M14X for a beginner?

Hi,
I'm thinking of getting a M14X end of this year but am fairly new to the laptop world. With all the problems/overheating etc it could experience is it worth to look into a different type of laptop as I'm not going to be able to fix hardware, modify BIOS, reinstall stuff etc easily.

I'm just worried I'm not going to be able to handle it and want a computer that I'm not going to have to play around with too much.

Any input is welcome,
crZyhamSter

 

For the M14x, the overheating is the main issue, me myself I have a cooler and have the Turbo Boost turn off (because it would reduce a lot of heat produce by the CPU), however for the Turbo Boost to be turn off you'll have to go into the BIOS, but trust me it will help you a lot. If not for the heating issue, then the M14x will be a perfect gaming laptop and I think it is the best 14" gaming laptop in the world. As long as you dont block the air ventilation you'll be fine.

For the price you have there is worth more than getting a MBP however I do admit that Alienware is somewhat overpriced but it is not as overpriced as the MBP that you pay more for less, because I think you pay for the brand - Apple, not the product itself, and that goes with Alienware too, but still it is worthier than MBP.

 

I've had my M14x for over a month and not had any heating problems. I have a laptop cooler and turned turbo boost off in BIOS (which is very easy to do and someone here could post some step-by-step instructions to do this).

What do you want to do with the laptop? I'm assuming that you want to use it for gaming?

 

If you need portability and more power than average then yes, I would suggest it. If you want a better system for power, then I would get:

FORCE 16F2-012 / MSI 16F2

If you were an experienced laptop owner, then you might be able to handle:

Sager NP8150 - Gaming Laptops

 

The m14x doesn't overheat. Lots of people get that wrong somehow. It doesn't shutdown or anything due to high heat. It does however, have an excessive heat issue, which only problem is that the gets really hot on the bottom so you'd need a cooler if you want to use it on your lap, or get better temps for over clocking. It sounds like you're pretty new to the computer (laptop) world, so unless you're gaming, I wouldn't recommend it. You can however get a cheaper laptop for around 700 with a low end dedicated graphics card and wait a year or so for the alienware.

 

Wow, that Msi Force looks amazing, especially with the gtx 570 for around a grand, wish i knew of that before the alienware.

 

The overheating isn't a big issue. Just use a cooler pad when gaming, or prop up the laptop so that the intake vent isn't blocked. A pencil works great!

 

bottle caps work great as well

 

Ahh yes well the Alienware is the ultimate student laptop. The Force is the ultimate value for a gamer laptop. Just be happy you don't have to carry about 1.2 pounds more. On the plus side, yours does get 5 hours of battery life

 

I just bought a new m14x and received it a week ago. I've been playing Steam games (TF2, L4D2, Portal 2) and mixing songs with it in Cubase and it has handled everything I've thrown at it and more without any heat issues at all. I haven't gone above 70C on the CPU or above 60C on the GPU yet. That's without a laptop cooler and without even propping the machine up yet. Have a Cooler Master U2 on the way, and figure that'll lower things down a bit, but I really haven't had a single issue thus far. Now, I'm not playing Skyrim on ultra settings or anything, but I am pushing the CPU pretty hard with Cubase and a hell of a lot of VST plugins in my larger mix sessions. The Dell rep I spoke to mentioned that the heat issues were related to an Intel chipset issue and had been solved. I don't know whether I believe that or not, but still... no issues on my end.

As usual, your mileage may vary.

 

Yeah,
I had been looking at the FORCE 16f2 from XoticPC but MSI wont offer a NZ warranty so I'd have to send it back to US for fixing. Sad as it looks really good especially for the price : )

 

For questions regarding the M14x:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m14x/578658-official-m14x-owners-lounge-thread.html

If you're not sure if the M14x is fit for you try here, make sure you read the stickies:
What Notebook Should I Buy?