Second "m" series Laptop ordered... my m17x is in production!

"Second "m" series Laptop ordered 2yrs later and STILL a hassle."

Of course, I probably could have saved a few bucks if I had ordered different parts from different places and did the mods myself... I don't mind doing that with a dektop, but after dinking with my old m15x, I just wanted something I could rock right out of the box. I didn't go crazy, but I did go with some of the upgrades. Here's what I ordered...

Space Black - Anodized Aluminum
Intel Core i7 740QM Quad Core, 1.73GHz (2.93GHz Turbo Mode, 6M Cache)
8GB Dual Channel Memory (2x 4GB DDR3)
17-inch WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 (900p)
CrossfireX 1GB GDDR5 ATI Radeon Mobility HD 5870
640GB Raid 0 (2x 320GB 7,200RPM HDDs)
Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate, 64bit, English
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Intel Ultimate N WiFi Link 6300 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO Technology
Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR
1yr Advanced Protection plan

***UPGRADING TO RGB SCREEN***

I also ordered the Mamba gameing wireless mouse, the AW messenger bag, the TacX headset and the tiny portable surge protector. All for $3400. Build this online and you're looking at almost 4k. There are some great tips here on how to get a better deal, but first and foremost... call and simply ask for a better deal.

I wish they had DDR5 ram and any sort of SLI dual DDR5 GFX cards, but I'm very happy with what I ordered. I almost upgraded to the higher pixeled screen, but on a 17" monitor... I don't think difference is worth it. Now, on my 62" TV of course I have full 1080 capabilities, but 17 inches of screen? $200? Bah... call me cheap.

Does anyone know if/when they will offer a slot loading blu-ray burner?? It blows my mind that they don't have it already. Anyone have any idea why they're not offering it?

Anyways, my mid-grade first gen m15x was a lemon at first because I got it when they first came out... but once the bugs were worked out - the laptop did everything I needed it to do and more. I love it. It got smashed and I need a laptop for work and numerous other activities including gameing... looking forward to KOTOR... drool... so there's my build. My reasons. My cost. Watcha think?

Speaking of... when I ordered my m15x it took just over 2mo to get it. I have another thread here about how shipping has changed since the big "merge/buyout". I could use your opinion if you've ordered from AW recently. Check it out here... http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/529147-hows-alienware-doing-their-build-shipping-these-days.html

Thanks!!

 

You'll be very satisfied with it. You should have gotten the 1920x1200 resolution RGB LED though. I believe the 1440x900 is CCFL backlit. The difference is night and day.

 

Agreed with Talon, the RGB is simply amazing. If you can go for that. The resolution might not make much differance to you (to me it does) bt the differance is in the RGB. RGB colors look so vibrant and rich vs the CCFL backlit screen. The blu-ray burner is likely short on stock. I got one when I ordered months back.

 

On the burner.... figures. That would be my luck.

Screen reso on that small of a screen just doesn't do it for me... not for $200 anyways. On the other hand...

I didn't even pay attention to those details... I agree, I'd rather have LED anyday over the LCD stuff... bah! This is going to slow down my build time - I'm sure. Going to have to make a call in the morning... grr! I even asked the sales rep on the phone if he thought there was a big difference between the two and he flat out said - just the reso. I'll double check and let you know for sure.

 

I hear the RGB is great, but keep in mind it isn't an LED display, just a LED backlit LCD display with RGB LED's rather than the standard white LED's. It leads to a brighter and more vibrant color display. Both the one you picked and the higher 1920x1200 ones are are all LCD displays. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, lol)

 

It seems on Dell.ca, I cannot select between DVD+-RW, Blu-Ray reader or the Blu-Ray Burner.. It is automatcailly the Blu-Ray Reader.. It never asked me which one I wanted.. As for system ram, DDR5 doesn't exist yet, we're still on DDR3 for system ram. Besides, the Blu-Ray Reader is better than the burner.. Buy an external burner.. The one I got in my AW M17x-R2 is a Panasonic brand and they are known to be crap drives.. Mines been replaced 3 times since I've owned the machine (April 2010)

As for the CCFL LCD vs the LED RGB LCD, yes, only the 1920x1200 LCD has the RGB LED backlighting..

Nice build BTW. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed my m17X-R2.

 

We're all here to help man. You'll forget all about the extra build time once you experience that LCD. The dual 5870s will also be better utilized by a higher resolution screen. You have to use less AA on a 1920x1200 screen. Your performance will suffer a little bit because your cards are pushing more pixels, but it's very worth it.

 

Thanks for the help guys... just sent my sales rep an email. Also went back to the A site to dbl check the screens.... and I found more. Not only did the rep downsell the screen when I asked about the difference... but today they're offering 15% off. So that "great deal" I got.... could have been better if I'd have waited until the next day and I could have gotten the better screen and everything else for the same price I just paid. AND to top it off... the preliminary ship date for this cart is sooner than the one I just paid for, LOL!

Needless to say, the rep was emailed and if he doesn't get back with me first thing in the morning - I'll call him and cancel the order, then call another rep for the commission. Gah, why me?

Am I being a spoiled brat? Or do I have a valid point here? Any store you walk into will honor a sale price within (and up to) 30 days. I haven't even recieved the laptop yet... they should be able to just upgrade the screen and call it a day.

 

It all depends on your previous experience, and it costs a bundle.. but I would say, based on forumreading and personal experience, that for people who put a demand on their system extended warranty may do you a whole lot of good.. I am personally receiving my new system as below in a week or so as an upgrade for a m1730 2 years into my plan. on my previous systems I have had the whole computer replaced a couple of times.

 

I mentioned this in another thread, but thought I might give the update here since this is the main thread on my m17x...

I'm in the middle of canceling my order and getting a better deal. The day after I placed my order, they started offering 15% off... so basically, I could get the RGB monitor and spend less than I did. So my shipping date will probably bounce around... nothing is ever easy for me. But you can't blame me for trying to get a better deal. I'm going to shoot for overnight shipping as well. Sales rep was supposed to call me back before he left today... he didn't do so. That's strike two. Grr!

As to the last poster's note... agreed. If you intend on keeping the PC - keep extending the warranty as long as you can. If you're buying new and you can afford it get the 5 year advanced because it's cheaper.... sometimes, if you call you can haggle a bit with them to cut you a break on it. If you can't afford it... get the 1yr advanced and BEFORE the 11th month - extend that warranty. I had my entire casing changed twice. On my m15x. If I'd have bought the accidental coverage on it... when it got smashed I would got a brand new one. Stupid me. Learn from my mistake.

 

Well, I have to say that this experience hasn't been much better from my last experience with AW. I was hoping that the merge with Dell would have made things run a bit smoother and though I do get clear english speaking reps, they haven't helped much.

From what I've gathered, as long as you order one of their setups - you get everything super fast. The second you make changes or add-ons.... they screw it all up.

It's like going to Taco Bell and ordering a taco. If you just say you want a crunchy taco - you get it. If you say you want a cruncy taco w/ not lettuce but add sour cream...... they never get it right. This is unacceptable.

This will be my LAST AW purchase. First off, as described before the AW/Dell did NOT try to sell me the RGB screen and told me the only difference was the resolution. If I had know of the difference, I would have made changes to my order right then and there. So I tried calling back and I went through three reps that said they'd fix it and call me back. NOTHING.

Not to mention the day after I ordered, they marked everything down 15%. So technically they owe me money. It was a $61 difference to add the screen one day... then $121 the next day. And they will not bend at all nor will they at least upgrade shipping because changing the screen basically starts my build from scratch.

No help at all whatsoever.

Going to make one more attempt. Not going to bother upgrading, but I am going to demand that I get the price difference refunded. Any good named company should/would honor a price difference within 30 days and I haven't even receieved the computer yet, so it shouldn't be an issue.

If it is, I will simply cancel my order. It will sadden me, but why should I have to tolerate this? Maybe I'm crazy.... but it seems like a very simple fix to me.

 

Well sorry things havn't gone well, but the sales reps are just that, sales personnel and not computer savy people. But to say technically they owe you money would be a bad statement. You bought it under the agreement that you were paying for what you were getting. Them reducing the price has nothing to do with the agreement between you and dell when you initially ordered. That said, the easiest thing to do is simply cancel the order go through another rep, and just do a re-order from scratched. Once an order has been processed, it can't be changed while in production. I've ordered 3 laptops from Dell in the last year and havn't issues.

 

Personally I would have just canceled the order immediately and then reordered what you wanted. Once the ball is rolling it's hard to make changes to the order.

They messed up my outlet order and sold it to someone else. Was I upset, sure, but in the end I'm getting what I wanted and although I paid a bit more for it at least it will be brand new.

 

If all else fails, when you receive it, call and tell them you are not satisfied and want to return. You have a 21-day window, use it and reorder.

Again, should be no reason why Sales cannot resolve this - as others have mentioned, once the order is in process its next to impossible to change but they may be able to help with creating a new order to your liking and once the current order ships and is received, turn around and return it.

See this link if you are not getting anywhere - be sure to use the SALES contact side - see post#1.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...placement-systems-warranty-repair-issues.html

 

Thanks for the input guys... I posted that last one after a few hours of being on the phone with three different people. I just get tired of explaining the same situation.

The only reason I was trying to change it is because I need it BADLY for work. Money's tight and my laptop makes me a few extra bucks on the side with video/sound editing and stuff like that among other things. Long story short - I didn't want the ship date drastically changed. PLUS, I had a third party purchase the computer for me.... and this person was reluctant to do so. Trying to talk them into returning and then repurchasing another computer is going to be difficult.

And no, it's not like they OWE me anything... but any store you can WALK into will honor the "best of" price in the last or next 30 days if you're keeping an eye out. These guys just flat-out refuse. And it's not like I was a total jerk about it. I was rather nice until they transfered me to a different dept and the guy had NO clue what was going on...

It's just frustrating... I need a computer like yesterday, and I understand "build time" and I also understand that they have a set way of doing things. I get it - my problem. But regardless, I just don't think it should be that difficult... shouldn't have so many hoops to jump through and so many barriers.

So, I'll wait until it gets here... try it out and go from there. I would have canceled the order today out of pure frustration... but they said my next ship date wouldn't be until 11/29!!! Woah!

Bah!

If I decide to return it, will they refuse to start another build until the computer is in their hands?

 

It's better to receive the system first, then make your call.

 

From everything I've read - this seems to be the case... but I'd sure hate to have to pay restocking fees. I don't have the funds to cover endless amount of credit.

 

I completely understand the frustration. I've dealt with that numerous times and it is very frustrating. But if you decide you need a differant computer, you will have 21 days from date of invoice( date it ships ) to return it. Than you can get another order in. Drawback is that if you order before the return ins complete you'll have money out on two systems until your refund is processed. Which in me experience can be a few weeks.

 

Yeah, heck they still haven't refunded me for the outlet computer that I never even bought!

 

Yeah which is a very scary deal for me... I have a friend which I soley know through investing. He helped me get my house. I didn't even know the guy and though I was having credit issues, he trusted me and bought my house for me. He's been helping me with my credit since. Of course, it's not a total charity case - he's making money. And I had already been working on restoring credit for about 3 years. But anyways, the house isn't completely in my name yet so I haven't quite fulfilled our first obligation... but he reluctantly bought this PC for me knowing it would help me generate a very small amount of extra income that of course would make a big difference in the end.

He did NOT want to give his credit card info over the phone... he had a cashier's check to the exact dollar amount ready for AW and they wouldn't take it. A cashier's check is just like a money order - it's guaranteed cash in the form of a check. They don't bounce. So when they wouldn't accept that... he almost backed out, but I promised him this was the only way to go if I wanted quality and a portable PC to handle my work load.

How the heck do I call him and ask him if he will order me a second computer while I return this one... I'm sure they can hold your money for weeks... up to 90 days for a return. Then, I end up with more interest and I don't save much.

Just such a hassle... that guy from the sales dept was just a dumdum... can't believe he didn't try to make more money off of me. All he had to do was TELL me that the screen was an RGB screen and they would have made the extra $200 right then and there. If that was too much... just frikkin add it to my build! They said they'd have to start completely over... and now the parts I ordered are on back order and won't be in for a couple weeks. They've started my build and everything was fine. They could have kept those parts and just changed the monitor instead of starting over.... protocol protocol protocol.... bah!

It was much worse when I ordered my m15X... they wouldn't tell me anything. Took over two months to get my computer. That was horrible. That was for work as well... I work in radio and having a laptop is almost essential. I just started the new job and the laptop was a reward to myself (and from my fiance' and kids as well), we took income tax money to buy it. And most people that GET a large refund, typically are people that probably cannot afford an Alienware anyways... I was one of those people.

Yeah, I know... big sob story, right? I'm 26 with a wife and two kids, a mortgage and a normal (barely) middle class lifestyle. House in the country on 4 acres. Can't afford to sit around all day and wait for weeks/months for computers that I NEED. Besides radio, I video tape weddings, family reunions, whatever to make a buck.... I record everything in HD and of course edit them and make them like movies. I also sing in a band. We record all of our practice sessions because sometimes - the best stuff comes out right on the spot and more often than not, you forget what you just did, LOL!

Ok so now I just poured out my life story, lol.... just venting. I guess I could just go unload on a shrink instead of bugging you guys. But I have a feeling that alot of you... most of you probably understand everything I'm going through. Again, just venting lol!

So I may sound like a whiney little about my PC.... but it's not because I can't get my SWG or WoW fix, lol... just need to get it and try to generate some extra income.

So again.... bah!

No status updates yet so far.... I think I'm going to wait until i get the system. Then talk to my investor AFTER I find out how long the refunds take. I'll order a SECOND laptop... and return my current one as soon as the new one shows up (assuming it arrives within 21 days), the second build though will be a cheaper build.... I'll hold off on the blu-ray player and the RAM and that will save me almost $500. Then I'll upgrade the ram myself on Newegg.com and buy the 8g for $150 or less and resale the 4g that AW installs automatically. I figure there's no reason to have a blu-ray player on my laptop if I'm going to have to buy an external for blu-ray burning anyways. All the playback of my videos will be on my HDD anyways.

Still curious if anyone has a better idea of how long it takes for a refund.

 

Chaging the name of this thread too...

From "Second "m" series Laptop ordered... my m17x is in production!"

To "Second "m" series Laptop ordered 2yrs later and STILL a hassle."

 

When I got a refund, it took six weeks due to shipping form Iraq, but once the system was in their possession, it took about a week or less.

 

Good to know. Thanks!

 

Anyway I would hold ordering M17X and hold my breath for new 4X series GPUs.

 

Though tempting, I need something now... and even if I didn't - I think I'd still rather go with something has been "working" for awhile. The last time, I tried something new was when the m15x very first came out... issues issues issues.... everyone hated them, lots of people returned them - it went on and on. Now they are looked upon as a gift from God... yeah, better hardware and software - but more importantly, more time to work out the kinks. Almost everything I've owned that has been "new tech" has had so many issues that it was pointless to own EXCEPT my PS3... I've got a first gen 80g that has the backwards compatible features and I've never had a single problem with it. Thank God, lol! Love it!

 

It sucks that you've had so many issues with your order. I just got mine today and man is it a nice looking machine. Well worth the 8 day wait. It's running so good I'm almost afraid to tear it apart to do all my upgrades! If you do make it through all this ordering mess I think you will be happy.

 

Agreed, once they got all the bugs worked out and then once they fixed the broken hinge issue.... oh yeah, and the horrible key flex... oh then sent me the correct amount of functioning ram.... lol...

Once it was worked out - I loved my m15x... it didn't have a scratch or single thing wrong with it when it got smashed. I toted it to work, gigs, with my band, had it around pets, kids and job sites... it performed perfectly.

We ordered ours on the same day... mine doesn't say "shipped", it's still in production with estimated recieve date of 11/15... maybe I'll get mine tomorrow? I'd be happy if it was here by Friday.

 

Still waiting... not freaking out yet obviously, I mean - I knew I wouldn't be one of the ones with the lucky 6-day recieve time, lol! We're only on day 8 though - so not worried yet. I think I'll give them a call though just to double check that something isn't on backorder for me.

 

Whoops wrong thread sorry, how do i delete these

 

I ordered mine on 10-27 with nearly the same config as yours, mine showed shipped from Industry, CA last night, they sent it with fedex ground instead of 2 day express....oh well another 9 days or so to alaska is normal

I had trouble like that when I ordered my xps 1730, it is a huge hassle to get an order changed one processed, and much better to recieve it first then send it back, I believe dell gives you 21 days to return it.

 

Yeah, not sure what I'm going to do yet... we'll see what happens. Weird how yours went out already, eh? Of course, they told me that mine would be coming out of Texas.

Anything but Florida is not built by the same guys that brought us Alienware. This makes our laptops deff 100% DELL with an Alien on it.

 

Got mine today... love it so far even though I decided against the RGB screen... this screen is awesome as well and I guess as long as I never see an RGB right next to it... I'll stay happy, lol!

Mine shipped out yesterday apparently, est. date was the 9th on the Dell site but FedEx said today. It came from Chicago and I live 3 hours from there.

More to come once I dink with it.

 

Yeah I have the RGB and while it does look nice, I ended up using my crappy 22" because I prefer the larger screen when I'm at home.

I hope you're happy with the laptop and this ordering mess is behind you.

 

Just got my m17x shipped out to, i've already seen the laptop and can't wait to get it. Also got a Mamba myself, unfortunetly I didn't get that tacx headset, looks friggin bad instead I got some PC350 headset for 150$, soooo we'll see how it is, but it got the best reviews from all the sites over other headsets.

 

dajohu... yeah, I'm over it, but I honestly don't see myself buying from them again. After going through such issues in two separate transactions from AW and then Dell... I'm done. This will be my last AW/Dell. If this one performs... I won't need to buy another one or even upgrade this one for several years. As for the RGB, this one is still much nicer setting next to any other screen around it so far. I like it!

Collegekid2k... did you see the post on the mamba? It's not really meant for portability. It's not true wireless in my opinion. There's another thread around here somewhere about gameing mice...

 

Ok, I'm almost a month into owning my m17x... it's running like a dream although I have had to update my video players like crazy and still, I get these random glitchy moments when watching video. It lags out real bad - especially in full-screen mode. Sure, I expect this on older models with less power... but on this machine with my specs??? No way! So I'm still tinkering with this. Hope to have it worked out real soon. Otherwise, she runs like a dream!

As for my huge hassle with cost and all that jazz... I finally called today because I saw that the AW website was offering my same build for $370 cheaper than what I paid for it less than a month ago. So I called to return this system and then spring for the same system plus the RGB screen... they were very nice for once and pretty much begged me to keep my system. They started with offering me $100 refund... I said no. Then they offered $200... I declined. Then they offered $270 and I still declined. So we started the return process.

During the return process, I told her I wanted to transfer my payment authorization over and purchase a new laptop. She said they couldn't do that and that I'd have to wait until the money was replaced on my Credit Card before I could order a second computer. So I told her that if that was the case, then I was going to have to go to Best Buy and buy a cheaper laptop outright that would NOT be Dell or Alienware because I had to have one like right NOW. I just lost my job and my laptop is my only hope at making some cash.

She then asked if I'd keep the laptop if she could give me a total price match. I said sure - that's all I wanted to begin with. So she put me on hold and talked to the boss and rebuilt my machine on her end... and came back with another offer. She offered to refund me $375 if I'd keep the machine.

I agreed. And the rest, as they say, is history.

So with all the hassle... I still didn't end up with the RGB screen, but I did get a really nice laptop for the price that I had hoped to pay for it... well, I'd rather get it for free, but we don't live in a perfect world, LOL!

So that's my story... if you have any specific questions about how my machine performs, send me a message or post here and I'll respond as soon as I can.

 

Sweet! You had to put the pressure on but you got a nice discount. Like you said if you never have the RGB next to yours you won't ever notice. Heck many of us had to search just to figure out if we had one or not, so it's not that big of a difference anyway!

 

I'd have rather returned the laptop then settle for $370. The M17x-R2 is not worth owning without the RGB LED display. I rank it as the most important component in the system.

 

Opinions opinions. I appreciate them all, but don't try to make me feel bad about my system, lol!

Of course - I'd like the RGB screen - that's obvious. But I didn't buy it just for gaming and fun... I have a a family and repsonibilities and I need a laptop. Waiting another month for one just for a better screen just wasn't in the cards for me. Plus, by the time they'd recieved this laptop and by the time they issued my refund (minus restock fees and their BS)... the sale would have ended and I would have been paying WAY too much for what I think this system is worth. Sure, it sucks - but it's not the end of the world... the system still out performs my expectations and the regular screen is still a VERY nice screen. I can pay games and make money with this machine.

In the end - I'm happy. My system still shines even without the extra clear coat if ya catch my drift.

And thanks Dajohu! How're you liking YOUR system so far?

 

This is all that matters - congrats and enjoy the system!

 

Thanks homes... it was tough dropping the dough for it - but I love it. The design of the case, the lighting, the performance... it's sleek, sylish, and quite simply... a bad mofo. Especially compared to my 1st gen plastic m15x.

If my laptop carried a wallet - it'd have "B.M.F." engraved in Adamantium.

 

Well, three months into it and I've spent almost 20 hours on the phone with tech support and customer care. They have had to replace my monitor and gave me the free upgrade for the 1200p RGB screen which looks amazing I might add, but still crashing and getting blue screens. Come to find out, I have bad HDDs and it's just been one headache after another. After enough argueing and fighting they decided to replace the entire system, but I got cut off during confirmation. I get hung up on/cut off 7 times in one day and sat on the phone for almost 5 hours in one setting. When I called back the new person said I wasn't eligible for a replacement system. So then I lost it and blew up. Finally after getting transfered another dozen times I found someone that said they'd replace it again, but they downgraded me back to the original 900p screen and gave me Windows 7 Premium instead of ultimate. Two more days of fighting with them to get them to upgrade my operating system to Windowns Vista Ultimate!?! ?? So I was forced to blow up again and finally they fixed it and gave me what I paid for which was Windows 7 Ultimate. They tried saying Vista and 7 were comparable. Idiots. Then back to the screen, they said they were giving me a new machine but only the same as my original order - no upgrades. Which meant they were taking away my RGB screen. Unacceptable. So I fought more and more and finally they agreed saying that it was a mistake.

So it was two days from being the 8th day when I was guaranteed my shipment of my new PC and they said in order to fix the problem they'd have to cancel the old one and start over. Ok fine. Do it. Now my time is reset and I have to wait another 8 days. But wait, there's more! It took them two days to process everything so my 8 days didn't actually start until today. I logged on to pull up the build information to double check that everything was correct and guess what? It's still showing the 900p screen!!!! OMG!! Idiots!

I really really really will NEVER purchase from Dell again. I love Alienware and when the machines are running as intended - they truely are the BEST out there. But too often do I run into problems that require phone support and this is what happens. Dell's customer service is crap. You have to repeat yourself a dozen times as they transfer you all over the plce even when you know you need to speak with a certain dept. they must know everything before the will transfer you and they input it all into their computer yet the next person you speak with has NO FRIKKING CLUE of what's going on. So you have to explain it again and again all the while trying to keep your cool.

They sent me a lemon. Tried making it right and failed miserably. Not once. not twice. but THREE times. They tried DOWNgrading my system not once, but TWO times. They make promises that they don't keep! At this point, I should be recieveing a boat load of free UPgrades! I don't ask for them or expect them to do it, but by God they SHOULD do it for all the freaking hassle! Since November I have been dealing with this mess. It runs fine for a few days then crashes. They fix it - usually bios and drivers that THEY keep reinstalling!! Then it crashes. They replace a part - I lose all my information - then it crashes.

It's always something with these people. I'll keep you posted.

 

So they are in the process now of canceling the second order... finally opened the replacement HDD's they sent me before they decided to replace the system - of course they are refurbished. Good to know that I paid over 3 grand for a computer slapped together with refurbed parts. I cna understand some parts - but a freaking HDD??? Especially a set that runs on RAID-0. My God, these people are idiots!

I do have a guy working to fix the problem right now and he does seem like he's genuinely trying to help. It only took about 30 reps to reach him, but beggers ant be choosers right? GRR!

 

Howd you know your HDD are refurbished? Kinda creeping me out because when i recieved my new m17x replacement i swapped the HDDs and on the replacement, one of the hard drives were missing a screw :/