M14x Pre-Order Configuration Questions... Ask HERE

i5 has two cores that act like four. i7 has four cores that act like 8. If you opted for a 14" laptop, it is likely that you are not expecting a desktop replacement system and thus will get more benefit out of the i5's cooler temperatures, longer battery life, and satisfactory dual core performance.

Unless you're using multi-threaded apps like advance photo and video editing apps, you won't see much of an advantage on an i7 vs an i5. The 5 also outperforms the 7 in some single threaded applications like gaming.

Agree the 900p screen is the way to go.

 

In your opinion, if you had the choice to go with the i5 for ~$1000 or the i7 ~1350, which would you choose?

 

Hopefully going to order one of these bad boys tomorrow, selling my m11x R3 for it.

 

System Color Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish
Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Professional, 64bit, English
Processor Intel® Core™ i7 2760QM 2.4GHz (3.5GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
Memory 4GB 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 3.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology
Hard Drive 750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
AlienFX Nova Yellow
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 Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO for Gaming & Video
Security Software No Anti-Virus Software Selected
Hardware Support Services 1 Year Advanced Plan
Pre-Installed Software Steam and Portal™ Factory Installed
Alien Wallpaper Alienhead 3D
WirelessHD & Mobile Broadband None
Bluetooth Internal Bluetooth 3.0

What do you guys think? it quotes out at $1,478 before taxes. . .

ah I don't use bluetooth and I could cut out the soundblaster software for another $40

And any idea when they are going to refresh the AW line or have they refreshed the 14x recently?

I have an 18x and an 11x r1 and use the 11x r1 to game while watching TV with my wife. This would be replacing my 11x . . .

Thanks for the input!


Farson

 

Maybe you could save some extra cash by dropping to 1.5GB from 3.0GB? Most people say it's unnecessary to go to 3.0 and performance doesn't change.

 

So i currently have a m11x and have had it for about 9 months, and I am selling it this month so I thought that I would buy its replacement, after research and days and days of looking I decided to get a m14x. I love my m11x build quality and its been bulletproof, I i wanted a more powerful machine and also a disc drive haha.
So my question was, when I get it what is the first things I should do, and whats benchmark games to try on it? I know that the first thing I am going to do is a clean install of Windows Ultimate

but what else is there, and is there anything that I should take special note of with it? Such as the hinges in my m11x?
thanks so much I know that some of this is most likely covered in this forum and I have been looking around so I have figured you guys can help too thanks!

 

No, DO NOT do the clean install Before create an image of a recovery disc, it is important that you do this before you do anything else. Follow this link to learn HOW TO: Preserve AlienRespawn - stock drive to aftermarket drive / AlienRespawn Q&A Then after you create the disc that you can do the clean install, after that follow this link to:

HOW TO: Clean Windows 7 Install (Driver Install Order) Guide for Alienware Systems - This thread guide you to install drivers in order.

Third thing (Optional, but recommend): HOW TO: Restore the Alienware 'Look and Feel' after a clean install of Windows 7

For in game performance between the two, you'll notice a BIG different, all of the game you play should have a greater performance to it, however dont get too excited because the GT555M is not a really high end card, but you'll still be able play games at Medium - High for most game, and for graphic demanding game is medium. But if you overclock the GPU, you might be able to play at high.

 

I've been looking at getting one of these for a couple months now, and I still have a few questions that I haven't found an answer to yet (please forgive me if they're in this thread already, but it's 30 pages long at this point)

1) Is the factory SSD any more stable than all the others that people are installing on their own?
2) If so, is there any way to order it with the i5 processor? I really don't want the i7, and it seems rediculous to be forced to spend the extra $100 on the cpu upgrade just to add the SSD.
3) If the factory SSD is no more stable than any other, what about the newest bios? I've read that it restricts them to sata II, but that doesn't bother me at all, so is it stable at sata II speeds with other SSD's?
4) Have you heard of anyone installing either of the dual core i7's (2620m or 2640m) in the m14x?

 

I'm in the same situation as you had basically just sold my gaming desktop (Core i5-2500k, 8GB, ATI 6970, etc.) and selling my non-gaming laptop and replacing both with a "gaming" laptop. I chose the M14x and just got it last week. So far I'm liking it a lot and its handled my lower-than-before workload (used to game hardcore, now just surf the web, listen to music, watch videos, and occasionally game) just fine. I'd definitely recommend a quad-core CPU if you're replacing your desktop. The i7-2670qm is good. Here is a rough list of CPU benchmarks desktop+lapop combined:

PassMark Intel vs AMD CPU Benchmarks - High End

Others will say that the 1.5GB video card is good enough (its the one I have) but the other specs you listed look fine. Good luck with your new laptop!

 

Yea you could save a few bucks by taking out the SoundBlaster option (its just software i believe) but if you think you'll ever be needing Bluetooth, I'd get it installed from the factory. I just installed a Dell 375 Bluetooth card myself on my M14x and its a pain in the rear: you have to remove the bottom cover, battery, optical drive, keyboard cover, keyboard, and palm-rest to get access to the Bluetooth card slot!

 

1. Alienware claims that the SSD they install works perfectly. So it should work perfectly otherwise I would call and complain
2. I don't believe so.
3. The Samsung SSD they install is SATAII. I have an Intel 320 SATAII with BIOS A08 and I have less problems then I did before, but not 100% perfect.
4. Never have heard of anyone doing so, nor would I recommend it with the i7 processor already reaching crazy high temperatures.

 

Sorry for the delay... But yeah. I5 is the way to go for mobility and cost. Upgrade to i7 and you also need to upgrade ram speed. Sandy Bridge i5 should be plenty for 90% of users getting a 14x. i3 for the 11x, i5 for the 14x, and i7 for the 17x.

Why not get the i7 and get 17x performance in a 14x. One, you have already chosen a smaller platform for a reason, most likely mobility/portability and not to save the world, launch a rocket into space, or calculate PI as fast as possible. 14x also has lower screen res, no blue ray, smaller power supply, no raid, half the ram capability. Point being, a 14x with an i7 is not a mini 17x.

Now if the gap were 50-100 dollars... Then it may be worth the extra for the extra performance. But adding up to a quarter of the price when you may not even see any benefit is a bit silly. Same with 1.5gb video card ram versus 3GB. Games out now can potentially use over 1.5GB of VRAM and this could benefit from more. But not on the 14x. The display isn't big enough resolution wise, and the video card is not really capable of rendering quality scenes at high frame rates... But the 17X with a far better video card is. And we can't upgrade our video cards.


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Hey all, I finally decided that I am going to order one of these little monsters. I will be ordering it probably next Friday or Saturday when the money is taken care of. These are my specs.

Intel® Core™ i7 2670QM 2.2GHz (3.1GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO for Gaming & Video
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
1.5GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology
750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
14.0" High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight
8x SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Slot Load Optical Drive
Soundblaster® X-Fi™ Hi Def Audio - Software Enabled
Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish
Quasar Blue
Alien Red Glyphs
Steam and Portal™ Factory Installed
Alienware Orion M14x Backpack - TSA Friendly
1 Year Advanced Plan

The total came to be just over $1600. For all of you who are curious, there is a 5% off sale going on and my University also has very small discounts if you go with Dell. I can also get MS word for either free or $20 from school.

Yes, I know upgrading is cheaper if you do it yourself, but please take into consideration that I am not a 25 year old tech wizard. I am a college freshman (well, in September), and this is like an early birthday/graduation gift/college requirement. Thank you everyone who helped me make up my mind. The next 3 weeks will be the longest 3 weeks of my life. One last thing, is 8GB of RAM a good idea to get? My desktop has 4, but I knew something about needing an even number of RAM sticks so 6gb was out.

 

I would get the minimum amount and upgrade on your own. Ram is easy to upgrade and cheap. Congratulations on the decision I know you have been debating for a while.

 

I realize that it is easy, but forces out of my control (mainly parents) have said that this was a no-go, partly because of the desktop assembly stress incident and partly because they believe that you buy what you need when you get something when it comes to laptops. As soon as I started describing Sager, you should have seen them. They also told me that it voids the warranty to open it up beyond the battery, idk if it's true or not.

 

From my past experience with Dell this is not true. That is one of the whole points of a Alienware system. They are easy to upgrade.

If there is no other option then I would stick with a 8GB ram. If it was me I would drop it down to 4GB though and add a extra year of warranty.

 

I got the 8gb from Dell and I was unchanged really. Its 100$ more expensive but I didnt have to do it myself (eh, not that hard though), and its at least covered by Dell, especially since I got accidental

 

congrats on the new system and welcome to the alienware club

 

The more RAM the better if you using lots of program that would use lots of RAM such as those photo/video editor, for me I get the 6GB, it's like something in between, because with 4GB I felt it is too little, 8GB is too much since I dont use those photo/video editor, addition RAM would be useless. For the waiting, yeah I know how you feel, because when I place the order, I was like checking the order status like once every 2-3 hours keep it monitor like there is no tomorrow lol for me I only have to wait 2 week (originally 4 weeks), man I can tell, that 2 week felt like it is 2 years of waiting . The estimation date for you may reduce once it go into production or is in transit to the courier. It will be something like 3 week reduce to just around 1.5 ~ 1 week.

Anyway, congrats on your choice, I hope you'll enjoy this great little gaming laptop and welcome to the Republic of Alienware.

 

6GB would be great, but I thought RAM worked best in sets of 2, meaning in order to get 6GB of RAM you would need 2gb+4gb or 3x2gb. Please correct me if I'm wrong though because I don't want to overspend. I'm mostly going to be using it for medium gaming, MS office, and video watching.

 

The m14x has two ram slots, so yes it would work better as theyd be faster in a dual channel configuration

 

Hi guys, I need help to decide what M14x should I buy.

I live in Mexico and here Dell has 3 processor options:
*i5-2430M (include in basic)
*i7-2760QM (for $240 extra)
*i7-2860QM (for $760 extra)

for money reason my only options are the first two. Now, this are the two setups I would want with either processor:

1.Alienware M14x $1,400 USD-Intel® Core™ i5-2430M (3MB Caché, 2.40 GHz)
-8GB RAM DDR3 a 1333MHz
-750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
-3.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology
-14.0" High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight

2.Alienware M14x $1,850 (for $100 extra I could get 3GB 555M and 8GB RAM)
-Intel® Core™ i7-2760QM (6MB Caché, 2.40 GHz)
-6GB de Memoria Doble Canal DDR3 a 1600MHz
--750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
-1.5GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology
-14.0" High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight

As you can see, if I want to upgrade from the first configuration to the second configuration I will have to spend at least an extra $450 for a better processor, better RAM, but lesser video card (if it would make a big difference). $550 extra for extra ram and video.

So my question is, is it wort it to pay $450 or more, or should I get the first configuration? I don't know why they dont have the i7-2630 as an option, so the leap is a bit expensive. In case I could get the second configuration, is it worth the $100 extra for more RAM and GPU?

I will be using this computer mainly for gaming, but also for basic programming and the essential things you do in college. I would like the computer to last at least 3 years left I have in college. Keep in mind that $500 is much more money in Mexico than in US.

I would really appreciate your help! This offer ends on Monday so I don't have much time to decide. Thanks!

 

How do I install or update the drivers? Every time I try to install either WHQL or beta drivers I get the same error:

NVIDIA Installer cannot continue
This graphics driver could not find the compatible graphics hardware

EDIT - I forgot to add that I'm sweeping out the old drivers and trying fresh install and no go.

 

Hi how do you think is M14x posible to upgrade to ivy Bridge CPU i am thinking abouth i7-3612QM what have 35w TDP ?

o just wait till they realise m14x R2 with new chipset ?

 

You cannot upgrade SB to Ivy. R2 is supposed to offer Ivy, but judging by the performance difference, it's not worth waiting for compared to the i7 1st gen vs SB upgrade, so if you need an M14X get it now instead of waiting for June to come along

@halainpb
Why not use HIDevolution or even ebay and get a M14X for cheaper? Those prices seem quite high for an M14X. I got mine from ebay for alot less (i7 900p 750gb 6gb). I basically got your #2 choice for 1199$~ no tax from ebay. Also, 3GB is a rip off, stick with 1.5GB b/c you won't notice any performance in-game.

@Kodello
Where are you getting the drivers? Dell site? nVidia site?

 

I am thinking about ordering one, what are the latest coupons that do you know about?

 

If you're planning on ordering a refurbished, coupons are in the Dell thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/notebook-tech-bargains/636641-dell-2012-outlet-coupons-9.html

If you're going new, it is recommended that you haggle over the phone until you find a rep that can give you a good discount.

It's important to note that a good discount is 20-30%, which is possible to get with dedication and patience.

If you want to shoot me a PM, I can send you a rep I dealt with last year that offered high discounts (if available).

 

Wow mate thats a good deal, may I ask you where are you looking these refurbished laptops from? Because I see zero m14x on the website outlet.

 

They are hit and miss. Early January there was only a 14x or two when I started looking. The next week there were 25 different 14x units in the outlet. The next week it went down to seven, then three... Then none.

Have to check a couple times a day. They go fast when they do pop up.


Sent using Tapatalk for iPhone

 

Ebay is also a good place to look for refurbs sometimes.

I was looking at an M14X for my brother and they're going for 1175$ for an i7/750g/555 1.5/750 7.2k rpm/4-6gb ram/1600x900 ...sometimes they even come with 2 year warranties if you're lucky enough to find them.

Outlet will most likely find you a better deal overall, but you have to deal with the scripters who use programs to refresh/auto buy based on pre-entered criteria so they can resell them on ebay to international buyers and make profits. As soon as those coupons come out (usually 1 nice coupon per month), you have to run to a computer ASAP and shop - even if it's in the middle of the night. Subscribe to their twitter and get text alerts if you want too. This is US-only, mind you, unless you use a mail forwarding service.

 

A few questions for you guys:

1. Do I need an i5 or i7? (Ill have the 900p screen regardless) I will be playing mostly: BF3, Skyrim, WoW, Swtor, and SC2.

2. Is 4g RAM enough? It comes with the base price.

3. How well does the M14x run the games I listed above? Yes I have looked at the graphics card benchmarks but wondering how well if the gpu is overclocked along with the cpu overclocked.

Here is my config: The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

The rep can get me even lower than this but I am unsure whether to give the green light or not on the purchase. what do you guys think?

 

i5 would suffice for the games you listed and the heat would be a lot less. I7 may give you a little boost depending on the game but not so much that games playable with the i7 can't run on the i5 and the cpu and ram is upgradable by the way. If you can upgrade yourself then it would save you some cash. 4G Ram would be ok but 6 or 8 would give you a comfortable cushion, best if you just get 4 and upgrade yourself.
I play skyrim and sc2, both of which can be played on max. WoW and Swtor are bot low req MMO's so I think no problem maxing. BF3 based on what i've read you can play on high(Lot's of gameplay videos on youtube). CPU is locked and little no benifit will come for OC'ing it. GPU OC would give a good boost in fps, pray for a good chip I've tried OC to 700/1400/100 and i get ~10 fps more

 

Alienware M14x Laptop Details | Dell Canada

The i5 version which is $1049.99 (contains i5 2430M, 1366x768 resolution, 4GB Ram, 750GB Hard drive) or the i7 version which is $1299.00 (contains i7 2670QM, 1600x900 resolution, 6GB Ram, 750 GB Hard drive)?

Which color: Black or Red?

Is there a big difference between 1366x768 and 1600x900 resolution?

The i7 one is really pushing it for me, since I'm trying to sell my m11x r3 (i5, 4gb ram, 500gb hard drive) for about $800 and add some money on top of that for an m14x. I love my m11x, but I feel as if it's just not powerful enough/futureproof since it's my only computer. Oh, and I do have a asus 23" 1080p external monitor by the way that I can hook it up to for gaming, which is why I was leaning a bit more towards the 1366x768 resolution to save money.

Thanks

 

well first only get the 1.5gb nvidia card, second get the hd screen, the rest is all about how much money you wanna spend

 

1. Colour: Personal preference. I have black, but wish it were red.

2. Screen: 1600x900 is better if you use applications AND game. 1366x768 will give you a slight FPS boost, however outside of games, this resolution isn't that great. Ontop of that, the higher resolution screen has more brightness (if I'm not mistaken) and will allow for more screen real-estate, which means less dragging/scrolling/movement (too much of it is a pain!).

3. i7 is better for futureproofing. In games such as the Witcher 2, I've seen users get almost twice the FPS when compared to the i5. Games such as BF3 also favour quad core CPU's.

4. Both RAM and HD in most cases, is cheaper to upgrade on your own. 7200rpm HD should be your minimal goal as 5400rpm is terrible.

5. 3GB 555m is a waste of money. It's only good if you plug your M14X into dual external monitors. Otherwise, you will not gain any performance boost in any game.

Conclusion - I recommend i7 and 1600x900 as a priority upgrade.

See the M14X in my signature? I got it for 1199$ from ebay. It's refurbished, however it was never used (I got lucky - seems like it was a "wrong address" unit) with a full 365 day warranty. This is the best deal for Canadians who cannot travel to the US (unless you buy a used unit from the Marketplace).

 

Slight correction about 900p. It gives a slight boost in FPS at native resolution, you can still lower games to 1366x768 on the 900p screen and get the same exact FPS

 

Get the 1600x900 screen it's a must. I'm using a loaner computer well my Alienware is fixed and its an XPS 15 with 1366x768 and everything thing appears so big and just not as great of an experience as 1600x900.

 

Since you already have 1080p external then maybe 1366x768 can be ok. It may increase your fps when gaming compared to 1600x900 but don't expect to game on the 1080p and get stellar results. For color i'm very satisfied with Black and i think matte red would be weird but that's just me.

 

hello, before i start i want to apologize for my bad english

soo i want to buy an m14x for school/gaming im about to switch to computer engineering so i need a computer that works great for those two things(m14x).

so my question is wat spec u guys recommend for me to get since im kinda new to all.

my budget is at most $1600 and also if its better to order from a retailer like powernotebooks.com or wats a better way to order(cheaper)

ahh and other thing is do u think i should wait for the r2?? if its not that far away or worth waiting

 

1 Alienware M14X - Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish
1 Intel Core i7 2760QM 2.4GHz (3.5GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
1 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
1 Alienware M14X 150W A/C Adapter
1 14.0 High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight
1 3.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus technology
1 750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
1 Personalized Nameplate Trigger
1 Custom Nameplate
1 AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue
1 Alienware Command Center Software, M14X
1 DataSafe Local BackUp
1 PC Restore
1 Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit Service Pack 1, English, w/Media
1 Hinge Up WLAN - BLACK
1 Adobe Acrobat Reader
1 Roxio Creator Starter
1 Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner, DVD+-RW, CD-RW
1 Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
1 Intel Wireless-N WiFi Link 1000 a/g/n 1x2
1 Alienware M14X WIDI Software
1 NO VIRUS PROTECTION REQUESTED
1 Dell Hardware Warranty Plus On-Site Service, Initial Year
1 Third Party At Home Service, 24x7 Technical Support, Initial Year
1 1 Year Limited Warranty
1 No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
1 Soft Contracts Service Hardware Agreement for Alienware
1 Warranty Support, Initial Year
1 No Wireless HD Selected
1 Thank You for Purchasing AlienWare
1 Thank you for choosing Dell
Subtotal: $1,392.92
Shipping and Handling: $0.00
Tax Total: $83.57
Total Amount: $1,476.49

======

my specs and am happy with mine.... its well within your budget too..

 

$1600 is plenty for m14, you can also consider the stock m17 if you don't plan on bringing your laptop all the time. get the i7 for your engineering apps and 1600x900 screen for more space, this usually sells for ~1400 brand new. It's better to just buy from dell other than the retailers. If you want cheaper go for a refurb with coupons. Alienware will probably refresh their laptops around august, though i don't know if there is an official statement regarding this.

 

Upgrade to 1600x900 as your top-priority upgrade. It is the only upgrade you must get if you're getting the M14x. Everything else in the default configuration is fine to settle for if budget is a concern, but do not get the 1366x768 display.

Aside from that the 1366x768 display hinders multitasking and productivity by making things onscreen large, it has very poor image quality because the contrast ratio is very low. The 1600x900 display has a much better contrast ratio.

Having an external monitor isn't a reason to neglect the internal display of your laptop. A laptop is intended to be portable, but an external monitor is not portable. This means there will be times when you are stuck with the mediocre 1366x768 screen. Plus, when using both the internal display and the external monitor in a dual-display setup, both displays are important.

Like I said, if budget is a concern, the 1600x900 display is top priority. The Core i5 processor, however, will be perfectly fine for the majority of gaming, because the GT 555M will be the primary bottleneck. Buying the Alienware M14x without the 1600x900 display upgrade for any reason other than eyesight concerns providing necessity for large text in every application is a bad idea.

First, the 1600x900 display. Engineering CAD applications, as well as general multitasking and productivity, benefits from the larger screen workspace.

Second, the Quad-Core i7 might be of benefit to certain applications required by your major, but the Core i7 processor upgrade won't benefit as much of your overall usage as the 1600x900 display will.

 

Hi everyone,

So i live in australia and alienwares are about 500-600 dollars more expensive out here then they are in the US (the m14x starts at $1400). Anyway, i was searching around and found out that this club i am part of has a special deal running over the next week. Its a M14X with these specs:

Nebula Red with Soft Touch Finish
Alienware Custom Nameplate (NinjaHotdog) edit
2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM processor (2.2GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.1GHz, 6MB Cache
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (English)
1-Year Premier Service edit
Dell Recommends
Onsite help in your home, by Gizmo
McAfee® Security Center - 15 Months Version
16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2 x 8GB)
256GB Solid State Hard Drive
3.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology
Internal High-Definition 5.1 Performance Audio with SoundBlaster X-Fi Audio
8-cell Primary Battery edit
Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming & Video
HD+ 900p Screen

With the special from my club and a few coupons, i can get it for $1814 AUD.
So do you guys think this is a good deal and I should go for it? Im a bit worried about the graphics card not being powerful enough to last me a few years, and getting the baseline i7 might not be the best idea...

Thanks

 

Not bad for an Australian price. How much would you save if you just went with 8GB of RAM?

 

There is a new model of M14X coming soon.

 

Well, Alienware aus is currently running a promotion were i get 16gb of RAM for free, and you cant choose another option

And what will the r2 refresh bring? Because it will probably be a fair bit more expensive when its released wont it?

 

I understand lol you want M14X. But R1 M14X is one year old tech already. The refresh should bring new processors, motherboard, GPU, maybe better cooling maybe better screen.

 

It's maybe just one of their marketing campaign to push all M14x remaining old stock out of their factory in order to prepare for the M14xR2's arrival or just to maximise their profit by giving you a free 16GB RAM promotion.

For the R2, you can look at other AW Laptop series for example, look at the changes from M17xR1 > R2 > R3, and remember for technology, the next gen will always surpass the previosu tech. So like c69k said, that is what you should expect to see on the M14xR2.

 

Oh ok then, i guess il just wait for the refresh then. Thanks everyone

 

But If you cant wait then feel free to get it, because usually when most product first release, it will be expensive like hell, so I'd suggest to give it a few more month to give the heat of new release to calm down, and that would save you few hundred dollars. That's the disadvantage of new releases.