I really wish I had picked up that Alienware tower I spotted in a used electronics store yesterday.
I really wish I had picked up that Alienware tower I spotted in a used electronics store yesterday.
I noticed a used alienware R9 tower with an asterisk indicating the front USB-A isn't functional. The rest of the setup was fine—configured at 9900K and 2080Super—and it was priced at 610 USD. I didn’t buy it immediately because I’ve heard stories about compatibility problems with prebuilt units. Over time, I’ve considered swapping components here and there, but honestly, I’m a bit disappointed I didn’t grab it sooner. If you’re in my shoes, would you have picked it? I can visit next week, and if it still exists somewhere, should I go for it? (I already own an R5 3600 with an RX590 system running Linux. I’m not a gamer, but I’m open to starting with solid hardware, provided I keep things reasonable.)
For tasks beyond gaming, definitely consider a different setup. I’d have replaced the GPU with more memory and storage space instead. Overall, it’s smarter to upgrade your own hardware.
The deal seems acceptable, but remember you won’t get any upgrades. The processor is quite outdated—an i5-13400 from the latest generation would already perform much better.
The i3 8100 and 9100 are quite expensive relative to their performance, so finding a reliable Z370 or Z390 board would make a straightforward upgrade worthwhile. I’d have liked prices around $500 or $550.