M571TU or M860TU

HEy one of my friends is getting this first gaming laptop. He wanted to buy Alienware, but I told him about mine, and quickly changed his mind. Now he's stuck between these two models. if you were shopping for a new laptop, which one would you buy?

he got the specs and prices from Eurocom. He lives in Canada and he was also looking for a BluRay drive but Eurocom didn't offer it.

let me know what you guys think
thanks

 

Well which size of a laptop would he prefer? 15.4'' or 17''. That may be the deciding factor.

 

either size is fine with him. there is only a small difference between the two.

 

If the size, and thus the weight and portability, is not important for him then I would recommend M571TU. It has a larger screen (duh ^^) and more internal room for shuffling heat, so overheating should be less prone to happen even if the M860TU also has a good cooling system.

EDIT: Oh and it also has a numpad yay!

 

that's what I was thinking too. Plus he could get the 9800GTX with 1gb vram. As for portability I don't think it'll be a big issue, since the difference is pretty small in WxLxD. But someone who has the M571TU can commet on the portability.

The major difference between the two are:

M571TU
Pros:
- 9800m GTX
- Good cooling
- Larger Screen
Cons:
- 2.8GHz Processor
- 2 GB Ram

M860TU
Pros:
- 3.06GHz Processor
- 4GB Ram
- Good cooling
Cons:
- 9800m GT
- Small Screen

 

The RAM for the M571TU is easily upgradable. Throw in another 2GB RAM stick for $30 and you're set to roll.

 

Portability of a 17" will always be more cumbersome than a 15.4". By a large amount. The question you have to ask yourself is what is the ratio of the computer sitting on his desk to him taking the computer around, to classes or business presentations, etc. If you find its on a 50%-50% or more in favour of portability, I'd HIGHLY recommend you go with the m860tu. Otherwise, there is no reason to go with the m860tu over the m571TU.

 

you can got a aftermarket BR drive for $300.

 

Honestly, Deathwinger, I think that even if he takes it out on a regular basis (i.e. i take mine to school, and use it at home, but that still measures out to about 70% of the time I use it at home), I suggest the M860TU.

A 17" is just too cumbersome to carry around with you.


If you're looking for a desktop replacement that you can move around every once in a while, then go for the 17".

 

well he says that 75% of the time it'll be at home and 25% He'll move it around. (like going over to someone's house. But not in classes)

so 17" is a good choice? and how about the pros and cons I listed above? someone mentioned that ram can be bought for cheap. I like that Idea.

thanks

 

Well, first off, the X9100 isn't even supposed to be in the M860TU, so that'll probably heat up a fair bit, even if Eurocom messed with the cooling system.

The m571TU has a better graphics card, the ram can be upgraded.

I'd say go with the M571TU if he's only going to be moving it around a few times. Also, just as a note, how the hell is Eurocom charging that much money for the M860TU.... the specification in my sig was $2600 CAD after taxes, shipping, customs, and currency conversion from Xotic PC. The 1333mhz RAM probably won't even read at 1333mhz, but at 1066 (since FSB is 1066 on the motherboard), the processor will probably have heat issues, and 1920x1200 seems a bit high for 15.4".

 

Go with the 17 inch then. End of story. There is no immediate need for him to have the level of portability that comes with a 15 inch laptop if he is only carrying it out once in a while.

 

Tough Toss a coin? If he's a gamer's gamer, go for the 17 incher for the better GPU and probably better cooling....it's not hard to transport a 17 incher from one location to another say for a lan party....traveling is another story.