Solved! Alternatives to the Alienware M15x

[frostedone]

Here is some info that may be helpful,

I am going to college for graphic communication and will be using programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, and 3D Studio Max, as well as editing movies.

I really like the looks of Alienware's M15x notebook, but am always open to good alternatives.

Fore me:

Core i5 or better is a must.

A dedicated videocard is a must too.

At lease 4GB RAM.

Hard Drive space doesn't matter since I already have a 2TB external one.

For screen resolution, the higher the better, but what is more important is the contrast/brightness and color accuracy since I will be doing photo editing.

What are some alternatives to the M15x that you would recommend? If possible I would like to keep the price $1200 or less.

Also backlit keys if possible would be awesome.

Thanks!

 

[Maziar]

If the battery life isn't important for you, take a look at Sager NP8690 which has better specs
http/www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8690-built-clevo-w860cu-custom-gaming-laptop-p-2659.html

 

[welshmousepk]

http/www.ibuypower.com/Store/Battalion_101_W860CU_Gaming_Notebook

15 inches of power.

or if you dont need such a powerful GPU:

http/www.ibuypower.com/Store/Battalion_101_B5100M_Gaming_Notebook

 

[gerand]

I'd recommend this one:
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834146777

It has excellent display quality and a powerful CPU which is great for photo-editing.
It's Radeon HD 5730 GPU also provides better graphics performance than the more common HD 5650 and GT 330M, and at this price it is the best option if you don't necessarily require more powerful graphics processing.

Benchmark HD 5730:
http/www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5730.23825.0.html

 

[Maziar]

to welshmousepk
The first link you posted is exactly the model which i posted but XoticPC sells it for about $300 cheaper.

 

[welshmousepk]

so it is. i'd seen your link, and simply seen the gtx285 and i5. but you are right, the xotic version can also be fitted with a 5870 and i7 for a lower price.

though i think such a system would be a little too much for what the OP wants. hence why i posted the second one also.

to be honest though, i dont follow the laptop hardware as closely as i used to. and im not sure how the mobile GPUs stack up to each other quite so well. ive posted my links, but ill leave the recommendations to you maz :lol:

 

[Maziar]

We always appreciate some help in the laptops's section,so i would be glad if you come and post like you used to (i can provide you some useful links about graphics if you want)

 

[frostedone]

I see that some of you have recommended Sagers, but my first laptop was a Sager back in 2006. Within 2 or three years the CD/DVD burner failed, the screen died, and the battery/power supply died.

Have they improved since then? If it helps my model was a 17 inch screen, Pentium 4 3.4GHZ, Geforce 6800 Ultra Go.

 

[Maziar]

I don't know about your laptop, but their current models have got a great price/performance ratio and good reviews.