m17xR3 with 6870

or with the 5870 in the R3.

 

Why use a 5870 in the R3 though?!

 

Cause I have one....lol

 

Well then you are the guy to figure that out for us! You could also report on how the ATI card does with a 120Hz monitor. AND you could give us an apples to apples comparison of 3D Performance of SB vs Gen 1 Core i7 parts since both were well benched with the 5870 (assuming you do said benches)

Much to do sir lol

 

lol....the sad part is I can't get past step 1.

 

Which step is step 1? Putting the 5870 in the R3?

 

I think he is having trouble starting the computer. SSD is failing for him.

 

True, that could be it

 

started movie test at 88% battery life,
screen brightness at 50%, 4th bar on OSD display,
graphics set to Intel 3000 HD
alienFX OFF,
touchpad off,
wifi on,
power option set to balance,
volume set to 100%,
VLC player used,
VLC volume set to 100%
watched avatar 1080P, 2hr 41 min. file saved on HDD.

battery left after movie: 7%, 18mins remaining

(tried to watch movie while power option was set to power saver, but movie was choppy, wasnt rendering smoothly. had to switch back to balanced power mode.)

 

That's good news. That means about 3hr or battery for a movie. It's good for a PC with this kind of power.

 

Nice thread! Lots of good information.

USS did you ever get a battery life time with IGP on full battery?

 

i'll try to take note the next time my battery gets to 100%

 

That would be awesome! Any battery data you can provide me for the FAQ is much appreciated.

 

usshellfire, when you get a chance can you post your complete system specs please? So I can link to them in the FAQ. Thanks!

 

3dmark11 run.

P2164 3DMarks
isit just me or does this score seem very low?



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Result

 

Umm, his sig?

 

I need complete specs, listed out, in a linkable format (not the signature).

 

What was the 3dmark06 score with the Ati card?

 

looks like it right, similar specs M15x scores around the same thing.

 

3dmark vantage
P9182 3DMarks
how do this score compare to the m15x?



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Result

and all this benchs are stock, with no OC

 

actually thats pretty good. a 720/5850 would have to oc to get pass 9k
that cpu score is sweet.

 

cool. will try some OC soon.

 

will look forward to your benches.

 

my specs are as follows:

T512021SG-Dell(TM) Alienware M17XR3
Intel® Core? i7-2720QM Processor (2.2GHz, 1600 MHz DDR3, 6M cache)
17.3" Full HD (1920x1080) WLED LCD Panel
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM(2x4GB)
750GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Slot Load Fixed Blu-ray BD-ROM / DVD + /-RW Combo Drive
240W Primary AC Adapter
9-cell Primary Battery
1GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon? HD 6870M
Intel® WiFi Link 6300 (802.11a/g/n) Half Mini-card
Dell Wireless 375 Bluetooth Internal mini-card
Genuine Windows(R) 7 Home Premium 64bit (English)

 

updated first post

 

Could you do a prime 95 test for temperature and throttling? maybe use CPUz for throttling check. I think a lot of us would like to see how the cooling stands up to stress tests

CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting

Download Prime95 26.4 Build 1 / 25.9 Build 4 Free - A program designed to be used to find Mersenne Prime numbers. - Softpedia

 

Would we see much of a performance difference from i7-2720QM to the stock i7?

 

Yes, yes you would

this is a 720 oc to 1.81/3.1ghz and 4870 single oc to 670/1120 highest I have hit was around 8700 on a single card with an oc of 1.84/3.25 on the cpu and 675/1140 on the gpu
anywho point is his cpu scores 19453.38 mine oc is 11368 that is 8085 points difference thats about 71% better that is with an oc without its about 91% better




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So should I order this since it has switchable? Shell, are you the only one on NBR who's ordered the 6870? Were you aware that it had switchable graphics before you received it?

It's only $1049.30 on aafes! Should I bite the bullet?

 

dude........you can sell that later for a profit if you really need the 6970. and thats the only reason you should wait.

4 hours bat on a 17inch inch alienware for 1000USD..................CRAZY

 

Definitely should!
What are the other specs?

 

Everything stock. So 2630QM, 720p screen, 6870M, everything stock for $1049.30. I would liek to upgrade to the 1080p screen, so +150 = $1154.30. Do it or not do it?

It really does have switchable right? That's the only thing I've EVER been concerned about, and want to be sure it has switchable, and USShell is not with us, or got a fluke machine It's 9pm here in Los Angeles, so if the aafes deal really ends on 1/27, then I have a little under 3 hours to make up my mind!

 

^ get the 1080p..

 

^ I second that

He said that it did earlier in his post that is a steal bro dont let that pass!

 

I'm thinking get 2630QM + 1080p 60hz + 6870M. That's which coems out to $1154. Izzit really a steal??? 2hours and 20minutes left, folks.

$1259.30 if I add 2720QM.

 

Bam $1259 and you have a monster and you can upgrade cards later on you saved alot same comp built without that discount is $1799

 

did he buy it??

 

I would wait until the 6970M is released. The R3 isn't worth it right now with the GPU's it has unless gaming isn't a priority for you. And if that's the case, then why even get such a large and heavy laptop in the first place?

 

Really $1,259 seems like a great price to me if he wants to upgrade later on to a 6970 lets say it is even $500 bucks he is still saving money. His deal ends in 2 hours and 10 minutes he is saving $540. I say buy it and if you want to upgrade later you can still do that and sell your 6870 on ebay or here in the marketplace. You are getting a killer deal less than the starting base price online by $240 and getting more for your money.

 

Havent purchased yet. Still considering 3D or not. That's what's holding me back.

Someone post a definite answer for me regarding switchable/optimus: Does this thing have it? That's the thing that's holding me back I'm not gonna get 3D btw.

 

Problem is he will only have a 30 day warranty from Dell on the 6970M. They won't alter his original warranty. Also, getting a new video card from Dell spare parts can sometimes be a nearly impossible task. Some people waited months for 5870M and ended up just getting them off eBay or elsewhere.

 

Here you go The OP alread said the 6870 has switchable graphics here is the screen shot he posted a few pages back ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting Now go buy that comp and welcome to Alienware!

 

Man. Less than 2 hours left!

2720+1080p+6870= $1259.30 vs. Equivalent setup of the 1699 deal for $1346.80. Which for SC2 on ultra and grad school (I don't mind the size, can return it if I don't like it, my amex covers returns).

Warranty do I need extra? Amex gives me +1 year.

Reminder: less than 2 hours!

 

Right but he already said he doesn't do much gaming just SC2 and some PScx/dolphin which a 6870 is fine for. he isnt looking for the absolute high end as he is taking his budget into account and for what he needs/wants and for the price he should buy it. I know I wouldn't pass it up if I was in his shoes.

Also I was told by the dell rep when i added my second 4870 that it will be covered untill my warranty runs out. I hope I was not lied to!

 

Thanks for your response, could you reply to mine right up above this one?

I've got less than 2 hours left, lolz.

 

The warranty is the shiz thats why lets say in three years you mess up your lappy or hardware fails instead of having to worry about it Dell will either repair it or replace it with upgraded or similar specs. I can attest to the awesomeness of the warranty I have the 3 year premium warranty and I am going to extend it another 2 years when it gets closer to ending. Coming from a system like the SXPS 1640 which was the absolute suck 8 services calls in 8 months. The warranty to me is just as important as any other piece of hardware. Trust me on this Dell does have amazing customer support and the warranty will pay for itself over the life of the system. as one vid card can cost upto 4-500 bucks and the piece of mind is priceless.

 

Should I buy the warranty now or after? I've read that it's cheaper to buy later? And shoudl I get basic or advanced? my options are 1, 2, 3, 4 years for either choice.

 

just make sure it has the NBD in home service not the depot repair service. you can keep it at one year if you want to upgrade later you can. I cant tell you if it is cheaper or not as I dont have to do that until 2013 lol

 

Alright. Almost ready to order.

2720, 1080p, 6870, regular warranty. $1259.30. SHOULD I DO IT??

OR the 3D bundle and take risk of Optimus update later on for 1346.80 for 2630QM?

 

Yes, I would do it. how much is it with a 3 year premium warranty?