First time buyer looking for some insight.

Hey guys,

Been a fan of this website for quite awhile now and now I can finally say that I'm ready to take the plunge and purchase this beast. I will most likely be purchasing an m17x within the next week or so and I have set my budget at around $2,500. The majority use of this laptop will be geared toward gaming but also for programming and such for school. Some of my questions are as follows:

I. I intend on buying an intel SSD down the road but I'm debating whether or not I should order it with the Raid 0 HDD setup or not. Granted I'm aware of the risks concerning a raid 0 setup would it be pointless to use raid 0 if I'm only going to remove one of the drives to put in a SSD? Because if it turns out not to be worth it I'll just settle for a single SATA drive for the time being. Unless you guys think buying the 128gig SSD listed on their website would be a better decision.

II. Is the Intel wireless card really necessary?

III. My desired CPU would be the 820 but I've read that the 720 can be better bang for the buck. I'm really torn between this decision for some reason. I'd like to get what I want considering the hefty price for this laptop but overall would it really be worth it? (I know this topic has been discussed over and over many times.)

IV. With school starting up again soon I am in desperate need of a laptop as soon as possible but I'm also afraid that if I purchase this thing within the next week that AW will unveil a new addition to their line-up and will thus become outdated. Think it's worth it to wait to see what they have planned?

I can post the specs of my laptop if you guys are interesting I just didn't want to make this post a strenuous read.
All in all that's really all the questions I have for now. If you guys have anything you would like to add or just give some feedback it would all be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the taking the time to read this and all your help! Very eager to get this beast purchased.

Thanks,
Derek

 

I. IMHO, I think you should just get the largest single 7200RPM drive you can get and just install the Intel SSD whenever you get it. You'll save a little money in the process.

II. The Intel card is noted to have longer range than the Dell card. It also can support up to 450 mbps and 2.4/5ghz spectrum if your router supports it. If it doesn't and you're near your access point all the time, then it shouldn't be big deal. You can always buy an aftermarket 6300 from babyhemi for $39.99 and install it yourself if you're technically inclined.

III. Based on your budget, it may be possible to upgrade to the 820QM. I highly suggest your read the thread on ordering advice for Alienware products.

IV. "Paralysis from analysis" I believe the saying goes. Tech always moves forward. But if a new upgrade is revealed very shortly after you order, you can always cancel and reorder.

 

iclicku gives very good advice. The SSD can be had from aftermarket vendors at pretty good prices. I went with the 128 ssd from dell and a 500 drive for all the games and stuff I find it fast enough. You could even go 64 ssd for just the OS.The intell n6300 is much faster, then again I got mine from forum member Babyhemi like 39.00 and he paid shipping. CPU is a personal thing, the 720 is best bang for the buck. Don't get sucked into the numbers game gota have the best gets expensive and you prob wont see a lot of difference. Either way your going to have a top system.
Good Luck and welcome.

 

Raid 0 is a really bad choice for both Student and 'Laptop' Gamers. Higher risk of losing your midterm paper and massive amounts of extra heat operating two hardrives. Your GPU will take a big hit in performance with extra heat being added to case.

SSD has no moving parts and generates less heat. Yes the wireless card is important if you game via wifi. Samsung quality are middle of the road SSD. The price will roughly drop in half every year.

Go to intels site for a side by side comparison of the two CPU.

Tactx mouse is a great deal.