Which battery for "overpowered" M15X?

Hi!

Sorry for my bad english, I'm from Austria

I ordered today a used Alienware M15X Nebula Red Notebook.

Following components are built in:

Intel Core i7 940xm (4 x 2,33 GHz up to 4 x 3,33GHz Turbo Boost )
NVIDIA GeForce GTX680M
8GB Kingston SDRAM
1x 320 GB Seagate 7200U + 1x 500 GB Seagate Sata ( I will upgrade 1x HDD to an SSD)
Battery : Primary 9-cell 85W/HR LI-ION (SMP Type: D951T, 11.1V, 85wh)

I also get a "stronger" Power Cord, because of the built in i7/GTX680M.

My question is: where can I buy a ORIGINAL Dell battery for my Notebook these days? (Shop must ship to Austria!)

Dell also told me to watch out for these types of batteries because the D951T is discontinued.

W3VX3 & T780R - 6 Cells

F3J9T & T779R - 9 Cells


thank you all for your help!



greetings

 

Congratulations, you got yourself a nice spec M15X. Your English is fine btw; I would not have been aware that it's not your native tongue if you hadn't had mentioned it.

It's not going to be easy to find the 9 cell battery nowadays, especially in Europe. I found one a couple of years back in the UK on e-bay but they are getting rarer and rarer. If you do find one, it's probably going to be used with some wear on it. The 6 cell is easy to find though and there are a couple of aftermarket 6 cells from other brands.

As far as I know, all of those batteries are discontinued now. Did you call Dell and ask if they still stock them?

Your laptop already has the 9 cell and hopefully it still has some life left. Also, the battery life in the M15X is really sub-par, especially with a 920xm and 680m GTX installed, so you're going to want to have it plugged in all the time. Even if the 9 cell you are getting has lots of wear, it is still useful as a nice lift for the back of the laptop for better cooling.

A more important spec is the power adapter. Hopefully by "stronger" power cord you mean that the AC adapter included is at least a 210W model because you are going to want that extra power with those specs.

 

I will receive my Notebook in a few days.
When I got it, I can tell you the specs from the power cord.
Could you send me an link or website where I can order a good 6 cell? I can't find a 9 cell and the websites with 6 cell batterys I found don't look quite serious...
The 9cell that come with the Notebook only last for a few minutes.
Did you ever switched the keyboard from an m15x?
Is that difficult? (Mine looks a little bit “used“ over the years)
Is the Backlight from the keyboard directly built in the keyboard (when I change the keyboard i also get a new backlight?) or is it somewhere inside the notebook and a keyboard change won't bring new backlight?

https://m.ipc-computer.de/notebook-ersatzteile/alienware/m15x-serie/dell/tastatur-1


Thx and greetings

 

I can't really recommend any place in Europe for the battery since the seller I got mine from doesn't have any more.

I honestly would just keep the 9 cell even if it's dead and just hold off on the 6 cell until you find a 9 cell. They pop up occasionally on e-bay. You can set an alert on e-bay for something like "M15X 9 CELL" and you'll get an e-mail alert if an auction with that in the title pops up.

If you must get a 6 cell, just look around and try to find a seller with good positive feedback and make sure the battery is genuine unless you are willing to buy a non-genuine battery.

The keyboard is super easy to replace. The only tool you need is a precision screwdriver. The keyboard has two ribbon cables: one for the keyboard function and an extra smaller ribbon cable for the backlights. The backlights for the laptop are controlled by a dedicated chip on the motherboard but the keyboard has the LEDs built in to it.

That keyboard you linked looks like the right one.

Here's a link for the M15X service manual:

http://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_laptop/esuprt_alienware_laptops/alienware-m15x_service manual_en-us.pdf

Here's a link to a teardown video:



Since you are new to the M15X, just make sure that if you get the original resource DVD with your laptop, DO NOT install any drivers from there. There's an issue with the Command Center software corrupting the firmware for the backlight chip. Just download the latest drivers directly from Dell.

 

Congrats on your fine M15x. Someday, somebody gotta dismantle a 9 cell battery and try replacing the cells. If I had one, im sure i could.

 

Tried that already I would not recommend it. The pack is impossible to take apart without horribly mangling the casing. Mine had Samsung 18650 ICR cells and even if I was able to replace them, it is still not a task I would recommend. Good 18650 cells can cost around $50 for 9 of them and then you have the issue with soldering them unless you can find pre-tabbed cells or have a spot welder. Soldering directly to the cell's poles is not a good idea, especially with li-ion cells that can vent violently and even blow up when exposed to too much heat. Then you need to make sure you wire them correctly because they are configured in a series/parallel setup which must be adhered to. So to sum it up: don't do it

 

No I won't open the Battery.
Next question: The Notebook has installed Windows 10 already and I will upgrade one HDD to an SDD where Windows is installed.
If I want to switch back to Windows 7, how do I do that? (But I don't want a normal Windows 7, I want the Alienware Windows 7 Edition )
And how do I find out which Command Center Version is now installed? I don't want to brick my Motherboard...

 

To install Win7 you will need a Dell Windows 7 installation DVD (hopefully the seller includes it). If the Windows 10 installation was an upgrade from Windows 7, you can go into the recovery settings in Windows 10 and revert to Windows 7 (unless the seller deleted the Windows 7 installation files from the hard drive).

After you revert to Windows 7, you can use a disk cloning software like Easus Todo and clone your drive to your new SSD. Then you install the SSD, set it as the boot drive and you should be set.

The best thing to do, especially with a used PC, is to do a fresh install of Windows after getting it so hopefully you will get the Win7 installation disc.


The issue with Command Center :

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...command-center-from-your-resource-dvd.502744/

If your LED lights are working, then don't worry about it, just never ever use the version of Command Center on the resource disc. Always use the version from Dell's website.

 

I asked the Seller and he told me that he upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10.
As far as i see the Photos (he made one from the DVD's too) I will receive a Resource DVD and a Windows 7 Home Premium Version.
Would it be better to build in the SSD and then install a fresh Windows 7 Version via the Dell DVD?
What would you recommend: Windows 10 or 7 on the M15X? Are all Drivers compatible with Windows 10?

The LED are working at the moment, but what if i install Windows 7 via DVD and there are old Command Center driver's on it (directly on the Windows 7 DVD, not on the Resource DVD)

 

The Windows 7 Home Premium DVD will only have Windows on it, and will not have any Dell provided drivers or Alienware software such as Command Center. So when you use that DVD to re-install Windows, you will not be installing Command Center.

The Resource DVD is the other DVD with the drivers for the M15X and all the Alienware applications such as the bad version of Command Center. The Resource DVD you should just avoid and leave it aside.

While you are waiting for the PC to arrive, why not go to Dell's site and download all the latest drivers or at least the network drivers so that after Windows is installed, you can connect to the Internet and download the rest of the drivers as needed.

I am currently running Windows 10 and I really like it. Most drivers are installed by Windows. I had some issues with the Bluetooth drivers but after some searching I was able to fix them. Since Windows 10 was already activated on that PC, you should be able to upgrade back to Windows 10 without issues.

 

And where do I get the Alienware theme? Is that already on the Windows 7 DVD installed?
If I switch from 7 to 10, will the Theme still be the same and still be available? (My first Alienware, I'm so excited for the Theme XD )

 

The Alienware themes for Windows 7 are available on their support site for the M15X here:

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/4/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=R276886

Not sure if these work on Windows 10. Maybe they can be run in compatibility mode.

 

Ok, thank you!
Because my Notebook have a second HDD installed instead of an DVD drive (i get it with the Notebook, but I think i'll stay with second HDD), could I make a .iso image from the Dell Windows DVD and install it with a bootable USB Stick?
Would an .iso made with imgburn work?
I also have a portable Asus USB DVD Drive, but I think that needs a driver and won't work to install a new Windows Version on the SSD without Drivers...

 

An ISO on a USB boot stick would be best. It will also be faster. Then you can save your ISO file somewhere in case you lose or damage the DVD. Imgburn will work fine for making the ISO file. I recommend a program called "Rufus" to copy that ISO to the USB stick and make it bootable.

Your Asus DVD drive does not need drivers to work. Just make sure to press F12 at startup for the boot menu. You will be able to install Windows with the DVD with that USB DVD drive.

 

Nice purchase catfood! Looks like we are neighbours (switzerland here). 680M is my favourite card for M15x to date. Right balance of performance, heat, and OCability.

 

Ok, then I make an .iso
What do you think about that battery:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NUOVO-OEM-D...086307?hash=item4af3a265e3:g:iJUAAOSw9mFWK-gR

Is this for Area51 or "normal" M15X? 99% of the Batteries I find are 10.8V and for the Area51 Notebook or not OEM...
Mine looks like this:

 

Yeah, that one looks correct for the M15X. It would be nice if the seller provided a pic of the label.

 

The same guy has this battery also:
http://m.ebay.de/itm/221935264503?r...vr_id=1184511217507&_mwBanner=1&ul_noapp=true

Would that be correct? (The last Link won't ship to Austria but I think first and second link are the same battery.

You posted a video for dissasembling the m15x and when u scroll down in the comment section there is a guy asking if it's possible to use the i7 xm processor in the m15x.
And Alienware answered: it is possible but only with the 9 cell battery.
Is that true? I know I use the Notebook most of the time with the power cord pluged in, but I think 30 minutes (with the 6 cell?)or maybe more would be cool to use without the power cord.

 

I think you should just wait until a 9 cell pops up. That's my advice.

Probably the reason why the 9 cell is recommended with the 920XM is the high power draw of the 920XM. The 9 cell will provide a longer runtime than the 6 cell. Battery runtime will be bad enough with a 920XM/680M GTX and a 9 cell, and much worse with a 6 cell.

Power will be dramatically reduced by the system (aka throttling) when on battery anyway in order to prevent the power hungry components from trying to draw too much power from the limited battery. So don't expect to game on battery.

I view the battery in my M15X as a built-in UPS in case the power goes down and so should you

 

I don't think that a 9 cell pops up ever again, because the notebook + batteries are getting older and older...

 

If there is an "electrical Blackout", would the 6 Cell Battery also be too weak to hold my Notebook for a few minutes? (not gaming)
Or is it forbidden/not recommended to use the 6 Cell Battery with an i7 940xm?

thx

 

I'm sure someone like @t456 can chime in for more input on the technical side of things regarding batteries

In the meantime, read the post below by bwDraco:

https://superuser.com/questions/855...-power-even-with-the-power-plan-set-to-high-p

 

Thx for the link!
Maybe @t456 has an Idea...

 

The 9-cell is 3S3P (3 series, 3 parallel), whereas the 6-cell is 3S2P. The number of cells in parallel determine the maximum current you can pull from the battery and the number in series sets the voltage. This would be 11.1V for both packs (3x 3.7V nominal). Most 18650 cells have a current limit of around 5A, though the pack, bios and/or power conversion circuit in the laptop's motherboard may set a more stringy limit. Assuming 5A cells then the 6-cell can deliver a maximum of (3 * 3.7V) * (2 * 5A) = 111W and similarly the 9-cell 166.5W.

Not sure what the current maximum draw is with this system, but you can measure from the socket with a watt-meter and then divide that value by ~1.1 (10% conversion loss in the adapter; it's heating up). However, it is likely that the value will be somewhat higher than even the 9-cell can handle (theoretical max. of just the cpu+gpu is 155W). That is why a DTR has a bigger battery; not too extent battery life, but to be able to run away from the socket without too much power throttle or even none at all. To be sure, it is not due to a technological limitations that a lot of systems throttle when running on the battery. Make a pack that can handle the same watts the adapter can turn out and you wouldn't notice the difference between running on AC and running on battery, provided the bios will not throw in an artificial limit.

So ... would take kosti's advice; for this 680M+940XM configuration even a used 9-cell is a much better choice than a brand new 6-cell.

 

Great post @t456.

Exactly, the 9 cell which I took apart had these cells:

http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Samsung ICR18650-28A 2800mAh (Purple) UK.html

And they were wired exactly as you state: 3 parallel sets of 3 cells that are then wired together in series. These cells actually have a capacity of 2800mAh when charged at 4.3V. I am assuming then that the cells do not get that extra voltage when charging in the laptop because the pack was rated at 85Wh which is about 2500mAh per cell. According to the test linked above which tests capacity at both 4.2V and 4.3V charging levels, that sounds about right.

The power limiting/throttling imposed by the BIOS while on battery is probably similar to the power adapter that communicates with the BIOS via the center pin and limits power draw based on the rating of the adapter. Maybe a better analogy would be "Stealth Mode" which puts a cap on power draw for the entire system to 65W. Lots of throttling going on then, especially with a 920XM/680M GTX combo.

It's a very good thing that these precautions are taken on batteries because we all know what can happen when li-ion cells (especially ICRs) get discharged past their rated limits for an extended period of time.

I also recommend one of those power meters. They won't be perfectly accurate but they will give you an idea of what your laptop is drawing.

And just to put things into perspective with the 920XM, my meter read over a 100W power draw difference compared to idle power draw when overclocked to 24T on all cores and running Prime95. So yeah, these CPUs are very power hungry.

 

Thank you for the good explanation.

I'm waiting until my Notebook arrives (should be here Monday or Tuesday) and then I have a look how long the Battery will last without the power cord. (not gaming!)
I asked the seller again and he meant that the battery only lasts for 1 Minute, but he used the Notebook always with power cord.

 

Oh and what I wanted to ask:
should I use a programm like Furmark or something to test the Notebook, if there are any issues with graphic card/processor etc.? Or is that not necessary?

 

I would not use Furmark. It puts unnecessary stress on the GPU.

I have used Prime95 and Furmark in the past but mainly to test stability after overclocking or thermal performance after a cooling mod or new thermal paste.

I would personally just use 3DMark benchmarks like Firestrike and compare your scores with other users with similar specs. That way you know if things are working as they should.

I would also download a program to monitor temps such as HWinfo. HWMonitor or Open Hardware Monitor. You need to keep an eye on your temps with that setup, mainly the 920XM. If you are not overclocking it and the thermal paste is applied correctly, you should not have too many overheating issues. If you do plan to overclock it, be prepared for really high temps and possible cooling mods to tame them. This of course depends on how crazy you overclock it.

 

No, I don't think I will overclock the 940xm. For older Games ( - 2011) it will be good enough.

 

Hi again,

I recieved my Notebook today!
The Seller made a folder with "important drivers":

vBios
1. Chipset driver
2. GTX680m Driver incl. Mod (Windows 10)
3. Ricoh Driver R232289
4. Synaptec R248558
5 OSD Driver R302355
6 Command Center R272621
Blueetooth R235898
DVD RWR306353
Freefallsensor R232293
IDT Audio R248560

Are these all necessary?
What should i do next to get Windows 7 back again? Where do I get the Windows 7 drivers for GTX680M?

Second: the "stronger" Power adapter is an Flextronics Model GA240PE1-00 with 19.5V (12.3A) Output. Is that enough?
battery is really weak, only lasts 2 minutes with no programms opend...

 

The power adapter is 240W (and I think the one you have is the slim model) so you should be all set.

If Windows 10 was installed as an upgrade and the previous owner did not delete the Windows 7 installation files, you should be able to revert to Windows 7 by going to Settings>>Update and Security>>Recovery.

You should be able to get the 680M drivers from Nvidia, but I am not sure if you need to use a modded INF file with that card in the M15X.

You need all the other drivers, regardless of Windows 7 or 10, but the Windows 7 Bluetooth driver will not work in Windows 10. There are ways around this if you ever go back to Windows 10.

 

As far as I see in the folder, I have to modify the .INF file to use the GTX680M.
368.81 Windows 10 is the drivername inside the folder, where do I get a driver for Windows 7 and how do I modify the .inf correctly?
When I start the Notebook, before the Alien is shining up, there is something written about a mod. Is this the vBios?
The files from Windows 7 are not deleted, but should I downgrade first or is this unnecessary? Because I make a clean Windows 7 install with the new the SSD...

 

I am not sure about the 680M as I've never owned one, unfortunately for me . @deadsmiley probably can help there.

If you are planning on installing a new hard drive, you don't need to revert to Windows 7 on the old drive. Just install the SSD and do a clean install.

 

Ok, thank you!
I'm now waiting for a green light from @deadsmiley, because i don't want to make a new install, before i got the right drivers. Hopefully there is a way to use everything (especially GTX680M) in Windows 7 again...

 

Check this:
http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=377158

 

Get the Win 7 driver from nVidia, then do the INF mod on that one. Extract it with WinRAR or 7-Zip and modify the INF. GTX 680M should go nicely with your machine. What green light are you waiting on sir???

 

Green Light from you, sir @deadsmiley!
@kosti: Thank you too!
Do I have to change something with the vBios? Or is the vBios untouched from a new Windows installation?

 

If your BIOS version isn't A09 I would strongly suggest update it. If you have the original disks that came with the machine do NOT install Alienware Command Center from the disk, it will brick the AlienFX lighting, which would real suck. Download all drivers and utilities from the Dell website.

EDIT:
You asked about the VBIOS and I answered about the system BIOS. It's still a valid answer. In regards to the VBIOS it might be modded already. I would just see how it goes. Monitor temps in-game with Riva Tuner Statistics Server + HWiNFO64 or MSI Afterburner. You can montitor %TDP, core clocks, core temp, CPU clocks, CPU temps, etc...

 

Ok, thank you!
I will make a fresh Windows 7 install and see how it goes.

greetings

 

Good luck and post back if you need any assistance. That GTX 680 should overclock very well. The ones in my M18x R2 did.

 

Does the .inf mod also work with the newest GameReady Driver from nvidia Website or only with a specific driver version?
Dumb question:
Do you know what that means:

GK104 P2051B SKU 002 VGA BIOS (HWDIAG)

mod by -sv17-
** Tech: Inferno **

Version 80.04.33.00.32
Copyright Nvidia

That writing pops up, after that the "Alien" pops up and then Windows boots up...

I've looked into the Bios and A09 is installed but I think with some modification as above written.

 

I have now upgraded the HDD to an SSD an installed a fresh Version of Windows 7 on it.
I have installed some drivers already (including GTX680M) and Windows 7 performance indicator is listed with 7,3 (from 7,9 points).
But I think the SSD is a little bit slowly... When I press the Powerbutton and start to measure the time it takes 50 seconds until Windows has started and I can move the mouse cursor.
My old msi notebook (from 2010) didn't took so long to boot with an SSD (the microsoft logo wasn't even able to fully build the window). My Alienware fully builds the window and the window itself stays a few seconds...
Is that normal? Do I have to change settings or something to boot faster?

@kosti
@deadsmiley
maybe one of you guys have an Idea?

 

You can test the disk transfer rates with a program like Atto, Hdtune, CrystalDiskMark, etc. It should register around 280MB/s read and a little less in write speeds because the interface is limited to Sata II.

Since you are on Windows 7, you should do a couple of things to make sure the SSD performs as it should such as enabling TRIM (chances are it is already enabled) and disabling Disk Defragmenter from running automatically on the SSD, among other tweaks.

This guide has some good tips:
http://www.disk-partition.com/kb/tips-ssd-optimization-windows7-1.html

Also, as you start installing the plethora of Windows updates to date, you will notice the computer lagging a bit more but it should eventually speed up as all those updates are completed. So it could be that updates are installing and are being registered by the operating system, causing longer boot times. It should calm down and usually boot within 15-20 seconds in Windows 7.

 

I ve installed about 250 or more updates so far, maybe it will be better when everything is installed.
I'll check the Transferrate and make a gaming benchmark to see if everything is installed correct.

 

What do you guys think about the 3DMark 11 Results?
(Sorry for German Language)

 

I have used some of the tips and now my Alienware boots in about 40 seconds (stopped from pressed the power button)
This text take about 5 or more seconds until the Alien appears. Is this normal? I can't find any Info about that...
Is there a way to dissable this text or is this necessary? (Yeah I know a few seconds are not that long, but I don't know if this text helps anything in the Notebook...)

GK104 P2051B SKU 002 VGA BIOS (HWDIAG)

mod by -sv17-
** Tech: Inferno **

Version 80.04.33.00.32
Copyright Nvidia

 

@kosti:
How long is your Boot-Time in Windows 7 with an SSD?
Windows itself tells me about ~41 Seconds. Is this normal? There are no other Win Updates to install yet...

 

I don't use Windows 7 on my M15X but if I remember correctly, it was around 30 seconds or so from pressing the power button to the login screen.

 

@deadsmiley: Do I need the vBios which shows up at the beginning of the Windows boot? It takes about 7 seconds to load

 

The VBIOS removes limitation in the stock VBIOS. What you are seeing a simply a splash screen from the VBIOS modder. You can flash it with the original that you may be able to find at TechInferno or ask someone here for a stock ROM. If you are still using the HDD an SSD make a huge difference in boot times. Seven seconds doesn't seem bad to me for a HDD.