So I won an Alienware m15x

Hey guys, I've lurked around this site on and off for the past few months, but I just registered today.

Anyway, so I won this laptop...the value is apparently $2100, and it looks like I'm going to be able to customize it.

Here's the thing...I don't need the laptop, so I'm just planning on selling it on eBay. So, I want to gear the components towards maximizing the resale value.

Here's the plan...

The base configuration is $1500, and I figure the most prudent upgrade is the graphics card. The 8600M GT and 8700M GT, from my understanding, are pretty weak, so I think the only viable option is to go for broke and get the 9800M GT. This is a $500 upgrade on their site, bringing the cost to $2000.

The base processor is a C2D T8100, and it's a $150 upgrade to the T8300. Everything above that looks to offer diminishing returns to me.

The other upgrades that I'd actually consider on Alienware's site is the upgrade from a 1440x900 resolution screen to a 1920x1200 resolution screen ($150 upgrade...:S) and the illuminated keyboard ($50 upgrade, eh).

Of course, with the aforementioned CPU and GPU upgrades, it's already at $2150, so I don't think I'll be upgrading the screen or keyboard. I don't think the 1440x900 screen is inherently a bad thing, though, I mean I have a 15.4" laptop with 1280x800 resolution and it looks fine. Not to mention it'll run games even better since its native resolution is that much lower. The keyboard isn't that big of a deal, I just think the illuminated keyboard is kind of a neat thing.

The default amount of RAM they include is 1GB, and the upgrade to 4GB is $350, which is obviously ridiculous. I'm planning on just getting a 4GB kit from newegg and upgrading it myself.

Now, here's where I'm at an impasse. The cheapest hard drive they offer is a 120GB 7200 RPM drive. The upgrades they offer are pretty ridiculous. Not as much so as with the RAM, but for example going to a 160GB hard drive is $75. So, I have a couple of options. First, I can just do nothing, and sell it with a 120GB hard drive. Or, I can get a 320GB 7200RPM drive from newegg and install it myself. Or, I suppose I could just get the hard drive and throw it in as a "freebie" if the person selects the Buy It Now option.

So, I have a couple of questions.

First, what do you guys think about the hard drive situation? Do you think the amount of money I'd be able to get from upgrading it myself is worth all the hassle, or do you think I should just sell it with the 120GB drive?

Second, what do you think of the rest of the configuration, any suggestions?

Thanks guys!

 

Be aware that Alienware buyers usually want the "envy" factor from all the lights and extras. Not getting the backlit keyboard is likely to cut down the number of people who will bid for the laptop.

I agree on not upgrading the screen and upgrading the RAM after you buy it.

I am kinda divided on the HDD. It it was a computer for me, I would not buy it. But I'm hardly a hardcore gamer... only casual gaming and getting less and less now cause of work. Your choice here.

Hope it helps...

 

First off, I would go with the illuminated keyboard. It is not only cool, but nowadays if someone is going to spend that kind of money, they would want to have a sweet keyboard like that if it's available!!

Also, I wouldn't upgrade the screen, would upgrade the GPU to at least the 8700, and just upgrade the RAM and HD through newegg...

Hope this helps you get the best gains!

EDIT: Oh, or if you have the heart for it you could always just give it to me... lol

 

i think your best option is to leave the cpu stock, and get the upgraded screen instead.
Seriously, no gamer buys a gaming laptop with a 1440 resolution screen, they all want WUXGA.
the keyboard lights dont effect performance, but it may help you sell it, since lots of kids and adults like flashy lights.
As for memory, upgrade the memory to 4gb, with a OCZ kit of ddr2 memory. Usually they have a 4gb kit for sale, for around $50-60
FOr the harddrive, your best bet is to sell the stock one, and upgrade it to a 250gb or 320gb 7200rpm drive. These drives can be had for about $100, which is a great deal. You can sell your 120gb 7200 drive for about $60 or so which would make the harddrive upgrade pretty cheap.

The graphics upgrade is a must, the 8600gt is pretty bad at gaming in comparison to the 9800GT

good luck with the sale
for selling, you can use notebookreview, hardforum or ebay, they will all give you good returns.

K-TRON

 

I Agree...

 

I used to buy/sell stuff on anandtech last year, so I have some heat from that. It's just that...most people on sites like that know the value of a laptop. I saw an m15x on eBay with specs like this:

C2X X9000
2GB RAM
250GB HDD
8600M GT

go for $3000. That's pretty silly. I'm not sure yet though where I'll sell for sure. Do you really think the $150 that I was gonna use to upgrade the T8100 to a T8300 would be better spent on upgrading the screen, in terms of increasing the resale value? I would think the jump from a 2.1GHz to 2.4GHz CPU would be at least notable. Do you think I should even consider the 8700M GT? I mean, seeing as the GPU isn't upgradeable and this is a gaming laptop, I figure the 9800M GT, though expensive, is the way to go.

By the way thanks for all your input guys.

EDIT: And do you guys really think the illuminated keyboard will be that big of a selling point?

 

All of the above is good information, but what do you think about selling it after you have a buyer. Have you won a barebones laptop or store credit? It may be more prudent to strike a deal with the buyer before hand, something like 5% off the barebones price + free shipping, and he/she pays, in full, for the upgrades. That way the person can choose exactly what they want. Ebay would be a hard sell for this, but if you push it hard here, you may find someone.

On topic, my opinion is upgrade the screen and gpu. Upgrade the cpu, ram and hdd yourself. Or, upgrade nothing and take full profit. Lets say you have a $2000 limit, and you put $500 into it, selling it at or above retail will be of no use, you will have to drop the price a bit. Wouldn't just selling it stock yield a better profit, if a buyer could be found?

 

Well, all the contest rules say is that I won an Alienware m15x valued at $2100. The lady who sent me the winner's notification e-mail told me that, as far as she knows, I'll be able to customize it. I'm not sure how this will go down; like if they just give me a $2100 coupon code, or what. Of course, she could just be wrong and they're sending me a pre-built...but then none of this matters anyway lol.

Beyond that, I think it would be pretty hard to find a buyer unless I actually had the laptop. I'm not sure how to exactly approach that, if you guys know anyone who's interested lol that'd be great. If I found someone, I could just customize it to their specs, then they could do whatever they want with it.

At this point, though, I think the best thing to do is get a game plan for if I do get to customize it. I think that the most crucial components are the GPU, CPU, and screen, since the GPU and screen, for all intents and purposes, can't be upgraded, and I'm pretty sure upgrading the CPU voids the warranty (and if not, it's still a huge pain in the ***). I do feel that upgrading the RAM myself before selling it is undoubtedly a good idea, considering how much Alienware charges for the RAM upgrades and how cheap and easy it is to do it myself.

 

The keyboard is a must, you will lose potential customers with not having it

 

Napbree, seeing as you own a very similar notebook to the one I'm getting, I was wondering which screen you got, how it looks, and how well your video card runs at the screen's native resolution?

 

Also note that the GPU IS upgradeable... the m15x has dedicated graphics so a simple switch is not only feasible, but relatively easy.

 

Dang, last I did any research on that it was basically impossible. I didn't even know you could buy standalone laptop GPUs.

 

TheGPU is only upgradeable on MXM type laptops. And even then ur choice is limited.

 

How can I find out what the upgrade options are? Also where can you buy the new cards?

 

upgrade the gpu and the screen. maybe even the cpu

 

This laptop is definitely MXM, and you will only be able to upgrade to the cards that AW offers when they sell their notebooks... so currently you're looking at an 8600, 8700, or 9800 I believe...

 

Question: How did you win it?

 

Basically I won it in a Guitar Hero tournament.

 

College Gaming League?

 

Haha yes. It was for the truck tour thingy. How did you know?

 

Yeah I played CS:S in the CGL for that tournament but didn't make it far enough to win anything... >.< lol

 

Oh sweet. Yeah man I'm retardedly good at Guitar Hero; I have a bunch of videos on youtube, you should check them out if you want. My youtube sn is the same as on here, so just search for that. I have videos of full combos of some of the hardest songs from GH1, 2, 80s, and 3.

 

hehe kool. I sort of figured you must be good if you were good enough to win the tournament! haha

I'll be sure to check them out!

 

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that they dropped the base price by $200, so I can afford this configuration:

T8300
9800M GT
1920x1200 LCD
1GB RAM
120GB HDD

That configuration comes out to right under $2100 ! With the illuminated keyboard, the last feature I was considering, that would bring the total to just $50 over the max. Maybe I can just pay for it outright? We'll see. Regardless, this is definitely badass.

 

Do it. This is a good configuration that allows for easy upgrade of cheaper components. Definitely get the illuminated keboard. I wouldn't worry about upgrading the HD at all. Let the buyer take care of that, will be cheaper for both of you.

 

yeah, i'm actually considering getting the 1440x900 display instead, for a couple reasons.

1. it's $150 cheaper. i could use that money to get:
- the illuminated keyboard
-a CPU upgrade to the T9300
with everything else the same, it would come out to $2099.

2. the clearview display is only featured on the 1440x900 screen (i don't really know how significant it is, but one of my friends used to work for dell and he said they look pretty nice).

3. i figure most serious gamers will use an external monitor for gaming when at home.

4. since it's a significantly lower resolution, game settings will be able to go much higher, and will also further future proof the laptop for games.

5. my laptop is 15.4", it's 1280x800, and it looks fine. 1440x900 should look pretty good i think on a display this size. i mean, it is 720p on a 15.4" screen after all.

what do you guys think of this?

 

Yeah good choice. 1440 is a better res for a 15.4" screen and a T9300 would attract loads more buyers. Also you could pick up a WD or Seagate 320GB 7200rpm HD for $90 and upgrade that youself.

 

^ Agreed... 1920X1200 is too high on anything lower than on a 17" screen...

Nice config though! Good luck with your selling!

 

hmmm, I love 1920x1200 on both 17" and 15" screens. Personally I feel 1440x900 is a bit small. 1680x1050 is the perfect resolution for a 15" screen in my opinion.
Good luck with the sale afterwards

K-TRON

 

I think most people probably would rather have 1440x900 on a 15.4" screen, if the choice was that and 1920x1200. Idk that sounds like the text would be mega tiny. Plus the T9300 and keyboard upgrade are pretty tempting.

Thanks for all your feedback and input on this, guys. You all have helped me to finalize the few decisions I had to make, and with the help of that $200 price drop it made the decisions even easier. I'll let you guys know how it all goes, as far as if there's any ridiculous things that happen in me getting the laptop, how it goes with selling it, etc.

 

Yeah, I agree get the 1440x900 for the 15" screen - it will also allow for native resolution gameplay at better frame rates, and no one would miss the extra lines of resolution.

But what about other processor choices - you should opt for a P series (e.g. P8400) as opposed to the T series. Faster FSB (1066 vs 800).