Hi all - I have been browsing these forums for the last month trying to make a decision on my next laptop. Last time I was on these forums was probably about five years ago when I ended up buying a Dell XPS M1710. The old XPS is on its last legs and its time to get something again and I remember these forums being very helpful especially since I am not that tech savvy so thanks in advance and sorry for the long post. Here goes....
What I want to do:
Gaming (Civ5, D3, SC2), browsing web, might be doing some graphics Corel 11 down the road. I don't really like flashy as I like to use laptop in a business setting, but I do really like being able to see the keyboard at night. I have come to dislike the enormity of my 17" XPS so this next laptop needs to be more portable. That is what initially led me to Alienware - I was looking at the M11x. That seems to have too many problems (hinges, Optimus funkiness, not future proof), plus I don't think I'd dig something that small. So then i was getting myself pretty set on the M15x, when i started to look around and get educated. In brief, my sense was:
Asus - too hot
HP/Lenovo - too lame
Sager - good, maybe a bit bland
the only thing that has come close, and actually seems like it might be better is the MSI GX660. I spec'd one out at Xotic PC for $1600:
- 15.6 FHD 16:9 LED Backlit Wide screen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare Type Screen
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- - Intel Core i7-740QM, 1.73-2.93GHz, (45nm, 6MB L3 cache) - Standard
- Stock OEM Thermal Compound
- ATI Mobility Radeon HD5870 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11
- No Video Adapter
- - 6,144MB (6GB) DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Memory (2GBx3)
- Standard Finish
- - 4X Blu-Ray Reader / 8X DVDRW/CDRW Super Multi Combo Drive - Standard
- - 320GB 7200RPM WD or Seagate (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) - Standard
- - 320GB 7200RPM WD or Seagate (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) - Standard
- Internal 4-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card
that compares to a M15x for $2300:
Processor: Intel Core i7 740QM Quad Core Processor, 1.73GHz (2.93GHz Turbo Mode, 6M Cache 740QM
Operating System: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Video Card: GDDR5 ATI Radeon Mobility HD AT5850
LCD Display: 15.6-inch WideFHD 1920x1080 (1080p) WLED
Memory: 6GB Memory (1x 2GB, 1x 4GB DDR3)
Hard Drive: 640GB 7,200RPM SATA-II HDD
Optical Drives: Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-
Primary Battery: Primary - 9-cell (85Watt) Lithium-Ion Battery
From what I can tell, the MSI has a slightly better graphics card, better warranty, better sound system (got that from listening to the YouTube review) and most importantly is a whopping $700 cheaper. It has some cool hotkeys too - like being able to turn off the windows key or turning on the super fan. The m15x looks better too me, and it kills me that they made the MSI with these funky lights but left off the backlit keyboard. But I think I am leaning heavily to the MSI but curious to hear thoughts and also whether I should be looking at anything else?
Thanks again.
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