M offerings:


Alienware 17" (GTX980 8GB)
http://www.lazada.sg/alienware-17-gtx980-8gb-gaming-laptop-new-6th-gen-7294212.html
SGD 3,149.00
Before SGD 3,599.00,
You save 13%


Alienware 15" (GTX980)
http://www.lazada.sg/alienware-15-gtx980-gaming-laptop-new-6th-gen-7300586.html
SGD 2,999.00
Before SGD 3,399.00,
You save 12%

the alienwares are still costlier than aftershock so if going based on price comparison, nothing has changed.

If you take that amount of money shown above and visit Aftershock, you can get a 980M w-series laptop, which has desktop CPU.

If you visit Aftershock and seek machines that have roughly matching specs as above (CPU, GPU) aftershock would still be cheaper by anywhere from $300 - $500

 

[siron]

I just got the Alienware 15. I paid $2999. Its everything the same as the $2799 except its grachic card is 980m.

Think its the same in Lazada. (cheaper now) but I had vouchers... so bo pian

Feels great!

 

[lifeishard]

Can you play demanding games connecting your alienware to tv using hdmi? I saw somewhere that alienware has nvidia optimus on and when displaying to external monitor,it will only use the intel gpu instead of the nvidia gpu.

 

[minute_me]

thinking of getting the Alienware R3 17inch.....is the UHD screen worth it or 1080 is enough ?