M14x Pre-Order Configuration Questions... Ask HERE

2 questions. Will advanced n 6230 fit into m14x? I'm considering ordering with the base wireless card and no bluetooth, and put a 6230 into it. And this is the one, right? I can't find it on newegg and amazon doesn't say it has bluetooth.

And what can I possibly do with the other free slot?

Also, are there anywhere I can get a single stick of kingston hyperx 4gb/1600? All I found are 2x4gb kits.

Thanks.

 

Well i looked on kingston's site and they only sell the 4gig sticks in their 8 and 16GB kits. maybe some secondary site sells these individually

 

Does 6mb cache vs 8mb cache make a big difference when you play games?

 

The SB CPU upgrade would make certain applications / games run that bit faster (whether this is noticable in the real world or not is difficult to test), a decent SSD will make the entire system feel faster and more responsive.

Out of the two there really is no contest, SSD every time.

There is absolutely no point in getting the 555m with 3GB of memory. The GPU itself is simply not powerful enough to ever use that level of memory in game (the settings required to push memory beyond 1.5GB are simply out of reach for the 555m).

 

Hey i have a question about the config, so i'll just put it here.
I asked for bluetooth and the rep told me that it's there, but it's just not going to pop up in the invoice and whatnot. So i was wondering, whenever i get my laptop, is there a way to check for it? It's suppose to have an icon in the status tray right?

 

Yeah, and if it's not there, you can go into device manager and it will be listed under bluetooth modules.

 

Ok, I have read every single entry in this thread and I can safely say I find some advantage going with th 2820. Now the video card, that is a very confusing issue. Some say future-proofing some say that the 3GB upgrade will show no improvement ever? Is this corect or am I confused? Use of the 14X will be VM's and intense gaming. I don't mind the cost I just don't want to upgade the video and just have it sit there doing nothing. Any thoughts?

 

go with 1.5GB.

 

No, the gaming performance is bottle necked by the GPU. But even if that weren't the case, the difference would not be significant. 6mb cache is plenty for gaming.

 

What do you think of my possible specs so far? I'm using one of the Dell preset deals that comes with a 3GB card and 6gb of RAM. Its 100$ for the 8gb (as aftermarket 8gb would be the same price anyways), and 75$ for the 900p screen. The rest is just warranty and the wifi and sound. Is it worth it?

 

Only you can measure worth. For me everything else you typed up isn't worth it except for the warranty, wireless card, and screen. Anything else is negligible to be noticed.

 

Okay... well that didnt really help at all. All you just told me is to get the stock basically.

 

Basically. Get the usual upgrades but the other things you can save money on and just spend on an SSD.

 

The stock options are actually really good. I just changed the color to red and the monitor to 900p. Don't forget it's way cheaper to order more memory from somewhere like newegg!

 

Well, if you saw from the beginning of the my post, you'd see that I was using a Dell preset deal. It comes with the 3gb card and 6gb of ram preinstalled for 1300$, and takes 100$ off at the end. So its 100$ for aftermarket ram anyways, so thats why I just got it there.

 

For the M14x what is that wifi hd crap? is it necessary to upgrade to that or is it just a gimmick. Also is the upgraded basic warranty worth it? I was thinking about getting the 3 year warranty but its extremely pricey.

 

Uh, the Wireless HD is a transmitter that sends wireless 60ghz HDMI to your tv. So its wireless HDMI that can handle blu rays and video games. is it a gimmick? Well, if you consider a brand new feature a gimmick.


Warranty? That's up to you. Do you need an accidental warranty or are you good with your system?

 

If you have the capability, why not go for WirelessHD? If you can use it, and probably will, then I say go for it

 

I'm about to buy my m14x laptop and thought this would be a great config. This will be mainly used for gaming and college (Microsoft Office)...

PROCESSOR :Intel® Core™ i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.9GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)

OPERATING SYSTEM: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English

MEMORY:4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz

VIDEO CARD:1.5GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology

HARD DRIVE:500GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s

LCD PANEL: 14.0" High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight

WIRELESS CARDS:Intel® Advanced-N WiFi Link 6205 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO Technology

INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE:8x SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Slot Load Optical Drive

SOUND OPTIONS: Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio

 

Looks like a good config to me. Later on you can save some money and upgrade the RAM via Newegg or whomever and possibly even get an SSD for even better performance. But for now, your choices are good.

 

This looks ok?

225-0790 1 Alienware M14X - Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish $2,335.69 $2,335.69
317-6680 1 Intel Core i7 2820QM 2.4GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Mode, 8M cache)
317-6667 1 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
331-2069 1 Alienware M14X 150W A/C Adapter
320-2228 1 14.0 High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight
318-0643 1 3.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus technology
342-2549 1 750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
330-6106 1 Personalized Nameplate Trigger
331-2070 1 Custom Nameplate
313-8791 1 AlienFX Color, Mars Red
421-4816 1 Alienware Command Center Software, M14X
421-1398 1 Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate, 64bit, English
420-9691 1 DataSafe Local BackUp
420-9956 1 PC Restore
318-0637 1 AW Hinge Up WLAN DMC - BLACK
410-0548 1 Adobe Acrobat Reader
421-1305 1 Roxio Creator Starter
318-1166 1 Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner, DVD+-RW, CD-RW
421-4817 1 Soundblaster X-Fi Hi Def Audio - Software Enabled
430-4102 1 Intel Advanced-N WiFi Link 6250 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO Technology with WiMax
330-6350 1 Automatic Updates: Critical Updates Only
951-9680 1 Dell Hardware Warranty Plus On-Site Service, Initial Year
951-9700 1 Third Party At Home Service, 24x7 Technical Support, Initial Year
994-3700 1 Accidental Damage Service, 1 Year
950-9797 1 No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
421-1721 1 Soft Contracts Service Hardware Agreement for Alienware
421-1719 1 Soft Contracts Consumer Accidental Damage Agreement for Alienware
994-3730 1 Warranty Support, Initial Year
430-4103 1 Internal 60GHz WirelessHD Transmitter
469-0503 1 No Mobile Broadband Selected
430-4097 1 Internal Bluetooth 3.0
421-1585 1 Alien Schematic
421-1595 1 Alien Schematic
421-1360 1 Steam and Portal Factory Installed
330-5090 1 Thank You for Purchasing AlienWare
463-0742 1 Special Pricing Applied
* -DISCOUNT/COUPON APPL




Subtotal: $2,335.69
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Tax: $140.14
Environmental Disposal Fee:
$0.00

Total Price w/Discounts: $2,475.83


I know I could do better working with upgrading componets but don't want to hastle with upgrades now.

 

If you've got the money, then go for it. Personally I'd drop the 3 GB 555GT as it is just a gimmick to get people to shell out extra $$$. Read around here and you'll see that there is virtually no difference in benchmark results between the two.

Also, as you mentioned saving $$$ on upgrading later isn't your thing but for me it was worth it.

 

I wish more people knew about the 3GB 555 being a gimmick. It's really disappointing when posters on these boards post their specs, followed by "I got a great deal!" ...I've been seeing that too much lately, unfortunately

 

im just thinking about wireless HD chip on m14x..

Its useless? because we already get wireless WIDI from Intel for free? just buying for reciever with more cheap then dell offer?

i am right? or wrong?

 

Is the Intel Ultimate N WiFi Link 6205 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO Technology Wireless card really worth it? This is the difference between me picking an order that arrives in 2 days vs two weeks.

 

Hi, I'm looking to buy a M14x.

You can skip to the bold text for the questions.

Here's my story. I bought a m15x ±3years ago and 1 year ago the gpu fried.
I don't have it on me neither recall all the different parts but the gpu was running at 2.5ghz iirc, 8800m gtx 512mb, 4gig ram.

Rest of the laptop is ok, but only dedicated gpu was working, not my 8800M gtx. After calling Alienware (bought by dell after i bought my laptop), they told me they were not making 8800M gtx anymore. The only place they told me to look was ebay (><). My warranty was only 1 year and it was over. So i checked ebay and gpu were 700$ used. So I said " it, why spend 700$ when it might fry again..."

So.... I bought a gaming pc....

Now I'm looking for another laptop, but i dont want top of the line (meaning 2K+). I want to spend a max of 2K, so I tought I'd give alienware another shot because i want to use the pay/month thing. I looked at the maxed out m11 but the screen is just too small to play games imo.

I don't care if the graphic aren't maxed out, i just want it to look good and not lag. (I'm using my pc when playing game, but if I'm out of town or outside, i want to have a laptop able to run games smoothly.

So I'm looking for info on customizing the m14. I have a couple questions.

1) Is the cpu upgrade worth it?

2) The screen... 1366x768 or 1600x900. Seems like a dumb question but 1600x900 is 900p (never heard of 900p) and the other one is at 720p. On my old m15 i have a resolution of 1900x1200. Will miss that.. =/
Also for the screen, Dell - Help Me Choose: Display says that the 720p is anti-glare, and the 900p is nothing... then what is it?

3) Hard-drive choices are bs... I think i might try to order by phone instead of online just to ask if they can put me an 120'ish intel ssd, enough for games space and plug an external hard drive for useless stuff.
Because 256gig is nice, but since you cant have 2hd, you will need an external hd so i think 120gig is going to hold all my games. like i said, my stuff are on my main pc.

If I can't get a smaller SSD I'll just get the 500gb one, but i wanted ssd

4) GPU: I'll do the same thing as above, and try to get a better gpu that fits inside.

5) Sound card: Will my sound card makes my speaker sound that much better? I dont plan on plugging speaker in the laptop.

6) Wireless card : I have 26mbps and I'd like to have all of it without pluging a cable.

7) Warranty... I might just take the 4 years because last time it was expired... but I'm not sure yet.

Thanks. I'm sorry for the long post and the mistakes. lol

 

Also... why are the prices different from the M14x and M17x. For the same HD it's 50$ more. For the same # of months (McAfee) it's 50$ more, etc... ...

 

Hello, I've read through this thread and nobody has asked/commented on the Soundblaster yet. I know its only $20 difference but what exactly is this? Is this just software or is there hardware (upgraded sound card?) included for $20?

The standard is:
- Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio [Included in Price]

The upgrade option:
- Soundblaster® X-Fi™ Hi Def Audio - Software Enabled [Add $20.00 or $1.00/month1]

TIA
joey

 

Apparently it uses 5% of your CPU to operate, so keep that in mind.

You can disable it and if you need your CPU at full capacity, then re-enable it later.

It's just software ...no hardware at all.

 

Is the sound that much better with the Soundblaster? Opinions anyone?
Thanks for the response.
joey

 

To me, it sounds like a gimmick, just like the 3GB 555 nVidia card.

Soundblaster / Beats Audio ...I'm an electronic music producer myself and out of my circle of 20~ fellow producers, not a single person uses either of these two tools (including myself).

I'd say pass, it's a cash grab.

 

Hey hows it going man. My name is Billy Williams. Im deployed and I plan on buying the M14x really soon here. This will be my first and hopefully last gaming laptop for a long time. Im not too familiar with all this computer information you all are explaining but im learning. Ive been reading alot of your posts and looks like you really know your stuff. In a nut shell, im asking what kind of setup would you recommend for me. What I really would like is a setup with a high FPS rate, a nice clear picture and runs smooth. All ill really be doing is playing games and taking online courses. Screen RES and all. Thanks...

 

From the looks of it, is the i5 a better buy than the i7? The i5 has a higher clock speed 2.3ghz vs 2.0ghz, both turbo boost to 2.9ghz, but the i5 has 3mb cache vs 6mb cache. I don't think 3 mb of extra cache makes that much of a difference does it?

 

i5 = dual core
i7 = quad core

i7 wins. HOWEVER having said that the true bottleneck for games is hardly the CPU... so i5 will do just fine

 

Ah, thanks azelexx! I was under the impression that both i5 and i7 were quad core processors. Do you think that the 3mb cache difference will affect speed much? If it does, do you think it's worth a $100 investment? I know for the M11x, the su4100 had 1 mb cache less than the su7300, but there was virtually no difference between the processor's performances.

 

I'd say use the i5 if you want to trim down on budget... sandy bridge is fast enough as it is, dual or quad. I think it will save you some battery life too (not sure)

 

Anyone give some actual framerate differences between the i5 and the i7 2630?

 

Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Intel® Core™ i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.9GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
1.5GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology
500GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
14.0" High Def (920p) with WLED backlight
Intel® Advance 250 +Wimax
Bluetooth
8x SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Slot Load Optical Drive
Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish


For Office, PES, and watching movie to LCD TV...

WIth that spec i will never feel lag experience or slow experience?

 

Yea you'll be fine

 

Thx for your advice..

 

I ordered mine from Costco last weekend and hope to be getting it by the end of the upcoming week. Standard stuff with the Costco extended warranty and support. Don't know why they configured it this way but they did. Considering the warranty and support from Costco I think this is a real good deal for the price.

I am looking to change the memory and maybe put a SSD into it having the original drive as a second. Any suggestions? Has anyone actually benchmarked this memory configuration. I have failed to find one myself.

Operating System:

Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Processor & Memory:

Intel® Core™ i7-2630QM Processor at 2GHz (2.9GHz Turbo Mode)
6MB cache
6GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz
Drives:

750GB 7,200RPM SATA II Hard Drive
Slot-Load DVD±RW Dual Layer Drive
Graphics & Video:

14.0" High Def (720p / 1366x768) with LED Backlight
2MP HD Video and Picture Camera with Dual Digital Microphones
1.5GB GDDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M Graphics
Communications:

Intel Wireless-N WiFi Link 1000 a/g/n 1x2
Audio:

Integrated High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio

 

Where are these great AW reps? first 2 only would offer $50 off and that seemed like alot to ask for from them.. And wasn't qualified for the 360 either.

Was trying for a m14x with the 2630, 900p screen, blueooth. Rest as default..

Guess I'm not a good haggler..

 

Hey guys,

Im considering a purchase of alienware m14x
Thr specs that im actually interested in getting the i5 and everything else ill get the basic option except the wifi 6205.

Mainly i will use it for school and light gaming at friends house. I have my gaming desktop at home so i wouldnt worry too much when gaming at home. So the main reason in purchasing this laptop is its portablity and battery life.

What do you guys think of the i5 processor? Will it improve the battery life of the laptop itself?

Cheers guys.

 

Does the $99 Internal 60GHz WirelessHD Transmitter come with a reciever or just a transmitter?

If not, where would you get a reciever, and how much does it cost?


And are the Alienware ship dates accurate? I plan on ordering one to a friends house in the usa, then picking it up when im on holiday later this month. Im from the UK and plan on ordering tomorrow and I'll be in the usa till 23rd August, is that enough time?

Also, is the 4GB ram from Alienware 1 x 4Gb or 2 x 2GB?

 

The $99 option is simply for the internal adapter and antenna to be installed; it does not include the receiver.

You can buy the receiver from Dell as well. If it isn't listed in the options page when you select the transmitter, just search for "vizio wirelesshd". It is about $200 USD and is actually both the receiver and an external transmitter that you can use to connect some other device to your TV. No, you can't buy the receiver standalone. Not enough critical mass behind the technology to sell just receivers on their own, unlike WiDi receivers (since most Core i-series CPUs with Intel Wifi adapters can do WiDi).

 

Hi there, my specification are as follows

Intel® Core™ i7 Processor 2630QM (2.0Ghz, 6MB, 4C)
3GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT555M
Alienware M14x : 3.0 Base Black
6144MB (1x2GB + 1x4GB) 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
750GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive
14.1in Widescreen High Definition + (1600x900) WLED with TrueLife
8X DVD+/-RW Drive including software
European Dell Wireless 1000
Primary 8-cell 63W/HR LI-ION

Total £1,119.00

I have 5 questions.
How does my spec look for the price?
What does the 3.0 base mean?
Is it worth paying an extra £20 for Intel® Wireless LAN 6205?
Can you get a bigger battery for the m14x? Like 12 cell?
And are there any coupons floating around (for UK customers)?

Thanks.

 

1) Get rid of the 3 GB GT 555m. Total waste of money, and countless threads in this forum and others will support that. The GPU will long be obsolete before it can ever make use of it, let alone the 1.5 GB that comes base. Even higher end desktop GPUs can't make use of that much RAM.
2) Probably reference to your 3 GB GT 555m (which, as mentioned, you should get rid of).
3) Yes, it is, simply for access to the second frequency (5 Ghz) and ability to ramp up to 300 Mbps. Dual band N routers are getting much more common and cheap.
4) Nope. The M14x battery is internal, not unlike those in a MacBook Pro. It is user replaceable, but you need a screwdriver. A larger 12-cell battery would require someone to also make an entirely new case bottom for you to fit over the battery.

 

I dont actually have one yet (Its on order), However;

1: The Uk is always gets ripped off when compared to the same spec as the US pricing. Just on the off chance that you may be going to the USA soon, buy one there (As i am going to), I'm going to save about £300, and still get a better spec. Oh, and from I've read on here, drop the 3GB GT55M upgrade, 1.5GB should be enough.

2: Are you referring to USB or Bluetooth?

3: Yes it is worth it, its dual Antennae rather than single.

4: No, the battery is non-user replaceable.

5: No, I've had a look and could not find anything in date.

 

Thanks for your help guys but in the UK the 3GB GT555M is actually cheaper to get.. see below:

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System £1099

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System £999

Yeah, it's pretty silly.. I can get a bigger HDD and 3GB graphics for £100 less. :S

 

What's the average time it's taking to actually get the laptop once you've customized and ordered?