Considering a M14x or M17x - ordered M17x

I really want to upgrade my current POS laptop with a decent gaming laptop, so I'm considering Alienware because my work gives employee discounts.

Problem is, I can't decide on either m14x or m17x, or even if I want an Alienware.

M17x is larger (and more powerful?) and I can buy a 7970m right there (GPUs on sale right now) and be done with it. I do not want a desktop PC for a LONG while so a m17x would be one-for-all PC. I'm just wondering how large is it and exactly how portable is it when I'm on the move? I'm using a 15" laptop right now. I'm content with the size...however the graphics is low end, so resolution is pitiful (1280x800). Crap is whacked at 1280, and that drives me crazy. Higher resolution may makes everything tiny on a 15", but I wouldn't be bothered by it.

M14x would be a direct replacement to my current laptop in regard of size. But only offers the 650M. Reading about the 7970 just makes me want to go with m17x for that reason alone, lol.

If I order an Alienware, what should I buy and leave off? I'm thinking just buy a base m14x/m17x, then upgrade memory and SSD by myself. I see for 8gb, they want $75 while 8gb goes for $25-$50 on newegg. Which processor should I go with?

Thanks, all.

 

Hello cuse,
First I wouldn't go with m17x for portability issues alone, it's heavy and hard to carry around, and I personally think that the screen is too big for a notebook (you should only consider it if you don't move a lot and use it mainly at home).
as for the m14x, If you are getting a discount I say take it, for one it should be the same or lighter than your 15 laptop and the 650M is really good for most games on high settings (unless you're a really hardcore gamer I don't see the need for a 7970), beside battery life should be better than the m17x...... as for the CPU there isn't a big difference between sandy and ivy bridge so it all comes down to the price and how much power you need (if you do video encoding and stuff take the ivy bridge but remember stronger CPU means less battery life generally).
Hope this was helpful

 

+1, 17" laptops are huge, the m17x has to be the biggest one

I would suggest the m14x as well.

 

M17x has

4 ram slots for up to 32gb ram
2 hd caddies plus PCIe port, up to 3 HDs (4 if you convert DVD bay)
4 USB 3.0
SPDIF audio out
HDMI in
Swappable battery
Better gpu
Bigger screen / higher res
2 cooling fans
Full keyboard with number pad

Did I miss any thing different than m14x?

And it sounds like you want a bigger screen. Should be plenty portable (3" wider, 2" deeper than m14x). Both are killer machines, but for M17x seems to have more value

 

funny how you guys say the m17x is huge. I carry mine to class everyday and have no issues. I like having the bigger screen. As to ivy bridge vs sandy bridge, Ivy was designed with power-saving in mind, so battery life has increased as well as a nice boost to CPU speed. Between the m14x and m17x, It all really comes down to portability between the m14x and the m17x. If you need to be able to carry your laptop in a smaller bag and don't like carrying some weight, get the M14x. If you machine is gonna sit on a desk for long periods of time and you don't mind some heft when you do have to carry it, get the m17x.

 

To get the most savings, I wouldn't touch anything but the screen and video card upgrades. Everything else is cheaper to get from Newegg. Additionally, you can order by phone to save around 5-20%.

 

Yeah, a lot of people say the same thing about the M18x (which is actually not very much larger at all) and it always cracks me up. With maybe a couple of exceptions, the people saying that don't own one. Both the M17x and M18x are extremely portable to me. It would be better to just say that you prefer a small computer than to say the others are not portable and too heavy, because the latter is an inaccurate statement. If not entirely inaccurate, purely a matter of individual perception.

 

I'll have to agree with your pros. That easily decided on the m17x. For what I want, the m17x was a better choice. You know the old saying...the bigger the better!

Will do. Is getting the 3D LCD panel worth it? It's the only panel that offers 120Hz. However choosing the 3D panel will mean I have to give up the 7970 and choose either the GTX 660M or 675M. How would I be saving by calling? Seems counterintuitive?

Those posts made me break out my measuring tape.

For those who are saying the m17x is a behemoth...I took the measurements from their site and measured against my current laptop. I will be only gaining 3 lbs and 3/4 inch of circumference. Hardly noticeable. If you do, then maybe it's time to start eating Wheaties! It's easier to manage a 17 inch laptop than a super-sized Slurpee on a humid summer day. I suppose if you went from a netbook to a m17x, you might feel that way. I lug camera equipment around. A 17 inch lappy is nothing (to me, at least).

 

if you go for 3d and a 670 you will be losing about 50% of the performance that a 7970 would give you. just get the 7970 and no 3d. not as many hz, but far more frame rates and you will be able to crank up the settings to max (besides AA). Will give you far more performance for many more years than a 670.

 

There's a $50 coupon out there, do a search, but calling in will get you free quick ship and maybe more discount.

 

7-day free shipping is going on right now.

I'm sitting at $1769* (before work discount). Looks like it's the best deal, until I make a call.

*with 7970 and 1920x1080 60Hz, nothing else.

 

You did not make it clear that the bigger laptop would not bother you

 

I've had the M14x R1 featured review for a while now:

GigBuddy's Contributions

Its a decent bit of kit and can certainly recommend them. I believe the R2 has the option of a blu-ray this time.

However I've just ordered an M17x R4 to replace it as I would like a larger screen.

 

I never mentioned size. I just said m17x is bigger and powerful. The replies morphed into size.

Same. A R4, that is. I don't need a blu-ray drive.

 

It was really tough for me to decide too. I had a m14xr1 for about 2 weeks but went it back to get the r2, but waiting 10 days to get a quote from Allen that never happened gave me time to really study the options and more power and all the other options just made since to me. Should get it this week and I'm so ready.

 

Did Allan get you one? I was looking for his thread, and found it so I sent him an email. How much did you cough up fer it?

BTW, guys: Is this Killer card really worth the upgrade? What is so special about it? I'm getting the impression it's just drummed up talk and all cards are alike.

 

At first the M17x is huge, but you get used to the size. You can't manhandle it and toss it around like a smaller notebook, but it is still portable. I plan on using mine for class everyday.

 

I got an email from Allen saying it would be 24 hours back then and it would be worth the wait and I was told I would be put in the front of the line, then he suspended the quotes. So I never got a quote, but I did call in and get $250 off and a free extra battery. So I'm pretty happy. I am surprised that it hasn't shipped yet. It has until Thursday to keep within the estimated delivery date. Mine was a little pricy because I had to buy it complete with all the parts instead of getting my own SSD and RAM. Plus I think they ship quicker if you stay closer to the standard configuration.

 

yeah its worth the upgrade. Better connection and speed. The stock intel card is pretty crap for gaming online.

 

+1, I bought the 1102 for $45 and love it. It connects faster as well, or it does for me at least.

 

Welp, pulled the trigger. There goes 2 grand that I will never get back.

I haggled like an open wound, but he barely budged.

It ended up at $1709 before taxes.

Specs:

225-2945 1 Alienware M17X R4 with Soft Touch - Direct
317-9735 1 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3610QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.3GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
317-9739 1 6GB DDR3 at 1600MHz
331-6912 1 English Keyboard, 101 Key, M17X R4
320-3275 1 17.3-inch WideFHD1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
317-9747 1 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 7970M
342-4414 1 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
331-6859 1 AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue
421-7439 1 Alienware Command Center Software, M17X
421-5789 1 Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit Service Pack 1, English, w/Media
318-2314 1 Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish
410-0548 1 Adobe Acrobat Reader
318-2005 1 Slot-Loading Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
318-0424 1 Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
430-4712 1 Killer Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming and Video and Bluetooth 4.0
430-4706 1 Internal Wireless Bluetooth 4.0
331-7193 1 Alienware M17x 240W A/C Adapter
331-6865 1 Alienware Documentation
331-6868 1 Placement, M17X R4
331-6867 1 Shipping Material, M17X R4 - Black
461-8389 1 NO VIRUS PROTECTION REQUESTED
331-6909 1 Resource DVD, M17X R4
331-8045 1 Windows 7 OS Label, Alienware Notebooks
420-9691 1 DataSafe Local BackUp
420-9956 1 PC Restore
421-0092 1 DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG
421-3874 1 Camera Software 2.X, Factory Install
421-4289 1 Dell Support Center Software 3.0
421-7440 1 Quickset, M17X R4
312-1334 1 90WHr 9-Cell Primary Battery
995-6083 1 Dell Hardware Warranty Plus On-Site Service, Initial Year
995-6103 1 In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis, Parts and Labor On-Site Response, Initial Year
950-3337 1 1 Year Limited Warranty
950-9797 1 No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
421-1723 1 Soft Contracts Dell In-Home Hardware Agreement for Alienware
994-3730 1 Warranty Support, Initial Year
331-1349 1 Standard Nameplate

 

Not bad at all, you will be happy with the computer.

 

you did great, that's almost $200 off right? Now are you glady you called in? Did you get free 2nd day shipping too?

 

Very nice specs, congrats!
You should have taken 3 years warranty to protect that beast correctly though.

 

Only about $100, actually. With tax, it was a little over $1800.

I suppose. It was such a hassle to call. I frickin' hate those damned automated systems.

Yep, 2nd day shipping free of charge. He signed me up for that 5% discount plus I get discounts shopping at Dell from work.

Is that really valuable to warrant a 3-year? I have a hard time believing in extended warranties.

 

Parts tend to die on gaming computers after awhile, unless you don't plan on keeping it very long (less than two years) I find the warranty is worth it (especially the advanced).

 

Really? Like what? Too late to change warranties?

I've owned countless desktop and laptop computers, no parts up and died unless it's through a fault of my own. Hell, I even still play games on my Asus G1S after 5 years despite their reputation.

 

I've heard a lot about GPUs dying, but I think that happens most often for the OC'ers and real hardcore gamers. And have you already gotten your laptop? If so, you can still add more warranty to it but it'll be way more expensive than normal. If you haven't received it and would like to add it I'd call up your rep and he should be able to add it for the normal price.



I have a question of my own since this is an issue I'm still debating over (M14x vs M17x). How much of a difference is there really between high settings at 900p (what the 650M seems to be capable of according to most benchmark sights, though I'm not sure they measure at 900p) and ultra settings at 1080p (ala the 7970m). Is it like night and day? Mind you I'm coming from playing everything on the lowest settings with my MBP lol (and that's even on older games like DAO).

 

Complete night and day. The screen PPI won't be that noticeably different, but utra with the 7970 and medium with the 650 would be like night and day. you might get 10-20 FPS on BF3 with high settings on the m14x's 650. you will get about 50-60 on ultra with the 7970.

 

I have always gotten the impression they are all hype. Maybe I'm wrong. I would suggest seeing if it's cheaper to install yourself though, if you decide to get it.

 

Get a M18x R2! Its not that heavy and portable

 

I don't play BF3, and isn't it just about the most graphically challenging game in existence (Crysis aside) and therefore not really representative of most games performance? And did you mean high setting when you said medium?