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Alienware m17x OR XPS 17 OR Sager 8170??

5K views 48 replies 21 participants last post by  s-x 
#1 ·
i have a $2000.00 budget...........and im just wondering if alienware is worth it or not? they look sweet, and i like the slot load dual layer drive. the xps has tray drive and i don't believe it has dual layer. anyhow.....anyone here have an alienware? would you get one again? what would you change??

im also just now looking into the sager lineup.......

BACK LIT keyboard AND dual layer DVD write is a must!!

does sager have backlit keys?
 
#2 ·
Get a ASUS Gaming Laptop, cheaper and better.
 
#3 ·
thats not what im asking here friend, thanks though. im asking about the alienware M17x or the XPS 17 comparison.......and from those who have bought an alienware, would they get another?
 
#4 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by Squeeker The Cat
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thats not what im asking here friend, thanks though. im asking about the alienware M17x or the XPS 17 comparison.......and from those who have bought an alienware, would they get another?

The M17x is more gaming orientated and should be more powerful since the XPS series will have weaker GPUs. But it will be more costly to go M17x.

Not to knock your choice here but unless you are both getting a discount by buying Dell and need a 17inch there's no need to look at either options.

You can get much better in 15inches and from other sellers for cheaper.
 
#7 ·
i built a sager with the exact same specs as the alienware im looking at and it was actually more expensive the the alienware.....plus everything on sager is backordered

edit.

ok they are the same price but the sager has the i7-960 which is better than the alienware cpu
 
#8 ·
What do you mainly use them for?
 
#9 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by Squeeker The Cat
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i built a sager with the exact same specs as the alienware im looking at and it was actually more expensive the the alienware.....plus everything on sager is backordered

edit.

ok they are the same price but the sager has the i7-960 which is better than the alienware cpu

Why are you looking at the model that uses desktop parts?

The NP8170 is what you should compare with the M17x.
 
#10 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by gerickjohn
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What do you mainly use them for?


this will be a desktop replacement that needs to last me a few years........playing some black ops, cod4, whatever new game that comes out here and there. daily internet usage, probably be on it at least 8 hours a day+ depending on if the wife uses it too here and there
 
#11 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by Rookie1337
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Why are you looking at the model that uses desktop parts?

The NP8170 is what you should compare with the M17x.

hehehe my bad.......i just clicked the first 17" lol
 
#12 ·
Quote:


Originally Posted by Squeeker The Cat
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hehehe my bad.......i just clicked the first 17" lol

I don't doubt Sager's quality but i still think a desktop CPU in a laptop is a bad idea. Plus, the mobile SBs are plenty fast. I would figure 2 years for them at the least unless you absolutely have to have the fastest thing every generation.
 
#13 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rookie1337;12973634
I don't doubt Sager's quality but i still think a desktop CPU in a laptop is a bad idea. Plus, the mobile SBs are plenty fast. I would figure 2 years for them at the least unless you absolutely have to have the fastest thing every generation.
well im thinking mainly having this thing for 3 years at least.......we are downsizing our family items making room for a 3rd baby so a laptop is now a must purely for space reasons....... so as long as i can build a laptop that will perform well for 3+ years till we move into a bigger house ill be happy!!

i also like the fact that those sager's can have better thermal compound put on them.............i better change my title up on this thread LOL
 
#14 ·
I LOVE my m17x, however it's an R2. I can tell you though I wouldn't trade this 1200p RGB LED display for a sandy bridge and a washed out 120hz screen.

edit: If the screen isn't that important to you, or you prefer the features of the R3's scree, the crossfire setup they offer is extremely powerful and a great pairing with sandy bridge. I can't speak to the Sager, but the build quality of the Alienware only leaves a couple of things to be desired:

1. Display hinges seem to have about an inch (at the top of the display) of rotation in which they're a little bit squishier than the rest of the movement. I'm not sure if this is intended to make the display easier to open, but it's been like that since day one. I think I'd prefer it to be a bit stiffer all the way through.

2. The power connector is pretty pathetic. It's small, and after not much use will begin to wiggle. I feel like I have to be extremely careful not to damage the port on the computer.

3. I'd LOVE to have a chicklet keyboard, but after getting used to this one it's not so bad. At first, coming from using only Apple chicklet keyboards, I would the skin around my fingers literally going underneath neighboring keys, I never had an incident where it was a problem, but it was a concern at first until I learned how to type properly on this keyboard, now I can do the same speed on this one as an Apple keyboard.

4. The trackpad is pathetic, really. It's not recessed whatsoever, so you are unable to tell when you're actually touching it without actually looking down. It might seem like a nitpick, but after being able to orient myself on the recessed trackpad of a macbook pro, this was an annoyance; albeit a minor one.
As for the plusses:

1. TEN KEY IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST

2. This is the most beautiful display I've ever seen in my life, wouldn't trade it for anything, everything else, including 27" IPS Cinema Displays look completely washed out. Next to my matte 17" Macbook Pro, the red on the Netflix homepage looks grey on the mac and retina burning on the Alienware.

3. As far as retina burning goes, the color profile installed by default seems to be set up by a 12 year old. Immediate calibration is an absolute must, however the tools required for this are readily available and extremely lightweight, it's a one-time deal to fix it, and once fixed... oh good golly, you have to see it to believe it. (this point may or may not apply to the R3 model, I'm not sure about the quality of it's screen)

Overall I have not much bad to say about the Alienware, I think you'd be happy with it, though I couldn't say if you'd be happier with the Sager.
 
#15 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by un1b4ll;12974278
I LOVE my m17x, however it's an R2. I can tell you though I wouldn't trade this 1200p RGB LED display for a sandy bridge and a washed out 120hz screen.
how long have you had it? how do i know if im getting an R2 or R3? or is todays model the r3? how many hours a day do you put on it?
 
#16 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Squeeker The Cat;12974370
how long have you had it? how do i know if im getting an R2 or R3? or is todays model the r3? how many hours a day do you put on it?
6 months of ownership now...

You'd be getting an R3 if you bought new, if you found a system on the dell outlet or elsewhere with a i7 7xxx series, that's an R2.

It's powered on about 10 hours a day, in heavy usage anywhere from 2 to 8 depending on the day.

Also, if you're thinking about getting the Clevo x7200 based Sager, the one with the desktop i7, I'd recommend against it. There's an abundance of reasons why you wouldn't want to carry around a 130 watt processor on top of your other components, I wouldn't trust it for a full 3 years even though the performance would be fine. Plus with the new sandy bridge CPUs, you'd have to get a 6 core in the Sager to guarantee better performance, that's how good the new sandy bridge is. I would confidently recommend not getting a Clevo x7200 based system, unless you were going to drive dual gtx485s with a 6 core i7, and not intending to do it for long.
 
#17 ·
frown.gif

He fell for the "shiny toy" trap.

Well OP if you have any questions about tech ask them but I can't do much else.
 
#18 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rookie1337;12974583
frown.gif

He fell for the "shiny toy" trap.

Well OP if you have any questions about tech ask them but I can't do much else.
huh?
 
#23 ·
if someone can show me which laptop from asus is kick a$$ ill look into it...........staying with a 17" quad core in the $2000.00 range
 
#24 ·
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