- Buy M17 now? or wait til 4870 graphic options?

Im in the market for a new 17" gaming laptop.

I have an Alienware m15x and its quality through and through.

Wondering tho, if i should buy a new M17 now? or do you all think the 4870 graphics options will be released soon in an updated M17 model?

thank you

 

i'd wait. the upgrade costs will be substantial, so IMO waiting a few weeks is the best course of action here.

 

I also recommend waiting. You'll probably cost yourself an extra $700 if you buy now, then have to buy the 4870s later.

 

considering you have an m15x as it is....there is no real reason to jump the gun now.

 

Another recommandation for waiting here. Hopefully it won't be too long now until we hear about the 4870s, and your m15x should still be able to last till then~

 

I have heard rumors of late April to early May on the new options.

 

just wait you will save money and you have a m15x to keep you happy

 

If the rumors/reliable gossip are correct I would wait it out as well.

 

How long until they come out?

 

month maybe month n a half AW gotta get going cuz there already out..now for the asus

 

Official "Mass Release" of the 4870's is March even though some vendors already have some of these cards. I would wait until mid March...

 

if you need it in the next 2 months. buy it now with a single 3870 and then upgrade. if you can wait. just wait and save your money.

 

I think he should go with Dual 3870's X-fire! There's a lot of M9750 owner's such as my self, that would love to buy it. But the 4XXX seires, I think comes in different MXM tech depending on manufactures. On Ati's site it's a weird card!

http://game.amd.com/us-en/unlock_4800mob.aspx?p=2

 

last i was told there were heat issues with them so it may be a while still. this came from a RELIABLE source that is NOT from alienware this person was told directly by flextronics. last i heard they were still working on the issue i can find out if there is more news tomm

 

put a better fan ...they need to remake the heat sinks add another fan some how ....heat is a butt nugget

 

Maybe put bigger heatsinks on to take the heat away for the cards quicker? and since taking off the back provides around 10 degrees cooler, they should work on that.(more holes, better exhaust, etc.)

 

any news updates on the 4870s?

 

nope when there is new it will be every where

 

wait.

sum1 mentioned they might be out on 23/24 march, maybe even 2 or 3 weeks later. no need to rush. hopefully thyre real hd4870 with gddr5 and no overclocked hd4850 like in the asus

 

just buy it and spend hundreds of dollars for 2x3870 that you will not want in some weeks.

 

Well, you could wait a few weeks to a month for the 4870's, assuming they're on time...

...then, perhaps there will be a new processor, due out in a month or so...

...then I've read about USB 3.0, maybe that'll be 'just around the corner'...

...then maybe Alienware will have the new M19 model ready to launch - in a month or so...

etc...

etc...

In my ever so humble opinion, ya gotta buy a computer at some point, and no matter when that is, there is always something new that we want on the horizon. I'm not saying you shouldn't wait - I'm just saying you have to choose what of the 'next best things' is really important to you.

For me, I admit, it was a simpler choice - I had no computer whatsoever, so I really had no wait option. For you, with a good platform to tide you over, waiting may be a better option. But no matter what we do or when we buy, our 'monster systems' will be eclipsed by the 'next best thing' in three to six months - it's just a factor of how fast leading edge computers advance these days...

EDIT: My 'master plan', as I needed a cmputer right away, was to buy now with the 3870's and look around at upgrade options when the new cards came out. It may be pricey, but that also gives me the advantage of being able to do some research, read some reviews, and see if they ave the heat thing figured out.... I'll probably not actually upgrade until the new chips have been around for 3 or 4 months, minimum, to see if there are any issues with them... In my mind, this trades off the extra cost for a potential upgrade vs. perhaps jumping in too early and experiencing some of the 'growing pains' that tend to accompany the addition of new hardware into laptop lines...

 

i am also waiting for 487o on crossfire to buy m17. when you say upgrade what you mean (what things can be upgraded?) and how can this be done? sending the notebook back or something?

 

the easiest way is to send back to AW for them to do it, but then you pay the premium for having it done there.

If you are confident playing with the insides of your laptop it can be done manually

i intend to change my cpu in 6 months to the quad core, and change the gpu in a year.

even if they released the 4870 now it would cost about £1000 for the dual 4870 compared to the £200 for the dual 3870 when i ordered it

Pete

 

I would find it hard to believe that the 4870s would be more than $1000..

 

lol no way thats more then Nvidia

 

Not sooo hard, I saw dual graphics for Dell Notebooks for aorund that price^^ But ATI Is known for lower prices

Greetings
Julian

 

Probably cheaper than that, as it is cheaper to manufacture the GPU's using the smaller dies.