Thinking of getting M15x

I am thinking of getting the M15x...I use autocad 2010 and 3ds Max design 2010 with vray....and want something that is going to handle large renderings. I do no gaming on the pc.

Wanting to know everyone's thoughts about what I should upgrade so I don't spend money where I will not see a performance gain.

Do I need to upgrade the processor to the 820? Upgrade to the GTX 260m video card...or is the 240 good for what I need it for.
As for memory...what would be my best option...do I need to upgrade to the 4GB 1333MHz? Do not really know the difference between that and the 1066MHz. I am upgrading to 4GB and using 64x.

Thanks!!

 

from everything I have read on the owner's thread, I don't think you will see any performance gain with the 820 to warrant the extra cost. The 240 card is 1gb, so again, I'm not sure of the performance jump for autoCad that you would see over the 240. Lastly, there was a discussion on the 1066 vs 1333 memory and the conclusion appeared to be marginal gain for lots more money.
Personally, I love the 1920 screen and like the resolution it provides, so that's one upgrade I would make. Also, those who have jumped to the SSD over the regular HD do post much improved wei scores -- so my two cents worth would be to go for the SSD drive and the HD screen as best bang for the buck relative to the cpu/video upgrades.
Lastly, if you already own a blu ray stick with the DVD drive: if you don't its a cost effective way to gain a blu ray player.

Hopefully some others will chip in with some advice also.

 

I agree with the above post. I mean if you're just rolling around in cash, might as well Max everything out...but if you work hard for your money and want a great laptop for an affordable price I would skip upgrading the processor (can upgrade down the line)...I would stick with the 1066mhz ram, this is the one upgrade that doenst make much sense to me...the performane gains are just NOT worth it right now...and once again, down the line you can always upgrade! The screen is up to you...I opted for the 1600x900 because right now the games I will be playing I will want running Native res, and the games will run much smoother on that resolutions, esp with the 260gtx I opted for.

 

Thanks for the repys...

I am mainly conserned about 3Ds Max. Autocad doen't require much compaired to Max. The render time is what I want to cut down on in Max.

What is this blu ray stick used for...I haven't heard of it.

Thanks again,
David

 

^^ no what he meant to say was If you already have a Blu Ray Player (a high def DVD basically), then go with the DVD drive...but if you DONT already own one, then its a nice upgrade...but only if you're going to hook up your M15x to your High Def TV...

 

ok...thanks for clearing it up.

 

Hi,

I do not use Autocad programs but it is my understanding that their speed is improved remarkably by multi-core processing. For what it is worth, I run a game on this system called Pure which has a lot of post-processing graphics features, and when I used to run it on a Core 2 Duo 2.6 ghz and a 256MB nvidia 160m card, I couldn't use the post-processing and I couldn't use graphics above a medium setting on 720p resolution. On my M15X, I run everything high detail and the system doesn't even blink.

I have the nvidia 260M with 1 GB, 4 GB 1033mhz RAM, and a 7200 rpm 250 GB hard drive. I agree with everyone else on the RAM--I have yet to find any website where the difference has been tested which confirms that there is any appreciable effect in performance between the two. The SSD drive is your call, but I have had them in the past and, again, have never been able to demonstrate any appreciable difference in system performance (although power savings are obvious--but you aren't buying this computer for its battery life).

As for the video card--I think the poster above is incorrect. The 240M only comes with 512MB of VRAM. You need the 260M to get to 1 GB, but beyond that, the difference in processing benchmarks between the two is so vast that I think the 260M warrants a purchase. Especially since your rendering software will need to make use of the 260M's faster core processing--which significantly outperforms the 240M, regardless of the amount of memory.

I was tempted to upgrade the processor above the 1.6ghz (2.8ghz turbo) standard, but I went with the 1.6ghz and have been surprised at how efficient it is. Apparently, having 8 simultaneously threads at your disposal makes a huge difference even if the individual thread speeds seem low. I know a little about rendering programs, and they are generally ahead of the curve as far as multi-core processing is concerned, so I would be comfortable getting the 1.6ghz CPU since you are likely to use software that can effectively exploit it.

Lastly, I use my system for audio production--another software segment that is big on multi-core programming--and it mixes 64 bit audio with fifteen or more real time effects without so much as a hiccup. Audio programs have always brought my systems to their knees in the past, so I think this is a good indication of the system's strength. I run Cakewalk Sonar 8.5 if you want to look at the software on their site for the specs.

Good luck with your purchase. This system is expensive, but I believe it is worth every penny.

 

my post was not inaccurate: a number of us that have the 240 card in our M15 laptops have checked in system properties and the 240 card has 1gb of RAM (two 512 banks?) see the owner's thread for the M15. It is incorrectly described on the website. So the upgrade that makes most sense is not to the 260 but to the 280, an assertion that people's benchmarks tend to confirm.

 

I can believe that Alienware's website is wrong on the 240's RAM (although I would verify the amount before purchase). The 280 isn't offered on the M15x, though--the 260 is the best you can get. Some have speculated that it is because of the power requirements and heating problems with the 280m, but whatever the case, unless you are installing the card yourself you cannot get a 280m in an M15x.

--Hank

 

While the 240m MAY come with 1gb (Ive heard of this through users on here), it in no way performs near the 260m...Just look at the specs on each card....cores/pipelines etc is a CONSIDERABLE difference.

Just saying...the 240m is a great card! Dont get me wrong, but the 260 gtx runs circles around it.

 

why don't you just get a Studio XPS 16? It can be configured with similar specs and the video card should be good enough since you're not gaming. Also, the heating shouldn't be an issue since you wont be gaming on it. Plus it may be beneficial for you to get the RGB LED screen, and it would still be cheaper than the M15x.

Just a thought

 

apologies for the mistake on the 280 availability: I do understand the 260 is a better card than the 240 but my point was the difference is not simply in the RAM but in the other aspects of the card's performance.
If someone is intending to game heavily the 260 is the way to go: if not, the differences over the 240 will not be realized and thus the extra expense is not a good trade off relative to the investment in an SSD which would give a performance upgrade in uses other than gaming.

 

Theres a Dell Precision M6400 Covet Mobile Workstation with your name written all over it. It comes with NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700M, 1.0GB Discrete Graphics specifily for autocad and 3dmax stuff, also you can get up to 16 gigs of memory for the intence applications. I think you would love it, I'v priced it out so many times...and I even game alot! If you go threw the configuration options Im sure you would find alot more usefull devices then with a gaming laptop. It also comes with the great rgb screens, 17" UltraSharp™ WideScreen WUXGA RGB LED Edge2Edge Covet Display. You can get raid condigs with ssds, also if you travel theres a AT&T built-in mobile broadband (HSDPA) with GPS option so you can always stay connected where ever you go...........................................................lol

 

Thanks for the info...I would up the video card and leave everything else standard except for the display (1920x1080)

I did see the Precision note book. When I build that guy...the price seems to be a lot more compared to the M15x. I do have the Quadro FX 3700 in my Desktop...and it seems to do ok. I was wondering if the 1GB GeForce GTX 260M would out power the Quadro.


What are some docking option with the M15x...as far as docking to monitor..different usb devices? Just wondering what everyone else uses.

Thanks a million on the info everyone!!!!!

 

I thought of that...but I didn't see that I could get the Intel Core i7 with the XPS.

 

i'm not well-versed with the Quadro line, but there is no way a GeForce should be outperforming a Quadro with those types of programs. the quadro has special drivers for those specific programs and that alone should give it way more firepower than the geforce.

 

Here's a question I haven't seen asked yet. Will the ATI card from the M17x fit and work in the M15x?

 

Yes it would fit but I have my doubts on it working. These cards need bios support but you never know it might be there already.

 

I talked to the sales at alienware (dell) and they said it should perform good with the 1GB GeForce GTX 260M. The reason I want the M15x is for the Core i7 and can only get the i7 in the M15x from Dell. So I am really stuck with the 260M...in hopes it will perform well. I believe I am going to go with the base configuration with the video card upgrade, LCD Panel upgrade, and upgrade my Memory to the 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz.
As OblastSRT4 said.....a lot of items can always be upgraded. I did go with the 1333MHz ram for the only reason that in few years...more and more computers will be using it and maybe I will be a step ahead by going with the motherboard that requires the 1333 in the future.

Thoughts on something I may be completely mislead on?