Buying the MX15 now, or wait?

Im thinking of buying a MX15 with a 2.5 ghz dual core processor and the 8800m gtx. I also want to put 4gigs of ram in it.

But im not sure bout the moment to buy it. Should I buy it now or wait till the 9800m gtx comes out? Cause maby Im willing to pay extra for the 9800m or the 8800m drops in price. I also dont know if there are any cpu upgrades comming up.

What do u guys think? I live in europe so we do not have the option to buy a mx17 cause they simply aren't on the uk site. Otherwise I could go for a dual 8800m gtx.

Edit:

This is what the AW support told me.

Dear Alienware Customer,

Thank you for contacting Alienware.

Of course, Alienware constantly looks into offering the latest perks offered in computer technology, especially in improving the efficiency of systems currently offered.

However, we unfortunately have no definite information just yet regarding the approximate time frame for future availability of the Nvidia 9800m video card for our Area-51m Mobile Systems other than the fact that it is currently in the research and development stages.

Like any other Alienware system offered, these new components go through our extensive testing process for quality control, for compatibility and optimum high level gaming system performance. Please rest assured that as soon as it is available, it will be on our website as well.

When new technology comes out, usually the price of the slightly older technology drops but the effect may not be an immediate one so we are unable to tell you how much the price will be affected and when as the technology market prices are always changing.

If you need further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

The 9800m gtx will probably never come out for the m15x, and even if it does in the future, it shouldn't even been in there.

Even on the 8800, there have been a large number of users reporting dangerously high temperatures on their graphics cards, and a few have failed entirely, and two other users have had chassis damages due to the fluctuating heat cycles caused by the graphics card (due to the poor cooling system of the m15x)

 

Hi Daemen and welcome to the forum.
8800gtx or the 9800 hmmm, now let me think.

i know nothing about the 9800 but if its going to be faster than the 8800 that means its going to get hotter and that means you will almost be able to fry an egg on the m15x.
imo and with all the problems they have been having with downclocking and heat problems its a difficult decision to make.
its entirely upto you but i think if you can afford it and you can wait a while it might be worth holding out for the m17x with dual 8800. that extra 2" in sizes sounds like (so far) it can handle the heat dispertion BUT not many people have received the 17x yet so keep an eye on this forum for new owners reports.
hope this helps.

 

can't see they drop a bomb like this... or will they go for a down clocked version to fix some of the heat issues with 88 series?

 

Will the mx17 be available in Europe on any short notice? And will it be in silver with the Ripley cap? My guesses are no, but stil it cant hurt to ask right .

If I buy the mx15 now, can it be upgraded in a few years? I know the GPU can be replaced. But im afraid the CPU will not, cause of some montevina thing I heard about (dunno what it is entirely, but I think it something bout the motherboard).

And the last question is still very speculative. The 2 main games it must run are Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 on a 720P resolution (my tv). Will these games run fluently on this system? I know Blizzard always have low system specs. But I hate to pay 2000 euro for a notebook and than to realise I have to turn the lighting to low etc etc.

 

the 8800 should tear right through it. there no point thinking about upgrading since it is a laptop and not a desktop. montevina is also a completely different chipset so you wont be able to upgrade.

no1 knows when m17x will be available in europe. the silver ver of the m17x might as well be non existent since there is no news on it and look at the amount of time it took for the m15x to get a new lid on the lcd.

EDIT:removed the ati optimize thing since i couldnt find out where i read it.

 

you're joking?! i've been following starcraft 2 closely and never read anything like that....

 

i read that somewhere. i forgot where i read it tho...

 

I thought u could sent in your laptop and alienware would upgrade it for you (u have to pay offcourse).

And than the question would be, is it wise to wait for the montevina chipset or not?

 

you just have to buy the part off AW if you want to upgrade. you can basically upgrade everything yourself except the cpu. the gpu ram and hdd can be upgraded yourself. the gpu has to be bought from AW tho. the HDD and ram you can buy somewhere else.

since montefina is a new chipset, it will need a new motherboard. AW will most likely release a new laptop than to put a new motherboard for the m15x. you might not see a new AW laptop until at least the end of this year to around early 2009.

 

i'm waiting because this forum filled me with fear .. and i don't like the color silver.

siiiiiiiiiiigh i what some sort of dream gaming laptop already

 

The silver is pretty sweet actually (I usually prefer black or a color) anyway I wouldn't hold out for an 9800 I don't think they'll do it, to risky. I skipped the 8800 partly because of the issues with it and stuck with an 8700 (that and money) course the 8800 is far more powerful and actually has driver support...

 

The 9800m gtx isn't much better than the 8800m gtx the main difference is in power efficiency and heat the 9800 gtx better in both aspects. If you want more performance there is 9900m coming out, but I don't know if they will make it available or you could try ebay

 

U mean better, like in more heat?

And the montevina chipset will likely be more expensive cause of the other ram it uses? So if they release a notebook with it it will probably be more expensive than the mx15?

 

yes the 9800M GTX produces more heat than the 8800M GTX

The DDR3 ram will cost a lot because it is new technology. once more and more laptops get it the cost will go down. A montevina laptop price might not be a big difference but it will cost more.

 

not really true.

As we speak, Sager has already announced pre-orders for their Montevina high-end systems.... prices remain the same since they are giving upgrades to those that order the previous Sager 5793 (Clevo M570RU that is now out of stock) to Sager 5796 (Clevo M570TU) for free.

 

9800m GTX has been proven "hotter"

As Gophn their prices should be similar with currently platform.

 

since when does the price on stuff not increase, especially if it get's bigger and better

 

wait. Better things will come out, considering it has been out for a while. Wait a few months and see what has happened, and then if whatever is coming out next doesn't tickle your funny bone, go ahead and buy it. But if i was you, i would wait, it might lose a bit off of it's price, too when something new comes out.

 

@miho

clevo or AW? per your sig...

 

lol, my sig also says ask me July 15th.
I'm tending towards the Clevo, but it all comes down to cost. If the config I want is cheaper on the Clevo, I'm going with that; if it's cheaper on the Alienware, I'll likely go with that.

 

Hay Miho you might want to try it this way. Buy the basic setup then upgrade over time. In a few months you will have the same stuff but cheaper.

I already saved $400 On my laptop upgrading my ram and buying the hard drives and such.

The one thing you can do. Is watch people on this forum who have the laptops max out and see what there problems is then choice what seems stable.

Once I get info on the M17X with the 2.8ghz I will choice one or the other in a upgrade.