7970m in M17x R4 Discontinued by Dell?

I just went to quote out my M17x on the alienware.ca site (for canada) and realized that the 7970m is no longer a build option for the M17x!! it only shows the 660m 670m and 680m.
Whats everyones opinion? I'm thinking 8970m is very close to launch....
Other thing i noticed is no more 120HZ screen option! It just skips that step altogether until the last screen where you can click "edit" next to the screen option but there is only the 60hz one to choose from!

 

According to AMD the 8970 is far from ready to go. I think Dell (randomly) removes options from their store, as I have noticed the 680M being unavailable from time to time. Did you go directly to the M17x or via the "offers"-page? Some of the upgrades are unlisted for the models on sale.

 

Not sure if it is related, but I was on the Origin site today and they are no longer offering the 7970m either. I checked a few days ago and it was there.

 

It is possible that stock is low due to it's popularity because of the price difference but I am just guessing. I think it was still available as crossfire in the M18X?

 

Yes I would have to agree with MogRules; I very highly doubt it is due to the next model being released.
To avoid embarrassing situations by frustrated customers crying from waiting too long for their Alienware, they simply remove the item which is low in stock to just be unavailable. No statements. No excuses. Just take it away as an option. Simple.
It's a common management decision in many industry.
Wait a week or two (maybe more) and it will be available again.

 

Yeah, they tend to disappear from time to time depending on region even the 680M has not been availble sometimes, its still available as an option on the UK website with a preliminary ship date.

 

I would say that the issue is because of availability, we have not received any notice on this but since it's not only us then I would say that it could be a regional issue.

 

Operator error? I ordered a M17x with a 60hz screen and 7970M on the 19th. Unless I got the last one!

I've been adding laptops to carts and playing with configurations for days prior and was never unable to build it in any configuration UNLESS starting with a specific sub model.

IE: 120hz build with the 425 off comes with a 680M. Obviously that can't be changed. I chose the 325 off with a 670 or something and selected my card.

Try different base models before customization. Maybe you found an nVidia discount code and it removed the 7970M.

Just tried configuring another and the 7970M is still available.

 

In australia you have 4 choices of m17x bases to choose from and then upgrade as you wish from limited parts. 2 bases will let you upgrade to 7970 and other 2 wont. I got no idea why dell does this but its kinda annoying.

 

I just went to the .au website to see for myself, and indeed 3 of the 4 are configurable with the 7970m when I visited. The last and most expensive model was the one that didn't allow it. Really, though you guys need to be looking at the base models unless there is a massive discount on a specific model before customizing it. They absolutely gouge on "upgrade" prices. On my build to go from the base 12GB to 16GB was more than what I would buy 16GB at my locally inflated computer store would be, and 50% more than what an entire set would cost from newegg or ncix. It's cheaper for you to leave the RAM and HDD option stock. You can always upgrade the HDD or RAM if you feel the need to for half the price later on. Also 8GB is plenty, even for gaming.

So no, the 7970M isn't in short supply by the looks of it. I'm not sure where the OP was looking, but I've practically had an Alienware tab open on my phone or laptop for the past 2 weeks configuring systems multiple times a day while bored, and the 7970M was always available in one build or another.

Alienware behaves as if they need to throw out the RAM and order new stuff for you, when really, they're just adding or subtracting a stick. I've read that a lot of these builds are coming with mixed sticks anyway, not even the same manufacturer.