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    Really need some help upgrading my M17xR3 guys!

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by Lost_Mittens, Jan 26, 2015.

  1. Lost_Mittens

    Lost_Mittens Newbie

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    Hey! First post here :)

    Been lurking here for a few days now. Games on my M17xR3 are pretty much unplayable with 10fps on games like WoW, Diablo 3, Farcry etc (On the extreme lowest settings). The otherday I replaced the thermal paste and did a good clear out of dust on the fans aswell as a new install of windows (read this on these forums) and it made a bit of a difference but not much. Ideally i'd like to avoid buying a new alienware so I'm hoping I can just upgrade some parts. All I want out of my computer is to be able to game. Nothing fancy! :)

    Current Spec:
    Intel i7 2720QM 2.2ghz
    6gb ram
    AMD Radeon HD 6870M

    So my questions are:
    • Is my laptop salvagable or is it just too old?
    • What should I upgrade? Everything? Or will just the GPU make a huge difference on its own?
    • Where does one buy parts (UK)?

    I'd really appreciate any help you could give me! Thank you!
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2015
    Lost_Mittens, Jan 26, 2015
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  2. TomJGX

    TomJGX I HATE BGA!

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    1. CPU: Only ones worth getting are the 2920XM/2960XM
    2. GPU: NVIDIA GTX680M is your best bet or if you can, get the GTX780M
    3. Ebay or NBR Marketplace...

    Do a price check here on the NBR marketplace before buying.. You can have some guide prices in that manner.. Just be warned that it might just be better to get a new laptop as if anything fails, it will be quite a bit of money down the drain..
     
    TomJGX, Jan 26, 2015
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  3. Lost_Mittens

    Lost_Mittens Newbie

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    Thankyou for responding. So I would have to get a new CPU and GPU to be able to run games?
     
    Lost_Mittens, Jan 26, 2015
    #3
  4. LVNeptune

    LVNeptune Notebook Virtuoso

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    2720qm is fine for gaming. CPU's for the last few generations are find and normally don't need to be upgraded unless you are worried about CPU benchmarks. GPU is most important. I would spring a bit extra for the 780M though.
     
    LVNeptune, Jan 26, 2015
    #4
  5. TomJGX

    TomJGX I HATE BGA!

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    I'm not convinced with the CPU tbh.. I've seen a massive improvement from my 3630QM to 3940XM lol in BF4 and other CPU intensive games... Also 2960XM should cost $250 ish..
     
    TomJGX, Jan 27, 2015
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  6. reborn2003

    reborn2003 THE CHIEF!

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    NEW Spec:
    Intel i7 2920XM or 2960XM
    16gb ram - Just cause RAM is cheap lol
    Nvidia GTX 780M :vbthumbsup:
    SSD hdd if you don't already have one to load games quicker.

    Winning! :p
     
    reborn2003, Feb 7, 2015
    #6
  7. nbr2019

    nbr2019 Notebook Consultant

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    I ordered an gtx 970m for m17x r2 , but I do have a m17x r3 motherboard and a i7 2820qm cpu so I can do some testings with it.
    I'l keep you guys posted.
     
    nbr2019, Feb 8, 2015
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  8. reborn2003

    reborn2003 THE CHIEF!

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    Cool man! I'll be very eager to see if this works out! :vbthumbsup:
     
    reborn2003, Feb 9, 2015
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