Help-Need advice. Keep R1 or return for R2

Sorry to create a thread like this. But I'm looking for some quick advice.

Yesterdays great R2 deal is still available.

deal

I just ordered the R1 a week ago and is due for delivery soon. I called Dell to see my options and they offered me $50 to keep the R1.

So R1 with 4GB RAM, 160 GB HDD, and Bluetooth = $600 after tax and discount

Or R2 with 8GB RAM, 320 GB HDD and bluetooth = $790 or so after tax

Tough call. If they had offered me $25, I'd be returning. If they offered $75 I'd be keeping it. Why $25 dollars makes such a difference either way, I can't explain, but it made sense when I thought of it. With the $50 discount, I can buy more RAM or even a 500 GB and still have plenty of money left over...maybe for a game or two.

The optimus switching does not bother me either way since I know no different. Manually switching sounds fine. So it comes down to i5 vs C2D really. And maybe a VGA port on the old one or something?? ARGH, what would you do?

 

The link doesn't go anywhere?

 

Ive been reading reviews for the i5 model and they all seem to agree that it's generally slower than an overclocked C2D for gaming. I'd keep the R1. It performs better (provided it's stable when overclocked), costs way less, has a VGA port and there's no need to muck around white lists when all you have to do is manually switch the graphics.

 

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=DKDWNN1

see if that is better

 

Still no good, maybe deal is dead?

 

I've been thinking that too. The i5 is slower or only marginally better than C2D where i7 is a fairly solid improvement. And most of the threads where there are issues with stability on the forum seem R2 related. Maybe that is just because the R2 is more popular now, IDK.

Is the C2D more stable? For resale, i5 might be better. I just need something to tip the scale since the two options in front of me seem about equal (not a bad thing I guess)

 

If I click the link on my computer it works. Can anyone else confirm?

The deal is still out there. See this thread

Dell Alienware M11x Laptop: Intel Core i5 520UM (1.066 GHz) CPU, 8GB DDR3, 11.6" (1366x768) WLED LCD w/ Webcam, 320GB HD, WiFi N, 1GB GeForce GT 335M, Windows 7 $699 + Free shippin - Slickdeals.net

When I called, I read the URL to the support guy who could find the deal. I think the last letters DKDWNN1 are a build ID or something that he used to find it.

 

I can confirm that the deal is still live but only to EPP members. You have to go through EPP site to get the lower price.

There are 2 ways you can go through EPP. When you call up they'll ask you for your affiliation. Also, if you're a student at a qualified university, they'll honor the EPP pricing.

I used my Boston University connection to get this deal.

Also, any discussion of trying to qualify for EPP when you're not affiliated is a no no on these forums from what I gather.

 

If I use the link directly from the slickdeals website it takes me to the dell page where it advertises 145$ off. Strange stuff.

 

holy crap. I have EPP through my work. With coupon code VR?90Z?B3RCT9X its $636!

Wow. Now I don't know if I can keep the R1.

 

$636 before or after tax?

 

Got it working as well now, might have to spring for this over one from the outlet.

 

Just built the cart. $691 after tax and bluetooth

So it would be basically +$100 for me to switch to the i5 with 2xRAM and 2xHDD.

Is there any downside to the i5 besides being only marginally better than C2D?

 

Less battery life on R2 if that's important to you.

 

The i5 costs $100 more, potentially performs worse in games, has worse battery life, lacks a VGA port and you have to deal with configuring when the GPU switches over for games. On the flip side though you do get more memory and storage space. Tough call.

 

I can find benchmarks for the i7 vs C2D, but I don't seem to find any good c2d vs. i5 comparison. I think the idea is that the C2D is slower than the other two if not overclocked. Overclocked it is probably between the i5 and i7 stock. But over clock the i5 and it is better (if only marginally) than the c2d.

Is that about right? Am I right in saying that the c2d is more stable when overclocked? Not trying to start a debate. Please no arguing. Just trying to get a feel for the decision I'm making

 

IMHO, buy the C2D. Save the $100 or put it towards an SSD. If you're lucky you'll get the clock generator that will let you easily clock to 2GHz. otherwise at 1.6GHz, the SU7300 is still a good performer.

 

Hey, now that sounds interesting. Guess I'll have to do some research on that bit. Is there a thread link for that?

 

The screen size is too small for me so I am returning mine- but nice price for 636 - I would just wait for the SBs to come out again.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...er-overclock-m11x-r1-slg-hardmod-only-41.html

Unfortunately I have the SLG PLL so would need a hard mod. Someone on that thread said he'd do it for me for $50, maybe after they fix the whole hinge issue I'll gladly pay it.

But SB will be much higher, and probably phase out the C2D laptops by then too. The main reason I bought mine is because I got it shipped for under $500.

 

I did eventually find a decent comparison of i5 and C2D

As I thought, they indicate the i5 is a very similar performer to C2D. The benefit may come it with automation (turbo vs. overclock and optimus vs switching). Didn't make my decision any easier....grrr.

 

I'm guessing there's a good reason why there aren't too many i5 reviews out there and why there's such a huge price drop on this particular model (SB reasons aside). If I were in your situation I'd take htwingnut's advice and stick with the C2D and spend the extra money saved towards memory and space upgrades.

 

Here's a quote from the verdict section of that review:

'On the other hand, the Core i5-520UM's gaming performance has slightly decreased in comparison to the (overclocked) Core 2 Duo SU7300.'

 

yes I think reality is starting to settle in. 2x the RAM and HDD is nice, but thats the only real upgrade. I may be able to come close to buying those upgrades for $100 online from tiger or newegg. Is the 4GB RAM configuration 2x2GB or 1x4GB? If it is 1x4GB, I can almost get the price. But buying 2x4GB will obviously be more. Anyhow, 4GB is probably enough for most any machine.

perhaps the R2 deal looks so good in comparison because of my kid-in-candy store mentality. I should try to convince myself to stop considering it. Still its a great deal for anyone still looking to order

 

It's a great deal, but you got an even better one.

 

i5 is the best M11x to get...for a few reasons:

1) Driver support (R1 no longer officially supported)
2) Better performance in modern/CPU-bound games (i.e. BFBC2)
3) Not much more money
4) Not worth $165 more to get i7 when i5 overclocks well, and R3 is imminent (IMO).

Those comparisons you are reading do not utilize ThrottleStop...so the CPU is not maximizing it's performance.

 

Thats an absolute steal... take it.

I agree completely with Sketch on those points too.

 

The only thing I can say is if battery life is important to you then stick with the Core 2 Duo. Otherwise performance between the two is comparable. 4GB is more than enough RAM, and you can always sell the 160GB for $20 and buy a 320GB for $40.

 

Either R1 or a i7 R2. That's just my opinion though...
And please don't buy memory or an HDD ungrade from Dell. It's cheaper on newegg, or you can score better components for the same price. A 500GB HDD can be obtained on Newegg for $75 or less!

 

Well I ended up forgoing an outlet model (Screw hitting update constantly hoping), grabbed this for 674$ total, seems like a pretty amazing deal.

Talking new, you can get a c2d base model, add either 4gb ram for 40$, or 8gb for 80$, then add a 320 hdd for 60$ and your up to 736$(factoring my state's tax of 6%) for a c2d with the same ram and hd as the i5 model with 8gb ram and a 320gb hdd for 674$.

Adding in what sk3tch said, the choice is pretty much made. Sweet deal!

 

well I'm typing this on the new R1. Don't know if opening it would prevent its return, but I couldn't wait when it showed up. Hinges seem solid and the gap around the lid when closed is near perfect. Don't know why it wouldn't be with a brand new one. I think I can be very happy with the R1. Still burns in my brain a bit that the R2 is available, but I need to get over that.

 

If I was in your shoes I don't think I could ever find satisfaction, it would always haunt me

 

believe me it's not easy. but it saves $100 to keep this one. Money I could spend on my wife for valentines day. buys me some points at home..

Married guys will understand

 

Hehe, fair enough, speaking of which I was just literally thinking of what to move around to make sure Valentine's goes off smoothly still, haha.

 

Marriage is overrated. In the long run computers cost less.

 

Congrats man! You know what they say about the grass being greener. I'm envious and would love to have the R1 at the price you paid.

My R2 won't be arriving till later this month and it will me knowing that games will likely run smoother on your system and that you got it for $100 less.

 

Just got my base R1. Next day this i-core deal. WHY???
If my R1 had soft touch, i wouldn't bother. But now when top specs i7 go for 817 before tax. Throw SSD, and you'll be a little over 1k with top of the line specs rig.
In the end, same rhetorical question is 200$ justify difference C2D and i7 (+soft touch color)?

 

a bit over $800 for i7 is a good deal. From my limited studies, the thinking that R1 (for price value) or R2 i7 (for performance value) makes sense. Still if I'd have seen the i5 R2 deal the day I ordered, I'd be typing on one right now.

I'm like that with everything I buy. I always find myself justifying spending a bit more for upgrades. I do that with home improvements, appliances, cars, houses, and obviously computers. "Why wouldn't I spend just $x more?". Eventually I have to stop myself.

The fact that dell offered to throw $50 back my way is cool. Many companies would have given me the finger. I thought I could have gotten more but the csr was adamant that was all I could get. He tried getting more from a manager or something but still I gotta be happy with an awesome little notebook for $600 total.

I started this journey with a shopping cart at HP loaded with a dm1z for around $530 configured. For just the little bit more (see there I go again) I found the R1 deal and couldn't pass it up. Can't wait to get back into PC gaming. AMD fusion is cool, but its no gamer...

 

We must be related or something because I did the exact same thing. I had the dm1z in my cart and ready to go before checking this forum one more time. Saw the 15% off outlet coupon, and noticed the cheapest R1 was still in stock. Snagged it for $477, tax and shipping included. I bought a 500 GB Hitachi Travelstar for $60, and I have 4 GB of RAM from the MSI notebook in my signature, so the total outlay ends up being less than $550. That's a heck of a value.

I am going to check the hard drive that came with the M11, though. When I added it to my cart, it said it was a 160 GB 5400 RPM. But when I look at my invoice, it says 250 GB 7200 RPM. If the latter is indeed the case, I'll probably just return the 500 GB drive. 250 is more than enough. A 120 GB SSD would be enough, too, but that money is not in the budget. There is that deal going on for a Kingston 128 GB SSD for $125 after rebate, but its power consumption is not ideal for an ultra-portable machine such as this. The stock hard drive consumes just as much, if not less in some situations.

 

I don't think it should come as a surprise that many of us that recently bought M11x were looking at AMD Fusion-based rigs. I was going to buy the dm1z from Costco (can't beat their return policy/warranty) for $487 + tax with 4GB RAM and 320GB HD. This R2 i5 deal made it worthwhile to spend a bit more...seeing as BF:BC2 portable gaming is now a reality with this rig.

Lenovo and Sony also have Fusion stuff coming out or already out. It's a nice platform. I have high hopes for it for the future.

 

once I found this forum and started looking at the M11x, it became clear that AMD fusion is great for what it is, but it can't compete. Even the C2D smokes the fusion 350 in about every benchmark. I could have enjoyed the smaller form of the dm1z or the lenovo x120e. But I couldn't get past the idea that for a bit more money, I could have something with similar battery life, better performance, and an awesome community of users. Try to find a hundred youtube videos for teardown of the dm1z...even when its been out for a year, you wont find it.

community support for advice, mods, and optimization was a huge selling point for me to buy the M11x

 

Haha, my story is exactly the same as both of yours these past few days, only I actually did order the dm1z and now have to wait to return it when it comes, ah well. Extremely happy I found this forum and hdad2 for finding that deal.

 

I have the exact same question. I just ordered mine friday and it is still processing. Should I get an i5 with the better ram and hdd, or just keep the r1? What worries me is the battery life and that I want to use it with linux. Ill be using it alot for school, and already have a high power computer at home so Im not really sure what to do. Any suggestions?

 

I suggest you read earlier posts within this thread since this thread has to do with your "exact same question".

Is the price difference worth it? That's your call. I do not think the deal is even still on for the i5/i7 so it may be moot.

 

Actually it still is for epp members (which I am). I can get it for ~670, which is $50 more than I paid. It would be obvious but I keep finding conflicting information on battery life, and even whether the i5 is effectively faster to any significant extent, than the c2d. Ive looked everywhere, was wondering if you guys had maybe another take on it since you guys actually have been using them.

 

How does one become an EPP which gives you these deals?

 

You have to be a member of an organization that supports epp, like a university, your job, a high school, a teacher, etc.

 

A couple pages back I posted a link to a direct comparison of the i5 and C2D. The gist of it was that the i5 offers only marginal improvement or even a lesser performance particularly if the c2d is overclocked. Overclock the i5 and it is probably faster but will burn thru battery. The extra ram and hdd of the r2 deal is nice tho.

If you are thinking that the R1 is enough for you, I suggest calling dell and telling them the deal you can get if you return it. They can offer you a deal to keep it.

 

AAA is an easy one to be a part of, I would think most people are already, gets you the EPP.

 

Good idea...what department you think I should call?