Alienware m17x Vs Dell XPS M1730 - Help!!!

The_Chopper

Which of the above would you buy?

Alienware m17x (€2,350) specs:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 2.5GHz (6MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Dual 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 8700M GT – SLI Enabled
250GB 7200 RPM SATA
17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD with Clearview Technology – Black
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz - 2 x 512MB*
Intel® High-Definition Audio (24-bit, 192Khz) with surround sound
Internal Intel® Wireless 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card

*Additionally I will be paying €90 to upgrade the RAM to 4gb 667MHz from komplett

Vs

Dell M1730 (€2,350 inc 10% epp discount) specs
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T9300 (2.50 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 6 MB L2 cache)
DUAL SLI 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800GTX card
320GB (5.400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
17.0" UltraSharp™ WUXGA (1920x1200) TFT with TrueLife™ with Integrated 2.0MP web cam
4096MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x2048]
Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy ADVANCED HD Audio
Intel® Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-Card - Europe - Core 2 Duo Processors


I will be buying a SSD SATA 64gb 2nd harddrive for €250 to use as my primary drive http://www.dabs.ie/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=55VK

Anything you'd recommend adding/subtracting? Would you degrade any parts and buy them on dabs, komplett etc?

Thanks for all replies in advance - I really can't make my mind up on this.

Note: If dell release another discount code like they've done in the past (5%, 10%, 15%) then I could get upto another €350 approx off the dell one.

AlmightyCushion

The dell. It works out cheaper (the extra ram makes the alienware more expensive) but it has better graphics cards/bigger hard drive/ built in webcam. Nothing else you really need to upgrade. Get a decent mouse if you plan on gaming. If you plan on carrying it around much get a backpack style bag. You won't notice the laptop as much. Manbag style would be a pain in the ass with a laptop that heavy.

sdanseo

As above. No contest tbh.

Run_to_da_hills

Both Alienware and Dell are manufactured by the same companyi.e, DEll, although Dell has kept its distance from the running and politics of Alienware since it took them over them in 2006. Alienware have continued to use their own motherboards and components. They are assembled in Athlone as opposed to Raheen Limerick.

Both systems are from a reputable source so you would get the same good after sales service and it is down to choice of hardware specs which can be customised at time of making the order. From a styling point of view I would prefer the Alienware and would also consider them more upmarket than the XPS range. Dell has spoiled the XPS range by bringing out poorer spec lower end models in the last year.

Voodu Child

The Dell.

I highlighted a high-end (Sli 8800M etc) M1730 for a few quid over €2000 for someone on a thread here once, and that must be nearly 6 months ago.

The Alienware was only just launched in Europe this week, and have barely started shipping in the US. They're way late to the party, and way overpriced. And the one you highlight only has 8700M cards, which are very subpar for a system costing over €2k.

Most manufacturers have recently announced Montineva based laptops, and I hear that Dell will follow suit very shortly.

The high-end 9-series mobile cards are just out as well, offering more performance/cost vs the 8-series ones. (9800M GTS, 9800M GT, 9800M GTX). I expect Dell will offer these with the Montineva refresh.

So on the whole, the M17x is just a daft proposition, I don't know why it took Alienware so long to get it out. They just don't seem to be able to keep pace in the laptops market. Go with the Dell, or else keep an eye out for one of the new offerings with 9M series cards (or see what Dell release).

Pete4779

I have an XPS1730 with the SLI 8800GTX's and 4GB, etc., pretty much exactly the spec you have listed except with BluRay.

Performance is excellent, you can easily play Crysis at High at 1440x900+ settings, it's amazing. 3DMark 06 is around 11700 I think, which is good.

I would think that as a desktop replacement, which one you pick depends on whether you game or not. The 8700 was used in the XPS1710, but performance wise there is a big difference, the SLI 8700 will get around 8500 3dmarks, which is the performance of just one of the 8800GTXs in the 1730.

I definitely recommend it. When the new Samsung Spinpoint M6 500GB drives finally start shipping in a few weeks, I will be putting in two of them and getting 1TB of RAID in the 1730, very nice indeed.

Ubaroo

Get the Dell theres no comptition tbh..

The_Chopper

Guys how does the dell machine compare Vs the Acer Aspire (€1700)?

Processor
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 / 2.4 GHz
Multi-Core Technology Dual-Core
64-bit Computing Yes
Data Bus Speed 800 MHz
Features Intel 64 Technology
Chipset Type Mobile Intel PM965 Express

Cache Memory
Type L2 Cache
Installed Size 3 MB

RAM
Installed Size 4 GB / 4 GB (max)
Technology DDR II SDRAM
Form Factor SO DIMM 200-pin
Configuration Features 2 x 2 GB

Storage Controller
Type Serial ATA
Serial ATA Interface Serial ATA-150

Storage
Hard Drive 320 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm

Optical Storage
Type DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM / BD-ROM - integrated

Card Reader
Type 6 in 1 card reader
Supported Flash Memory Cards SD Memory Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, MultiMediaCard, xD-Picture Card, MMCplus

Display
Display Type 18.4" TFT
Max Resolution 1920 x 1080 ( WUXGA )
Widescreen Display Yes
Colour support 24-bit (16.7 million colours)
Features CineCrystal

Video
Graphics Processor / Vendor NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GS TurboCache supporting 1280MB
Video Memory GDDR2 SDRAM - 512 MB
Max Allocated RAM Size 768 MB

Audio
Audio Output Sound card
Compliant Standards Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, High Definition Audio, Dolby Home Theater
Audio Input Stereo microphone

Notebook Camera
Camera Type Integrated
Sensor Resolution 0.3 Megapixel

Input Device(s)
Type Keyboard, touchpad, 4-way scroll button, CineDash
Features Built-in numeric keyboard

Telecom
Modem Fax / modem
Max Transfer Rate 56 Kbps
Protocols & Specifications ITU V.92
Features Wake on Ring

Networking
Networking Network adapter
Wireless LAN Supported Yes
Wireless NIC Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
Data Link Protocol Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n (draft), Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
Features Acer SignalUp
Compliant Standards IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED, IEEE 802.11n (draft), Bluetooth 2.0

Expansion / Connectivity
Expansion Slots Total (Free) 2 ( 0 ) x memory - SO DIMM 200-pin ¦ 1 ( 1 ) x ExpressCard/54
Interfaces 4 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 PIN USB Type A ¦ 1 x display / video - HDMI ¦ 1 x infrared - IrDA ¦ 1 x display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) ¦ 1 x audio - SPDIF output/headphones/line-out - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ¦ 1 x microphone - input - mini-phone 3.5mm ¦ 1 x audio - line-In - mini-phone 3.5mm ¦ 1 x modem - phone line - RJ-11 ¦ 1 x network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45

Miscellaneous
Features Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately), administrator password, system password, hard drive password, wake on LAN
Compliant Standards ACPI 3.0

Power
Power Device External
Voltage Required AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )

Battery
Technology 8-cell Lithium Ion
Installed Qty 1
Capacity 71 Wh
Run Time (Up To) 2.5 hour(s)

Voodu Child

Its got a blu-ray drive and a 16:9 (wide) display. The display is also 18.4" compared to the 17" on the M1730.

Its a different beast altogether, not a gaming machine at all, more of a movie oriented desktop-replacement. The graphics card (9500M GS) is midrange, only a touch above a 8600M GT, definitely not cut out for high-res gaming. In that respect, it's not going to even touch the M1730 with SLI 8800M GTX.

It depends what you want the laptop for, you havent said yet what your needs/wants are.

Voodu Child

Also, have a look at this Novatech:
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?NNB-615&v=1

Its combining the gaming and blu-ray features of both the laptops above, and its cheaper than either - you've got a high-end 8800M GTX card, and also a sony blu-ray drive. The 8800M GTX is a very strong card for games. It works out at around €1550 (£1232.58) without an O/S, and you will get an oem copy of Vista or XP for quite cheap on ebay.

Its got 4gigs of ram and the T9300, so it's a pretty decent spec. They've just dropped the prices the other day, I guess in anticipation of the new Montineva and 9x models. That's a fairly good deal.

The_Chopper

voodoo_child wrote: »

Its got a blu-ray drive and a 16:9 (wide) display. The display is also 18.4" compared to the 17" on the M1730.

Its a different beast altogether, not a gaming machine at all, more of a movie oriented desktop-replacement. The graphics card (9500M GS) is midrange, only a touch above a 8600M GT, definitely not cut out for high-res gaming. In that respect, it's not going to even touch the M1730 with SLI 8800M GTX.

It depends what you want the laptop for, you havent said yet what your needs/wants are.

Thanks for both replies........

I'll be using the laptop as a multimedia and office center. Additionally I'll be playing online poker........

I always like to get decent machines so when I get bored I can sell them on a decent price.

Thanks for the link, I am going to have a look through it now.