To upgrade the old or buy new...

So right now I have a Alienware M15x, It has an i7-720QM Processor, 8 gigs of ram, 500 gig hd, and a Nvidia GT 240m. NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-720QM Processor ,Alienware score: 5526 PCMarks

It have to overclock it to run Diablo 3 but it runs fine on high settings once OCed. I tried to play Arma 2 dayz mod but its way to choppy.

I have also had a few issues with the unit, I get a GPU error every now in then on start up, and I had one heck of a time overclocking it, every now and then that issue rears its head again. Other than that its been fine. I got it in a trade deal so I dont have a ton in it.

I was out and about and just so happen to run across a dell XPS L702X for $550..... Brand new, in the box, with 10 months on the warranty. Still has the stickers on it and everything. It has ab i5-2450 processor, 6 gigs of ram (can upgrade to 16) and a GT 550m with a 750 gig HD.

The question is do I try and upgrade my 240m in the alienware to a better card, or do I go ahead and buy the dell? How much of an upgrade would the dell be over the alienware as the both are right now? I can probably easily resell my alienware for more than the total cost of the dell just based off the brand name alone. I know the dell will drop in value pretty quick because I had one before but the alienware always seems to hold strong.

Also a sidebar my alienware does have the sweet backlit keyboard, the dell does not lol.

 

If the GT 550M is enough for you, you can go with that and you even get some cash. A video card upgrade might cost you a bit ($300? I dunno) but with possibly more performance

 

What games do you plan on playing aside from the 2 mentioned, and at what settings do you wanna play these games including diablo 3 and the other one? Honestly if you were to upgrade to say a 920xm cpu and a 6990m gpu, they would run you up to the ballpark of $550-600. That would be much better than that l702x you mentioned and would last you longer as well. Also, if you still wanted more power later on you could always upgrade to the 7970m.

Personally I would just upgrade the M15x (it would come out stronger than the l702x), but I say that also because I love the laptop too damn much to let it go

All in all it comes down to your needs!

EDIT: the M15x can also be upgraded to 16gb ram if you ever needed that much
The 920xm cpu overclocked well is around a 2820qm
The 6990m would eat that gt550m

 

...and can run the 7970M too

think upgrade, think save the environment too

 

Generally speaking I play MMO's mostly. Star wars is one, maybe the new guild wars when it comes out. That type of game. I also play all of the total war games, Empire total war etc, although my M15x runs them pretty good on higher settings now. I would like to play on higher settings, max preferably but it does not really have to be. I am somewhat of a casual gamer, but I do go through sporadic bouts where I will spend a day or so just straight grinding.

I believe I am already at my ram cap so I dont think I can get much more of a boost from there. If I did do the upgrade I think it would be smartest to do the GPU first. You suggest getting away from nvidia? would this card work AMD Dell RDRGR MXM Radeon HD 6990M 2GB Video Card | eBay ? And would my current heatsinks on my stock 240 work or would I need new ones?

Found this guy too Intel Core i7-920XM - 2 GHz Quad-Core (BY80607002529AF) Processor OEM | eBay

 

$200 is a good deal for a 920xm, I paid $250 for mine a few weeks back. The 240m sucks, if you upgrade that as well you will be set.

 

I noticed in your sig you have 16gig of ram in your m15x? I thought the cap was 8? I am assuming that the ram max must be related to the processor I have vs the one you have. I am familiar with modding and upgrading but its not my day job... I only moon light from time to time.

 

It's possible for 16gb only that it doesn't show in bios but does in windows. As of now I have not seen anyone with issues having 16gb ram, but I'd say better spend the money for an extra hdd. You'd get more bang for your buck.

 

I would recommend getting away nvidia for the sole purpose that you are able to get a stronger gpu in the M15x with amd. The strongest this laptop can go comfortably is the nvidia gtx 560m with a modded inf file. If your not into heavy video encoding and physx and such, you'd be better off with amd in terms of performance/cost.

No real point upping the ram just yet. I'd agree go for a better hard drive with an ssd sata 2 (3gb/s).

As for the cpu def the 920, but do the gpu first.

 

The strongest it can take which is also very "comfortable" would be the 7970M.

Even in my flat after hours running and after benchmark runs my card runs idle at 40C in ambient temps of 27-28C! I can't believe the 560M is any cooler. Considering my flat will be 20C max in winter I expect the temps to drop 7-8C during that time!

At load the card maxes out in games at around 65C. Now the card however is costly but very comfortable once you have got the drivers working

 

Agreed. I have just ordered mine as well

 

How well would a 6970 work? Would it be decent upgrade over the 240m? It seems to be a little cheaper and easier to find. Is there a place to buy these cards brand new? or just ebay?

 

difference.... like night and day, you could buy on ebay or here at the marketplace and to make things a bit easier buy a dell card. there is also an entire thread dedicated to the 6970m if you need further help

 

240M vs 6970M? Lol.

Like comparing a rusted up old Skoda (old russian car) to a new ferrari!

 

You can buy a HD 6970M here in the marketplace; Here are some links:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/computer-components/671190-fs-dell-6970m.html

http://forum.notebookreview.com/com...200-gpu-hs-fan-1x-m18x-dual-piped-cpu-hs.html

These used cards are just as good. In addition, these Dell cards enables the native fan controls to work properly without the use of Hwinfo.

A brand new Dell card would cost around 500 dollars on eBay, and with that price it may be best to invest on a HD7970M instead.

For more information you may head here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...u-need-know-upgrading-problems-solutions.html