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    New R2 vs Refurb R1 for $150 more--worth it?

    Discussion in 'Alienware M11x' started by Whiteacre, Feb 10, 2011.

  1. Whiteacre

    Whiteacre Notebook Enthusiast

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    I just picked up a refurb R1 from Dell Outlet with 4gb RAM and 500gb HD for $550 pre-tax.

    And then I saw a brand new R2 i5 with 8gb RAM and 320gb HD for $700 pre-tax. Is this worth the extra $150 over the R1?

    I read through all the R1 vs R2 threads over the past six months and know about the decreased battery life, Optimus issues (is this still a problem or has it been fixed now?), etc. I see a lot of people picking R1 over R2 but that was also when the price difference was several hundred dollars and the trade off wasn't worth it.

    But what about now? If you were in my shoes, who you exchange the above-configured R1 with the above-configured R2? The only games I play regularly are WoW, Sims 2, and Civ III. Wouldn't mind trying Sims 3 and Civ IV if the computer can handle it but it's not a deal breaker.
     
    Whiteacre, Feb 10, 2011
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  2. Villosa

    Villosa Notebook Deity

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    They'll perform about the same really. It's really just up to if you want soft touch, i-series, optimus or the extra space on the HDD. If it were me, I'd go for the new one for $150 more lol. Actually I did have the i5 setup and it worked flawlessly.
     
    Villosa, Feb 10, 2011
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  3. josh roberts

    josh roberts Notebook Consultant

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    Go for the i5, I have it and love it. You only live once
     
    josh roberts, Feb 10, 2011
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  4. Voodooi

    Voodooi AFK for a while...

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    Well, depending on which games you wanna play.

    Apparently Civ V and Bad Company 2 are great on the R2, but "meh" on the R1, as per user reviews I've been reading/youtube'ing.
     
    Voodooi, Feb 11, 2011
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  5. corpses3

    corpses3 Notebook Consultant

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    Can you put a regular i5 (i5-540M) on the R2? Or only Ultra-Low Voltage Models?
     
    corpses3, Feb 11, 2011
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  6. thegh0sts

    thegh0sts Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    nope, the i5 is the 520UM
     
    thegh0sts, Feb 11, 2011
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  7. corpses3

    corpses3 Notebook Consultant

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    Yes, but can it be replaced with a 540M @ 2.53GHZ (non UM) ?
     
    corpses3, Feb 11, 2011
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  8. thegh0sts

    thegh0sts Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    The processors are soldered into the motherboard and there's no option to have a non-ULV processor so i would think no.
     
    thegh0sts, Feb 11, 2011
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  9. corpses3

    corpses3 Notebook Consultant

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    Bummer!! !
     
    corpses3, Feb 11, 2011
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  10. headphones989

    headphones989 Notebook Consultant

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    what are you planning on using it for? less demanding software won't require the extra boost... and if you aren't going to be multitasking like hell you'll be fine (more than 4 gb ram won't help much depending on what you're doing). the extra hdd space isn't much, but if you need it it's nice

    personally i went with the i series though :D
     
    headphones989, Feb 11, 2011
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  11. thegh0sts

    thegh0sts Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    core i just sounds better than core 2 i reckon!
     
    thegh0sts, Feb 11, 2011
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  12. saturnotaku

    saturnotaku Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    All those games should run just fine on the R1. Maybe (and that's a big maybe) you'll have to turn down the detail slightly on Civ IV or lower the resolution. I was in the same boat as you and ultimately went with the R1 as well. I'll be using the machine when I travel and for playing older titles. The $200 I saved over the R2 I will use to put toward an SSD or larger HDD and maybe some accessories.

    If the M11x is going to be your secondary system, you'll do just fine with the R1. If it were going to be anything more than that, you probably should have sprung for the R2.
     
    saturnotaku, Feb 11, 2011
    #12