Are more M17x's default than quality built?

I spent about 2.2K on a M17x and plan on getting it on 6/03.

But I have been reading so many horror stories about them.


Is every M17x going to have some kind of problem?

 

not likely. You have to understand that when you are buying a new product it always comes with the risk of uncertainty... its not that they just switch components and make same machines year to year. they change everything in 'em, so you have to expect some kind of problem that is solvable
I received mine as a replacement and due today I have experienced 0 problems technically, it is perfect for me, though had to do some tweaks which does not refer to build quality and is applicable to any machine. but its just my machine, others had some issues, i don't think you'll regret getting it.

 

Howie,

They are not all going to have a hardware problem; those should be rather rare. But a computer is usually defined much more by its software than its hardware, and so exactly what software is installed and how it is configured can seem to the end user as a "problem". You may find that you need to tweak things a bit to get it exactly the way you want. This forum is filled with tweakists and technical perfectionists, so you probably hear a lot of horror stories, but don't freak out. The "problems" are almost always entirely solvable. I think the right mindset to have is to be prepared to dig around a little to cleanse out any bugs you don't like, and there are great resources here for all kinds of info on that stuff.

Remember, a technical user forum like this one is going to be loaded with complaints from a minority of end users of the product, all of whom are the detail-oriented variety and want to get every little thing right.

 

For every negative story you've seen, there's plenty more unmentioned that are good. People only voice out when they have a problem, much much less so compared to owners who have good ones and just don't say anything.
If you experience a defect, then it's just how it goes, but don't worry too much into it.

 

If you just want a good story for reassurance, i have not had any problems with mine, had it for 2 months

 

I absolutely agree with VITW...long name though.

Even if you are slightly unhappy with the product you receive, you can have it changed with one phone call...though it would take at least 3 weeks or so but at the end of day, it's always glad to know that you are being covered by the best warranty policy around and that it a big PLUS.

Take my laptop for example, my alienware M15x was replaced 4 times(seriously man...no kidding) and the fifth time,they decided to give me a M17xR3... It was horrible to wait for the replacement to arrive 5 times as u would imagine...but each time my warranty was elongated as well.

To cut a long story short, I bought a basic M15x of Feb of 2010 with 1 year basic warranty and now well more than a year later, I own a M17xR3 with awesome specs and with a warranty that expires on dec 2012. Quite a story huh?

 

You can't look on here and believe that it is the same everywhere. We are techies, and we push our systems a bit farther than most. And crashes from such are not what the typical person would encounter. I had the same reservations when I first got interested in alienware, but for every bad story, there is a good one as well. My system arrived last week and it has been quite fine, except for the occasional issue with the nvidia display drivers, which I will resolve whenever I get over being lazy and download the new ones.

 

No problems here.

Besides....read some of the posts, many of them are stuff like "I installed an SSD/RAM/repasted/whatever and now my laptop crashes sometimes, piece of crap Alienware" or "I did a complete reformat and clean install of Windows as soon as I unpacked my laptop, now it crashes, piece of crap Alienware".

Plus, people do not always tell you the full story behind their problems on an internet forum.

Please note, I am not trying to discount those that have real problems, because I am sure there are many of you out there. The raised media bar problem comes to mind.

 

Right! And some posters in these forums have done things to their machines, in the never-ending quest for still-higher performance, that they really should never have done. The hardware can only do what it can do, and some people have pushed it farther than it was ever intended to go, thereby making their machines very edgy and unforgiving. There are risk-takers in this forum who are not the normal user, so yeah, you can hear horror stories, but they are not representative of the norm.

 

naa! I had the same problem like you, I was reading alot of posts about people having problems about their alienware and it was really scaring me out alot. But most of them are usually the m17x r2. The R3 however has no serious problem that can't be fixed with proper drivers in the future. Plus there are extremely few with hardware related issues so don't worry to much!

 

Dont worry about it wen i ordered mine i started regretting it cause of all the horror stories but after some reassurances from some of the members here and after i recieved the laptop it was absolutely perfect completely worth all the money i spent i think issues and such are extremely uncommon and the ones with issues are just louder then the ones without

 

@OP: It depends on your level of scrutiny. I am very picky, so little things can bother me. I imagine that if I was more knowledgeable with computers, I would prolly spot even more things.

You've got 21-days to test it, and if you're not satisfied then send it right back.

Best of luck!

 

I wouldn't stress too much about having any problems...I was kind of worried myself but all that worry was for nothing once I received it last week. This is by far the best laptop I've ever used. The only problem I have is now I have to buy another one. I purchased my wife a Dell XPS 15 for school and myself the M17x R3 for school/travel for work. Well, my wife received her XPS a week before we received the M17x R3. She really liked the XPS until she saw the M17x R3. She liked it so much that she asked me if we could return the XPS and get her an R3. Thankfully we were still in the 21 day trial period and I was prepared for the 15% restocking fee, but once I explained to the rep how much my wife loved the R3, they waived the restocking fee. So the only problem I've had since receiving it is being I gave my wife the M17x R3, I am still using my 4 year old Gateway laptop while I patiently wait for my new R3 to be built and shipped out.

 

I'm happy to report no issues .. yet. Really enjoying my new M17xR3 (first time alienware users here)

I've been trolling these forums since I placed my orer in anticipation that some problem might arise just so I could have a leg up on the situation.

I appreciate everyone that has contributed to this forum with their problems and solutions.

 

The TC has to remember that when he is looking on help and support forums, the majority of the stories you see will be pertaining to problems with the laptop.

Before I got my R2, I had kinda the same feeling. Would my laptop end up being defective because so many others I read about on the help and support forums had been?

Well, I can say that that assumption couldn't have been farther from the truth. My laptop is a beast - and a tank. Not only is it incredibly powerful, but I've been able to put it through a fair share of abuse and it hasn't had a single problem yet. Alienware did a really good job making these laptops.

 

Well said. I personally try to post the positive as well as the negative, but not all do and unfortunately, most of my experiences have been very negative and almost all been major hardware issues. But like the next quote... I had an R2 unit and they are problematic.

...so yeah, to the original poster - like this dude said. If you got the R3 and you know it's what you want, you should be good to go. I haven't read too many major horror stories about them. Again, all my issues were with the R2.

That's about the best advice right there. Just make sure you give it a hard and thorough test run in those 21 days.

 

yeah, I'll agree with this guy too to an extent. When my R2 was running properly - it was a freaking beast! Very smooth and sturdy. My problems were mostly manufacturer defects and customer service. For example, they didn't seat my CPu correctly and it burnt out, then I had to fight with CS forEVER... and I'm still fighting. That's just one of the many examples I have. But again, there are alot of people out there with NO problems and these machines were designed to run well and outperform the competition. It's just not smart business to purposely put out a lemon. So yeah, there is alot of potential and alot of happys customers. Don't let my horror story sway you - just let it educate you on what to expect in the worst case scenario. I'd have been able to handle the situation alot better if someone had posted their story like I did.

And again, the R3 seems to be a well-rounded unit if it fits your needs.