After the GPU Downclocking... Do we have a CPU one? A call to M15x owners.

lol that was pretty funny I'm suppose to be working but I really don't want to be just hit refresh every few min to see if anything new has happened.

 

Hey do you think, they will send me a new system whiel I still use this busted system.

I am about to head on another Business trip, and I am tried of surfinga and doing my business in hotel business centers. I really can't afford to have to send this in and wait for another system to show. If that is the case I may have to get a refund and buy something else over the counter. I can't hold out much longer since I bought this system in January and had it in my hands working for a whole 3 weeks. How long would it take a Sager system to arrive if I ordered it right away?

 

I don't think they do that as a matter of course, but given your experience you may be given an exception. Email Frank too about it if you want your chances increased.

 

Thanks GRB I think I may do that. I am trying my best to stay optimistic with spending 4k+ on a system, but with this repair not helping me out any. I am becoming really discouraged.

I am grateful AW have done what they have for me and all. But working away from home, and my Laptop being my only way of communicating with friends and family, I am slowly leaning towards a refund. Maybe purchase a M1530 or something. And wait a while before I look at Gaming laptops again.

Tough Choices, gaming has kept me company in some messed up places around the world without internet to pass my time.

 

So much for that IDEA. Spoke to the Critical Issues rep handling my case. And basically he said I would have to purchase another one in order to be able to do that. And then return the other, once the new ones arrives.

Alienware Steve is there anything you can do for me regarding this second return process. I don't want to tie up another 4k of my money, and still be without my system for another business trip.

 

if it was me man I would probably go ahead and take it with me unless your downclocking so bad that it won't let you play any games. I haven't had a problem yet while playing games. I'm suppose to have that new heatsink either today or tomorrow even though I'm not so sure that its going to make a difference.

Edit: Before I forget this is an e-mail i received from Critical issues team
"Thank you for providing feedback on the current issue you are experiencing with your M15x gaming laptop. Please rest assured that Alienware is aware of the reported occurrence and is working towards a resolution. Once updates have been made on said matter, you will be notified accordingly."

 

Well that is my point I can still use my system, adn while I am away this new system could be built. When I return my new system will be at home and I could return my current system.

If not I will have to do another business trip, then come back send in my defective one, wait 2 to 3 weeks for my new one to arrive. By that time I will away on another trip. Adn stuck in the same situation I am in now. Using someone else's system. I think I have gone long enough without a fully working system. I can't justify my money being spent when I am getting nothing in return. A broken system taht took over 3 weeks to egt repaired and returned back to me, and find that absolutly nothing was repaired. (except the upgraded CPU thanks AW)

 

Update,

So I spoke to my CI rep. And asked about a refund. And I guess that will take about 5-7 business days after my system returns to teh depot. In order to recieve my funds back so I can purchase another system. This just keeps getting better and better all the time.

I had a Dell fail once, and 1 week later A new system was at my door. No questions asked. The old system was returned 1 week later. I am seriously becoming upset and discouraged with my M15x purchase. This is not what I was expecting of AW the premier gaming manufacturer. And I am not willing to spend another 4k to get another working system from AW within my 2-3 week time frame.

Does anyone else feel I am asking too much? It isn't about the Cash. 4k isn't alot of money. But why should I tie up over $8,000 of my money for thier defective product. I am sorry if I am ranting on. But you have no idea how upset I am right now. I will never, never recommend Alieware to any of my friends and family. This is pure and I mean pure RUBBISH.

 

Yeah I know how your feel. Well I hope everything works out for you.

 

not at all newfiejudd.
i have also sadly lost interest in AW
to be honest, this could be the beginning of the end for a once highly respected company. dont get me wrong,its not going to happen over night and they will be around for years to come but the cracks are starting to show. AW do make cutting edge computers and no one can knock them for that but i think they have bitten of more than they can chew with this baby and sadly brought it out a little too soon before all the bugs had been swept away. since ive had my m15x i have got a taste for gaming so i would like to be able to keep it and have it last for a good few years but the reliability has gone and the last thing any of us want is to keep re packing it and sending it back for between 2 weeks to 2 months.
only time will tell and we will have to wait and see what happens.

 

Well I did manage to get them to start on a system while my System was being returned. So at least that is a start. Only thing is they couldn't issue me Fed Ex shipping slip. So it will have to go back on my Dime. And hopefully they will forward the charges. I need my PC by June so they are on a time clock. Now I better cross my fingers, put on my rabbits paw and dig up my Four Leaf clover. So here's to hoping, wishing and praying for a fully working system.

Thanks MrDJ. I was starting to think I was becoming one of those hard to deal with customers. You all know teh kind. Well hats off to these people who work in the service industry. I couldn't deal with upset clients all day. I would SNAP.

 

i really hope you finally get a good system. i know if i were you i would of snapped already. I am actually amazed you can be so patient for 3 months. I know that i cant wait 3 months for the m15x if i had to send it in for repairs.

Its only been 6 days for my "8 pound paper weight" and the wait already killing me. i want to play games on it again .

 

what happened to it exiled? GPU fry itself?

 

yea GPU decided to fry itself while i was playing tf2. all of a sudden the comp just turned off and then it woudnt turn on. once i took the 8800 out it turned on again so its not that big of a problem. I just sent the 8800 in a couple days ago. a new one should be coming soon. m15x can still work without the 8800 though. I just have to run integrated.

 

yeah yeah, that's interesting cause I had a similar experience except with the CPU going (though I'm pretty sure my situation was caused by a power fault, especially given that I wasn't doing anything more than browsing when it happened)

 

ok guys so I got my "new" heatsink today but now I have to wait on the onsite tech (which is probably some kid who just got his A+). Any way now this kinda pissed me off because I got the exact same heatsink. The only difference between mine and the new is that mine has an A on the left hand side and this one has a B. Crazy thing is they have the same date on them. To me this seems crazy for the simple fact that its the same one what will make you think that this is going to help. Also it kinda pisses me off that they won't let me switch the heatsink cause they afraid i might not put it on right. Even though I've only been working on pcs for about 9yrs but I guess its better than sending it in. The wait continues for a solution cause I'm about 99.9999999% sure that this won't work but hey if Alienware wants to keep wasting money hey i guess thats up to them but I will get a working system! Below is a picture of the "new" heatsink let me know what you think. Sorry I made this post so long.

 

It still needs to be bigger. >.< And on top of that, I think the heatsink needs redesigning in general.

 

Well so much for that Idea. I guess we are stuck with what ever they send us. I don't think it will fix your Downclocking CPU Taco. I think it will soon be time to start making Engadget and other webistes aware of teh situation. It seem the only way that AW listens is when it's forced upon them.

I say we wait for your Tech to install that simple Heatsink. Might take you all of 10-15 minutes. (Might be a good time to Lap that sucker while you wait I guess.) And if that doesn't work it's time to up the stakes.

 

I think that's there two options: 1- AW solves this problem and comes up with a real solution (in a timely manner... this is... fast); 2- We go ahead, contact Engadget, and put even more dirty stains on AW's precious new toy, the M15x.

Sorry to hear that Taco. I can bet my 5 cents, that the "new" heatsink won't solve anything. It's quite obvious really... You just need to use 1% of your inteligence to see that this is not a problem of YOUR heatsink but rather a generalized problem that is just more obvious with the extreme processors. And why is AW still selling extreme processors? Isn't there any lawyer here? Can't we just make a huge case with all our testimonies, and put AW in court?

Good luck Taco and all the "extreme" owners.

 

Newfie... you got my first there. Great minds think the same though!

 

Hey Taco, after the tech installs the new heatsink, make them stay to watch you test it to make sure it works.

 

well whats crazy is they sent me a heatsink with the same date as the one that in my machine. I know this won't work but like I said if they are going to just throw money away trying it well hey thats up to them. I have no problem going engadget for some help. Also I really really hope they don't ask me to send it in cause I don't think that will help and they will sit there and keep it till they fix(which could take FOREVER!) and hey they may not fix it NEW had his comeback with the same problem. This is what I think it should say on the M15X config page "X9000 The world's most powerful mobile processor! As long as it not in the M15X o yeah and if you do get in the M15x don't push it to 100% usage" LOL. We'll see how it goes anyone else have any progress?

 

Well taking this to the next Level is not something I just want to do. I am after sending in two emails regarding this issue. I never got a reply stating they recived my message. So who knows maybe they are too busy working on a fix.

I think these issues with me and others have gone on long enough. I spoke to the CI rep today and he was nice enough to inform me that there are no 1440X900 screens availible till mid next week. So that puts my new system arriving in mid June. So that will be 5 months from when I ordered, till I have a working system. That is completely unacceptable. Maybe I should charge interest on my money they are holding. LOL.

I think they should have waited till Monte and spend a bit more time testing this system out.

 

Yeah I agree New. I sent an e-mail and got a response but it said that they where aware of the issue and are working on it. I'm thinking they may have to work on the voltage or build a new heatsink for the x9000. Wish absinthe was still here he would be freakin out about this and calling them everyday. LOL. Wish Frank would take a look at this thread and least let us know something

 

I guess only time will tell what the fix would be. I am thinking now a better fan would help. I just hope what ever fix they coem up with doesn't require a RETURN to the depot. I am surely not sending it in AGAIN. Especially since I paid for 3yr ONSITE.

 

yeah no joke I was actually shocked that they are sending a onsite to swap the heatsink.

 

I really hope that you guys' problems get sorted out. It just sucks to not have a good running m15x.

 

yeah really especially since people spend the extra dough for the best cpu available.

 

Hey guys, you know that the only way this is going to be fixed in a timely fashion is if we get together again and send engadget emails. Someone here write an email to them about the issue and post it here so those affected can copy + paste and email them.

I hate to say it, but engadget really is the only way to get things done. Someone write a email (not me because I do not actually have the laptop) and link them to this thread. Just get the news out again and AW will work their ASS off to fix it or maybe a class action suit.

 

I am afraid Stone may be right. Although I think a little more time will be needed.

With that said I was hoping AW would have given us some information here, or via email since we all emailed them with our complaints about this. That is one thing about AW that really really pisses me off. They promise all sorts of things with reply emails or phone calls. But you never ever hear back from them. It's like they are hoping we will just go away.

 

yeah I agree with Stone it seems thats the only way they will actually do anything. It not cool that the most expensive piece on the m15x is faulty.

 

Tested my brand new baby... No Downclocking here. Stable at 2500MHZ and around 70C on thermofan (50 on RMclock) for 40 minutes CPU stress testing on prime95.
Still, I think that the issue has to be addressed. There's obviously poor cooling design (for both CPUs and GPUs) and extreme conditions can uncover that (in this case, a very expensive CPU can do that just fine as well).

You guys will have my support for whatever thing you might want to do.

Good luck and keep fighting for the greater good.

 

Milcs stress test you cpu a little longer than 40 mins see if it downclocks, maybe 1 hour and 20 minutes will give you a for sure answer. Someone here got downclocking after 60-70 minutes I think. Please let us all know the results as your results may give a litle more hope to the new buyers here. And post a review and pics on your new toy gratz btw

 

milcs sounds like your ok most of the extreme cpus are downclocking within 10 min.

 

i wanted to stresstest my CPU, but the temp (in RMClock) never goes over 60 degrees celsius. i'm using prime95 for the stresstest. anyone know why?

 

Because your CPU is great!
My reading on RMclock also don't go very high.
Try using Thermofan (a program that comes with the laptop). It normally shows quite higher temps.
In anycase... Our humble and slow CPUs do not warm that much. That's why they don't warm up to a temp that makes them downclock.

Edit: And the stress test is not meant to increase the temp of your CPU. That's just a consequence of you putting your CPU to max usage for a prolonged and un-interrupted period of time. So you are doing everything well, I'm sure.

 

Any news on the extreme processors's story? What are you guys going to do? Open it up to Engadget? Wait for AW?
In my humble oppinion, AW's engineers should be working on better and more efficient cooling exhausts and installing them in all M15x laptops. Coming up with more Bios updates is really trying to cover the sun with a fishing net.

 

nice to hear. so i think i can officially say i have no downclocking on my T9300.

 

@milcs we haven't heard anything yet Steve said they were working on it but we haven't even heard from Frank. I'll give them Monday to at least respond if not then I'm prepared to take the next steps.

 

Still its so strange, I'm the only one with T9300 and confirmed downclocking (that came with some really high temps compared to the latest tests I read here)...

 

If there's no update by Monday, I'll make a post to Engadget.

 

I'm right with you lessaj7 let me know what contacts you'll be using so I can do the same.

 

Hey guys. Just to give u heads up on my story since its very similar to others... Anyways I was one of the first bunch of peeps to get a M15X with the 8800 GTX and the 2.8 extreme. After about 2 months it died on me and I could not power it on. All of a sudden was working on photoshop and bam... I sent it in for a repair, Alienware replaced the graphic card and motherboard (Spent like 2 weeks w/o it). Keep in mind I never really used it much for gaming either, usually only 3d design apps.

So I get my lap top back notice some unusual lag spikes every now in then in photoshop etc.. So I do a complete Alien Respawn. Problem is fixed Install latest alienware recomended drivers including the latest Bios. I decide to check out WoW for a bit, and sure enough after about 15 minutes of playing my lap top goes into hibernation or sleep mode. I was afraid it had died on me but fortunately wasnt the case. I pressed power and it would turn off again (So I started to think it was some heat issues)

Called Tech support ran some stress program along with temp recorder, sure enough soon as it got to about 100 C PC powers down to sleep mode.

So all in all same issues you guys are having. Im happy Alienware is working with us but at the same time you pay Ferrari Prices for a Lap top your expecting Ferrari results... Not Hyundai... Heres hoping we get a fix soon.

*Also Ive got some tech dude comming to install new fan and heatsync soon as the parts get here but something tells me thats not going to fix the issue...

Velacio

 

Velacio, I was told some onsite guy would show up after my Parts arrived.

Ordered those parts and were supposedly shipped on March 4th. Guess what parts still aren't here LMAO. I wouldn't hold your breath. Eventually I had to ship my system in for repairs. Told me my CPU was toast. Repaired my system and returned it to me after something like 28 days. Guess what system still not fixed. M15x was RMA'd yesterday at my own expense. ($200) Hopefully my new system will arrive on the first week on June.

 

Wow, thats horrible. Yeah well Im not in a rush since im not playing any games atm really. Just working on 3DS max N photoshop, both apps run quite nicely the same time even while under the Stealth mode, Just the 3D rendering obviously blows :X. So long as my pc turns on ok ill wait but boy if it ends up frying again OMFG...

 

I've fully stress tested my laptop, doing both CPU and GPU stress testing, no downclocking as of the x32 RC1 bios. my only complaints are now the lag with certain devices, keyboard (multiple key press issue, where it drops key presses, Ease of Access issue), SD Reader (for whatever reason, when accessing the SD card, the system lags, even audio playback becomes choppy), and the 1-2 second lag-spike when ejecting the CD-ROM via the keyboard shortcut, oh, and I almost forgot, THE COMPLETE LACK OF A BOOT PASSWORD OPTION VIA THE BIOS AS OF X32.

 

welcome to the club velacio like I said before I'll give them monday to give us a response if not they I think we should go from there.

 

I thought AW covers all costs for repair/shipping in?

 

not in the US, they don't.

 

If you guys decide to go ahead to Engadget, I think you should really put some time on writting something conclusive and covering all the failures with the laptop. From the GPU downclocking, CPU downclocking, poor heating solutions to even the most ridiculous of all failures from AW... the security lock being there just for the looks, as it doesn't work properly.
Right now, even though my laptop is working fine, I'm quite frustrated with everything happening. The lock issue makes it unusable for me... The heating problems makes the laptop a time bomb waiting to be triggered (maybe in one week, maybe in one month... who knows when the CPU or GPU on my machine will fry?)... and this is really frustrating my experience.

Anyway... if you put a text together and need help, I will in whatever way I can. Take care and I think we should really fight hard for our rights on this.