First Gen m17x good deal?

Please delete if this was already posted but it seems like a pretty decent deal thought I share


http://www.alienware.com/customize/...Code=PC-LT-AREA51M17X-FC2&SubCode=SKU-EBDEPP2

$1200 for this configuration first gen m17x right?

System Specifications
17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD with Clearview Technology – Black
Includes AlienFX® Illuminated Keyboard – Exclusive Design!

Video/Graphics Card:
Dual 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8700M GT - SLI Enabled

Processor:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9500 2.6GHz
6MB Cache 800MHz FSB

System Drive:
250GB 7,200 RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection

Wireless Network Card:
Internal Intel® Wireless 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card

Operating System (Office software not included):
Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1

Optical Drives:
8X Dual Layer CD-RW/DVD±RW Burner

Sound Card:
High Definition Audio with Surround Sound
Alienware Extras:
Alienware® Mesh Cap, Alienware® Mousepad, Alienware® Mobile Binder, Owner Identification Card

 

no thats not a good deal.
that is ancient hardware...
the M17 starts at a price lower than that.
you do not want the 1st generation M17x at all.
go with the M17, which is a great deal, or the
new M17x.

also, the 1st gen M17 is dead, there arent going to be more upgrades for it.
no quadcore etc...

 

appreciate the input thank you.

 

Does the first gen (non-Dell advertised) m17x have the same or similar issues as the m15x?

 

Not sure you need a more savy Alienware guy to answer that.

 

Sorry not trying to hijack your thread, just trying to get some other thoughts on the same m17x since I may have another "good deal" type system lined up.

 

I thought it was a good deal but some dont at 1,200.00 I dont think its expensive relative to the configuration. Yes it may be older tech but the performance is still there IMHO.

 

m17x is one the flagship models of Alienware, i do not remember any problems reported on this model, and there is no point in comparing it to the m15x. The build quality of m17x is normally top-notch.

I feel this is a fair deal for the money. The platform is older than the montevina in M17, but the hardware is not underpowered. The only place i would suggest an improvement is the 8700 GT SLI - if you are into serious gaming (it cannot be classified as high-end GPU since the memory bandwidth is only 128-bit, though it can reasonably handle almost all the modern games in SLI)! I say, go ahead!

 

ha NOOO!!! dont go ahead!
you would def have to upgrade the videocards in this machine.
it would be cheaper and much better to get the CF 4850s than to
upgraded to 9800GTs SLI....
and again, you would never be able to get a quadcore processor or anything like that etc.

DO NOT GET THE 1ST GEN M17x... it would be an ignorant purchase

 

It really isn't a good deal. For the same sort of money you could get an M17 with the 3870s or even better the 4850s, both of which are much more powerful than the 8700Ms.

 

Quad core is not use in many games. If you did your research you find about 5 to 10% of games use it. It still better to get a faster dual core cpu then a lower clocked quad core that runs slower.

I do agree go for a newer system. The M17 have a good gpus and such.

Best idea Spend on a high end Dual core cpu and high end gpus and you be happy.

It going to take about 5+ years for all games to use quad core cpus. Plus most games dont even use 2 cpus plus most games are useing GPUs not cpus. Low % on cpu and high end GPUs. I have core 2 2.4ghz running dual 9800gt. The cpu are running low on temp in games. GPU on the other hand are running High.

 

Granted that few games use quad cores. But few games will use more than 2.0GHz of processing power. In every single game I've played, I've seen NO performance advantage from overclocking to 2.5GHz.

There are even fewer games (<5%) that will actually put a dual core clocked at higher than 2.0GHz to use. More games will put a slower quad core to use than a faster dual core. As you can see I have done my research.

And for the games I play (Crysis, Crysis Warhead and The Last Remnant) the quad is put to good use and all the other games I actually play with the CPU downclocked to 1.6GHz without bottleneck. In fact, I'd even go as far to say I'd rather have my Q9000 than an X9100.

 

Not me...

With Q9000:

With x9100 (See Sig)

 

Video/Graphics Card: Dual 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3870 - CrossFireX™ Enabled!
Processor: Intel® Core™2 T9600 2.8GHz (6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB) New Low Price!
Design & Display: Black Ripley Design
Chassis: 17-Inch WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD (1200p) with Clearview Technology
Keyboard Options: Non-Illuminated Keyboard – with Numeric Pad - No color options available
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR3 SO-DIMM at 1066MHz – 2 x 1024MB
System Drive: Single Drive Configuration - 250GB 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection
Optical Drives : 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Wireless Network Card: Internal Wireless b/g (Full Mini-Card)
Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with Surround Sound
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Onsite Service and 24/7 Toll-Free Phone Support
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mesh Cap
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mobile Binder
Alienware Extras: Owner Identification Card
Alienware Extras: M17 Protective Cloth Sleeve
Alienware Extras: M17 Keyboard Diagram Overlay
Avatar: Alienhead 3D
Window Style: Default Window Style
Mouse Pointers: Standard Mouse Pointers
Power Plan: Standard Power Plan
Automatic Updates: Automatic Updates On
Time Zones: (GMT - 5.00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)


Thie above is a similarly configured M17 1699.00 configured.
Only discernable difference is the GPU as the CPU is the same no?
NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT SLI
14111 3dmark-05
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2
19187 3dmark-05
And I do realize that the 8700M bandwidth is its short coming at 128bit.
So is it really worth the 500.00 dollar difference? For those who maybe on the fence maybe wanting a decent notebook from another manufacturer say Asus for gaming is this in the ball park at 1,200? I think ultimately this is where things can get grey.
That’s why I still think it’s at least worth a consideration. As I look at other brands at that price point it seems to be fair.

 

I gave the original M17x a good review and recommended it, but as noted, the GeForce 8700M-GT in SLI are not very powerful; a single ATI HD 3870 or GTX 260M would stomp them. Also, the M17x is based on older technology . . . no sense in buying it.

Let me ask - what are you going to be doing with this notebook?

 

Yeah I'd pass on that. If it had 8800m GTXs/9800M GTs, than that would be a great deal.

 

I just thought it was a good enough deal to consider based on price point, and wanted to get a feel for what you all thought.

But base on feedback I think I got my answer and appreciate all of your inputs.

 

Yes but as we all know, 3DMark06 is redundant for multi-core comparisons as it depends on processor speed and not on the number of cores, nor the graphics (at least the graphics don't count as much as the processor).

I'd be more interested to see a 3DMark Vantage comparison.

And of course just because you get a higher 3DMark06 score doesn't mean you're going to get a better game performance.

As I said above all of my games are either quad core optimised, or will work perfectly at below 2.0GHz. That's why I personally would go for the quad.

 

Ive seen the research on that, so its not like I didnt know any of what you just said. Its a good thing to have a future proof PC. Quad is the future, period... my quad runs at 2.93ghz, higher than alot of ppls M17s and M17xs dual core cpus. So, I already have a nice running clock speed, but in the future alot more programs and games will utilize all four of the cores in my CPU. So, me and any other quadcore owner have the advantage, even if it may take a few years to see all the advantages.
Having a quad, is a good place to be.