R2 v R3, all the pros and cons ? Best value etc.

Thanks for your reply.
I forgot to mention that the warranty on both laptop are the same.
Both has premium support from Dell.
Considering the price difference, is it worth to go for R3?

 

For a $600 price difference, and considering the fact that 3D does not seem to be important to you, I would go for the R2. Keep in mind that if the R2 fails later on, there is a good chance they'll offer you the R3 as a replacement. Either way you'll end up with a great machine.

 

Yes, you are right. 3D is not important for me, gaming performance is what matter to me most.
So, I guess R2 is more worth it right?
Thanks alot for your response.

 

Actually, assuming the R2 fails you'll be upgraded to a similar specced system. Dual gpu's, aka M18x R1. That's assuming the can't fix or replace the parts in the 17x R2 due to unavailability.

 

Oh thanks for clarifying.
It's nice to know that even though I hope it will run fine.

Oh yeah what about the performance of the crossfire 5870M currently?
It is still capable maxing games, maybe BF3?
Actually I am fine turning off AA or Vsync.

 

I'm planning to get a red R3.

are the "plastics" similar to mainstream computers, aka ASUS laptops... or do they feel better?

 

The dual 5870s will outperform a single 6970 pretty nicely, but you have to deal with the headache of crossfire. For the $600 difference I would definitely choose the R2. The screen, the aluminum build...nice bonuses. If the prices were closer I would definitely suggest the r3. Any chance you can sniff out a better deal on the r3?

 

Thanks for your honest opinion.
So dual 5870s are very capable for today's gaming provided the games are optimized for crossfire right?

For now I still can't find any better deal for R3, the clearance stock price for R2 is very tempting.
But I am not rushing things so I guess I can try and find a best deal in Malaysia.

 

I may be mistaken, but I don't think the 5870s are Directx 11 capable. That translates to possibly missing out on some not-so-noticeable graphical features. I apologize if I am wrong.

 

5870 supports DX11

 

Oops! Duh, ok. Sorry! Is it the 4870 that doesn't do D11?

 

Yea, they do support it, which is why I can run 3DMark11 as it's only able to run on DX11 capable hardware

 

Thanks for your info. But to my knowledge I think the HD5000 series card supposed to support DX11.
But you're right about HD4870, it does not support DX11.
Anyway appreciate your effort.

Thanks for your explanation.
Do you mind if I ask how does your R2 perform in latest games?

 

Hi DR650SE, do you mind if I ask how does your R2 perform in current games as well?

 

IMO the + for the R3

Price
Sandy Bridge is much better
3D if that means anything to you.

the - for the R3

Plastic chassis
No RGB LED

Considering the R2 is EOL your pretty much left with a Outlet purchase or going for the m18x.

 

R3 definitely, unless the R2 has switchable gpus.

 

There is a stock clearance sales now for the R2 which makes it quite cheap.
In Malaysia, I have found a great deal on new M17x R2 (it is a clearance stock)
with a spec as below:
i7 740QM
6GB RAM
1920x1200 RGBLED
Crossfire 5870M.
2x500Gb HDD 7200rpm Raid 0
Price :RM6800 (about USD2 283.41)

While if I go for M17x R3, the comparable specs that I can find is
as below:
i7 2720QM (in Malaysia this is the slowest processor for R3)
6gb RAM
1920x1080 WLED 60Hz
HD6970M
750gb HDD 7200rpm (the smallest hard disk that can be configured in dell Malaysia)
Price : RM8684 (about USD2 916.05)

M17x price in Malaysia is much higher compared to the US, so basically the R3 here is much more expensive compared to the stock clearance R2.
So, what do you think?

Despite the huge price difference?

 

I would say get the r2, as a fellow college student $600 us would make a huge dent in my budget and for what the r2 offers I dont think the r3 is worth the extra $$$$

 

Thanks lukimonki for your opinion.
I think Im gonna go with the R2 then.
The price difference is too huge which does not justify the performance gain in gaming.
Thanks a lot guys.

 

Man, I keep saying this:

The 2630QM aka the "lowest end" processor offered on the R3 scores within 30 Passmark points of the desktop i7 950. That's significantly more powerful than the 940XM.

Think about that for a sec.

 

The "best value" is to pick up a $1499 R3 with the 2630 and just upgrade the videocard to the 6970m. What are you paying, $1,800 for a system that is faster than any R2 spec?

No brainer, IMO. Unless you need the RGB or strongly desire the aluminum chassis (which would both be understandable).

 

Thanks for your reminder.
But I would like know is it worth spend RM1800 (about USD600)
for that?
Am I going to gain huge gaming performance from it?RM1800 is a huge amount of money in Malaysia. Plus, Im just a student so money saving is very important for me.
Since I am not going to do any CPU intenve programmes other than gaming.
Your opinion is appreciated.

 

I think there has been a misunderstanding here, I am not living in the US, and most probably you didn't read my previous post, so I am going to write it again.

In Malaysia, I have found a great deal on a new M17x R2 (it is a clearance stock)
with a spec as below:
i7 740QM
6GB RAM
1920x1200 RGBLED
Crossfire 5870M.
2x500Gb HDD 7200rpm Raid 0 (Total 1Tb)
Price :RM6800 (about USD2283.41)

While if I go for M17x R3, the comparable specs that I can find is
as below:
i7 2720QM (in Malaysia this is the slowest processor for R3)
6gb RAM (lowest amount of RAM available in Dell Malaysia)
1920x1080 WLED 60Hz(lowest resolution available in Dell Malaysia, plus I dont want anything lower than full HD since I have my SXPS 16)
HD6970M
750gb HDD 7200rpm (the smallest hard disk that can be configured in dell Malaysia)
Price : RM8684 (about USD2916.05)

Fyi, the price of Alienware is more expensive in Malaysia compared to the US.
But, if the R3 is more worth it then I might consider it then.
Thank you for your opinion.

 

I think you will be happy ith either one.

and the RGB LED screen on the r2 will be sweet.

Either laptop will handle pretty much what ever you through at it.

 

not if you strip the R2 down and carry a truck load of dry ice everywhere with you lol


there are pro's and con's here, they have mostly been pointed out to you, the key points are these -

R3 +
Higher general overall performance in every respect
Better compatability with single GPU
Faster Bus and usb connection, huge difference if you transfer files externally
Lighter in weight
external connection options
longer battery life

Also note that the R2 is end of life, you may have difficulty getting replacement parts if you have Dell warranty which means you could end up with an R3 anyway if they cannot repair e.g. there are no 1900/1200 lcd's available right now

nobody can make the choice for you, you need to summarise the points here and conclude if the extra cost is worth for you.

 

Thanks a lot Geoffxx and others.
You guys are totally helpful.
I am going to decide after I have summarised everything.
Thanks again.

 

hey Geoffxx, off topic but what does 3Dmark 1500 mean in your sig?

 

Thats the score I get stock without overclock from my system when I run 3dmark6

 

oh I see.. nice score for your setup

 

Maybe at stock speeds, but very few people who actually have the 940xm run it at stock speeds.

 

2630QM - 6300
940XM - 4500

Unless I see benchmarks that show otherwise, I don't think OCing your 940XM will bring it up 1800 points. You're competing with new architecture.

Maybe with the dry ice recommended above.

 

Heres the thing. Every system is "End of Life" when produced. Sure, dell will release maybe two driver updates, but thats it. In this respect, the term "End of Life" means "latest tech" Doesn't mean the older or previous system or generation is dead. Just not the latest release. Dell won't offer next gen GPUs or CPUs or GPUs with the 17x R3. Look at the R1/R2, they released GPUs, but no real huge improvement. Took some time to get the 5870s out, and 285s were nothing as far as improvements. Bottom line, as soon as it hits the shelf it's "end of life." Next gen is already in the works, and current systems won't support it. So what you see now, is what you get. Don't expect dell to release a new BIOS with massive OCing abilities, or GPUs that add 679876 pts to your 3DMark score.

The important thing to get, and really the only thing that matters, is the warranty. Once the R2 dies, the M18x will become a replacement. Much like the 17x R1/R2 for the M1730 XPS. Dell will honor the warranty, so as long as you have a current warranty, it really doesn't matter at all if you get the M17x R2 or R3.

 

Being newer doesn't make it more powerful. While the Sandy Bridge line has higher stock speeds, it also has restrictions on multipliers and the CPUs throttleback after a certain amount of time.

It's pretty common knowledge that a 920/940xm with throttlestop is much more powerful than running it at stocks, and probably trumps everything but the 2920.

A simple search of the forum would probably turn up multiple threads where this topic has been beat to death already.

 

Except, being newer does make it more powerful.

I find your response puzzling.

Clock for clock, SB is a 40% improvement over the first iteration of the core series.

 

How is anything I said puzzling?

I dont dispute that SB processors are better in every way at stock speeds, but the 920/940xm can become more powerful using throttlestop.

 

Thanks, very informative indeed.
And yes I am going to get the warranty extension as well, so that I can play games with peace of mind.