m17x 280M SLI or 4870 CROSSFIRE

Hi everyone,

I'm sure the title itself is self-explanatory, but even so I'd like to explain why I am creating this thread.
It just so happens that I've finally managed to save some spare money, and I was saving it for a new gaming laptop, and a very good one. Now, Even though m15x does have it's own charm, like Core i7 and LED screen, I know I want to get myself the m17x, especially because I believe that in the future, the SLI/CROSSFIRE setup will help me increase my framerates on those amazing resolutions (1980x1080 or 1980x1200), plus, no HDMI output on m15x was a big letdown for me.

Anyway, I've been browsing everywhere on the forums and I found that people who ordered the GDDR5 4870 CF setup are still waiting for their laptops to arrive, and so there are no benchmark's available to compare 280M SLI performance with GDDR5 4870 CF performance.

Since I also found out that there are some very technical users here in this forum, I'd like to ask for your opinion on this matter, since paying the difference between 280M SLI or 4870 CF will not be a problem. I just want to make sure I'm getting the best I can for my money right now, so that I won't regret it in the first few months. I should also mention that I'll be purchasing this m17x here in Brazil (since it's available worldwide, and because I am Brazilian ), and we can't easily trade one system for another, in case I regret my purchase. I really want to go with ATI's, but I'm not so sure it will be the best choice, since we have a NVidia motherboard, and I'm also not sure whether "Stealth Mode" on ATI will be effective. By the way, the other components on the m17x will be configured as Quad QX9300 Extreme, 4 GB RAM 1066MHz, 1 TB Raid 0 Sata 7200RPM, 1920x1200 screen. Increasing the RAM here in Brazil to 8 GB costs US$1500+, it's very expensive, so maybe I'll buy some extra RAM separately later.

So, a long story short, what do you guys think of the following:
- Should the GDDR5 4870 in Crossfire outperform the 280M SLI?
- How will Stealth Mode work with ATI? There won't be any 9400M on it
- I read somewhere that there were problems with using RAID 0 and ATI CF. Is that true?

Thank you very much in advance, and any help will be greatly appreciated!

 

Since noone actually has one of these systems yet its hard for us to give you a good answer right now. Once the M17x's with 4870's in Xfire start shipping we'll have some more information to provide you with to assist you.

 

The RAID warning is gone now. Now if you opt for a 4870 CF setup, RAID 0 is available.

PS: kind of doubt that the stealth mode will work.

 

1. Pretty sure. I mean, all logic behind switching to GDD5 points that out. Also, with ATI cards you get a bit of the future proof product - Dx 10.1
2. I was told by my sales rep that 9400M chip would still be there even with CF configuration. Don't ask dude, I'm puzzled just like you are !
3. As it was explained to me by one of the tech-gurus from Dell , they never had RAID issue from the very beginning ... it was something broken with their site's configurator logic that was given that error.

I just placed my 2nd order on the 18th and as you may see it went through just fine, well at least for now.

 

Hey everyone again, thanks for the answers
Marvie100, I know (and agree ) that it will be difficult to provide accurate information as to whether one setup will be better than the other, but maybe someone here could base their answers on desktop videocards that could be equivalent in performance to the mobile ones. I know we can't simply compare a Desktop 4870 GDDR5 with a Desktop GTX280M, especially because the mobile GTX280m is not based on GTX280's new architecture, more like an upgrade to GeForce 9's architecture. Well, anyway, it's always nice to know what people with tech knowledge think of these cards

Thrust, I wasn't aware that there actually was a RAID warning on the building website, since I built it on Dell Brazil and such warning never appeared in the first place, thx for the info!

Digital1337, I agree that GDDR5 and DX10.1 sounds awesome, but it would be really nice if we could see some benchmarks aside from that performance slide shown when you're building the system

I'm not so sure how much future-proof a DirectX 10.1 video card will be, since there aren't that many games that support DX10.1 and DX11 is already out. Unless, of course, developers choose to make their games compatible with DX10.1 and DX11, instead of DX10 and DX11 (which I believe is highly unlikely, since only the ATI cards are compatible with DX10.1). I mean, if DX10.1 has some features that weren't available on DX10, instead of spending time and resources implementing those, why not make the jump to DX11, since all current gen ATI/NVidia cards will run their games on DX10 modes and in the future it's certain that NVidia will offer a DX11 solution as well? Would have been really nice if Alienware surprised us all and, instead of offering GDDR5 Mobility 4870, we had GDDR5 Mobility 5870 cards available

As for the 9400M being in the system together with the ATI cards, wow. Would we be using video drivers for both NVidia and ATI? Would Alienware need to ask both companies to create special drivers for m17x that don't conflict with each other? Has Alienware developed a system where the system reboots and loads the correct video driver (NVidia or ATI) depending on what mode you're running (Stealth or Full Power)? Or, best case scenario, will both video cards work together like a charm? Who knows

 

I envision having to reboot to swap between the 4870's and the 9400M, but that's must my wild guess.

 

I personally would encourage patience before ordering here..... and yes, I know it's hard, LOL!

Sure, benchmarks are soon to be seen for the new ATI 4870 cards w/ GDDR5, but I think undoubtedly, their marks will outperform the nVidia GTX280M cards..... just as Dell/Alienware has been touting.

I think there is a bigger picture here though...... the fate of the M17x as we know it, in the presence of the new core i7. Will there be an i7 'refresh' of the M17x, or will there be another Dell/Alienware flagship looming in our midst? It only seems logical that we will see one, or the other. A refresh of the M17x would be a simple task, not requiring much more than a mobo swap..... and I have read articles suggesting this very possibility.

I too, ordered the M17x w/ CrossFire GDDR5 ATI 4870's, but I have since cancelled my order. Initially, I cancelled to await the release of WIN 7, but I now feel it prudent to see what is ahead for the core i7. If I am to spend thousands on a high-end notebook, it NOW seems senseless to me to settle for a C2D, or even a QX9300. For me anyhow, I think the i7 is too good to pass-up..... we shall see!

Intel's Mobile Core i7s: 10 Things You Should Know: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2353188,00.asp

Intel's Core i7 For Laptops Takes Center Stage: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2353189,00.asp

ENJOY!

 

I disagree with the post above. It might be february before they do that for all is we know. its not this month hats for sure. And the core i7 is good but not that much more then the QX9300 and it has hybrid GFX so the QX9300 gets better baterylife. You can always wait for the next thing.

waiting for the results of the ATI cards is smart, waiting for core i7 can be long on the otherhand

 

100%. Aside from all the marketing reviews of the new and "powerful" i7, some facts - i7 920XM got 3615 ( http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist.2436.0.html) in 3dmark06 versus QX9300 3700. On this forum ppl managed to get above 4300 when oc'ed. I'd say i7-i5 are the light-weight performers (perfect for slim notebooks with a nice battery life and blinding fast office mode as well as casual gaming). If you need the brutal power - QX9300 + SLI/CF is gonna be your choice for quite some time. I'd REALLY wanna see some comparative reviews i7 vs C2D in quad core supporting games like the upcoming Dragon Age. I bet i7 will be on it's knees long before the qx9300.

 

Yeah, I believe it's very interesting to wait for the ATI vs NVIDIA benchmark results. However, personally, if a new m17x refresh is only bringing an i7 to the table, then I wouldn't mind sticking with the QX9300. The refresh might be very far away (or very near), so if I keep thinking "Oh, it's gonna get refreshed on the next months so I'll wait for that", then I'm never gonna buy myself anything

We need someone inside Alienware to feed us with details and release dates

 

Hi 3vil One,

Yeah, it's all really a matter of perspective, I guess...... different strokes, for different folks. We'll just have to agree to disagree on this point. This is why I prefaced my statements as 'personal' opinion...... and I respect your as well.

I do not see the i7 as 'far' down the road, and 'battery life' seems like a moot point in either case, when we are taking high-end, watt guzzling gpu's & cpu's. I mean let's face it, either way, if I am going to 'hard-core' game, I think I will be 'plugged-in' in any event. An M17x with a QX9300, or an i7 (figuratively speaking), in neither case, would truly be designed with road-warrior 'mobility' in mind..... yet both could do so aptly...... if NOT gaming or watching movies to any extent. Otherwise, you WILL want a wall socket close by, LOL! (which I can normally find at most mobile locations ) If mobility were a primary concern, I do not think high-end gpu's or cpu's would be at the top of my shopping list..... I mean heck, a 10 to 12 hour netbook would suffice well for this.

Anyhow, I do see many advantages to the i7 over the QX9300..... but I will not debate this here. Much of this is already covered within these forums, and a wealth of publications are readily available to this point. As far as the wait time..... well, I'd rather hang onto my money for now and see. To me, this is a better option, vice the possibility of 'buyer's remorse' in February. I can wait a few months on such a major purchase..... not going to be in a hurry here, because I am certain an M17x (or the like) will still be available then, and perhaps, even for less. I have learned, there is no such thing, as the last GREAT DEAL...... inevitably, there is always newer and better ahead. It's really a matter of patience, and some can be more so than others..... that's all..... simply my thoughts, on my buying decision, and I realize this will not be the same for all.

 

Agreed 100%, and I, and I'm sure many others are working on just that.

 

I would be more excited about an LED refresh then i7... We already have plenty of CPU power from the Core2 series we just need some better screens ..

 

Whoa, me too Bro..... but what if we see both, LOL! Wouldn't that be something?

What, no sig these days, Quad?

 

Nope but i still have my M17 so for the moment im just chillin waiting on some benches from the 4870s.. Once i see those ill decided if im going to wait or not ..

Im still pretty happy with what i have ..

 

weak.

/10 char

 

Yeah, the M17 is o'l reliable, eh? Look'in GOOD! FAR better than what I am sporting..... for the moment!

I am still a little gun-shy and 'pe-od' over the Asus W90 debacle..... and you know those 4870 benches should be good (with the right bench'ees), LOL!

 

Wow, you guys are definitely getting amazing scores on 3D Mark 06. Wonder if the GDDR5 cards will reach those scores without any overclocking

 

I'm guessing, since the 4870 uses new technology, and Nvidia's 260/280 is dated, the 4870 Crossfire is going to clobber even the best an OC'ed 280 can ever hope to do.

In fact, I would say Nvidia is now out of the game when it comes to graphic cards....

 

^ you may want to check this one here ... it turns out that it could be that those ATI chips are DDR3 !!!!


http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=427077

 

If you can wait, I'd wait for the Core i7 version of the M17x to appear. It can't be that far away

 

Ah, but that still has not been fully resolved!

 

Now I'm scared
Could it be that the US videocards really are GDDR3?

 

Well, if they are I am going to pop a gasket!! I hope this gets resolved before my system ships!

 

It seems the guy used the wrong drivers so there is still hope.

 

I along with most of you just wish there was a definitive answer one way or the other. I was going to order one once I knew Windows 7 would be already pre loaded on the system. Now? im not so sure.