Alienware Stealth Black, Nebula Red, Lunar Silver and.....nVIDIA Green?!

So glad I'm now the owner of the green M17x, looks very good in person and as soon as I find some good graphics cards to upgrade from the 280m sli I think I'll keep it permanently just because nobody else has one Btw Katalin, modded the 280m heatsinks a bit with some aluminum shims for the ram rather than paste and used some AS5 for the cores and got a nice temp drop of 8c. Gonna work on cooling the voltage regulators next to see if I can't get some more overclocking out of these

 

Is that the R2?

 

Pictured, is the M17x but the chassis fits the M17x R2 perfectly.

 

That green looks incredible. Damn good job!

 

My only question is how did you change the color of the alien head on the lid cover, that's the one thing id wish to be able to change on mine, plane white is boring.

 

The M17x R1 and R2 both have the ability in Alien FX to change the color of the Alienhead on the lid. The R3 unfortunately does not have this controller so it's not possible unless you hard mod it. Probably by throwing a film in there or changing the LEDs. But the R1/R2 you can simply change the colors like anything else such as keyboards, speakers grills ect.

 

PLEASE PLEASE write a guide on how to do this! I just got my m18x R1 from the Dell resellers here in the middle East and i am gonna turn my m17x R2 into my "experimental try everything special laptop" that means i am gonna stuff 12 gigs of ram, install dual 6970s and recolor the chassis


one questions, did u use spray paint? and can u direct me to a vid where it shows how i can remove the lid + chassis like u did>? THANKS

 

Hello, Ahmedadel, a guide I will probably do in the future if I find time and interest.

You can find disassembly videos by searching for 'M17x teardown' on YouTube, there are two parts.

 

Really? It seems like it'd be harder to paint since it's rubberized and it's not metal...How would you go about painting an r3 because that would be so cool!

 

Like everything that has to be painted, the surface has to be prepared first.
The M17x R3 case is not all rubber, so by sanding it you'll eventually reach the hard part.

 

I should have taken pics when I sanded mine down, but it's basically sand, san, sand, prime, sand, prime, prime, sand, paint, paint, sand, paint, sand, paint, clear coat, clear coat, polish Basically how I did it in a nut shell. The more you sand between coats to work out the imperfections, the better it will look. The finished product is only as good as the amount of time you spend preparing the surface. I just need to glue my skeleton to the base of my R2 and then swap the parts from my silver chassis to the white one and it'll be done.

For the R3, the best be is to sand off the soft touch coat.

 

I'm afraid to sand my precious laptop >_<

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

 

Buy spare lids and keep the stock casing intact.

 

forgive me what what exactly is sanding, and if it is the removal of paint then through what?

Anyways does this "Sanding" need to be done on my m17x r2 before i start to paint? here is what i am gonna do

1. completely unassemble my laptop (m17x r2)
2. Get a spray paint, completely paint the laptop chassis and lid (without screen ofc) and cover the alienhead on the lid
3. reassemble and TADA!

 

It needs to be disassembled down to this.

Spoiler

Then you sand it with sand paper. I used the following sandpapers to get a super smooth surface. 240 Grit, 320 grit, 600 Grit, 800 Grit, 1500 grit, and 2000 grit. I started with the most rough sand paper (240 grit) and worked my way up. the more time you spend sanding between coats, and during prep, the better the result will be. It helps to make the surface smooth, and gets rid of any scratches or imperfections.

Once it was sanded down pretty good, I primed it with a few coats of spray paint primer. Then I took the shells and submerged them in a tub and sanded them in water (wet sanding) with 1500 grit, and 2000 grit. Then I think I primed again, and sanded with 2000 grit in water. Then I sprayed two coats of paint. Then I buffed the paint with a 3000 grit cloth to get a nice shine. Then I sprayed a few coats of clear coat, and wet sanded it with the 3000 grit cloth to get it nice and shiney. Then I used car polish to polish the finish, and then I put a few coats of wax on it so dirt can be wiped away easily.

Came out pretty well and I'll be putting it together tonight.

One of the biggest pains is getting the skelton inside the base. It looses it's curve and you need to use something like JB Weld to glue them together, and a bunch of clamps to hold it all together while the JB Weld cures over 24 hours. I used 8 clamps with towels between the clamps where it touched the base to prevent scratching. It was a huge pain but in the end worth it. If I can get it all together tonight, I will post some pics.

I went with a Candy White, which is a Volkswagon color. Be wary, it's a time consuming project when done right. The hardest part is keeping paint on the corners where sanding likes to take it off easily. The other hard part is like I mentioned, getting the base clamped down with the internal skeleton. I had to make sure everything was aligned perfectly since I use the kensington lock on the corner. Thats why it took so many clamps.

 

I used sand paper of ~200grit, 400grit, 600 and 800(it turns into 1000 after prolonged use). You'll have to sand the surfaces in order to remove residue and a little bit of paint. You'll want a rougher surface for better paint adheration. And after all this you'll have to degrease the surfaces right before painting.

I also wanted to make a lid with the alien head covered or turned into something else but i just didn't find enough motivation

 

alright so i understand pretty much everything except for the skelton thing? first of all what is the skelton and the "curve" and the clamps? and what is the JB Wled man ? could u please explain this abit more for me? thanks alot for the info BTW DR ure always around to help !

Abit offtopic BTW, where can I buy an RGB creen like ure DR, Something that can be shipped here to the Middle East, which until now seems like nobody is willing to ship to this hole i live in ! BTW i live in Egypt in specific

 

Ok, No prob man. As far as the skeleton. If you look at the pic I have above, the base is very bare. What goes inside it is the part that has the vent grills and also holds the system battery. It's a magniesium peice I believe. It's basically glued to the base shown above. The base is kinda slightly curved to fit the "skeleton." This is why clamps are required to glue it back. I used JB Weld to glue it back. JB Weld is a glue of sorts. Comes in two tubes. One is basically thick liquid steel and the other is a hardner. You mix both and then apply it to the parts. Use clamps to hold it together as the mix dries.

The Skeleton is also the part that the motherboard/fans screw down onto. Once you take everything, out and apart, it will be easier to see what I mean. I will take some pics tonight which may explain it better.

Just gotta be careful and take your time when removing the "skeleton" from the base. When gluing them together you can use an epoxy. But I wouldn't use a quick drying/curing epoxy as you need time to get all the clamps on so it fits just as snug and well as it did before. If you use too quick of a drying epoxy, it will not adhere effectively since it will be dryied or almost dry by the time you get all the clamps on. The reason I used JB Weld is because it has a 5 hour cure time.


As far as the RGB, your best bet is the NBR marketplace or ebay. Somone should be willing to ship to Egypt if you pay the shipping charges.

 

DR is this vid enough for a teardown? and BTW u did use spray paint right? and how long should i spend sanding the chassis ? thanks man

 

I did use spraypaint. In fact, this is exactly what I used. I also used this primer.

As far as sanding, I just sanded down till it was nice and smooth. I didn't worry about getting all the color off. Try and find something like this (3000grit sandpaper cloth) to buff the finish. I did it in water, and it helped it shine a bit more. I used that cloth while it was submerged in water and would take it out of the water and look at the shine. Make sure it's even.

 

I would LOVE to see a picture of your white laptop that would be veryyy nice lol XD BTW how is the m17x R4 doing for u ?

BTW do u have a video for the COMPLETE teardown of the m17x r2? to the lever where your at? and when can i find JBWled in Egypt?

DR last question I PROMIS ok so the skeleton is it glued on the lower chassis part (the one on the pic u linked) if it is glued is it only glued without any scrws ? when i get there i just have to pull it apart?

 

It is glued and held by four screws for which you'll need a torx screwdriver.
I'll give you the exact size, just let me take a look.

EDIT: screwdriver size needed is T9.

 

Actually it's T8 Just had to check since I had everything out.

 

T8 fits but it's loose, the perfect size is T9.

 

Wierd, my T9 was slightly too big. Although I just have a pack of them all together like a pocket knife type deal.

 

If the color was darker and more metallic in appearance, I'd like it more. But all I can say at the moment is... eeeewwww...... Someone sneezed on your Alienware. D:

 

DR i really dont know how you take off the skeleton i tried and i did remove the screws but they seem imppssible to take off, plus i rlly messed up my chassis with the sanding but i did send it to a spray painter and I am gonna paint it gold XD

i think he is gonna do a better job at sanding I hope, can u post a sanding guide incase i might do it later to my m18x?

 

I'll try and do a write up, but it will be at least next week before I can get time to do it. I basically had to slowly pry the innerframe/skeleton out. It was a huge pain.

How'd you mess up sanding? Just sand it evenly until smooth.

 

well i used the really heavy grit paper , i used 120 XD i think (that is what was written in the back, then i used 200 then i used 600, i dont think there is 1000 in Egypt) anyways, should i sand in water for better results? and BTW the lid, do I have to speperate the aliminium part from the carbon fiber part? thanks, cause when i sent it to the painter he said that the way i sanded it is really bad and scratches will always show, i dont believe it tho XD anyways the chassis is gonna be returned next week, and scince i couldnt remove the skeleton (it is really stuck on) i told him to cover up the middle and only paint the chassis, same with the lid and the carbon fibre part

should i use a cutter to remove the carbon fibre peice from the lid, and the skelton from the bottom ?

cutter knife it is then
God be with me, and i did buy this steel glu, i didnt find Wled glue but i bough something similar that u have to mix, I hope it turns out well ~!

waiting for your reply about removing the carbon peice in the lid DR, or should i keep it on and cover it while painting ?\\


I have the chassis right infront of me waiting for DR to answer, i am such a noob lol XD

Dr the glue is very heavy, it wont even budge, i tried removein g it with a monkey ranch but how?
\

ye i got it now, thanks anyways DR, ill start resanding and painting XD wish me luck there man ill post after, i am stuck between gold, green or white

 

ok, guess what DR, i repainted mine and reassembled it and there is but ONE problem, I broke 2 cable doors? ( the one for the palm rest and the one for the power panel) anyways no problem I just taped them on and pressed the button to see if it worked and .... it did, HOWEVER the trackpad AND the aleinhead and the quicktouch buttons ARE NOT working for sum reason ( i mean the power button workts but it isnt lighting!? hmm) so anyways any ideas on how to fix it? i really do like to use the trackpads and the quick buttons and the lights do look nice XD

 

Did you damage the plugs or only the ribbons, Ahmedadel?

 

Only the ribbons , however would you mind telling me the cables that connect the powerpanel for you and the trackpad, i did lose both ribbons + one of them was already like that (ironic cause now i can use my warranty) instead i get selotape and stick them to the intake. there is also another problem, when i close the lid of the m17x it does not close and keep working like a regular computer. The type of paint i used is powedercoating XD it looks rlly nice buuut its rlly rlly bulking now, the cool aluminum feel is gone and the chassis is rlly missalighned so when i assembled it i had to PUsh EVERYTHING in XD ahh well, and i did lose loads of screws ( does that matter?)

 

I can help you find the cables if you want.

Is it because it doesn't fully close any more or because you changed the lid action in the power plan settings? Check and see if it's set to Do Nothing.

The aluminium feel is gone because now it's covered with a layer of plastic. Aligning everything can be a real pita if the layer is thick.

All screws play a good role, you can find them on ebay for cheap if you want, here's a link:
58 DELL LAPTOP SCREWS ALIENWARE M15X M17X XR2 M2X3 M2.5X3 M2.5X5 M2.5X8 M2.5X17 | eBay

 

sure, thanks alot man for the links ! anyways so the cables I wanna find are the ones that a. connect me to the trackpad... b. sense the lid closing (ithink maybe its the sensory board at the end of the dissasembly video) and c. connect the power pannel lights, for sum reason the power button is owrking fine but no lights come on ! xD

ok guys I messed up hard and ruined my m17x , Its a good thing that i am going to own an m18x but i severly messed up my m17x and was sure of it today , if any of u guys know where i can buy an m17x r2 chassis ? online ? that ships to Egypt? because that might help me fix the problem XD

 

Please mind your language and keep your posts PG.

You can find lids on parts-people.com or ebay.
Here they have both on black:
http://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=category&id=151&subid=283

Also note that you can buy M17x (R1) lids too they fit on the M17x R2.

 

Thanks alot Katalin but did i say anything vulgar ? I didnt swear did i? Anyways thanks alot and ill see that i get some here. I found the problem and the cables i use to connect the power bar and the trackpad are scratched (so for anyone who is gonna do the painting be very carefull about ure tapecables)

DR do u still have the silver chassis for sale? or atleast the lid because I dont wanna buy a Grade B one ?

 

DAT GREEN M17X ! :O

Shut up and take my money

 

that is so sexy! Hey, I am wondering if you have a tutorial up somewhere on what kind of paint you used and such... I would love to paint my M17X R1 =D

 

Omg THAT
IS
SO
COOL

give me dat laptop!!!! jk.
what kind of paint did you use?