Dell Studio 17 vs Dell 16XPS vs Alienware m15x --- Help Me Please

Greetings (from Canada),

I absolutely need YOUR help.

Me:
1) Electronica Musician
2) Hardcore Gamer

What I need is a system that can do both of these tasks. I find the alienware to be FAR too much money, as it's somewhere in the ballpark of $2300.00 CDN + tax if I want a laptop guaranteed to do both jobs.

What are your thoughts on the Studio 17 and the XPS16 in regards to gaming?

I plan on playing all new up to date games like Battlefield, but would love to play it on high-max settings.

I like the Studio 17 the best because of its screen size, 1TB HD and 6GB of ram, not to mention the i7.

 

I have the sxps 16 ( specs below)... and it plays every ruddy game I have tried on it ( not claiming o have tried every single one though).... Crysis, Far Cry, Modern Warfare, Age of Conan, Arkham Asylum, NFS, GRID, Quake 4, America's Army, Napoleon: Total War, Starcraft 2 are some of the games I've played. I have absolutely no complaints ( note here: I am not one of those who suffers a heart attack if the benchmark scores do not match up to the ideal advertised scores ). Plus the screen!!!! Man it is bloody awesome... I have never seen anything like it. Also the speakers are great and + a subwoofer... it's one of the best laptops out there today.

The studio 17 is also a very good laptop. Plus you get to choose from the designer covers, something not available on the sxps 16. It will also cost you a bit less than the premium sxps 16.... mostly because of the significant difference in the chasis. It is extremely solid and durable, but the studioo xps feels far more sophisticated, smooth and elite. However you can configure the studio with extremely high end stuff as well, and therefore if you don't mind the missing leather accents, a bit less tougher led cover, and missing edge to edge display, the studio 17 is a great machine. However I don't think you can get a RGBLED screen on the studio series. For that you have to go to the premium xps brand.....

 

Also greetings from Canada...the Studio 17 will have the weakest vid card of the three...so for a better gaming experience I would stick with the Sxps 16 at least....

 

The 4670 and 4650 are both 1GB and the 70 is a mildly upclocked version of the 50.

Windows Index is 6.7 and 6.6 using the newest ATI 10.3 drivers on the SXPS 16 and 1747 respectively.

If hardcore gaming is a priority, The Alienware M15X and the Nvidia 260M (or soon hopefully to be the ATI 5870 or you can pop one in yourself), just wipes the floor with the 4600 mobile chips from ATI.

Want the biggest screen? Studio 17
Want the best GPU? AW M15X
Want the best screen? RGBLED on the 16 or B+RG on the 17
Superior build quality? Studio 16 XPS or AW M15X.

I have a Studio 1747 w/ B+RG and a 1645 w/ RGBLED sitting here side by side and it really is a pick 'em. Both are beautiful, great viewing angles and 1920x1080.

All three are i7 based (1747, 1645, M15X).

M15X has superior cooling. That thing runs cool and quiet.

Studio XPS 16 and 17 can get audible under load (IE gaming), but nothing that is going to make you scramble for headphones.


I faced the same dilemma you did, and in the end, I stayed true to my roots and opted for the bigger screen. I've tried to use 15.6-16" laptops and in the end, screen size is a primary criteria for me.

If screen size wasn't so important (I like big screens), I'd pick the Studio XPS 16 UNLESS hardcore, higher detail gaming is a huge factor @ native res, then I would go with the M15X.

The Studio XPS 16 is a really elegant, well built machine with all the nice little bells and whistles and a GREAT keyboard.

 

I grabbed the Dell Studio 17.

Why?

It came to 1450$ (added various upgrades, starts at 899 i think) including taxes versus the Alienware M15x which is 2500$ including taxes.

After comparing video cards with the Studio's and XPS, I discovered that the Studio 17 with the upgraded ATI 5000's series 1G video card is BETTER than the XPS as per benchmarking forums.

Studio 17 = 30 FPS Max Battlefield BC2, 40 FPS Max COD MW2
XPS = 15-20 FPS Max Battlefield BC2, 26 FPS Max COD MW2

I spent countless hours comparing them and Studio 17 wins. Plus its cheaper.

Of course the M15X is better, but for an extra 1000$ ...to get what, 20-30 more FPS on max settings? Not worth it. Especially when the human eye can't notice past 30 FPS.

 

In the end the 4000 and 5000 series midline (46XX/56XX) cards aren't for hardcore gamers but they can play games decently. The 260M and especially 5870 just mops the floor with them.

Those max fps means you will have dips into potential chunk (sub 30) and you can definitely notice 30fps vs. 60fps definitely in intense action PvP games.

The beauty of the Studio 17 is the 17.3" screen especially if you go with the B+RG. Lots of real estate and gorgeous picture.

If you went with the 1600x900, you will get better native gaming performance but the screen quality isn't as nice.

kudos on the purchase.

 

Looking at the Studio 17's, the only resolution available right now that I can see is 1600x900. Did they used to sell those with 1080p resolution?

 

I have the Studio 17 i7core with the 900p screen and I find it very nice..The laptop handles my video rendering of High def in Vegas pro easily and my games all run super smooth at high or max settings....

Specs Dell Studio 17.3 900p (1747)
i7core 720QM
4gig DDR3 1066
1Gig 4650 ATI Video
2-500Gig Hds
8x DVD +R/-R Burner
Backlite Keyboard

 

How is the fan on the Studio 17? I've read in another thread that on 1749's I think it's running almost all the time, and noisy.

 

I'm not sure why, but they discontinued the 17.3" B+RG 1920x1080 screen which was the Studio 1747's equivalent to the Studio 17's 17" 1920x1200 RGBLED and Studio XPS 16's RGBLED 1920x1080.

Pity, as the screen is gorgeous and equal to the RGBLED compared side by side.

I spent days nitpicking and comparing a Studio 16 XPS RGBLED next to the 1747 in my sig and preferred the B+RG and sold the Studio 16 XPS.

Ah well.

 

If you're a hardcore gamer, I'd wait for the M15x GPU refresh, its coming any day now.

Is it still possible to get the SXPS 16 with RGB LED?

 

The RGBLED option is currently not available for the SXPS 16 nor is the B+RG available for the Studio 17.

 

I don't notice it at all, of course when gaming I keep mine setting on a laptop cooler which really cuts down on the heat produced by the laptop...

 

Hi all, I'm actually in the same situation. I have been trying to decide between one of those three laptops as well!

I haven't heard much talk about the Alienware M15x. Would you guys recommend it? I'm a university student so I only have about $2300 (CDN) to spend on a laptop. I'm interested in the Alienware but I'm worried if the battery life is too short and I'll consistently have to be charging it. I will mostly be using it at home but next year when I go away I may take it with me once in a while to school.

What are your opinions? All are greatly appreciated, thanks

 

I've mentioned this in a couple of other threads, but I guess there is nothing wrong with spreading the word:

The Studio 17 can be delivered with the 1920 x 1080 B+RG screen. I got mine a little over a week ago. You currently have to call a sales rep and insist that they check the actual availability. That goes for the screen as well as other options - if something isn't listed on the Dell websites, that doesn't necessarily mean it's not available IME.

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I called and checked here in the US twice and asked specifically for the screen for the Studio 17 and was told it is not available, period even after escalating.

On the other hand, the RGBLED for the Studio 16 XPS is available via phone but not the website.

You win some; you lose some.

 

The 1080p display is available for the Studio 17 on the US website right now...

Indeed. I might add: Dell moves in mysterious ways

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Just checked, it's back as a $175.00 option across all the Studio 17's

I swear Dell's left hand never knows what it's right hand is doing.....

And they come with the 5650 if you don't want a Quad Core and 1066 memory (which is what the dual cores support up to)

Quad core + 1333 memory with the 4650.

They are also calling it RGBLED now @ 1080P and not B+RG for the 1749 w/ 5650

Description / Product Code for the 1080P screen = DH1080F / 320-8968

They are still including the B+RG @ 1080P for the 1747 w/ 4650

Description / Product code for the 1080P w/ 1747 = CH1080F / 313-8043

Summary of differences here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...7-dell-studio-1747-vs-1749-a.html#post6216502