An Optimistic Beginning for an Online Course in Software Testing
I bought the Alienware computer to accomplish a project that I had been planning over the last five years--development of a free-to-the-public web-based course in software testing with video lectures and demonstrations.
From the hardware side, I did my needs analysis through 2004. I did pilot projects with a Macintosh (I am a happy owner of a 17" PowerBook G4) running Final Cut Pro. FCP is very cool, but I preferred Adobe's Premiere Pro, available on Windows machines.
Matrox made a video coprocessor, specially tailored for Premiere. There seemed to be challenges configuring systems to work well with this card. Lots of configuration and support hassles discussed on the Net. A few companies seemed to specialize in creating carefully configured video production powerhouse machines. Alienware was one of them.
The Alienware system that I bought seemed overpriced compared to its competition--it even made the dual-processor Power Mac G5's look inexpensive. High prices were the biggest complaint about Alienware on the web.
On the other hand,
In 2001, the National Science Foundation awarded my lab a $470,000 research grant for Improving the Education of Software Testers. Earlier in 2004, I was promoted to Director of the Center for Software Testing Education & Research at Florida Tech. I had some research money, but no more money in the budget for expensive new equipment. So, after long discussions, Becky (my wife) and I decided to pay for this out of our own funds.
It was going to be expensive--with hardware, software, some additional video equipment, we would spend $10,000. Becky's a full-time doctoral student (she went back for her Ph.D. in Education after teaching for 20 years) and most of my current income is from my salary at Florida Tech--so $10,000 is a big chunk for us. But we decided that the project made it worth it.
And we decided that it was really, really important to get a reliable computer that was really fast (because video development is so computer intensive) and really well supported (just in case).
For that, we went to Alienware. (Ooops.)
From the hardware side, I did my needs analysis through 2004. I did pilot projects with a Macintosh (I am a happy owner of a 17" PowerBook G4) running Final Cut Pro. FCP is very cool, but I preferred Adobe's Premiere Pro, available on Windows machines.
Matrox made a video coprocessor, specially tailored for Premiere. There seemed to be challenges configuring systems to work well with this card. Lots of configuration and support hassles discussed on the Net. A few companies seemed to specialize in creating carefully configured video production powerhouse machines. Alienware was one of them.
The Alienware system that I bought seemed overpriced compared to its competition--it even made the dual-processor Power Mac G5's look inexpensive. High prices were the biggest complaint about Alienware on the web.
On the other hand,
- Alienware was well known for its video processing systems, and they featured several machines with the Matrox RTX 10 and RTX 100 boards supplied as standard equipment.
- Alienware had great reviews for manufacturing quality and tech support. They made a big deal of this on their website:
"When you demand high performance, superior build quality, innovative style, and award-winning support, turn to Alienware to deliver the definitive solution. Alienware delivers the peace of mind that can only come from an unparalleled tradition of excellence and an impeccable reputation for creating systems powered by the most advanced, non-proprietary technology. With the addition of Alienware’s award-winning support team, your critical needs for performance, dependability, and service are not only met, they are surpassed. That’s the Alienware difference."I appreciate good quality. I cherish good quality. I understand that quality costs money, and so I accept the fact that if I want something really good, I'll have to pay for it.
In 2001, the National Science Foundation awarded my lab a $470,000 research grant for Improving the Education of Software Testers. Earlier in 2004, I was promoted to Director of the Center for Software Testing Education & Research at Florida Tech. I had some research money, but no more money in the budget for expensive new equipment. So, after long discussions, Becky (my wife) and I decided to pay for this out of our own funds.
It was going to be expensive--with hardware, software, some additional video equipment, we would spend $10,000. Becky's a full-time doctoral student (she went back for her Ph.D. in Education after teaching for 20 years) and most of my current income is from my salary at Florida Tech--so $10,000 is a big chunk for us. But we decided that the project made it worth it.
And we decided that it was really, really important to get a reliable computer that was really fast (because video development is so computer intensive) and really well supported (just in case).
For that, we went to Alienware. (Ooops.)
1 Comments:
At 6:13 PM, Cindy Hates said…
Alienware charged me $100 for the "acoustic dampening" that was
supposed to make my computer quiet.
It arrived. It does have a very quiet CPU fan, and some foam inside.
However the computer is EXTREMELY noisy--most of which is coming from
the power supply fan. As far as I can tell, it is not a "low noise"
power supply fan.
I called their tech support and they said "Sorry! Those 650 watt power
supplies are noisy! You're stuck." All I wanted was my $100 back, and
they're unwilling to do that. I can return the system, but for a 15%
restocking fee--not worth it because I can get the PS replaced for less
money.
So I cannot recommend Alienware. They were dishonest about their
"acoustic dampening" option.
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