A little guidance....

Hey all,

I’ve been doing an abundance of research on what my replacement laptop should be and I’m progressively getting sold on AW. I’m torn between the M14/M17 (leaning towards M14) and will be using it for gaming/web/programming/etc… Here’s my question:

I’m starting graduate school in the next couple months pursuing a computer engineering degree and didn’t know if there are others already in the field that are using this machine. I just want to ensure that this can handle everything I throw at it. Any input would help! Thanks!

 

Well in your decision of M14 vs M17, you have to decide what you want to do with it.
If you want a desktop replacement that wont be traveling with you everywhere, and the 17x would have more real-estate with more power/better cooling.
If you want something that is more mobile but at the cost of less features/power then the m14x is a great choice.

My m17x actually got better battery life than my m14x and had a lot more power for gaming, but it was more of a pain for me to carry in the airport.

I occasionally use my m14x in class, but I am more of a written note taker, because it allows me to draw stuff easier.

What kind of apps do you think you're going to use? I've used mine for a lot of 3d solid modeling (proE) and it has handled everything I've thrown at it.

 

I echo custom90gt. I had this choice, and went for the m14x for cost and portability. I've had 17" desktop replacement systems. the XPS M1730 was my last one. it was ridiculously heavy!

So if you arent moving it anywhere often, then 17" is a must! the real estate on screen is great, better graphics cards, everything. But if you're like me and want to take it everywhere with you, its M14x ftw!

I'm quite happily playing battlefield 3 in high on single player at 30+fps. for multiplayer you have to drop a few things, but you dont really notice! But if you are all about those numbers, then its M18x for sure!

 

Think of the m14x as a better m11x. Its the same layout, just a little bigger, full fledged cpu, and better gpu. It handles gaming great for what it is. But, if you dont mind spending a little extra, and dont need it for portability, splurge for the m17x. That's a real gaming laptop, with a fully modular gpu (mxm card)
The m14x gpu is soldered on to the mobo. If you need a lot of power, get the m17x. If you want power and portability, the m14x is good. Keep in mind that the m14x can just barely handle newer titles like bf3 and good settings. Putting at least a 560m in a m17x would be awesome.

I should've gotten the m17x instead of the m14x, because when I bought it, I was under the impression that it will get the rated 6 hours battery life, I barely get 3, and it's heavier and bulkier than i thought. So now it just sits at home, while I use a more portable laptop for mobility. While I still love this machine, the m17x would have suited me better i think. But that just my situation.

The only thing I hate about the m17x r3 is the lack of sli/crossfire support. That's why the r2's still have high resale value.

 

i dont understand why people recommend a "gaming" laptop like the m17x, i mean its heavy and huge and even the best notebook gpus are only like downclocked desktop middleclass gpus (6990 = 6870, 580m = downclocked 560 ti)

I got the m14x because of the portability and the great screen, and i think its great that it has has some gaming power, i mean it runs basically everything even the witcher 2 and crysis 2 at tolerable settings and framerates.. and most important = it features optimus

it doesnt really make sense to get the m17x because you could just get a good desktop and a cheap notebook instead, the m17x or every other gaming laptop over 15 inches is just heavy and bulky and feature zero mobility.. the m14x is the only one worthy getting called a laptop

from a notebooks perspective the 555m gt is a great card, from a desktop perspective every laptop card sucks hard even the high end ones! the reason they are so damn expensive is because ati and nvidia sort out the best gpu chips that keep the coolest, because average gpu chips would get too hot

 

I dont know about other users, but I get on average 5 hours of battery, and play most games well. You can see alot of my videos at Gearsguy405's Channel - YouTube. I do alot of benchmark type things. M17x will be a beast, but you plan to use it in a small space like an airplane or something it would be impossible. If you plan to travel alot but stay in at least one area for like over a week or so the m17x may be perfect because with a 6970 itd be like a portable desktop.

So in short, if you travel alot the m14x is great and will still be able to handle games like BF3 and Crysis at max settings with a few things turned down (1366x768 instead of 1600x900 and AA disabled), but the m17x will last you longer in terms of MAXING everything out in 1080p, and can act more as a portable desktop (Im thinking along the lines of like you travel and set up the m17x in a hotel, but dont necessarily mean to keep it with you all day. If you plan to keep it all day with you, the m17x could become cumbersome)