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    Alienware 17 with 780M or 880M?

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by Detroit85, Jun 10, 2014.

  1. Detroit85

    Detroit85 Notebook Consultant

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    Well my new MSI GT70 is going back to Amazon today because card reader doesnt work. My question is should I get a new A17 with the 780M or is the 880M worth the extra $400 or $500? Amazon has them with the 780M for $1800 right now. Any advice would be great because im going to order within the next couple of hours. Thanks.

    P.S Not a hardcore PC gamer but play occasionally.
     
    Detroit85, Jun 10, 2014
    #1
  2. J.Dre

    J.Dre Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    This has been discussed a dozen times or more. The 880M is just a 780M with more vRAM. It's not worth $500 more.
     
    J.Dre, Jun 10, 2014
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  3. Detroit85

    Detroit85 Notebook Consultant

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    Great! Does $1850 sound like a good price for an Alienware 17 with 16gb ram and the 780M?
     
    Detroit85, Jun 10, 2014
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  4. J.Dre

    J.Dre Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    What CPU does it have? The 4700MQ? It's about right if so. Not a great price, but not bad either.
     
    J.Dre, Jun 10, 2014
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  5. Detroit85

    Detroit85 Notebook Consultant

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    Yes that is correct.
     
    Detroit85, Jun 10, 2014
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  6. J.Dre

    J.Dre Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    It's not a bad deal. Just make sure it has the 1080p screen and you're set.

    Also, if you want, there are a lot of manufacturer refurbished Alienware's on eBay. It may be worth while checking that out. Most of the people on this forum who have purchased systems "refurbished" have said they've come in new condition without no scratches or damage. Odds are you'll get one like this, but it's going to be used.

    If you want new, go for it. I think $1800 is a decent deal.
     
    J.Dre, Jun 10, 2014
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  7. Detroit85

    Detroit85 Notebook Consultant

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    I went ahead and ordered it from Amazon! Should have it tomorrow morning!
     
    Detroit85, Jun 10, 2014
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  8. thegh0sts

    thegh0sts Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    flash the unlocked vbios if you want to overclock your 780M.
     
    thegh0sts, Jun 10, 2014
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  9. J.Dre

    J.Dre Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    People have had great luck with this. But if he's unfamiliar with it, it's probably not a great idea just yet.
     
    J.Dre, Jun 10, 2014
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  10. TeddyGirl

    TeddyGirl Notebook Enthusiast

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    Would you guys consider the R9 M290X to be a valid alternative?
     
    TeddyGirl, Jun 11, 2014
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  11. Branzy1987

    Branzy1987 Notebook Evangelist

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    no, r9 m290x cant match gtx 780m or gtx 880m
     
    Branzy1987, Jun 11, 2014
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  12. TeddyGirl

    TeddyGirl Notebook Enthusiast

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    It is quite a bit cheaper though. Is the GTX 880M really worth that money?
     
    TeddyGirl, Jun 11, 2014
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  13. LukeGeauxBoom

    LukeGeauxBoom Notebook Consultant

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    I would ;)
     
    LukeGeauxBoom, Jun 11, 2014
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  14. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    With the option to turn enduro off then certainly.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Jun 11, 2014
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  15. TomJGX

    TomJGX I HATE BGA!

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    Don't know why your complaining but it has never gone wrong for me.. I completely happy using it..
     
    TomJGX, Jun 11, 2014
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  16. LukeGeauxBoom

    LukeGeauxBoom Notebook Consultant

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    I've had little issues here and there. For example, I lock my computer whenever I leave my office. Well this uses the "logonui.exe" executable to execute the login screen. For some reason, this executable was set to "High Performance" and causing my computer to freeze whilst trying to run logonui.exe. I'd hit Windows+L and would just get a black screen. Once I changed that executable to "Power Saving" that went away. With 14.4, I had games sometimes try and run from the Intel graphics and had to change settings as well. These issues haven't happened since the upgrade to 14.6.
     
    LukeGeauxBoom, Jun 11, 2014
    #16