Was looking at a M15x to replace my Desktop Gaming Rig...

I need some feedback on the following config I am thinking about buying to replace my Ageing Gaming Desktop!

COLOR OPTIONS: Nebula Red Base (Direct)
AVATAR: Alienhead 3D
ALIENFX COLORS: AlienFX light RED
AUTOMATIC UPDATE: Auto Update ON

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7-840QM Processor (1.86GHz, 4Core/8Threads, turbo boost up to 3.2Ghz, 8M cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit (English)
SECURITY SOFTWARE: McAfee(R) Security Center (Multi-Language) 15 Months Version
HD DISPLAY: 15.6 " Full HD (1080p) WLED (1920 x 1080) Display with TrueLife™
MEMORY: 8GB (4GBx2) 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
HARD DRIVE: 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
OPTICAL DRIVE: Slot Load 8X DVD+/-RW Drive with DVD+R double layer write capability
VIDEO CARD: 1GB GDDR5 ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 5850
BATTERIES: 6-cell Primary Battery

Now I my current broken-down Gaming Desktop included a Intel E8500 Duel Core (@3.16) a 1GB GTX285 and 4 gig of DDR2 1066 Memory, what I would like to know is how much of a performance difference in intensive games like Crysis, BF2 BC and Farcry2 will I notice? I would love dearly to be at least able to play smoothly in 1600X900 with most things on high, is this achievable? Any chance of cranking them up to FullHD? My Gaming Desktop needs a new PSU at the least as it isn't booting is it worth the $s upgrading? I need something that is reliable but can still cope with all the latest games I will install!

Have been looking at a M15 for awhile now since my Desktop is broken again I think now is the time to get it and save room at the same time as long as performance isn't comprimised!

Thanks !

 

The only thing that I would say is drop the ram down from 8GB to 4 or maybe 6GB if you're a real power user. That will save you some money and let you spend it elsewhere. Other than that you have yourself a great system!

 

My only concern would be; with that much power usage, the 6 cell battery doesnt provide much unplugged time. My setup, very similar (below/ signature), provides about 1 1/2 hours battery life (heavy/ consumption).
Other than that, nice choices, I'm more of an A/V editor than a gamer and use lots of RAM, many peers would recommend 6Gb (4+2) as adequate for gaming, if you are looking to save a little cash. RAM is an easy upgrade, anytime.
Dont forget a good gaming mouse, many have chosen the Razer line of mice.

 

I'd suggest dropping the RAM is you're only going to be playing games. It's unnecessary at the moment to have that much RAM unless you do Photo & Video editing/rendering. If you aren't going to move it about much (or at all) stick with the 6 cell battery.

With the GTX285 you're probably getting around 27ish FPS on Very High settings in Crysis, the 5850 (without being overclocked) gives you about 17ish FPS with the same settings. Obviously, this is an extreme example, but that's about what you should expect in Crysis. The card is powerful enough for 1920x1080 with good detail, as long as you aren't expecting 60FPS constantly.

 

yeh get the 9 cell battery, always a good idea especially with qcore. plus the slight elevation helps with cooling and makes the palm rest much more comfortable imo.

while the ram is overkill, trying to future proof a little isn't a bad thing, but as others stated for gaming atm it's overkill.

i replaced my desktop with the m15x... and now the desktop is sitting in the back just as a download machine.

if fps is important to you, you may want to opt for the 1600x900 screen instead of the 1920x1080. however since getting the bluray drive....

i myself got the 1920x1080. in games where i find it not optimal at max (metro 2033, crysis) and i put it on 1600x900, you will find it a little diffused since it's not the native res. hehe it's kind of like an in-built FSAA blur filter. with a performance increase instead of decrease.

 

How does it look at a lower than native resolution? I know you said it looks "diffused" but more specifically...

 

Yeah I thaught about the battery however I was looking at having it plugged in most of the time anyhow, my current laptop ( an ancient Asus T2230 with a Radeon 1100 Express which only plays solitaire) only gets about 30-40 mins before it runs out of juice so an hour and a half would be a blessing

Regards to the memory that people have mentioned in their replies, I only selected 8GB because when choosing each component when customising the M15 it mentioned that Dell recommends 8GB for machines running Windows 7 64 Bit, if it is unnecessary however I will lower it back to 6GB!

 

Really that is quite surprising I thaught the M15X would be MORE powerful than my current Desktop especially considering the M15 is using a I7 Processor and has Faster DDR3 Ram? Yeah atm I can get smooth Framerates on my Desktop (when it is working) in Crysis and Crysis Warhead it averages around 33-40 fps in my benchmarks in 1680X1050 with the settings on VERY HIGH

3DMark06 Benchmark (note: the benchmark was done in 1280X1024)

http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm06=11631695

I assumed that the M15X would be much more powerful given all the reviews raving about its benchmarks and being the most powerful laptop? OR is this just a limitation of laptops compared to desktops? I am wondering if I am better off just getting my desktop fixed again if this is the case (will cost hundreds by the looks of it)

I would get a M17X with crossfire but I can't justify another 1000 dollars which is what it ends up being compared to the M15 with similar components!

 

The M15x was touted as the most powerful 15inch laptop (and still is, for some reason) but it is not. Laptops will always be less powerful than Desktops with good graphics cards. What you're really paying for is portability.

In Very high settings in 1920x1080 with AA off, I get around 15 FPS with my OC'ed GTX260M. The 5850 is a more powerful card, so add another few FPS for a stock 5850 and another few more for an OC'ed one.

 

Desktops will always be more powerful than laptops in terms of having the same generation tech.

The thing with Laptops nowadays is that they CAN in fact play most games pretty well.

The M15x is a Powerful laptop... but laptops and Desktops are like comparing apples to oranges.

I'd honestly say stick with the Desktop. The laptops are great but shouldn't be used to REPLACE a desktop.

They can, but i don't think it's worth the money if you have a more than capable desktop.

 

Your right but from what they were saying the M15 is quite heavy and not really portable anyhow?

I will still get one to replace my old laptop which I am typing on atm, it simply is too slow and doesn't have enough memory to be really usefull!

Btw I just fixed my desktop, it turns out the power cable leading to motherboard being loose wasn't the only problem, also the power point that I had the PC plugged into seems to be not functioning as it should, I moved the PC to the powerpoint next to the faulty one and it is booting up fine? !!! Last thing I would have checked is power fixtures!

Thanks for the heads up guys I seriously hadn't looked at a laptop in over 4 years and I assumed with the I7s and faster RAM that they would have caught up to their desktop counterparts, maybe that will NEVER happen with restrictions on Video Card Devices in such a small area?

 

The 9cell is an expensive upgrade if you intend to use it on power all the time just to raise it a little for better vent.

I'm looking at something like this:
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true, however there are times when i need to use the battery and judging from it's life with a 9 cell... i can't even imagine a 6.