Buyer's Questions

Hello all,

I recently bought an Alienware M11x... But it has dissapointed me deeply. The design and size are amazing, but for the price...

Anyway, I have some questions regarding the G53JW, SW, and 3DE.

1: Is the JW capable of running 3D movies and games?

2: Is there a performance difference between the 3DE and JW?

3: Will the SW be an amazing improvement over these two, or is it good to get one now?

4: I've heard about these computers being no different than the 73JW... Is that true?

5: I've also heard rumors of them playing Metro 2033 maxed oout at decent frames... Is that true?

6: And last question... How big and bulky is it?

 

More or less. The 3DE has a 1366x766 screen instead of 1920x1080. SW will be a CPU improvement, but not a gaming improvement.

They don't play metro2033 at max. Nothing does, really.

It is bigger than you think. So get the 17 inch one, if you're going big, might as well go BIG.

 

Thanks for replying.

Is the G73 better than the 53? Because I still need portability... I've got to take it around places, ya know?

 

lol they're virtually the same, only difference is 15 vs 17 inch. All the other innards are exactly the same. Well, the have the same features. Obviously, the g53 is smaller inside, too.

The g73 is easier to open up, and get access to the innards.

 

Can you do 3D things on all of them, or do you have to get the 3DE?

 

All of them can, when connected to an external 3D TV/Monitor.

The 3DE is the only one that can do it on its own screen.

 

I bet the 7GHz AMD / Tri-SLI Liquid Nitro setup will be able to

 

1) yes, but only to an externally supported 3d screen
2) not really, but the JW screen is full HD which many have come to prefer
3) I have strugged with this myself. On paper yes it is a big difference, but you will likely not notice it. I decided to buy one now. Remember Sandy Bridge is still in 32nm like the Westmere...Ivy Bridge will be 22nm which is a bigger jump imho.
4) That is correct, overall.
5) No Idea
6) It is huge. It is bigger volumetrically than a standard 17" laptop. I use a laptop suitcase to bring mine around. The size is obviously due to the cooling system.

 

The G73 is better option anytime. It doesn't weigh much more than a G53 and runs way cooler. Also you can get a full HD 3D screen. And oh yes , nothing plays metro 2033 well. I have a friend with a Clevo with i7-620m+ GTX480M and he can barely run it on medium-high at full HD res.

 

Seriously? I see so many stats that say nothing can run Metro 2033 at anything above medium but I must be going mad because im running Metro on my 5870m clocked at 800/1100 with full HD on an external screen and im pushing 35-45 frames at High on Directx 11 with 4x MSAA and 4x AF.

Ultra obviously I wont touch because it drops to 10-15fps but high is fine.

 

You probably aren't as discriminating about the smoothness of your gameplay.

 

I suppose that is true I am very new to the Class 1 side of laptops and the whole I need 60 frames or my head will explode! My previous setup had 2 8700M GT's in SLI so you can imagine that if I hit 30FPS I was having a party with fairy cakes and smarties on top.

 

Exactly! I tried metro 2033 on medium, and it's fine. Not great, but good enough. It doesn't run well on settings higher than that, but on medium it is passable. I don't have any specific FPS figures to attach to "passable", "good enough" or "great", because I don't have it installed and don't care to investigate.

But as you say, your level of acceptance (and opinion) may be different from others. Respect that, and you'll do fine.

 

I thought this also until a bunch of G53 owners pointed out there temps are just fine. I wouldn't worry about heat on a GTX460m. I do agree that the G73 makes more sense though. The only exceptions being.... Portability being more important than screen size and cost, the G53 is slightly smaller, this would benifit college students who take the laptop to class, and the G53 is $1200 vs $1400 for the G73JW.

 

Exactly, I travel a lot and hotel desks are just barely enough for a G53 and an external keyboard. When I'm at home, I use a 24" monitor as my primary.

Plus, I put the cost difference towards an SSD.