M17x R2 vs R3

Hi guys, i am thinking of getting a better laptop for gaming, and cant really wait for the M18x here (UAE - no release date).

currently have 2 options M17x3 (new) and M17x2 (used 6 months). both have 2 3years warranty and specs similar in CPU/RAM/HDD - except r 2 has xfire 5870 while r3 has siingle 6970.

which gpus better for gaming?

 

6970 can almost match 5870 xfire in most games that support xfire. In games that can only use one gpu the 6970 is better.

Of those two choices I would not pick any of them to be honest. The R3 is plastic, and will probably feel cheaper than the R2, and the R2 is used.

My opinion:

Used = no way
R2 new > R3 new
R3 new > R2 used
To not buy at all > To buy used

 

Go to notebookcheck.com and look up both gpu's. There u will find ur answer. I believe the 6970 is better though.

 

M18x > (Used = no way
{fileeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer}R2 new > R3 new
{fileeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer}R3 new > R2 used
{fileeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer}To not buy at all > To buy used )

 

Thanks guys,

I checked the Stats for the xfire 5870 vs single 6970, and it beats it so i think i will hold off for the M18x w xfire 6970 then :/ *sigh*

 

I thought the R3 has a magnesium shell.

 

dude fsul i live in the uae as well you can just order it through a 3rd party online retailer like i did for my m17x r3 and it arrived in 1 month just like it was mentioned if you want more info just send me a pm id be glad to help you out.

and no point waiting for a m18x in uae their all prebuilt and the specs they put in are all terrible.

 

I had a similar choice, i went for an R2 because of the build quality, an aluminium chassis on the R2 v mainly plastic on the R3. Some people were saying earlier that the finish had started to rub off and peel on their R3's.

The RGB LED screen on the R2 is also a big selling point.

 

^^^^^This


1900x1200 has been eliminated as a resolution on a laptop...even desktops too, I think.

 

The RGB LED(1200P) and build quality(Anodize Aluminum) is waaaaay better than the R3. When crossfire is supported, the Dual 5870M's outperform the single 6970M by about 7%. At this point, most games support crossfire. The only game that is iffy is the Witcher 2. Edit http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/581381-witcher-2-a.html I guess it runs good now.

I have owned a R3(returned). Currently I own a M18x & R2.
The R2 with Dual 5870M's can be a pain in the butt to service if something goes wrong.

The question you need to ask your self is, are you prepaired to utilize the warranty if something goes wrong? Usually if you buy from the outlet and the unit comes defective...Dell usually replaces it with a maxed out R3....lol. I've seen this happend in this forum several times.

If you don't want to deal with utilizing your warranty I would purchase the R3 new.

 

I would just avoid the R3 and go for the M18x. The R2 is an amazing machine and I love mine, but the 18 is a beast! and the R3 is not worth the money IMO.

 

Yea I know if u wanna get a full on Desk top replacement get a m18x

i dont know about u guys but the 18x i configured on dells site with the 6970 xfire costed about 2500$ things like ram,ssd upgrades can be done later.

the main thing is the processor,screen and gpu nothing else matters to me

 

^^^^^ and this will beat the pants off the R2 and the R3! not even maxed out.

 

meh.....that all depends. A fully maxed out R2(like in my sig) can definetly hold it's own. Especially with a 940XM/920XM with unlocked multipliers OC'ed on all 4 cores with throttlestop. On my maxed out M18x I have yet to see any real world performance gains outside of benchmarking & metro 2033. One day when games become more demanding, I'm sure the difference in performance will become more apparent.

The R2 & M18x both have their pros & cons. Currently I use my R2 more than my M18x because I like using my PCMCIA remote with built in IR, the RGB LED screen is better(brightness/colours/resolution), coloured led logo on lid, am limited on space on my desk w/accessories & am limited in space with my mobile laptop stand.

I do enjoy my M18x(The beast) Nebula Red Colour, palm rest, speaker grill,6970M CF, 3.0 MP camera & hdmi in(that I have not used yet). The M17x R2, R3 & M18x(especially the M18x) are all overkill in their own rights by todays PC game standard.

I'm sure you will be happy with any of the three as long as it's free of defects.

 

Good points man! I am really happy with my R2 getting a 920xm in a couple of weeks. So I will be even happier then, How does the 920 (overclocked)stack against the 2920?

 

Make no mistake the 2920XM is a beast!! I have yet to overclock it to 4.0GHz because I don't think it's necessary.

I'm also running my 940XM at stock clocks because it does everything and more that I require of a gaming laptop. The 940XM can be overclocked to 3.2Ghz on all 4 cores. The 720/740QM is a PoS compared to the 920/940XM. I had a lot of stuttering with the 740QM. The 720QM in your system is the only bottleneck left for you to overcome. The 5870M CF's performance improves greatly with a 920/940XM. I honestly don't require anymore than a maxed out R2, but seeing as I was given a maxed out M18x for free.....I really can't complain.

 

TY! + rep for you

 

Thanks +1 back!!
Goodluck with your cpu swap. I refuse to give up my maxed out R2 because of the reasons I stated earlier, but also because it is sooooo easy to work on and quite possibly the last dual gpu 17" laptop made by Alienware/Dell. Who knows if AW/Dell will offer an RGB LED screen or better in a 17" form factor. It truly is an amazing/user friendly machine.....once you watch these 2 videos you can disassemble and reassemble the unit in less than an hour. At this point I can not say the same for my M18x.
YouTube - ‪M17x Teardown Part 2 of 2 **READ SAFETY PRECAUTIONS PRIOR TO REPLACING PARTS** (Official Video)‬‏
YouTube - ‪M17x Teardown Video1 of 2 **READ SAFETY PRECAUTIONS PRIOR TO REPLACING PARTS** (Official Video)‬‏

 

TY for the rep!

Same I am keeping my RGBLED as long as possible I really am fearing something going wrong then they try to replace my baby with an R3.

 

That's the first thing they'll try to do. At that point it is up to you to prove that the R3 is a downgrade. They know it, but the burden of proof is still up to you.

 

As long as you take care of it, you should be fine I'll keep my fingers crossed!

 

I will keep mine crossed as well I baby this laptop clean it regularly inside and out. More out than in though lol.

 

I LOVE my R2, especially now that I have my 920xm and Xfire, but If I knew that the 18x was slated for release soon when I purchased my R2, I may have waited a year or so as that thing is going to be awesome at around a similar cost (~$2500).

BTW, all of the comments about purchasing used? I have a used R2 and dont really have any problems with it, I paid $1500 for it and another $800 for the additional 5870 GPU and the 920xm.

 

Why not switch them out for 6970's?

 

Because the psu is too weak for Dual 6970M's and the bios needed to be tweaked to accomadate the 6970M. Some users say that heat may be a concern. I'm sure we will see a successful 6970M CF R2 one day. But not today.

 

Thanks for the useful info guys, I have decided to hold off for the M18x because I :-
1 - love the feel of my M15x and from what i have seen of M17r3, i dont like it much
2 - i def want dual xfire, i am already suffering takin in the M15 vs M17r2 the first time around -
3 - screen size - 17v18 i already have a 15
4 - upgrade - i can retro my 15x with a 6970 to get better perfom so single gpu isnt the way for me
5 - m18x is realeasing here next week so wish me luck getting the config i want

 

good choice