Considering selling up, may get a 13/15 instead??

I've been thinking for a while the A18 is a bit chunky,
I want some thing a bit easer to carry around, possibly a 13 or 15..

It's in perfect condition, no marks or issues at all.
What would be a realistic sale price for the A18 spec in my sig...

Thanks Pete.

 

Did you know that the AW 18 is the last of the dual GPU breed of the AW line ? AW is not making them anymore. I would say you keep it.

My recommendation is for you to be patient and shop on eBay for the AW 13 , 15. There are always good price popping up once in awhile.

 

I'm on the fence, I've a m11x r1 that I carry and it needs an update.. Just attempting to justify why I need 2 personal. (18 & 11 ) and a work x220


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The problem with those machines is that they're a very niche product. Those who want it will be willing to pay, but others will just look at the specs and won't place any value on the machine itself, or the build quality, or the CPU/GPU sockets.

 

You will need to create a thread in the Notebook Review Marketplace > Price Check Forum for discussion about what the machine is worth, as it is not permitted in the regular forums.

I've tried the downgrade to a smaller single-GPU gaming notebook a number of times and I just cannot handle the massive drop in performance. It is very noticeable and it ends up being a huge disappointment every time. Your 780M SLI setup with a mild 1040 core overclock matches a single 980M overclocked to 1300 on core, so whatever you land on will need to have at least a GTX 980M and run overclocked to avoid losing performance. Also bear in mind that your 4700MQ is socketed (not to mention the GPUs are in MXM slots) and can be upgraded to a 4930MX when you get ready for some real CPU horsepower, whereas most of the new crippled garbage will live with the same crippled BGA CPU forever, or until the motherboard (and BGA GPU if you stay with Alienware or buy an equally crippled competitor's model) dies, whichever comes first.

Using your own benchmark results, look at this comparison: 7rojan's AW18 4700MQ + 780M SLI Fire Strike Score versus #1 and #2 4700MQ Single 980M Benchmarks

I would recommend holding onto the Alienware 18 until you have the smaller machine long enough to come to terms with the performance and quality downgrade. Anything you buy, with the exception of the Alienware 17 Ranger (17 R1), is going to be a downgrade in build quality as well. If you decide you can handle the lesser machine well enough and don't miss having a beast, at that point you can sell the Alienware 18 with no regrets.

@Ramzay is correct in that most people shopping for "gaming laptops" have never owned a real monster machine, so they look at the hardware generation and inaccurately conclude that it's too old and not good enough. The only way you will get top dollar for it is selling to someone that actually knows what it is and what it is capable of, and those used laptop shoppers are much less common. Not only is the shopper pool smaller, but their budgets are often smaller as well. Some of those looking specifically for a beast like your 18 are only looking for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to "steal" one at a ridiculously low price.

 

I will be quite honest. I got a Alienware 17 R2 maxed out to replace the Alienware 17 R1 that had a failed LCD and no more parts to repair it. The R2 is thinner than the R1 for sure. I got the touch truelife panel, and I'm happy for the return of edge to edge glass. I don't know why people don't think the lid/chassis are aluminum, but they sure are, just like the R1. The display is gorgeous and vivid. The Alienhead power button is back (thankfully), and everything is kept the same. However, there are several serious faults that would have been a dealbreaker for me (but it is not my computer, it is my father's):
1. Heat. OH. MY. LORD. It was on bios A03, and I wondered why I couldn't hear the fans. The fan tables are broken. CPU (4980HQ) was routinely in the mid to high 80s. GPU was also very hot (GTX 980M). I had to downgrade to A00 to get the fans kicking again, which brought it down to the 60s instead of the 80s.
2. Throttling. The stock PSU is not enough, you will need the 240W or 330W brick to supply enough power to the system. Everything after A00 BIOS introduced hybrid power, which drains your battery and your AC power to provide enough juice to the system.
3. Turbo boost failure. Even with XTU settings in place, you cannot hold turbo boost indefinitely like on older systems. The system throttles down to 0.8Ghz quite often.

If you are looking for a casual power system without sustained performance requirements, go for it. However, I could never go to such a system. The M18x R2 (even the Alienware 18 does as well, to a lesser degree) craps all over the new line of systems in terms of pure performance. If weight loss is your only goal, go for it, but don't expect any serious performance out of it.

 

I don't really want to lose the performance/stability I have now to be honest..
I'll most likely look for another machine to carry around, ill swap out the 11r1 for something else although i love that little machine..
It's just a little short on cpu..

Thanks for the reality check..
Pete.

 

You forgot to mention the surface/keyboard temps. Even when idle, the keyboard is warm, at best. I bought two of these machines, and compared to my R1, they keyboard is uncomfortably hot.

Also, I could've sworn the lid on the R2 is some sort of textured plastic, not aluminum. It definitely isn't as solid, and it feels much cheaper.

I'll see if I can get official confirmation on that fact.