Asus G51J-A1 or Alienware M15X

I have the opportunity to purchase either one of these laptops used but I am caught in between which of the two to purchase! I am obviously aware this is the Alienware forum so your opinion may be bias but please try to be as logical as possible with your reasoning and not just make fanboy remarks!

Alienware M15X
1920x1080 WLED
Core i7 720QM
Nvidia GTX260M
500GB 7200RPM HDD
4GB 1066mhz RAM
1 year warranty (~7 months left)
Plantronics 877 USB Gaming Headset ($100 retail)
$1450

Asus G51J-A1
1920x1080
Corei i7 720QM
Nvidia GTX260M
500GBx2 HDD (no RAID controller for BIOS)
4GB 1336mhz RAM
2 year warranty (1.5 months left)
1 year Accidental Warranty (6 months left)
Razor Copperhead Mouse/Asus Backpack

$1200

Obviously between the two laptops the specifications are VERY similar and I am having the hardest time choosing which laptop to buy! At this point, the only things that would make the M15X worth buying is the cool factor (the lights, the design) and build quality? How would you compare the M15X's build quality to other laptops you have owned?

 

The difference in build quality and cooling is night and day, with the M15x being far better. If you're going to spend that much money, you can also toss in the G73 from BB as a candidate.

 

If you really have to choose from those 2, get the m15x, G51 is quite a load of fail, especially the 260M GTX version. There are better choices though for 15", like 8690 or GX640.

 

Neither of those are better than an M15x. The GX640 is a single fan failure and the 8690 is a hollow LOUD plastic piece of junk (that I owned and speak from experience). He can grab an M15x and stick a 5870m in there making it the best 15.6" notebook on the market.

 

Yes, he can just get the m15x. I don't wish to debate on 8690 vs m15x here.

 

Why is the G51 so offputting to many users here? Please elaborate!

 

Runs very hot (single fan/heatsink), very poor display quality, cheap plastic build and it had lots of quality issues in the past (BSOD, overheating, etc). Every Asus gaming notebook has a proprietary video card so you cannot upgrade it in the future unlike Alienware/Clevo.

 

Take a look at the G51 thread in Asus forum and you will know. It has horrible cooling, the 260M GTX in it is underclocked by Asus, and there's BSOD issues with the 260M GTX in the G51.

 

Get the Asus! both of these machines are great computers. Hey I own one of each and am extremly happy with either one, the only real diffrence that is open to debate here is the cost. Performance wise and cooling they are evenly matched, you will not notice a diffrence whichever one you buy.

 

The M15x has a WLED screen which is cool.
Better case build quality.

Otherwise toss coin

 

In your signature, it states that you own a G71 and an M11X. I appreciate your opinion but just because you own a different product from the same company does not mean those statements will apply to all products in their line. Would you compare a Toyota Camry and a Toyota Prius and assume they are both the same car?

On that note, thanks for all the replies guys! I've owned an M11X and I really liked the form factor but performance/size was very offputting, as well as the build, which felt very plastic and cheaply made. Does the M15X follow the same construction as the M11X?

 

no the m11x and m15x are made of different materials. the m15x is better build quality.
I asked about the m15x and m11x quality before.

the m15x has a plastic armrest while the rest of the body is magnesium alloy

 

Like desu mentioned, the M11x and M15x are much different build quality wise. The M11x is mainly plastic aimed at a budget market while the M15x has a magnesium alloy body and lid with a plastic palm rest and grill. You will definitely notice the difference immediately. It's why I've been an advocate of Alienware sticking to high quality metal notebooks rather than transitioning into the cheaper plastic garbage that Asus/Clevo and all the others routinely sell.

 

Awesome guys! I've made my decision, I feel that I will be more happy with a laptop that feels good in my hands and something that I can take pride in the long run.

Can anyone comment how the laptop performs in BF:BC2?

 

260 gets about.. ~25-40 FPS on High setting at 1920 by 1080. Medium setting gives you about ~35 - 55 or so. It might be better now since BC2 did patch up a bit. It's been ~2 months or so since I had my M15x.

 

Yes I do realise that there can be a diffrence between models. I have compared the G51 to the M15x battery, performance, weight, price. Remember you asked the Question, I provided the penny thought.