Budget Alienware: m15x or m17 ?

So, the new All Powerful is around the corner, we all know. And in case someone didn't already notice, now is the ideal time for those who are on a budget to make an Alienware purchase - I am talking about the price drops in m15x and m17. (This theory stands good provided Alienware is coming up with a single expensive notebook model).

There will be a lot ppl out there finding it difficult to choose between m17 and m15x. We have discussed tonnes of time the issues with m15x, but at this point of time, it is not clear that how many of them are solved and how many still exist. m17 seems to be good bang for the price, offering the montevina platform and all, but compromising portability over the m15x, and of course the cool AlienFx lighting. I would like the experts and Alienware owners to share their thoughts on this - it will be helpful for potential buyers to make up their mind, who knows, including me! (I got word from my friend in US that my Sager order with Xotic PC got cancelled due to some communication problem between the Credit Card company <-> her <-> Xotic PC. why I cant make a new order is a story I want to save for later)

 

Well, I have an M17 so you might see my opinion as biased. However, the M17 is I believe better, newer, less issues, better to upgrade, and heavier.

You seem to be informed so there really isn't anything new to add. I don't have an m15x so I am unsure of the issues and fixes and someone with an m15x will fill in so I can only tell you what I know of the M17.

I won't bother you with the goods, but really with the bads so you won't waste time. A lot of people have the sleep issue. Fix: replace sleep settings with hibernate. You are good to go. That is the only thing mine had. If you get Quad core (you said you were on a budget so I don't know if you will drop a few hundreds for an extreme processor) there is a chance (very likely) to experience shuttering. But you are lucky because about a week ago or less, a group of people from this forum as you may already know, fixed it.

If I were you and had the choice again, I would go for the M17. Remember, it is not light. It is really a desktop replacement. And of course, wait to see what this new allpowerful will look like before buying. So you can at least be absolutely sure there isn't a low-end version of it.

 

There is no noticeable performance difference between the M17's Montevina platform and the m15x's Santa Rosa platform, unless you of course you go with the quad-core processor in the M17.

The physical size difference between the M17 and the m15x is huge, as is the battery life. In deciding between the two, I would start there.

 

Thanks Chaz / War for the inputs. I am in Germany now and have the possibility of ordering Alienware from here. Since I will be leaving the place by June end, I cannot afford to wait until the AllPowerful releases in June 1st week and then the risk of shipping delay etc., given it "fits" my pocket. Or I have to get it from US through some of my colleagues.

I understand that if I were to make a sensible choice, I have to go with m17. I dont mind the battery life much since now also I am getting around 1 hr only. I like the looks (being honest here) and portability (not a big deal for me though) of m15x and it is my primary choice. But if I buy one and end up with a broken hinge or crazy motherboard after 1 month when I have returned to India, I am on my own - dont want to play shipping games btwn IND and US.

I am also not planning to spend for a high-end processor (I will be thrown out of my family if someone knew I spend this much for a notebook in first place ). Now I have to sit down, analyze the information at hand and make decision. Interested to hear from m15x owners too. Looks like hinge issues are not reported in the new models, no confirmation, though.

 

yeah i have the ocz whitebook (m17) and it's great. i carry it all over the place and it's a killer but i said to my self for the performace of my system is worth it.


i had a t9400 and it's great. i could play every games on it ant high resolutions. it truely is a beast. but we can't help you on a config unless we know what you to spend.

also i would get the m17 be cause with the 3870x2 it is faster then the 9800m gt which the m15x.

 

you may want to check some ocz whitebook vendors in germany...

 

Germany has so many great gaming notebook vendors though:
- www.notebookguru.de
- www.nexoc.de
- www.mycizmo.com
- www.mysn.eu
- www.cyber-system.de
.... etc...

check those out.

 

Thanks for the links Gophn. I was so ignorant of the presence of m860tu in abundance in Germany!

I have gone through all the sellers, but only mycizmo seems to be selling English keyboards. The last thing I want in new notebook is a german keyboard with all messed up key placement. On a positive note, they all provide the 1680 x 1050 MATTE type display, which I love so much because of non-reflective surface. The prices though are no better than Alienware, thanks to the 19% killer vat here! When I configure an m15x with T9300 and HD3870 with Alienfx, it is a good $401 more than the same configuration sold in America!! notebookguru offers sensible prices, though without an english keyboard. I cannot get tax returns when returning home, since this is an online purchase.

I am still leaning towards m15x because of the following reasons -
1. Even if I buy from Germany, I can get an English KYBD and OS.
2. Better looks over m860tu, not big price difference when buying from Germany, even though a bit outdated hardware.
3. Since I will not configure with high-end parts, possibility of failure due to heat is less, unless I get a crazy volume slider .
4. The placing of headphone jack in the left is convenient for me, since it will be difficult to plug in my HD 595 with the bulky 3.5 mm adapter to the front when I operate the notebook on my lap (not while gaming - I hope to find a way to operate it in my lap in stealth mode, without frying it or my legs )
5. I also love the usefulness of a backlit KYBD, though wont mind other lights, same with m17 also.

These are my thoughts so far, based on the info available to me. My budget if I buy from Germany is 1500 Euro max, but I would like to limit it around 1400. Provided I find someone in US to make purchase for me, I can save a lot of money, and I dont mind spending upto $1800 - 1900. Since I return by first week of July, I have to make a decision this week and try to make order by Tue. Thanks everyone for the inputs, I hope my thoughts will be directed in the right way and I make the right decision , this has been a useful discussion so far for the confused minds like me!

 

One more question - can anyone tell me if a single mobile HD3870 GPU is better than a single 8600GTS desktop GPU? I have one in my desktop at home, which my brother normally uses and this info can help me in deciding on the GPU for my notebook.

 

look in sig single runs dual core runs. what are yours?

 

I didnt try running 3Dmark on the 8600 GTS. Dead space and Tomb raider were running smoothly in it. Anyway 8000 + is a good score. I hope 3870 should be atleast as good 8600 GTS.

 

Well I think AW was listening to your talk about buying a budget alienware Comskian. They decided to raise the prices on their video cards today out the blue for the m15x. I made a post about it already. It seems really counter intuitive to raise the prices on old parts that they just discounted. sigh.

 

!!!!! !!!

 

download the dmc4 demo and post your benchmarks from it. it's built it. just run and wait.

 

I would love to, but the problem is I will not be near anywhere near my Dsktop PC until in July when I return home from Europe! And I want to buy an Alienware before I leave!

 

I dont want to start a new thread on this, but I would appreciate if someone help me out in the following ASAP:

Alienware still sells m17x in Germany, and they offer free shipping for orders placed until today! When I confgure an m15x with T9300 and HD3870 and m17x with T8100 and dual 8700 GT, the final prices are similar, around 1500 Euros. So the question is which one will give better performance, and how much is the performance gap if any? Notebookcheck says dual 8700 GT is behind 3870, but I would like some user opinions. Does the 128 bit memory bandwidth of 8700 GT act as a drawback even in SLI config? Finally, can I upgrade the GPU in future?

I do not mind buying m17x though outdated if there is no noticeable price and performance difference, since it is known for the build quality and gives me more peace of mind.

 

Hi Comskian,

+1 rep for starting this thread.

I am rather worried that you will get the M15X and have to somehow send it back from India which wont be easy.
I never once considered the 15x at all, I chose the M17 but I really did fall in love with m17x and if you have a shot at getting one then dont think twice.
Ive read many posts from the archives of this forum and the M15X has been plagued with issues and its impossible that at least one of those issues will not manifest itself one day...dont get it mate! you will only becoma an Alienware hater and what good would that do?
On the whole the M17x owners seem very happy and regardless of age it can be upgraded to a good configuration such as dual gfx and dualcore extreme...good enough for me.
I must add that I have had no major issues with my M17 and think you too will have no trouble at all with one of these. It would be foolish of you to get the M15X; a PC with a history of breakdowns when you are going away to a far-away country where shipping would be difficult. IMHO

Good luck Comskian....sorry

 

Hi tonytoff, thanks for the rep and advice!

I have called up the Alienware customer care in Germany and had a chat with them. They informed me that I will be eligible for tax savings when I return to India. So looks like the price difference between US and Germany wont affect me much. I also enquired about the new AllPowerful line , he told me to wait until it releases and then make a decision. When I asked about the shipping delays possible for the new machine, he told it will be shipped in around 2 weeks, though I dont beleive it much .

EDIT: Hey tonytoff, you reinforced my idea to buy a m17x, though it will basically only serve as a notebook chassis for me as far as gaming is concerned ( only 8600 GT is within by budget limits ). But if I have the possibility of upgrading parts in the future, that means I can transform this durable machine into a powerhouse in future??
I have redirected my thoughts this way since I will be playing games like NFS and Dead Space, Gears of War which are third person shooters. Even though I would like have a go at Crysis and COD4/5, First Person shooters fatigue my eyes so much, and hence a little underpowered GPU will not affect my current gaming needs.