Solved! Alienware m15x vs 17x

[davideclosel]

hey all, i have quite the dilemma. i am hesitating between the alienware m15x and 17x. if i take the m15x il b able 2 get better parts than if i take the m17x ( cuz 2 gpu's in m17x + higher price). the specs i know id put for both are:

m15x:

-core i7 720qm
-8gb ram
-ati 5850 1gb ddr5 (and do NOT tel lme about the 260m, the 5850 is more powerfull...)
-256 ssd

or

m17x
-core i7 720qm
-4gb ram
-ati 5870 crossfire
-128gb ssd or hdd (any)

i am a hardcore gamer and wand a laptop that will b able 2 handle future games to come. if people (especially owners) could tell me what they think, or pros / cons of one vs the other, ect it would be very helpfull. literally any information regarding those two laptops (only, cuz i dont want some1 telling me this laptop or that laptop -.-)

 

[Maziar]

Hello and welcome to the forums
M17x performs much better in games,because 2 5870Ms are significantly faster than 1 5850M.

 

[davideclosel]

yeah but if i do i wont get ssd, and it will cost more to buy. also its bigger. i dont just want a final answer >< any1 else have a thought?

 

[buwish]

An SSD will not make much a difference. It may help in regard to load and boot times by a few seconds, but overall, it will not affect you gaming performance. Like you said, you are a hardcore gamer and I think that you'd be happier with 2 5870m's in x-fire.

 

[davideclosel]

yeah, true. one last thing though: about the ram, is it worth it getting more than 4gb? i remember looking at the requirements for metro 2033 and it said for optimum, needed 8gb or more. i know optimum is like connecting to a big ass screen, but that therefore proves that at some point, it does increase performance ( i say this because every1 says 4gb can play any game) any thoughts about if more than 4gb of ram is worth it?

 

[Maziar]

+1^
SSD doesn't make a difference in gaming performance, it lowers the boot/load times, opening apps etc.

 

[buwish]

That is the general rule of that, i.e. 4GB is more than enough. I've never experience any game that uses over 4GB of RAM myself. My desktop has 8GB of RAM in it and game wise, nothing has approached even 4GB (I use the additional RAM for graphic creation software and statical/graph making software). However, if you have the extra cash to spend, I guess that it will not hurt. If not, I think you'll be perfectly fine with 4GB.

 

[lostandwandering]

That is the general rule of that, i.e. 4GB is more than enough. I've never experience any game that uses over 4GB of RAM myself. My desktop has 8GB of RAM in it and game wise, nothing has approached even 4GB (I use the additional RAM for graphic creation software and statical/graph making software). However, if you have the extra cash to spend, I guess that it will not hurt. If not, I think you'll be perfectly fine with 4GB.

Im still using 2gb on my gaming desktop and nothing has maxed out on me. Starcraft 2 has come the closest with almost 90% utilization. I don't even think Metro 2033 came that close. IMO, 4gb is enough.

david: If you consider yourself a "hardcore" gamer, then you are going to want a solution that will perform for more than a year. A single 5850 will most likely not provide that and that is especially dependent on the resolution you play at. You are either going to want more robust graphics or go with a desktop that you can upgrade to keep up with the times.

If you want some other options take a look at:

Sager NP8850: http/sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_info&model_name=NP8850
■the GTX 480M will put you right between a single 5870 and the xfire 5870's
■decently configured, would probably run you around 2200 or 2300

or
Sager NP 8690: http/sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_info&model_name=NP8690
■15.6'' with single 5870M
■Under $2K with a 160gb Intel SSD

 

[davideclosel]

Im still using 2gb on my gaming desktop and nothing has maxed out on me. Starcraft 2 has come the closest with almost 90% utilization. I don't even think Metro 2033 came that close. IMO, 4gb is enough.

david: If you consider yourself a "hardcore" gamer, then you are going to want a solution that will perform for more than a year. A single 5850 will most likely not provide that and that is especially dependent on the resolution you play at. You are either going to want more robust graphics or go with a desktop that you can upgrade to keep up with the times.

If you want some other options take a look at:

Sager NP8850: http/sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_info&model_name=NP8850
■the GTX 480M will put you right between a single 5870 and the xfire 5870's
■decently configured, would probably run you around 2200 or 2300

or
Sager NP 8690: http/sagernotebook.com/index.php?page=product_info&model_name=NP8690
■15.6'' with single 5870M
■Under $2K with a 160gb Intel SSD

thanks man, that was really helpfull

 

[davideclosel]

aight guys, so i made my decision about the m17x. and yes il do the 4gb or ram now there is one more thing ( i know, im persistant xD) i have a capital i must not go over, and in the configuration i have the choice between

just leaving the hard disk at its lowest and saving 200 buks ( 250 gb 720 rpm)

adding 128 gb ssd for the extra speed in loading stuff ( i cheked out a vid and the difference is quite amazing)

or 1tb hdd 7200 rpm in raid 0.

things to consider: ssd option is fast, but i will only have 128 gb :S. though, 1tb is spacy and all, 2 hdd's consume way more power than a ssd, and thus reducing battery life. then, if i chose to just keep 250 gb, il b able 2 save 200$ and w8 abit to buy a bigger ssd so i can have more space. plz let me know what u guys think

 

[Maziar]

I would go with 250GB/128GB SSD unless its not enough(capacity wise) for you.
Because you can install the OS and your most using game/app on it and install everything else on the HDD.