The Official Area-51 m15x Owners Lounge II

I'm thinking that they probably have replicated it... just not everyone knows about it. I know it says it's their "official" stance on the issue and i'm still in contact with them about it and suggesting for more "official" statements and updates from AW... a proactive approach on their part. That would help us and them out a lot.

 

I feel like we are making good progress guys. I know for me, I can play most games with no downclocking if I make sure that I keep this thing relatively cool. I am happy as long as we get a fix relatively quickly.

 

No, its not a fan issue.

Simply put when i got GPU up to 100C with no paste - no downclocking in 1 hour period and with grease it got 89C MAX downclocking at full load after 10 mins or so and how more loud do you want it to be? 10000 rpms? 20000? it better to buy airplane engine and hook it up somehow. to my hearing 4000 rpm is very close to 30 dB anyway its very loud annoying sound
and if cpu fan can get to almost 6000 rpms thats not the case with GPU cause CPU fan is less in radius than GPU , anyway the fans are not the same size thats why i they dif rpms

 

i am glad to see they are working on one of the issues to fix the laptop. thats a bit assuring.

 

Well I placed an order for the M15-x last Friday(late in the afternoon). And I just checked and it says its already in Stage 8 of the process!?
1st)Is this unheard of fast!? (3 days)
2nd) Should I cancel my order?
I have to admit at 1st I thought complaints might be isolated... But it seems this is more like a major design flaw with more then 1 issue.
And now my paranoia is making me think they are rushing these things out the door even faster?
Any suggestions? I waited so long to make this purchase but with all this negative feedback? Plus I remember all the initial complaints about the build time? And I'm at Stage 8 after 3 days??
I don't know if I should pull the plug and cancel before it ships? Or if this is a classic case of Paranoia will Destroy ya?

 

@Admiralmark - I would suggest that you cancel the order until Alienware has this whole ordeal figured out. I mean it will be pretty bad if your laptop gets to you, then you have to ship it back, not knowing if it will actually be fixed or not. My suggestion is to cancel, and then wait until the official news on this issue is out as to if it is fully fixed.

 

3 days, in these days is ok , since alot canceled theeir order and now they place it for you .. so simply. cancel it man . and wait.

 

Phase 8 is pretty fast but cancel? I thought you wanted to buy the m15...

 

If you are worried you jumped the test phase too fast call them up and make them explain/retest. My guess is they had some buit and checked already but some ppl canceled so you are the lucky one. I wouldn't cancel the order, I would test the laptop as soon as it arrives and if it has the issues listed here ship it back fast. Would still be faster to get back than normal waiting time before the paranoia started.

 

I did really want the M15x. In fact the only thing that kept me from buying one sooner was I was hoping for the Black Ripley design to come out. But last Friday i couldnt wait and now I'm left thinking? Am i the lucky one because someone cancelled? Meaning getting the already built system faster.

I mean I have yet to hear 1 single M-15x owner get on any of these forums and say. "I love eveything about my M15x". I think i would kind of expect that from a $3500+ system... At least a few responses like that? But I guess the final straw for me is this cracking issue? I mean that to me looks like a problem every single owner will have with their chassis?

 

I have to say I absolutely love the m15x except for the underclocking issue, which hopefully is very isolated as Alienware says. I am getting another m15x to test to find this out for myself.

An update on the review - I am working on it, and if everything goes well you'll be able to read it next week.

The contact I talked to was much, shall we say, closer to the engineers than the regular tech support - what I said in post #54 is what you should be reading at this time. Tech support is a bit behind.

 

i agree everything is fine except for that. im mailing mine in for repair and if they cant do it i get my money back!

 

I also LOVE the m15x as well minus the heating/underclocking. THough I must note that I have only underclocked in theory not in game. I underclocked doing 30 minutes of ATI tool checking for artifacting which brought my temps up high. COD4, UT3 (new games) have not once underclocked me. I also am upset at the "Crack" by the lan port but i think that will get fixed. Again I love this computer but it needs a little work. It really stands out, and as chaz said in a much earlier post, using this computer makes you feel like you are using something special and not ordinary. The alienhead, the light that wraps around the outside portion of the screen, the illuminated keyboard and alienFX overall really make this computer look unique.

 

There are many people who love(d) their m15x. Take me for example.. my whole system turned out to be a lemon, but it's still the best system out there for me. I remember opening the box at 9:30am and thinking to myself how happy I was at that very moment. I know that Alienware is working on it now and am EXTREMELY happy that Chaz is with us on this and has a man on the inside, so to speak. Like he said, as soon as he receives a fix, so will we.

I wouldn't be checking these forums multiple times daily if I weren't loving the laptop. I'm sure that the first indications of my laptop being fixed and returned to me will come when someone on this forum (likely Chaz) reports back to us that there is a confirmed fix. Up until then, i'm on board with the speculation on fixes and troubleshooting, and eagerly await the return of my baby. I even ordered a smart bay battery while waiting for its return. I have all intentions of keeping and enjoying this thing.

To Chaz, thanks again for all you're doing for us. I look forward to your review.

 

Ok just to update... I received a phone call from a Manuel. He notified me that they were aware of the issues that were occurring. He stated that they were conducting tests on the units they are building as well as the units that were coming back with these specific issues in an attempt to isolate what exactly is the reason for this problem.
He assured me that there testing along the build line had been adjusted to catch these issues prior to delivery. And that in my case they would go down and personally inspect my unit before it gets shipped.

He also offered to upgrade my systems Graphics card from the 8700GT to 8800GTX free of charge.(Yah don't laugh I know minus the heating issue I was braindead for not doing this in the 1st place)

I have to give them cudo's they responded quickly to me and acted in a professional way that I would not expect from a large corporation. And the upgrade was a nice touch.

So stay tuned. Right or wrong, I'm back on the Alienware bandwagon.

 

I love my system as well. cant wait to get it up and running again. without the downclocking i was running Crysis at an avg of 24 fps with the 1.2 patch, 1440x900 res, and cubans 'ccc' mod.

Dave, maybe you don't notice the downclocking when playing games because your base fps are so high. So if your gaming @ 70 fps and it drops down to 30, gameplay wise, it might not feel any different.

In crysis, when you go from 25 to 11, it becomes unplayable. i have to wait for 10 sec for the card to 'get back to normal' if i want to proceed.

 

He gave you a $350 upgrade for free? Let me see if I understand this correctly...those who ordered the 8800M GTX from the start and are experiencing thermal/underclocking issues get squat, while those who didn't and call to have their concerns addressed--even though they don't yet have an m15x in hand--get one for free? Unreal.

 

I understand exactly how you feel. That's pretty nice for them to do that for you. I was given a free 200 hard drive 7,200 RPM upgrade when I sent my m5550 in last week for repairs. That Harddrive probably cost an extra $200-$250.
It's just a way of them saying that they do care about their customers. I was just as angry with Alienware too, but now I'm the same bandwagon as you.
I wouldn't be surprised if everyone else here got an free part upgrade too. But, it also depends if there is still anything to upgrade on it. lol

 

I've been in contact with them every day on email and phone concerning these issues... no free stuff, no upgrade...

just kidding. It would be a nice bonus but i'm not sad really.

 

hmm i wish my system would jump phase 8 after so few and come with free upgrade... However in europe you get to wait 2 months for it and if you mention you want something they suggest canceling . We're tough on thee freeby hunters!

 

wow, i can't get them to waive the restock fee, but you get an upgrade worth nearly that much.. must be nice..

seriously though, i too want to love this laptop, i repeatedly told the alienware rep that if they had a fix for the downclock issue and an answer for the cracking issue that i'd be on the same page with them, so we'll see.

i have priced out sager's though. i'm almost tempted to just order one, and then return whichever i like least, i mean hell if i'm gonna get shafted on a restock fee i might as well have some fun. i'll have to double-check that math first though

 

I bought mine for the reason it was small enough for me to lug around during LAN party games. Lugging around a freaking tower to LAN party games and the rest of the stuff is irritating as heck! I am completely happy how it performs almost flawlessy minus the downclock/heating issue as well. I have no cracks on my case so far, but im not worried as i am still under warranty, and i still cant stand vista! i know the vista part is OOT, but i hope that changes my mind when the Official SP1 patch comes out.

 

Personally, I think they are doing this all to save their asses. They want to give customers free upgrades so that they can come off as a great company. The whole 14 months when I had my broken M5550 I was never offered anything free.

I think that they are trying to sway the users back on their side so that they can remain with a good reputation. It isn't a bad plan though. That is buisness, and they obviously know what they have to do to get users to stay with them. I wish they would have done that for me because after I go to college and get rid of my M9750 (unless I sell it in the next few weeks) that will most likely be my last Alienware purchase.

 

send in m15x, it gets fixed no restocking fee = 0$
get sager send in m15x for repairs -> $$$ for restock
only if m15x doesnt get fixed you'd have the sager and no restock but still i doubt they wont fix it .

 

LOL, I got a free Alienware Ody backpack.. As I said before, not much, but still a nice thought. I'm sure I can find some use for it. I go for more of the business type look, I like briefcases etc. That free video card trumped mine and on top of that I orderded mine back on the 22nd. They did Expedit my order though, was suppose to ship out the 24th but it is being shipped this Friday if everything goes well with the QA supposeably. I am in phase 6 atm.

I expressed my self pretty hardcore about the heating/button/cracking issues. I also had her take a look at these forums while on the phone, and she passed this along to the managers and the techy's.

 

hey guys im probally sending in mine for repair tommrow. i just want to know if i should ask them to fix my keyboard as well. the right of it feels loose. when i press down on the arrow key area. i get a lot of flex on the entire right side of the keyboard. do this happen to you guys?

 

both sides of my keyboard flex, but i really don't care as long as the keys work. but the backspace key seems to "miss" when i'm hitting it repeatedly. which is usually haave to do because i'm not used to this keyboard yet.

 

thanks, i dont really care either i just thought i had a defect

 

I forgot to tell you that this is my 3rd time sending it in. lol And it's the last. I was promised also that if the AW technicians didn't fix it right this time that I would be able to receive either a full refund or replacement.
So, you have to be patient and give them a chance to fix it up. And you have to be firm as well.

 

i'd totally place an order right away if they gave me free upgrde to 8800 :1

 

Actually if you open the bottom Cover you will see there is a huge difference in FAN size between the GPU and the CPU fans.

The GPU an is much larger. Granted it should spin a little higher. Who knows maybe when it decides to try and spin higher it draws the system down with power. Highly unlickly but still possible.

I strongly feel this isn't a Heating issue. As I have posted earlier, the downclocking can never be replecated on my system at the same temps.


I also spoke with AW regarding my CPU issue. And they said if they can't correct the issue with the x7900 they will replace it with a X9000. So AW have bought me over. lol.. Now I just need to get home so I can send this notebook in. Lucky I still have my M90 sitting at home that I can use until this one get's fixed.

Although I am still dissapointed it can't be repaired with onsite. As it's a very very simple job to swamp out the CPU/GPU and Heatsinks on this system.

 

so before i mail it in and play along with them. bottom line, is this an isolated issue or is everyone having this problem? and can they fix it? they say thosuands are not having any problems yet not everyone got the 8800m gtx, and actually knows whats going on.

 

Just give them a chance, alienware/user. They will pull through eventually.

 

So does that mean I get a free x9000 newfie?

If so... Sweeeeeeeet.

 

The guy you talked to is probably pulling numbers out of the hat. Don't belive that they sold thousands yet.

 

I doubt I will evenget one LMAO. I am sur ethey have plenty of working X7900's laying around.

But it would be a nice upgrade.

 

I ran CoD4 for 4 hours and mine never got above 82 degrees. I have had no problems with mine. (I have the 8800 and te 2.6 Ghz processor)

 

alright glad to see someone is in the clear. there is hope then.

 

I still have had zero issues. Playing Cod4 and C&C3 all on full 1920 x 1200.

Everything is running well.

 

The only problem with mine is that sometimes when I put in the DVD drive after having the battery in, windows won't recognize it and I need to restart. Has anyone else had a problem like this? It's nothing huge, I wouldn't send it in over something small like that but I was just wondering if I'm alone with this one...

 

I don't think that many people have their hands on the smartbay battery. You are the first I've heard about. As soon as they are available in their gear area, I'll be buying one.

 

It doesn't need to be available on the site if that's what you mean, you can call up tech support and order one (at 10% off too) if your system has already arrived. I've already ordered one separately and received it.

 

I also run into this problem but I don't have to restart I just pop it out and then back. Most of the time on the second try it works I think once I had to do it 3 times.

 

i have one, i'll fiddle and see if i experience that issue

 

Just been quickly glancing through this thread - Quick question,
Anyone (mad enough) to add extra internal cooling?
I haven't taken one apart yet so I don't know what the space limitations are, though probably quite tight.
I'm waiting for the m17x but when I get it, I'm gonna have a go - you might say I'm a bit of an ass for even thinking about it, but I'm doing Engineering and have access to specialised tools so I'll finish any mods nicely, don't wanna ruin the looks.
Then there's the whole killing the battery thing, but it will really be just a desktop replacement (anywhere it's gonna be in use I'll have access to a wall socket)
I suppose if your laptop is (somewhat) faulty your not going to risk voiding the warranty on such an expensive computer, but I'd still love to hear if anybody has any thoughts or ideas!!

 

Not sure how much space you would actually have but if you look at Packer's review he took pictures of the bottom of the unit without the cover on.

 

This just screams a void of warranty. Just let the AW techs do their job. This is the best way.

 

Alienware doesn't care what you do, (as long as you aren't messing with the processor I think) they welcome you to customize them. I'm not sure if they would like you messing around with the laptops though, my experience w/ tech support is only with desktops.

 

I'm not going to be using mine mostly for gaming, (but when I am gaming it will be outstanding!) I will be attending a school where a laptop is mandatory and I can get 4 1/2 hours of battery life with the battery pack! I don't have to worry about a disk drive because I have Alcohol 120% and I can copy any software disk I need and run it on a virtual drive if need be.

 

might I also suggest when you are using the SB battery switch to intergrated graphics and you'll get a lot more battery life (that is if all your doing is typing and things like that.