need a bit of help in deciding what to get

hi,

im relatively new to pc / laptop gaming... this will be my first gaming laptop that i will be purchasing...

i dont want a gaming desktop as i move around alot, weight or size of the laptop is not an issue either...

so this is what i have narrowed it down to...

asus g74sx - 2760qm, 12 gig ram, nvida gtx560 3g ddr5
alienware m17x r3 - 2760qm, 8 gig ram nvida gtx 580 2g ddr5
alienware m18x - 2760qm, 8 gig ram, nvida dual gtx 580 4g ddr5

first of all the dual cards of the m18 is probably the best for fps, graphical perfomance but how much better is it? is it that much of a difference between the other two...

i really like the look of the asus as well...

any thought or advice is welcome, im really stuck on what to get...

thanks alot

Ian

 

if money is not an issue you better go with alienware m18x.
if you have fixed budget then stick it alienware m17x even with lowered performace.

 

Hello IanC-

Those G74SX models are extremely cool looking and very popular indeed. Back lit Keys and other light mods available. But, yes, 580's in SLI is around 24K vs. 8K via 3D Mark vantage score. Mobile Grafikkarten - Benchmarkliste - Notebookcheck.com Technik/FAQ

Cheers!

 

Any of those choices would be a good choice! I have experience with the M17x R3 and the Asus G74SX.

Pros and cons that I can think of?

- The cooling is better on the Asus. I don't see a need for a cooling pad unlike the M17x R3.
- The upgradeability is better on the Alienware.
- The M17x R3 has more ports (i.e. USB, display/audio outputs, etc.) than the G74SX.
- The Alienware has a much slimmer power supply. The Asus power supply is a huge brick!
- I like the sound of the M17x R3 (with Klipsch speakers) better than the G74SX.
- You can't change the colors of the keyboard backlighting with the G74. You only get white on or off.

 

No question; the Alienware M18x wins in everything hands down. But it probably costs 4 times as much as the ASUS too.

 

This. The Dual 580m's will destroy pretty much anything. I haven't heard much about the cooling however, so you will likely need a cooling pad and even then may run into overheating issues.

I really like Asus, especially the 74. Its a great laptop but you will get much more performance from the M17 purely from the 580m > 560m.

 

Pretty simple: If you want the best-of-the-best, cost-no-object gaming notebook, M18x is your winner.

Otherwise the M17X with a single GTX 580M is sufficient.

 

I too had my new gaming laptop choices narrowed down to the G74SX, Alienware M17X/M18X, and briefly the MSI GT780DXR. I quickly negated the MSI from the list when I saw one in person. It was not the most appealing laptop visually. After several days of waffling back and forth I opted for the ASUS because I liked the cleaner look, less "bling" which I did not want to pay for, and better price point for similar specs. Besides, I did not want an Alienware sitting out at home and people coming over exclaiming "Hey! That's the computer those guys in Big Bang Theory use!!!"

It's been almost two weeks with the Asus and I'm happy with it.

Go with what your gut tells you, tho'. It's your money.

Actually, I'd go custom build an Origin notebook if that were the case. My final loadout would have been $5200, lol!

 

Good choice going with the ASUS. I happen to know of some Falcon Northwest gaming notebooks that can be configured in excess of $8000...crazy.

 

thanks guys,

you have offered some great real life experiences, i love the look of the asus, i just wish asus had put the 580 inside it and it would be no contest...

dont think i can strech to a m18... so i think it will be the m17x r3...

thanks alot and please add more info if you would im a couple of days away from ordering so i will keep checking the forum to read anymore info added

thanks once again

Ian

 

Don't hesitate , if you have enough money to think about buying an M18X ( with such amazing perf ) , just go for it.

Dual 580 is nothing but BEAST. Serious talk.

No way you can even compare perf to a G74SX that cannot handlre BF3 at 60 FPS on very low , where you'll be able to touch that rock solid 60 on high with dual 580. It's just like comparing a gaming laptop to a 150$ netbook.

The only question you have to wonder is what kind of game you want to play , and what FPS do you need to feel confortable. People are sometime happy with 30 Fps , then just go for a G74 or even M17X ( wich will be WAY better than a GTX560 for sure )

Go for a M18X , you'll get the best laptop hardware ever and you won't be disapointed , knowing that you cannot have something better. But if you don't plan on playing games like BF3 , Crysis 2 and just want to play League of Legend and Source Engine , go for a cheap one.

Don't forget that you cannot change GPU on G74 , wich is not the case on Alienware laptop.

 

thanks guys thats just the info i needed...

i usual play games like BF3, Crysis 2, Call of duty etc... so fps and detail is important to me in the overall gaming experience...

it looks like for the moment i may not be able to strech to the m18 so i may get the m17x r3 with gtx 580 (single)...

to be honest if i can hit 40fps on high detail i will be happy...

not sure if the m17x will hit those type of fps, with that level of detail... thoughts are always welcome...

thanks in advance

Ian

 

With a single 580 , you will get more than 40 easily on high as i got around 30 with a single 560 ...

 

I like my asus g73sw, but if I was to do it over i would get the M17x or a Sager with a 6990 or 580. The GTX460 just doesnt have the power to keep up and the GTX560 is not much better for the high end games.