Might be getting the m15x soon

I cant help it, these new laptops are so cool and Ive always wanted an alienware notebook. However, i hope im making a good decision getting the m15x over the m17x. Any opinions would be appreciated on this. I also feel like its a waste of money getting this laptop given i have the desktop in my sig lol.

So basically im wondering if the quirks got worked out and that the m15x will be upgradeable gpu wise in the future. And most important for the cpu, does the 2.5, 2.6, and 2.8ghz core2duo offered in the laptops the 45nm chips? Thanks guys

 

Do you need the portability of a laptop and will you use it away from your house?

 

well when schoo, starts yes it would be nice, and i do like moving around he house, and taking it to friends houses to game, but im still wondering if thats worth the huge amount of money...i already put alot into the desktop. Will i see a huge performance decrease going from my desktop to the m15/17x?

 

oh of course you will. you don't even need to ask that. you know.

 

You'll see a significant performance loss switching from a 3.85GHz processor to one of the processors in the m15x and m17x, also the 8800GTX SLI will be about 50-60% (even over double in some cases) faster than the 8800GS equivalent 8800M GTX, even in SLI.

 

It can be worth spending $1500-$2k more on a notebook if you want it for portability, so it depends if you have the money. If you do, go for it.

 

gmmm for 1.5-2k i dont think i can get good specs on the m15x....and if i go for lower specs i might as well get an ultra light m1330 or something...i cant decide.....idk whether or not to put that money into my desktop or get the m15x. If i were to get the m15x with the 8700 and the 2.5ghz cpu, i could just upgrade to the gtx later....but im afraid the cpu wont be upgradeable and that the gtx is the last gpu that will be on the m15x

 

I'd say go with an 8600M GT and a 2.4GHz. Your desktop is fast enough already! The 8700M GT and 2.5GHz aren't worthwhile upgrades if it's just a secondary computer. Especially if you're updating to an 8800M GTX later on.

 

will the 8600 be able to do light gaming? and is the 2.4ghz cpu the 45nm architecture, penryn? I hope the cpu can handle apps and light gaming good for a while especialy when i upgrade the gpu later on

 

don't get the 8600 might as well get the 1530 if that what your going to do. You can however upgrade from the 8700 to the 8800 and you can also upgrade the CPU the only problem is AW would have to do it if you do it that that would void your warranty

 

so m15x, 2.4ghz core2, 8700, and for screen im assuming 720p is fine enough? I might place this order tonight. If im going to the 8800gtx i might as well get an 8600 and get a better cpu then get the gtx later on?

 

You can upgrade the 8600M GT to the 8800M GTX, too. There's a small difference between the 8600M GT and the 8700M GT, and both should max out pretty much every game but Crysis and Age of Conan. Those cards are much more powerful than people think. You won't notice a difference between the 2.4GHz and 2.5GHz, if this was your only computer I'd get 2.5GHz, but otherwise go with the 2.4GHz. Both should handle every task without any lag.

 

well yeah if you plan to upgrade anyway it will cost you around $600 to upgrade to the 8800 just to give you heads up. You may want to ask to get an exact amount.

 

Yeah, the 1440x900 screen for sure. Everything looks too small on the WUXGA screen and most games won't run well at that resolution, plus the 1440x900 will last longer since it won't require as much power to play at native resolution.

 

If he upgrades in a year or two, the prices will probably go down to $150-$300.

 

ok i may order this then, and with the 8600 for now. Hopefully a new lappy wont come out soon to take over this one. Im hoping for this to last me 2 years. Thanks guys, any last recs before i hit the order button? i hope not to have issues with mine, m gonna tell them that monday on the phone too lol

 

I'd have to recommend the 8800M-GTX - if you're just going for the 8600M-GT then you can save a boatload by going with another manufacturer. Of course you don't get the looks and such.

 

Good luck. Enjoy your new system! I've heard you really liked the look of the m17x, they're bringing that black design over to the m15x around the time that the m17x comes out.

 

yea well if i go with a diff manufacturer i cant upgrade gpu's. The m17x is nice but its too big to be a college/light gaming notebook on the go. Plus i like silver better than black lol

 

You can upgrade the GPU on the m15x.

 

yea that why im getting alienware, its upgradeable. maybe i should just cough up the money for a 8800m gtx now and be in debt lol.....its all either this laptop or a new quad core cpu for the desktop and 9900gtx upgrades in july....what choices

 

A XPS M1530 with coupons will get you a 2.4GHz and an 8600M GT for less than $1200, so that's the more reasonable choice. You already have a hell of a desktop, there's no real reason to upgrade. Quad-core won't have any advantages yet (no game truly uses four cores), so get it when prices are lower and you can get a higher-clocked quad-core at a better price. Pay $1650 now for the m15x, I guess will be the best choice or $1200 for the XPS M1530.

 

if i go laptop route, im def getting an m15x because its upgradeable. I guess ill go for it, ordering it now. Will upgrade maybe ina year to the gtx or 9 series cards if the m15x will be able to upgrade to them

 

Nice, man. I wish I had the money to get one, too. Good luck with the order and everything! Enjoy your new beast!

 

What kind of setup are you looking at now? Also, what price range?

This is what I would recommend for ~$2,100:

15.4" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD (1200p)
512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8700M GT
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T8100 2.1GHz (3MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows® XP Professional
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 512MB
120GB 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection
8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
AlienFX® Illuminated Keyboard – Exclusive Design

For gaming I'd get the 8800M-GTX for another $350 on top of that setup. If you want a faster processor (which I don't think is necessary), go for the T9300 because the T8300 is not worth $150. You're better off spending $250 for the T9300.
Upgrade the RAM/HDD yourself. You can get 4GB Corsair RAM for $75:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145193&Tpk=4gb+corsair+200+pin
. . . and a 320GB WD hard drive for $108:
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digit...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1209836879&sr=8-2

 

For ~$2100, everything at default with an 8800M GTX upgrade and $100 in RAM and HD upgrades would be what I'd reccomend. The WUXGA screen is a waste on a notebook

 

im thingking the
t9300
8800m gtx
and everyhing else stock as i will upgrade the rest myself. If i can sell my desktop parts successfully on the buy sell trade section, ill go for the x9000 cpu.

 

The x9000 is the biggest waste of money on the m15x. It really won't show a $650-$900 difference at all. I'd save the extra money for another desktop or something else.

 

yea i got alot of offers for the desktop but everyone wants it even cheape than what i put up, so im now deciding what to do, best bet is keeping the desktop and getting an m15x in addition if i cant get higher offers

 

The m15x gets half the score your desktop provides if maxed. You may as well get both, since it can still handle all the games topped out, but can be used for portability.

 

yea ill be usng the m15x for school work, and game ssuch as cod4, ut3, halo2, cs source

im basically trying to decide between the 2.5 and 2.4ghz cpu, i may not get the 8800m gtx because i dont think i need it and i will be upgrading the gpu later to the 9 series

 

That is your opinion. To me, high resolution screens are extremely important as they greatly aid in what I do for my job.

With higher resolution screens, you can put windows side by side, which makes it very easy to multitask between applications. You can also see greater detail in images and HD video. Those are just a few of the benefits.

 

just t let you know, they are the new 45nm penryn processors....... or whatever they are called.

I would say, get the 2.5. dont go any higher, as the price point is WAY too steep for what you get.

 

im just getting the 1200p screen because i HATE glossy screens. Im sure AW know this aswell. matt is more popular, so only offer the matt in the more expensive option. I would get the clearview 720p otherwise.

 

Yeah, but text becomes really small and hard to read, and there isn't a huge difference in detail between WXGA+ and WUXGA on a 15" screen for HD video (some experts say 1280x720 vs. 1920x1080 on even a 42" screen shows no discernible difference, but I'd disagree with that). Also games will run smoothly at 1440x900 for much longer than they will 1920x1200, and playing them in WXGA+ on a WUXGA screen looks really bad. Just my opinion.

 

and as for gpu, should i just get the 8600 gt and upgarde to the gtx when cheaper or the 9 series in about a year?
so basically everything stock but cpu, which will be the t9300. Is this laptop good for carrying around also?

 

It depends how much you want to spend. Just give us a basic idea how much you want to spend on it if you got it today. The laptop isn't too bad to carry around, my dad has a 15" that's thicker and heavier and it isn't that bad at all to carry. He just came home one day around year and a half ago with some crappy Gateway, so I didn't have a chance to help him decide .

 

Consider that the 8700M-GT is 20 - 40% faster than the 8600M-GT . . . I think it is a worthwhile upgrade.

To me, standard text size on a WUXGA 15.4" is fine, so as you stated, your opinion. If you want bigger font size, you can up the DPI to 120.

 

well im looking to spend 2000 or less, and want to put the order in today

 

You might aswell just get the 8600/8700 as you have a killer desctop. sure some games wont be maxed out on your m15x, but does that matter? when you want to get down and get dirty, you have your monster pc to use.

For some reason though, i dont see the 9000 series coming here too soon.

 

I really think ordering all default with an 8800M GTX for $2k and upgrading RAM yourself for $50 would be the best performance/price ratio. If you want, the $50 backlit keyboard is worthwhile, too.

 

oh and get a smartbay battery. that will help you alot for portability (batterylife wise)

 

You will save money if you get the smartbay battery afterwards. You can ask for a 10% discount.

 

yea but cpu isnt easily upgraded so if im not doing intesnse gaming i think the better cpu will allow it to last longer
im thinking
t9300
8700
lighted keyboard

upgrade ram myself

that just under 2000

im only scared that it will take too long to get this laptop from them

 

i just love the shiny keyboard. i like brightedededed cooolours ^_^

 

I'd get the 8600M GT over the 8700M GT if you're upgrading later on, and the T8300 since you already have a nice desktop. The $250 you save can be put towards an 8800M GTX or 9800M GTX upgrade later on (in a year from now you can expect to be able to get an 8800M GTX for around $250). It's your notebook, so it's obviously your call, though.

 

well im putting inthe order, im putting it in scared because i know alienware will take forever to ship this thing, they have the worst service ever but great laptops lol. final specs are

1440x900 screen
t9300
8700m gt(upgrading later)
lighted keyboard
ram upgrade to 4gb on my own

total: 1949.99

what you guys think

 

Those are great specs. I've already posted my thoughts, but it's your notebook, so it's your decision (obviously). Go ahead and enjoy!

 

someone ment=ioned that you can ask for a 10% discount to buy smartbay after. how does this work?

 

ok placed my order!

Display: 15.4" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD (720p) with Clearview Technology
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - White
Video/Graphics Card: 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8700M GT
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 2.5GHz (6MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Home Premium
Notebook Tuners and Remotes: Without Media Center Remote Control or TV Tuner
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 512MB
System Drive: 120GB 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection
Optical Drives : 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Wireless: Internal Intel® Wireless 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card
Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Keyboard Options: AlienFX® Illuminated Keyboard – Exclusive Design