My Alienware Area-51 m15x review with pictures ;)

Sorry, yeah I don't actually have 3DMark so I didn't know what resolution it did run on the m15x, but you're right, it would be a 4:3 resolution (not 1440x900)

 

Hey...awesome review bud!

Can you just clear one thing up for me please...the most battery life you can get from this is 2 and a half hours? Isn't that a bit poor?

 

with smartbay it can get 5+ hours...

very respectable for a gaming laptop..

also running off the 8800m GTX in stealth mode u can get 3-4 and about 2hours of gaming.. if u have the smart bay battery.

 

Battery life on a gaming notebook is usually around an hour maximum, but the m15x with the stealth mode feature and the option to switch from dedicated to integrated graphics helps you get little less than 3 hours.

 

Does anyone know if the dell battery packs fit the alienware smart dock, if you can send pictures including the connection and the sticker on the upper surface, i can compare them on my end



these are the specs on my DELL smart battery,
type 4R084 - Dell battery module
li-polymer battery
rating: 11.1 volts - 4320 milli ampere hours - capacity: 48 what-hours
dell product number: 4X530 A00
there is a solid upper line, then a dashed lower line after the voltage.



if anyone has a m15x with the smart battery, or knows a lot about one, can you see if the specs match, or even better, a picture!

thanks,
Antony

 

I read this from the back of my smartbay battery. It's different from the Dell.

RATING:10.8Vdc 3800Ah MODEL NO: SOU - 723

 

Great Review! im so excited to get mine! hopefully it wont be too long!

 

Hi - is anyone still watching this thread? I just got a re-furbished Area 51 M15x & notice that the fan kicks in even w/ casual surfing. Even if I put it in Stealth Mode the fan will still kick in. And when I play a MKV file the CPU fans goes full blast. There's no way this sucker is silent. I think I has the most recent BIOS which is probably why the fan is cranking so loud. Any advice?

 

try opening up the bottom and cleaning the heatsinks and the fans. If that doesnt work then check the bios version.

 

I cannot find a BIOS driver online anywhere. From what I read the new BIOS which is probably a year old anyway made sure to kick up the fans when the CPU/GPU got hot to prevent over-heating. Seems like AW got a little over cautious so the fans are usually always fired up. I was hoping a tool like Speedfan would tell me how fast the fans are moving but they don't register. I can literally just turn the computer on w/o doing anything & the fans kick on which is unacceptable to me. Not sure what to do.

 

You have to downgrade your BIOS to x32 or x34, as the x36 BIOS has a bug wherein the cpu temps are always at 80 degrees.

The only problem I have with x32 is the touch control issue. Touch controls become unresponsive after waking up from sleep or closing and opening the lid with the x32.

X34 fixes the unresponsive touch controls issue, but instead gives issues with dpc latency. You get high latency with x34.

Here is a link with all the BIOS's

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=342331

Do keep in mind that you have to be careful in flashing your BIOS since it can render your computer useless if you make a mistake.

 

This is amazing information! I am so thankful I found you! I bet that in the x36 BIOS Alienware hacked something to make it seem like the CPU temp is pinned at 80; I bet this was not by accident but rather the easiest way they thought they could get the computer, once booted in the OS, to run the fans, etc. b/c the OS was fooled into thinking the CPU was very, very hot. I also think they hacked this b/c there has never been an update to x36 as far as I know.

I cannot wait to go home tonight to "downgrade" my BIOS. I'd don't use the touch controls b/c they're too cumbersome anyway. I had used "Stealth Mode" only in order to try & reduce the fans. It worked a little but would always go back to fun fans. Would you mind letting me know what "dpc latency" means? Google told me it has to do w/ audio/video & could result in cracking? I'm not a gamer & plan to use this (seldom) to play movies so maybe x34 would be fine for me. Thoughts?

And, thanks again for this very valuable info. I Google'd for days w/o finding anything close to what you suggested!