*OFFICIAL* Alienware 14 Owner's Lounge Thread

Very nice write up!

 

Hey guys, just wanted to share this new bios uptade with you, just relased ( picked from alienware facebook page).
Driver Details | Dell US

Have a good one

 

@kbaath, thanks for the review!

So at this time is there any consensus whether the LG or AUO 1080p IPS screen is the "better one"?

 

Recently ordered my Alienware 14 and it's in-production now. My configuration.

1 Memory : 16GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz
1 Graphics : NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M with 2GB GDDR5
1 WLAN Killer 1202 Driver
1 256GB mSATA Boot + 750GB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s
1 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, English
1 Optical Drive : Slot-Loading 8x SuperMulti Drive (DVD/R/RW)
1 Killer NIC 1202 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0
1 US 110V Power Cord
1 Premium Phone Support, 3 Year Extended
1 4 Year Limited Warranty
1 Premium Phone Support, Initial Year
1 Dell Hardware Warranty Plus On-Site Service, Initial Year
1 Dell Hardware Warranty Plus On-Site Service, Extended Year(s)
1 In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis, Parts and Labor On-Site Response, Initial Year
1 In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis, Parts and Labor On-Site Response, 3 Year Extended
1 Accidental Damage Service, 4 Years
1 4th Generation Intel(R)Core(TM)i7-4700MQ processor (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz w/ Intel(R)Turbo Boost)
1 14.0 inch (355.6 mm) WLED FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS Anti-Glare Display
1 Battery : Primary 6-cell 69W/HR
1 Power Supply : Alienware 150W AC Adapter
1 Anodized Aluminum
1 Software Alienware Command Center 3.0
1 Resource DVD
1 Windows 7 Label, OptiPlex, Fixed Precision, Vostro Desktop
1 Placemat (English)
1 Software: Microsoft Office 2013 Trial

Can they make changes in-production? If so anything I should change in this configuration before it ships? Appreciate it.

 

Also, wanted to ask if anyone could recommend a good backpack that could hold this laptop and a book or two. Appreciate it.

 

I have the LG and it is good. The only issue with it is some backlight glow at the bottom when the screen is black and the fact that it is somewhat grainy due to the antiglare coating. I am sort of curious what the AUO is like. It would be worth sacrificing brightness for a uniform, non-grainy display in my opinion.

 

I seem to have the AUO one. No graininess reported here, nor exceptional bleeding. Bleeding is actually "accepted" by Dell up to a certain point. From I recall with a conversation with a representative, you'd have to notice the bleeding at average viewing distance in a fairly lit room for them to see it as sensible grounds for replacement. Oh, and screen brightness about ~75 %. I'm like you - I wish I had the other option, as I'd like to have a bit more screen brightness. It hasn't bothered me thus far, but you never know when you have to get out in the sun.

(Gamers hate that, don't they...)

-KB

 

So just opened my new AW14 (in fact I'm typing on it now).

The one thing I'm finding really sub-par are the speakers and subwoofer - I had an XPS15 L502x previously which pumped out warm, clear, loud and bassy sound. Maybe I'm expecting too much from a 14-incher but I find it tinny and totally lacking bass - especially considering there's supposed to be a dedicated subwoofer inside. I've tried adjusting the Dolby settings but that seems to make little difference.

Am I missing something or is just what I have to put up with?

 

keep playing around with the dolby or try turning it off

 

This hurts my feelings, I was hoping for a decent sound system within my 14. Guess I'll see when it arrives.

 

Well........decided to on the spur of the moment order a Alienware 14 with the 765m graphics and bluray (stock everything else). Only because dell are doing 6 months interest free and I was going to get a fancy retina mbp. But I was drawn to the Alienware........(maybe the £650 price saving was a big pull).


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I agree -- the speakers are not top-of-the line. As well, I can hear a little hiss (noticeable when the music is quiet) on the audio out of the headphone jacks. The AW 14 is definitely not for audiophiles/musicians.

 

very true. but then is there a laptop out there that is?

 

I was about to say the same thing

 

Well like I say my XPS15 L502x was absolutely incredible audio wise. I think going from that to the AW14 has shocked me a little. Especially when you're spending £1400+.

Actually think I'll end up keeping my XPS just to watch movies on from a distance / filling a room with music.

 

Coming from my 13" MacBook Pro, the Alienware's speakers are a marked improvement. I mainly use my speakers for watching YouTube videos so quality isn't too big of a deal for me. Most gaming is done with a headset, and music is streamed through AirPlay to my receiver, so onboard speakers aren't very important for my uses. Even great laptop speakers pale in comparison to any headphones or real speakers, so being suboptimal isn't too big of a deal.

 

Nice to have you in our community! You'll love it

 

I guess the sound on my 17" MacBook Pro has been the best sound system in general I've have on a laptop with exception to my AW18. The sound on the 14 sounds good, better than a lot of others I've had. I just kinda has a hollow sound, but I like it. The 18 can get down right loud if you want and sounds good.

 

anyone know if it is possible to adjust the volume steps on the aw volume control (the osd thing that pops up when changng volume)? first notch is ok. second too much so would prefer the second notch to be adjusted to something a little quieter

 

Hi everyone. I've just become the proud owner of my Alienware 14 after previously having an m17x r3 and an m14x r1. I nabbed a good example from the outlet with 4700mq, GTX765, 16gb ram and bluray. I've already done a clean Windows 7 install with a new plextor 256gb msata ssd that i bought separately. All's good and I'm quite impressed so far.

The previous posts talk about the sound quality and I haven't used it much with the speakers as yet so cant really talk with authority on those, but I've used the same headphones I've used with both my previous alienwares and there is a very noticeable improvement in sound. There's a little more 'depth' to the sound that wasn't present with the other two.

I had trouble turning the touchpad backlight off via the Alienware software as it wouldn't let me select black from the colour wheel. I since found a workaround via fiddling with the system tray popup's go dark option, also plugging in an external mouse can be selected as a setting to disable the touchpad entirely. Both solutions are not ideal as I quite like having the keyboard keys lit without the touchpad and I've yet to find a way of doing that whilst still retaining the function of the pad.
<<edit>> Posted in a separate thread and solution received there... though god knows why dell dont allow "black" as a colour setting on the touchpad when it allows it everywhere else!>>

I also have yet to get my wifi working at all since my clean install despite having tried the drivers from dell's website. I still have the yellow exclamation marks in device manager for "network controller" and "BCM20702A0" under Other Devices.
<<edit>> It seems it was down to my windows 7 not having updated its .net framework and/or service pack 1. Tried reinstalling the driver from Dell and now appears to work fine.

Ultimately... now completely happy with the 14 and looking fwd to using it properly on my next trip away!

 

Question for those folks who installed Windows 7 or have laptops that came with Windows 7 pre-installed.

Did you enable the Legacy BIOS or was it already enabled for those units that came with Windows 7 pre-installed?

I can only get Windows 7 to install with the Legacy BIOS, it hangs when trying to install with the UEFI bios.


Thanks,
TrueG

 

Mine came with legacy bios enabled (windows 7)

 

Thank you pathfindercod, knowing that, I can give up on trying to get Win 7 installed with UEFI.



TrueG

 

Im having some issues with the sound (just with headphones), when I plug it and the system is bootign sometimes the sound isnt good (especially the bass, dont have nothing to do the dolby configuration I think...) I have to unplug and plug it again for optimal sound... another thing its when i start play music (or a video) the sound after a few seconds rise up, anyone else having therse behaviour?

 

Have you tried reinstalling the audio drivers? Have you tried with different headphones?

 

Fwiw, I did a clean install of Win 8.1 with UEFI with no problems...

And I generally do recommend UEFI (over legacy), much faster, nice booting graphics at full resolution, etc. UEFI disk partitioning and GPT requirements are another story, but suffice it to say, worth it.

 

How do I clean install with 8.1? Please let me know. Thanks! I don't understand what the difference is between legacy and uefi.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

Just boot from the Windows 8 media and delete the current partitions, format then start the installation.

 

Is there any reason to do a clean install? I just received it and cloned the HDD to SSD. It works great. If I want to upgrade to Windows 8.1 is there any reason just upgrading in place would not work?

Cheers,

 

If you are upgrading from Windows 7 and you want to take advantage of that one useful perk Windows 8/8.1 DOES offer (Fast Boot), you'll want to enable UEFI and re-partition your HDD/SSD. Otherwise, Legacy will suit you just fine, given that its 5-second initiation time doesn't make you go nuts. Suffice to say Windows 8.x with Fast Boot enabled would take just as long to access BIOS, you just don't have to wait when you're not tweaking it!

 

Hit F12 during boot, and choose boot mode (UEFI, Secure Boot On/Off), then you proceed with what L. Porras said.

The difference between UEFI and Legacy BIOS in this case is mainly that UEFI lets you bypass BIOS initiation by placing a file/partition on your hard-drive. This is useful for Windows 8.x systems as it enables Fast Boot to be performed. Otherwise, there are no major technical differences other than the aestethics; you get to display the Alienware logo during Windows boot in this case.

 

Hi all. I was very impressed with my new Alienware laptop. I've had it for 3 weeks but now am faced with several keys that refuse to work at all. One of them was F2 which makes me think the problem is physical rather than software related.

I followed the brief troubleshooter found on the Dell website which did nothing to help and have phoned support which sadly resulted in a wasted call as the laptop keys decided to work on that startup attempt. Telephone support wanted to run further tests remotely after I said it was working which I declined (didn't seem necessary when it appeared to work whilst on a premium rate number!) Naturally on every attempt since the keyboard still doesn't function correctly. In its present state the laptop is unusable.

I've sent two emails, one to support and one to the after sales rep that contacted me shortly after delivery. I've yet to receive an answer from either and that was about a week ago.

So two questions, does anyone know of a way to fix my troubles? What is the best way to actually get someone from dell to actually take my complaint/support request seriously!

This is a 3 week old machine. Dell already messed up delivery and now the laptop is unusable with no signs from Dell that they care particularly and I'm left less than impressed.

 

You have to call and sit on hold until you reach a human. If it's defective in the first 30 days just demand a RMA and return it. They outsource much of their onsite service (if you opted for that) and they mess up many machines rather than repair them. If you have depot support you'll be without your machine for awhile. In some cases it's best just to return it.

Cheers,

 

I see your point, however since mine came with 8.0 I just upgraded to 8.1

Just don't see the reason to do fresh install but I guess if you started with 7 perhaps a fresh install of 8 is safer.

Cheers,

 

Has anyone had the rubber coating come off of the wrist rest?

I've had my Alienware 14 for about 2 weeks and I noticed the other day that the coating has worn off at the front left corner. It's never been dropped or even bumped so I don't know how it would have even happened.

I'm concerned that in a few months its going to look like crap with pieces of rubber missing at the corners or elsewhere.

 

It was an Outlet machine which I think came with 1yrs onsite warranty. If I ask for RMA, do they just take it away and give a refund or do they replace the machine? I don't really want to be without a laptop.

I have an alienware m17xr3 with a gtx580m card that has just blown some SMD capacitors and an alienware m14xr1 that's showing signs of graphics card failure. Perhaps I should learn my lesson and go with a different brand.

 

Outlet machines may not have another one readily available but at times they will offer something slightly better just to keep you happy. I've had them ship the replacement first but my card had a hold placed until I returned the defective one. However, others have had to return the bad one first.

Regardless, it looks like you haven't had the best luck with this brand.

Cheers,

 

Ordinarily I'd say that would be great, only my alienware 14 is top specced already, the only way they could improve on it is to put a better CPU on board! Well I guess I'll see what course of action they come up with before I hit them with the RMA.

 

This hasn't affected anyone else?

 

It hasn't happened to mine at all. Mine was originally bought in late July too.

 

OK, sounds like I will need them to send me a replacement before my 30 days are up and just hope that it doesn't happen again.

 

Hey everyone,

I am looking to get into PC gaming and Alienware's reputation and futuristic style have drawn me in. As a PC rookie, I am pretty uneducated as far as what specs are necessary to run certain games. I am a college student with a limited budget but I want to build my Alienware to have the capability to run games like Skyrim and Battlefield 4. I was hoping to be able to get some feedback from users who are familiar with the capabilities of this computer. Is the baseline model (i5 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 1GB GDDR5, 1366x768 display) enough to perform well while playing games such as these or is it necessary to upgrade to options such as the i7 processor and 1080p screen? I apologize for the lack of knowledge in advance. Thanks for the help.

 

It depends on how much "eye candy" you want. The base specs that you list will play both games, but not at high or ultra settings. You may need to drop down to medium or low details.

My 5 year old Dell Precision was able to play Mass Effect 3 & Deus Ex Human Revolution just fine when they came out, but I had to drop down to 1024x640 (from the native 1920x1200) with low details to get them to run smoothly. I was still able to enjoy the games just fine.

The more CPU/GPU power you have, the higher the detail settings and resolution you can run. The GPU is more important when it comes to games.

Having a higher resolution screen is actually detrimental to performance if you plan to play at the screen's native resolution. If you don't mind playing at a non-native resolution (playing at 1280x720 on a 1920x1080 screen for example), then the choice of screen should be based on your budget and how important a good quality screen is to you.

Upgrading the processor, would have a minimal effect on gaming. The GPU in this case will be the bottleneck.

When buying a laptop for gaming, you generally want the fastest GPU you can afford, while picking a laptop that has sufficient cooling to prevent that GPU from having to run at a slower speed to compensate for insufficient cooling. The 2013 Alienwares have excellent cooling.


TrueG

 

Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate the help

 

Hello AW friends, Today i am super stoked to have purchased an AW 14!!
One question: Does anyone know what the average time it takes to ship from Tennessee to Alberta in Canada. My expected date of delivery is the 20th, but i am quite reserved about this. Mainly being that not only is it a Friday but a ton of people will not be working the following week due to the holiday season... Then you have the looming holiday purchases. I mean if you think about it there are probably thousands of these beauts being purchased daily... one single delay and my epic holidays are pooched :cry:

Any Canadian feedback or similar shipping conditions would be peace of mind greater than that of Dell Canada.

Cheers

 

Mine was ordered Oct 24th, in the evening. It shipped on the 30th and they tried to deliver it on Nov 5th. I picked it up from the Purolator depot on the 6th. This was to Victoria, BC.

 

So that'll be 4 Business days to ship and 5 or so for delivery, Not bad at that rate i should see myne by the 16th. Hoooray! Even more excited!!!

Thanks Trueg, Very promising.

 

ordered 14/08/13
shipped 17/08/13
delivered 21/08/13

 

Alphabetagaga,

Was that shipped from their Ireland location or did that come through Tennesse? What shipping service did you choose?

Cheers

 

from China.

we dont get any shipping options here in the uk just ships 'standard'

Sent from my Nexus 4