Alienware help....looking to pick one up.

[vivid white]

Right I have narrowed my search down to two systems now but just want to run them past everyone and see if the difference in price is worth it.

First option is the one below and is £958


Colour Option: Alienware Space Black - Click Here To View

CPU: Q9000 Intel Core2 Quad 2.00GHz (6MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)

Memory: 8GB (8192MB) DDR3 1333MHz

Hard Drive: 2 x 320GB Serial ATA (SATA) 7200 RPM, Two Hard Drives-Total 640GB!

Display: 17.0" 1920x1200 (WUXGA) Dual CCFL/8ms Widescreen Display - Beyond HD (1200p)

Optical Drive: Blu-Ray Combo (Reads Blu-Ray,DVD and CD, Writes DVD & CD)

Video: 2 x 1024MB ATI Radeon HD 4870 CrossfireX (Total 2GB, GDDR3)

Soundcard: IDT High Definition Audio

Wireless: Broadcom 802.11n Wireless (A/B/G/N)

BlueTooth: YES

Web Camera: Yes, Integrated Webcam Included

Battery: Extended Life 9 Cell 80WHr/85WHr Lithium Ion Battery

Additional Features:

- ExpressCard Digital (DVB-T) TV-Tuner/Video Capture Card
- Anodized Aluminum Case Design with Aggressive Lines and In-Your-Face Attitude
- Binary GFX Technology - Switch between onboard and discrete graphics
- Optional AlienFX Illuminated Keyboard, Exclusive Design

Change the lights to whatever colour you want!
- Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
- Integrated Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 (1000 Mbps)
- Built-In 8-in-1 Media Card Reader

Ports:

- 4 Hi-speed USB 2.0 ports
- 1 eSATA/USB 2.0 Combo (2-in-1 port) with PowerShare
- IEEE 1394a (4-pin) port
- ExpressCard Slot
- DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA - Video Output
- Front Speakers Audio Out Connector / Headphone Jack
- Center Speaker and Subwoofer Audio Out Connector / Headphone Jack
- Rear Surround Audio Out Connector
- Audio In / Microphone Jack
- Two Built-In Front Speakers

The next option is the one below and costs £1292


Colour Option: Alienware Space Black - Click Here To View

CPU: Intel Core i7-740QM Quad Core Mobile Processor 1.73GHz (Turbo up to 2.93GHz, 6MB Cache,1333MHz FSB)

Memory: 8GB (8192MB) DDR3 1333MHz

Hard Drive: 2 x 500GB Serial ATA (SATA) 7200 RPM, Two Hard Drives-Total 1,000GB!

Display: 17.0" 1920x1200 (WUXGA) RGB LED Widescreen Display - Beyond HD (1200p)

Optical Drive: DVD-ReWriter Drive

Video: 2 x 1024MB ATI Radeon HD 5870 CrossfireX (Total 2GB, GDDR5 DX11)

Soundcard: IDT High Definition Audio

Wireless: Dell TrueMobile 1520 Wireless (A/B/G/N)

BlueTooth: YES

Web Camera: Yes, Integrated Webcam Included

Battery: Extended Life 9 Cell 80WHr/85WHr Lithium Ion Battery

Additional Features:

- ExpressCard Digital (DVB-T) TV-Tuner/Video Capture Card
- Anodized Aluminum Case Design with Aggressive Lines and In-Your-Face Attitude
- Binary GFX Technology - Switch between onboard and discrete graphics
- Optional AlienFX Illuminated Keyboard, Exclusive Design

Change the lights to whatever colour you want!
- Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
- Integrated Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 (1000 Mbps)
- Built-In 8-in-1 Media Card Reader

Ports:

- 4 Hi-speed USB 2.0 ports
- 1 eSATA/USB 2.0 Combo (2-in-1 port) with PowerShare
- IEEE 1394a (4-pin) port
- ExpressCard Slot
- DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA - Video Output
- Front Speakers Audio Out Connector / Headphone Jack
- Center Speaker and Subwoofer Audio Out Connector / Headphone Jack
- Rear Surround Audio Out Connector
- Audio In / Microphone Jack
- Two Built-In Front Speakers


So basically my question is, is the 2nd option really worth the extra money?

Thanks
James

 

[OxfordNick]

If it was my money I would have the i7 - Ive got one in my work luggable & it really is the dogs danglies, but anything that peaks above 2.4Ghz is going to be fine; as said before disk access is this sticking point, so I would consider getting a smaller SSD drive to use for the OS then use the second big drive for storage etc. Just remember to back it up from time to time if you do this, 'cos should the SSD fail for any reason theres no easy way to recover anything from it (unlike a conventional disk where you can normally get something back).

Nick.

 

[adc82@msn.com]

I would say the second one is worth the money. The processor has the core i7 architecture which really is leaps and bounds better than the old generation core 2 in the cheaper one. It will also have the latest chipset included on the motherboard to facilitate. The ATI 5870 graphics card is also a leap up from the 4870 series.
A final consideration would be the hard drives - instead of having a SSD you could configure the 2x500gb in a RAID 0 array which would benefit hard disk performance - be aware this would result in you effectively having a single fast drive of 500gb size.

 

[Leigh]

90% of alianware is over priced , stick with the newer prossesors james.
its a dell anyway so look at new dells and look at sony you can do a much better spec for around a £1000

core2duo's are old news now.