XPS 17 vs. M14x

I'll be using the machine strictly for gaming.

I've been configuring the M14x and the XPS 17 back and forth for a few days now and I feel I'm missing something because they're both ending up costing the same. Here's what I come up with:

XPS 17

* i7 2630
* GeForce GT 555m 3gb
* 6 mb ram
* 17" 1600x900 screen
* 2 year warranty

TOTAL COST: $1289.00

vs.

M14x

* i7 2630
* GeForce GT 555m 1.5gb
* 4 mb ram
* 14" 1600x900 screen
* 1 yr warranty

TOTAL COST: $1299.00



Now I've highlighted the differences I'm seeing, with the advantage being that of the XPS 17 in terms of performance, cost, screen size, and warranty inlcuded.

What am I missing that would make me go with anything other than the XPS 17 when comparing these 2 machines for gaming?

 

The m14x is alot smaller, and Im not sure if the XPS 17 has optimus, but if it doesnt then the m14x will get much better battery life. They will also perform exactly the same for gaming for the next 2 years.

 

M14x for portability. XPS 17 for better gaming experience (bigger screen)

 

I'm pretty sure you can find something with a 560m gtx for around that price if you look elsewhere, if all you care about is gaming performance. That would greatly outperform either of those.

Edit: yea I didn't realize they both had the same resolution when i made the original post, hence the editing that out. I merely assumed the 17" had better resolution, and was wrong.

 

The bigger screen won't decrease performance since the resolution is also 1600x900.

 

Thanks for the quick replies.

A few other things to note:

-Sticking with Dell because of my past experiences with their machines and the fact that I have an open line of credit with them

-Portability isn't an issue as I won't be taking it anywhere (maybe once in a blue moon)

-It's going to be strictly a gaming PC for me, which I do quite a bit of, so I'm wondering if the Alienware has better ventilation or more fans. Basically which will handle heat better? I'm not talking about games with cutting-edge graphics, but less demanding games for longer periods of time than one would spend playing a FPS.


As of right now I have to say the XPS 17 is winning the battle based on my situation. It's a equally powerful machine for the same cost, but packs a bigger screen and a free extended warranty (2 years compared to the standard 1 year). Is there anything else I'm overlooking? Particularly concerned with the heat issue as I will be running this machine quite a bit.

 

Yes because I chose to upgrade the graphics card which required a battery upgrade to Optimus.

 

Whoa! Did you look for online coupons at all? I found XPS 17

XPS 17
Operating System Genuine Windows® Home Premium, 64-Bit, English
Processor 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM processor 2.00 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz
Memory 8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
Keyboard Backlit Keyboard - English
LCD 17.3" HD+ (900p) LED Display with Multi-Touch and 2.0MP HD Webcam
Video Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M 3GB graphics with Optimus
Hard Drive 1.0TB 500GB 7.2k HDD x 2
Color Elemental Silver Aluminum
Integrated Network Adapter Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card
Adobe Reader Adobe® Acrobat® Reader
CD ROM/DVD ROM Tray Load Blu-ray Disc BD-Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
Sound JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3 + Creative SoundBlaster X-FI MB 1.2
Wireless Plus Bluetooth Intel© Centrino© Advanced-N 6230 and Bluetooth 3.0
Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2010
Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed) McAfee SecurityCenter, 30-Days Trial
Battery 90 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Hardware Support Services 1 Year In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis
Data Safe DataSafe 2.0 Online Backup 2GB for 1 year
Mobile Broadband No Mobile Broad Band Selected
Recovery Tools Recovery DVD for Windows® 7 Home Premium OS, 64bit, English

All for $1228 or so. Look for the $150 additional off coupon online.

But I'm looking at buying the Asus G53 or a Sager 8130 in its place.

Just looked and $150 off expired but you still have an extra $100 off that works. Look at what the startingdiscount is on the model you start with too. The more expensive XPS models have a bigger discount and you could wind up with the same computer for less if you start with the right one.

 

As I said I'm purchasing only through Dell. If you read my previous posts you will see why. That's a nice bundle you posted but it doesn't inlcude the 2 year extended warranty and it's only $60 less than my price. I realize it includes a monitor but I have no need for one.

 

If portability doesn't matter, then why a laptop? A $1300 desktop is more powerful than any laptop plus it's easy customizable for future upgrades.

 

I just want a laptop. I have a desktop that I will continue to use in addition to the laptop. My plan is to use the destktop for web surfing, word processing, and other simple tasks and the laptop for gaming. I realize this may sound -backwards to most people, but I'm quite comfortable with everything as is on my current desktop and don't feel like moving all my music/movies/other files to another desktop's hard drive just yet. That's where the laptop comes in. I feel like it would be a good addition.

Also in the next year or 2 I plan on building my own desktop from the ground up.

 

Just purely in terms of specs, gaming wise these two should perform identically. Neither the 3gb video or extra 2gb of ram will make a difference that you would ever notice.

The three factors worth considering are.

Screen size and quality, likely the screen on the xps will be better and certainly larger. Although may be less defined due to the same resolution on a larger screen.

Weight and portability, if you are carrying it for long durations or not.

Warranty, its piece of mind. Do you need two years? One year would be fine.

Funny just thought of two more things......................

Looks, the xps 17 is butt ugly.

For me the 14x. Stuff the minor differences, treat yourself If I was watching a lot of movies or loads of office work, I probably would have played it safe and bought an XPS 17......................but I would have pared down the spec to a minimum.

 

Thanks man, I notice you replying to a few of my threads and your advice is much appreciated.

My concern now is actually overheating because of how often/how long I play games. I'm starting to wonder if the M14x can handle it without overheating.