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Alienware Aurora m9700 or Dell XPS M1710?  

post #1 of 117
6/13/06 at 11:14pm
Thread Starter 
I cannot decide between the two. They would be configured as follows:

Alienware Aurora m9700
AMD Turion™ 64 Mobile ML37 2.0GHz 800MHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache
17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD with Clearview Technology
1GB Dual Channel DDR SO-DIMM at 400MHz - 2 x 512MB
60GB 5400 RPM SATA with NCQ
8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software
256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS
High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Price: $2499.00

Dell XPS M1710
Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2400 (2MB Cache/1.83GHz/667MHz FSB)
17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife™
1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHZ, 2 DIMM
60GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS
Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy® ADVANCED HD Audio
Price: $2450.00

The Alienware would strike me as being more well built as well as looks a lot more appealing to me but i'm wondering about how well it would fare against the Dell.

What do you guys think?
post #2 of 117
6/13/06 at 11:23pm
Well if your going to go with the 1710 look in the f/s section, you'l find some nice deals. The xps 1710 would be faster just because of the processor but with the m9700 later on you would have the choice to upgrade to sli. If you want sli now or later on go with the 9700. I would bump your budget so you can get the best of them like

m9700
2.2 ghx turion or 2.0 ghz
sli 7900 gs
2 gb
80 7,200 or 60 gb 7,200
3 year warranty

xps 1710
1.83 ghz core duo or 2.0 ghz
2 gb ram
7900 gtx 512 mb(if your going with the dell, take advantag of the 7900 gtx 512 mb. Dell's the only place that is using the 7900 gtx 512 mb, other places are using the 256 mb versio. )
2 gb
80 gb 7,200 hd or 60 gb 7,200 hd
2-3 year warranty
post #3 of 117
6/13/06 at 11:45pm
I would go with the 9700, soley because you could upgrade to dual cards later. I don't think there is much of a chance to upgrade the 1710 - but I could be wrong, It has happened before...

Of coarse if you're not really going to do that much gaming and wouldn't need an upgrade - the 1710 might suite you better...
post #4 of 117
6/14/06 at 12:43am
remember guys that Alienware has not confirmed that they will sell the card for or allow (with warranty still) any upgrade from the single card to the dual card sli in the 9700.

now that said, both machines will be good and solid systems so just pick whichever works best for you.
post #5 of 117
6/14/06 at 12:44am
Thread Starter 
Well, here's the thing. I can't afford any higher than 2500. I can barely even afford 2500 so there's absolutely positively no room in my budget.

I will be doing quite a bit of gaming as I will be going to college in NYC and I won't have the money to do much of anything else but sit in my dorm and play games aside from doing school work. I will also be watching a lot of DVDs with this machine not that it matters.

My impressions so far, from reading reviews and looking at the specs of both of these systems are that they are both very well built systems. The Alienware seems to have a better LCD (in a review of the XPS it said that the LCD is a little dark which I don't like the sound of). The Alienware also looks more appealing to me as it doesn't have 800 useless and tacky lights on it and the design of the case looks much more promising as something I wouldn't get tired of looking at after a while. Alienware is known for top-notch gaming systems.

On the other hand, the Dell has a dual core cpu and the option of an Audigy Sound Card. The Dell also comes with a 7200 RPM HD standard whereas you have to upgrade it on the alienware to get a 7200 RPM drive.

I guess basically what it comes down to is I like the idea of an Alienware much more than a Dell. The Alienware looks better and has a better LCD but the Dell would most likely outperform the Alienware because of it's dual core cpu, faster hard drive, and better sound card.

Knowing what you know now about these two machines and my opinion of them both, which one do you think would be best for me to buy?

Better yet, does anyone know how well the Turion fares up against the Core Duo? I know the Core Duo would do better as far as multi-tasking, but what about it's role in gaming?
post #6 of 117
6/14/06 at 3:47am
Apperently dual core offers no advantage in gaming, well only if you want to game and run a virus scan in the background, but other than that games will only utilize a single core.
post #7 of 117
6/14/06 at 4:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by endeavor
I cannot decide between the two. They would be configured as follows:

Alienware Aurora m9700
AMD Turion™ 64 Mobile ML37 2.0GHz 800MHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache
17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD with Clearview Technology
1GB Dual Channel DDR SO-DIMM at 400MHz - 2 x 512MB
60GB 5400 RPM SATA with NCQ
8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software
256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS
High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Price: $2499.00

Dell XPS M1710
Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2400 (2MB Cache/1.83GHz/667MHz FSB)
17 inch UltraSharp™ Wide Screen UXGA Display with TrueLife™
1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHZ, 2 DIMM
60GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS
Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy® ADVANCED HD Audio
Price: $2450.00

The Alienware would strike me as being more well built as well as looks a lot more appealing to me but i'm wondering about how well it would fare against the Dell.

What do you guys think?

Gaming performance will be similar as you have the same video card in each, but you could add a second card to the Alienware later as an upgrade. Dell uses their own built to a price point motherboards, and they usually take a hit for that in reviews as the cheap motherboards affect performance. The m9700 offers true 5.1 sound, not sure what the deal is with the Dell, I read it's just software and there's no hardware involved in the Audigy thing they offer, I don't believe it's the pcmcia card. The outputs on the AW are superior. The higher latency on the DDR2 667 memory makes it about equal with the AW's DDR 400 memory, and the Dell has the duo core processor that will allow you better performance in multi threaded use, but games aren't multi-threaded, and the AMD processor is clocked higher so game performance should be about the same, unless Dell's motherboard still compromises system performance.

The AW will have much higher resale value, it's much more attractive, and I'd be willing to bet the components will be higher quality than the Dell, especially the screen.

... and girls will like you more if you buy the AW.

For me the choice would be easy, AW baby...
post #8 of 117
6/14/06 at 4:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fidget
remember guys that Alienware has not confirmed that they will sell the card for or allow (with warranty still) any upgrade from the single card to the dual card sli in the 9700.

now that said, both machines will be good and solid systems so just pick whichever works best for you.

I thought someone posted here the other day that AW confirmed for them that they could add a second card as an upgrade in the future, and even quoted a price.
post #9 of 117
6/14/06 at 5:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by endeavor
Well, here's the thing. I can't afford any higher than 2500. I can barely even afford 2500 so there's absolutely positively no room in my budget.

I will be doing quite a bit of gaming as I will be going to college in NYC and I won't have the money to do much of anything else but sit in my dorm and play games aside from doing school work. I will also be watching a lot of DVDs with this machine not that it matters.

My impressions so far, from reading reviews and looking at the specs of both of these systems are that they are both very well built systems. The Alienware seems to have a better LCD (in a review of the XPS it said that the LCD is a little dark which I don't like the sound of). The Alienware also looks more appealing to me as it doesn't have 800 useless and tacky lights on it and the design of the case looks much more promising as something I wouldn't get tired of looking at after a while. Alienware is known for top-notch gaming systems.

On the other hand, the Dell has a dual core cpu and the option of an Audigy Sound Card. The Dell also comes with a 7200 RPM HD standard whereas you have to upgrade it on the alienware to get a 7200 RPM drive.

I guess basically what it comes down to is I like the idea of an Alienware much more than a Dell. The Alienware looks better and has a better LCD but the Dell would most likely outperform the Alienware because of it's dual core cpu, faster hard drive, and better sound card.

Knowing what you know now about these two machines and my opinion of them both, which one do you think would be best for me to buy?

Better yet, does anyone know how well the Turion fares up against the Core Duo? I know the Core Duo would do better as far as multi-tasking, but what about it's role in gaming?

Here's a comparison between the turion and pentium processors.

You should check on the Dell forums about the audigy setup in the Dell. The Alienware has true 5.1 onboard sound, and the review at hothardware (http://www.hothardware.com/viewartic...?articleid=825) said the sound is very good for a laptop. I read something the other day in the Dell forums that said the Audigy thing they offer is just software. If the Dell has a PCMCIA slot though, you can buy an audigy PCMCIA card and use it for external speakers or headphones.

AW screens have always been very high quality, the Dell screens seem to be a point of complaint constantly.

At your budget, you should also look at the Sager 5760. It's a 17" laptop that will allow you to configure a 7900gtx card for your budget, and it has duo core processors. The 5720 is less expensive as it uses the single core pentium, but I'm not sure if that's for sale anymore.

I would say the Alienware and Sager will be much higher quality than the Dell, and they don't look like a jukebox.
post #10 of 117
6/14/06 at 9:59am
The look alone of the XPS keeps me from buying it. The glowing logo in the touchpad makes XPS look like the NASCAR of laptops. *Yuck*

But, opinions are like .... noses.... we all have one.
post #11 of 117
6/14/06 at 10:02am
Thread Starter 
Thanks HammerHead, I think i'll be going with the Alienware

I've looked into the Sager Laptops and although customer satisfaction is excellent through resellerratings.com, in the Sager section of this site there's nothing but problems and complaints whether it's whiney fans, deffective hardware, or something else. I know that Sager uses the same body as the Alienware's do, but as far as internals who knows. I'de feel alot safer with an Alienware as I'm going off to college and this will be my only system and if it breaks down i'm screwed royally.

Thanks for all your help guys, Alienware Aurora m9700 it is!
post #12 of 117
6/14/06 at 12:40pm
I think if you realy want to get advise you have to put this on both alienware and dell forums. Both machines have their advantages, I went with dell because I got a great price and cant wait this long for a product to come out, Ihaggled and got my spec for 2300$ which is very good, I also got office basic and MCE + remote. I have also overclocked my system safely and got 9200 3Dmark 05 (8450 standard). The xps line of laptops have been proven to be very quiet and it does not generate alot of heat.
post #13 of 117
6/14/06 at 2:04pm
If not you could go with the del 1705 very nice equipped for 1700 with
2.0 ghs core duo
7900 gs
100 gb 5400 rpm
2 gb ram
3 year warranty
3 year accidental damag warranty

i'm not telling to not go for the alienware i'm just saying that he missed another option
post #14 of 117
6/14/06 at 7:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jakes(242)
I think if you realy want to get advise you have to put this on both alienware and dell forums. Both machines have their advantages, I went with dell because I got a great price and cant wait this long for a product to come out, Ihaggled and got my spec for 2300$ which is very good, I also got office basic and MCE + remote. I have also overclocked my system safely and got 9200 3Dmark 05 (8450 standard). The xps line of laptops have been proven to be very quiet and it does not generate alot of heat.

Hate to tell you, but the m9700 smokes the Dell on 3dMark05. Though you can get a Dell cheap with a coupon, there's no comparison in quality of components and hardware.

post #15 of 117
6/18/06 at 12:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hammerhead
Hate to tell you, but the m9700 smokes the Dell on 3dMark05. Though you can get a Dell cheap with a coupon, there's no comparison in quality of components and hardware.


Look at your graph. you are comparing SLI 7900GS against his single 7900GTX which is just plain stupid. Honestly I think the 7900GTX is better over all concidering there are alot of games that dont work properly with SLI and the scores are almost identical. Also the 7200rpm hard drive will load games and school work faster than the 5400rpm will. Couple that with a CPU that has a higher IPC AND dual cores (games are starting to be coded for dual core) and IMO the 1710 is the better machine for the money.
post #16 of 117
6/18/06 at 5:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by prostreetcamaro
Look at your graph. you are comparing SLI 7900GS against his single 7900GTX which is just plain stupid. Honestly I think the 7900GTX is better over all

So you are saying that a SINGLE 512MB 7900 GTX is better than 2 7900 GS in SLI, you should check your info again. 2 7900 GS's in SLI offer ATLEAST a 10-15% increase in performance over a single 512MB card.

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid...=expert&pid=21

See how SLI cards beat out single cards.

Quote:
Originally Posted by prostreetcamaro
there are alot of games that dont work properly with SLI and the scores are almost identical.

Well here's a list: http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone2_game.html

BTW everything on the list means that its OPTIMIZED for SLI performance. Considering that all future high-end graphics games will be optimized for SLI it would be a good idea to invest in it now. ( BF 2142, Crysis, Spore )

Quote:
Originally Posted by prostreetcamaro
Couple that with a CPU that has a higher IPC AND dual cores (games are starting to be coded for dual core)

You've just contradicted yourself. First you state that alot of games can't utilize SLI then you say a good reason to get the 1710 is better because it has dual core when most games can't utilize it. Hate to piss on your parade but dual core offers little to no advantage in current gaming (except for 3, yes 3 multithreaded games like Quake 3).

http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20.../gabb_01.shtml

Quote:
Originally Posted by prostreetcamaro
IMO the 1710 is the better machine for the money.

Cheaper, yes. Better machine, no. Do a side by side comparison of these 2 machines and I bet the m9700 will come ahead in graphics power hands down

EDIT: Added gamasutra link
post #17 of 117
6/18/06 at 6:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by prostreetcamaro
Look at your graph. you are comparing SLI 7900GS against his single 7900GTX which is just plain stupid. Honestly I think the 7900GTX is better over all concidering there are alot of games that dont work properly with SLI and the scores are almost identical. Also the 7200rpm hard drive will load games and school work faster than the 5400rpm will. Couple that with a CPU that has a higher IPC AND dual cores (games are starting to be coded for dual core) and IMO the 1710 is the better machine for the money.

The m9700 comes with the 7900gs SLI option. These are benchmarks from an m9700 review. The benchmarks the above poster posted were from his Dell with the gtx, Dell doesn't offer SLI.

For you not to understand that and putting your foot in your mouth is just plain stupid.

The m9700 offers 7200 drives, and 7200 drives in RAID, and according to the benchmarks we're talking about, the single gtx clearly loses, the scores are not almost identical.

Get your facts straight, and learn about the numerical system and what numbers mean before opening your yap next time Einstein.
post #18 of 117
6/18/06 at 6:42am
Hmm I really dont see the point in buying a m9700 if your not getting the dual 7900 GS in SLI. Just my opinion. Atleast you have the option of upgrading later, also if you are looking for a laptop with dual core, the m7700 offers the much more powerful X2 and FX DC processors along with the 7900 GTX.

I think that comparing the Dell 1710 to the m9700 is an apples to oranges kinda thing. The 1710 to the m7700 a much more valid comparison since:

A: They run dual core processors.
B: They run single 512 cards.

The m9700 with SLI is just not in the same league as the 1710

IMO the m7700 will rape the 1710 and leave it in a dumpster
post #19 of 117
6/18/06 at 4:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vicious_CB

IMO the m7700 will rape the 1710 and leave it in a dumpster

lol, brutal truth!
post #20 of 117
6/18/06 at 4:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vicious_CB
Hmm I really dont see the point in buying a m9700 if your not getting the dual 7900 GS in SLI. Just my opinion. Atleast you have the option of upgrading later, also if you are looking for a laptop with dual core, the m7700 offers the much more powerful X2 and FX DC processors along with the 7900 GTX.

I think that comparing the Dell 1710 to the m9700 is an apples to oranges kinda thing. The 1710 to the m7700 a much more valid comparison since:

A: They run dual core processors.
B: They run single 512 cards.

The m9700 with SLI is just not in the same league as the 1710

IMO the m7700 will rape the 1710 and leave it in a dumpster


no they do not.... the alienware has only a 256mb 7900gtx.. the dell has a 512mb.

otherwise though your base idea is correct and that is a more apt comparison.
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