Outlet Score

How did I do?


JP7KP 1 Base,Notebook,Balanced Technology Extended,RANGER
K972H 1 Module,Adapter,Alternating Current,240W,Delta - Ac Adapt World Wide
N971H 1 Module,Cord,Power,125V,2M,C13 United States
9YXPJ 1 Module,Cover,HNG-UP,NV,3D,AW17R1
611P7 1 Module,Assembly,Base,Optical Device Drive,AW17R1
NXGDN 1 Module,Software,W8H/P64,Digital Video Disk Drive,MUL24
JC80D 1 Module,Software,W8H64,England/English,DAO/BCC
H96FK 1 Module,Processor,HSW,I7-4900MQ,2.8,17R1
H81V8 1 MOD,DIMM,32GB,4X8GB,1600,DDR3L
RY98H 1 Module,Solid State Drive,64,MCARD,PM830,ISRT
MDDF9 1 Module,Hard Drive,750,7.2,P11,4K,MX375
NN7MG 1 Module,Dvd+/-Rw And Bd-Rom,HLD,BARE,Across Line Of Business
4N1D8 1 Module,Card,Graphics,NV14E-G,AW17R1
8132H 1 Module,Card,Network,BCM4352,World Wide,Artwork
C112J 1 Module,Documentation,SERI/WSI English,DAO/BCC
RM0K6 1 Module,Shipping Material,Notebook,Alienware,17,3D
KHCK5 1 MOD,INFO,GNRC
68CGP 1 Module,Software,Microsoft,Gml Inc,Operating System,W8,Consumer
KHCK5 1 MOD,INFO,GNRC
RC4TG 1 Service Install Module,Software,BCM4352,Alienware,Logitech Dovebar
F0TH9 1 Module,Palmrest,N-VPT,AW17R1
GCK79 1 Module,Information,Hard Disk Drive Cache,Solid State Drive
4F9D1 1 Module,Label,Intel,CI7,Small
T72YP 1 Module,Information,Alienware,Processor,OVER-CLK,LVL1
W753G 1 Module,Information,Direct Ship,Compal,TSINGMA
CXR80 1 Service Install Module,Software,Alienware,AW17R1
KHCK5 1 MOD,INFO,GNRC
WCRMT 1 Module,Software,Cyberlink,Suite,ESLS,Consumer,Board
CVYV4 1 Module,Software,DBR1.0,BASIC,CSMB
J5V02 1 Module,Software,DSPRT-CTR,3.X
8RJV4 1 Module,Software,Windows,Live,Essentials
NR5YV 1 Module,Software,Quick Fix Engineering,WIN8
V9KJ6 1 Module,Liquid Crystal Display,17.3FHD,White Light Emitted Diode,3D,AW17R1
X6G7X 1 Module,Software,DPK,W8H32/64
HPPVH 1 Module,Information,Cam,Integrated,Asset Recovery Business
M3GVR 1 Module,Software,OFC-2013,Multiple User Interface,Factory Install
6G7PX 1 MOD,BTRY,PRI,86WHR,8C,SIMPLO
K8R1C 1 Module,Keyboard,Alienware,101,ENG-US,V/R
421-1723 1 Soft Contracts Dell In-Home Hardware Agreement for Alienware
950-3337 1 1 Year Limited Warranty
950-9797 1 No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
954-4168 1 Dell Hardware Warranty Plus On-Site Service, Initial Year
954-4191 1 In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis, Parts and Labor On-Site Response, Initial Year
994-3730 1 Warranty Support, Initial Year
3E476 1 Information,Equipment
11725 1 Warranty Longer of 90 Days or Remainder of System Warranty/ Svc Contract. 21 Day Return. Parts may be Reconditioned.
375-6061 1 Thank you, Dell Outlet
Subtotal: $1,840.30
Shipping and Handling: $0.00
Sales Tax: $97.52
Total: $1,937.82

 

Btw if is not the 1600x900 screen it is the better one.

Also the graphics card is the 780 since it doesn't say in the description.


would love honest feedback, like to know if I did bad or good or meh.

 

Thats an excellent deal.

Windows 8 HP
4900QM
32GB
780m
120hz 3D Screen
BD-ROM
750GB HD

I think you scored really good.

 

Wow thanks, I didn't even realize it had the 3d screen to be honest. Guess I need some stupid 3d glasses to make it work? Wonder if outlet machines come with those. They should I reckon.

Honestly I think 3d screens on a laptop seem silly...do many games support 3d?

 

The outlet laptop don't come with the glasses, but you can get them cheap anywhere. As far as for the 120hz screen, that is definitely a plus. If you research on youtube about gaming on a 120hz screen, you won't regret you got it. Congrats on the almost Top of The line specs on an AW17, The only upgrade you will need later is the Extreme CPU.

 

Thanks! I've never had a top of the line laptop, only the entry level type gaming stuff (which admittedly are still really nice).

Never had a laptop with 120hz...isn't that the thing on TVs that makes everything look like a soap opera? Sure hope that isn't the case with netflix and blu rays and stuff, I absolutely *hate* that effect on shows and stuff. I'm sure it is really awesome on gaming though.

What's the Extreme CPU? And any special name for those glasses? I don't know that I'll ever buy 3d blu rays or the like, so expensive.

So the 1900ish price tag was a good deal for this system? It was a lot more but I got the 30% off on it. I'm thinking this computer will last me a while.

 

You got a great machine. Some games are great in 3D, others not so much. I haven't tried but I hear Batman Arkham is great in 3D. So try different types.

120 hz is the refresh rate. You need it to be 120hz, so each eye can get 60hz for the 3D effect. As for the soap opera effect, ugh. The problem is that soap operas are filmed in 60hz, while movies are 24hz. So soap operas are actually much better quality. But when people see a smother frame rate it reminds them of soap operas. I think people just need to get used to it. It would be like if only country and western music came on CDs, all the rest where on vinyl records. Then all the sudden you hear your music on a much better CD without scratches, and it reminds you of country music.

The extreme cpu is what Intel calls the top of the line cpus. Basically there is always a faster cpu, unless you pay top dollar. The top end mobile cpu right now has the lowest performance per dollar ratio. I think you picked a good top end cpu.

1900 or so is a good deal for the specs, and great deal considuring it is a AW. Is this deal still valid?

Not sure who has the best deal for the 3D glasses. Keep in mind you can use them for games, blu-ray, and videos. I think even youtube has 3D videos.

 

The only concern for the 120hz screen is that you can't use the integrated Intel GPU I think and battery life is lower if you travel with your machine any. If those aren't a concern, then no problem since the screen is supposedly nicer I hear.

 

I thought that was only an issue for SLI laptops?

 

Nope, SLI laptops can use 120Hz screen but can't switch to IGFX or the system will not POST. Optimus (Intel HD Graphics) is not compatible with 120Hz. That's why the 3D version have no Optimus and use only the discrete GPU.

Extreme CPU is exactly what the name implies. It is a fully unlocked processor like a desktop K or X CPU, with adjustable TDP, fully adjustable multipliers and much higher performance capacity. They can be overclocked to extreme levels on all cores, with the only functional limitations being your ability to provide enough power and cooling. My 3920XM is idling at 4.5GHz on 4 cores and 51°C as I type this. They charge a lot for them, but the increase in performance is truly phenomenal and worth every dime if you enjoy having that kind of performance at your fingertips.

In most games it doesn't matter much. A low-end quad core that can only max out at 2.8GHz-3.0GHz is still enough for almost all games. There are some demanding titles that will use every ounce of CPU power and clock speeds that you make available and provide much higher FPS with a smoother experience, but those are the exception... not many do.

That was a good price. Congratulations on the nice new beast.

 

Thanks!

Quick question:

I've never had a computer with a SSD before. I assume this:
1 Module,Solid State Drive,64,MCARD,PM830,ISRT

Just contains the OS and is the boot drive? I'd assume all other storage stuff would go to the HDD as the OS probably takes up a large chunk of the mSATA card? Or am I totally missing something here?



Regarding the 120hz, I don't care about using the integrated GPU....it doesn't seem to help battery life that dramatically and I am almost never in a spot where I am not plugged in with this, it is my mobile work center (I currently have an M17x R4). Once in a while I grab it and just put it on my lap at home to surf the net but not often.

However, is there a way to prevent everything from looking like a crappy soap opera, or are all my blu-rays and dvds and netflix and stuff going to be forced into 120hz soap opera mode? Because if that's the case, that's a deal breaker for me. The 3d doesn't really do anything for me and I hardly ever see myself using it but having to put up with that soap opera stuff is a no-go for me.

 

I watch netflix all the time on mine and don't notice issues with having 120hz.

Frankly, after going to 120hz for my PC I will never want to go back.

A lot of the soap opera look on TV's comes from their smoothing mode that actually inserts fake frames between each frame to guesstimate the motion on the screen. You wont have that issue on the laptop.

 

Thank you, I wasn't aware of the fake frames thing on television. I'll have to try it out when it shows up and see. I just absolutely *hate* that soap opera look.

 

Wow you pretty much paid half the price I did (in UK) for the same specs, is there a reason why they are so cheap?

 

Alien wares are 30% off right now t the outlet...its just impossible to get any. I camped the outlet alllll day hitting f5 and this one popped up so I took it.

 

I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised! 3D TV is so much poorer than a real 2x60hz picture. The 3D TV is even worse than the 24hz signal would imply since both images are sent side by side in a single frame. Effectively halving the resolution - again filled in by the TV hardware.

I only got it for checking it out. I can output to a 3D TV and do occasionally, but the low frame-rate introduces atrocious input lag. Wouldn't consider a non 3D machine now - big fan

 

If you didn't notice a soap opera effect on a 60hz display, you won't notice it on a 120hz display. But you may notice less fatigue with it. Movies will still be show flicker and motion and panning strobe, they are shot at 24fps. The computer will not insert extra frames, it will just display the same frame several times.

Yes, many TVs have motion smoothing technology. Where they insert extra frames. As far as I know all TVs with this, enable the user to turn it off. I have it turned off on mine, since it isn't perfect with its guesses.

There is a reason 120hz and 240hz TVs are popular. Give it a chance.

That looks like it has a 64gb SSD. Most likely it is set up as a cache drive, since it is very small for the OS to fit on. If it is a cache, you won't see it, but the common things you load, like OS, will be much faster loading. If it is not a cache drive, then you will see it listed, and most likely it will have Windows on it. If so, then it will be almost full. You will need to keep an eye on it so it doesn't fill up.

 

Thanks guys, it's very good to know that the soap opera effect should not exist. I have only seen it when you set TVs to 120hz, but that is likely because of the fake frames you mention that I did not know existed. I'm just not a super tech savvy dude these days, have too many other things taking up my time.

I do think the combination of the nice HD screen, the upgraded processor and RAM, and the killer graphics card will really be able to do some stunning things to my games.

 

One question about cache drives: how precisely do they work? Is this something I need to defrag and/or clean regularly? If I roll back to Windows 7 (because I believe this is coming with Windows 8) will the cache drive still do its job properly or will I need to download drivers and set it up right or what?

I've never utilized a cache or SSD before. All new tech to me, I know, I'm behind the curve

 

Hi, precisely is a little more than I can do here but the basics are:

It is hardware based and is independent of the OS.

It uses the RAID hardware on the chipset to create a hidden RAID volume.

All calls to the HD are redirected by the firmware via the cache drive to see if it is already there. If not then it will be copied, dependent on the algorithm (frequently accessed get priority), and remaining space.

It is not visible to the OS and all it sees is the primary drive.

You can configure it in windows using the pre-installed IRST software but also you get a pre-BIOS screen at boot.

All it requires of windows is to use the OEM (Intel) RAID disk driver.

If it fails or is not working then the machine will usually continue as if it does not exist.

All the people I have tested this with have been very impressed and have not seen any noticeable speed increase when moving to a dedicated SSD - maybe 2 seconds off win load?

Further reading: Chipset Software — Intel® Smart Response Technology User Guide

HTH

 

Double post.

 

Awesome score! The 17's are ridiculously difficult to get.

 

Woo great answer, tyvm! Good to know it's something that will speed up my computer loading times and I won't even really have to fool with it!