17 to 14 inch for main computer

Hi All,

Currently I use my M17x R3 as my main computer and love it, but part of me would like something a little more portable. Is the 14" too small to use as an everyday PC and how is the 14" screen to game on compared to a 17".

Thanks

 

14" with 900p screen resolution really great on gaming, I don't think it will be too small, currently i own m14x-r2 planning to get r3 1080p

 

18x is a best choice
laptop Alienware M18

 

Get the 14 with and external 24 inch screen for home use. Best of both worlds. There is not substitute for a height adjustable external monitor with dedicated keyboard and mouse and the price of a 24" IPS display is less than the price difference of a M14 and M17.

After owning a m17x r3 i would never buy a 17inch laptop again. Even if its thin like the razer blade you still need a special bag to carry it in. It basically defeats the purpose of having a laptop unless you are happy with a backpack.

Think of it this way. How many times did you have to think twice about bringing your m17x r3 with you? you wont ever have to do that with a 14inch laptop. It will fit in any medium sized satchel/carryon/even handbag

 

I've been gaming exclusively on laptops for the past 5+ years, and during that time I've owned anything from M18X to Clevo W110ER (11 incher). From my experience, M14 is the best blend of portability and performance... Anything less and I was finding the eyestrain to be too much of a nuisance, and anything 17+ inches is extremely unwieldy. Yeah, you can carry it around if you absolutely HAD to, but it's not a pleasant experience (I had to lug my M18X up and down Honolulu International Airport once, my back still hurts thinking about it!)

I've owned nothing but 14 to 15 inch laptops the last couple of years, and use them daily for heavy gaming, and the screen size is perfect IMO.

 

I would consider 14" to actually be too LARGE for use as a portable machine. Especially a heavier 14" machine like an Alienware, which is crammed full of GPU horsepower (and the cooling necessary to support that GPU power).

If you actually think about it, you probably don't need to bring your main computer with you when you need to be portable. It's usually a nice-to-have to bring all of your data, GPU power (and gaming potential) with you everywhere you go on a single computer. But we aren't at the point yet where gaming-capable machines are easily portable. Even a 14" machine with a 6.0lb carry weight (including charger) is something I would consider too large to be portable.

I would recommend you stick with the old advice of splitting your computer needs into two categories. (1) Get an immobile machine that doesn't move to meet your gaming needs (i.e. desktop PC, or desktop-replacement notebook); (2) Get a highly portable notebook to meet your mobile computing needs (i.e. a <3.0lb 11.6" or 13.3" ultrabook). If you try to get a single machine to fill both roles, you will inevitably be making significant sacrifices in either computing power or portability.

 

I owned an M17xR2 and an M17xR4 prior to my M14xR2. I loved the feel of gaming and working on the 17inch display, especially the RGBLED on the R2, however, portability is pretty tough with the 17.

Not just to take to a Starbucks or library type place, but just to grab and move with around the house while I worked or browsed the Internet. The M14x is perfect blend of function and portability. It's light enough at 6 pounds, anything lighter is irrelevant IMO, Razer's new 14 inch laptop looks cool, but you aren't really going to notice that two pound difference IMO, the M14x is a perfect weight. The screen is large enough to use extensively everyday. I work 12 hour days in front of my laptop, day in and day out, and I don't get eyestrain. An external is probably a good idea, but would involve too much wires and would look to sloppy for my taste.

Get the new 14, I don't think you'll be noticing any strain on the eyes, and will love the portability.

Just my two cents.

 

Having owned a macbook air 13", and now a dell precision m6600 17", and an m14x r2, I totally agree with this. I traded my macbook air for the alienware however I miss the awesome lightweight and portability of the macbook air. For me I really like the M14x however i find I game mostly on my m6600 and the m14 is just a little too heavy for laptop use. My next additional computer will be a cheap but decent ultrabook.

 

I actually have a Sony Vaio T13 touch as my travel notebook, but for some reason I feel like I would really like the new 14. I am just not sure what it would be like as my full time gaming machine compared to the M17x R3. My wife thinks that I have an addiction to buying laptops and to be honest I think she is right.

 

Unfortunately this may be a question you have to figure out for yourself, as we can all just share our opinions. In my opinion, a single 14" is perfect.

I used the W110ER (11.6" screen) for a while and even at that small screen was usable, but did need something a bit bigger for spreadsheets and VM's. The 14" screen for me is great, as I can take the system with me anywhere I go, plus the size is good for gaming and work. I dont have a desktop, or a 24" monitor or any monitor for that matter at home. I do occasionally HDMI out to TV to stream a movie from netflix, but thats about it.

Good luck with your choice, but there is a good chance you'll really be happy having a single 14" device.

 

Well, what about your Alienware M17x R3 do you find lacking?

If you're looking for more processing power for gaming, I don't think you're going to do much better than what you already have. You are already past the point of diminishing returns, so you'd need to spend a fortune to get a small incremental bump in performance above what you currently have. Additionally, even if you were to drop $3000+ on a machine with 2x GeForce 680M or 2x GeForce 780M in SLI, it isn't going to benefit you at 1080p screen resolutions.

If you are trying to improve your computer gaming experience, and have a bunch of cash burning a hole in your pocket, I'd honestly recommend you take a look at external accessories. Your Alienware M17x R3 is pretty much an immobile machine anyway, so you might as well just think about it as a somewhat-portable-desktop-PC. If you're looking to improve the quality of your computer gaming experience, I'd recommend you check out:

• Getting an external 24" 1920x1080 IPS monitor (not TN). Should run you about $250 - $400.
• Getting a nice gaming mouse. Should run you $40 - $140.
• Mechanical keyboard. Definitely. Should run you $100 - $150.
• Nice audiophile-grade headphones. Should run you about $150 - $200 to start, but the sky is the limit past that.

Believe me, there are a LOT more places for you to burn cash on a computer gaming rig besides just what is under the hood. That reminds me of some friends of mine back in the 1990's, who spent $2000+ on computer upgrades getting absolute top-end gear at the time, but hooked all of it up to a 14" CRT monitor.

Yeah. She's probably right. But then again, she probably isn't surprised, because she should know this about you.

 

Gaming on 14 inch laptop I found to be a ok experience. Now gaming on a 24 or 27 inch monitor for me that is where the fun begins. Grab a cheap m14x and build a cheap desktop. Best of both worlds if you ask me. Make take some time financially but should be worth it.

Having owned both I actually prefer the m17x even with its huge size. Not that I have a desktop I usually just carry around a laptop that turns on.

 

Id a 14" or 15" laptop is a good portability blend without causing too much eye strain. if you want some horse power, i think you will have to sacrifice at least SOME portability. I carry a 15" laptop for work, and supplement the monitor when at my desk with a 22" monitor. I like jwolfs recommendation. Im gearing up to sell my m18x as I have more space for a small desktop, and this m18x has outlived its usefulness to me. I'm going to want something a bit more portable, but will like something with horsepower in the form of a desktop as well.

 

I once had a desktop with a 27" monitor that I used for gaming which I loved. I then had a baby and decided to sell the desktop and buy my M17x R3, so I could game anywhere in the house. After owning this notebook for the last year and a half I cannot see my self ever going back to a desktop. I now look at friends 22-27" monitors and hate the way the picture looks compared to my 17. We are currently building a new much larger house and I feel that I may want something even more portable than my 17 which is why I am now looking at the 14. I am thinking the 14 with 1080p and IPS will look amazing even if the settings are not at ultra. I used to hate it if I could not max games out on my desktop, but I do not mind it on my current notebook.

 

13-14" to me is adequate as long as it has 900p or FHD resolution.

I tried all types from M11x 11.6" to a 15.6" screen to 17" and my favorite is in the 13-14" size panels for perfect blend of portability since it is dimensionally smaller than a 15/17 and still has the ability to use it as your main desktop replacement computer.