Returning to Alienware need help

Hi guys,

I have been out of the fold for a while and in the desktop world. However times have changed and what I need has changed.

In the UK we get a limited run of systems my options are

15" 7820k, 1070, displays either 1080p with G-sysnc / 1080p 120hz Gsync TN WVA
15" 7700hq, 1070, displays either 1080p without gsync / UHD IGZO without gsync

17" 7820hk, 1080, displays either 1080p with G-sysnc / QHD 120hz TN WVA gsync

The things to consider:
This will be my only machine. It must do everything. Films, music, work (excel and word), gaming.
I will probably pick up an iPad to go in the middle with my Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. I am currently leaving a 13" early 2015 retina Macbook pro, which to be honest I love and also leaving my desktop as space no longer allows and money no longer allows me to have everything. The device doesn't need to travel much and I sometimes game online but I prefer to play the campaigns. I play Battlefield, COD, company of hero's, Dirt rally, etc... Its a good mix. Mainly though I am on Battlefield.

What do you guys think? What should I buy. My cash for this device is not constrained but it must be a one shoe fits all type thing. I would really value your help.

My leaning is 17" 7820hk, 1080, 1080p with G-sync, simply has it has IPS.
My desktop had a 27" QHD monitor but I have never had G-sync or 120hz before.

Thank you guys

 

Get AW/Clevo based laptop from Hidevolution with everything fixed i.e repad and repaste because once you start a mod you must perfect it every now and then, which is bit of an hassle.

 

I would get neither AW 15 or 17. Despite being a little thicker The EVOC 16L-G-1080 (or Eurocom Tornado f5) it is lighter than both, has Overclockable desktop processor and full 200W 1080 GPU.Build quality is very good and gets about same battery life as AW 17. @woodzstack and @Mr. Fox can tell you more of the benefits if you are interested.

The only AW worth buying is the AW 13-OLED in my opinion. But it wouldn't be practical if tied to desk and monitor most of the time.

 

well, I'm surrounded by a few AW17's and F5's pretty much all the time. Ask away.

 

I agree with @ThatOldGuy and not because I'm an old guy... that's just a no-brainer choice right here. Wise words from a trusted source of information. Tornado F5/EVOC 16L-G-1080 destroys anything Alienware has to offer. I wouldn't touch Alienware products with a 10-foot pole, and coming from me that's something. I used to be a fanboy back when they still made awesome stuff. All they have now is disposable soldered crap with defective thermal management systems. If I have to put up with that nonsense, there's a strict $500 budget cap on turdbook acquisition.

 

Thanks guys, wise words.

Hi Mr Fox long time no speak.

I was learning back to the 15 just for the ability to move it. I will be in a position to get a desktop again in about a years time.

For now it has to be a laptop, I looked at the 13" Alienware then I thought maybe the Razer 14" Blade would be a better system as its only a FHD display and so easily to get decent frames.
Have alienware really got that bad? I used to love the tron look lights etc. The 15 was more price concious at a decent size but If its going to be totally crap I wont bother.

I would at this point consider the OLED 13 can I set it to game at 1080p? I like games that look stunning so I don't want to compromise to much on settings. I do use my laptop a lot in bed which is a big factor in what I use it for. The 15" display was obviously just bigger so better experience for gaming and for watching TV plus 99whr battery.

The EVOC and stuff is hard to get hold of in the UK

 

Yes the 1440p OLED panel scales fine in games. Frankly you can play any game you mentioned in first post @ 1440p ULTRA no problem at 60 FPS or above with GTX 1060

 

That sounds good to me.

I got it down to two machines:

15" 1080 IPS gsync 7820hk, 1070.

13" OLED, 7700hq, 1060.

I did consider just getting the 13" with simply the 1080p display as wasn't sure if I need OLED vs just a 1080p IPS and save some money. The 13 doesn't come with gsync in any variant though?
I thought later on down the line when I have more space I can add a graphics amp and save money on buying a whole desktop

Also I did consider the razer Blade 14" but it does seem to come in a little slower than the Alienware. Battery life mattered to me as did general usage but I think this was simply because it looked like my current macbook pro and a 1inch advantage ove the 13" AW.

 

Right price:

13" 1080p, 7700hq, 256gb, 16gb, 1060 £1727 . with offers . £1627 diff 0
13" OLED, 7700hq, 256gb, 16gb, 1060 . £1849 £1749 £122
15" 1080p Gsync 7700hq, 256gb, 16gb 1070 £1867 £1767 £18
15" 1080p Gysnc 7820HK 256gb, 16gb 1070 £2097 £1847 £80

As you can see the systems do have minimal price diffferences with the offers involved it becomes even more tricker.

so is the 1070 with more with the larger screen? do I need a 7820hk over a 7700hq. is the 13" OLED simply the way forward for today.

I have today to decide before one of the offers stops.

 

Don't pay full price. google around for coupon codes; or haggle with sales support. You should be able to get 12-18% off if you say you have a budget to stick to.

Yea, you won't be disappointed with the OLED screen (and screen size will not be an adjustment already coming from a 13" Mac).

 

I was able to get some discount by showing I've been a long term Dell customer for many years, I just rattled off some previous tag numbers (as I'd been given multiple different customer numbers for some reason) and the sales representative then became a bit more generous!

In the past I've also had some of the cost refunded after taking days off of work waiting for delivery when the machines didn't arrive on that day.

I also considered the Razer Blade but went for the AW15 as I wanted a 15" screen and liked (most of!) the reviews.

 

Thank you guys.

I decided as this will be my sole machine to lay down a little more cash and got a 15" version.
Give my usage i got
i7 - 7700hq
GTX 1070
16gb 2400mhz Ram
256gb + 1tb HDD
1080- IPS with Gsync.

I really really liked the 13" and OLED, but the idea of scaling on windows just upsets me. I know it's got better but still. I love my Macbook pro so I knew it wouldn't take long to adjust, OSX just scales so much more easily. The sight of the 13" next to the 15" coupled with the 1070 chip just threw it for me in the end as it was not that much more expensive. I get a bigger screen and a bigger 99whr battery so I can watch my films and box sets in relative awe and also play games at a big size whilst having a little more head room in 1070.

Plus I also realised my laptop barely moves.. It goes from my lap to my desk, to my lap again. once a week maybe it leaves the house. in the future AGA and an external monitor will appear for now I am content with the one system doing all the jobs its required to do.

I really want to thank everyone for there help.

 

7820 all the way, especially if you need to edit videos or play CPU intensive games like battlefield. There is 20% performance increase from the 7700. 7700 listed as 3.8ghz but when all 4 core are turboed it will only put out 3.6ghz. 7820 can go 4.3ghz on all 4 cores easy.

 

Thats a fair point but I don't edit any videos.
Also the cost of going from 7700hq to the 7820HK was £235.
On balance its not worth £235 to me.

In a years time if the 7700hq becomes an issues that hinders me gaming then I will go to a full Alienware desktop, I just actually like the Alienware case design to me it feels special very Tron like which is one of my favourite films of all time. Or I could build my own system again like before with a full tower or a mini ITX system for space. Things that a smaller seem to appeal to me more.

I am trying to keep the costs in a practical return for value for the money I spend. I could blow loads on it. Only to find that actually the 1070 will hold it back, then I can't change the 1070, and need a whole new laptop again and the 7820hk will hit ebay having never hit its potential.

Thank you for your input though