I just bought a HP laptop that I can use for school/work and gaming. It cost me about $900 (with discounts) and I love it. I'm sure I was probably charged extra for the brand, but every computer manufacture does this. In reality, most of the hardware that makes for a better gaming laptop or desktop is used by every brand. You just have to look at what your paying for (memory, processor, graphics card, RAM, etc...). That alone is why its always cheaper to "build your own" computer for gaming. Alienware gets the nod because they are known for offering "gaming" computers. A lot of casual gamers just consider them the best for gaming, as they claim they are the best and normally include better hardware for gaming in their default models. But that is also why they cost significantly more then other gaming laptops.