Alienware m15x - Laptop Advice

[zingaliam]

Hi everyone!

I am considering buying a laptop for the purpose of gaming and general use. My parents have agreed to pay half of the total cost, so i am looking at buying a $1000 laptop.

Could you recommend any other laptops for $1000 that would be suitable for gaming, i understand there is better deals i don't know about! However i live in New Zealand so shipping costs must be considered, although i'm open to all brands and sites!

My favourite so far is the alienware m15x, although its old it would suit my purpose well and looks good.
It costs $1000, and has the following specs:

Intel core i7-720QM (1.6GHz, turbo up to 2.8GHz, 6MB L3)

1GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260m

4GB Dual-channel 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2 x 2GB)

15.6" Full HD (1080p) WLED (1920x1080) Display with TrueLife.

750GB SATA Hard Drive (installed july last year)

Display port to HDMI adapter. IDT 92HD83 HD 5.1 Surround Sound Audio

Can any of you tell me if this is a good deal? Is the graphics card strong enough to play modern games? Would upgrading the graphics card make much difference, and what one should i choose?

Also, would it be more beneficial to spend an extra $300 to get the alienware m14x with the following specs:

CPU: intel core i7-2720QM Quad core @ 2.2GHz.

Ram: 6.00Gb

Graphics Card: Nvidia GT555m 3GB DDR3

Screen: 1600x900p resolution LCD screen.

Sound: built-in 2.1 speaker configuration with audio powered by Klipsch®.

Weighs 3.2 kg.

Power: High Capacity 8-cell Lithium Ion (63whr)

Optical Drive: 8x SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Slot load optical drive

Camera: 2.0 Megapixel HD Video and Picture Camera with dual digital microphones

External Chassis Connections
(1x) RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet
(2x) SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Ports
(1x) Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Port with PowerShare Technology
(1x) Mini-Display Port
(1x) HDMI 1.4 Audio and Video Output
(1x) VGA Port
(1x) 9-in-1 Media Card Reader
(2x) Audio Out 1/8" Ports
(1x) Audio In / Microphone 1/8" Port (retaskable for 5.1 audio)
(1x) Security Lock port

Finally, could you recommend any other laptops for $1000 that would be suitable for gaming, i understand there is better deals i don't know about! Thanks!

 

[mouse24]

Neither of those are very good, specially not for 1 grand... Neither are these but it seems to be laptops are just generally very expensive performance/dollar wise.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152293
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834158219

And yeah those go over your budget by quite a bit but its just something to think about.

My main qualm against those laptops you chose is the GPU is pretty meh.

 

[zingaliam]

Thanks for the reply, those laptops look nice. Does anyone know of any others that would suit. And would it be worth upgrading the alienware GPU, as i understand it cannot be upgraded very far.

 

[zingaliam]

What about an Asus G53SX-NH71 for $1199?

•Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
•Display: 15.6-inch Full HD display (1920 x 1080)
•Processor: 2nd generation Intel Core i7-2670QM quad-core processor (2.2 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz)
•Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M 2GB GDDR5 VRAM
•WLAN: 802.11 b/g/n (@ 2.4GHz), Bluetooth v3.0
•LAN: 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
•Memory: 8GB DDR3 SDRAM, 4 x SODIMM Sockets (up to 16GB)
•Storage: 500GB 7200RPM hard drive
•Optical Drive: DL DVD±RW/CD-RW
•Camera: 2.0 megapixel
•Speakers: Stereo speakers with EAX 5.0 sound
•Microphone: Digital Array Microphone
•Card Reader: 4-in-1 card reader (MMC/SD/MS/MS Pro)
•Input / Output: 1 x Mic-in, 1 x Headphone-out, 1 x VGA port/Mini D-Sub 15-pin for external monitor, 3 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x USB 3.0 port, 1 x Gigabit LAN, 1 x HDMI
•Battery: 8 cell
•Dimensions: 15.6 x 11.7x0.8~2–inches (W x D x H)
•Weight: 8.7lbs (with 8 cell battery)
•Color: Black

Or an ASUS G53SX-XT1 for $895

Processor CPU:

Intel Quad-Core i7-2630QM 2.0GHz

System Memory:

8GB DDR3

Hard Drive:

640GB (5400RPM)

Optical Drive:

Blu-Ray Player with DVD+/-RW

Display Size:

15.6" (1920x1080)

Display Type

Full HD LED Backlight

Graphic Card:

Nvidia GTX 560M 2GB dedicated Video memory

Wireless Card:

802.11 b/g/n

Bluetooth:

YES

Network Features:

10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet

Webcam:

Input Devices

Yes

Backlit Keyboard

Audio Speakers:

Built-in speakers, EAX Advanced HD 5.0

Ports And Connectors:

(1)USB 3.0 port - (3) USB 2.0 - VGA - (1)HDMI - (1) Headphone jack - (1)Microphone jack

Media Card Slot:

5-in-1 card reader

Battery Type

8-cell Li-ion Battery

Opinions?

 

[ivesibiza]

Hi.
Ive owned an Alienware M15x from mid 2010.Since then I've gotten quite into "Lord of the rings online". Haven't had any problems with the game so far.I don't even know any of my friends using laptops with all the settings on ultra high!(And I'm using wireless instead of hardline!).
On the downside it's not a laptop that you would want to carry around all the time.
But it's only just now that I want to upgrade the graphics card.Just to see what it looks like.