Accessories for M17

Ok, so whats the most useful accessory to have the the M17.

Is it an external keyboard and mouse, wireless headphones, extra power pack?

 

My opinion: external keyboard & mouse. I prefer to keep mine pristine, so I only type on its keyboard when I'm mobile with it. Otherwise, it functions as a desktop replacement. Ever notice how your fingers typing wears the surface of the keys of a keyboard over time? It won't happen to mine.

 

This. Besides.. Gaming on a laptop keyboard (ANY Laptop keyboard, not just Alienware's or this model's) is bad and just doesn't feel right.

I'm much more "agile" in fast paced games like quake or games that require a lot of jumping / diving / crouching (CoD) on an actual keyboard versus the laptop's.

 

Dave - you forgot to mention Dell Ultrasharp 27" external monitor hahaha - (hope that's running well for you !)

 

Ha! Ha! What's up Steve! Yeah, yeah, the Ultra-Sharp is da bomb! However, I thought it less of a real need than the keyboard/mouse combo. I say get those first, but if one wants to go big, get a good size Ultra-Sharp monitor too. Thanks to Steve here, I went with one (the 27-inch) and WOW. Steve is moonlighting as a salesman for high-end Dell accessories (just kidding). He referred me to some monitor reviews done by PC World, I think it was, and it was clear that the Dell Ultra-Sharp was the way to go. That variety of monitor is an In Plane Switching monitor, which produces a spectacular spectrum of rich colors. It is not your "usual" LCD monitor. I don't have money to burn, but I do have money to spend on good stuff that will truly help and will last. Life has been forever changed since, in a great way. I jump out of bed every day now excited to fire up and go. Thanks Steve!

Edit: I was going to mention that some gamers think that IPS monitors are not suited to them due to increased response time of such LCD panels. The response time IS longer than TN (I think it is) panels, but it is about the same as that of the panel in the machine. It is totally fine for me (no, it's absolutely awesome for me!) but if that might bother you, then check specs and decide for yourself before buying.

 

That is probably the most enthusiasm I have ever read in regards to hardware!
Almost makes me want to buy one

 

Hahaha - moonlighting! - I wish Dell would have given me some commission LOL.

But yeah, serioulsy, a good keyboard and mouse are a must.

 

Oh, and on the same topic area, I also have one of those Bose USB "5.1 surround" speaker systems hooked up... you know, the big woofer box with the desktop speakers and all that. Another thumbs-up item. I can shake stuff off the walls with it, which is always nice.

 

Im liking your setup more and more each day Dave, lol

 

if you are using R2 , get Rat 9 Mouse , (Aluminum Like Mouse) + Aluminum R2 = Awesomeness!

 

Believe it or not, in spite of all this technology, I don't yet own a single digital camera. I don't have a phone with one either; I'm a real Luddite in that way, oddly enough. I would post a photo of my new setup in the "show time" thread otherwise. I could conceivably borrow a friend's, but I just haven't gotten around to asking yet.

I also have the same U3 cooler as Steve does, but I didn't put it in my signature. I bought a really nice large work table for all this stuff, mounted up surge-suppressed power strips under the tabletop for lots of access to juice, kept all the cables carefully bundled and tied so you don't see them (much), and now I am just about done with the whole project. It's been a long one, and I haven't gotten into any thermal pasting or other machine mods (yet).

Might eventually go solid-state, but not yet. I'm sure I'll be PM-ing Steve at some point for that too. He'll have the straight story on the latest reviews ready at hand, undoubtedly.