The Alienware... or XPS?

Well, constant research has turned to to Alienware now.

I was set on buying the XPS this morning, after weeks of vigorous research, and now Alienware has come up and stood out a lot.

One of the reasons i was exempting Alienware was because of the look, but as i see it now they do not seem too bad. But the only thing that concerns me is all the flashy lights.

I don't want them all the time, nor do i want the trackpad light on say when i have the keyboard lights on. Can i turn off specific areas that have lights? Like i want to have the keyboard lights on only, but no headlights or trackpad, is it possible to do that?

The XPS customized comes to 1800 something, the Alienware customized comes to 1800 something as well, plus it has sandybridge and a way better processor.

Is Alienware the right way to go? I will be using it for games, maybe Crysis 2 when it comes out, and WoW.

Its in my budget, and right now seems like the best bang for the buck.

Weight is not much of an issue, but i would like it to have a good sense of portability if you get what im saying. That was why i was looking at XPS because it seemed more portable.

 

Yes, you can turn off all the lights, of course. You can dim them too (there's only 3 modes though, in terms of light intensity: on, off and dim). I turned off front two lights and disabled the touchpad (Fn+something does that).

XPS is lighter right? That's about the only advantage I see in it over Alienware series (maybe speakers too? no idea whats in R3). The looks is all subjective - some may like it some not. I think they look fine and not too tacky, unlike the first fluorescent green alienwares that were selling 10 years ago or so.

 

yeah im just looking at it now and it looks fine. A sexy looking laptop and if all lights are shut off it still looks like an acceptable notebook.

Only thing is that it weighs 11+lbs lmfao. Not much of a deal, but damn.

 

What is the thickness of these babies?

 

If you open the lighting center you have the option of changing each of the 9 lighting zones to any color you want independently, including off (shows up as black).

You can also set them to white. I keep mine red because it's easier to see at night without distracting from the screen. Mine is also a nebula red R2 so it's absolutely beautiful with red lights, but not so much any other color.

Are you looking at getting the R2 or the R3? The R3 is like 2 pounds lighter but lacks the dual video card options the R2 has. The R2 is very heavy and that might be a big issue for some people.

The R2 sitting closed is around 2.1 inches thick. The R3 is 1.77 inches thick.

 

Yes you can disable the lights. The touchpad can be turned off when a mouse is plugged in or through a FN+key action. The M17x-R3 is a better buy vs XPS IMO. You should grab the 3D package for $1699.

 

The R3 comes with Klipsch speakers so they should be equal or even better to the XPS speakers.

 

i see the alienware look as like a stealth bomber inspired look.

 

Alienware look more like fierce motorbike or modern car. ASus g73 more like stealth bomber. Xps is little bit more subtle I think it's a great computer. Great for productivity as well as games. Alienware more for enthusiast has bragging rights and new gen intels. I'm sure soon enough they will introduce them into xps

 

If you do want to consider the XPS a little bit more, wait until February first, because they are releasing the newer version of the XPS 17. I think it is getting Sandy Bridge...and they are bringing in the full HD screen, finally.

Spec wise, though, an Alienware wins. If it is between an XPS RIGHT NOW and an Alienware RIGHT NOW, the Alienware is the obvious choice. But depending on your needs, the new XPS may be satisfactory.

 

man i would suck if i bought the m11x r2 when there's news of an r3!

 

You can always sell it....

 

After looking at the ALienware even more, i decided no way in hell i could get it.

I got to realize that i want it for school, and gaming to an extent. Its just not worth the money for me to buy an alienware i guess.

And i am debating between waiting for the new Dell, or not. Because once the new dell comes, i would have to wait another month for it to be built... that is brutal!!!

I don't need the new processor, nor do a lot of people. Most people don't even utilize the full power of the current i7's, sandy bridge would be overkill. But w/e, the model comes with 1080p which is nice, but im not much of a screen fanatic.

It would be an awesome upgrade if it won't cost much more than the current xps i would hope.

 

The M17x is not much of a 'for school' laptop. It's truly a desktop replacement, and it's great to have a processor that powerful for gaming and rendering which will both take advantage of SB processors. It weighs a ton and is irritating to haul around in between classes if you're in-and-out a lot. With almost no battery life it's a must that you sit near a plug.

If you're looking for something primarily for school, I would sway away from gaming laptops all together. Portability and battery life are the two most important things for school (if you're not in a course that requires rendering).

If you're really in need of a laptop buy one, but I would recommend waiting if possible since SB and the new GPUs will be more about power saving than they are performance.

 

true! or i just buy the r2 and just suck it up and deal with it!

 

For OP

M17X r3 is not bigger much than the average 15.6/16 laptops which many people use for school (in some cases it's smaller than 15inch laptops like asus G53), R3 is lighter and slimmer than M17X R2 (it's lighter by 2pounds 1.03 Kilo) and got better battery life by far thanks to optimus technology (up to 6hours)

I suggest getting the basic build for M17X R3 (1499$) you will get much better value than getting XPS imo

 

Great post, that's what im looking at now. I am realizing that i don't need the Alienware, im not a hardcore gamer so why waste the money on it.

I just want a laptop that has good battery life, a nice screen for the money, and can max out WoW and play.

 

Actually I was referring to the R2, since it sounds like you prefer more power...

And the beauty here is you get a rig that has great upgrade potential. You might also consider an M15x-R2, these are a BARGAIN now with a coupon or some haggling and they are vetted now, upgradeable, and have a nice 15.6" screen. They are not great on battery power, but better than the M17x in stealth mode particularly, and a lot more portable.

 

Agreed. Very upgradeable for the future. I carry mine around school all the time and never have issues with battery (Our Campus has plugs everywhere). Outlet has coupons going which can get you a great system. On my second one from the outlet and both where great deals.

Only downfall is it draws attention as everyone has a Mac at my campus.

 

Joker- Can you add the link to AW "Dell Recommended" 3D package. Thanks

 

^ here m17x r3 3D bundle

 

I just checked the Tech Specs page ( http://www.dell.com/content/product...ienware-m17x-r3?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=corp&~ck=mn) for Alienware M17xR3. It says the laptop is supporting the Nvidia 485m graphics and supports upto 32GB of memory. But i'm not able to build a laptop with these specs. It just allows me to select only upto 16gb and gives me a choice of only two graphics cards and 485m is not on it. Any ideas?

 

I think what dell means that they will have the 485m in the future for this r3's.