Help Me Spend $5k :) USD

[Karamazovmm]

One thing I miss the point of a BD burner, while with a heavy budget like yours you would want everything, this is one thing that I dont quite grasp as useful

[HumbleSage]

One thing I miss the point of a BD burner, while with a heavy budget like yours you would want everything, this is one thing that I dont quite grasp as useful

I just like to be prepared for anything. I may not ever use it but it's one of those amenities that falls under, nice to have. So my build on HIDevolution.com looks like this:

Alienware M18x R2 Custom Built to Order
System Color
Space Black Anodized Aluminum
Processor
3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3820QM 2.7GHz (8MB Cache ...
Processor
3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3820QM 2.7GHz (8MB Cache, up to 3.7GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0) - $350.00
Thermal Paste
Stock thermal compound
Operating System
Genuine Windows® 7 Ultimate, 64bit, English (OS languag ...
Operating System
Genuine Windows® 7 Ultimate, 64bit, English (OS language can be changed ONLY with Ultimate) - $100.00
Video Card
CrossFireX™ 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 7970M - $550.00
LCD Panel
18.4-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 WLED
Memory
Corsair Vengeance 32GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (4D ...
Memory
Corsair Vengeance 32GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (4DIMMS) - installed by HIDevolution - $385.00
RAID Hard Drive Option
no RAID (1st HDD as primary boot drive, 2nd HDD storage ...
RAID Hard Drive Option
no RAID (1st HDD as primary boot drive, 2nd HDD storage drive)
Hard Drive
750GB 7,200RPM SATA-II HDD - $50.00
2nd Hard Drive Bay (installed by HIDevolution)
NONE / NOT APPLICABLE if RAID is chosen
3rd Hard Drive Bay (installed by HIDevolution)
NONE
Internal Optical/4th Hard Drive Bay
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Burner (BR-R, DVD+-RW, ...
Internal Optical/4th Hard Drive Bay
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Burner (BR-R, DVD+-RW, CD-RW) - installed by HIDevolution - $200.00
Battery
96WHr 12-Cell Primary Battery
Power Adapter
330 Watt 3 Prong AC Adapter with 6 ft Power Cord (will ...
Power Adapter
330 Watt 3 Prong AC Adapter with 6 ft Power Cord (will work worldwide, includes FREE plug adapter for those without "U.S. style" outlets)
Wireless Cards
Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming & ...
Wireless Cards
Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming & Video - installed by HIDevolution - $70.00
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 4.0 Included
Sound Options
Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di with THX TruStudio Pro ...
Sound Options
Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di with THX TruStudio Pro Software
Warranty and Service
3 Year Advanced Service Plan (adds Accidental damage Google Page Ranking ...
Warranty and Service
3 Year Advanced Service Plan (adds Accidental damage protection) - $423.00
Include Original Parts (only applicable for parts "installed by HIDevolution"
Include original 6GB RAM (2DIMMS) - $30.00, Include ori ...
Include Original Parts (only applicable for parts "installed by HIDevolution"
Include original 6GB RAM (2DIMMS) - $30.00, Include original DVD drive - $30.00, Include original wireless card - $10.00
Office Software
None
Security Software
None
AlienFX Color (Color can be changed later to any color using supplied AlienFX software)
Quasar Blue
Wallpaper
Alien Cyborg

Total w/ shipping: $4,174.49

Notes:
- I have negotiated getting my original equipment without paying for it.
- I will be purchasing a Samsung 830 or new Vertex 4 SSD for my primary drive.
- I just couldn't pay the extra money to do the XM proc jump.. just doesn't seem worth it in terms of GHz or cache.

If anyone has a reseller that can do the same for less I am open to work with them. If I can find the same memory for less I would be open to trade that out as well.

[smokinokie]

So......what ya gonna spend your leftover cash on?

[Frag]

Power Notebooks also resell Alienware laptops and they offer a slot load Blu-Ray burner as well as a wide assortment of SSD's and Ram for the M18X. I would check them out. They are also very active here so thats another plus.

[HumbleSage]

Actually.. If I buy it directly from Dell I am finding I can get into the XM proc and everything I want (except my bluray burner) for $4823.00 and if I do the memory separately I can get it down even more.. Wonder if I can get that burner outright from somewhere...

PROCESSOR 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3920XM (8MB Cache, up to 4.1GHz Overclocked*) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Ultimate, 64bit edit
MEMORY 32GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz edit
HARD DRIVE 750GB 7,200 RPM SATA 3Gb/s edit
VIDEO CARD Dual 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 7970M - CrossFireX™ Enabled edit
WIRELESS + BLUETOOTH Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming & Video and Bluetooth 4.0 edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW) edit
My Software & Accessories
COLOR Space Black Anodized Aluminum edit
PERSONALIZED PLATE Personalized Plate (HumbleSage) edit
ALIENFX COLOR Quasar Blue edit
WALLPAPER Alienhead 3D edit
My Accessories
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 3 Year Basic Plan edit
SECURITY SOFTWARE No Anti-Virus Software Selected edit
ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM
SOUND OPTIONS Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di with THX TruStudio Pro Software
LCD PANEL 18.4 inch (467.36 mm) WLED WideFHD (1080p) display (1920 X 1080)
Primary Battery 96WHr 12-Cell Primary Battery
SYSTEM COLOR Alienware M18X R2 with Soft Touch
AUTOMATIC UPDATES Alienware M18x 330W A/C Adapter
Keyboard English Keyboard
Adobe Reader Acrobat SW Adobe Acrobat X Reader
Documentation Alienware Documentation
Shipping Material Shipping Material
Additional Software Additional Software
Standard Nameplate Trigger Thank you for Purchasing Alienware

[Frag]

Actually.. If I buy it directly from Dell I am finding I can get into the XM proc and everything I want (except my bluray burner) for $4823.00 and if I do the memory separately I can get it down even more.. Wonder if I can get that burner outright from somewhere...

PROCESSOR 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3920XM (8MB Cache, up to 4.1GHz Overclocked*) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Ultimate, 64bit edit
MEMORY 32GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz edit
HARD DRIVE 750GB 7,200 RPM SATA 3Gb/s edit
VIDEO CARD Dual 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 7970M - CrossFireX™ Enabled edit
WIRELESS + BLUETOOTH Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming & Video and Bluetooth 4.0 edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW) edit
My Software & Accessories
COLOR Space Black Anodized Aluminum edit
PERSONALIZED PLATE Personalized Plate (HumbleSage) edit
ALIENFX COLOR Quasar Blue edit
WALLPAPER Alienhead 3D edit
My Accessories
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 3 Year Basic Plan edit
SECURITY SOFTWARE No Anti-Virus Software Selected edit
ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM
SOUND OPTIONS Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di with THX TruStudio Pro Software
LCD PANEL 18.4 inch (467.36 mm) WLED WideFHD (1080p) display (1920 X 1080)
Primary Battery 96WHr 12-Cell Primary Battery
SYSTEM COLOR Alienware M18X R2 with Soft Touch
AUTOMATIC UPDATES Alienware M18x 330W A/C Adapter
Keyboard English Keyboard
Adobe Reader Acrobat SW Adobe Acrobat X Reader
Documentation Alienware Documentation
Shipping Material Shipping Material
Additional Software Additional Software
Standard Nameplate Trigger Thank you for Purchasing Alienware

This same configuration with Slot Load blu-ray burner at Powernotebooks is $4998 or $4848 if you pay cash. Also remeber that with Dell you will have to pay tax no matter where you live, with Powernotebooks you won't have to pay tax unless you live in Nevada. Also, Powernotebooks will offer discounts to NBR members.

[knight427]

This same configuration with Slot Load blu-ray burner at Powernotebooks is $4998 or $4848 if you pay cash. Also remeber that with Dell you will have to pay tax no matter where you live, with Powernotebooks you won't have to pay tax unless you live in Nevada. Also, Powernotebooks will offer discounts to NBR members.

I had no idea Dell worked with a reseller. How does the warranty compare? I hear good tings about Alienware warranty.

@HumbleSage: If it comes down to BD-burnner vs XCPU, even though XCPU are so overpriced for the marginal increase, I would still go that way. They do have unlocked multipliers to allow overclocking, and the BD burner is SO VERY useless. And most importantly, you get the BLACK Intel sticker. That's right, THE BLACK STICKER!

[HumbleSage]

This same configuration with Slot Load blu-ray burner at Powernotebooks is $4998 or $4848 if you pay cash. Also remeber that with Dell you will have to pay tax no matter where you live, with Powernotebooks you won't have to pay tax unless you live in Nevada. Also, Powernotebooks will offer discounts to NBR members.

Any idea the amount of the discount for NBR members? You're right about the tax portion.. that's quite steep.

[Frag]

Any idea the amount of the discount for NBR members? You're right about the tax portion.. that's quite steep.

Not really sure. I would assume it varies based on the price of the purchase. I have also heard that some people get free shipping and things of that nature. You can PM them here and they can discuss all that stuff with you. They are not allowed to discuss discounts on the open forum per NBR rules.

[Frag]

I had no idea Dell worked with a reseller. How does the warranty compare? I hear good tings about Alienware warranty.

@HumbleSage: If it comes down to BD-burnner vs XCPU, even though XCPU are so overpriced for the marginal increase, I would still go that way. They do have unlocked multipliers to allow overclocking, and the BD burner is SO VERY useless. And most importantly, you get the BLACK Intel sticker. That's right, THE BLACK STICKER!

I believe the warrant service is still provided by Dell/Alienware.