in the market for an M18x... what can I expect.

Hi guys, looking to join the family here soon as I just sold my Asus G73JH. I'm looking to max out BF3 at native res, which I understand the M18x has no problem with.

mainly, my question is -- what can I expect to pay for a fully loaded one? i7-2760qm, dual 6990s, 16gb RAM, etc?

any general comments about the system? how is the sound?

 

Well you can hit alienware.com and play with the configurations.

But fully pimped out and overpaying for Dell upgrades.. 5k for just the system (not got into warranty upgrades which is a good idea or anything.)

More realistic pimped out still with dual 6990's no crazy unneeded CPU upgrades more like 3,700 (again no warranty upgrades yet..)

 

I got mine for £2k (used 15% off code).

The spec was:

q2760m cpu
2*6990m gps
4gb ram
320 Hard Drive
killer wifi
Blu Ray drive

I then added:

128 M4 SSD (£140)
16GB(4*4) Corsair Vengeance 1600 Ram (£75)

Changed 320GB drive for 500GB drive from old laptop.

 

Cut off the 16gb ram and get basic drivers (i think the 750gb one if you choose it) and make it 4gb of ram. put them in yourself and you'll save like 300$ plus it's really easy to do.

the machine is great, there is nothing you can complain about except for the obvious fact being the price but that doesn't really "come in to play" as far as laptops go.

it's sturdy, well built, tons of eye candy and i mean TONS, honestly i got mine due to the fact that it's so amazing to look at. but i mean i make videos professionally for youtube and am hoping to get a partnership soon so its good for almost anything you need to do. i make music, video edit, photoshop and it's a beauty to work with. can record with fraps 1080p most games maxed out with no problem, most of the time even going about 60fps.

you'll REALLY be pleased with this machine, if i may suggest look into getting the G35 logitech headset with this if your in it for the games, you can order it from dell too and it's not that much more expensive if more expensive at all. i also suggest you buy the 18 inch bookbag or case because this wont fit into most cases. get the anti-glare screen protector and cooling pad just to be safe as well. no sound problems as far as it making noise and no heat problems recognizable. as far as the speakers go it's amazing for a laptop, it's more or less a home theater for me.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m18x/575859-official-m18x-owners-lounge-thread.html is the best place to ask.