M14X R2 User. Upgrade to an Alienware 17 or wait?

Hi all!

I'm currently running a M14X R2 with a GT 650m 2GB, 8GB DDR3 & a Quad i7 3610QM. I'm very happy with it so far, as I use it for gaming while on night shifts (between 8-12 nights a month). I'm using it with an external 20" 1080p monitor and an external mouse. I do use the laptop's keyboard though. Anyway, I've been contemplating upgrading to an Alienware 17 to gain a little more oomph (and a Matte screen, as I'm hating the reflections on the M14X and office lights), seeing as I've received a nice offer on my M14X R2 and adding some cash I could upgrade. Games I play? Titanfall, FIFA 14, League of Legends, SW The Old Republic, etc. I'm used to playing on Medium/Low at 720p and have no problem doing so, as I do have a gaming rig at home with a GTX 780.

Anyway, the options I'm looking at are:

M14X R2 + $650 (£400) gets me an AW 17 i7 4700MQ, 1080p, Nvidia 770m 3gb, 8GB DDR3, 750 GB HDD + 80 GB SSD
M14X R2 + $900 (£545) gets me an AW 17, i7 4700MQ, 1080p, Nvidia 780m 4gb, 8GB DDR3, 500 GB HDD Hybrid
M14X R2 + $900 (£545) gets me an AW 17, i7 4700MQ, 1080p, AMD M290x 4gb, 8GB DDR3, 512 GB SSD
M14X R2 +$1067 (£644) gets me an AW 17, i7 4700MQ, 1080p, Nvidia 780m 4gb, 16GB DDR3, 512 GB SSD
M14X R2 +$1067 (£644) gets me an AW 17, i7 4700MQ, 1080p, Nvidia 780m 4gb, 16GB DDR3, 512 GB SSD

As I say, I'm used to playing on the M14X on lower graphics and I'm not too fussed. I'd like to be able to play the new Star Wars Battlefront, Alien Isolation, FIFA 15 & The Division with it. As for the investment, I'm already paying a few things off, so I have no intention of spending a lot of cash just for the sake of it if I can still play on Medium on most stuff.

What do you guys recommend? Should I chose one of those options? Or stick with the M14X R2 until the next batch? Or skip it altogether? I'm in a sea of doubts at the moment and need to make a decision before the offer expires.

Kind regards and thanks for reading!

 

You should wait. New generation hardware is coming out soon.

If you've been stuck with an M14x R2 thus far, you're in for a real treat with the new lineup. The performance comparison will blow your mind.

 

Daaaaamn! I had no idea there was new stuff soon! Thanks for the info J.Dre!

Guess I´ll be waiting then!

 

The 980M will replace the 780M/880M and is expected to perform like a desktop GTX 780 (maybe a bit underclocked).

http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...race-yourself-new-maxwell-cards-incoming.html

You can keep an eye on news and whatnot there. Alienware has confirmed they're releasing a new laptop (Alienware 13) before November. So, that's when you can expect to see Maxwell offered in Alienware systems.

 

If I may ask, where were you looking to get this AW17 from? Was this by trading your R2 with Dell and paying the extra?

 

The R2 was to be sold to a friend, and with that cash and some from my own pocket, I was to buy the AW17 from a line of Refurbished ones I´d seen online

 

Make sense now.. I would hold out...Although Maxwell's been coming forever..

 

Be prepaired for some getting used to the new keyboard... I have a m14xr2 and a new 17, took me forever to get used to the change in keyboards...

But, the new models are indeed very very powerfull.

 

Waiting always carries an element of risk, too. Newer sometimes is not better. We have seen several examples of that recently, and there could be a slew of more ugly surprises right around the corner. Looking at the trend where once awesome hardware is getting dumbed-down and mediocritized it is a harder decision to make than it ever has been in the past... you just never know what tomorrow will bring. Rebrands, downgrades or upgrades? Only time will tell.

 

Um, I think it's safe to assume whatever is to come will outperform the 650M, lol.

 

One thing I like to do when looking to buy a new alienware, wait till the new models come out, if you dont like the design or options, you can still usually get last years model
But you have to act right when the new models are released.

 

I wouldn't wait..

For one you will buy an untested system, i bought the dell venue 11 tablet right when it came out. It took me 3 months and 4 cancellations before i finally got it.
Then i found out it was full of issues which if i had known probably wouldn't have bought it.

And if you will wait there will always be better hardware upcoming, it's an endless cycle.

 

That's got me thinking... The untested route also scares me. I always tend to buy OS/Systems at least 6 months after release (for the first SP/problem revision).

Just how future-proof is the GTX 780m with an i7 at this moment in time? Specially for someone that would play on 1080P on High-Ultra if allowed, and if not, just on High? Would it allow me to do that until mid 2016?

 

Untested? Nothing is going to change except the hardware. If there are changes, they will be minor. You don't have to worry about the "untested route."

They just redesigned their entire lineup last year. Major changes to the design (again) are very unlikely. There's nothing to fear.