Dell m18x cons...why I can't pull the trigger...convince me to...

While you can't argue with the specs and features of a laptop like this, I wonder if it's really worth it. Fact of the matter is you are paying an arm and leg for putting a desktop in a small form factor with a screen. And is it really that portable big baby? I can't imagine anyone taking one of these huge suckers out at starbucks without embarassing themselves and the netbooks around them.

And 330 watt power brick? Why So Serious? Dude, that is literally the size of a brick as well. I just don't see anyone lugging this around and doesn't that defeat the purpose of this laptop, and isn't that what raises the price of a laptop at the same time considerably.

I know I can build a comparable, comparable SB desktop for about $800 that'll match the performance of this thing fully spec'd out.

Look, I'm not arguing the beastly performance and features. They are the best. The HDMI input, the aluminum finsih, it's top shelf, and top notch.

But I just can't overlook the negatives. One it's not really portable. And two, it's ridiculously expensive at $2000 and up for the specs that I would want. Anyone else find a problem with the negatives as well?

 

Well it was meant to be replacement for desktop. It comes down to your personal situation. I will be moving around every year(going to uni and living away) so right now I can't get a desktop or a TV for my PS3(hdmi input is what pulled me to alienware). So for my needs right now alienware is the right one(although the screen seems to be bad)

But yea I wish I rather have a desktop but can't.


Although if someone is moderately rich(wish I was) then money is no negative. Even then to some portability means a lot. To be able to move around anytime is a big bonus. It comes down to your situation(financially and lifestyle)


If I was in a better situation I would have loved to build my desktop and get an awesome big matte screen. But for a few years I can only go for a laptop.

 

if you like desktops a lot more then you will regret the m18x, as simple as that.

6970 is basically 6800 series architecture. Hd 7000 series will be out soon. gtx 600 series will be out soon.

 

Your negatives are all personal opinion. It's you that has a problem with the size and price, not the rest of us. For me a 11.96 lb system with the latest SB processor and Xfire 6970Ms and 18.4" is perfect and not heavy at all (I'm an M17x-R2 owner). And if not a 330W PSU, what would you suggest they use to power it? Clevo relies on 2x PSU's just to power their X7200 and that system is thicker than M18x with a smaller screen.

For what the M18x delivers, the price is exactly where it should be. Upgrade options for certain items are overpriced but Dell has to make money back somehow. Those that know better simply buy from Newegg or other e-tailers. I purchased my system (see sig) for $2700 after taxes with 2 years of complete care warranty. This is Alienwares flagship premium product, if you want something cheaper, look elsewhere (e.g. M17x-R3 or other brands).

Comparisons to a desktop is just stilly, this is a notebook with hours of battery life, not some Clevo X7200 that lasts for 30 mins on battery or desktop that is stationary.

As for feeling embarrassed in public carrying a large DTR around, I think those lugging around macbooks and netbooks should be embarrassed, not the other way around. Alienware notebooks are aesthetically very pleasing and garner positive comments in public.

If the M18x is not for you, buy something else, simple as that.


/thread

 

i dont mind taking m18x to starbucks lol

 

How often do any of us really sit in starbucks w/our computers anyway? I never go there. I guess I'm just not trendy enough.

 

Why would it be embarrassing? All the other people will run away in fear of the power of such a laptop.

Uh, because it needs that much power? No, it doesn't defeat the purpose, you know what you are getting into when you buy it. If you want a weaker laptop that doesn't require as much power go buy it.

Is it a laptop? No, it's a desktop, apples and oranges. Can you build a more powerful laptop for $800?

Sounds like it isn't for you if it is too much money and I don't see the negatives you do. I see the positives in having one of the most powerful laptops money can buy and I enjoy the exclusivity as well.

 

Very, very, well said.

 

I actually do Joker! Lol Im over in Kuwait though and the Starbucks on base (yes it's a real sb) has the fastest internet on base... So I get myself a coffee and pull out my Inspiron 15R... Cant wait to take my newly ordered M18X there and watch all the army guys freak out.

 

I'm surpised anyone would have their laptop out at a starbucks, I have an immense fear of having coffee spilt all over my precious machine. And as for the OP, it might help to look at some of your other options for a laptop, how much money would you be spending on something else of similar performance (in the laptop division), and would you be ok knowing you could have spent just that little more for the m18x?

 

simple question: what do u need it for?

i use my m17x R2 (as so many others have said) as a desktop replacement. i dont do alot of traveling with it, only between the Post im living on and home. Occasionaly i take it to a SB, sit and browse the web, but i never get wierd looks. people usually ask me how i got it and admire it.

Again, if you need an Xtreme gaming machine, then get a desktop. if u want a portable Xtreme gaming machine, get this.

 

Sorry, I call borderline trolling... it's an 18" laptop and your complaints revolve around the size and weight?

As for the cost, well, putting that much power in something that's not a desktop is always going to be expensive, assuming you've ever priced a high end gaming laptop before...

 

I'd say the price isn't too bad if you can get a litte discount. my 15.6" sager (95% gamut screen, 485m, 16gb ram, blueray reader, 500gb 7200rpm hd, 128gb intel 510 ssd, 2720, 6300 wireless) cost me a bit over 2600. that's prolly how much it's gonna cost me for this 18x (16gb ram (assuming they'll play ball and give me 1x4gb stick for stock), 320gb hd, worse screen, xfire 6970s, 6300 wireless, blueray).

i'll admit that i got a killer deal on that sager though.

edit: i agree with the borderline trolling. maybe that's not your intent, but if you need to be convinced to get this laptop, then most likely it's not for you at this time... unless you're just looking for attention jk..

 

If you don't see the value in it nothing we say will be likely to change your mind. Those of us who have or will order see something we want or need in this computer.

 

Like other folks have said, if you have to try this hard to convince yourself to even consider it, then the Alienware M18x isn't really for you.

Some of us will simply never buy another desktop ever and don't have problems with the size obviously, even if we have to travel a few times a year.

People keep bringing up the price as "an arm and a leg", but is it really that bad? It's $250 more over the M17xR3 as a base config (M17x needs upgraded screen, video card and wireless to match the M18x base config). Loading it up with crossfire, SSD, more RAM, Max CPU isn't a fair comparison.

If you can score a decent discount (which everyone should) and are patient, I wouldn't be surprised if you can score 20%-30% off, even without AAFES.

As for travel, it sounds like plenty of folks here alone travel with their M17xR2 and Sager X7200 so folks do travel with it.

I see this all the time in housing forums, financial advice boards, car forums...people really need to just understand different people have different needs and wants.

Simply put, this machine isn't for you and that's OK.
You don't need to try that hard to convince yourself it is for you.

 

If you can only afford one powerhouse machine and MUST travel with it then this is perfect.

Otherwise it's pretty rediculous to buy this as a desktop replacement since you can build a much more powerful system with a nice large screen for less.

For me I can afford both so I'll never use any Alienware notebook as a desktop replacement but I want one to have with me when I travel. That being the case the 18 is simply far too large to be practical for travel. It won't fit in most computer bags (and I'm not buying a backpack computer case to compromise) and it's simply too clunky and heavy. I sometimes have to carry two machines around, and this plus another... no way. But this alone would be too much for my tastes (again unless it was also my desktop replacement).

I just ordered an M17x which will fit in my briefcase, is a lot lighter (machine and brick) and is plenty powerful enough.

 

if i have a m18x i take it to starbuck as often as i can LOL

 

I was just at starbucks (on tuesday) with my M17x R2.

Pulled it out, plugged it in, and the dozen or so mac users browsing facebook or writing a word document literally just stared at me unblinkingly for the next few hours as I messed with the Sandbox2 CryEngine editor.

I felt soooo accomplished!

 

f you looking for a real portable computer with power to spare look into the M14x and M15x. If you require a better screen and wanna play with 3d then the M17x-R3 is right up you alley and still portable.

The m18x on the other hand is Alienware flagship and as the rep told me when I was canceling my order for the m17x-R3 the m18x is not really design to be portable, it is a full desktop replacement that happen to be called a laptop.
A 330W power supply is big true but not by that much , if I am correct the M17x-R3 uses a 230 W power supply and It is massive as it is.

For taking my m18x to the local Starbucks that won't happen since I don't drink their coffee and I don't think their puny table will accommodate my laptop.

 

Macbooks are soo wasted at SB. Over there, it's just one of those fashionable items that can browse the web.

 

Isn't the m18x supposed to be about 16lbs with dual HDD, Dual cards, and power brick. That makes it far more portable than a desktop, but still heavy enough not to want to move it around very often.

For me taking out an obviously heavy 18" laptop in Starbucks to browse the internet is total overkill. In the UK at least I can imagine that it would be embarrassing (depends on the person).

Definitely people will be looking and talking about it/you, but not in a good way. It'll be like watching some guy in the latest sports car stuck in a city traffic jam, fairly pointless, and amusing.

Such things could come across as boastful, or overcompensating for low self esteem. Likely in the same league as someone who always talking about how much money they earn. This may be a cultural thing though.

 

I can agree with that. Most of the time this is meant to stay in my room and last me for 4 years at least.

 

I guess of one really cares about what others think in a non-business situation that could matter. If I wanna game and bring my rockin' rig I really couldn't care less what others in the area think.

 

Who play and finish games at Starbucks though... at this age of phones/tablets you can access the web anywhere

For me m18x =

-Can easily move from one room to the other without plenty of wires/PC/LCD/Kyboard/etc

-Can easily move it to the biggest HDTV on the house to watch something or to other places

-Can easily LAN or take it to friends house, moving desktop+lcd/wires/etc to friend house will make you look ridicules

-Can easily play on bed/bathroom while taking a dump

-can travel with it easily good luck traveling with your desktop/easy to throw it in the car from place to place

-does not take much of the space in your room and no lot of ugly wires hanging everywhere

-You still get desktop like performance so why bother with desktop?

etc be creative

 

Where did you go KipCoo?

Anyways, If you think $2000 is expensive for the M18x, then perhaps you shouldn't even be looking in this category at all. Mind you, the M18x is Dell's flagship gaming laptop. It is arguably the most advanced 18.4" desktop replacement on the market today, and $2000 is definitely not too much to pay, for the latest technology all packed into one 18.4" beast.

It all boils down to balancing performance/price/portability. The dilemma arises when convincing yourself whether you need all of that power in a laptop, or would you be fine going the tower/netbook route. Or perhaps a less-powerful but more portable gaming laptop. That, my friend, we cannot help you with. You have to make a personal list of well-defined criteria, and base your purchasing decision on that. Everyone could say "get so and so laptop, you won't regret it!" but if the product really doesn't fit your needs, any money you spend will be money wasted, regardless of how cool it is.

If you really do need a desktop replacement, and are concerned with the portability that the M18x offers (or lack thereof) and the attention it will attract, then you should tone down your criteria to eliminate a dual-GPU laptop solution. Furthermore, if you're set on getting only an Alienware laptop, the M17x R3's single-GPU setup will probably suit your needs a lot better. There's definitely enough gaming power, and it will be a lot more portable than the M18x. Not to mention, the M17x will be significantly cheaper, assuming similar discounts are applied.

 

This isn't something i could take out in public to browse the internet. I want a one laptop does all kind of deal which is why I guess it wouldn't work. I don't want a netbook on the side. I just want one computer. Guess I'll have to wait a couple of years.

 

Problem is i want 6970m cf performance so the r3 doesn't cut it.

 

Problem solved! If you think the M18x would be overkill for your needs, then you shouldn't linger on the thought of hoping that it will get cheaper/more portable anytime soon.

Everyone wants to take as much computing power as they can get wherever they go, but unfortunately in this day and age, an 18.4" laptop isn't all too portable. Perhaps years down the road, 18.4" laptops will be as thin as MacBook Airs, and it will finally be portable enough for you. But until then, you can safely cross the M18x off your list if it doesn't satisfy your needs, as I'm sure there won't be a godsend 1/4" thick M18x revision anytime soon.

I'm sorry to say but 6970M CF performance in a single-GPU solution isn't available on the market today, as far as I know. The 6970M is runner-up to the GTX 485M, which is the king of GPUs atm. Even then, the 485M is at best only 10% faster than the 6970M, nowhere closer to the performance of CF 6970M.

So your choices:

1) Go with M18x - 1) Gain: 6970M CF performance, 2) Sacrifice: Portability + discretion in public.
2) Go with M17x R3 - 1) Gain: Portability + cheaper + less attention, 2) Sacrifice: Performance from 6970M CF.
3) Go with another company who sells what you're looking for (there aren't many AFAIK).
4) Keep on waiting and hopefully better laptops that suit your needs turn up within the next year or so.

If you can't go with option 4, then you're obviously stuck with choosing options 1-3. That's the best we can do for you at this point. The rest is up to you.

 

since the m18x supposed to be big and heavy, one cant really argue about those features.
However, my problem is that
m17x has better screen and 3d screen which i really like to have, however not a good gpu.
m18x do not have nice screen like m17x but have awesome gpu.

i dont spend this amount of money on anything. if i were to spend money on it, then i want the best i can get.

 

I often go to my local Starbucks with my MBP. It's a quiet place with good music. I do like staying for hours over there studying or working on things that are my passions (video, music, photo...). I hate doing things in library or in my extremely messy room

I really want to bring the R2 to public to wow people but I don't have much chance. There are always tons of stuff connected to my M17x all the time and I'm too lazy to pull all the cables out.

 

I read assignments and do PSD on my MBP13 at SB

But I bought a MBP17 and am waiting for it. Doing PSD and build iOS apps on a underpowered laptop with 13" @ 1280x800 <- (LMAO) makes me wanna bang my head onto the wall. I enjoy working on my R2 ALOT more.

 

I'm going to be moving back and forth from school and research so I obviously can't lug a desktop all over the place. The laptop I got from my school is fine but can barely play games at the lowest settings. Plus, next to a big fat anatomy textbook, the 18x will probably feel like a feather. I just wished there'd be a 3D option (I bought the Tron Legacy 3D combo pack and it'd be nice to use that spare disc) or an RGBLED one. The single 460m was the main reason I shied away from the m17x.

 

Beginning to think the TC should get a Clevo X7200.

17" vs 18.4"
No flashy lights
Dual 6970's or Dual 485's

Seems like everything he wants right there.

 

All gaming and business 17"+ laptops are big and heavy. even the slimmest and thinnest are not perfect to carry around. Still, I did carry my M17XR1&R2 on a daily basis, to and fro work, by foot. Then switched to the HP8740w and though it was 2kg lighter and half as thick, it was generally a similar experience.

GPU can be upgraded later on.

Don't like the flashy lights - turn them off.

Try to find the perfect blend of workmanship, performance and features and you will quickly realize that there are not too many options.

 

But heavy as hell too @ 12 pounds.

And the x7200 looks a lot more clunkier than an 18.4" M18x for only a 17" laptop.

 

LOL, I would love to see a pic of you using an M18x in an on base Starbucks....that would be priceless!

 

Electrosoft,

Ha! I'll see what I can do when I get it! I notice everyone's laptops at SB. Quite a few ipads and macbook pros... HPs, ASUS, and Toshibas as well. I have seen one gaming laptop and that was a Sager. It'll be interesting for sure!

 

It's not overkill. I want that performance just wish it was a bit more portable and lighter.

 

Dude that's like saying you wish the Ferrari Italia 458 had room for your dog, or that rainy days didn't make you wet...

It is what it is.

 

Embarassing???? I am AMERICAN!!! and I like things to be "in your face" I own a big honkin Dodge RAM pickup that dwarfs most of these girlie eurocars I see other people in. This doesn't embarass me. I like everything big. It totally compensates me

Well if you use that brick at Starbucks, you will be re-compensating yourself the overprice of that latte in watts

But you won't be able to take it to Starbucks

It's portable in the sense that you can take it with you to the in-laws without having to disconnect cables and you do at least have a little less than an hour if you are on the road and need to lookup something on mthe internet right quick over your mywi'ed iphone.

It wasn't a matter of whether I get it or not, but more a matter of price. I tried AAFES (since I am a former USMC reservist), but it only applies to retirees . I have a buddy who is a govt worker and he gave me the hookup.

 

I think you should wait. In 6 years, you can then buy something just as powerful as the M18x which will be more portable and lighter.
(This would be when the M20x is out with it's folding screen).

Good analogy with the car/dog. Again, trying so hard to convince oneself to buy something means that you probably just shouldn't buy it. For a lot of folks, me included and me considering these machines in this order:
Sager 8150 -> 8170 -> Alienware M17xR3 -> M18x, it is a no brainer for my needs and situation.

 

X220 + Vidock

Seriously, grab a M18x.

 

Go for it! I am over in Kuwait as well with my M17x R2.. and I gotta say the crowd loves it! My friends call it the space ship.

 

Nice V10! Ahhh I can't wait to get my M18x!!!

 

Nah i'm gonna pass for now. Lugging around a 330 watt brick doesn't sound fun. M18x just really doesn't have much of an advantage as a laptop.

 

Your money, your priorities and your decision. Everyone is different on what we need/want. We can see that by all of the different configurations for the M18x that are being ordered. I am currently trying to get a good deal from Dell for a M18x. Good luck.

 

That is why they made the Ferrari FF

 

lol @ this thread. I'm pretty sure all the help that should be given has already been given.

KipCoo, if you want M18x performance but lighter and more portable, then wait. There's nothing that fits your bill on the market right now.

I also want the power of a jet engine inside my 4-door sedan, and have it weigh only 1500 lbs. But it ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

 

and with that, the curtain is drawn...