How-to Easily Upgrade the Alienware Alpha

Holy Crap that thing is small..

A lot of people seem to forget that this machine isn't aimed at those who want to build their own rig, so advising people to build their own rig doesn't really solve anything.

Sure you could get a machine with much more RAM and a much larger drive for about the same cost, but that's usually excluding the OS (which is Windows 8.1, NOT SteamOS), wifi and the included 360 controller which would set you back a fair amount.

I'm not overly enthused by the machine but many seem to put it down far beyond what it deserves. It's really a reasonable machine when you actually look at it without the Dell hate visor.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-alpha/pd

Is shaun Mcnis with GS anymore?

Peter Browns brain is so massive. How does it all fit inside his head? Will the world ever find out?

man, I wish the GPU wasn't so garbage. . . .I would totally buy this just for the compactness of it.

Pretty neat little device,but **** if I'd pay 550 bucks for an anemic PC,I'd rather spend a bit more and make it a beast.

How about NO!!!

This thing is garbage for its price to begin with, just get a custom PC, a lot more power for a lot less money as usual. The end.

Good thing it's easy to upgrade because the stock hardware is poop.

@jellyman68 @Talavaj Indeed and I have wireless keyboard and mouse that works in my living room too, they are not bolted to my table. Anyway almost all games support controllers out of the box now and if you aren't brainless it's very easy to get them working on older titles if you wish.

Do people really wanna spend more on a less powerful machine just so they can get this neat little case?

How about you just buy something that is not crap?

I'm beginning to really hate visiting Gamespot with video forcing me into another page while I'm typing a comment and constant pending comments when it has nothing that warrants it. No foul language, no link, just a normal comment.

@bldgirsh

No?

Watch those split infinities, Gamespot ;)

Whats the point of this though.....??

I mean we already invented the HDMI wire.

This doesn't seem much easier than a regular PC. Building one of those from scratch is dead simple, anyway. In fact I just ordered some parts to upgrade my mom's PC recently and made her replace them with my instructions. She doesn't know anything about technology but even so she found it really easy to do.

There's really not a lot of stuff you can **** up in a modern system. Hell, I don't even get the trepidation some people have about switching CPUs, being afraid of bending the pins on the socket. The CPU only fits one way and you'd have to jab them on purpose with a screwdriver or something like that to damage anything there.

I have a dream.It´s Now or Never,demand to drive the blue cadillac of Elvis at LA like a Pop star, I want to know where to be at LA like the Midnight Club of LA, like the Drive Google and like any GPS does.

I want too, to find any place by the adress or by the name of the target.

Please, crew of the game “The Crew” (Ubisoft Entertainment), make my dream come true.

Note: I have 78 years old.

For mere $549 you can now play a limited number of computer games that have gamepad support in the discomfort of your living room at sub-medium graphical settings !

@Chatch09 What kind of POS question is that?

Not publicly release yet...

@Chatch09 Zero. As it hasn't been officially released yet.

Non-replaceable GPU = not upgradeable.

Gpu is the bottleneck number one when it comes to gaming.

It seems to me that the Alienware Alpha is just a laptop without a screen and keyboard. A Dell laptop at that. Being unable to upgarde the gpu is a deal breaker for most. You would probably be ok if they're offering the latest GTX980m which will play most of the current crop of AAA games at high settings (if thats your thing).

It's not something that i would recommend to a friend who was new to PC gaming, Nor do i think it will appeal to those of us with full tower PC's. What makes me laugh is that people think that you a restricted to placing your PC components in a case. Build a platform for the board to stand on and you can put it anywhere. In cupboards under the TV (if you have them) in a corner unit. Under the sofa if you want. As long as there is a decent airflow its fine.

You can't replace the video card? No thanks...

The problem that Alienware has always had, is their insistence on proprietary hardware, and their refusal to provide BIOS updates. Upgrading is always going to be a limited proposition for Alienware. If you have the money to completely replace your gaming PC every few years, then Alienware is for you. But if you have basic mechanical aptitude, and want something that can be regularly upgraded over a long period of time, then you should probably go elsewhere.

So the only real difference to a regular PC is the lack of a sata and power cable to the hard drive.

Ugh horrible paste coverage. the top half has almost no paste.

Sony develops exclusive games that's why they are successful. Microsoft develops exclusive games that's why they're successful. Nintendo develops exclusive games that's they they're successful.

3D0 didn't and they failed. Jaguar didn't and they failed. Alienware has no exclusive games if it wants to be a console and it has nothing you can't play on a PC.

I'm curious who will buy this.

http://tinyurl.com/l7kcts5

Upgrading Alienware Alpha:

Remove 4 screws(must use screwdriver)

Pop off case

remove 2 blowers

access hardware

Upgrading PC:

Remove 2 screws(Usually tool-less)

Remove door

Access hardware

:/