New laptop, suggestions?

Hey!

I’m a first time poster, so forgive me for making any rookie mistakes.

I’m looking to buying a new laptop, and all the options are making my head swim. I’ve read up a lot on the Alienware M17, and there seems to be a lot of good things about it, but it seems like a lot depends on how I build the system. I noticed that some peoples didn’t work well with the Dual ATIs without a larger processor (a mistake I was making when I was experimenting with ordering).

So here’s the thing. My choices are limited to Alienware or Dell, husbandly consent and all that. I’d really like a 17” monitor (full keyboard compared to the 15”), and I don’t do serious gaming (mostly things like Tomb Raider, etc. Nothing seriously hard on my comp). But the condition on this new laptop is that he doesn’t have to feed my habit in the next three to four years. I'm thinking that means Vista 64, which in turn means 4GB of Ram, right?

I have a budget of about $2100, so with warranty, tax, shipping $2500 or so. I’d be willing to have it updated later, with additional ram, etc. But I just want to get the best all-around PC for my buck.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

That would be the M17

 

So will this work? Or should I cough up the extra change for the dual graphics cards?

I read some complaining about the Dual ATI's not working as well with the lower processor. And not sure i need it.... And will the WideUXGA run without them, I read someone say I'd sacrifice performance, though I'm not sure it would matter much for me. Thats really where my confusion lies. Thanks for the help!

Video/Graphics Card: 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3870
Processor: Intel® Core™2 P8400 2.26GHz (3MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Design & Display: Black Skullcap Design
Chassis: 17-Inch WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD (1200p) with Clearview Technology
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium (64-bit Edition) with Service Pack 1
Memory: 4GB« Dual Channel DDR3 SO-DIMM at 1066MHz – 2 x 2048MB
System Drive: Single Drive Configuration - 320GB 7,200RPM (16MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection

 

It all depends on the games you want to be able to play. A single card scores around 8-9k on 3dmark so its quite decent. With the P8400 you will probably see an increase of 2-3k with 2 cards.

Also you could save some money (and be able to upgrade other parts) by buying your ram from somewhere else and placing them yourself. Same with the hdd id say.

 

That CPU will bottleneck your two 3870's. The performance of ATI cards depend heavily on the CPU. I would personally downgrade the RAM and HDD and get atleast a T9400. You could always upgrade the RAM yourself and use an external drive for media and whatnot.

EDIT: I've just re-read your post, and since you're not too much for gaming, that config should do with the single 3870. Perhaps a better CPU if you feel convicted enough, but still, downgrade the RAM, it'll be cheaper if you do it yourself.

 

No hardcore games like most.

Question, if I buy a year of warranty now, can I buy additonal later? I know Dell you can, not sure about Alienware. I've been meaning to call and ask.

Also, don't you need atleast 4gb ram for 64bit? Thats why I hesitate to downgrade it... See, this is where all the confusion lies for me, upgrade 1, upgrade it all
Thanks guys!

 

Nope, 64-bit doesn't require 4GB of RAM to operate. 2GB will do.

Regarding the warranty question, I'm not too sure, you're best off to contact them.

 

Thanks. I'm going to think about the ram and call about the warranty thing.

Thinking about taking apart my brand new laptop makes me nervous. I think I've got a friend who can do it though.

Thanks for the advice. Made me feel alot better about my build choice.

 

Regarding the RAM installation, I've found this video on YouTube which walks you through the entire process. The computer being worked on is an Alienware M15x, so it's a different model, but it's pretty much the same as you would on an M17.

Anyways, it's up to you if you wanna do the RAM this way. We won't judge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM42fGS6gwc

 

Think you can renew the warranty, found it somewhere while i was browsing AW's site. The system while under really heavy load will probably use 2.5gb ram. Except if you have a massive amount of programs in the startup which in that case it might take up to 3gb.

Vista 32 can only use 3gb ram in contrast with 64bit which can use all 4gb. If you dont use any applications like photoshop editing high resolution photos then i doubt you will see a difference.

 

Would there be a due date for a warranty extension? I would imagine within the first year? I'm also wondering the same for my M17.

 

http://4help.alienware.com/cgi-bin/alienware.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=932&p_created=1081864463&p_sid=kQijkdnj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MTc2LDE3NiZwX3Byb2RzPSZwX2NhdHM9MCZwX3B2PSZwX2N2PSZwX3NlYXJjaF90eXBlPWFuc3dlcnMuc2VhcmNoX2ZubCZwX3NjZl82PTIwNSZwX3BhZ2U9MSZwX3NlYXJjaF90ZXh0PXdhcnJhbnR5&p_li=&p_topview=1

 

Rad. Thanks.

 

Buy a 7805u fx by gateway at best buy for $1085 bigger bang for the buck.

 

Thanks. I'm actually going to get the gateway. If it lasts me half as long as the alienware, thats cool, cause it cost me half as much.

 

It's not an AW, but regardless, a wise decision. Hope you enjoy it!

 

Yup, the gateway is best bang for the bucks for the spec.
But the style and feel (See through plastic with LEDs), and plastic cracking sound, and the twisting LCD didn't fit me. And they don't have it in Canada, most importantly.

If they have it in Canada, I might think about getting it instead of M17, which I paid only $214x CDN including tax. Even if that gateway is available here, it would probably cost $1900 after tax.

 

No, not an alienware. And I still want one, alot. But this will work for a while, and I can always buy one later on. But it was a great deal I couldn't pass up. It runs great.

Thanks for all your help. You guys know SO much.

 

You can renew the warranty, but it has to be done before the year mark. Also i love my alienware and the fact that i can upgrade it. Im more than likely getting a x9100 or ax9300 shortly so i will have a t9400 for sale soon. also as far as ram goes, you can always upgrade it for less from newegg.com, they have all types of ram for the M17.

 

You can extend your warranty for free simply by purchasing the laptop with an American Express card. See: here.