Solved! Opinion on these two Models

[jbmerlin9920]

I posted a few days ago and have since changed my mind a little. I am either going to get a Dell XPS 15 or the Alienware M 15x. The major difference between the two will be the GPU, and the fact the Alienware does cost $500 more.

XPS 15 XPS 15 NIX15HN [224-9506]
Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Processor Intel® Core™ i7-740QM (1.73GHz, 8 threads, turbo boost up to 2.93GHz, 6M cache)
Memory 8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
Keyboard Backlit Keyboard - English
Video Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 435M 2GB
Hard Drive 640GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
System Color and LCD Silver Anodized Aluminum 15.6" HD (720p) WLED Display with 2.0 MP webcam
CD ROM/DVD ROM Tray Load Blu-ray Disc BD-Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
Sound JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3
Wireless Intel© Centrino© Advanced-N 6200

or


Alienware M15x, Cosmic Black
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7 740QM Quad Core Processor, 1.73GHz (2.93GHz Turbo Mode, 6M Cache
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
MEMORY 6GB Memory (1x 2GB, 1x 4GB DDR3)
VIDEO CARD 1GB GDDR5 ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5850
HARD DRIVE 500GB SATAII 7,200RPM
LCD PANEL 15.6-inch WideHD+ 1600x900 (900p) WLED
WIRELESS CARDS Wireless 1520 802.11n Half Mini-Card
BATTERY OPTIONS Primary - 9-cell (85Watt) Lithium-Ion Battery
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
SOUND OPTIONS Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio



As you can see the M15x has the better GPU, but comes with 2g less RAM, also I am not sure of the quality of sound on the M15x, so if anyone can give me their opinion on Alienware sound that would be awesome. Also, the Alienware clearly has the better resolution with the option for $100 more to up it to 1080p resolution.


I will mostly be playing World of Warcraft and other games. I will be doing moderate to heavy internet browsing, and some video conversion work. I will also be watching a lot of movies and other video files from the internet.

Any opinions or reccomendations would be welcome in this matter.

 

[IsabellaWinTeam]

I posted a few days ago and have since changed my mind a little. I am either going to get a Dell XPS 15 or the Alienware M 15x. The major difference between the two will be the GPU, and the fact the Alienware does cost $500 more.

XPS 15 XPS 15 NIX15HN [224-9506]
Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Processor Intel® Core™ i7-740QM (1.73GHz, 8 threads, turbo boost up to 2.93GHz, 6M cache)
Memory 8GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 Memory
Keyboard Backlit Keyboard - English
Video Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 435M 2GB
Hard Drive 640GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
System Color and LCD Silver Anodized Aluminum 15.6" HD (720p) WLED Display with 2.0 MP webcam
CD ROM/DVD ROM Tray Load Blu-ray Disc BD-Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
Sound JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3
Wireless Intel© Centrino© Advanced-N 6200

or


Alienware M15x, Cosmic Black
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7 740QM Quad Core Processor, 1.73GHz (2.93GHz Turbo Mode, 6M Cache
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
MEMORY 6GB Memory (1x 2GB, 1x 4GB DDR3)
VIDEO CARD 1GB GDDR5 ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5850
HARD DRIVE 500GB SATAII 7,200RPM
LCD PANEL 15.6-inch WideHD+ 1600x900 (900p) WLED
WIRELESS CARDS Wireless 1520 802.11n Half Mini-Card
BATTERY OPTIONS Primary - 9-cell (85Watt) Lithium-Ion Battery
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
SOUND OPTIONS Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio



As you can see the M15x has the better GPU, but comes with 2g less RAM, also I am not sure of the quality of sound on the M15x, so if anyone can give me their opinion on Alienware sound that would be awesome. Also, the Alienware clearly has the better resolution with the option for $100 more to up it to 1080p resolution.


I will mostly be playing World of Warcraft and other games. I will be doing moderate to heavy internet browsing, and some video conversion work. I will also be watching a lot of movies and other video files from the internet.

Any opinions or reccomendations would be welcome in this matter.

Hi there,

The Alienware is a made-for-gaming laptop, and it sounds like you are going to be doing a lot of gaming. That's not to the say the other Dell won't be sufficient for your needs, but the Alienware may be a better choice. I suggest comparing the system requirements of the two games you want to play in order to determine which graphics card would work better.

Cheers,
Isabella
MSFT Windows Outreach Team

 

[Klosteral]

Have you considered the ASUS G53?
15.6" LCD or LED display
500GB HDD
nVidea GTX460M
8GM DDR3 1366MHz RAM
Blu-Ray Combo Drive
Core i7-740 (1.73GHz with 2.93 Turbo-Boost)
Built-in 802.11b/g/n wireless
HDMI Output
*Some retailers offer free ASUS-Branded Bag and Mouse

 

[jbmerlin9920]

I did consider it but for only a slight boost in video and a very very slight boost in memory, to me is not worth it. With my discounts and what not the Alienware comes to $1500 so less then $100 more than an ASUS G53. The m15x will have enough power to handle what I need it for and then some.

 

[raza715]

2nd one is better for gaming. But you can get even more better in this range check it out http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214052

 

[Klosteral]

If you are within the US, Newegg or Xotic PC are definitely places to check out for gaming computers at good prices. Remember that anything Alienware offers can be found at a lower price by a different company.

15.6" is pretty big; do not go larger unless you want a desktop replacement. This means that the Toshiba will be HUGE!

Also, I have seen and held the Alienware M15x in stores and it is a beast. It weighs at least 4kg and is an inch thick at its thinnest point.

 

[jbmerlin9920]

lol yes I have watched many videos, and the Alienware is a beast. I did however choose to go with that one. I do understand other companies make comparable models that are a bit cheaper than an Alienware.


Usually when you go with them you are paying a premium because they are known for their design and gaming rigs. Ultimately though laptop buying does come down to the little things. Pretty much all laptops in this price range have similar hardware under the hood, but Alienware provides a unique design and pretty cool extra features like the lighting, which is something small and stupid but sweet as hell. I know its bigger and bulky (9 pounds) , but you know that is alright with me.

I have always wanted an Alienware computer and never could afford one, but now its in my price range for a pretty decent gaming rig. The ATI 5850 can be overclocked safely to almost if not right at 5870 speeds. Thanks everyone for the advice and I will post how I like it when I get it in a couple of weeks.

 

[Avro Arrow]

HOLY OVERKILL BATMAN!!! You want to get a Radeon HD 5850 or GTX 435M to play WoW? I have a better idea, get this laptop and take a trip to the Dominican Republic with the difference in price:
ASUS N52DA-X1
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 P920 Quad-Core
RAM: 4GB DDR3-1333
GPU: ATi Mobility Radeon HD 5730
Hard Drive: 500GB 7200RPM
$780
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220755

You don't need 6 or 8GB for gaming. Nothing uses more than 4GB and for the video conversions a Quad-Core CPU will be fast enough. Why you want to blow all your money on those two monsters is beyond me. It's like buying a GMC Suburban because you just had your first baby. A total waste. You really need to give your head a shake and read my thread.
http/www.tomshardware.com/forum/60098-35-general-laptop-advice

 

[jbmerlin9920]

lol well for one I said one of the games I will be playing is WoW. That is the primary game I play all the time. I also enjoy Crysis, and many other FPS. I also do a lot of video editing. The 6 or 8GB for RAM is mostly about future proofing. That stuff costs more outside of the initial build. It's spend an extra $20 now or down the line throw down $80. Its more about just getting it done now.


The resolution on the cheap one you posted is absolutely horrid. I would never go below 1600x900, which surprise surprise is another one of those preference things. You will also notice I chose machines with a wireless n adapter, that is because I have a wireless n router and prefer to get the most there as well.

The reason I asked for opinions on the above models was because that is what I was looking for. Please do not get me wrong all the recommendations that were in the same build quality as mine I did very much appreciate the recommendations of the community, and took them into consideration.


I did read your thread actually and it was very informative, but that is just your opinion. I only give my head a shake for your rude post. I asked for opinions not a sermon on why I am stupid for forming my own conclusions, and spending a little extra money for personal preference. I am well aware that I can get an inferior machine for below $1000, and did not need you to point that out.

 

[Klosteral]

In that case, do consider the ASUS G53. It can be found with 8GB RAM, i7-740M, nVidea GTX 460M (more powerful than the 5850 or 435) and a Blu-Ray drive on its 1920x1080 full HD LED screen for less than the price of the AlienWare. If you want lights, stick some LEDs in the vents (but be careful of heat).

But if you want my opinion solely on the two laptops you posted, get the XPS. It has a better wireless card, bigger HDD, blu-ray drive and LED screen. The two cards perform on par with each other (5850 slightly more powerful) when compared on this website:
http/www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html

Do not be to hard on Avro Arrow, he just wants you to make wise decisions on how you spend your money; trying to be helpful. He said (almost) the exact same thing to me and I have decided to go along with it (instead of buying the G53).

-Klosteral

 

[jbmerlin9920]

Well I did not mean to come off as an ass, and I understand he was trying to be helpful, but he came off as being very rude. I know people are concerned with how you spend your money and some think it to be unwise to spend $700 extra on a few improvements and the name.



Thank you for your advice, I went ahead and got the M15x, I did consider for sure the ASUS G53 it did come fully loaded and cost about $50 less. In the end I know I can overclock the 5850 if I need more power, but I doubt off the bat I will be needing that much power.

Part of my decision was the lighting, but the other is in the end I do prefer the 1600x900 screen. My reason is I do not buy that many blu-rays due to cost of them. Also, I have used the 1920x1080 screen and find the text to be small, and when you adjust the resolution to lower than what the laptop was designed for to me it makes the picture a little blurry.

 

[Klosteral]

Hmm. I know there are several models of the G53 and I started a thread about them to try and get an opinion on which was best. All I got was some Anti-nVidea douche saying "choose the one without nVidea graphics" and noone has replied since. I am going to start another one but I digress.

What I mean to say is there are other models, all with the GTX 460M, with different resolutions and optical drives as well as 6GB vs 8GB RAM.

Well, the choice was yours and only yours to make and I am sure you will be happy with anything. Please review the M15x on the "Official Laptops Reviews" thread so we get an idea of the beast.

-Klosteral

 

[jbmerlin9920]

No problem I will do that. I am very excited to get it.

I am by no means a fanboy of ATI or Nvidia. I have multiple machines and some have one and some the other. Honestly its like coke or pepsi, when it comes right down to it they taste the same lol

 

[Klosteral]

Exactly and nice comparison
I personally prefer SOLO over them both but who cares...

Please review the laptop when you first get it, then review it again about a month later. I want to know of all the bugs, glitches and discomfort you feel after lugging around for a few weeks.