My AW

Alright so its in my sig my order I upgraded the ram myself via newegg for $75 so I saved some dough there and will have tons of ram but should I upgrade my graphics card? I'm not really a huge huge gamer just a few games here and there. I'm pushing it as it is $$ wise but should I just blow the 150 extra? or can I run most games fine with this? Crysis is the only one I'm worried about but I think most other games will be fine right? Thanks guys

 

If you have 1440x900 screen, you can run Crysis fine. Before I sent my last m15x back, I was playing Crysis with everything high at 1440x900 at perfectly acceptable framerates.

Edit: That was with the 8800m GTX

 

Crysis could definitely use a graphics card upgrade if you want to play at high settings. Other than that the 8600m gt is more than powerful enough to handle most games.

 

Oops, I just noticed your video card choice. Yes, you will have a difficult time playing Crysis with that card. Honestly, I'd spend the extra money for the 8800 if you can afford it.

 

@Otaku - If you are using a 8600GT with your M15x than it is just a waste of money in my opinion.

 

if you are getting an m15x with a 8600 in it, it is a waste of money. for the size and weight of the m15x to just have an 8600 is not a good idea. if i were you i would go for the m1530 from dell. i would suggest at least a 8700 if you plan on the m15x.

 

The 8600 is pretty weak card by today's standards. if you want to game, invest in an 8800, or atleast 8700. if not, should probably consider a brand other than alienware...especially when you look at all of the consistant issues the m15x has been having.

to help us answer you more precisely, can you let us know what games you plan on playing?

 

agreed. m15x is not worth the money with an 8600 GT card (check out the dell XPSes instead, very fine)

 

In addition, if you can find the right sale, you can get a $2000 XPS for $1200 with 2.4ghz / 4GB / 160GB / 8600GT / 3 yr warranty. That deal is pretty hard to beat if you're going with a M15x base.

I actually have some stuff in my sig.

 

Thanks guys I went ahead and upgraded to an 8700 (8800 was to much) I am using a 1440x lcd and don't have to run everything on the highest setting so I think this will be fine.

 

Good choice. I used the 8700 on my m15x before I returned it. If you're not a very serious gamer, it will be more than enough to handle most gaming at 1440x900. Enjoy it.

 

In that case, you should be o.k. Just don't expect to run Crysis at native res.

 

You can barely do that with the 8800M GTX anyway.

 

Well, it probably depends on what is "acceptable" fps, but at 1440x900 with everything on high, I was perfectly happy with the performance. I would guess it hovered between 20-35fps which was perfectly fine for me.

 

sure, but that's still *barely*. my point is that the biggest difference is really seen only in the top end games, and even with the 8800 it doesn't blaze through them. if you're not as hardcore a gamer the 8700 is a fine substitute.

 

Completely agree with you. I'm just giving a heads up to the OP since he was specifically worried about how Crysis would run and don't want to see him disappointed.

 

Thanks guys. Yeah crysis is the big one since I hear so much about it and would like to play it. As long as it runs fairly well I remember on my old dell inspiron trying to run a game...think it was farcry. It was like watching a slideshow! I can't wait for this beast to arrive hopefully just a few weeks.