Something interesting going on? Alienware m17 r5?

[Ben Stuart]

Reading between the lines, I've been looking at buying a new laptop for a while but have put it off since hearing about haswell. Then last week i read about the Nvidia 700 series being announced.

Now for the interesting part. Just been looking on alienware's website, and noticed the standard price for the m17x has risen. I went into the specs and i have noticed they have dropped ATI as a graphics card provider, along with dropping some processor options, ram options and even (most interestingly) a screen option. Does this mean they are coming to the end of their component shelf? Are they selling off the last of stock, ready for a revision of the m17x?

Thoughts?

 

[tereu5]

If you had a look there for the last couple of months you would see same think....those prices go up and down. Screen options also comes and goes . Maybe you are right but I would not be over exited just yet There are 2 months ish until Intell releases new CPU's and god knows about next GPU as the current "new" line its just a refresher - same chip slightly diff. clocks same architecture ..

 

[Adsta]

tbh I've been looking at getting a new laptop. My Samsung G700A while still performing amazingly I'm getting the urge to upgrade (that urge is prob coming from my desktop days when I could just buy a new gfx card and be content). I was looking at getting an Alienware but I'm just going to wait until the next gen of CPU's and GPU's are in.

It's either that or go back to desktop again. But I do prefer having a laptop, suits my current suitation more when going to and fro from the UK to Brussels. I can carry my laptop set it up at home (Brussels or UK side) and I can still play games etc.. Desktop would not enable me to do this.

 

[iv-tecman]

Agree with Adsta, since going to a gaming laptop the whole portability has been a huge plus. I had the G700a gamer, and sold it to buy an Alienware M17x, pretty much the quickest laptop I could get at the time last November, without going SLI.

Don’t regret my purchase, runs everything I throw at it like a charm. I just couldn’t go back to a desktop, it’s so handy to get the laptop out, open the screen and wake from sleep mode, fire up steam and run a game from anywhere, even in a hotel room.

The added bonus I can use a PS3 with the HDMI IN port. Laptop GPU’s can only get quicker, but for now the M17x R4 and the M18x R2 are about as close to having a portable gaming rig as you’ll get, so the M17x R5 when it arrives will for sure be another stunning portable gaming rig.

If I was in the market today and still had the G700a and I had a small inkling the R5 was around the corner I’d wait, as upgrading laptops is about the only drawback of using them. It’s much easier to update a GPU in a desktop then a laptop, but then the M17x R4 has MXM GPU slot. So it is possible, you can upgrade the CPU, GPU, HD’s and Memory in an M17x R4 but its getting the parts, and when you do find them they are expensive. Apart from Memory and HD which are easier though.

I would say the GPU that fits into a R5 when released could potentially fit into a R4, I know folks have put R4 GPU’s into the R3, the cooling does work effectively enough to do this from what I’ve read for the R3. The R4 does have a very good and effective cooling system, so maybe the R4 could accept the next gen of mobile GPU in MXM format once its here.