New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Buying Help Needed M15X

post #1 of 12
3/25/08 at 2:10pm
Thread Starter 
Hello, its time for Uni Haha! I obviously need a laptop, so could do with some advice. I definately want an alienware (already have the desktop, never owned a laptop). The trouble is between M15x/ M17x. Iam not going until September so I should really wait and see....

However I do not know how much portability I will need....I'll be going to lectures so does anyone know how much portability you really need? Obviously the 17" laptop is going to be heavier,so the m15x sounds perfect, and that will probably be my choice. Although there are more choices I need help with... Is the top of the line processor really needed (X9000 2.8GHz) , or are the cheeper options able to run all the current games on high settings?

And also, will the Solid state hard-drive be worth the added investment??? (Will it be considerably lighter, and I could use an external hard drive for added space?) Anyone who currently has an m15x, how portable is this laptop, what do you use yours for?

I know its alot of questions, but it is also alot of bucks I have to plough into a machine....that I dont want to make a mistake on.

Thanks guys, hope you can help me out
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 12
3/25/08 at 3:31pm
You should go to a store like best buy, or cirucuit city and compare 15" laptops to 17" laptops. Personally I think the extra screen size makes up for any size issue for portability, but some people really have an issue with the size difference.

As for the cpu speed, I'm not sure any laptop can play all the current games like Crysis on full settings, but you should be fine kicking the cpu down a few steps. The vid card is more important than the cpu speed. I'm not sure about SLI 8800m's though, so for the m17 I'd wait and read the reviews once they get the thing ready to ship.

I wouldn't go for the solid state hard drive unless you've got a specific need. I think the advantage is speed, not lightness, but it's very expensive at this point in time. I have two 100G 7200 rpm drives in my m9700, and it's plenty fast and has lots of room for my uses. I also have an external drive, but it's slow and inconvenient, so it's good for some things, not for others...
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 12
3/25/08 at 9:55pm
Yeah, I just bought the mx15, should be here in a couple weeks. I'll let ya know what I think after I work it in a little. My big thing will be the durability of the thing with all those killer components in that little case. I got the 3 year warranty. I'm typing this on a 15.4 widescreen, and it's a perfect fit for me. You are always pretty close to a laptop anyway, so I passed on a 17" so I'm more portable.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 12
3/25/08 at 10:15pm
its a good thing to get the 3 yr warranty like you did... pretty much everything if it dies on a laptop will cost that much to fix... post what specs you got on ur m15x congrats...
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 12
3/26/08 at 2:07am
how can you afford that for uni lol, you must have really nice parents
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 12
3/26/08 at 10:41am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the advice guys thanks civil threat, congratz on your purchase, let me know what you think. I guess I'll pass on the solid state then, and as its no rush will wait to see what the 17" comes out like. Just one more question....XP/vista....I like the sounds of vista, but are there any real negative points to having it?
Haha yeah I have nice parents, but I'll be funding it myself (lots of xmas savings lol).
Thanks again guys
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 12
3/26/08 at 12:56pm
Keep in mind that battery life on the M17X is likely to be close to 1 hr; it's probably not much better on the 15" version. You're going to pay a premium for the AW name and gimmicky features, though led lit keys is actually a useful feature and exclusive to AW as of right now. However, I don't think I'd take an AW notebook to a uni as it'll have "steal me" written all over it.

Unless you want it to game, I'd go with a cheap 12-14" integrated graphics NB that will last 4-5 hours on battery and be much more portable and practical for classroom use. You might be able to get student or other discounts from the uni on the major brands which may be better supported as well. If there's any market for SSD's, yours would seem to be a prime candidate, but they are still too darned expensive.

If you are interested in gaming, I'd look at the 15" models with 8600m or 9500m graphics from Asus or the Dell XPS line. You'll at least get decent useable battery life from those (and they willll be more likely to work for as long as you are at the uni).

Vista will run fine on any new NB with 2GB+ of ram, and it offers some nice features that you wont find in XP.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 12
3/26/08 at 1:11pm
right now from what i read. with the release of vista's sp1 people are its better than before and some say no changes has improved. i myself cant tell you cause use xp.but read around aroung the forum youll get some ideas.good luck
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 12
3/26/08 at 3:37pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the added advice. Yeah starclub you are right...there are people out there that'd love to steal it, so I have thought about that...it is one disadvantage. I will be gaming, for those nights I dont fancy going and getting paraletic haha! Yeah the issue with battery life with the M17x is obviously going to be less...which is pushing my decision onto the m15x. I know what your saying about premium price, but stealth mode and other features seem very useful, and I'm loving the colour changing lights!
All the info's been really helpful, I'll let you guys know when I've decided, and ordered!
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 12
3/26/08 at 4:34pm
If you're worried about theft, talk to your parents about insurance. You can buy insurance for just about anything under your parents homeowners or renters insurance. You can get accidental damage coverage, and theft from a number of insurance carriers. Unfortunately, you can't get it direct from Alienware like you can from Dell.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 12
3/29/08 at 3:57pm
Thread Starter 
Just wondering does the m15x come with a TV tuner? I've had a look on the Alienware website, and nothing showing a tv tuner!? Have I missed something, or is it only the M9750 that comes with a tuner? If it doesn't....can you please let me know how hard it would be to have tv through it? Thanks guys
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 12
3/29/08 at 5:48pm
you can get an external tv tuner for not alot of money which is good... the external would be cheaper than getting on put in if it could fit...when i recieved my m9750 a tv tuner was around 100 bucks now its 200 bucks...
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home