The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    m15x R2 Motherboard in the M15x R1 chassis.

    Discussion in 'Alienware M15x' started by morbecknaga, Oct 4, 2012.

  1. morbecknaga

    morbecknaga Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    21
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    I was thinking about buying an m15x R1 Alienware and then just installing the newer motherboard? Does anyone here know if that's possible?

    Also! Does anyone know the model numbers of BOTH the R1 and the R2 motherboards?

    Thanks! :D
     
  2. JohnnyFlash

    JohnnyFlash Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    372
    Messages:
    2,489
    Likes Received:
    11
    Trophy Points:
    56
    There are no R1 and R2 M15x's. There's only the current M15x and the much older area 51 m15x, from back when Dell acquired Alienware. If you mean that one, they can't be switched. If the body looks the same on both models, then it's the same version and you can switch the boards.
     
  3. morbecknaga

    morbecknaga Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    21
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    That's so weird.. I looked up the wikipedia page for Alienware and they had it as a m15x R1 and then an m15x R2 that supports i5 and i7's. :confused:

    And yet what you're saying does match up with what I've heard other places.

    So the computer I'm looking at has an i3 processor, that means it should be an m15x right? Also, I seem to be finding to different models of mobos on eBay. Do you think the other one mobo model showing up is the for the Area 51 m15?
     
  4. JohnnyFlash

    JohnnyFlash Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    372
    Messages:
    2,489
    Likes Received:
    11
    Trophy Points:
    56
    I checked eBay, what people are calling the R1 is the Area 51 version. I think because Alienware started using R2, R3, etc, for their other models, people started using it here too.

    If it takes an i-anything CPU, it's the new M15x; the older one uses Core2 chips.
     
  5. katalin_2003

    katalin_2003 NBR Spectre Super Moderator

    Reputations:
    14,963
    Messages:
    5,671
    Likes Received:
    1,521
    Trophy Points:
    331
    This is correct!
     
  6. morbecknaga

    morbecknaga Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    21
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    I get it! Thanks. :)
     
  7. Alienware-L_Porras

    Alienware-L_Porras Company Representative

    Reputations:
    3,658
    Messages:
    6,874
    Likes Received:
    969
    Trophy Points:
    281
    Just to give an official word. We have no m15x R1 and R2. There is only the Area-51 m15 and the Alienware(Dell) m15x. The Dell one can support those 3 processors and the motherboard varies depending on the one you choose (Clarksfield or Arrandale).
     
  8. AWFS

    AWFS Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    A little confused before,now I get it too.Thanks. :)
     
  9. Festavis7@yahoo.com

    [email protected] Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    So which motherboard does the dell M15x have? I need to replace mine. First gen i7, 4G ram, 512Mb GPU, Don't know if that's necessary for identification. I've seen Dell Part 0G5VT as the correct one