quick m15 question...

i have around 2200 to spend before shipping and whatnot.... comes to right around 2500 with shipping and tax

this a good config for MMO gaming for the next few years?(im getting 4gb of memory from work for super cheap, thats why i left that alone)(and is the 8700 DDR2?)

Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Onsite Service and 24/7 Toll-Free Phone Support
Design & Display: Silver Ripley Design
Display: 15.4" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD (720p) with Clearview Technology
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - Lime
Video/Graphics Card: NVIDIA® GeForce® Series - 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8700M GT
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 2.5GHz (6MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
Notebook Tuners and Remotes: Without Media Center Remote Control or TV Tuner
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 512MB
Turbo Cache Memory: Intel® Turbo Memory (1GB) – Accelerate Data Transfer Speed
Available on Windows Vista Only!
System Drive: 250GB 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection
Optical Drives : 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Wireless: Internal Intel® Wireless 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card
Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Keyboard Options: AlienFX® Illuminated Keyboard – Exclusive Design
Mobile Essentials: Additional Battery – 6-cell Smart Bay Battery
AlienRespawn: AlienRespawn v2.0 Recovery DVD – Windows Vista® Edition
Mobile Bags: Alienware® Orion Messenger Bag

 

with the 8700m-gt, you should be ok for a year or two, but not much longer. if you can somehow get the 8800m-gtx, by all means do it.

otherwise, your config is good.

oh yeah, the 8700m-gt is DDR3.

 

what whizzo said...

 

Is that a quick ship model?

otherwise you might think to just get the 120 gig HD, and upgrade that yourself, Newegg has great prices there.

And I agree, the 9800 gt is a definite.

But still, that looks like a good setup.

 

ok, i have a new build...but i'll put that up in a sec... i keep hearing people say alienware is just an overpriced dell, is this true? and ive also heard that the build quality is pretty shoddy too, i just want to make sure im making thr right choice over say like a sager. i've always loved the alienware name, i just wanna make sure its right for me =)

Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Onsite Service and 24/7 Toll-Free Phone Support
Design & Display: Silver Ripley Design
Display: 15.4" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD (720p) with Clearview Technology
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - Lime
Video/Graphics Card: NVIDIA® GeForce® Series - 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 9800M GT
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T8100 2.1GHz (3MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
Notebook Tuners and Remotes: Without Media Center Remote Control or TV Tuner
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 512MB
System Drive: 250GB 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection
Optical Drives : 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Wireless: Internal Intel® Wireless 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card
Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Keyboard Options: AlienFX® Illuminated Keyboard – Exclusive Design
Mobile Essentials: Additional Battery – 6-cell Smart Bay Battery
AlienRespawn: AlienRespawn v2.0 Recovery DVD – Windows Vista® Edition

 

Dell has bought AW, yes. However, at this point in time, AW is still AW, way better than a Dell.

And like I said, you might want to just get your hdd from newegg heres the difference.

From AW you pay an extra $175.00
250GB 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection

From newegg, you can get:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148310

for Almost a hundred less, and than just buy the smartbay cage for $15.00 and put the 120 gig that comeswith the system in it, than you got a total of 380 gb of hard drive and you save over 50 bucks.

 

im not that computer literate to be honest, i can change memory and the like, but a HDD is something i'd like to avoid if possible.

and i'm most likely buying that configuration above with the 9800GT in it

that's gonna be the best bet for video, right?

should last me around 3 or 4 years with just like MMO's and like SC2 and Diablo 3?

im not a huge FPS gamer to be honest

 

you should be good for the time frame you are looking at.
just remember - in the tech world, each day brings something new. so what you buy today will always be dated by tomorrow.
nature of the beast.

 

yeah, i know that

i just wanna get the best bang for my buck at this current moment, haha

 

is there a tutorial on how to replace the hdd on a m15x? like how theres a video for replacing ram, oh and replacing the hdd doesnt void the warranty right?

 

I don't know if there is a tutorial, but Ill be glad to make one when I get mine.

I don't think it voids the warranty.

 

It would be great if you or anyone would make one, so i could see if its easy and buy a bigger hdd from newegg so i can save money by putting it in by my self

 

You guys should check out this thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=217494&page=4

Shows some pics of the insides of the m15x, and it looks next to simple to replace the hdd and the memory.

 

i do have another question now

i was looking at another thread about the heat problem with the m15x and i wondered how much i should be worried about heat just playing WoW and the like. I plan on getting a cooler of some sort (suggestions there would be cool too) as i do most of my gaming in my bed from my computer and its on my lap most of the time

just concerned and wondering =)

thanks a ton guys =)

 

before you purchase anything from alienware, you should buy a xbox diamond card. you will save %6

https://www.xboxlivediamond.com/interact/customerinfo.aspx

 

ummm...

im not sure what that is, nut im not clicking it

 

its a discount card, its only $7 and it will save you more then $100 when you buy a laptop from alienware

 

+rep for that one.

And actually Comm, that is a good link, spend 7 dollars on something that you can throw away, and save over a hundred dollars on your purchase from AW.

heres a a link for more info.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/features/cardperks.htm

 

All heat issues have been resolved through BIOS updates. Even on X32, there are no heat issues unless you have the extreme processor.

Alienware m15x RAM Replacement guide
Alienware m15x HDD Replacement guide

I think a few people were looking for these earlier.

 

thank you so much, im about 99% sure im picking one of these up

i'll have no heat problems with a chill pad on my lap correct?

i'll probably be ordering this week or next =)

i'm really excited

 

That is correct. If the notebook (and the chill pad) is on your lap, you shouldn't have any heat issues as long as you don't block the air from circulating somehow.

 

awesome

i'm definitely ordering next week

thanks so much guys =)

 

EDIT: Forget most of this post. Why are there no 9800GT's in any of the 15" Clevos anymore. Ill read up myself soon.

_______________________

Haha I know I am late on this one but you did mention a sager in your post. I don't want to be the Sager fanboy and change your mind last minute but if you haven't taken a look at their 15" model you can get more bang for your buck.

Advantage:
More bang for your buck
DOMESTIC Tech Support

Disadvantage:
M15x has smart bay
M15x has longer battery life (if you need it)
M15x looks cooler? (I don't think so but whatever).

I would say xoticpc but they don't offer the 9800GT anymore. I'll try to find someone that does.

Edit: I guess this only applies if you are leaning towards a 8700GT over a 8800GTX.

 

Is 8700GT still a good card? I'm thinking of getting that instead of the 9800 due to cost savings

 

I'd say the 9800 GT would be worth your money. It's a little bit more than twice the performance as a 8700 GT.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-9800M-GT.9906.0.html

 

PCmicroworks.com still offers the 9800m GT in the EDGE laptop. I have one and its working amazing.

 

It's a clevo m860tu

 

Well the 9800GT / 8800GTX is 2 times faster than a 8700GT. A 9800GTS is a little slower than the 9800GT but quicker than the 8700GT.

8700GT -----------------|------------9800GTS--9800GT
"|" = Half way Point

That looks about right feel free to correct me.

 

and this statement helps how?

 

Since the OP didn't want to leave out the whole clevo deal I recommended the 860TU and gave the pros and cons but realized that most resellers don't offer the 9800GT and only the 9800GTS. He was merely stating that some resellers still had it in stock and one of them was PCmicroworks.

 

after re-read i stand corrected....

 

so today i got my refund check and should be ordering it this week

now, i do have one LAST question, lol

what does the 3 year service cover?

the big things im worried about...

Battery?
ADH?
AC Adapter?

im assuming it does parts and labor no matter what

and how long would it take to ship them and get it back if i have a problem?



oh... and last one, i got an extra like 400 bucks with my refund check, so im upgrading processor to 2.5 and getting vista ultimate, is the version they supply for ultimate 64 bit? if not, when i order it, can i call in the order and tell them to install the 64 bit version?

just wondering =)

thanks again for all your help guys, im so excited =)

 

YAY for refund money...

1) honest, i would have to re-read the warranty information (including the fine print) to tell you informatively what you ask.
2) from what i remember, parts and labor are covered, but shipping to them is not.
3) time frames can and will vary with availability of stock on hand and extent of issue(s) to be fixed.
4) 32 bit.
5) just answering
6) your welcome and welcome to the hive...