About to pull trigger on M17

Hey, the m17x is out of my price range sadly, so I'm looking to get an m17 specced something like this

Video/Graphics Card: Dual 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3870 - CrossFireX™ Enabled!
Processor: Intel® Core™2 P8400 2.26GHz (3MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Design & Display: Black Skullcap Design
Chassis: 17-Inch WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD (720p)
Keyboard Options: Illuminated Keyboard – Alienware Exclusive Design - Astral Blue
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium (64-bit Edition) with Service Pack 1 plus Free Windows 7 Upgrade Option
Notebook Tuners and Remotes: Without Media Center Remote Control or TV Tuner
Memory: 3GB Dual Channel DDR3 SO-DIMM at 1066MHz – 1 x 2048MB + 1 x 1024MB
System Drive: Single Drive Configuration - 320GB 7,200RPM (16MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection

AND I got a pretty good deal..

what do you guys think?

I was debating between the m15x and this... the 4850s were out of my price range...

 

If I were you i would not buy the ram and the hard disk directly from alienware, but from a third party, like newegg. you can save bucks that way and you can buy the hd 4850 crossfire config, or the wuxga screen, which i really recommend.
EDIT: i've just seen that 4850 are no more available (out of stock or something) so don't buy the ram and the hard disk form alienware but get the wuxga screen
RIEDIT: no, sorry, they still are available in the us site. It's your choice.

 

Would I be voiding my warranty by installing them? I have built all of my desktop computers, but laptops are a new territory for me...

 

no you will not void your warranty, if you don't break anything during the process, but if you have already built all your desktops you will not have any problems. Just keep the pieces if you have to return the nb for warranty, because it needs the original hardware to be sent in.

 

even if you don't get anything else get the 4850's

GET THEM trust me your FPS willl double

don't worry about the CPU you can upgrade later with otu voiding your warrenty ....we have a guide with pictures

get the ram from newegg i can show you how to do it as well

 

awesome.. thanks guys

 

NOOO get the 4850s; in some situations they're TWICE the card the 3870 is. They're hotter and more expensive; but worth it, the exchange really boosts the power of this machine
Also drop any upgrades beyond the LCD/GPU, the rest can be done on the cheap yourself! 1920x1200 screen is also worth it if you do a lot of desktop work, and the 4850 crossfire setup can play prety much anything on decent settings at native; hell Im even playing Crysis on High at 1920x1200, stutters now and then but its more than playable.

Basically make the machine as cheap as possible except upgrade the GPU and screen

 

By the way, if you dont believe on it being worth it. Im just starting to play Crysis now; Im on the Recovery level. Im playing 1920x1200, DX9, all settings on high. According to Fraps my FPS is solid between 30-50, with an average of probably 40 or more

 

I have a question for you guys though, will getting the 4850s delay my order? I've heard of people's orders being canceled and what-not, and I need this laptop within 2 weeks (the guy at AW said it would arrive in time)..

also are there lots of driver issues and such with the 4850s?

Thanks!

 

Not many driver issues, download 9.8, mobility modder, and go. The cancels you've been hearing about are people buying upgrade cards; rather than new machines.

Delivery time; well only AW could tell you that. If they have the parts in stock it should be no slower than buying a 3870 based one!

 

It only took them 7 business days to process my order and ship my M17 with 4850s here in the US (I also opened a Titanium account, which takes a little longer). I ordered the evening of July 31st and it was at my door August 14th.

The stock AW drivers are lousy, but installing the latest ATI drivers with Mobility Modder is a piece of cake and they're working just fine.

 

alright thanks!

I've always been wary about ATI cards (life-long nvidia user, don't ask)... we'll see how this goes..

 

I had an M17 before. I wish you would get the 4850's and definitely the bigger screen. I had the 1440 x 900 and comparing it to the 1920 x 1200 is not even fair.

If my life depended on 2 single upgrades on the M17, then those would be the screen and the cards. If I could't get those 2 upgrades I would not get the computer. That's how important they are. Upgrading later would be impossible almost. I called twice Alienware about a possible screen upgrade and they quoted me $650. Doing it yourself would set you back at least about $200 just on the cost of the screen alone.

 

Yup, I know exactly how you feel as all my previous gaming notebooks have been NVidia as well. One thing I have noticed already is that I find Crossfire more impressive than SLI. My 3dmark Vantage score goes from the mid 5000 range to the mid 9000 range when crossfire is enabled. My experience with SLI is that it only improves things about 40-50% tops, not 80%! I'm also happy not to be messing with nHancer and other SLI profiles. The crossfire just seems smoother and less of a hassle than SLI.

I also agree with the others about paying for the LCD and 4850s. You have to find a way to buy these upgrades, they're really awesome.

 

haha alright.. also, is it a hassle to upgrade the HDD and RAM? I've built all my desktops without a hitch, laptops i've got no idea about..

 

No, I bought my RAM from newegg and transferred one of my old HDs from my m9750 into the M17. Both operations combined took about 5 minutes.

 

No, RAM and HDDs are bloody easy to fit in the M17.