Question about the R2 screen

Was looking at the Alienware M17x R2
Now I know from reading here that the 17-inch WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 RGB LED screen is awesome, but will I be missing out on much if I get the 17 inch UltraSharp WXGA+ (1440x900) LCD Display?
I know its a smaller resolution, the system I have now, Dell Inspiron is 1920 x 1200, I just changed the settings to 1440x900 and it looked terrible, is everything really big on that screen?

I mostly do photo editing and play games, a little of everything.
I can jump on a system with the 1440x900 display, but how does that display compare?

Thanks in advance

 

I would advice you to go for the RGB screen and leave other options (like CPU,HDDs,RAM) that can be added later for a fraction than what the manufacturer is charging,adding a RGB screen later will cost close to 1k $ and it's very rare to find.

 

You can get the panel itself for about 1/5 that on ebay. Look up Samsung's P/N and it's easy.

 

Yes true,good advice,but doing so will void your warrenty but if it's for a good deal with nice specs except screen i would do it.

 

If you're doing photo editing, go for the RGB screen. There's a huge difference in the colours produced on-screen, with the RGB's colours being more vivid and true-to-life.

There's only 1 problem with the RGB screen, and it's that the default colour settings are perhaps a little oversaturated and slightly red-tinted. However, this is easy to fix using ATI's colour correction in its drivers.

 

If your looking at buying, I would say get the best screen you can (RGBLED) afford at time of purchase. Saves alot of hassle down the road. You wont be disapoonted with the 1920x1200 rgbled, its probably one of the very best screens about and as nzgeek says, colour or hue etc can be adjusted within CCC if it aint to your liking.

Good read here about calibration: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...led-calibrating-icc-profiles-etc-m17x-r2.html

 

Could you please post a link on ebay? and a HOW-TO-DO-THAT guide??? I think it is not really that easy.

 

Changing the screen is not easy. It is glued in and not bolted / screwed in so you have take a dremel to the screen. For me, that is stuff of nightmares!

Changing the entire screen assembly (with the back lid)on the other hand is a lot easier. However, this will cost you big.

Long story short, get the upgrade from day 1. The other upgrade should be crossfire 5870's. Other than that, its all do-able.

 

Think of it this way. You are going to spend 100% of your time on the computer looking at the screen, be it web browsing, gaming or photo editing. The RGB has great true to life colors, very vivid colors, sharp, and looks amazing in games. Treat your self to the RGB, and you can always find RAM, HDD, SDDs or even CPU on ebay, or the marketplace right here on NBR for a fraction of the cost. Much easier than swapping screens. If you ever go to sell the notebook, RGB will be a HUGE selling point too so it's a good investment. To me the screen is the one thing I wouldn't skimp on. All the other parts won't void your warranty. As for the CPU if you upgrade, keep the original one so you can swap it back in should you ever need to send in your notebook in for repairs like I have. There are many great tutorials here at NBR, especially for CPU swapping if you ever have questions on that front. Bottom line, my recommendation is the RGB.

 

Do you need the RGB LED screen? No.
It's a splendid screen, vivid colors. It simply is great.

But you ask if you will be missing out much if you take a 1440x900 screen.
If we for a minute take the RGB LED out of the equation and simply look at screen resolution, then yes you will be missing out loads.
I never understood why they actually sell 17" with a 1440x900 resolution,it's to low.

If anything, take the dual CCFL 1920x1200 screen, which is also a great screen and very affordable (honestly, this is REALLY a GOOD screen), but don't go for the low resolution version, you will regret it.
If you have any cash left over though, take the RGB LED, even if it means you can't get that SSD drive, or the max version of processor.
Those things are easily upgraded over time by yourself for very reasonable prices, the screen is somewhat harder.

However, if i had to choose between a crossfire gpu and a dual CCFL 1920x1200, or a single GPU with the RGB LED, my choice would be the first.

 

Alright I pulled the trigger on a refurb'd r17 x2

I did get the RGB screen as I don't think I could live with the 1440x900

I got pretty much every think I wanted, and with the refurb price + the 15%off coupon it was a steal! Only thing missing was a 2nd 5870. But hopefully I can add a 2nd one sometime in the future.

Can't wait till 2/21 for it to get here

 

Adding one is easy.
Just a small warning before you decide to ebay a 2nd card in 2 months from now, order one from dell, or look for a complete kit elsewhere (with the right side heat sink, and the crossfire cable).
These are 2 items which will be VERY hard to find, as dell will not sell them separately, you wouldn't be the first to bail out on a 2nd card, giving up after months of looking for these 2 parts. (you'll also need a right side fan, but that one's easy to get).

Now, enjoy your upcoming system