Alienware 13 Specs decent for WoW?

[Deleted]

Hey Guys,

Juts wondering if you could help me out on this one. i just got an Alienware 13 with the below specs and wondered if its good for just playing WoW? im also looking to invest in the Graphics Amplifier and if anyone knows which graphics card could boost the performance that would be great.

Notebook: Alienware 13 (13 Series)
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4210U CPU @ 1.70GHz, 2401 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M 2048 MB
Memory: 8GB
Display: 13.3 inch, 16:9, 1920x1080 pixels, glossy: no

[lockblock]

It will play wow but I suspect you wont be doing ultra settings or have any anti-aliasing turned on.

Sorry the majority of laptops don't have an upgradable gpu. For the ones that do, the cards are extremely hard to find + expensive and your current cooling system won't likely be up to the task.

[Deleted]

It will play wow but I suspect you wont be doing ultra settings or have any anti-aliasing turned on.

Sorry the majority of laptops don't have an upgradable gpu. For the ones that do, the cards are extremely hard to find + expensive and your current cooling system won't likely be up to the task.

Even if i was to purchase the graphics amplifier?

http://www.dell.com/content/products...s&sku=452-BBRG

[Logwyn]

It will play wow but I suspect you wont be doing ultra settings or have any anti-aliasing turned on.

Sorry the majority of laptops don't have an upgradable gpu. For the ones that do, the cards are extremely hard to find + expensive and your current cooling system won't likely be up to the task.

Also the CPU isn't generally the same or powerful as one in a desktop. Is there a reason it has to be a laptop? Don't you have to buy a video card as well to stick it in the http://www.dell.com/content/products...s&sku=452-BBRG ?

At that price point why not just buy a desktop?

[Vash The Stampede]

The Graphics Amplifier is a bad idea cause it's expensive and just not going to help. The GPU is OK but like lockblock said don't expect to use any AA. Which is fine cause the CPU is the real problem. But because modern laptops solder the CPU as well as the GPU, you're screwed. The only way to upgrade that laptops CPU is to replace the board.

Best thing you can do is make sure the CPU stays as cool as possible by making sure the heatsink is dust free so that it can reach it's maximum clock speed. If you're thinking of spending money on that stupid Graphics Amplifier then build a desktop PC. It's far cheaper and superior than that anchor for a graphics adapter.

[lockblock]

Even if i was to purchase the graphics amplifier?

http://www.dell.com/content/products...s&sku=452-BBRG

Oh thought you were confusing amplifier with gpu. Sure that would work but you might wanna verify that you have that amplifier port. (might not since you appear to have last years model)

[Deleted]

I have a laptop because of the lack of space currently. i will be building my gaming PC soon.

i was just curious as my laptop does have the PCI cable to support the amplifier but as im only playing WoW i was just seeing if it really is worth building a desktop just for that?

[Vash The Stampede]

I had a laptop because of the lack of space currently. i will be building my gaming PC soon.

i was just curious as my laptop does have the PCI cable to support the amplifier but as im only playing WoW i was just seeing if it really is worth building a desktop just for that?

The graphics Amplifier is $200 plus you need a graphics card. For $600 you could build a PC that's better than that.

[Deleted]

unfortunately for u, any mmo demands more cpu power than gpu must of the times, the gpu in ur laptop should be more than enough to play wow ultra settings without any kind of AA, but the cpu is weak , and this will lead to massive fps drop while raiding or any other environment with more than 10players around; a gpu booster can help in other games but not WoW

[Exaelitus]

It will play wow but I suspect you wont be doing ultra settings or have any anti-aliasing turned on.

Sorry the majority of laptops don't have an upgradable gpu. For the ones that do, the cards are extremely hard to find + expensive and your current cooling system won't likely be up to the task.

That's more than enough for anti-aliasing. WoW isn't that demanding. I have a four year old laptop with entry level dedicated graphics and it does it quite well. Ultra isn't really necessary for a good gaming experience. I do it just fine on my desktop and I still don't bother. His setup will run smoothly.

[Master Guns]

No, it won't. 1.6ghz? Lol. Yeah, apparently smooth has a different meaning where you live.

[Gaidax]

It will be fine, people here apparently love fearmongering.

The CPU is decent enough with boost, GPU is not bad either. You will be able to play decently enough with medium settings.

Don't buy that amplifier, you will end up wasting a lot of money and benefit is very questionable because ultimately you are going to be bottlenecked by CPU anyway.

- - - Updated - - -

No, it won't. 1.6ghz? Lol. Yeah, apparently smooth has a different meaning where you live.

Yes because apparently you have to have overclocked desktop CPU and 3.5GB (lolol) VRAM 970 to just play WoW.

The CPU in question turbo boosts to 2.7Ghz, more than enough to "just play WoW".

[Master Guns]

Yes because apparently you have to have overclocked desktop CPU and 3.5GB (lolol) VRAM 970 to just play WoW.

Really? Who said that? Provide a quote? Oh, you're just being obnoxious? K.

[Deleted]

Thanks for responding guys. But as im only using the laptop for WoW. I don't understand why everyone gets so heated. I don't play any other PC games apart from WoW.

I understand that individual people have their opinions on Alienware or past experiences but i was just asking if the CPU is strong enough to play WoW and if the amplifier would help boost framerates slightly. I am aware it is a CPU heavy game so what would be the ideal graphics card to pair with this system without bottlenecking the CPU to much.

[Blackmist]

Maybe at mix of medium and high settings. Will probably need to turn it down further for raiding.

You could use the adapter to fit a real graphics card, but I'm honestly not convinced it's worth it. The CPU is pretty weak and would probably bottleneck anything decent.

[Deleted]

My thoughts its exactly. its fustrating as i got this laptop that a month later they upgrade the CPU's.

[Vash The Stampede]

I understand that individual people have their opinions on Alienware or past experiences but i was just asking if the CPU is strong enough to play WoW and if the amplifier would help boost framerates slightly. I am aware it is a CPU heavy game so what would be the ideal graphics card to pair with this system without bottlenecking the CPU to much.

A GTX 970 or better if you want to see results. But you do realize that it doesn't make sense to do what you wanna do. It won't make the laptop portable cause now you're tied to the graphics Amplifier. You'll spend $500 to do it. It'll be slower than building a PC for nearly the same price.

My recommendation is don't do anything. If all you play is WoW then your laptop is fine. A 970 with that amplifier is going to give you 3-5 fps extra unless you like ultra settings. Even then the Amplifier sorta robs some power That cable that connects the Amplifier to the laptop only has 4GB/s vs a typical desktop with 16GB/s. Stick a GTX 970 in desktop PC and you'll get more out of it. Though a 970 is overkill for WoW but since you have a weak CPU the 970 helps to lift as much of a burden off the CPU. But depending on your settings you might not see any difference at all.

Don't spend the money or build a desktop gaming PC like this.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($55.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: PNY CS2111 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 285 2GB WINDFORCE 2X Video Card ($172.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case ($33.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($25.00 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) ($86.75 @ OutletPC)
Total: $580.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-20 13:27 EDT-0400

[Deleted]

[QUOTE=Dukenukemx;34959147]A GTX 970 or better if you want to see results. But you do realize that it doesn't make sense to do what you wanna do. It won't make the laptop portable cause now you're tied to the graphics Amplifier. You'll spend $500 to do it. It'll be slower than building a PC for nearly the same price.

My recommendation is don't do anything. If all you play is WoW then your laptop is fine. A 970 with that amplifier is going to give you 3-5 fps extra unless you like ultra settings. Even then the Amplifier sorta robs some power That cable that connects the Amplifier to the laptop only has 4GB/s vs a typical desktop with 16GB/s. Stick a GTX 970 in desktop PC and you'll get more out of it. Though a 970 is overkill for WoW but since you have a weak CPU the 970 helps to lift as much of a burden off the CPU. But depending on your settings you might not see any difference at all.

Don't spend the money or build a desktop gaming PC like this.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($55.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: PNY CS2111 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 285 2GB WINDFORCE 2X Video Card ($172.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case ($33.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($25.00 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) ($86.75 @ OutletPC)
Total: $580.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-20 13:27 EDT-0400[/QUOTE

Best answer ive heard all day! thank you very much. i do plan on building a desktop this year and your advice is much appreciated. the CPU is very weak in this laptop, however i do still get strong frame rates when in ashran or vol'mar at peak times. i see 30-50fps which isnt bad at all on high settings.

[Nellah]

Though a 970 is overkill for WoW but since you have a weak CPU the 970 helps to lift as much of a burden off the CPU. But depending on your settings you might not see any difference at all.

That's not really how that works at all. A 970 would shore up 99% of the GPU bottlenecks while playing WoW, but would do nothing for the CPU bottlenecks, of which there will be many. The "U" series of CPU won't turbo to 2.7GHz for very long, to stay within its TDP it'll probably be sitting below that clock the majority of its game time, since WoW loads the CPU pretty constantly.

The "graphics amplifier" is actually a pretty cool solution; I saw Anandtech review a similar one when the GTX 780 was king. It'll work wonders for games that are GPU limited, they managed to get ~85% of the performance of a desktop setup from the unit IIRC. WoW will not see that amount of gain.

[Vash The Stampede]

That's not really how that works at all. A 970 would shore up 99% of the GPU bottlenecks while playing WoW, but would do nothing for the CPU bottlenecks, of which there will be many.

If the CPU waits on the GPU it'll lower fps. A lot of what graphic cards do still goes through the CPU even with API's like DX12 and Mantle. Even if the GPU isn't a bottleneck a faster graphics card will help. For a game like WoW it's not much if any. A GTX 860M is pretty decent for WoW.

The "U" series of CPU won't turbo to 2.7GHz for very long, to stay within its TDP it'll probably be sitting below that clock the majority of its game time, since WoW loads the CPU pretty constantly.

That's why I'd look into the cooler of that CPU to get it as cool as possible. Clean out the heatsink and put better quality thermal compound would do wonders. I like to polish my heatsink to a mirror to extract as much heat away as possible. It also does wonders. Like this person did for their M14x. Not sure if that's the same as a Alienware 13. It's not something for the faint of heart but it'll keep those turbo clocks as high as possible.