New Alienware 18 Config and Order Status Thread

Do you have a Dell Financial Services account? If so, contact DFS and talk to them directly. You can also get a customer care specialist from there and the wait time is less than 20 seconds.

 

How do you find the fan air pressure to be on the Targus versus the CM U3? I really like the U3 considering the angle it puts your laptop at and it's covered with vent holes. But the fan air pressure is very very low. I guess because it's 5v usb powered. I also have been hooking it up straight to power with a usb wall plug rather than plugging it into the laptop. Even so with not using the U3 fans the laptop is really only getting warm with heavy game play.

 

Also is anyone putting on Win 10 or already have? Mr. Fox has been running it for a while now as long as he keeps Precision X off of it and it hasn't bricked.

 

I'm putting Windows 10 on it right away. Arrives 11/06 so won't know until then. Should be fine, but if it screws up the EDID, at least I can get it replaced/refunded right away during the initial return period.

 

I install Windows 10 on my system last weekend with zero problems. I upgraded 8.1 to 10 first (to get the win 10 key installed) then I did a fresh hand install on my msata ssd. So far everything is working perfectly.

 

Don't remove the battery. The system will draw power from the battery if necessary while using power from the wall.

 

I've had Windows 10 for two days now. Performs splendidly.

 

The Targus definitely pushes more air than the Cooler Master. At least 2x the amount, this also reflects with the noise output. I don't see the true necessity as having so many vents holes on the bottom on the U3. The Targus has three intakes on the bottom and the top is covered in vent holes. Also, The Targus has channels inside to focus the air up in a more direct and precise manner. If you drop the speed to Half, about the max speed of the U3, its just as quiet and still feels as if it is moving more air. I just wish the Targus was at an angle and had more rubber on the topside to help with grip.

 

Yeah that's the only thing that would keep me from it is that it's not at an angle. This is the one I really want but haven't found it yet: http://gaming.coolermaster.com/en/products/others/sf19v2usb3/

I currently have an older version of that one that is several years old. It died on me but it pushed A LOT of air. Those seriously cool a laptop.

 

:O Shut up and take my money! Definitely need to try this one out!

 

Yeah they have an a/c adapter since they use a good bit more power than a usb slot. The fans are replaceable too. My older version of it lasted for years and looks very similar. This one has more bells and whistles though.

 

Unfortunately they are discontinued ): I've even looked for the 2.0 version

 

Wow I wonder why. I thought it was a new version since it has usb 3.0 and its on their site as if it's available.

 

My 18 craped out after a week turned off and got 8 beeps of death ..I stopped the card payment and returned it...going with the new msi titan gt 80 with skylake and 3 SSD's 1tb 7200 dual 980s and 64gb of ddr4 2400 ram I'm so disappointed in dell and there were stress cracks all over the I side of my 18's frame **** dell and India exotic pc it is..and it was cheaper the the 18 careful with your systems boys

 

Wow, sorry to hear that. Did you install Win 10 on it or the Win 10 ready updates? Precision X? And did you notice the stress cracks when you first got it? Also, did you overclock anything? These answers can be helpful to the rest of us. Sorry for what happened to you.

 

So I have mine hooked up to 144hz monitor with g-sync, and i'm getting surprisingly low frame rates on starcraft 2 and WoW. most other games run fine, and I know that blizzard games aren't really SLI optimized, but i was expecting at least 100+ fps consistently (this isn't the case, even with very little action happening around me, I won't get above 120-130fps, where as SC2 is 60-70) I have the 980m sli, although it is with the 4710mq, i've seen benchmarks with the same processor doing much better. should i update the bios? I've tweaked nvidia control panel, reinstalled drivers twice, and reformatted when putting in my SSD.

 

I installed updates not win 10 and did overclock the CPU and ram but no extreme temps...just a piece of crap made in China exotic pc is my go to now...they SPEAK ENGLISH

 

Did you overclock through the bios or software program? Thanks. Can you post this in the LCD corruption thread so that Mr. Fox can see what happened to you?

 

Over clicked thru bios and XTU

 

XTU can brick the notebook. It's fixed by taking out the RAM, powering it on, and replacing the RAM with the 3 seconds left before rebooting.

If you changed a setting with XTU, such as CPU voltage, that would be the culprit. Although it shouldn't result in 8 beeps.

 

I never overclock my laptops. They run good enough for me at stock clocks. I do overclock the 2 high end desktops I built though.

 

Thats the correct procedure if you brick with XTU, but you can't fix 8 beeps with that. Either a video card died or his LCD died.

 

Doesn't matter getting the skylake gt80 512 ssd 1tb mechanical..64 gigs ram additional copper heatsinks diamond thermal paste ...screw dell and there nonsense ..They even tried saying it wasn't refundable ...but my Amex card show them they pulled the payment it felt so good taking back my money and leaving them a bricked alienware 18
..gonna have to wait till November 10th but I least I deal with Americans who speak English

Alienware 18 is not worth the money got so much more for the same price and not 3 year old hardware

 

You said there are cracks all over the side of the laptop frame? Didn't you notice that a week ago when you got it? I don't understand why Dell would refuse a refund if the bricking was no fault of your own. You have only had it a week and it is well within the return policy. Did they give you a reason why?

 

Well, more excuses today. I was told Dell is having a hard time with the Alienware 18 builds and I'd be given an update in 1 or 2 days. I told him that he keeps telling me that over and over and nothing changes. It's going to be another month before I get mine probably.

 

It took 2 orders and 40 days to get mine

 

Well atleast I got the 2 orders down then. Only another 10-15 days.

 

Seems like if it's not 1 thing with Dell it's another. After thinking I wouldn't be able to get one of these, it looks like I can now. Of course now I see people having problems getting their order fulfilled. I would love to hold off for 6 months or so if we knew the 18 would be upgraded to whatever the new cards end up being. But I currently have an absolute mint 18 that is finally running good with the 880's. If the 18 won't be around in 6 months, I'd like to sell mine and get one before it's too late. Upgrading it myself is just something I am not at all comfortable with and the 18 is the only laptop I am interested in. Any suggestions or info on where the 18 might be in 6 months. ? Does Dell offer to come out and update our systems for an additional fee?

 

There is always something new on the horizon. If people keep waiting for the next new thing then they will never have anything. You have a powerful laptop that should run everything and if you are happy with it keep it. I have a 6 year old AW m17x r2 with dual 5870's and I am just now upgrading. It is still going strong but struggling with the newest games finally so I upgraded.

 

Haha, I'm on order number 3....I was hoping I'd have this in time for my break to begin, but it looks like I might not even have it in time for the end of my break.... at least BLOPS3 will run like a boss on 880m's....Arkham Knight won't

 

I'm not having any issues with Arkham Knight so far. I'm running DSR 4K and everything on high

 

Holy crap. I am so excited. I'm only off for a week, so if my machine doesn't come, I will have to wait until Thanksgiving to binge it. What kind of framerates are you getting? Are gameworks features on?

 

I will check. We are having some really bad weather right now in Texas so I am keeping my computers unplugged. I'm on my iPad right now. The game was a little sluggish at times with the opening cut scenes but when I got in the game to play it was butter smooth and looked unbelievable.

 

So, who has their AW18 with factory-installed 980M SLI?

Why is there no action in this thread? >>> *OFFICIAL* Alienware M18xR1/R2/18 Benchmark Thread - Part 3

C'mon, let's go. Grab @Prema's vBIOS upgrade and get cracking so everyone can know what to expect.

There is a new version of it coming out. I contacted Cooler Master about it trying to buy one. The rep that responded said they do not have an ETA yet, but should be out soon. I want one, too. I primarily want it because of the built-in USB 3.0 hub.

But, you can do the U3 mod that I did if you want an effective cooler that run on an AC adapter. This is actually a better build quality than the plastic SF-19 that we are trying to get our hands on.

The U3 is actually a better product than the U3 Plus, so go for the U3 if you can.

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For some reason, i can only find the Notepal U3 (non Plus) for $75. why is it that much more expensive than the Plus? I also have purchased 3 Opolar Vacuum Coolers and have already installed them. They run really well and keep my temperatures down an additional 10-15F on top of the reduction from the cooler. Are these really necessary? Have any of you guys tried them yet? I feel that if i was able to control my fan speed, i wouldn't need these. any thoughts?

 

I'm officially on order number 3. I bet it will be the middle or end of this month before I get it, if I'm lucky. They did add a free game coupon to the new order though, counts for something I guess.

 

Ooh, how'd you manage that? The only thing I really hope for (and you should go for to) is my warranty extended for the period of time I haven't had a fully functional computer. This is what they did for me a couple years back after a similar fiasco. I shouldn't be paying every month to cover a machine I don't even have.

Anyway,since they've missed my fall break I guess I can hope to get it by Thanksgiving. My rep got back to me and said manufacturing said they were hoping to "release it" by the 4th, so I guess that means leaving the factory in China. But I've heard that way too many times this past month to believe it today.

 

Just got my tracking number, it's arriving 1 day early....not bad! Ordered 10/22 and will be receiving it 11/05 (Tier 3 to California). I was worried, considering the delays everyone seems to be having. Installing an SSD right away then benchmarking the heck out of it!

 

Man that was quick, congrats! Enjoy it and post those numbers.

 

Did you guys notice that you can't configure the alienware 18's how you want to today?

 

I am able to...

 

Works for me in IE but it freaked out in Chrome.

 

I can only conclude that it is the 4940MX processor holding our systems back or they are just completely ignoring replacements. I just emailed my rep asking him which it is. There is no other reason someone who ordered over a month after us should receive their system first, as all other components are identical. Hopefully there is some compensation for this ordeal.

 

Yours must be caught up in some red tape. I received my discount when I purchased it. They credited me also $100 to my account and have shipped the TactX Headset and Vindicator briefcase. I am also waiting for the $200 rewards gift card. I don't need the briefcase since I have the backpack but I felt greedy after being screwed over so much.

 

Yeah it's a Chrome issue..lol it like constantly refreshes the page and doesn't let you click anything..major glitch.

 

Jericho..what was you final build that you ordered and how much did it cost? Purchasing an Alienware 18 after Christmas and want to know if they deal they gave me is decent.

 

I added the 3 year premium and 3 year accidental to the tier 3 model and my total after tax and shipping was a bit over $4200. They discounted me to around $3750. Plus the free extras they are shipping me and the $100 credit to my Dell card and $200 gift card I'm waiting on. That's what I got for waiting 40 days.

 

Nice man..so they gave you around a $450 discount off the top, then $100 off that to your Dell CC, then a $200 gc...UM, i think you hit the jackpot lol. What are the exact specs of the model you got (cpu/gpu/memory/hdd)?

 

The gift card was a special for rewards members. I should have it soon. Yeah I called them daily and emailed my rep and his manager almost daily. They got so sick of me they kept giving me stuff to make me wait longer. So once I received the laptop that is what I ended up with as far as compensation and free stuff. If you don't complain then you don't get free stuff. I was never rude to them. I hate being rude to people at call centers because it really isn't their fault. I just sounded pitiful and they felt bad for me lol. I also didn't like bugging them so much but it was a lot of money for that laptop and I needed to make sure I was going to get it.

 

So my rep just got back to me letting me know that the only parts that have been holding up orders are video cards and video card heat-sink assemblies. Considering that people with 980m's and later order dates have received their systems or at least have them ship, something very fishy is going on. I have a feeling that when they changed my shipping address (thereby creating a new order), I got thrown to the back of the queue. Or they just don't care about replacements. I'll be calling them the second they open tomorrow, but I really doubt there's much they'll do. @B atman5892 How'd you manage to get a free game? I new orders are being compensated, but you are the first case of a replacement I've heard get compensation.