XPS 17 vs AlienWare

Hi guys,

Lately I was thinking of buying a new laptop, since my old one is becoming a piece of junk. So, my search has narrowed to 2 computers: Dell XPS 17" and AlienWare. I can't really get the difference, since XPS looks like it has a better specs, but AlienWare is strongly reccommended for gaming. Anyways, I have built those two computers on dell's store:

MAIN SPECIFICATIONS ON BOTH OF THEM:

DELL XPS 17"
i7-840QM
8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
750GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 445M 3GB graphics

AlienWare 17"
i7 740QM
8GB Dual Channel Memory (2x 4GB DDR3)
640GB 7,200RPM SATA-II HDD
1GB GDDR5 ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5870

I think other specifications are not so important.

The thing is, that from my point of view, just on the paper, XPS looks better (processor is better, video card is better). On alienware the only good thing is the hard drive. But the thing is, that I don't care about the hard drive > to add the same hard drive to XPS costs 500 bucks more ( I don't really need it).

But AlienWarare is 400 dollars more expensive than XPS. Where is the trick? What should I do? What should I buy?

Also, I heard a lot of rumours about XPS horrible screen > are those true?

P.S. I am an economics student, so I would use the computer not only for gaming, but for various multi tasking etc.

What would you guys do in my position?

Thank you in advane! :smile:

 

the hd5870 is better than the 445 but that's a moot point because both systems will or is already in aw case be updated with sandy bridge and in alienwares Case a gpu that's literally twice as powerful as the 445
The price on the new m17x is also alot cheaper.

Do definitely don't get any 740qm or 820 qm notebook now

 

The videocard in the Alienware has GDDR5, but the XPS 17 videocard only uses DDR3. I'm not sure how only 1GB VRAM in the Alienware will affect things. When I monitor, some of my games will use close to 2GB, although it has never gone over. And yes, the Alienware Sandy Bridge model is already out, and the XPS 17 Sandy Bridge model will be out February 1, 2011, so you might want to compare again then.

 

If weight is a factor, you should compare. Past AlienWare models have been much heavier than similar sized XPS models.

 

To add some numbers, you can expect 47% more FPS on average with the Alienware compared to the XPS 17, which is a very lot.

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 - Notebookcheck.net Tech

 

It depends what your budget is. If you have money to burn then wait for the new models to come out but if you want an all round good performer at a cheap price then go for the current XPS 17.
I would not bother upgrading the CPU though as the I7 740 or similar new Sandy Bridge models will be fine.

 

Since you stated that "I am an economics student, so I would use the computer not only for gaming, but for various multi tasking etc." I personally think that XPS17 is a better bet. The alienware is known for heavy-duty gaming...Besides, the alienware is very heavy...so, XPS17 is the pick for you

 

another vote for the XPS.

u know what the alienware looks like? if ur a student and u need to bring in a laptop for a presentation or for working, the XPS definitely looks more professional. the alienware kinda looks funny and alive. just an opinion for a student.

 

The Alienware's are heavier, but the weight means a more sturdy frame, and a more robust cooling solution, so it can run more powerful hardware while remaining cool. They're also quite ugly, and not exactly the most portable, but they're much faster while gaming. It really depends on what you're looking for in your machine.