just about to order ?

but do i go for the new mx17 with snadybridge cpu and a 6970
Or the r2 with quad core cpu and dual 5870 ? which machine will be better ie faster ?

also the uk spec r2 doesnt give me the option of rgb screen ;( only 1400x900 dual ccf

 

Go for the r3. Newer revision. More powerful processor.

 

I agree with typecast, although I have never owned an R2 I have read that the main reason R2 owners believe the R2 is better than the R3 is due to the RGB screen, so without that I personally would find it pointless to buy an R2.

 

cheers guys is the base cpu on the r3 powerful enough ? since it is sandy bridge?

 

It beats out the previous generation extreme processors, 920xm and 940xm. It is powerful enough for most, but I opted for the 2720qm for $150 extra because it increases the clocks from a max 2.9ghz to 3.3ghz and it has a few more capabilities like support for 1600mhz memory.

 

True. And even if the dual 5870's are stronger. A single powerful gpu is still better cause most of the games have problems with dual gpu's.

 

At stock speeds, you're right. But using throttlestop, the 920 and 940 are both very beast, and are more powerful than any mobile SB other than the 2920.

Comparing a 920/940 to SB processors at stock speed is a faulty argument because no one with a 920/940 runs it at stock speeds, or at least they shouldn't be. Waste of money to buy an extreme processor and not use the OCing capabilities.

 

With proper driver support, dual 5870 setup is stronger by a fair amount.

I dont think it's fair to say dual GPU settings have problems with most games. They have problems with some games, and most of that some are just minor annoyances. I rarely run into something that is truly gamebreaking. Crysis 2 for example had the flickering, but there were work arounds for that.

Crossfire/Sli setups are not for people that like to plug and play. You have to be an enthusiast that likes to squeeze out every bit of power out of your system.

 

At this point in the lifecycle though mrcgibb, I would get an R3. Just because it'll be supported longer due to it still being in production. Any issues with our R2s, and we'll likely have to make the move to the R3 if they can't offer us a refurb/m18x (which will be a minority for the latter).

I dont like everything about the R3, but it's still a solid system, and the 6970 is a beast of a single card solution, and it should last you a few years at the least.

 

I suggest R3. More versatile, moveable, better battery life, and the newer CPU is better than R2 CPUs unless you go extreme.

And some no one else is saying it, I will. Please don't be one of those new guys who makes new posts for every question he has. This would have been a discussion totally suitable for continuation on the post you already opened yesterday. Thanks!

 

Go with Mx17x R3 and you won't regret about it, except for few issues.

For me, if I want dual GPU (SLI) so I will prefer desktop.

 

I work with a lot of batch photoshop jobs, need to be mobile so can't use a desktop, and lots of data transfers and backing up. The USB 3.0 ports and support of SATA III (6GB) made this a no brainer. The only thing I wish I had was the RGB LED and 1200p.

I think a lot of the R2 vs R3 debate comes down to your actual usage of the system because they are both monster systems.

 

thanks and can i fit aftermarket ssd drives if i want ? standard 2.5 inch ?

 

yes you can.

 

Probably been posted before, but I have a friend that has a dual video card setup. He's told me many times that, yes the duals put out more power, but they don't work on all games.

Plus you get the new I7's.