RAM, RAID, or CPU on m17x? Hmm....

So I've got some questions on RAM and RAID. Though I have researched this and basically know what I generally think, I thought I would get some of your opinions on the matter, specifically when it comes to the m17x.

RAM:

Is 4 GB overkill? I won't be doing anything with video or image manipulation. I'll be surfing the web, messing around, and playing games. As far as I have read it seems that most agree that most games can't even physically utilize more than 4 gigs, which surprised me. There is a wonderful Tom's Hardware article published last year where Crysis and other games were played with 3 gigs, 6 gigs, and 12 gigs ram and they all came out almost identical in terms of speed and FPS. Here it is...

RAID:

Is it worth having at all on a home computer? Does it affect games at all? Or does the risk outweigh any reward?

CPU:

I ask because I originally ordered an alienware with a 2 500 gig HD in RAID 0 and 8 Gigs of RAM with an i7 720 CPU.

After reading up, (and getting a 20% discount) I decided to switch to a single 500 gig, with 4 gigs of ram, and an i7 820 CPU.

I figured I would get more performance for my use with a better CPU than more RAM or RAID drives? I figure its cheaper to add RAM later if I need to anyhow.

PS- Is it true you can change the lid color??

Any thoughts?

 

The only raid solution i would bother with in a laptop config is Mirror, and thats only for data reduntancy.

Stripping is a little faster, but if a drive fails you have lost everything.

4 GB of memory is the best option IMO, 8GB is over kill, unless your running specific applications that require it.

I think you made the right choice of Single 500 GB HD, 4 Gb Ram, and the I7 720.

You can change the lid color though imo it is a bit of a pain.

 

Agree with Dave-p you made the professional choice in the matter. Drives are pretty cheap now days and you can add your own. Ram 4 is enough the CPU is the most expensive item and should be your highest choice. Good luck on your new Alien.