getting my first alienware, advice please

alright, first off im currently deployed to afghanistan and will not be deploying outside the wire this roto. Before i knew that, i bought myself a under 300$ web book for emailing, cruising the so called "internet" that we have out here and the occasonal skype session.

But since i got promoted and put into a different position (damn you positive work ethics) ive decided to get a new laptop and treat myself.

now, i can't decide between the m15x or the m17x
The specs are almost the same, has anyone ever gotten a 15 and then felt that they should have gotten the 17 or vice versa?

I know the laptop isn't exactly a normal laptop, and more of a portable desktop. and weight isn't a problem

anyways, heres the specs i have so far, but im thinking of downgrading the ram to just 4gigs of 1333mhz (i think thats what it is) im not the biggest computer techy out there, just a gamer

btw, cash isn't that much of a factor, but im not going crazy spending.

and the m15x is around 1,729.00
and thats all in canadian funds

 

I have 2 son's in the Army and from what they have told me I would get the m15x and the better Led screen..it would be better to carry around. m17x very heavy just a thought.

 

Alienware M17x Space Black - Anodized Aluminum
Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Processor Intel® Core™ i7 720QM 1.6GHz (2.8 GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
Memory 6GB DDR3 at 1333MHz
Power Adapters 150 Watt Adapter
Display Panels 17-inch WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 (900p)
Video Card 1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5870
Hard Drive 500GB 7,200RPM SATA-II HDD
Nameplate Standard Nameplate (Alienware M17x)
AlienFX Terra Green
Adobe Reader Acrobat SW Adobe Acrobat Reader
CD ROM/DVD ROM Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Sound Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
Wireless Wireless 1520 802.11n Half Mini-Card
Automatic Updates Automatic Updates: Critical Updates Only
Security Software McAfee SecurityCenter, 30-Day Trial
Service 1 Year Basic Service Plan
Factory Installed Games Steam and Portal™ Factory Installed
OS Customization AlienGUIse Theme Manager with Breed Theme
OS Customization Alien Red Glyphs
Bluetooth Internal Wireless Bluetooth® 2.1 with EDR

TOTAL: $2,229.00

 

Get RGB Led and you're done . .

 

Unless you're doing a lot of intensive video/photo editing/rendering then 4GB 1333mhz RAM will suffice. The money saved there could go towards an SSD which would give a definite boost to performance.

For me, 1440x900 on a 17 inch screen isn't really enough, and with the 5870, it'd be better to have a 1920x1200 (depending on which system you get, except the m15x has 5850 highest) to make better use of it (I really noticed the difference coming over from a 17inch 1440x900 monitor to my Alienware's 15inch 1920x1080 screen).

Or, you could go down to 4GB 1333mhz RAM and up to the 1920x1200 screen, which in my opinion, would make the m17x the better option (I'm factoring in weight, build, specs and price, not just specs).

 

well the thing is, im not sure if i want the m15x with those specs for 1,700 or so or this one.

i acutally missed alot of my post as i was getting an error when i hit post.
im currently in afghanistan on another deployment and since im not going outside the wire this time, i decided to ditch my little web book thats a pita to use and get a good rig.

im not too worried about money, i just dont want to spend a TON.

also, could i get away with downgrading the 6gigs of ram to just 4 gigs of ddr3?
i plan on playing alot of starcraft 2 and eventually when i get back, some AOC and MW2.

and has anyone ever gotten the m15x and then realized they should have gone for the 17 or vice versa?

@Cmagamez: is the screen really worth it? there a huge difference?

 

I replied to your other thread, but might as well reply to it here.

4GB is enough for those games.

The screen is worth it (I have an M15x, but I've only heard praise about that screen). I'm not sure how big the difference is for aforementioned reasons, but if you're going to buy a machine that powerful, then why not play the games in the best resolution?

 

I have merged your threads as there is no need for 2 on the same topic.

 

just a question, what is an SSD. not trying to be an idiot but im not as computer savy as alot of guys, i just play alot of games haha

yea, i might go down to 4gigs of ram and get the better screen

 

SSD means solid state drive. It's flash memory based, like for instance, an SD/Compact Flash card. Therefore, it has no moving parts. They are much faster than traditional HDDs, and supposedly have a longer life (I say supposedly because there are many variables based around the life of a hard drive, but manufacturers reckon that SSDs exceed HDDs), and, if you drop them (not that you would on purpose) it doesn't become unreadable (like an HDD can).

But, the tech is relatively new, so it's relatively expensive (160GB Intel X25-M will set you back, in the UK, around £280).

 

sorry about the double post, the internet here in afghanistan is pretty shady at best.

edit:

thanks for the info on the SSD

but has anyone ever gotten a 15 and was like damn I should have gotten a 17 or vice versa?

Still undecided on which one, but im leaning towards 17, i mean more monitor is always nice to have

 

From what i've heard with the amount the m15x weighs then if you went for the m17x there really wouldnt be that much in it in terms of portability. Therefore you might as well get the more powerful machine which has the support for twin graphics cards along with a more powerful card to begin with!

 

The M17x is now the same, except i upgraded the screen and left the ram at 4gb unfort its only 1066mhz ram and not 1333mhz, will that be a problem?
thats $2,299.00

And heres the m15x specs that i have:

 

I seriously doubt that you'll notice any differance.

 

awesome good to here!

now, last question,

am i able to upgrade this beast later on in its life, like say...when i get home

 

you won't notice the difference between RAM speeds whatsoever.

i'm not exactly sure your location in Afghanistan, nor the building conditions of where you're stationed either. you would really want to look at the build quality of the machine if you're going to get equivalent hardware. i know Afghanistan can be very demanding in terms of climate - the last thing you want is your machine frying itself due to over heating. i had a buddy who brought his notebook to Iraq and because where he was stationed had poor air circulation, thus, making it pretty hot in his room, paired with a sand storm rendering the air quality pretty poor, it destroyed his computer after some downtime of gaming.

make sure you have adequate cooling and build quality. i'm assuming by just sheer size, that the m17x will perhaps run a tad bit cooler due to the larger heatsinks and more airflow available when compared to the m15x with equivalent hardware. i could be wrong as i'm not familiar with either machines ability to cool off, but just note that overheating could very well be an issue depending on your current living conditions.

 

right now we are in pretty good rooms, each with its own A/C and its pretty cool all day/all night, a nice 23 degrees celcius (canadian ) is what i keep it at but i can drop it down if i wanted to pretty much freeze.

I dont plan on bringing it outside what so ever, thats what i have the web book for, bringing outside, sucking up the sand etc etc.

I also have a room to myself (thank you promotion/position) so i dont have to worry about extra dust comming in.

Oh, ive never ordered from Dell before, would it be wise to order from the website and see if i can find a coupon somewhere, or phone them directly and ask for one since im in the military and i know the canadian military uses alot of del products.
im guessing its outsourced to india or some place correct? would it be better to talk to a US customer service rep and then just tell them to send the info to the other guy?

thanks again

 

If you phone them you can probably haggle a discount on it The U.S. reps (from personal exp) are better to deal with so you might want to talk to them instead of one of the outsourced call centers. You should be able to upgrade it later on, but if your going to be getting Dell to send it directly to you and not via your home country then you'll want to make sure you get an international warranty so that you are covered wherever you end up taking the machine!

 

Don't get the m17x if you can't get the 1920 screen. You will regret it later.

 

So I ordered the m17x, stayed with the 4gigs of ram since i can always upgrade that later and got the i7 720qm processor, but....i decided to go with the bigger and better screen!

thanks alot everyone who posted here, very helpful and you answered right away.
so all i have to do now is wait for my parents to get it in the mail, and then they will mail it to me here in afghanistan,
now to pre-order starcraft2 special edition (im a sucker) and maybe something else

thanks again everyone

 

If you didn't order through EPP, I would cancel and reorder. Military gets a 10% off through EPP. You can also get coupons. Check the link in my sig for details. Should be able to get a pretty good discount.

 

If you go with the M17x, I suggest to go with dual video cards. That's the main advantage of the M17x. And if you can wait, go for two 5870s (they may already be available via phone order).

 

im not sure the canadian military EPP code, and whenever i phone i get routed to an outsource Dell centre, i think india and they are really hard to understand.

I'll ask around today if anyone knows

also, not really worried about the dual video cards for now, i plan on doing it later when i get more money, but for now i just want to deal with one vid card till i get back to canada