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    Just about to buy an m17x, but...

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by buiz123, Dec 16, 2013.

  1. buiz123

    buiz123 Notebook Enthusiast

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    ...before I do it, could anyone let me know if there's a release of a new CPU or GPU just around the corner, ie within the first 6 months of 2014? I know there'll always be upgrades in the future and one can wait indefinitely, but I just want to avoid buying a new m17x just before a significant release. Anyone..?
     
    buiz123, Dec 16, 2013
    #1
  2. mikecacho

    mikecacho Notebook Evangelist

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    AMD is set to release the 8990M... soon....maybe. As for Nvidia they just released the 700 series a few months back so i would not speculate.
     
    mikecacho, Dec 16, 2013
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  3. zombiegoat

    zombiegoat Notebook Consultant

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    There will probably be a M17 R2 model when AMD releases their new GPU's, but nothing from Nvidia for a while. Also Intel just came out with Haswell, so probably nothing new on that front either. Just depends if you like AMD better than Nvidia... but hopefully there will be some more configuration options when R2 drops.
     
    zombiegoat, Dec 16, 2013
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  4. Velislide

    Velislide Notebook Guru

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    8990 Wont be much more then just a simple overclocked 8970 I imagine.
     
    Velislide, Dec 17, 2013
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  5. Nospheratu

    Nospheratu Notebook Deity

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    .. and the 8970M is a 7970M with boost clocks :rolleyes:

    What makes it more interesting is that the mobile GPU's are always based on a middle of the range desktop chip which for the current generation is still the same GCN architecture rebranded to the R9 270/280.

    If we get the R9 270 chip then that would be the 7800 series which is basically what we have with the 7970M/8970M. If we get the R9 280, that would be the 7900 series which would definitely be a step up. But since the power requirements are much higher with the Tahiti core (7900 series) I doubt they will go that route.

    It just makes you realise what excellent value the 7970M is/was.

    To the OP, I think you're in a perfectly safe purchase point with regards to hardware updates. Haswell is still fairly new so you're safe from a CPU standpoint. As for the GPU, from an AMD perspective I've covered that above and the same goes for nVIDIA as they're also using the same architecture rebranded for their middle of the range desktop GPU's.

    Of course this is all speculation, I really hope they break the mould and bring us something special.. although that's highly unlikely with the current state of the desktop segment.
     
    Nospheratu, Dec 17, 2013
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  6. buiz123

    buiz123 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Alrighty. Do I want to go with 4800MQ or the overclocked 4900MQ? I realize the marginal improvement of the latter but the added cost is not much. Are there any downsides with respect to heat generation/ventilation noise, battery life or anything else I need to be aware of?
     
    buiz123, Dec 17, 2013
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  7. Nospheratu

    Nospheratu Notebook Deity

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    It depends on the price difference. CPU upgrades almost always work out cheaper aftermarket. Personally, I would rather go with a midrange CPU and upgrade to the extreme version later on.
     
    Nospheratu, Dec 17, 2013
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    flingin likes this.
  8. Alienware-L_Porras

    Alienware-L_Porras Company Representative

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    Same here, I would go for a non-upgraded or mid-range CPU and upgrade it later.
     
    Alienware-L_Porras, Dec 17, 2013
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