M11x Hinge/Screen touching Keyboard Discussion (R1 & R2)

Don't forget that this survey is a very small sample of survey and even though it may be 75% here, the actual percentage may be a lot lower. What i'm getting is that this survey is not an accurate representation of this issue and as such, Dell has no reason to fix the hinge just because majority of you have this problem. To Dell, it's cheaper to send out a tech to replace the screen than to redesign the hinges, as the latter will cost much more money.

Dell will not take care of this unless there's a follow up review of m11x by a major site (cnet,zdnet,pcmag, nbr etc) and specifically notes of this problem.

 

The problem is of course that all the major sites including NBR get revenues from Dell advertisement... Yes the journalistic integrity is there and all but still.

Having said that I sure would be impressed if NBR was to update their review of the M11x to mention this problem. Yes the sampling may be small but and the issue may affect a smaller percentage of units than the survey shows.

It's still an issue that affects units and poor design for a systems that's supposed to be high end in its class. When you have to purchase a screen protector for your notebook to keep the keyboard from scratching the screen something not right...

 

@Rhodan having said that, Do you regret getting m11x?

 

I like the M11x but I avoid transporting it and seldom close the lid on it. I sure do not want to have to go through another homer repair where the unit is left in worst shape than before the repairs...

I regret not returning it when I still could, afterall the writting was on the wall since it took Dell 4 attempt before they could get me a almost defect free unit.

 

Thanks. i paid 850 out the door for R2 with i7/160gb/4gig, but wondering if cheap price can justify the headache that i may have to endure

 

Mine was $948 before tx for the R1 SU7100, 4Gb and BT. Until the last day I was poundering sending it back.

What people have to start realizing here is it's a Dell with the Alienware Logo on it...

 

Its always been that way since Dell shut down their XPS line! That and HP pretty much assimilated Voodoo PC, its unlikely you are going to find a comparable PC from a "boutique" brand, and Acer and ASUS PCs are boring (and lack comparable customer support).

Overall, despite the somewhat sketchy build quality, I'm pretty happy of my Alienware PC. We probably wouldn't even notice these problems if the LCD screen was GLASS though.

Oh and the screen STILL touches the keyboard on mine, and I had my screen + hinges replaced.

 

ha you are a loyal dell fan. I just canceled my order. this forum is really good to get the gist out of a laptop

 

What do you mean mate?

I don't own a m11x, but don't you see mostly people with problems in all the forums? Apple, Asus, Acer, HP, Dell, Sony?

Maybe there are many m11x owners out there who don't have problems, and therefore are not saying anything, or signing up to forums and such to complain or ask for help?

 

I agree. I sympathize with those who are having problems and applaud your efforts on trying to get Dell to make things right with you M11x and future productions of it, however most of the people posting here are the ones with who are having problems in the first place. You need a much bigger sample or at least one that is not biased by having a greater proportion of people who are experiencing problems.

It is clear there are problems some M11x models and they have been WELL documenedt in these forums, but I don't think Dell/Alienware would produce a laptop with such a high rate of problems.

I hope my M11x that arrives on 6/30 is one of the good ones and I hope everyone who has a faulty unit gets that is in good working order.

Just my 2 cents

 

While there are many people who are on the forums to report issues I would have to disagree that they lead by a large majority.

A lot of people come here to research a product prior to a purchase or just to keep informed on the technologies. Others are just looking for answers to usability related inquiries which are a large part of the posts on the forums.

 

Guys, I am not seeing any service calls for scratched screens, so I can assure you that your systems are not the norm. In addition, there have been a very limited number of service calls for hinge problems, so once again, I think you're seeing an issue here that you assume affects all systems, and I can tell you that it clearly does not. The dispatch data that I review every week doesn't lie - I see every part replaced on the M11x. If you are having a problem with your hinges or if your screen is getting scratched by your keyboard, this is NOT normal and you need to call technical support to get it replaced.

Thanks...

 

Brian,

While you're here addressing the issue can you confirm whether having the screen touch the keyboard with enough pressure to jam a sheet of paper is normal or not?

Thanks

 

Well my 1st R2 arrived the other day and it also exhibits the same issue as the R1 I sent back where the screen touches the keyboard. I would vote for the R2 but I already voted for the R1 that was sent back and you can't vote twice. I will be picking up a second R2 in a few weeks and I expect it will also have the same problem based on the results.

Erawneila, Although the keyboard touches the screens, I never noticed actual scratches, only vertical smudges left mainly from the WASD keys from my sweaty mits playing BFBC2. These smudges can be wiped away but I'm guessing over time though that scratches could happen depending on the amount of pressure the lid takes. This is at the least very annoying. Change your search query from scratched screen to problems with the keyboard and you should get some results.

This really does look like a design oversight / defect. If you look at the keyboard horizontally (lift up the m11x to eye level or tilt it on its side) you will clearly see that the keyboard is not sitting flush. It's as if the frame of the keyboard is sized just a little too large and won't allow it to seat properly in the chassis. Also some of the keys are raised higher than others which causes the smudge spots to only happen on some parts of the screen (lower left hand side for both the R1 I sent back and R2).

My 2 cents.

 

Hi there. Please let me know how it turned out for you... luckly i saw this thread BEFORE ordering mine. This notebook is awesome, but this issue es really a deal breaker for me. I'm leaving you my email: jifarina [AT] gmail.com

 

shoumi, please remove your email address. It will be caught by spambots and that will be nasty...

 

my screen does not have scratches, but my keyboard is touching the screen when lid closed.
one thing I also noticed is that if I open the lid all the way (or maybe in a large degree), when closing the lid, i can hear a "cranking" sound. I mean i have the left side of the shaft touching the computer body - that makes the noise.
It is annoying...>.<

 

Just out of curiosity, did this problem develop after your return window?

 

Guys just keep in mind that this is just a really loud minority of customers that are voting in this poll, and participating on in the forums. This is not a huge representation of the customers or even a good sample size at all. On the flipside, this laptop is the first one that I had to call customer and tech support to clear up some problems (and replace a scratched screen due to keyboard), and I've been using exclusively Dell laptops.

 

I'd argue that the population here is more knowledgeable and therefore more likely to notice scratches and blame the company over their own error so that this is more accurate than a larger sample size which would have to include more naive users. I know if I hadn't seen the post on this forum, I'd assume it's my own fault and wouldn't sent it in. I wouldn't be clever enough to come up with using the paper trick to discover the problem.

To put it another way, a larger sample size would reflect both hinge problems and the ability of consumers to realize the problem, not solely the hinge problem.

 

^ that is true. I just kind of chugged along with the hinge issue and the stuck fan issue thinking whatever, that's just how it goes. But reading more on these forums it's more of a problem than "normal"..

 

I'm confused. you are defending AW, but you yourself also had to send yours in for the issue that is very closely related to the issue at discussion.

 

Yesterday my screen, keyboard, and palm rest replaced it was causing so much problems.

 

Why did the keyboard and palm rest need to be replaced?

 

You mean when I re-open the lid?

the sound only appears when I try to close the lid.
Oh well.

 

No, its not that I'm trying to defend alienware, but I'm just wondering if this problem is being blown out of proportion. All the techs I called found the situation very strange, and out of all the people that called/mentioned hinge issue on these forums is not many.

 

@rhodan- So if my laptop--when its lid is closed--only the palm rest area has gap between the screen and the palm rest-this is a defect, correct? So "good version" should have a gap that's uniform throughout the laptop, such that you can move a piece of paper freely.

 

Well, I can't even do the same paper stunt on my sister's Macbook, and on the couple of Dell Precision work computers here. So it's relative.

 

Ok, while I voted as "M11x R1: No contact between screen and keyboard" this isnt entirely true.

The paper test I did showed that while I can slide the paper back and forth, there is definitely some drag.

While there is always going to be kb contact, at least the keys are low(er) pressure which buys some time for some to either figure out what to do different or what Dell/AW does - if anything.

For the most part I dont think it will be a problem but can see how some systems at the edge of tolerance could get scratches etc.

What I've been doing...
Keyboard cover. This has EVERYTHING to do with spills and grit and 0 with m11x hinge. Bonus: it "might" help with protecting keys.


From a dead laptop, rubber bumpers. These may not look it in pics but are very shallow. Its just an experiment.


Paper test (without kb cover obviously) is slightly improved. There is still drag but its less and pushing paper back out other side is easier. The long stoppers in the pic are shorter than original so I had low expectations.

Flex at hinge with open/close visually seems the same.

Two other things I do partly out of habit is closing the lid only if needing to transport and being careful how the bag is packed so additional pressure on screen is avoided if possible. The power cord in the wrong bag/case can concentrate more pressure in a smaller area.

Finally, the one habit I need to break is to take note of where I hold the laptop when not using the bag or during packing. E1705 didnt care where or how... m11x should probably be carried at the hinge.

 

A properly designed notebook should not have the screen rest on the keyboard. Since some people have voted that they have a space between the screen and keyboard one could wonder why so many arent built that way...

Are you saying you can or cannot slide a sheet of paper?

 

From your picture we can see that the right side hinge is out of alignment. Seem like most if not all defective hinges are on the right side. Why?

 

Can't. But that's because of the notebook's design. The keys don't touch the screen at all ( I used a drop of soap on the keys to test this. Double sided tape works here too.)
Just saying that your paper test isn't exactly a conclusive test...

 

Understood, but it is for the M11x as the keyboard sticks out slightly from the base. ...

 

voted
M11x R1: Screen is touching the keyboard
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m11x/488483-hinge-issue-10.html

 

your hinge looks like it'll go bad pretty soon

 

Soon? By the looks of it, it is FUBAR'd .

 

Is this the day were we will hear back from Alienware on the issue of the screen resting on the keyboard? Let's all old our collective breath...

 

What makes you think that today is the day? I'd be very surprised if they said they are investigating this and are modifying their QC.

 

They can easily fix this problem by fixing rubber feet on the bottom plastic bezel of the LCD assembly so...

 

Brian (the Alienware rep.) is here everyday answering questions. One can dream that eventualy he will answer the question...

The question was: Can you confirm whether having the screen touch the keyboard with enough pressure to jam a sheet of paper is normal or not?

Doesn't hurt to keep the thread on the first page.

 

Yes, i'd like this question answered as units with zero contact between the screen and keyboard are rare to the point of them being aberrations.. this is either normal or a problem which is considered normal by QC.

 

We should sticky this poll to get a better picture of how many of us are affected

 

As I stated in another thread this will never show accurate results as people do not report what isn't wrong with there laptop. Simple as that, no need to sticky something that will definately be inaccurate.

 

My post clearly indicated that I would be interested in how many of us (us as in nbr visitors) ARE affected, not how many are NOT affected. I don't really care how many are not affected.

 

And many of us disagree with your unsubstantiated statement. This is the only data we have which is more that what you have produced so far.

What's your contribution to this thread? Have you voted? Is your M11x affected or not?

Seriously, we're trying to get an issue resolved here.

 

I'm sorry that my post may have seemed out of line, that wasn't my intention. My intention was to tell all of those people who are looking on with this thread that the hinges may or may not be of a big concern. The reason for this is because not everybody who do not actually have the problem vote.

My m11x will be coming today and of course I will be voting. I understand that your trying to get something solved but alot of people will take this information and use it against there descision as why not to buy a m11x. I just want to point out that they shouldn't.

Again I'm sorry if I caused anything, I didn't mean it.

 

And I'm sorry if my reply sounded harsh. I hope your system arrives in good condition.

Having returned 3 out of 4 units I must admit my confidence in Alienware is not very high. And all 4 units had the screen touching the keyboard and 2 had their hinges completely wacked out of the box...

 

And if every single person here had your issues its probably still a small %... fact is I doubt many owners are or will report hinge issues at this time.

Its also very dependent on your pref. Some people are bothered more by hinge alignment than others... if no marks on screen I doubt they even consider the hinges or paper tests.

 

Sigh... Thanks for your help! Really really appreciated.

 

hmmm getting my R2 today gonna test this