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Buying my first laptop (M17x)..can I upgrade it?

post #1 of 11
7/13/08 at 3:55pm
Thread Starter 
Hello! I'm about to purchase my first laptop for college (this would make my first gaming computer ever!)and was thinking of the alienware m17x. I do have a budget limit, about $2100. I wanted to get the configuration with the dual 8700s. I was wondering if I could ever upgrade the graphics card because I heart that one 8800 is better than two 8700s, but I need something on the cheap right now. Also, how will two 8700s performe. Can it run Crysis high (I don't care about resolution, I care more about the details), Gears of War, etc? Please help!
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post #2 of 11
7/14/08 at 4:32am
What processor are you planning to buy?
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post #3 of 11
7/14/08 at 11:09am
Are you going to be taking this beast to class?
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post #4 of 11
7/14/08 at 12:07pm
You may upgrade to any available video card model (8600, 8700, 8800) listed on our m17x configurator.
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post #5 of 11
7/15/08 at 2:42am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alienware-James View Post
You may upgrade to any available video card model (8600, 8700, 8800) listed on our m17x configurator.
Even after I bought it configured with another card?
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post #6 of 11
7/15/08 at 3:21am
I would suggest going for the most powerful processor you can afford and then upgrading the video cards yourself down the line.

You have to send your notebook back to Alienware if you wish to upgrade your processor. You CANNOT do this yourself.

Keep in mind that the latest games are now multi-threaded and also utilise the processor quite a bit, ie: Crysis and upcoming games...
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post #7 of 11
7/15/08 at 7:41am
I upgraded the video card in my 7700, but bought the 3.6 Ghz Pentium 4 when I ordered the system.
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post #8 of 11
7/15/08 at 10:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Linkgx1 View Post
Even after I bought it configured with another card?
Yeah. Modern laptops come with removable and replaceable video cards. As long as Alienware stocks the newer cards approved for your platform, you can upgrade.

AW won't let customers upgrade the processor though without voiding the warranty. You can do it, it just voids the warranty. That's why the advice is to get the best processor you can afford.

You can upgrade memory, optical drives, hard drives, and vid cards.

Keep in mind though, that with the technologies changing as fast as they are, how long you'll be able to upgrade these components is dependent on the capabilities of the motherboard and the new parts. If the vid card industry moves to a different standard that isn't compatible with the motherboard you have, you won't be able to upgrade, so keep an eye on what cards Alienware offers in your platform.
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post #9 of 11
8/4/08 at 2:08pm
I'm pretty sure you will have to send the laptop in to get it upgraded though...you would have to have some serious know-how to solder in a new video card...
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post #10 of 11
8/4/08 at 10:37pm
why would you have to solder a new video card in... they just pop in... if newer cards are compatiable in the laptop then they just pop in and boom done load new drivers...
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post #11 of 11
8/6/08 at 5:50pm
well, for example, some vendors will soder their MXM cards in anyway... i.e. the Dell 1530.

I could never see AW doing something this stupit, but now they work for Dell!
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