Alienware M17x R4 Pre-Order Configuration Questions... Ask HERE

I believe they are at the bottom and not under the keyboard, for convenience's sake, based on what I've seen here... I can confirm once mine comes in though which should be sometime next week

PS - isn't it harder to get to the ones under the keyboard?? The two slots there are empty if I believe correctly, if you're getting 2 sticks

 

Nope, you're right. The Kingston I saw was a 3x1GB setup, not a 1x3GB. I knew Dell was selling make-believe products again. I should have realized that when they tried to sell me a PCI-mini wireless N card with my Inspiron 5100 back in 2003.

 

Yes, thats what i said: with upgrade ram i mean: adding memory at the bottom, not switching 2 cards under the keyboard for better ones. I hope you are wrong but Dell will mostly be trollin in that matter


E.t.a 1 month damn -.-' might try to get my r2 back together and hope for an act of god to make it work again...

 

My M17x R4 had one 2Gb stick and one 4Gb stick.

Both were installed on the bottom of the laptop and not underneath the keyboard.

Installing my Corsair 2x8Gb RAM sticks and Crucial 256Gb SSD took me 5 minutes.

 

Can some one tell me if the 32gb caching mSATA ssd is worth getting if I plan on getting a 120/256gb SATA III ssd later
Another question is will the mSATA drive always be a caching drive or will I have to set it to be one on a fresh install of windows ?

And one more thing the new Samsung notebooks are said to have a 9s boot time how would I get that boot time on my m17x

Sent From My Rooted EVO 3D

 

I don't think taking apart almost the entire laptop to get to the mSATA connection is worth it, but that's just me.

I put in a Crucial M4 256Gb SSD the 2nd day I got my M17x R4 and even with Windows fully loaded w/games, AntiVirus etc, it boots around 10-12 seconds for me (including the time it takes to type in my password).

Make sure you read up on optimizing your SSD's performance. Helps a ton.

 

i have a quick question, what is the model number of the blu ray drive in the r4?

 

Yea I plan on getting a Samsung ssd but I am wondering what the mSATA caching ssd option is when you go to the hard drive section in the ore order config

Sent From My Rooted EVO 3D

 

I am gathering the last bit of cash this week that I need to call in and, hopefully, place my order on Monday morning. I have an older laptop for general use, so I'll be using the M17x solely as a gaming machine. The only browsing I'll be doing on it is for drivers and patches, etc. No movies, no other apps of any kind, just really awesome gaming.

I've gone through all the stickies here on the board and especially through the "better deal" thread. I think I have a pretty good idea of all the common knowledge someone needs to know before ordering, and hopefully I'll score a decent deal. Worst case scenario I should have enough to at least order from powernotebooks if the Dell reps won't budge.

So I've been reading mixed opinions on whether to get the 3720 or the 3610 for gaming. Getting the 3610 would save me a lot of cash (I'm really tight on funds and am currently selling old equipment to make this purchase), but if the 3720 is worth it I think I can get the funding. As I understand it, the 3720 can be overclocked pretty decently.

Is the gaming performance bump in the 3720 really worth the extra $150? Are we talking a difference of ~5fps, and only in those few games that are CPU intensive, or are we talking something more noticeable? I know the 7970 is a beast and I've seen the benchmarks at notebookcheck. I just can't find the information I'm looking for regarding the real-world performance differences between the 3610 and the 3720.

One idea I've been thinking of is to get the 3610 for now and wait until next year to update to a more powerful CPU. But if the 3720 is really worth it, I don't mind putting in the extra effort for it.

Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks.

Games I'll be playing a lot of:
The Witcher 2
Skyrim
Batman AC
Crysis, W, & 2

Specs:
Intel Core i7-3610QM/i7-3720QM??
Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
6GB DDR3 at 1600MHz (possibly upping to 8GB at some point but not too worried)
17.3-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 7970M
500GB 7,200 RPM SATA 3Gb/s (replacing with a 750GB Momentus XT 6Gb/s)
Slot-Loading Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW) (can't afford the bd)
Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2230 With Bluetooth 4.0 (won't have much internet access where I'm going)
1 Year Advanced Plan (will likely extend this next year)

 

Just remember, it's remarkably more expensive to upgrade the warranty after purchase compared to before you do.

 

I'm hoping to get a longer warranty thrown in, but as it is I can barely afford the upgrade to accidental. My financial situation will be considerably different in a year's time so my main concern right now is in the CPU. Thanks for the advice.

 

Dude I was on the same boat as you, I needed my computer immediately and couldn't wait to put together more funds... pulled the trigger and bought it with standard warranty for now. As someone in the same situation as you, let me explain why I chose to pick my config, which is the same as yours (with the 3610qm) -

1. I picked the 3610qm because I, like, you was short on cash and couldn't wait to put together more funds and also realized the 3720qm, although with a higher overclocking capability and base clock speed, was not something I should bother about. The 3610qm is mad fast in itself, and the 3720qm does virtually nothing in terms of improving gaming performance considering that its the same family as the 3610qm and only a little faster... it will give you better performance in benchmarking programs If anyone else sees this and begs to differ, I would love to see some evidence that the 3720qm provides a noticeable difference of 5fps or more in the most demanding games... and yeah, I don't care about StarCraft II because the R4 with the 3610qm can get nearly 100 fps with the game maxed out and 5fps more here doesn't matter one bit But I'd love to see something guys --

2. The 7970m is a beast, so don't wait for the GTX 680M to be available later this month. It will be extremely expensive, I am sure of it! And its only a little faster - the 7970m will overclock and match it, and as better drivers come out, go neck and neck with the 680m. I know you're getting the 7970m, just saying this in case you had some doubts in mind like I did..

So save the $150 on the processor; warranty upgrades are expensive so you can put it into your budge for that, save up this year and upgrade it next year - that's my plan anyway. I'm extremely careful with my tech so I wasn't sure if I needed the accidental damage protection, but feel free to upgrade warranty as you wish I don't think you can go wrong wit that. So, save by taking the 3610qm, you will not be disappointed. The 7970m will handle everything and I hope this helped!

 

Thank you that is some very encouraging information. I have the same sentiment about the 3610QM. All indications that I've read so far point to it having on-par gaming performance with its 3720QM counterpart. Your response just amplifies this.

I definitely am not holding out for the GTX 980M. I'm sure it'll be nice and all, but the cost difference just doesn't sound very appealing to me. Plus I can rock out on the 7970m for now and upgrade to the new stuff next year. So no worries there I'm right with you on that.

The only reason I'm getting accidental is because I'm headed back to work out at sea soon. This laptop will be my only source of gaming since I'm not bringing my console. So I definitely want some assurances that it can be replaced at little cost in case anything happens.

Again thanks for the response. Like you I'm looking forward to reading more opinions for or against the 3610 for gaming purposes.

 

EDIT: GTX 680M not 980M don't kill us who adapted to AMD haha jk

Hey no problem, glad to help. This forum was mad helpful for me and I'm ever grateful, just passing on the love

If you're looking to upgrade in like a year or two, haha you might actually find that unnecessary, that 7970m will consume anything for that span of time I also understand your need for the extended warranty, go for it! And good luck with your travels mate!

 

Take the money you save by not getting the 3720QM and put that towards more RAM and an SSD instead.

You'll see much bigger performance gains that way, especially when it comes to gaming.

 

Hah good catch there! I could say I accidentally hit the 9 instead of the 6 on my numpad, but I'd be lying my butt off since my laptop doesn't have one.

I'm really hoping that's the case with the 7970m. But I'm also glad that I have the option. As a current Macbook Pro user, GPU/CPU updatability isn't a privilege I'm used to having haha.

Indeed I may. Right now my plan is to pop my 750GB Momentus XT drive in there, but I'm still in the return window for where I bought it so I'm also considering returning it to pick up a good SSD on sale.

 

^ as Cyanide says, I forgot to mention the SSD. Buy that damned piece of goodness and install Windows on it, its a heavenly experience my friend, every single time you boot and run any program.. You can get SSDs from $79 up depending on the capacity you need..

 

Yeah I've been watching them and prices have really come down a lot. Boot time on those things is insane. Sometimes I just sit and drool at SSD videos on Youtube lol.

I saw a couple vids there of AW's booting up off SSD and the load time is really impressive. Like 20 seconds. Plus I definitely wouldn't mind the increased load time in between areas in Skyrim.

 

slightly off topic but still on the current subject:

after almost 1 year the ssd in my computer seems to got alot slower(booting time) any way i might resolve this?It's a corsair 128gb one, dno the exact model at the moment.

I got no automatic startup programs/services besides the windows ones.

Edit: seems i haven't posted the specs of my ordered m17x here.


Alienware M17x Base
Geheugen
16.384 MB (2x8 GB) 1.600 MHz Dual Channel DDR3
Toetsenbord
Intern toetsenbord — Nederlands (qwerty)
Grafische kaart
2 GB GDDR5 AMD® Radeon™ HD 7970M
Harde schijf
500 GB (7.200 rpm) Seriële ATA-harde schijf
Besturingssysteem
Legitieme Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64-bits, Nederlands
Optische stations
Dvd+/-rw-station (dvd/cd lezen en schrijven)
Geluidskaarten
Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di with THX TruStudio Pro Software
Draadloze connectiviteit
Killer Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO with Bluetooth 4.0
Bestelgegevens
Alienware M17x Order
Primaire Batterij
Primary 9 cell Li-Ion Default Base Battery
Basis
Intel® Core™ i7-3720QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.6GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
Camera
Integrated Skype HD Certified FullHD Camera with dual digital microphones
Kleuren
Alienware M17x Stealth Black
Avatar
Alien Schematic
TimeZone
(GMT + 00.00) Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London
AlienFx Colour
Terra Green
Accidental Damage-support
1 jaar Accidental Damage-bescherming
OS Customization
Alien Schematic Wallpaper
LCD-scherm
44 cm(17.3") Wide Full HD (1920 x 1080) WLED LCD
Additional Software
Alienware M17x Resource DVD
Bescherm uw nieuwe pc
McAfee® SecurityCenter 30 Day trial version
Power Supply
240W AC Adaptor[/code]

Took 16gb since there'll be alot of vegas and 3ds max going on.
Chosen the normal 500gb disk since I got an SSD from another setup and another 500gb disk

Can anyone tell me if this soundmodule is any good? didn't seem to have another option when assembling the laptop.

 

does a 3820qm provide a real world fps difference in gaming over 3610qm?

 

I got my Crucial M4 256Gb SSD at Newegg.com for $249.99 shipped.

You can sometimes find deals every so often Amazon.com will have them for $200 shipped.

Either way, it's BLAZING fast!

 

i just picked up a samsung 830 256gb for 234.99$

Very good price and even faster than m4 (and supposedly more reliable)

 

It was stated multiple times on this forum that it isn't. A 3610QM would be overkill allready. Only thing you might want to know is that only the 3720QM and 3820 can be overclocked through BIOS, where the 3610QM is left behind. But once again: that's more inportant for the benchmarkers

 

Those two also provide more support for virtual machines that's why I'm getting a 3720Qm

Sent From My Rooted EVO 3D

 

So happy. Just ordered my second Alienware

3720qm
7970
8gb Dual channel
Killer wifi
1920x1080

and have a 256gb Samsung 830 sitting here waiting for it Me so happy... Also got a big discount from a good employe!

 

Good for you sir, may you enjoy your next alienware as much as the last one And cheers on the discount

 

Hi, all. I know that the 7970 is by far the preferred graphics option, but does anyone have thoughts on the viability of the 660M in the M17x? I really cannot work the 7970 into the budget. The most graphically demanding game I'm likely to play for a while is Skyrim.

Any thoughts appreciated, and I apologize if this has already been covered, but I skimmed the forum and saw no in-depth discussion on the issue.

 

The 7970 is the star of the show, i highly reccomend reconsidering your options and perhaps saving up the money for a 7970.

Get the base hdd, base ram - both can be easily upgradable,
Get the 3610qm processor as it makes little to no real world difference in gaming
Get the base wifi card as difference can be neglected

But I highly reccomend getting the 7970m.

 

The GTX 660M is pretty decent, just overshadowed by the giant leap that the 7970m made in terms of performance lol, but then, the AMD card is in a category of its own.... The 660m is a good card for sure, you can play any game but you will have to lower settings a little in demanding games.

[Source = notebookcheck.com]

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
med.: 65 fps
high: 49 fps
ultra: 28 fps

Looks like you should be fine if you lower a couple of settings and leave the rest on ultra (that is, if you even need to. Skyrim doesn't really change that much visually)....

 

Heads up, guys:

Samsung 830 256Gb - 200$

Crucial M4 256Gb - 180$

Crucial M4 512Gb - 400$
Crucial CT512M4SSD2 m4 2.5 Solid State Drive - 512GB, SATA 6Gb/s at TigerDirect.com

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-2-5-I...JL3Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338683282&sr=8-1

 

Hey mate on that web site on the M17x R4 with 7970m review it has a list at the end of the page 'In Comparison' In those bars it has a percentage. What is that for? Maybe I'm just tried or stupid even but I cant work it out...

 

Im about to cry

 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow. On saturday dell Australia refreshes its Alienware offers. They currently give free bose speakers for each system (yay .__.), I hope tomorrow there will be something more valuable.

The plan so far is:

3610qm
6gb ram (sell those 2 odd modules and upgrade to 2x8gb)
7970m
64gb msata + 500gb 7200rpm (additional m4 ssd later on)

The colour will be black, so that i can setup the keyboard light to purple and have a flashy black-purple laptop. This way my girlfriend won't kill me for its price xD

I was considering an upgrade to 3720qm but I don't think i'd benefit a lot from that. The most demanding tasks it may need to handle will be online games such as Guild Wars 2, Tribes Ascend and a bit of single player stuff.
I think that if i'll need an upgrade it won't be before 2+ years, and i'll consider replacing cpu\gpu only when i won't be able to play at 40\50fps on medium settings.

 

That's gonna be a nice system for you. You'll be happy with the purchase. I just hope you're not getting too greedy and not jumping on the speakers now . They may end up not giving anything away free. At least with the US site, they only occasionally have freebees for new orders.

 

I've been checking Dell Australia's website for a while now, and what I've noticed is that even if they offer a lower discount (5% is the MAX, no haggling at all) there's some free offer every week. I can't remember what the offer was 4 weeks ago (maybe free accessories), after that we had 1 week free bose speakers, followed by 1$ for a 24" ips screen (should have got that offer), and bose speakers again now.
I really couldn't care less about the speakers as I have to travel a lot and by selling them on ebay i won't get much. I'd rather prefer free accessories! I just keep my fingers crossed for another monitor offer, or hopefully a cash discount upfront! xD

EDIT:
OMG I'm so happy I chose to wait!!!

Today's offer is FREE UPGRADE to m7970. I was ready to order it but I thought:"Let's have a look at the outlet, just for fun!"....and the outlet was FULL of Alienware systems. Apparently after the new nvidia 680m was announced a lot of people canceled their order (lol), so I managed to get:

3610qm
8gb of ram
2x 500gb 7200rpm in Raid0
7970m
(everything else is standard, so dvd, standard wireless etc)

For 1899 au$ instead of 2584 au$ xD

(the 2584$ is a bit inflated due to the extremely high upgrade price for the 8gb of ram and raid 0, but even if I saved maybe 150\200$ by buying them myself it's still a HUGE overall discount).

So what can I say, thanx to all the people who prefer Nvidia for letting me get an amazing system at an incredibly discounted price xD

And the The Waiting Game begins, may the post be ever in my favor.

 

Okey guys.

Dell have approved a new system for me, so instead of getting a R3 i get a R4

Now the specs are the following.

CPU: 3720
GPU: 680M (Not included in the pricing)
Ram: 12GB 1600mhz
HDD: 750GB (I have my own SSD)
Screen: 120hz 3D 1980 x 1080

This will charge me 428$ or around 3000 sek.

How ever the Dell guy said u could upgrade to a M18X for only 57$
But then i wont get the 3D screen, but i am not sure if i use it all that much anyway
I am just waiting for the 680m price.... What will sting the most .....

But do you think i should go with the m17 or the m18???

Regards!

Marcus.

 

I'm thinking of buying this the best price I could get is $1849 and I would be using dell credit so won't hurt so much up front. Is this a good deal? I would be upgrading the ram and a 256 ssd, when I have cash or 3 or 400 on my amazon credit .

Processor:
3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3610QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.3GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0) I73610Q 1 [317-9735] 2
Operating System:
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit AW71HPE 1 [421-5789] 11
Memory:
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (2DIMMS) 8G2D 1 [317-9740] 3
Hard Drive:
750GB 7,200 RPM SATA 3Gb/s 750G72 1 [342-4424] 8
Video Card:
2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 7970M R7970M 1 [317-9747] 6
Display Panels:
17.3-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED WFHD96B 1 [320-3275] 5
Wireless Networking:
Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming & Video and Bluetooth 4.0 K1103 1 [430-4706][430-4712] 19
Optical Driver:
Slot-Loading Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW) DVDRWRX 1 [318-2005] 16
Audio:
Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di with THX TruStudio Pro Software IHD51 1 [318-0424] 17

ps : they gave me free 2nd day shipping and a 5% egiftcard
Total $1966 with tax

I hope I'm doing this right new to this

 

Well if it makes you feel any better, I got the same exact system, except you got 8 gig of ram and 750gb hard drive. I got 6 gig of ram and the 500gb hard drive and mine cost $50.00 more. Mine EDD is 6/13

 

Lol my config in sig (minus the ssd, with a 500gb hdd) was 2,100 after taxes... U guys are lucky. But my rep helped me out, gave me a free backpack

 

Good morning, everyone! Looking for advice.
¡¡ Wall of text incoming !!

Longtime lurker, first time poster. I've been preparing for a laptop purchase for months now, and I feel like it's time to pull da trigger soon. I've been a bit more active with reading the forum recently, including this entire thread, so I hope my questions are at least somewhat informed ^_^

To start, here's the laptop I'm looking at as customized on the Dell website.

Alienware M17x with Win 7 Home Premium
Processor: Intel i7-3610QM (lowest of the three options)
Storage: 750GB HDD with a 32GB caching SSD
RAM: 8GB, 2DIMMS
Video Card: 2GB ATI 7970M
Display: 17.3" 1920x1080 60Hz
Optical: Blu-Ray Reader
Warranty: 4-Year advanced plan (dear Light, $600 for this!!!)

$2,847, less instant savings of $145, yield a final pricetag of $2,702
I did not get the option to change the Killer wireless card (which I would want anyway) or the Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di (which I have no idea about)

Priorities for me:
Longevity: I want to go years and years without purchasing again
Gaming & Video editing: I like pretty things!
Cost savings: For example, I'm perfectly fine with upgrading the RAM myself
Desktop replacement: This will be my only computer, so there's that.
Storage: I need lots of storage space for all my junk. That's why my main drive will be the 750GB HDD, with it's cheaper dollars-per-GB ratio compared to using an SSD/mSATA as the main drive.

~ ~ ~

And now the questions!

1) Haggling and Pricing

I've read a lot about price haggling so far. Apparently someone named Allan used to manage a sales thread, and just yesterday Dell-Bill posted this new sales thread introducing some new reps on the site. I also read posts in this Pre-config thread discussing the advantage of calling in.

What number are people calling for these haggling sessions--the general Alienware sales number? What is a reasonable target discount I should be aiming for? I've had to deal with customer support in the past**, after purchasing my computer, but I have no idea how to handle the situation before purchase to lower the price.

If it matters, I'll be purchasing the laptop on my family's Preferred Account. I've seen here or there that there might be a 3% discount associated with that? And moreover, on the website, Dell seems to offer "12 months same-as-cash" financing when you use a Preferred Account? I'm guessing I'll want to haggle a final price first, and THEN while ordering attempt to get the Preferred Account 3% discount?

Finally, during an online chat with one agent last night, they tried directing me to the Loyalty program or some such. I tried signing up for that, but never got the confirmation email to activate the account. Trying to re-register or login to the program website, I am simply directed back to the email I never got, with no way to resend the email. Is this worth my time to mess around with?

2) Video Card

I'm seeing a lot of discussion about video cards on the forums, largely in favor of the ATI 7970M over the nVidia 660M and 675M. With the 680M just around the corner, will that new release have any effect soon on the price points of the 660M and 675M for nVidia? Will ATI react to the 680M by adjusting its own prices?

In short, if I delay my order by a month to let the 680M enter the market, will I reap any pricing benefits on other video cards?

3) Caching SSD

I'm still a little unclear about the benefits of the SSD. By getting the additional 32GB caching SSD, am I merely paying $75 for slightly shorter Warcraft loading screens? Or am I going to notice the additional SSD everytime I boot-up and open my usual programs? Just how much benefit are we talkin', here?

Back around page 30 or so, poster Revelator posted this guide to SSD optimization, which I'm in the process of reviewing; but I'm hoping one of y'all can give a quick and dirty response.

Finally, could I save money by getting just the 750GB HDD here, and buying my own SSD to add in later? How complicated a procedure is it to add it in?

4) Overclocking

Specifically, I'm looking at the 7970M video card, as I understand the Ivy Bridge processors are already pretty much maxed. I have never overclocked before. If I try to fiddle with my settings and equipment and end up bricking my laptop, is that covered under the Accidental Care warranty, same as spills and such? And do you all have any advice in this area?

5) RAM (Answered by EvoAndroidEvo, thanks!)

My thoughts are to get the minimum amount of RAM here, and purchase my own RAM for much cheaper from Newegg and the like. I think I've seen in this thread or elsewhere that there are two RAM slots under the keyboard, and two more that are more easily accessible under the battery?

When I order the minimum of 8GB (2 x 4GB), do they arrive slotted under the keyboard or under the battery?
Answer: Beneath the battery, apparently.

~ ~ ~

Thanks so much for workin' through this wall of text! I really appreciate your time.

**remind me sometime to tell you the gripping story of how I sent Dell my XPS Gen 2 in for a 3-5 day repair, and after a month and a half of arguing with Dell for the delays, finally received an XPS M1710 Dual-core with their compliments and fervent wish that I would shut up and go away. I think I permanently lost some Patience Rating in that ordeal.

 

SSDs are much faster but I've read that you should stay away from hybrids.

 

Alright I know a little of what your wanting

The ram that you are getting will be installed under the battery the one thing that I have asked several times without is about the 32gb mSATA caching ssd

That's all of much I can be of help for you as I have not bought mine yet waiting on the 680m to come in to play


Sent From My Rooted EVO 3D

 

^_^ Thanks for that answer, evo.

I've updated the original post, but I'm definitely still looking for advise on the first four questions, most especially the first one about haggling!

 

No problem man the ones I would loved to have answers to it 3 and 4 haha

Sent From My Rooted EVO 3D

 

Wsup guys! Long time stalker of these forums too hahha been thinking about buying an alienware for the past year and finally got the funds to buy one

Yo Redly! To answer your haggling question, there's a forum devoted to haggling for an alienware. (Link below) You should read the entire forum if you can for some great advise. I've been trying to read all 300+ pages on there but only got to around the 200s lol. It's a very interesting read if you wanna find some haggling advise or just to see what everyone else is getting in terms of savings. Seems like most people are getting around a 20% discount after haggling and some free accessories. Hope this helps!

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/456885-aw-dell-ordering-advice-how-save.html

 

THAT THREAD.

Alo92, sir or madam, you rock. I shall engage most fervently in reviewing the info.

 

Thanks man. I hope you find that forum as helpful as I found it to be.

Note: I am a dude lol

 

Haggling with the R4 is considerably harder at the moment, seeing as it has just been released. Getting a 20% discount is going to take some serious manipulative skills combined with a lot of luck - not to mention the fact that your chances of getting a good discount increase with how much your system costs in the first place. So if you're trying to haggle on a $1800 system, look no further than a $50-75 discount, but if you're looking at something in the range of $2400 you might be able to bring it down to $2100 or so.

Read the thread on haggling that alo92 gave you a link to, its an invaluable resource haha, it helped me a lot with my purchase.

Since you already noticed those threads on sales assistance, I highly suggest you follow through on that - I posted on Allan's thread and got a response from a rep pretty soon, and moreover he already had my config and other info, saved time there. This way, you can also get a quote up front to work with.

2. Video Cards: It is a widely accepted fact across this forum that when the GTX 680m is available, it will be much more expensive than the 7970m. It may or may not perform better, although rumors seems to state that it will be a little faster. So if you have the money for it or you want 3D, wait for it to come out. If you don't need the 3D and want to save some $$ go for the 7970m because it is arguably the best upgrade you can make to the base M17x that will boost your in-game performance by almost 60-70% over the 660m. It is also about 40-50% faster than the 675m.
I don't think prices will change noticeably when the 680m comes out but the 7970m will always be better value. AMD seems to be the winner, as of now.

3. SSD / Caching SSD: The caching ssd is nothing but an mSATA ssd running @ SATA II on your M17x, and it is paired with whatever hard drive you choose. Windows will come installed on this SSD, if you pick this option. It makes booting, starting applications, running applications, copying files... a huge bunch of stuff extremely fast. Dell's upgrade options are ridiculous so unless you're against the idea of taking the trouble to upgrade it yourself, you may buy it. But I recommend just getting the standard drive and buying an SSD and installing it yourself. The M17x has two hard drive bays (and one mSATA slot).

Speed Benefits of an SSD? You're asking the right person. Here are some comparisons I give you for my HP Elitebook 8460p, running Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit. Performance before (on stock 7200rpm Hitachi hard drive) and after (on SanDisk Extreme SSD):

(Average speeds)
Windows boot: HDD = 55 seconds || SSD = 18 seconds
Photoshop CS5 startup: HDD = 12 seconds || SSD = 3 seconds
iTunes startup: HDD = 10 seconds || SSD = <1 second
Firefox startup: HDD = 11 seconds || SSD = 1-1.5 second(s)
Skyrim - entering Whiterun = 8 seconds || SSD = 3 seconds

So these are some of the speed tests I ran for you. I have the same windows installed on my HDD as well as SSD and ran both for you.

4. Overclocking: Look into overclocking the GPU, not the processors, they run fast enough with Turbo boost and all that fancy shmuz compared to the old days. The 7970m overclocks like a beast, yes, using software like MSI Afterburner. However, as far as I know overclocking voids your warranty so be careful with what you do. Its an art, its no science and it ain't precise. So take it slow and be patient with it, there are numerous guides on this forum that will show you how to get it done. Follow the advice, because it can ruin your hardware forever if not done right.

5. RAM: There are four slots in all, and for the option (2x4GB) that you picked they will be installed in dualchannel at the bottom of the laptop, not under the keyboard.
I thought 6GB was the minimum? If 8GB is the minimum you're getting, then stick with that. Anything above 8GB of memory is almost absolutely unnecessary. Its more than enough for gaming, more than enough. (I almost always have 6-6.5GB of my 8GB free when I'm surfing the web, word processing, etc. and games never seem to use more than 4GB (most use around 2-3GB only) Save some $$ there. Although if you have the 6GB setup I recommend 8GB of Kingston or Corsair Vengeance memory.

So I hope this helps, and if you have any questions at all then fire away, we're here for ya

 

My phone messed up I'll try again later

 

Ah, starting with the minimum M17x configuration, I can indeed start as low as 6GB RAM. But if you choose to start with the middle configuration, which includes some instant savings, the lowest RAM you can start out with is 8GB. In addition, starting with the middle config took away my ability to choose between different wireless cards--which was fine, because the options it forced on me were the ones I wanted anyway, and the final price with the instant savings was lower than building it fully customized starting from scratch.

If I understand correctly, Allan isn't doing his thread anymore, but that new one is the point of contact on the board?

Regarding SSD's...
Is this an example of an SSD I could install in the mSATA slot? I'd take the Windows disk that comes with the laptop, and install the OS to that new drive, right? Is there a minimum amount of space I should look for in such a drive, since I'd be installing not only Windows, but other programs as well? The programs will only load faster if they're actually installed on the SSD, yeah?

Thanks so much for the reply, nkdv. I feel much more confident, and will probably indeed pass on the SSD until I can buy one of my own. But I still feel a bit unsure about being able to make the best choice in purchasing a third party SSD after getting the laptop.