Planning to buy alienware 13 but confused

[suyash691]

I am planning to buy an alienware 13 ($999). But I read the cpu specs , it is a 4210U , paired with a gtx 860m GPU. I am unsure about the performance, will the cpu create a bottleneck on the fps at 720p gaming?

 

[Warukyure]

Please for that price, buy the Lenovo Y50. The LED light changing thing isn't that cool.

For around $1000 you can get a good Lenovo Y50. It'll come with the same GPU but have a much better i7 CPU. It will also have a much better 1920x1090 screen.

 

[suyash691]

The point is alienware has a 720p screen on a 13.3 inch screen. 720p would mean a much lesser load on the GPU therefore increasing the frame rate; I really don't fancy the lighting and stuff. (I think I can run most games on high and ultra on 720p with 60 fps but on 1080p that would be less than 30 fps)

 

[suyash691]

and any resolution less than the screen's native always reduces image fidelity by a lot

 

[TheMagicalWallaby]

May I attempt persuade to to get a portable desktop instead?

 

[suyash691]

I am a college student , i need mobility

 

[suyash691]

a $1000 desktop wouldn't have me worrying abt its CPU 😛

 

[TheMagicalWallaby]

I am a college student , i need mobility

Is this for LAN parties or something? Gaming laptops are only good for just that. They are not energy efficient and go through battery like its nothing.

 

[suyash691]

yeah that and heavy gaming also .. but during heavy gaming I will keep it plugged in. I just need to know if the 4210U will bottleneck the gtx 860m card on 720p max settings on most games

 

[Warukyure]

Yeah that CPU is made for things like long battery life, even plugged in its not amazing. Even with turbo mode you're not gonna have fantastic performance. I'd really stress that you try to find something with the i5-42XXM or i5-43XXM at least.

Also what kinda games are you trying to play? Newer games? Slightly Older games? Just wondering to get a better sense of things.

 

[suyash691]

AC unity , battlefield 4 , metro , witcher , evil within , etc.

 

[suyash691]

I wwas planning to go with a gt 60 dominator with gtx 970 but budget cut .. So thought gtx 860 on 720p should provide a slightly similar experience sans the AA

 

[Warukyure]

I'm worried AssGreedUnity might crush your computer, maybe even Witcher 3, everything else is a bit more tame in terms of requirements.

UbiLAZYSoft said it themselves that AssGreeedUnity is going to be very taxing on the CPU due to the number of elements on the screen at any given time. I'm worried that the i5-4210U is just not gonna be able to handle it.

 

[suyash691]

OK.. Any suggestions?? Cz y 50s 1080 p screen will kill it even more

 

[suyash691]

Does Aw support OC without warranty void ?? Then I think ocing might fix this issue

 

[CTurbo]

I actually think it would be fine @ 720p. The expectations are realistic. 1080p would be a definite no, but 720p is just not that taxing. I know this particular i5 is a low watt model but it's still decently powerful for a mobile cpu.

However, I can't help but to agree that there are surely better options out there. Is a 13" laptop REALLY that much more mobile than a 15"? You'll get a lot more for your money out of a 15".

 

[suyash691]

15 inch are 1080p with gtx 860m .. So performance is screwed and my budget is fixed at 1000 to 1050

 

[Warukyure]

Yeah your choices are very very limited.

A) go with the Alienware 13 and get possibly stonewalled by some games that need more CPU power.

B) go with the bigger 15" laptops and live with playing at lower settings (such as medium setting and forcing res to 1280x720)

C) Buy a cheap laptop, a 20" monitor, and a PS4 and call it a day.

Ultimately, I like C because you don't have to worry about how good your laptop is and just use it for notes/classes/movies/the occasional web surfing when prof rambles. AND the PS4 will probably play games for years to come and probably better than the Alienware. But thats just an option.

 

[hlesna]

I am planning to buy an alienware 13 ($999). But I read the cpu specs , it is a 4210U , paired with a gtx 860m GPU. I am unsure about the performance, will the cpu create a bottleneck on the fps at 720p gaming?

If you want portability and performance (and can wait till January) look at the MSI gs30. It's basically the same thing, but with an i7 and better screen and is smaller (though it lacks a dedicated gpu when not docked)

 

[xianm16]

I am planning to buy an alienware 13 ($999). But I read the cpu specs , it is a 4210U , paired with a gtx 860m GPU. I am unsure about the performance, will the cpu create a bottleneck on the fps at 720p gaming?

If you want portability and performance (and can wait till January) look at the MSI gs30. It's basically the same thing, but with an i7 and better screen and is smaller (though it lacks a dedicated gpu when not docked)

Alienware also has that docking thing getting ready I think. But Msi might sell it cheaper. Im with the gs30 sounds good if the price is right. Will cost some extra for monitor. Any thought on the price of the gs30 might be? Really itching to pick it up its below 800 for screen qith lower res.