*OFFICIAL* Alienware 14 Owner's Lounge Thread

not really.. You can use a external usb sound card but that does nothing for the speakers internally. I find the 14 internal speakers quite good though.

 

yeah speakers arent too bad to be honest, just my ears are really sensitive and its quite piercing to my ears, probably not to the majority of people. just thinking once the warranty is up just change it .... sems like u can change almost everything in laptoips now

 

Whish someone make a video of Tips & Tricks of AW 14

 

it along with the other 11 fn keys is detailed in the 2 page quick start leaflet that comes with the beast

 

Is there an adjustment for the white and black levels on the display? Blacks are slightly crushed and whites are slightly washed, but I can't find a simple way to adjust them.

EDIT: Nvidia control panel did the trick.

 

interesting. what values did you change from and to in nvidia control panel?

 

I actually turned the Nvidia color settings to "use defaults" and am using the Intel color options instead. In the Intel settings, everything is left at default settings except brightness which is at +3 (from default of +0). Disabling the Nvidia settings fixed the nasty bloom and crushing blacks, and I turned up the brightness slightly. I don't know why the Nvidia settings were causing problems, but they're all fixed now so I'm happy.

 

Have you tried switching from RAID to AHCI in the BIOS?

I have a Plextor mSATA 256GB that I installed in my AW14 as the boot drive for Windows 8 with no problems at all.

 

hey my power adaptger makes faint buzzing sound . is that normal

 

So far, after 1 month, I have not been amazed by its performance (Alienware 14) with its 2gb video, 16gb ram and i7 processor, havnt noticed the difference in performance agains a normal pc. Probably because I havnt try any games yet, but Ive been editing video.

What I have noticed, and it has really being a bad surprise is its built quality or materials, not only in the laptop but in the accesories. Ive been taking care of this laptop as if it was a jewl, I even bought the neoprene sleeve, the vindicator backpack, to take care of it, and here some pics of the laptop lid and backpack...

Lid:


Backpack:

 

Not sure you are going to notice a big difference in apps other than games (i.e. video/photo editing), but we'd need to know what you're comparing it to in order to tell you what the problem might be.

As for the quality issues, it happens with every AW that comes off the production line. Some it's more pronounced then others (obviously yours is), but for the most part AW's quality is top notch. The bag on the other hand is not made by AW/Dell, it's made by Mobile Edge and my personal experience with their products is not a good one, so I would probably never buy the AW branded bags.

 

I am impressed personally with the 14. But I am running two 256gb ssds in raid 0. It edits my 36mp photos like they are small gifs and plays BF3 and BF4 GREAT. Its a great addition to my 18 when i don't want to carry the 18 around.

 

Almost looks like the bag fell off of the back of a pickup truck.. As well as several months of my so easy use. If that is brand new within a month I would definitely be calling AW up.

 

Honestly the only things I don't like about the AW14 are the size (it's HUGE by 14" laptop standards, lol) and the battery life (I prefer more than 5 hours, but i'm coming from a Retina MacBook Pro). Performance wise, nothing to complain about.

 

I've owned mine for more than 2 months now and it's still brand new
I use a neoprene sleeve when I carry it around
The sleeve is not bad protection wise, but I don't like the fabric texture and the colour. The texture feels somewhat slimy and my hands sweat a lot carrying it.
The colour...FFS all black. Carrying it under the sun will for sure toast my laptop!!! Once I forgot to put it into sleep, just closed the lid, put it in the sleeve and headed home. At home I took it out...HOLYPOO it was super hot. A quick check of internal temperature showed it was somewhere near 60C. Nearly did CPR to it LOL. So DON"T FORGET TO PRESS POWER BUTTON BEFORE YOU GO

 

I don't mind the size of the 14 the amount of power it brings. I replaced my retina MBP as well. It could not hang with the 14 performance wise which is why I don't mid the thickness, much better cooling. My rMBP would lock up and fry an egg after 3-5 minutes of trying to play BF3, ran like crap as well.

 

Well mine is still in production but cant wait to get work done and game on mine. I got the GTX 765 and Im hoping for solid GPU performance and might even buy COD for pc rather then xbox this time around.

 

The only COD I play anymore is COD2 Online with some old clan buddies I've been with since 2002. The newer cod I just don't like because the auto server selection and pairing. Nothing like seeing the servers listed in a browser and you being able to filter and choose which server to play on.

 

This makes me wish my cod4:MW was on steam...

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

Well if I choose to go this route it will be the first online shooter I will have on PC since battlefield 2. Im not sure about which platform as on xbox that means I get to play with my only gamer friend (he is still rocking a 2004 pentium 4 system and his xbox is fried). But being able to play on the go or while the wife is using the TV would be nice.

 

In reply to Azzurri:

If you're trying to install Win 8 with UEFI on and legacy BIOS off, then you may need to "clean" the msata drive first:

> set BIOS to AHCI instead of RAID, unless you want the trouble of loading the RAID driver at windows bootup
> boot from the Windows OS disk
> click repair computer
> chose option to boot the command line (I forget what it's actually called)
> type diskpart on the command line
> type select disk 0 (assuming the msata is the only drive)
> type clean all
> type setup (to start the windows process again)
> it should then ask you to format the msata drive -- just select it and say yes.
> the rest of the install should proceed as normal

 

Hello everybody,


I have been an Alienware fan for as long as I can remember. I have finally bought myself the AW14 last week and it is sad that I do not have any positive feedback to give. In fact, I am very disappointed with the multiple issues I am already facing. Let me put it point-by-point:

1. Issues with moving of laptop: the whole point of having a laptop is portability. However, from the 2nd day, I realized I got BSOD every time I so much as even lifted the laptop by a feet to move around.

2. The BSOD error was "Critical process terminated" and upon analyzing the memory dump file, it blames the csrss.exe. I have done the research online which points to some 3rd party driver being not compatible. To be honest, I haven't installed any new drivers and I have tested with both latest drivers for the existing hardware and out of the box drivers.

3. Following the BSOD, my boot drive disappears. I get the boot drive missing error and get stuck. I loaded the OS cd that comes with the box, but the repair link is useless. Any of the options that I try (diagnose, refresh or reinstall), I get the error "the drive you are trying to access is locked. Please unlock and retry". A restart just magically brings back the boot drive and windows logs in, after at least half a dozen tries.

4. If I somehow manage to get into Windows, the GTX Nvidia card is no longer visible. It just disappears. I then have to restart, keeping my fingers crossed and stay absolutely still, hoping that the system detects the boot drive and the graphics card following that, so I can enjoy my laptop peacefully.

I have this issue at least 3-4 times during 2-3 hours a day that I would get to sit on it. Its been a pretty bad experience so far, not sure if its Alienware or the Windows 8. But slowly, my excitement is dying for not being able to enjoy this beautiful machine.

Any1 else experiencing such issues with AW14?

 

I've got a BSOD twice -- but it was shortly after loading new software or drivers -- once I resolved the issues (reloading drivers, software, running registry checking programs to clean up errors, etc.), no more BSOD's. However, yesterday I experienced #4 above - the machine could not see the NVidia card. I think it happened right after installing Steam. Did a few soft boots but that did not solve anything. I did a cold boot and my card was back. I reinstalled the video driver just to be safe. It seems OK now but I will keep an eye on it.

I highly doubt it's a Windows 8 issue specifically. I also have Windows 8 on my M14x (with Alienware software, etc.) and on another computer and have no problems with them.

 

Start by hitting f12 when you turn it on and run a full diagnostic, make sure everything is good with the hardware. This well rule that out, next we can start looking at what software issue us causing this.

 

I got the AW14 replacement last Friday. However, it too has the C1 stepping error/USB bug. However, this machine came with an LG screen vs the last one, which came with the AUO screen. I did a side-by-side comparison and the LG screen is noticeably brighter (not that the AUO screen was all that bad). I decided I'm going to keep this one (I sent the first one back to Dell) despite the USB bug -- Tech Support has no idea when the hardware fix for the USB bug will be implemented. If I hadn't had a new SSD and mSata card lying around, I probably would have just sent this machine back too.

I installed the SSD and mSata, did a clean install of Windows 8, updated drivers, and last night I installed Windows 8.1 via the free download. Everything appears to be running smoothly now (although I did have a few hiccups with drivers with Windows 8 that I fixed before installing 8.1).

 

Hi All,
I purchased my Alienware 14 on Oct. 7, 2013, it is supposed to arrive on the 22nd, does anyone know of any delays right now?
I am really excited . Dell has been keeping me informed with phone updates but they are pretty vague lol.
It is just the base model,but it will be better then any computer I have had in a long time.

 

I'm actually having multiple problems with my laptop now since I upgraded to windows 8.1. For starters I can't defrag my system reserved. Next I cant forget a network by right clicking anymore. Some programs do no respond. Like Blu-Ray software.

When I had windows 8 I kept the stock Nvidia and Intel graphics driver from Dell for they work best for me. New drivers for Nvidia Made my screen black whenever I disconnected the HDMI cable from Television. The New Intel Driver made my laptop hang on the restarting process of my computer. It would never restart.

Now Since I've upgraded windows to 8.1 Intel stock drivers don't work for me. IE Shows pictures and buttons with this X on it. If I upgrade it. I no longer have audio when I connect to my television (sound comes from the laptop)

For Nvidia stock anything graphically is not as smooth. Like games are not as smooth as they were. Also when I disconnect the hdmi cable the same thing happens and I'm left with a black screen. it's like no matter what drivers I have for any of them I always have a problem.

Thinking about going back unless they fix this soon.

 

Hello all im planning to buy a alienware 14

But im affraid of the screen hinge knowing that the m14x was know to have problem with them..


Anyone own one and can share how they are?

And any advice about the laptop


Thank you

Thank for moving my post to the good place

 

mine seems fine, nice and tight...

 

My hinge is plenty tight. It's tight enough that I have to hold the base of the laptop when opening it or the whole laptop will lift with the screen. I appreciate the tightness because I've yet to have any issues with it sagging, bouncing, or anything like that. Given time I'm sure it'll loosen up a bit, but it seems very sturdy.

 

Ok thank all


Any idea if the 750m with the i7 is enough for battlefield 4 ? low setting is ok i just need some portability vs my desktop ahah

 

Guys do you find it comfortable to work and game on a 14" laptop? Isn't it too small? I am asking because I've never had a chance to play games on a 14" screen but I really want to buy m14x R3 for a general usage including occasional gaming.

 

I have played on m17x on normal 15.6 laptop and i currently have my dad 14" toshiba on my side just reinstalled windows and i think it fit fine for gaming ( did not run bf3 ahah but i looked at game on youtube in fullscreen and it look fine

Main screen is a 23"


And for normal usage i prefer the 14" it take less space than a 15.6 :thumbsup: idk the best is 17 still if you want to use a sniper on a 14" it a bit hard lol

 

I think you might struggle a little if you have the 750 and the 1080p screen. Might be ok if your going with the lower res screen. My 14 with the 765m handled BF4 beautifully with the 1080p screen and on my 24" asus 144hz lcd. With everything on low and shows off you might be fine.

 

It looks pretty amazing to me. The qulity of the `14" 1080p is bar none IMO and the size and quality is a great combination IMO. I couldnt do a 14 hours straight bender on it (too old). But I do brig it to work and play on and off for 8-10 hours with no issue. I edit a lot of photos on it as well.

 

delete this post please

 

What are the temperatures after 5 hour gaming session? Does the fan spin during a light load like web browsing/word processing?

 

Im stuck between 1200$ i7 and 1366x 750m or 1500$ 17" 765m i7 and 1600x Any thought 17" with 1600x is good enough i think?



From digital versus


Everything else about the screen is way off mark. The colour temperature isn't just cold, it's a Siberian 25,000 K where ideally it should be 6,500 K, so you'd better like blue. The Delta E of 10.2 only makes matters worse, signifying that the colours are far from accurate. Don't buy any clothes online on this computer, or you may be in for a surprise! For an example of a gaming laptop with a better display, check out the competing Asus Republic of Gamers G750; it has a near-perfect Delta E of 3.6 and a colour temperature of 7,900 K, plus good contrast and brightness. If you're using the Alienware 17 at home, we highly recommend HDMI-ing it to a better monitor.

 

I'm thinking about picking up a second PSU. Where's the cheapest place to order an OEM charger?

 

Just purchased a 14. Excited to receive it. I just watched a video that said this laptop can support 3 drives. My main question here is if it can do SATA 3 over a Raid 0 config with 2 SSD's?

 

Is it worth buying a refurbished Alienware 14? What do statistics say concerning faulty and scratched refurbs?

 

Hey,

I just signed up to this forum because i wanted to ask you guys some questions and i hope for getting some answers:

1. How much fps do you guys get with the 1080p+765m version of the aw 14
in games like bf3 in which graphic setting ?

2. How does ist feel, playing with the 14" notebook. Is. gaming still fun and
comfortable ?

3. Would you buy your AW 14 again ? If not - why ?

4. Has anyone got some feedback taking the laptop to lan partys or longer
gaming sessions ?

Thank you, most important question is number one..

 

It's all Sata3. I run have two 256gb ssd's in raid 0. Removed the optical drive and AW sent me the replacement hd caddy for the optical bay. You could run 3xssd in raid 0 if you want to add a msata to the equation.

 

How are you supposed to switch between Optimus to nvidia only? If I press FN+F5 (I/D GFX) it shows this dialog:

http://i.imgur.com/ukx881I.png

and then after rebooting the system doesn't seem to have any proper graphics installed. There is no information about nvidia when right clicking on the desktop either.

http://i.imgur.com/xZnUMMc.png

I was expecting to see nvidia only. Is there a proper way of switching that I'm missing?

nevermind. I had to right click on the graphics card and select update driver. now it's nvidia only

 

Is there a guide on how to access and replace CPU in AW 14?

 

The service manual is available on dells website that pretty much walks you through disassembly.

 

1. Your most important question is the only one I can't answer as I don't play BF3. Reviews seem to indicate that the 765M will run med/high settings on BF3 at 1080P.

2. Gaming on a larger screen is better IMO, but the 14" gets the job done. I like to game with my laptop on my lap and have done 2-3 hour gaming sessions comfortably with the screen less than an arm length away. Any further away wouldn't be comfortable IMO. The cooling performs very well, but can be noisy when really working hard. I usually game with headphones so the noise isn't an issue for me. While watching 1080P Twitch streams or 1080P YouTube, I don't even hear the fans. My MacBook Pro was much louder in comparison. It would crank the fans way up when watching 1080P streams, and the speakers struggled to drown out the fan noise. The Alienware's speakers can cover the fan noise at low volume.

3. I purchased mine used, and would purchase again at the used price, but would not have purchased one new (in my situation). Instead, I'd have purchased a cheaper laptop to use for school and kept my desktop as my only gaming PC. If I didn't have a gaming desktop (meaning the Alienware 14 would be my only gaming machine), then I would be willing to purchase one new with the 1080P/765M combo, and add a SSD myself.

4. I haven't taken it to a LAN, but I've had people in college stare and ask what it is. I turn off the LED lights on the chassis when in class so only the keyboard, trackpad, status, and battery lighting are on. This makes it much less obnoxious. I could turn off the trackpad lightting, but it's a fun conversation starter so I leave it on.

 

Hi all! Just one quick question,

Does anyone knows why I cant have audio through tv when connecting it through the hdmi cable? I get the video but not the audio. When I go to sound devices, I only see one (speakers), I have it setted up to show disconected or disable devices, but still it does not shows me the hdmi audio.

I have the AW 14 with win 8, intel i7 and nvidia GTX 765M.

Thanks in advanced!

 

Just in case!

 

Alright, guys! After much ado, here are my impressions of the NEW Alienware 14 laptop after using it for 3 weeks.

OUTER DESIGN

First off, let's start with the design. The design is KILLER! Not because it looks like a friggin' UFO with lights that would easily startle a kid on Halloween (seriously, it doesn't) but because it looks so unique, yet maintains a subtle design factor that should be no problem to show off to everyone, including your boss at work, your girlfriend (I'm pretty sure the purple and pink color options should get her in your bed more easily), HELL you can even bring it to class! (But remember to turn AlienFX off so your teacher doesn't laugh at you)

The "tron" lights really make a difference in the astethics. In the dark, it looks as if the laptop is hovering (UFO style baby!). Since this is an owner's thread, I'm sure most of you don't need further details. Practically, this means that at a LAN party, you will make your fellow gamers do barrel rolls and look in awe at your BEAST. And it's a powerful beast, as I will get back to later.

The laptop is fairly bulky, and that is a GOOD thing! Razer Blade can go home, as bulkiness helps towards controllable temps, especially when overclocking. This beauty handles its components' heat output with EASE, especially with the very latest A06 BIOS update (be sure to update your BIOS!)

Overall, the design is OUTSTANDING. Got to love the alternative design when most other computers are becoming more round-shaped, not to mention shadowed by tablets arising.

KEYBOARD

The keyboard on a laptop is among the most important outer parts for a gamer, believe it or not. This goes for external keyboards as well, but we will stick to the internal one.

I can happily report that after 3 weeks, my fingers are STILL NOT GETTING NUMB after all the key pressing (WASD not withstanding) I've done. The keyboard has excellent travel, ergonomically shaped keys, fairly stealthy yet haptastic feedback on its keys, and best of all - IT LIGHTS UP! Which means that in the dark, you won't accidentally fall down a pit when what you wanted was to jump over it (not that you'd be that stupid anyway). What I find as a minor annoyance (or just me being the whiney face that I am) is that you just can't change the color of it to pure white, but I've learned to accept that, and so will you when you appreciate the amazing color combos you can do, which brings me to AlienFX.

ALIENFX

Now, this is what really makes Alienware... Alienware, right? Of course it does, don't you dare think otherwise.

AlienFX is the part of the system that takes care of the lights that are on it. Be it the tron lights on the sides, the keyboard lights (which are divided into 4 zones), the status LEDs above the keybard and even the color of the power button (not the actual button, mind you). These zones, among others can be changed into 19 different colors, optionally with differing and/or fading variants if you so choose (I personally use a two-color shifting theme on all zones that support color shifting). The power button, status LEDs and trackpad does not support color shifting, so you can only have one color at a time on those zones. A minor setback there, but overall it's a pretty damn sexy-looking machine if you get creative enough.

TRACKPAD

Most gamers use an external mouse when doing their thing, but the trackpad is still an important aspect of a laptop that is easily underestimated by many. Alienware sure did a radical move when they decided it too would be part of AlienFX, giving it color options - but guess what? A glowing trackpad must be the most awesome thing I've ever seen on a laptop, let alone a gaming laptop. A first, for sure - and a sexy first. Now you can finally stimulate your naughty fantasies of touching/fingering pink without having to feel bad for it. What's surprising is that it works DAMN GOOD as well. I have yet to have used a trackpad this smooth (technically smooth, that is - the trackpad surface does get tricky to use with greasy fingers). Definately a huge plus for Alienware.

SCREEN

Depending on the screen type you choose at purchase, you may either get a technically "crappy", but practically acceptable 1366x768p screen, or a MUCH, MUCH, MUCH, MUCH MORE AWESOME 1920x1080p screen. Why am I bolding this? Because it really is... awesome! Viewing angles are orgasmic, color accuracy is well above what you would expect for a gaming laptop, only beaten slightly by Retina MacBooks (but what gamer with respect for themselves care about a MacBook anyway?) and overall, screen-quality is FANTASTIC. I’d wager that this beast can also cater to PROFESSIONAL photographers as well as gamers. Basically, this is a dream machine.

PERFORMANCE

Now, what would a review of a gaming laptop be without some documentation of what it can run? Let me tell you, its GTX 765M graphics card (optional, GT 750M is standard) is no weakling. This beast can handle most games at FULL 1080p resolution with high details (as of Driver Update 327.23). If you want to go Ultra, you’ll have to turn Anti-Aliasing down and stick to 1600x900p, but a true gamer cares about FPS, not bragging-rights. I’ll detail it in just a minute. Combined with either an i7-4700MQ or i7-4800MQ (the very baseline model comes with an i5-4200M) you get TREMENDOUS performance. I have the GTX 765M/i7-4800MQ configuration.

Now, for the details, I’ve rated each game I’ve tested on it and here are the results:

Batman: Arkham City – FLUENT (1080p, Low AA, Very High details – avg. 60 FPS)
Battlefield 3 – GOOD (1080p, Low AA, Very High details – avg. 45-50 FPS)
Grand Theft Auto IV: VERY GOOD (1080p, No AA, Medium Shadow Quality, High details otherwise – avg. 50 FPS)
Crysis 2 Maximum Edition: GOOD (1080p, Low AA, Medium Shadow Quality, High details otherwise – avg. 35-40 FPS)
Half-Life 2 Episode 2: OVERKILL (1080p, EVERYTHING MAXED OUT EXCEPT AA – avg. 180 FPS)
Portal 2: EXTREME (1080p, EVERYTHING MAXED OUT – avg. 90-100 FPS)

Remember, these are just a fraction of the games out there, and there are many new ones coming out this year. For more games, a YouTube user named Gregory Keennan has a comprehensive video on a variety of games HERE: Alienware 14 Performance game play: Several Games (Long Video with shortcuts) - YouTube

Also, if you are like me and can live fine without AA, you can achieve VERY HIGH FPS while still keeping the settings respectively high otherwise. AA (Anti-Aliasing) is a system taxing technology that makes edges and diagonal lines/polygons perceivably smoother in games and other media, however has no additional benefits. Whenever you can, keep its setting as low as possible for the best possible HD gaming experience. Not kidding, some people actually get nauseous due to high levels of AA.

SYSTEM SPEED

Thanks to a powerful processor and a very decent graphics solution, the system has already been proved to be FAST. But when it comes to general system speed, one also has to take into consideration the speed of the hard-drive, memory speed and perceived system responsiveness. After some testing, I can report that there is NO INPUT LAG from neither the keyboard, trackpad nor any external peripherals you might be using. The system will be responsive whether or not you go for an SSD, as the included 750 GB 7200 RPM hard-drive does its thing beautifully (NoteBookCheck has a wonderful in-depth review with speed benchmarks and everything else that I haven’t covered here). Of course, an SSD will make your PC seem faster in everyday computing, but for gaming (map loading, saving, etc.) even a 5400 RPM hard-drive will be sufficient. I configured mine with an SSD at purchase, as I wanted it out of the box.

RECAP & SCORE

With the Alienware 14, what we’re dealing with here is the ultimate laptop most of us have longed for. It is strikingly beautiful to look at and has a smart, bulky design to allow for top-notch heat dissipation. It strikes an awfully precise balance between design, mobility and performance. It looks casual enough to be brought virtually ANYWHERE you’d like to go – it fits beautifully in your average messenger bag with room to spare for pencils and paper and can easily be your road companion due to the sufficient battery life that really is a bonus. When tested, I’ve reached 4-5 HOURS of battery life with every possible power-saving feature turned on, and when gaming on the road I’ve reached up to 1,5 HOURS of intense gaming time. THAT IS IMPRESSIVE!

Overall, this system is UNBEATABLE in the 14-inch segment. Yes, admittedly this is not the most powerful PC out there – but if you take into account its size, you will understand that fitting more powerful components in there would be pointless, as they would be too powerful for the battery to handle while unplugged. You also have to consider the immense amount of heat the components produce as it is. If you are after maximum performance, try the 17-inch or the 18-inch Alienware laptops. Though, at that point you’re better off with a desktop configuration as the aforementioned laptops are not as portable or convenient to drag along with you as the 14-inch Alienware is.

SCORE: 9.9/10
NOTE: All of the aforementioned tests and impressions are based on the WINDOWS 7 version of Alienware 14, and is not directly representative for those who use WINDOWS 8/8.1 versions. You should be able to get same or higher FPS on Windows 8/8.1 with my tested settings due to some optimizations Microsoft have done in their latest Operating Systems. General system responsiveness should be the same across all operating systems.

Thank you for reading my review, and here's hoping that you will be much more ready to make your decision if you haven’t already bought an Alienware. Feel free to leave comments, feedback and whatever else you can think of asking me about. If on Steam, you can reach me by hitting up KAZiBA in your friend search.

Again, thank you!