New Laptop for College - Help Please!

[d2arcturus]

Hi, I've never owned a laptop before, and a high-end laptop is a mandatory requirement for my college program this September. I've already decided to get a laptop that I can play all my games on (HL2, CS:S, WoW, BF2 on release), so I am looking at Dell's and Alienware's high end systems. I don't want to spend a fortune, keeping the price (without tax/shipping) below $2700.

After looking elseware, like Voodoo and Falcon-NW, I've determined that for the price, the Dell XPS and Alienware 7700 will give me better performance for my budget. My dilema is deciding which machine to go with, here's the specs for each, same price for both:

Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2:

17 inch UltraSharp? Wide Screen UXGA Display <--- i like the 1600x1200
Intel® Pentium® M 760 Processor (2GHz/533MHz FSB)
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz
60GB 7200rpm Hard Drive
24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive
256MB NVIDA® GeForce? Go 6800 Ultra
Intel® PRO/Wireless 2915 Internal Wireless (802.11 a/b/g, 54Mbps)

Alienware Area-51m 7700:

Area-51m 7700 Case with 17" WideSXGA+ 1680 x 1050 LCD Display with Built-in Camera
Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 540J w/ HT Technology 3.2GHz 1MB Cache
1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 533MHz - 2 x 512MB
Area-51m 7700 NVIDIA GeForce? 6800 Go with 256MB of DDR3 memory
Intel® High-Definition Audio (24-bit, 192Khz) with 7.1 surround sound (None on Dell)
60GB 7200 RPM ATA100 - Hitachi
24x10x24 CD-RW / 8X DVD Combo w/Software MPEG2 Decoder
Internal Wireless 802.11a/b/g miniPCI Card

One big question: the 7700 comes with either the NVIDIA GeForce? 6800 Go with 256MB OR ATI MOBILITY? RADEON X800 with 256MB... I've heard the 6800 is amazing, but want to make sure it's a better choice. As far as looks go, I like the 7700 better. My main concerns are the display: I am familiar with the 1600x1200 res and love it, I don't know how a wide screen looks for gaming, but willing to try it out. The Alienware has nice sound capability, great for Zalman headphones I'm getting... Other than that, they're pretty much the same, so any input on either company or machine would be appreciated, and if they come out even, I'll go with the one that gives me the best deal when it comes time to buy.

Thanks,

d2arc

 

[dartworth]

Check out Dell's 9300 too...

 

[EmperorIQ]

poll?

dell.

 

[ohnnyj]

I say Dell as well. Even though I have heard only great things about Alienware's service, I personally have had no problems with Dell. In fact, they have been very quick in getting replacement parts when needed and support when asked. And the Ultra card in that machine is simply amazing. Plus, IMHO, the Pentium M is better than the space heater that the P4 is, runs cooler and is just as fast if not faster.

 

[John]

[*]Alienware systems are overpriced.
[*]Alienware is slow to ship out your new system.
[*]Alienware support is some of the worst (and slowest) in the industry. Their depot service will usually keep your system a minimum of one month.

:thumbsdown:

 

[fbrdphreak]

I'm gonna second everyone here. But unless you LIKE wasting money, I would go with the 9300 also. Spend the extra dough on a 4-year full coverage warranty and more RAM, same tons o money and you'll love it. LaptopLogic (see sig) has just gotten a Dell 9300 w/the GeForce6800 for a full review, so stay tuned for that

 

[randumb]

The Dell...but get a 9300 instead of an XPS2

 

[bracut80]

i would say go with dell. i have a friend that bought alienware and tech support is crummy and he has had a few problems with it since day 1. YGPM

 

[darkzephyrin]

I'd go with the dell when comparing these two: As you probably noticed, the dell has a mobile processor, instead of the regular Prescott on the Alienware. If you want the battery life of more than half hour, the prescott is not your choice. Additionally, if you're playing games, more games are compatible with the 1600x1200 resolution than the 1680x1050 widescreen. I have not played games on my laptop for a while, so I could be wrong on this one.

 

[d2arcturus]

holy crap this is one sided... oh and one thing: both systems (with specs above) are $2700, but i just saw that the alienware has a $500 instant rebate, so i'm guessing there'l be a good chance that it wont be there when i'm ready to buy :Q

thanks for the help,

d2arc

 

[dementedlemur]

Dell 9300 with the $800 off $1999 coupon, good deal IMO.

 

[Connoisseur]

As far as the audio, if you want a true audio solution that can hook up to 5.1 or 7.1 speakers, you could always just buy the SB Audigy 2 PCMCIA card.

 

[blueshoe]

The XPS2 is a widescreen-- the resolution for the WUXGA is 1920x1200, not 1600x1200.

Edit: Yea, you may want look into the 9300 as well, there are some nice deals on those pretty often. I've got a 9300 myself which I'm going to take to college. Gaming on this thing is great, but getting the XPS2 will you give a lot of bragging rights, having the best gaming experience for a laptop.

 

[wisdomtooth]

to the OP:

Nobody has asked so I will: Since this laptop is for college, are you going to be lugging it around campus with you every day?

If so, NEITHER are good choices. That Dell weighs NINE pounds with a power brick. Ditto the Alienware.

I don't know about you, but when I was in college I had textbooks to carry around as well, and having a nine-pound laptop to juggle while you are loaded down with textbooks is just stupid. So if you need to carry the laptop around campus with you daily, you want a LIGHT notebook, not those DTR monsters.

HTH.

 

[Paperlantern]

he said he needs a powerful, high end notebook, most units that pack the power he requires are that big, he doesnt have a choice.

as for the choice, one comes with a p4 and the other the pentium M, go with dell, that alienware will SUCK through a battery faster then you can say "shit, my battery! you guys have a place to plug this in?"

 

[blueshoe]

Originally posted by: wisdomtooth
to the OP:

Nobody has asked so I will: Since this laptop is for college, are you going to be lugging it around campus with you every day?

If so, NEITHER are good choices. That Dell weighs NINE pounds with a power brick. Ditto the Alienware.

I don't know about you, but when I was in college I had textbooks to carry around as well, and having a nine-pound laptop to juggle while you are loaded down with textbooks is just stupid. So if you need to carry the laptop around campus with you daily, you want a LIGHT notebook, not those DTR monsters.

HTH.

I thought of this when I was getting my 9300. I want to carry it around campus, but becuase I'm not going to bring my desktop I also wanted something to play games with... Such a hard decision of what to do... but I couldn't resist. Does anyone here that goes to college actually have a 17 incher to lug around?

 

[wisdomtooth]

Originally posted by: Paperlantern
he said he needs a powerful, high end notebook, most units that pack the power he requires are that big, he doesnt have a choice.

Probably the chief reason why I think he is looking at those DTR monsters is because he wants to game. I doubt he will be needing a laptop with a 17" widescreen LCD or a mobile gaming video card for school stuff. He probably won't have much time to game anyway.

Just go with a lightweight laptop that can run the apps his school requires if around-campus portability is important. Lugging a 9-pound laptop with all the accessories PLUS your textbooks and paper notebooks is going to get irksome after just the first day. Take it from someone who has been there, done that, and got the T-shirt.

 

[Trevelyan]

I would agree with wisdomtooth. having an ultra portable laptop is sweet because you can take it everywhere with you and it doesn't become a hassle.

 

[Paperlantern]

i'm thinking you guys didnt read his first post in this thread... he said, quote "and a high-end laptop is a mandatory requirement for my college program this September"

although he did mention games after that sentence, he still said mandatory FOR THE PROGRAM... maybe hes taking some graphic arts class, or 3d design or something and needs some horsepower, you dont know, dont assume its just for gaming, maybe thats just a perk for him

 

[wisdomtooth]

Well, the OP's actual words are:

"I've already decided to get a laptop that I can play all my games on (HL2, CS:S, WoW, BF2 on release), so I am looking at Dell's and Alienware's high end systems."

Sounds like gaming was one of (if not the) primary reason why he was leaning towards a DTR.

It might also help if the OP posted exactly what his program requires. We are not telepathic, you know. :laugh:

Nonetheless, the graphics arts majors I've known while in college did not lug around DTRs with them. They did the smart thing and have reasonably powerful rigs in their dorm rooms with space-saving LCD monitors, along with their graphics input pads and all those additional gear which you really can't lug around with a DTR anyway. They also didn't have enough time to game, but I'd imagine a dorm rig would kick a DTR's ass at gaming too since they can take more powerful vid cards.

 

[Net]

I hear good things about these...

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=34-149-008&depa=0

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=34-149-008&depa=0

and for added speed I would look into getting a 7200 rpm hard drive for it.

 

[Paperlantern]

yes, and the bolded line that you posted, was preceeded by the line about being mandatory for a college program, so it could go either way really

 

[skiingliberal]

Give me a break, you don't need a geforce 6800 for graphic arts. and if your spending more time gaming by yourself in your dormroom instead of hanging out with friends and playing console games/ consuming heinous amounts of alcohol, you should really look into getting out more.

If I were you I would wait for something with a go 6600, 1 or two gigs ram and a higher end P-M, you will get more battery life, have less weight, and be able to play your games just fine. Plus, do you know how small some of those classrooms desks are? put one of those behemoths on those and accidently knock it over (which is very, very easy, I've seen it happen quite a few times), and good bye $2700, good luck making your parents buy you another.

 

[dartworth]

Originally posted by: skiingliberal
Give me a break, you don't need a geforce 6800 for graphic arts. and if your spending more time gaming by yourself in your dormroom instead of hanging out with friends and playing console games/ consuming heinous amounts of alcohol, you should really look into getting out more.

If I were you I would wait for something with a go 6600, 1 or two gigs ram and a higher end P-M, you will get more battery life, have less weight, and be able to play your games just fine. Plus, do you know how small some of those classrooms desks are? put one of those behemoths on those and accidently knock it over (which is very, very easy, I've seen it happen quite a few times), and good bye $2700, good luck making your parents buy you another.

Very good points...the 6800 dose add a lot to the resale value of the laptop however...

 

[Ethan2099]

Originally posted by: dartworth

Originally posted by: skiingliberal
Give me a break, you don't need a geforce 6800 for graphic arts. and if your spending more time gaming by yourself in your dormroom instead of hanging out with friends and playing console games/ consuming heinous amounts of alcohol, you should really look into getting out more.

If I were you I would wait for something with a go 6600, 1 or two gigs ram and a higher end P-M, you will get more battery life, have less weight, and be able to play your games just fine. Plus, do you know how small some of those classrooms desks are? put one of those behemoths on those and accidently knock it over (which is very, very easy, I've seen it happen quite a few times), and good bye $2700, good luck making your parents buy you another.

Very good points...the 6800 dose add a lot to the resale value of the laptop however...

That's what completecare is for.