[khetik]

Need some help on deciding on a new laptop I've got a bout a $2000 budget give or take a few hundred. I'm looking into an Alienware M15x or a Maingear EX-L 15. The specs for the 2 are pretty close and the price is about the same near the $1900 dollar mark. Just not sure which one to swing for or if there is a better alternative for my money. Specs for the 2 are as follows:

Alienware: $2019
Core i7-720qm
1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
15.6-inch WideFHD 1920x1080 (1080p) WLED
250GB SATAII 7,200RPM
Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Primary - 9-cell (85Watt) Lithium-Ion Battery
Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11AGN Half Mini Card
Other options included: internal bluetooth, mini-card 2.1, 2MP camera, 5.1 surround sound, windows 7 home

Maingear: $1878
15.6" HD+ 16:9 LED Display (1920x1080) with Super Clear Screen
Intel® Core™ i7-720QM
ATI® Mobility Radeon™ HD 5870 1GB GDDR5
4GB Kingston DDR3-1333 SO-DIMM (Dual Channel)
250GB Western Digital 7200 RPM SATA 2.5"
8X DVD Dual Layer Burner
Integrated 802.11b/g/n Wireless - up to 300Mbps!
Other options included: internal bluetooth, mini-card, 2MP camera, 6cell battery, windows 7 home

As you can see pretty similar specs just a few differences, but very undecided between the 2 or if there is a better option...would love all the advice!!

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Maingear is better. The Mobility HD 5870 is more or less a desktop HD5770 which is about the same power as a GTX 260 desktop version.

Kingston RAM is reliable.

[mkau]

Maingear is better. The Mobility HD 5870 is more or less a desktop HD5770 which is about the same power as a GTX 260 desktop version.

Kingston RAM is reliable.

[khetik]

my other option was a sager NP8690 aka Clevo W860CU, about the same price as the maingear, but the maingear was definitely lookin good.

[SpywareDr]

ASUS G73JH-X3 Laptop Computer - Intel Core i7-720QM 1.6GHz, 8GB DDR3, 640GB HDD, DVDRW, 17.3" Display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, Black - $1,549.99
http://www.tigerdire...;srkey=G73JH-X3

[mkau]

ASUS G73JH-X3 Laptop Computer - Intel Core i7-720QM 1.6GHz, 8GB DDR3, 640GB HDD, DVDRW, 17.3" Display, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, Black - $1,549.99
http://www.tigerdire...;srkey=G73JH-X3

Actually, uh, yeah, that's the best deal you'll get.

[MAINGEAR BIZ]

As you can see, I'm biased! ...but here's another something to try: give both companies a call to openly discuss these notebooks and your needs so you can see which one is more knowledgeable and which one you'd be more comfortable in buying from. ...good luck! - Ed

[khetik]

I don't know why but I never seem to hear great things about Asus. At best I hear they are decent, because their build quality isn't all that great and their graphics cards are clocked down.

[SpywareDr]

?

Wikipedia: ASUS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asus

Wall Street Journal Asia ranks Asus number one in quality and service, and it leads the IT Hardware category of the 2008 Taiwan Top 10 Global Brands survey with a total brand value of US$1.324 billion.

ASUS appears in BusinessWeek’s "InfoTech 100" and "Asia’s Top 10 IT Companies" rankings.

As of 26 November 2009 (2009-11-26), 29.2% of PCs sold in the previous 12 months worldwide came with an ASUS motherboard.

Asus 2009 revenues reached US$21.2 billion. It is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (LSE: ASKD) and the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2357).

ASUS also produces components for other manufacturers, such as:

• Apple Inc. (iPad, iPhone, iPod, iPod Shuffle, MacBook)
• Alienware
• Falcon Northwest
• Hewlett-Packard
• Palm, Inc.

In the early 2000s, Taiwan-based motherboard manufacturers had not yet established their leading positions in the computer-hardware business. Intel Corporation would supply any new processors to more established companies like IBM first, and the Taiwanese companies would have to wait for approximately six months after IBM received their engineering prototypes. As of 2009, Asus receives Intel engineering samples ahead of its competitors.

ASUS has become one of the main supporters of Intel's Common Building Block initiatives.

Edited by SpywareDr, 27 May 2010 - 04:12 AM.

[khetik]

Not knocking Asus, but how well do you really trust wiki?

[SpywareDr]

Not as much as Britannica, but, for general info and a starting point ...

[TiFa LoCkHeArT]

IF you want to feel "Rich and powerful" I am sure Alienware is a good buy

Personally for me I would choose ASUS too because the specs they give are comparable/even better with Alienware and they offer a lower price than Alienware.

[khetik]

thanks for all the reply, shocking no maingear or sager/clevo fans here