Alienware machines now come pre-loaded with Steam

no the computers dont have visa credit cards

@killermonkey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI_4rxw20KE

You have to admit that the lifetime warranties from buying from "luxury" computer sellers do have some merit though. I'd rather build my own rig, but the price mostly comes from that warranty, where you could probably toss it off a cliff and still get a new one.

but this way you don't have to pay for Steam!

wait...

@Ignatius

If you build your own machine there are a lot of parts (like all EVGA gpu's) that come with lifetime warranties as it is. For someone who can't be bothered to figure out what part of his computer is broken though, alienware can be a good help.

Unless you plugged the audio cable into the usb port. :P Luckily for me it only required me to get another mobo. But I decided to go with a higher one the next time.

only 700 more?

i made my PC for 2k, an alienware equivalent would have costed over 3500.

Agree. Alienware have always been excellent marketers, and, from my outsider's impression, their rigs have been overpriced, over-stylized, underpowered yet quite stable. I can understand the market for that but have never understood how they were a good match for Dell.

If I get fed up with building my own rigs (there are those days...), I'd much sooner consider a non-proprietary Dell XPS-type box than an Alienware.

And, back OT...Valve has some marketing chops, too. I'd repeat this kind of bundling at every opportunity and be even more aggressive with the free game offering (something more recent and valuable). To clumsily paraphrase the last Joystiq podcast, that crack's not really free, kiddos. ;)