About to buy first computer! Need Help!

Helloooooo everyone! I've recently been doing loads of research on laptops and I think I've finally settled on buying the Alienware m17x due to their power, the discount I get from my dads employer, and the overall beast design they have! This will be my first computer that will solely belong to me! I will be using it for several years of school (engineering) and loads of hardcore gaming. The reason I joined this forum is for advice on my configuration! Please spare a minute and take a look at my specs. There are a few things I can't decide on. Thanks for your time!

TLDR: Look over my specs and share your input.

Intel® Core™ i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
-I'm thinking I'll just go with this base processor...If you think I should upgrade please tell me why

4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz (2DIMMS)
-Planning on purchasing more ram aftermarket

2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 6970M
-This is probably where I am most shakey on my configuration. Should I go with the 6970m or go for the cheaper GTX 460m instead? I know the 6970m is about 33% better than the 460m (Is this right?) but 250 is alot of cash for an upgrade and I'm sacrificing a load of battery life as well. Also, I'm not sure where I stand on the whole AMD vs Nvidia preference issue. Im also not sure how reliable each card is. Will the 6970m heat up more or even worse, is it more likely to die?

320GB 7,200RPM HDD
-Planning on purchasing an SSD aftermarket down the rode when I can afford it >.<

17.3-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
-This one is almost a must...1080p ahhhh!

Wireless 802.11 g/n
-No clue what to do here, My room is a good distance away from my router but I have a linksys e3000 so I think It gets a pretty decent range. Considering the upgrades are only 50-70 dollars should I go with the base or just get the upgrade to the Intel® Ultimate N WiFi Link 6300 a/g/n

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings, I truly appreciate it. On a final note, would it be beneficial If I purchased a cooling pad for my future system or are the fans included in the system enough?(I've heard mixed reports on heating issues) Remember that I will be playing high end games on this computer for maybe several hours. Thanks again!

 

Looks like a solid starter config for aftermarket upgrades. The 2720qm is desirable over the 2630qm though and it shouldn't bump the cost up very much.

The Intel 6300 wifi card can be found for $30 or less at times, but it can be daunting to open the computer if you haven't done it before.

 

I believe the 6970 is a must unless you want the 3D version, but it looks like you don't. And from what I have read the 6970m is more than 50% faster than the 460m. Regarding your concerns about the battery life with the 6970, you can switch to the IGP(Intel HD 3000) and get up to 5.5 hours of battery life. About the heat issue, I have been demanding games like Bad Comapny 2 at max settings and not reaching a temp higher than 81°C. If you plan on playing demanding games, the 6970m is the clear choice. Here is a list of gaming benchmarks, after seeing how the 6970m stacks up against the 460m http://www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html, there was no way I was getting the 460m. Originally I decided I wasn't going to settle for less than a 485m, but after the release of the 6970m, and the much cheaper price for only a slight decrease in performance I decided on the 6970m, which was great because I then found out the R3 had been re-released with it. Also getting the Wireless card after market will be cheaper, I believe it's around $40 online. About the CPU, I went with the 2720qm because you get a substantial increase in the clocks( 2.9-3.3GHz turbo) for $150 but I drew the line at that because the 2820qm was only 3.3-3.4 for quite a bit more. The 2630qm can handle pretty much any game you throw at it so it is all up to you whether it is worth it and if you find in the future that the 2630qm doesn't cut it anymore than you can upgrade then too with and aftermarket Sandy Bridge CPU. And you are making the right choice upgrading the HD and ram aftermarket.

 

Thanks for the detailed input! I will think about that CPU upgrade considering .4GHz is pretty substantial now that I think about it. And isn't 81 C a pretty high temperature for a laptop though? Also, thanks for elucidating the option to switch to the integrated IGP. I was not aware that option was available with the 6970m!

 

6970M fo' sho. You won't look back. It's like what the 5850 was to the 260 back when I got my M15x. (100% necessary)

Not necessary, but getting a 2720QM adds quite a performance jump and IMO the best bang for the buck i7 currently out there.

 

yup agree with everyone 2720 is worth the extra money for the performance you get. for a hardcore gamer the 6970 is also a must, and battery life is not an issue since you have the igp too. the upgrade to the 6300 is worth it if you need the extra range, you can prolly get it cheaper somewhere else but you would have to install yourself, so it could be worth it just to get it from the start. ram and screen looks good to me.

 

Upgrade everything like me!! You will be ahead of the predoessors too.....on a serious note upgrading to the 2720QM would be a good choice, and more RAM is always better. The 6790 is amazing! I've played alot of games from Crysis 1 & 2, Just Cause 2, Killing Floor, Left for Dead 1 & 2, Red FAction Guerilla, Resident EVil 5, ect and you can almost max everything out on 1080p and if not on that then 900p which you wont find too much of a difference.

You can always overclock the GPU, which I only do for Witcher 2 which has amazing graphics.

Wireless card, cant say too much about, cuz I dont know too much about it haha, but upgraded it anyway.

Sounds like you got a good system built!

 

81C isn't high at all considering that my laptop has stock thermal pasting and Bad Company 2 is a very demanding game. People who have repasted themselves generally get 8-10C cooler. BTW the fans on the R3 kick in to the max at about 80c so most of the time I'm in the 70s but 81 is just the max it reaches before the fans kick in and bring it back down a bit. Also another cool thing is that as soon as I window out of BC2 and check the temps at just below 80, about 5-6 secs later the temps drop into the low 60s. This laptop has some insane cooling power. Congrats on the laptop, I'm sure you'll love it!