Alienware's M17x: Mobility Radeon HD 5870 CrossFire Is A Go

[unclewebb]

You can also buy a very nice mini-van for less than half the price of a Corvette. Both of them can be used to go to the store and buy some groceries but when you take them both to the track, the mini-van is not going to be able to deliver anywhere near the same level of performance.

That comparison is about as relevant as comparing a 740QM with a 920XM. Anyone that claims that these are about the same has never actually used them. When both are fully loaded, a 740QM is designed to give you zero turbo boost and will be running at the default multiplier which is 13. The 920XM in an Alienware can deliver full turbo boost and can use a 24 multiplier on all 4 cores simultaneously for an 85% boost in CPU performance. How is that about the same?

Once you take two seconds to increase the turbo multipliers and turbo TDP/TDC values, neither of which you can do with a Core i7-740QM, the performance difference between these two CPUs at full load can exceed 100%. This is Intel's first Extreme processor that truly is extreme when compared to similar Quad core models like the i7-720QM / i7-740QM / i7-820QM / i7-840QM.

If you buy this laptop for any sort of professional work like video or 3D rendering, this incredible night and day difference in performance is going to pay for itself very quickly.

 

[COLGeek]

You can also buy a very nice mini-van for less than half the price of a Corvette. Both of them can be used to go to the store and buy some groceries but when you take them both to the track, the mini-van is not going to be able to deliver anywhere near the same level of performance.

That comparison is about as relevant as comparing a 740QM with a 920XM. Anyone that claims that these are about the same has never actually used them. When both are fully loaded, a 740QM is designed to give you zero turbo boost and will be running at the default multiplier which is 13. The 920XM in an Alienware can deliver full turbo boost and can use a 24 multiplier on all 4 cores simultaneously for an 85% boost in CPU performance. How is that about the same?

Once you take two seconds to increase the turbo multipliers and turbo TDP/TDC values, neither of which you can do with a Core i7-740QM, the performance difference between these two CPUs at full load can exceed 100%. This is Intel's first Extreme processor that truly is extreme when compared to similar Quad core models like the i7-720QM / i7-740QM / i7-820QM / i7-840QM.

If you buy this laptop for any sort of professional work like video or 3D rendering, this incredible night and day difference in performance is going to pay for itself very quickly.

There is no doubt that the 920XM will run circles around the 740QM at the top levels of performance. The issue is that the cost is extravagant for a computer when you can buy a significant amount of the Alienware's performance for a significantly lower price in a lesser platform. Not a slight to the Alienware, but not many can afford a $4k notebook.

Going back to your Corvette vs. mini-van comparison. Yes, the Corvette wins at the track, but the mini-van wins when you go to the store by all measure (except coolness)!

If you can afford it, buy and enjoy it. If you can't afford, go with something else. Its all good!

 

[scook9]

You do not have to spend $4k on it.....that is just the configuration they have here. For gaming purposes, you can get a very good performer for $2500

 

[WarraWarra]

Wow it only took the how many "Dell ages" to catch up.

Too little too late. 3 Months before the mobile HD6*** models comes out.

 

[5150 joker]

[citation][nom]WarraWarra[/nom]Wow it only took the how many "Dell ages" to catch up.Too little too late. 3 Months before the mobile HD6*** models comes out.[/citation]

The M17x has been around for a year. Dell has been leading the pack for quite a long time. This is currently the second leading iteration of the M17x (M17x-R2). It's just review sites hadn't looked over the system.

 

[5150 joker]

[citation][nom]unclewebb[/nom]You can also buy a very nice mini-van for less than half the price of a Corvette. Both of them can be used to go to the store and buy some groceries but when you take them both to the track, the mini-van is not going to be able to deliver anywhere near the same level of performance.That comparison is about as relevant as comparing a 740QM with a 920XM. Anyone that claims that these are about the same has never actually used them. When both are fully loaded, a 740QM is designed to give you zero turbo boost and will be running at the default multiplier which is 13. The 920XM in an Alienware can deliver full turbo boost and can use a 24 multiplier on all 4 cores simultaneously for an 85% boost in CPU performance. How is that about the same?Once you take two seconds to increase the turbo multipliers and turbo TDP/TDC values, neither of which you can do with a Core i7-740QM, the performance difference between these two CPUs at full load can exceed 100%. This is Intel's first Extreme processor that truly is extreme when compared to similar Quad core models like the i7-720QM / i7-740QM / i7-820QM / i7-840QM.If you buy this laptop for any sort of professional work like video or 3D rendering, this incredible night and day difference in performance is going to pay for itself very quickly.[/citation]


Great post. This guy knows what he's talking about, he wrote the Throttlestop program that unlocks the 920x/940xm processors multiplier and TDP on an Alienware and other systems.

Keep in mind, buyers are NOT required to spend $4000 on an Alienware. Unlike many other brands, Alienware allows you to pick which processor you want ranging from an i5 540m to an i7 940xm as well as the color the system, name plate etching, LCD configuration, memory configuration, cd/dvd/blur ray writer/reader etc. The choice is up to the customer on what options they want.

 

[rippeer]

[citation][nom]scook9[/nom]You do not have to spend $4k on it.....that is just the configuration they have here. For gaming purposes, you can get a very good performer for $2500[/citation]
So why hate on the people that can afford the corvette, look I think we'd all really prefer the corvette if we could. So accepet that alienware/corvette is fanatastic and let those that chose to buy it enjoy it and stop trying to justify and pimp your mini-van

 

[scook9]

I am not trying to pump a mini-van....I have a $4k Alienware lol

I was simply pointing out that these laptops can be bought very well equipped for less than the $4k mentioned in this article

 

[rippeer]

woops sorry scook9, I quoted the wrong message, I feel the quite the fool.

 

[scook9]

No worries, done it myself many times. And seeing what you typed compared to the post before mine makes much more sense haha

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]lioncraft[/nom]I like to see a comparison to other 5870 without crossfire like Asus laptop.[/citation]
If you go back a few months in reviews you can find a Mobility 5870 vs 480m single-card review. So, you get 1x M5870 vs 1x 480m vs 2x M5870.

 

[Guest]

[citation][nom]soldier37[/nom]I always thought alienware was cool, but never would pay this price even if I won the lottery for one. I game just fine on my desktop with a quad at 4ghz, 8gb ddr3, ASUS 5870 and 2560 x 1600 res.[/citation]

I think you are missing the point a bit here. This is a "portable" computer that allows you to play the latest games at the highest resolutions. Not everyone is in the position of being able to have a desktop and for those in this category the M17x is a great choice if you want the power.

The M17x is not for everyone either. It is large, heavy and expensive but it is my money and my choice. My computer goes to work with me everyday and comes home to where ever I am staying that night and plays. I currently don't have an M17x but it is on my short list to replace my current laptop.

 

[Gekko Shadow]

Still don't like ATI. And i sure am not paying that much for one of those.Stupid Hell. I paid $600 for my M11x, with warranty. Hah! I win one Dell! xD

 

[Guest]

Call your laptop's manufacturer if it is still under warranty and problems LCD Monitor persist. Any damage you cause to your computer by trying to fix the internals of your laptop may void the warranty.