Just received my M17x R3....disapointing

Just received it and checked everything, outside looks ok.
Heard something rattling so I took the bottom off.

See pic 5, 6 and 7. Missing screws, loose screws, loose fan and loose heatsink.

Think I mis a plate where the optical drive is at, not sure about that, could somebody take a look at their system. Thats pic 8.

The most disapointing is shown in pic 9, big gap at the back of the screen.

I just send a email to my rep. that they can pick up the system and give me a refund.

 

This is ridiculous! I hope mine will not arrive like this! ask Dell for replacement.

 

Gee that's pretty bad. I know it's only a few screws, but you have to wonder how something like that could be missed.
If it's any consolation, I just recieved mine today, and so far everything has been absolutely flawless. I wish you the same luck with your replacement, if you opt for AW again.

 

I cannot believe how careless they've been assembling his computer. For the price we pay, there is no excuse to this!

 

my replacement system was missing 5/10 screws holding down the keyboard. took 2 tries with support to get them to send me the right size screws....

 

This not what to expect from a system that cost me a little over 2000 euro's.

Could somebody take a look at their optical drive an snap a pic of it?

Just talked to my rep. they are working on a solution. I did send a kinda angry mail.

 

Man thats bad. This shouldn't happen for any laptop but when its $2-3k you expect it even less.

 

Looks like you already returned it?

I would have done the same. Replacements are no good.

 

Wow, that's really bad. Take your business to Clevo imho.

 

No not yet, see if they are willing to pick it up. I dont want a tech. to mess with it but the screen is easy to replace and screws are easy to tighten.

 

dont call me an alienware hater, but if u end up returing the laptop and want to go with another company i would recommend a sager/clevo. they might not have a backlight keyboard, but they have better prices, better screen upgrade, and better customer and tech support. those were the major differences that made me choose a clevo over alienware. however i almost got the m17x because of optimust, but after all the complaints i saw on build quality i didnt want to risk it. hope your situation fixes it self. cant wait until alienware revolts against dell and starts fresh again, we can all dream... cant we!

 

Mine arrives later today... I really hope it doesn't arrive in this kind of condition. For a $2400 laptop this is ridiculous.

I would be pissed off too FYI.

 

I'm going to stick with Dellianware. I cant find any site/shop that sells Sager/Clevo in the Netherlands plus I dont like the design. If I import one warrenty is going to be a hassle.

 

I hope they fix you up Brabo. That is obviously a big kick below the belt after I am sure you've been anxiously anticipating it's arrival.

GL and keep us updated on how support helps you on this.

 

Wow here's something bizarre... I just tried to use the optical drive for the first time, and I was getting a bit confused as to why it seemed the disc wouldn't go in, even with moderate force. I decided to hit the eject button, and sure enough a blank DVD-R popped out!
I ordered through HIDEvolution (superb service btw) so I can't be sure if it was them or Dell who left this little freebie for me!

 

were u able to haggle through HIDEvolution? cause they sell the m17x a little cheaper, but with dell i could probably haggle and get discounts so im not sure where to order from

 

TBH I didn't even try. Being an Australian, no local outlet could have even come close to the price they could offer. I was more than happy to pay the price on the label (which is unlike me ). Especially since I'd heard good things about them avoiding income taxes, which indeed they did for me.

 

So, yes, missing screws is ridiculous and unforgivable. But what's the deal with the screen gap? How is that a problem? I never even noticed that on mine till I looked to see what the big deal is...I see the same gap on mine and really don't care. It affects nothing and is only noticeable if you are specifically looking for it.

I would think if it's perfect besides that and the screws, have them send you some screws, tighten things up, and you're all set...

 

Could you let us know how your system looks when it arrives ?

 

Yep. It's at my house now-- just need to get off work first.

 

This makes me think we should all open our systems once we get it, make sure the video card isn't missing, wth?!? Who's building these things anyway?

 

Cheap labor, cheap product, that's all there is to it.

As I said, I'll post some pics of mine when I get home today. Hopefully it isn't as terrible as Brabo's.

 

Dust/dirt can get it. It noticed it directly when taking it out of the sleeve. It is bigger then seen in the pic. The lid itself can be pushed down very easy. I know the gap is there it will bug me.

I paid good money for this thing and this is not what I paid for.

 

Your not the only one this week getting ones that are half put together lol. The guy i talked to at dell said that there were to many stacked up orders for laptops with the 6990 in them so they started rushing it. and look what happened.

 

Arent you the Dell share holder with a brother and father with a 580m/6990m?

Where are those benches you promised.

 

Today I was thinking...what the hell lets open her up and see if the screen gap is fixable and tighten all te screws. Found some more missing screws and the screen gap isnt fixable. On the the other hand the lid itself is very easy to remove for those who want a red lid on a black base or visa versa.

Oh and I'm not missing a plate where the optical drive is mounted my previous R3 had a different type of drive I guess.

 

Too many missing screws this is so unacceptable

 

This makes ME mad, and I'm not even the one with the problem. (as far as I'm concerned...I have a m17xr3 too but I am afraid to manhandle it) This is just BEYOND unacceptable and to be honest, I can't even understand why Dell hasn't gone bankrupt yet with lousy work on expensive prestigious laptops and even lousier customer service (From what I've heard).

This really ticks me off, I wish you the best Brabostaan, you have reason to be frustrated, let Dell sweat for you now. Unacceptable, completely UN-AC-CEPTABLE!

 

you would think that after spending at least 1500 on a laptop that somebody might take the time and care to piece it together like a 1500 laptop, not a 100 dollar acer craptoy

 

It's really unfortunate that there aren't any Dell or Alienware Reps that view these forums on a regular basis, as this is the type of thing that I'd think they'd want to address. Sorry guys for all the problems

 

Just got my R3 yesterday. Physically, my R3 is perfect. I opened it up and saw no loose screws and missing screws.

 

any updates?

 

My rep. send my emails to the right department and is still waiting for a answer. If I dont hear anything on Monday I will give customer service a call.

It should not take this long to get an answer.

 

still waiting...? that sucks they need to compensate you for all this trouble!

 

I'd call them. Hell computers take forever to answer to emails, and it's slow on chat too. The only time they're fast is when they're trying to sell you a new computer.

 

Yeah it sucks, I now have a 2000 euro worth paperweight.

 

Nice clean design I was looking for the hard drive on the 15R and found out in the docs its screwed onto the back side of the MB you have to take EVERYTHING out. I think those #$# did that on purpose.

 

Little update: Called Customer Care, package is being picked up Thursday by UPS. I'm getting a refund by the end of next week.

Hope Dell doesnt screw me and UPS shows up.

 

I got my R3 about a week and a half ago, and it was a standoff between a Sager and this. However, here in sweden; Sager isn't really an option. And... well, im happy about the performance and all, but the buildquality is beyond bad. I've seen cheap Acers on sale with better build quality than this.

Some things that I've noticed:
1. Keyboard flex, mostly around the "wasd" area, looks really cheap.
2. The battery is loose, it hangs under the machine and actually rests on the table. I can press it up like 1-2mm, but at soon as I let go, it hits the table with a small bang.
3. Sometimes the plastics quirks against each other when im carrying it closed, cheeeeeap. Especially bad is the area at the bottom of the lid, right above the power cord connector, when its closed. The plastic is very quirky and loose there.
4. Bad hardware - lots of bluescreens until you finally understand that you have to trick it and do some things in a specific order until you got the system running as expected after a fresh reinstall.
5. It does not shutdown completly?! The fans and screen turns off, but LEDs does not. I have to force it off with powerbutton.
I've tried updating to A08 bios and latest Nvidia 280 drivers, but without success. In ATI systems you can update vbios in order to fix this issue, but what to do when you have the same thing in an nvidia system? I can't be the only one with this problem...

This is just some of the things that somewhat lowered my overall expectations of Alienware ever since Dell took over. A friend of mine has an Pre-dell alienware machine, and its much more sturdy and robust.

Also I would like to add that, Im a very careful person when it comes to my electronics. I have had cellphones for about 3-4 years without even getting so much as a scratch on them.
So these things that I've noticed, you probably will too by just handling the laptop normally.

I got my R3 (i7, GTX460m, 8gb, 60hz) for 13.700SEK/1500€, which is a very good price here in sweden (some crazy Dell summer sale @ Dustin.se) considering its normal price here is 22.700SEK/2350€ inc taxes, so I don't really want to complain. But this is my first and probably my last Alienware system.
Paying full price for this must really sting...

//0verseer

 

Seems like Dell is having a global issue.

 

I know that for a fact, since I have to deal with them on a daily basis. I work at a medium size IT/Hosting company with around 100 employees, and some of our customers are using Dell hardware even though we recommended them not to. These break down all the time so im a somewhat regular at their company support line.

However I didn't think the bad buildquality would affect an expensive brand like Alienware, but guess I was wrong...

 

The build quality seems very low on the M17x R3, if you take a close look you will see:

-Light bleed just under the front grillz or back of the screen.
-Chassis parts sticking out more on 1 side then the other and gaps between them. The side panels are a good example.
-Misaligned lid....easy fix but still.
-Battery sticking out of the bottom.
-Media panel has a bigger gap arround it on the right side then on the left side.
-Media panel popping out.

The person who designed it must be cok eyed or something.

Maybe I just pay to much attention to details. But for this kind of money.

I'm getting my money back and might go for M18x or just wait for the R4.

 

I wonder for how long it actually holds together from normal usage...

 

I think it will hold very well, its just some points that went wrong designing it.

 

And package has bin picked up by UPS 1 min. ago.

So far so good.

 

Am happy my r3 has none of these

 

Am glad your making a progress

 

this .

 

I'm going to try the M17x R3 one more time when the new cpu's are out in about a month or so.

Had a look at the M18x but over budget and no Optimus/powerXpress so you need to reboot if you want to switch to the IGP.

I need a good laptop and there is northing else that even come's close to the system I had configured for that price.

 

Refund came in today.

So this case is closed.