M17x questions before i purchase..

ok so i got a few questions about the alienware m17, how is the battery life. which is best proscessor for the m17 while still keeping a substantial amount of battery life 3-5 hours preferibly. ok and which Gfx is better and by how much, the Nvidia 460M or the AMD 6970M? how does the 460M and the 6970M compare to the 555M is it better or worse? and which wireless card would be better for me? 6250 or the 6300? -Plushy

 

Based solely on the information I've seen others post about their m17x r3s I'd say that;

(M17X R3)
The battery life is really great - More and more R3 owners are talking about how pleasantly surprised they are with the huge amount of battery life in the new m17x. 4-5 hours when using the IGP. Also worth noting that they made the new m17x extremely portable compared to the R2.

For the processor it really just comes down to your budget but most people will probably tell you that while the i7 2630 is more than enough to handle any of your gaming(or other) needs, the i7 2720 is the best "bang for your buck" in terms of getting that little bit extra out of the processor while not spending a ridiculous amount more. And the i7 2820 is the top processor AW currently offers for the R3, but doesn't add an extreme amount of noticeable difference for the price you pay. Although some might say that the 8MB cache(2MB up from the 630 and 720) is worth it.
i7 2630 = included in base specs for 1,499.00$US/1,599.99$CAN
i7 2720 = Add 150.00$US/200.00$CAN
i7 2820 = Add 350.00$US/450.00$CAN

And about 9/10 people will tell you that, unless you want 3D(Only applicable with the GTX 460m) the AMD 6970m is by far the best choice and well worth the extra money. It will make a large difference in gaming FPS and/or other visually demanding applications.

Keep in mind I am not yet an owner of the R3(hope to be soon) and everything I've said here is based on approximate averages of other point of views. I never understood why the Canadian prices are higher, especially with the current state of US vs Canadian economy. Oh well haha.

 

well my budget is $2,500 USD and i built my own system starting at $1,400 i chose, i7 2720QM, 8GB RAM, AMD 6970M, 750GB Hard Drive, 1920x1080p WLED, came to $2,350 USD with next day shipping . good?

 

With Warranty and Tax, you will be cutting it very close. But your rep can help you out, I guarantee they will find a way to be inside your budget.

 

well that is with everything thats my grand total for the entire purchase, u think if i talked to someone i could probably get a little bit of a discount? that'd be nice

 

Sent you a possibility for ordering over the phone(my rep) via PM.

 

My review answers a lot of your questions, especially about which processor to get.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/573464-m17x-r3-mini-review.html

 

Get the stock RAM and HDD. You can upgrade those yourself for A LOT less than Dell is charging you. Use the savings to protect your investment with an advanced service plan.

 

tbh i only save $25 with purchasing my own RAM/HDD and i'll consider that a "Manual Labor Charge" and i'd rather have a professional do it then have myself do it and mess something up, cause tbh idk how to do it, but people say its easy but i'd rather spend $25 and be safe then sorry

 

@Plushy I'll continue this , he forgot to mention the wireless part , the 6300 would be better.

@basilownzyou , which part of Canada you from , if you in Ontario here , don't forget about the 13% tax.

R2 could be portable too , I use it like reloading guns bullet , I have 3 extra battery for m17x-R2

 

Are you saying to go from 4GB to 8GB RAM,
And from 320GB to 750GB HDD
is $25????

I just did a quick check:
4GB to 8GB is $120. You can get 8GB Hyper for $100, and you still have the old RAM to put back in if you need to exchange. 5 minute install that even my 11 year old daughter could do. Video is up on youtube. To put in 4 sticks is a bit more involved. 8GB only requires you to pull the back cover.

320GB to 750GB is $100. Now this one does involve the hassle of reinstall.


Keep in mind that you are already paying for a 320GB HDD and 4GB RAM in the base price. With that said, they are charging you $120 on top of what you are already paying for already in RAM. Same logic applies to the HDD. I just wanted to point out that my reasoning was sound.

Good luck to you, and enjoy whatever you end up getting.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/456885-aw-dell-ordering-advice-how-save.html USE THAT LINK for AW ordering info it will save you a few hundred already so that really helps with going for a better GPU and CPU so that should help you