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    Looking to buy a 17r2, few questions before i buy it

    Discussion in '2015+ Alienware 13 / 15 / 17' started by Ian_92, Apr 18, 2015.

  1. Ian_92

    Ian_92 Notebook Guru

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    Hi!

    I'm currently using an M17Xr2, and it's nearing replacement time, the screen doesn't work anymore and the CPU is getting old for new games (I can't run GTAV properly, and I'm getting slowdown in other games that I like) So I'm looking at buying a 17R2

    I contacted a Dell rep through the chat and he offered me a nice 220$ discount on the machine that I built, but before i go through with it I had a few questions.

    1. I picked the 4710HQ over the 4980, due to the 750$ price difference. I'd like to keep that computer for gaming for the next 4 years or so, is the 4710 sufficient? The 4980 doesn't seem worth the price.

    2. Dell let's you pick between a 7200rpm harddrive or a 5400rpm with no cost difference, isn't the 7200rpm simply better in all aspects?

    3. They also offer SSDs for boot, other than boot times, what advantage do you get from a small-ish SSD like a 128gb one? How much room would be left after the OS?

    4. Will my 240W PSU from my M17XR2 work in the event that dell would refuse to replace the 180W?

    Here are the specs that I had picked, for reference:

    17R2, 980M, 4710Hq, 128gb SSD Boot + 1TB 7200rpm, 16Gb Ram, Anti-Glare display.

    The price is 2,449.99 + Tax (In CAD) but the rep gave me a quote for 2,514.24 Tax included.


    Thanks in advance.
     
    Ian_92, Apr 18, 2015
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  2. xMAXIMUSx

    xMAXIMUSx Notebook Consultant

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    I paid 24ish for that unit but with the 49080hq and external rom drive
     
    xMAXIMUSx, Apr 18, 2015
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  3. Ian_92

    Ian_92 Notebook Guru

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    In USD or CAD?
     
    Ian_92, Apr 19, 2015
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  4. xMAXIMUSx

    xMAXIMUSx Notebook Consultant

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    CAD sorry with only 8gb of ram tho
     
    xMAXIMUSx, Apr 19, 2015
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  5. Ian_92

    Ian_92 Notebook Guru

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    Did you have any special deal? I don't understand how you got the 4980HQ for that cheap. It's what it costs in the US.
     
    Ian_92, Apr 19, 2015
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  6. xMAXIMUSx

    xMAXIMUSx Notebook Consultant

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    *****ing, complaining. I upgraded the deal that had 300 off. added a 150 coupon, and it took 2 months before i got my unit. I'm a terrible customer.

    1. Purchase Price of Dell Products: $2,401.18
    2. GST/HST: $120.06
    4. Borrowed Amount (1+2+3): $2,521.24
     
    xMAXIMUSx, Apr 19, 2015
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  7. Ian_92

    Ian_92 Notebook Guru

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    Huh, 5% sales tax sure helps. What did you base your complaining on? Did you have problems and they gave you an upgrade or you wet in strong right off the bat?
     
    Ian_92, Apr 19, 2015
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  8. xMAXIMUSx

    xMAXIMUSx Notebook Consultant

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    The sales team and all their screw ups, putting together the wrong systems 3x, and i am a terrible customer .
     
    xMAXIMUSx, Apr 19, 2015
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  9. Ian_92

    Ian_92 Notebook Guru

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    Cool, do you have any answers to my other questions?
     
    Ian_92, Apr 19, 2015
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  10. xMAXIMUSx

    xMAXIMUSx Notebook Consultant

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    2. 7200rpm spins faster :vbthumbsup:
    3. ssd is way faster then a standard hdd, 90+gb left over give or take
    4. you can try to get the 240v from [email protected] very helpful, but your old one should work just fine that you have. Probably the same model.(Please confirm)
     
    Last edited: Apr 19, 2015
    xMAXIMUSx, Apr 19, 2015
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  11. Ian_92

    Ian_92 Notebook Guru

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    Anyone has any more info I should know regarding the 4710 vs 4980?
     
    Ian_92, Apr 19, 2015
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  12. bnosam

    bnosam Notebook Evangelist

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    You will save more money buying RAM and an SSD from a third party then putting it in the computer.

    The Dell indian call centre employees are by far the most unprofessional, stupid and untrained group of morons ever, so you can argue with them and get a good deal if you keep trying.
     
    bnosam, Apr 20, 2015
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  13. Ian_92

    Ian_92 Notebook Guru

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    Any specific model/brand I should look at for 3rd party Ram and SSD
     
    Ian_92, Apr 20, 2015
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  14. Ian_92

    Ian_92 Notebook Guru

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    Oh well.. ordered it after I got a decent deal. I took the 8gb afterall. Now to get that 240W PSU....
     
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2015
    Ian_92, Apr 21, 2015
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  15. Onetwo345

    Onetwo345 Notebook Geek

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    Hi I'm also considering buying a 17, I know it's cheaper to buy RAM and SSD from a third party, but how much so? If I'm spending just over £2000 on a 17 with a 256gb SSD and 16gb RAM, will it be worth knocking a couple of hundred off the price to buy my own parts later?
     
    Onetwo345, Apr 23, 2015
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  16. Ian_92

    Ian_92 Notebook Guru

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    If you get 8gb of Ram, you get 2x4gb, if you get 16gb, you get 2x8gb.

    The option on the dell website to go from 8 to 16 adds 250$ CAD to your order. If you buy Ram on sites like Tigerdirect.ca it costs about 150$ so you save 100$ (CAD). Plus you get to keep/sell 2x4gb.

    Additionally, if you want this machine for gaming, most games won't take advantage of 16gb of ram vs 8gb of ram. By the time you feel like 8gb of ram is too little, buying 16gb will cost even less.

    Regarding the SSD, I got the 128gb from dell itself because it was only 150$ and a 128gb SSD runs about 90-100. I felt the extra 50$ was worth the hassle of having to reinstall the OS on the SSD, if you want a bigger SSD, it's probably worth it to go third party.
     
    Ian_92, Apr 24, 2015
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  17. Onetwo345

    Onetwo345 Notebook Geek

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    I'll probably get my own RAM online then. Reinstalling the OS seems a bit problematic to me too, so I'll probably get the SSD from Dell also. Will most likely end up buying another one to replace the HDD at some point
     
    Onetwo345, Apr 24, 2015
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