M14x Pre-Order Configuration Questions... Ask HERE

So, I've convinced myself I'm going to order one of these on Friday. Though I'm not quite sure what specs to give it.

Should I go with 6 or 8 GB of RAM, and should I get 1.5 or 3.0 GB GeForce 555M? And I'm also not sure whether I want the 720p or 900p screen. I've already decided upon going with the 2820QM processor.

I've heard that, for whatever reason, it is stupid to upgrade to the 3.0 555M? I'm not quite sure why. If it's because the increase wouldn't be that noticeable, wouldn't it just be more like preparing for the future, so you won't have a lack of power in later games?

And before someone tries to flame/troll me, I generally know parts well enough. I just don't know video cards very well, to be honest.

 

If money isn't a big deal, then I'd go for the 3gb card, for like you said, it's just preperation for the future. Other things you can upgrade later, GPU you can't, so if you plan to keep this for a long time, then get the 3gb card for only like 100$. RAM, I'd get 4gb, then upgrade to 8gb externally. I was originally gonna get 6gb preinstalled like you, but found 8gb of the same kind for 80$ on newegg, vs 100$ for 6gb on Dells site.

900p screen, I'd go for it as it's only 75$ and can only be helpful in the future if you need to do any kind of video/photo editing in the future. Plus the 1366x768 resolution is still there so you can turn it down. Eh, 2820QM processor seems like a waste, but its your money

Btw, here's the ram I was referring to

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=8gb_notebook_ram-_-20-231-295-_-Product

 

Thanks, I guess I overlooked the fact that I can always turn the resolution back down. I feel a little stupid, haha. And the RAM thing isn't a bad idea, I'll probably do that.

 

1.5GB vs 3GB the difference is minimal; there have been many debates and it's settled that anything requiring more than 1.5GB VRAM should be done on a more powerful GPU. It's the GPU that's the weakest link here, not the RAM.

As for the processor, if you are using it for processor-intentive tasks then yes, but otherwise just stick with the 2630 if you're just going to be gaming. You should be able to name the applications which will benefit from the extra processing power; or you can just get the fastest processor anyway, your money.

RAM: definitely buy aftermarket. 8GB laptop RAM on newegg (Kingston Hyper X is a good choice) is cheaper than any Dell alternative.

 

My recommendation:

2630QM
4GB RAM
1.5GB 555M
6205 WiFi
Whatever hard drive you want.

Anything more than the 2630QM will get bottlenecked horribly the 555M. Even a 460 is a bottleneck.
The extra 1.5GB on the card will do nothing in 99% of cases.
Unless you're doing a lot of 3D modelling, 8GB is also pointless.

Dell don't offer these upgrades because they make sense (hint: they don't) they offer them because they stand the highest chance of making the most money from the relatively uninformed, like yourself.

 

To the OP.. read the above again

 

Well, for 80$, he may as well get 8gb? I would reccomend over 4gb period. Mainly because I do alot of editing, but instead of wasting 100$ on 6gb of RAM from dell, its 80$ for 8gb
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Also if OP does get the 2820QM, then I would look for 1600mhz as it supports it

(waits for 15 people telling me its a waste of money, but if you're gonna get the 2820QM anyways, may as well play around with faster RAM)

 

The 3gb card...well, I don't know. It would just be useless if the card isn't all that strong anyway. Isn't it mostly intended for gaming on higher res? As for the cpu...the most basic one(2630) is more than enough. In fact, the gpu is the bottleneck. If you are essentially wanting the upgrades for gaming, then I say the only one that makes sense is the LCD screen upgrade. Everything else would just be useless for games. It's not like you won't be able to upgrade at a later time(minus the gpu).

 

Like GearsGuy said, I don't see any harm in upgrading to 8gb of RAM, its only $80. And yes, actually, I will be doing some 3D modeling, and perhaps some video editing.

Though that's true, the 3.0 could just get bottlnecked.

 

I read somewhere around here that you'll never need the 3gb ram throughout its lifespan and its just one of those things that dell has to make some money. I can't remember what someone said, but it was something like ''if you don't know/think you need it, then you probably don't need it.''

My recommendation:
2720QM
6GB RAM
1.5GB 555M
6205 WiFi
900p
SSD - vertex 2

I'm not that great, but I know a decent amount; i think that should be the most decent. A good thing though is that all the i7s take up the same amount of power consumption. I'm not sure about the 3d modeling, but that right there is pretty much set for a good amount of stuff.

 

^2720... waste of money IMO, but certainly better value than the 2820.
6GB, well now that's just silly. If you're upgrading RAM, buy it aftermarket.
Everything else is good.

 

Dont waste money on the 3gb video card. You may as well throw the money away. My 580gtx only has 1.5gb and there is not a game it cant run. Newer games will not benefit, a better GPU is the only way.

There are some instances where manufacturers have put too little on a GFX card and its bottlenecked performance. Like the 8800GT 256mb version.

3.0gb on a laptop gpu with the spec of the GT555 is simply silly. Unless of course there is some justification at high resolutions and 3d as I have heard the chip can decode 2 x1080p video simultaneously.

Whether this is where the memory is used, or any subsequent benefit may be had.

For gaming.........................nah. Overclocking it would get better results.

As far as the other upgrades go. For me

Screen to 900 lines
Bluetooth ( god knows why )
6205 Wireless
Creative Sound

Kept the 500gb hard drive and stock 4gb. I planned to update these later and cheaper than dells upgrade prices.

 

I have a 2630qm with stock RAM and it's running at 1600...so don't think you need to upgrade your RAM to get faster speeds.

 

If you are referring to gaming, perhaps there is some graphical bottlenecks, but that doesn't mean the extra processing power is lost because of the GPU. I personally would get the top of the line, and not the 2630QM.

You are paying a bunch extra, but if money isn't an issue and you want this laptop to meet expectations for processing power for the long haul, the fastest processor is the way to go.

 

If you're insistent on spending the money for the 3gb card, please paypal me the $100 instead as I can put it to better use and your computing experience will be exactly the same

 

It's a waste of money, period.

This system is too cheap in quality to bother paying all of that extra $$$ to get the "best" CPU. If you need that much speed, invest in a desktop. The bang/buck for the processor upgrade on this laptop is atrotious. If you have money to burn - fine. But either way - waste of money.

 

Everyone is saying it's a waste of money without knowing the requirements of the user.

In most situations it will be, but I'm getting a little tired of people quickly jumping to that conclusion. In my case, I use virtual machines for work, and therefore need that little bit extra of processing power and RAM. Plus, a faster processor never heard for music conversion or DRM removal

 

Yes, the 2720QM has VT-x whereas the 2630QM does not - so in that case, if you really think you can leverage that functionality with your setup, then sure...it could be worth the money for you. But are you going to be running mission critical VMs? I'm just arguing bang/buck it's a waste of money.

When people want to know what to get, they're going to get many opinions. Some people get what they need and some people get more for fun or for "future proofing" - the latter being a favorite of Dell.

 

The 2820QM seems like a waste but the 3gb gfx doesn't? I'd say it's the other way around. The stronger CPU is a bit better but much more expensive while the 3gb gfx is not very likely to be any better at all, so that's 100$ down the sh*tter. And if you're preparing for the future then you should not buy a laptop with the gt 555m at all since it's a midrange card that is going to be outdated in a year or two.

 

Yeah but currently it's the most powerful 14 inch laptop there is.

 

Exactly...currently. In a few months...hmm.

 

If that was a response to my post:

No denying that, but what I wrote still stands.

 

Point taken. You must admit though, the majority of buyers here are gamers.

My view is that the stock config is a very well-rounded one to begin with. If, on the off-chance, you need the laptop for something more specialised - VMs, 3D modelling, etc - well, if you know what you're doing in that field, odds are you have an idea what you need, and wouldn't be asking for advice in the first place.

That. For testing some software for compatibility or something, sure, but for mission critical / 24/7 stuff? I wouldn't ever use a laptop for anything of that sort.

Yeah, stupid future-proofing is something Dell's great at.

BIG NUMBERZ FOR TEH WINZ!1

 

Not mission-critical, no. But when I'm "working from home" *wink wink* I want to be able to have the virtual machine open and still be able to do everything I normally do outside the box

 

Dont all jump at me at once for this comment

If you buy a £1100 laptop and spend £500 on a 2820qm and 3gb GT555, perhaps you should consider you bought the wrong laptop.

I see the argument for running virtual machines, but then think...........................why do I have to do it on the m14x?

As for music conversion and DRM removal, how much time are you going to save by a slightly faster processor in real terms.

Damn perhaps I'm just sour as better than mine lol.

 

Thanks for the pointers guys. I'm just about to buy an M14x and you've saved me wasting a couple of hundred quid.

 

The virtual machines don't have to be run on the m14x, but as a consultant I travel a lot. Rather than carry around my EliteBook AND the 6 pound beast, I'd rather only carry around one. Now people don't give me dirty looks at the TSA screening at the airports, because I only have to take out one machine from one carry on

Music conversion and DRM removal is ridiculously faster now than my desktop.

I admit, the graphics card was overkill, but since the difference in price wasn't so bad, I figured I might as well splurge..I'm already paying $1500+ for a machine, might as well get all the bells and whistles

 

fair point, I just see it in terms of bang per buck. I dont see why they added the 3gb option as its clearly a thinly veiled attempt to extract money.

The cpu and memory upgrade are at least tangible benefits, I see you opted for the wireless HD. Would be very interested on your impressions on that

 

My point exactly. if you have enough money to be spending almost 2000$ or more on a PC, may as well get it how you want, and that usually means all the goodies that'll make you like it even more

 

Give 6 months when something far superior arrives on the market, and we will all be sour and bitter as Croatoan ^^

 

I dunno, did anything really ever beat the m17x r2 until the r3 came out? I think the only thing thatll make us bitter is the r2, but thats always expected

 

Ok kinda jumping in on this but I keep reading all these waht should i get threads and as I only have a cheap tablet doing the research isn't easy. I want some advice too. Sorry op for jumpin in.

I will game BUT also photoshop, bryce, convertxdvd, dvd ripping(I have 400 dvds i will convert) i also know all this should be done on a desktop but I spend about a week or two most months in the hospital so I need something that can go with me. I know the 1.5 vid is fine. I also will do my own ram upgrade. Now the cpu is what I dont know and wonder is there enough of a diff to warrent the $350 to go top line? The money isn't a limiting factor as I have a budget of 3000 coming but dont want to spend it on hardware that i could spend it on software or a better bag or what ever. So please some cpu advice for non gaming on the cpu or a link that will tell me if the small GHz increase will make a diff. Granted I know for art renders ram and more ram matter a lot. So already going after the best laptop ram which isn't from dell.


Thanks for any and all advice and sorry op for jumping in lile this but maybe the info will help you too.

Oh and I am going with alienware as owning one has been a dream of mine for also as long as the company has been around. Its also the cool factor, I get comments on my tablet I know the M14 will start comvos with all the doctors and nurses and at 41 with 2 bad kidneys I might as well fianlly get a computer thats fun to look at as is to use.

 

Its not just a GHZ increase, but a model increase. If you're REALLY going to be doing CPU intensive things, then I guess it'd be worth it. The increase would be marginal and I don't know if it justifies the price. But I guess if you have 400 DVD's to convert, then time is of essence.

 

I get all the movies from family and friends so I have them to warch since I mostly spend time home now. I was a very active tech once upon a time. I convert them so its easy to take with me when I do spend time away from home. I had them all on a usb drive but that just crashed hard the other day. So I will start over.

But the cpu sounds to me lile that money would be better spent on back media since this will already be a major upgrade from my hp dual core. Shoot only paid 350 for it where this cpu cost just as much as the hp did lmbo

 

I'm new and I don't know if my words will have any merit here but from reading this topic and lurking about the debate about 3gb or 1.5gb, I think it's a lot simpler to just ask the question, why would you want the M14x if you're going to do more than just gaming on it? Aren't there laptops built for such heavy duty tasks like for architectural design that run high end GPUs. They may not be 14 inch but if you're doing more than just gaming, why settle for the M14x?

I'm aiming for the M14x as my laptop for school, for portable gaming when I visit out of state, and DJing. I plan on building my own desktop down the line which is more "future proof" as I can always upgrade the parts, this laptop you can't really.

If everyone else has the moolah to spend, why stop at the M14x? That's what I'm wondering. For me it's the lights. I want my keyboard to lightup to the tune of Rebecca Black.

 

For me the answer is semi simple, gaming laptops have for the most part the most power your going to find. There is also as you know the cool lights. I have looked at other laptops that will handle games but they always lack something like battery or are only avail in larger sizes. I personally think if a machine can handle todays most demanding games then it can handle photoshop or some 3D render software with ease. I could be wrong but if I want the best of both gaming and raw power plus some really cool looks alienware is one of few choices.

Theres a show on TV that uses an alienware to rum sims for battles between warriors and I sent him an email a few months back to ask why not a desktop and his answer was its his personal machine and it had more power then the producers would get in a desktop. He also added that it just looks dam cool.

So for me a desktop would be ideal for all the tasks besides games I will throw at a machine but being portable is at least 50% of why I want a laptop. 25% well its alienware! 25% it will do what I want and thats photoshop, bryce, and of course first person shooting games.

 

Nicely said macgyver40. I believe that one should get what they will be happy with, otherwise they will be settling. My M14X will have the 2820 with the 1.5GB 555GT 900p res, and Wireless HD. I've got a 128GB Crucial C300 SSD at the ready and 8GB RAM on order through Newegg. I'm military and got a decent discount on the system and had I been 2 days quicker I would have saved over $400 on the entire thing. Instead I saved just around $200 (Darn my bad timing ) plus no tax and shipping. Anyway, I too have a lot of encoding to do and am limited on the amount of space I have in my studio apt so this will be a really good fit for me.

 

Another thing about laptops is at some point there is the personal side to the choice. I could easily afford any alienware laptop, momey is not a factor but my personal choice on the size is. I would love a 17" screen but the weight of the 14 which doesn't exsist. So if I want to take my powerhouse with me the M14x or 11x are my choices both of which are still lighter then my last laptop which was over 9lbs. So the M14x fits the bill in the personal facor for me.

Thanks for servering Mb67.

 

Thanks for saying that.

I just wish it would hurry up and get here already.

 

I am waiting on a settlement check to buy mine which is only giving me to much time to research, look at videos, read forums and know I have to wait again even after I spend the money. I think I knew less about the desktop I built and spent twice the $$$ on then I do the M14x. I already know how to take it apart and upgrade or put therm paste in it.

 

That's my answer to my own question too haha. I played with one at Fry's once and I just love the way it looks and feels. I have the money to plop down on a desktop, my brother keeps telling me to get a desktop, but I'm very mobile and lugging a desktop around with me doesn't sound as good as lugging around a 6 pound laptop. And the lights, I saw this video on youtube that had an AlienFX plugin that had the lights flash with the music and I was just sold. I've always wanted this computer and worked hard to save up money to get it, so for me it's more than just a computer, and to change my mind otherwise would be admitting defeat.

So in other words, if you're sure about what you want, just get it. You just have to ask yourself, is this what I really want?

 

My wish spec :
- Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
- Intel® Core™ i7 2630QM
- 1.5GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M
- 4GB Dual channel DDR3
- 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
- 14.0" High Def (900p)
- Intel® Wireless-N 6250 WiMAX
- 8x SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Slot Load Optical Drive
- Soundblaster
- Bluetooth ?

Using for : Play Games like PES or Adventure games, office, watch HD movie from notebook to LCD TV Screen via HDMI Port.

Want upgrade : - upgrade intel core i7 to 2720 +$250 in my country OR upgrade HDD to
SSD Intel 320 series/510 series or vertex II High
performance series ( Which one i need to choose?) for better performance?

need advice

 

SSD makes everything seem practically instant, judging from reviews of other users. 10 second boot time, opening anything in your hard drive faster than you can blink, if you have the money go ahead. Sandy Bridge quad core is so ridiculously fast already, I can't possibly imagine it going outdated for even the next 2~3 years, 2630QM compared to even 2830QM won't make too much of a difference, certainly not worth it price wise. Especially considering the GPU.

 

yup i think better upgrade HDD then 2630QM...

which one i need to choose ? Inter 320 series or 510 series? or vertex II with high performance?

 

Hi guys,

I'm ready to buy the m14x but i have a question about the warranty. I hesitate between those 2 solutions

-bye it whit my credit card wich will give me one additionnal years over the base warranty, total of 2 years base service plan. (no accidental damage) This scenario cost me nothing.

-Chose the "3 Year Advanced Service Plan" for 394,99$$$.

I work as a paramedic and I will carry my m14x whit me alot. I plan to game in my rig 1-2 hour a day as a wait between calls. I do think it would be really usefull to have the accidental damage plan since I will put my notebbok into alot of risk but but 400$ seems like alot of money!

Did I miss something? What do you guys think?

Charles

 

Not sure...maybe you should make a thread on it, I've been curious about that as well. I've never had any experience using those SSDs, so I can't give you an honest answer

 

hahaha thank then..

i already decided, what ssd will i buying

Corsair Force III 120 GB

BTW

Now i very confuse!! 3 year warrenty or SSD ??

 

Well, finaly I got it whit the 3 years accidental warranty! I Just ordered it one hour ago. Reading this post convinced me to get the extended warranty. I found tones of information on this forum, wich helped me to chose my config.

Thanks guys.

BTW I upgraded the wifi and the warranty, everything else is stok.

 

So guys, I just wanted to hear your feedback on my (possible; you may help me change it) future m14x config. I list reasons why for everything, but I just wanna see what you guys think in the end to maybe save me some cash

2630QM (Only going to be doing gaming and video editing)
4gb of RAM (aftermarket to 8)
3GB 555M (afraid for future proofing)
1600x900 screen (i dont think anyone could be against it)
6205 wifi (does it really help?)
and finally is the 80$ worth the 750gb HDD upgrade? I would eventually upgrade in the future, but not immediately.

 

I think the intel 6205 is suppose to give it another antenna which is suppose to help a lot. The wimax one basically gives it another one for wimax use.