Do I give up my ASUS G73 for an Alienware M17x R2

So the rig I'm writing on right now is a G73 with an i7 and 6Gb of 1333 RAM and a HD 5870M DX11 GDDR5. Running 1600x900 res. Beautiful laptop.

Guy wants to trade for an older Alienware M17x R2 which has an i5 with 8Gb of 1066 RAM and the same HD 5870. Running 1900x1200 Glossy RGB LED (sweet screen)

Now here's the thing. The Alienware can run swappable dual SLI crossfire cards, upgradable to almost every mobility card that comes out ATI or NVidia.

Is it worth it? WIll I take a hit in performance on the i5 coupled with the higher res LED on the same HD 5870? My lower res, now on the G73 pushes this HD 5870 temps up as it is.

What do you think? The biggest thing here is that I can swap GPU's and CPU's to newer technology as it comes out and play it all on a sweet LED WUXGA RGB screen

Would you do it? Gimmie reasons!!

 

Is it a straight trade? If so take it! you can get a new processor and gpu on that m17x down the road plus you get that amazing screen.

 

Yes straight up. I've been reading though that some people are upgrading the GPU in their G73's with success!? Is this true?

I love the finish and quality of the G73 to be honest. How does it compare to the quality and finish of the M17x R2?

Here's what I've gathered so far...is this all true?!

Alienware M17x-R2 Pro's:
Triple fan/heatsink cooling that's generally one of the best in the industry
RGB LED display
Dual graphics support
Best build quality of any notebook on the market (anodized aluminum)
GPU can be upgraded since Alienware conforms to MXM 3.0b standards.

Asus Con's:
5870m in the G73 runs hot
No RGB LED display.
No dual graphics support
No upgrade path for the video card since Asus uses a proprietary design that does not conform to MXM 3.0b.

 

I'd go for the m17x r2 without a second thought. You can grab the i7 720QM cpu for probably 100-150 usd now. You cannot upgrade the screen on the asus nearly as easily.

I'm also sure the m17x runs much cooler.

 

So this is all correct right?

Alienware M17x-R2 Pro's:
Triple fan/heatsink cooling that's generally one of the best in the industry
RGB LED display
Dual graphics support
Best build quality of any notebook on the market (anodized aluminum)
GPU can be upgraded since Alienware conforms to MXM 3.0b standards.

How hard and invasive is swapping in new GPU cards and a CPU? I assume it is not plug n play eh?

Here is the link to the M17x R2 I'll be trading for. Still a good deal?
Alienware M17x R2

 

Yup those are correct. Lots of guides on how to upgrade the gpu and cpu for the M17x r2, in my opinion its not hard to do. Ask for the service tag so you can check some other specs plus make sure you check everything well.

 

Thanks! Off the top of your head, what are common issues/fix's with the R2? I read that people have experienced quite a few common problems with these models!

 

Ummm yeah, don't drop it on your foot, it hurts?

 

Haha it's a brick eh?

What are common issues with the R2? For example, some people experience high GPU temps (95+) on the G73 as well as a crackling audio issue (which I had on my first G73 and RMA'd)

I just want to know what I'm getting into here with owning the R2

 

I had the R2 back then, and the only issue I had was the "Plugged in not Charging" but a bios update fixed it if I remember correctly. And for temps people just did a good repaste job and all is well.

 

Thanks. I guess the battery doesn't work anyways and I'll be using it as a desktop replacement so it will always be on AC power. As for the temps, I understand the R2 has 3 fans but does it have 3 dedicated heatsinks? ON the G73 the fans pull air IN through the top of the keyboard and out the back hence a conventional style cooler is pointless. Does the R2 pull air in through the bottom so I can use a cooler? How hot do these R2's run? I see idle temps of 60's and under load high 90's with my G73.

 

3 fans 3 heatsinks, and dedicated. plus it pulls air in from the bottom. http://static07.techinferno.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Untitled-8.jpg

 

Really appreciate it thanks so much! What's the best cooler(s) for this R2 given it's design?

Also, I will mainly be gaming (obviously) listening to music (hooked up to an external speaker) and using heavy wifi.

1) Is the i5 M520 2.4Ghz CPU going to bottle neck or affect my gaming performance?
2) How are the stock speakers? (not that important)
3) What wifi card comes stock? Is it good? Currently I run on a N router and N card in my G73 and my wifi is pretty weak which I think is due to the N card in the G73. I've tweaked and optimized my router so it's not the router nor the service. I'm hoping to get better results out of the M17's card. Do you think I will? I believer the G73 has an Atheros AR9285 802.11n Wireless LAN adapter

 

1)Depends on what games you play, but I highly suggest you upgrade to at least the i7-720qm, if you can the i7-920xm is best, you will be able to overclock.
2)Stock speakers are excellent compared to typical internal laptop speakers in the market.
3)I cant really say, I do not know what wifi card the m17x r2 has. Ask for the service tag code so we can see more info on it.

 

Here it is! Please let me know what you find out!!! 6GXCSM1

 

Looks like it has the Intel® Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300. Its an excellent wifi card, some people perferred it over the Killer 1103.

More info on that m17x r2: http://www.dell.com/support/troubleshooting/us/en/19/servicetag/6GXCSM1?s=BIZ

 

Thanks! I'm starting to lean towards keeping my G73-JH1 after-all The M17x R2 is silver not black (like I thought) and there's a scratch on the case. The owner also said that he recently did a reformat (Win7SP1) and that sometimes when he closes the monitor the screen blue-screens upon wake up. Seems like a driver issue to me but none-the-less. Take that into consideration plus knowing it's a gaming laptop from 2010 that has no doubt been through many heating cycling....I just don't really know what I'm getting!

I was playing Batman Arkam City on my G73 last night with all the settings tweaked (no physix obviously) in DX11 and it didn't so much as flinch and my temps stayed in the high 80's low 90's. It was pure eye candy and I thought to myself, this rig is very stable and can run *most games maxed out currently so why take the chance on the M17x R2 being a turd!!! Damn, now I can't decide.

 

SOmeone convince me one way or the other lol Need some help deciding. I'm just worried about it being an almost 4 year old laptop. Wear and tear. Heat cycles. I really don't know what I'm getting!

 

If you still need somebody to convince you buy it, then don't buy it is my advice. Looks like the Asus will give you better peace of mind. Keep in mind that while the r2 is 3 year old, is still fairly upgradeable while the Asus in my understanding is not.

 

I would go with the m17x if you are ready to do some upgrading (cpu)

 

The Asus will give me better piece of mind due to me knowing how it was treated, and knowing it is MINT after years of use.
The upgradable part is kinda the only selling point to me on the M17 which is why I'm in this dilemma! If it wasn't upgradable, it wouldn't even be an option. The GPU upgrade is the biggest seller to me...although, Is upgrading the GPU and CPU in the M17 not as simple as I'm thinking?

And what about the GPU? If it's not stable and easy enough (no heatsink/hardware modification) to upgrade to say a single 7970M or 680M(or MX) then that may steer me away.

In short...if swapping in newer hardware to the M17 (an i7 and 7970 or 680) demands quite a bit of fabrication then maybe I'm wasting my time here with the M17...

 

Looks like you are fine with your Asus. If its reliable and can play games you like, I would say just keep it. Then down the road you can just buy a new asus or alienware(recommended) so you have piece of mind because of warranty and it being a recent or new model.

 

See that's the thing, I'd love to own an Alienware, problem is they are ridiculously expensive (nice way of saying over-priced). If I had that money, then I would build a clevo or sager bombshell for most definitely less!

I was just thinking I'd swap over my un-upgradable G73 for an upgradable M17 as it would be a straight swap. Damn it, I love this G73 though.

 

I understand what you must be going through ...I did the same ....sold off my m14x for a used r3.... wasn't happy at all ...since the machine was used a bit ....anyway so I sold that off too ....just to put a different perspective ...how much do you think you can get for your g73 if you sell it ....if you are able to get 700-800...maybe buy a m17x r3 or r4 from the Dell outlet with a 30% coupon....they keep coming a few times ....because with the gpu and processor upgrade you will be shelling out a few bucks anyway ...not sure how feasible this is...just providing a different chain of thought

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From what I've read, I thought the consensus was that people preferred the R2 over the R3?

I'd get $700 for my G73 and pay $700 for the R2. I thought people prefer the R2 design/shell-aluminum frame and SLI setup etc. 1920x1200 RGB LED so I figured it'd be the ideal M17 to trade for?? Problem is I have OCD and my G73 is immaculate, this R2, I'm pretty sure not (but not bad)

More than anything, I want that high resolution RGB LED Samsung screen and the ability to upgrade to a 7970M or 680M(or MX) (or SLI, but I don't really care to run 2 GPU's)

I won't be able to afford a new alienware period. So If I can get a 4-generation old alienware and make it run the latest single GPU card then where's the downside?

I read on another forum that upgrading the GPU in the M17 is not as straight forward as some assume. It's not exactly plug-n-play. Are any/what modifications are required?

 

Depends on where you get the card from and if its a Nvidia or AMD. Some cards play more nicely than others.

 

Agreed the m17xr2 is better built and the screen is amazing ....like I said I was just giving a different dimension ....my point being you can always get a r3 for around $1050 ... like in this case
http://forum.notebookreview.com/not...183-sold-alienware-m17xr3-good-condition.html

Or even better deals If you hunt for them ....but the r2 does have its advantages ....full aluminum body ....sli etc....but you'll have to spend some green to get it going like a nice graphic card and at least a I720 or I7 920(my recommendation...if funds permit)
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Some people prefer different things. I like my m17x R4 because its 3lbs lighter and its .36 Inches thinner because theres no aluminum. Do i need SLi? No. Do i want it? No. Seems to be a bit more buggy on Laptops than i'd want to deal with.

If you are careful with your laptops. Then theres honestly no reason for you to have a heavier laptop with aluminum. Because it sounds like you won't drop it even once.

 

Hey! I already have a g73 with a 7970m and it is working extremely good! I did some mods but it is not so easy but it isn't Impossible! One day I would like to buy a m17x but now I don't have the money! The g73 is the notebook that I keep for a long time and always work very solid. If you want to learn new thing and have no fear, with a 7970 you will be in another word of game quality.
Go to the forum and read about the mod, if you think that you can't do this don't do
So good lucky!

 

Thanks! To date, which cards and from where have shown to play the nicest?

I think I'd rather have an R2 over an R3 due to the RGB screen, aluminum body and SLI setup (even though I will most likely not use the SLI). I agree on the CPU upgrade. What price range am I lookin' at for a decent i7 and let's say a 7970 or 680?

Weight does not matter I care more about design and function. It will be used as a desktop replacement. And yes, I will most likely not be running SLI.

Thanks man, what kind of mods are we talking here? I'd rather not tear into the laptop and fabricate things/make-shift hardware to get the 7970 to work. I was reading that thread you speak of! Seemed like a nightmare to get to where you are haha I give you props though!! What screen/res are you running on that thing? The dual stock fan setup keeps temps down? What are your max temps in games?

 

Btw, what is the single best/strongest mobility GPU out right now? Is it the GTX 680 MX or the ATI 7970M? What about the GTX 780M? Or the 8970M?

 

I Think that the 7970 and the 680 have the same performance without OC!
I have to cut things on my g73 and it was very funny to do, like Lego xD
Without OC my temps was about 75 and with OC [email protected]/ 1378 VRAM Iam getting about 78~80 on crysis 3!



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Cut things eh? Hmmmm I like a challenge...but this may be a disaster lol. Do you have a detailed write up with pics by chance?

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/g828sps24mhdpdl/2012-11-18 08.16.25.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4sgxabhzk99aspi/2012-11-14 18.02.09.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0bo6difpouucz0x/2012-11-14 16.48.46.jpg
Https://www.dropbox.com/s/xko91dx87jd14dk/2012-11-14 16.48.27.jpg




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What is that? You cut the stock heatsink to make the 7970 fit? What are those blue metal pieces? And what's with all the double-sided tape?

All in all, what needs to be cut/altered/fabricated?

 

I cut the heat sink and bought some coopers ( the blue things) and that white tape is a thermal pad! You will need something that you use to cut metal!


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Is the sole reason for cutting the heatsink fins due to making the 7970 fit on the heatsink? Was there any other fabrication outside from trimming the heatsink? Have you noticed any issues? Heating or BSOD's or shut downs etc? Seems like a poor design (no offense at all, I commend you on such a task but for the long run???? not sure a hack job like that will last)!

 

You can buy another heat sink on ebay if you want but u have to cut yours to fit the card
Poor design? I downt worry about that, only the system works great is all that I care about
I never had a BSOD only when the coopers ( the blue things) fell down
With the OC that I use I've never had a problem
If you don't have the skills, sorry
You won't be able to do this
I like to learn new things and complete challenges
It's not so beautiful but it's work
That is what matter



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Didn't mean to offend you, I was just making an observation. Like I said, if it works and functions correctly I commend you! But things like "coopers"? (coppers?) falling off etc means a poor design. Things shouldn't be "falling off" etc. As far as "skills", what skills are you referring to that one would need? So far you have stated that the only fabrication was a little cutting of the heatsink! Am I missing something?

 

If you're still considering the R2... Silver is the best colour imho. Black mutes the excellent design and red is a bit flashy and clashes with most AlienFX colours. The scratch is a pity though. The R2 also has issues with SSD performance as with all PM55 chipset laptops. But don't let that deter you as you most likely wont notice it unless you're benchmarking and there are proven workarounds available.

Another thing worth mentioning is even though its SLi capable, you can only go up to GTX285M's without tinkering. GTX580M's have been found to work with a workaround but that workaround is old now and I'm not sure if it still works with the latest drivers. Considering the performance the 7970M and 680M offer the 580M would not be worth it. Your only option to go dual cards is through AMD as crossfire doesn't require certification for the cards in the BIOS. The 7970M's with an XM processor draw more power than the 240W and 330W(mod) power adapters can provide so you would have to go with the dual 240W adapter mod which isn't very practical for a laptop.

Even though it has the drawbacks above, its honestly the best laptop I've ever owned and none of the newer revisions have met my requirements as yet ie. Metal Chassis, RGB LED, Not as heavy as the M18X, much cleaner design than the new revisions yet still compact and... a silver option

Whichever decision you end up making I wish you all the best

 

double post

 

Cheers!! Thanks for the info!

Tbh, I wouldn't want to run a crossfire setup. I'd be happy with a single 7970M or 680MX in the R2 Couple that with an aluminum chasis, triple fan and heatsink, MXM3.0 and 1920x1200 RGB LED screen and THAT is what is selling me! In stating this, it seems to me like the R2 is the "perfect shell" for building and customizing a great modern gaming laptop even though it's 3-4 years old! So by sticking a 7970M in the R2 the only modification I'd need to do would be dual 240W power adapters? I'd like to know what I am getting into as far as fabricating/hardware altering when considering the R2!

In short. I want the screen. I want the case. I want the triple fan setup. Amd I want the latest GPU in there. Easily doable?

If you don't mind telling, how much did you pay for the i7 920XM? How was the install? Plug n play? How do you feel your performance is on the crossfire 5870's? I've read it's not much more than a single 5870. How do you like the N 6300 wifi card? Did that come with the laptop? My Atheros wifi card in my G73 is miserable.

 

Very easily doable. Especially since you want to go single card, then there's no need for any power adapter mod. The default 240W is more than sufficient even for overclocking with a single card. You just have to decide on which 7970M to get, Dell or Clevo. The Dell 7970M gives you HDMi but no auto fan control. You will need to use HWinfo and set up your custom fan profile. The Clevo 7970M has auto fan control but no HDMi (although some users report it working), the VGA port does work though.

The 680MX hasn't been tested in any laptop as far as I'm aware. The normal 680M works perfectly with no mods needed if you use any CPU apart from an XM, then you would need to use HWinfo for fan control.

 

Thanks! SO the 7970M is basically plug n play (after driver updates etc.)

Is the 7970M the best single mobility card out right now? How does it compare to the 680M? What about the 8970M and 780M? What are people expecting as far as performance from them? Are they even out yet?

Also, I've been out of the game for a while...shoot it to me straight, how does my single 5870M stack up in today's mobility cards? I played Batman AA and AC last night maxed out in DX11 and it was great! No physix though which I would have loved as I don't have an Nvidia card.

 

The 7970M is plug n play as long as it has a non enduro BIOS installed. If it does have an enduro BIOS all thats needed is a flash to the correct BIOS with enduro disabled.

The 7970M being the best is debatable, its much cheaper, yes. From what I've read the 680M seems to be the more stable card, but you pay a premium for that. Its more related to the drivers from each company than anything else honestly.

The 8970M is basically the same card as the 7970M with an enhanced power features built into the BIOS so its most likely the 7970M would be able to be flashed to a 8970M. The 780M seems to be the 680MX. So there aren't any real new chips for the new gen, just rebrands, although we never really got to see a 680MX in a normal laptop as it was Apple exclusive I believe.

 

Thanks! If you had to choose, which single card would you put in your R2? The 7970 or 680?

And how about this question below?

"Also, I've been out of the game for a while...shoot it to me straight, how does my single 5870M stack up in today's mobility cards? I played Batman AA and AC last night maxed out in DX11 and it was great! No physix though which I would have loved as I don't have an Nvidia card."

 

Disregarding budget, I would go with the 680M since it seems from the users here on NBR theres less tinkering involved and its overclocks very well. But I am planning on going dual 7970M's even though its an uphill battle with regards to the power requirement.

The 7970M and 680M seem to perform more or less on par with current drivers at default clocks. A single 7970M is close to the performance of 6990M's in crossfire... so that should give you an idea where a single 5870M falls

I'm not sure what resolution the user you quoted was running the game at but on an M17X R2 with a native resolution of 1920x1200 a single 5870M is going to be a horrible experience with the latest game engines. I'm able to play Crysis 3 at native resolution on medium settings at +- 38fps with my 5870M's in crossfire. That's with tweaks using RadeonPro. Its not perfect as the fps does drop in some scenes to around 28fps but its playable. A good website to gauge mobile gpu performance is Notebook Test, Laptop Test und News - Notebookcheck.com if you are not aware of it already.

 

K so basically forget about the 8970M and 780M eh. I run (on my G73) a lower display/res 1600x900 native so my 5870M can run settings a tad higher than say that R2 with the 1920x1200 display. Ya, seems like if I am to swap to the R2, I'd need to get not only the weak i5 out of there asap, but also the 5870 (bc of the screen) : ( Ballpark, how much $ would I be looking at for getting say a Clevo 7970 or 680?

 

Yeah personally, I would give those cards a miss. On launch they will most likely be priced at a premium and the 7970M/680M should drop in price.

My advice is to test the games you use with the configuration it comes with and see how it performs. Maybe Crysis 3 wasn't the best example since the differences between low, medium and high aren't as obvious as I thought they would be yet performance takes a large knock the higher you go. If those components perform decently in the games you play you can hold off the upgrade to a later stage.

A 7970M is around the $550 mark and the 680M around $750 last I checked.

 

Cheers! :wub:

If you were in my shoes, would you trade? My G73 is MINT. His M17x R2 has a few physical blemishes and he claims the only thing he has done/serviced is a replacement screen (replaced himself) and reformatted the OS. I understand I'd be getting a lower spec'd CPU and GPU (same GPU but his res much higher so the performance on my G73 is likely to be better) but to me, the option to upgrade to say a 680M coupled with the screen and chasis is what's keeping me interested.

Would you do it? I mean it's a used 4 year old gaming laptop that's had who knows how many owners