M18x Order Status Discussion

Congrats, nice specs.

 

Nice specs I am sure you will enjoy your system what is your EDD?

 

yeah, i'm in production now, still 12 days to stick to the EDD !

 

For what it's worth, I ordered mine on the 3rd with an EDD of the 17th and it just shipped out today to be delivered tomorrow morning, so here's hoping that everything works correctly and everyone else gets a pleasant early shipping surprise!

 

Congrats on your order, what are the specs?

 

I just received my M18x day before yesterday and it came with an older BIOS ver.A03. Has anyone else received their laptop with the older version?

 

In order to finally give my 30in monitor a use, just ordered an m18x r2 with:

I7 3820QM
8GB of 1600mhz RAM (2 x 4GB for easy upgrade to 16GB in the future)
680M's in SLI
Killer Wireless
BluRay Drive
750GB 7200RPM HD (will be using my 200GB SSD for boot/games and this one for data)
2 Year Advanced Warranty (was debating 3 but I figure if nothing breaks in the first two years it will probably be ok for another year as by then I'll probably upgrade again)

Subtotal using the Dell online tool was $4072...with tax $4357

I got the price down to $3355... With tax $3589

In addition I got free next day shipping and a $200 gift card and 5% gift card.

In total I saved $1130.00 after tax (excluding whatever i saved on shipping) if you include the gift cards, a figure I'm content with. How do you think I did? If you want my reps details, plz PM me as I don't want him/her getting spammed with requests

Almost forgot... Estimated delivery is the 27th of July

 

wow! 015734, you got a deal of the century!! Congrats and great specs.

 

I'd say you got took for a sucker. Maybe you're just rich and don't mind throwing away money?

J/K---good job!

 

Let's keep our fingers crossed... that 680m SLI m18x's are sent out across the nation today!

 

Apparently my computer also has the older bios....how hard is it to upgrade to the new bios?

 

Did your system get shipped yet?

 

hooooorayyyy!!!! congrats lol

 

My ETD is the 17th (tomorrow) but the status is still In Production......
....
....
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GRRR! The wait is killing me!

 

you will receive a email tomorrow telling you its going to be delayed and supply a new EDD thats what they did to me !! not before on the day ! bad service in my eyes tbh !

 

mine says shipped on order status

 

What GPU did you order?

 

Mine still hasn't shipped but if it is delayed again I think I might cancel it as I have had plenty of time to get buyer's remorse by now on spending so much on a puter!

I think I would go with an m17x with only one graphics card. While I bought a bunch of games for the new m18x, I actually don't game much... I just wish I did. I basically duplicated about 10 xbox 360 games for the new laptop. I have about 15 xbox 360 games still in the wrapper or unwrapped but never played because I 'wanted' to play them... anyone else have this problem? I guess it helps that I can afford to do this but still...

 

3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3920XM (8MB Cache, up to 3.8GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
Dual 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M - SLI Enabled
1TB RAID 0 (2x 500GB) 7200RPM

 

Sure. That means when it arrives tomorrow you can take pictures and show it to us, wouldn't you?

 

Shipped, next day air!

 

When did you place your order, Vulcan?

 

They've done that to me once already!

Edit: they've delayed the extra 330W power supply ordered on the side as well... So I'd say that's one of the parts they're struggling with...

 

Yeah, me too. Better not do it again! But.... should I be worried if by 4pm CST I haven't gotten a shipped status yet? (I do live in Texas about 3 hours from Dell HQ if that is wher they come from)

 

July 6.

How about you guys?

I am excited, it worked out pretty well in that I returned a refurbished M18x R1 that I purchased back in March for a full refund ($2800.) that I put towards the system in sig with a 10% discount. I would not have done so were the M18x R2 not so close to being released.

More on the problems I was having here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m18x/677001-680m-sli-got-yours-where-single-review-benchmark.html

I have since changed my sig, I had an issue with 580 SLI and Dell's repair policy is to use refurbished components, all of which were defective, so then they offered to do a system exchange, at which point I asked for a full refund to go towards a new R2 with a discount, and they obliged. I did not want to repeat the same thing I experienced with the GPU's with a "new" (refurbished) system.

 

Wow! I ordered mine the first day you could on 6/23 and it was supposed to be delivered last Tuesday (7/10) and I got an email in the wee hours of the morning on the 10th that it was now going to be a 7/17 delivery. It hasn't shipped yet (I have next day shipping) or atleast it hasn't been updated as shipped so I am getting a little concerned at this point.

Mine is 3820QM, 16 GB RAM, Dual 500GB HDDs, 680m SLI, Intel 2300 Wireless, Blu-ray player

 

Can you call Dell and ask to get them to refund the shipping cost?

 

Have patience my friend! You will have it soon, I believe they are all being shipped out as of now, at least as many as logistically can be, but I am willing to bet that there isn't even a massive demand for the new system. You will have it tomorrow, guaranteed!

 

I ordered on the same day with the same specs as you and mine delayed on the 10th with a new EDD of 7/18. It still says in production so hopefully it ships tomorrow!

 

Similar setup, same day ordered, same dates promised... And still "in production" for delivery tomorrow (that date unchanged)...

EDIT/Update: Now set for 7/24. A day before we leave the state for a week (and during which I really wanted to have my new laptop). Two weeks after initially promised, and not convinced it won't move again. Not impressed.

 

received it, did my first benchs
(the review is in french, but 3dmark links and screenshots of scores doesn't need to be translated )

P4G / [Review] M18X-R2 Sli gtx680m i7 3920xm

 

Nope! Another 3am email the day of delivery stating the new delivery date is a week out. HOWEVER, it also says because I have been delayed twice the FTC allows me to cancel my order. Thank you FTC! And here I thought all government regulations were a hindrance Cancelling that bad boy!

P.S. I'm not just being impatient, I'm also factoring in that the GTX 680m SLI doesn't seem any faster than the 7970m CF setup to any pragmatic degree and is way more expensive AND it appears that Alienware under performs MSI and Sager--wow what a blow! Enough reasons for me to cancel on my second delay anyway...

 

same with my order. I have a supervisor looking into and he will update me later today

 

Mine isn't showing any edd now I spoke with customer care last Friday they sent an email to the manufacturer to get an eta so far nothing has changed, my system was supposed to be here July 13th I ordered on June 22.

 

Nice. Congrats, man. Enjoy your new beast.

Mine is supposed to be delivered tomorrow. Let's keep fingers crossed.

 

So my poor rep has been out a few days with some kind of horrible stomach bug, but now is back and alive thank god. He gave me a call the day he got back after checking my order and noticing it had been delayed and placed on hold a second time.

Turns out Alienware just did a parts refresh - so some of the parts my order called for are not just no longer available - they're no longer used in the m18x at all.

So my rep cancelled my old order, and without losing my 'place in line' placed a new order, and I ended up with an upgraded sound card, and a 30GB cache drive at no extra cost. They're now just part of the standard m18x build.

In addition my rep got me an extra $200 off my purchase price - which I then spent on an upgraded processor, and one year of accidental coverage.

Soooo.. if you are still 'waiting' for your laptop to arrive, and its been delayed twice already, check to see if it has a parts hold. Don't take 'I don't know what the hold is for but it'll work out' for an answer. Have them find out or transfer you to someone who can - your laptop may not be getting built AT ALL.

 

Just cancel those orders! 680m SLI looks to be a big let down and maybe 680m in Alienware period. I think I'm gonna buy a Sager or MSI. Sager just doesn't look that cool.

 

True, but the benches have only been preliminary, and there are a myriad of other reasons why I would go with Nvidia vs. AMD. With my M17x R2 I could not play Skyrim, or Fallout New Vegas, because no driver would get crossfire to work without massive stuttering.

This is only one reason, if you look to Vince's review and initial bench result thread someone does a much better job of enumerating the many advantages of Nvidia hardware over AMD.

Sure, AMD generates stellar bench scores, but quite a few of the best games do not run well at all on those cards.

So if you like benching, save the money and go with AMD, if you like gaming I would seriously reconsider the Nvidia cards.

Again, I am speaking from experience, aside from Skyrim and all the rest of Bethesda's games, I had serious problems with:

The Witcher 2
Need For Speed Shift Unleashed 2
Dead Space (original, does not recognize Xfire)

The problems were not minor. For The Witcher 2 I actually spent 6 hours trying different drivers because of lights showing through walls and NPC's not engaging in dialogue and all manner of oddities.

In all, including having to press alt+tab 4 times upon entering every new environment in Skyrim, I must have lost at least A COMPLETE WEEK worth of time attempting to resolve issues with AMD hardware.

Do the math, how much is your labor worth? Do you want to be able to play the newest games right away without problems or do you want to spend 6 hours trying different drivers?

Oh and the joy of trying different drivers!

AMD recommends a 16 step process including 4 different reboots and removing residual software in safe mode 3 times, all in all you will spend two hours experimenting with each driver!

Delight!

And not to defend the overly priced Dell hardware but Alienware MOPS THE FLOOR with Sager!

Please show me ONE Sager laptop that is capable of a 31k 3DMarkVantage score, as that was what my previous rig pulled with a 2960xm ~4.4 Ghz and 580SLI at 1650 shader/1650 memory. (31k GPU alone).

 

Sounds terrible! Is a single 7970m okay? Are all these problems related to crossfire? I ask because I think I am going to get a laptop with a single graphics card now. I just can't justify the expense of two really. I am not a gaming maestro. I still might go with the 680m but I would pick the 7970m if it works great as a single card and all the 'issues' are from crossfire.

 

Another point to consider is how long it has taken ATI to get to those benchmark scores.

NVIDIA's scores are good right out of the gate, first drivers used, and will more than likely go up. Not to mention that the cards, you know, just WORK with games lol.

I'm hopeful that I'll get my build next week. I'll finalize my opinion on the 680m SLI then.

 

Yeah a single 7970 is more than adequate! You really only need more GPU muscle for highly taxing games like Crysis 2 and soon 3 and some of the ENB mods for Skyrim.

Do a search, R2 owners with 7970 Crossfire are in limbo right now, there are NO working drivers, even the official ones, Dell completely dropped the ball with the AMD hardware this time around.

If you are going with a single card I believe the 7970 is the way to go vs. 680 M as it will be significantly cheaper.

But if you look at Vince's benchmark thread, the other advantages of Nvidia hardware are enumerated including:

Lower operating temps
Physx
Less power consumption, especially on battery

Concerning the preliminary benches, I have given my 2 cents here.

 

Also, if I'm going to put a ton of money in to a laptop I want it to be useful for gaming for as long as possible. Having an SLI setup means that it will remain current far longer than a single card laptop will.

Its not just how powerful the laptop is for me now - its also how long the laptop will retain its 'value' to me, and for that you can't beat NVIDIA SLI.

 

Will the SLI format be more powerful in 2 years versus just upgrading the single card to a newer card, assuming you can upgrade to a newer single card? And, do most games benefit from dual graphics cards?

 

Two video cards will always be better than one with newer games.
If you can upgrade one card then you could upgrade two cards, giving you twice the power.

If your two cards can't be upgraded then they'll at least last you longer than if you had just gotten the one.

 

tried to return my system after the 7 day return period (only afew days) as 7970 are playing up and not running games in crossfire to my satisfaction. They would not let me return it at all! Why sell a product that has no stable gfx card drivers..

 

My first instinct was to go with the ATI cards since they were so much cheaper. How bad could it be? They still have to work, right?

Before I ordered I decided to read up on them, and I'm glad I did. What a mess. I'd rather pay an extra $500 for a working double video card setup then get a 'bargain' price that doesn't work every other game, if at all.

I figure that $500 is money well spent on peace of mind. I don't have to worry. NVIDIA SLI usually just works.

 

You still have 30 days to return the entire thing, although you may have to pay the 15% restocking fee.

If I found myself in your shoes I'd contact one of the Alienware reps in the sales assistance thread, explain that you are returning the entire unit, and ask what the best way would be to go about sending your laptop back and getting the exact same laptop but with NVIDIA cards. Also ask if there is a way to waive the 15% restocking fee.

 

I feel your pain. Alternatively, you could remove one of the 7970's and sell it, it should run fine with only one, its the Crossfire that is non-functional, 7970 is A SOLID CARD.

You honestly don't need that much graphical processing power right now, the number of games that would benefit from it, assuming Xfire ever works right, I can only count on one hand.

In the future, after the PC ports for the next generation consoles start appearing that will demand more graphical processing power, you could probably find a single 7970 for less than you sell it for right now and by then AMD should have Xfire friendly drivers (if Nvidia doesn't purchase AMD outright due to insolvency, or AMD just closes shop, which will spell product monopoly and higher prices/less competition/quality controls).

 

Robininni!!!! Don't do it my man! Don't cancel!!! btw, cool name.

Admittedly I was going to cancel my order today, especially after the results I saw with the 3dmark11 scores for the dual 680m. That really hit my stomache hard as upon faith i was hoping that the 500 extra for SLI vs. XFire was a secret Dell was keeping and we'd be pleased to blow XFire away. 500 dollars worth that is. Didn't happen.

Coupled with that disappointment such as seeing peoples systems delayed for shipping and such, and then also all the problems with Xfire of which I did not order(but i feel ya'lls pain), i started to get buyers remorse.

Just a little info here. I'm 42yrs old, have 2 daughters of age. I am rebuilding my life after mutiple choices of women that have taken my life, or my bank account, or both. I work my off for every dime i get, and i get it honest. I budget and know my limits. So i know the worth of a dollar through hard work and losses.

I have extensive hardware and software knowledge. I stem from the Tandy computer, Commodore Vic 20 also 64, to systems with Windows 3.1, 95, 98/SE, ME, 2000 and up. I used to know HTML Coding before wysiwyg programs. I had studied it between jobs, mostly on the commode! No interruptions!(true story).

My first official financed computer was an IBM APTIVA Computer from Radio Shack. It had a PCI slot, and here comes Voodoo Cards. Going from Quake software mode, and Tribes 1 in software mode using a Voodoo3 was night and day. Remember 3dfx/glide? It prompted me to learn hardware etc. Then on to building my own systems and systems for others. Remember the Duron 600 by AMD, remember the pencil trick? I got that 600mhz to 1.2 stable! I've been there, done that. Water Cooling? Been there done that. Last system built was with 7800gtx sli kick system. Been away since the 7800gtx.

Last i remember in several forums I'm registered at, and considered a veteran, is that Alienware hate stems from High priced systems to DIY systems. BUT, it has never been toward their laptops as i can recall.

I gave my short history in hopes I have clout when it comes to serious matters as to whether or not to spend 3 or more grand on a laptop especially an alienware. I have to admit, i was an alienware hater in the desktop department. I used to spend money just to crunch 3Dmark better than they could imagine. However, now that my life is back in order, and i travel, i'm all about me and all about mobile gaming baby!!!!! No woman to tell me to do, as I'm done with that shiznit, and the open road is mine!!!

So! I'm keeping my order, and just got an email that fedex has picked up my order, of which i ordered last MONDAY 07/09/12, and will be delivered today WEDNESDAY 07/ 18/12. Fedex tracking up to date!!!! YaHOOOOO. God i have not seriously touched a computer for gaming in a few years. I'm like BRING IT BABY!!!! cause i cannot wait to frag!!!!! Damn I'm good can ya feel me?

To game on a laptop is a blessing in disguise, sometimes a disguise costs alot of money. I passed up a JetSki to buy this system, and that JetSki was 6k used, could have got it on ebay for what I'm paying for this system. P.S. My toys to get are as follows(after this laptop), Harley(1yr), JetSki(6months), 20+Ski/Fish Boat(2yrs), Monster truck of my dreams(literally nothing anyone can imagine) (3yrs), this all on a budget of having only one bill my Galaxy Nexus 4glte is only like 100bux a month, other than that FedeX is good to me .

Life is good .

 

That was quite a story my friend. Glad that you got your life back in order and are going to game with an AW ;-)

I ordered mine on June 23 and its delivery has been continuously postponed from a week to the next. Today the last update: delivery date is now on the 25th. If that's the date the PC will arrive, it will have taken longer than a month.

Various phone calls and chats with several reps and managers eventually earned me a 150$ discount on the final price and free shipping.

Let see what happens next...