Alienware m7700 setup... Which type of raid hd???

[unclemoney]

I have narrowed it down to 2 selections... What would be the pro's/con's or which would be better than the other???

High Performance with Data Security (RAID 1) 100GB (100GB x 2) 7200 RPM SATA

or

Extreme Performance (RAID 0) 200GB (100GB x 2) 7200 RPM SATA

As for the rest... How do you think the following setup is???


[1] Aurora™ m7700

Processor: AMD Athlon™ 64 FX-60 with HyperTransport and Dual Core Technology
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
Automated Support: AlienAutopsy: Automated Technical Support Request System
Display: 17" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD Display
Motherboard: VIA K8T890 + VT8237A Chipset
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR SO-DIMM at 400MHz - 2 x 1024MB
Video/Graphics Card: 256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go 7800 GTX
Hard Drive: High Performance with Data Security (RAID 1) - 100GB (100GB x 2) 7200 RPM SATA
Primary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy® 2 ZS PCMCIA
Primary Battery: Alienware® m7700 12-cell Lithium-Ion Smart Battery Pack
Notebook Coolers / Stands: Xbrand Cool Travel
Additional AC Adapter: Alienware® m7700 220 Watt Auto-switch AC Adapter
Communications: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet & 56K V.92 Modem
Wireless Network Card: External Wireless 802.11a/b/g PCMCIA Card
Wireless Routers: Linksys® Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router
Floppy Drive: USB Floppy Drive
Productivity Software: Microsoft® Office 2003 Small Business Edition
Mobile Bags: Alienware® Odyssey Briefcase
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
Mobile Power: Belkin® AC Anywhere 300W
Mouse: Logitech® G5 Laser Gaming Mouse
Security Locks: Targus Combination Notebook Security Cable
Alienware Exclusive Offers: GameFly - Unlimited Game Rentals for 15 days - FREE TRIAL
Free Alienware T-Shirt: Free Alienware® T-Shirt - Black
Benchmark Software: 3DMark®05 Professional
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager
Free Alienware Mousepad: Free Alienware® Mousepad

[Billy_Bathgate]

IMO

get a 7900Gt instead, it out performs a 7800gtx and is cheaper not to mention runs much cooler

i woudl get at least 667 ram, spending the money on the rest and then sticking in 400 ram is like putting on a spare tire donut on your car

the hard drives id just go for a 10k drive. its rediculously fast, and most people that have times raid shows its not really that much faster. so if you got one, id go for the back up and get raid 1 or maybe go with a raid 5 set up

not a fan of AMD chips...

if your wanting it to game with, id get one that supports 1280x1024 display (not so sure on laptop screens so maybe you cant)


with the changes, youd prob save a hundred bux as well


if your OS is not preinstalled, you will have trouble setting up raid and sata drives since usb floppy isnt supported during instalation (which is totally bullshit...) i imagine its installed though

[Sepsis]

I have narrowed it down to 2 selections... What would be the pro's/con's or which would be better than the other???

High Performance with Data Security (RAID 1) 100GB (100GB x 2) 7200 RPM SATA

or

Extreme Performance (RAID 0) 200GB (100GB x 2) 7200 RPM SATA

As for the rest... How do you think the following setup is???


[1] Aurora™ m7700

Processor: AMD Athlon™ 64 FX-60 with HyperTransport and Dual Core Technology
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
Automated Support: AlienAutopsy: Automated Technical Support Request System
Display: 17" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD Display
Motherboard: VIA K8T890 + VT8237A Chipset
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR SO-DIMM at 400MHz - 2 x 1024MB
Video/Graphics Card: 256MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go 7800 GTX
Hard Drive: High Performance with Data Security (RAID 1) - 100GB (100GB x 2) 7200 RPM SATA
Primary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy® 2 ZS PCMCIA
Primary Battery: Alienware® m7700 12-cell Lithium-Ion Smart Battery Pack
Notebook Coolers / Stands: Xbrand Cool Travel
Additional AC Adapter: Alienware® m7700 220 Watt Auto-switch AC Adapter
Communications: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet & 56K V.92 Modem
Wireless Network Card: External Wireless 802.11a/b/g PCMCIA Card
Wireless Routers: Linksys® Dual-Band Wireless A+G Broadband Router
Floppy Drive: USB Floppy Drive
Productivity Software: Microsoft® Office 2003 Small Business Edition
Mobile Bags: Alienware® Odyssey Briefcase
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
Mobile Power: Belkin® AC Anywhere 300W
Mouse: Logitech® G5 Laser Gaming Mouse
Security Locks: Targus Combination Notebook Security Cable
Alienware Exclusive Offers: GameFly - Unlimited Game Rentals for 15 days - FREE TRIAL
Free Alienware T-Shirt: Free Alienware® T-Shirt - Black
Benchmark Software: 3DMark®05 Professional
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager
Free Alienware Mousepad: Free Alienware® Mousepad

that setup will run faster than most desktops out there. i would love to have it, but at over $5,000, csan't bring myself to go for it. by the way, that beast weights more than 12lbs - so much for portability.

[Billy_Bathgate]

ok well they dont have a 10k available for drives through there

if you switch to the top of the line intel they have, you can get your ram up to 533 though

they have an upgraded screen that will support over 1280x1024 as well

and they dont appear to have 7900 series yet, they are pretty much brand new and sold out right now..i by luck got one

if you want a serious gaming rig, i would get a cheaper notebook and build a pc. you could easily have best of both worlds of about the same price

unless you just want to play games in class or something (understandable haha)

[Billy_Bathgate]

i didnt see a price, if thats over 5k id say no way in hell to it though, not worth it when it doesnt even have the best stuff out there

[Billy_Bathgate]

just an fyi...you can pretty much get all of that plus more from dell for about half the price

alienware hikes their prices up hard

[Sepsis]

i didnt see a price, if thats over 5k id say no way in hell to it though, not worth it when it doesnt even have the best stuff out there

that is by far the fastest notebook gaming rig setup out right now. check out the review in the new maximum PC mag. i wish one would misteriously fall off that back of a truck

[Billy_Bathgate]

i dont see how that is, i mean the ram is 400! thast like what, 3 yrs ago??

personally, i saw a hell of an increase on pc going up to 667

i admit i dont know as much about amd though

and wait till you see them with the 7900 series on, they are about as big of a leap from 7800 from 6800 series

[unclemoney]

i dont see how that is, i mean the ram is 400! thast like what, 3 yrs ago??

personally, i saw a hell of an increase on pc going up to 667

i admit i dont know as much about amd though

and wait till you see them with the 7900 series on, they are about as big of a leap from 7800 from 6800 series

Bro, u must of read the wrong part... It has 2gigs of ram... aka 2048ram

"Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR SO-DIMM " then it says "at 400MHz - 2 x 1024MB "

that's the mhz of the ram... not the ram

but I'll look into what you said... I'm not planning on buying anything untill about another month or two which gives me time to look around and find out some stuff hopefully :-)

[unclemoney]

Oh also, I've been reading... That the AMD is a better procceser than a p4... And also... Any thing else you'd recommend??? I've read/checked around and every1 says this is the best gaming laptop that's why I'm going for it. (plus I can afford it)

I hope the 4 fan's it has keeps everything cool, from different reviews people have said it keeps cool (surprised)

Basicly I decided... That I wana get the fastest gaming laptop... Then I figured... Who the hell gets the most expensive one and then doesn't upgrade it all the way??? So that's what I did. But I'll check out dell too but I'm still leaning more towards the alienware for right now...

Was also thinking about making up a gaming pc... Was liking alienwares ALX since you can surpass the power of the m7700 and havn't seen there liquid cooling on other brand name computers... But I don't wana be tied down to a pc soo...

[unclemoney]

they have an upgraded screen that will support over 1280x1024

Yeah I figured with all I'm going to invest... what's another 250bux??? So I'll get the upgraded 17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD Clearview Display with Built-in Camera

[Sepsis]

Oh also, I've been reading... That the AMD is a better procceser than a p4... And also... Any thing else you'd recommend??? I've read/checked around and every1 says this is the best gaming laptop that's why I'm going for it. (plus I can afford it)

I hope the 4 fan's it has keeps everything cool, from different reviews people have said it keeps cool (surprised)

Basicly I decided... That I wana get the fastest gaming laptop... Then I figured... Who the hell gets the most expensive one and then doesn't upgrade it all the way??? So that's what I did. But I'll check out dell too but I'm still leaning more towards the alienware for right now...

Was also thinking about making up a gaming pc... Was liking alienwares ALX since you can surpass the power of the m7700 and havn't seen there liquid cooling on other brand name computers... But I don't wana be tied down to a pc soo...

as far as i know, this is the best gaming laptop.

[Billy_Bathgate]

Bro, u must of read the wrong part... It has 2gigs of ram... aka 2048ram

"Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR SO-DIMM " then it says "at 400MHz - 2 x 1024MB "

that's the mhz of the ram... not the ram

but I'll look into what you said... I'm not planning on buying anything untill about another month or two which gives me time to look around and find out some stuff hopefully :-)

uh i know, 400 is the speed. im not talking about the size. 400 is slow compared to 667. 800 is even faster, but ive yet to see a notebook with 800 yet. 800 is just now become native on the newest mobos for pc.

[Billy_Bathgate]

Oh also, I've been reading... That the AMD is a better procceser than a p4... And also... Any thing else you'd recommend??? I've read/checked around and every1 says this is the best gaming laptop that's why I'm going for it. (plus I can afford it)

I hope the 4 fan's it has keeps everything cool, from different reviews people have said it keeps cool (surprised)

Basicly I decided... That I wana get the fastest gaming laptop... Then I figured... Who the hell gets the most expensive one and then doesn't upgrade it all the way??? So that's what I did. But I'll check out dell too but I'm still leaning more towards the alienware for right now...

Was also thinking about making up a gaming pc... Was liking alienwares ALX since you can surpass the power of the m7700 and havn't seen there liquid cooling on other brand name computers... But I don't wana be tied down to a pc soo...

of you want a desktop, build yourself. i just built one, which a month ago beat everything alien had, the next closest was about 6 grand. i built mine all for under 1500. check out www.newegg.com they have good prices, and great customer support for stuff. you can get the lodown on a lot of things from www.ocforums.com its mostly overclockers that play with shit all the time, but you can get an idea of what is good and what is crap.

for sure there is the AMD/P4 debate. I have the new preseler 65nm dual core. I spend under 300 for the 3.0ghz which I have OCd at 3.2 running 29C on AIR! 2g 667 dual mem (bout to either get another 2g or buy 4g 800 speed) a 75g raptor 10k drive, 250g 7.5k drive, and a 7900gt. Im pulling over 9000 on my 3dmark05 score (which beats many of the AMD top rigs) I think I could have hit 10k easy if I went with the extreme prossesor and the 512mg 9800gtx card, but that would have been another 1500 bux and not worth it to me.

just an opinion, unless you are just wealthy and dont mind it, i woudl really buy a cheaper laptop from dell (with faster memory than alien has) and build a PC. you could get both for about the price of just the notebook from alien and have a good laptop that will play all games plus a smokin desktop.

[Billy_Bathgate]

uh i know, 400 is the speed. im not talking about the size. 400 is slow compared to 667. 800 is even faster, but ive yet to see a notebook with 800 yet. 800 is just now become native on the newest mobos for pc.

ill elaborate a bit more, mem speed is based of your fsb. for like most p4, its usually 200. so my mem is running at a multiplier (based on your ram) of 3.33 which get it to 667. so if i use 400, its at 2. so 3.33 vs the 2 isnt quite 2x as fast, but its like almost 1.5 times as fast. 800 would be 2x as fast as 400. thats also how you determine your true fsb as well...200x4 = 800 fsb which is what most run. the estreme edition, they isntead of the 200, run at 266 so 266x4 = 1024 fsb which is partly why they are better.

not sure if that makes sense or not, but fsb and ram and your cpu all tie in together, which is why it doesnt make alot of sense to get a nice cpu and then slow ram.

[Billy_Bathgate]

hmm...after digging around for a few minutes, im not sure i would buy from that company at all. it seems all i find is reviews of terrible service and product from them

like http://reviews.cnet.com/Alienware_Ar...-31456556.html

id search around for more reviews on that company carefully if you go through them

[oldman]

whatever hardware you use do not use Raid0 that is a horrible way to go IMO. Raid1 is good but you need to make sure you don't split the Os up between the drives.. I personally like Raid 5 3 drives all striped across and have a 4th drive that runs just the OS so if any drive fails you can still access the info. I mean is the drive with the OS fails you just add a new drive, boot a new OS and you are off and running.. if one of the three drive fail you can just add a new one in and let them sync back up.

Now with that said are you using Hardware or software raid? I like hardware raid myself but in my severs I use both (one kind in some and another kind in the others). I have both Raid5 with 5 SCSI's 3 drives plus OS drive plus backup drive the other set up is 2 drives Raid1 with SATA.. they both run about the same for me. These are web servers not desktops.

My desktop is SATA Raid1 with a single IDE backup.

2.8gig Intel
512k ram
800 FSB

It screams and I built it all for about $1400

~Old

[Warrior]

A couple WD 10,000 RPM Raptors in RAID 0 would give you a very fast O/S but if one goes down - they are both kaput. I got one Raptor serving my Windows XP and an Athlon64 proc and its a great system. I put my essential files on a seperate SATAII WD250 Caviar w/16MB cache... probably a good thing to do if you go with a RAID 0 set up... keep essential files on a seperate disk...

Looks like a saaaweet system none the less!

[Billy_Bathgate]

thats what i have to...10k raptor for OS and the caviar for porn, music, vids, and backup

i didnt go raid though, and i still from total power down can boot ready on the net in about 15 seconds...my old one was like 3 minutes lol

if i went raid, it would be raid 5