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    M17x R1 vs M17x R3

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by sparrow21, Nov 2, 2011.

  1. sparrow21

    sparrow21 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I just bought an M17x R3 to replace my older M17x R1

    Older r1 has:

    qx9300
    dual 280m sli

    New r3 has:

    i7 2630QM
    6990M


    The r3 has not arrived yet, but I am already wondering if I made a good decision.. Is the r3 that I bought going to do better? I was mainy worried about future games such as Skyrim (280m was listed as medium settings vs 6990 being top of the max settings etc)

    thanks all!
     
    sparrow21, Nov 2, 2011
    #1
  2. TurbodTalon

    TurbodTalon Notebook Virtuoso

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    Unless you paid too much for it, it was definitely a good decision. It should run Skyrim without any issues. You can cover some of the cost by selling your R1 as well.
     
    TurbodTalon, Nov 2, 2011
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  3. SlickDude80

    SlickDude80 Notebook Prophet

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    Based on the benches at notebookcheck, the 6990m is about 35-40% faster than 280sli (depending on the app). It will make a huge diff in games...plus because it is a single card, you don't have to worry about SLI profiles.

    The R3 you bought is significantly better than your R1...plus if you need more, you can always upgrade the CPU, RAM, HDD/SSD/Vid card, Sound etc when the time comes. For example, I paid $270 shipped for my i7 2820
     
    SlickDude80, Nov 2, 2011
    #3
  4. Raidriar

    Raidriar ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)

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    the 2630qm absolutely destroys the qx9300. I've had both, there is simply no comparison. However, i'm still not a fan of turbo boost.......i miss my old controlled voltages and multipliers :(

    I had my qx9300 clocked to 3.5ghz, and still doesn't hit anywhere near the 2630
     
    Raidriar, Nov 2, 2011
    #4
  5. DR650SE

    DR650SE The Whiskey Barracuda

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    The QX9300 was great for what it was, but the lack of hyper threading definately made it half the CPU the 1st and 2nd gen core-i cpus were.

    Also to the OP, gotta keep in mind that even if the 280 was listed for medium settings, you had two of them running in SLI, so gotta take into account dual 280s vs single 6990. The good about the 6990 is it is a single card. No SLI issues.
     
    DR650SE, Nov 2, 2011
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  6. sparrow21

    sparrow21 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks for the replies! .. I Paid $1625 total including shipping. Full hd 1080p lcd, regular 320gb hdd. I feel that even though its only a single 6990, it should be fine for me. The M18x would have been more of a hardcore gamer but too big for a laptop for me, and much more $$$ lol..
     
    sparrow21, Nov 2, 2011
    #6