Final decision - m15x

[zingaliam]

Hey everyone. I've narrowed choice of laptop to one. My laptops purpose will be for gaming, general web-browsing/video-watching and schoolwork. It will essentially be my desktop, since my current desktop is 7 years old. Mobility is not an issue, it only needs to be able to travel in a car
I plan on keeping this laptop for 5 years plus, so please, consider that when advising me!

My decision is an alienware m15x:

The alienware m15x with the following specs is a price of $700:

I'd like to know if you think this is a good deal, and what is the best upgrade i could get for GPU. I know you can upgrade right up to 6990m, but what is the most effective and safe GPU upgrade for this system?

Screen:
Full HD (1080p) WLED (1920 x 1080) Display Panel

CPU:
Intel Core i7-940XM Processor (2.13GHz, 4Core/8Threads, 8M cache)

Memory: 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM(2x4GB)

Graphic:
1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GTX 260M

Hard disk:
500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive

Optical:
Dual Layer Blu-ray Combo (BR-ROM, DVD+/-RW, CD-RW)

Wireless:
WiFi Link 5300 (802.11a/g/n) Half Mini-card, Dell(TM) Wireless 370 Bluetooth Internal (2.1) mini-card


OS and COA label
Windows(R) 7 Ultimate 64bit Eng Edition

 

[Pinhedd]

If you're looking to buy something that's going to last 4-5 years I would recommend that you buy an M17x laptop instead. It's larger and may be more comfortable to use for a long duration if you have large hands. This is especially important because it will be your primary workstation and not simply a mobile one. Trust me when I say that getting Carpel Tunnel Syndrome is not worth saving 500 bucks. You will be using that device for the next 5 years, so make sure its the right investment. If you haven't done so yet you should go to a store and test out some different sizes and see which one feels most comfortable. There are many different keyboard designs to consider as well. Alienware uses a design that is very similar to a desktop keyboard (full American layout rather than the international one) with a discrete numpad.

 

[zingaliam]

I actually was going to buy an m17x, but where i'm from (New Zealand) an m17x R2 is more than double the price of the m15x i listed, and an m17x r1 is exactly double the price of the m15x. Do you guys think that's worth it?

 

[Pinhedd]

I actually was going to buy an m17x, but where i'm from (New Zealand) an m17x R2 is more than double the price of the m15x i listed, and an m17x r1 is exactly double the price of the m15x. Do you guys think that's worth it?

Dell has a tendency to mark things up astronomically in certain markets simply because they can. You may be able to get your hands on one through EBay or another auction site. Whenever someone places an order and then cancels it the resulting laptop may be sold to a liquidator. I wouldn't bother getting an M17x R1 or R2, get an R3 or R4 because those have the new SandyBridge and IvyBridge processors respectively. Keep in mind that you're going to be spreading the resulting cost over 4-5 years of use

 

[cbrunnem]

alienware = overpriced generic laptop.

take off the blinders and look at other brands.

 

[zingaliam]

They may be overpriced, but when you look at the New Zealand market for laptops, they seem surprisingly cheap. Check trademe.co.nz, the site i'm using to find laptops and see if you can find something more suitable. I'd be very grateful.