I am torn and need some advice

Hi guys and gals,

I am after an alienware laptop and cannot decide between the 15 and 17.

A little context, i need a beefy computer because my work is varied from virtualisation to development to video editing and encoding and also gaming.. a lot of gaming

I am torn between the 15 and 17 for a couple of reasons;

base i7 vs base quad core
higher quality 15 screen vs the 17 screen
single hdd vs raid 0

and since reading here, not overly concerned about the material & build quality difference, but as iv read.. there is a difference between the two.

Weight and battery life arent all that important to me.

Hope to hear your thoughts!

 

If you're gaming, go for the larger 17" model and a dual graphics setup, if you cant afford that go for the 15" and settle for a lower screen resolution, best compromise really.
The I7 is technically better, but unfortunately against the QX9300 they dont really stretch thier legs in a lot of thing, if gaming is your key goal, then the better graphics setup is a must.

 

I was in the same dilemma as you, but I opted for the 15. Reason? The i7 is poised to be ready and adaptable for the future while the qx will become outdated technology sooner. It's just a fact of computer technology that newer hardware takes you farther into the future (assuming it's competent technology).

I went for the extreme i7 Extreme 920 in the 15 as well...when I spend this kind of money on something, I want it to meet demands for as long as possible.

While I agree with Alexrose1uk that a lot of software isn't written to take advantage of the i7 (yet), the things you listed outside of gaming should put the i7 through it's paces.

For photo/video editing, always get the best screen possible, no matter what you decide.

Best of luck!

 

This thread may help some to compare the features of each laptop:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=423002

 

Photo and video editing and encoding will benefit quite a lot from the i7 processor. On the other hand, gaming would vastly benefit from the dual graphics cards in the 17 inch model.

 

There hasnt been any rumors / news from AW on when the m17x is getting a refresh has there, but based on history, can anyone take a guesstimate on how long it will take them to throw out a new 17 with i7s?

Such a tough decision

 

The thing with dual gpu solutions though is that there is a larger possibility of things going wrong. Like the M17X, M1730 stuttering that is occuring, persumeably due to the Quad core (not a TRUE quad core as it has 2 dies) and SLI issues.

The M15X is just a sleek setup, very streamlined, with a true quad core CPU and a single decent GPU but unless u are going to game at 1080P, the single GPU should be very good for the 1600 x 900 resolution gaming.

Thats why i went for the M15X

 

The qx9300 overclocked will be as good orbetter yhen the i7

 

Their Australian versions are limited.

We dont get access to alienware bags, razer gear.

Red colour is free, the 1080p screen is default, the nameplate customisation doesnt exist.

=\

 

The Red is currently $99.99 cheaper than other versions in U.S But you have to start with higher config so the base price is $1,999 (The price for the same config for Black and Silver are $2,099 but you can start from the ground for $1,799)

 

Just spoke with a dell rep and apparently there are no plans for a refresh yet, but its a dell rep, i am surprised they can find the on button on their computers half the time, but i guess that hints its not in the close immediate future.

 

What would they refresh it to ?


Tbh I wonder ....

Come on do research ... The newest plaform is arrandale ... And it's nothing spectacular ....

 

Yah, really the M17x had some of the best tech available when it launched and really the i7 is the largest improvement that could be bundled in since then now that the new ATI cards are bogus too. USB 3.0 is even being backburnered for a while again. If I were Dell I would wait at least a year until some new and exciting stuff got released, then come out with a completely revamped build.

 

Only real refresh they could do in the near future would be I7 (not a huge benefit) and ATI 5 series mobile or Nvidia GT200/300 based mobile parts when they arrive.

USB3 isnt even hugely needed, provided they continue to support eSATA, as that copes perfectly fine.

 

Is this the consensus around here? I've looked at some charts and it appears to me that the i7-920M appears to be as good or better than qx9300. (Haven't seen charts when qx9300 is overclocked though.) Although it would have been nice to have more cpu power with the i7, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the M17X anyway earlier this week with the idea that the current M17X is likely to have more battery power due to the 9400m.