macbook pro 15 or asus or aliewanre m17x

Well , Im tired of my bulky m18x and i want something more portable and still have decent performance on games. Before this laptop I had the razer blade ( which is like a macbook pro 17) but the performance with the gt 555m on it were horrible so I sold and went for the m18x which I owned even before the razer blade... i stopped bearing a performance fan and more of portability fan, and now seeing that a 2k'g and 2 cm thick laptop it out there with 60% more GPU performance than I had on my razer blade this is very tempting...
I thought about Asus g55vw or the aliewanre m17x which have far better performance but they weight between 1-2 kg more than the macbook pro 15 retina...

im mainly going to surf the web and play games from time to time. I dont mind losing the powerhouse performance for portability, but at least , it must have some sort of gaming performance. and i read that the GT 650m is quite decent.
should i go for the macbook pro 15 retina or go for something else? since I also used to play on Windows and not lion OS.

 

It would be a smart choice, if you're not concerned about the loss of powerhouse gaming abailities, to go with the MBP 15" w/ retina. The 2012 Macbook Pros will not be able to compare to the m17x or m18x, but offer very decent gaming performance, as far as gaming computers are concerned. What games are you planning on playing, and on what settings?

 

Thank you for making this thread! I am debating this exact dilemma still and I have 5 days left to decide. Personally, I'm leaning towards the MBPR. I'm coming from a 13" Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro so the M17x seems enormous to me especially knowing that it's much thicker and heavier than most 17 inchers out there and those are already monsters to me (I've been unable to find an M17x I could see in person).

In light of some new information I'm also considering a 13" MBA with a Sonnet Echo Pro Adapter and eGPU solution but I have to do more research first.

 

You want the best gaming performance, go Alienware or Asus, you want something portable, go Macbook. Simple as that You really can't compare the two devices against each other because one is considered a desktop replacement while the other is a notebook. Seeing as you ALREADY have an M18x I would highly suggest going for the Macbook to compliment your other device instead of going for an m17x which seems redundant.

 

I would vote all the way for a M17x R4, especially if you get it with a GTX 680M GPU.

The ASUS has less cooling and only has two choice (GTX 660M or GTX 670M (570M)) and it's very hard to get to the 3rd and 4th memory slot. Not even mentioning that the MXM is nonstandard and the BIOS is locked down.

 

Well , being a gamer I play all verious games starting from diablo 3 to max payne 3 to world of warcraft and BF 3... I dont mind playing on mid / high settings if it means I can put the machine on my legs while playing in bed without losing the feeling at my legs after 25 min of playing ( like when I put the m18x on my legs ). I figured it would either be the m17x R4 with 7970m or the macbook pro with the 2.3ghz cpu. there is a huge difference in performance and also monility. I only know that the m17x R4 weights 1kg less than the m18x I have at the momment , and is about 1 less c"m thick than the m18x, so im not sure how much of an upgrade in portability it is going to be...

this is such a tough call, after purchasing the Razer blade ( which was a bad purchase) Im afraid to get burned again... I bought the razer blade for portability, but the GT 555m was so awuful in performance that I had to sell it...

 

What about the Alienware M14x?

 

the m14x is indeed about 500$ cheaper , however , doesnt have a retina display ( which i can deal with) , but it weights 1kg more than the macbook pro and the battery on the mac is also much better. so facing 1 vs 1 , I would say the macbook pro has the upper hand since it has same hardware inside only that the macbook is lighter and better screen and better battery / cooling.
It is why I nerrowed it down to either m17x r4 or macbook pro 15 retina... I just never had the chance of holding an aliewanre m17x R4 so im not sure how much more portable that would be than a m18x

 

The Alienware M17X is not very portable in my opinion. It is a gaming 17" notebook that is really only meant for traveling to LAN parties. It definitely isn't something that I would carry around on a daily basis. So I view its portability as being there just in case you need to take it somewhere, otherwise it was really meant for sitting on a desk.

There are some things to think about though: if you plan on getting a Mac and want to run Windows the majority of the time (as you would likely want to do when gaming), you are definitely not going to get Apple's battery life numbers. From what I have read, the 2012 MBP/RMBP gets about 4.5-5 hours on a single charge when in Windows. That is mainly due to Windows being locked out of the Intel IGP and relying solely on the Nvidia GPU. There are some other drawbacks to running Windows on a Mac that I won't fully go into.

Either way, if you plan on staying in Windows the majority of the time, you might as well just get a machine built for Windows and not spend all that money on getting a subpar experience by running Windows on a Mac. Apple hasn't optimized their drivers for Windows and that makes some aspects annoying.

 

This is a good point I didn't consider, emulating Windows on a MacBook Pro kills the long battery life it typically boasts. However, it should still tie (or probably beat) the m17x and m18x by a good hour and a half. Also, it should stay lighter and cooler in the process, Apple's been putting a lot of thought into their new MBP cooling systems.

 

It seems that you want portability over power - in which case, I would definitely recommend the MacBook over a true dedicated gamer laptop. I am iffy on the Retina, due to its limitations on DIY upgrades, but the 650m is definitely tolerable.

Personally, I went from a M11x to a ThinkPad x120e (11" Ultrabook) to a 13" MBA (2011) to a M18x, and back to the MBA.

Despite how tiny the M11x was, it was thick, and dense. It was no lightweight. I got rid of it for the x120e, another 11" laptop, but this was much much lighter. Unfortunately, the performance was noticeably lacking, and the screen quality kinda blew. I went with the 13" MBA next. The resolution of the 13" was amazing at the time, and it was extremely lightweight still. Unfortunately, the HD3000 left A LOT to be desired, and so, I bought an M18x. I figured - what the heck, if there is a will to move it about, there is a way - and ignored the size and weight. I travel quite often, and after a few weeks - the transport of the M18x was just a burden. It is doable, sure, but it was certainly not pleasurable. I returned it, and stuck with the 13" MBA. At the time, I was looking into a 2011 MBA 15" Pro (and even the razer blade, but was was WAY too expensive for any serious consideration), which would have been the next logical form factor (one of the lighter 15", with a decent discrete GPU), but I decided to hold off in case there was a 15" "Air".

It has been 4 months since I switched back to the 13" MBA, and I now have the rMBP 'ordered', in hopes that it will be an acceptable blend of portability and gaming performance. After trying the worse to the best, and the lightest to the heaviest, I feel that the rMBP will be just right for me. I hope this is so, I am frankly sick of looking for and switching laptops, lol

 

You're not emulating Windows on the Mac, in Bootcamp you're running it native but the problem is some people are getting the wrong message here about the Mac. It's not designed to be a Windows machine nor is it designed to be a replacement for your aging Windows machine unless you're interested in the Mac OS or you're OS agnostic. It's been and still is designed to bridge gaps for people who need to run BOTH systems.

There's some Mac software people need and some Windows software people need. Apple did not intend for people buy a Mac, completely dismiss OS X, install Windows and use it as a full-time Windows machine. Of course a person can do what they please once they buy one but that's exactly why Apple doesn't spend resources optimizing the Mac to be a full-time Windows machine and it's quite obvious based on the types of threads that come up almost every month about people trying to come up with workarounds to turn the Mac into a "PC".

Each system offers something to the customer so it's best to buy what the machine does best at doing and a Mac (while works decently for gaming) is NOT a "gaming machine".

If you're even considering a Mac along with a Windows machine in your buying decision, especially when gaming is one of your needs, then it's obvious the Mac OS wasn't going to be the system you would be interested in using and therefore you're wasting your money. The full great experience of the Mac is not just the hardware (are you listening Windows users? ), the Mac OS combined makes for the entire experience.

Why spend 2 grand for a computer that's not optimized for the OS you prefer to use and then spend more money for the OS you prefer to use and then spend time on forums trying to find workarounds to optimize a system that's not optimized for the OS you prefer?

So based on the OP's question, the Alienware would be a much better choice based on his needs. Simple as that. It's a no-brainer.

 

^ That's what I was getting at with my post. Boot Camp allows Macs to run Windows but only if the need exists. It was never, ever, ever meant to be used as a way for people to buy Apple hardware to solely run other software. The experience is subpar to say the least and it mainly revolves around Apple's poor Windows driver support. The trackpad is way too sensitive (for movement and taps), you don't get all of the gestures found in OS X, only the GPU will be used and Intel's IGP can't be accessed (unless it is a Mac that only uses Intel's IGP), the cooling fans are not as sensitive and tend to run at the max setting for a longer period, a Mac's keyboard is laid out for OS X, and I can keep going on.

Some of those can be fixed with 3rd party drivers but that makes a main point: why bother doing this if it is going to require that much additional work? Either way, if your main focus is going to be gaming, you would be better off with a Windows machine. They may not be as portable or sleek as a Mac but those factors aren't very large compared to the (lack of) performance you will get when running Windows on a Mac.

I also think you are giving the RMBP's cooling system too much praise. Reviews and comments from people are saying that it is similar to what is in the current MBP's and MBA's in terms of performance and noise level. You still won't be able to use the system on your lap or in a bed (unless it is on a hard surface, otherwise you will choke it out) as it will get hot even when browsing the web (mainly thanks to Adobe's shoddy OS X Flash code).

 

Im waiting for anand review regarding the mbp 15 to comment on heat. Currently I think the new design is in favor regarding that.

 

There you go:
AnandTech - The next-gen MacBook Pro with Retina Display Review

 

I mean comparing it to the mbp 15 2012, not the 2011 model.

 

I'm in a similar situation. I've been using an Asus G73 for a couple of years now that I do like alot. I play some games but I also work with some photography and I am a software developer.

I'm going Mac this time around. I don't really need the fanciest game graphics and I'm looking forward to trying Mac. Other developers I know have been switching and all give raving reviews about the Mac experience.

I'll probably have to give up a couple of games, but I'm not that serious about it anyways.

I also want to go without the AC cable. My G73 doesn't run too long on the battery which limits some of the things I can do.

 

from a review I read , was said that the lower power of the laptop reaches 45 degrees celsius on load. so thats much better from the razer blade I had when you could actualy feel 80 degrees on your knees. also the fans suck the air from the sides and not from the buttom, which means If i ut the laptop on bed it wont turn hot from lack of air flow. the m17x R4 seems nice with performance, but Im not sure that if i put 4.5kg on my legs when in bed, it would be a different exprience from puting the 6kg m18x which makes my legs go numb after 25 min of gameplay...
so far the thinest and most cooling and most light machine out there for gaming is the macbook pro 15 inch. unless im wrong ?
even the aliewanre m14x with similar tech specs is 1kg heavier than the macbook pro... not to mantion its not even 15 inch and not the same screen...

 

Similar specs under the hood (with more customization options too), weighs less than a non-Retina MacBook Pro, includes a 1080p matte screen, and a 2-year US warranty with one year of accidental damage coverage. Starting price is half of a comparable MBP.

MSI GE60 0N-006US - XOTIC PC - MSI 15.6" Gaming Notebook

 

If it helps the OP at all, I've decided to go with the MBPR. This will be my school computer and the power that M17x offers just can't make up for it's "portability" and weight. The MBPR will allow me to game at good settings (at least high for the games I play) when and where I feel like it. I also prefer OSX to Windows and, though I will be Boot Camping for my gaming needs, this played a pretty big part in my decision. Additionally, from what I've heard, the resale on the MBPR will be much better than the Alienware especially if I get it sold before WWDC 2013 (which I intend on doing). That fact is exacerbated by the fact I'll be able to snag the base model for $1500 before tax and AppleCare (or $2100 for the upgraded model) and I'm pretty confident I'll be able to get at least that next year in which case I'll upgrade to Haswell.

 

Thinking on going the same road only with the macbook pro 15 inch retina display. saw some youtube vids on how BF3 runs on high spec and it seemd between 30-50 fps which is amazing for such a small machine ( ran on windows bootcamp).

Corret me if im wrong though, the fans vents are on the sides of the laptop and not on the buttom ? as in it is possible to place the macbook pro on ur bed without blocking the air flow ?

 

side bottom are the intake vents... yes they can get obstructed easy by setting it on a bed or soft object. You really need to use it on a flat hard surface.

 

You don't want to use the RMBP in a bed or on your legs, period. The aluminum chassis acts like a big heat sink and you will feel the heat faster and at lower temperatures than other systems. If you insist on using the computer in your bed on your lap, you need to buy an actual lap table unit with a flat, hard, cloth-free surface.

 

That is probably more user preference/tolerance. I've gamed for hours with the M18x directly on my lap. I didn't even notice the heat, weight, or noise (i had headphones on) since I was so into the game I was playing.

 

But the M18x is a completely different beast, sucker is thick, "plastic", with plenty of side ventilation. Thin laptops really need room to breathe as they are limited as far as ventilation and often dissipate heat through it's casing.

 

i agree when it comes to the legs... but if you put it on your bed and play for a while, you'll at the minimum get throttling, if not overheating and shutting off on you. Theres no reason to run a machine that hot, and on a soft surface, it retains heat and makes your laptop even hotter.

 

I agree and didnt think on gaming while its on the bed , but the legs is a different issue. my legs go numb after 25 min with the m18x, but there is no heat issues... if u add to the 5.56kg m18x a lap desk under it to add more weight on ur legs and aside the fact that the m18x is thick as it is + the lap desk thickness... not too comfertable... I guess i can suffer the adding of a lapdesk under the macbook pro and still feel comfertable playing / surfing the net. not to mantion it will be a total weight of 2.5kg ?

had same issue with the razer blade , but the razer blade ventelation took air EXACTLY from where u put ur legs under the laptop so it was annoying / caused heat problems. dont think i will suffer from the same issue in this case. and something tells me that the cooling system on the mac is much better than the razer blade I had where I could realy feel 80 degrees celsius on my bear nakud legs... was horrible... could cook an omlet on the razer blade while gaming...

 

Not with MacBooks. Even something like a MacBook Air can become uncomfortable after a period of time. The aluminum casing of MacBooks acts as a heat conductor. A little bit of physics will tell you that energy (i.e. heat) will go from a more excited state (inside the MacBook) to a less excited condition (conducting to your legs). I've had my MBA get too warm for comfort when browsing the web and playing back Flash content or when playing a little bit of Portal. My 13" MBP was worse as it would heat up a lot faster than my MBA. The RMBP appears to be no different. A single Flash website, like IGN.com, can cause a MacBook's temperature to increase.

The notebook you use isn't completely different than a thin unit whose chassis and casing is made completely out of a heat conducting material. Thick, plastic notebooks with proper ventilation don't even compare to how MacBooks are setup. Apple has designed their cooling systems to take up minimal space while being well hidden. Factor that in with a metal notebook (not a laptop) and you have an uncomfortable experience.

 

I agree that Macbooks get hot, but I've used my Dad's Macbook Pro on my lap before just fine. It wasn't until I started doing something semi-intense that it started to make my legs melt. And from what I understand, the new RMBP stays a bit cooler on the bottom, so it's fine for light things.

I'd never game in my lap though, it's not only inviting heat but it's also uncomfortable in-and-of itself, and inefficient.

 

there is one interesting turn of events, the gt 650m in the RMBP is actually clocked higher than the 660m in the g55

 

Now that you mention it, I agree more than disagree (though don't agree complete). I actually have a 2011 Air, and the CPU vent area definitely gets uncomfortably hot to the touch...on top. On the bottom, while it can definitely get toasty, it is tolerable to me.

A lapdesk would definitely make it more comfortable though.

 

If you dont care about the weight, get Sager NP9180, which will outperform M17x.
otherwises, get rMBP

 

1) There is no Sager NP9180 and 2) Sagers are, at best, equal in power to the M17x since they can have just about the exact same parts.

 

pretty sure im set on the MBPr , talked to a guy who posted a video of BF3 perfomance on the MBPr with BF3 on it. asked him does it get warm to the touch when doing intense gaming ( placing the laptop on legs while in bed). his reply was that it felt warm but not HOT , as in very tolerable, said that mostly all the hot temp go towards the screen.

 

there will be a 17'' dual gpu offering from clevo, dunno about the name.

 

Congrats on your decision

 

I dont know about the 2012 MBP, but the older ones all get very very hot. My GPU and CPU will some times see temps close to 100c. It is very uncomfortable to use on my legs, burn skin uncomfortable.

 

The M14X is a great machine, however it has two flaws:
1. Screen (below average):
- Brightness while on max feels darkish
- Colours are decent, not great
- A Lenovo E-350 for 400$ I owned last year had better colours/brightness

2. Heat
- Currently, I have a big red burn mark on my left leg
- My leg hair has been burnt off
- Possible scar
- This is from audio editing, video editing and some gaming (D3; Civ V)

*I'm getting it re-pasted with superior paste later this month so we'll see. I've cleaned it twice using compressed air since my 5 month ownership and currently own no pets.

Besides those two issues, the performance is superb. Keyboard/touchpad is the best I've used. FX are beautiful. Warranty is top of the line. Doesn't feel heavy.

If the MBP-R does act like the M14X in terms of heat as others mentioned, save yourself the burn marks/possible scars and get a lapdesk for your bed

 

What do you expect? You jam a 45W CPU and a 45W dGPU inside a 14" chassis with a single fan config w/ layered heatsink. You should have expected this from the start

 

That's why laptops are no longer called laptops. Manufacturers are not designing them so that users can use them on their laps. Most notebooks haven't been lap friendly for the past 7-8 years as hardware has become a lot more powerful while chassis sizes keep decreasing. Gaming laptops in general were never designed for lap use as their vents often dissipate large amounts of heat. I remember trying to use my Dell XP on my lap back in 2005. It was fine for browsing the web but things became toasty when Flash was involved. Half-Life 2 about cooked my legs off and that was with the first iteration of the Pentium M processor along with a lowly Nvidia 6800 Ultra (both were awesome at the time).

Metal notebooks are even worse and I definitely wouldn't use a notebook in a bed no matter what, that is just asking for a notebook to overheat. Soft, conforming surfaces (such as a lap with loose pants/slacks/PJ's, carpet, a bed with a sheet/blanket) block notebook vents and make the thing struggle even when its trying to open up a web browser.

 

The only one's I found to be lap-friendly are duo-vent Sagers 15" (my previous NP8130) and Asus G-Series (G53's upwards tilted duo-back vents <- a masterpiece) - everything else I've owned burns legs. Both were fine for the bedroom/lap and I had it on my lap for extended periods of time while gaming - barely felt any heat. It's the laptops with single vents that tend to cook your skin.

The issue with duo-vent laptops is that you lose on the portability side, so one has to choose:
A) Burn my legs in bed/couch, but have an easy commute? ..or...
B) Leg-friendly laptop in bed/couch, but annoyance to commute?

(Sager 15" is best of both in that regard, but their warranties are some of the worst in the industry)

 

You still shouldn't use a notebook on a bedding surface even if they have proper ventilation. You will eventually block that ventilation and turn the notebook into a hotbox and cook the internal components. Blocking the vents with any conforming cloth/surface is never a good idea even for a notebook that can be used on a lap.

 

That isn't 100% true. Last year Lenovo launched the IdeaPad U300s. One of the cool features is the "breathable" keyboard. The keyboard is actually the intake and the exhaust is out the back below the LCD. It was specifically designed to be used in bed and on a pillow.

It is actually a pretty cool machine. But the screen is crap and the price was too high.

See IdeaPad U300s Ultrabook Laptop from Lenovo (US) for more information.

 

I decided in favor of mbp when i was making the choice and will prolly do so next time as well. As long as you are fine playing games on medium you should go for mbp imo.

Graphics is overrated anyway imo — i only play online games and i dont play those because they are pretty. Graphics is just a nice addition and i d rather have portability / battery life granted medium and high isnt a great change in scenery most of the times anyway.

I am using my notebooks like this every day since i bought wi-fi router like 7 years ago. My gf does the same. We never had any problems yet.
So i ll disagree with your statement.

How do you play bf3 while having laptop on your lap? I mean you use external mouse, right?

 

One out of 1.27467586*10^2935793479534598345987 notebooks isn't statistically significant I actually didn't know about that, leave it to Lenovo to come out with something I don't know about.

Doing something you shouldn't do doesn't mean that you still shouldn't do it. Blocking the ventilation ports on notebooks is not a good idea and is using them in a way they were designed for. Macs might be a little easier to pull this off with since their ventilation is on the back hinge (except for the RMBP, it has some vents more towards the front too). However, you definitely shouldn't do it on a notebook with a main ventilation intake (or output) on the bottom.

 

Couldn't help notice that you mentioned getting the base model for $1500... would be remiss if I didn't ask how ;-)

 

i see you bumped my post up, just a small update. I ended up getting the macbook pro retina.
So far it feels like one of the best purchases I ever made...
portability
performance
cooling
user friendly and the screen.. omg...
I switched 7 laptops in the past year and a half, from asus to alienware to razer blade and back to alienware with diffrent machines
and by far, the macbook pro retina just makes me so happy
surfing the web / gaming in bed never been more comfortable...
thanks for the help and tips everyone provided here

cheers

 

gaming on a notebook. i dont get how gamers get the idea that gaming on a notebook is worth the money.

1) you burn out components faster in a year for example: battery and GPU
2) constant repairs
3) its a heatbox
4) paperweight

if you leave it @ work thats fine i suppose but if you lugg it everywhere with you. you will think twice.

my vote is for the MBP 15" a 17" is a maybe but not a MUST

just my 2cents in which direction your shooting for. go for the lightweight and battery live > GPU but you already know that

 

Well if we follow your logic, a lot of people in this forums would be without gaming, me included.