M17x R3 from HIDevolution

I'm going to be buying an M17x R3 from HIDevolution, and I've a few questions before I do:

Q. I'm going with the 2920XM processor, and I need to know what is the fastest RAM I can pair with it?

Q. Is RAIDing two Intel 510's the fastest/smartest way to go? I heard there can be problems when RAIDing SSDs, is this true? Should I go for a HDD/SSD configuration instead?

Q. Do I need security software? I'm using ESET right now and haven't gotten anything at all from any of the gigabytes of torrents I download constantly. Is this because of my antivirus or is it an unnecessary security blanket that I should get rid of?

More Q's to come when I can think of them.

 

2920XM not worth the money for just 0.1Ghz more in speed over the 2820QM. BIOS support is also an issue, it will work but no overclocking options.

A lot of people here use Kingston Hyper X, it come's in different flavors, you will not notice any speed differance in daily use.

The Intel 510 works perfect in the R3, not sure about raid mode, most use SSD/HDD. Dont know what the upgrade cost at HID but maybe its cheaper to buy it yourself.

Of course you need security software, just use Microsoft security essentials, free to download from Microsoft and works perfect.

 

I never thought of BIOS issues. Hmm, no overclocking. Guess that blows that idea out of the water. Money isn't an issue, but if I don't need to spend $600 on something I don't need, then great. HID does offer Kingston's Hyper X and that's what I was going with. I only wanted to clarify; because, Intel states that the 2920XM only supports up to 1600 MHz making the 1866 MHz RAM a waste of money. As for the antivirus, I've heard all they do is slow down your computer without offering any real protection. *trying not to think of condoms*

 

at the moment I agree, also if you are going to upgrade the best way is to do it yourself as you will still have the original cpu and ram for warranty issues, when HID do the upgrade they keep the old cpu and ram - something I didn't consider when I go my system.

 

Wow, just wow. That should've been so obvious I cannot believe I didn't consider it.

 

You sound like someone who wants the seller/dealer to handle the details for you. If so....

As Barbostann said, the 2920xm has barely any difference from the 2820qm, only 3.5 vs 3.4ghz. Both have the same 8mb cache. Also the 2720 is nearly as good as the 2820, 3.3ghz vs 3.4, but only 6mb of cache. I'd get a 2720qm, it has the most bang for the buck, but if you are itching to spend your cash then the 2820 offers the most and looses little compared to the 2920.

Most people would rather have a SSD/HDD combo than a RAID SSD. Dual 510s would be nice, but would limit your media storage. Better to spend your money on a large (240/256gb) SSD for Windows, apps, & games, and then have a large (750Gb) HDD for music, movies and such. This would be cheaper than 2 510s also. Although RAID SSDs could be faster, it is doubtful you would need more performance than a single 510 SSD, I sure wouldn't.

As stated before, MSE (microsoft security essentials) can handle all your anti-virus needs for free.

 

Yes, that sums it up quite nicely. I Am incredibly obsessively compulsive. I'm worried about opening up my system and finding things that need "fixing" and then before you know it, my lappy's dead. The size of the SSD's is something I don't think I'd have a problem with. Then again, I've never had a system that fast so I have no idea how many games I'd install or movies I'd download/rip. Ever been in this situation and regretted not getting more GB's--I can imagine 250 GB of music taking a damned long time to transfer.

 

You only have 2 hard drive bays, so unless you want to use an external drive, one of your drives has to be a HDD, unless you want to spend $1000+ on a 500gb SSD. A regular HDD is just fine for music, don't put your music on the SSD unless you have room to spare.

 

Money isn't an issue.

 

or remove the optical drive then you have another drive bay