Alienware Notebook Cosmetic Modifications and Custom Builds

The whole top and bottom were done with the same powder coating process.

You will also have to remove some of the plastics attached to both panels as they are baked in an oven as part of the process so plastic wil melt if not removed.

It's best to source some spare panels if you can and keep your originals in case things go south during the process.

Speedy is the one who handled all this so he can answer all the finer details of the preparation I just did all the assembly when the panels arrived.

It was a collaborative effort so to speak .

 

Quad, +1 for real, looks awesome! How much to do mine I have a Storm Trooper costume to go with it....

 

I am afraid that you're not ready to hear the price premium of a very difficult job if you are PM me

 

That's a beautiful job guys. Good work.

Are you able to do the powder coating yourself, or is there a vendor that you use for this?

 

It is a company local to Speedy that does the powder coating.

Beyond just getting it powder coated you have to remove all traces of plastics as well because they will melt in the baking process, after that they need to be glued back on with epoxy like the top of the lid has plastic and some other places of the base have plastics that need to be unscrewed/removed etc.

The whole job can be pretty time consuming and its not for the faint of heart that is why i suggest anyone wanting to do it might want to source some spare panels in case things go south during the whole process and there is no guarantees it will turn out how you hoped.

Speedy is a super generous guy so without his help i would have not been able to do this but him and i have been close friends for years now and we work together on so many things just for hobby/sport/something to do .

My M18x is very basic/budget spec wise since i myself am on a budget but at least its one of nicest looking ones i have seen. It looks just as good sitting there closed and turned off as it does all lit up and turned on.

Hoping to get a 7970m eventually for it though /fingerscrossed.

 

Well, it's very sharp, and certain to solicit some frowns from MacBook fanboys. So, did you fill all the screw holes with screws to avoid problems getting coating in the threads?

I like modding projects such as this and may do something similar in the not-too-distant future. Having an M18x is a unique experience in itself, and that would make it even more unique. I'm not sure what color I would choose. I really like the canary yellow and mamba green colors. Deciding might the the most difficult part. The gunmetal "black" on my M18x is very classy looking, but I preferred the deep, pitch black on the M17x R2. I'm not sure why they called both colors by the same "Space Black" name, because they are not even similar.

There are places all over that do power coatings. Just Google and you'll find them. Here are a few in my neck of the woods... Custom Powder Coating Walla Walla, WA - Blast Shop 509-524-8525 - Powder Coating Inc. - Powder Coating & Sandblasting | Powder Vision Inc., | Seattle Bellevue | (425) 222-6363

There are also some anodizers in the area... Pioneer Metal Finishing does all kinds of finishing, including powder coating.

 

Yup, I just picked up the phone and started calling shops that paint vehicles. Many gave me estimates. I found that if you ask what colors they are shooting the upcoming vehicles you can catch a ride with one for much cheaper. Right now I have one lined up for white and the cost will be $45. That's sand blasting, coating and curing with heat. However I'm still looking for someone who might be doing Candy Apple Green.

Funny thing Mr. Fox my first thought after seeing that white powder coat was "Alienware Macbook" I even posted it, then withdrew in case someone took offense. lol. Not a fan of apple at all. But would get a kick out of having these these apple fan-boys puzzle over this one. Might have to go down to Starbucks just for fun.

 

Speedy and i went back and forth with other colors in the past like the bright greens or yellows but in the end they were never colors to me at least that were long term appealing to the eye. White/Red/Black/Silver are all just nice regular colors (white and black not even being a color) and i see why they stick with these over something more exotic/garish etc.

Id like to see an M18x though in some other colors, but yeah i love white, it just looks so clean and also i love colors that show very little to no reflection/fingerprints when picking it up all the time. My machine was the graphite black and i hated it unless i never touched it and it just picks up too much oil from your hands constantly so it had to go.

Either way its a fun project and you can find it cheap locally just make sure you do the prep work and yes by all means fill in the screw holes and remove any and all plastics or things that might melt.

The M18x is very unique and a keeper because of its design so its worth gussying it up a little more then usual since its going to be with me for awhile .

Generally in the past i never held onto machines very long be it for money reasons or just boredom but i am making it a point to keep this baby since its all i really want in a laptop. Huge screen/solid build/Hdmi input/upgradable etc etc.

 

Yeah, I am not a fan of anything made by Apple and the white would certainly be a fun way of irking some of them.

A candy apple green would be pretty awesome looking. I don't know that the equivalent of a pearl tri-coat is available in powder coating. I cannot imagine how a tri-coat process could be duplicated in a power coat finish, and I think the powder coat finish might be more durable than an ordinary catalyzed urethane basecoat/clearcoat automotive finish. But the automotive refinishing process does open up an unlimited spectrum of color choices.

 

I dont think of white as an Apple thing any more then a silver R2 being an Apple color but i guess i can see where some might think of it that way .

As far as automotive colors honestly it will be easier to have it sprayed then powder coated yand it wont need to be baked either so you can just cover the plastics etc and have them spray away.

Speedy painted his old R2 with white automotive paint plus a few layers of clear coat and it turned out just fine in the end . This is not a car or something that is going to be abused so you dont really have to worry about damaging the paint and it will hold up just find under normal wear and tear also you will have a wider color spectrum as you said which might be good if your going for a exotic color.

 

I travel a lot and I think the powder coating might hold up better under the circumstances. I have thought of painting the M18x many times, but always held back out of concerns for durability with heavy travel. Even the best automotive finishes will show wear from dings and abrasion fairly quickly. (I was in auto collision repair for many years, so this is something I would do myself, and one of the reasons it has been so tempting. I've even thought about doing a multi-colored pearl flame job or something else equally crazy with an air brush.)

 

Maybe you could test it out on one of your older machines, like your R1 or m17x R2. If it works out there you could move up to your new machine!

 

I don't perform experiments on my children, LOL. jk

 

For those so deep in love with their alien (machine), what about painting / coating 'her' with a gold satellite style dress?

 

I have an appointment to drop my baby off for powder coating Monday morning. White Gloss at a reasonable price $45.00. However as it draws closer I'm starting to second guess myself. Seems like you have to actually tear off some of the plastic and re-glue it! I might just go get some aluminum polish However I'm really wanting to have it done.. I don't know what to do lol! And I don't have spare parts so this is a one time shot.

 

I would say if you are at all concerned of a possible bad outcome then sit tight till you can source the spare panels.

No need to rush into this only to regret it . As it stands your machine looks fine now and eventually with some spare parts will look better, but if you trash what you currently have then you have nothing good in the end.

 

That's a goooooood advice!

 

Does Dell sell the spare panels? I'd like to try painting one myself, but I don't want to take my R1 apart while I'm doing it.

 

You can find spare panels here from time to time.

Dell Alienware M18x Laptop Repair Parts | Parts-People.com

Right now they have lids but no bases so you just need to keep checking.

I would go for the B or even C class ones since they are going to be painted and dont need to be perfect.

 

MartinReyes - The part numbers for M18x R1 and M18x R2 are linked here http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m18x/660296-official-m18x-r1-r2-owners-lounge-thread.html. You can find the lid and base part numbers in the list and call Dell to see what the price is and whether they are available. If you do, please let us know.

 

The best way to handle a job like this is getting the extra panels the cheapest you can DELL is not an option there but like Quadzilla mention Parts People keep a good stock of panels and Chassis parts at affordable price

Now there is some points about powder coat to note since they need to bake the paint at 400C is necessary to remove all the plastic rails and parts on the lid and bottom but there is another problem at 400C the aluminum can bend and all depends on the time but you can end up with a destroyed lid

in the case of Quadzilla we had luck, also if you choose a clear color you can end up with imperfections like black dots or dust on the paint and if they are charging you $45 good luck getting them to fix or repaint it

I am just writing this because for simple and cheap this project looks is not easy and not cheap we spent over $200 to do this with Quad laptop so don't expect a $45 job

 

^^that's good advice, Speedy. Thank you. It would be unfortunate to end up with a warped lid or base panel from the 400° baking process. When I saw $45 I wondered what that would look like because $45 is not enough to cover labor and materials and typical body shop labor rates. Buying very high quality refinishing materials is very important for a superior paint job and the high end primer, paint, clear and catalyst to do the paint job would be close to $45 without any labor.

I have kicked around the idea of buying just a lid and doing a custom paint job on the lid. (Part People does not have a base panel in stock right now.) I no longer have any of my auto body or refinishing tools, so I would need to buy not only materials, but also paint gun, respirator, etc. I would derive more satisfaction from doing it myself than paying someone else to do it. I have not done any custom painting for like 26 years, so I would need to practice on something else first, LOL.

 

exactly powder coat is way cheaper than paint job when it comes to materials and preparation remember that company colorware they charge $500 to custom paint job the M15X I remember somebody asking them

this is more like a hobby for me for the satisfaction of doing a cool job something different

you should get your gun and materials slowly and do it just for your own satisfaction

 

Asus' Republic of Gamers G74Sx 18.4" 3D laptop is for serious gamers | ZDNet

could this screen be used in are lappys?

 

Its a 17" laptop. Description is wrong.

 

here is a bottom panel and a lid Mr Fox in case you want to order

Black - Alienware M18x Laptop Bottom Base Cover Assembly - 13PC8 *A* | eBay

122RP | Black Alienware M18x 18.4" LCD Back Cover Grade A

 

Thank you. I'll have a look.

 

Who ever was interested in painting should grab that bottom panel ASAP because that particular part is rarely available in all the times i have looked and at a very fair price for what seems to be a new pull part.

The top lids are a dime a dozen though.

 

I just did. Grabbed both of them. I figure if I don't find time to do what I want to with it, I can sell for the same price or more later on.

 

Source for confirmation of ARGH's post (device is 17" as opposed to 18"): ASUS - Notebooks- ASUS G74SX

 

That article is humorous for more than one reason. The "for serious gamers" part is cute. A 2630QM and a single NVIDIA GTX 560M GPU is not exactly my idea of "serious" LOL. Nice, yes. Serious, not so much.

 

Makes me glad I returned the very first "gaming" system I bought ages ago (Asus G73JH) just before buying my (no longer own it) M17x R2 with RGBLED..I was misled on the Asus screen specs back then , but never again.......thank god for small mercies....

 

Yeah almost nothing compares to my M17x R2s RGB LED display. Miss it so much but the M18x display isn't too bad. I just wish they kept the RGB hopefully in the R3 or R4 versions... Hopefully

 

Unfortunately there aren't that many 18.4" laptops on the market, I believe the Qosmios, HDX 18 and the M18x are the only recent 18.4" ones on the market. I highly doubt they'll bring back RGBLED, Alienware's new business model seems to bring down the prices by using cheaper screens. Also look at Alienware's new ODM, Compal, whereas the M15x and M17x R2 were Flextronics. The M17x R2 RGBLED panel is the same one found in the Precision M6500, at least the E2E glossy version.

 

I moved the new thread with the question about the screen into a thread where there is an ongoing "frankenscreen" discussion taking place. Nice fit on the same topic.

 

Spoiler

SICK! .

 

It's not an M18x, but this is pretty SICK as well... pearl white never looked so good.

 

Wow DR650 did a good job it looks the same as Quad M18X

 

I wish so much that AW had a custom paint service for the M18x like Falcon northwest has for their machines.

 

Now there's a business opportunity if someone wanted it - kinda like West Coast Customs - but for laptops instead of automobiles....."pimp my laptop" style......

 

Yeah! (or Laptop Overhaulin')

 

Guys
the best GPUS MOBILE in the world even any desktops are crap compare to them

AMD Radeon HD 7970M CrossFireX Installation in EUROCOM Panther 2.0 - YouTube

and here is VERY complicated installing in Mx18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=522HGnPWXGc

 

Changing the GPUs in the M18x is not complicated at all if you have experience working on laptops. I find the operation very simple and doesn't take much time.

 

But... But... in the M18x you have to disassemble almost the entire laptop! ( as it's shown on the videos links posted by GalaxySII)

 

Yeah but after a half dozen or so times it will seem like a breeze .

Also if you ever ripped apart many of the other M17x/M15x/R3s/M6600s they all are very similar design. Some a little more complicated then others though.

Main thing is not breaking anything getting the plastics off since they are held together by tabs. So you gotta go slow those first few times till you get the hang of it.

 

There are always better ways of doing that kind of things... more rational and accesible... I keep my preferences on Dell but Eurocom way, in this particular case, seems by far more rational... It's a good way to always learn from others ( whenever there is something logical to learn) and improve it your own way.

 

Yeah
That's what I meant..
On that eurocom just tak off the bottom lid ..

 

...and even not all of the bottom lid... just the parts related to the GPU's/CPU.

 

Seriously, it's not a big deal to access the GPUs in the M18x. I can have my machine torn down to that stage in about 5 minutes. It is not a complete disassembly. It would be nice to only need to remove the bottom cover, but it does not really matter to me in the grand scheme of things. If I had a need to access my GPUs frequently enough for it to matter, then I would be having more significant issues to be concerned about than removing a few extra parts to get at them.

 

Good morning my friend! Just remember that not all of the aliens out there (and here) are so foxy foxes as you and certainly Dell can always learn a tip from others... and even save some screws!