Advice on M17x R3 configuration.

Hey guys I'm purchasing an M17x R3 in January and I have a couple of questions about the specs I should go with.

First, I confirmed with a Dell rep that the 3D screen is not compatible with Wireless HD, so it's either this or that (They end up being at similar prices). So can you guys tell me from experience which one of the two you think is worth it?

Second, I can afford the 2860QM CPU, no problem, but I don't know if it's worth it. Is there a noticeable difference between the 2760 and the 2860? I just don't wanna buy something I won't be making use of. Thanks in advance!

 

I personally couldn't justify the $200 extra, there's little chance you'll perceive any performance difference, though I'm sure a benchmark tool could demonstrate a few points of difference.

I'm moving this to the AW forum, you'll get more focused help there.

 

I'd stick with the 2760 and sink the money into an aftermarket SSD, a better GPU, or accidental damage or something.

What's the total budget you've got to work with on this? / What other specs are you thinking of?

 

Well, my budget is $3,500, I could go more but rather not. I pretty much maxed out everything, 3D screen, 16GB RAM, GTX 580M, etc. And I already included 1 Year accidental damage warranty and NA phone support. I was considering going for their SSD as boot drive and 750GB HDD as storage. Why do you suggest an aftermarket SSD though? Something wrong with the one they're offering?

And one more thing, I kinda wanted to stick with their SSD because I did read that there could be some issues resulting from compatibility issues with certain aftermarket SSDs.

 

What are you going to be doing with the laptop? If it's mostly gaming, stick to 8GB of RAM and throw the money into something else. 16GB of RAM won't help with anything. I nearly just get 4GB and buy 8GB from Newegg. Dell wants $200 for the upgrade, when you can get an 8GB kit from NE for $35.

The SSDs - if they're SATA3, I'm not sure on this - actually aren't that bad, for Dell, only about $25-50 above RRP, so you could get them stock. In that case, the 256+750GB setup is a good option, and probably the one I'd go for. (Actually, I'd probably get the standard HDD, then buy a 512GB Octane, and a 1TB secondary.) As regards compatibility, they should be fine. There's the usual problems with the SF drives, so stick to the Octane, M4, or Force 3 drives if you're getting one.

Also: 3D. Are you just getting it because you can? I'd take a trip into Best Buy or Fry's or something, see if you can try it out. To me, 3D really isn't anything it's hyped up to be. I'd take a 2D game at 60FPS over a 3D game as 20 any day, but again, that's just me.


Sorry, I know most of that was a mess, hopefully it was of some help.

 

trippy if your budget is that much, just wait for the sake of all please, buy your laptop in 2-3 months and it will be really good, new GPUs are about to be released

 

I would have mentioned that, except:

The 7xx series is being launched somewhere between late December and Mid January.
We have no idea if it's going to be a paper launch, or a retail one.
The launch will most likely start with the high-end desktop parts, we don't know when laptop parts will become available.
We don't know if/when Dell will make them available in the M17x, or if they'll wait for Ivy Bridge.

May as well buy now and upgrade later, IMO.

 

Oh, really? I heard it was gonna be April. Yeah I can wait till January/February And I'm still not 100% sure about the 3D, I just figured it'd be nice since I can switch it on and off whenever, I'll think about it though.

 

Just wait until CES 2012, what serephucus says is right, we don't have any idea what kind of product we will see in February, still I would have waited until CES, Jan 10, if you are not dying to play some game soon But I wouldn't have spend 3.5k of money on old tech, just wait until we see some real GPUs (not the crappy ones introduced a week ago )

 

Yeah I'll wait =) Although, I don't think the new GPUs will be that much better than the older ones. I checked out the specs and they're pretty much the same with a slightly higher memory clock, that's about it.

 

Just a thought, you could always get the lowest processor available, and buy an extreme one aftermarket. The 2920 and 2960's apparently work.

 

I would say they will be %10-20 faster with lower power consumption and temperatures, that's good enough although we should listen to widezu first

 

Don't buy the 3D just for 3D its ok but not something your going to use all the time. That said I would get it for 2 reasons and none are for 3D games. 1st you can set the 120 Hz screen on all the time which will allow up to 120 FPS with V Sync off, also its a better screen I have had both the 120 Hz is worth having. Also you can play Blu-Ray 3D movies on the it they look pretty darn good. Just something to consider besides hearing 3D games arn't worth it which they are not something you will play much. Kind of hard to play and on the eyes. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for the advice guys Really helped make up my mind on what to get and when to get it. Must say, NBR is the best forum I've ever joined

 

One other thing to note, which is the reason I'll never buy a 3D laptop (at least until this can be altered):

If you have a 3D screen, you loose Optimus. Battery life = very bad.

 

Well I don't see a situation in which I'll need to rely on its battery, and it'd be too big to use on a plane or in a car, so I'll just resort to my MBP then

 

Ah, well if you have a second laptop I suppose it's not really an issue. I suppose I just like the idea of having one laptop that can max. out Skyrim if I need to, but still pull five hours on battery, if I need that too.

 

I've got the 560M and the 120Hz screen. If you're really into gaming, definitely get the 3D screen - it completely changes the game, and makes the whole experience much more immersive (especially Skyrim). FPS hasn't really been a problem for me in 3D, you do have to turn a setting or two down like shadows, but the 580m is much more powerful so shouldn't have as much of a problem with that, and if you get it pasted and get a good laptop cooler you can look to overclock it.

I've let all my friends and family members try the 3D, they love it and always want to play it for longer than I let them.