To-Be College Freshmen...Good laptop?

Hello, I'm going to be going to college in the fall to (probably) major in biology and possibly minor in math, music, or psychology. I'm looking for a laptop that I can type essays (w/ microsoft word), class notes, all the usual stuff relating to typing and classes, browse the web and do research on at a very quick speed (slow internet ability=angry me), be able to watch movies, youtube, and other stuff in high quality, very good sound quality, and obviously enough, play games on. Obviously the M14X is a gaming laptop, so being a student, it is important for me to be able to do all that research and typing stuff. Is this laptop versatile enough?

TL/DR/Summary

is the M14X/other Alienware laptops good for:
-Typing essays on Microsoft word (is it compatible with the laptop) - most important
- Research and internet browsing at high speed - also important
- Very high quality picture and sound - also very important
- and obviously its a gaming laptop so that speaks for itself.

Also, I've heard the warranty is good for these laptops?

My budget is $1500, I'd go over if I had to but I really don't wanna break the bank on a laptop.

I'm willing to compromise all the gaming stuff for better student-related features, so any input towards other laptops that are good for gaming and student stuff is very much appreciated (going along with the not wanting to spend a massive amount part)

Thanks for reading

EDIT: I play SCII, WoW, and Crysis

 

well worth it im going to university in september. had the laptop for about a month now and its a beast i neglect my tower now

 

Also, how does this compare to the Macbook Pro 15? I've been looking at that as well and it seems pretty good too (please don't compare Mac vs. PC, I don't mind either OS, I'm just more familiar with Windows)

 

Honestly, if you don't mind either MBP or the M14x,

Think of the price difference for the hardware you are getting.

When you buy a MBP, what is it really that you are paying for? I would love to know why they overprice their laptops. I don't have anything against them other than their price.

 

IMO desktop+netbook is the way to go. Just completed 6 master grade assignments in a month, glad I have a decent desktop with 3 screens and mechanical keyboard for the work. If I was doing these in front of a 14inch screen I would have been dead already.

Having said that, 90% of my mates only got 1 laptop and that is it and they seem to be happy with it. It might be my own problem with the screen size

 

its a niche product, its a ''premium'' product in the sense of creating an image of the company, its much like aw.

sincerely? I would grab the m14x and see if the keyboard meets your expectations, that is what you are going to use the most, and that is what is most important.

try the mbp at an apple store too, both have the same gaming capabilities, and same battery life on windows, which is pretty poor if you think about it, since the mbp wont switch the gpus on windows.....

 

I would love to know where he can just walk into some store and play with an M14x lol

If you do find a store that has an M14x on display, please let us know

 

thats why I said grab in the sense of buy, since s/he have a return period

 

I'm a he haha

But yeah price and features, it seems like the m14x kicks the crap out of the MBP. I just know many people get the mac and love it (my sister loves hers) and specifically thats often college kids. But for my purposes I'm really leaning towards the M14X, it really stands out to me - plus the ability to change the light colors, the front lights, the design...pretty sweet

How's the build quality of them (AW M14X)? I'm a bit of a clutz, but I've never flat out dropped a laptop (theyre kinda hard to have slip out of your hand lol). But if it can take a general beating over time I shouldn't have any issues. The Mac seems like a piece of paper so I think i'd crush it (probably not but even so, they seem rather delicate)

 

Congratulations on being accepted into college!

I would recommend the Alienware for the simple fact that you'll get a brand-spankin' new Xbox 360 with the purchase of one. See this thread

Plus you'll still have $100 left over (well, hopefully taxes won't go over the limit!)

 

Build quality, I would say excellent. Seems super sturdy and compact. Some people receive theirs sadly with some flex on the keyboard or the touchpad but it's not always that it happens and it's something that can be easily fixed.

I personally love the soft touch on the M14x. It doesnt absorb oil or marks at all like the M11x did.

 

Two years ago I was getting prepped for my first year away from home at school and needed to buy a laptop to take with me. Libraries are super crowded and usually noisy, no matter how much the librarians . As a college student, I was also pretty broke and buying a refurbished computer saved me a ton of cash. It was as good as a laptop right off the factory floor, came with a warranty, and has never let me down.

Got it here, highly recommend the site: Great Deals on Refurbished Computers and Accessories - CheetahDeals Education

 

The reason apple charges such a premium for their products (Besides the apple tax) is because they know people will pay it. I find the majority of people who own an apple computer know almost nothing about computers in general. Apple makes things very simple to use and is almost IMO a kiddy mode of Windows. Someone who is very experienced on computers often has problems trouble shooting a mac because everything is so buried and hidden in random spots so that way the average user can't find it and possibly mess up their computer. Windows has done this to an extent also since XP but I don't think it's quite as bad.

Basically buying an Apple you're paying for the convenience of Steveie Jobs deciding what you should and shouldn't do on your computer. Your sister probably likes her Apple because it "Just works" for her and that's fine and dandy, but if you actually like to do things with your computer I'd stay away and buy a way better PC for half the price of an Apple. Just my .02

 

This Laptop is OP for a freshman

 

Seriously, I had a gateway laptop with 128mb video card going into college and it rawked

 

LOL Me too xD

 

I've said this before and I'll say it again:

If you want an Alienware and you buy an MBP15in, even though you'll come to love your MBP15in and the -$500 void in your wallet (jokes jokes...ok not really), you'll still want an Alienware.

Analogy:
You woke up today and really want to drink coke, but decided to get Fanta instead. Sure, you'll enjoy your glass of Fanta and it'll quench your thirst, but when you wake up tomorrow, by gosh, you'll still want to drink coke.

 

I'm an engineering university student and I do a fair amount of work on my laptop, including all that you said. This laptop is perfect for what I do. It's relatively small so it fits in my bag well and has Optimus which gives me 4.5 hours or so battery life. When plugged it, it games very well (check my sig for vids).

My laptop was $1370 CAD after tax and came with a free TactX mouse, so it's well within your budget. It's up to you in the end what you invest in, but I can confidently say that I am very happy with this laptop, as well as with my previous Dell purchase (Studio XPS 16).

 

For heavy typing I'd take the m14x over a mac any day, mainly because I can't stand chiclet keyboards. Also, with the backlit keyboard, you can type out your essays late at night without needing to turn on the lights and disturb your roommates (if you have roommates).

The m14x will run any productivity suite perfectly, it's not exactly a high power application.

If your residence uses wifi for internet connection I'd recommend the Killer Wireless card. Maybe even wimax if your area supports it. Definitely don't go with the stock card, from what I hear it is awful.

Do not get the 3GB graphics card, it is a waste.

 

I agree dont go for the stock Wifi card...its crappy...also the 3Gb is a waste even though i got it....( i got a great deal...so had no choice but to accept it)

Herezz the thing ...people might not like it when i say this ....but if you need to use your system for just browsing and typing ...mac isnt a bad option....but you`ll get a worse config.(At a equal or higher price)...and the present line of macbooks have heating issues (atleast the 13inch macbook i got had...heated upto 95 C just by running a youtube vid on 1080p....yeah i know apple has issues with flash ...but seriously )

The alienware on the other hand is a power house and you can ofcourse use it for browsing and typing...since i heard the keyboard is great

Plus imagine a 14" machine that gives you the power to game.....MBP can never match up to the 14" on the gaming front...but the Alienware can match upto the MBP in the browsing front and typing

So my vote go for the Alienware
Cheers