Gonna be making some changes to my M15x...

Well hello there.

I got my M15x from Dell about 4 days ago and I'm already planning to change what I've got. (Too soon?) haha.

Well, I currently have the 260m video card but I'm looking to upgrade that.
I'm also looking into an SSD instead of the 500gb 7200HDD that's currently in there.
I'm looking for a good gaming mouse.
Lastly, I might want to get a new wireless card, but I'm not really sure if the one I have is decent and what I should change it to.

Basically I need help deciding what I should change first and what can obviously wait, and, what I should upgrade to, to make my m15x a beast.

NOTE: I have $200 in amazon gift cards, so it would be helpful if i could get it off of there.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

I would check out the after market upgrades thread for some good ideas. As far as upgrading to an SSD, thats a pricey upgrade. Intel probably makes the best one right now and an 80gb is a little over $200. Best of luck though. Dont break anything

 

Razer make good gaming mice (e.g. Mamba).

The one in your M15x is a draft-N card. The best card would be an Intel 6300 ( http://www.intel.com/network/connectivity/products/wireless/adapters/6200-6300/index.htm).

The GTX 260M is a decent card, but for an upgrade you'll want either: ATi 5850 GDDR5 or an ATi 5870. Since you got it a few days ago, you can send it back and order a new one with the 5850 (the card separately will cost a few hundred) for no charge (if you don't send it back and order another Dell/Alienware, you'll get charged a restocking fee).

The SSD should be your priority, as you'll get the best performance increase.

I don't know much about SSDs (they don't appeal to me) so I can't advise you on one.

 

Skinny, are consumers able to purchase the 256gb SSD that dell offers when customizing a m15x? I remember it being only about 300 dollars which doesnt seem too bad.

 

The 500 GB HDD in the M15x is a bit of a joke. Go for the SSD before anything else if money allows.

However, if wanting to spend your $200 in Amazon gift cards, I'd say go for a Razer mouse, and a Targus Cooling Mat if you don't already have one. Sure, Alienwares have amazing cooling systems, but better safe than sorry, especially with the premium you're paying to get an Alienware.

 

The best you can get from dell is 64gb for $240. The 256 is crazy expensive about $800

 

Haha oh jeeezzzz. $800 might be a bit much.

How hard is it to swap harddrives? And 160/80gb seems a bit small as far as space goes

 

It's not difficult, it's in the manual. I would give you a specific page number, but I seem to have misplaced it. On the plus side, I just found my passport.

 

80gb is pretty small. 160 is acceptable. But I always opt for 320 or more. I have the 256 SSD with a 320gb external HDD. I do a lot of 3d modeling and animation, and some of those files get pretty big, so I need it. It all depends on what you do. As far as upgrading- its probably the easiest upgrade you can do. I did it for the first time about a week ago and it was as simple as unplugging the old one and plugging the new in its place. What you have to work on is cloning your files onto the new one. Ive never done that before. When I replaced my hard drive it was for an old laptop, so I just bought new everything (including the Operating system). Im sure someone else can help you out with cloning.

 

Your welcome. ;]

I feel like I magically helped...haha

Any specific Razer mouses that people recommend?

 

and heres one more thing straight from alienware, my friend. Step by Step replacing the HDD on your m15x

 

Hehe thanks. But that applies to the Area-51 M15x.

 

oh my bad . Anywho...Im waiting for this gaming mouse as well. Something to check out.

 

Woah...now that is a mouse.

 

That link is broken. =[

 

yeah, it certainly compliments the alienware nicely

 

Thanks for pointing that out. It's because i added a bracket at the end. This should work.

Intel® Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300 and Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6200 Overview

 

Nice. =]
Is this available on amazon?

I'd also be happy with the intel wifi link 5300 802.11AGN Half Mini Card...cause I currently have the Wireless 1520 802.11n card...

 

You can buy it from Dell (the compatibility lists only two models, so you're going to have to get clarification from someone else on this forum). The link for UK is here:

DELL Wireless: EMEA Intel Pro Wireless 6300 (802.11 a/b/g/Draft-n 3X3) Mini Card (Kit) : Wireless & Fixed Networking - Accessories | Dell UK

Oh, I found my manual. Page 47 is what you're looking for.

 

Hmm okay. I'll look into it!

Is there anyway to purchase the 5300?

Is this it? It doesnt seem like it's exactly it...I'm not too good with these things.

Amazon.com: Intel WiFi Link 5300 - Network adapter - PCI Express Half Mini Card - 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g, 802.11n (draft): Electronics

 

This is the one in my M15x, so I don't think the one you posted would fit.

DELL Wireless : Intel WiFi Link 5300 (802.11 a/g/n 3X3) 1/2 MiniCard - Kit : Wireless & Fixed Networking - Accessories | Dell UK

 

Thank you. =]

How did you overclock your 260m?? Our lappy's have the same specs.

 

EVGA Precision. It's much better than RivaTuner. You have to register an account with EVGA though (It's free). Also, the M15x will randomly decide to revert back to normal settings, and wont let EVGA change the clocks. In which case, you need to activate stealth mode, then deactivate it. Then, you can change the clocks again.

 

Cool. Thanks. =] Is it dangerous for the laptop? Anddd how much performance increase have you seen?

Also, apparently that wifi card isnt available on Dell's US website...at least I cant find it. it's very frustrating.

 

I've checked over the specs and the 6300 is (apparently) the same as the 5300, so if you can find the 5300, go with that.

Overclocking can be dangerous, as you're forcing components to run faster than they are designed. However, if the settings are put too high, the computer will shut off to prevent damage. In which case, you'll have to hold the power button for 20 seconds to reset it, then lower the clocks. The ones I have are the most stable for me (700/1700/1100 will crash games, but unlike before the computer wont completely shut off).

In Crysis with everything at high with 1920x1080 I get around 3-4fps average increase to 26-27fps average. While this may not seem like much, the fps gained is correlated, so I'm getting around a 10th increase in Crysis, so if the game runs at 70fps, I'll get 7fps or more.

 

Okay, I'll get the 5300 then...if I could find it on the Dell website in the US

 

I have the Razer Lachesis (Spelling?) Mouse and I like it a lot. If you do a lot of gaming though I would suggest going with the Mamba... You can change it from wireless to wired on the fly.

 

Check with Babyhemi , he might have hte N 6300 left , and I believe only for $39.00 ...and thats the price you ware at it, might as well as him aboutill find. And since you the ATI HD 5870 GPU for your m15x, it rocks...

 

Yeah i also bought N 6300 from babyhemi for my M15x, I am also thinking of buying myself ATI 5870

 

If you don't want to spend SSD money, check this out:

Newegg.com - Seagate Momentus XT ST95005620AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s with NCQ Solid State Hybrid Drive -Bare Drive

There's been some talk about it, and it's sounding pretty good...as the drive learns your programs and whatnot, you start to get SSD-like performance out of an affordable 500GB drive.

I'm probably going to get one at some point, maybe as the price goes down a bit.

 

As good as these HDD can be, they will never be comparable to a SSD performances-wise.
For the OP, you can very well live with 80gb, buy an HDD enclosure with a esata out for your 500GB HDD you currently have and install all your games on it! Thats what I'm going and I have about 40gb used on my 160gb SSD.
Make sur you buy an Intel G2 or a OCZ these are the best options if you have a limited budget! But dont be afraid to drop by the SSD thread in the hardware section of the forum!
For the GPU, get a 5870m, these are crazy good!

 

Intel 5300 is similar performance when compared to intel 6300... I would recommend u to upgrade to ssd and then to ATI5870... but if u just game a lot then u r better off upgrading ati 5870 then ssd....

u can get Intel g2 X-25m 80 gb for $215 or u can wait for Intel G3 its going to be released in Q4 this year...

 

What do you mean an HDD enclosure with an esata out?? I dont know what that means haha.

And, if I install all my games on the HDD doesnt that defeat the purpose of having the SSD?

 

an HDD enclosure is an external device that you put an internal hard drive into and can be read through eSATA (eSATA = external SATA).

As an example, you buy one of these (I'm not suggesting that you buy that one, this is just the first example I found)

L803B USB 2.0 3.5" IDE & SATA Hard Drive Enclosure USB2: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Then insert what would be an internal drive (assuming that you replace the internal HDD with an SSD, you would use the one you pulled out in the enclosure and connect it through an eSATA connection. Your M15x has one eSATA connection, on the right side and is a combined eSATA & uSB2 connection. It also has a special power feature, where it will charge stuff e.g. phones even if the laptop is off.

 

Yeah thats it, though you would want to have a 2.5" enclosure...
I have this one, its been working great! Nothing fancy just a simple enclosure.
So when you will receive your SSD, you might want to use your current 500gb HDD to stock media and games, and the best way to do so, is to have it plugged with an esata cable, the transfer speed is crazy fast! (more than 100mb/s)
So buy a 80gb SSD, and stock all your medias and games on your external HDD, it'll cost you less than if you want to buy a larger SSD.

 

Hmm. That sounds like a really cool idea. I was wondering, is there anyway to put a "lock" on my HDD (incase it gets stolen or lost or confiscated by the government for top secret research).
Does the esata cable come with the enclosure?

 

@soccerthiery hey.. does esata give enough power to power up the hard drive or do u have to use a usb cable with it...

EDIT: Just checked u have to use usb to power it up...

 

Yeah you need USB or a power adapter.

 

Well there's a thread about it in the hardware section, you have to make it yourself or something, it really is a bummer I agree. I really have to buy a USB hub
But for the transfert speed, it's worth it. It's much faster than a standard USB 2.0 HDD
EDIT: Here!

@Insaynee; I honestly don't know. I guess yeah, you can do pretty much anything you want nowadays I'll do a quick search soon!
EDIT: I found this website, I don't knoe if it's what you are looking for!

 

Yup, my top secret government files need to be protected.

are you a thierry Henry fan?

 

Meh, it's just that I play soccer and my name is Thierry! Even tough my main language is actually French, I don't really like their Soccer team..
Anyways! Long story

 

Hehe ohhh? Interesting.

Yeah, I'm no fan of the French team either.

Uber excited about the world cup though

Do you like your SSD? How noticable is the performance increase?

 

Yeah, can't wait for the WC either
And yes, I sure do love my SSD!
The firsts days I was amazed, but now I'm used to it so I don't see much difference, but when you'll use other computer, it will feel like the whole system is lagging!
I really do enjoy the speed of a SSD, I can now boot my system in about 15 seconds, open thousands of programs in a second and all. It really does feel great!
Plus for the price of a 80gb you can't go wrong!

 

Hmmm. Where do you store all your information? A couple of games would eat up 80gb's in a second.

I think after my next pay check I'll be bargain hunting on eBay for one.

 

You store all your stuff on your external HDD! Honestly, I have 4 games installed on my SSD, about one gig of music and 5 of movies/videos, all my softwares require about 40% of my SSD!
I have about 200Gig of media on my external HDD and I have my windows backup in there too!
If you are looking to buy one, dont forget to look into theNBR marketplace! Thats where I got my intel 160Gb G2 for less than 400$, which means I saved more than 25% off the SSD price back then!