Need to decide on mobile laptop Clevo w230ST or Alienware m14 for Gaming on the road

[bjkill]

Hi guys,

Looking to get a mobile laptop that I can bring on the road and also play games in ultra mode. Budget range is 1,500 USD to 2,200 USD Thanks. My main use of the laptop will be gaming, outlook and web browsing.


Attribute ranking
1. Weight
2. Size
3. Able to play games in Ultra
4. Quick boot (SSD of some sort)


Minimum spec:
- 8GB Ram
- 256 SSD or msata (Minimum)
- 500G HD (minimum)
- GPU 765m

Games played:
BF3, StarCraft, SimCity

Considering the following
- new Clevo w230st (Chaos 1313) from Mythlogic
- M14x from Alienware
Any other models?

Thanks guys....

 

[thently]

well you might have seen this but here is 10% off on the m14

Alienware 14 Core i7 "Haswell" Gaming Laptop w/8GB RAM, 750GB 7200RPM Hard Drive, GeForce GT 750M Graphics & 10% off upgrades for $1,079.10 with free shipping (normally $1,199 - use 10% coupon code 54MJ4KH1?S$R9R ).

 

[bjkill]

well you might have seen this but here is 10% off on the m14

Alienware 14 Core i7 "Haswell" Gaming Laptop w/8GB RAM, 750GB 7200RPM Hard Drive, GeForce GT 750M Graphics & 10% off upgrades for $1,079.10 with free shipping (normally $1,199 - use 10% coupon code 54MJ4KH1?S$R9R ).

I assume this is thru Dell USA?

 

[bjkill]

So let's say money is not the biggest issue. (I am not saying that I have unlimited resources) but it there is a choice between two laptops say 1300 and 1800. If the 1800 is significantly better in absolute terms (Not bang for the buck) I would actually pick the more expensive one because I would rather spend the extra 500 so I will 100% satisfied and not 80% with cheaper one. If you know what I mean.

What I won't do is to buy some expensive machine that will be an overkill for my purpose which is gaming.

 

[thently]

Ok in that case I have a clevo and it is sweet few years old now but can handle most games fairly high settings 560m I7 750 hybrid drive. I like the dell option as if you have other dell laptops you can use the power supplies interchangably.. And dell support is pretty nice I use it at work all the time.... Hmmm seems I might not have helped much. Give me the stats on the two you are choosing from I can help much better in that case.

Thent

 

[bjkill]

Ok in that case I have a clevo and it is sweet few years old now but can handle most games fairly high settings 560m I7 750 hybrid drive. I like the dell option as if you have other dell laptops you can use the power supplies interchangably.. And dell support is pretty nice I use it at work all the time.... Hmmm seems I might not have helped much. Give me the stats on the two you are choosing from I can help much better in that case.

Thent

I guess I will start with Mythlogic quote and see what the Alieanware equivalent would be. So the following is for the clevo w230st from Mythlogic)


Almost ideal Spec from Mythlogic $1,643.88 (below)
(Would actually decrease the Ram to 8GB Low voltage -$64 and upgrade the CPU to 4800 +$125 or 4720 +$80 Custom paint job for $150(not essential))
Lucid Logix MVP Mobile Lucid Logix MVP 2.0 Mobile
Mobile Chassis MYTHLOGIC Chaos 1313 Chassis (Clevo W230ST)
Mobile Display 13.3" Full HD (1920x1080) Matte IPS LCD
Monitor Calibration Free MYTH Professional Monitor Color Calibration
CPU Intel Core i7-4700MQ 2.4GHz, 6M L3 Cache, 22nm, DDR3L-1600MHz, Quad-Core Mobile Processor
Thermal Compound Free IC Diamond Thermal Compound
System Memory 16GB (2 x 8GB) , PC3-12800, 1600MHz SODIMM
Video Adapter NVIDIA 765M 2048MB GDDR5 DX11 GPU with Optimus Technology / Embedded Intel HD Graphics
mSATA Solid State Drive 1 Samsung PM841 (840 Pro) 256GB mSATA Solid State Drive (ETA Late July)
mSATA Solid State Drive 2 None
Hard Drive 1TB (w/ 8GB SSD Memory) 5400RPM 64MB Cache SATA Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid Drive
Keyboard Standard Backlit Keyboard - Chiclet
Network Card Onboard Gigabit (10/100/1000 Mbits/sec) LAN subsystem
Wireless Card KILLER WirelessN 1202 - Designed for the best wireless gaming, HD video and audio experience
Bluetooth Integrated Bluetooth 4.0 Only With Intel 2230/6235/7260 AND Killer 1202 Wireless
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium
Anti-Virus Software Microsoft Security Essentials
Total Price:$1,643.88
ContinueReconfigure this SystemTotal Price: $1,643.88

 

[bjkill]

Ok in that case I have a clevo and it is sweet few years old now but can handle most games fairly high settings 560m I7 750 hybrid drive. I like the dell option as if you have other dell laptops you can use the power supplies interchangably.. And dell support is pretty nice I use it at work all the time.... Hmmm seems I might not have helped much. Give me the stats on the two you are choosing from I can help much better in that case.

Thent

Actually I don't own any Dells but have the 15 inch Clevo P150EM which I am using as desktop replacement

 

[Promit Ghosh]

I got it for way cheaper at pro-star.com

At the end use the promo code PROSTARCLEVO for an additional 30 bucks off.

Here's my config; it cost 1300.

Screen 13.3” 1920x1080 FHD (16:9) LED AHVA (Advanced-Hyper-View-Angle) Matte Display
CPU Intel Core i7-4700MQ Processor, 2.4 GHz (Max Turbo Frequency 3.4GHz), 6MB Smart Cache
Thermal Compound IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU 1 $35.00 $35.00
Enhanced Cooling Upgrade Standard Stock Heatsink
Memory 8GB, PC3-12800/1600Mhz DDR3 - 2 x 4GB
Graphic Cards NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M w/2GB GDDR5
mSATA SSD Drive No MSATA Solid State Drive
mSATA SSD 2nd Drive No 2nd MSATA Solid State Drive
Hard Drive 256GB Samsung 840 Pro Series Solid State Drive (Up to Sequential Read 540MB/s - Write 520MB/s Serial-ATA III) 1 $195.00 $195.00
RAID RAID - None Enabled
Operating System Windows 8 64-bit 1 $80.00 $80.00
Microsoft Office No Microsoft Office
Optical Drive N/A
2nd Optical Drive N/A
Battery Li-ION Battery Pack
Integrated Wireless Lan Integrated 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth Combo
Integrated Bluetooth Please Check Option in Integrated Wireless Lan Section
Keyboard Backlit White Backlit Keyboard
LCD Protection N/A
Warrany Service: 1 Year U.S. Premium Parts Warranty + 3 Year Labor $0.00
Priority Service: No, ready to ship in 5 business days $0.00
Standard Accessories
Built-In 2.0M Pixels HD Video Camera
Built-In Fingerprint Reader
Built-In Gigabit Ethernet LAN
Built-In 9-IN-1 Flash Memory Reader(MMC/RSMMC/MS/MS Pro/MS DUO/SD/Mini-SD/SDHC/SDXC)
1 USB 2.0 Port
3 USB 3.0 Ports
1 HDMI 1.4a Output Port (with HDCP)
1 DB15 VGA output Port
1 Kensington Lock Port
Built-in 2 Speakers by Onkyo
2 Audio Jacks for Headphone and Microphone-In
1 100/240V Autoswitch AC Power Adapter

 

[Prostar Computer]

Hardware capabilities aside, you will certainly get better customer service from Mythlogic.

 

[bjkill]

Hi Guys, thanks for the reply. So if we were to compare apples I think Mythlogic is around 100 to 150 bucks more.


Anyways, would like to get your opinion on configuration. (Keep in mind that gaming would be the main function for this unit)

1. How much ram and what speed?
2. Which CPU? thinking of 4700, 4720 or 4800?
3. Wireless - What are the differences between and which one should I get? (Assuming I would be on wireless 60% of the time)
Intel Centrino Advanced-AC 7260 2*2 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n + BT 4.0 350/867MB Total Bandwidth
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 3*3 802.11 a/g/n 450MB Total Bandwidth +$11.70
KILLER WirelessN 1202 - Designed for the best wireless gaming, HD video and audio experience +$13.20
KILLER WirelessN 1103 - The ultimate wireless gaming HD video experience +$40.70
4. The copper cooling upgrade, does this make a NOTICEABLY difference?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[Promit Ghosh]

Hi Guys, thanks for the reply. So if we were to compare apples I think Mythlogic is around 100 to 150 bucks more.


Anyways, would like to get your opinion on configuration. (Keep in mind that gaming would be the main function for this unit)

1. How much ram and what speed?
2. Which CPU? thinking of 4700, 4720 or 4800?
3. Wireless - What are the differences between and which one should I get? (Assuming I would be on wireless 60% of the time)
Intel Centrino Advanced-AC 7260 2*2 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n + BT 4.0 350/867MB Total Bandwidth
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 3*3 802.11 a/g/n 450MB Total Bandwidth +$11.70
KILLER WirelessN 1202 - Designed for the best wireless gaming, HD video and audio experience +$13.20
KILLER WirelessN 1103 - The ultimate wireless gaming HD video experience +$40.70
4. The copper cooling upgrade, does this make a NOTICEABLY difference?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

never killer. they are just overhyped. if you want real performance go intel

4700 is fine; 8 gb ram at 1600 mhz will be fine

I've read that copper cooling IS NOT worth it because there is no air-flow in the heatsink, so it just gathers more heat at that area.

the clevo also has really good cooling already, so just using IC7 thermal paste instead of the stock should be just fine for cooling

 

[bjkill]

Thanks in advance for your advice.[/quotemsg]

never killer. they are just overhyped. if you want real performance go intel

4700 is fine; 8 gb ram at 1600 mhz will be fine

I've read that copper cooling IS NOT worth it because there is no air-flow in the heatsink, so it just gathers more heat at that area.

the clevo also has really good cooling already, so just using IC7 thermal paste instead of the stock should be just fine for cooling[/quotemsg]

Thanks for the advice. So The 4720 for lower voltage thrus more bat life and cooler? And if I get the low volt rams... would that make a notable difference? its only 80 bucks more.

As for the 4800, I heard a lot of ppl overclock this CPU and have pretty good results.

I guess my philosophy is either get it very efficient thus cooler and longer bat life or go the polar opposite and get a fast computer with overclocking. Again, if its not going to change much when I play games I won't get it.

Again I don't mind paying more if it has advantages. I feel that a lot of people are always looking for more bang for the buck. I mean I don't want to waste money but if I have to few one or two hundred for better performance and longer obsolete period, I really don't mind.

Anyways, thanks for the pointers.


Anyone know how much Alienware m14 with similar specs would be?

 

[Promit Ghosh]

why not do both? using intel's XTU software you can create two profiles

want super high performance? go profile A with overclocked CPU.

want battery life? undervolt the CPU with profile B

I have some very good threads on this computer:

http/forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo-reviews-owners-lounges/725922-htwingnuts-sager-np7330-clevo-w230st-review.html

http/forum.notebookreview.com/hardware-components-aftermarket-upgrades/721000-i7-4700mq-47-watt-vs-i7-4702mq-37-watt.html

http/forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo-reviews-owners-lounges/715556-official-clevo-w230st-sager-np7330-owners-lounge.html

 

[Promit Ghosh]

ask for the low-voltage RAM, the RAM is already so minimal to overall battery life that I would say it's not really worth paying 80 bucks for "low voltage"

I'd much rather get high performance RAM (give voltage remains the same)

 

[Prostar Computer]

The Killer cards actually do offer better performance in general when comparing apples to apples, but Intel also has new AC cards which - if the system supports it - offer more performance.

Otherwise, Intel < Killer for performance and sometimes range.
Killer < Intel when it comes to reliability.