Need Help picking a new laptop.

[Dreadnaught013]

Ok, so this is where im at. My alienware is realllllllllyyyyyyy starting to annoy me. I spent close to 3k on this thing and it can barely run BF3 and do my everyday work, homework, etc. With this being said i'm going to be getting rid of it and replace it with one of the two below.

http://detonator.dynamitedata.com/c...com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230099http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=637425&CatId=4938

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834230099


My problem is this:

Is 12GB ram overkill? and also on my current system i've only used about 20 % of the total memory, so im not really in need of 750GB HDD?

Any thoughts on which direction to go ?

OH and one more thing....Is there a difference between a 5400 RPM HDD and a 7200 RPM HDD? the reason i ask is because its an option to upgrade and if i'm playing a game such as Battlefield 3 will there be a difference?

 

[fralexandr]

how old is the alienware? and why can't you do everyday work/homework on it?
if it's the one from this thread it should be faster than the asus...
perhaps you should try reformatting it before buying a new notebook...
dell/alienware has a hidden partition that you can make a clean install from
(this will fix virus problems and any other age related slowdown issues)

with gaming notebooks, you might have a heat issue
you should run speedfan, coretemp or any other temperature reading program. if your temps are high:
try cleaning out your HSF, getting a notebook cooler, or maybe reseating (and applying thermal paste to; make sure not to put too much) your notebooks HSF

your 512GB raid setup is most likely the crucial m4 SSD which is why there is no RPM information
your SSDs are likely WAY faster than any HDD/raid HDD setup possible

i don't think it's a CPU problem, but you could try checking your CPU load by leaving windows task manager open, and checking to see if you ever get 100% CPU load
if you want a quadcore you can probably upgrade your alienware
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...e-questions-core-i5-core-i7-920xm-gaming.html


also don't post the same thread in 2 parts of the forum :S

 

[Ken g6]

I spent close to 3k on this thing and it can barely run BF3 and do my everyday work, homework, etc.

Sounds like first we should find out what's wrong with "this [AlienWare] thing". What are your current specs?

Is 12GB ram overkill?

Where did you see 12GB RAM? I see only 8GB on each, which is perfect.

Is there a difference between a 5400 RPM HDD and a 7200 RPM HDD?

In access and read time, generally, yes. In gaming, generally no.

 

[mfenn]

Spending mucho dinero on gaming laptops is not really a good way to keep up with the latest games. Is a desktop an option?