I currently have an alienware aurora R3 with the bellow specs.
i7 2600 3.4
AMD Radeon HD 6800 x2
8 gig ram
Now I'v had this machine for quite some time now and could do with replacing however I'm not int he same situate as I was before. (financially)
I loved my alienware aurora but the graphics cards are getting a little dated now and I can't see it doing the 2013 games much justice.
should I,
1: upgrade the graphhics cards in my current model. (bearing in mine the processor is also a generation behind.)
What i Don't know is what graphics card upgrade my system can handle. I have dual hd 6800S now but id replace them with a single card. but what cards can my model take up to?
2. buy the alienware x51 (i5 version) I'm aware this is technically a downgrade however i would appreciate a smaller chassis and It houses the newer processor (yes technically the i7 is better than the i5 that come with this model but this rig will be soley a gaming system and all the evidence suggests that you do not receive much a performance increase by going I7,
the only reason I'm considering these options is because Alienware have a £200 trade but I'm not entirely sure what that is either as it says up to... what does that mean? if i sent ,my Alienware aurora in does that guarantee 200 off my current purchase?
3. or go for a pc at over clockers or somewhere similar.
I know the third is a little inflammatory but overclockers have a system priced similarly to the x51 (same portability) with he same specs but also has the gtx 760 and blue ray, if I was to apply the gtx 760 to the current i5 model of the alirnware x51 it would rack the price up by nearly 300 quid!! and put it on the same level as the i7 version. obviously I can't afford that. so please let me know what my options are as at the moment over clockers are seemingly the best option.
my budget is like 650-800 quid. please let me know what you think.