Alienware New Model Speculation Thread

I know many of you are excited and anxious to see what exactly is the truth to these rumors and discussions floating around the net concerning two possible new models. I am as well.

We've had a couple of speculation threads in the past. Initially, I (along with the other moderators) opted to let these threads continue however each time, they spiraled into an off-topic free for all with considerable bickering and back and forth attacks among posters. NBR will not permit inflammatory posting or personal attacks. We received numerous post reports over these threads due to the bickering and attacking of members over their 'opinions' and this was the reason for doing away with speculation threads.

We are going to give this one more shot. Please make sure all images are not over 500x500 pixels. If they are, re-size or link to them. All non-english posts must contain an english translation. Please do respect the forum rules, they exist for a reason. Report any inappropriate posts please and a forum moderator will address it - do not engage in bickering.

With that said...

Welcome to the Alienware New Model Speculation Thread!

Thanks everyone and happy speculating...

 

First one in yay

I have a question however: Do you think battery life will be significantly improved over the M15X in the assumed M14X? Will performance be "dimmed down" in the M14X? Also, Thank you BatBoy for letting the speculations carry on.

 

I hope the m14x is more like an m11x (light, long battery, can game) then be like an m15x.

I want some middle ground

 

m13x would be nice 14x is almost the same as 15x, still a brick

m18x that everyone seems to be holding out for is going to be a massive 15lb brick that costs 5k lol.

 

a 14x doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. they already have a 15 and an 11 I cant see a 14 unless one of the other 2 is going bye bye. The 18 I can understand as it will be a top of the pack machine with dual GPU's. but just my thoughts

 

Personally, I'm still hoping for a GTX 485M in the R3, as I really want Optimus more than any other feature in a gaming laptop*. Pitty there's no chance of that with the M18x, assuming of course that it will be dual GPU.

Main things I'm hoping for in the M18x:
Aluminum chassis - a defining aspect of the M15/M17x, I hope to see it again.
Excellent cooling - this is what made me choose AW over the other manufacturers.
Backlit chicklet keyboard - IMO their current one looks a little dated.
Subwoofer - I think such a high-end laptop should get a nice audio boost to round it out a little.
Dual HDDs - a given really. Triple would be nice, but I don't see that happening, unless you count the optical drive bay.
Matte screen option - would conflict with their design philosophy I know, but I'd personally love to see it.
Decent LEDs that will actually produce white, and not the tinted crap as seen with the M15/17x.
Dual GPUs - not so much for me from a starting point, but it's an excellent upgrade option down the line for those people that keep their machines for a long while.

* Why no-one has bothered to make a laptop with anything more than a 460 and Optimus is beyond me. Personally, I would think that the more powerful the dedicated GPU, the more sense Optimus makes, rather than this stupid approach of a hidiously crap IGP and a mildy crap dedicated card that all the manufactures seems to love at the moment.

 

that's great thanks for this thread

if only they could include switchable gfx in the m18x with cfx capacities that would be reall great

 

well if they used an very small sized motherboard with with a decent gpu they could make pretty small i think. something like the thickness of m11x but slightly longer wider to fit the screen in it.

 

Leaked Pictures Show New Alienware Laptops

I wish it had 1200p ;(

 

So the black one must be the 18" model? At first I thought it was an M17x-R2 but then noticed the lid didn't have that plastic bezel. Looks like it's a soft-touch finish but no contours like the other models.

 

^yeah notice that too when link to a chinese site was posted(same pictures) in another thread. no one else seem to notice it. thread was closed before i could comment.

 

Little update from dell posterous.
GPU options:
2x AMD 6970M (CrossFireX)
2x NVIDIA GTX 460M (SLI)
2x NVIDIA GTX 485M (SLI)

Will be available to order in Black or Red trim.

Update 2: It seems Dell has added a (more sane) 240W AC Adapter to the M18X, which is the same one used with the M17X R3.

Dell News and more - Filed under 'Alienware'

 

eveyone the M18x is 100% real I have a friend who is a high up computer builder who has touched the first 18x prototype trust me I know with out a doubt it is a real system and will be in production shortly!!!!

 

If he has "touched" one, would he be able to confirm that whether it is aluminum or the soft touch plastic?

 

15x is terribly outdated and I dont understand why Dell is committing a sin by still selling it.

Why cant they release all the models at the same time when they are absolutely ready. Their business strategy with all these various models of the same category, being released at months apart just drives potential customers our of sheer speculation and waiting.

The competing brands are definitely having a better time frame and giving the buyers a time frame to make up their mind and prepare financially.

Dell somehow seems to think its pretty cool to keep the speculative spirit up and perhaps thinks Alienware wears some sort of engima. But that may several years ago. Other vendors are dishing out much better powerhouses compared to Alienware. Alienware is driven by name and atpical design rather than by actual hardware strength. It looks great, buys great, plays well...but if you were to analyse their ergonomics in terms of how sharp their corners are etc , it makes you think , which idiot decided to do the finishing touch.

We are all fans , but we must be sincere and be wisely critical rather than just being satisfied that it has an alienhead. Being the owner of an R2 I realise that their designers mentality is more into fashion than actual technological marvel. Technological marvel is Clevo or Sager etc. Not Alienware.

Notebook review has taught me very valuable lessons when it comes to choosing a computer be it for gaming or productivity. Alienware is said to be for gaming but its design etc totally goes against its actual capacity. The older gen. may understand the true nature of their older designs and hardware upgradability. It was truely UBer then. But its place has been take by others now.

Touting it the most powerful notebook in the world is really utterly ridiculous and blunt display of what they think of their fanboys

 

Crap, I swore I would not give Dell anymore business after getting burned by their customer support three times, but if the speculations about the M14x is true, they're going to drag me right back in. Considering the M11x is already over four pounds, let's hope the M14x isn't over six pounds.

 

^ Excellent! Dual GPUs woohh!!!

I agree with the other people. Alienware needs a middle ground. Currently the M15x is in an "ERR" position because it's almost as heavy as the M17x (R3), weaker than the M17x, and gets less battery than the M17x.

Do you think that the "M14x" is going to have a gaming GPU (ex. GTX 460m) or a "performance" GPU (ex. AMD 6700-ish series)? I'm hoping for a gaming GPU with optimus so that I can use it on the go and then set up shop when I need the power.

 

there is no way the 240 ac adapter could handle the dual card options....

hmm maybe the 460 sli

 

Some of the 'tech sites are reporting either the Mobility Radeon HD 6730, 6770 or the Geforce GT 555M. Don't get me wrong, I would like to see a GTX 460M in a 14" chassis as much as the next guy, but on a realistic note I can't see a 14" notebook being able to dissipate that much heat unless it's about two inches think or drops the optical drive in favor of a dedicated GPU heatsink ala the TimelineX 3820TG.

 

They should drop the optical drive like the m11x

 

Those hinges look hella-jenky.

Not sure if want.

 

It's nice that BB created this thread as a bastion for all of the 'unicorn followers'. Sorry, I couldn't resist saying that. Anyway, it will be interesting to see what happens in the coming months.

 

The lack of news of a M11xR3 is disheartening. The M14x & M18x are bricks. Very tired of that.

 

Gaming PC creators create gaming PCs. otherwise, go for a macbook.

I really hope that rumor of a m18x with a 240w power supply is correct. That means with BIOS modding we can get some dual 6990s in the m17xR2!

 

Enjoy trying to run two 100w+ gpus on a 240w PSU

 

HD6770 sounds like a good choice.

 

Considering it was originally mentioned to have a 330W PSU......the 240W would be the default and they will probably bump you up to the 330W if you get dual GPUs or an Extreme CPU - that is what they did in the past for the R1 and R2

 

Hopefully on a M11x R3.

 

M13 FTW... but I suspect we will see an M14x...

 

Considering the Clevo/sager X7200 with dual 480m has to be powered by a 300w+ psu, like Scook said, if anyone is to configure an "m18x" with dual cards of that kind of ilk, 240w isnt going to cut it - it would have to be beefed up to power the cards (unless the cards themselves have been castrated to get em working on a 240w supply - doubtful as there would be no point in my mind)

Personally, i am ok with one huge brick the size of a house as my system is a DTR anyhow...lets just see how much power Dell put under the hood of a monster M18x muaahhhaahahahahahaha!!!

 

I am thinking about returning the M17xr3 and wait on the m18x it will support SLI.
Do not know the price yet but i have read it is going to be releast in April.
Some Links:
Dell Alienware M18x New Gaming Laptop
Just announced - Alienware M18X (Updated) - Dell News and more
Dell Alienware M18x Gaming Laptop Specs Leaked

what are your thoughs on this?

 

naaa wait for the m19x.....or if you wait a bit longer you could get the m20x or even better keep waiting and ..................... you are waiting on a rumor........and even if it is comming, there will be somthing better if you wait longer...just pull the trigger

 

Ok, I think I'm going to remove the complete specs before someone loses their job. You can ask me for the specs.

 

you got jokes tonight i see I usualy buy an new gaming laptop every 3 years. So you don't think the M18x Is real? or do not think it will be out this year?

 

Might be easier to get a GPU upgrade from the 460m to the AMD HD 6970M (if possible), that would be a big jump in GPU power and you wouldn't have to deal with any SLI problems.

 

^ OMG! FO REAL BRO!?!?!?

To be frank, I love it.
The Nvidia GT 555m is the highest GPU before the GTX's right? No optical drive (ok reasonable). Switchable graphics... finally! 6.35 lbs... ok
It better have a 1600x900 display or better.

Wait? It has a touch screen option??? In my opinion, that's a con because who's going to be touching their screen while gaming? It's not a convertible tablet...

 

I am not an AMD Radion FAN from many problems in the past so that would not be an option for me. would be the same as telling me to get a MAC LOL.
Thank you on your thoughs.

 

Look at your own signature...you say you love your R3.....so whats the issue? Dont get caught up in having the newest or else you will be chasing it forever....

No one really knows about the m18x.....anything out there is just a guess at this point.....jsut because its in a blog, it isnt fact lol

 

Ok, how about a gtx 485m? I don't know if dell will sell you one of these, but you could buy the clevo version and install it yourself. It should be even better than the AMD GPU. No idea if it will work though, it is the correct socket but might need a different heatsink and bios support.

 

If he's buying a laptop in every 3-4 years and he can live w/o R3 now then why not? It's a big investment after all. Just make sure you buy M18x when it's launch. Don't play the waiting game at that time

 

yes this is true on both points. and i do realy like the M17Xr3 i have not had any problem and it plays all the games so far at MAX. But not having an SLI option was almost a no sale for me I cam very close on getting A sagar if there cases looked better and had better lighting options i would have. I wanted somthing that looked good and had the power to play games at high or maxed out graphics. and this one does that but if i can get An alienware with SLI just makes one think.

 

SLI is MAX performance but it is also MAX problems.... besides the new generation of cards is a big jump in performance, you almost dont need the SLI anymore..

 

If the 485M worked in the M17XR3 yeah that would be awsome. at that point i would not care about SLI.

 

Well it does say it has an optical drive if you look to the left where it says the weight of the system...

 

yes i agree I hope or it would be nice to get a 485M up-grade
Just to let everyone know I am just thinking about it not sure if i realy want to spend the extra $ right now.

 

Oh sorry, I was looking at the picture and I saw none.
Yay optical drive!

 

oh god this is amazing!

whats the launch price?

 

where did you get that specs dude?

 

The link to those pics was on the first page

 

sorry I just couldnt resist