Advice needed for New gamer

Now that I'm retired & have nothing to do..because it's too hot to fish.
I decided to try video gaming.

So yesterday I ordered a m17x R4 from dell.
Config is:
i7 3720
12 gb RAM
1920 x 1080
7970 video card
500 gb 7200 drive
Killer wireless
Windows 7 pro
Blu-ray
Should I change anything ???
The Nvidia 680 wasn't available..so I had to get the 7970 - which has me concerned now after reading about issues with the 7970. Is there a problem with the card & how will I know if there is ??

Just a few questions
1 When I get it how do I check it for any problems
2 Which cooling pad works the best
3 Is Bitdefender Total Security 2013 pretty good for malware & security
4 I need help with buying a good mouse
5 Should I get a keyboard also ?
6 I like the war games..Is Call of Duty good ??

I'm new to this stuff.. This is my first laptop EVER !! I remember when we didn't have personal computers.
I can't think of any other questions.. My brain is tired after working 40 years . I need all the advice & help that you can share with me..please.
Thank you

 

Call of Duty is fun, so is Battlefield. I don't think you would need a keyboard, but a gaming mouse is a good investment. I've got the alienware mouse but haven't got the chance to test it out since my computer isn't here yet. For security, I would recommend Microsoft Security Essentials. It's all you really need IMO and it's very discrete.

 

New Gamer, your sure as hell did a number on that laptop. Wonderful specs.

Yeh, like above said, you cant really go wron with the most popular games on PC.

Have a look over at Metacritics top 100 highest rated PC games. theeres a few on there that will get you started. Be warned, you probably wont see your family for a few years
1, start her up, go through all the funtions, make sure they all work, run some benchmarks like 3dmark11 and compare specs. You could also get the Alienware PC doctor and run a full system test.
2.Bang for buck on a cooling pad is a something to wedge the back up with. for example, a bottle cap.
3. Microsoft SE is great, i use Avast, i think its great if you want to pay for one.
4. Rat9, RAT7, Razer Mamba, Alienware tactx mouse, Logitech g900 are all fantastic mice. Your best bet is to buy in store so you can get a good feel for each mouse and pick which fits best.
5. Would you use it? Laptop keyboard is amazing, try it first, see if your comfortable with it gaming. If you want more distance between you and the screen the maybe consider a gaming keyboard too.
6.Battlefield 3 or Call Of Duty are basic but very good games and a good place to start. Plus they will keep you busy.

 

Programs to use to check temp and RAM, etc: HWiNFO64 and MSI Afterburner. Also use 3Dmark11 to test your FPS on the 7970.

As far as cooling pads, I have no idea. I use either my wallet or two bottle caps to prop the laptop on and it works fine for me.

Security Essentials is what I have found to be the most non-annoying anti-virus/malware fighter.

For a mouse, the Razer DeathAdder is amazing. Highly recommended.

I haven't bought a keyboard yet, but am looking at a mechanical one. Those are the only way to go if you want to game properly.

Finally, I LOVE Call of Duty. I've been with the series ever since the first COD game was released. They are fantastic. Battlefield is good, but it's a different feel. Not as fast paced run and gun as COD can be. I also play a lot of Team Fortress 2 and Left for Dead 2. Both are fun.

 

The 7970M is a beast of a card. Most issues concerning it deals with Enduro, which we can switch off. Don't be scared of it, you'll find out how great it is.

As far as a cooling pad goes, as long as you can get the back propped up a couple of inches, you'll be fine. But if you want a cooling pad, I would recommend the Cooler Master Notepal U3. My R3 fits it perfectly, and so will your R4. It has drastically dropped my idle temps. Haven't gamed much with it, but when I have, I've noticed a slight decrease in temps.

I would also recommend MSE as your virus protection. It's light, easy to use, and best of all free.

 

There are also numerous strategy type of war games as well. Depending on what interests you the most. Some suggestions on this front might be Civilization 5, Company of Heroes, Command and Conquer (Red alert 3 or Command and Conquer 4), World in Conflict and R.U.S.E. to name a few. Many of which can be purchased on Steam (online game distributor if you aren't familiar with them) or Gamestop Impulse (another online distributor).

There are so many different types of games out there that appeal to lots of different types of people, so I encourage you to look around, browse some of the gaming website (or Steam itself), and just look for something that sounds appealing to you.

Welcome to the world of gaming

 

most of the people with 7970 problems seem to be m18x owners. Apparently there are crossfire issues.

I haven't heard that much about single card system problems.

 

I would like to comment on your specs..
Is that the base cpu in the dell web config or higher? Battlefield 3 is cpu heavy so getting something higher than basic is good(if you can afford it, but not terribly necessary).

Do you really need 12 gb ram? I think it's too much. Atm I have 4 firefox, 1 opera, 2 txt, jdownloader, and a game(Bastion) running in background which all uses 5gb ram. I have a total of 8gb ram which I think is enough for me as a gamer. I would recommend 8gb, or if you want to save $$, get the basic config of 4gb, buy a 2x2gb ram from newegg and install it yourself as I did with mine.

I also recommend just the windows 7 home premium instead of pro since I don't see any necessary reason for your cause(gaming).

2 Which cooling pad works the best - I seen recommendations for cooler master u3. But I have an R3 version and most NBRers recommend propping up the back of the laptop using laptop legs, wallet, book, box, whatever. It significantly reduces temp. But I dunno about the R4 version of m17x.
3 Is Bitdefender Total Security 2013 pretty good for malware & security - Like others, go with Microsoft security essential. Google and download from the microsoft website. It's free for you since you have Windows 7 OS.
4 I need help with buying a good mouse - Try logitech brands. I'm using g9x mouse with 2 side buttons, 2 tilted button press for middle button, smooth scrolling mechanics, adjustable dpi on the go, onboard memory so your config stays the same on all comps, even weight slots to make the mouse heavier(never used this one though). I'm sure mine is already old but I recommend logitech ones over razer which doesn't last long.
5 Should I get a keyboard also ? - I recommend you if you find the laptop keyboard restrictive to your hand movements. It also ensures your laptop kb last longer - it's easier to replace an external kb than laptops. The kb surface on your laptop maybe get too hot sometimes.
6 I like the war games..Is Call of Duty good ?? - For slower paced, infantry focused, WW2 themed, get Red Orchestra 2. Medium paced is like Battlefield 3. Plenty of tanks, jeeps, copters. Faster paced, infantry only shootouts, modern version of war would be call of duty: Modern warfare 3. All these requires you to play its multiplayer for the full experience.
For single player, there's Brother's in Arms series, Call of duty World at War(its multiplayer is dead prob), sniper elite v2(play as sniper. A unique one is Arma II, a miltary sim-like game - it offers plenty of single player and multiplayer experience. Can be quite overwhelming with so much content.

 

Civ5 is good. And it just got ten times better with the expansion that came out not too long ago. Definitely have wasted hours playing it.

hewhowwhat has a good point with the RAM as well. Unless you're going to be doing video or photo editing with some beefy applications, RAM won't be a big issue.

 

Welcome to the world of gaming,

For your convenience my advice would be for you to check out this software called STEAM, its like a software where you can buy games, Talk to people, join groups, Etc, It's a Short of a Central hub.

So once again, i will on behalf of the whole gaming community i would like to say:

Welcome, And enjoy your stay.

 

I have m17x r4 with 7970m and have been having a blast with it.

As mentioned, turn off switchable graphics and you will be fine.

Also, once you get it and set up your steam account, get TF2 (free) and for the non-free games you think you are interested in, put them in your wishlist and watch it daily. Once you see a game at -75%, but it. Never pay full price for a game on steam.

My recommendations: Titan Quest, Borderlands, Civilization, Defense Grid, Just Cause 2. You might think you want war games, but there are a lot of different games out there and many many great ones.

Good Luck

 

Oh, By the way, Check out some RPGs *Role Playing Games* Some of them are like well reading books but you make the choices
Two of my favorite RPG series are Mass effect and The Witcher 2.

 

Thank you all for the warm welcome. Your advice has been very helpful.
I went with the middle of the 3 cpu's that were offered. I really didn't know how
much RAM to buy & I didn't want to add anymore by myself ... not sure if I could
install it right. So I thought I would get a little upgrade.
I have been looking at the games that have been suggested. I do want
single player games..Brothers in Arms & Battlefield look good. Thanks again for the help.

 

If your gaming, 4 gigs of ram is fine. 6 gigs is great (AW systems come stock), and 8+ is future proofing. It will probably be several years before games need more than 8 gigs.

 

I have an R4 with 12 gigs of ram and really it is overkill or as previously mentioned "future proofing". Using an extra monitor and running games and other programs most usage I have seen is 6gb of ram. I use the Targus HD3 cooling pad that is sold through alienware during the "build" process and it works great. I basically use my laptop like a desktop as it is never turned off unless it's traveling. I have not tried any other cooling pads yet. The rest of the build seems fine and you will figure it all out by playing around with it. Any questions just ask on this site and everyone is knowledgeable and quite helpful. Call Of Duty is a great series, The Modern warfare 1,2, and 3, is my favorite. Another game you may want to check in to is Crysis. Welcome to the forums and have fun!

 

If you turn off switchable graphics for the 7970m can you still change between intel and amd gfx manualy?

 

When you turn off switchable graphics, the system only recognizes 7970M. When you want to switch back to the integrated graphics, you will have to do Fn + F7. If that's what you mean by "manually" ?