Used vs. New

[Vahlen]

Right now I am in the middle of a hard decision.............I recently bought an NP9150, but I've started the the RMA process as the screen was just too small for my wife's eyes. I now have the choice of moving up to the 17inch Sager or looking for a used M18x (6990xfire or 580sli) to stay within my budget. I'm always hesitant to buy old tech, especially tech that's not only been used but also at the end of its "life" production wise.

My understanding is also that the xfire/sli setups were just "slightly" more powerful that the 7970 which has been hitting ~5950+ in 3D11 stock for me. So what in yalls opinion would be the better purchase if they were within/at the same price($1600ish), a Sager with the 7970 or an M18x with dual 6990's/580's?

Also for those of you with the R2 that had the R1 how do the 2 differ? I'm not a tech guru by any means so I don't want to buy something that's old and not easily upgradeable.

Thanks!

[ZombiePikmin]

As a recent buyer of a new 580m SLI set up I cannot be anymore satisfied. There are no games that I regularly play (or even care about) that my m18x cannot handle. The most intensive game I actually play regularly is the Witcher 2 with ubersampling off and Im still averaging 55+ fps. Yes yes 580m sli is considered mid-range at best, but like i said, with my current library and the games i actually want to play, theres are zero reasons for me to upgrade.

The 580m SLI set up is still a beast without a doubt. But in the end, the decision is solely dependent on what you plan on doing with it. Do you want to play games like the witcher 2, max payne, crysis 1 &2 , etc...completely maxed out? If so, the 580m sli will not be enough.

I dont know much about the Sager laptop, but as said here before, you'd be crippling yourself by limiting yourself to a single GPU laptop. I'd definitely go with a SLI or Xfire set up. You can always upgrade.

The r1 is easily upgradable. Cpu, gpu, ram, etc....not sure if you can fully upgrade an r1 to r2 status (different mobo, ivy bridge) but i have a good feeling someone will pull it off soon.

[Kovalen]

In terms of the overall system the m18x at that price is easily better. If a game is fully compatible with cfx/sli then you won't notice a difference, but if it isn't then you are basically limited to one card. Generally if everything is even then a single card is better than a dual one (if both are even in performance) since its just less of a headache.

Still $1600 is a good price for a m18x with dual 580/6990. Just be careful of the warranty if it's second hand (as in not from the outlet).

[sk3tch]

This is a no-brainer - get the new laptop with the 7970M. Full warranty, latest tech (CPU/GPU)...why even consider an M18x? Nevermind that the Sager/Clevo will be smaller, just as upgradeable (arguably more so due to it being a new platform so it will have longer support), etc.

[Keith]

Yes yes 580m sli is considered mid-range at best

I respectfully disagree with this statement. Running my 580m's at a slight overclock of 700/1750 yields a 3D Mark 11 score that is slightly higher than my old desktop GTX 580 at stock clocks. I would hardly consider a desktop GTX 580 "mid-range at best".

[steviejones133]

The 580m SLI set up is still a beast without a doubt. But in the end, the decision is solely dependent on what you plan on doing with it. Do you want to play games like the witcher 2, max payne, crysis 1 &2 , etc...completely maxed out? If so, the 580m sli will not be enough.

I disagree with that. My 580m sli machine maxes out Crysis games no problem without overclock. Its a beautifully smooth experience and although 580m's are yesterdays news, they are still a tier 1 high end gpu. If you look at Nvidia's current top-of-the-line offering (yet to be released on Alienware) its a 675m which is a rebadged 580m - hardly any difference,at all...so, 580m is NOT a mid range gpu, it still kicks butt!

To the OP - The differences between R1 & R2 are quite a few. To start with, R1's are Sandybridge based with 2xxx cpu's whereas the R2 is Ivybridge and come with 3xxx cpu's - next gen processors. The R2 also has an mSata drive bay where the R1 does not. The R2 has a HDD caddy that can hold 3 drives - the R1 holds 2. Aesthetically, they are the same.

Both R1 and R2 are easily upgradeable but you wont be able to put a 3xxx Ivy cpu in the R1 as although they are the same socket, the R1 bios will not support Ivy - until someone maybe hacks it to allow it.

The choice between new/old is a tough one. I love the build quality of the M18x and having the aluminum casing is a BIG plus in my opinion. I'm not saying Clevo etc are poor but they are more "plasticy" than the M18x. As tempting as a single 7970m might be, a 580m sli setup will run about on par with it. The benefit of the single gpu system would be you could always get another 7970m and upgrade that way - you would have to upgrade both gpu's in the M18x if you wanted that flexibility.

Also, warranty is a key factor for me and it should be something you consider too as things can get very pricey very quickly should something go wrong. You might be able to extend the warranty on the M18x but then that might put it out your budget......

It's alot to weigh up and its a hard decision - I dont envy the position you are in !

[ZombiePikmin]

The reason why I say mid-range is because once the 680m is released (and it pretty much is since you can customize laptops with it now to arrive early July..), its not going to be high-end. Yes, the 675m, the current best nvidia mobile gpu, is just a rebranded 580m...but the fact that the 680m is right around the corner, and its guaranteed to be at minimum just as powerful as the 7970m, then surely the 580m cannot be 'high-end' anymore especially when the 680m is going to be nearly double the performance of the 580m (accdng to nvidia at least...)

Like i mentioned, the "580m sli set up is still a beast without a doubt." But its not going to be high-end come near future. Also when i say maxed out i mean native res, highest possible settings, at least aax4, afx16, and options like ubersampling if the game calls for it, and most importantly a steady framerate of at least 60fps.

@Steviejones - What drivers are you using because I cannot absolutely max Crysis at a stable 60fps. Yes its playable, but definitely not a constant 60fps for me. Im averaging in the high 40's low 50's....

[steviejones133]

Currently still havent uninstalled 301.42 (I've been too lazy lol) but my fps were based on 296.10 drivers. I think we have a disparity of what we call "acceptable" frame rates....basically, I'm happy with mid-to-high 40's or above....which is what I get, like you....the game is still smooth (IMHO) and very playable. I dont think you need 60fps to make a game playable or enjoyable, asking 60fps as an acceptable level is too high if you ask me....and yeah, that was with all settings maxed and DX11/HighResPack etc etc....

[Vahlen]

On a side-note, how is the 1600x900 screen on the M17x? I've never owned a monitor with that resolution 13xx.7xx was my last..........do images/games still look pretty good? I loved the crisp feel of the 1080, but eye strain for my wife is a big concern.

[Kovalen]

The screen is what you will be staring at all the time so don't go cheap on it. If you or your wife is having problems seeing with the 1080p screen just up the dpi a bit.