OCZ Whitebook vs. M17

I would be very happy to find OCZ equipped with display of same quality

 

ocz uses one of the best panels in the market the lg lp171wu3. you will not have a issue with it i think it could be a bit brighter but other than that its great

 

A good place to look for affordable laptop screen upgades. I have a 17" 1900*1200 on order for my Qosmio.
http://www.blisscomputers.net/servlet/StoreFront

8 GB ram upgrade for W840DI for under $1000.00
http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=W840 DI

I hope this helps my fellow enthusiasts.

 

Zfactor KNOWS screens.

 

I don't care much for overclocking and all the fingerprints would have driven me into an obsessive compulsive rage so I went with the m17.

Oh yeah and I got a HAT!

 

XoticPC is cheaper for the same and upcoming products. Enjoy your purchase.

 

How would 8 GB of ram effect performance compared to 4 GB of ram running 64 bit Vista?

 

That's not always the case. At the config I was looking at, AW is cheaper then Xotic.

 

Just out of curiosity, perhaps you would be so kind as to provide a link. The reason I ask is because XoticPC has a price matching option, and if you provide a link, they will match or beat the competitor's price for the product. I also noticed that they provide cash payment dicsount as well as military and student discounts. As far as I know, Alienware has no such option for the consumer.

 

http://www.xoticpc.com/shopping_cart_show.php?wconfigure=yes

OCZ FORCE EXTREME 840 (Built on Flextronics / Arima W840 DI / OCZNBIM17A / W840DI )
- 17" WUXGA "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1920x1200)
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- 30 Day 0 Dead Pixel Guarantee
- -Intel® P8700 45nm "Montevina" Core™2 Duo 2.53GHz w/3MB L2 On-die cache - 1066MHz FSB 25 watt
- CROSSFIRE ATI HD3870 (2) 512MB (1,024MB Total) PCI-Express DDR3 DX10 (User Upgradeable)
- None Standard
- - 2,048MB (1 SODIMM) DDR3 1066MHz Dual Channel Memory
- Standard Finish
- - Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti 8X DVDRW Drive w/ Software
- - 250GB SATA 150 5400RPM Hard Drive
- No Bay 2 Hard Drive - OCZ
- HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Integrated Bluetooth® EDR
- Built-in Intel® PRO/Wireless 5100 802.11 a/g/n
- None Standard
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- None Standard
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Carrying Case Optional (Select if desired)
- Smart Li-ion Battery (12 Cell)
- None Standard
- None Standard
- None Standard
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- None Standard
- None Standard
- -Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit w/ Drivers & Utilities CD's
- None Standard
- None Standard
- 3 Year Complete Care Full Parts / Labor Warranty - Next Business Day Shipping both ways - Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Toll-Free Telephone Tech Support
$2,194.00


Sub-Total: $2,194.00


http://www.alienware.com/customize/M17-notebook.aspx?SysCode=PC-LT-M17&Subcode=SKU-DEFAULT

[1] M17

Video/Graphics Card: Dual 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3870 - CrossFireX™ Enabled!
Processor: Intel® Core™2 T9400 2.53GHz (6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Design & Display: Black Skullcap Design
Chassis: 17-Inch WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD (720p)
Keyboard Options: Illuminated Keyboard – Alienware Exclusive Design - Astral Blue
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium (64-bit Edition) with Service Pack 1
Notebook Tuners and Remotes: Without Media Center Remote Control or TV Tuner
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR3 SO-DIMM at 1066MHz – 2 x 1024MB
System Drive: Single Drive Configuration - 250GB 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection
Optical Drives : 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Wireless Network Card: Internal Wireless b/g (Full Mini-Card)
Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with Surround Sound
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Onsite Service and 24/7 Toll-Free Phone Support
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mesh Cap
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mobile Binder
Alienware Extras: Owner Identification Card
Alienware Extras: M17 Protective Cloth Sleeve
Alienware Extras: M17 Keyboard Diagram Overlay
Avatar: Alienhead 3D
Window Style: Default Window Style
Mouse Pointers: Standard Mouse Pointers
Power Plan: Standard Power Plan
Automatic Updates: Automatic Updates On
Time Zones: (GMT - 5.00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)

Total $1999,00

 

DUDE, its WUXGA vs WXGA... of course the price will be different

also the 3 yrs warranty provided by xoticpc vs 1 yr warranty by alienware

last but not least, you can easily upgrade the cpu by buying a QS model on ebay. You would want nothing less than the Xtreme series on this computer

 

Okay, screen on the alienware is nowhere near the whitebooks resolution, the wifi is inferior, etc. I noticed that you picked mostly premium parts for the whitebook, and only basic options for the alienware. If it were the case that the alienware was cheaper, you could get the same price for the same setup with XoticPC like I said, they will match or beat the competitor's price. As well whenever I search for any discounts on Alienware, nothing is returned.

 

So lets try that again, making the Alienware equal to the Whitebook order, and add in shipping.

M17

Video/Graphics Card: Dual 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3870 - CrossFireX™ Enabled!
Processor: Intel® Core™2 T9400 2.53GHz (6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Design & Display: Black Skullcap Design
Chassis: 17-Inch WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD (1200p) with Clearview Technology
Keyboard Options: Illuminated Keyboard – Alienware Exclusive Design - Astral Blue
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Home Premium (32-bit Edition) with Service Pack 1
Notebook Tuners and Remotes: Without Media Center Remote Control or TV Tuner
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR3 SO-DIMM at 1066MHz – 2 x 1024MB
System Drive: Single Drive Configuration - 250GB 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection
Optical Drives : 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Wireless Network Card: Internal Intel® Ultimate N 5300 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card with MIMO Technology
The World's First 450 Mbps Wi-Fi Adapter!
Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with Surround Sound
Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Onsite Service and 24/7 Toll-Free Phone Support
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mesh Cap
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mobile Binder
Alienware Extras: Owner Identification Card
Alienware Extras: M17 Protective Cloth Sleeve
Alienware Extras: M17 Keyboard Diagram Overlay
Avatar: Alienhead 3D
Window Style: Default Window Style
Mouse Pointers: Standard Mouse Pointers
Power Plan: Standard Power Plan
Automatic Updates: Automatic Updates On
Time Zones: (GMT - 5.00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)

----------------Subtotal: $2,523.00 (without shipping and handling)-----------------------------------------------------------

Shipping & Handling: $70.00
Tax: $200.96

Order Total: $2,793.96

 

Well for me the screen doesn't matter that much and the WiFi is not even a concern. For a strict $2000 budget the M17 may not be perfect but it does deserve serious consideration.

 

The features are all important when trying to compare as evenly as possible the price between competitors. Nothing is perfect, but Alienware does have unique and beautiful styling, so for those interested more in styling than saving money, the choice is clear. For me however, the competitive pricing, military discount, warranty, and customer service was very important, and helped me make my decision. Originally I had considered the M-17. Then I also read that if you sell, trade, or give as a gift, any alienware product, the warranty and customer service for said product is void. just something to think on, if you like to move up every 2 or so years, and pass down to family members.

 

Xoticpc does beat AW on the warranty and maybe on the Military Discount but for those interested in AW, AW has a military discount too. You just have to go to AAFES.com to get it. They just take away the taxes and take a little off of the shipping.

 

I get that on post, no taxes. I was referring however to the premium price of current and upcoming products between AW and Xotic. You see I bought from AW while I was in Afghanistan about two years ago, they offered me no such discount, even though shipping to a military APO. Then after I waited 4 extra weeks, for the 7900gt to become available again for the system I already bought, I get it and have to RMA it. That takes another 3 weeks. Then I just happen to find the same system specs from another online retailer, only cheaper. That retailer was XoticPC. It was too late, I couldnt return the product unless it was defective according to Alienware tech support. So I had to sell it to a friend once I got wounded and sent back. Since then I am weary of pricing differences based on styling.(The original reason I bought the AW)

 

No, I'm not considering AW cause of styling. If I was doing that, then AW would win hands down. I'm only considering the M17 because of budget. Trying to maximize my dollars. Right now, the best way is to just custom build a desktop and run my M1710 into the ground.

 

See, if budget is the case, then Xotic wins hands down, as AW does not allow you to build a bare-bones unit, and upgrade when you see fit. You could buy a barebones OCZ Whitebook for around $1,200. As well if something does wind up cheaper with Alienware, XoticPC will match it or beat it. So it's irrelevant to choose Alienware based on budget.

 

^^ for a single gpu 1200.. not for dual's

 

Thats why I said barebones, Z. The most basic choices available among the model.