Alienware 17 factory paste job recommendations

Hey everyone ,

Pretty new to the forum, awesome suggestions on which gaming laptop to buy have led me to post this thread where I hope to gain some insights on which configuration to go with.

After dozens of reviews and about 20 youtube videos, I chose to go with the Alienware 17 as my new desktop/laptop replacement. I'm pretty new to the gaming PC market, I have a gaming desktop I bought off a friend a few years ago, however it's pretty old and I need a new laptop anyway so I figured I'd go with a high end gaming laptop to replace them both

Going through the specs, I'd really like to get some opinions on which configuration to go with. I'd like to be able to play the latest games on maxed out settings like Crysis 3, BioShock Infinite, COD Ghosts etc.. my budget is flexible seeing as I plan on keeping this one for a few years and one of the main reasons I chose to go with Alienware instead of the ASUS G750 or Clevo re-sellers is the fact that I can upgrade in the next few years without voiding the extended warrenty.

The highest specked system they offer with a 3 year extended warranty runs about $3500 USD which includes

- processor - 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4900MQ processor (8MB Cache, up to 3.8 GHz)
- memory - 32GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz
- HD - 256GB mSATA Boot + 750GB SATA 3Gb/s (7,200 RPM)
- display - 17.3" 120Hz WLED FHD (1920 x 1080) TrueLife Display w/3D Bundle

I'd like to go with Windows 8, 64-bit and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M with 4GB GDDR5 regardless of the above.

My choices are:

- 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4800MQ processor (6MB Cache, up to 3.7GHz)
OR
- 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4900MQ processor (8MB Cache, up to 3.8 GHz)

-16GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz
OR
-32GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz

- 750GB SATA 3Gb/s (7,200 RPM) + 64GB mSATA SSD Caching
OR
- 1.5 TB RAID 0 (2x 750GB 7,200RPM)
OR
- 256GB mSATA Boot + 750GB SATA 3Gb/s (7,200 RPM)

- 17.3" WLED FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare Display
OR
- 17.3" 120Hz WLED FHD (1920 x 1080) TrueLife Display w/3D Bundle


I'd like to get some opinions on the above configuration that could help me with my purchase and to decide whether the highest specked model is worth the pricetag.

Thanks!

 

Hey dcd018 you have made a good choice of computer. I have a new M17 and am really happy with it. My recommendations are as follows;
i7-4800MQ - lower heat signature and almost as fast as the 4900MQ - most games will see no significant if any improvement with the better CPU;
16GB RAM - any more is just overkill for a gaming computer;

The next two are really personal choices.

I preferred to go for a 512GB SSD as my primary drive and a 1TB 7200rpm drive for games and use the 64GB mSATA to cache the D Drive. I have all my work and programs on the C Drive all my games on the D. Your final choice will come down to how you use your computer and how much to intend to store on it. Out of the three choices you provided I would choose the last one. Having had an SSD as a boot drive I could never go back.

I have not gotten into 3D at all and find sitting at my computer with a set of goggles on a bit ....well silly actually. Others like it and swear by it but to each their own. If you like 3D or think you might then go for it because the option is not expensive and you can always just use 2D if you don't like it.

 

Hi, mine was purchased for the same reason. A gaming replacement for a desktop. I'd go for the following:

- 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4900MQ processor (8MB Cache, up to 3.8 GHz):

I believe this is the only choice if you go for the 120hz 3D display but the lower one will not limit gaming in any way and is considerable better value.

-16GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz

You only need 8Gb for gaming and anything more than 16gb is for hard core multi-application users.

- 750GB SATA 3Gb/s (7,200 RPM) + 64GB mSATA SSD Caching
- 256GB mSATA Boot + 750GB SATA 3Gb/s (7,200 RPM)

Personally I'd go for the 750+msata cache. Reason is that this will give you an almost full SSD experience with fast load times, AND should you decide to add a large boot SSD later it's an easy process to install and considerably cheaper 3rd party. You also get the advantage that your (now) data drive will still be accelerated (as per FrozenSolid's current config) - a double bonus . Boot times on a cached HDD are only a couple of seconds slower from tests I have seen from people adding a cache drive.

- 17.3" 120Hz WLED FHD (1920 x 1080) TrueLife Display w/3D Bundle

No brainer for me, this was my primary reason for getting the AW. The 120hz display is great and 3D is just awesome for me - although a few titles are not that good in 3D. Also, if on-line gaming is your thing then 3D is a no-no. It introduces too much latency - but you still get a fast 120hz display. I'm hearing the Truelife, which is a new 3D display on the M17, is a better display with regard to reflections than the one I have. Reflections can be annoying, but for gaming I much prefer this as opposed to a matte screen (which Truelife is not) that kind of dulls contrast (IMO).

Just to note about the warranty, although changing parts yourself will not invalidate the warranty they will usually request that you put it back to original config before providing service. If you buy the parts from dell (and for a video card I was told that I had to use their engineer to install, only HD's and memory do not require this) you can get them added into the supported config. Policies vary by region so you'd need to check with dell-local, or maybe one of the AW reps here (US and Canada based) can give the local rules?

Good luck with your decisions, I'm sure you will be happy with it

Edit: Forgot to mention, on the 120hz model the intel GPU is disabled so no optimus switching to a lower power consumption GPU on battery. If battery life is important (more than around 2.5 hours) then you should avoid the 3D option...

 

With 120hz 3D panels, does manually setting the screen to 60hz have any effect on battery life? I'd like to get the 3D display, however 2.5hrs kind of defeats the purpose of a newer machine with Intel's 4th gen chipset.

 

No effect. The battery life savings come from the Intel GPU built into the CPU. Unfortunately the panel is native 120hz so will not work with the iGPU. Dell had to disable it to get the machine to boot. It can be dropped down to 60hz but that requires the driver which is not loaded when the machine does it's startup test (POST).

Yeah, all the benefits seen in power saving CPU's is not going to give any real extra battery life without the GPU bit.

I'm happy that I don't have to deal with Optimus! I'm sure it works great for a lot of people but it does appear to have it's own set of problems.

It's a high power system and really the only time you want to use it on battery is for 'normal' day-to-day use, not gaming. On mine (I don't know about the new models) the NV GPU drops to 75Mhz as soon as the power cord is disconnected so gaming is impossible anyway.

If you plan to use it for a lot of general use and 2.5 hours is not enough for you to be away from a power source then drop the 120hz idea .For me I have to say everyone I show Batman AC in 3D to is totally blown away. Usual comment is 'how can you go back to 'normal' gaming after that!' You can't judge it from any 3D you may have seen on TV's. This is a very poor system and does not reflect what a native, dual signal, 3D can produce from the laptop (I have both). But the caveat that Your Eyes May Vary applies

 

I'm glad I was able to help sway you toward the AW 17! :thumbsup:

The 4800MQ and 4900MQ are very similar in terms of performance. Neither will bottleneck the 780M. Some people actually have dual 780M's with a 4 700MQ, and they're seeing great performance. If you really need the extra 200MHz - 300MHz, then go with the 4900MQ, otherwise, save that $299 and put it toward additional warranty, or upgrade to the 256GB mSATA + 750GB HDD combo. Note: Keep in mind, in order to get to the mSATA (replace, remove, etc.), you may have to re-paste the machine. Disassembly seems to require you to remove a GPU/CPU heat sink to reach some screws.

Consider battery life! Do you need it? You don't want to be disappointed. If you don't care much for it, go for the better screen. I had the traditional screen on my first AW 17 and it was excellent, and so was battery life!

I'll be around to help with any other questions or concerns. Hopefully this helps!

 

One of the reasons I lean towards a msata cache configuration from the factory (and the reason I haven't put an MSATA cache in; too much aggravation). Much easier to fit a large SSD in the normal drive bay aftermarket and still retain a fast HDD.

 

Changed out my OEM 64gb mSata a few days ago for a 250 Munchkin. Down load the 17 manual from the support page. It shows and I followed the instructions, no need to remove CPU or GPU to remove the palm rest. You do need to remove Batt: and both hard drives then 22 screws. Not to bad a job I used a credit card to pry the palm rest from the base. Just watch the two ribbons are plugged in when you put it back together. :thumbsup:

 

That's cool to know, thanks. Did you see any improvement in day-to-day usage (a lot?).

Cheers,

 

Great to know. Thank you!

 

I would also go 4900, 750GB + msata (pretty much the same performance as an SSD) and 3D screen. Why would you want the Alienware 17 if you don't want it's coolest feature?

Anyway, this is usually based on a personal decision and I'm pretty sure that any choice you do will exceed your expectations. Welcome to the community!

 

Loads very very fast is very stable..put the BluRay back in since Iam using the mSata for boot. Find the two SSd's have plenty of room for my Steam on one and the Orgin on the other. Have 133g free on the mSata with the OS and some apps like 3Dmark11 and stuff. This is by far next to my desk top the best system I have ever owned. :thumbsup: