*OFFICIAL* Alienware 18 Owner's Lounge Thread

hopefully things will improve since Michael Dell is taking the company private again

 

Looks like one of the four USB ports is a high-power one (unlike the 17)... if you have 2.5" drive you are forced to use that and hope it will work.

Looks like one of the USB ports and the HDMI port chasing are a little bit scratched. Originally I thought I scratch the USB, but looking at the position of the scratch and since I haven't touch the HDMI port, it was shipped like this unfortunately. I guess most people (at the least HDMI) won't notice them; you need direct light against them to be visible. I doubt these will drop the resale value and will try to live with them... last time I got Dell to fix my AW17, they ended up doing it worse!

 

Which one is the high powered one maybe that is my headset problem

 

Right USB ports, the second from the Ethernet port.

 

Hi Mr. Fox,

The default settings for Fire Strike extreme put the resolution at higher than my Alienware 18 is capable of (1080 vs 1440). Does that mean I should not even use it and just run with Fire Strike?

I'm still pathetically amateurish, if you could just bear with me and my ignorance.

 

Strange... it's working for me... You sure you can't just modify it?

Edit: It's no longer working, sorry. Last I checked was yesterday and it seemed to be modifiable.

 

Ok the "H" key in my keyboard makes a really loud, squeaky noise. The rest of the keyboard is fine! Expect this one key... -.-''' Looks like a call at Dell is unavoidable..

 

So, tomorrow I'm supposed to get a call from Dell about purchasing the AW18 with the 1TB SSD Quad Play & 32GB's of RAM that I don't want or need. However, I do want the 780M's, and I want to use this coupon, so I have to go for it... Hopefully everything works out and I can proceed with the order.

I'm going to need to buy an external blu-ray drive for my movies, otherwise, all of those blu-rays I made/bought are worthless. I'll also ask them to throw in a backpack or something because I won't be able to carry this thing without one.

 

so your 20% off coupon still works? wonder why they hate me

 

We kind of have this convo going in two threads, ha. I answered you here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/726850-dell-mystery-code-13.html#post9369492.

 

I have a 5% coupon if anyone wants it.

 

Upon unpacking, it appears that a drive was included with mine... ??

 

what do you mean exactly?

 

Mine wasn't supposed to come with an ODD, but it looks like I did.. I'll turn it on and check.

 

No, go ahead and run it with defaults. It will scale to your native display resolution and will not cause any problems.

 

I was pondering buying an AW 18. Wish it has a dock port.

 

Lol never mind, the slot is there but it is enclosed. No ODD to speak of, but my 4930MQ is running at 3.0GHz... and next to it it actually says 2.10GHz... I'm confused, lol

 

A lot of your questions can be (or have been) answered in this thread.

 

Hey Mr. Fox,

I'm wondering if you can help me with a simple query. My 4930MX is up to 4.3GHz. Does it come standard as 3.0GHz out the box? And is there any tutorial here on how to begin OC'ing it?

Thanks again.

 

Personally I love the design. The weight is ok. Not an ultrabook, but not too heavy. Only if the power brick was a bit lighter.
So far (in the UK) their support was ok. Not the best, but not bad either. I got my AW18 (swapped my 17 for it) and it feels great. However I got a few issues with it: USB ports seems not to get enough power to external devices and the "H" key in my keyboard makes a really odd, squeaky sound.
Didn't game much yet, but as far as I know about SLI: Keep the drivers up to date and it will be fine. Sometimes in new games, you may not get the 100% out of the SLI and got to wait for nVidia's next driver.
It lasted me more than an hour playing Payday last night, before I connected it back to the charger. Dunno certainly. Don't expect much over battery, usually hardware underperforms as well, for battery saving.

 

1 hour in the phone with Dell got me two options:
-Replace the keyboard by an engineer or myself (I convinced them I know how) and get a cash rebate for my troubles...
-Replace the whole machine. This will ease my mind about the scratches on the USB, but the new machine may have the same scratches/ issue if not more...

Any advices?

 

Personally, if everything else with the machine is fine, and you can live with a scratch, I'd be tempted to take the parts only KB and a cash rebate - depending on how much cash, really. As you say, a new machine may have other defects.

However, if you did opt for a new machine.....a small point to bear in mind is this. Wether or not the machine is a replacement or a new order. I mention this because it kinda bit me on the butt a little while back....I, like you, contemplated the same dilemma 18 mths ago...I chose a new machine - effectively keeping the original until the replacement was built/shipped/landed - then returned the defective unit.

How did it bite me? - well, when it came time recently for another problem to be addressed, Dell looked at my history and said "Sir, you have already had a replacement machine....we cannot keep replacing...."

I was like "Yeah - you did replace it, it was your fault it arrived like it did....now you are using it against me????"

The 'stinger' for me was that as it was a replacement and NOT a return/refund, it had been noted and effectively used against me through no fault of my own. Had I simply returned the machine for a refund/re-order, I would NOT have been classed as having had a replacement machine.....

Bottom line from me - being cautious - would be that if you DO opt for a new machine, get a refund and THEN place a new order....that way, it won't be classed as a 'replacement' or possibly be held against you in future - if you ever needed warranty assistance for other future problems.

 

A rebate will be somewhere between 120-240 pounds, I can install the part myself or by an engineer. Since Guildford area is covered by only one company, with only one engineer "certified" for AWs repairs, I prefer to install it myself.

I guess I can live with them, as they are only visible using a flashlight pointing at them Yes I am THAT paranoid, I checked the laptop all around.

I was told over the phone, it will be a new machine from the factory and not a refurbished model and placed under a new order number. I read your thread and story multiple times before I ordered the 18 Unfortunately getting a refund isn't worth it, as I got my machine in a pretty good deal, that Dell won't do me again...

 

I see....in which case, and if you are happy with everything else about the machine, I'd probably (myself) just take the rebate and install the new KB yourself. I think we are all 'ultra critical' of our machines aesthetics - especially when brand new - but if you can live with a minor blemish which is not obvious without inspection, I'd go for that option. If you were ever in the unfortunate position in the future of requiring assistance on a replacement machine, and you took a new build as a replacement now, Dell *might* take that into consideration when looking at things....I know they did with me....

Sometimes it's a case of 'better the devil you know......' - you could accept a new build only for it to arrive with a new set of issues....worse than a small blemish....

 

True... back in Cyprus, we sometimes say that a small scratch or something in a brand new item is bound to happen and good to have, to keep the "evil eye" away

I think you talked me some sense. I will ask on Monday for a replacement keyboard, but I will want to keep my existing one as well so I can install the new one at any time I can -leaving for Newcastle for a week next Monday, so my time is limited between work and catching up on games

 

I reckon they will permit that....you can't be expected to sit around with your machine open or minus a KB, waiting for Mr. UPS to deliver a new KB just so you can give him the old one back when he rocks up at your door.....they might ask for the old one back after a while, though. No big deal as it's a tad faulty anyways.....

 

When they were planning send me a new palm rest for my AW17, that is what they planned! They said I should have it on Tuesday and arranged a return of the previous one on Wednesday! -.-' Or I could have a technician to do it.

Well if I can keep the old one, I may actually leave it on until more keys break or something

 

Wohooo she is in Norway now.

Not long til I will make love to her

 

Roflmao!! - steady on there, tiger!! - the ports on the 18 might not be big enough for that purpose (or in some cases, they might if you are an unfortunate male lol) and you could hurt yourself!

(I'd hate to see a claim for accidental damage due to 'liquid' spillage all over the machine )

 

Oh there will be liquids, Im gonna smear up all her important parts, plug her up, place her gently down, tell her how much I love her and rock her world.

 

Nice!

Actually from my experience laptop fixing/cleaning is all about removing semen off keyboards or cookies...

 

I was very picky at first with my 14. So much so (I bought it form Amazon). First one had greasy smudgy fingerprints all over the top and food like residue on the bottom. I exchanged it and the second one had finger prints all over the screen and a couple scratches on the bottom. The third one and I stuck with it and am keeping had a few smudge marks on the bottom cover. Amazon was great and did advanced exchanges for every single one of them.
My 18 had a few handling greasy finger prints all over it and some light smudge marks like it was slid across a table, I figured Dell would not be as loose as Amazon with replacing. Plus I didn't want to take the chance trying to get another sli 780 machine and have issues. Especially with mine running great and everything working perfect.

I brought from this that your not going to get a exact perfect clean machine every time. I guess the handling of them on the line etc is just human. I think they could be more careful for sure on such a premium high-end machine. It all works and works well though, no heat issues and runs great so I left it at that. I build my own desktops and am very very OCD about them. I have learned laptops are just out of my hands on this OCD'ness and had to learn to deal with it.

 

This may have been asked before but I cannot find it. Do any of you guys know if the Coolermaster Notepal U3 is good for the new Alienware 18? Thanks and sorry for posting if this was asked already.

 

Yeah I can see your reasoning. I will give it a proper gaming go over the weekend and decide.If everthing performance wise is as it should be, I will just ask for a new keyboard...

I am also really picky with my stuff. I used to build my own desktops/ other people and was trying to pay attention to every detail. So far to be honest, I found Toshiba and Apple laptops to be have the ideal, out of factory condition.

 

I am using the my U3 for over two years, first with my MBP, then with my AW17 and now with my AW18. It is a great pad!

 

Apple is un-matched in the initial presentation and out of box/unboxing perfection, IMO. I like the packing AW did with the m17xr2 i got 3 years ago. The felt sleeve, the box with handles, thick end piece foam, then double boxed in a big outer black box, it was very nice. The new stuff the 14/18 came in is nice but very minimal in protection in my opinion for such a big and heavy machine. It did make it safely though so its all good.

Goodluck with the 18, it is a VERY nice machine, I love mine..

 

I know, my 17 was scratched either at the factory or in stransit, as the box was really damaged. The 18 was OK, only the smaller box with the charger, was opened with the power cable out of its' place...

I already love mine as well Agreed about Apple. I just hope companies, will start copying that attention to details and not just the product designs IBM used to be good, dunno about Lenovo.

 

I just got my 18 last week and no matter what OS I put on this thing I keep getting an error in the system event log. Also the computer randomly halts for a min or so once in a while (mouse still moves but programs go blah). Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue. It doesn't happen when I disable SpeedStep, however, processor power sucks after that. I'm using Intel ETU for overclocking with Bios disabled.
This is the error across all 8 cores.
I have the 4930 processor.

Error: Kernel-Processor-Power
Event ID" 37
The speed of processor 0 in group 0 is being limited by system firmware. The processor has been in this reduced performance state for 71 seconds since the last report.

Also at boot I get this error as well.
The Intel(R) Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework Display Participant Service Application service terminated unexpectedly. It has done this 1 time(s).

 

I have a Alienware 18 with a 750GB HDD and a 64GB Cache mSata. Now i have installed a 128GB mSata for the OS and two HDDs (750GB and a 256GB SSD) in the Caddy. But only one of the two HDDs in the caddy is getting detected (the HDD in the first port). No matter which HDDs is installed in the second port, it will be not detected in the BIOS.

Does anybody know why? May it be that the second HDD Sata Port is defect?

 

this might seem like an odd request but if anyone got their AW18 with Windows 8 I would greatly appreciate it if you could send an ISO of the drivers disc to me ^_^

 

I just got my beast on the Wednesday (order date: 22/8 - 11/9). It had an estimated delivery date of 16/10 so I was really pleased.

SPECS: 4700MQ, 2xGTX780M, 16GB and 64GB mSata + 1.5TB in RAID 0. Also got a brilliant price on it too .

This machine is such a beast! I was really worried about the screen not being up to par but it blew me away so much. Been playing Metro: Last Light on it and totally creeps me up how it has it's own light profile that kicks in.

One thing that I had minor issues with though, in some games (SC2 and a loading screen in Saints Row 4) I had weird "vertical beams of light" on the screen. A bit hard to explain but it was only minor, not like it was tearing graphics or the like, but enough to be noticeable.

I SWEAR I read something about this on the forums - does anyone have this? I assume a driver update would likely fix it, as everything else is running fine (temps etc are all to spec).

 

You can find it and download it easily off the internet.

 

Don't forget pubic hair...

Dell had to cut corners somewhere, that is, if they wanted to stay afloat, economy is down and pc market is much worse. I rather they slim down the boxes than skimp on internals. Just check the packaging dimensions between m17xr2 and m18xr2, almost twice as many m18xr2 can be fit in same space for shipping.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the packaging my M15x's/M17xr2/M11x's came in, felt sleeve was awesome, so was aw cap (even though u find me wearing it, still have all sitting aside with boxes ) but when it comes to saving money, I would rather dell save it on boxes/extras than keyboard/lcd/chasis

 

Congrats with your machine and welcome to the forum

Im getting mine in next week and I just cant wait. About that vertical beams of light on your display, if you are reffering to this problem, then its nothing you can do about it except maybe replace the display. It may not even work because it seems there is some inherit problem with this display..

 

Hi,
Could someone please tell me what is the actual display size on Alienware 18? Excluding the borders around display. Thank you very much

Hi,

I can't find this information anywhere. Could someone please tell me what the actual display/screen size is, excluding the borders, on Alienware 18? (diagonally of course). Thank you in advance.

 

do I'm looking for a lap desk/stand/whatever so I can easily use my AW18 while in my recliner or maybe even while in bed

should this one work? - Amazon.com: LapGear 45303 Multi-Purpose Jumbo LapDesk: Computers & Accessories

 

18" my friend.

EDIT: 18.4" it is on Dell's website in the 1st line of text.

 

Meh. Get a cooler and use that. It will be a bit less comfy but completely purposeful. I play on a sectional all the time and use a Coolermaster notepal x3. It's not the most comfortable but if you are already gaming in bed or using a recliner how much more comfort do you need

 

I've never found a cooler that I feel actually makes any difference, seems like the AW18 should be fine as long as I got something that enable it to have good airflow

edit: not to mention it's hard enough to find a lap desk that will fit the AW18, finding a good cooling pad that can fit it will be nearly impossible

 

You can just make your own out of a thick piece of cardboard (like a packing box etc), i have been doing it for years. Put the machine down then take a black marker and track an extra 1/2 inch around it then cut. Take a couple large pill bottle caps and tape them down flat side up so it gives the machine some elevation.

Reason i have used this over all the other solutions out there is it adds 0 extra weight but provides plenty of stability. With the 18 being heavy as is adding more weight is something no one wants.

It might look totally ridiculous but who cares, its under the machine and keeping the heat away from you.