Alienware 14x VS Macbook Pro 13/15 Inch

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Oldbarrel

New Member
Hey guys. Im currently in high school, im a sophomore. Im currently in need of a gaming computer. Sure it would be nice if I could take notes with it, but it really is not necessary. What I do need, is a powerful gaming computer, that will last me for at least 2 years. More would be nice. Now I did some research, and then I customized the laptops to have good specs. Ill list all that in a second. I would just like to say that my budget is around $2000. If need be, i could gather another $200. As for games I would be playing, that would be pretty much everything. Sims 3, Battlefield 3, Assassins Creed 3, Star craft 3, Darksiders 2, Skyrim. Now I don't really need to play them all at ultra settings, or the highest setting. Im not that big about that stuff. I just want it to play fast, with no lag at all, at a decent setting. So here are the specs.

Alienware m14x- 1379.00


Alienware M14X R2 Alienware M14X R2 edit
Shipping Material Shipping Material edit
Additional Software Additional Software edit
Primary Battery 63WHr 8-Cell Primary Battery edit
Processor 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3610QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.3GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0) edit
Operating System Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit edit
Memory 8GB (2 X 4GB) Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz edit
Hard Drive 750GB 7,200 RPM SATA + 32GB mSATA Caching SSD edit
Wireless Networking Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2230 With Bluetooth 4.0 edit
Optical Driver Slot Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW)
English Keyboard
Alienware Documentation
1 GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 650M with Optimus™
14.0" High Def (720p/1366x768) with WLED backlight
Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di with THX TruStudio Pro Software

Macbook Pro- 15inch-1799.00
2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz
4GB 1600MHz memory
500GB 5400-rpm hard drive1
Intel HD Graphics 4000
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 512MB of GDDR5 memory
Built-in battery (7 hours)2

Or
Macbook Pro- 15 inch= 2199.00
2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
750GB 5400-rpm hard drive1
Intel HD Graphics 4000
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
Built-in battery (7 hours)2

Or
Macbook Pro- 13 inch- 1499.00
2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
750GB 5400-rpm hard drive1
Intel HD Graphics 4000
Built-in battery (7 hours)2

Now, you guys will notice that I listed the Macbook pro 13 inch, 15 inch and another 15 but with better specs. The reason for that is for you guys to help me out a bit with choosing which one. Although I would prefer the 15 inch, since I like bigger sized laptops, and I used to use a 17inch sony, the 13 inch one is a fair price, and has pretty good specs. As for the two 15 inch ones, one is about $1800 but the specs are not all that, meanwhile the other one that's about $2200, has nice specs, but is really expensive.

Also, how long do you think the alienware will last? I know macs can last for a really long time, but im not sure about alienwares. Im tired of having to buy a new laptop every year. If it comes to it, Id rather something that would last a long time, and just play on normal settings, than something that will last a year and play on high.
 
The intel HD 4000 is a good gou in terms of cost but for gaming it is only ranked as a mid range gpu for laptops which means within about 1-1.5 years it will become a low end gpu so if you are considering any gaming that is a lot of money for computer that wont be able to play anything in under two years.
 
DMGrier said:
The intel HD 4000 is a good gou in terms of cost but for gaming it is only ranked as a mid range gpu for laptops which means within about 1-1.5 years it will become a low end gpu so if you are considering any gaming that is a lot of money for computer that wont be able to play anything in under two years.
Click to expand...

Where do you get that? Its a little under a desktop 7900GT, which is quite old. I'd definitely put that as low-end, especially since its not really a dedicated card.

OP, you can get a much faster gaming laptop if you go PC. There are limited games for mac, and the graphic cards are not that powerful.

Here are some cheaper laptops with more power than the ones you chose:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230406
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214729
 
guess people missed the 650GT...but ok.

id get the asus over the toshiba...just remember horror stories of the first mobile i7s in those machines...
 
I custom design and build laptops. http://www.pro-star.com/index.cfm?mainpage=product&filter=4

Choose a laptop model and configure it the way you would like it to be configured and then get in contact with me so i can assist you all the way. MY computers are designed using clevo based laptops...very reputable company along with sager. We rival alienware and sometimes outperform them very well. If you want a very high end laptop with great components at great savings, then contact me and i will ensure you get the best bang for your buck. Promise
 
claptonman said:
Where do you get that? Its a little under a desktop 7900GT, which is quite old. I'd definitely put that as low-end, especially since its not really a dedicated card.

OP, you can get a much faster gaming laptop if you go PC. There are limited games for mac, and the graphic cards are not that powerful.

Here are some cheaper laptops with more power than the ones you chose:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230406
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834214729
Click to expand...

read it somewhere, sorry if incorrect but in my defense I never said it is what he should have got. I don't like apple anyway.
 
Do high schools let students bring laptops into class now? o_O

Anyway, I wouldn't get the alienware without upgrading the screen a bit. That said, I think the ASUS voyager listed about 3 posts up is the way to go.
Otherwise the newer MBP, the 2100 is very nice. Very sleek, very nice screen.
But I would save the 600 and get the Asus. Or get a desktop and save 1000, and spend 600 or 700 on a ultra portable laptop just for taking notes and browsing the internet.
 
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My high school does. You have a choice between the school provided chomebooks or any laptop that you want to use that belongs to you. Only issue is that you have to use windows XP or newer and chrome as a browser or some of the school apps don't work (like apex).
 
I brought my laptop to school. Only used it during study hall and before/after school though.
 
So you guys recommend ASUS over Alienware? Also, out of all the links posted from you guys, which is best? I dont feel comfotable spendind $2000 on that ASUS one of you posted. It may be powerful, but not cheaper. For now Alienware def beat out the apple. Now I need to choose either Alienware or Asus.
 
ASUS is higher quality and the best bang for your buck. Alienware is cheap (quality-wise) and over-priced.
 
First of all, the configuration of the Alienware M14x you have is not good. There are a few changes you need to make to your configuration before you consider buying the Alienware M14x.

- First, upgrade to the 1600x900 display. You should not buy the Alienware M14x in any configuration that includes the stock 1366x768 display option and not the upgraded 1600x900 display option. The 1600x900 display should be the first upgrade you select, and it should be in any configuration you consider buying. The 1366x768 display in the Alienware M14x makes things onscreen large, and is a low grade LCD panel with very poor image quality due to low contrast. You should avoid displays like this when it is reasonable to do so, unless you require the larger text for eyesight-related reasons. The 1600x900 display is great as far as contrast and the resolution it self go, but the reason to get the 1600x900 display isn't just because of how good the 1600x900 display is, it's also because of how bad the 1366x768 display is.

- Second, don't select any memory upgrades on the configuration page, because Dell charges too much for them. Upgrading the memory from 6GB to 8GB by yourself, if you buy an extra 4GB DIMM off Newegg to replace the existing 2GB DIMM and to go along with the existing 4GB DIMM, should cost you no more than $20.

- Keep in mind about the processor: The processor upgrade from the i5-3210M to the i7-3630QM affects some of the more CPU-intensive games, but not all games, and processor upgrades past the 3630QM will tend to make essentially no difference for gaming. Also keep in mind that no processor upgrade should come before the display upgrade. The i5-3210M is not a terrible processor, but the 1366x768 display is a terrible display; you need to be focused on improving a display that's pretty bad before you become focused on improving a processor that's already pretty good. So if budget is a concern and you can only fit one of the two upgrades, then skip the processor upgrade.

- Also, even though this isn't an issue in your configuration, just to make sure you know: Don't upgrade to the 2GB GT 650M from the 1GB GT 650M. 1GB of memory does not tend to be a bottleneck for gaming on this level of GPU, so you'll see essentially no benefit from paying $100 to get the 2GB version of the same GPU.

-----------------------

Regarding the ASUS G55VW-DS71 you're considering: This really isn't a laptop I recommend in the general case, and for two reasons:
- You can easily meet or beat its performance for less cost. The GTX 660M is actually on the lower side for a $1499 laptop intended for higher-end gaming.
- It's heavy and bulky. Very much so. Despite only being a 15.6" laptop, it's heavier and thicker than the majority of 17.3" laptops.

It's fine, but I would generally recommend considering other models first.

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Consider these instead, which beat the game performance of the G55VW-DS71 for less cost.

Sager NP9150 (i7-3610QM, NVIDIA GTX 675M, 15.6" 1920x1080 glossy display) - $1250 no tax
- http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np9150-clevo-p150em-p-4341.html?wconfigure=yes
- Take note of the GPU options, get the free 675M upgrade at least, and note that the stock GTX 670M is available in the cheaper NP9130. Also keep in mind that you cannot disable Enduro on the 7970M in this laptop, so you should probably avoid the 7970M.
- Recommended: Matte display option.
- Downgrade the memory to 8GB 1333MHz, unless you have a particular need for 1600MHz memory.
- Add enough upgrades to bring the cost to $1350, then apply the $100-off-$1350 discount.
- Note: comes with a colored backlit keyboard unlike the NP9130.
- 17.3" version: http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np9170-gaming-laptop-clevo-p170em-p-4342.html?wconfigure=yes

Sager NP9130 (i7-3610QM, NVIDIA GTX 670M, 15.6" 1920x1080 matte display) - $1114 no tax
- http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np9130-clevo-p151em1-p-4340.html?wconfigure=yes
- Select Windows 7 under Operating System if you cannot acquire your own copy for cheaper.
- Downgrade the memory to 8GB 1333MHz, unless you have a particular need for one of the higher memory options.

-----------------------

Or these, which offer comparable game performance to that of the M14x and G55VW.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y580 (i7-3630QM, NVIDIA GTX 660M, 15.6" 1920x1080 glossy display) - $939 + tax
- Sign up and sign in here: http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrar...ovo:EnterStdAffinity?affinity=barnesnoblegold (Barnes and Noble Gold discount page)
- http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrar...nfigureMtmAsItem?mtm-item=:000001C9:0000717E: (500GB 7200RPM) - $939 + tax
- http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrar...nfigureMtmAsItem?mtm-item=:000001C9:0000717D: (1TB 5400RPM + 32GB SSD) - $1029 + tax
- Click the green "Activate eCoupon" button in the cart.
- These models come with the 1920x1080 display. There are other models that come instead with a 1366x768 display, but those models are not recommended unless you need the larger text. 1366x768 resolution in a 15.6" display makes things onscreen large, and 15.6" displays that have 1366x768 resolution tend to have very poor image quality due to low contrast.
- Note: the NVIDIA GTX 660M is not significantly faster than a NVIDIA GT 650M.

MSI GE60 (i7-3610QM, NVIDIA GT 650M, 15.6" 1920x1080 matte display) - $939 no tax
- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152339
- http://www.amazon.com/MSI-GE60-0NC-...=UTF8&qid=1346102799&sr=8-1&keywords=msi+ge60

Sager NP6165 (i5-3210M, NVIDIA GT 650M, 15.6" 1920x1080 glossy display) - $920 no tax
- http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np6165-clevo-w150er-p-4344.html?wconfigure=yes
- Select Windows 7 under Operating System if you cannot acquire your own copy for cheaper.
- 17.3" version: http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np6175-clevo-w170er-p-4345.html?wconfigure=yes

Sager NP6350 (i5-3210M, NVIDIA GTX 660M, 15.6" 1920x1080 glossy display) - $999 no tax
- http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np6350-clevo-w350etq-ships-midseptember-p-4897.html?wconfigure=yes
- Select Windows 7 under Operating System if you cannot acquire your own copy for cheaper.
- Recommended: Matte display upgrade.
- Note: the NVIDIA GTX 660M is not significantly faster than a NVIDIA GT 650M. But there are other differences between the NP6165 and NP6350.
- 17.3" version: http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np6370-clevo-w370et-p-4796.html?wconfigure=yes
 
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