so does anyone know the future of the 51m and the vid card upgrades. right now all we have is the 128meg. do you think the 51m will be upgradeable to 256 or is heat a big issue right now. i play cs and battlefield 1942 a bunch, do they play good on the 128meg cards. i run it on a 64 meg card right now and it seem fine so i would imagine 128 would be sweet. thanks

Nope, nobody does, we know stuff as soon as you do. but yea i like my 128 megs dont quite see any difference but yea i think 128 is fine

yep, the area51m will probably be upgradet to 256 sometime. dont know if that is before or after the pci-x "revolution" thou, but it will happen seeing as most modern day desktopcards have 256mb.
as for cs and bf1942: yes they play fine, with everything maxed out and so forth. they are old games, and does not need a new computer, so if those are the only games you are going to play, i suggest you dont buy a new computer.

well thats the only games i can play, i have not bought anything else because my comp wont run it well enough to have fun. i think unreal and far cry looks awsome, i hope to play both with the new comp. doom is a nice classic but have not played it in forever. i live rally racing games also, for xbox, colin mcrae 05, rally sport challenge. i keep going back and forth between lappy and desktop. i love the portability but i also want the best band for the buck. oh the decesions kill me. thanks for the advice. ryan

well... if you are on the move alot and like to play games wherever you are, you should get a desktop replacement notebook. if you mostly play games at home, and need something portable for work/school then you would be better of with a supernice desktop and a small workless laptop. easy as dell

I do wonder how HL2 will fair up to the 51M graphics card I hope my lil Radieon doesent explode...

well aw sure likes making the decision hard, with the pci lappy out i guess i get to do a bit more research. this technology bs is fun. lol

I thought the decision was made by ati and nvidia that there were to be no more agp cards made......so wouldn't that answer the question.

"unfortunately, the mobile platforms are not as easy to support in multiple platforms and the GPU manufacturers do not have high-end mobile AGP solutions past the ATI MOBILITY 9700 or the NVIDIA 5700 thus leaving our solution without further significant upgrades other than the NVIDIA QuadroFX go"

http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=32024

"Again, I would like to assure you that we are still working on the AGP platform diligently in hopes for another AGP module to upgrade to." Read the last sentence. There is a possiblility for a 256 Mb graphics card but that would be the last AGP card they would make.

It's not gunna happen.

Pure spec from everyone, no one knows lets just keep our fingers crossed

Alienware saids "Area 51m (766) owners please bend over" SHAFTED

Kinda fits the Alien theme, they abduct you, make you believe what they want you to believe (that paying more gets you a better laptop), stick it up your ass and probe you then leave you naked on the field.

I don't think Alienware is going to provide any sort of video card upgrade for the aging 766 model, there's no point. If they do come out with a video card upgrade for the 766 which is a daunting task to overcome the technical limitations of the non dual channel SIS motherboard, they are only cannabalizing the new 7700 line.

Glad I bailed and sold my Area 51m 766 for 2500 dollars, happy with my Dell with MR9800 for 1440 dollars with the 25% coupon and 250 dollar rebate.

Ironic that I am carrying around a Dell in an Alienware backpack LOL.

read the ati 9800 post there is more info over on that one.