A question for m15x owners (past and present)

There is so many complaints going around about this laptop that I decided to check everything out before completely ruling everything out, thus the poll was born. The big issue with the m15x appears to be the build quality so in the poll please choose the worst problem you faced. However, if you think these are just issues all laptops face or the computer was completed sorted by the replacement then please say so (poll options or say in your post)


Thanks everyone


NOTE - Could people say if the issue was corrected or they just got a refund? especially if it were hardware problems

 

Thanks for this thread, I'm really curious about the responses as well.
I'll +rep you for the idea.

 

How do you +1 rep people? because I tried to give someone some reps and wasnt sure how

 

Click on the balance like image underneath the persons name..its a set of three icons, the middle one

 

Ah, thanks.


No m15x owners yet?

 

Thanks .

Come on m15x owners

 

Patience young fella
The poll is crap btw, I would have to mark more than one option to give a honest vote...

 

Also, not to butt in again (sorry about that) I'd really love if the guy or gall who chose hardware problems would write something about it as a reply. Thanks!

 

I didnt realise you could do multi choices until afterwards, I will see if I can change it

 

I think a mod needs to do it

 

poll says alot thanks alot

 

only problem with mine was the Shift key kept popping off with the first days but Alienware extremely quickly replaced it & gave me a free extra Keyboard

 

i was one of the people that opted for hardware problems and i didnt know you can chose more than one option either.
because im at work i didnt have time to reply.
quick reply. ive had hardware,software and in between ware problems.
ive had my m15x for 21 days now and have been on to tech suppotr on numerous occasions. main hardware problems have been reset button on motherboard doesnt work and 3Dmark06 score has gone from over 9000 to just over 3000 so i think thats classed as a hardware problem.

 

Thanks every, really helpful. It is interesting that no-one has said that they think all laptops have these sort of issues, all though thats because you cant pick more than 1, could a mod change that please?

 

i know my other laptop (fujitsu siemens) is not a gaming laptop and does not have anywhere near top spec but i have not had one thing wrong with it since i got it 11 months ago.

 

Is it likely that because of the high specs and top of the range components that any of the top gaming laptops will face at least some issues?

 

it could well be arnold. but taking into account how many happy m15x customers there are it might just be down to a rouge few.

 

I have a feeling that I will end up with a dell solely because they are so much cheaper and 17"

 

well at first my Alienfx wouldn't work while on battery and also my dvd drive would only burn at 2.4x AW quickly fixed both problems. Now thanks to newfiejudd I know realize that CPU will downclock after about 5 min while on a full load. So for me I pick Hardware issue

 

Well look, from my perspective the problems that the m15x is experiencing significantly exceed the acceptable threshold for general issues that every new laptop and hardware tech experiences. I used to work in MIS within a medium sized realty firm and we were primarily a Dell, IBM shop. We certainly had hardware faults with company laptops but they were more on the order of hd failures, accidental damage, lcd replacements, etc.. that came with general wear and tear. Rarely did we have problems with overall design flaws or lack of proper QA on the part of the manufacturer. On the other hand, these laptops weren't top of the line gaming machines. However, those are the exact types that I owned for personal use and I can say that I rarely experienced anything more than hardware failures from wear and tear from my string of 5 Dell laptops. I also had experience with Toshiba, Sony and Macbooks with personal use and had the same experiences. In Alienware's defense, I also owned a m9700 for about a month last year and was fairly impressed with it from a quality standpoint. It was much more sturdy and the only problems I had were due to poor SLI support which was not AW's fault.

That being said... I'm severely disappointed in the m15x. I don't know if it's the new manufacturer of the case that AW is using or just plain oversight on their part, but the number of thermal related problems, cpu&gpu downclocking combined with initial stress cracks, persistent keyboard problems and poor build quality greatly exceed any sort of "launch problems" that I would expect from a top of the line notebook that should have been thoroughly QA'd and tested before being released on the market. I've never seen so many problems crop up in a new premium laptop in my life.

Arnold, good luck in your decision. I think the m15x is a beautiful laptop on paper and observed from a distance, but I was forced to go with yet another Dell due to my experiences with the m15x.

 

Darkfly, I have a simmilar problem with my f4 key, it pops out then press it! Not always, maybe 50% of the time. I don't press it much, but it makes me nervous. You say all I need to do is call them and ask for a new keyboard? If so, I will.

Apart from that, I don't have any problems (yet). I stressed both the GPU and CPU and they didn't downclock, and no scratches, gaps. (tfu tfu tfu)

 

yes Impressive call them and they'll send you a new keyboard.

 

Hi guys:

I can't change the poll from selective to multi-choice after it has been posted, sorry. You'll have to start a new thread/poll for that. It wouldn't be fair to change it anyway since a lot of people already voted.

 

Thanks chaz, even if you cant change it

Actually, as a mod and a reviewer (owner as well?) of the m15x what do you think of the build quality and fault problems?

 

I had nothing until the computer fried itself a week ago (again, due to AW's work or because of a potential power spike is not known, but I think it was the power spike), but they had it fixed in a day and a half and in the end even provided me with a free upgrade and a cleaning (I hadn't cleaned my screen for the three months I had it up to that point ). Now it's back to normal (well, actually, 10-20% better than before now that I have the penryn)

 

So in effect for some it worked fantastically well with no issues, for others it worked appaulingly badly? I still have no idea what to think

 

Arnold, if it makes you feel any better, I think the downclocking and heat issues will be solved eventually if you are willing to put up with some waiting from AW. Most of the GPU dc'ing and overheating has been solved but there seems to be some cpu issues going on at the moment. The keyboard problems will probably also be solved with a software update. The only thing remaining is the build quality. If you can get past the build quality and non-sturdiness of the laptop then you will more than likely be a happy customer.

The only way to know for sure is to order one and be prepared to pay the 15% restocking fee in the event that you are unhappy and want to return. I read that you can avoid this by using the Titanium account.

 

Well I will be using the account anyway, but it is still a toss up between the m15/17x and the m1730. As a user of both I would value your opinion

 

My m15x has been flawless so far. No hardware problems, arnold.

 

lucky sod

 

So far, so good. No CPU issues (tested in other thread). No GPU issues (8800GTX, high temp so far =75c). No cosmetic defects. FWIW, I love my notebook, it's pretty insane when playing games and running VM.

 

Yeah, I should point out that I voted for the hardware defect but now everything's back to normal and I'm lovin my laptop again. It was like a one-week vacation during a time where it was actually good for me not to have it (exams...)

 

I am assuming that the m17x is the same case but bigger?

 

It's not identical, but they're very similar (however the m17x is all black)

You can check the AW site for pics

 

I was thinking in terms of likely hood of the cracks and similar issues