Is XPS good enough? Or is only alienware worthy (poker/HD gaming)?

Most XPS laptops are the same as alienware without the looks. Only thing you need to do is research what graphics card you are getting with it. I have been looking at getting a XPS laptop myself and noticed few of them had awful low end graphics even though they were I7 / 8Gb RAM+ etc

Also if you are going to play poker as well as do gaming on it you need a 17 inch version.

My advice would be a 17 inch XPS with a decent graphics card ( may require an upgrade on a deal offered). Get an Alienware one if money isnt a problem and looks make you want to pay extra.

I'd be getting the "NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 550M 1GB graphics with Optimus" graphics card with it. I can get the NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 550M 3GB graphics with Optimus for an extra $100. Would you think that that is good enough? And I mean good enough as in good enough for highest resolution for SC2 type graphics.

Well GT550M is a top class 2 graphics card. Probably a minimum at what you are looking for. A laptop with above spec and that card will play SC2 on high quality settings with no lag.

For example my specs currently are: I3 / 4GB RAM / GT330M and i can run SC2 on medium - low high settings with high FPS.

As for the optimus thing isnt it just a power saving feature, so whats the point getting it unless you planning on using the laptop unpluged for long periods of time.

I would personally get a GT555M if there is an option for it (was for me when i looked at XPS laptops) which is class 1 graphics.

Alright thanks Ill look into it

The reason why I want a high class laptop is because the one Im using now lags a tone when I'm ~28 tabling on pokerstars (stacked tables) while running HM2 (constantly importing hands and showing HUD) and running tableninja (constantly switching bet sizing, etc). I would have more time to make decisions if I were 32+ tabling with no lag lol. Is that just a problem with the graphics card? I have a HP Pavilion g series with 4GB RAM and i3. I'm not sure what the card is though.

Can this problem be solved just with a higher grade card? I would rather just by a better all around laptop that Ill be happy with for years but still doesn't hurt to ask

EDIT: and yea sorry the 3GB graphics card that I mentioned is 555M. Typo ♦

Yeah defo get 555M if you are able. Im not sure about the 32-table thing. Maximum tables i played on pokerstars was 18 with HM1( less hungry than HM2) and it didnt lag on my I3 laptop.

Im not certain how many tables you can run without lag on an XPS laptop with above specs, but i would imagine it will be at least a significant improvement on your current set up. Oh and graphics card is mainly for games, processor and memory is for poker.

if we're talking laptops don't get either of them.

I have an xps laptop and they are the worst series dell ever made and they don't learn from their mistakes with earlier models.

I have an m1710 xps. Dell admitted that the architecture of the inside was one big flaw , yet they barely changed anything for future models. The studio xps that came out 2 or 3 years later had the same overheating flaws due to bad structure inside (a friend of mine has one).

With Alienware you generally pay too much for what you get. They used to have superb quality but since the takeover by dell they've gone backwards.

I suggest you look into asus.

edit: yes reviews may sound amazing but don't forget that big companies as dell often offer some stuff under the table for magazines and stuff to give positive reviews. For my laptop too there were no negative reviews in the first couple of months the laptop was on the market. after a year or 2 years alot of negativity about this model started , everywhere on the internet people saying their laptops overheated in idle mode, fried graphic cards, motherboards , etc . Also the support from dell (and alienware) is pretty terrible. For my model they haven't released a single graphic card driver in the past 4 Years.