Alienware 14x or???

[PegasusBruce]

I am buying from Australia. And I have been watching the forums for the past 3 months but now i really need to buy a laptop.

I don't really fancy P150EM or similar looking laptops because to be honest, I like laptops that look good/cool. Some may say that Alienware looks silly but I like the looks. No offense to those who like the P150EM type of looks...nothing personal, just my preference.

Anyway, is there any other laptops which are lighter, better-looking and as capable as the new alienware 14x that I can get in Australia?

I was waiting for HP to launch newer and better laptops but they aren't coming....and I have been waiting for too long...

Also, for customization, I have a few questions that I hope someone can help:
My max price is 3500AUD and I can't do personal rigging of the laptop coz I need to claim it in one receipt from my employer:
1. Is it worth paying for the way more expensive 3820 for what looks like a marginal improvement over 3720?
2. What's the difference between getting a dual drive of mSATA minicard 64gb + 500gb 7200rpm harddrive, vs getting a raid 0 512gb SSD? Will it make a lot of difference? (the price is like sooo different)
3. Is it worth getting anything more than 8gb ram?

[PegasusBruce]

btw, for those interested to wait for the new Envy 6 or similar....HP australia leaked the following info:

HP ENVY 6-1000 Notebook PC series overview - HP Products for Home and Home Office products

It will have Intel UMA shared graphics 2gb VRAM. Core i5-2467 and just HD screen

[tetsussaiga]

what will you be using it for?

[idiot101]

The Alienware M14x is not light(comes in at around 3KG). The foot print is small, that's it. If gaming is your priority,then

Please upgrade the screen resolution to 1600x900. This screen is better in quality than the default one.

Please don't upgrade to a higher frequency processor on the M14x as you will not get any benefit from it for gaming. The lowest quad core is more than sufficient for your gaming needs.

The GT650M is a decent card and should offer you a good gaming performance at the default resolution of the laptop.
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M - Notebookcheck.net Tech

Please don't make any RAM upgrades on the Dell website(or see if you can haggle them in a nominal price by calling Dell). You should be able to get 8GB(2x4GB) 1600 RAM on the market market for a much cheaper price. Look for dimms from GSkill, Kingston, Corsair, etc. 8GB is all you need for gaming(even for the foreseeable future).

How much HDD space do you really need? The msata caching feature doesn't give you speeds like that of a standalone SSD. It is better than the mechanical HDD, but it does take time to learn to accelerate certain functions faster. If you need smaller capacity, then going in for an after-market SSD (say 256GB SSD like the Samsung 830 or the newer better priced 180GB Intel 330) would make a better choice. Please don't make the SSD upgrades on the Dell website. That pricing is atrocious.

There is no necessity to spend all your budget on the laptop of choice. The best way to buy an AW M14x is to call Dell and talk to sales directly. Polite haggling can fetch you a large discount on the laptop.

[PegasusBruce]

Using it for gaming and work from home. Not going to bring it to anywhere else too much but probably a few times a year..

Thanks for the replies.. I would love to put the ssd myself but I wouldn't be able to claim it from employer though..

Any alterative laptop that might come out soon? Thing is though, Australia is so slow to get new laptops..

[idiot101]

There is the Asus G55 which is another behemoth that offers you better gaming performance(GTX660m).

Logical Blue One - ASUS G55VW-DS71 Notebook PC

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M - Notebookcheck.net Tech

And the MSI GT60. But a custom Clevo P150EM looks like the best value. You could get the AMD 7970m in it. That should give you excellent gaming performance.

[PegasusBruce]

Thanks again..I'm trying to find one that has a weight of less than 3kg.. I admit p150em definitely better value but why is it so dull looking...

[PegasusBruce]

Hey guys, just wanted to share that Gigabyte has just launched the P2542G lightweight gaming laptop. Officially launched on 7th May. Wonder when I can get it in Australia....

GIGABYTE - Notebook / Slate & Device - Notebook & Netbook - P series - P2542G

3rd Gen 3610
15.6in FHD
2 slots Ram
GTX 660M 2gb DDR5!!
Bluray!!
2.6kg!!!!!

Probably only downside is the yellow cover (well, not sure how it looks like in real life) and the thickness of 3-4cm.

I would say it's probably the best out there for a 15.6in lightweight gaming laptop.

Anyone know how I can get it? I tried their online links to the Aussie stores but they don't have it yet

[Exposed88]

Once you watch a video review of the p9150 you'll change your mind about it.

XOTIC PC - Sager NP9150 (Clevo P150EM) Video Review - YouTube