New Alienware m17 discussion

Im looking at the performance more than the look though, so im still stuck on whether to go for the m17 or the m17x.

 

When the drivers for the Mobility 3870x2 become more and more mature later on do you think it will be more superior then the 9800M GTs for playing games like Crysis and Far Cry 2?

 

What I don't like about it is that it doesn't have the smartbay options like the m15x does.

 

I think it looks a LOT better 0_0. I'm a fan of sleek notebooks not flashy ones. The only thing to worry about is if you travel with the notebook the matte finish has a chance of peeling like it did with the M9750.

 

I think this is a very smart move form alienware. Manufacturing their own cases from the ground up obviously wasn't working (Overheating, hinge problems, etc.) so moving back to reselling barebone systems isn't a bad idea. I would be prepared to pay a bit extra for the looks, brand name of owning an alienware over some obscure brand no one's heard of. In fact, I think Alienware has just sold me an m17 .

I doubt it.

 

Possibly, but I'll still give the edge to the 9800M GTs because it's nVidia + Crysis we're talking about, but the performance margin should be significanly reduced.

But with Whitebook owners and prospective ones, most are looking forward to the Mobility 4xxx series for this notebook. A single 4850 has been spoted and tested (3dmark06 only so far) and scores as much as the 9800M GTX. If there desktop counterparts are of any indication of the performance margin between the two, then the 2x 9800M GTX in Sli would see some serious competition with the Mobility 4850 x2.

 

Its a really hard decesion><

 

Wow I am so impressed with AW. I love seeing my laptop's make being complimented! And I swear, the m17 has to be the most powerful 17 incher ever?

 

quite possibly, i don't remember the Clevo np9262 getting anything higher than 15k in 3dmark, and the m17 is hitting that with (probably) underperforming drivers.

 

Can you maybe stick to one thread...

 

Yeah, this is just one difference between the two. Not sure if uninformed users will notice though.

 

I don't understand why they switched back to a fugly design though. They should continue to improve the design of the m17x/m15x.

 

Always had faith, Alienware. Now please send me money for the price cut.

 

There have been a couple of Clevos hitting 15k. But really, it's a matter of how well it performs in games.

 

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this (I might be a tad late) but the M17 offers a 64-bit version of Vista too. Something worth noting.

 

That's the thing trying to mix asthetics with heat distribution. It's hard.

 

The m17 is cool but I still need to find more info on the 3870 mobility in crossfire vs the 9800m gt in sli to decide

 

m17 is a joke, why wont aw make their own laptop, and the price at killernotebook is even better, so they do little keyboard mods and stupid *** looking cover and put an aw logo on it doesnt mean crap, way to steal the thunder

 

In synthetic benchmarks yes. In real time games, the 9800GT's SLI will win no problem. The only disadvantage of the m17x is the very old santa rosa which will bring the performance down. I would go for the m17 due to the newer hardware but the ATI gpus simply dont live up to the expectations.

 

I just want to play crysis and farcry 2 at full graphics at a 1280x720

 

yes, yes, you're all the same. first you bash AW for selling "overpriced, flashy" notebooks with "outdated technology", and now you bash AW for selling, essentially, a well-priced, subtle, and bang-up-to-date machine. seriously, i don't get it.

PS: why doesn't XoticPC make their "own laptop"? they're doing exactly the same you're criticizing about AW...

 

That's not that extreme of a request.. a 8700m would easily do that..

 

As whizzo said. What exactly do you want from Alienware apart from a target to troll?

Killernotebooks don't make their "own laptop", neither to XoticPC. If anything, Alienware have at least changed the design to fit their brand; that's more original than what the resellers have come up with.

 

Ok then what about crysis and farcry 2 at 1440x900 and graphics at very high

 

easily, i would say.

 

M17: 2.53ghz T9400, Dual 3870s, 4gb ram, 160gb 7200rpm hd, 1440x900 17" lcd... $2100.

m15x: 2.4ghz T8300, single 9800 GT, 2gb ram, 160gb 7200rpm hd, 1440x900 15.4" lcd... $2174.

Yeah, the M17 is definitely a good price. I was trying to get the lowest price with good components in the M17, then match the components as best as possible with the m15x and stay at about the same price range.

 

yeah but i can all but guarantee you that AW won't sell a single m17 with the 1440x900 screen.

 

They don't manufacture their own cases.

 

Crysis at 1280x720 at full graphics? An 8800m GTX can't do that, and that's more powerful than 8700 SLI.

 

+1 Honestly as much as I hate AW this is a very nice notebook and the price on it is good as well. ALL PC MANUFACTURES for the most part buy cases. Dell, HP, etc.

Only companies that actually make their own stuff to my knowledge.
Clevo
Asus
Acer?
Apple
Compal

There are other companies but they don't have anything on the market.

 

Yea I'm gonna get Chaz to clean up some of these threads as there are way too many.

 

Exactly, the M17 is competitively priced and with better performance than an M15x.

Of course they won't, except those who think "YEAH, ALI3NWARE!111!" and click straight through with the base configuration .

I don't know to what extent the various components of an Alienware laptop are or are not manufactured by Alienware. If they don't manufacture their own case then I stand corrected, but the point remains: It's a custom design nonetheless and they have had no end of problems with it.

 

They will sell plenty.

Obviously the guys who are maxing the spec will go for 1920x1200, but people who want to keep the price low will get 1440x900 and single 3870. They will sell a LOT, because not everyone wants to drop $2k+

I agree that 1440x900 is a little low for a 17", but it is a perfect match for the capabilities of a single 3870.

 

any chance for a new M15x in black ?

 

If you are a gamer you take 1440*900, low res= better performances....

 

After watching Alienware's overview of the new M17 located at this link -

http://www.alienware.com/aliennetwork/pc-gaming-channel.aspx?source=ECH0034

I have to ask myself: Will m17x owners be able to download the same face recognition software that is available to owners of the M17? Same webcam hardware right?

 

aw, come on. i've got 1440x900 on a 15.4" screen and while the screen itself is awesome, i'm wishing i'd've gotten (or rather, AW would offer) 1680x1050, because this res isn't really enough for me.

 

it's part of the new command centre (v1.28 SP1 for the m15x, don't know for the m17x). since it only uses the webcam and a custom driver, it should be no problem for m17x users to enable this feature as well.

 

But the difference is this, Killernotebooks is more like Alienware, they both take the bare bone systems, and build them, they are system builders. Xoticpc has them built, they don't add the components. They are just a reseller.

Personally, I would get my system from someone who has had their hands in it, than just ordering it from someone else who is ordering it for you. Cut out the middle man, ya know.


I had bought this from K|N a few weeks ago, I had it for 3 days and sent it back. Before you get the wrong idea though, this is a great... GREAT laptop, but it was to big (aka freakin enormous) for me, I'm going to school and need something more portable, I'm hope the m15x will be more portable, my wife is getting tired of me buying laptops and sending them back, haha.

 

Hey, I plan to swap out my Whitebook's cover for the one from my broken M9700 (i'm going to paint it Pearlescent red first )

 

The M15x comes with 1920x1200, why didn't you buy that? Too high?

Too high, too low.... see my point? Everybody has different preferences, and more importantly, different budgets.

They will sell plenty of 1440x900 models, because that is the perfect resolution for people choosing the cheaper single GPU model.

 

good luck with that, ichime. be sure to post some pics if it works out ok.

 

m17x Command Center also has the face recognition.

 

Sure thing

 

rofl I like how alienware always tries to market these like they designed the laptop....

 

in synthetic benchmarks yes but in games no check out OCZ section to see other users results. 17fps in Crysis is even slower than one 8800GTX.

 

I compare the new notebook to the m15x with the same general settings on each. This is the Estimated Tax & Shipping price for Minnesota USA

[1] Area-51® m15x


1 Display: 15.4" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD (720p) with Clearview Technology
2 Video/Graphics Card: NVIDIA® GeForce® Series - 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 9800M GT
3 Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 2.5GHz (6MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
4 Operating System:Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
5 Memory: 4GB† Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 2048MB
6 System Drive: 120GB 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection
7 Optical Drives: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
8 Wireless Network Card: Internal Intel® Wireless 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card
9 Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with surround sound
10 Keyboard Options: AlienFX® Illuminated Keyboard
11 Warranty: 1-Year

Order Total: $2,671.43


[1] M17


1 Display: 17" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD (720p)
2 Video/Graphics Card: Dual 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3870 - CrossFireX™ Enabled
3 Processor: Intel® Core™2 T9400 2.53GHz (6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
4 Operating System: Windows Vista® Home Premium (64-bit Edition) with Service Pack 1
5 Memory: 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SO-DIMM at 1066MHz – 2 x 2048MB
6 System Drive: 160GB 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) with Free Fall Protection
7 Optical Drives : 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
8 Wireless Network Card: Internal Wireless b/g (Full Mini-Card)
9 Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with Surround Sound
10 Keyboard Options: Illuminated Keyboard Terra Green
11 Warranty: 1-Year

Order Total: $2,352.15

*NOTE: these prices are without the possible savings from upgrading the RAM yourself.

 

obv the m17 is better

 

masta marek u r mistaken. that person was not using the crysis patch. aswell if i recall his cpu was not great. these ati card are very reliant on cpu.

 

A few, but the upgrade isn't that expensive so I'd expect most people to want 1920x1200.

That would be nice.

No you won't, 1920x1200 looks better and on a laptop like this that's also important.