Alienware Laptops: Positive encounters/Satisfied Customers

I agree Turbo, lets see some numbers!


I love my M17X, If I could eat it it would taste like jesus dancing on my tongue.

 

I am more than happy with the M17x.I got mine free of charge as a replacement for XPS 1710 i had for 3 years that 3 years cover was worth every penny.Had a about a month now no problems i can speak off.Learned a lot here on forum so much things been covered that i would have not know about so thanks to all for the information.Coming from my 3 year old XPS 1710 to the M17x is like wow.Would i recommend M17x to Family & Friends YEAH.

 

I'll share some of my experiences and although at first they may seem bad they turn out to be for the best (Like any good story should).

I got my m17x July 20th, 2009 and have loved it since then. Around late August I had an SD card get stuck in the reader and had to manually remove it because Dell refused to do anything about it under warranty (See, bad right? Nah) and it incurred some physical damage to the reader slot - nothing major just some aesthetic issues (I should mention the reader didn't work after that).

So, after not having that fixed I was a bit frustrated with Dell, but around October I noticed that the PCB board (whatever the heck the stuff in the USB slot is) was missing and called in for that, well the following day I had a technician come out and replace my motherboard (because the USB is seated on it) and he noticed the prior aesthetic damages to my casing and that the daughterboard was broken (aka the memory reader) and pulled some strings for me and had both of them (chassis and daughterboard) replaced the following day.

All of that was amazing and great for me, and we actually had a faulty motherboard that needed to be replaced (which came in the mail the next day after having realized the first one sent was faulty).

Now, there may have been issues with my m17x (including stuttering, fixed now) but the support that was given to me will keep me sticking around with Dell/Alienware for a long time, because I absolutely love my laptop.

 

Got my M17x on December 11th, 2009, roughly 1 week earlier than estimated. The following are my observations, both good and bad since then.


PROS:

• Can run 4 simultaneous virtual machines with nary a hiccup, plus many other programs with no performance degradation. This is all done on a single 500 GB hard drive (still waiting on my 2 x 250gb Vertex SSDs--can't imagine what program load times and VM performance will be like once I get those installed). Keep in mind I'm running 8 GB RAM and am very happy to have sprung for the extra memory. My usage pattern would overwhelm the standard 4GB.
  
• 3dMark06: 16797 w/QX9300 @ 3.06 Ghz, stock ATI 4870 drivers. I'm not a bencher, but this was a pretty decent result for not much time or energy expended.
  
• The screen is nice and bright compared to my old m7700a
  
• Everything works, including AlienFX, Wireless, AlienSense, Command Center, blah blah.
  
• The audio quality is the best I've ever heard in a laptop, hands down. I no longer feel the need for a discreet sound card.
  
• Quiet and cool at all times. Love the ability to switch to the 9400M to reduce power consumption when necessary.
  
• Getting over 3 hours on the battery. I can't believe I can use it that long before being forced to tether it to the power grid. In my opinion, the M17x is more than marginally portable, especially since it fits perfectly in my old Odyssey backpack.
  
• The weight of the M17x, including a/c adapter is LESS than that of my m7700a + its power brick. So I migrate to a much more powerful all-around system, extend batter life x 3 and cut weight in the process!
  
• Love the keyboard lighting feature. I actually find it quite useful when I switch to my man-cave low light conditions in an attempt to replicate NORAD's command center, lol.

Cons:

• Screen colors don't appear totally accurate. Blues tend to render as purple, especially hyperlinks. Makes it hard to tell which links I've clicked on. Calibrating the color doesn't seem to help.
  
• Sometimes after resume from hibernate, the machine acts sluggish. Any user-invoked task hammers the CPU. I'm investigating, but have replicated the behavior when Xfire is enabled, and I'm running in a low power profile config. A reboot fixes it for good until I hibernate it again.
  
• The rocker switch beneath the touchpad is horrible. Would have preferred the old school separate buttons. (I have no problems with the touchpad itself).
  
• Wish I could switch between graphics modes without requiring a reboot to do so.
  
• Still going round and round with Dell on tax exemption--a real PITA. That has nothing to do with the M17x itself though.

All in all, I'm wholly satisfied. I do know its early, however, and the real test will be how things are going a year or longer from now.

 

I only received my M15x today and so far have only had a couple of hours play time on it.
I must say it is a beautiful machine. After coming on here (AFTER purchasing) I became a little concerned (as a lot of people do) about all the niggles and problems people seem to be having.
1. the weight- even though it is heavier than my old 17" Vaio (by at least 1kg) by some weird thing it actually feels lighter to me, meaning that it is quite comforable for all. Not for everyone, I can quite imagine, but it just goes to show all those reviewers that the weight itsn't so much of a problem(even for a self confessed weakling girl like me). And so far the heat has not been an issue(though I am careful to make sure the fans have venting space even when its 'lap' top.
2) the touch pad is, as everyone says, awful. However because I intended to game on this, I had already purchased an logitech mx518 which performs beautifully.
3) The build quality of mine is superb. The keyboard feels great, with a striking font it looks great too, and no sign of flex anywhere. The lighting adds such a touch to it and really makes it feel like a special laptop
4) So far this has performed so beautifully. Programmes loads quickly, its very responsive. I quickly installed cod mw2 and in the short time I played it the graphics were nothing short of breath taking. I am so glad I went for the HD screen but as much as I love it and it is right for me I can understand why people would have problems with some text sizes
5)Windows 7 is proving very good so far. I have discovered a few little things already that I find to be extremely useful.

So far I cannot fault the machine. I think the problems highlighted by others will cause be me to be very vigilant for problems but so far so very good

My only niggles come from limited customising options, compared to other countries, but the machine itself is great

 

I have been using my M15x for a month and so far the only thing that I do not like is the touchpad. Other than that, it is everything that I expected. No regrets.

 

I received my M15x, i7 720Q, 1080p screen, 4 GB 1066mhz, BD-ROM, Win7 laptop on November 6th. With the exception of the blu-ray drive spinning every 60 seconds (a problem I fixed by disabling the virtual disk service--which didn't, in turn, seem to cause any other problems), I haven't had any problems. I run Crysis at high detail at 1280 x 720, BioShock at 1900 x 1080, Pure at 1900 x 1080 at the highest detail (with 8x AA set outside the program via Nvidia's Control Panel), Oblivion with 8x AA and highest detail and longest draw distances, and Fallout 3 at 1280 x 720 at the highest settings, 4x AA, and 8x Antiostropic (sp?) filtering--all without trouble. It looks beautiful and stutter free. I can't get enough. The unit gets hot, sure, but I play the games on my lap with a cooling pad between me and the system and I have never had any problems. This is my first Alienware, but it is my understanding that earlier systems would catch flame if you didn't put the computer on a block of ice before you started playing, and I can tell you truthfully that cooling is not an issue with this system. As long as you leave the fan vents underneath exposed in some fashion, you are good to go. Contrast this to the Dell E6500 I have which got so hot through the cooling pad when I played Oblivious that I needed to put it on a desk.

The touchpad was a problem initially, but it was vastly improved by the new driver issued in December 2009, and also by general use. The honeycombed surface of the touch pad is an odd choice, and I think that they made it extra sensitive to compensate. Whatever the cause, the jittering that bothered me so much in the early days is gone.

There are also some nettlesome issues. The Alienware Control Center seems to not work at all, except for (1) the Alienware FX color control (which works flawlessly) and (2) the Alienware face recognition software, which seems to work as well as it can (it's really buggy). The power functions and the touchpad functions do not work for me at all through the control center interface, although they do work just fine through the windows interfaces.

So, the unit isn't perfect, but then, no Dell unit I have ever had has been perfect. Of all of the Dell computers I have had, though, this is the hands down the best one. Great display, great performance, great lights, great build-quality, great...everything. I have never been more pleased with a product.

 

I purchased my M15x the day (second?) they were available and I am very satasfied. Its a well built machine and I believe that AW backs up their products better then they have in the past. I had a good experience with an AW tech who emailed me regularly until my problems were resolved. As far as gaming performance this machine gets the job done for sure. I've run all my games at native rez with no problems. LFD2 runs slightly better in 1600x900 rez but without fraps running I probably wouldnt notice the small FPS drops. Dead Space, Borderlands, all Source games and StreetFighter4 run atleast 60 fps in 1080p with details on highest and decent AA and AF. I feel like this system will handle all games for the next couple years very well but I will upgrade the GPU and CPU down the road if need be.

 

Dell E1705: Never had any issues.
Alienware M17-R1: Never had any issues.
Alienware M17x-R1 Never had any issues.
And now...

My new M17x-R2 arrived on Monday, July 12th. There are no cosmetic blemishes. The LCD doesn't have a single dead pixel. I did have to delete a bunch of unneeded software and terminate a bunch of things in msconfig. That's normal if you don't immediately reformat though. The LED LCD is absolutely amazing. Colors are more vibrant, and the contrast is higher. I only regret not getting dual hard drives, because now I've got to order the SATA adapter.

 

Well, I'm going to half praise the m11x at the moment. My machine is currently damaged, and it was a hassle...BUT, it is getting replaced. Customer service was patient with me, and even though I've had errors with the physical build of this one, it works like a dream. Crossing my fingers that the replacement will work like a charm!

 

Give it time, you'll learn to hate it.

 

Mandrake, I consider you one of the few tech gurus around these forums, so it sucks to hear you say that. Why do you say that, by the way?

 

i'm wondering the same

 

Sorry, I shouldn't have posted it. Bad joke. Just because I had a bad experience with R2 doesn't mean everyone else will. We all work with our system differently. If you still like your system after the 21 day return period then you'll have nothing to worry about.

 

what hapened to your's ?

 

The first M17xR2 when the R2 was released had the flickering issues because of power. A bios update was released to fix it but I already returned it. I saw issues with POST'ing whenever I made a bios change or a hardware change. It would take a few tries to get it to boot but wasn't consistent. So it had a few things wrong with it.

The second one showed the same POST'ing problems. When both my hard drives failed I decided not to deal with it and just return it.

The third one (5870XF) also had the POST'ing problems. This is a big problem when trying to do benchmarks because the system would have issues booting every time I tweaked something. It got frustrating fast and made it no fun to benchmark. Plus this system had additional problems POST'ing whenever running on battery. If I wasn't going to benchmark then I would prefer a single GPU system. I didn't want the headaches of a dual card setup when I didn't need it for the games I played so I got the M15x.

With the advances in OC'ing the M15x it's been fun to have as a benchmarking system and a gaming system.

 

that's .... i'm damn happy my m17 is still working like a charm

 

I have been a long time AW owner, going back to the days before Dell bought them out. All 3 of my AW's are working wonderfully: the Area-51 m5500, M11X, and the M15X. I've never had a major issue with them (or minor issue for that matter ).

 

I have had 7 laptops ordered from AW

All are still working perfectly 2 of which were pre dell. I am happy minus the occasional stupid tech

 

I got my M17x-R2 in February, after having ordered it at release. With the new i7 and 4870 xf, I had big expectations and since I received it I has never looked back in regret.

For "normal" use, it is a great machine. I am gaming on several different locations during the week, so a desktop replacement is just what i need. This is the best desktop replacement I have used so far.

Best features: speed, screen quality and stability (have not had a single bluescreen)

Worst features: touchpad (usb mouse, solved), fan noise (high fan rpm, but hey it's a pair of killer video cards), weight (I carry it with me every day, but I'm a big guy so it is ok)

I don't play around with overclocking, only a little windows tweaking. I tend to only install new drivers if I see they are generally stable. This is my way to do things and for me it has been a great 6 months so far. I recommend this laptop to anyone who want a great moveable gaming machine.

 

Just got my M15x and I'm already in love. I always find flaws in any product I buy and every time I look at or use the product it bothers me. Not this time. The only thing that blows is the touchpad. Other than that I'm astonished that it is as good as it is. (And the GPU overclocks swimmingly)