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    buying a mx17 info ?

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by mrcgibb, May 12, 2011.

  1. mrcgibb

    mrcgibb Notebook Geek

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    i was going to get a mx14 or 15 but then i realized that the gfx is not upgradeable.
    so if a get a mx17 what specs do you guys recommend to start off with and what is upgradeable on the mx17 in future?
    and why cant i order one with an nvidia gfx card?
     
    mrcgibb, May 12, 2011
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  2. Robertd007

    Robertd007 Notebook Guru

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    For an R3, it depends on what you do.

    A 2630 is plenty for gaming. The 2720 is worth the price for the extra processing power if you can kick out the extra bucks. Unless you plan on doing benchmarks or something very CPU intensive, there's really no reason to go higher than the 2720.

    For the graphics card, the 6970 if you dont care about 3D, 460 if you want 3d. The 6970 is significantly more powerful, and most people agree that it outweighs the 3D option, but's its all up to you.

    Standard Harddrive
    Standard RAM

    Dell overcharges for both of the above, and the price doesn't justify having them install it for you, especially considering they're the two easiest pieces of hardware to upgrade.

    Everything else is really up to you
     
    Robertd007, May 12, 2011
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  3. mrcgibb

    mrcgibb Notebook Geek

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    ok i was going for
    mx17

    Intel® Core™ i7 740QM (1.73 Ghz, 6MB, 4C) [Included in Price]

    crossfire 5870m (is it worth it )

    standard hd and memory
    i only have the choice of this screen

    43cm (17") WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 - Beyond HD (900p) - Dual CCFL [Included in Price]

    whats this rgbled ? why cant i get one
     
    mrcgibb, May 12, 2011
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  4. dave-p

    dave-p Notebook Deity

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    RGB LED is a high end display, which blows away any other offered by Dell.

    The RGB LED screens do not use the typical CCFl bulbs to light up the display, but rather a LED lighting system, it also has a significant better colours, and contrast.

    IMO you want to try to get a R2 with the RGB LED screen.
     
    dave-p, May 12, 2011
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  5. dave-p

    dave-p Notebook Deity

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    Where are you buying this from - the Dell outlet ?
     
    dave-p, May 12, 2011
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  6. mrcgibb

    mrcgibb Notebook Geek

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    yeah but i am in uk so might not be avalible
     
    mrcgibb, May 12, 2011
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  7. Robertd007

    Robertd007 Notebook Guru

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    If you're going to get the R2, most definitely get the RGB screen. It's one of the best features it offers. It's a magnificent screen.
     
    Robertd007, May 12, 2011
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  8. mrcgibb

    mrcgibb Notebook Geek

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    i cant find the screen option on uk site , or the r2 ;(
     
    mrcgibb, May 12, 2011
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  9. Robertd007

    Robertd007 Notebook Guru

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    The 1920x1200 screen is the RGB screen.

    I believe I saw 2 of those on the UK site when I looked.
     
    Robertd007, May 12, 2011
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  10. mrcgibb

    mrcgibb Notebook Geek

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    ok thanks ! is the 6970 worth the extra over the 6870? or is the nvidia gtx460 better?
     
    mrcgibb, May 12, 2011
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  11. Tapakidney

    Tapakidney Notebook Evangelist

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    Do you want to play the newest games with all of the graphical eye candy? Then 6970m, hands down.
     
    Tapakidney, May 12, 2011
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  12. mrcgibb

    mrcgibb Notebook Geek

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    hi m8 what games can this spec play same spec as you , can it play metro etc no problem ?
     
    mrcgibb, May 12, 2011
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  13. Robertd007

    Robertd007 Notebook Guru

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    It depends on settings.

    Even the 485 and 6970 are going to have moments in Metro where they get down to a 10-15fps on the highest settings.
     
    Robertd007, May 12, 2011
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  14. Tapakidney

    Tapakidney Notebook Evangelist

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    Yeah, still playable at highest, but you would want to maybe tone down the settings a little to smooth it out. Everything else I've tried is maxed easily.
     
    Tapakidney, May 12, 2011
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  15. mrcgibb

    mrcgibb Notebook Geek

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    cheers i know merto is the hungryist game out there but if this laptop can run that ! omg
     
    mrcgibb, May 13, 2011
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  16. mrcgibb

    mrcgibb Notebook Geek

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    i know you guys reccomend the 1920 1080 screen , but is it not better to have alower res screen to help with fps?
     
    mrcgibb, May 13, 2011
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  17. Jas71

    Jas71 Notebook Evangelist

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    A lower res screen would give u more fps now and extend the life of your graphics card, but then you can't watch full hd content like blu rays and the 1080p screen is brighter than the 900p screen. It really depends whether you enjoy full hd or don't really care about it.
     
    Jas71, May 13, 2011
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  18. mrcgibb

    mrcgibb Notebook Geek

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    i have a home projector for films etc so dont care about hd only games ;) so go will smaller res?
     
    mrcgibb, May 13, 2011
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  19. Jas71

    Jas71 Notebook Evangelist

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    I think you should go with the 1080p because it is becoming the standard for monitors and laptops and will be for some time, but the bottom line is that it is up to you. If you get the 6970, it will smoke most games on max settings, but in the future you can always lower these settings or even lower your monitor res to 900p from 1080p.
     
    Jas71, May 13, 2011
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