m15x vs m860tu

I need some major help really cant deside between the M860tu or the mx15 they are both reduculouly powerful laptops but i just cant decide i like the alienware for its long life and lights(silly reason i no but owell) and i like the m860tu because its alot cheaper and it will be using the montevina platform but it doesnt look as good (again a silly reason) so can some one pls put a balanced argument for one over the other

thanks

 

nearly impossible as the M860tu hasn't been released so far. Therefore you will have to wait in order to compare both notebooks...

 

The only upside that I can see with the m15x are the looks and the integrated graphics mode which prolongs the battery life. And don't forget smartbay technologies. The downsides are the "downclocking, overheating problems"

The Sager M860tu will also be based on the new platform I think (which means that you can probably get mobile quad core processors in it, in the future). Also it will support the faster RAM 800Mhz. And it most likely won't run into the same downclocking problems. But, it doesn't look as cool as the m15x.

IMHO, the Sager will be a lot more powerful than the M15x, but it won't be as convenient or portable on the road as the m15x because of the prolonged battery life.

 

They both look to be slightly larger than "most" 15" laptops by a small amount.

If your needs are purely gaming, the the Clevo should be the way to go. For a versatile laptop that can do gaming and normal work the m15x is better, because of the battery life it gets in IGPU mode and the smartbay batter, but that'll cost a bit more premium along with the looks.

And don't think that the looks are a "silly" reason. What matters is what's important to you, if you like the Alienware enough to justify the extra expense then get it.

Don't forget that the Clevo wont come out until June/July though, so it also depends when you need it.

The Clevo will be more powerful processor wise, but GPU wise they'll be the same, so if you want to game, the processors in the m15x will be enough. If you want to do CPU based things, like Picture, Movie, sound editing, then the Clevo would be a better choice.

It really comes down to, if you can justify for yourself, (don't go on our opinions, try and read the facts and decide for yourself) if you're willing to pay the extra cost that would come with the Alienware.

The Clevo will have the edge in performance because of Montevina, and the more powerful processors/faster RAM that it comes with.

 

As noted it's an impossible comparison to make since the M860TU isn't out.

The closest thing Sager offers to the m15x is the NP5793.

 

Not completely impossible since some specs are out!
Here is my first try at a comparison of the two laptops:



(most informations from http://www.eurocom.com/products/showroom/specselectnew.cfm?model_id=196 and of course alienware.com )

If there is a mistake or missing some information, don't hesitate to contact me!

 

Nice comparison but dimensions will be speculative since the model is not out (even mentions this on the site i think).
Are you sure about 8 cell battery? Sounds strange. Also it might stick out the back like the 9 cell in dells. Ugly...
Can't understand how you can put card reader, fingerprint sensor as default but an optional bluetooth... Crazy people over there lol.
Also secondary graphics on M860TU will be the intel Montevina default one so it will have BinaryGFX clone for battery life. Too bad about the smart bay though, I think that's where m15x really wins the battle, don't think Montevina will bring a huge improvement in batery life when comparing m15x with smart-bay...
Also, last comment, 4.1cm height in the highest point sounds huge, I mean m15x is already thick enough but add almost a cm to that... maybe is from the 8 cell battery?

 

AW will probably be releasing something based on Montevina, not sure when lol, but it's always a tech race.

Pick what you can afford and what you like. You get over criticism of things you buy very quickly if you like it regardless if other people down play it.

 

@Shinok - I agree with you. Especially if we are dealing with laptops. Just get the best one when you really need it. The key is when you really need it.

 

Of course every value may still be subject to change, but i don't think they will modify much considering the system will be available in about two month and it has already been presented at cebit... Again everything I got can be found here and here! And I thought the same about bluetooth especially when I saw the tremendous prices for an upgrade! cizmo: Bluetooth (internal) (+€69.00)

Btw here you can see how huge the back of the clevo is, and that there is no battery sticking out:

 

How expensive will the upgrade to montevina be?

 

there is no upgrade.. it is already montevina when you customize it.

 

Just a small update, found out the clevo/montevina chipset will have a feature similar to binarygfx that does not even require a reboot!

Here are the according news (google translated version cause they are in german)
http://www.google.de/translate?u=ht...ina_grafikkarte/&langpair=de|en&hl=de&ie=UTF8

 

That's a good angle shot; never noticed how thick it was in the back

Still one of Clevo's best looking laptops though, for sure

 

yeah, clevo's are totally tapered to look thin from the front. i agree though it is one of their nicer models.

 

honestly.... i think the m15x wins... i don't think the Clevo 15 8800 system is going to have the binary gfx option that is possible in the new chip set... clevo are normally quite simple in method.. and i think they will / have already cut this feature.

Also eurocom show the new clevo only suporting the same CPU's as the m15x minus the x9000. (heat reasons imo).. it is more than possible that the new clevo will never suport any of the new cpus that may come out in sep (quadcore mobile at 2.5) regardless of chipset.

There really isn't that many unknowns about the clevo now.. thanks 2 eurocom... so honestly i think the m15x is a better system.. esp since the down clocking seams 2 have been fixed...with 35x


and lets face it the 9800m GTX is prob just a rebranded 8800m GTX that runs cooler... and will have a even more inflated price tag.



i don't see how the clevo 15 with out the x9000 as a option can support a hot quadcore mobile.

 

@Heath - Well I think the reason that clevo does not include the x9000 as a processor option is because they don't want to rip people off and get a bad name. Currently, when you purchase the X9000 with the M15x you are overpaying for a processor that you cannot even overclock (which is the main point in buying one). I think that Clevo realized this and decided not to include it because they didn't want to include a half assed piece of hardware. I'm not sure what you guys think, it's just my opinion.

 

The Clevo M860TU won't use the Santa Rosa Refresh CPUs . . . it will use the ones designed for the Montevina platform. The X9100 is the successor to the X9000.
Also, the machine is not even close to being out (late June/early July at the earliest) and it is too far in advance to make any judgments about it.

 

Now that the first m860TU's are on the road and some people already received some, I wondered how much Alienware will lower its price on the m15x (I wanted to buy it some weeks ago, but was scared away reading some some reviews and waited... then I dropped my eye on the upcoming m860TU which looked much nicer imo).

Anyways, for the time of 6 months now the base config (t8100 2.1ghz, 1gb ram, 8600m GT) of the m15x in germany/austria was always around 1.250€.

- guess what it is now?!? -

It is 1.360€ (!!!!) ****ed! .. How ridiculous is that? 100€ more For what???

A retailer in germany sells the m860TU (p8400 2.26ghz, 2gb ram, 9800m GT!) for the overall price of 1.400€... So why should anyone buy an m15x and how should you understand the unlogical price politics of alienware? To cut it short: that's a rip-off, Alienware has died for me.

 

i think the advantages/disadvantages of both m860tu and m15x have been discussed at length.

 

Franzerich... you have to remember exchange rates... when those change... prices change.

 

But the price has always been between 1.240€ - 1.260€ - for the time of the last past 4 months! And now it's between 1.340€ - 1.360€. Therefore only the 20€ differences seem to be the exchange fluctuations. That does not explain however where the additional 100€ came from

 

maybe a default config option has changed?

 

Unfortunately nothing has changed in the base configuration.

 

Great list, but you forgot the DVI output. This is a big plus if your trying to drive a 30" monitor, which needs a dual DVI output. I haven't seen a HDMI to DVI converter that can convert the HDMI output of a m15x to a Dual Link DVI cable.

 

@Scotte - This thread is 4 months old, let it die already. Crizzlers post was old information.