Which is better? (Calling all laptop/desktop/phone/tablet users)

[JewelWildmoon]

Hey guys! So recently my mom said that if I do well in my exams, she'll consider getting me a new laptop, but I can't decide between the Dell Inspiron 157000 or Dell Alienware. Anyone have either of these? Which one do you think is better? I'm looking for one with faster graphics, has a bigger screen so that I don't blind myself XD, fast internet speed, large memory, touch screen,  and best suited for extremely laggy games (downloadable and browser based) XD I'm thinking Alienware, but I could use some opinions :3

Also, if I can get a desktop, tablet and a new phone later on, I wanna know which are the best.

For desktops, again I'm considering either Alienware or Inspiron (should have the same features I mentioned above for the laptop, and hopefully more than 3 or 4 USB ports). Which do you think would be better?

For phones, I was considering either the Samsung S8 or iPhone X (or iPhone 10 if it's released by then) but I don't know which is better. Samsung S8 is more developed for gamers, but iPhone has more storage and better features. Which would you guys recommend? I'm looking for whichever is best suited for games (especially the super laggy ones), has better graphics, large storage space, best features, has a larger screen, most durable, fastest internet speed, can be used in VR, and longer battery life. Personally I might consider iPhone X. I've heard the Samsung gets slower over time, but it's good with using the VR too. (Plus I would've hoped that it would support Android apps but, ehh..) The only thing though that the Samsung has which the iPhone doesn't have which I'm kinda sad about is the fact that it's water proof ;w;


Lastly, if I decide to get a Tablet instead, I'm considering to get either the iPad Air, EVGA Tegra Note, Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro, or Lenovo Yoga Tablet 3 Pro.
 Which is best for gaming (especially games that normally lag), has faster graphics and fast internet, large storage space, longer battery life, better features, has a larger screen and can be connected to a detachable keyboard? (I'm not talking about laptops with detachable keyboards by the way, there are tablets that can use a keyboard)

If you have anymore suggestions, feel free to share them with me and maybe tell/show me the features if you have it. I'm mostly just trying to narrow down my choices that I listed above XD

Thanksies! X3
                                                                                                                                                                                                ~Jewel

[Morgra]

Hello there! Will do my best to help here with the laptop situation. I'm guessing the laptop is the current priority here?
For the record, I don't have a gaming laptop, but I do have a gaming desktop and bit of basic knowledge as to what to look for in a gaming/higher end PC. ^^

• First off, you should set a budget up for yourself. As in, what would you or your mom be willing to spend on a laptop that will do what you're looking for. Keep in mind that depending on the features/hardware that you may want in it, the laptop is bound to go up in price. Prices will vary and it depends on how far you're willing to go and what you actually will be using the laptop for.
• Second, I would prioritize a features list for yourself. What do you want out of a new laptop the most from what you listed above? Is the touch screen more important or is a faster system more important? (stuff to look for and think about ^^)
• Third, evaluate all that you might be doing on the laptop. What specific games will you be running, what software, etc? You will need to get a laptop that best fits your needs and it's a great idea to specify the capabilities this laptop will need to have before you do your search.

As for the ones you listed, it's difficult to tell at the moment because it depends on what the model number of the Alienware laptop is in order to properly compare it to the Dell Inspiron one. Any specific ones you were looking at?

Anyway, if you're not sure where to start, go through my list there and see if there are further questions you can answer for me and i'll do my best to help you.

[Kaiden123]

I like the Windows 8 and 10. My windows 8 (which I still use) had lasted 4 years now. Only a little bit of problems but the laptop fixed itself.

[WolfQueen]

You have to consider processing speed (GHz) and GPU/CPU/RAM type when looking for a gaming computer, not just the brand. For example, I've heard that Radeon is a good graphics unit.
Samsung definitely. iPhone limits a lot of your control.
Tablets aren't really recommended for gaming because of their small storage space and RAM/processing speed.

[Lucius]

I haven't owned either Inspiron of Alienware, preferring ROG myself. And I've only gotten a laptop last year (since I much prefer the capabilities of desktop PCs), so keep that in mind if you read the following.

First off, which Alienware version / which Inspiron 7000 model are you getting? Laptops have different versions for each model.

Alienware 13 has the base model, along with R2 and R3. Alienware 15 has the base model along with M15x, M15x-R2, R2 and R3. Alienware 17 has the base model along with M17x, M17x-R2, M17x-R3, M17x-R4, R2, R3 and R4.
Now, most of the earlier versions have been discontinued, but some stores may still stock them. The latest version of Alienware 13 and 15 is R3. For Alienware 17, it's R4.

As far as Inspiron goes, they have a lot of 15 7000 versions. You have the 7569*, the 7559 (earliest gaming version), the 7566, the 7567, and the 7577 (latest version).
*This is the only 15 7000 model that isn't part of the Pandora Gaming Series from Inspiron.

The Inspiron 7000 (7559 model) isn't as good as the Alienware 13, 15, and 17 versions, but if you're planning on getting a previous version of Alienware, then you might want to choose Inspiron instead. However, that also depends on if you're getting a laptop right out of the box, or if you will be choosing your specs.


I'll give you the rundown of the specifications between Alienware 15 and Inspiron 7000 (7559 model), both of them being the cheapest ones of their lines, and with the same screen size.

Inspiron 15 7000 (7559)

Screen Size: 15.6 Inches

Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5

Core: Quad Core

RAM: 8 GB

Memory Speed: 1600 MHz

Hard Drive: 256 GB Solid State Drive (or your choice of equivalent in Hard Disk Drive)

Graphic Processor: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M - 4 GB

USB Ports: 3 USB 3.0

Average Battery Life: 4.5 Hours

Weight: 6.1 lbs

Alienware 15

Screen Size: 15.6 Inches

Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Processor: 2.9 GHz Intel Core i5

Core: Dual Core

RAM: 8 GB

Memory Speed: 1600 MHz

Hard Drive: 1TB HDD (or your choice of equivalent in SSD)

Graphic Processor: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M - 2 GB

USB Ports: 4 USB 3.0

Average Battery Life: 5.5 Hours

Weight: 6.6 lbs

Wikipedia also has information on Inspiron and Alienware.

If you want, there's also PDFs detailing the specifications of certain models.

Here are the ones I found

Inspiron 15 7000 7559

Alienware 13

Alienware 13 R2

Alienware 15

Alienware 15 R2

Alienware 17 R2

Alienware 17 R3

If you're not sure about which model you want, then you should think about what you need it to do. The Inspiron 15 7000 7559 starts at $799 and the Alienware 15 starts at $1200, and those are at minimal specs. Depending on how outdated the minimal specs are, you're looking at adding about one or two thousand dollars to the bill.

You say you want "faster graphics", but are you willing to sacrifice quality for framerate, or do you want high FPS and superb graphics? The newer Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080Ti graphics card costs $699 alone and the Titan X is $999.

Large memory is also going to cost you more. The minimum RAM that any laptop is equipped with is 8GB. The maximum is usually 32GB.

Not to mention the Hard Drive space. You might think 500GB of space is a lot, but it fills up really fast. I've had my laptop for a year and don't have nearly as much on it as I do on my desktop PC and yet, I've already filed up around 521GB on it. And what about the drive type, do you want a Hard Disk Drive or a Solid State Drive? SSDs are faster and smaller, but more expensive than HDDs. You could get 1TB of HDD for the same price as 256GB of SSD. SSD also uses less power to write data, therefore increasing battery life and creating less heat.

As far as which laptop has a bigger display, you'll find that the model names indicate screen size. Inspiron 15 has a 15 inch screen and Inspiron 17 will have a 17 inch screen, same goes for Alienware 15 and 17.

However, larger screens decrease portability. The heavier the laptop, the harder it will be to carry around. And be prepared to buy a cooling stand for gaming laptops, since they heat up like mad. Definitely burned my lap a couple of times, but they're great in the winter...

Gaming laptops have lower battery life as well. That's expected though.


For desktops, I highly recommend building your own (if you can afford it). It's what I've always done and my computers have lasted over six years each. If you want one out of the box, then I suppose I'm not the right person to go for that, unless you want me to dig around and pull specs for you to compare.

Plus, you'd need to think about how far later you're looking to get a desktop. Chances are, there will be newer versions that might be better than whichever ones are currently released.

Looking at cellphones, I think you're asking for too many features, considering what they are. They're not computers, they're mobile phones, and they're never going to be as fast or as powerful as PCs in comparison.

Personally though, I've never liked iPhones and Samsung has been my phone of choice, mainly because they have more functionality without needing to jailbreak it. If you regularly clear out your cache and download everything onto an SD card, then you shouldn't have issues with slow performance on either phone.

I don't really like tablets, so I can't say anything on that.

I hope some of my insight might help you, though I haven't had any personal experience with the brands you've mentioned.