Considering buying the M15x now

Well i am considering getting the M15x now but is it really worth it now that SB cpus are out. On top of that the M15x lacks some newer gen tech like USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 3.0. It also has only 3 usb ports(i think compared to the 4 on M14x. But i fear the Gt555m is not powerful enough. I also like the Magnesium built of the M15x compared to the ST plastic of M14x.
M17 R3 is not an option because i am not from the USA and the R3 is 1000$ more than the M15x with the same GPU(GTX 460m) thus i cant really afford it.
My other option is the Asus G73SW. It also has the GTX460m and costs the same as the M15x but it has SB cpus. It also has a single USB 3.0 port but the problem with that is that it is too big(though it is lighter). Also I am not really sure about Asus build quality and reliability. Although in Laptop reliability surveys they have been placed at the top but I dont know someone who has a Asus gaming laptop. Another plus to AW is the active NBR community, if i have some issues i can post here to get help, there are hardly any frequent poster in the Asus ROG sub forums. But i believe the M15x is a older system and many users will now be switching so even the M15x sub forums may become less active.
What do you guys think?

 

BT 3.0 is nice, but only if you use it personally if I had BT 3.0 I'd not use it.

USB 3.0 I made like a little review,

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m15x/573153-m15x-usb-3-0-express-card-54-a.html

 

FWIW - I am not a bluetooth fan, so that's not an issue. USB 3.0 is nice for external hard disks (I added a card to mine). Note that one of the m15x USB ports is also eSATA, so one could get pretty good transfer rates that way. The SB processors are clearly more powerful - but it depends on how much horsepower you need. Mine was originally 720QM, but I swapped to 940xm - faster than most of the lower level SB processors. My graphics is still only Nvidia 260m - I'll probably upgrade one of these days. Pros for m15x - solid, upgradeable, fast. cons - that solidity brings additional weight, and the horsepower means short battery life.

Happy shoppping

Joe

 

USB 3.0 is not really that big a concern but the processor is. I dont know how much of a performance difference i'll see.
Also, I am getting the GTX460m what other GPUs will i be able to upgrade to?

 

5850m, 5870m, and... 6970m M15x is pretty upgradable.

The 2720QM performs at a similar level as a slightly overclocked 920xm if I remember correctly.

And regarding the G73... you can't upgrade this system.

 

I believe GPU is easy to replacable on the G73SW, but i dont think Asus supports GPUs via Bios updates like AW.
How much can i grab the 6970m or 5870m for? And waht about the 940xm or 920xm?

 

If you ever opened a G73 you'll know why it isn't easy and if you have ever taken a look at the GPU of the G73JW you'll see why I consider it pretty impossible (physically)... here's a link to my investigation on the G73JW upgradability. The SW could be different though, but I bet it uses the same crippled 460m...


The 5870 can be found at the marketplace of this forum from time to time, at mxm-upgrade, at ebay, or ordered from Dell (if you're lucky). A Dell version will be the best choice.

Everything about the 6970m can be found here, the information about where to get it as well as everything else.

 

I agree with svl on this one. Upgradability is a major issue on Asus while it is a walk in the park on an Alienware. Would definitely go with a M15x considering many guys are running a 6970 on it. With a 940XM and 6970, it could take on the M17x R3 as well.