x17e vs Alienware 18x

How much heat and will this thing keep up for the next 3-4 years?

Budget:
No more than $4k with shipping

Expectations:
To light up today's games and at least 3 yrs into the future

Usage:
80% gaming and web surfing, 10% streaming to my HDTV, and 10% Microsoft Office

Special Needs:
You calling me retarded?

Saved Ticket #: 769358

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Digital Storm x17E Laptop (Model: 9370)
Display: 17.3 Inch (16:9) (Resolution: 1920 x 1080) (Matte Surface) LED-Backlit Display
Processor: Intel Core i7 3840QM (2.8 GHz Turbo Mode to 3.8Ghz) (Quad Core) (8MB Cache) <b></b>
Thermal Compound: Premium IC Diamond CPU and GPU Thermal Compound (Reduces Thermal & Laptop Noise) <b></b>
Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz (2x8GB Sticks) <b></b>
Primary Hard Drive: Intel 120GB SSD (520 Series) (SATA 6Gb/s)
Secondary Hard Drive: 750GB Hybrid 7200RPM with 8GB SSD (SATA 3Gb/s) <b></b>
Optical Drive: Blu-Ray Player (Blu-Ray 6x) & DVD/CD Writer <b></b>
Wireless Card: Bigfoot Networks Killer Wireless-N 1202 (Reduces Latency for Online Gaming) <b></b>
Video Card(s): 2x SLI (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M 4GB with NVIDIA Optimus Technology)
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Warranty Plan: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty

I have personally owned a mx17r3 and a M18x from AW.

Stay away. Please. Your blood pressure and pocketbook will thank you.

Dell vs. Digital Storm in relation to BBB (Better Business Bureau):

Dell complaints in the last 12 months: 1909
Digital Storm complains in the last 12 months: 11

When you break down these numbers to percentage you will find that DS not only has less numbers due to less volume but also less numbers due to less complaints.

Your money is much safer with DS and the product will perform as good, if not better.

NOTE: I ask DS to not edit company names in this post as this information is public record and not edited in any way.


Sources:

http://www.bbb.org/central-texas/business-reviews/computers-dealers/dell-in-round-rock-tx-41453/complaints

http://www.bbb.org/greater-san-francisco/business-reviews/computers-wholesale-and-manufacturers/digital-storm-in-fremont-ca-301630/complaints

Edited by xii - 30 Dec 2012 at 10:48pm

1) I use Windows 8 Pro and I absolutely love it. Windows 8 Home can actually handle 128GB of RAM, while Pro can handle 512GB. So you'll be fine there.

All the drivers for the Digital Storm laptops have been updated to their windows 8 versions. Digital Storm will also send you a disk with all the drivers on it.

As far as general usage I find Windows 8 to look and feel a lot quicker. It feels modern. Boot times are better, I love the metro interface, and I actually like the new layout without the start button.

2) I have had both the 680M and 7970M in my laptop, and I haven't been able to tell a difference in them. My 7970m died after about 3 months and DS allowed me to upgrade to the 680M since the 7970m was on backorder. The only difference I can tell is that the drivers for the nVidia card are much better.

I'd still recommend the 7970m since it's much cheaper, and AMD is improving their drivers. You may want to do some research online to see what other people are saying now.

Once again, any other questions I'l be happy to answer.

Which is basically what I've been saying as well.

If it's in your budget I'd say go with the 680Ms, the driver support for nVidia is just so much better.
However it's not my money, so it really comes down to whether better driver support and a little bit better performance is worth all the extra money.

Hi Dom TheBomb

I have a question for you, since your an owner of a x17

Have you ever gamed on the laptop using a ext monitor ?  I was thinking of getting a SLI 680 x17, but would be using most a ext monitor.  Do you think there would any performance issues ?

thx for reply

Thanks for the quick reply...

Just a Dell 24' 1920x1080

I have been debating on get a new desktop or laptop... I do a lot of moving around so a laptop would be better suited for my needs.

And I wouldn't consider myself a hardcore gamer, mostly play WoW and I picked up some cheap Steam games.. Walking Dead and Batman

I figured getting SLI should last me for about 2-3 years before upgrading again

Again thx for your time and reply !!

Thanks for the update, I dont know anything about the show. I guess you could base a computer off looks.. but if you did that then the 4-5 AW systems I've had wouldn't have been the worst machines Ive ever owned.

Sorry to hear.   I'd give DS a call and hopefully it's a simple fix.

Edited by bprat22 - 15 Jan 2013 at 8:48am

The only other thing I have is to rotate your finger all around while holding the power button in in case of mis-aligned or flaky switch. 

Gotch ya.  Give DS a call.  I wish I had more.  I'd suggest rapping the case top and bottom with your knuckle but not sure how that would go over.   I would, and I've fixed alot of weird problems doing it but......

Thanks for the feedback.   I guess that means the battery has little or no charge.   Should work off the battery.

Sounds like the laptop is messing with ya.

If you're sure the battery is charging or leave it charging for awhile with plug being held in or taped, and it still doesn't work on battery, I would think the battery is fried. 

Edited by bprat22 - 15 Jan 2013 at 12:31pm