Table of contents

• Reasons to sell an Alienware laptop.
• What are my selling options?
• Used Alienware laptop trade-in value examples and comparison.
• Most common issues with Alienware laptops.

Alienware laptops are some of the most loved devices among gamers. It makes total sense, as the brand offers powerful hardware, appealing design, and above-average benchmarks when playing AAA titles. Just check out our best Alienware laptop models review from a few months back. So why would one want to sell such a fantastic device as an Alienware laptop, you ask? While it varies by user, we will list some of the most common reasons we came across so far below.

Reasons to sell an Alienware laptop

Alienware is a subsidiary of Dell, one of the leading computer hardware companies in the world. And as we uncovered in our recent blog post, Dell vs. HP, those laptops are built to last. But even with the most solid gaming computers, one must take certain steps to assure their longevity. Say, if you do not play around with settings to optimize your system when running a GPU-intensive game, like Cyberpunk 2077 or Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, you risk a graphics card failure. Or even the motherboard. Unfortunately, Alienware laptops are no exception, and hardware malfunctions are the number one reason users decide to sell. 

The second most common reason to sell an Alienware laptop is due to upgrading to a newer model. Unfortunately, unlike Apple, Dell does not offer to trade in your older laptop to help buyers offset the new purchase cost. As a result, Alienware users may find themselves in a situation where their less than a year old laptop drops in value dramatically due to a newer version being released on the market. 

And, of course, you might want to decide to sell your pre-owned Alienware gaming laptop simply because you need some cash. The latter is especially true with users who bought a gaming laptop but end up playing on a desktop computer more often. So instead of having it sitting collecting dust, why not sell it while the computer is still worth something, right? And because consumer electronics depreciate fast, you, of course, won’t be able to recover the full amount you once paid for the laptop. However, chances are you can still get a fair offer.

But whatever the reason it may be, there are plenty of options when it comes to selling used tech. And luckily, Alienware gaming laptops are very popular and hold the best reselling value over time compared to other brands.

So, to summarize, the most common reasons to sell an Alienware laptop are:

• Hardware failure, no longer covered by warranty
• Upgrading to a newer model
• Need the money

What are my selling options? 

As we have established, Dell doesn’t really incentivize used electronics trade-in, even though they have a program. However, their buy-back is accommodated by a company called PowerOn. And from what we saw, their estimates are pretty low, but more on that later. 

So, since you cannot trade in your older model during the online checkout to lower the cost of your upgrade, you must sell your used Alienware laptop elsewhere. And here, you have two main routes to consider: either to sell it yourself locally on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, for example, or use a third-party online buy-back service. The first option makes sense if you already have selling experience on these platforms and willing to put in some time and effort to get rid of your beloved Alienware. Of course, you are also likely to sell it for more money. But if you are a busy professional who has no time to take pictures, create listings, and then run around meeting strangers from Craigslist, selling the laptop to a buy-back company is a no-brainer. 

Used Alienware laptop trade-in examples and comparison

Alienware makes high-end gaming computers. Naturally, they hold great reselling value over time. Even some of the older models, like Alienware m14x or m17x series, still retain some salvage value and are therefore accepted for resale. 

For example, the old 2009 Alienware m17x Intel Core 2 Duo (!) based laptop can still get you up to a $33 offer. Admittedly, this is not much, but considering that you cannot sell most laptop models this old, having a few bucks in your pocket and being able to recycle the old notebook sounds like a win-win.

Of course, a newer model will yield a far better Alienware trade-in offer. For example, the used Alienware m15 R3 model with the Intel Core i7 10th generation processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics can get you up to a $734 cash offer.*

The Alienware Area 51m R2 model with the same CPU and GPU characteristics will get up to a $969 estimate*. The same exact model at Dell trade-in via PowerOn will get you no more than $850 price.

Most common issues with Alienware laptops

While Alienware laptops are one of the best ones, they are not perfect, and like any other electronics, they break. Some of the most typical Alienware hardware problems our customers frequently report are the following:

• The system stopped booting up;
• Tobii no longer works;
• Battery failure few months after purchase;
• Motherboard issues.

The issues mentioned above are especially prevalent with the Dell Alienware 17 series laptops, specifically Alienware 17 R4 and R5 lines. 

However, the most common one is hard drive storage failure. But since you can easily swap it out, we would not call it a significant hardware problem that requires a technician’s involvement. 

Bottom Line

More often than not, when a laptop breaks, it is cheaper to replace it than to repair it. This is especially true with expensive high-end gaming units, like Alienware. But then what do you do with it when you buy a new one? Since you cannot trade it in with Dell to lower the cost of your upgrade, the most sensible option is to sell it elsewhere. And that’s when the third-party trade-in services come in handy. Many companies out there accept used Alienware computers, and Gadget Salvation is one of them. We like to think that we have perfected the process over the years and pride ourselves on offering a seamless, quick, and safe selling experience. If you are looking to get an estimate on your gadget or have a question, please do not hesitate to reach out. We will be happy to hear from you!

*Priced on 06/15/2021. Subject to change.