Why Alienware, Alienware fanatics?

[Prasad]

Well this is very interesting... I might just consider Alienware now... Three brands I have in mind are Sager, Msi, maybe Asus, and now Alienware, and $1200 is my budget. I still think the Alienware would be too flashy though especially during class (not that I'd only use it for school).

With that budget, you'd best opt for a decent Clevo!

[Mr. Fox]

Not going to get much in a brand new system suitable for hardcore gaming and decent build quality at $1,200. Probably should look at buying one of yesterday's high-spec'd gaming laptops that still runs current games well. Something with at least a 2760QM and 6990M or 580M probably can be had second hand in that price range if you look hard enough.

[TastyChevelle]

Not going to get much in a brand new system suitable for hardcore gaming and decent build quality at $1,200. Probably should look at buying one of yesterday's high-spec'd gaming laptops that still runs current games well. Something with at least a 2760QM and 6990M or 580M probably can be had second hand in that price range if you look hard enough.

A 660m and 3610 i7 for $1200 would do just fine for me, I'd mostly play DayZ with good settings, Skyrim on high and other games a lot but I'm not looking for the most hardcore setup to play any game coming for 3 years on its highest settings.

On that note, any models in mind for maybe up to $1600?

[Mr. Fox]

Sure... this is in that price range (with exactly those specs) and will do what you need it to. An extra $500 to $600 goes a long ways. New! Alienware M17x Full HD 3D Gaming Laptop Details | Dell

Don't buy it online... build what you want in specs, save it to a shopping cart, then go to this thread and get a quote and negotiate. You may land a little closer to the $1,200 mark. Alienware Sales Assistance Thread, Redux

[Prasad]

A 660m and 3610 i7 for $1200 would do just fine for me, I'd mostly play DayZ with good settings, Skyrim on high and other games a lot but I'm not looking for the most hardcore setup to play any game coming for 3 years on its highest settings.

On that note, any models in mind for maybe up to $1600?

For that price range, you should opt for a Sager NP9150 w/ AMD 7970M in half a heart beat.

[Mr. Fox]

...and hope it works well, LOL. Anyone getting a 7970M GPU needs Dell's superior warranty and hardware support.

[Iqs]

I like the HDMI input

[Prasad]

...and hope it works well, LOL. Anyone getting a 7970M GPU needs Dell's superior warranty and hardware support.

No need to overstate the matter. I've got a 7970M working perfectly well on my end and no extended or accidental damage warranty from Dell. If you take a closer look at both Clevo and Alienware forums, both of which I closely follow, you'll notice the nVidia 680M issues are slowly beginning to creep up. In the end, they're both good cards, and like any other technology susceptible to faults and human error. It's just that AMD got a head start in this case. Finally, let's not forget that the issue reporting users are in minority while the vast majority is off the forums and gaming happily!

[Mr. Fox]

Admittedly, I was being a little bit sarcastic. However, it is only an overstatement to those that have properly functioning cards. The 7970M can be awesome, as my benchmark scores and gaming videos demonstrate. But, for some it is a pathetic GPU. To be completely fair, it seems to usually be a good option for a system equipped with only one GPU (which is what the interested party in this thread is after). Chances are pretty good that it will be a decent experience.

In CrossFire, whether in a mobile or desktop platform, 7970 is prone to have usability issues... This is primarily because of inadequate AMD driver support. Slightly over one-third of the 7970M CrossFire owners polled in the M18x sub-forum are dissatisfied with their GPU purchase. I don't see that as something to be trivialized. It leaves many owners of multi-GPU system having to either put up with issues or avoid purchasing AMD video cards. We need to see AMD producing high quality products so the force of competition can help keep costs down for consumers. I used to always say that I was not a fan boy for either brand, but it is getting harder for me to say that any more.

[Prasad]

I completely agree with you about the multi-GPU configurations. But then again, I have never bought anything at any point in time except a single top-of-the-shelf GPU. Considering the flagship GPU performs extremely well in all current offerings, and that you could easily upgrade in a year or two, I never thought CrossfireX/SLI made sense.. When in 1.5 years the upcoming GPU could be twice as powerful as modern 680M GPU configurations, all the hassle and additional expense is best left averted. Singly speaking however, the 7970M is surely a wonderful card.. atleast for me, it certainly is.