Still up and running?

Hi guys,

I'm in a bit of a dilemma here,

I came across a guy selling Alienware m17x r2 (2010 edition) and I'm very interested in getting a gaming laptop as I travel alot and always miss my games whilst I'm away from my desktop.

I currently have a 2010 edition Macbook Pro 13" which works flawlessly for what I need it to do, I can play the games I want but with poor FPS most of the time.

He has mentioned he is also interested in my MacBook and is willing to swap.

Although I absolutely love my MacBook Pro I am willing to do the trade, but I do need to clear a few things up first.


Is the Alienware m17x r2 (2010 edition) still able to run some of the following games; Arma 2 (DayZ epoch mod), Arma 3 (epoch mod), Company of Heroes 1, GTA V, Fallout 4?

Are the GPU's upgradable? I understand there has been a few issues with the crossfire so I'd probably avoid that and just try to upgrade the GPU instead.

Basically, should I do a swap? And how future proof is the Alienware laptops?


All advice would be greatly appreciated as I have zero experience with these beautiful grids.

Thanks.


Edit:

These are the specs to the alienware;


Intel core i7
4 Gb RAM
AMD Radeon hd 5870
17" 1080p HD Screen.
Space for 2 Mobile GPU's (1 Taken up)
Space for 2 2.5" HDD/SSD (Both taken up)
Okay condition.
Customizable LED (Built in program)
Bluetooth + WiFi
DVD RW + Card reader
500 GB HDD + 128 GB HDD
Built in Webcam + Mic
High Power Speakers
Face recognition software A.K.A Auto login
Ports: 4X USB 2.0, 4 pin Firewire, E sata, Ethernet, Display port, HDMI, VGA, Mic Jack + 3 Headphone Jacks,Pcie Express.



Edit no2:

Don't know why I named the thread "still up and running" ....

 

A direct swap for an M17X R2 for a 2010 13" Macbook? For me it's a no brainer; the M17X is a far superior machine. If it has the RGB LED screen then it's even better. That's one of the nicest displays ever offered by AW. You don't state the CPU model but you can upgrade to a 920xm or 940xm which can be overclocked. The GPU on that model can be upgraded to an AMD 7970M or Nvidia 680m without trouble. Both those cards are top tier cards for gaming and have been confirmed by many users to work well in the R2. The 7970M can be done in Crossfire but with some tweaking. Looks like the M17X already has an SSD installed so you got that covered. The only other thing I would do is upgrade the RAM to at least 8GB, and preferably 16GB. Good luck.

 

The processor is is a q740 ... im unsure of the screen i can post a low res picture but i dont think it will tell any information. I unsure about the ssd as it states there is 2 hdd... could be a typo on the "128HDD"?

Also, i know i could find this with a quick google search but does this model support HDMI in?

 

Download HWinfo64 and look at the specs there. It will tell you the panel's part number as well as specs for all the hardware including the hard drive(s), RAM, etc.

128GB is usually a size attributed to SSDs. Mechanical drives came in 120GB but I don't ever remember seeing a 128GB model. Again, HWinfo will tell you. I also suggest running a hardware diagnostics on that laptop. The diagnostics are built-in to the laptop and can be accessed from the boot menu on startup.

You're gonna want to upgrade the 740qm imo. A 920xm can be had for around $120 nowadays and will overclock nicely using Throttlestop.

The HDMI is output only on the M17X; perhaps you are thinking of the M18X.

 

Very infornative, thank you kosti