*OFFICIAL* M18x Owner's Lounge Thread

Not really the thread for these questions. Also, a tiny bit of research will provide the answers. Especially the dual hdd bays question. That one is on the specs page for the unit.

 

Thanks Crichton I did read the specs - It's not clear - the specs page alone suggests 1 drive, but in the options there are 2x config. So does that mean there are 2 drive bays.

Being the owners page and specifically a question on this unit seems perfectly legitimate to ask what does raid mean on this unit in this section.

 

Naw, the first post explains what the thread is for.

The whole M18x sub-forum is chock full of places to find out basic stuff.

As for the RAID question, it means the same everywhere.

 

2 x 256gb in RAID 0 = 512gb (usually a bit lower because 256gb SSDs actually provide around 238gb of usable space). If it were RAID 1, 2 x 256 = 256gb where each drive would be a complete copy of one another.

That being said, I honestly wouldn't recommend putting SSDs in RAID, especially if it's only two. I tried it with my M17x and I got nothing but hiccups and freezes here and there. Also, you won't really see any benefit in real world performance vs a single SSD setup. As a matter of fact, I noticed my single C300 SSD setup booted faster than my RAID config. My new Samsung SSD is also quicker to boot. If you need space, I'd recommend just getting a regular HDD for the second slot to save music, pictures, etc. or even a hybrid SSD (like the seagate momentus XT) if you want to offload pictures and old documents a bit quicker, and dedicate the SSD for games and programs.

But if you want the power in synthetics, then there's no beating RAIDed SSDs.

 

Reference this link (from the service manual - Documentation link in post#1 ) -
Documentation

As you can see, there is one drive 'Bay' and the cage/carrier can hold two drives.

NBR has a dedicated sub-forum for SSD discussion. Plenty of useful information in the sticky thread of that section as well. Might want to take a look there.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/solid-state-drives-ssds-flash-storage/

 

Thanks Batboy and Ichime.

2 drive carrier - will have to read up on that.

My Envy was weirdly configured in raid 0 across SSD and hdd - but halved the available space. I disabled the Raid, got a much better result - more space and faster.

Looks like I'm going full fat....with the exception of ssd...will leave that for an upgrade later.

 

Can anyone put up a link to that thread with how to get more detailed order status instructions via phone? I cannot find it, would be worth adding to the order status thread for the M18x as well as the other general AW stickied threads I would think

 

Good call.

I found the thread last week that you are talking about but I didn't bookmark it. Also, when I called the options were TOTALLY different.

 

Here you go:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...ues/156489-dell-laptop-order-stages-wiki.html

 

What extra or different options did you get?
I'm about to pull the trigger on mine

 

Lol, If I call the 800 number from Canada, they locate the order and the status is - Delivered on April 26 1999 Same story as with my M17XR1. This number is of no use to Canadians.

 

its ordered

Black
intel 2920X
8gb ram 1666mhz
blueray
1.5tb 750x2 7200rpm raid 0
wireless hd
bag
headphones
mouse

 

So obviously Im new to this forum. But im thanking god that I have somewhere to vent my anticipation for my M18x I hang around on HackForums.net alot. Everyone there is hating on me for the Alienware Purchase. Anyhow anyone planning on Overclocking ? I have the stock 2.0ghz, but just read I can safely over clock to 3.0ghz.

 

Well I guess Im a owner. I purchased it. And Im waiting until the 27th for shipping

 

Just ordered it. First ever laptop I've ever owned (loaner, lab ones don't quite count). I get my college laptop about 2 years after I graduated, lol. I figure the next two years will be busy for me so I can enjoy what I have now. Now I hear estimated ship dates are usually more than the actual. I hope that's true.

 

That's what I heard also. The guy at dell told me he has a good feeling they will ship before the estimated date, but says he cant make that official. In any event, Ill just expect the worse, and hope for the best.

 

anyone got it?
cant wait to see pictures

 

Its a amazing how emotive mentioning AW is. People really get a cob on about it and everyone has an opinion.

I use Gamespot forums a fair bit and when its mentioned there is usually quite a debate.

 

Yeah, on the froums I use, I have been getting assasinated for spending that much money. I dont care, to me its like driving a Mercedes... I dont, but one day I want to Just because the statement it makes.

 

Desktop oriented forums generally don't understand the appeal of high end laptops. Just read the comments on any Tom's Hardware article about high ends laptops and see how ignorant and stupid the posters are haha

 

Agreed. For example, I have had many posting wars with people who say they can build a desktop better than my laptop specs for half the price. I'm like.. "I said LAPTOP! LAPTOP!" I like the idea of portable precision. And the design of Alienware is just gorgeous. To each their own. I work in the IT industry and I'm always on the move, so having a nice laptop where ever I am is great. Even if its big to carry around lol.. I'm just a geek like that Anyhow, for some reason there are many people who just don't get the idea of a gaming/high performance laptop. And I think that might change if they experienced what it feels like to have that kind of portable power.

 

notebooks have a nice feel to them when in use. esp the alienware laptops. i just prefer desktop power overall. the support is better, and the overclocking is better. plus they are much faster.

but... why not have both

 

The M18X will be my first laptop ever as well! I waited so long because I wanted the power of my desktop in a laptop. I feel SB and the latest gpus finally made that happen. I didn't want to sacrifice visual quality or frames whenever I gamed on my laptop! CANT WAIT for my m18x to get here!!!

 

I think people who don't appreciate laptops are the ones who don't need the portability, and get stuck up on the performance to price ratio. if i was gonna buy a desktop i would just shell out what i spent on the laptop on a desktop instead.

 

I know that my M18x was $3700 only because of the 2920xm in it and the 4 year warranty. Change that to a 2820qm and standard warranty and you are at about $2800 which is still an outstanding laptop and much better value. My desktop is a 965 extreme and 5870 CF and this laptop will be putting some pressure on it performance wise

 

thats still a damn good price. i smell lots of discounts .

 

I actually was wrong, $3639 after tax, $3467 before tax

Ya, my guy did an excellent job but credit goes to JackEtienne for hooking me up with him. The rep he recommended to me has been outstanding thus far and speaks perfectly normal and clear english!!!

 

#1 2920xm 6970cf spots shouldnt be too hard to get for you. make us proud and hit 5ghz on the 2920 ;D.

 

You know I will do my best, I do have a reputation to uphold after all

 

lol. I spent 2256$. Everything was basic stock with the exception to a 6gig memory upgrade. U will have a nice rig. Ill overclock my processor. And Ill be happy. Im currently gaming on a laptop with intels integrated graphics... so its going to be a HUGE differnce for me anyway.

 

I absolutely concur. I hardly ever use a desktop. I spend all day maintaining them and setting up workstations for people in the IT industry, so portability is my thing. When I am at home I like to move around, and have a full house (kids, wife) so its nice to be able to set up shop anywhere, I.E the kitchen, bedroom, living room... wherever the chaos is not currently ensuing. And because I'm constantly on the road, I really enjoy the portability. I can take my life (my laptop) with me everywhere. With this M18x.. I'm just adding a bigger screen and some performance bang, and that makes me a very proud laptop owner.

 

Maybe someone should setup a poll on whether most of the people who are buying the M18x or M17x R3 are folks with kids, spouse and a house. When I was single and living in a 1 bedroom apartment, there really was no need at all for a laptop and pay double of a comparable desktop since I only had 2 rooms to move between. The bedroom (where my computer was) and outside. I have a friend who just bought a gaming desktop. Single, apartment, no kids.

I think with kids to keep an eye on, and a wife who "likes you to be in the same room as you", having some mobility is a must. I highly doubt I and many people here will ever buy a desktop again (I've read laptop sales already top desktop sales now.). Last desktop purchased was 2002. Current Dell Inspiron was in late 2007. Really need to upgrade.

 

I dont have a wife (or even want one) but I am mobile and thus like taking my notebook with me. Desktops are so 1990s.

 

well it is interesting for me. I have a killer desktop setup that I love to use, but I have a 7 month old son, a wife, a weimaraner, and a beagle. Normally my code of conduct is I'm with the family while everyone is awake, but around 9 is when the house settles down to bed. I normally would go down to the "Man Cave" (finished basement), but I find myself starting to disklike being down there more and more. I like being upstairs so I can hear if my son wakes up and I hate to have my wife sleeping alone in bed every night. I was originally going to get the M17x R3 after they sent me a test unit to try out and I fell in love, but I can't stand not buying the best thing I can get for my money. So I guess i'll have my Desktop for the killer console ports us PC Gamers get to play now a days, but I suspect I'll barely be touching that system in the near future. I bought an awesome table that slides over the bed so I can use it while being comfy in bed, only $50 too.

Bottom line: Law School, Family, Dogs, Ego = M18x and portability.

 

I don't know if this question is answered before. I did tried to look up the answer from Google myself and found nothing about it.

So my question is why the laptop have 2xUSB 3.0 and another 2xUSB 2.0, instead of having all port to USB 3.0? I'm sure it has nothing to do with USB 2.0 device compatibility issue since USB 3.0 is backward compatible with 2.0 as well.

 

I like a laptop because many times I like to surf comfortably in my recliner while parked in front of the 60" and catch up on shows or watching shows and such on the laptop. I also like the recliner for light gaming or MMO farming/chit chatting. When I am in the mood for many hours of gaming or working, I will move to the desktop.

 

M18x is on it's way! Will be here by Tuesday, any requests? I can't do TOO many benchmarks since I'll be posting up an official review elsewhere but I'll put up a few benchmarks + pics on NBR.

 

if the review you're talking about is gonna be on Tech Inferno then I am not getting my hopes high as I am still waiting for TIs R3 review.
Anyway just want some good pics of the beast.

 

I'm sure this will be covered, but battery life while gaming and on integrated would be nice to compare with the M17xR3...

 

Got a link for the table? I have one of those laptop trays like those breakfast in bed trays when I gamed late night while wife slept next to me, but lately, it's probably been a year since I've gamed much at all .
Downside is that it will only support 15" machines and I didn't like how I had to lift the whole tray to the floor afterwards.

I'll need something a lot bigger than that if I end up upgrading and playing at night again.

The best tables are probably those long tables you see at the hospital.

Thanks!

 

Chipset has built in USB 2 so might as well use the connections. the USB 3 is an add on controller so you get 2 direct connections with that. To add more means more controllers or a built in hub.

 

Amazon.com: Over Bed Table: Health & Personal Care

there ya go! If you buy it read the review of the guy who explains how to put it together. The instructions that come with it are terrible.

The table easily fits the Macbook Pro 17 with a mouse and I put the cooler master laptop cooler down and it fits it all

 

Awesome, thanks!

 

Looks industrial sturdy. Good price, but gives me the urge to eat green jello and get a sponge bath.

 

hmm good idea, I'll ask for one tonight.

 

I'd love to get an opinion guys:

I'm moving my R3 to my office at work. I was going to get a desktop but decided against it and want to use my R3.

Impulsively (and because I missed the RGB), I picked up an Outlet R2 with RGB, 920XM, Xfire 5870's, 8GB of Ram for $2000, and I'm putting a 120GB Intel SSD in there.

I love the system and still have time to return it. Should I just go for the m18x? I'm really on the fence. The performance increase would be substantial but the price and lack of RGB screen is what is stopping me. Even if I went with base + Xfire 6970 it's only like $2400, which is doable. But I sacrifice the screen (and the RGB is hugely important to me). What do you guys think? This is a decision I need to make pretty quickly.

Is the 920XM enough to really compete with SB, aside from passmark scores? I've never owned the 5870 GPU, will these be sufficient for at least two years before I can upgrade again? I haven't gamed yet because I'm sitting on the delivery of my SSD and I'm not going to go through the work of a reinstall if I'm still on the fence about the m18x.

Thanks for any opinions.

 

Everyone here will tell you M18x is worth it. If the display matters to you that much, keep the R2. M18x WLED will pale in comparison.

 

I agree with Joker. If the screen is that important you can akways try to upgrade it even if it voids the warranty or costs extra. That's what I'm gonna do if the stock screen is unbearable.

 

LOL @ the 18x display panel. Going to be interesting to see commentary on this.

(to the R2)

Agreed.

 

Hi everybody!

I have finally joined the Alienware family! I have been trying to get a sexy alienware laptop for about 8 years and I finally took the plunge.

I ordered a m17x R3 two days before the m18x went on sale and I almost shat a brick

While my m17x was still in "Production" I tried to cancel in order to upgrade to a m18x and Dellienware refused. They said I need to wait till the laptop has shipped then wait for it to be delivered to me (PS: I paid 7 business days shipping ;_ then I have to send it back to them and once they receive it I have to wait 30 days to get a refund!

3 days later after speaking with a total of 12 different reps I gave up and contacted United States and Canada BBB Consumer and Business Reviews, Reports, Ratings, Complaints and Accredited Business Listings and filed a complaint directly to Dell HQ. Next day I got a person from Dell calling me and he cancelled my order gave me free overnight shipping for the new m18x and contacted the factory and put my order in priority!

So even though this was very stressful I finally got my order in for a SEXY M18X! It's in production now and the dell website shows the EDD for 5/31/11 but the rep said it would ship ALLOT sooner than that. I just hope hes right because I am counting the hours!

I also ordered a OCZ Vertex 3 Series – MAX IOPS Edition 120gig SSD. By the way its on sale for this weekend $289!
Newegg.com - OCZ Vertex 3 Series – MAX IOPS Edition VTX3MI-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

I literally cannot wait and i'm giggly with anticipation! In the mean time here are the specs for my m18x:

Nebula Red - i7 2820QM - 16GB DDR3 @ 1333MHz RAM - Dual 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 6970M - 320GB 7,200RPM HDD (ill use this as a secondary SSD primary) - Ultimate-N 6300 a/b/g/n 3x3 MIMO - Internal 60GHz WirelessHD Transmitter (I will buy the receiver later on when prices are better).

Now I just have one question. Since I went with the 6970M I am assuming that I cannot do SLI in the future even if I buy 2 nvidia cards.
Usually a motherboard will only do CF or SLI depending on its chipset, at least thats how it is with desktops. Is this laptop any different? Will I be able to buy two nvidia graphics cards in the future and use them in SLI (asuming the 5XX cards come for this laptop)?

^_^;