Alienware laptops... Help me get one!

...get a job.

Wow, and won't it be cool when before you know it your 4k laptop is worth about 1k and is under the minimum requirements for the newest games? Bleeding edge is for suckers. Go back and look at the resale value of high-end machines a year after they come out. In 6 months the next high-end video card comes out and your machine is passe'. That goes double for laptops.

Take your $3800, build yourself a really, really nice desktop for about $1500, and mail me the rest.




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In the unfortunate business world, no one will take a 16-year old seriously. You either have to come up with some revolutionary idea (like Napster, etc.) or be DAMNED good at whatever it is you do. I myself have done the eBay thing, I did it for a large company, we did over $10,000 in sales a month, lemme tell you...IT IS HARD HARD WORK! Some of the better selling items on eBay is Printer Inks, but you will need to be buying wholesale and I don't know if you are allowed to do so at 16. You will have to have your parents set up a company with a legitimate reseller ID. The wireless internet thing won't work either, you again will need a company to run it from, also who would buy internet service from a 16-yr old? Plus, it will cost you thousands in equipment alone. If you have the skills, you can build custom PC's for friends & family, maybe put a sign up around your town, but your profit margin will be minimal, as you will be buying parts on a retail level, not wholesale, so whoever buy's a PC from you will be paying top dollar. It looks like you're stuck drooling, just get a regular job and start saving like a pack-rat. Winter is here, shoveling snow is very profitable. If you work hard enough, you will have your $4,000 by the end of the winter. I don't think you will be able to make the money any other way...it sucks to be 16 and want the finest things in life...

I'll go halves on the deal Baker proposes....

Gee Jafo,you must be slippin'you didnt call him on 'literate'

IRB...I saw it but let it slide...wouldn't expedite his obtaining his Alienware.....

Yes, ScoobyWRX STi 04 be careful letting your wants dictate to you, usually they do not know what you need.

#1 by Developer horiz0n - 11/13/2003 6:52:13 PM ...get a job.

I am not sure but I think Michael Dell of Dell had a paper route and saved enough to buy a BMW.

So I say go for the paper route, maybe a bike messenger, deliveries, or... well I can't think of anything else.

Hus, I don;t think you need a license to sell items once you purchase them unless it is alcoholic/fire arms/drugs.

You might need to be a authorized reseller of certain items, but other than that from what I know and researched I haven't seen a need for a license to sell computers. (or toy cars of which is what I am doing)

So he could build computers (why not just build your own with the same specs???) and sell them.

Ok first off, desktops for students suck, Im off to college in 2 1/2 years and my highschool and 90% of colleges have wireless internet... So I am going with a laptop for sure. I do think the Ebay idea is best, however I need to make a few bucks before I can do some serious resale value. And I am not provinding internet service, I am simply setting up networks for businesses and homes. I already have a few jobs lined up for that, but again with the cost of products needed, the profit isnt that much. I figure if I can raise about 1K I can get started on Ebay with maybe video cameras or graphics cards. I have heard ink cart. are good too and I will take ur advice on that and look into it. I technically already have a job, I do website design and management for a few people, and do all the technical work for my dad's business, and am set up to hook up my uncles lawfirm wirelessly, and a few other things.

I know that whenever you buy a computer a new model or something comes out in 6 months, but thats just how the industry works. I am NOT buying the current Alienware laptop, I AM waiting for their upcoming model which I should be recieving some info on shortly. But thats where us serious gamers and computer users always find the extra cash to upgrade video cards, etc. when needed... Its something we all have to deal with... SO GET OVER IT!! HAAAHAAA

Thanks guys, if anyone else has more info let me know!

Unfortunately, at 16, most companies will not hire you due to the fact that there is very limited liability for a 16 year old if they screw up.  Most companies will not take the risk.

You could sell PCs on eBay, but you probably won't get much for them gaging by what's out there.

I wanted a camera when I was 13.  I got a photographer to hire me doing darkroom on the weekends and after school.  After a year of doing that, I made enough money to buy the camera, a zoom lens, and a flash.  I still have that camera.  (Of course, film cameras don't get dated like electronics).  My love of cameras has never died.  I now shoot digital on my newly acquired FinePix S2.

You just have to work hard for what you want- it's just the way it is.  I still have to work hard for what I want, but it's worth it!

Question, Scooby: If you already have all the answers, why are you here asking others for any imput at all?

"Get over it?" Who gives a fat rat's bum whether you get a laptop, desktop or are abducted by aliens? (OK right now the latter is an attractive prospect.)



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Be careful with the idea of using a laptop at school.

It tends to 'walk' away.

It sounds like to me your already on your way to getting that cash.

the current jobs you have and future ones can bring in some of what you want and if you readily want to extend yourself, since you do web design (I assume you do back end and not the GUI) you could try to get a internship somewhere or design your own website. Play around with features, what you want to sell, buy, talk about, make contacts...

yada yada yada...

One way or the other you won't be getting that computer anytime soon. (but at least you'll be getting experience and that will pay off later on)

I have made a blog group on joeuser.com
https://www.joeuser.com

on website design, marketing, small business issues, and developing new ideas and implementing them.

I just started it so not much is on it but it can help
http://jtb-development.joeuser.com

Don't get bright eyed yet, cause the stuff on there doesn't necessarily mean you will succeed.

Good luck.

, guys we're not here to argue, I was just wonderin if anyone had some new ideas that could give me a jump start with things. For those of u who have been halpful, I aprreciate it!

I'm going to see if I can pull out a student loan for my notebook computer I love government money

ScoobyWRX STi 04 -

I have been selling items on ebay since febuary of this year. THERE IS NO BIG MONEY TO BE MADE ON EBAY. I only make enough to pay the DSL bill. And I sell top quailty Shimano bike parts and Rock Shox forks. And computer parts.

Get your head out of your but and just get a regular job.

BTW Laptops are over rated and hard to upgrade. I will stick to my desktop, thank you. At least I can change my video card without having to buy a new laptop.

Kona, That would be "butt"

thanks china. you know we all love ya!

"Ok first off, desktops for students suck"

Why, if you built it yourself? Desktop components are *vastly* better than mobile components of the same price. Anyway, a 4k laptop on campus? Hope it fares better than my 2k Fender did. It ended up being a freebie for a Japanese exchange student.

"I am NOT buying the current Alienware laptop, I AM waiting for their upcoming model"

I'm thinking you didn't get the gist of the argument. A slightly better course of action would be to wait for the upcoming model and THEN buy the (6 month old) current model for half price from from a sap that paid retail for it. Gateway, Alienware, Dell high-end machines aren't targeted at "Serious gamers", they are targeted at people who need to be *told* what they need. I know people who grease themselves up and go buy high-end pre-builts, and "serious gamers" they are not.

BTW Laptops are over rated and hard to upgrade.

Young as I am, I learned that one the hard way... They really are just an expensive novelty for those who dont really *need* them.

I *love* laptops. I don't want to misrepresent my opinion of them. Laptops are really, really useful. IBM makes really, really good ones, actually *worth* 4k. A "serious gamer" has specific needs, though, and laptops are not the tools for the job. Batteries suck, the displays are small, the processors are slower, and some are even further throttled behind-the-scenes. Making a tool do what it wasn't designed to do is always gonna be costly, and get you a second-rate tool.

You can get darn useful laptops now for 1k and less. They won't impress a lot of "serious gamers", though, but neither will that AlienWare in a year or so. Fact is, for 4k you can build yourself a high-end gaming desktop *and* buy a useful laptop to carry around.

Ok the JoeUser guy was helpful. Thanks I will look into that stuff. Look I dont disagree that desktops are better overall, but a student on the go and who also travels nationally for my sport and will in college, I need a laptop. At the same time I dont want to give up the luzury of playing some of my favorite high end games. To me the Alienware is ideal, and I'll have to see where my finances take me from there. I have an old Dell Inspiron 8200 upgraded to the max at its time, but its time to upgrade and I feel that the AW is a good choice for MY needs. I love games, tinkerin with learning new programs and then theres always homework. The Area 51-m meets all those expectations where I need them. I'm sure some of you may disagree, but o well. I do have my eyes set on it, and hopefully I'll get one soon!

As for bringin a pc to school.... I bring my laptop everyday to school and on my travels. Just dont be careless with it and nothing will happen to make it "dissappear"...

Take care guys and thanks for the help!

Young as I am, I learned that one the hard way... They really are just an expensive novelty for those who dont really *need* them.

It's been useful for me, just don't expect them to do all of the games. Most of em come with a crappy video card. Hmm I would disrecommand alienware, even with kickass laptops, since laptops can't be upgraded too much and gets old pretty fast. I recommand a 1,500 to 2,000 buck range laptops, they'll do almost everything alienware can do.

ScoobyWRX, I see you got your dream computer on OD icons.

https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.asp?library=29&SkinID=2339

Plus Alienware isn't actually the best IBM Think Pads are rated the best overall, but you pay for the quality. To be honest, what are you looking at? Like for what purposes? Starting with your main.

Here is a example. I'm taking "Web Development" as a major. Now, I need a notebook that can handle designing and graphics. To start out with plus storage. My main look will end up being maxing out my ram to make sure that I am able to do everything I need to do for designing. If you are going to use it for gaming, then it requires other special hardware, but I don't prefer notebooks for gaming Not enough control. If you use it for Audio purposes, then you will want to focus on other things. Computers reflect the user's intrest or sometimes just their wallet. Just like they say about the car. So what exactly are you going to use it for?

Plus just to let you know, I travel 84miles one way to go to school 3 days a week Since you brought up that you need one for travels and stuff.

, I was smiley happy