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[FlyingTeacup]

gaf,

what do you think about this, msi gt683dx.

I decided to splash a bit of cash.

ed: btw, has anyone used overclockers.co.uk before? comments?

 

[the madman]

Hey all, I'm in the market for a new laptop with a few main specifications. The main thing is the ability to browse the internet/word process/etc with smooth-as-butter efficiency. In terms of gaming, since this is a gaming laptop thread, there are three main things I'd like to accomplish: play Diablo 3 and SW:TOR when they come out both at at least medium settings, and smoothly. Besides that, I'd like to play my library of Valve games (like CS:S and L4D2) at high settings, again smooth as butter.

Now I've come upon this laptop (HP ENVY 14) and I've seen that it's been getting pretty good reviews, and I love me the chiclet-style keyboard--great for writing. I want this machine. I just want GAF's approval first: would this be a good move on my part? Also, in terms of customization, I was thinking of just going with the base set-up (for $899+a warranty), although if there is anything I would want to improve, I wouldn't be entirely opposed to suggestion.

Oh, as far as budget goes, this is on the higher end of my budget but within reach.

Thanks all, much appreciated.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

My desktop is a 5770 I think i got it 2 christmases ago. Can still run skyrim on "High", but its showing its age.
I need a new laptop and could use a new video card. If the video card is worse than my current I may be better off just getting a desktop video card and a cheaper laptop.

560M isn't any faster than your 5770 desktop. Buy a faster desktop video card.

 

[K.Jack]

Any idea how this machine would run WoW and The Old Republic? It's looking pretty snazzy as a $400 purchase:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/17218899

AMD Dual-Core E-450 processor
1.65GHz, 1MB L2 Cache

4GB DDR3 SDRAM system memory (expandable to 8GB)

AMD Radeon HD 6320 Discrete-Class Graphics with up to 1973MB total graphics memory

SWTOR has low requirements, but I still feel like you'd be pushing it with that machine. It's well below the recommended CPU for sure.

How is this one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...g-_-32-_-N82E16834230100&nm_mc=BF2011_listing


The specs appear to be good but the comments have some complaints about the screen, touchpad and USB port not working...
is ASUS a bad brand or something?

Reading the review section makes me uncomfortable with saying you should buy the machine.

gaf,

what do you think about this, msi gt683dx.

I decided to splash a bit of cash.

ed: btw, has anyone used overclockers.co.uk before? comments?

Performance looks nice. I think I've heard it has a weird keyboard layout though.

Hey all, I'm in the market for a new laptop with a few main specifications. The main thing is the ability to browse the internet/word process/etc with smooth-as-butter efficiency. In terms of gaming, since this is a gaming laptop thread, there are three main things I'd like to accomplish: play Diablo 3 and SW:TOR when they come out both at at least medium settings, and smoothly. Besides that, I'd like to play my library of Valve games (like CS:S and L4D2) at high settings, again smooth as butter.

Now I've come upon this laptop (HP ENVY 14) and I've seen that it's been getting pretty good reviews, and I love me the chiclet-style keyboard--great for writing. I want this machine. I just want GAF's approval first: would this be a good move on my part? Also, in terms of customization, I was thinking of just going with the base set-up (for $899+a warranty), although if there is anything I would want to improve, I wouldn't be entirely opposed to suggestion.

Oh, as far as budget goes, this is on the higher end of my budget but within reach.

Thanks all, much appreciated.

The Envy direct from HP seems much more expensive than similarly performing machines. It doesn't matter if you're okay with that.

 

[the madman]

K.Jack--thank you very much! Apparently, if nothing else, you're a better shopper than I am. On the page you linked to, with similar machines, there is another model of the Envy 4 going for 750, although it has 2GB less RAM--would that one serve my above stated purposes almost just as well?

 

[K.Jack]

The 6GB vs 4GB feature is meaningless for your uses, but the HP-direct does offer two things the Newegg version doesn't:

1. It comes with a larger 8-cell battery option, which I don't see in the other bundle. You may want to contact Newegg to confirm.
2. More importantly, buying from HP gives you their special warranty extension options.

If you weren't going to upgrade to HP Total Care, then it's probably wiser to take the Newegg version.

edit: I should also mention that the Envy 15 refresh comes out on December 7th, starting at $1099.

 

[bigmit3737]

K.Jack, I'm thinking of going with this one. My absolute highest price is $800.

Emulation (PS2/Gamecube), Diablo 3, and tons of various apps.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215198

 

[the madman]

Now this may come off as a foolish question, but would it be safe to assume that the 14 series is going to plummet in cost once the new one comes out?

 

[K.Jack]

K.Jack, I'm thinking of going with this one. My absolute highest price is $800.

Emulation (PS2/Gamecube), Diablo 3, and tons of various apps.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215198

Looks good. One thing I recommend, is that you read up on Nvidia Optimus.

Now this may come off as a foolish question, but would it be safe to assume that the 14 series is going to plummet in cost once the new one comes out?

I was shocked to see that they are still starting at $899.99, so I say nothing is safe. I mean it's already $200 cheaper than the incoming 15, so they may just leave it untouched.

That said, I can understand why you may now be uncomfortable buying at this instant.

 

[XStasisX]

Someone may have discussed this already, but what are thoughts on "recertified" laptops?

I'm in the market, and would like to pick up an ASUS.. however the only models in my price range are "recertified". The term, as well as "refurbished" has always made me nervous. Is that irrational and not a reason to worry?

If you feel like plugging any recommendations:
My price range is about $700-$1,000.

I'm mostly looking to get a laptop that could run Diablo 3 at max settings and Mass effect 3 at decent settings.

Thanks in advance GAF, I love you.

 

[Poimandres]

Asus N73 Notebook
17.3 inch 16:9 Full HD LED Display (1920x1080)
Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM Processor (6M Cache, 2.20 GHz) with Turbo boost up to 3.1Ghz
12GB DDR3 RAM
Massive 1.5TB storage (2x750GB HDD)
SonicMaster sound technology by Bang & Olufsen
Bang & Olufsen ICEpower® Speakers
Super-multi DVD drive
WiFi - Integrated 802.11 b/g/n
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M with 1GB DDR3
2 megapixel webcam
1 x USB 3.0 + 3 x USB 2.0 ports + 1 x HDMI
One touch multimedia buttons
Asus Video Magic Technology for a vivid display
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium
1 year global warranty

For $1200 in Australia. How does this rate?

 

[JackEtc]

A friend of mine is looking for laptops today, he's got an $800 budget. Doesn't matter if it's on sale or not.

Uses: "casual use for school and like youtube and then probably some movie watching and maybe a little gaming but nothing overwhelming i dont think"

"i just mostly want something that will last and be versatile with watever i need it to do and nothing slow i wanna have like 20 things up and still have it running fast."

15" max.

Any good suggestions?

 

[K.Jack]

Someone may have discussed this already, but what are thoughts on "recertified" laptops?

I'm in the market, and would like to pick up an ASUS.. however the only models in my price range are "recertified". The term, as well as "refurbished" has always made me nervous. Is that irrational and not a reason to worry?

If you feel like plugging any recommendations:
My price range is about $700-$1,000.

I'm mostly looking to get a laptop that could run Diablo 3 at max settings and Mass effect 3 at decent settings.

Thanks in advance GAF, I love you.

They're totally fine, as long as you purchase the extended warranty.

Asus N73 Notebook
17.3 inch 16:9 Full HD LED Display (1920x1080)
Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM Processor (6M Cache, 2.20 GHz) with Turbo boost up to 3.1Ghz
12GB DDR3 RAM
Massive 1.5TB storage (2x750GB HDD)
SonicMaster sound technology by Bang & Olufsen
Bang & Olufsen ICEpower® Speakers
Super-multi DVD drive
WiFi - Integrated 802.11 b/g/n
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M with 1GB DDR3
2 megapixel webcam
1 x USB 3.0 + 3 x USB 2.0 ports + 1 x HDMI
One touch multimedia buttons
Asus Video Magic Technology for a vivid display
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium
1 year global warranty

For $1200 in Australia. How does this rate?

I'd also consider this, because of the faster video card.

A friend of mine is looking for laptops today, he's got an $800 budget. Doesn't matter if it's on sale or not.

Uses: "casual use for school and like youtube and then probably some movie watching and maybe a little gaming but nothing overwhelming i dont think"

"i just mostly want something that will last and be versatile with watever i need it to do and nothing slow i wanna have like 20 things up and still have it running fast."

15" max.

Any good suggestions?

He can do all of that with this. There's no need to spend $800 with his needs.

 

[JackEtc]

He can do all of that with this. There's no need to spend $800 with his needs.

Thanks Jack, I'll send that his way. Is there something perhaps one level better than that, that fits his budget? I wanna give him a few options as far as prices go.

 

[added_time]

Reading the review section makes me uncomfortable with saying you should buy the machine.

Do you think most ASUS laptops would suffer from problems such as these or it is just a one off? The other one that you recommended is also that brand but it is the one I am leaning towards buying as soon as I get my pay cheque.

 

[K.Jack]

Thanks Jack, I'll send that his way. Is there something perhaps one level better than that, that fits his budget? I wanna give him a few options as far as prices go.

I just found out that the DV6 Quad Edition, with coupon code NBDT5966 is currently going for 699.99, which is a really great deal, and it's at least a tier above the Acer in both CPU and GPU power.

Do you think most ASUS laptops would suffer from problems such as these or it is just a one off? The other one that you recommended is also that brand but it is the one I am leaning towards buying as soon as I get my pay cheque.

I know the G53 doesn't have those issues. I'll need to do some quick research on whether the other G74 SKUs are effected as well.

 

[JackEtc]

I just found out that the DV6 Quad Edition, with coupon code NBDT5966 is currently going for 699.99, which is a really great deal, and it's at least a tier above the Acer in both CPU and GPU power.

Awesome, thanks!

 

[AngmarsKing701]

When is Diablo III coming out and what will I need to run it? I'd like to play it on a laptop, so I gotta figure out how much I need to start saving...

 

[Raistlin]

Ordered following HP on Black Friday:


HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition customizable Notebook PC
• dark umber
• Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• 2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2670QM (2.2 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz
• 1GB Radeon(TM) HD 6770M GDDR5 Graphics [HDMI, VGA]
• FREE UPGRADE to 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 750GB 7200 rpm Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• $40 OFF Microsoft(R) Office Home and Student 2010
• No additional security software
• Two 9 Cell Lithium-Ion Batteries
• 15.6" Full HD HP Anti-glare LED (1920 x 1080)
• Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
• HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader
• Intel 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R)
• Standard Keyboard with numeric keypad
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

$1,573.99 $1,143.99
($430.00 Coupon)



Additional Purchases:

Purposely upgraded the HDD to 7200RPM in the PC configuration since I'm ripping it out to an enclosure and putting in an SSD.

• Kingston HyperX 120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC SSD - $149.99 (after mail in rebate)
• COOLMAX HD-250BK-U3 Aluminum 2.5" Black USB 3.0 External Enclosure - $17.99


This laptop is known to run fairly hot when using discrete graphics. For that reason, I'm doing some experimenting. As noted, I ordered two 9-cell batteries. These stick out the bottom rear, placing the laptop at an incline and increasing airflow. I suspect however this won't be enough and will purchase a laptop cooler.

The problem is that the battery's incline may actually affect airflow of a cooler (assuming I can't comfortably hang it off the back of the cooler) ... so with this in mind, I also ordered a HP 6-cell Extended-Life Battery - MU06 (talked them down to $74.99). If the 9-cell doesn't hamper cooling or I find a cooler it can hang over ... I'm sending back the 6-cell. If not, I'll ebay one of the 9-cells and use the other for when I'm not using discrete and could use the extra charge (you know, actual portable duties ).

The interesting thing about this laptop is a lot of heat can be found to the left of the trackpad. There is an intake under it, but most coolers do not directly hit that area. Fans are typically either in the center or towards the rear. For that reason I'm ordering several coolers once the laptop's delivery approaches and will be running thermal characteristics for all of them. The ones that fail will be heading back to Amazon (hate to take advantage of their return policy - but there's really no other way around it). Two that look promising are the Cooler Master NotePal U3 and the U-Stand. Due to their adjustable nature, I should be able to directly cool the problem intake. Others on my list include units from Zalman, NZXT, Targus, and Antec. I'll post some results for the hell of it.



How'd I do?

 

[BoobPhysics101]

K Jack, would you agree that most people should wait til December to buy a laptop since AMD should be releasing the 7000M series then?

 

[Raistlin]

I just found out that the DV6 Quad Edition, with coupon code NBDT5966 is currently going for 699.99, which is a really great deal, and it's at least a tier above the Acer in both CPU and GPU power.

Yup. Pretty sure that's the same coupon code I used on Black Friday. Huge discount.

 

[Flunkie]

What's GAF's opinion on Alienware products?

 

[Raistlin]

What's GAF's opinion on Alienware products?

Can be nice, but are generally overpriced. You're paying for the case.

For example, if you configure an HP DV6/7 to similar specs of a given Alienware ... typically the Alienware will cost more. If you use the coupon above the difference will be even greater unless there's some serious Alienware sale going on.

 

[Flunkie]

Can be nice, but are generally overpriced. You're paying for the case.

For example, if you configure an HP DV6/7 to similar specs of a given Alienware ... typically the Alienware will cost more. If you use the coupon above the difference will be even greater unless there's some serious Alienware sale going on.

Ah, so that's still valid? Hmm.. I do generally like HP's build quality. Have an 8740w right now and it's treated me pretty well as a gaming rig/AutoCAD combo, but I want a little more gaming heft now.

8740w specs:

i7 720 @ 1.6
FirePro M7820
4GB RAM

So certainly the stock dv6t will even best that.

Edit: Holy crap @ the savings if I got the HP route.. looking at sub-$1000 here with that coupon!

I was also looking at the Asus G74 series, for the nVidia card. I kinda of want to get away from AMD graphics.

 

[FlyingTeacup]

Performance looks nice. I think I've heard it has a weird keyboard layout though.

yeah, the location of the touchpad is pretty weird as well. Engadget reviewer wasn't keen on the keyboard and trackpad.

thinking... thinking...

 

[K.Jack]

When is Diablo III coming out and what will I need to run it? I'd like to play it on a laptop, so I gotta figure out how much I need to start saving...

$600 will play it comfortably.

How'd I do?

For $1,100, I would be buying a Sager NP8130 instead. You simultaneously gain a vastly superior GPU, and the prettiest 15" glossy screen available on the market.

8740w specs:

i7 720 @ 1.6
FirePro M7820
4GB RAM

So certainly the stock dv6t will even best that.

I was also looking at the Asus G74 series, for the nVidia card. I kinda of want to get away from AMD graphics.

Nope. The M7820 is almost 2x the speed of the DV6's 6770M. Skip the G74 as well. If you want a faster Nvidia card, check out the new MSI GT780.

MSI's GTX 570M vs G74's GTX 560M:

 

[bigmit3737]

I just found out that the DV6 Quad Edition, with coupon code NBDT5966 is currently going for 699.99, which is a really great deal, and it's at least a tier above the Acer in both CPU and GPU power.

1GB GDDR5 Radeon(TM) HD 6490M Graphics [HDMI, VGA]

This card is better than the 540M?

If so, I will bite.

How can I get it that price?

 

[K.Jack]

1GB GDDR5 Radeon(TM) HD 6490M Graphics [HDMI, VGA]

This card is better than the 540M?

If so, I will bite.

No, hell no. You need to spend the +$25 for the 1GB 6770M, which is ~35% faster than the 540M. Brings the total price to $724.99 after coupon.

Sorry I forgot to mention that.

K Jack, would you agree that most people should wait til December to buy a laptop since AMD should be releasing the 7000M series then?

I'm still not clear on whether genuine 7000M chips are releasing any time soon. The NDAs are thicker than I've ever encountered. I'm expecting something like a die shrunk 6770M to appear in the new Envy 15, but who knows.

I can't say "wait" or "buy", because I know absolutely nothing.

 

[bigmit3737]

No, hell no. You need to spend the +$25 for the 1GB 6770M, which is ~35% faster than the 540M. Brings the total price to $724.99 after coupon.

Sorry I forgot to mention that.



I'm still not clear on whether genuine 7000M chips are releasing any time soon. The NDAs are thicker than I've ever encountered. I'm expecting something like a die shrunk 6770M to appear in the new Envy 15, but who knows.

I can't say "wait" or "buy", because I know absolutely nothing.

K.Jack what configuration are you using for the price?
Is there no tax for you?

 

[added_time]

So K.Jack.. the laptop you recommended to me was this:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230199


I just noticed a sale for what appears to be a very similar laptop:

http://www.thesource.ca/estore/prod...ne&category=Notebooks_English&product=2510501

It is much cheaper until December 1st because of the sale but I just wanted to make sure it is almost identical. The processor appears to be a bit worse but everything else seems the same I think? Would I notice a big difference between the two in your opinion?

What do you think? Thanks!


edit: nevermind.. i Just noticed it says it is a display model.. I wouldn't want to buy a laptop used like that.

 

[Raistlin]

For $1,100, I would be buying a Sager NP8130 instead. You simultaneously gain a vastly superior GPU, and the prettiest 15" glossy screen available on the market.

They do look like they make great laptops. In truth, gaming isn't my primary use-case - more of a nice perk - I needed a general workhorse. The Sager would definitely cost me more if I got the other specs where I want them.

If I ever go for a dedicated gaming laptop though, I'll certainly look into Sager.

 

[GitarooMan]

Any thoughts on MSI GT780dxr vs. Asus G74sx vs. Alienware M17x? I'm going to be in the market for a new gaming laptop, I'm probably looking in the 1400-1700 range and I just wanted to get a sense of any thoughts people have on these models. I like the MSI, but there seems to be a lot of negativity around the keyboard and I would be using this for some typing/word processing pretty frequently.

 

[Flunkie]

Nope. The M7820 is almost 2x the speed of the DV6's 6770M. Skip the G74 as well. If you want a faster Nvidia card, check out the new MSI GT780.
]

Ah, I see. I just figured since I had a ~1.5 year older card (equivalent to the 5800 series I believe?) it was outdated. So is my CPU prettymuch the bottleneck? I get, no joke, less than 20 FPS with a ton of stuttering when turning playing Skyrim with the res at 1280x800 and everything on low. Looks worse than Xbox, yet I have way better hardware.

I think I'm going to wait for the next round of nVidia cards - the 680M or something like that. A friend told me it'd only have a ~5-10% increase in performance over the 580M but I find that hard to believe. I've even read in places that I should wait for the next Intel chipset, Ivy Bridge. :\ With this news, what say you?

Thanks for your help.

 

[FlyingTeacup]

ok, put in the order for msi gt683dxr, hopefully I can get it tomorrow.

Hope it all went well.

 

[GodofWine]

Help me Laptop GAF...Im really way behind on computers these days, just using a work laptop and an archaic home laptop (6 yrs old).

Looking for something for the house in general, but with enough ooomph to play a few games (Im a console guy mostly) on PC...probably nothing too demanding...but ya never know.

Thoughts on this one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230132

ASUS A53SV-NH51 Notebook Intel Core i5 2430M(2.40GHz) 15.6" 6GB Memory DDR3 640GB HDD 5400rpm DL DVD±RW/CD-RW NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M


I'd like it to last for 4-5 years for general purposes, as well as gaming for at least a few (not needing to run anything on 'ultra'..just for those quirky PC games like Minecraft etc)

Is the 6GB Ram worth it? Should I spend a couple extra bucks for a fast i7 (I have no clue how a fast i5 compares to 'slow' i7)

Price seems rights, 2 reviews complained the gpu wouldn't let the graphics card run, but I have to suspect user error, or it needed to be turned on manually (I've read this somewhere on Asus reviews).

Halp!

 

[JackEtc]

BTW, K.Jack, he ended up buying that HP Quad Edition with the coupon! He also upgraded the screen to 1920x1080, which I didn't even know you could do (totally awesome). He seems really excited. Thanks again for the help!

 

[Ariexv]

Whats the Minimum I would need to spend to get a school laptop mainly but still be able to play The old republic/League of Legends smoothly?

 

[K.Jack]

Any thoughts on MSI GT780dxr vs. Asus G74sx vs. Alienware M17x? I'm going to be in the market for a new gaming laptop, I'm probably looking in the 1400-1700 range and I just wanted to get a sense of any thoughts people have on these models. I like the MSI, but there seems to be a lot of negativity around the keyboard and I would be using this for some typing/word processing pretty frequently.

Of those three, I'd take the M17x, but do you really pay the Alienware tax just to get a 560M?

Just to compare, within a budget of 1400-1700, you can have a P170HM w/ 2670QM, 6990M, 8GB RAM, and 500GB HDD for less than $1500.

Ah, I see. I just figured since I had a ~1.5 year older card (equivalent to the 5800 series I believe?) it was outdated. So is my CPU prettymuch the bottleneck? I get, no joke, less than 20 FPS with a ton of stuttering when turning playing Skyrim with the res at 1280x800 and everything on low. Looks worse than Xbox, yet I have way better hardware.

I think I'm going to wait for the next round of nVidia cards - the 680M or something like that. A friend told me it'd only have a ~5-10% increase in performance over the 580M but I find that hard to believe. I've even read in places that I should wait for the next Intel chipset, Ivy Bridge. :\ With this news, what say you?

Thanks for your help.

Are you running the latest standard AMD Catalyst drivers? You should not have performance nearly that bad.

Whats the Minimum I would need to spend to get a school laptop mainly but still be able to play The old republic/League of Legends smoothly?

$550 USD. For this.

 

[Shorty11857]

Is this laptop good?

It's got pretty much everything I want but is the price okay? Keeping in mind I'm in Ireland

 

[thuway]

I'm thinking of going with an Asus G73, 560m, 8 GB of Ram for 600 - is that a bad deal?

 

[zeelman]

Any idea how this machine would run WoW and The Old Republic? It's looking pretty snazzy as a $400 purchase:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/17218899

AMD Dual-Core E-450 processor
1.65GHz, 1MB L2 Cache

4GB DDR3 SDRAM system memory (expandable to 8GB)

AMD Radeon HD 6320 Discrete-Class Graphics with up to 1973MB total graphics memory

Go up to an AMD Laptop with the A6 3400M Processor instead, such as this one.

The stock processor runs at 1.4 Ghz (the description on there says 2.3, but that's only when it runs in single core mode). It has a Radeon HD 6520, which is a bit better. Skyrim runs great at Medium Settings, so it should have no problem with those MMOs.

 

[Dance Inferno]

What's GAF's opinion on Alienware products?

Don't. Ever. Buy. Alienware.

EVER.

I have a pretty horrible horror story of an Alienware laptop that broke down 8 times within the first year after purchase. I'll spare you the details but literally every one of those incidents required me to mail it to their warehouse, where it spent a few weeks to a month being serviced. OS crapped out. Hard drive fried itself. The damn video card blew itself out. It's not a stretch to say that the laptop spent 20-25% of its first year being serviced.

The worst part? They have the most horrible, rude customer service this side of Hades. Never wanted to take my computer in to get fixed even though it literally wouldn't start up, gave me tons of shit whenever I called in, refused to give me updates on why the laptop has spent a month in the warehouse, refused to offer me a replacement even after the 8th time it broke down. One time the laptop came back to me and the damn hard drive was in a plastic bag. I called in to have them walk me through installing it and the dude was clueless and obviously reading off a script (that didn't help me whatsoever). I eventually figured it out myself with my friend while the customer service rep was walking around trying to find someone who knew how hard drives work. Eventually I said **** it and bought an HP.

So I repeat. Do not EVER buy an Alienware. Not effing worth it.

 

[dinosaur_hunter2]

K.Jack, just to let you know that I ended up buying the Acer TimelineX I mentioned in one of my previous posts. pretty good notebook so far, very functional and pretty too. Loved the keyboard, very smooth. And it really has a great battery life, got 7.5 hours (without gaming, of course) in my first run. Will try gaming on it a little and see what it can do.

Thank you very much for your help.

 

[K.Jack]

Is this laptop good?

It's got pretty much everything I want but is the price okay? Keeping in mind I'm in Ireland

I want to say it's fair, but how much more expensive (in GBP) does a machine like this work out to be?

Don't. Ever. Buy. Alienware.

EVER.

I have a pretty horrible horror story of an Alienware laptop that broke down 8 times within the first year after purchase. I'll spare you the details but literally every one of those incidents required me to mail it to their warehouse, where it spent a few weeks to a month being serviced. OS crapped out. Hard drive fried itself. The damn video card blew itself out. It's not a stretch to say that the laptop spent 20-25% of its first year being serviced.

The worst part? They have the most horrible, rude customer service this side of Hades. Never wanted to take my computer in to get fixed even though it literally wouldn't start up, gave me tons of shit whenever I called in, refused to give me updates on why the laptop has spent a month in the warehouse, refused to offer me a replacement even after the 8th time it broke down. One time the laptop came back to me and the damn hard drive was in a plastic bag. I called in to have them walk me through installing it and the dude was clueless and obviously reading off a script (that didn't help me whatsoever). I eventually figured it out myself with my friend while the customer service rep was walking around trying to find someone who knew how hard drives work. Eventually I said **** it and bought an HP.

So I repeat. Do not EVER buy an Alienware. Not effing worth it.

Your experience is only relevant if it happened with the now Dell owned Alienware. It's been a completely different product since the acquisition, with Dell now engineering all products in-house, and handling customer service with next business day in-home repair.

 

[Shorty11857]

I want to say it's fair, but how much more expensive (in GBP) does a machine like this work out to be?.

That one would be about £100 more expensive

 

[Dance Inferno]

Your experience is only relevant if it happened with the now Dell owned Alienware. It's been a completely different product since the acquisition, with Dell now engineering all products in-house, and handling customer service with next business day in-home repair.

I think Dell acquired Alienware back in 2006? I definitely bought my Alienware after that (I remember researching the company at the time and I read about the acquisition). It was just a complete shit show for the entire year that I owned that laptop, and I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone.

 

[K.Jack]

That one would be about £100 more expensive

And I just noticed that a quad-core isn't standard, thus even more expensive. The Asus is a good deal anyway.

I think Dell acquired Alienware back in 2006? I definitely bought my Alienware after that (I remember researching the company at the time and I read about the acquisition). It was just a complete shit show for the entire year that I owned that laptop, and I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone.

Specifically, what did you buy?

 

[Dance Inferno]

Specifically, what did you buy?

Oh gosh, it's hard to recall off the top of my head. Umm I think it was a 17" or 19" laptop with a WVGA or XVGA screen (it was supposedly the latest, greatest display technology), GeForce Go 7 series, about 2 GB of RAM, 2 GHz Intel processor I think? I'm totally ballparking it right now, I'd have to dig back in my records to find the exact specs. It was one of their higher end laptops, I remember it performed very well when it did work, but it had a monster of a heating problem which I think was the main source of most of its issues.

 

[Flunkie]

Of those three, I'd take the M17x, but do you really pay the Alienware tax just to get a 560M?

Just to compare, within a budget of 1400-1700, you can have a P170HM w/ 2670QM, 6990M, 8GB RAM, and 500GB HDD for less than $1500.


Are you running the latest standard AMD Catalyst drivers? You should not have performance nearly that bad.

$550 USD. For this.

Yeah, newest Catalyst drivers for my card. I even tried installing 5800 series drivers to see if that gave me any sort of perf boost, but it just ended up messing shit up more. I'm back on normal drivers now and still getting abysmal performance. Weirdest thing.

 

[K.Jack]

Oh gosh, it's hard to recall off the top of my head. Umm I think it was a 17" or 19" laptop with a WVGA or XVGA screen (it was supposedly the latest, greatest display technology), GeForce Go 7 series, about 2 GB of RAM, 2 GHz Intel processor I think? I'm totally ballparking it right now, I'd have to dig back in my records to find the exact specs. It was one of their higher end laptops, I remember it performed very well when it did work, but it had a monster of a heating problem which I think was the main source of most of its issues.

That was absolutely the old, old Alienware. If it wasn't even rocking an 8800M GTX, we're not even talking semi-modern AW.