*OFFICIAL* M14x Owner's Lounge Thread - READ BEFORE POSTING

Hey guys
I am going to buy and Alienware M14x, im going to do all the upgrades except SSD because it's way over priced.

What I want to know is if the laptop performes better with the SSD, and if i will see a difference in Power consumption.

The main reason I want an SSD is because of speed but ive read it uses less battery is this true. If you can help me and give a list of some of the best SSD's for performance, reliability and power consumption. All so some of the best HDD for gaming or ones with lowest power.

THANKS

 

Yes, the performance enhancement with an SSD is one of the best computer upgrades you can do. The difference is incredible. The only down side is cost and loss of storage space. A high capacity SSD sells for an asinine price. Battery life should improve a little bit as well, but that's kind of a side bonus.

You will find all the help you need in the following thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...on-questions-troubleshooting-discussions.html

 

This is my first time with a SSD and I must admit that it is a much different experience. SSD is like a ferrari while HDD is a Corolla. Both will take you to your destination, but you see my point.

 

Hey everyone.

Just received my m14x couple days ago. Been wanting an Alienware for a very long time and so far I'm very happy with the m14x. Couple questions.

1. Any other drivers apart from Nvidia driver which I have updated, that should be updated?

2. My Alienware came with the SSD installed from Dell and was wondering what speeds I should be getting? SATA II or SATA III?


Thanks

 

Welcome to the Alienware club.

1. As far as I know, thats the only driver that you need to update.

2. It should be running at SATA III I believe. You might have to downgrade the bios to get those speeds though Idk.

 

Just received my m14x . Guys please shed some light on what i need to install now.btw how to add a signnature

 

You'll be able to add a signature in User CP after you have reached five quality posts.

 

Hello my friends, im Tiago and im from Portugal ale ale!!
I just want to say that im the happy owner of a alienware m14x R3!!
ALIENWARE ROCKS!!
Who can someone say that maccrap is better???????
Ive bought mine in August (8 months ago) and im very very happy!

Pros:

-Beautiful
-Exclusive
-Good materials used
-Very good running all modern games(high/ultra)

Counters:

Heavy
Power entrance in the middle
dust behing the plastic screen(always removing so i can clean)
dust impossible to remove in the top part near the alienware logo

Sorry for the mistakes in English, not my main language!

 

Glad you are happy with your new laptop.

Welcome to NBR, Tiagocosta10.

 

Hi All
Thought i would introduce myself here being new to the site/forum.

Andy - From the UK

I am new to the whole Alienware/Decent laptop land, i have never really bothered too much with my PC/Laptop rig but decided to get something that was going to last.

After spending a good 3 hours reading things on here i am excited at the prospect of upgrading and not being locked into only getting dell products to preform this as the products available to the UK variant of the m14x seem to be lacking on the dell site (like they dont want you to upgrade it).

I think my upgrades that i will be looking at when i get brave enough will be:

More Ram possibly 8gig from my current 4 (suggestions welcome as there are alot on the site)
SSD - I have updated to the a08 bios version so i believe from what i have read that i am possibly limited to SS2? not really sure but i think this will be something that i would do next year.

Possibly update the WIFI card if i get brave.

Other than that i think doing the processor on my own would be a bit too adventerous for me .

Loving the articles!

 

here she is

 

Congrats! Always nice to see a new M14X owner.

 

I've wanted an Alienware for the last 10 years since I was a teenage gamer... finally got one and I'm stoked.

Although, I've been using Dell's XPS line since 2007 and I'm very impressed with that.

I actually prefer the slick design of the XPS 13 to the bulky choppyness of the m14x.

For instance, the Dell XPS 13 has a nicer keyboard and the lcd keyboard lighting intuitively dims and then relights when it senses movement over the keyboard.

The m14x has fake fan vents in the front, which I wasn't too happy about =\ I wish it had real vents =P

Maybe I'm just biased/not as impressed because of this:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-score-lagarific-bootup-time-whats-wrong.html

 

I am getting my M14X any day now and I wanted to see if you guys have any preventative set-up tips for a hardcore gamer in terms of prolonging life, reducing heat while maintaining optimum game settings? I’m pretty dumb when it comes to computers FYI.

Current things I am planning on doing or have already done:
1) Bought a U2 cooling pad
2) Plan on turning off turbo boost (is it really worth the decrease in performance for a couple degrees C?)
3) Using the middle power setting to prolong battery life and when I’m gaming

Things I’ve heard I should do but not sure about and or don’t know much about:
1) Updating BIOS? Does Dell ship with the most current version?
2) Updating GPU driver? Is it worth getting the more current one from NVIDIA or the one from Dell
3) Force using the NVIDIA GPU for WOW, SWTOR, Diablo 3 etc by adding it to the list of .exe that the GPU will force to use instead of the intel (no clue how to do this)

Current things I am planning on NOT doing:
1) Over clocking so I don’t overheat my laptop
2) Re-pasting with artic silver until I have actual heat issues (hopefully my cooling pad use while gaming makes this never an issue)

Random Thoughts:
1) I remember a couple years ago someone recommended that I allocate virtual memory space form system RAM to make things run faster. Not sure if this is a myth or irrelevant.
2) Any major programs that bog the computer down that you recommend uninstalling that came from dell?
3) Any start-up processes/applications that can bog things down?



Intel Core i7 2670QM 2.2GHz (3.1GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)\8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz\3.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M

 

You can normally leave the SWAP file as-is. Back in Windows 98 and even WinXP, the SWAP file management wasn't great. In Vista and Windows 7, its quite good, and you'll never need to change it (Unless you have the SSD+HDD Like me)

I've never overclocked mine, I've never regooped the CPU/GPU, I've never changed my A05 Bios, I've never disabled my TurboBoost. I DONT run on a cooling pad and I use the "Max Performance" settings.

You should be fine dude, but I don't know about the "uninstalling Dell Bloatware and slow startup processes" as the FIRST thing I do is wipe Windows and do a fresh "Off the DVD installer". I then install the Dell drivers and go from there. Gives a much faster system IMHO

Good call on that, I'd kill to have a ambient-light based fading on my keys (like my old MacBook Pro, or my Dell E6400) ALSO, if I could turn off the #$%@ trim light on the touch pad!! At night, it reflects off the screen SO bad. the only way to turn it off is to actually disable the T-Pad with the button. Not impressed

 

Thank you so much for the reply. Great to hear from someone with first hand experience. I deifnitely do not want to mess with anything that I don't need too.

 

Got my new laptop Saturday and it has been amazing. I've been wanting an Alienware laptop for ages. I thought i got over it when i bought the Asus G73 but i guess the little kid inside still loved the look of the red Alienware laptops.

The only things i still have to get used to is the keyboard. It's probably the best keyboard i have ever felt on a laptop but I'm use to the island styled keyboard on the Asus G73.

I also have to get used to the fan noise, man they're loud. Though i don't hear them when I'm gaming with my headphones on.

I've already bought a Western Digital My Passport Essentials 500gb USB 3.0 Hard Drive. I also bought two bags the Belkin Sling and still waiting the arrival on my Booq Mamba Shift and will hopefully do a review and comparison between the Alienware Orion backpack, (17.3") Belkin Sling and Booq Mamba Shift.

 

Greetings! So I'm here because I need to talk to people who have experience with the Alienware M14x. I'm really interested, but after some further research online, it appears that many people are unhappy with them.

I'm preparing for a masters program which is going to require some extreme power since a number of my classes are going to be 3D animated courses. If anyone in here is a 3D animator and or high end game developer, you know how much strain that is on a computer when it comes to baking and rendering.

I need the most powerful computer for mobility purposes and I believe that's an Alienware. I already have a beast at home that renders, and I already have a render farm setup, but those are desktops. I need something to take from point A to point B. I need to have full confidence when working one on one with people and doing intense 3D projects, is going to require a serious laptop.

I already know Alienware is known as the gaming laptop. This is good, I may game on it once a semester, but I'm not the same gamer I used to be. My biggest concern is harnessing the hardware power for GPU rendering. This is again, another reason I'm considering an Alienware. I have not seen another laptop on the market that has video card acceleration as good as the Alienware. The Dell XPS 14z was the only other laptop that I saw that came close, but even then, it doesn't match the Alienware M14x.

I'm extra nervous and cautious to purchase one, simply because I've heard so many bad things about them. Hardware breaking down is the first thing, followed by horrible customer service.

Please, I ask that you give me your professional opinions on Alienware, your experiences and if you would honestly recommend that people buy them. I'm not building another desktop, not at the moment anyway. I need something portable and it needs to be REALLY powerful.

 

If you really need power you could also look at the m17x. Its a bit more expensive, but it has the ability to be a lot more powerful while still getting decent battery life with the integrated gpu. Just a thought as I'm not a game designer so I'm not sure how much power your really looking for.

 

I really appreciate the reply, but do you think the rumors of Alienware are accurate? Have you known them to have a lot of hardware issues, particularly the motherboard going out? That's my biggest concern. As for power, The video cards seem to be right on the mark. The Nvidia 555m and the 3GBs of GPU memory seems to be really good. It's the fastest that I've seen and I've researched the XPS, the ASUS G74 series and a few others. I'm on board for buying one, I'm just really hesitant because of all the bad rep they've gotten over the years. I need to know if I can trust Alienware.

 

umm the asus g74 series has the 560m atm which is more powerful than the 555m of the m14x. The tradeoff for that power though is warranty and pretty bad battery life. I have had a few issues in the past with my system, but its mostly been wear and tear. All I had to do was call up alienware and explain the problem. Dell overnight shipped the parts to my house, and the next day I had a tech come out to do the repair. Doesn't get better than that. My saying for computers always goes like this: for every complaint that shows up around the internet, there is ten happy customers. Alienware sells a lot of machines, and there is always bound to be issues, but there inhome warranty fixes any issues that come up quickly and efficiently.

 

I can only speak for my own personal experience - I've owned an M11x for almost 2 years (bought in July 2010) and an M14x for almost 1 year (bought in May 2011), and neither has had any hardware issues whatsoever. There are some heat issues with the M14x during heavy gaming - I'm not sure how that would affect your work. A cooling pad makes almost all of those issues go away, combined with occasionally cleaning out the intake vent. The heat issues for me have never resulted in the M14x dying, only throttling of the processor resulting in FPS dips.

This is my experience alone, but these computers have been wonderful to me and have never given me any problems!

 

Ahh okay, Maybe I was looking at the G51 or a different one when I saw the Nvidia 520's. They seem to have so many models, my mistake. I have to say, I am a little concerned. See the gaming process I have no doubt it can handle it, even as Jason mentioned, they get hot during game play, but in my experience with Animation and Game dev baking and rendering, these are the true testers of how well hardware will stand strong or just break down.

My apartment consists of high end custom built desktops, graphics servers and one render farm, so I'm surrounded by large machines that are rendering big jobs, so it could also be that I'm asking too much of a laptop right now.

I really appreciate the responses so far. I'll keep checking back and seeing if anyone else has thoughts. I need to continue to ponder on this carefully. I want to make the right choice. Thanks so far you guys!

 

Does anyone know where to buy m14x motherboard? I was thinking to buy some cheap faulty m14x and fix it myself, or is it too risky?

 

Hey All,

Had a quick look through the forums over the last couple of days, but there is alot of pages on the m14..

Anyway, managed to pickup an M14 i7-2720qm with 8GB of ram, 750GB HDD from JBHIFI for a $1000 (in aus ) yesterday, I've already popped in an itel 520 120GB ssd.

So the question is, is there anything else I need to do/know to keep this little bugger going along hard, as I've had not one hiccup from my M18 *touchwood* and would like this little fella to carry on aswell..

Cheers,
Nick

 

- Replace the stock paste with high-grade thermal paste
- Clean it regularly every 3~ months (fan area) with compressed air
- Use microfiber cloth to clean the screen and NOT tissues since it contains wood

Just typical maintenance

 

1140 before tax & shipping

Alienware M14x
8X DVD +/- RW Drive
Dell Wireless 375 Bluetooth Module
6 GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz
Information
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
14.0 inch HD (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight
Software
Certified Refurbished
Documentation
Information
Software
8 Cell Primary Battery
Processor: Intel Core i7-2670 QM Processor (2.2 GHz)
Power Cord
Documentation
Shipping Material
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Operating System DVD
256 GB Solid State Drive Ultra Performance
3 GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M
Operating System DVD
Service Driver
Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish
Wave Systems Software
Killer Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO
AlienFX Color, Mars Red
Alienware AVATAR 3
150W AC Adapter
Service Software
Software
Information
Information
Processor Label
Information
Image Restore Software
64BIT Operating System

This is including 69.00 for accidental breakage warranty for a year

If you're looking now is the time!

 

Now that's a DEAL! I'm so jealous about the SSD

Welcome to the M14X community.

 

nice. scratch and dent?

 

nice deal, personally I would've gotten the new r2 with the highly improved gt650m, but that's seriously a good deal

 

Certified Refurbished!

For 1100 bucks you cannot beat it

Thank you all..and I still have my m11x

 

NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-2630QM Processor,Alienware M14xR1 score: P2019 3DMarks

 

Too bad I didn't wait for an r2, lol.

 

hi all.. just wondering if msata boot drive is going to be the same like all other normal hdd drive? meaning u can access install delete.. and perform new clean install windows 7 on it..

 

Can I reflash from A08 to A03 directly? Or do I have to do all the ones inbetween?

CPU is hitting 83~ when gaming and the metal backplate on the back feels like its going to melt.

I'm not all that bothered about the fan noise so I want the BIOS were they didn't cripple the fan speed.

EDIT: Worked fine and dropped temps by at least 5~.

 

Helloooooo!!!! my name is heber and i am from Argentina, i am recently owner of one of this great m14x r1!
In the past i used to have M11X R2 !!! But i decided to change to m14x, just like the m11x its going to be discontinued.

I want to say congratulations to all the users who help and do this make happens and to the forum!!!

I am very happy with my new m14x! its very cool, i can do overclock on it and its very good machine!

I was a little angry with bf3 ! because i read a lot! but the far i go its 1600x900 , auto configuration (all medium, except for the top one that its in ultra) and i have average 37 fps ! which i read its poor! but well i dont know what else to do.

Later i am going to put pictures of my desk =)

thanks to all of you ! nice forum

 

I think the word on the forums is anything above 30fps and your good.

 

Checking into the M14X lounge..Had an account since '08 but all I did was lurk. I mostly post on auto forums

But yes, I love my unit thus far besides the silly cosmetic issues I've been having. When one pays a decent amount of money, they expect a decent quality built system. Sadly, mine had annoyances all over. I'm patiently waiting for a new replacement system as I type from my injured system.

BTW, I have an R2 with the 3610QM, 2GB 650M with 6Gb. Standard 500Gb hard drive.

 

With the R1, you can run it on High+ with lower shadows/vsync off/aa off.

I run it at around 50FPS with 0 lag and 0 dips below 35FPS. 37 isn't poor by any means, considering the eye can't tell the difference between 30 and 37, however you should be getting more FPS. It's probably something as simple as turning your shadows a notch lower which will dramatically improve FPS.

Never select premade graphics settings with games - always make your own custom setting

@ConfusedUK
Yes you can switch to any BIOS you desire (upgrade and downgrade). If you're worried about temps, I recommend replacing the stock paste (usually a lousy job; rock hard paste) with premium paste (gummy=good), which can reduce temps by up to -10c. Also, turning off turbo-boost in the BIOS helps, too.

 

Hi all,
I just bought an M14x off Dell's Outlet website for 25% off. I was wondering if I got a good deal. I think I did but I just wanted some further input. I know for a fact that the killer wireless card was a good addition.


Processor Processor: Intel Core i5-2430M (2.40GHz, 3MB Cache)
Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
Base Alienware M14x
Hard Disk Drive 750 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Memory 4 GB DDR3 ECC SDRAM 1333MHz (2 DIMMs)
Media Bay 8X DVD +/- RW Drive
Video 3 GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M
System Color Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish
Laptop Screen 14.0 inch High Definition WLED
Laptop Battery 8 Cell Primary Battery
Network Interface Card Killer Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO
Hardware Upgrade AlienFX Color, Mars Red
150W AC Adapter
Software Upgrade Service Driver
64BIT Operating System


the total was 651 including taxes and i called dell asking for a discount and they gave me next day shipping so it should arrive on the 8th. i also got a 5% egift card.

I know the GT 555m kind of sucks but its fine for a 1366x768 screen.
Also I have an M17x R4 coming in in about 2 weeks and it is fully loaded($2500) so I just wanted something to use in the meantime that I could sell to my roommate later as he wants an M14x because it is in his price range.

 

It won't be running BF3 too well with an i5 and a GT 555m but for 651 that's a fantastic buy mate, make no mistake. Nice purchase. Anytime you can get an Alienware under a thousand dollars is brilliant keen eye, thats cheaper then the M11x was and has better performance and a bigger screen. Well done!

 

Yes, it is the same as a normal hhd--you can install, delete, clean install.

 

Hey Everyone,
Recently joined the Alienware owners list, picked up a nice M14x for what I figured was a reasonable price (though probably not as good as some of the other bargains I have seen people have managed). Moved up in the world from a four year old (end 2007) M1530 XPS (4GB RAM 32-bit Windows etc. etc.), which has served me well and was looking very tired. I looked at my options in terms of upgrading it, and when the subtotal came to $700 - and I was at a retail store in Australia (and saw and Alienware M14xR2) I was sold on the aesthetics and feel of the computer (not to mention specs). Went looking to see if there was anything secondhand out there (student so can't afford new), and sure enough came across what looked like a reasonable deal. Talked him down and ended up getting it for $1300 AUD. Was pretty reasonable given it hadn't been used for more than a couple of hours (not a mark on it, genuinely hadn't been used since he bought it ) and still was under warranty, though I have discovered since that the previous owner was an idiot with his SSD *upgrade* (couldn't identify this until I opened it up and checked it, basically decided to do this as I couldn't work out why I was shooting 5.9s on the WEI):

M14xR1 Specs:
Windows Professional 64-bit (The upgrade disk was included and he paid $120 for it lol)
2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2670QM processor (2.2GHz with boost)
Samsung 830 128GB
8GB, 2X4G, 1600MHZ, DDR3
3.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus
Optical: DVD+/-RW..., 8X
Killer Wireless-N 1103
Finish: Stealth Black
Plus all the usual trimmings .

First step I took was to do a good look around, and stumbled across the fantastic resources on this site, in particular: How to do a clean windows 7 install for your alienware (first thing I did), Best order for updating drivers (updated all the drivers to latest), How to disassemble your alienware M14x (to get to the solid state drive and check it out).

So what am I going to use this baby for? Well I will be moving overseas in the nearish future, so need portability that I just can't get from a desktop. Primary uses will be Gaming (once I finish my PhD I intend to get back to a bit of fun), and in particular Photo processing, video production (side business as a tog, my D800 with 36MP raw files is a handful) - Installed Photoshop CS5, Lightroom 4, Dreamweaver 5 as part of my initial setup procedure. Thus far have been damn impressed by the speed of operation when working on photos and the bootup speed (although limited) from the SSD.

Plan on using the SSD for working space while storage will be on my USB 3 Seagate portables.

 

I'm seeing used R1s all over the place. I was wondering what would be a decent price to pay considering I can get the R2 for about a grand.

 

R2's start at 1,099$ without the CPU/Screen upgrade (add 200$).

1,299$ before haggling and taxes % for the R2.

I'd say if the R1 is in mint condition with a generous amount of warranty, 1,100$~ with the CPU/Screen upgrade would be decent. 975$~ if it's a stock CPU/Screen.

I wouldn't ask for less, considering AW machines are much more expensive overseas, so someone could post an add for those prices and instantly sell it to someone in Europe/Australia for example, so I think it's a fair price to ask

 

I have a guy on a local CL asking $1,100 for a R1 I was going to offer him $800 and see where it goes.
Specs
I7 2670QM
8 gigs of ram
3gig ddr3 GT 555m
1600x900 screen.

His add says it was bought in december so I guess half the warranty is left. the pictures look beautiful.

I cant decide between buying this or buying a R2 with the base specs and 900p screen($1,174-$100 over 999 discount -military discount- Haggling). I keep reading how the R1 is hotter and slower than the R2 but is it enough to warrant waiting the weeks for a new one to be built and shipped VS getting this one today? I wont go above $1000 for either of them as thats my laptop budget right now. Either would fill my need at the moment but obviously I'm looking for the best bang for my buck.

Also if I get the used one will sell give me trouble with using the warranty. I plan on calling them up right away if it has any heat issues. What is their policy on transferring warranties ?

 

If I was in your situation, I would try to get an R2 for 1,000$ with a 900p screen #1 (CPU as #2 upgrade, but not as necessary as the screen in my opinion).

If you are successful, then great, if not, the R1 can be your back-up plan since your budget is 1,000$.

Warranty is transferable. You'll need his name/address/phone/e-mail if I remember correctly and it takes 15 days for Dell to process the switch. You can actually do it at the meeting location - one of you guys bring a smartphone and use it as a hotspot + fill out the form in 2 minutes.

 

I ended up passing on the R1, and the new R2 also, picked up a 1 month old R2 off of another forum for $1000, alot better specs than i would have gotten new for that money.

It has
i7 3610qm
8Gigs ram
750 gig hdd (I'm gonna drop in my 256gig M4)
900P screen
Killer wireless
and the 1 gig GT650.

It should be here tuesday, I'm pretty stoked

 

I agree. I got my "refurb" but new looking R2 for well under 1,000. I did add an SSD I already had, installed a 1TB HDD in place of the optical drive and went from 6GB to 8GB memory but none of those were really necesary for it to be a good machine.

 

Great find! Congrats, man