dilemma, M15x or M17x R3

im having a hard time deciding on which to get.
my orignal idea was to go for a M15x, as that would fit into my budget. however, the M17x R3 came along and poked a hole in my plan. basically, for an extra $250, i get an extra 2inch of screen, 110gb HDD space better CPU performance and same GPU performance as compared to the M15x.

long story short, original configuration for the M15x is as follows,

i7 840QM, ati 5850, 8gb ram, 1920x1080 Wled(60hz), 640gb HDD. the rest of the specs aint that important.

but now, the M17x R3 can be configured as follows,

i&=7 2720QM, ati 6870, 8gb ram, 1920x1080 Wled(60hz), 750gb HDD.

from what i have checked from intels main website,

Compare Intel® Products,

on paper, the i7 2720QM seems to have more to offer then the 840QM and dispite it having 2mb lesser of cache, i believe that the 2720QM will even outperform the 840QM.

however, i have not been able to find detailed imformation regarding the 6870. the only info i have found is from notebookcheck.com (which you guys say that they are as reliable as dog poop) so my only concern is will the 6870 perform as well or better then the 5850?

on a side note, someone mention that the R3 wont be able to support the intergrated graphic from the sandy bridge CPU as the R3 is using the P67 chipset, can someone explain this to me? cos from what i understand from the above intel link, the 2720QM has intergrated grapic solutions.

 

Get the r3 if budget isn't a problem, you will be able to upgrade to a 6970 or any other 100w card when released and it will smoke anything the m15x has. the psu is weak on the m15x. r3 is next gen so its wayyyyy more upgradable for when extreme sandy is available. unless you can get an m15x massively discounted dont bother

 

That's a bit ambiguous... you will only definitely be able to upgrade the to the cards that Dell will offer for the new M17x, for anything else it can not be guaranteed that it will work, even if it's within the same TDP etc.

However, the 6970m should be available for the new M17x, sooner or later...

 

true, however we are talking about alienware, whatever ati and nvidia have this generation should be available for the m17x r3. i'll take a gamble on that.

looking at the good pricing in the US for the r3 I can;t think of many reasons for a consumer to buy the m15x. it's price will have to crash for sales to continue. I am annoyed at the price difference in europe which is nearly double. shame on you dell!!!

 

In between the M15X and M17X R3, I think the M17X R3 without questions.

 

how long has the m15x had the nvidia 460m available?

 

Normally each ATI revision is at least 15 percent faster than the previous. I am being conservative here. So the 6870 will be at least be 15 percent faster and probably have better dx11 performance. That is a plus in my book.

The new SB cpu I am on the fence about. I know it has dynamic turbo but most games need consistent power to play smoothly. Example BFBC2. It hits all my cores at about 60 percent across the board with turbo engaged.
No fluctuations except on menu or map loading. So I wonder if gamers will get great frame rates when you launch a game for 30 seconds or 60 seconds then slowly get lower frames due to the cpu disengaging the dynamic turbo?

Sorry just thinking out loud here.

To sum up - I think you will be better off with the R3, but remember what they say about the "bleeding edge"!

BW, StevenX

 

m17x r3 for obvious reasons and that would be Newer technology, greater resale, battery life and overall size and weight of m15x and m17x r3 will be about the same. The new features like HDMI in, wireless streaming and 3d just add icing to the cake. Price is extremely competitive and the new sandy bridge chip can keep up with a 920xm....that has got to be worth something

 

So. I recently ordered an m15x. I figures the new m17 was going to be a little steeper in price than it was. It is now "in production". However, after reading over the 17 r3, I don't see why the 15 is even relevant even more. Am I just missing something? Or is it the fact that the m15 has a cheaper base price for those with a smaller budget. I guess what I'm asking is, at this point could I cancel my m15 or the 17 r3 and is it worth it? As of now, unless I'm missing something, the m17 is better AND about the same cost, as the m15.

The laptop essentials I'm looking at:
M15: i720. 5850 gpu. Blu ray. 1900x1080 or whatever the better screen is. 6 gb ram. 320gb hdd.

M17: the baseline sandy bridge. The 6850? Gpu. 6 gb ram. Blu ray. Same screen. Slightly bigger hd. All for a little more. So am I missing something or what? I feel the price just doesn't matchup.

 

17" vs 15"

If you don't care to move it ever at all, might as well get the 17" right?

The 15" is actually semi portable, assuming you are also a bodybuilder.

 

"Intel Insider is a service that enables consumers to enjoy premium Hollywood feature films streamed to their PC in high quality 1080P high definition. Currently this service does not exist because the movie studios are concerned about protecting their content, and making sure that it cannot be stolen or used illegally. So Intel created Intel insider, an extra layer of content protection. Think of it as an armoured truck carrying the movie from the Internet to your display, it keeps the data safe from pirates, but still lets you enjoy your legally acquired movie in the best possible quality. This technology is built into the new Intel chips and will become even more important once wireless display technology like Intel's WiDi become more popular, as it would prevent pirates from stealing movies remotely just by snooping the airwaves. WiDi enables you to wirelessly beam video to your big screen TV easily and in HD."

Is Intel Insider Code for DRM in Sandy Bridge? | PCMag.com

 

From what I've read it also limits how many plays you get if it's implemented. I'm also jaded against DRM because every time they release some new DRM crud it breaks all the old content until someone hacks it to work right again (by removing DRM). *shrug*

 

i bought a 15m, but its on a place where it will never come off, i supose its better to buy a 17 cause you can build a better system and a bigger screen is better


i bought a m15 cause i thought it will be handy for on the couch use, but is way to heavy to but on your lap


just my 50c maq

 

isn't the 6870 a downclocked 5870? I was under the impression that AMD/ATI changed the naming process a little bit.

"The AMD Radeon HD 6870M or ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6870 is a high-end DirectX 11 capable graphics card for laptops / notebooks by AMD. It is basically just a ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 with slightly slower core clock rate. Therefore, features and performance are similar to the old card (still only UVD2 and the initial Eyefinity)."

from: AMD Radeon HD 6870M - Notebookcheck.net Tech

 

Exactly. The 6870 is a direct replacement for the 5850. In destkops and laptops. So I wouldn't assume the performance of the 6870 is that much better (if anything) over the 5850.

However, as many people above have mentioned, you may be able to get a 6970 (5870 replacement) or something in the future if Alienware supports it.

 

problem solved! decided to go for the m17xR3 instead.

 

nice....I'm upgrading from a M15x.

 

before CES, i was hoping for a sandy bridge M15x. after CES, i was sure i was going to order the M15x. but when the price came out for the M17xR3, it totally changed my mind! just had to top up $200 to my original budget and i get better performance from the CPU,GPU, 2 more inch of screen, 110GB of HDD more. and in future, hopefully it will be upgradable with ivy bridge and perhaps a 485!

 

If Sandy Bridge was anything to go by, the cpu's are only compatable with a new HM67 chipset....by the time Ivy Bridge is rolling out, i would bet its the same thing...new chipset. So....that will be the time to change again as I doubt it would prove economical to upgrade, even if it was possible to do so, which I very much doubt!

Still, in your shoes, I would go R3. I would advise this to anyone looking at an M15x as its the next best M15x but just 2inches bigger. It isnt a replacement for the R2...I believe we still have to wait to see if Dell actually do an R2 "successor"

Good luck and enjoy whatever you buy!

 

Glad you were able to make up your mind between the 15x and 17xR3. Given you have decided and the fact that some have chosen to take this thread off topic (again), thread closed.

Enjoy the system hellfire.