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    Should I buy?

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by remedy1978, Feb 26, 2011.

  1. remedy1978

    remedy1978 Notebook Evangelist

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    I am looking at a M17x R2 with a i7 940 processor, ATI 5870 CF, 8 gigs ram, 1900x1200 screen. Will this be future proof enough for the next couple of years, or should I wait for the R3?
     
    remedy1978, Feb 26, 2011
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  2. aarpcard

    aarpcard Notebook Deity

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    That should outlast even the best R3 by quite a bit.
     
    aarpcard, Feb 26, 2011
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  3. Gryphyn

    Gryphyn Notebook Consultant

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    You'll be just fine, no worries. Fully loaded R2 is a great machine. Search the forum for threads on the program ThrottleStop, it will help you unlock the full potential of your processor.

    If you're paying extra for the RAM up front, you may be able to save money by getting the least amount and adding it yourself later. It usually costs less than half what you're charged by DELL.
     
    Gryphyn, Feb 26, 2011
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  4. Kamin_Majere

    Kamin_Majere =][= Ordo Hereticus

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    Future proof is nonexsitant, nothing in the computer world is really going to give you that.

    But saying that the R2 is a monster of a laptop and assuming that a few years from now you dont need bleeding edge then you will still be able to preform well.

    I can still game quite well on the Gateway 6860FX that I bought like 3-4 years ago. Its not as powerful as my R2 by any stretch of the imagination, but is still a very capable system.
    So yes assuming you can live with out everything on Ultra/High setting in a few years you will still be very happy with the machine I would think
     
    Kamin_Majere, Feb 26, 2011
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  5. remedy1978

    remedy1978 Notebook Evangelist

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    So will this particular processor throttle under load?
     
    remedy1978, Feb 26, 2011
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  6. TurbodTalon

    TurbodTalon Notebook Virtuoso

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    No. The name 'ThrottleStop' may be a bit misleading in this particular case. ThrottleStop allows you to raise the TDP/TDC and the multiplier, which really unleashes the 920XM and 940XM.
     
    TurbodTalon, Feb 26, 2011
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  7. Dr. J

    Dr. J Notebook Deity

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    If you could wait a few weeks to see what graphics card might be added by Dell for the R3, combined with the sandy bridge and 2nd gen icore 7 CPU 's , you have little to lose. Additional development of the R 2 by Dell is unlikely now.
     
    Dr. J, Feb 26, 2011
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  8. Docsteel

    Docsteel Vast Alien Conspiracy

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    Yeah, I am a bit mixed on the R2/R3 question. As an R2 I am biased because of the case differences, etc. I would say that the factor I would consider is that graphic cards will get better, and you can depend on the i7-940qm processor for quite some time, but the real factor is the sweet RGB-LED option on the R2 that to me would be a deciding factor.
     
    Docsteel, Feb 26, 2011
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