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    Alienware Area 51-M (Video Card?)

    Discussion in 'Alienware' started by FPS_Sean, Aug 25, 2006.

  1. FPS_Sean

    FPS_Sean Notebook Consultant

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    Looking at used area 51-m with
    P4 3.2Ghz
    1GB RAM
    and a ATI Radeon 9700 Pro card.

    Wondering if this dedicated card is upgradble, so maybe i can pop in a X1600 or something?

    and what is the internal wireless u get in these things?
     
    FPS_Sean, Aug 25, 2006
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  2. FPS_Sean

    FPS_Sean Notebook Consultant

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    also, the heatsink is "broken" but the guy says that theres no warrantity, but if u send it to Alienware they can fix it for 20$...

    is this true?
     
    FPS_Sean, Aug 25, 2006
    #2
  3. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    Charles P. Jefferies, Aug 25, 2006
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  4. Dukefrukem

    Dukefrukem Notebook Evangelist

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    Chaz is right. Thats almost the exact machine i had that burned up.
     
    Dukefrukem, Aug 25, 2006
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  5. zedraloth

    zedraloth Newbie

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    I have an Area 51-m, P4 3Ghz, 1GB RAM, with a Radeon 9600. I bought the laptop specifically because it is designed with an upgradeable video card slot. There was also an option to purchase a 2nd hard drive that replaces the optical drive.
    5 years after purchasing the laptop, the graphics in my 9600 are not good enough to run the games I want to play, so I went to Alienware's website to find video card upgrades. It turns out that the only card that was made that it will upgrade to is the Radeon 9700, and that is a rare card as it is. They do not sell the Radeon 9700, nor do they sell the extra hard drive that goes into the optical drive bay.
    My laptop's DVD writer died within months of purchasing the laptop, and after a couple of years of searching the web, I finally found a company that sells DVD writers that will fit in my laptop. I've bought a replacement twice and none of them ever lasted as long as a year.
    I've had many wireless issues as well.
    The laptop does overheat frequently if I don't keep it on a special stand over a flat surface, and the case is made of a very fragile cheap plastic.
    I'm surprised that the laptop has lasted as long as it has, but I am extremely disappointed that I was duped into buying a supposedly upgradeable laptop with no available upgrades to buy.
    For these reasons, I will never do business with Alienware again.
     
    zedraloth, May 8, 2008
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  6. Nirvana

    Nirvana Notebook Prophet

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    2 things I want to say about this: 1) even integrated x3100 performs faster than that card. 2) Alienware won't fix the heatsink no matter how much you pay them....well maybe $2000
    maybe i will buy it for $50 as an exhibit at home
     
    Nirvana, May 8, 2008
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  7. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    Please do not bring back old threads, start a new one instead.

    Closed.
     
    Charles P. Jefferies, May 8, 2008
    #7