Has anyone had any problems with the Broadcom wireless card? I was thinking Broadcom was an upgrade over the killer, but now I see that all alienware 14s are coming with the killer with no option to change to broadcom. I read on another forum that people where having issues with the Broadcom.
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Bought a 14 this week at a pawn store, it was so darn cheap that I just couldn't resist it. So I'm officially and owner of a 14 that aside from a SSD was fully loaded and has a warranty until 2017.
Not sure if it will be replacing my 'old' m14x r2, sure the 14 is faster and has a better build chassis but the downside are the looks, sound and some minor other things that bother me. But the good side is I can compare them both and maybe make a video review of them when I have some time.
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Has anybody figured out how to get Linux installed on their AW14?
I've read into it a bit and it sounds like there's issues with the GPU due to Optimus and the fn keys need drivers to make them work. I'm okay with having a manual software level switch to go from iGPU to dGPU, but would like the fn keys to work. I don't have much experience with Linux, but would like to try it if the setup isn't too hard and it can be used without any major issues. -
I've personally used a few different distro's, Fedora 20 seems to be the best so far.
I don't even recall if the function keys work or not, as I don't use them too much myself.
You can get Optimus to work through a project called BummbleBee, altough I've not messed with it. I really do not do much gaming in Linux myself. I'll boot back to Winders for that.
On my AW14 I have a 500GB SSD as the main boot drive for Winders and my games (WoT, WoWP, Titanfall, etc...) and a 256GB mSATA SSD for Linux. This saves from having to mess with the Windows partitions and keeps the two completely separate.Wattser93 likes this. -
I'm not too familiar with Linux and was recommended to learn it by my CPE Lab teacher. I've used Ubuntu and like its UI (reminds me of OSX). In what ways is Fedora 20 better? Completely honest question, no trying to sound rude. I don't know much of anything about Linux so I'm trying to figure out which one is best to learn on. I'm okay with integrated graphics for Linux since I also have Windows for my gaming. -
Wattser93 likes this.
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EDIT: Trackpad is kind of a pain. I'm having issues with it dragging when I tap to click. I've looked through the system settings and they don't seem to have a "tap and drag? setting like I'm used to in Windows. Once I can figure that out I'll be happy. I'm tried of it dragging random windows around when I'm trying to close things. -
Hi looking at upgrading soon but i need to have vt-d support in Bios can anyone confirm there is VT-D support as the m14xR2 does not. Also is there a unlocked Bios for this model? I heard a soldered jumper may be needed for the m17 model?
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steviejones133 Notebook Nobel Laureate
Again, according to Intel, HM87 chipset supports VT-d, so that shouldn't be an obstacle, afaik. Maybe someone with a 4800mq or above could chime in and check bios for VT-d settings - I've only got a 4700mq, unfortunately.DanXbix likes this. -
awesone would love you see Bios Screen shot for the m14
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Alienware-L_Porras Company Representative
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I am fixing to do the clean install of windows 7 on my 14 laptop on the new SSD. I have a disc that came from dell with windows 7, but I do not have a second disc for the divers, or alienware software. Will it be on this disc I have or will I have do download it somewhere else?
Thanks! -
steviejones133 Notebook Nobel Laureate
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Having some issue's trying to overclock my 14... or rather to say I want to down clock it a bit for better battery life and so on. But when I enable overclocking I do not get the usual options:
Cpu is a 4800mq and running A07 bios -
Alienware-L_Porras Company Representative
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Hi. Bought an Alienware 14 last August while working in UAE, have since come back to the UK.
I noticed my hinge is wobbly yesterday, still nice and stiff when opening and closing though. the screen can move side to side a mm or two, even when it is shut. Heard of this on m14x but rarely on 14.
Anybody else had this problem how can I fix it? Not going back to UAE till July so can't use my local warranty till then. -
Hi, can anyone tell something about the quality of the 720p screen? I can't seem to get the price for a configuration with a FHD screen and a 750 GT GPU along with a 3-year warranty into my budget of 1500 USD... Does anyone have any haggling tips from their own experience? Unfortunately I can't call DELL, I can only chat with a US rep.
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The quality is hugely different from the 720p compared to the 1080p in terms of contrast, viewing angles, colors and of course the pixel density itself. I would personally always go for the 1080p screen, it will also have a higher resale value if you ever consider to sell it in the future.
steviejones133 likes this. -
steviejones133 Notebook Nobel Laureate
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steviejones133 Notebook Nobel Laureate
Of course, if you can stretch your budget to include the IPS panel and the GTX765m, I think it would be considerably more capable with a whole host of more demanding games.
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Is there any BIOS mod for the AW14?
I have had a brief look around but there is nothing obvious standing out.
On the newest BIOS version A08 with Nvidia drivers 337.50
I can't even bump up the GPU or it memory speeds with EVGA tweaker or even MSI afterburner.
Needing a bit extra, playing around the UE4 tech demos, and is pretty demanding, so anything will help. Also if I can get a little bit more out of the GPU then I likely reach a solid 60 FPS in a couple of games I play without dropping the eye candy.
Seems the latest BIOS and Nvidia drivers are not allowing any tweaking at all, any way around this? -
steviejones133 Notebook Nobel Laureate
NVIDIA Kepler VBIOS mods - Overclocking Editions, modified clocks, voltage tweaks -
Hey guys, so instead of this problematic Precision M3800, I might be switching over to an Alienware 14. I was wondering that for a normal user, are there any issues such as heat issues or noise issues or even the most simple things like coil whining that could be annoying in a quiet setting? Also, how is the build quality of the machine? I'm a former Macbook Air user, so maybe my build quality expectation may be higher, but as long as things don't look cheap and flimsy, that's fine... Thanks
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Strange, was play a few games last night and GPU was max on 600MHz, no turbo what so ever, actually running under stock speeds. I was running balanced power setting, although I wasn't running of battery, though it would of still at least run stock of 800MHz. I wonder if this has anything to so with BIOS A08 and Nvidia drivers 337.50?
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Hi, I'm trying to haggle the price for the 14, but so far I've got the price down to 1550$ with a student's discount. The configuration is i7-4710MQ, GT 750 2GB DDR5, 8GB RAM na 500GB SSHD. I also have a 3-year warranty because it will be used in Europe and bought in the US. Does somebody have any advice on haggling? I tries looking up information on various forums but mostly the info there is outdated.
Thanks
PS. This is all done via chat, but the price with tax is over 1650 so I will have to try something else. -
I can give you the reps name and contact if you like
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Core i7 4700
1080p ips
Gtx 765m
500gb sshd
8g ram
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so nobody else with wobbly hinge? ideas how to fix?
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pathfindercod Notebook Virtuoso
No wobble hinge here. I opened and close it a few times a day carrying it around for work. Still as tight as the day i got it.
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Hey guys I have a quick question, I bought my Alienware 14 with Windows 8 basic not pro, so I was thinking of getting an SSD as I've seen many people telling that the SSD will help the performance and won't take off too much battery but I saw that you will have to make a clean install of Windows 8. The problem is that In the box it only came with the Alienware CD drivers and software, there was no windows 8 disc so I'm worried about this, the disc didn't came or it was because i have windows 8 basic? how can I install windows 8 on the new SSD i will buy if I don't have the disc for installing the OS?
Thanks in advance -
Just download the windows 8 iso here:
Upgrade Windows with only a product key - Microsoft Windows Help -
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I actually found after installing an 840 evo ssd that my battery life improved. It also made the laptop completely silent. With the HDD in it used to keep the fan on all the time to varying degrees, now it only comes on when I am gaming. -
Alienware made these things tanks.steviejones133 likes this. -
steviejones133 Notebook Nobel Laureate
I agree. No problems with hinges either. Same as above, hinges are that firm that occasionally it requires a gentle hold on the palm rest to avoid the base lifting up at the same time. Saying that, you could probably have a go at fixing a wobbly hinge yourself fairly easily. Have a look at the service manual and you can probably tighten up any loose screws which might be attributing to your hinge issues:
ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-prod...laptops/alienware-14_Owner's Manual_en-us.pdf
Page 67 onwards details how to remove the display panel - if you wanted to check to see if the hinges were screwed down tightly. I suspect maybe they are not (see page 69) and those would be the ones to tighten. -
ahhh didn't know there was a service manual -_-
will give this a try if i'm feeling up to opening it, if the problem doesn't get any worse then I might wait until my warranty runs out in case something else breaks!
but I have faith because yes, this thing is like a tank lolsteviejones133 likes this. -
steviejones133 Notebook Nobel Laureate
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Ok thank you! but do I have to download it and put it on a usb so I can install it on the SSD? also I would want to know if I can pass all my programs and configurations from my HDD to my SDD, is it possible?
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steviejones133 Notebook Nobel Laureate
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Alienware-L_Porras Company Representative
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im planning to buy alienware 14, do you guys know where to buy it around melbourne or sydney for the best deal? thanks before
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steviejones133 Notebook Nobel Laureate
Finally got some free time to do my GTX765m upgrade - bought my machine with a GT750m off Ebay UK for a steal and bagged a new motherboard with a 765m soldered on to it relatively cheap. All in all, the upgrade went very smoothly. The machine itself is easy enough to disassemble. Obviously, replacing the motherboard involved a pretty complete teardown to the bear chassis. Didn't need to remove a lot of stuff as I was thinking - was pleased that the keyboard etc all comes off as one unit attached to the palm rest. Had to remover the display, too - I was expecting that LOL. Got everything stripped down, swapped over my 4700mq to the new board, repasted with some Prolimatech PK-1 and reassembled. Idle temps in first spoiler for cpu/gpu - bear in mind that my little beast is running my U2711 2560x1440 right now and the 14 is sat on my U3 with the fans on....not too bad methinks.
Anyway, it took maybe an hour or so to do the work, but I was taking my time. I did have one hairy moment where I accidentally pinged off one of the connector latches for the palm rest ribbon cable seen below:
Fortunately, it did not break and I was able to replace it. Stupidly, in haste, I was trying to pull the latch away from the socket when it actually just lifts up. I should have paid more attention to the arrows instead of assuming it was like the other ribbon latches......anyway, I won't make that mistake again in a hurry - brown trouser moment for sure!
Anyway, all's well that ends well, and it did. I'm back up and running now, happily typing on my 14 with a GTX765m under the hood instead of the GT750m. Pic in spoiler to show:
And here are a couple of pics during the upgrade:
I'll edit the post a bit later with some benchie differences between the two. One thing hit me as a big design flaw was that to remove the heat sink requires the motherboard to be removed to get to it - making repasting a tedious large teardown.....Dell did not think that one through....reborn2003, Mr. Fox, Rafix and 1 other person like this. -
Nice job... tried to +1 you, but I have to spread some around first. You'll have to grab one of svl7's unlocked vBIOS for that 765M. Looking forward to the before and after benches.
steviejones133 and Rafix like this. -
steviejones133 Notebook Nobel Laureate
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One quick question Alienware 14 peeps! :thumbsup:
My 14 came with just a standard 750GB hard drive and I just bought a msata SSD that I would like to install as a caching drive.
How do I go about it?
Just whack in the mSata drive and then boot up and install Intel RST. It is already installed however there is no acceleration mode that I can see where you would normally enable caching.
Do I need to do anything else? Reinstall Intel RST or something?
Do I need to set BIOS settings to RAID and then reinstall the OS?
Stevie sent us this link in the past http://www.dell.com/support/trouble...cles/ArticleView?c=us&l=en&s=gen&docid=564442 Thanks Champ! PS/ Nice upgrade there!
Thanks heaps!
Cheers.Mr. Fox likes this. -
Yes, the BIOS needs to be set to RAID. You can change the registry settings to avoid the need for an OS reinstall. Scroll down to the end of post #1 in this thread for instructions on how to do that.
If you still do not see that option try running a Diskpart "clean" command on the mSATA, then open Windows Disk Management utility. It should offer to initialize the new drive. Choose MBR (not GPT) and then see if RST has the acceleration option at that point.reborn2003 likes this. -
I'll try this out when I get a chance and report back results.
Thanks Champ!
Cheers. -
Turns out I had to update my intel RST software and it was finally detecting the accelerating mode.
Cheers.steviejones133 and PuNkMaN like this.
*OFFICIAL* Alienware 14 Owner's Lounge Thread
Discussion in 'Alienware 14 and M14x' started by Mr. Fox, Jun 12, 2013.