Struggling to choose

I thought the decision making process would be easy after finally deciding to look in the general direction of Alienware, but now I find myself torn between these two model configurations.

or

Of course, the M18x with dual 7970Ms and only 1 yer Next Day In-Home Hardware Support option would fall within the set budget, but this option would seems risky, if not reckless?

In short, with a set budget of up to £2500, I am struggling to decide on a configuration. What doesn't help matters if the fact that I am not knowledgeable at all. After much reading around, I've learned that 3610QM is the best value quad and that 7970M is about 50%(?) better than the GTX 660. I've also read that SSD equates to significantly better reliability than a HDD. That's pretty much all I know, yet it's not really helping me in making a decision.

Reliability and durability in terms of lengthy periods of usage are what I care about the most, but to what extent is an M18X better in such categories? If it's significant, I'd be inclined to go with configuration 2, but if it's not, configuration 1 seems better. Aside from that, I really don't know what I should know, let alone know how to know about it.

Would be very grateful for any clarity, feedback or suggestions.

 

Personally I'd go for option 1 as it is an absolute powerhouse and more than capable, especially with the 7970m. Are you going to be mobile with the laptop, as I know "cons" have been about the weight, however I've personally not held one. I'm guessing the 18" will be even bulkier.

 

I would go with the M17x as well.

 

I'd got with m18x. 18s offer different built quality and upgrade capabilities. Do not buy the SSD from Dell and buy one retail and install it yourself after you get the laptop. You will save a couple of hundreds bucks this way. You can always choose the cheaperst RAM options too and then upgrade it yourself. Both installing the disk or RAM is very very easy. Retail RAM is dirt cheap these days.

Hence you should be able to go for m18x with a single 7970m and be able to upgrade to crossfire (2x 7970m) in the future.

 

I would go with the M17x for the better 7970M GPU vs. the M18x with just a 660M.

Definitely take out the SSD from the Dell order and just order one yourself afterwards. That'll save you $$$.

Third consideration is that the M17x is huge as it is! If you're going to move a lot with the laptop, I can't imagine having to move the bigger M18x around and looking for enough desk space et al.

 

Having owned an M15xR2, M17xR3 and M18xR1 I can tell you the aluminium chassis is something you will not regret getting.

The soft touch plastic on the M17xR3 is really nice, and DOES seem high quality, but why settle for good (soft touch plastic) when you can settle for even better (aluminium).

But in terms of the specifications you have chosen, I would go for the M17xR4. The 7970m is has is one beast of a card, the GTX660m in the M18xR2 is no match for it.

Ideally you would choose an M18xR2 with dual graphics cards but since you seem to be on a budget the M17xR4 would be your choice.

Personally I would wait, save up some extra cash, and get the M18xR2 with CrossFire 7970m's (or SLI 680m's if you have lots to spend).

Another option is to go for this deal:
The Dell Online Store: Build Your System
In addition, use voucher code HQS65ZZTV39FCN to get an additional 10% off (tested, expires 20th June) to bring the total price (inc VAT+Shipping) down to £2,051.11

So for £2,051.11 GBP you can get an i7-3720QM, SLI GTX675m, 8GB 1666MHz RAM, BluRay, etc
SLI 675m's are similar to one 7970m, and plus you have the option to upgrade them yourself to another CrossFire/SLI configuration in the future
I would buy an aftermarket SSD, you can get a better one and save a lot of money too.

 

Go for the future-proofed AMD 7970M config!

 

Get the M17x. Although the M18x does have better build quality because of its aluminum chassis compared to the M17x's plastic one.

 

get the m18x. here is what you need to do though. switch the hard drive to either the 500gb hdd with 64 gb boot drive, or stick to the stock HDD and get an SSD and instal it yourself once your comp arrives. This will save you like 300 dollars.
That should save you enough money to upgrade to dual 7970's.

If you need to save more money, get the stock 6BG of ram (which really should be enough anyways if your just gaming, since no game currently uses over 4) and buy your own ram and upgrade it yourself once your comp arrives. that will save you like 50 dollars.

Also, DONT FORGET TO HAGGLE! You will usually get at least 5% off when you do.

All SSD's do is store your info on flash. All this does for games is speed up load times. it has no bearing on FPS or graphics. They really are a bit of a gimmick at the prices they are right now. I would go for the option that has the 64 GB boot drive and 500GB HDD because when your OS is on a flash drive your boot up time will be much faster and your programs will also launch faster, which is definitely worth it and that option wont break the bank.

 

Option 1 will be my choice, since the GTX 660M will be less powerful than the 7970M, and with the M17x, if you have a little more money, you can config to have a 3D screen which the M18x will never be dream of having one.

 

To the OP, D C F.

If you are buying within the UK & Ireland, forget those prices you are looking at. I know I would be able to save you quite a hefty chunk off either of those configurations - maybe even get you crossfire 7970m's on an m18x at a great price.

I have a thread set up and have already helped tonnes of people from NBR save alot of cash on their Alienware purchases. Take a look: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...aw-system-accessories-please-contribute.html#

Feel free to send me a Private Message and I am sure that my Dell rep. will be able to work out a great deal for you on whatever spec & machine you want.

Regards,
Stevie.