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General discussion (archive)Laptop Purchasing Help(48 posts)solved(48 posts)solved
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This is my favourite topic
Posted May 01, 2010
I am temporarily back from the land of silence to get your opinion on a laptop I'm looking at. Those fuckers at Geek Squad couldn't fix my computer and scratched the hell out of my case, so I'm taking it to some real professionals, IT people who work at my parent's workplace. In the meantime, I have college to consider, and looking around, I've seen a laptop that looks like the perfect system; the Alienware m11x. With 8.5 hours of battery life and a powerful NVIDIA card inside, along with a great price, it looks pretty sweet, but I still want to go over the specs of the custom build I would choose, were I to buy it, and see whether it is worth it.
Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 1.3 GHz (3MB Cache)
4GB RAM
250 GB HD
1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M
11.6 inch WLED screen
Internal High-Definition Surround Sound Audio (5.1)
1.3 MP Web Cam
Integrated 10/100 Network Interface Card
One thing of note is that Bluetooth is an extra $20. Would Bluetooth be worth it, and is this laptop a good buy?
This question / problem has been solved by Aliasalphaimage
Posted May 03, 2010
I recommend going to Notebookreview and filling this questionnaire to get a good answer or go to the gaming section since there's a few guys with the m11x.
Posted May 03, 2010
How about this Dell Studio 17?
Intel i7-720 QM Quad Core 1.6 GHz 6 MB Cache
500 GB HD
4 GB RAM
17.3 Screen
1 GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
Posted May 03, 2010
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TheCheese33: I heard HP makes pretty good models...
avatar
Aliasalpha: You sure as hell didn't hear that from me or any of the folks at hplies.com. If you go for HP, do research and see if people are having problems with them

Wow, that's insane! Good thing I've always stuck with Dell and have never bought an HP product...
Posted May 03, 2010
avatar
TheCheese33: How about this Dell Studio 17?
Intel i7-720 QM Quad Core 1.6 GHz 6 MB Cache
500 GB HD
4 GB RAM
17.3 Screen
1 GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650

How much does all that come to?
Posted May 03, 2010
avatar
TheCheese33: How about this Dell Studio 17?
Intel i7-720 QM Quad Core 1.6 GHz 6 MB Cache
500 GB HD
4 GB RAM
17.3 Screen
1 GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
avatar
Ralackk: How much does all that come to?

Same price as my Alienware m11x Config: $1,099. Seems like a better deal.
Posted May 03, 2010
avatar
TheCheese33: How about this Dell Studio 17?
Intel i7-720 QM Quad Core 1.6 GHz 6 MB Cache
500 GB HD
4 GB RAM
17.3 Screen
1 GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650

That would be a good solid machine but it would be a bit of a power guzzler. It'd certainly do the job as far as gaming machines go. Substantially larger than your original option though
Oh then yes, thats a very good deal for the price, how much for the same in a 15"? You might be able to save some cash and make it slightly more portable
Post edited May 03, 2010 by Aliasalpha
Posted May 03, 2010
Yea I'd take the Dell Studio over the Alienware much better system for that price.
Posted May 03, 2010
Actually since dell own alienware, its the same build with better technology in it, the difference is you're not paying a premium for the name
Posted May 03, 2010
TheCheese33, you need to add more info to your original post, such as price and screen resolution.
11.6 inch isn't a good screen for playing games, and $799 is overpriced IMO. Don't be so serious about the site saying its battery lasts 8 hours blah blah, that's because of the weak CPU (and maybe some settings on the nvidia software, BTW I don't know this 335M, just maybe).
In the US with a budget of $800-1100 I guess you can get a core i3 or i5, and a higher performance GPU. (not thaaat high, 'cause you can't get the performance of a desktop on a notebook/netbook, never). 3gb is enough. Add bluetooth if you use peripherals, like to transfer mp3s from the PC to mobile phone/etc.
PS: Never buy HP. :)
EDIT: Between the two models, I'd go for the dell studio, but not the 17''; the bigger the screen, the bigger the power consumption. Get a 15" or 15.6" so you can spend better on the rest of the config IMO.
And Win7 is included in the $1,099 ?
Post edited May 03, 2010 by taczillabr
Posted May 03, 2010
avatar
TheCheese33: How about this Dell Studio 17?
Intel i7-720 QM Quad Core 1.6 GHz 6 MB Cache
500 GB HD
4 GB RAM
17.3 Screen
1 GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
avatar
Aliasalpha: That would be a good solid machine but it would be a bit of a power guzzler. It'd certainly do the job as far as gaming machines go. Substantially larger than your original option though
Oh then yes, thats a very good deal for the price, how much for the same in a 15"? You might be able to save some cash and make it slightly more portable

With savings, it's around $700 with the i3 Core, but then when I add in the Core i7 Quad Core which is what the 17" has, the price comes to $50 or $70 less than the 17".
EDIT: Also, it's apparently before you switch out the integrated graphics for a real card. The Studio 17 checkout already assumes you're going for that fancy ATI card.
2ND EDIT: Also, I found out that every classroom has plugs up the wazoo, and even then, reviews say the battery lasts for a good while.
Post edited May 03, 2010 by TheCheese33
Posted May 03, 2010
Well based on the 2 Studio's that I've used and been impressed by, the price and the power, I'd say you're onto a winner there
Posted May 04, 2010
College, you say? I'll bring up the HP tm2, but that's mostly if you can get it with the ATI Mobility HD Radeon 4550 graphics upgrade. Same CPU as the M11x in most configurations, or if you really want to blow US$200 extra, you can upgrade it to a SU9600 at 1.6 GHz. (There are comparable units with i5s, i7s, and better screens, but they're much more expensive and ALL limited to the on-die Intel graphics.)
Then install OneNote on it if it isn't there already. Now you can leave the pen and paper behind!
(Or maybe your course of study requires a beefier system than that. I really don't know.)
Posted May 04, 2010
avatar
TheCheese33: I am temporarily back from the land of silence to get your opinion on a laptop I'm looking at. Those fuckers at Geek Squad couldn't fix my computer and scratched the hell out of my case, so I'm taking it to some real professionals, IT people who work at my parent's workplace. In the meantime, I have college to consider, and looking around, I've seen a laptop that looks like the perfect system; the Alienware m11x. With 8.5 hours of battery life and a powerful NVIDIA card inside, along with a great price, it looks pretty sweet, but I still want to go over the specs of the custom build I would choose, were I to buy it, and see whether it is worth it.
Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 1.3 GHz (3MB Cache)
4GB RAM
250 GB HD
1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M
11.6 inch WLED screen
Internal High-Definition Surround Sound Audio (5.1)
1.3 MP Web Cam
Integrated 10/100 Network Interface Card
One thing of note is that Bluetooth is an extra $20. Would Bluetooth be worth it, and is this laptop a good buy?

Honestly, that is pretty terrible, even for a laptop. It would be fine if it were in the $400 range, but it sells for $999. You would be better off getting something like the Gateway NV53. The GPU is not as powerful, but it comes with a better/faster processor, a larger HDD (320GB), larger screen (15.6 Widescreen HD LED) and the same amount of RAM. However, you only pay $479 for it.
Honestly, the HD 4200 (the iGP that comes with the Gateway NV53) does not stack up as well in benchmarks, compared to the GeForce 335m. However, that Core 2 Duo seriously bottlenecks the GeForce 335m. You can still run most modern games on the HD4200. Even with high settings turned on (at the expense of resolution and FSAA). Unless you are set on using something like Maya, 3D Studio Max or some system breaking game (Crysis), you could save yourself hundreds of dollars by getting the NV53 over the mx11.
Posted May 04, 2010
The reason to get the M11x is because you need the portability, and/or the battery life. It is not really overpriced, because you are paying for the form factor.
The only things that compare size wise are the Asus UL's which don't have the graphics power, or the Sony Z which is expensive.
I have one and love it. But, I also have a desktop, so I just wanted something small to take with me to class that I could game on from time to time. If this would be your main computer you would probably better served with something bigger. But if portability matters most you can't beat this for actually playing games on.
Hope this helps.
Posted May 05, 2010
FWIW: i bought an aspire 5740G, as that one was recommended to me by a collegue
8GB RAM, I5 430M, HD5650 1GB, 640 GB HD. It plays the crysis demo in high detail without any hiccups, DOW2 on Ultra except rain effects. Needless to say, very happy with it. Cost me 999 euros.
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussion (archive)Laptop Purchasing Help(48 posts)solved(48 posts)solved
(48 posts)solved