NEW!! Alienware Area-51M LAPTOP!! (to replace alienware 15 and 17)

It wouldn’t be upgradable if they don’t offer low end specs/hardware. This is how the market is.

 

That's exactly my point. You'll have to buy another heatsink and why not another power brick, for exemple if you were given two 180W when you first purchased your laptop.

 

It's called being unbiased.

 

@iunlock They said more display options will come in April? So might want to hold off.

I heard somewhere a 240hz panel might come as well.

@Rei Fukai 119W TDP total when both CPU/GPU are under full load
136W TDP limit otherwise in any other situation.

Probably will only be enough to sustain factory turbo indefinitely.

The config I want is $3,999 LOL almost as much as my P870DM3 was...

If only your coupon was $2,000 off not $200 \\

 

It looks like you get the 330w psu only if you choose the RTX 2080, maybe the card is linked to what heat sink you get as you can only get replacements from Dell I’m thinking they would supply a heatsink with the GPU upgrade.

Wonder how much this machine is going to set us back in the UK..

 

Don't know if posted already.

 

Wow, people are actually eager to pay money to be a guinea pig/experiment, eyes wide open, in the gimp-o-rama circus? In spite of the clear and unmistakable fact that the firmware is perma-locked, can't be fixed, and with power caps set absurdly low and barely adequate for holding stock performace?

Interesting. No complaining allowed after the fact, LOL. We better get some popcorn ready before the drama starts.

 

Not really that bad if you're not stretching yourself thin financially. It has a return period of 30 days. I did a number on my 17R5 and I'm about to return it. I think 30 days is a good time-frame for me to decide that it's not for me. They're not charging me any restocking fee.

 

If it works excellently, (which is highly unlikely given what we have been told,) the price will be inconsequential. Really good stuff is never cheap. But, expensive stuff is often not that great.

 

So far it seems that those eager to purchase are gamers... which it should be fine at doing at max specs in modern AAA offerings.... But so should other proven out things.

The guinea pig thing can be fun to people too if you have the cash to burn (its a time and money sink like anything else... think sailboat). Some people like to do that kind of stuff (I think they are crazy).

 

Absolute bs. Alienware has upped their TDP in the past and there is no reason why they shouldn't do it again, unlike clevo turdbooks.

Pretty sure they will up the TDP once they see that there is demand for it. Wouldn't be suprising in the least. Stop being biased, the notebook isn't out yet and you complain about it being locked, for all we know they could decide to open the TDP limits for enthusiasts.

Way to go complaining about something that doesn't exist yet.

 

Let us know how it goes.

Please test the 136W TDP thing. If you can't, you can always send it my way to do the testing.

 

Really? You think so? You must be new here, LOL. To the best of my knowledge they have not done anything well in terms of correcting poor performance issues since 2012-2013. But, they are masters at creating them. Not saying they can't get better, but they absolutely do not have a track record of fixing anything properly related to performance or thermal management problems. In fact, they leave things broken and repeat their mistakes. Bear in mind, you're talking to one of the biggest *former* Alienware fanboy/cult leaders that ever lived, so know your audience a little better. I'm not biased, just smart enough to avoid getting burned again. Judge the tree by its fruit. Don't expect something that isn't consistent with the historical record. That's not very smart. Trust but verify. Verify first, then trust. That's the smart approach. Caution is advised. Only fools run in the dark with scissors. Show me one example of where they have fixed their crippled messes. Please. I want to see one example of where they corrected a TDP or thermal issue. Just one of each, and then I will unsubscribe from this thread and let the chips fall where they may instead of trying to help people to pay attention, not lose focus or be distracted by fancy marketing strategies, and wait for evidence before flushing money down the toilet.

As I have already mentioned multiple times in this thread, I am encouraged by a couple of glimmers that reflect intelligence starting to show again from the Alienware brand, but it's way too early to call it a win. I do hope it is though, in spite of low confidence. Redemption is always a good thing. I am all for it, and forgiveness for past transgressions awaits them once the actual proof is produced and good results are clearly evident by my measurements.

This is exactly the right approach to take. Guarded skepticism is very smart, and in the case of this vendor, definitely warranted. It is always better to be pleasantly surprised to learn you were wrong and your concerns were without merit, than to be pissed off about the status quo.

 

Crap....I should have asked AW about using 2x 330W PSUs or exceeding 330W per port during the reddit AMA.

 

Aw man. Yes you should've. I was wondering why there was a reason they always have a 180w as the second psu. Would be nice to know if we could use 330w and get some benefit from it.

 

Yeah, that would have been a good point of confrontation to have them on record with a public response based on what they have done at least twice before with PSU power limiting issues.

 

Why not wait a few weeks and get better GPUs?

big edit; never mind i missed the text about the pascal GPUs being placeholders

 

I think I remember it being said the GPUs would be upgraded to 20-series before they ship. The 10-series GPUs might simply be place holders on the web ordering page. It wouldn't make a lot of sense to dispatch parts and field techs to replace them after they ship. In fact, that could turn into a huge customer service mess with new laptops getting scratched and broken by haphazard contract laborers that don't care if it's not their laptop.

 

I tweeted to Mr. Azor about 2x330W probably won't get a reply.

AW is being very slick. They're selling the 1060/1070/1080 now but "auto upgrade to next-gen upon shipment"

What this means is you're basically ordering with 1060/1070/1080 but you'll actually get 2060/2070/2080. It's a way around the pre-ordering

 

I think I noticed that text and edited my post right as you two quoted me to respond.

Well played, Dell. That's one way to get around the embargo.

 

Alienware makes it look like they are the first to put a modern desktop CPU into a laptop, but Eurocom has been doing this for awhile. You can configure one now with MXM and a full desktop class CPU.

Even Alienware's cooling solution layout looks similar (but not the same) to the F7W.

http://www.eurocom.com/ec/configure(2,452,0)TornadoF7W

And unlike the Alienware, this thing supports up to THREE M.2 and TWO 2.5 SATA drives.

And they have a massive 780W single brick power supply.

EDIT:
HA! They even offer MXM upgrades to Alienware laptops:

http://www.eurocom.com/ec/upgrades()ec

 

I think you mean Clevo, but Eurocom is a place where you can get them. Careful though... there are a couple of Clevo-haters lurking in this thread that will lambaste you for daring to express the fact that you like something they do not, LOL.

The success in doing this is having the right firmware and thermal management. It's not magic, just a CPU. It used to be common to have socket-mounted CPUs in laptops, then the BGA cancer started spreading. It's treated like a novelty now because of ignorance, but it's really the right way to do things. It is sad that it is not still the norm, and it's kind of sad to see excitement about a vendor doing what should ultimately be status quo across the board, by all vendors. '

So much time has been wasted on BGA. That's sad, too. 5 stinking years of crippled filth and nothing good to show for it.

 

That one linked is from MSi

Rumor has it they (Eurocom) will release a GTX/RTX consumer version (hopefully slashing that outlandish price point). Unfortunately, last I heard, the MSis have that same Cancer firmware @Falkentyne and @Mr. Fox have been talking about that plague almost everything.

 

I will wait for reviews and save to get this in 2 years! I would be totally pissed off if I just purchased the M15 or the M17. Buyers remorse totally if this A51 comes out like a decent contender and not be a pretender and get knocked out on the first round.

 

Yes, I did not check the link. Thanks. There is an MSI with a good CPU under the hood and I was the proud owner of one. You were, too. I assumed Clevo since they are typically the only one that does it right with both sockets and slots on a few models.

And, I can confirm it is not a rumor. It is a fact. As a matter of fact, cancer firmware is universal and affects 100% of all notebooks manufactured in the last decade or more. There is not one single model or brand that is actually worth a damn without firmware mods. That is one of the reasons this new Alienware warrants equal scrutiny and a skeptical approach.

 

Okay guys, don't know if this is a yes but.... 2x330w might be possible?

Spoiler

 

Wonder if this single 780W from Eurocom will work?

http://www.eurocom.com/configure(2,404,0)ec

 

I dont mind their laptops but their aftermarket component upgrades are literally hot garbage.

 

We would need the proper cable before we can even test that.

 

He did not actually answer whether or not the laptop would be able to use the 660W of power available to it. That's potentially a trap. Using them is one thing... using them up to the capacity of both AC adapters is another matter entirely, and that is where the problem has been in the past due to gimping.

Maybe ask for clarification. Something like, "So, are you saying the laptop will have no limits or restrictions on the amount of power it can draw from the 660W available using two 330W AC adapters, other than the capacity of the AC adapters? Or, are you merely saying it will function with two of them up to an arbitrary functional limit Dell has imposed on the laptop through firmware."

 

I have the WT75 which is the same as the Tornado F7 but sold directly from MSI. It does have EC firmware limitations (essentially 4.7ghz on all cores is the best I could do with my 9900k) but the bios comes from MSI fully unlocked and it supports MXM GPU upgrades (GTX 1070 from Tornado F5 confirmed) so its a little more flexible than the Alienware IMO. I am waiting to see how much a RTX 2070 or 2080 would cost to possibly upgrade from the stock Quadro P3200. The WT75 also has a mux and can boot with the iGPU enabled, getting about 4 hours with some tweaking. Maybe pointless for most of the people who would use it, but nice to have if you are stuck in an airport without a power plug nearby.

 

Brother SJ, ask him what the base config needs to be in order to get the so-called 'big heatsink' + side exhausts. We'd like to know if 8700 + 2080, or, 9700k + 2070 gets it, or is it just 9900k + 2080 buyers get it etc, see if he's chatty tonight for us (that $100 upgrade to 9700k doesn't sound like it buys the heatsink)

edit:

I tweeted --> if he doesn't answer someone else can tweet @ him

thinking out loud here: the presence of the 8700 non-overclockable CPU suggests that overclocking isn't high on their list of priorities for their end-users, it's a red flag actually

 

I highly recommend tweeting at him and see if you get a reply. I think it'll be a bit frustrating if I keep asking him questions back to back.

Alright this is as much as we're gonna get probably:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...enware-15-and-17.826796/page-38#post-10845840

If anything changes I'll let y'all know. But I have a feeling that both ports are connected together into the motherboard. From what I saw in the teardowns on youtube they're just connected together to the motherboard. So theoretically, 330w should be possible on either port.

It will be a matter of firmware whether we can access the extra power or not. And let's not forget even Clevo implemented a 480W limit on their P870KM1 systems ( I think DM3/TM1 as well) so I wouldn't be surprised if we're limited by firmware to 510W (330w+180w).

 

They did, why do you think are people flashing Dell vBioses to their cards?

We can agree on the thermal aspect, but if we look at the TDP of the cards, Alienware has the highest.

The thing you absolutely do not understand is that this notebook they created marks a change in the way Dell/ Alienware are handling their notebooks. This is not the AW 17 or 15 anymore, this is something entirely new. The entire thought process is completely different, Alienware focuses on upgradability and performance more than ever, they focus on DIY, even encourage users to open their own notebook, leaving tons of guides etc. If the community (which they most likely will) ask for a TDP raise it will very likely happen. Thanks to the superior mobo VRM the CPU's are more undervoltable than on the clevo turdbooks leaving lots of space for optimization as well.

You want an example of how Alienware fixed something? Sure:
https://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=wy72t

Notebook from 2012 getting Spectre fix. Show me one other manufacturer that took a notebook this old and still updated the microcode for those who want a safer notebook.

https://eu.alienwarearena.com/ucf/s...st/update-your-gtx-1080-vbios-on-alienware-17

The thing about the thermals on Alienware is that it actually isn't that bad pretty sure @iunlock can show you couple of screenshots of his temps once undervolted and repasted properly, the notebooks are overheating due to bad thermal paste, since most users are casuals, they don't undervolt nor repaste.

So yeah, keep your word and unsubsribe mate. Your skepicism made you blind and ignorant to what is actually going on. Your automatic hate towards notebooks with BGA made you not realize how much superior the notebooks are to the clevo turds you support and love so much and how much you actually give up for slight to almost no noticable performance differences in everyday usage. Hell, in GPU titles a TDP updated Alienware would downright beat your beloved DTR turdbook due to higher TDP.

The fact that people here are mad about Alienwares actual futureproof attempt of a GPU replacement is mindboggling. People here want a dead MXM form factor to be supported which has proven to be absolutely garbage for upgradability, tons of issues arising from different notebooks and GPUs. Hell, there are tons of people here who failed to upgrade due to tons of different reasons, Alienware users need to mod their MXM port for MSI 1070N to work, Dell 1070 doesn't work on anything other than HP or Dell, Gecube cards literally burn, pascal requires eDP and even then only seems to work on 120hz eDP, P150HM doesn't support anything past 680M for stupid pin reasons, LVDS notebooks are basicially done after 980M, You yourself saw how insanely hard it is to get a 1080 working on your P870DM, revisions of different cards won't work certains boards because... reasons and the list goes on.

Meanwhile Alienware has fixed all the issues by making the GPU as replaceable as a desktop GPU. Everything like connections (internal and external) and such are on the PCB of the graphicscard, not like MXM via motherboards, this means even if eDP gets obsolete in 10 years, a notebook from now can work with the newest card, all you need is a panel switch and the new card.

People here have absolutely no clue what Alienware has done here. We can all see how the notebook is constructed and we can see Dell/Alienwares intent. We can clearly see that Alienware spend lots of money and thought into this project. There is no way in hell, that they will let the machine throttle much. If users are complaining about to much throttling, it will get fixed, much like the 1080 cards in the AW 17.

 

Says this is something entirely new, with area 51m as its name.

Incongruity at its finest.

 

You can understand peoples skepticism. But you brought up a few good points that makes me hopeful the Area 51 is going to be a good well thought out machine. The older laptops actually ran quite well if they were repasted and undervolted like you said. Maybe not the i9. . . Plus it was be such a waste for them to have put so much time and effort into this and not try to make a product people would buy and stay loyal customers. Plus this model is alot more straight forward to take apart unlike the 15r4 and 17r5. So anyone that has built a pc before or used older laptops that were upgradable will feel right at home with this one.

 

I had am Aleinware Area 51M briefly . It looked like this:

As a matter of fact I still have it's LGA CPU in my desk drawer!!
Forgot I had this till @TheReciever reminded me it had the same model name.


And its MASSIVE copper pipes and fins under my couch!!


I'm still in the wait for real numbers from production models before I recommend or discredit anything. Everything is meaningless to me until real numbers from real users.

I'm optimistic about LGA adoption from other OEMs just due to the buzz this one caused (The Alienware effect)

EDIT: Also remembered and found my AREA 51M's super janky Geforce GO6800:

 

Holy **** WHAT IS THAT?!

That's what I call cooling.

Not only made it easier, but also put guides on the actual notebook. Graved in tutorial if you will. Using same sized screws, telling people they won't break warranty when opening etc.

It's all entirely new.

 

1080 vBios is an example of nothing. Azor promised 180w on launch day - shipped 150w - & only after Kaby Lake debut ~5 months later did they allow older model to have its vBios & deliver on late but pre-promised performance. Had they then issued vBios #2, for say 190w?, 200w?, 'just because'?, then there'd be something to rub under a nose & ask someone to 'keep their word' about, vBios & some spectre patch won't cut it

 

Thats 1/2 a Kilo of cooling babay!

5 full round heat pipes, Handle to lift it

 

His statement "it doesn't make the NB anymore powerful, it can only draw what it can draw" sounds like a power limit to me.

 

Anyone else see the prices have gone up? This afternoon the max default config (9900K + 2080) came with 16GB of RAM and was $3999. Now it's more expensive with 32GB of RAM, but when you bump that down to 16Gb it's still $4,049. $50 more for the exact same config as earlier.

The Verge even has an article about the max CPU+GPU combo coming in at 4,000.

There's no option to reduce the storage any further to shave that last $50 off.

 

Clevo should take notes.
That thing should be able to handle tons of LGA CPU's. You could kill someone with that heatsink :'D

 

Don't know how long you've been around the tech scene, but Clevo used to be the ODM for Alienware 51m laptops. The only thing AW changed was the design of the lid, and they also spray painted it. There was even one with "chameleon" colors if I recall. This was before Dell bought them out.

 

It is a Clevo . Alienware just modded the covers back then

CLEVO D900T (from around 2004-2006)

They should not have abandoned the full round heatpipe Cooling. So what it weighed a ton (I think 4.9 Kilos). It was awesome for a lot of things (but Chasis was cheaper plastic than even current Clevo, and Nvidia modular GPUs of that era were wonky as hell).

Check out layout... GPU and CPU are nowhere near each other. Lots of thermal headroom for both if their intakes and fans where better.

Pic taken from interwebs: Credit to Russian guy it looks like

 

Well, your mistake in thinking that, which makes it very clear that you haven't read all of my posts. I have made that very clear that I do and I was among the first, if not the very first, to make that point in a very emphatic way. The change in thought process in terms of hardware is something many of us have been praying for and hope to ultimately see take the industry by storm. I am proud that Alienware is the first mainstream gamer-boy brand to stick their neck out and do this. Kudos to them for that. It's a HUGE change and one that is welcome. Not sure why it took so long.

I have no idea where you are coming up with the wild notion of Alienware using better VRMs on their laptop mobos, but that's just crazy talk. Are you just making stuff up? What on earth are you basing this statement on? Something Frankie-boy thought might be cute to throw out there on Twitter or in a AMA session? As Brother @Cass-Olé will gladly confirm for you, these clowns don't even do that on their gimped desktop trash motherboards, so why in the world would they do that on a notebook with 50-75% less TDP limit than what it needs to function correctly? Do you have the schematics and the numbers on all the chips? If this new Alien can't run 5.2GHz like a 9900K in a P870, and doesn't have enough TDP for full stock turbo, why would they waste their money on better VRMs? And, why did they leave them and the other chips uncooled to be cooked to death in their own juices over the past few years? That doesn't seem like something a company that cared about overclocking would do to me, unless maybe they're retarded and don't know better. I'm not saying you're wrong, but where's the evidence to support this? It is contrary to everything else they have done since 2012-2013. We need proof. Please show us so we can have more of a reason to be hopeful than their past behavior gives us.

What I am not proud of is how they gimp the hell out of everything, and have been doing that even back in the day when they made the best laptops anywhere. Even when I was a Alienware fanboy/cult leader kook they sucked real hard at firmware. That has to change for the hardware to be of any value and for them to earn the respect I am sure they want. If they do that, then they'll deserve it as well. If they don't, then they'll be laughing stock. And, LOL at the planned TDP they have already mentioned. That won't let a 9900K run stock. They need to go back to computer science school and learn what it means to not be gimping Nazi control freaks and hire some crazy overclocking nuts in the firmware engineering department.

Brother @Papusan and I have been raining urine and hurling feces on BGA filth since Alienware first announced their unholy alliance with the BGA devil and it's their idiotic behavior that started that. I think it would be really awesome to see them be the one whose behavioral correction is responsible for undoing the mess they really are most responsible for having created. Monkey see, monkey do.

 

The young folks don't know these things. That was before their time.

 

This is the way Alienware do it now.... https://www.dell.com/support/home/c...osCode=WT64A&productCode=alienware-m17-laptop




And of course Thinner and slimmer. The opposite way vs. other Jokebook manufacturers.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...5-owners-lounge.825553/page-134#post-10845921

It seems people have forgot that Alienware continue its slim design. Even their new LGA books is in fact lighter and smaller than it's previous BGA-BOOKS. Of course they neede add in a awful low power cap if the Apple way continue!

Not much have changed with this move. See above!

 

Well, on the positive side, while it might have trouble with 9900k, it may well be enough for incoming Ryzen 3 processors or future Intel 10nm processor in 2020.

Its pretty sad really, since masses demand thinner laptops and that is the reason why pretty much all the manufacturers are making "thin" gaming notebooks. Even though we would have liked to see Alienware came out with bigger chassis with more room for cooling, they still have to create attractive and slimmer looking chassis to appeal to the masses.

 

Nah, they have to. They choose to. And, they don't have to throw the baby out with the bath water either. Here's a novel idea... have a thin and light one for the little girls and girly-men and a real honest to goodness monsterbook for the big boys. Everyone gets a trophy for participation except for the big boys. They don't get jack.