Alienware Area 51m Extreme

[GogoTheMimic]

So yeah, I just found out that since I work at EB Games I get a discount on a custom built Alienware machine! @@ Needless to say, I'm stoked. My thing is this: do I go with the ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 PRO 128MB or NVIDIA FX go5600 128MB. I was thinking the 9600 Pro would be better simply because it's a pro card. *shrug* Just tossing around ideas right now, it'll be a few months before I can actually buy the thing. I've never really looked at laptop video cards because well, I never thought I could get decent power from a laptop.

 

[Modem]

Even if you get a downgraded card, nowadays good laptops come with upgradable videocards. So no matter what, you should be able to get a good one.

 

[Alchy]

In PCs the 9600Pro usually beats the 5600. Can't say for laptops, kinda depends on the other hardware (mobo, CPU, RAM, etc).

 

[sheik124]

go for the 9600 Pro, it'll own the Go5600, although the Go5600 likes older games more, wish they would f'in make a Go5700

 

[Clements]

go for the 9600 Pro, it'll own the Go5600, although the Go5600 likes older games more, wish they would f'in make a Go5700

There is:

http://www.nvidia.com/page/fx_mobile.html

But there is also a ATi Mobility 9700, benchmarks here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/mobile/20040203/index.html

The choice between these two really depends on what you want to do with the thing. If it's emulation then nVidia would give you less grief in it's compatibility with N64 plugins and is much faster in Quake 3 type games, whereas the Radeon would give you the best performance in DX9 Pixel Shad0rz and speed of AA/AF.

 

[vampireuk]

I have to say if I was going to buy a pre built machine it would definately be Alienware

 

[GogoTheMimic]

Yeah, hence why I'm getting one. lol Right now I'm trying to get a good machine that is going to play FFXI. My video card right now studders at medium settings. The A51m I put together has a 3.0ghz P4 with HT, 1024mb of RAM, and I've been torn about the video card. By the time I get the cash for this thing though, I'm hoping that the next highest portable card will be on it.

 

[Kahenraz]

How much of a discount are you getting?

 

[sheik124]

hmmm, considering you are getting a discount that apparently r0xx0rz, and you are waiting a while, i'd say go for the Go5700, although i get a slowdown during intense shaders on my FX 5700 (halo anyone?) it isn't as drastic as people say it is when i compare it to my buddy's 9600, and it likes most of my old games more, i don't know much about the mobile radeons, but i do know that the 9600 pawnz the 56xx in any flavor, and the 9700 is apparently to 9600 as 5650 to 5600 is, so i really don't know what to say, damn my head hurts now

 

[GogoTheMimic]

Sorry for the delay in my response but I've been gone. Anyway...
Right now the only cards you can get in an Area 51m Extreme are 5600go or 9600 pro Mobility, I'm hoping that by the time I get the money saved up for it, late May, that there will be a better card.