M17x r4 for college?

Hello all! Long time lurker here.

I am going off to college soon and I need a laptop. I want a powerful one, but I don't want a mac (apple /eeew) an asus would be cool, but the Gseries doesn't have many upgrade options, particularly in the video card department.

Even though I know it would be cheaper, I don't want to go with the "nice desktop for gaming + mid range laptop for school work" setup. I want to just have one machine that can do it all.

Thus alienware comes into the picture.
I love the aesthetics of them. Having been a long time muscle car lover, I can't get over the look these laptops have. Customization is great, and even though they are a bit overpriced, it isn't to the degree that apple is, and you definitely get a kickass machine.


What I need to know is if I should go with the m14x R2, or the m17x R4. I have held an m14x, but never an m17x, so I don't know what to expect in that area. I love the power of the larger laptop, but I don't know if the portability trade off is worth it. Money is not an issue (as long as it stays below 2500).

almost all the youtupe reviews I have seen say the 17x is to heavy to carry around regularly, but these are usually done by people of average build. I am 6'3 and fairly strong so I don't know if the weight/size thing would really be much of a problem for me.

Which do you guys think I should go with?

 

if you want a desktop replacement, you should definitely get the m17x R4. Get a backpack to carry it around. Its not that heavy unless you are a girl.

you can get a nicely equipped one for about $1800

just make sure you get the 7970m, 1080p screen and Ivy bridge processor. Even the base i7 3610 is quite powerful

 

Thanks, thats what I was thinking. The build I am probably going to get on the m17x is:

3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3610QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.3GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0) (ivy bridge)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
MEMORY 6GB DDR3 at 1600MHz (2DIMMS) edit
HARD DRIVE 750GB 7,200 RPM + 32GB mSATA Caching SSD
VIDEO CARD 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 7970M
LCD PANEL 17.3-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
WIRELESS CARD Intel® Advanced-N WiFi Link 6250 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO Technology with WiMax and Bluetooth 4.0
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)

+ a 1 year advanced warranty.
comes to about 2200 before discounts.

I am not sure which wireless card would be best though. Is the basic one okay? Or is the one that costs 50 extra dollars better?

Also, is the alienware backpack good? Because you can get it for less than 70 dollars on Amazon instead of 99 dollars on the AW site Amazon.com: Mobile Edge Alienware Orion ScanFast Checkpoint Friendly Backpack - 17.3": Electronics
If anyone has one and could tell how its held up that would be awesome.

 

i can't really help you with the backpack as the one i have goes over the shoulder

however, that config looks sick! You will be very happy with the performance of that laptop.

 

The AW backpack is on sale right now for $80, I ordered one with my M17x and should be receiving it this week (though the computer itself is a month away). I don't know what kind of quality to expect, we'll see how it looks.

As for the 14 vs 17... there is no way I'd use the 17 as a laptop regularly, it's just huge. Even a 15" laptop seems on the big side to me for regular mobile use. I'd be looking at something in the 11-13" range, isn't there something with the GT650M or so out now? Either that or the AMD Trinity that should be out soon would be nice.

I suggest going to a store and looking at some 17" laptops to get a feel for just how huge they are before buying anything. Maybe it will be fine for you, but it's definitely too much for me - mine will stay on my desk 90% of the time, then be transported by car to another desk in a hotel room the other 10% of the time, never on my lap or a coffee table or a tiny dorm desk, etc.

 

I have seen the m18x in person, and that thing is an impressively unportable beast lol. But I think with a backpack I can pull off the m17x.
I am wondering if I should buy an extra battery just in case i end up in a place without outlet sockets around though...

 

I use a M17xR3 + Swissgear Pegasus backup for my daily college routine. Works great, battery life is twice what my previous laptop was (thank you sandy bridge) on IGP, M17xR4 should be even better. Do it, I don't regret it at all.

 

M17x R4 would be a good candidate due to the longer battery life thanks to ivy bridge and other power saving upgrades. Should go well. Otherwise, I would try to get by with an M14x (I know there are a lot of reports of issues with the M14x) but this one would have much more battery life than the M17x IMO. Good luck with your decision.

 

Astro Scout is the best backpack for m17x-r3 (r4) in my opinion

 

For your back pack I could recommend this one. Fits the m17x like a glove, has stow away weather protection, and can carry your video games consoles and books.

http://everki.com/index.php/product...-w-gaming-console-sleeve-fits-up-to-18-detail

 

I bought mine for college!
I also bought the Orion back pack and some headphones.

the only thing is i look geeky as hell wearing either.....
Oh well gets job done

 

^^ That is why astro scout is the best imho, it looks very cool and very professional, seriously

 

I have the AW Orion backpack for my M17xR3 and love it. The laptop goes in to the cloth sleeve and then into the backpack each night. I have used it on road trips for work and it is an excellent quality bag.

 

I figured that the AW doesn't look professional anyway so who cares if the backpack doesn't :lol: I have a work laptop for work, the AW is for fun. Not being a student anymore also means I have no need to not look like a geek.

The Orion backpack arrived 2 days ago and seems solid. It's also quite heavy, which hopefully means it will last as long as the computer.

 

Thank you guys for the responses! I think I will probably go for the Orion unless i come across a miracle bag at one of the stores nearby.

for a headset I am definitely going with something from Psyko audio labs.
Only headset on the market with actual 5.1 surround not, not simulated. Psyko Audio Labs

Not sure what mouse now though...

 

Something to keep in mind when it comes down to simulated vs real 5.1 is that you only have two ears, not six (eg one for each channel of audio). so you don't need more then 2 speakers to have accurate directionality. Otherwise.. we'd all be running around with 2+ ears.

With simulated you get 2 big speakers. With real you get a bunch of smaller speakers. In what research i've done concerning headphones.. its very very difficult to pull off real 5.1 often it will come out muddled and you wont be able to tell the direction of the sound which kind of defeats the purpose. Or you'll end up with a bunch of low quality speakers that just don't sound as good as if you only had two. Maybe that's not longer accurate but considering the... lack of true 5.1 headsets, it leads me to believe it still holds true. Just something to keep in mind.

 

I was a little skeptical of these myself at first, but 100% of the reviews I have seen have been positive. So they gotta be doing something right. The only complaints i have seen is that they are a bit heavy, and they are no great for music.

 

Yeah, they wont be good for music because all your music will sound like its coming from all around you vs stereo since you'll have no way to turn off the 5.1. I would really hate the fact they were heavy if after hours i felt like i were wearing them vs them being light weight. Just because i feel i'd end up with neck fatigue or something.

I honestly don't know anything about that particular set to be completely honest, or much about headphones in general. It's one of those subject's I just don't quite get it (kinda like photoshop) because without having your hands on every pair you cant exactly test to see which one sounds the best to you, and what sounds good for you might not sound great for another person who's more of an audiophile. When it comes to reviews on headphones.. from what i've seen some people over exaggerate, other's are to critical and i feel im always taking a leap of faith when I buy a set of headphones.

But anyways, I'd honestly make a thread and ask about a good set of headphones to use with the m17x r4. But that's just me. I just don't always trust reviews 100% when it comes to something that's subjective to each person. If you do end up wanting to get that particular set, i would go out and see if anyone has a set on display so you can see how heavy they feel to you, weight is one issue that would make me weary of buying pretty much any headset no matter how good it sounds.

 

Just a couple questions!

Will the standard 6 BG of ram be plenty for years to come? Or should I go ahead and up it to 8 GB? (i don't really want to fiddle around inside anymore than I have to when I get it)

Also, will the standard 3.3 GHz ivy bridge processor be plenty for games for years to come, or should I up it to the next level with 3.6 GHz?

 

If you don't want to touch it at all then you might as well get the 8GB from Dell. I just got 6 so that I can install 16 myself.

I'm fairly confident that any of the processors will be fine for gaming for the foreseeable future.

 

Im going with 8gb from dell. I've been told 8 is sufficient for gaming and anything more then that's kinda overkill. I'd prefer 8 over 6 because i'd rather have two matching dimms (8gb = 2x4gb) vs two dimm's that don't match (6gb = 2gb + 4gb)

As for the processor i've read on here from slick that the base CPU is pretty powerful, but ill be bumping mine to 3.6 for safe measure when I make my order.

 

Thanks!

One more thing. Due, to some recent issues I may have to put off my purchase for a few months, maybe even to near Christmas. Is there any updates to the R4 besides 680 cards thats will be rolling down the pipe in the meantime?