Value an Honest Opinion

Hi I am thinking of getting a M17x as a replacement to my desktop for gaming and downloading

I normally build my own pc's and expect to get my hands dirty if I need to fix problems and keep a stable build.....

However what concerns me is the many posts of blue screens and issues with graphic drivers; furthermore I understand you have to wait for Dell drivers and their last release was the 30/09/2010

Is this product a good buy or hard work?

Ps: Whats the forums fav 5870 Crossfire or 285 SLI?

 

The reason you read all of this stuff is because folks don't bother to start a thread about how great the product is. There are, however, thousands of threads about problems folks have.

The ATI driver 10.10 is a lot newer than March.

I don't think that BSODs are that prevalent.

Both ATI and NV drivers have their problems. I believe that the most prominent problems with the ATI drivers are behind us. You used to not be able to put your laptop to sleep or use it on battery without using a couple of tweaks.

Can I guarantee that you won't have any issues? No, I can't. Most of the time I spend with my Alienware is very enjoyable though. I think you'll be very happy with it, especially if you're a 'do it yourselfer'.

I believe the verdict was that the 5870s were still more powerful. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

Well I have been using 3 M17x so far.

There WERE problems with every version of M17x from minor to major ones, honestly.

Now truth is: Most of M17xR2 issues had been perfectly fixed thanks to our knowledgeable NBR users and Dell's agents working here. New drivers, new BIOS, new V-BIOS etc... are very stable. You will likely have zero problem as long as you know what you are doing (because, like someone here said, most of the time problems occur from the part between the chair and the system, not from the system itself). This is a top of the line gaming machine, not Mac (don't get me wrong, I just bought a PowerBook G4 ), so it requires some sorts of knowledge from users.

And you should bear in mind that, people make new thread when they have problems, they don't make thread just to say "Wow I just wanna let you guys know I love my M17x more than my wife" even that's true for most of us here

I don't read much about GTX 285M SLI benchmark but I believe they are inferior to XFX 5870M raw performance wise. Unless you for some reasons need PhysX or CUDA for your use or simply you prefer staying in green camp, you better opt for 5870M.

 

You guys I'm sitting here between gamging sessions with this on my lap and yeah I really like it. GTA plays smoothly, I even use an xbox 360 controller.. yesterday afternoon I was playing at my desk, then that evening somewhere else, and now today I'm my couch with it.

I love it. It's twice as much as I ever spent on any desktop, and I feel more taken care.

 

I don't have my m17x yet so I speak about the reliability. I prefer a portable to my desktop because like rippeer said above I am not always in the same spot and moving my desktop around is not as easy.

Just keep in mind you get less performance for your money, so it may not max some of the more demanding games and it will not last as long as a gaming desktop.

If you like to get your hands dirty with PC's then you will love the m17x since most components are upgradable and replacable. Drives, memory, gpu's, cpu, fans etc are all accessible and replacable. There are tons of tweaks you can do from thermal grease to overclocking both the gpu's and the cpu.

 

Thanks for everyones comments I will keep these in mind when I decide to purchase

See you all on the forum soon

 

I wouldn't trade my M17x and it's the R1 version. Haven't had a problem with it and bought it from a member here. Will I get a new one, yup, and probably in the spring because sure enough my 14 yr old wants this one and I'm sure that I'll find a great deal here on the forums for an R2. Matthew is now using an HP DV7 and he wants a laptop that can run Dawn of War. That one can't. So anyway, do I think this is a great laptop, yup. Would I buy another one, nuff said.

 

If you are looking for value, there is no gaming machine better than Alienware, if you take the 4 year next business day warranty with Complete care. It might not seem that way as it's more expensive initially, but you get all parts replaced for four years and if your machine dies completely you get a new one (and if the old model is no longer available, you usually get a newer replacement model) and accidents are covered.

I've had big problems with my M17x-R1, but since I got it warranty replaced with the M17x-R2, I didn't have any more problems and it's one heck of a powerful laptop.

 

I'm super happy with my M17x-R2. No problems and the best computer I have ever owned! It's expensive but I feel worth it! Just make sure you get the warranty for 3 years and you are sorted!!! Plays games very well too!

 

These laptops are great. All we need is for ATI to get their act together and then they would be perfect. While the issues people are having are not deal breakers, you have to remember the cost of these machines so people rightfully want perfection - I use these forums to help people and try to find solutions to any issue I'm having, but critically there has been a few Dell reps on here as well. They are trying to collate our feedback and solve issues customers are having so thumbs up on that account if you do decide to get Alienware.