The Official Area-51 m15x Owners Lounge II

YAYYYY!!!!

I can't wait chaz.

 

Hello everyone.
I got my new laptop a few days ago and am loving it!!! Alienware for the win.
However, I have one small problem. I have been using a Razer mouse so the touchpad mouse is very slow even after speeding it up all the way in the setting under the control panel. Without having to put a Razer mouse on it, makes porting it a pain, what else can I do? I would think that the Alienware mice would be as good as Razer. *sighs*
Thank you in advance.

 

I don't really know vista, but I think on XP there are two different settings..one for trackpad sensitivity and one for pointer speed. have you tried playing with both?

Also, reffering to my posts from last night, I got my mom to (reluctantly) agree! I'll be ordering my m15x on sunday! *joins the club*

 

congrats callidor.

 

Great news Callidor !!
Hope things work out in my favour too..

Can't wait for your review Chaz.. It's already the weekend over here.. Does that count ?

 

Lol. Well, although I thought it was going to be the weekend we are shooting to post it first thing Monday morning now. Stay tuned folks!

 

This review is going to make it or break it for some 15x and even 17x potential buyers. Allot rest on Chaz's shoulders for this review so we need to give him the time he needs although I can't wait also!!!
-J.B.

 

so now that the final bios is out where do i check the status of my repair? can i do it via internet or email, or must i call?

 

Hey Chaz !! Take all the time you need
This is sure gonna be a biggie for all us future owners..
You can take more pics that way too

 

consider alienware like a mechanic in a second-world country... to get them to ACTUALLY do anything, you have to keep on top of them, asking them every step of the way how your car is doing.

same case here.

 

Hey I have a quick question about alienfusion for anyone who has an m15x. i know that a lot of the options in that program are similar to or the same as some of the options in windows' power supply control panel. so what happens if you set the two to contradicting things? does one take priority over the other...or do they automatically change with one another..or what's the deal with that? thanks

 

Its hard to explain neither one takes priority over the other. If you make a change in the command center it will change it that same option on the windows side. If you make a change in windows control panel then it will also change in the command center hopes this makes sense. If anyone else has had different experience let us know. If you have any other questions let us know.

 

Ok cool..that's what i meant when i asked if they changed with one another

 

Ordered!

[1] Area-51® m15x

Display: 15.4" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD (720p) with Clearview Technology
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - Blue
Video/Graphics Card: 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8700M GT
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 2.5GHz (6MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Home Premium
Notebook Tuners and Remotes: Without Media Center Remote Control or TV Tuner
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 1024MB
System Drive: 200GB 7200RPM (16MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection
Optical Drives : 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Wireless: Internal Intel® Wireless 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card
Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Keyboard Options: AlienFX® Illuminated Keyboard
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
Security Software: McAfee® VirusScan Plus – 36-Month Subscription Factory Installed!
Microsoft Office Suites: Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 – Factory Installed!
Includes Word, Excel and One Note!
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mesh Cap
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mousepad
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mobile Binder
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Personalized Nameplate
Alienware Extras: Owner Identification Card
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m15x Protective Cloth Sleeve
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m15x Keyboard Diagram Overlay
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m15x Smooth Mylar Touchpad
Avatar: Alienhead 3D
Window Style: Blue Window Style
Mouse Pointers: Standard Mouse Pointers
Wallpaper: Alienhead Glow (Widescreen)
Power Plan: Standard Power Plan
Automatic Updates: Automatic Updates On
Sidebar Gadgets: Notepad
Sidebar Gadgets: Weather Forecast (default location)
Time Zones: (GMT - 5.00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)

 

Nice system, all the 8800gtx probs must have scared you. I dont blame you I am scared to test my system when it gets here.
-J.b.

 

Congrats Callidor! congrats on your purchase let us know how your journey through the phase game goes. Keep us posted

 

I could not resist any longer either...

Display: 15.4" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD (720p) with Clearview Technology
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - Indigo
Video/Graphics Card: 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8700M GT
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T8300 2.4GHz (3MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Home Premium
Notebook Tuners and Remotes: Without Media Center Remote Control or TV Tuner
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 1024MB
System Drive: 160GB 7200 RPM (8MB Cache)
Optical Drives : 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Wireless: Internal Intel® Wireless 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card
Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Keyboard Options: AlienFX® Illuminated Keyboard
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
AlienRespawn: AlienRespawn v2.0 Recovery DVD – Windows Vista® Edition
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mesh Cap
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mousepad
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mobile Binder
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Personalized Nameplate
Alienware Extras: Owner Identification Card
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m15x Protective Cloth Sleeve
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m15x Keyboard Diagram Overlay
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m15x Smooth Mylar Touchpad
Avatar: Alienhead 3D
Window Style: Default Window Style
Mouse Pointers: Standard Mouse Pointers
Power Plan: Standard Power Plan
Automatic Updates: Automatic Updates On
Time Zones: (GMT - 5.00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)

 

congrats professor. hope you dont plan on heavy gaming with an 8700 or you will be disappointed

 

Broke down and went for this tonight, I got the Respawn DVDs free! (yes that was sarcasm).

[1] Area-51® m15x

Display: 15.4" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD (720p) with Clearview Technology
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - Red
Video/Graphics Card: 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800M GTX
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 2.5GHz (6MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Home Premium
Notebook Tuners and Remotes: Without Media Center Remote Control or TV Tuner
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 1024MB
System Drive: 320GB 5400RPM (8MB Cache)
Optical Drives : 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Wireless: Internal Intel® Wireless 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card
Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Keyboard Options: AlienFX® Illuminated Keyboard
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
AlienRespawn: AlienRespawn v2.0 Recovery DVD – Windows Vista® Edition
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mesh Cap
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mousepad
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mobile Binder
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Personalized Nameplate
Alienware Extras: Owner Identification Card
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m15x Protective Cloth Sleeve
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m15x Keyboard Diagram Overlay
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m15x Smooth Mylar Touchpad
Avatar: Alienhead 3D
Window Style: Default Window Style
Mouse Pointers: Standard Mouse Pointers
Power Plan: Standard Power Plan
Automatic Updates: Automatic Updates On
Time Zones: (GMT - 5.00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)

Back 6 months ago when I bought my Inspiron 1720 I wanted a solid 15" gaming laptop and there were none to be found. Then the XPS M1530 came out, then this comes out... There's a conspiracy to make me spend money.

This is in no small part due to Chaz' review posted today, I had no intention of buying this this morning but it looked so awesome in his pics.

 

From what I've heard the 8700 is by no means "weak." I've asked others who use it and I've been told that CoD4 runs at 1920x1200 with only minor settings turned down to keep performance up. Well, mine has an 8700 too, so we'll see when I get it. I mostly play Lord of the Rings Online and FFXI (which all 8 series cards aren't great for anyway.) I'll be sure to let people know how it handles.

EDIT: wow thats 3 of us who just ordered in the past few hours? hehe..first come first serve! out of my way!

 

lol thats three in one night

 

it is! amazing. 2 of 3 got the same video card as me.

haha, good stuff. sales go up when you fix problems apparently!

Mine was shipped out today, it's in the hands of the Fed-Ex guy right now.

Specs are in my sig.

 

i loled, really. this cant handle newer games and should not be marketed as a high end card.

 

A lot of people laying down their money tonight; congratulations Callador, ProfessorShred, and fraggable, very nice machines!

The 8700M-GT is a good mid-range video card. Many people are happy with the 8600M-GT in other laptops and the 8700M-GT is about 20 - 30% more powerful on average. I did a performance evaluation here:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4056

 

still beats the fudge out of the on-board X3100 (a video card that more than a few laptop owners will have to settle for if they're not careful about the PC they get)...

also beats the bejesus out of my old Radeon 9000 Pro.

heck, the benchmarks that people have put up for it, and the ones listed on another site gague this card around the same level as my desktop video card, the GeForce 8600 GT... now either my PC is running fast, or this card is pretty darn good for a Mobile chipset.

the 8800M GTX is definately in a class of it's own, it's extremely powerful for a mobile chip... It's a new line of GPU process (the 65nm process) and that allows for more power, faster GPU times, and less heat/power(electrical) requirements.

Frankly, I'm GLAD I didn't get the BEST CARD. The tech behind the 8700M GT is proven. we've already seen a lot of problems with the 8800M GTX.

I'd sacrifice performance for stability. and I did.

Doesn't make this card BAD. and in a year's time, the 8700M GT will likely still be able to play current games... albeit on the lowest settings. but frankly, I don't notice much of a difference in games anymore, between mid, mid-high, and high settings. maybe I'm strange. but the "Detail levels" don't matter much. The mere fact that a game can play at a playable level, is more than enough for me.

I need no fuzzy donut.

 

The 8700m GT is good on low resolutions. It only struggles at max resolutions because of the low bus width (128-bit). About COD4 I used to run on my dv9700t with an 8600 GS and it ran pretty well on 1024x768.

 

Based on Chaz's above posted benchmarks, I think the 8700 will be perfectly adequate for my uses. As I think I posted earlier, I'm playing mostly MMOs with this thing..and while lotro is graphically impressive, it's no crysis. Also, I always have my desktop with the 7950GT in it.

EDIT: I feel the problem with graphics card technology, or atleast how it is perceived, is that at any given time there is one "best" card, and all others are "worthless." No, the 8700 isn't comparable with the 8800, but it's not meant to be. So my system doesn't have the absolute best mobile card available. It's got..what? the second best? I suppose third if you put the mobile 7950 above it, but i do want dx10.

And how long has it been since the 8700 was released and was, at the time, top of the line? Something like 8 months? the 8800 will only be so great for so long.

(Correct me if I am factually mistaken in any cases.)

 

for those that have a smartbay hd, did it show up under my computer after popping it in? i can't find it..

 

And I think we all know why !! Your great review really did increase sales for AW Well your words did justice to the product and so on and so forth..
Congrats to Callador, ProfessorShred and fraggable again..

Hmm.. I'm guessing that by me going for the 8800GTX (in a coupla months) I should be able to play at High settings at first, then go down to Mid-High and then finally Medium - which should be about 1½ years from now ?
Just want some thoughts/opinions/estimates..

 

3 ppl made order for the m15x!!!!
this is making me very depress because im jealous ;D

but congrat maybe some unboxing video? ;D (unboxing video make me happy lol)

 

Yea totally !! They'll only get 'em by mid to end April though.. We'll have to make do with Silkex's and Mystik's pics/unboxing vids till then
You two are gonna take pics & make vids right ??

 

I'm not sure about an unboxing, but I do intend to make something of a demonstration vid...if nothing else we'll get some sort of difinitive word on how the 8700 handles my games lol

 

Well my thinking was the 8800GTX should handle Crysis at medium settings just fine, this was the same thing I was thinking when looking at the Gateway lappies with the 800GTS 512 - it would struggle with the WUXGA resolution so save yourself the pain and take the cheaper path. While it would be nice to have Crysis on a laptop, my main reason for this system is LANs. My work is hosting LAN parties nearly monthly now and I need a laptop - lugging 70lbs worth of cables, monitors, and computer cases around isn't my idea of a fun LAN party. COD4, BF2, CS:S, etc are what I'm doing on this.

My desktop with a 8800GTS 512 and 3.5GHz Core 2 Duo and 6GB of RAM can handle Crysis to my single-player satisfaction.

I'll post lots of pics when it gets here, but it won't be until at least April 25th.

 

I'm also thinking about doing a demo vid. but no unboxing vid. also, I have a Canon Powershot A640 (10MP), and I just got a new tripod for it, so I can do some fairly nice shots of the lights and such. using a stable area and taking pictures on a neutral background, of all lighting configs and such.

I'm also classifyably an administrator. Probably one of the first things I'm going to do is find out everything I can about the software controls and how to administrate them. I'm in league with a programmer, so I might be able to work on getting some pretty interesting effects going with the lighting... (I hope) I'll be looking VERY CAREFULLY around the Advanced areas of the lighting system to see what I can do.

And you should know, I'll post the findings and results.

 

I just bought an m15x from tjmaxwell here on the forums. I was initially unimpressed with the performance but it turned to be stealth mode was on somehow. Once I disengaged stealth mode everything was perfect (9058 on 3DMark06 with T9300 & 8800M GTX). I am very happy now with this laptop. Sux about the lack of warranty exchange but TJ said he would work with me on it if anything ever happened. Can't wait to throw some games at this baby and see how she runs.

Congrats to everyone who just purchased, hopefully the phase game doesn't last too long for ya.

 

you lucky

hope you enjoy your new machine and sometimes spare a thought of us poor buggers still waiting in the que.

 

Hey hey, well, I got my machine yesterday and I took some pics. If there is anything you guys would like to see about the machine let me know. I'm going to upload the ones I have soon(just woke up)

Btw, this machine is insanely awsome. I dont see where people are having problems but I have been playing crysis all high, no mods offline and online. This computer runs it better then my quad 6600 with a GT card. My burn in benchmarks are a little over 11,000.

All day yesterday I was installing microsoft updates(sp1) etc mainly.
Also the computer did come with the Version x30 bios(final release bios fix)

Lol one more thing to note as this is my first time using windows vista.. I hate the defrag lol. Ima try command prompt Defrag.exe next. Grr doesent show your status.
Anyways ill have some pics up in a bit.

 

im gonna go mad soon more ppl gor their m15x but me!! > < hahaha
congrat and have fun, tell us the result if you run any test to check downclocking

 

I wish I had mine too this is a major drag dude. I wish more people would take pics, you can never get enough pics no matter what you say. I can't wait to take to the local starbucks, do you think it will turn any heads?
-jb

 

as long as you dont turn your head because when you turn it back the laptop will have gone.

 

OK. I just tried to hook up my m15x to my HDTV. The picture is sharp but the image is cropped. I cannot see the any of the bar at the bottom of the screen or the top bar when a window is maximized. Also, I bought a bluray dvd and tried playing it through the tv but there is no audio. I thought HDMI is "high def multiple interface" meaning visual AND audio. My dvd player uses hdmi and the audio on that works fine. I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced these problems and if so, could you help me out?

(My screen on my laptop is the 1920x1200 and my hdtv is 720p. I tried setting the resolution down but in order to see the whole screen; I have to set it all the way down to 800x600 and then it looks like crap on my tv.)

 

happened to me to man. go to the nvidia control panel and mess around with the settings. it took me a while. you will get it in time.

 

I think it has gotten worse...

 

it's been long known that not many, if any, of the m15x's have the Digital audio output through the HDMI port.

also, i suspect your TV is to blame for the problems... a 720p screen should be able to handle 1280x720 resolution. if that's an option, use that. it should give a good picture with little or no loss/distortion.

as for your TV, make sure your screen mode is not set to ZOOM or something. it's common for people with non-HD recievers, and HDTV's to set it to some strange mode (stretch and zoom are most common) in order to utilize the full screen... sacrificing image space for the sake of using the whole screen. imo, stupid.

HOWEVER, far be it for me to tell anyone how to use their HDTV.

Set your laptop's output to 1280x720 (if possible) and switch to the HDMI output, additionally, buy yourself a Toslink cable and hook it up to the optical in on your digital decoder and plug the mini end into the headphone jack. That should give you high-quality 5.1 or 7.1 audio.

enjoy.

 

Try this jelly
1. Open the Realtek HD Audio Manager.

2. Make sure that the HDMI cable is connected to the system and select the Digital Output tab.

3. Right-click on the Digital Output tab.

4. Click on Set default audio.

5. Confirm that the volume is raised on the output device connected to the HDMI port.

Audio should now be heard from the output device.

 

tacomenace, thank you. I now have AUDIO!!! yay! Mystik, That was a really good suggestion to check if there was zoom on or something. I use zoom a lot because I play n64 all the time and I like to use the whole screen (yes I know, n64 on an hdtv) but the zoom isn't on right now. I was snooping around in the nvidia settings and it said that the native res for my tv is 1920x1200, so the native resolutions are the same. I just can't figure out why its cropped. It's cropped just a little bit.... :/

 

Check to see if your television has a "computer" or "raw" mode, or something to that effect. Televisions usually overscan to take into account the fact that in most video signals, there's unwanted/unneeded data on the edges, but computers don't have that, which is why you're seeing cropping.

 

nope, mine doesn't have a computer or raw mode that I can find.

 

Hmm... make and model of TV? Maybe it's possible to dig up a manual online so that one of us can figure out what the mode settings should be.

 

LG 32 inch lcd...um....I'm looking for the model number. hold on