Help Please..Im trying to decide!!!!

Hello Guys!

First of all i'm new to the forum..and i would like to say the reviews from personal individuals here are fantastic...they don't just give you the fair pros but also fair cons on a product...

I am a computer enthusiast! i'm a serious gamer and i love programming alot...a little bit of Photoshop/Video editing here and there...i'm in need of a major technology upgrade...i've owned an HP 6735s (just a briefing -AMD Raedon HD 3200 GPU AMD TurionX2 Dual Core Mobile RM-70 2.0GB Ram)( ancient i know...it was for school!) for two years...i hope you guys understand where i'm coming from...

after LOTS of youtube and notebook website reivews...i've decieded to get the Alienware m17x R3...for the budget..its tight...its enough for a little tweaks on the system...but i don't want to go all out on the dell site....their hardware prices are UNBELIEVABLE!other popular brand configurations are waay cheaper that dell...i was thinking of buying the upgradable hardware component later on...and il upgrade they system myself! So i have a couple of unanswered questions...please could you give me your opinions

Question 1: Is Intel® Core™ i7 Processor 2630QM (2.00Ghz, 6MB, 4C) enough will it satisfy everything??? or i should add an extra $ for the Intel® Core™ i7 Processor 2720QM (2.20Ghz, 6MB, 4C)??

Question Two Im a fan of AMD! right now they're offering the 2GB GDDR5 AMD® Radeon™ HD 6990M...i saw in another thread that you can call up one of dell's sales reps and get a faster AMD GPU...is this true??

I also heard that if you get the AMD GPU...chances of you getting the blue screens' are minimal....true??false??

Question Three Storage : should i get the normal 320GB (7,200rpm) SATA Hard Drive then buy one and upgrade it later?? i seriously don't want to waste money on these pricey upgrades or should i get the 500GB Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid Drive for extra $$$?

Question Four Which one is better... Intel Wireless LAN 6300 3x3 (802.11a/b/g/n) Card or the Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 (i'm quite a big fan when it comes to networking)

Question Five: Most important...has anybody had any concerning problems with their m17x R3's?? i've heard bad complaints from people...BSoD's...drivers not working on the system..lights not working...people are paying top money for this kind of modern technology...its really disappointing to hear that the laptop has problems when you pumped out lots of money which could leave you poor for a couple of months !
but on a serious note could you guys list the problems which you have come across

sorry for the rant!i know i've said ALOT...but i just want to make sure im making the right choice...really don't want to be spending most of my hours bothering the dell support centre..

Your opinions and response will be greatly valued!!!

Thanks in advance Gamers!!!!!

 

1: 2630QM is powerfull enough.
2: 6990m is latest AMD mobile card.
3: 1 750 HDD for storage and buy a SSD for the OS later.
4: Killer seems to be better for wireless gaming.
5: Support will take care of you.

 

1: 2630 should be fast enough-- the 2720 is only .2GHz faster. The difference is pretty mild. I got the 2720 though just because I had the extra cash to burn, and I wanted to future proof it a little.

2: No, the 6990 is the fastest mobile AMD GPU in existence. It came out about 3 weeks ago...?

3: Honestly, I just went with the 750 GB HDD. The question you need to ask yourself: is the cost per GB worth it? How much do you read/write files? Do you typically try to use your laptop on a rollercoaster? Does the extra 15 seconds during bootup time bother you that much?

4: I went with the Killer Wifi, and it's probably the best wifi card I've ever had. I get (within a reasonable margin of error [2-3%]) the exact same speeds over an ethernet cable.

5: I hear a lot of mixed reviews about the customer service. But inevitably you will end up with a product that you are satisfied with, or your money back. It may take 1-2, maybe 3 returns to get there, but I've never heard of Dell flat out refusing to help someone within their period of return, or warranty period.

 

1, 2630 is perfect, not sure why i punked money up the wall on 2820. Complete waste of money.

2, 6990 is beast and best.

3, get the 320GB, store it away and do fresh install on SSD yourself and buy a 750gb after market for data.

4. Hardcore gamer here, killer wifi is a waste of money, standard wifi is just fine, trust me. FPS shooters online are my thing.

5, no problems here, build qulity to customer services has been superb. Generally, people only post problems here so ypu'll be hard pressed to read a thread about an R3 thats running perfect.

 

Other than the GPU switching models (AMD PowerXpress / nVidia Optimus) being a pain in the with drivers, the R3 is a good unit overall.

I'll cite with the Killer (overrated Atheros) being overkill on price/performance. If you want good latency, common sense will tell you to use your cabled connection. Save your WiFi for general use.

 

thank guys!!...i will seriously take your opinions into consideration..!!

 

Another Quick question guys...can you contact dell and try talk to the sales rep so that you get an extra discount off the alien-ware???

and do alien-ware prices ever drop???like after Christmas or at the end of each financial quarter??especially the third or fourth quarter...?

ive scrounged the web for coupons...but its like looking for a needle in a hay stack!bummer!!!!

 

You can get some discount from a rep. yes.

There are deals from time to time, just check the site.

 

Check the "How to save $ when ordering" thread in the main Alienware forum. You can probably get up to a 25% discount if you work at it and/or talk to the right rep. If your company has an EPP program with Dell, that will help your cause. Also, offer to sign up for a Dell Preferred Account if you don't have one, the reps seem to be pushing that hard right now.

 

will definitely try and talk to the reps properly..cause im starting college soon...i hope they consider that..thanks alot mate!

I have a "dell account" already...is there any difference between the two???