Alienware M15x or MBP ?

[pharmb]

Help me decide...I've been reading this forum for a few months - great site!

I know I'm asking PC vs MAC on a MAC forum - but looking for contructive feedback ;-)

Anyway, a little background - bought my wife an aluminum MB for Christmas last year - and decided I need to get myself one! (upgraded hers to Snow, and iLife '09).

I'm pretty set on a 15" screen. The most taxing program I think I will running is WOW, also using Gimp, and some Adobe CS4 apps. Main considerations are the better screen res & processor on the PC. Like the trackpad, durability/reliability of the MAC - although I'm liking Win7 so far.

What do you guys think?


Here are the specs on the on the PC:

$3,073
SYSTEM COLOR Alienware M15x, Lunar Shadow edit
PROCESSOR Intel Core i7 920XM 2.0GHz (3.2GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English edit
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 3 Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis edit
In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis: for issues covered by Limited Hardware Warranty, technician and/or part will be dispatched, if necessary, usually in 1 or 2 business days following Remote Diagnosis. During Remote Diagnosis, you may be asked to access the inside of your system (where safe to do so) or to participate in troubleshooting until a cause can be isolated.
VIDEO CARD 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M edit
LCD PANEL 15.6-inch WideFHD 1920x1080 (1080p) WLED edit
MEMORY 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz edit
HARD DRIVE 250GB SATAII 7,200RPM edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW) edit
BATTERY OPTIONS Primary - 9-cell (85Watt) Lithium-Ion Battery edit
Personalize
ALIENFX COLOR AlienFX Quasar Blue edit
AVATAR Alienhead 3D edit
WALLPAPER Alienhead Chrome Red edit
PRE-INSTALLED GAMES AND CLIENTS World of Warcraft Preinstall Edition edit
AUTOMATIC UPDATES Automatic Updates: On edit
My Accessories
ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM
SOUND OPTIONS Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
BLUETOOTH Internal Bluetooth 2.1 Mini-Card - 2.1 Enhanced Data Rate
WIRELESS CARDS Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11AGN Half Mini Card
Adobe Reader Acrobat SW Adobe Acrobat Reader
Standard Nameplate Trigger Standard Nameplate

and the MBP:

$2,788.00
MacBook Pro, 15", Aluminium
Part Number: Z0GH
3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
128GB solid-state drive
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display
Backlit Keyboard (English) / User's Guide
Accessory kit

 

[spacemanps]

alienware=dell=SCREW THAT!!!!


im just kidding... my friend just bought one, he loves it...

But i love my MBP... wouldnt give it up for the world...

 

[pharmb]

I guess I could add that we are "Apple fans" - we have appleTv, iphone 3gs, ipod touch, and 1TB time capsule.

 

[XheartcoreboyX]

^
They stay Apple, get a Mac.

After buying my iPhone, now i can't use any other phone, just because it works so damn well with my Mac, that's how it works, i am sticking to Macs and iPhones..

 

[coupdetat]

Well, the Alienware build quality is really pretty good. Dell has stepped up their game in recent years. It's still not as well built as the MBP, but there's a huge performance gap between the two.

If you're not a gamer or a serious number-cruncher, get the MBP. However, if performance factors into your decision at all, definitely get the Alienware.

By the way, why are you looking at such expensive configurations? You can easily knock $1000 off the price of either computer and get nearly the same performance. Or are those Canadian dollars or something?

 

[pharmb]

Well, the Alienware build quality is really pretty good. Dell has stepped up their game in recent years. It's still not as well built as the MBP, but there's a huge performance gap between the two.

If you're not a gamer or a serious number-cruncher, get the MBP. However, if performance factors into your decision at all, definitely get the Alienware.

By the way, why are you looking at such expensive configurations? You can easily knock $1000 off the price of either computer and get nearly the same performance. Or are those Canadian dollars or something?

Thanks - I wouldn't say I'm a serious gamer or number cruncher - just recently started playing WOW w/some friends - and I want to get better fps (currently between 10-20). Looking for something that will last 2 yrs if at all possible.

What suggestions do you have to knock of $1k with the same performance?

 

[Winni]

You cannot really compare those two machines. The Alienware is a desktop computer (it uses a desktop CPU and GPU) put in a mobile case and the MacBook is a 'real' notebook computer. If mobility and battery life are important for you, then the Alienware is not an option.

If you're lusting for raw computing power, then screw everything Apple and get the Alienware.

Both machines will certainly be good for two or more years.

 

[nuke123]

I agree they are both good at different things

personalyl i would go with mbp but im a mac fan.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

I'd go with the Mac, unless you plan on gaming 24/7.

 

[Theclamshell]

I have an old m15x and I love it. It has gotten hair a couple.of times.though. for what you are doing I would get the macbook pro. I needed the alienware because I play gta iv and web design in cs4. The mbp seems perfect for you

 

[Theclamshell]

Sorry, my. Phone just spazzed I meant my alienware got bsod not hair. Dam predictive text lol

 

[fenman]

Help me decide...I've been reading this forum for a few months - great site!

I know I'm asking PC vs MAC on a MAC forum - but looking for contructive feedback ;-)

Anyway, a little background - bought my wife an aluminum MB for Christmas last year - and decided I need to get myself one! (upgraded hers to Snow, and iLife '09).

I have looked at the M15x and for me it didn't qualify on two grounds: far too heavy and the battery life far too poor. M15x has a masonry brick of an adaptor aswell, so if you are taking it anywhere that adds another 2 pounds of weight. WoW will run ok on a Mac if thats your most demanding software. And even 17" MBP will be more portable than the M15x.

 

[Badger^2]

Well you put a SSD in the MBP, but not in the 15, so theres a difference in specs... and $200.

And I would skip the 3.06 upgrade bump, thats $300 for .2 ghz, not worth it.

The stock 2.8 is $2000, spend the rest on other goodies

http://www.macconnection.com/IPA/Shop/Product/Detail.htm?sku=9899497

And I suppose this is as good as time as any to say "wait" since new MBPs are due within a month or two...

 

[pharmb]

Thanks for the comments.

If I decide to go MBP - I'm going to wait (or at least try to) for the upgrade that should be happening anytime now according to the buyers guide. Put the SSD in the MAC because it had the lower option and from what I've read, you can use raid and add 2nd hard drive, but I guess that's not an option on the M15x - and the M15 only had the larger (read: too much more $$) SSD.

I like the better battery and portability of the MBP - just want to make sure I can do what I want without problems, and be able to upgrade later.

What about the screens between the two - big difference in the resolutions?

 

[Theclamshell]

Thanks for the comments.

If I decide to go MBP - I'm going to wait (or at least try to) for the upgrade that should be happening anytime now according to the buyers guide. Put the SSD in the MAC because it had the lower option and from what I've read, you can use raid and add 2nd hard drive, but I guess that's not an option on the M15x - and the M15 only had the larger (read: too much more $$) SSD.

I like the better battery and portability of the MBP - just want to make sure I can do what I want without problems, and be able to upgrade later.

What about the screens between the two - big difference in the resolutions?

yes. it is a big difference but honestly. I find web browsing on a 1920X1200 15" screen a bit harsh on the eyes. I think you will be happy with the res of the 15" mbp. Pop by a store and check it out if you can. Good choice picking the mbp and i think waiting is a good idea.

 

[fenman]

Thanks for the comments.

If I decide to go MBP - I'm going to wait (or at least try to) for the upgrade that should be happening anytime now according to the buyers guide. Put the SSD in the MAC because it had the lower option and from what I've read, you can use raid and add 2nd hard drive, but I guess that's not an option on the M15x - and the M15 only had the larger (read: too much more $$) SSD.

I like the better battery and portability of the MBP - just want to make sure I can do what I want without problems, and be able to upgrade later.

What about the screens between the two - big difference in the resolutions?

If screen is important to you, I suggest you seriously consider 17" MBP, its not that much bigger than the 15" in real life situations, and definetely smaller than M15x. 15" resolution is on the low side.

For later upgrades, chances are SSD prices will reduce and capacities increase so you may be able to drop a very nice SSD in in a year's time or so.

 

[windels]

I'd wait until the next series of mbp's. the core i series will probably be available and the graphics card will be updated, since the 9600 GT has been used more than one year . at the moment, I think the mbp is very bad value for money.

 

[krimsen]

Definitely skip the 3.06 CPU upgrade if you decide to buy an MBP. You might, however, really enjoy the 17" screen size. I do (upgraded from older 15" MBP), and it's still a really mobile and light laptop.