Alienware M18X R1 V2 Project

Bought list

1. ---First buy round---
2. Secondary heatsink $30
3. Primary heatskink $25
4. Palmrest $30
5. LCD cable $30
6. Crossfire cable $30
7. LCD screen $60
8. Keyboard cover $14
9. Sub Total $219

1. ---Second buy round---
2. Speakers $10
3. CMOS battery $5
4. Macro Keys $15
5. LCD Grip $10
6. GPU and CPU Fans $40
7. Subwoofer $10
8. Sub Total $90

1. ---Third buy round---
2. Black bottom chassis $34.95
3. Black LCD panel $49.95
4. Black bottom cover $20
5. CPU Heatsink $20
6. R2 SATA HD cable $37.27
7. R2 I/O Board with cable $38.75
8. Full screws kit $12.00
9. Alienware logo light board $45.03
10. Sub Total $257.95

1. ---Fourth buy round---
2. CPU 3610QM $175
3. R2 HD caddy $3.99
4. LCD Hinges $14.95
5. Wifi board $25
6. Secondary GPU fan $15
7. Camera $27
8. R2 CPU Fan $40
9. Keyboard $30
10. Sub Total $330.94

1. --Fifth buy round--
2. Bluetooth board $32
3. Battery $38
4. AC adapter $50
5. SLI Cable $35

1. --Sixth buy round--
2. R2 Motherboard $492.75
3. Nvidia 780M $585.00

Total including Shipping $1996.08

Waiting list

1. Nvidia 780

In process of shipping!!

All the pics can be found here:

https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=EADC3A9A1614D45!307

List of mods:

1. Alienware Head led mod ------ DONE
2. M17 R1 screen panel

Link for mods: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?res...57&authkey=!AHYF9BqfxQ9wk4U&ithint=folder,jpg

Well I will post this mod because I don't really care if someone do it before me. I will make my own screen panel (when I buy the OEM one, since I need to make a mold from somewhere) including my M17 R1 back panel. Something like this:



Feel free to ask comment or anything you want.

 

well if you make a mold of the ribbed m17x alienware cover that fits the m18x perfectly ill buy one from you..

 

How does the LCD grip is mounted? I see that it have 2 screw holes. Could anyone show me how is that mounted?

You will love it when its done stay tuned.

While searching on google I found some pics of someone who did a photo shop to the screen panel of an M17x. But this is what I got in mind.

 

why did alienware ever get rid of those grips/eyes/panels? they were such a cool distinctive design! its not like AW is going to win the thinnest notebook of the year title so might as well stay true! was it an attempt to mainstream & get inroads with the semi-business users?

OP picture and the one above are testament to how awesome it can look imo.

 

Maybe because of Dell?

 

so dell bought alienware simply to make them look more dell-like, in the hopes of increasing their gaming market share? the answer must be something to do with portability i guess...but as i mentioned above, these machines are already quite beastly.

 

Well it looks like I'm about to sell some tires that I had at home, if they sell I will be starting with the screen panel mod. So hopefully around next weekend I will have all the parts and things to start making my molds.

 

Look at the photos I have posted here and I think it may answer your question... [HOW TO] M18x LCD Panel Disassembly

 

So its slid and then it have the two screws that goes from the LCD hinges?

 

No... Two screws below the Alienware logo and between the hinges fasten the exterior plastic cover panel. You cannot see those screws until you unbolt the complete LCD assembly from the laptop base and lift the hinges out of their pockets, then they will be obvious. They are showing in one of the photos. They are concealed while the laptop is assembled. When you remove those two screws the exterior cover panel literally falls off. Under that plastic cover there are two more screws that attached the aluminum lid to the LCD/frame assembly. Remove those two screws and the lid slides up a bit to disengage the tabs on the frame from the slots in the channels attached to the lid.

 

Perfect just what I wanted to read.

Anyone know where I can get the LCD hinges? I have been searching for days without finding one.

 

Have you tried pchub and partspeople ?

They usually have hinges in stock. If not then maybe call dell ?

 

None of them have it. Well I think that my last option is Dell.

 

They have them here: Impact Computers > Alienware M18x > Brackets

Check with Dell/Alienware first. The parts are frequently more affordable going directly to them instead of the aftermarket vendors.

 

this is going to be one hell of a project

credit for passion man!

yea I would absolutely love some rubberized hard-wearing texture on the back of LCD lid, gonna follow this thread so much

subscribed

 

So far I will be having a nice amount of money to start making this. Hopefully for next weekend I will get the LCD panel and the molding parts. BTW, do you own a FD or just like them? I really like the blue one in your sig.

 

Yea I own one, work on it, waste all my free time when I feel like I want to be with it, just after putting a motor back in doing all the little work on my spare time now, soon be driving again. For now standard twin turbo nice amount of power but will do single turbo down the road some time later for more power and simplicity maintaining whole craft

are you going to get pre-made custom moulds or are you going to build some by yourself? You can do a hell of a project if youre handy with plaster and just do some DIY mould basin of the shape desired and then melt some rubber in it for the form made so its 100% fit the project... just an idea(wild one)

 

I'm going to made the moulds by myself. When I have the item finished I will make a full mould of it. This way it will be easier to make. I still have many materials on mind to make the item, but my main plan is to make mine in full carbon fiber (LCD panel, palmrest, main panel, bottom panel and LCD grip). This project will be like my car project (a endless list of things to modify )

 

Youre talking replaceing the lid with carbon fiber fully made mould instead and replace palmrest with grill with custom made one just retain metal bottom chassis? this going to be epic

 

Yeah, I am keeping my eye on this, could be super sexy

 

Yes that's what I'm talking about I still need to take a look at chassis, maybe I can't make it of carbon fiber, but I can apply one layer around it so it have carbon finer look. Will see when I bu it.

 

This is where some parts of my R1 is going????
So glad I sold them to you then!
Will definitely keep checking.
Good luck.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

Glad you sold them too

 

Lol, a bit like a relative donating organs as they pass ^-^

 

Well the molding project is about to start! I already bought the parts as many others. As soon as I'm done with finals I will go and buy molding things and then a superb fun summer starts!! :thumbsup:

 

could someone post a link to a description of these sort of mod "molding" projects? i tried googling a few variations but think i need something more specific to find what i need. something for a total noob.

could something like this be used for doing a similar project for m11x?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alienware...Monitor_Replacement_Parts&hash=item20cc10c25c

shame this is in USA the delivery is 3 times the cost of the item.

 

I don't understand your first question, could you be more specific?

That one could work, but you need to measure them to see if it will fit, if not you could get a hard time making it smaller. I'm planing to make this mod for M17x and I need to see if it will fit in a M14x. If everything looks nice with the M14x as soon as I finish this one I will ask in M17x and M14x to see how much will want them.

But for M11x I think that is way out of my skills.

New items arrived! The beast is starting to rise! Molding project will start in around two weeks.

 

Well I finally started buying some molding things. I will be testing them this week or weekend. If any of them works then I will start with the project. Its pretty hard to buy those stuff here in Puerto Rico...

 

well you would think some autocad to extend the mold and keep the aspect would work.. and maybe some rental time on a 3d printer for a mock up?

 

Perhaps, but again that will be extremely hard here in PR. I have worked with autocad and I like it, but I can't do anything with it here... So I will have to search for it somewhere around the world.

 

Well I haven't had any luck with molds, 3 consecutive fails!! :\ still searching for the perfect product.

 

If i am to make exact like this but all with m18x r1 parts...what parts do i need? how much will it cost me?

 

I would be willing to sell my M18X R1 motherboard. Its been replaced by dell a year ago i think, so its in good condition.

BUT i need to find myself an R2 motherboard and the other needed parts so i can upgrade my R1 to R2.

 

Must of R1 and R2 parts are the same. You only need a Motherboard, I/O daughter board, HD caddy and HD connectors/cable to have an R2. All my current parts are for a R1 except for the I/O daughter board and HD connectors.

So it should be around the same, or even less if you are in USA since shipping could be free.

I have found some R2 mobo on eBay and you can try calling Dell.

 

Finally a perfect looking mold!



Hopefully I will buy some fiberglass tomorrow and make the first prototype side of the screen!

 

Well I have been extremely busy this days so I final went today to buy some fiber glass and the local store is out of stock until Aug 4 >:|.

 

I have bought "Fast Cast Polyurethane Liquid Plastic Casting Resin Kit" from ebay, cheap, very very little mess, and already tried few things with it and works wonders!

I will be doing my RHD RX7 driver side pillar mod for 4-5 gauge's to be flushed fitted smothly in to it with help of this stuff, I think you could find this too handy man, this thing is so strong but very well sandable if needed. When curred I found its stronger than ABS plastic the interior dash panels are made of.

BR

 

Now if only some insanely dareing AW fanatics started modding ribs to the back of the 2013 models...

 

haha yea sure send to this man your newly bought aw 18 screen lid back cover and buy him some beer and include pocket money and I can only see it being done no problem

 

Yep with that done you're on your way!

seriously good luck with this project everyone i do love seeing "could have been" projects come to life.

 

lol I don't see why it will be impossible to do with the 18, but the lights that it include will make it harder.

I will go today for some shopping since I made an amazing improvement in my current programming project, so I will take the day free. I just wish I could find those kits here in Puerto Rico, I have asked many sellers and the shipping are amazingly expensive!

 

Shame I'd reckon it would look something like this {tinkers on PS}

Alienware of old

Potential of new Alienwares

 

Well it doesn't look bad, even that its fliped.

 

Well I found some interesting stuff today. So I bought some things I hope to be able to make the first prototype at the end of the week.

BTW I think that 4 gauges will eliminate a big point of front visibility, why do you need 4-5 (Just curious)? Also if you know anyone that owns a FC tell him/her I have some parts that I want to get rid of.

 

cool, oh well I dont like the idea having my all gauges in stereo department, or glovebox, especially not on top of the dash stuck on or screwed on, and I have also seen 4pod in the centre speaker but didnt like that either. The idea behind the pilar is that Im gonna flush them in to the pilar and smooth out as much as possible, guages are 52mm diameter and are ~40mm or less in length so should do very well. I am going to use water temp, oil temp, oil press, boost, and A/F ratio gauge so it makes total 5 gauges, as I have spare pilar tower from FD I may experiment as much as I can before I see if I really like that or not by my measures so far the way I want them flushed in they will not block any view(hope so) and will so the gauges backlight controllable trough interior backlight level control switch so theyre not always at theire max brightness if you get me

One thing my friend may be interested is if you got full 12B motor?

 

Um, do you mean 13B? or 12A? if you mean 13B I only got the center side housing (without any port modification). I have some housings that I could sell if he want to experiment with them, but they are pretty damaged. Feel free to pm me if you want some pics of the things I have right now.

 

Yea thats what I meant 12A full motor in any condition etc need rebuild, however yea I will ask you to email whatever you got there in the list to me via email I will PM yo now thanks

 

Soooo I almost bought a GPU card, but when its time to make the correct decision I just don't know which one I should take :\. So my question is, should I go with AMD or NVIDIA? Of course I'm talking about 7970m and 680m. For the moment I will buy one (need money to buy the second one , but at the end I will have the SLI or CF) so keep in mind that I will buy SLI/CF later. I have read so many threads about GPU issues that I don't know which one I should take.

But at the end the correct question is: which one should I get? Remember I don't have any warranty from Dell so I need to be sure of which one I'm going to get (I can't afford to buy 4 cards!).

 

I love your new avatar!!! BTW I really really love that Innocent Blue Mica!!! I wish my car was that color.

 

haha, thanks! yea took pic yesterday thought looked stealth, dropped -80mm or more all the way on the bottom of tein coilovers ah just had quick wash, still needs a day of polishing and waxing...

any progress on your project fellow?