Questions about (R2 & R3) M17X

Hey there ........
First of all thanks for this helpful forum and you guys are awesome.
I'm planning to buy the M17X and lost between R2 & R3 versions
and here are my questions :
will the R2 price drop after R3 is released ?
Is there alot of problems with R2 (eg: overheating ) ?
I hate PLASTIC and love durable things , so will the R3 be all plastic made ?
I live in the middle east and want to order it online , can you just give me the link where you build your M17x (R2) and how to get the best price ?

 

Depends on how desirable the r3 is, the used and refurb prices might well rise if gamers prefer the r2 because of it's dual graphics card capability. Supply and demand. I can't see how the brand new prices could rise however I don't know alienwares policy on how long they'll continue to sell them after the r3 is released.

The r3 definitely looks like theres more plastic than anything. Not good. Besides we still don't know all of the varients involved to weight up an informed decision. Like whether or not the r2 will be capable of using the newer more powerful ati and nvidia cards.

The only thing you can do to be absolutely sure is wait.

My personal opinion is that dual graphics cards are hit and miss, for a lot of games it isn't optimized and it is often not worth it when you consider the extra power and cost involved. Basically two graphics cards does not equal twice as good in reality even if it looks like it in your sig. Also there are lots of throttling issues because of questions usually over power supply. Lets face it the last gen quads are very inefficent and not desirable for laptops in practically. Sandy will close this.

I have to say though that having the option of having two graphics cards in the m17x if the consumer wants is key for the alienware brand and the niche it has. You can't really go wrong if you buy either the r2 or r3. r3 will be more efficent and lighter, r2 better for gaming but both will play games for a long long time to come as long as you load them up. Don't customize online check out the outlets for deals or negotiate a deal by ringing.

 

If the R3 plastic made i won't ever buy it , even if it's more powerfull .....
But the question is will the R2 be avialable/customizable after R3 releasing ?
And i don't like to buy used or refurbed electronics ...
What about ordering it from the outside of USA ?
Anyway thanks for your input

 

While I agree with several of the points you made in your post, this part of your post needs to be addressed because it's not true. There are no throttling problems with the M17x-R2 with Xfire 5870 + any CPU configuration. As far as dual card (sli/xfire) compatiblity with games, I'd say 90% or greater games will work and if they don't, radeon pro (3rd party tool) will take care of the other 10% by assigning a profile for it. Thus dual cards will always be better than a single card configuration. You may encounter the rare game where it won't work well but those cases are far and few between.

 

To answer your question I do not know for how long they will sell the r2 for after the r3 is released. Probably not very long, at a minimium until they run out of stock and components. It could be longer however the r3 is supposed to replace the r2. So it won't be that long!

Don't customize it online because you will pay a hefty price. You are better off ringing or heading to an outlet. They will be more than happy sell you a fully loaded r2 with a nice discount. Tell them you are looking at competitors laptops too and weighing up options/pricing.

 

Radeon cards are better, maybe I should be more specific but I know several people with the m17x and they get throttling with certain nvidia cards although this could of been sorted by now as the r2 is very mature but there were problems. And I never said that a dual setup isn't overall better for gaming, I'm just saying that having two cards can be deceiving because you don't get twice the performance, no where near really.

 

The scaling depends on the game, that's true. But on average I'd say dual 5870s (I can't speak for SLi 285M but it's probably better) scale anywhere from 70-100% so it's quite efficient in most games.

 

You can still find laptops from three, four, five generations ago, as well as parts for them. I wouldn't worry about finding an R2 or parts for it for at least three to four years.

 

Thanks for the info , and yeah customizing online is WAY overpriced

 

Yeah i think that too , but what you think about buying new R2 from ebay ?

 

Why would you buy a new one from ebay? You can get killer deals from dells website. Or get a refurb one cheaper from the dell outlet. *you can probably tell I dont trust ebay...

 

Here's my advice, which is what I did with the build in my signature. Make sure that you get the LED LCD and dual 5870s or 285s. Get the absolute minimum spec on everything else because it can be purchased on eBay or Newegg. You'll pay $1,250 for a 940XM CPU from Dell, but the 920XM is the same exact chip and can be had for under $500 on eBay. Same with RAM. You can get Dell's 8GB kit for an extra $350, OR you can an 8GB kit of actual brand name RAM for under $150. You can save almost a thousand dollars doing that.

 

I never had any sort of throttling issues with my SLI 285s. The Flextronics PSU is definitally under-ratted @ 240W, I've peaked mine @ 280W+ without issue and with my i740QM The only instance where I even approached 200W+ was in synthetics. I can't imagine the R1 having any such issue either considering all the TDP's are the same for the processor.

 

The OP isn't interested in getting used or refurbs. By the sounds of it he wants a deal from the manufacturer directly. As I said I do not know Dell's policy but I imagine they won't sell the r2 for that long once the r3 is released.

You can buy computer components from pcs from over a decade ago quite readily if you look, however from the OPs posts it is unlikely he will go that avenue.

I can't talk about individual accounts as everyone is different, I'm glad you have had a positive experience with such a costly laptop however I don't agree here at all. There are many people with the r1 that feel abandoned from throttling issues and ongoing problems unfixed you have a large thread this forum with it. The r2 is definitely more stable than the r1.

OP be careful if you buy off Ebay. There are a lot of good sellers on there make sure you buy from someone with a rep who will refund if something goes wrong.

 

OP be careful if you buy off Ebay. There are a lot of good sellers on there make sure you buy from someone with a rep who will refund if something goes wrong.[/QUOTE]

I'll be , so there's nothing wrong with buying new M17x R2 from ebay ?
Because ebay have great prices compared to dell's online customization
and i don't live in USA so i can't call dell company

 

I appreciate your advice but it more likely to suite USA/CANADA citizins , but no way it can suit me
even if i customized it online with the specs you suggested it will cost me MORE than 2000$ even if chose the lowest specs like CPU and RAM ......
And don't forget the shipping

 

YEAH dell online prices actually killed me
give me a link of a good deal like you mentioned ( killer ) ?

 

What you think about this one
DELL Alienware M17x Gaming Laptop Notebook Computer - eBay (item 290512357192 end time Jan-12-11 14:36:40 PST)

is it good ? And how to make sure that the screen is RGB LED (1920x1200) ?
Because i've tried to build one(dell website) with the same specifications (if the screen RGB) and the price is 3000$ without shipping
while on ebay 2500$ free shipping

 

Just ask the seller to look for you,eventually make him take a picture as a proof.
But 2500$ for that is still pricy.

 

I'll ask him .....
(2500$ overpriced )?
Then give me a solution
thanks for your input

 

What I have seen here, the majority complains most about the plastic finish of the m17x r3.

Let me tell you something guys, when I first purchased my m11x r2, within days I called alienware and asked why they are not making the m17x or m15x the same way m11x r2 is built?

You guys have to see the finish of the 'plastic' including the quality.

So, long story short, I own m11x r2 and m17x r2, one is made of plastic outside and magnesium inside and second one of aluminum outside and magnesium inside. I am happy with both the systems, even though the m11x r2 is made of plastic, is very solid and it has a 'rubbery' finish.

I am 100% sure the m17x r3 is the same build as the m11x r2, plastic (rubbery finish) outside and inside is magnesium. It will not be very light (maybe 10-15% less than the current one) and secondly it will not look or feel cheap at all.

This is only my opinion...

 

We all hope that the R3 be solid and durable.
but also plastic is more prone to scratches than aluminum ....
(Scratches=cheapo looks after a period of time)
All we have to do is to wait until the first review of the R3.

Thanks for your great post