XPS 15/17 Versus Asus G73

It's time for me to finally order a laptop. I'll be using it for school and gaming (when I have the time). I'm taking a game development program so we're using a variety of software; Photoshop, Adobe Flash, 3ds Max, and others. So I need something powerful that will last me at least a few years.

I thought I had settled on a G73 (refurbished ~$1000). But my mom said she may be able to get 30% off Dell. I've been looking at their site and it looks like XPS is their best (besides the expensive Alienwares).

I know no XPS, even after customizing, will completely match a G73. But can any of them be customized to play any game at a playable framerate, and cost around $1000 (after the 30% off)?

 

Specs on the G73?

With a 30% off you might as well get an ~1800 alienware, though I wouldn't say it's the best time to invest on an alienware right now, as Dell haven't refreshed them with sandy bridge.

Only thing lacking on the XPS is the GPU. If you can't live with it, you should probably go with the G73.

 

The refurb G73 are...meh. You don't get the 1080p screen, but they are a great deal. Best Buy had a refurb one for like 800 bucks. ASUS has have a ton of bloatware but there are guides in the ASUS G series subforum that can help you out with that.

Hands down the GPU in the G73 beats down the XPS, and takes it's lunch money. ASUS are also very very flexible with upgrades, they utilize a proprietary form of MXM, and are upgradable to another ASUS card. The G73 is a better investment down the line IMO. If you get a XPS 15/17, I would highly recommend a 3-4 year warranty, given the XPS track record.

 

The refurbished G73 I'm looking at has a customization option. So, I can add more memory and a longer warranty. Without any customization it's:

i7 720QM
6GB
ATI HD5870
500GB HDD
90 day warranty

For $999 total. I was planning to up it to 8GB and a one year warranty, making it $1089. But if I can customize an XPS on Dell's site to run all of my programs and any game at a smooth framerate for less than $1089 after the possible 30% off, then I would go with that.

 

XPS17 goes up to the Nvidia GT555m, which is a rebranded 445m, which is a high end mainstream card at best and is already struggling with the latest titles. The G73, in comparison, is equipped with proper gaming graphics thanks to the 460m. Not the best on the market, but leaps and bounds ahead of the 555m.

 

Even the 5870 smashes the GeForce GT555m, and you could upgrade to the ASUS GTX 460M if you wanted to.

 

Would the fact that the GT555M has 3gb of dedicated memory give it any kind of advantage over the other 1gb/1.5gb cards mentioned here?

 

Nope. It's a common misconception.


Here's a quote from notebook check:

 

Heya, was just doing some searching through google and found this forum. I'm looking for some very similar advice to this thread, which is... What is the best budget gaming GPU for laptops now. Basically I'm seeing the GT550M (that the OP mentioned) as well as the Mobility Radeon 5650. What's the best? I tried searching for benchmark differences between the two on Google and had no luck. Thanks!

 

Depends on your budget. 5650/5730 are mid range cards, you'll be able to play modern titles at medium resolution.

 

So what exactly does the dedicated memory do? Does it basically act for the gpu in place of the laptop's main RAM?

Also, it seems that the 555m in the XPS 17 is only DDR3: http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-555M.41933.0.html If you go to the benchmarks and click the red "1 benchmarks and specifications" text, it shows that the test laptop used was the XPS 17, and the type of memory is only DDR3

 

It's not a re-branded 445m, it is a different processor altogether. The spec is slightly better and all the tests on notebookcheck prove it. Its like saying a 470m is a re-branded 460m.It's not. I have the 555m, and I haven't found it to struggle at all on any of the newer titles at my screens native resolution of 1600x900 on high settings. Even with crysis on ultra i'm getting 20-30 fps! Crysis 2 on highest i'm getting 60+fps.

 

Here are 2 good reviews. The reviewer likes the Dell better.

YouTube - Dell XPS 15 L502X Review by The Digital Digest

YouTube - Asus G73 Republic of Gamers review by The Digital Digest

 

If you're going to buy the XPS 17 and hoping to play latest games on 1080p resolution, I think the gpu (GT555m) will not be enough. Unless you are okay playing games on 1600x900 resolution.

But, it is a different story if you choose Asus G73 with HD5870 or GTX460m, these two cards are very capable cards. I'll choose the Asus if I were you.
Just my opinion.

 

It's quite simple really, if you are a heavy gamer get the Asus (better GPU).
If you aren't, get the Dell (better CPU).

As for the GT 555 in the XPS 17 not being able to cope with modern games. I installed the 'Bulletstorm' demo today. Maxed all the graphics settings, including 8x AA. It was smooth as silk (but I do only have the 900p screen and my GPU is overclocked using MSI Afterburner, but it doesn't affect the temps much at all).
So pretty sure a lot of games will be playable on the XPS 17 even on 1080p screen at native resolution (although you might have to ease off on the graphics settings a little).