M18x Owners - Are You Pleased with Your Purchase?

2920xm (current gen) about equals 980x (last gen)

That is not caught up. A 130W SB part will spank the 2920xm just like the 130W 980x spanked the 940xm

Expect laptops to advance at the same rate as desktop but always 1 gen behind in performance - this goes for both CPUs and GPUs

 

Lastly, getting back on this specific topic, for folks who actually have shelled out the $2,000 -$3,000, I think those responses would be useful for other possible buyers. It really has been hashed to death as to whether the M18x is a good buy in other messages already.

If everyone posted they are having regrets/second thoughts, then that would be good to know, but other than the broken machine posts, most of the postings seen to be pretty positive so far IMO. Even the screen doesn't sound as bad given the circumstance that it isn't LED RGB.

 

I have had an overwhelmingly positive experience with mine. My rep was awesome so I was able to get my machine for about $3500 (that was 2920xm, CF 6970m's, BluRay, 4 year standard warranty). If I was worried about money I could have gotten the very capable 2820qm and spent about $3000 which would be an outstanding system still

 

Come on it's obvious that Intel dramatically closed the gap on laptop versus desktop performance with sandy bridge processors. 980x is an extreme processor and a $1000 part. You can't even say the 6970m CF comes close to the 5870x2.

And,

You really think the 6970m is 1 gen behind? Didn't you just say the 6970m is about 4890 performance. The point is, it's the gpus that are crippling gaming laptops, not the cpu.

 

i agree. for the first time laptop cpus have caught up imo. with 3ghz on the 2720 using all 4 cores we finally have a beast. the 6970s are architecturally 6850s so the tessellation is not as strong. so yes, they are 1 gen behind.

 

The 6970m CF do come close to a 5870x2 desktop.....that is why I am selling my desktop and replacing it with my M18x......

 

The problem with this is you are comparing ATI's best current gen laptop video card to ATI's current gen desktop low-end card. The Desktop Radeon 6870 is really ATI's mid-range card, and the 6850 is what replaced the desktop 5770.

When we compare the 2920xm however we find comparable performances to current gen enthusiast level cpus like the 2500k and 2600k. 2500k was marginally faster than the 980x I should mention.

Now the 2920xm is about as fast as an enthusiast level desktop processor like the 2500k. If Laptop gpus were on the same level as these sandy bridge laptop processors, then we would be able to say that the 6970m is about as fast as the desktop 6950. That is just not the case. I mean, the 6970m isn't even remotely close to the performance of a desktop 6950.

It really isn't too hard to say that ati/nvidia are far behind what Intel is able to do as far as bridging the performance gap from laptop performance to desktop performance. Reality is laptop gpus are way behind laptop cpus.

That's why I don't have an m18x sitting on my desk.

 

The ati 5870m in xfire were equal to a desktop 5850. The current 6970ms in xfire are just about equal to downclocked desktop 6850s in xfire. Either way there is almost no reason to really worry about GPUs advancing. Look at reviews of current desktop GPUs. They start out at 1920-1200 and go from there. You will never need to go higher than default native resolution on a laptop anyway. So honestly unless you plan on playing games with multiple monitors using a laptop, I have no idea how that seems like a good idea, you really don't have to worry about desktop GPUs outpacing mobile.

 

The desktop 6850 more than replaces the desktop 5770 performance wise, and is based on Barts which means its 960 SP's are far more efficient than the old SP's on the 5xxx series

As for comparing GPUs to CPUs... there's a reason CPUs can come a lot closer. That's because their thermal & power requirements are a lot lower (relatively) than GPUs. For instance, the high end desktop CPU range is always at around 120-140W, and mobile is always at 35-55W.

Desktop GPUs have been inching higher and higher - a desktop 5870 was rated at 188W and a desktop 6970 is rated at 250W for instance. And the 4870 before the 5870 was at 150W. See the clear upward trend?

GPUs for mobile, however, have always been capped at 100W to keep things reasonable. Thus, you always have to do more with less each generation, which makes the 6970M incredible when you consider its on the same 40nm process as the desktop 6850 but is rated at 50W less in TDP (a full 40% less!)

So yes, you're right, GPUs haven't kept up nearly as well as CPUs with desktops - but that's because CPU TDP ratings have stayed the same for high end enthusiast chips for years and years, while GPUs have skyrocketed

P.S. The current CPU closeness is because desktop i7's aren't the high end. What are you going to say when LGA2011 Sandy Bridge-E comes out later this year and curb stomps the 2600K into the ground? Suddenly the gap gets a lot larger eh?

 

I'm not going to say any more on this but YOU ARE WRONG. CPU's have a total different thermal foot print and their product cycles are so far apart you are talking about entire different product generations. You are comparing a CPU that was last gen to a next gen laptop processor. You are seriously high on drugs. Get a latest Gen Intel Desktop Proc. in this generation and your 2920xm will get destroyed by 5+ GHZ desktop current gen i7 2600k processors. Get your facts straight.

Enjoy not having a very very capable gaming laptop. I'll be looking forward to your review when you recieve your new Alienware Quantum FX 12000 Holocore 900 (I hope they have this in Red still). Man I can't wait to read that review but then again the desktop version the Alienware Virtual World Accelerator 1450e3 will likely destroy it's performance.

I'm sorry but ignorance seriously gets under my skin especially when it's so blindly followed. (Beam me up Scotty)

 

Some of the unsatisfied/undecided owners feel that way because of the rumor of new GPU that surfaced just after placing their orders. So, believe it or not, if you buy something with regrets, you'll probably not feel so good about it.

 

No, I'm saying that you throwing that in there is pointless. Other people can feel regret on their own, without others throwing rumored cards out there to influence their opinions in this thread

If not, then well yes, I feel regret for the fact that I won't have Ivy Bridge for another year at least

 

totaly agree with you on that

 

I wouldn't go so far as to say "pointless." Was just clarifying (indirectly) with my earlier comment that the poll wasn't really authentic, since at least some of the nay sayers were influenced by that rumor. =p

 

How can you say desktop i7's(2500k/2600k) aren't the high end. You are then some how arguing that the high end is an unreleased product?

But yes, everything else you stated, I agree. Some people are using TDP ratings as a defense however, but the inability for ATI/Nvidia to keep the TDP down on their GPUs is the result of these GPU companies inability to advance as fast as Intel.

And Sandy Bridge has done just in this last generation. We could not say before that the 840qm was as fast as a i7 950 or i7 920. However we can say that the 2720 laptop processor is about as fast as the 2500k desktop.

Nvidia and ATI have utterly failed to keep up with Intel in these respects. But I feel that they will eventually catch up soon, hopefully with the m19x release with ATI's 7xxx series and Nvidia's 6xx series.

6970m CF is great however and by no means am I saying that you are not getting outstanding performance with the m18x and that set up. I feel it's just not quite there for me to put down 2.7k. Getting very close however. . Probably once I see GTX580 performance in a laptop that's when I'll bite.

 

Might I ask what game actually requires a desktop 580gtx to play. To top it off, there is no point in even bothering to benchmark 1920-1200 resolution in games since the ATI's 5800s and Nvidia's 400s. Simply put, desktop GPUs have hit a plateau where the only thing that differentiates themselves from each other is their ridiculous resolution. Plain and simple, the m18x can and will compete with a 580gtx system with proper overclock. Certainly it's a lot cheaper to go desktop and you could run 580gtx in sli but the point still stands. What do you really need a 580gtx for?

 

Since the market for bleeding edge gaming performance from laptops is so small compared to all of the other markets for GPU's, nVidia and ATI invest much more of their resources into desktop GPU's. As long as they stay even with each other in laptop GPU performance they will get a decent share of the small high end gaming laptop market. In the mean time, I'd guess that at least 90% of their profit comes from desktop computers.

 

They're the high end... right now, but Intel made a conscious decision to push back the TRUE high end for this generation to later this year. Unlike the first gen core i7's where LGA1366 came out early, this gen's LGA2011's are coming in late.

So relatively speaking, the i7 2920XM is impressive when compared to the desktop sector, because the i7 2600K is only the lower end of the high end desktop CPUs Intel plans to have.

Yes and no. On the one hand, ATI/Nvidia got screwed by TSMC not advancing to 32nm, whereas Intel has advanced processes.

On the other hand, GPUs scale far faster upwards than CPUs do. The actual processing power GPUs have has actually increased faster than CPUs have over the same time period.

The only reason CPUs feel closer than GPUs is because CPUs have been capped on thermals on the desktop side, whereas GPUs have exploded. This isn't a cop out - it's the flat out truth.

We thought 300W as the limit for PCI-E, but the 6990 and the GTX 590 both hit > 350W. Single desktop GPUs are now regularly in the 250W range. The high end CPU has been at 140W for years. Hence, a mobile CPU has trended to feel closer to the desktop. If the high end GPU was capped at 150W for the past 5 years, the mobile GPU power would be awfully close to the desktop GPU power, and you'd be arguing the reverse.

That's all great, but again, none of that is rooted in reality because your comparisons simply aren't valid. A 2500K is not where the i7 950 was supposed to be last generation.

Quite a bit of money is actually made from mobile sectors, because OEMs are actually where the money is at. Desktop GPUs bring attention and PR, but there's a reason the big movers are actually in the $200 and under price range

 

Pretty much why I don't have a m18x. I think gpus will start catching up to Intel in the mobile segment, but it's just not there yet which is all I'm saying, and why I'd like to see how the m19x does next year.

 

You have made your point, you don't really need a M18x. No reason in bashing the current platform just because you decided to skip it.

Let's get back on topic, -
Even though I haven't received my system yet, I'm already pleased with the purchase. Will see if my mood swings in 2 days -C'mon Purolator!!!

 

Lol this seems to be thousand miles off the purpose of creating this topic. I have not received my m18x yet, but I do really wanna know how others feel about their purchase. So please share out some feeling if you DO have the m18x or at least you are waiting for it.

I do appreciate those analysts for the information, but what we need here are the TRUE STORIES from the REAL OWNERS. Please bring this thread to where it's supposed to be. Thanks folks.

 

I think the M18x is a great system. Initially I voted NO because I was upset about the GPU 2 running hotter than GPU 1 but other than that, the system is fantastic. Great build, decent display, good sound quality and excellent performance.

 

Joker, I heard about that too. That got me lil' disappointed, but do you think that's worth to return yours and wait until the issue gets fixed?

 

I'm getting mine exchanged so I'll be using it while my new one is built and shipped to me. One of the perks of Alienware support I guess.

 

LMAO! that made me cry a little after i read this... hahahah.

Well, all in all, as long as it doesnt have too many bugs, i cant wait for my system. I mean i think dual 6970's can handle battlefied 3 right? since thats all i would ever play. BF3 FTW

 

m18x will handle bf3 but just don't expect maximum settings at 1920x1200 with good AA quality.

 

Maybe - truth is, we dont know how BF3 will play on any system. I dont believe we have a publically accessible beta yet?

My opinion, it will be fine @ the native resolution of 1920x1080 with close to max settings. We'll just have to wait and see.

 

Yes, please.

 

They charge you for the new one, and only process the refund once they received your return. Or they don't charge you at all?

By the way, how did you show them the defect?

 

I think what's important here is not the hardware but the software. Currently I have a maxed out R2 and M18x on the way. My M17x R2 runs everything maxed as is....so regardless of desktop this and desktop that, the M18x owns!!!

The current trend of PC games is to not include Crossfire/SLI support. Most PC ports now a days suffer from consolitis. A single Nvidia 260M GTX smokes what's available in todays consoles. But us PC owners need to buy all this overkill hardware just to play console ports. This arguement needs to be directed at software devs optimizing todays software on the pc, not the M18x.

 

Need is a bit much. We buy the high-end stuff so the games look much better than their console counterparts.

 

Very true, I like to use Gears of War as a comparison between the 2 as I have played in on both and immensely preferred the PC version and graphics

 

Dragon Age was the one for me. Although lots of that had to do with the ability to mod, the iso view and such. Still, the graphics were FAR better on PC.

 

Hi everyone...thanks for your contributions - this forum is a great resource. I have a question that may be just slightly off topic, but it is related, and I think this group of new M18x owners are the right folks to consider the question, so thanks for your patience.

What are your thoughts on comparing an M17XR3 with an ATI 6970 versus an M18X with NVidia SLI from a speed and reliability standpoint?

Would the MX18 see solid gains in performance with the Nvidia SLI? I currently own an R3 with the ATI card and it topped out at 19125 in 3DMark 06.

I have had several problems with the ATI part. I'm getting them resolved buts its been a real pain. I get the idea from talking with Dell that the NVidia solution works more seamlessly with the Intel mobo, and that the drivers are an easier install - a big plus for me.

Thank you for your perspective.

 

The Intel mobo has nothing to do with it. It is simply a matter of drivers from the video card manufacturers. ATI drivers are known to be a little more tricky to update. That being said, 2 6970s will handily beat a set of GTX 460m's

And 06 is a useless benchmark really...I recommend trying Vantage or 3DMark11

 

I'm gettign withdrawal from not having my m18x with me. Curse you work!

 

Thanks Scook9 for your reply. Are you guys going to rely on the stock Dell drivers for your M18X? Or I should say - is anyone planning on using ATIs drivers...I ask because ATIs website said they are specifically not designed for use with Intel switchable graphics. I know the Dell driver for the M18X was just updated, but Dell seems a little slow with the ATI updates. So, you guys use the ATI drivers?

edit - I understand Im getting into drivers for the 6970M with this Q...so thanks for your flexibility if a little off topic.

 

Getting the ATI drives is not easy at the moment as you cannot get them directly from ATI but have to get modded ones. The ATI drivers do not support the Dell cards currently

 

I would be happy if I could get crossfire working. dell is sending me a box to ship my 18 back to them for repairs. meanwhile, my 20 days to evaluate/return this notebook are being used up for the next week or so. not happy about that either. .. as is, with just one 6970m working properly, my M17x with a 485m was faster than this thing.

really like the wireless hd, but again, I could do that with my m17x as well. sort of tempted to return this and get a 14x or 17x and an 11x instead.

 

Just received mine. Awesomeness! Love the red, design, performance. This machine rocks!

 

I'm not so sure the next round of top-end nV cards will be priced that high. The main reason the 485m is priced so high (apart from the fact that it was the fastest mobile GPU for Q1) has to do with yields. The 485m is a essentially a super-binned G104 (e.g., desktop GTX 460) with an unlocked block of shaders. The rumored 580m will likely be based off G114 (I'm going to take a wild guess and say it will be an underclocked 560ti) for which yields are much better.

But yes, if the 580m is faster than what ATI has to offer at the time of its release, nV will surely add a "baddest boy on the block" tax. The price won't be as relatively hight, however as with the 485m - nV needs to stay competitive after all.

 

The GTX 560 Ti is about $80 more than a GTX 460 1GB so you better expect the mobile derivative to be plenty expensive.....To put it in perspective....on a Clevo x7200, it is $800 to upgrade from dual 6970m to dual GTX 485m.....Dell will not be able to improve on that price as it is set by nvidia....I expect that alone is the main reason we are not seeing a GTX 485m option, dell knows it would prohibitively expensive compared to other offerings (6970m) that give good performance and they saved us the trouble of stressing over it by not offering it at all.

 

For the past 3 years Nvidia never bothered too much about staying competitive in terms of pricing in the mobile sector. Forget the 485M, the 6970M and 460M have similar retail price as of right now. For my personal computing needs Nvidia has no place with their ways, at least for now. I have yet to see a convincing product with decent price/performance ratio and low failure rates.

 

I'm waiting to actually play some games before I vote.

Leaning heavily towards yes at the moment.

 

If you count 3DMark11 and Vantage as games, then I am already a yes

 

I've had the hybrid drive disappear or error out a few times. It happened pre-fresh install and it happened twice since. I have another I can throw in there to see if it's the cable or the drive. But I really don't want to.

Grr.

 

I got mine directly from AMD and they downloaded and installed just fine. No modded drivers for me running the 11.5aRC3's with Cap 2. Cap 2 was from guru3d but the drivers were directly off AMD.

 

Can you send me a link for the drivers? The only one I saw looked like a desktop driver.

Thanks! I would prefer official ones over 3rd party modded. Currently the AMD Mobility Driver tool does not recognize the cards in the M18x and will therefore not download a driver.

 

I knew you'd like the red! It looks so so sexy. I might even take mine to Starbucks or B&N...nah I won't.

 

Totally agree. I'll probably take mine to starbucks tomorrow