Bought a new m17x R2, upgrade from a m9750

Well, I finally saved enough and will get my new m17x in a few weeks. i7 720 processor and xfire 5870s with the RGB screen. It will have 8GB ram and a Momentus XT Hybrid drive (can't swallow the price premium on the SSDs). I'm really excited, but I wonder, will I notice a real performance difference?

Here is where I am coming from. I currently have a m9750, with SLI 7950 GTXs and a core2 due 2.0ghz processor. RAM is 2GB with the same Momentus XT. I run all my games at native rez (1920x1200) high textures and Medium to High shaders/effects, depending on the game. AA is a bonus but is rarely on. I only turn it on when I get no performance hit.

I'm a strategy/RPG game player, with a few action titles on the side. So we are talking Transformers, Batman, Dragon Age, Starcraft, etc. So there is nothing that requires me to have "twitch" reflexes, and with tweaking SLI I can usually get all the games listed running at 30+ frame rates or more.

So, what bonuses can I really look forward to? Is the DirectX 10/11 effects noticeable? Will the frame rates be so silky smooth that I feel I'm on a console? Or will I finally be able to run my games with shadows enabled?

I will also be using this rig for other purposes. I have to run a few database instances and do some programing, but I do like the alienwares for being stable gaming rigs. But with the game industry stagnating as far as graphics are concerned, I just really wonder if I will notice a real difference in my games.

Any comments? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

 

I would save money by going with 4GB RAM if you really don't need 8GB. Plus 8GB can probably be had cheaper on newegg.com As for the gaming, I havn't played those titles so I'm not sure. I'm playing Divinity II at the moment.

Hope you enjoy it,

 

Thanks. And yes the RAM comes from newegg. They had a deal so I took it. The hard drive is bought second hand as well. It is funny you mention Divinity II, I never could get that particular game to work on my m9750. Screen would always go black no matter the driver or patch.

 

good for you man i just did the same (m9750 => M17x-R2) 3 weeks ago!

I've installed SC2 on both and single 8700m GT vs singlme 5870 is a nice difference in smoothness.

haven't seen a big difference on Dragon Age, allthough smoothness is also better.

And i don't have the RGB screen (yet) on the m17x... so imagine with it

 

Yea, so far I'm enjoying it. Not getting as much time with it as I'd like, but it's been fun so far. I had never heard of it till I saw it at the local shop here on post where local nationals sell DVDs, albeit, not official copies. $2/disc for any disc regardless of what it contains. They are on everybase, but mine sells PC games, and I'm probably one of the only people that buy the,. I have a huge stack and most I will probably not play much. But at that price, how can you pass it up? lol I do have Dragon Age: Origins, but I havn't played it yet. Don't really know anything about it, but a friend of mine was ranting and raving about it.

 

Thanks Tom for the compairison, I also hope to enjoy silky smoothness

And Dr. Whiskey I would at least trying Dragon Age. It certainly has its charm, runs well, lots of DLC and character to enjoy. And me, I just love the music ;-)

 

Sounds good, I'm going to give it a shot. Music does make a huge differance as well. I'm sure I'll be into it.

 

8gb ram for $160 shipped...i wonder how hard dell is raping you on the 8gb upgrade. Good thing you already have your own ram

Newegg.com - G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Laptop Memory Model F3-8500CL7D-8GBSQ

Price: $179.99 - $20 = $159.99 with promo code: EMCYXYX42

KEEP IN MIND 1033 versus 1333mhz but 1333mhz is like $200.

 

i just love the Morrigan =) DAO is 100% better than divintyII.

 

Enjoyed Dragon Age myself. On the last of the content now then the dry spell till DA 2