*OFFICIAL* Alienware 14 Owner's Lounge Thread

ok so I got the Samsung 840 Pro 512GB to replace the 1TB 5400RPM and I will use the 1tb for backup.
lol wish this was my rig its for my kids graduation

 

I was finally able to get a picture of mine with my crappy iPhone. :confused2:

Spoiler

 

Seems we all have the same 'issue'......

 

I am getting the Alienware 14 too... The specs are:

1
210-ACKB
Alienware 14 Base
1
340-ABEU
Documentation, English
1
370-AANG
16GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz
1
401-AAID
1TB/5400 RPM + 80G caching mSATA
1
429-AACX
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader
1
470-AAKE
US 110V Power Cord
1
490-BBFM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M 2GB GDDR5
1
555-BBET
Killer NIC 1202 802.11n WiFi and BT 4.0
1
580-ABDP
English Keyboard
1
619-ADTB
Windows 8.1 64-bit English
1
658-BBMF
WLAN Killer 1202 Driver
1
994-3730
WARRANTY SPRT,ANW NB,INIT YR
1
995-5333
HW WRTY+SVC,ANWNB1NBDL2,UNY,INIT,REL
1
995-5353
NBD OS,ANWNB1NBDL2,UNY,INIT YR,REL
1
320-BBCS
Alienware 14 Silver Anodized Aluminum
1
328-BBDH
Shipping Material
1
332-1530
Non-retail Order
1
332-1530
Non-retail Order
1
338-BDSI
4th Gen Intel Core i7-4710MQ Processor
1
340-ACQQ
Not Included
1
340-ACXY
Placemat (English)
1
391-BBDL
14.0 inch WLED FHD IPS Anti-Glare Disp
1
450-AAGT
Power Supply : Alienware 150W AC Adapter
1
451-BBBZ
Primary 6-cell 69W/HR
1
620-AASU
Win 8.1 DVD OS Recovery(ENG)
1
630-AAAU
Microsoft Office 2013 Trial
1
640-BBLF
Software Alienware Command Center 3.0
1
658-BBUB
CMS2.0, Win8.1, BD3D, no Media
1
658-BBUS
ADDL SW, CY1 W8 Alienware
1
658-BCDJ
Resource DVD windows 8.1
1
800-BBEV
Thank you for Choosing Dell
1
817-BBBP
None Required
1
950-9797
NO WARRANTY,YRS 2/3(DIM,INSP,NBD)
1
600-0043
ON EHF $1.30 NOTEBOOK

 

In the same exact pattern as well.

 

thank god i only like block colours!

 

Haha! - I know what you mean, I'm that way inclined as well. Still, I would like it to work properly should I get the itch to turn my 14 into a Christmas tree for a while LOL

 

Or a rainbow. :laugh:

 

Hello would like to ask some advice, I got my Alienware 14 from eBay have only had it for 2-3 weeks and its great but its only the basic spec so no 1080p screen or 765m graphics and i paid £699 for it and too be fair it does play the games i want to play fine but i can't help but think maybe i should try get my money back on it and try get one with upgraded specs or go for another brand just because you seem to get more for the money.

What would you do ? Personally i am a bit disappointed by the screen and it would be nice to have a gpu like the 860m although that only seems to be in laptops £950+

 

Not sure how you would fair in getting your money back on an Ebay purchase, unless the seller has a returns period specified and you are within it. I bought my machine off Ebay UK for £500, it came with a 1080p screen and a GT750m 1gb. I've upgraded the mobo on mine which cost around £200, so for me, it was a good way to get the machine I wanted. If you cannot return and you really want to swap, just resell it and re-purchase. Obviously a lot depends on your budget.....mobo's aren't as cheap now as when I got mine, I've also not seen a reseller selling a 1080p IPS panel......

 

????? can I transfer games from a windows 7 pc to a 8.1 pc or should I just reinstall the games

 

I think it depends on the game, some games were released and intended for Windows 7 and prior. However there are some games that have already updated this and have been patched by their developers to be compatible with Windows 8.1
It's a trial and error type of situation.

 

The ips panel can be found here :
Screen for Dell ALIENWARE M14X R3. Replacement Laptop LCD Screens

Or here:
Dell ALIENWARE 14 Notebook Display Replacement | LAPTOP & TABLET LCD SCREEN FROM $34.99.

 

Nice finds! - shame they are not UK based sellers.....

 

It seems there is somesort of a bug in the alienfx, also got the same problem but I dont mind since I use one color on the keyboard.

Also can the drivers of the videocard updated to the latest instead of the current dell one or does it has adverse effects?

 

And then there were four. But like steviejones said it should work seeing as how much this computer cost and if we would like to use a multi-coloured keyboard sometime down the road. I use solid orange for my computer but one day I might want to make my computer into a rainbow.

You could update your GPU to the most recent update but all updates are going to have have some sort of problem because if they all were perfect there would be no need for updates.

 

Hi guys,

I'm just gonna leave this here for anyone to see - I'll also post it in the 14 owners lounge, too.

Anyway, I finally got a bit of time to do a video on how to disassemble my baby Alien 14. I don't think there is a video tutorial on the internet for the current 14 model - I've seen teardowns of the 17 (HIDevolution) and the 18 (Mr. Fox) but nothing for the little 14. So, with that said, and as I've seen a few people asking for such, here it is.....a bit of NBR love for the baby of the bunch!!

As you can tell, I'm no 'YouTuber' - far from it. Hopefully, anyone watching will get some help from it. It was a bit awkward to keep my hands out of the shot at all times as I was trying to man my camera on a tripod and zoom in and out at relevant points during the video. The sound is okay, but it does seem like Darth Vader is next to me at some points.....just my camera zoom making some 'heavy breathing' noises LOL.

Well, here it is anyway - hope you enjoy! - crank it up to full screen and go 1080p for best results!



If and when I get more time, I may do some shorter videos on how to disassemble the keyboard/palmrest assembly and possibly the display panel. If so, I'll edit this post with more....

 

Was thinking of making a tutorial of that but you beat me to it! , nice job!

 

Awesome job! See post #2 of this thread. Tried to rep you, but will have to wait for my supply to replenish.

 

Now, I can finally see how much of a poor job the tech did when he took my notebook apart. All the connectors you said were fragile he broke because he was too rough on them and also he said the were weird connectors. He also said all the screws were the same and he did not need to label them even though you can see that the screws are different. He somehow how managed to put the bottom panel screws inside the notebook and put inside screws on the outside.

 

Thanks! - it had been bugging me that there was no teardown anywhere to be seen for the 14 - maybe you could do a mini-teardown of the stuff I missed such as the palm rest assembly or the display assembly.

Thanks Bud. No worries on the rep score - I need to spread some more love before reciprocating, too...

It's unfortunate that tech's are outsourced by Dell and they often have little to no experience of working with an Alienware machine. That means bad things can happen to good folk like you. If I were Mr. Dell, I'd have a trained fleet of tech's that were knowledgeable with these machines....lord knows they sell them for enough, the warranty should reflect that - and that means service, too. I'm sure that most folk wouldn't even mind a slight hike in warranty cost if it meant that they were going to get a fully trained Alienware technician come to their home if need be.

I hope you got any damage caused rectified, by the way.

 

I did but it took many parts, many trips to the depot, two replacement notebooks, and a ton patience. The tech actually murdered that notebook he broken the connectors in so that was the first to be be replaced because instead of removing the motherboard properly he tried to yank it out damaging the exhaust along with other things. The reason he could not get it out is because he missed the step to remove the screen and not to mention that this was his first time working on Alienware 14. So, he took his virginity with my computer and he can see he did a really poor job in doing it and not to mention he did while he had a bad cold as well. As long as I am left with a working notebook instead of a not caring scumbag busting my notebook I would be happy with that hike.

 

This doesn't seem to be a driver Issue. I've seen cases where re-installing the Alien Command Center solves that. Also a Protip: If you're running on Windows 7, ensure that the Microsoft .Netframework version is 4.0.1 or below. Or else it will give you bugs on the Command Center.

 

I have re-installed the command center and it's still the same and I have Windows 8.1.

 

So sorry for the super late update on the issue. This is regarding the issue started at post #1285.
I have my keyboard and palm rest replaced. The glitch still exists though! I've come to the conclusion that the defect has got nothing to do with hardware things.

Since nobody has reported otherwise, I would say it is just a common problem with all alienwares!

 

Yeah, it appears to be the case - too many users reporting the same thing for it to be an isolated problem. Still, as the keys on the right do have the ability to display red, it shouldn't be too hard for a bit of AlienFX re-programming to ensure they actually work as they should. I wonder if anyone in the 17 or 18 forums have the same issue - maybe not, due to the additional number pad.

 

That's even even they want to make an update for it because I have noticed a trend with DELL blaming the part over software.

Also, I have a question. Why is lightbleed considered a screen defect when I seemed to have noticed the bezel or how the screen is put in the notebook is somehow playing a hand in causing that but a dead pixel/s that is/are in the actual screen is cosmetic?

 

Lightbleed, or IPS bleeding, is considered a defect - as are dead/stuck pixels. Obviously, you can tell for certain if you have dead or stuck pixels as they are dead or stuck -they either are or they are not, if you get me.....with backlight bleeding, the severity of it can vary, and what is acceptable to one person may not be to another. I have some above the Alienware logo - it does bug me, and I might take it up with Dell before my warranty runs out - simply as I don't see it as acceptable. What I aim to do before doing so is to tear down my display assembly as on occasion, the assembly can be poor, with screws being overtightened etc - it might help ease the bleed upon screen movement...if not, warranty time.

Dell LCD Display Pixel Guidelines | Dell US - dead pixel policy covering Alienware notebooks.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-18-m18x/716364-anyone-else-got-backlight-light-bleed.html - more on bleeding!

 

I have no issues so far on my AW14. It runs great atm.

 

Yeah, I get you but D(H)ELL told me that since that replace my screen so many times that the dead pixels were cosmetic. I cannot help it if they sent me a bad screen so many times. The first screen of mine that had dead pixels was three bright ones in a line down the center plus scratches the tech added, the second screen had one bright and one dead, the third one had dead pixels but fourth was the charm. I would try adjusting the bezel first because my had a nasty spot left of the Alienware logo and I fixed by not snapping it so hard like they did I think. Pray you do not get a tech like the one who came to work on my notebook because on a screen change he scratched up the replacement screen and damaged the cabling or the connectors to the palmrest because my touchpad would go dead and the keyboard lights would go out and I would have to tap the palmrest to get to come back on again.

Before I played with bezel.

Spoiler

After playing with bezel.

Spoiler

It still has some but it was unbearable at first.

Lucky show off. ¬_¬;;;... J/K But it seems like it is a lottery with DELL and you win big when you get a non-problematic notebook.

 

I'm with you, totally - it ain't your fault Dell kept replacing with faulty hardware. Their fault, they should suck it up. Good to see you lessened the bleed with a bit of tweaking. Mine isn't half as bad - still in the same kind of locations, though. I'll tear down my lid and fiddle about with it at some point......if I need it replacing, there is no tech on this planet that will get his hands on my machine - he can sit and watch whilst I replace it myself!

 

Yeah, but it wasn't in their eyes and even had the nerve to give me attitude saying they already gave me three replacements and they could give me another but I was not even even asking for a fourth replacement and just wanted a notebook with a screen that worked. I got all the replacements because the tech broke them and not me. He killed the first completely and it came back from the depot with malfunctioning tron lights, the first replacement had lightbleed the tech changed the screen but cut wireless antenna and killed it again, first replacement came back from depot with wireless issues and when the tron lights went dark the backlight from the screen was visible through alienhead and lid lights, second replacement came with massive amounts of lightbleed tech changed screen twice because the first that was sent was cracked in half and the second they sent him had three bright pixels but the tech scratched the screen, killed the DVD drive, and mess up keyboard and touchpad, and the third replacement kept have dead pixels form after an hour or soof use so I called the corporate office and I finally got the working notebook I wanted but I fixed the lightbleed on my own. So, the notebook technically was replaced so many times because of the tech who could not fix my notebook to save his life. On all of mine it seemed to be mostly on the bottom but on one the tech did it was on the top so that's why I think the bezel is borking everything up. It's either too tight or something or the snaps are too short or something. Yeah, I would not trust these people to work on my computer anymore and I am just glad the nightmare is finally over.

tl;dr again so if there is any typos that is why. XD

 

Guys,

Can someone confirm if this is normal behaviour - it concerns installing Nvidia drivers after a clean install of the OS.

Basically, what I'm finding is that after clean installing, installing the HD4600 before Nvidia, then making a switch call (Fn&F5) to boot to Nvidia only, the graphics remain on standard VGA and the Nvidia driver does not 'auto install' - the Nvidia HD audio driver does, but to actually go from VGA to Nvidia requires going to the VGA device in device manager, update driver, browse.......then it installs and everything works as it should.

I was wondering if any of you have to do the same or does your NV driver install differently to my experience of late.....

 

In my case, I just installed the Intel driver first then Nvidia as doing clean window installation.
The Fn+F5 does not work for me, it simply shows "Your graphics solution is automatically configured for optimal performance". Therefore, I always manually select the program to run with Nvidia card.

 

Yeah, prior to my motherboard upgrade, my GT750m also had no option to Fn & F5 to switch - Optimus was on all the time by default. Now that I have a GTX765m motherboard, I can Fn & F5 to run on Nvidia only. I'd like to hear from any 765m owners to see if this is normal behaviour when clean installing....

 

Wow still no Maxwell gtx 860m?

 

Was playing around with a Lenovo y500 today that has a dual gt650m setup and kinda of noticed similar 3dmark scores compared to a gtx765m (around 4000). Both of them were based on the Kepler architecture so I was like... what if the gtx765m was basically just two gt650m's?

So I looked up some info and it turned out the gt650m has 384 cuda cores and times two makes that a total of 768 cores for the gt650m sli, the gtx765m has..... 768 cores! So really no surprise that the scores were similar.

 

Going to pick up the third replacement tomorrow!!!!
Fingers crossed! What if it is faulty again guys? Should I go for another brand?

 

Hey guys so a couple of issues. My laptop sometimes randomly freezes while on battery. It doesn't matter what i'm doing on the computer, if its on battery there is a chance that it will randomly freeze and then i have to hard reboot the computer. So weird. Any idea if this is software or hardware? I'm thinking of calling support tomorrow because my warranty expires in a couple weeks. Also, is anyone having issues with their usb ports? Mine are all weird. Sometimes i'll have to plug in a device multiple times before it gets read by the computer or the computer will randomly disconnect the device while it is connected...

 

9 times out of 10 I attribute complete freezes to electrical / hardware problems. Very rarely is it software these days.

Few things I would try... do you use the same external mouse / keyboard / other peripheral? Try running with all them disconnected. If the problem disappears, reconnect a device one at a time and test until the problem comes back (also keep in mind it could be the combination of items you have connected).

I'd also try re-seating the memory. If it is loose or not seated right, this could easily cause freezes. Also if you have 2 sticks, try running with one at a time, or changing the bays they are in.

EDIT:

I just realized you said only on battery... If the battery is damaged I could see freezes coming into play too.

 

Today I received my Alienware 14 with 256 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD. I thought the SSD was a 256 GB LiteOn, but it's a Micron C400 which has slower sequential write speed than the LiteOn (260 MB/S vs 400 MB/S). I called Dell about it, but they said the SSD brand is not specified and they ship whatever brand is in stock and it's not possible to swap the SSD for a LiteOn. However the packing slip says SSDR,256,FULL,MCARD,M6M and when I googled it, I discovered this is a LiteOn 256 GB MSATA SSD.
Does anyone else have an Alienware 14 with a Micron C400 SSD? And what are my options? Since the packing slip practically says LiteOn, should Dell replace the SSD for a LiteOn?

 

Well on paper it's slower yes but normal day to day use you won't notice a thing, it's about small 4k block random writes and the Micron C400 or rather to say the Crucial M4 which it basically is isn't slower than the LiteOn. And even though it isn't the fastest on paper the Crucial M4 is very reliable, so I wouldn't mind getting it instead of the LiteOn.

 

Double post.

 

Thanks for your answer. You're probably right. The sequential read speed is 500 MB/S, about the same as the LiteOn. And I don't plan to install software everyday so normal use would mean more read than write. Read speed is fast because cold boot takes about 10 seconds.
Overall I'm happy with my Alienware 14. It's well built and has a quality feel to it. Gaming perfomance is amazing for such a small laptop.

 

That will be your last replacement because after three they stopped wanting to replace mine. And if it is faulty again this will prove that it is software and DELL does not know what the hell they are talking about. I do not know which brand to tell you to go with because I have found faults with most of them. =\

 

Hey all, I'm coming from a 14r1 and hated the temp issues...I'm assuming from what I've read in here that the temps are much more undercontrol in the new 14? Also I want to do raid 0... can I put a 128 mseta evo and 128 evo in regular hdd slot and run raid 0 and put a 1tb evo non raid in a caddy in the odb is that ok? Also were on Bios version 9 has the 67c throttiling issue been resolved yet or do I still need a work around for it and how are u guys doin that btw? Thx so much in advance, great forum and info, I've learned so much from u guys

 

The temps on mine are a bit higher then I was used to on the R2, though Haswell tends to run a little hot. But even so it is a lot more quiet than the old R2. I'm running on A07 and don't have throttling issues'.
Raid should be no problem, I'm running a dual 128gb ssd at the moment .

 

Thx for the reply, I knoticed inyour sig your running w2 msatas, plz explain how when there only 1 slot

 

One msata drive is in a msata > 2.5 inch" converter, like one of these:

 

Way cool, just to make sure before I buy if I raid 2 of the slots can the third, prolly the msata slot, be not raid and be for storagez, and do I tell the comp in BIOS to left for storage? Thx so much for your help