Alienware can not decide

[Maca246]

Im getting an alienware for my birthday but im not sure if i should get nvidia geforce 1gb or 2gb (sorry im not exactly sure of the numbers). Oh and once you get a laptop can you somehow install more ram?
Ps. Its an alienware m14x-r2

 

[Prostar Computer]

System memory = depends on the manufacturer's warranty. Usually you can without voiding it, but you will need to check with Dell first.

Video memory = no. VRAM is soldered to the card and cannot be upgraded without upgrading the card.

Don't worry too much about the video memory if you just want the system for gaming. Worry more about which video card you're getting, as for gaming, clock speeds and cores and shaders are more important. If you're going to be doing professional rendering/design work, such as CAD, then go for more video memory.

 

[bgunner]

Like prostar said it will depend on what your intentions are for the laptop. It also will depend on what GPU you are going to get in it.

 

[FantasmicalMan]

Im getting an alienware for my birthday but im not sure if i should get nvidia geforce 1gb or 2gb (sorry im not exactly sure of the numbers). Oh and once you get a laptop can you somehow install more ram?
Ps. Its an alienware m14x-r2

It depends on what games your playing and at what resolution, but generaly it's better to have 2GB just incase there are some cases, but for an extra $130 that's a little overkill on the price so i would say go for 1GB because the 650M can't play that many brand new games at 1920x1080 on Ultra.

 

[lpedraja2002]

If you'll be gaming on a 650m, you're better off buying the laptop with a 720p monitor since you'll have a higher chance of maxing out visual quality (thus the game will look better) and getting better frames than compared to what you'll get with 1080p, which will be lower visual settings if you want a high frame rate. Also, if you use a non native resolution you'll have to deal with downscaling and it can look fugly as hell.

For the price I would suggest Lenovo and Asus which will probably save you a couple of hundred dollars. Alienware don't make bad PC's, they just cost a hell of a lot more than they should.

 

[g-unit1111]

If you'll be gaming on a 650m, you're better off buying the laptop with a 720p monitor since you'll have a higher chance of maxing out visual quality (thus the game will look better) and getting better frames than compared to what you'll get with 1080p, which will be lower visual settings if you want a high frame rate. Also, if you use a non native resolution you'll have to deal with downscaling and it can look fugly as hell.

For the price I would suggest Lenovo and Asus which will probably save you a couple of hundred dollars. Alienware don't make bad PC's, they just cost a hell of a lot more than they should.

Alienware used to make good systems before they got bought by Dell, then Dell turned them to crap. There's better OEMs you could go with like Origin, Puget, or Falcon Northwest. Lenovo is definitely a good suggestion, I just got my Y500 and really like it.

 

[lpedraja2002]

If you'll be gaming on a 650m, you're better off buying the laptop with a 720p monitor since you'll have a higher chance of maxing out visual quality (thus the game will look better) and getting better frames than compared to what you'll get with 1080p, which will be lower visual settings if you want a high frame rate. Also, if you use a non native resolution you'll have to deal with downscaling and it can look fugly as hell.

For the price I would suggest Lenovo and Asus which will probably save you a couple of hundred dollars. Alienware don't make bad PC's, they just cost a hell of a lot more than they should.

Alienware used to make good systems before they got bought by Dell, then Dell turned them to crap. There's better OEMs you could go with like Origin, Puget, or Falcon Northwest. Lenovo is definitely a good suggestion, I just got my Y500 and really like it.

Lenovo also has a laptop which you can add in a graphics card through an expansion slot, I don't know the model exactly but last time I was checking for gaming laptops I saw it and thought it was a damn cool and clever solution.

 

[Supermuncher85]

If you'll be gaming on a 650m, you're better off buying the laptop with a 720p monitor since you'll have a higher chance of maxing out visual quality (thus the game will look better) and getting better frames than compared to what you'll get with 1080p, which will be lower visual settings if you want a high frame rate. Also, if you use a non native resolution you'll have to deal with downscaling and it can look fugly as hell.

For the price I would suggest Lenovo and Asus which will probably save you a couple of hundred dollars. Alienware don't make bad PC's, they just cost a hell of a lot more than they should.

Alienware used to make good systems before they got bought by Dell, then Dell turned them to crap. There's better OEMs you could go with like Origin, Puget, or Falcon Northwest. Lenovo is definitely a good suggestion, I just got my Y500 and really like it.

Agree. Even cyberpower offers better gaming laptops(never thought I'd say that lol!). The balance is just off on most alienware laptops. Origin still gets my thumb up though. Browsed their products plenty of times but at the end of the day I rather build my own desktop and buy a cheap laptop for when travelling.

 

[g-unit1111]

Agree. Even cyberpower offers better gaming laptops(never thought I'd say that lol!). The balance is just off on most alienware laptops. Origin still gets my thumb up though. Browsed their products plenty of times but at the end of the day I rather build my own desktop and buy a cheap laptop for when travelling.

That's what I did. I didn't feel expensive laptops were at all justified, like the Razer Blade or Macbook Pro with Retina Display. I just rebuilt my desktop last May with an i5-3570K and a pair of 7870s and that handles all my gaming needs. I use my laptop for web browsing, movie watching and school stuff.

 

[Prostar Computer]

Just to clear the air: Puget, Falcon Northwest, and Cyberpower are not OEMs, they are resellers. They purchase OEM products and rebrand them. Origin I'm not as sure of (I'm pretty sure they're a reseller as well since their systems look very familiar), although I do know that they were formed by former Alienware employees after Dell purchased Alienware.

 

[Indefatigable]

The m17x and m18x are better choices than the m14x most cases, and they have useful features that no other gaming laptops have. If you buy the m14x, get the 1gb 650m and call Dell for discounts. Some have bought their Alienwares for cheaper than Sager/Clevos with the same configurations.

I would ignore comments like "Dell turned [Alienware] to crap" and "[t]he balance is just off on most Alienware laptops" until the posters bother to explain.

Why do people refer to OriginPC as if that company sells unique laptops? It sells rebranded Clevo chassis, which you can get for much cheaper from LPC-Digital and Mythlogic.

 

[g-unit1111]

Just to clear the air: Puget, Falcon Northwest, and Cyberpower are not OEMs, they are resellers. They purchase OEM products and rebrand them. Origin I'm not as sure of (I'm pretty sure they're a reseller as well since their systems look very familiar), although I do know that they were formed by former Alienware employees after Dell purchased Alienware.

So a laptop from a company like Origin would really be a rebranded Sager NP series?

 

[Indefatigable]

Just to clear the air: Puget, Falcon Northwest, and Cyberpower are not OEMs, they are resellers. They purchase OEM products and rebrand them. Origin I'm not as sure of (I'm pretty sure they're a reseller as well since their systems look very familiar), although I do know that they were formed by former Alienware employees after Dell purchased Alienware.

So a laptop from a company like Origin would really be a rebranded Sager NP series?

Yes.

 

[Supermuncher85]

Do we even know what model he is getting exactly? Getting an mx14 is not really very specific.

Ram tutorial:
http/www.dell.com/support/troubleshooting/us/en/19/KCS/KcsArticles/ArticleView?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&docid=544664

 

[Prostar Computer]

Just to clear the air: Puget, Falcon Northwest, and Cyberpower are not OEMs, they are resellers. They purchase OEM products and rebrand them. Origin I'm not as sure of (I'm pretty sure they're a reseller as well since their systems look very familiar), although I do know that they were formed by former Alienware employees after Dell purchased Alienware.

So a laptop from a company like Origin would really be a rebranded Sager NP series?

Yes.

If they buy from Sager, then yes! Otherwise, they would probably buy from Clevo directly.

 

[Enragedernesto]

I would not advise buying an alienware laptop. You can get some better price/performance with other companies. I highly suggest asus, lenovo, or sager (as stated before). If you want a 14" screen try an asus g46vw, lenovo has decently priced laptops (y500, y580)