New owner here!

I will be getting my m15x tomorrow by trading my macbook pro for it (huge upgrade IMO.)

The specs are

- core i7 920qm
- 8gb ddr3 1333
- gtx 260m
- no blu ray, and i think 1600x900 res screen.

Anyways, i don't play many games on the computer, just occasionally. Will it be able to handle like modern warfare 2 and halo 2 on max?

Also, it has a 320gb hdd 7200rpm.

I definitely want to put movies on it and probably use it as a media center.

Was curious about which WD 2.5 drive to get (500gb or more)

Also, i have been thinking about removing the optical drive and using a SSD as the primary with OS on it and secondary 500gb drive with my movies and what not.

I don't know which route to go, MONEY IS A PROBLEM.

I can get the intel 320 120gb series 3 for 160 brand new (benefits of working in retail) but really would like to have the option of a dvd drive...

All opinions appeciated.

Main questions are:

How will the computer handle MW2, Black OPS and Halo 2?

Opinions on using SSD and HDD and losing the optical drive?

Opinions and reviews of the intel 320 series 3 SSD?

Any other things i should do when i get the m15x?

How much would a blu ray RW and Read only drive be to add to the m15x?

I am thinking about adding another year of tech support and accidental damage, what do you all think?

Thanks, guys


Eric

 

1.) With that 260M, not well. You'll want to consider upgrading it to the 460M if you want to stay with Nvidia. If not, you can go for the ati 5850m/5870m, and if you've got the cash, go for the 6970m! It isn't officially supported, but it's been tested by forum users here and it works! It will matter which seller you buy it from, and you can get the rest of the info at svl7's post here.

2.) You can find more elaboration on switching out the optical drive for an SSD here.

4.) Check out Watto's post here for tons of stuff you should/can do with your new machine.

Also, congrats on your purchase and welcome to the forums!

 

MW2 plays very well on the 260m at 1080p, you only need to lower AA a bit. I played it for over a year with the 260m.

I played BO with the 260m as well, works fine if you set it to 900p and lower the AA.

 

Thank you, any comments about the SSD i mentioned in the post?

Also, thanks for the link about the stuff you can do with the machine, very informative, gonna bookmark it!

Awesome, i don't game enough on pc to upgrade the gpu, yet.

What about ES Oblivion? And i'm sure no one knows yet since it hasn't been released, but how do you think the 260m would handle ES Skyrim?

I play most games on my 360, but i like having games on my pc if i travel.

 

no problem with ESO but ESS i'm not so sure but imo the performance would be playable

 

Thanks, does anyone have any recommendations of a WD HDD to get, reason i'm asking is because i don't know if the WD black drives will use more power than is currently allotted to the drive in the m15x already.

 

Nope, sorry. I don't have an SSD at all, unfortunately

 

i have been searching and reading around the forums.

I guess the big question about upgrading the 260m is choosing either the ati 5870 or nvidia 460m...

I have looked at the benchmark thread but wondered if there is a direct comparison with pictures and multiple games.

Also, whether through Dell or other seller, what seems to be the average going price for a 5870 and 460?

Thanks so much guys, cannot wait to get my computer tomorrow!

 

5870m beats the 460m in most games. 6970m beats 'em both together, hahaha

Intel 320 Series drives perform very well, I'm happy with my SSD. If you need more storage you can still plug an external HDD to the esata port. (Which is pretty fast... faster than USB 3.0)

 

thank you, and as far as the 5870 price, do you know? i've seen the 5850 for 229.99 but can't find the 5870.

So you think i should get the 120gb intel ssd for 160 bucks?

i'm trying to rationalize the purchase lol.

Thanks a lot bro!

 

There is plenty fo information out there. Toms hardware gpu charts is a good source. Also wikipedia. has charts that compare various makers cards by the year they were put on the market.