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Area 51m or MSI GT76 Titan

GrimBear
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hi all,
I've been looking for a gaming laptop for myself for about 3 months now and whenever I find a new laptop I compare it with the rest of the laptops I've found and Alienware 51m always comes out on top.

I just wanna confirm if area51m is really better than the rest of the options I found.

you can recommend me other laptops as well.
here are the options I considered: (I stayed away from the "thin" gaming laptops as I didn't wanna have troubles with cooling in the future)

 

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/alienware-area-51m-gaming-laptop-aw-headset/spd/alienware-17-area51m-laptop/wnser7cr5102h?view=configurations&configurationid=b858a935-e0f2-4430-9b03-7cea1b3ee677


https://www.newegg.com/aluminum-black-msi-gt-series-gt76-titan-dt-9sg-090-gaming-entertainment/p/2WC-000C-00FD8

 

https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/predator-model/NH.Q4YAA.002

 

https://www.amazon.com/Desktop-Replacement-GeForce-i7-8750H-Processor/dp/B07QSJ6VWN?tag=georiot-us-default-20&ascsubtag=pcg-1407510159597954225-20&th=1

 

https://www.digitaltrends.com/laptop-reviews/lenovo-legion-y740-review/

 


 

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As an owner of a bulky gaming laptop i dont recommend you to buy a bulky gaming laptop, go for something like a the asus zephyrus S gx502 cause big laptops are a pain in the ass to carry anywhere 

 Case: NZXT Noctis 450 ROG Edition, CPU: Intel Core i9 9900K , CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X72 360mm, Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix Z390-H GAMING, Graphics Card : ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX2080TI-11G-GAMING , RAM: HyperX Predator 16GB DDR4 3600Mhz, Storage:Samsung 970 pro 512GB & WD Black 4TB HDD 256MB Cache, PSU: NZXT E850 , Monitor: AORUS AD27QD Gaming Monitor 27inch 1440p 144Hz, Mouse: Razer Ouroboros, Keyboard : Asus ROG Strix Flare RGB 

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5 hours ago, KarimEid said:

As an owner of a bulky gaming laptop i dont recommend you to buy a bulky gaming laptop, go for something like a the asus zephyrus S gx502 cause big laptops are a pain in the ass to carry anywhere 

But that's kind of what I'm looking for.

I move between countries often(about every 6 months), but when I set my laptop somewhere it stays like that until I move again.

So it is important for me to have a portable laptop and I want it to be strong. That's why I'm going for the "desktop replacement" laptops.

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On 10/14/2019 at 3:10 PM, GrimBear said:

hi all,
I've been looking for a gaming laptop for myself for about 3 months now and whenever I find a new laptop I compare it with the rest of the laptops I've found and Alienware 51m always comes out on top.

I just wanna confirm if area51m is really better than the rest of the options I found.

you can recommend me other laptops as well.
here are the options I considered: (I stayed away from the "thin" gaming laptops as I didn't wanna have troubles with cooling in the future)

 

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/alienware-area-51m-gaming-laptop-aw-headset/spd/alienware-17-area51m-laptop/wnser7cr5102h?view=configurations&configurationid=b858a935-e0f2-4430-9b03-7cea1b3ee677


https://www.newegg.com/aluminum-black-msi-gt-series-gt76-titan-dt-9sg-090-gaming-entertainment/p/2WC-000C-00FD8

 

https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/predator-model/NH.Q4YAA.002

 

https://www.amazon.com/Desktop-Replacement-GeForce-i7-8750H-Processor/dp/B07QSJ6VWN?tag=georiot-us-default-20&ascsubtag=pcg-1407510159597954225-20&th=1

 

https://www.digitaltrends.com/laptop-reviews/lenovo-legion-y740-review/

I just sold my Alienware Area-51m due to Dell's constant new BIOS they are pushing which throttles Performance. Also, the laptop is the slowest booting laptop in the world if that matters to you. I had two NVMe 2TB 960 PROs in it and man, when you turn on the power button, it just sits there on the Alienware logo for about 25 seconds before you start seeing the Windows loading icon start to spin and the Dell Drivers particularly their Command Center is horrible.

 

I also had an MSI GT75 Titan 8RG before and I liked that much more so I would get the GT76 no doubt if I were you

Alienware m16 R1 | AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX | SK Hynix 64 GB 5200 MHz DDR5 RAM | GeForce RTX 4090 16 GB GDDR6 | 16" QHD+ (2560 x 1600) 240Hz, 3ms 300-nits Screen | 2x Samsung 990 PRO 4TB SSDs + WD_BLACK SN770M 2TB SSD | Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 | Windows 11 Pro

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31 minutes ago, Ultra Male said:

I just sold my Alienware Area-51m due to Dell's constant new BIOS they are pushing which throttles Performance. Also, the laptop is the slowest booting laptop in the world if that matters to you. I had two NVMe 2TB 960 PROs in it and man, when you turn on the power button, it just sits there on the Alienware logo for about 25 seconds before you start seeing the Windows loading icon start to spin and the Dell Drivers particularly their Command Center is horrible.

 

I also had an MSI GT75 Titan 8RG before and I liked that much more so I would get the GT76 no doubt if I were you

In all the videos I watched are 51m performs better in games while staying cooler.

It's just weird that none of the videos mentioned what you say, are you sure this problem wasn't specific to your laptop? With a very bad luck maybe.

I was kind of building up my hopes to buy area51 as it costs less than msi gt76 while performing better.

I'll do some more research about what other people are unhappy about are51 I guess.

 

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5 hours ago, GrimBear said:

In all the videos I watched are 51m performs better in games while staying cooler.

It's just weird that none of the videos mentioned what you say, are you sure this problem wasn't specific to your laptop? With a very bad luck maybe.

I was kind of building up my hopes to buy area51 as it costs less than msi gt76 while performing better.

I'll do some more research about what other people are unhappy about are51 I guess.

 

If you read the issues some users are facing in this thread, you wouldn't touch the Area-51m with a 10 foot pole:

 

*OFFICIAL* Alienware Area-51M Owner's Lounge

Alienware m16 R1 | AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX | SK Hynix 64 GB 5200 MHz DDR5 RAM | GeForce RTX 4090 16 GB GDDR6 | 16" QHD+ (2560 x 1600) 240Hz, 3ms 300-nits Screen | 2x Samsung 990 PRO 4TB SSDs + WD_BLACK SN770M 2TB SSD | Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 | Windows 11 Pro

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15 hours ago, GrimBear said:

But that's kind of what I'm looking for.

I move between countries often(about every 6 months), but when I set my laptop somewhere it stays like that until I move again.

So it is important for me to have a portable laptop and I want it to be strong. That's why I'm going for the "desktop replacement" laptops.

Check out this asus G703GXR https://www.asus.com/ROG-Republic-Of-Gamers/ROG-G703/ 
Asus has never failed me when it comes to their products my laptop is still standing strong after more than 900 days of uptime. The battery is at its last breath though but that is to be expected after 4 years.

 Case: NZXT Noctis 450 ROG Edition, CPU: Intel Core i9 9900K , CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X72 360mm, Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix Z390-H GAMING, Graphics Card : ASUS ROG-STRIX-RTX2080TI-11G-GAMING , RAM: HyperX Predator 16GB DDR4 3600Mhz, Storage:Samsung 970 pro 512GB & WD Black 4TB HDD 256MB Cache, PSU: NZXT E850 , Monitor: AORUS AD27QD Gaming Monitor 27inch 1440p 144Hz, Mouse: Razer Ouroboros, Keyboard : Asus ROG Strix Flare RGB 

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  • 1 month later...
Posted

If you're looking for long-term upgradability I recommend getting any of Eurocom's gaming laptops. They come with upgrade support for the included MXM graphics cards (Quadro Ks all the way up to RTX 2080) and LCD displays.

They're so dedicated to helping their customers keep their last-gen devices running that they even create their own upgrade tutorial videos!

Spoiler

.

 

I wish every OEM did this kind of thing with their whole high-performance laptop lineup.

 

Back on topic, here's how Eurocom's Sky XC7 fairs against the Dell Area 51M (compared to the matching base & mid-spec A51M configurations).

 

BASIC CONFIG:

  • SKY X7C
  • Area 51M
  • Price without discounts: $2167 (A51M ~ $2050)
  • CPU: Z370 LGA 1151 socket Core i7-9700K (A51M ~ Z390, LGA1151, i7-9700)
  • RAM: 2 x 8GB DDR4-2666 (A51M ~ 2 x 8GB DDR4-2400)
  • GPU: MXM 3.1 80W RTX 2060 6GB (A51M ~ DGFF GTX 1660TI 6GB)
  • G-SYNC: yes (A51M ~ yes)
  • Screen: 17.3-inch 144hz 1920x1080 matte 300-nit IPS display (A51M ~ 17.3-inch 60hz 1920x1080 "Anti-Glare" 300-nit IPS display)
  • Display Calibration: no (A51M ~ no)
  • Storage: 1TB HDD @ 7200RPM (A51M ~ 1TB+8GB SSHD)
  • I/O, expansion, & upgrade options: 1 x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), 3 x 3.5mm jack (combo, Mic-In, Audio-out), 4 x USB 3.0 TypeA, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x Mini DisplayPort, 1 x RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet Port, 1-2 x 330W DC Power-In, 1 x fullsize 6-in-1 memory card reader, 1 x M.2 WLAN/Bluetooth, 2 x M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 SSD (Optane supported), 2 x 2.5" bays, 4 x DDR4 SODIMM RAM slots (up to 128GB, 3000Mhz), LGA1151 up to Core i9-9900KS, any MXM 3.1 GPU up to RTX 2080/Quadro P5000 or 190W (Area 51M includes a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, but slightly less I/O, GPU, and storage expansion options overall)
  • Windows 10 Home pre-installed: yes (A51M ~ yes)
  • Webcam: 720p/2.1MP (A51M ~ 720p/2.1MP)
  • Battery: Wh (A51M ~ 90Wh)
  • Weight: 8.58LB/3.9kg (A51M ~ 8.54LB/3.87kg)

 

MID-SPEC CONFIG:

  • SKY X7C
  • Area 51M
  • Price without discounts: $3286 (A51M ~ $3300)
  • CPU: Z370 LGA 1151 socket Core i9-9900KS (A51M ~ Z390, LGA1151 i7-9700K)
  • RAM:  2 x 16GB DDR4-3000 (A51M ~ 2 x 16GB DDR4-2400)
  • GPU: MXM 3.1 115W RTX 2070 8GB (A51M ~ DGFF RTX 2070 8GB)
  • G-SYNC: yes (A51M ~ yes)
  • Screen: 17.3-inch 144hz 2560x1440 matte 400-nit IPS display (A51M ~ 17.3-inch 144hz 1920x1080 "Anti-Glare" 300-nit IPS display)
  • Display Calibration: yes (A51M ~ no)
  • Storage: 2TB SSHD (A51M ~ 256GB PCIe M.2 SSD & 1TB+8GB SSHD)
  • I/O, expansion, & upgrade options: 1 x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3), 3 x 3.5mm jack (combo, Mic-In, Audio-out), 4 x USB 3.0 TypeA, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x Mini DisplayPort, 1 x RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet Port, 1-2 x 330W DC Power-In, 1 x fullsize 6-in-1 memory card reader, 1 x M.2 WLAN/Bluetooth, 2 x M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 SSD (Optane supported), 2 x 2.5" bays, 4 x DDR4 SODIMM RAM slots (up to 128GB, 3000Mhz), LGA1151 up to Core i9-9900KS, any MXM 3.1 GPU up to RTX 2080/Quadro P5000 or 190W (Area 51M includes a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, but slightly less I/O, GPU, and storage expansion options overall)
  • Windows 10 Home pre-installed: yes (A51M ~ yes)
  • Webcam: 720p/2.1MP (A51M ~ 720p/2.1MP)
  • Battery: 89Wh (A51M ~ 90Wh)
  • Weight: 8.58LB/3.9kg (A51M ~ 8.54LB/3.87kg)

 

OTHER RESOURCES:

 

In my opinion, Eurcom offers ~ at virtually the same price ~ better option(s) with a DXR-enabled GPU and high refresh display on the base model, a overall better CPU, faster RAM, a brighter & higher resolution factory-calibrated display, and guaranteed multi-year support for replacing & upgrading the MXM GPU, LCD panel, and other components.

 

Hope this helps! ;)

Found way to install the YT Dislike Extension on my phone! xD

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Get Clevo P775/P870 with Prema BIOS and delided+LM CPU if you really want a DTR

 

though I would suggest getting desktop+laptop for that budget

Desktop specs:

Spoiler

AMD Ryzen 5 5600 Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB Gigabyte B550M DS3H mATX

Asrock Challenger Pro OC Radeon RX 6700 XT Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (8Gx2) 3600MHz CL18 Kingston NV2 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD

Montech Century 850W Gold Tecware Nexus Air (Black) ATX Mid Tower

Laptop: Lenovo Ideapad 5 Pro 16ACH6

Phone: Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro 8+128

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On 12/8/2019 at 5:41 PM, GrimBear said:

now I'm thinking about this

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WWH8LC7/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

it offers so much value for its price. and some cool gifts as well
just gotta wait and earn some money before I can afford it

 

 

 

Dude. The MSI GT76 Titan is just not worth it. It's an extra pound to carry around and is less upgradable down the line. Both the Area 51M and Eurocom laptops come with socketed CPUs support for MXM GPU modules if want to more performance down the line.

 

If you're going to throw $3000 at desktop replacement go for the Eurocom Sky X7C. It's the only laptop on the market right now with a 1440p 144hz display and more expansion options than the Area 51M. Anything else is either going to be heavier (like that MSI GT76 Titan bundle on Amazon you mentioned) or will come with less options to upgrade or customize down the line.

 

If you want something a bit lighter but with almost the same horsepower, the Eluktronics MAG-15 will give you just that, pound for pound: 

 

 

 More info & reviews:

Spoiler

.

.

.

.

.

 

 

All this at just 4.15 pounds! Most laptops at this weight class come with a MX150, MX250, RX 5500M, or GTX 1650 ;)

 

Other popular options include the Asus ROG Zephyrus M GU502 1660TI ($1400) & GU502 2070 ($1700) and the Razer Blade 15 2070 ($2100) & Blade 15 2080 ($2500), but both of these come slightly heavier, sport smaller battery capacity, and with a max out at 1TB of storage (512GB for the Razer Blade 15).

 

Then again, as @genexis_x mentioned you can get both a mid-spec gaming laptop and desktop for your budget of $3,000-$3500.

 

Here's a recommended PC build (under $1600): 

PCPartPicker Part List
Type Item Price
CPU AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor $309.99 @ Best Buy
CPU Cooler Noctua NH-U12S 55 CFM CPU Cooler $59.95 @ Amazon
Motherboard Asus Prime X470-Pro ATX AM4 Motherboard $132.99 @ Amazon
Memory GeIL EVO POTENZA 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory $52.99 @ Newegg
Memory GeIL EVO POTENZA 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory $52.99 @ Newegg
Storage Intel 660p Series 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive $62.99 @ B&H
Storage Hitachi Ultrastar 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $34.95 @ Amazon
Case Phanteks P300 ATX Mid Tower Case $52.98 @ Newegg
Custom EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Black Gaming, 8GB GDDR6 + Powerlink 08G-P4-3081-Kp $684.99 @ Amazon
Custom Fractal Design Ion+ 760W Platinum $113.00
  Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts  
  Total (before mail-in rebates) $1567.82
  Mail-in rebates -$10.00
  Total $1557.82
  Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-10 19:44 EST-0500  

 

 

TOTAL (RTX 2070 MAG-15 Laptop + RTX 2080 Desktop Build): $3,558

 

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On second thought.............if the GT76 really is your jam, get the custom liquid metal cooling version by HIDevolution: https://www.amazon.com/HIDevolution-i7-9700K-Authorized-Performance-Upgrades/dp/B07XMDR5CJ/

 

Also, it seems that the GTX 1660TI isn't too far behind the RTX 2070 in non-raytracing gaming performance. But I guess getting the RTX 2070 for $300 more might of value as it offers some future-proofing with higher overclocking performance and support for future RT games.

.

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I get your point but I've already made up my mind on the msi gt76. that liquid metal cooling option seems cool but also increases the price as far as I can tell. and I'm barely able to afford the normal one now.
I've considered buying anything less than rtx2080 during the black friday but got cucked as they kept turning down my payment for a great value laptop (msi gp65 with rtx2070 for $1500) so now I'm just not gonna settle for anything less than rtx 2080.
I cant and wont get a desktop until I get settled in my own place. I move between countries every 6 months due to either school or work so I need a "portable" device that is easier to carry than a laptop, and not necessarily have to be a thin an light one. just one that is strong enough to run my games and wont get damaged during travels.
since my last post the laptop in the link has disappeared and now I'm borrowing money from my family to just buy one with 9700k CPU instead.
I dont care about the upgradeability anymore. in the future when the time comes I'll build a pc and give the laptop to my gf or something so we we can play together.
thanks for all your suggestions. (I know you guys spent some time sharing your ideas and I I'm sorry that I seemed like I ignored them)

edit: desktop

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On 12/15/2019 at 10:06 PM, GrimBear said:

I get your point but I've already made up my mind on the msi gt76. that liquid metal cooling option seems cool but also increases the price as far as I can tell. and I'm barely able to afford the normal one now.
I've considered buying anything less than rtx2080 during the black friday but got cucked as they kept turning down my payment for a great value laptop (msi gp65 with rtx2070 for $1500) so now I'm just not gonna settle for anything less than rtx 2080.
I cant and wont get a desktop until I get settled in my own place. I move between countries every 6 months due to either school or work so I need a "portable" device that is easier to carry than a laptop, and not necessarily have to be a thin an light one. just one that is strong enough to run my games and wont get damaged during travels.
since my last post the laptop in the link has disappeared and now I'm borrowing money from my family to just buy one with 9700k CPU instead.
I dont care about the upgradeability anymore. in the future when the time comes I'll build a pc and give the laptop to my gf or something so we we can play together.
thanks for all your suggestions. (I know you guys spent some time sharing your ideas and I I'm sorry that I seemed like I ignored them)

edit: desktop

I can't buy any of those light weight laptops either. Everyone has what they're looking for in a laptop. To me, durability and performance matter most.

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  • 5 months later...
Posted

Hello all,

 

I'm hoping to get an update from GrimBear regarding his purchase. I currently have the MSI GF72VR 7RF and I want to upgrade to a laptop that has 16mb cache. I require this because I run 5-7 virtual machines at a time and I want to work without lags. If you wouldn't mind would you please tell me your experience after purchasing the gt76?

I read many posts and I was comparing the M51 to the GT76 myself and now I am confused because G-sync is not available in the GT76 as you mentioned. Do you think it would make a difference in my case?

 

My current MSI laptop is good but it heats up so much some times it literally burns my left wrist. That is my main drawback regarding this laptop. Apart from that sometimes it does lag.

 

I so hope you would reply since you purchased it. If anyone else has any thoughts please let me know. Its June 2020 so I am wondering if anything better has been released or if I should consider something else. Thank you very much :)

 

 

 

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