*OFFICIAL* Alienware 15 R1/R2 Owner's Lounge

I have the 970M plus Graphics Amplifier.. Have a Gigabyte GTX 980 to plug into it but haven't yet..

 

So I got a surprise drop on my doorstep last night of my new AW 15 - I ordered the stock 4K/980m configuration. I've had very little time to play with it but love it so far.

I did have the Transcend M.2 to drop in as a second SSD to the factory Lite-On that shipped with it. It installed fairly easily (other than there was no screw to hold it down so I had to find a spare one of mine that fit to use).

I ran CrystalDisk on both SSD's to just compare for those of you that understand these numbers - The Transcend MTS800 256GB was basically blank so don't know how that may have affected the scoring, but here's what I got for both:

Transcend



LITE-ON

 

So - apart from the touchscreen options and graphics amplifier, neither of which particularly interest me, though I can see why they might interest others, where does the new Alienware 15 improve on the Clevo P65xSx? Are there any other factors to take into account?

Think the Alienware also has a more powerful battery, which is quite important, and newer CPUs (though Clevo will no doubt update theirs soon). They seem to have quite similar specs otherwise.

I'm assuming the build quality on the Alienware might be a little better (though the Clevo is pretty good), and support from Dell is likely to be easier to get than from Clevo's re-sellers.

On minor points, I actually prefer the lack of numpad on the Alienware, as I never use one, so it's just a waste of space for me. I prefer the more subdued design of the Clevo's chasis, the Alienware is a bit "boy racer", though I could live with it

Obviously the big plus point on the Clevo is the thinness and weight, but I could overlook that if there are another other compelling reasons to chose the Alienware 15, as I have a small ultrabook type laptop for lightweight travelling.

 

^this man speaks the truth. So....can anyone try installing a M2 PCIe SSD into the AW15 already

 

Just for some info for other folks waiting - I ordered mine on 1/20, with an estimated ship date of 2/12 - stock 4K/980 build. The ship date never updated, but mine was delivered yesterday (1/27). Of course I am in LA area so it shipped by FedEx from a warehouse locally basically the same day ground, but I didn't even get an email that it shipped until today. So even if nothing has updated, it could still ship and show up anytime!

 

mine just arrived a week early... without receiving a shipping notification so I couldn't track it.

I have to say the the overall feel and build quality are very good though the 5400rpm platter drive takes 2:10 to startup and load windows. Looks like it's time to get that SSD.

 

uofaboy, when you get a chance to put it through it's paces i'd be curious how you'd compare it to the GS60 Ghost Pro. I currently have the Ghost and I am thinking about returning it for the AW15.

 

seconded! Right now I'm thinking of replacing the mechanical drive with a 2.5" SSD like samsung evo or crucial mx100 and pickup an m.2 later on when they are cheaper and more readily available. It would seem strange to limit the m.2 slot to only SATA m.2 drives when they barely exist to purchase. The pcie m.2 are more readily available and provide way better performance.

 

It would make sense. It's now the generation of M2 PCIe SSDs. But.......this is Alienware we are talking about....

 

Be careful though, these PCI-E SSDs are very fast but some get very hot under load !

A Crucial M500 running at 76°C is nothing compared to these:

 

got a 17% off coupon for sale pm if interested. Coupon is valid and works.

 

Update: Just got the email notification that it shipped, 2 hrs after the laptop arrived. This is uncharacteristic for FedEx.

U2715H due to arrive tomorrow!

 

I haven't tried doing anything with my 3.5 mm audio ports yet, but I sincerely doubt you can get 5.1 from only two 3.5mm jacks. I mean, it is theoretically possible, since a 3.5mm jack can support 3 channels (left, right, and microphone), so you could technically do front left, front right, and center in one jack and rear left, rear right, and sub in the other, but I doubt this is the case. The audio controller probably isn't configured in that way, and whatever analog surround system you have probably doesn't use cords like that.

However, I highly recommend you just do surround through HDMI. Get a cheap receiver that supports HDMI. Plug your speakers into that. Plug the receiver into your laptop with either an HDMI cable or maybe Chromecast, and play whatever you want that way. If you're worried about it taking your screen, then don't worry about it. You can just set the channel on your receiver correctly and just keep using your laptop screen as surround audio comes out of the speakers.

PS: Everyone, I'm habitually updating the OP with info collected from this thread and elsewhere, so check back there periodically if you have fallen behind.

 

Mine is stuck in China since last saturday �� dunno what went wrong. Its going to be delivered by ups germany

 

yep, that happened to me when they ship my 13!

 

For those that have thr laptop delivered...did you get charged on your card before shipping given how messed up the process has been?

 

For those who are trying to find out if there order has shipped, I put this in the Alienware 13 thread (at the time I had a 13" ordered but have switched to the 15") but you should be able to look up if your order has shipped or not this way:

Now this doesn't always work and is dependent whether or not it was actually shipped from Dell or not. Mine showed "Shipped Yesterday" at the time (the shipping day it showed was a Friday( I wrote that out and it actually didn't ship until early the following week.

 

mine is shipped!

 

If I remember correctly, Dell processes an authorization for the amount of the laptop when you submit your order. Once your laptop is shipped, the authorization will become an actual charge against your credit limit.

 

Setup my machine last night. Its a little pain in the butt to open the rear panel so be careful and take your time. I purchased this Plextor M.2 SSD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KIMIHGY/ref=shptrk_scth However it appears I may have recieved a bad SSD from Amazon. I since sent it back and waiting for a new one. I really hope I do not have defective M.2 Sata slots as I will be calling Dell for a replacement/refund.

Other then that issue I really love the size, weight and the screen. I will spend more time later today or tomorrow once I get the new SSD in with testing everything else. And yes I can confirm my 240w adapter that worked on my Alienware 17 does work just fine on the 15.

 

Hi guys.
I am interested in buying an Alienware 15 (2015), but not found any information.

I want to buy the configuration 4710HQ i7 CPU, 8GB, Nvidia GTX970M and 1080p screen.

I have a couple of questions:
- Quality of default 1920x1080 screen ??
- Max temps of cpu and gpu in-game ?? (especially CPU)
- Level fan noise under load ??
- Slots M.2 ??
- Quality of the sound system ?? Includes subwoofer ?? It is also signed by Klipsch ??

Thanks ;-)

 

As I stated in another thread, looks like I have bad m.2 slots or the card is bad. I have a new one coming into day to verify. I will give everyone a heads up that these bozos at Alienware support have no clue about the M.2 SSD's and what hard drive setups you can have.

 

Did you test this SSD on another laptop?
If not, it could simply mean that the Alienware 15 only supports SATA SSDs.

 

thanx uof I got the same model you did basically That 4k looks sweet so glad I got that now. Ughh now waiting game

 

Will this M.2 work just fine with the AW 15?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Crucial-M550-512GB-M-2-SATA3-Internal-Solid-State-Drive-MLC-/201216440652

 

It might be not compatible! But who know!

 

Yes, it will work fine.

 

Hey Bumbo2 What made u return the 13

 

Hey bro. I returned the 13 because the i5 cpu, but other then that the Alinware 13 is the best 13 inch laptop out there!!!

 

Is everyone experiencing high temps with M.2 SATA SSD's then?

 

oh you still getting the one with the i7 I ordered my 15 but might order the 13 to

 

Can anyone confirm if this HDD will work.
250GB Samsung 850 EVO Series 2.5" SATA III Internal Solid State Drive??

Sorry i am lost in all the m.2 ssd drives talk. So how many of which bays are available on the AW 15

 

There is one 2.5" bay and two m.2 slots. And yes, that Samsung EVO SSD will fit in the 2.5" bay.

 

Can anyone tell if the 8GB RAM option comes in 2 x $GB sticks or is it just 1 8GB stick? thanks

 

It's in the OP under confirmed specs, but to save you the trip, the one purchased from the Alienware site comes with two 4GB DIMMs, unfortunately.

And for everyone else out there, there's still a call out for some things:

- The hardware ID for the 1080p screen (Device Manager->Monitors->Details->Hardware Ids)
- Whether or not the M.2 slots support PCI-e, so if you have tried putting in a PCI-e SSD, please let us know!
- Temps and throttling while running CPU and GPU combined stress test, as well as temps after an hour of high-end gaming.

And for the one asking about speaker quality, no the speakers are not good. But keep in mind that 1) I think that all laptop speakers are not good, though I feel that the Y50's speakers were better, and 2) I don't prefer Klipsch's bright tambre of their high end speakers anyways, though the Klipsch name on here is mostly unrelated.

 

Thanks orange, one last question does it still have 4 RAM slots or is that crap taken away as well.

 

I could only find 2 RAM solts looking through the service manual. See here at page 117 and 121

 

Why would they not give the option for 4 slots, makes it easier to upgrade to 32. Given what AW is saying these wont go over 16 though i tend to disagree

 

The new One wont work either. The m.2 Slot is only sata not pcie (confirmed by dell tech and u )
Try a Samsung pm851 m.2 or crucial ones. These seem to work

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KLTPVV8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This one ended up working perfectly fine.

 

Hey guys... we just created the new sub-forum for the new Alienware product line-up. Each model will have its own dedicated Owner's Lounge. We had tons of disorganized threads that were helter-skelter. I did the best I could to identify threads that belong in an owner's lounge for this specific model and merged them here.

I'm sure a few mistakes will be made and someone will disagree with their thread being merged, so I apologize in advance if this affects you. Nonetheless, I appreciate your understanding as we attempt to bring some order where there was chaos.

 

Lol at "ultrabook owner's lounge"

 

Why is that funny? It is not a derogatory thread title. Almost all of the new systems being produced for gamers are Ultrabooks that are being marketed as being a thin and light gaming system. Not everyone likes that, but some certainly do.

 

I'm not taking offence. I don't own one of these systems. I think it's funny because although it is thinner and lighter than previous Alienware products, this particular gaming notebook is nowhere near ultrabook dimensions or performance.

 

MR Fox, I would disagree with the forums assessment of the alienware 15 as an ultrabook . Ultrabooks by definition have " low voltage CPU (while the 15 isn't an xm but is definitely not a ulv processor, from my understanding), ultrabook usually have ram and hdd soldered as well and don't come with a 980m. And neither is the aw15 thin and have a fare amount of ports still on them despite omitting the optical drive. Just my 2 cents. I know with respect to an m18x, these soldered machines aren't sitting well with the AW community but definitely not ultrabooks

 

I had really high temps with Crucial M500 m.2 480gb ssd.
It exceeded 70 degree C very easily.
I'm pretty sure that it will make some trouble later.
Many others have also complained about same issue with msata version of M500 on Crucial's forum.
M.2 is smaller than msata, and using the controller/NAND are same. So, it is not strange that m.2 version is hotter.
So, I returned it, and ordered transcend mts800 512 gb ssd.
It will be delivered tomorrow, so I'll post if it runs hot or cold.
Hopefully, it runs cold.

 

OK, I will change the thread title and omit the "Ultrabook" descriptor. The intent was to highlight them as being Alienware's answer to those seeking something thin and light that is game-capable and not intended to be derogatory. I apologize if that came across in a negative manner. I will do the same for the thread titles for the other two models as well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

Brother Fox, you most definitely don`t need to apologize. You have proved time and time again what an asset you are to this forum. My intention wasn`t to prove you wrong but at the same time wanted to lay down my facts from my very limited knowledge. You obviously as always have the best interest of the forum and its members and that is the reason why you are so open to feedback Thank you again for listening to my rant and its always fun discussing things with you (which rarely happens, because mostly i am learning from you LOL)

 

*blushing* thank you for your kind comments, friend... have a pleasant evening

 

whew got my 15
the couriers were from an unknown company but doesnt really matter as they were able to deliver 6 days early

the laptop looks great, the build is really solid
I had a lenovo ultrabook before - the u350 and that just feels plastic
this one has a rubber feel which I cant explain
the quality of this is comparable to my MBA

screen is gorgeous - I got the UHD
the last 2 letters in the ALIENWARE logo though (the R and the E) is a bit bit low on the led lighting
my wife does not notice it on first glance but yeah I dont think i'll make fuss of it
the high resolution is really worth it, I used the 15 to remote connect to my workstation in the office where I have 3 monitors
I was able to fit the view of all 3 monitors and use the windows magnifier app if I needed to focus into one of the views

the keyboard is great! I can type really fast with this!
the feedback is springy and it is not really noisy

the quality of the sound is a bit "meh"
havent got to try real sound files yet but the youtube videos does not sound great

let me know if you have questions


oh I have one, I ordered a USB recovery - does it actually come when the notebook is delivered?
or is it just something that we can download and save into our own thumb drives?