M14x Pre-Order Configuration Questions... Ask HERE

*bymis, and anyone else looking to buy an m14x just thought I'd repost this here


Hey everyone I am currently awaiting an m14x which I ordered a few days ago, and wanna give a big shout out to nactownag. He's a member of this forum and posted earlier in this thread, as well as an employee at Dell. Not only did he give me a GREAT deal...all the bells and whistles as well as 2 year advanced warranty, accidental damage, higher res screen, more ram than I need.... but he was very helpful as I have been communicating through email for a few weeks him and always responded very promptly to every question I had and was overall a great person to work with! I will be hitting him up next time I ever need to order anything from Dell...and currently my friend is about to order another m14x from him. Anyways, just thought I'd let you all know, especially those of you looking for good deals on new hardware, and give him the +rep he deserves! You can contact him at his username @gmail.com

Once again, thanks man!!

 

I'll be getting the 3gb graphics card, not out of choice, but because of the $1,500 deal on the website, because I need the i7 and the 8GB RAM for what I'm doing. I do a lot of video/photo editing, and that requires a lot of RAM, and even without the backpack, the upgrades are worth it.

 

1 225-0790 Alienware M14X - Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish
1 317-6678 Intel Core i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.9GHz Turbo Mode, 6M cache)
1 317-6669 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
1 331-2069 Alienware M14X 150W A/C Adapter
1 320-2229 14.0 High Def (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight
1 318-0644 1.5GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus technology
1 342-2567 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3GB/s
1 330-6106 Personalized Nameplate Trigger
1 331-2070 Custom Nameplate
1 313-8792 AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue
1 421-4816 Alienware Command Center Software, M14X
1 420-9691 DataSafe Local BackUp
1 420-9956 PC Restore
1 421-5789 Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit Service Pack 1, English, w/Media
1 318-0641 Hinge Up WLAN - BLACK
1 410-0548 Adobe Acrobat Reader
1 421-1305 Roxio Creator Starter
1 318-1166 Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner, DVD+-RW, CD-RW
1 421-4817 Soundblaster X-Fi Hi Def Audio - Software Enabled
1 430-4098 Intel Wireless-N WiFi Link 1000 a/g/n 1x2
1 421-6497 Alienware M14X WIDI Software
1 951-9680 Dell Hardware Warranty Plus On-Site Service, Initial Year
1 951-9700 Third Party At Home Service, 24x7 Technical Support, Initial Year
1 950-3337 1 Year Limited Warranty
1 950-9797 No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
1 421-1721 Soft Contracts Service Hardware Agreement for Alienware
1 994-3730 Warranty Support, Initial Year
1 469-0500 No Wireless HD Selected
1 469-0503 No Mobile Broadband Selected
1 430-4097 Internal Bluetooth 3.0
1 421-1585 Alien Schematic
1 421-1595 Alien Schematic
1 421-1360 Steam and Portal Factory Installed
1 330-5090 Thank You for Purchasing AlienWare
Is all of this a good price for $1,199.99(obviously school discount a few coupons from different sites and because if all the bull Dell put me through free shipping..! Lol)

 

Why not buy your own RAM and install it, you'll save some money compared to buying it from alienware and you won't have to get the 3gb card.

 

Will installing your own RAM (or HDD) void Dell's warranty?

 

I don't think so.

 

System Color Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish
Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Processor Intel® Core™ i7 2720QM 2.2GHz (3.3GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
Memory 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
A/C Adapter Alienware M14X 150W A/C Adapter
Display Panel 14.0" High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight
Video Card 1.5GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology
Hard Drive 750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
Nameplate Personalized Plate (Danny Huang)
AlienFX Plasma Purple
Hinge Up Hinge Up WLAN -BLACK
Adobe Reader Acrobat SW Adobe Acrobat X Reader
Optical Drive 8x SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Slot Load Optical Drive
Audio Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
Wireless Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO for Gaming & Video
Hardware Support Services 1 Year Basic Plan
Pre-Installed Software Steam and Portal™ Factory Installed
OS Customization Alienhead Chrome Red
WirelessHD & Mobile Broadband None
Bluetooth Internal Bluetooth 3.0
Standard Nameplate Trigger Thank you for Purchasing Alienware
Buyback Plan Tech Forward Guaranteed Buyback® Plan for your new PC

Is it worth it to upgrade to the soundblaster? How is this config?

 

Just a tip, to get a better price try telling your customer rep you have a budget. You have to call to do this, also try giving the Dell Member Purchase & Employee Discount Program (EPP) a call.
Dell has pretty bad customer service so it's very ymmv, but it's worth a shot.
I was able to get a processor upgrade and screen upgrade for essentially free.

 

I called and spoke with several reps, and tried a couple people's reps that forwarded me their numbers that said they had luck with, and they couldn't do a thing to help me. Best they could do was drop price $50. No upgrades, no nothing. At this point your best bet is to get a Dell Outlet refurb at 20% off right now.

 

Well, I'm from Canada, and therefore have less options than the US counterpart.

Alienware M14x Laptop Details | Dell Canada

I was hoping to be able to run Crysis or Crysis 2 with the system, would the $1,299 option be able to do that? (On decent settings, as in not low, but not max.)

And how well would the first and third options compare to it?

 

Is $100 low for a rep offered discount for an M14x costing about $1570 after tax? How much more should I be able to get?

 

System Color Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish
Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Processor Intel® Core™ i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.9GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
Memory 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
A/C Adapter Alienware M14X 150W A/C Adapter
Display Panel 14.0" High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight
Video Card 1.5GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology
Hard Drive 750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
Nameplate Personalized Plate
AlienFX Quasar Blue
Hinge Up Hinge Up WLAN -BLACK
Adobe Reader Acrobat SW Adobe Acrobat X Reader
Optical Drive 8x SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Slot Load Optical Drive
Audio Soundblaster® X-Fi™ Hi Def Audio - Software Enabled
Wireless Intel® Wireless-N WiFi Link 1000 a/g/n 1x2
Hardware Support Services 1 Year Basic Plan
OS Customization Alienhead Chrome Blue
WirelessHD & Mobile Broadband None
Bluetooth Internal Bluetooth 3.0
Standard Nameplate Trigger
Thank you for Purchasing Alienware

All for $1136 before tax. My question is should I get this or a Sager NP8130 for $100 more a better screen and a better g card of the 560.

 

So, I'm slowly mulling over how to configure my M14x (at least I finally decided on it over the M11x ). Anyway, I know the CPU is replaceable and there are a few (pricey) options. I'm leaving most everything alone except for adding bluetooth and debating over which screen.

Here's the thing, I don't really game a lot. I DO encode video. I've decided for an i7 over an i5 because I encode. I can't decide which i7. The 2820QM seems way overpriced. I can't see going for that one unless there are coupons out there and one sitting in the outlet for a good deal. It's down between the 2630QM and the 2720QM. The price difference between the two is of no concern to me. However, knowing that I could upgrade in the future makes me wonder if there's any reason to not stick with the 2630QM until the next round of price drops (cheaper total investment).

So realistically, in encoding say a 30 minute video from AVI to MPEG2/DVD, what's the real difference between the 2630, 2720 and the 2820? Are we talking 30 seconds or are we talking 5 minutes?

 

I'm kind of torn at the moment between a few builds, mainly just a few upgrades for different setups.
One setup is the base model plus Killer wifi card, 2630, hd screen, and AW mouse and the other is the premade free xbox one (not needed, but my xbox is the original run from launch).
Is the stock wifi card really that bad and/or is upgrading it later a viable option? My home network is about the only one I know of that is running a N speed router, and even then it's a cheap consumer grade N network. It would be mainly used on wifi on campus and local establishments with access, or in my apartment no more than 20 feet from the router.

 

I recently purchased an Alienware M14x and after doing some searching on the net I'm starting to second guess myself. I will be doing a lot of 3d modeling, revit and autodesk to be exact, and I'm not finding any good reviews with the Nvidia GT 555m. Is there anyway I can upgrade to the Quadro with my current setup?

here's my specs
Intel Core i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.9GHz Turbo Mode, 6M cache)
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
3.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus technology
500GB 7200RPM SATA 3GB/s
14.0 High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight

 

I had the 2820. Most people would say you won't even notice "real world" differences between the 2820 vs 2630, so that's up to you... i7 is definitely a strong processor, regardless of 2XXX series number, although the 2820 got HOTTTTTTT.


I think the most essential upgrades are the 900p screen. The 1.5gb, 2620 i7, 900p screen base model is a killer setup.

If you're more CPU orientated and less gaming, then I would aim for the strongest CPU, and vice versa if your a gamer... though many would argue to get the 1.5gb since the 3gb is pointless.

I got the 3gb and would do it over and over again.

Actually the only upgrade I did not purchase was the SSD since it would have brought my total up to 2500$ (I paid 2000$) and I could thereotically do it later on, though the 750gb 7200rpm is definitely manageable, and since the HD has no effect on gaming or performance other than boot up, which to me is more of a vanity issue, it didn't really matter.

 

Oh, and I would recommend ANYONE on here the dell rep JASON BARBER.

Guy is GREAT, will give you a great deal, and config. the system the best to his ability to give you the best price/performance ratio.

 

Agreed! I contacted Jason this afternoon and by the time I was out of class an hour later he had sent me a quote of my build with a great deal! Placed my order asap and now the waiting game begins!

 

I am under the same line as you,may be someone can help.provide an insight about the advantages/disadvantes and their opinions about both these brands.I have never used a Sager system before.

 

How much price reduction can we expect?and how do we approach him?just call the customer care and ask for his name?

Thanks.

 

I'm not sure if he can still be reached, I heard his last day is tomorrow. Info on reaching him is in the last post on page 236 on the thread titled "AW/DELL Ordering Advice - How to save $$$" in AW general forum. As for price reduction, it's very much based on price of your system, the more expensive the system pre reduction, the more that is possible for discount.

 

Thanks for the advice!

 

I'm in the UK too, where'd that deal come from? When I look on the Dell UK site myself, there's no mention of it

 

Alienware M14x Deals, E-Value Codes and Special Offers

 

Wow great deals! Thanks!

 

I really like the m14x but have a few questions. First I hear it runs hot, would ordering the ssd cool it down any? I've heard the hot spot on the chassis is over the hdd bay. Next how easy is it to swap out the dvdrw drive for a second hdd? Also, can you use the hdd caddy made for the m15x? Thanks!

 

Okay I haven't ordered it yet, but this is my current configuration I'm looking at for my M14x:

Processor:Intel® Core™ i7 2760QM 2.4GHz (3.5GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)

--RAM: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 card:Intel® Advanced-N WiFi Link 6250 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO Technology with WiMax
--Sound Options: Soundblaster® X-Fi™ Hi Def Audio - Software Enabled


The current questions I have about this set up are as follows:
1.) I don't really see needing more than 4GB of RAM. Should I upgrade it to 6 or 8 or should I keep it at 4?

2.) Should I downgrade my processor to the "Intel® Core™ i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.9GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache) ", or keep what I got?

3.) Is the "Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO for Gaming & Video" worth the extra cost or should I keep what I got?

4.) Is there any possible change or add-on to my set up you would recommend?

5.) I was also considering picking up their "Alienware TactX Mouse", should I choose another mouse?

My use of the M14x will practically have a complete gaming focus, mild skyping and MOD downloading will also factor in. Money is not an issue, I'm just aiming for a 1400-1700 price range. I will not be finalizing my order until I know the System Requirements for Skyrim, because I want to make sure my system can run that nicely.

Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it.

 

Hi, I'd go for 8gb of ram. Also I hear the Killer wireless cards are way faster than intel's, except for the intel 6300 card. Hope this helps!

 

Easy to upgrade the RAM by yourself and you'd save over $100 doing it.

 

Hi, got an M11x-r2 and a VAIO Z2 right now and looking for something with a bit more graphical grunt and a larger screen, so am considering a M14x.

Base specs here in Hong Kong are:

Price is HK$14999 (US$1925, GBP1233). Seems a bit high compared to the sub-1500USD models one can get in the US but I guess the specs are slightly higher.

Anyhow, I'm looking to get the following upgrades:

(total, including all above-listed upgrades (except for 256GB SSD), is HK$18287/US$2346.7/GBP1503)

My worries and thoughts are underlined and italicized in the above quote- can someone help me out with my purchase?

Thanks very much

 

I think the processor upgrade, the security software, and the audio upgrade are all overkill and unnecessary. The other upgrades are really personal preference.

The processor upgrade might be worth it, if you do a lot of audio/video encoding or other processor-intensive tasks, but for gaming, it's way overkill.

 

Thanks for the reply.

I do a bit of video editing in Vegas as well as Premiere- would I see a major increase in rendering speed etc with the 2860 over the 2760?
What about somewhat CPU intensive games like FSX and GTAIV- would the 2760 would be enough?

 

It's a meager 0.1 GHz speed increase, which comes out to like 4%. You might see a slight decrease in encoding/rendering times. In gaming, you won't see any difference at all.

 

Cool. That's $250 saved. Thanks

 

Actually, the latest m14x uses the revised 27xx - the 2760 so it's more than a 0.1ghz speed increase. The top of the line 28xx isn't worth it but the 27xx definitely is,IMO.

Intel® Core™ i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.9GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
Intel® Core™ i7 2760QM 2.4GHz (3.5GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)

 

Hi guys, first time poster. I'm planning on buying a M14X in the next couple of weeks but I'm a complete PC noob. I havent properly played games on a computer in 10+ years and so I'm a little lost on what the standard is nowadays for mid to high end gaming computers. Because I'm a noob I feel I need to elaborate on what exactly I'm looking for so I apologize in advance for the length of the post and thanks in advance.

I have an Xbox 360 too so this will not be my only option for gaming. As I said, I am upgrading from a computer that struggles running anything older than like 7 years so I won't lose sleep over not being able to max out all settings on games. That said, I'd still want to be able to play most games on high (with some settings set to medium if need be). I won't be doing any 3D modelling or visual editing at all except maybe some minor photoshop things here and there and will probably be mostly using it for everyday things and gaming. I tend to keep my electronics for a long time so I'd like to be prepared to not have to upgrade for the next 4 or 5 years (though I obviously understand I will have to gradually turn down the settings as newer games come out and that's fine with me).

So with that all that said, should I get:

1. Intel® Core™ i5 2410M 2.3GHz (2.9GHz w/Turbo Boost, 3MB Cache) OR Intel® Core™ i5 2540M 2.6GHz (3.3 GHz w/Turbo Boost, 3MB Cache) for an extra $200 OR Intel® Core™ i7 2630QM 2.0GHz (2.9GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache) for an extra $100

2. 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz OR 6GB DDR3 at 1333MHz for an extra $80 OR 6GB DDR3 at 1600MHz for an extra $120 (I don't think I'd need 8GB but someone correct me if I'm wrong)

3. 1.5GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M OR 3.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M for an extra $150

4. 720p OR 900p for an extra $100

Thanks again and please go easy on me with the technical stuff! lol

 

Given your circumstances, I would get the i7, 6gb and the 1.5gb. That is the standing recommendation to most people I've gotten from reading this thread. The only benefit to the higher speed ram is the increase in the Intel graphic speed - since it is based on your system ram speed. Whether that is worth the $120 to upgrade or not I would say no, since you can probably upgrade later for the same or less $$$ from a web store.

The 720p vs 900p is a little tougher depending on whether you prefer having more screen real estate and if it is worth +$100 to you or not. Mostly useful if you like to keep alot of icons on your desktop or use MS excel or some other program that benefits from having a larger desktop.

 

Wow thanks for the quick reply. Sorry that was a bit confusing to understand. So you're suggesting I pick up the 4GB RAM and then upgrading later? Is 4GB enough to play today's games? Or did you mean get 6GB and then upgrade later?

Also does that mean 700p vs 900p isnt a big difference in games? Because clarity while playing games is what matters to me more than everyday browsing.

 

Get the 4GB. Upgrading it yourself is easy and cheaper than you can get it through Dell.

 

Hmm the site says the i7 QM Processor requires Memory to be DDR3 at 1600MHz but the 4GB is only 1333MHz. Looks like I might be stuck with the 6GB? Unless I go to the i5 2410M or i5 2540M (the latter for an extra $80 over the i7). What do you guys recommend?

 

There should be an option for the 4GB memory at 1600. Although with certain configurations, sometimes they don't allow for the lower options. If 4GB isn't an option, get the lowest amount of memory they allow. It's very easy to upgrade, and if you wait for a deal, a heck of a lot cheaper.

 

The base M14x in HK has the 2760QM, and the only processor upgrade available is the 2860QM (which is a 0.1GHz increase). Probably won't get the 2860 given how the 2760 looks powerful enough

 

I'm getting the exact setup, the only thing that worries me is the 555m video card is that anything to be worried about? And is it 128bit or 192bit?

 

From what I've read it has GDDR3 192bit VRAM. Apparently it's as fast as 128bit GDDR5 VRAM, but I have no idea if it's true or not.

 

Through my recent laptop hunt, this has become an incredibly viable option due to its good battery life, not being too heavy, good build quality, and seemingly good enough performance. I do have a couple questions before I order though.

Is the SSD worth it? 256GB will be enough for me, but is it worth the price? I've read its a $450 drive they put in, so $50 for Dell to put it in and install+setup Windows seems like a good deal. I just don't know if it's worth the $500 price tag.

Secondly, is the GT 555M truly good enough? I know this has the best flavor of the 555M in it. I'm primarily looking to compare it to my old laptop's 9800M GS

Thanks!

 

Hi I think the price they're asking for the ssd is too high, its not even a sata3 ssd. And in anandtech's review of the m14x they said the gt555m is practically perfect for 14" 1600x900 displays. Hope this helps!

 

1) Either get the i5-2410M or i7-2630QM. The i7 can help during CPU-intensive games but often it won't make any difference. It can be a worthwhile upgrade, but upgrade #4 (the screen) takes priority.

2) You can upgrade it yourself for cheaper. Don't get the upgrade on Dell's site.

3) Makes no difference, don't waste your money.

4) The 900p screen is the most important upgrade because it makes the most difference. Don't skip this upgrade. It affects everything you do. Higher resolutions let you fit more onscreen, and generally have better image quality as well.

 

Was playing around with the m14x config on dell website, couple changes to the hardware selections.

i7 2630 is now gone, instead you can have the i7 2670 as the lowest tier i7.
The lower resolution screen is also gone, only the option for 900p remains.

 

Hover over Dell deals, then Gaming deals, it's still there...

Or CLICK ME FOR A DISCOUNT

Hope this helps to clarify

 

Maybe that's only dell UK?