Bad news for 7700 owners? - Page 2

i think klattu missed all the benchmarks where the dell beats the clevo clones.

Tom's Hardware did not directly compare it to a 7700, nor was there a true "7700" equivalent there.

For starters, a 7700 does indeed have RAID 0, because unlike the Dell it has two HDD enclosures. The typical 7700 has 2 60GB 7200rpm HDD in RAID 0. It also typically uses a Pentium 4 3.6 Ghz HT and either a GeForce 6800 Go or ATI Mobility Radeon X800, both with 256 MB memory (I think the NVidia is DDR3, not sure about the ATI). It will also typically have 1 or 2 GB of DDR2 533Mhz RAM. Add in two optical drives, and the 17" widescreen Clearview.

Now obviously, the 7700 is not very mobile. Any Pentium M machine will be more mobile, if for no other reason than the processor has a lower power signature. As to performance, I think it would stack up like this so far:

CPU: The 7700, for gaming. A Pentium M is a killer CPU, but the higher end P4's have the graphics extensions that the P-Ms lack (as part of their profile as a killer mobile CPU).

HDD: The 7700. More of it and faster seek times and transfer rates.

RAM: Tie

Display: Same

GPU: Probably the Dell.

The real question is how do these all tie together. And the only way to tell is to directly compare the machines against each other.

about the raid 0, i was responding to Klattu saying that the XPS2 doesn't have raid 0(it can't because it's single HD)

actually they compared it to the Sager 9860 and same version Hypersonic model with the 6800 Go, so these are exactly the the same as the 7700.

but isn't anyone else excited someone finally paired a kickass mobile cpu with a gaming card? now if they can only do that in a 6 pound 15" model...that would be ultimate portable gaming!

The ONLY thing Dell has over AW IMO is that they have the 6800 Ultra in their system. Some are complaining that the AW is so much heavier. Suck it the **** up... Anyone bitching about weight (unless you carry your laptop 98% of time around) should not be bitching about the weight. Most mobile users only use their laptops in their homes anyway. That's what I'll be doing with mine. And the occasional lan party.

AW will be coming out with something similar if not better. AW in the long run will be better then the XPS2. The XPS2 will be outdated (and pretty much already is) faster then the AW one. The AW offers Raid options, 7200 RPM HD's and Corsair RAM; in either 512 X 4 or 1024 X 2 flavors.

Everyone is erect on the Dell (including myself until I took a step back and analyzed it) simply because it is getting high marks in gaming and benchmarks.

AW IMO from what I have seen and read offers better upgradeability and more choices when it comes down to the hardware.

All in all the AW 7700 is the better option; in terms of longevity. If the AW had the Ultra card in it we'd be hearing different rants in the forums and I guarantee the XPS2 wouldn't be as great as everyone thinks it is.

If your going to buy a laptop and you don't need 2 optical drives or two hard drives then by all means go with Dell. The HD your getting will be smaller then what you could get with AW. If want a 100GB HD in your Dell it will only be a 5200 RPM one as opposed to running 2 X 60 GB HD's that AW offers. AW also comes with a lot of extra features. The free T-shirt, (not that big of a deal but something free) the free mouse pad, USB floppy drive and the option to get a screen with a built in camera in it.

And as I just proved, the Sager and Hypersonic are NOT exactly the same as a 7700. Were they running 3.6 Ghz HT Pentium 4's? twin RAID 0 7200rpm HDD? full gigs of DDR2 RAM? Are they configured software wise identically? If no, then its not a valid comparison.

The only valid comparison is to DIRECTLY compare an AW 7700 configred as described against a fully stacked up Dell iXPS2.

...and because the AW has glowing alien eyes it gets an extra 10fps!!

when AW and Sager come up with similar machines then you'll be raving about that, it's the fanboy in you. and yes weight does matter, if it didn't why not strap a desktop on your back? It seems that laptop makers are still figuring out a good weight/portability to performance balance and that new Dell seems pretty good, if it came in a 15" model and shaved off a couple more pounds it'd be even better. Don't knock it just because it's not alienware though, if AW came out with the exact same machine as the XPS2 you'd be singing a different tune.

I will have to eat my words.....

for now.

Hi All,

Chile62, Hulk & Ethanweku

Sorry about my hasty impression of the Dell XPS Gen2. I accept that I was not only unfair, but wrong. As benchmarks are the way judge systems, I have to accept that the XPS 2 is impressive. Per Tom's Hardware and AnandTech the Pre-Production XPS Gen 2 has awesome benchmarks (and no I had not seen them.) That is why I will eat my words. I don't know as much as I should have about the Alviso chip set, I guess it is time to do so. I do have great faith in the RAID-0 & Quality RAM, such enhancements would only make the XPS 2 better rig. But whatever.

Yes, the 7700's NVIDIA GeForce Go 6800 does use DDR3. I imagine, all units ordered after (1/17/05) do. Some earlier units didn't.

Yes, I know the XPS Gen 2 can't have a RAID 0, that was my point. If you don't have a RAID 0, you just can't know. I have RAID 0 on both my Homebuilt (400 Gig 2x200) and this 7700 (120 Gig 2x60). All I can tell you is try it, you'll wonder why you spent all those minutes waiting for your system to boot and load stuff.

Again, my apology

Chile, the eyes remark is just trying to dodge the real point, which is that a 7700 is not a "typical" clone. Unless Tom directly compares a 7700 to an iXPS2, to draw conclusions is not a good idea.

Even worse than you thought

Note to TylerDurden,

According to the dell website, the 100 gig HD in the XPS Gen 2 isn't even a 5200, it is even worse than that, 4200. They could never get close to those bench marks with the 100 gig hd.

Phase 7? If you haven't heard it 100 times, this baby is worth the wait. It sucks, but it is so worth it. My girlfriend is absolutely sick and jealious of all the time and fun Gort (My 7700) and I have. I hope you get it soon.

Klattu

Wow a 4200RPM hu? Holy crap batman; that’s slow! Nice catch Klattu. I'm in phase 7 with my Area-51 7700. I was considering canceling my order and going with the XPS2 strictly based off of the bench marks it has produced. However, when I took a step back and looked past the benchmarks; in the long run I feel the 7700 will be better. Better in terms of performance, and better in terms of overall upgradeability. Not to mention the extra features you can get with the 7700.

My 7700 has been configured as follows:

[1] Area-51m 7700

Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support with Onsite Service
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
Case: Area-51m 7700 Case with 17" WideSXGA+ 1680 x 1050 LCD Display with Built-in Camera - Xeno Grey
Processor: Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 560J w/ HT Technology 3.6GHz 1MB Cache
Motherboard: Intel® 915P Chipset Supporting PCI-Express
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz - 4 x 512MB
Video Card: Area-51m 7700 X800 with 256MB of DDR3 memory
Sound Card: Intel® High-Definition Audio (24-bit, 192Khz) with 7.1 surround sound
Hard Drive: Extreme Performance - RAID 0 - 120GB (60GB x 2) 7200 RPM ATA100 - Hitachi
Optical Drive One: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software
Optical Drive Two: 24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD Combo w/Software MPEG2 Decoder
Floppy Drive: USB Floppy Drive
Ethernet NIC: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet NIC
Modem: 56K Modem with V.92 Technology
Optional Display: No Monitor
Free Alienware T-Shirt: Free Alienware® T-Shirt - White
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager
Free Alienware Mousepad: Free Alienware® Mousepad
Automated Support: AlienAutopsy: Automated Technical Support Request System

If the Dell XPS2 could offer just a few more of the additional features that the 7700 has to offer then without a doubt I’d probably go with the Dell. Performance wise though I really don’t feel like the Dell is that much greater then the 7700. I don’t really trust benchmarks; especially from Tom’s.

Let me clarify where I stand....

Also let me make my position on the topic clear. The Dell XPS2 is a fricking sweet laptop. As far as I'm concerned it's helping to pave the way for the high end laptop/desktop replacements. The Dell XPS2 feels rushed. If it were truly intended for the hard core gamer then why not give it more features for the hard core gamer??? It seems that AW has just put more thought and time into their gaming laptops; they just didn’t have the Ultra in their rig this time around. Dell, it seems only had one thing in mind; get the Ultra card in the laptop and then throw in some other of our standard parts. This XPS2 feels rushed soley based on the fact it doesn’t have the extra feature. I know I keep ranting about the features but I mean come on; I don’t want a laptop with balls to come with a 4200 RPM drive. That is just dumb. Yes you can get faster ones in dell if you want a larger HD then you have to sacrifice the speed of the drive.

If Dell wants to truly lead in the laptop high end gaming field then they need to start to consider putting higher end options in their machines. The best video card does not necessarily give you the crown. It might in performance in terms of short term; but not long term. Not for the long term heavy gamer.

Hi Tyler,

In fairness to Dell, they will allow you to configure it with the 60 GB 7200rpm HDD, what they cannot do is a RAID 0 config because they do not have two HDD mounts.

Also, awesome 7700 you have coming. When you get it, would you run 3DMark and post the scores? That would answer a lot.

Joelist

why?

no doubt the 7700 clevo is a nice machine, hope you enjoy it

I worry more about the 7700 being outdated. I just think the concept of really big-ass desktop replacement notebooks using desktop components is quickly becoming less interesting (it is to me for pro audio, but not much else). Unless you specifically need multiple drives and such, I think a lot of people are going to make whatever compromises to get real battery life and lighter weight.

And this is an excellent argument for AW to rollout another model of laptop that falls in between the ultralight Sentia and the monster 7700. The 5500 doesn't really fit this spec as it is far closer to the 7700 than to the Sentia.

No I know that you can get a 60 GB 7200 RPM HD; but that is pretty much the end of hte line in terms of space/7200RPM's. If you go above the 60 Gig you drop your RPM's. Where as you can run Raid 0 (or just two HD's) and have more space (120 GIGS) and still have your 7200RPM with AW.

Thanks I'm sure I'll love it!! I've wanted a high end laptop for some time now! I'll definatly post some benchies when I get her!

Well I think AW is aiming their gear more toward the person who wants to just get rid of his/her desktop entirely. I mean I'm considering possibly doing so; but probably won't. I would assume (no facts to back this up) that the enthusiast high end laptop owner mainly uses his/her laptop at home, but taking it to lans and occasionally out of town as well. I guess I'm basing that off of what I'll mainly use it for. The Dell (even though is in the high end gaming category) is still really more fit/geared to the person who does work on his laptop with some play. Just MO based on the features the XPS2 has to offer.

No doubt that the XPS2 is probably easier to take traveling then the 7700 is. Though I'm sure with only 1 HD and 1 optical you could shave some weight.

ALSO I FORGOT TO SAY REGARDIN THE 6800 ULTRA: ALIENWARE REPS HAVE INFORMED THAT THEY R TESTIN THE 6800 ULTRA CARD, BUT THERES HEATIN PROBLEMS, BUT EVENTUALLY THEY WILL COME OUT WITH IT......