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    M14x or M17x R3?

    Discussion in 'Alienware' started by kglahm, Dec 4, 2011.

  1. kglahm

    kglahm Newbie

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    I'm considering buying an alienware for my sake of studying and gaming. Due to my low budget, I decided to go with a manufacturer refurbished one (Alienware is durable, so I hope it is not bad even it is refurbished, judge me if it is wrong.) I just want to get the most bang for my bucks, so please help me make the decision, as I have tried to analyze some myself.

    Here is the Alienware M14x (1300$):
    -- 8X DVD +/- RW Drive
    -- Dell Wireless 375 Bluetooth Module
    -- 14.0 inch HD (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight
    -- Processor: Intel Core i7-2760QM Processor (2.4 GHz,w/Turbo Boost,6MB Cache)
    -- 8 Cell Primary Battery
    -- 4 GB Dual Channel DDR3 (1600MHz)
    -- 3 GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M
    -- Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish
    -- Wave Systems Software
    -- 750 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
    -- Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish
    -- Sound Blaster X-Fi MB Panzer software version 1.2
    -- Intel Wireless-N WiFi Link 1000 a/g/n 1x2

    The pros and cons as of my analysis:
    Pros: Cheaper, Good CPU (better than 2820 score over all), Light weight
    Cons: not that good GPU (judge me again if im wrong. I heard that mobile GPU is not upgradable because it is soldered into Motherboard. CPU and RAM however can be changed) , not full HD resolution, wireless card

    Here is the M17x specs (1500$):
    -- Blu-ray Disc (BD) Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
    -- 320 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
    -- Dell Wireless 375 Bluetooth Module
    -- 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz (4 DIMMs)
    -- 1.5 GB GDDR5 Nvidia GeForce GTX 460M
    -- Intel 6250 Wireless-N (2x2) Half Mini-Card
    -- Soft Touch Nebula Red
    -- 9 Cell Battery
    -- Processor: Intel Core i7-2720QM processor (2.20 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.30 GHz)
    -- 17.3 inch Wide FHD (1920 x 1080 60Hz) WLED Display

    Pros: More features (bluray, wireless, FHD), more memory, better GPU
    Cons: More expensive, CPU is less in performance, memory frequency is 1333 Mhz (i can change it I bet), not that much hard drive (minor detail, i can get an external for 2tb for all my movie collections), Red color (I like black better)

    What I expect from my laptop:
    1. GPU performance, as I'm a heavy gamer (CoD, FarCry, WoW...) This and CPU are most important for me, since I heard from many people that these 2 are hard to upgrade
    2. CPU performance as I often do multiple things at once (open 15 tabs of browser to read news, then listen to music while game is still running in background, with YIM on talking along with Skype. Occasionally open 15 tabs at once to find source to write my paper, so word is opened as well)
    3. Battery life - I'm in school most of the time (mon-fri, 8-4) and I try to finish my craps there as much as I can using a laptop, so I wont bring the power cord. 5-7 hours battery life (no gaming or movie) is AWESOME. I still dont know if the M14x or M17x squeeze out more.

    So, I know it is a long and complicated Thread, but i'm a new geek into this whole thing, so I hope to hear some informative feedback from everyone. Any question? please ask
    Thanks
     
    kglahm, Dec 4, 2011
    #1
  2. katalin_2003

    katalin_2003 NBR Spectre Super Moderator

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    katalin_2003, Dec 4, 2011
    #2