New Dell Inspiron 17R SE vs Alienware M17x, your views?

S

With reference to my previous thread.

SlayerAndy said:
1) What is your budget? (INR or USD)
80k(+/- 20k)
The less the better.

2) What size & weight consideration (if any) would you prefer?
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
e. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

3) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: Dell, Asus, Samsung
b. Dislike: Sony(Shells out money)

4) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
General coding, browsing, frequent hardcore gaming etc.

5) What screen resolution(s) & type (glossy/matte) would you prefer?
1080p for 17".
1360x768 fine for small sizes.

6) Anything else you would like to say?

As it is quite clear, the laptops which I would have preferred have been taken down by the companies.
Dell XPS 15/17 and HP envy 17 3D would have been my first choice, and then comes XPS 15z and rest. But, as lucky as I am, all of the models have been discontinued.
Envy 15 and 14 replacing 17, and Inspiron Special Edition replacing XPS for undetermined amount of time. Tbh, Inspiron doesn't really impress me, and neither do the commonly seen DV6 and smaller screen versions of Envy, so I'll like to stay away from them.

If anyone knows about these models, could they please inform about their expected release in India and the costs?

Lenovo IdeaPad Y580-Lenovo IdeaPad Y580
Asus G55VW-Asus G55VW
Samsung 7 series-Samsung 7 series

All the help is appreciated. Thank you.

1 of my friend is visiting USA this month. Thinking about getting a laptop from him. As mentioned above, my budget is about 80k +/-20k. So now, I think this laptop here is satisfying my needs.
The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

The cost is about 1100$, that makes it approximately 63k.

Now, Alienware M17x R4 is 1499$, and has 900p display and GTX660 I think.

My main questions, which is better GT650M or GTX660? Is it worth spending the 300$ for Alienware logo and AlienFX and getting the GTX?

Above all, the Inspiron 17R SE also has a 32GB mSATA SSD w/ Intel Smart Response, if you didn't notice. What can it be used for? And what does mSATA caching SSD mean?

The problem is the battery I think? The Inspiron being 6 cell and Alienware being 9 cell. Is that a noticable difference? As, I won't be gaming when I'm outdoors. Only would be gaming at home. How much time would 17R battery stand when casual browsing?

Inspiron 17R SE has Skullcandy Speakers with WaveMaxx 4.0.

Any take on Skullcandy Speakers on Inspiron vs Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di High-Definition 5.1 on Alienware?

Are there any other laptops which I could go for?

Thank you.

P.S. If any of the mods could please close my previous thread. Sorry for the inconvenience.

As you say you'll be into "frequent hardcore gaming", better to go for the Alienware. The GTX is indeed better, you can check out the specs on NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M - Notebookcheck.net Tech

And you needn't worry much about the battery, I guess, as both of them will run out soon if you game, and you'll anyway only be playing them when connected to the socket.

The SSD drive in the 17 R SE would mainly be for loading the OS and certain other applications, and this can significantly decrease your boot up times, as SSD drives are known to boot within half a minute.

As regards display, the 1080p screen is quite a PITA if you browse the internet, but for gaming it's brilliant. But the thing is, whether the 650M is enough to handle most games at the FHD resolution and high settings, so you'll probably end up reducing the resolution in the Inspiron for optimal gaming performance. This in effect cancels any advantage FHD has towards gaming, and it's more or less the same between the two machines. That being said, watching movies and the like will be quite an experience, with the 17" FHD screen.

But one thing. Where are you getting the M17x R4 at such a rate? Please verify your source

As most the sites which I've gone through, it's the smaller alienwares that retail at this price point, with the larger ones almost always being 2.5k $ or above.

*www.trustedreviews.com/dell-inspiron-17r-special-edition_Laptop_review

S

"Now, Alienware M17x R4 is 1499$, and has 900p display and GTX660 I think."

So, if I'm getting Alienware, I won't be able to play games in 1080p. I can add the 1080p screen for 150$ tho. And I'll have to add 125$ for 750GB + 32GB mSATA Caching SSD.
The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

But considering the two models, Inspiron being 650M, Full HD screen, and 1TB+32GB SSD costs 1099$. And Alienware M17X having GTX 660M, full HD screen, and 750GB+32GB SSD costs 1499$+150$+125$=1774$.

Is, the difference of 675$ which is approximately 40k worth spending for the GTX 660M?

And another question, both the cards are 3D ready right? Can you recommend me some 3D monitors available in market under 15k? Except LG please?

other than specs, Alienware ask a premium just for brand name. But one more thing about alienware is the cooling. Still 40k just for 660 (mainly its about the GPU) is a bit too high.

And you may save a bit by getting a SSD from outside and installing it yourself. 32GB won't be sufficient and remember less size = less performance in case of SSD.

S

^Thanks alot. Don't really wan't to spend 40k for the Alien symbol. Would assemble a new rig in the spare. And could get 3D monitor.

Now I need an answer for this.

And another question, both the cards are 3D ready right? Can you recommend me some 3D monitors available in market under 15k? Except LG please?