M17x......Lemon?

Hi Guys,

I am considering buying a new M17x so I decided to have a look through the 'owners lounge' and frankly what I have seen is scaring the bejesus out of me. Problems with BIOS, problems with beta 'VBIOS', and problems with graphics drivers...... what is going on? I do understand that most brands of computers have a couple of problems but what I am seeing here cannot be normal! Can someone tell me what ratio of owners are have problems? The configuration I am looking at buying is i7-940XM CPU with 2 x HD5870's and the RGBLED display and a SSD for the system plus a 500GB HD for data and Win7 64. Are most owners having problems with the HD5870's in crossfire or just a minority? I don't know if this helps but I am not in the slightest bit interested in OC'ing.

 

The M17x-R2 is nearly problem free. What you're seeing is Dell provide it's customers with proper support in updating the system bios, vbios and the latest drivers. Those are all essential to keep up with the latest Catalyst releases and newest video games. Don't worry, the system is very solid. When you get your system, you will have a large community here to help out with any questions.

 

The issues with the 5870s can be classified as teething problems. There are very few systems that support 5870s, and the M17x was one of the first out there with a Crossfire configuration. It's taken some time for ATI/AMD and Dell to get things to a stable situation, but things are good now.

There are few other issues. A few people have had hardware issues, but given the number of people who buy these systems, the failure rates seem pretty standard.

Definitely go for the M17x. It's one of the best performing laptops you can get. If you're worried about installing something and screwing things up, just get your system to a stable point with a good set of drivers then create a system image (use the Backup and Restore program in your Control Panel). If you ever have problems you can easily go back to a known good system state.

 

I agree that these should be classed as teething problems.

Must admit, I was pretty annoyed to have spent the $$$ I did and have a non-functional machine out of the box which the Dell tech-support were completely unable to fix. Was ridiculously unstable and crashed very regularly even with nothing running.

The problems all came down to video driver and video BIOS, and the severity of the symptoms is the reason that you've seen so much discussion.

Personally, I can't believe that these systems were ever shipped as they were - I'd be hard-pressed to believe that factory burn-in testing was performed before they went out the door.

This major problem has been resolved now though, although you may need to apply the updates to your new system if you receive it prior to the factory having updating its install base. My machine (and from all reports, everybody elses!) has been running rock-solid ever since it got the beta VBIOS, which is now available as a release version.

There seem to still be quite a few teething issues being worked on (SSD performance, LED lighting issues, battery charging issues, to name a few) but none of them are show-stoppers like the video one was. They tend to have simple workarounds, and you can be fairly confident that Dell will sort them out reasonably quickly judging by their recent activity.

So the answer to your question is that no, it's not a Lemon. It was just released before it should have been and wasn't quite finished baking.

 

I recieved my m17x today, and out of the box I have to say I have no issues with it what so ever. It does what I need it to do, and runs what I ask it with no complaints.

However when FFXIV gets here, I may have to look into updating the GPU software.

Edit: Well the case does show fingerprints easily....other than that tho..

 

The "problem" with looking at support forums is you generally only read bad things that are happening. The average person wont post how perfect and stable their laptop is because they are too busy using it The ones with broken ones have more time to post issues.

Point is, read the forums...educate yourself on possible problems to be prepared in the event of an issue. Otherwise, order it and enjoy the laptop when it arrives and try not to scare yourself out of buying one!

 

I was thinking of getting one to, how much more performance increase will I get over the M6500 I currently have??

 

You will get approximately a 50%, sometimes higher, increased performance from the M17x if you go with a CF 5870 system. The 7820 you have now is equivalent to a single 5870. You'll have to deal with a couple more pounds weight, but it's only a couple and most folks find that an easy burder to bear.

 

If you think the m17x has problems, go look at the Asus G73 part of the forum.

 

Thanks all.

Tritonman 1 I do understand that most of the posts will be from people wanting help with a problem that they are having and it is reassuring that Dell are moving to fix the problems. I do agree given the problem that a lot of people have been having that it was released a bit too early. When was this version of the M17x with CF 5870's first released?

 

Ummm. I have just been looking at the photos and I can't find an RJ-11 Port for dial-up. Doesn't it have one? I know in the rest of the world, dial-up is a thing of the past, just the same as Beta and VCR's and 8 track tapes for your car, but I need it. I must have a dialup modem!

 

Nope. Doesn't have one. You'd need to add a PC Card based modem.

 

Simple answer -
Pro softwares > M6500 you have is the best.
Games > Big frame rate improvements.

The graphic card for the M6500 is not made for games. Personally I use ArchiCAD 13 on the '17 without any noticeable difference from my desktop except for the very largest 3D models (ie; 20 storey apartments at full D3D acceleration).

 

Yeah. I could live with a PC card modem.

 

Hi Joker - Dell should not have to be fixing the problems. But I do agree that Dell have been active in fixing the problems. By comparison Clevo has never issued a revised BIOS for my computer. There has never been a problem with it.

It would almost appear that the Alienware brand is going strong despite Dell's incompetent customer staff. My experiences of dealing with their sales staff would be hilarious if it were not for the fact that these people are advising potential customers on what to buy. The basic computer knowledge that the two people I dealt with was atrocious and honestly it put me off buying the M17x. My concern was that if this is the quality of the sales staff what should I expect if I have a problem and need technical assistance.

But after lurking around here for a week or two and having a few discussions with different members I have decided to take the plunge. I ordered my M17x today with i7-940XM, 2 x HD 5870's and 500GB HD in RAID 1. After I receive it I will break up the RAID and replace the C Drive with a 160 GB X-25M SSD (despite being told several times by Dell sales reps that I can't )

I would like to express my thanks to all the active members, especially those who managed to convince me that the HD cards were okay. That was no small feat as I have been a died-in-the-wool green team dude for a long time.

This won't be my last post as I intend to keep lurking around but it might be the last one where I am so nice so soak it up ............ and expect to hear from me if I have problems.

 

Well I no longer have an M17x-R2 so I won't be helping out much on the forum with support questions anymore. I still post here and there but my time on NBR has gone down at least 90%. Good luck with your new system and I stand by what i said earlier in this thread: Dell has given the proper support to the R2 and it is a fantastic system, the best gaming system available on the market right now.

 

Well..... I have been convinced and partly by you. Thanks for the assistance and I hope you don't have to wait toooooooo long for your R3