So how my config?

so im hopefully buying the m17x (non-3d) as soon as 560m comes out (cant afford the ATI) so this is my build and let me know if its good or not:

Alienware M17x, Soft Touch Stealth Black

Intel® Core™ i7 2720QM 2.2GHz (3.3GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz (4DIMMS) (will probably upgrade later 16gb)
1.5GB GDDR5 Nvidia GeForce GTX 460M (going to be 560m when finally released)
320GB 7,200RPM HDD
17.3-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
Wireless 802.11 g/n
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
1 Year Advanced Plan
Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2010

so im going to be using this for gaming & school, im going for Electrical Engineering. so im going to use stuff like AutoCAD. Also is there any way i could possibly cut this price so i can add more into it? does actually calling and haggling with them cut my price off?

 

Ya not bad.. the 460m isnt as bad as people make it out to be. Granted its not a 6970 but it still handles its own.

The 560 isnt going to be much over it though. : /
seems like the 560m is just a tease to this line.

 

yea ive been reading around here and ppl were making it sound like the nvidia was like terrible.

no but i think it will be better on the Optimus and not mess around while gaming and at least the extra performance will give a couple FPS more in games

 

If your waiting for the 560m, its not gonna be better than the 6970. If you want bigger results then go with the m18x and get dual cards. I wish I would have waited for it. I ordered my R3 a week before the m18x was released. Over locking helps too but only so much. Wish there would had been an option for the 485m but it to is only slightly better than the 6970.

 

without MS office
Your build

Code:

Intel® Core™ i7 2720QM 2.2GHz (3.3GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz (4DIMMS)
1.5GB GDDR5 Nvidia GeForce GTX 460M
320GB 7,200RPM HDD
17.3-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
Wireless 802.11 g/n
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
1 Year Advanced Plan

Total: 2200$
---------------------------------------
Since you are not going 3D, If you take 3rd offer and take this config

Code:

Intel® Core™ i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
6GB DDR3 at 1333MHz (2DIMMS)
2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 6970M
640GB Raid 0 (2x 320GB 7,200RPM)
17.3-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
Wireless 802.11 g/n
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
1 Year Advanced Plan

Total: 2100$ (+150$ and you can get 2720QM too)
Almost same price as your build but with extra HDD , almost same memory and Ati 6970 .

 

Thats a good config right there. I would go with pp_ph's config. It will do you better. You want more bang for your buck.

 

while some reps are hard to negotiate with, finding one that's willing to help you out can save you a few hundred bucks. I'd say that's a legitimate enough of a reason.

lets be real, their mark up on the alienware machines is pretty high to begin with, so why not invest a little time into shaving off a few hundred bucks?

 

im not gonna wine im just gonna try and see if they can cut the price. Problem withe m18x is it is Way to expensive, Battery life is probably low & its the worst of the four for portability.

thanks, ive been looking at that option with the i7 2720, 8gb RAM, and the 460m & MS office(kinda need it sadly)

 

If you can't afford a couple hundred more dollars for the powerful video card, you probably can't afford the laptop at all, in reality. Unless someone else is buying it for you and gave you a spending limit.

Edit: Also wanted to add....haggling does work. I got $300 off mine by whining like a little girl to the sales rep about my "tight budget". I was on the phone for almost an hour haggling with her. Lol. Totally worth a shot though.

 

if you dont need MS office until school starts, wait until you go to college. they'll have cheap student copies. at my school we got 3-user packs for $10

 

I actually kinda do have a limit around $2300 MAX at $2400. So the added couple hundred actually comes over that limit. My parents will give me some $$, since i did well in high school and studied hard but i have to pay for the rest. But if whining like a little girl gets me $300 off and able to get some more into my m17x i will do it. Anything off is better than nothing off.

O_O student copies....never knew that thanks for the info



Also thinking about upgrading the Wireless card....better off with the best since its a pain to switch wireless cards

 

Wireless card upgrade is a good idea. Especially at a college with wifi. I can pick up signals my other laptop couldnt pick up and its signal strength was always better.

Download speeds are alittle better but it depends on the network and router output.

 

Yea im totally going with the best wireless card....only other problem is do i want 1.5TB of space or just stick with 320GB and upgrade later, im not going to switch the main HDD.

 

As far as hard drive space, it just depends on what you are gonna put on ur laptop.

I got as much space as possible cuz I put ALOT of games on my machine.

320GB HD would be good id your on a budget. You could always upgrade like you said before or get an external hard drive.

 

yea i may go with an external, since i wont be able to buy many games for a little while since i will b broke after this XD. But talking external HDD, better going with USB 3.0 or use the esata port?

 

Honestly I couldnt tell you which is better. I know the USB 3.0 port is wicked fast! It would take 25-30 mins on USB 2.0 to transfer 8.0 gbs on an external HD, but when connected to USB 3.0 that same file transferred in around 5-7 mins.