Advice Needed on Best Spec for M11X

This is the specification that I'm pondering on my new M11X from Alienware, can you guys gimme some advice though on a few things ?

• Alienware M11x Lunar Shadow
• Intel® Core™ 2 Duo SU7300
• Windows® 7 Professional, 64bit
• 11.6-inch WideHD 1366x768 (720p) LCD
• 8192MB 1067MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [2x4096]
• 256GB Solid State Hard Drive
• 1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 335M

The first thing is how much difference is there really between the Su4100 and the SU7300 ?

The second thing is how much difference for average use and moderate gaming does 8GB over 4GB of memory really make ?

The last question is about how much of a difference do SSD drives have over the SATA 7200s ?

All found for £1359.00 inc VAT and Delivery...

 

gah for that price why not just get the 15x with medium specs?

You wont need 8G ram (after 4GB you dont need any for games) and you wont need an SSD unless you care about it booting up and loading programs 15secs faster. I mean cmon, 15secs for $400? The 500gb SATA works just fine.

The difference between the two processors is very minute (see the benchmark thread). The SU7300 is still faster but not $100 faster even though I ordered it. It does provide more virtualization though.

 

Well I've heard that the SSD does influence gaming performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fiugY3RGws

watch this


(But in the video's I've seen, SSD is not necessary to get a smooth gameplay. Modern Warfare 2 gets huge frames per seconds on high with a HDD)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdtXnwxeCkQ

This is multiplayer modern warfare 2 on the SU7300 processor, 4GB ram and 320 GB HDD (NOT overclocked!) this is on standard stock.

So the SU7300, 4GB ram and 500 GB HDD would be enough I think for all your needs.

 

That video showing the SSD does considerably increase game load times and boot times impressively @ Misterb

I might skip the 8gb ram and save the extra 300 pounds @ craigery81 if it really makes no difference but I really wanted something compact, been running a Dell XPS1330 for the last couple of years and I don't wanna lug anything bigger around...

 

While the ssd does increase gaming performance I still do not think it increases the performance $400 worth. If I were to spend over $1500 on this laptop, I would just max out the M15x for $1900...Thats just me though. Do what you want

Its cheaper to buy it base model and upgrade through 3rd party parts (catch a great sell on Newegg.com)

 

Thanks for the advice mate, I will give it some careful thought !!!

 

If you would still have money left after that, go with the SSD unfortunately I didn't have the money left

 

1. The Processor will not make a huge difference, there is not a lot between them.

2. 8GB of RAM over 4GB will not make any noticeable difference. With 8GB you could disable your page file and never worry, but you could probably do the same with 4GB too. There won't be any benefit.

3. SSDs will make your experience 'smoother', and loading in games will be much faster. That's it. You will load games faster, and accessing files from the hard drive in Windows will be faster.

 

I would upgrade the processor with Dell. Pass on the 8 gb ram and upgrade the SSD in the future when it's cheaper, larger and faster.

 

dude, seriously, go with the SSD and leave it at 4GB Ram, opt for the better processor and you're sorted. Basically what I'm going for but in silver

 

you are disregarding the fact that he wants a smaller computer.

The SSD is going to make the m11x faster. bottom line.

 

I wanted the SSD, and part of me does regret not getting it, but the prices are just ridiculous atm. I actually got the cheapest hard drive they offered and will throw one of my choosing in when i get it.

 

i held off because in the next 6-8 months, the new chips should be out allowing one of the following:

lower prices on 128-265gb drives
or
more storage for the same price

it really depends on how the manufacturers handle it. I dont need more then 160 or 265gb of storage, but i'd like to be down around the $1-1.30/gb range.

 

Yeah, 8GB is totally overkill. Even SSD is a little overrrated for the price. And only get Windows 7 Professional if you need XP virtualization, or the Windows backup.

The price of the 256GB SSD is actually good at Dell, but I hear its performance is quite inferior to so many other SSD's out there.

 

I could end up waiting forever if I wanted it to be cheaper, or to get a better processor or just a better machine, I don't think I would fork out the standard £1500 for the M11X but at £1359 - don't you think its better value and that is with the 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD plus the uprated CPU ??

 

8GB won't do anything for you. At all. I have 4GB on my desktop right now and I have no problems at all.

The SSD is just your preference - It's beneficial, but I don't think it's worth the insane cost. I can live with longer load times.

The Processor I think is worth it, but that's just my personal choice. I want to be able to run VMs and the slight speed increase is something I want.

 

So do you guys unanimously vote that I should get the SSD over the 8GB of RAM ?

 

If you mean if the choice was SSD or 8gb of ram... SSD in a heartbeat

 

From what most people have said, 8GB over 4GB for average windows use and occasional gaming is overkill...

 

Upgrade the cpu to the su7300
4GB of ram
Go for the SSD, it sounds like you have the pockets for it. If you can afford it, you should absolutely go for it. The difference is VERY noticeable.

Keep in mind you're going to be reselling this laptop later this year, when Alienware unleashes more powerful CPUs for the m11x. DO NOT WAIT for the CPU refresh, just know that it will probably happen during the holiday season this year, if not during the Summer.

 

is the newer cpu refresh truly going to make a large difference in games though? And i mean GPU intensive games, obviously it will help for CPU ones.

will the price of the machine go up with the refresh, given how right now they are selling old stock of intel's cpus?

 

Chances are price will go up significantly, probably $200, on the base model.