Alienware m15x FAQ!

Disclaimer: I do not have an m15x in my hands nor have I ordered one. I am not in any phase. I am not an Alienware fanboy (my two previous laptops have both been Toshibas), but am seriously considering purchasing an m15x to replace my current laptop. Unfortunately, in a complete change of mind during the first week of March, I purchased a refurbished m1710. I don't feel qualified to post in this forum anymore, and told Chaz that I was abandoning the editing. I stopped in here today (to see how my good friend, Travis, was doing) and couldn't believe what I was reading. My reasons were very personal (I'm poor) for purchasing the m1710, but I still think the m15x is almost a revolutionary step forward in gaming notebook design. While I personally can say nothing about the actual m15x, I do feel that Alienware sales support (and knowledge) was somewhat lacking regarding, what I consider, their most important sales piece. But then I may have just had bad luck the few times I called. They were polite...just not very helpful.

I will use the 'Customize your Alienware Area-51 m15x' for the outline of this post.

Some early issues

1. HDMI output doesn't appear to transport audio (reported by three m15x owners...mrwater, Packer445, shima). However, tacomenace does have audio out through the m15x HDMI port. Hmmm...

2. Missing/off frame lighting (the light strip around the LCD case or lid) PROBLEM SOLVED...Look here http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=216863 for the explanation...GREAT JOB Ricky S!!! (Head to the link and give Ricky S some positive rep)...patch is now available via Alienware support http://4help.alienware.com/cgi-bin/...F90ZXh0PW0xNXggbGlnaHRpbmc*&p_li=&p_topview=1

3. Touch sensitive controls don't come back after Sleep/Suspend Mode entered...touchpad (particularly scroll zone and the single left/right click button) is a bit quirky...

4. A few owners have reported that speaker volume is a bit on the low side even with software volume settings maxed out.

5. Approximately one month delay currently (03/11/08) between ordering the system and estimated delivery date, but Alienware is upfront about the estimated delivery date. Some purchasers may be somewhat disgruntled because it appears that the delay occurred near the beginning of March, so depending on their order status, their original estimated date may have changed...and not for the better.

And before moving on, shima posted the most concise, professional statement of the m15x problems that I have seen in the forum...alas, that thread was closed...so I quote the information here...this is outright plagiarism...but props, kudos, BZ to shima...a definite asset to this forum and if it isn't a paycut for him/her, I think Alienware would do well to hire him/her into their QA department...

FAQ

1. When will Skullcap cases and black cases be available?

No one knows. The customer rep I talked to indicated approx. two weeks which was back on release day in January. Other forum members seemed to get some feedback from Alienware suggesting early February, but NO ONE KNOWS...yet. Obviously neither early nor mid- February.

2. Which is better? 1440x900 or 1920x1200?

For an extra $300, 1920x1200 provides more screen real estate for photo/video editing and office type tasks. Yes, fonts are smaller, but that can be changed under XP (I do not use Vista so I don't know but I would think the same would hold for Vista). The option does not explicitly state that the 1920x1200 has a ClearView (glossy/high contrast) screen. I have not asked Alienware, and do not have a definitive answer. Another forum member (.Rant) talked to Alienware Tech Support, and was told that it was a matte (not glossy) finish, and that Alienware was working on a ClearView for the 15.4" 1920x1200 screen. I asked Alienware today (02/04/08) about the ClearView screen on the 1920x1200. The sales rep said that the 1920x1200 is NOT a ClearView screen. He had to put me on hold to confirm this so I imagine he checked with someone. Initially, he told me that the 1920x1200 was ClearView, and then he changed after putting me on hold. I think that's a pretty good indication that the 1920x1200 is NOT ClearView.

The downside to 1920x1200 is that games played at the screen's native resolution will have a lower framerate. In the case of Crysis, the 8800m GTX pushes between 32 fps on medium settings at 1920x1200, and 49 fps at 1280x800 (which is a lower resolution than 1440x900, but it should still be in the mid-40's for 1440x900). (See http://www.trustedreviews.com/notebooks/review/2007/11/22/Rock-Xtreme-770-T7800-8800/p9)

With high settings, Crysis is unplayable at 1920x1200 (16 fps) and just tolerably playable at 1280x800 (29 fps) (again, at 1440x900, that framerate will drop slightly).

Most other games reviewed with the exception of World in Conflict and Supreme Commander are easily playable at 1920x1200. (See also http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3196&p=4)

Note: These are not reviews of the m15x. They are reviews of two laptops with 8800m GTX's that are similar in configuration to available configs of the m15x.

Also, you can play at non-native resolutions on the 1920x1200, and recover framerates, by either playing in a letterbox (large black borders around the game so the game ends up being smaller than the 15" screen) or by allowing the 8800m GTX to scale a lower resolution to the native resolution which affects the quality of the visuals.

If you choose the 1440x900 with the intention of using an external monitor for hi-res work, be careful. The m15x does not have a VGA out...only HDMI. Your monitor will have to have a DVI or HDMI input to accept output from the m15x.

Final note on this subject...in my opinion, hi-def viewing on a 15" screen is NOT a good reason to purchase the 1920x1200 screen. You can watch 1080p Blu-Ray movies on a 1440x900 and the image will scale fine. Of course, watching hi-def content on a 15" screen is a bit of overkill, in my opinion.

3. Am I locked into a certain color at the AlienFX option?

No. Your computer's peripheral lighting (look at the pictures available on Alienware's site if you want to see where all you have lights) will be set to this initially. You can change it when you get the laptop. Even without 'upgrading' to the backlit keyboard, you can change all the other lighting with AlienFX to any of the colors listed in those options...and some of the lighting can be changed independently from the other lighting.

Some discussion about the 'lighting zones' on the m15x. There are official pictures available of the m15x with side lighting (light strip around the side of the LCD), and official pictures without the side lighting. mrwater, one of the first purchasers of a pre-configured system, received an m15x with side lighting. daniv, grb, and hemlok recieved m15x's without side lighting. absinthe42 was told that the side lighting was a limited run, and no longer available. It appears that the side lighting was disabled in BIOS to save battery life. It can be re-enabled with a patch. See here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=216863

The Alienware website says the following:

AlienFX® gives your notebook an extra dose of personality. Customize your Area-51® m15x with an array of lighting themes including a variety of colors and effects. Set visual alerts, sync with applications or just make your Alienware stand out from the crowd – more so than usual. Countless configurations across six distinct lighting zones mean your computer will truly be one of a kind.

And here are the infamous six zones:

1) Alien head on outside of case
2) Frame lighting around the edge of the top (LCD) panel
3) Touch sensitive switches at top of keyboard
4) Alienware logon on LCD bezel
5) Keyboard (if upgraded)
6) Touchpad outline

Video from unknown source demonstrating fixed timing AlienFX light pulsing...
http://s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj47/tacomenace21/?action=view&current=MOV00064.flv

4. Which graphics card do I choose?

Very personal question...depends on your budget and your intended use for the computer. If you don't play cutting edge games, then either the 8600 or 8700 will serve you well. All three chips, 8-series, can offload hi-def playback from the CPU so the laptop can easily be used as a hi-def player when connected to a large external monitor via the HDMI. mrwater, who actually has an m15x with an 8700, was extremely pleased with its performance on Crysis on his 1440x900 screen.

One of the biggest draws for the m15x is a 15" form factor with an 8800m GTX. If you're considering buying the 8600 due to budget constraints, you may want to look at other vendors' laptops, in my opinion.

hemlok got 9,951 and 10,011 on 3DMark06 running at 1280x720 with the 8800.

shima got 9,701 on 3DMark06 running at 1280x720. shima's AW testing indicated 9,835 on 3DMark06 at 1440x900.

mrwater got 5,430 on 3DMark06 at the default resolution (1280x720?) with the 8700.

5. Which processor do I choose?

Before we begin this discussion, the Penryns are indeed available in other vendors' laptops. At this time, they are not available in the m15x. Will they be? And if so, when? NO ONE KNOWS...Forum member bsheehan said that Alienware is currently in the R&D process for implementing Penryn in their hardware, but Alienware has no estimated date for availability in the m15x. I asked a customer rep about Penryn on 01/18/08, and he told me if they do become available on the m15x, Alienware typically offers an upgrade path...whether that will be a bios flash, or a mobo revision remains to be seen, and he was very non-committal about the possibility of upgrading. If you're set on Penryn, you would be wise to wait a few more weeks. Having said that, Penryn doesn't significantly boost processing speed, but it is more power efficient, AND it costs vendors almost the same as the Meroms. So while you won't see a dramatic increase in CPU intensive tasks, you will get a few more minutes on your battery at the same price. Penryn is now available (02/19/08) for the m15x...in fact, you can only choose Penryn now...T9300 at 2.5 GHz, T9500 at 2.6 GHz, and X9000 at 2.8 GHz which is also Intel overclockable Penryn processor. I have no idea whether Merom-based m15x's will be upgradeable or not, and I have no idea whether Alienware will allow overclocking the X9000 via the BIOS. Next time I call (which will be black case release), I will ask. As predicted, m15x prices have remained essentially the same ($2149 for the T9300) despite a 0.1 GHz clock gain, larger cache (6MB vs 4MB), and supposedly lower power consumption due to the 45 nm (vs 65 nm) fabrication. And it's not really a debate between Merom and Penryn anymore, since only Penryn is available. In my opinion, the below argument still holds when trying to decide between the three Penryn options.

As far as the available processors, see the answer to graphics card question. All three CPUs have a 4MB (6MB) cache and 800MHz FSB. Alienware has not definitively stated whether their implementation of the X7900 (X9000) will be over-clockable within the bios as some other laptop vendors have done. Maybe...maybe not. Just talked to the sales rep on 02/04/08 and he confirmed that the X7900 (X9000) will be overclockable with the Alienware supplied BIOS. However, he also said that Alienware does NOT support overclocking, they only enable it. CORRECTION: It doesn't even appear that overclocking is currently enable by Alienware.

If you're mainly interested in the m15x for gaming and multimedia, the T7700 (T9300) is plenty. If you run software that is CPU intensive, you may consider upgrading the processor speed.

6. How much RAM?

Currently, the only choices available are 2GB and 4GB. 2GB is sufficient for gaming.

And now begins the confusion...

Is there a limitation on RAM?

Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate both support 32-bit and 64-bit processor architecture. Meroms (processors available in the m15x) are 64-bit processors (implementing x86-64 with Intel microarchitecture vs netburst which allows for less heat and greater power savings while running 64-bit code along with legacy 32-bit and 16-bit). However, the Alienware install will be the 32-bit version of either Home Premium or Ultimate which supports up to 4GB of RAM. And another however...lots of discussion on the Internet regarding both desktop and mobile users only seeing 3GB of RAM under 32-bit Vista when 4GB of RAM is installed. The general consensus is that the upper 1GB of RAM addresses is being used to support hardware (ie, the 512M of memory on the graphics card and other devices). The real debate is whether the other 1GB of physical RAM is being used or not. Your guess is as good as mine, and I haven't seen a definitive answer. The whole argument is definitely a strong suggestion to remain at 2GB unless you want to upgrade to x64 version of Vista.

You can upgrade to a 64-bit version of either Home Premium or Ultimate for free through the Microsoft webpage, but Alienware Tech Support won't be able to help you with any subsequent problems if you do. You could always take your chances with Microsoft Tech Support. With a 64-bit capable OS (upgraded Vista w/out Alienware support) and a 64-bit processor (Merom), you can address up to 16GB of RAM with Home Premium and 128GB+ of RAM with Ultimate...

See http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/64bit.mspx for more information...and when they mention 'for serious gamers', realize that's only if the game code supports 64-bit and if you can get functioning 64-bit drivers...make sure you read the part about your system, applications, and devices being compatible with a 64-bit edition...unlike a desktop, most of the devices are not under your control and the installed drivers have been tailored and tested by Alienware...good luck with this laptop and a 64-bit OS...if you're real smart, you can probably make it work, but I'd be very careful...

What about upgrading the RAM yourself?

If you need additional RAM (above the 2GB base option), you could purchase another 2GB stick from a separate (cheaper) vendor, replace one of your 1GB sticks with the 2GB stick and end up with 3GB in the machine and 1GB collecting dust.

Someone, somewhere said that RAM sticks no longer have to be matched to achieve full speed (dual channel). I don't know. Last time I checked, it was 2x512 or 2x1024, etc, but my laptop is 5 years old.

I just checked...if you mismatch sticks, even when your memory controller supports dual channel, it will revert to single channel. However, most hardware review sites suggest that having more RAM is more beneficial to gaming performance (and I would guess this means if you have less than 2GB) than using dual channel mode. In gaming, dual channel offers little advantage in speed over single channel so mismatch until your heart's content.

The confusion deepens on this issue with Intel Flex Memory...if you click on 'More Info' associated with the RAM option for the m15x, it reads the following under 'Flexibility':

Previous generation dual channel DDR architectures required memory to be installed in exact pairs - two 256MB or two 512MB memory modules, for example. This made memory upgrades difficult and costly. Alienware high-performance systems leverage Intel® Flex Memory Technology to enable dual channel performance without the need for matched memory - up to 8.5 GB/s system memory bandwidth with DDR2.

I believe Alienware is INCORRECT (as they were incorrect originally about saying the SmartBay HDD could be set up in a RAID config).

Alienware is basing this 'More Info' on Intel's Flex Memory spec, but that spec only applies to desktop hardware (such as the P965 chipset) that has four DIMM slots (two channels, A and B, with DIMM0 and DIMM1 on each channel). In the desktop case, you can place a 512M stick in Channel A DIMM0, and a 1GB stick in Channel B DIMM0. The first 512M of RAM in both channels will operate at Dual Channel speed...the remaining 512M in Channel B will operate at Single Channel (Asymmetric) speed.

Also, interesting to note at this point, that the 'Tech Specs' for the m15x say that it uses the GM965 chipset. Intel lists the GM965 chipset as a mainstream chipset while the PM965 is Intel's enthusiast equivalent. However, I can't really see an obvious difference between the two chipsets. Originally, I thought the 'Tech Specs' page said that the m15x used the PM965 chipset. *scratching head* Whatever...If you look at the following link, I think you'll see the only differences between the GM965 and PM965 is that the GM965 uses the X3100 integrated graphics chip, and the GM965 has Intel's 'Clear Video Technology'. http://compare.intel.com/pcc/showchart.aspx?mmID=28117,28116&familyID=7&culture=en-US

Editorial Comment: It really bothers me that Alienware is struggling to get the correct info up on their website regarding the m15x. I imagine that marketing is most responsible for the web page content, but you would think someone technical would review it for accuracy. The initial RAID blurb was barely forgivable. This statement about Intel Flex Memory is completely confusing. Maybe Alienware is right, and I'm wrong, but I just finished doing some digging around the Intel website, and neither the GM965 nor the PM965 support Intel Flex Memory. Oops! Hope they don't build computers like they put out (mis)information. Glad that's off my chest...I asked the sales rep on 02/04/08 about Intel Flex Memory availability on the m15x. He said that the information on the website was correct...that the m15x can indeed run at dual channel speed with mis-matched pairs. I'm still not buying it, but I didn't argue. (It's even more embarrassing when you argue and find out that you're wrong.) THE INFORMATION REGARDING INTEL FLEX MEMORY WAS INCORRECT AND WAS REMOVED FROM THE 'MORE INFO' LINK UNDER RAM ON 02/05/08 SHORTLY AFTER SPEAKING WITH ALIENWARE.

7. Does Intel Turbo Memory help?

Basically the OS uses flash memory as another cache between RAM and the HDD. It may speed up some applications (I think Intel says it will improve your boot-up speed), but if you're buying this for gaming, I believe you will be disappointed. Forum member, Stone825, agrees that you will be disappointed and he is much more emphatic about this than I am. Here's a link (thank you, Stone825):

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=2985&p=4

8. Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate?

Look at the Microsoft Vista homepage ( http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx) for the additional functionality of Ultimate. Home Premium has all the multimedia functions. Ultimate adds Windows Complete PC Backup, Windows Fax and Scan, Remote Desktop Connection, and Windows Bitlocker Data Encryption.

If you're going to use the laptop to do business or hold sensitive information, you may want to consider Ultimate.

9. Express Card Media Remote Control?

Little remote in card format...stows away in your Express Card slot. Read reviews on it. Can be purchased from other places besides Alienware and at a later time.

10. Which HDD do I choose?

Depends on your priorities...if you're a packrat like me, capacity becomes the primary objective, and the 320GB is the best choice. But it is a slower drive (5400 vs 7200). The 7200 rpm drive will improve gaming performance particularly on games that have large level and/or texture loads. The 7200 rpm drive also increases the heat load on the chassis.

If money is of no concern to you, the solid state drive will dramatically improve both OS boot times and gaming performance. However, it is very limited in capacity and expensive. An operating system, couple thousand mp3s, a few DivX movies and three or four games and you're done. 'Limited capacity' is a funny choice of words since the laptop I bought five years ago came with a 60GB drive installed. How did we ever manage to get by back then? Despite the expense and limited capacity, I wasn't being entirely fair to the SSD. It has a couple more advantages besides speed. I would imagine that no moving parts means greater reliability which is a huge plus if you've ever had a hard drive crash, and I would also imagine that no moving parts means less power draw which is important to mobile users.

According to the 'Tech Specs' page, the HDD uses a SATA interface.

The following was provided by MiniKissKool, and I thought it worthwhile to include up here...I have no idea what it means, but it looks scientific...thanks for the info, MiniKissKool...

11. What do I do with my SmartBay?

HDD

The optical drive of your choice will occupy the SmartBay initially. So you have an internal HDD and a removable optical drive. You do NOT get an internal HDD, an internal optical drive and a SmartBay drive. To use the SmartBay drive or battery, you will have to remove the optical drive.

As pointed out, several more recent games do not require the CD/DVD to play, and for those that do, there are alternatives which will not be discussed here. You can also rip DVDs and hi-def DVDs to your HDD (standard def, without compression, typically requires 1-2GB if you strip off the extras, additional soundtracks, etc...don't know about hi-def since I don't have a hi-def player). So, it isn't entirely impractical to remove the optical drive and use a SmartBay HDD.

As far as choice of drives, see question 10. The only real additional choice is the hybrid drive which is like Intel Turbo Memory for HDDs. In my opinion, if you need the performance gain from a hybrid drive, you would be better off purchasing a 7200 rpm drive (again, 7200 rpm has the additional heat load). Hybrid drives claim faster boot-up/resume times, and the Alienware customer rep confirmed that you will be able to boot off the SmartBay drive (I wouldn't necessarily take anything the customer reps say at face value, but I asked this question various ways no less than three times). Stone 825, a forum member, who owns a hybrid drive, says they are not worth the expense.

Initially, Alienware said the SmartBay was available in a Raid config. This was incorrect and has since been fixed. Raid0 (performance...data striping) does not work with a removable drive since the drive can be removed, and Raid1 (protection...data mirroring) is impractical. I suspect that the m15x does not even have a Raid controller.

The SmartBay drive can be ordered at a later date. In fact (and I'm guessing), based on my experience with Toshiba's StyleBay, the plastic cartridge cases with the connector pins will start showing up on eBay by the end of 2008, and you can buy the plastic case and your own HDD and make your own SmartBay drive. As mentioned in other threads, SmartBay is a proprietary interface so you most likely will not see 3rd party vendors making SmartBay equipment, but Alienware produced SmartBay cases may become available on eBay or other online stores.

Battery

Just like the SmartBay HDD, this option can be purchased at a later date. You potentially could lose some discount percentage by not bundling the SmartBay option with your original system purchase. Who knows? Again, buy the SmartBay battery on eBay for 75% of cost in 6 to 9 months. Can you tell that I love eBay? Packer445 suggests approx. one additional hour of gaming per SmartBay battery.

12. Which optical drive do I choose?

The default choice will play all formats except Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. The default choice will burn all formats except Blu-Ray and HD-DVD.

The next choice is the same as the default, but you can flip the disc and laser etch a label on the flip side. LightScribe media is available in CD-R, DVD+R, and DVD-R formats (notice that there are no re-writable formats) from most of the same folks that make all our burnable media (Memorex, TDK, Verbatim, etc). At BestBuy, a LightScribe CD-R costs between $0.50 and $0.70 per disc. A LightScribe DVD-R or +R costs approx. $1 per disc.

The Blu-Ray reader will obviously play Blu-Ray discs, AND will read and write all other formats, but does not have the LightScribe functionality. I could not pin down the customer rep on the HDMI port revision available on the m15x. Wikipedia says the following about the 1.3 spec (and remember, in this case, the m15x is the player...and I'm not sure about the m15x's capabilities in regard to sound...the customer rep was clueless):

(The 1.3 version)...Optionally supports output of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio streams for external decoding by AV receivers. TrueHD and DTS-HD are lossless audio codec formats used on Blu-ray Discs and HD DVDs. If the disc player can decode these streams into uncompressed audio, then HDMI 1.3 is not necessary, as all versions of HDMI can transport uncompressed audio.

If you don't have a 7.1 sound system or are not interested in 7.1 sound, then the HDMI version doesn't make a whole lot of difference since I'm almost positive that it's at least 1.2. Currently, the included Cyberlink PowerDVD software does not support TrueHD or DTS-HD. (Neither does WinDVD. In fact, WinDVD 8.0 doesn't support HD-DVD or Blu-Ray playback). If you do want to use the m15x to serve up Blu-Ray viewing in 7.1 surround, you'll have to wait for upgraded software and you may want to check around on some home theater forums once the m15x is more widely available for the HDMI port revision (1.2, 1.3, 1.3a).

Right now, a couple of forum members have been unable to transport sound via the HDMI port. If Alienware's implementation of the HDMI doesn't transport sound (and I said 'if' meaning that the two forum members with m15x's may be missing drivers or some other specific problem to their machines), then the HDMI spec is irrelevant, and you will be transporting video via HDMI and audio via a Toslink cable connected to the SPDIF enabled headphone jack. SPDIF does not support TrueHD or DTS-HD (7.1), but the player (the m15x with Cyberlink PowerDVD) currently does not support 7.1 surround either. Of course, software can readily be upgraded if future hi-def DVD playback software includes support for 7.1. Bottom line: If 7.1 is important to you, you probably need to buy a standalone player and forego the Blu-Ray drive in the m15x.

One last note...PowerDVD does support DTS-ES and Digital-EX Discrete (6.1 implementations) with the 'Advanced Audio Pack'. I don't know if this software upgrade comes with the m15x, and I'm not sure SPDIF can transport 6.1 sound.

With all that said, you should be able to enjoy hi-def video right out of the box if you upgrade to the Blu-Ray drive, and at least 5.1 audio with the possibility of 6.1 audio (software supports it with an add-on pack, but does the Alienware HDMI implementation or the SPDIF support?), and at a later date the potential for 7.1 when the software supports it (and as long as the m15x hardware does via HDMI).

The final optical choice is the Blu-Ray burner. Same as the Blu-Ray reader except it can burn Blu-Ray media. At BestBuy, a single Blu-Ray disc (25GB) costs $20, or approx. 1.25GB/$1. (Burnable DVDs (4.7GB) are 4.7GB/$1.)

Since the optical drive is in the SmartBay, it would be even easier in the future to upgrade to a Blu-Ray compatible drive. Optical drives have always been fairly easy to upgrade in laptops as long as you got the right firmware on the optical drive. Now, with SmartBay, it will be even easier.

13. Wireless?

You're stuck with what they give you. No choices, but it has a/b/g and Draft-n so you're pretty much covered.

14. Do I need a X-Fi card (and all things audio)?

Neat little card that plugs into your Express Card slot, and supposedly improves your overall aural experience and has an optical out (SPDIF) port on it. You can always pick this up later, and probably even buy it cheaper on eBay or another online store.

Note: The Users' Manual suggests that the microphone port on the m15x is auto-sensing (ie, it can be used as input or output depending on the device connected to it which means the label 'microphone' is somewhat irrelevant) and supports SPDIF. The headphone port also supports SPDIF.

SPDIF means that the electrical signals that provide current to the drivers in your headphones can be converted to optical signals for use with a special TOSLINK cable. One end of the cable plugs into your headphone port and the other end goes into a digital optical input on your receiver. On my Toshiba, you use the soundcard software to enable either analog (electrical) or digital (optical) output or both depending on the cable connected. I plug in my TOSLINK cable and I can see the blinking light on the other end that plugs into the optical input of the receiver...pure magic but then I love lights...see what I think about the illuminated keyboard.

While on the topic of audio outputs, I asked the sales rep on 02/04/08 about audio being transferred via HDMI. HDMI typically transfers both hi-def video and multi-channel digital sound. However, mrwater had some difficulty with his HDMI outputting audio. The sales rep assured me that the HDMI port does indeed transfer video and audio. On the 'Tech Specs' page, under 'Graphics and Video', it says the HDMI provides video out. Under 'Audio', it does not specifically say HDMI, but it does say 7.1/5.1 (8 channel). The headphone port supports SPDIF as mentioned, but SPDIF only goes up to 5.1 (5+1 channels). HDMI is required to support the 7.1 spec. But then again, Alienware has goofed up other things on their website with regards to the m15x.

Packer445 said the following about the m15x speakers...

These are quite possibly the best laptop speakers i have ever heard. They blow the m9750 speakers right out of the water. They are crystal clear and even when turned up still remain clear. The bass sound is also very good.

And shima said...

Speakers - sounds better than the speakers w/"subwoofer" on my E1705. Great clarity, volume level may be low according to other users, but it's fine for me.

15. Should I buy the illuminated keyboard?

Absolutely!!! Like the 8800m GTX in a 15" factor, this is one of the selling points of the machine.

Of course, I'm kidding. It's a personal preference thing. Even if you don't purchase this option, you still get the other lighting effects as discussed before.

But for $50, c'mon...it's super cool (aaaaah...look at all the pretty lights...must fly closer)...or super annoying...

16. What is Stealth Mode?

According to the the Alienware product info, and the Users' Manual, it's a touch switch (along with those other cool capacitive touch switches at the top of the keyboard) that immediately limits the m15x's total power draw to 65W by downclocking CPU and GPU, dimming the display and lowering fan speed.

With any decent power management software, you could do this yourself, but I would imagine that Stealth Mode dynamically adjusts the components to maximize performance while remaining under the 65W limit. When you use power management, you can only fix the CPU/GPU speeds at certain values of % remaining battery life. You typically get 4 or 5 % battery life setpoints to change the power configuration within a user created profile. So while Stealth Mode is not earth shattering, it may be useful.

shima took some Everest snapshots of the 8800m GTX operating normally and under Stealth Mode...

Normally, the 8800m GTX GPU Core Clock runs at 540 MHz (500 MHz listed on the nVidia page...perhaps we need to thank Alienware) and Shader Clock runs at 1350 MHz (1250 MHz on nVidia page).

Under Stealth Mode, when shima took the Everest snapshot, the OS was still running with the 8800m GTX (NOT the integrated graphics chip), but the 8800m GTX was underclocked to 297 MHz (vs 540 originally) and 594 MHz (vs 1350 originally). This reduced the reported pixel fill rate from 8640 Mpixels/sec to 4752 Mpixels/sec. shima just ran the full version of Everest, and Everest clocked the 8800m GTX running full tilt at 25.9 Gtexels/sec, and in Stealth Mode, the 8800m GTX posted a 14.3 Gtexel fillrate. That means even with the card downclocked in Stealth Mode, it's still more capable texture-wise than the 7950 GTX and the 8700m GT...all this at under 65W. Incredible!

Just for a reference point, the 7950 GTX scores 13.8 Gtexels/sec and the 8700m GT gets 10 Gtexels/sec. Who's the 7950's daddy now? A downclocked 8800m in a 15.4" chassis with a CPU, HDD, and screen all running together within a 65W power envelope.

Anyway, I think shima has ended the 'Stealth Mode' discussion going on in some other threads. Stealth Mode is definitely using the 8800m GTX...

17. What is BinaryGFX?

The m15x has your dedicated graphics card (8600, 8700, or 8800) and an integrated card (Intel X3100). You can switch between the two depending on whether your need is for performance or extended battery life.

I have no clue whether this is a bios level change, software switch or hardware switch. I have no clue whether it requires a re-boot. mrwater may be able to help here.

shima to the rescue and I quote...

BinaryGFX:

Enabled by hitting FN + F7 (U/D GFX), the system will prompt a reboot.

18. What are the dimensions/weight of the m15x?

Straight from the Alienware 'Tech Specs' page...

Height: 1.30" (some have suggested that's without feet...who cares? 1.3" vs 1.5" for a gaming notebook?)
Width: 14.55"
Depth: 10.73"
Weight: 7 lbs

19. What about heat?

mrwater has said the following in the forum:

I was playing crysis for 15 minutes, and the hottest it got was 74 degrees C. I turned the game off and about 2 minutes later it's down to 59 degrees C.

the fans did not get any louder, you can clearly hear the fans, but they are not offensive. they are loud, but not as obnoxious as a desktop pc

And a little later in another thread:

I have been doing some testing with stealth mode.

I'm not sure what it does besides turn the fans off, or slow them down, but the gpu temps rise up to around 62 degrees (just on desktop) in stealth mode. The processor is 55.

With the fans on, my resting temp is 50 for the cpu and 55 for the gpu.

Gaming, I have not gone over 65 since the first day. No idea why it got to be 74 degrees, but after an hour session of crysis, only warmed up to 65.
The cooling system in the m15x is pretty damn good

And a little later:

Only problem is... my laptop cpu and gpu both hit around 77 degrees C when running the game [Gears of War], crysis only heats it up to around 65.

Those are internal temps...and mrwater is running the 8700 card...

hemlok reports the following temps with an 8800 while running 3DMark06...

Just ran it (3DMark06) again to monitor temperature the gpu seems to not go beyond 83~ and the cpu ran at 66~.

Packer445 said the following about heat...

It does not put out as much noise as I expected. The 8800gtx is fairly quite in this thing which is extremely surprising. All the heat is focused out of the back but the spot where you right hand sits does seem to get hot. (The 8800gtx is located right below your right hand) Alienware definitely did a better job controlling the noise and heat on this baby!

daniv said...

i ve been playing games allnight with my m15x (8800gtx), gpu didnt go above 75c and fans are very quiete, you hear only the sound of wind passing thru vents not the fan noise...i am happy. also the laptop isnt particularly burning,...the cooling seems to be good...

shima, in his thread, said...

Well, now that I got Everest to check GPU temps, I did a 3 hour GPU temp and heat test under load while gaming.

GPU temps reached upwards of 86 deg C which was kind of alarming considering the laptop was placed on the Zalman cooler the whole time. The good news is, the bottom of the laptop was only warm, not scorching hot like my E1705 gets.

20. Battery life?
hemlok reported 2 hr 51 min of DVD watching in Stealth Mode on the integrated graphics chip (?) with the screen dimmed...took the battery from full charge to 100%...

Packer445 reported 1 hr 10 minutes while gaming...

shima reported 4 hrs in Stealth Mode with dual batteries before the 10% warning showed up...and power management software running the integrated graphics chip (vs the 8800) in BinaryGFX estimated 4 hr 59 min with dual batteries...my personal interpretation of shima's last result is that if the power management is correct, BinaryGFX appears to provide an additional 20-25% battery life over the underclocked 8800 in Stealth Mode...another personal interpretation suggests that since both the internal battery and SmartBay battery are 6-cell then without the SmartBay battery you get about 2 hrs of battery life in Stealth Mode...that lines up fairly well with hemlok's 2 hr 51 min in Stealth Mode with the screen dimmed...

Anyway you slice it, 2+ hrs of life (non-gaming, at least not playing recent games) on the internal battery are excellent for a 15.4" gaming laptop...

21. What about screen quality and dead/stuck pixels?

No idea who makes the 15.4" LCD for Alienware. No idea about light leakage, contrast, color and brightness uniformity. Right now, with the lack of reviews, mrwater is our only hope, and unless you have technical image test software, those are all highly subjective.

As for the other...again straight from the Alienware page:

Alienware will replace an LCD screen if:

2-1. There is one dead pixel in the center/middle of the screen (see section #3 below for the definition of the center/middle of the screen).


2-2. There are more than two dead pixels in the outside frame of the screen (the outside frame is defined as any area outside of the center/middle of the screen).


Useful links

Lots of great pictures and EXCELLENT info from forum member, shima
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=216609

Excellent review and lots of pictures from forum member, Packer445
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=216505

Original Alienware intro page with pics of m15x and m17x and videos from the NYC media event
http://www.alienware.com/intro_pages/m17x_m15x.aspx

Official Alienware entry page for m15x...has the CES 2008 short video clip that was so popular
http://www.alienware.com/product_pages/notebook_m15x.aspx

Alienware Knowledge Base support for the m15x
http://4help.alienware.com/cgi-bin/...new_search=1&p_search_type=answers.search_fnl

Alienware page with Wired magazine's 'review'...(more like a full page ad)...notice 'perimeter lighting'...
http://image.alienware.com/images/review_images/pdfs/wired_0108.pdf

G4's brief interview with the Alienware dude from the NYC media event
http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/682545/CES_2008_Alienware_m15x_Gaming_Laptop.html

GearLive's coverage of m15x at CES 2008...(might help settle the BinaryGFX argument, too)
http://video.gearlive.com/video/article/q108-ces-2008-video-alienware-area-51-m15x-laptop/

cNET's official review of m15x...slightly more informative than the mostly worthless link below...but it's the first review of the m15x under 'laboratory' conditions...
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/alienware-area-51-m15x/4505-3121_7-32815586.html

cNET's and Dan Ackerman's short and mostly pointless video...he likes lights more than I do...
http://reviews.cnet.com/Alienware_Area_51_m15x/4660-13855_7-6826250.html

Engadget's coverage of the NYC media extravaganza...(click on gallery for lots of pics)
http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/19/hands-on-with-alienwares-area-51-m15x-and-m17x-laptops/

Forum member's, daniv, home (office) video of the m15x
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umrKxCQuoJ0

Official Alienware Users' Manual for m15x in .pdf format
http://aliendl.alienware.com/Mobile/m15x/DOC/m15x_Users_Manual.pdf


That's all for now...

 

Thank you, good work. Is it possible to make the thread sticky ?

 

Beautiful! It's nice that you stepped up and volunteered IWantMyMTV, I was planning on going through the m15x general information thread myself and picking out FAQ questions, but this is great.

I'll change the thread title, lol.

 

good post +rep!

 

Might want to change your smartbay question. I just got off with customer service:

John L.: Hi, my name is John L.. How may I help you?
Ken: Hi John
John L.: Hello, how may I assist you today?
Ken: will a smart bay battery for the m15x be available for purchase in the near future? I already ordered my laptop without it but I don't want to delay its shipping date
John L.: Yes it will be, as to when unfortunately I am unable to say as that information is not given ahead of time
John L.: Also if a replacement is needed you can call tech support for it.
Ken: well, I am doing some traveling in late february, would you advise me to change my order or just wait?
John L.: Either will be fine in the end. So it is really a matter of personal opinion.

 

Very good guide considering that you do not know a lot about all the tech specs and whatnot.

Things you should change.

Intel Turbo Memory: You will see NO performance gain whatsoever if you buy this. Turbo memory is meant for ****ty computers, which the M15x is not. I doubt you will even see a 1% performance increase with 2 / 3 GB ram.

Hybrid Drives: They are a gimmick. I have one and I haven't noticed any speed increase, not recommended by me.

RAM: Vista 32bit has a 3.5 / 4GB limitation for ram. With 64bit you can go up to I think either 32GB or 64GB. 3GB should be plenty. (Remove (1) 1024MB stick and replace it with a 2048MB stick.)

 

Can i just ask, this may be a Stuhuhpid question but will it be running SATA or IDE? Im guessing the SATA for RAID....

 

it has SATA Harddiscs but not with Raid

 

In regards to Penryn, this is straight from an Alienware rep:

We do have Penryn as an upcoming product. It is currently in the Research and Development stage; however, we do not yet have a definite time frame for its launch.

 

nice guide, i also agree, if you want the x-fi sound card, go elsewhere to buy it, i got mine for £35 off ebay whereas buying from AW would cost £50+

 

It's a cool FAQ, considering that you're not actually an "Owner" and all.

I'm hoping that you can do a similarly good job for the M17X when it's finally relased?

With regards to "Turbo Memory" i was reading about it from Intel and it seems that it was designed to work to it's full potential (i.e. at all) with the Penryn chips. Seems it adds to the power saving features etc.

On the whole a great review IWantMyMTV, thank you.

 

Here is what turbo memory used to do when it first came out. Just avoid it, with this much power you won't need to tap into it. Turbo memory is meant for 512MB/1GB Vista computers.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=2985&p=4

 

Ok so I ordered it. Now im pissed because I got an email from a sales rep telling me that it only lights up on the keyboard, and the alien head, WTF!!!
If anyone has it can they please tell me. I payed over 4500 for this thing. I called a tech guy and he told me that all the lighting was there. If you look at the website it also says it has "six distinct lighting zones" Which I assume would include the Touch pad, Keyboard, Touch sensitive buttons, Logo, Lid Light , And the alien head. 6, not 2. So I am just confused now.

 

He probably told you that as they are the EXTRA 2 zones to get the 6. As default the alienware head doesnt light and the keyboard doesnt light. You have to pay for that. This is at a guess, If you went for the more expensive option everything will be available to you.

 

Anybody know if the m15x would be shipping to places other than America? Especially UK or Hong Kong?

 

It appears that the UK site is being updated as we speak, Hong Kong I dunno

 

If I could wait until May to order the m15x, would you recommend doing so? Do you think there will be much of a price cut by then or due to the release of the m17x? And I know nobody knows, but would you say that Penryn would be available by May or that there's a good chance? Thanks.

 

The Uk site is working but, i ticked all of the boxes, without loads of accessories and the price came to £3,500 or so not cheap but, awsome!!!

 

While 3 more months is an eternity by computer tech standards, I have my doubts that the price of the m15x will drop. If anything, they may introduce Penryn CPUs at the same price point as the current Merom v2's. It is highly doubtful Nvidia will introduce a new high end GPU by that time also (considering how long it took them to get the new GTXs out), so I wouldn't expect GPU prices to drop either. AW is notorious for having overpriced RAM and HDDs, so if anything I'd hope for a base price drop (ala m9750 over the years) and Penryn around May. Since the m17x isn't replacing the m15x, I wouldn't bet on m15x prices dropping due to the m17x release.

Weighing Penryn vs a 2-3 month wait? I bought my m15x right away

 

I'm located in UAE,dubai. and i ordered mine from US through myus.com

You can place the order with them and they will ship it to you. when they receive the laptop.

 

FYI, Alienware has updated their knowledge base regarding the m15x:

http://4help.alienware.com/cgi-bin/...new_search=1&p_search_type=answers.search_fnl

 

Thanks for the link shima...I'll include it on the front post...and great set of pictures in the forum...I'm still agonizing between the m15x (portable) and the monster XPS 1730 with the X7900 and SLI 8800 GTX...Dell is running a killer price (and then I get another 10% discount on top of that)...I'm splitting my time now between Dell and Alienware forums and not checking the Alienware site as often...thanks again for the heads-up...

 

np, thanks for doing this. Oh, the HDMI audio issue is resolved on that knowledge base so that can be updated as well

I'd be tempted on the M1730 as well, if it wasn't for the fact that I'm sick of 17"ers. The specs and price right now are great for that Dell...plus accidental warranty, which is huge in my book.

 

I saw that (the HDMI fix) in a thread somewhere else, but mrwater said that the Realtek application wasn't even on his m15x...can you confirm audio is working through the HDMI port on yours?

I wasn't sure if mrwater's issue was isolated to his laptop, or if the suggested fix steps might be in error...I only believe about half of what I read on the Alienware site and less than half of what I hear on the phone from their customer reps...one of the reasons that the needle is pointing more towards Dell...the m1730 is a bit more mature...I've been in the market for a laptop since November (almost bought a refurbished m1710 with the 7950 GTX), but news of the 8800m made me stop...

The m15x will be an outstanding laptop, but I don't think Alienware was quite prepared to release it...they've definitely done real well with shipping times so far, but I'm a bit disappointed in the general lack of knowledge from Alienware employees (and incorrect information on the website) concerning what I consider their premiere piece...and a bit disappointed in the lack of chassis options with no estimated date for the other options...my OCD demands that the laptop case match my black Razer Copperhead and black WD Passport...you wouldn't believe how hard it was to find a wireless blue mouse to go with my current Toshiba...

I've never had a 17" laptop, but both my bros-in-law have them, and I think they're way too big...and the m1730 is even bigger...a 15" high-powered gaming laptop was/is so attractive...but that Dell price point...

Thanks for listening...if the black Ripley's don't show up by next Wednesday, I'll probably purchase the m1730 (or maybe buy a can of black spray paint and go with the m15x)

 

Hi Guys

Anyone know what SSD they are installing on the M15x? I just ordered mine and since most of my data stays on external HDD I went for the SSD option. I imagine they are too cheap to be Mtron drives, but here's hoping

Great faq btw, great forum actually

edit: I assume it's not Mtron and that's why they aren't shouting about it. Judging by what you said about their bumping up the prices of HDD and RAM maybe that explains why it's hard to get an answer.

I'm happy whichever SSD it is, they all have the benefits I need. All my magnetic HDDs have failed in the last few months and 64GB of internal space is enough to keep what I need on the computer and the main backup is on a big external disk. Sorry for rambling, I'm all excited

Here's the config I ordered, I have to still put the payment through so no delivery date..

Display: 15.4" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD (1200p)
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - Blue
Operating System: Genuine Windows® Vista Home Premium - English
Graphics Processor : 512MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go 8800M GTX
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor X7900 2.8GHz 4MB Cache 800MHz FSB - Extreme Edition
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz - 2 x 1024MB
Turbo Cache Memory: None
System Drive: Single Drive Configuration - 64GB SATA Solid State Drive
Smart Bay: None
CD/DVD/RW: 8x Dual Layer Writer (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Sound Hardware: External Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card
Keypad: Alienware® Area-51 m15x AlienFX® Keyboard - English
Wireless Network Card: Internal Intel® Wireless 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card
Additional Power: Additional AC Adapter - Alienware® m15X 120 Watt Auto-switch AC Adapter
Additional Power: Additional Battery - Alienware® m15x 9-cell Lithium-Ion Additional Battery
Additional Power: Additional Battery - Alienware® m15X 6-cell SmartBay Additional Battery

I can up the Ram, Optical drive and smart bay options later on. First to have an entirely solid state laptop with no moving parts that get damaged while moving places. Yippee, that was the worst thing with my current hardwre. Lot's of moving means bad back and broken hardware.

 

Mr Pras, U have alot of Greenback.

 

Err when did they add in a 9-cell battery?

 

I got excited about that battery too. Then I remembered someone said it's Europe only.

 

Anyone that gets the 9 cell can comment on how it fits in the laptop? I mean does it stick out like dell and make it look like *** ?

 

It wont stick out the back. Its under the laptop. They could make it bump out a little being that its centered in the back? Or was that the front of the laptop?

 

In case anyone is thinking of getting a XPS1730, Dell appear to have removed the option for the X7900 processor in the UK configurator, X7600 is the fastest now!!!
Not sure why unless they are getting ready to introduce Penryn's maybe?
OB

 

*raising hand*

I'm thinking about it...and I figured as much...Penryns are probably arriving on the XPS M1730 and Dell has to get rid of some Merom stock...

I'm even more cynical about the 8800m GTX SLI...9800s around the corner, anyone? Or is Dell just trying to get a leg up before the m17x is released? I thought Dell owned Alienware, but maybe the XPS team gets a bigger Christmas bonus if they can sell more than their Miami comrades...

It's still a very, very tempting price...

 

I'm not sure about the 9800's, the 9600 is rumoured to be released this Feb, in theory but that's only as good as the 8600, so to get the 9880 GTX, might be a much longer wait!!!

Just thought it might be useful info

OB

 

I think nvidia posted the info for 9300 and 9500 so probably this will be out this february. Still a long wait till 9800 GTX in a laptop and even longer for a 9800 GTX in a 15" laptop .

 

i just ordered one of theese beasts today, with an 8800 gtx, 2 gigs, and 2.4 ghz processor. i hope its nice. i wonder when it will get here.

 

Congratulations, If you want to know about what you have bought, read Packers Review http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=216505&page=1
I'm sure you'll love every minute of using it
OB

 

I also ordered one with an 8800 gtx, 2 gigs, and 2.4 ghz processor. thx for the link oodle-bear. Nice to check out some pics. Can't wait for it to arrive.

 

IWantMyMTV, I have an Everest update for ya, now that I upgraded to the full version.

8800M GTX under normal mode: 25920 MTexel fillrate
8800M GTX under stealth mode: 14256 MTexel fillrate

 

Hi all, im new here but ive been lurking around reading up about the m15x since it was anounced, finally have a question i didnt see covered. Anyone think that they will release a 64gb flash hd for the smart bay?

 

Thank you...you are indeed a scholar and a gentleman.

Your thread returned me from the brink of the abyss...

 

Please forgive my ignorance but, the score seems quite good eh, is it?

Also can they be overclocked using Ntune, maybe a little because of heat etc.

OB

 

Most of you may already know this by now....

Alienware m15x driver listing:

http://support.alienware.com/Suppor...ds_processed.aspx?os=&cat=32&manu=8&item=1050

 

Any idea what they will run when in SLi?

I'm hoping that the performance will be as good if not better than the desktop equivelent (single anyway)

OB

 

I am thinking of getting an m15x myself.

1. I am wondering if virtualization extensions are enabled.

2. Also does it come with any CD's? Particularly a real Vista disk?

 

cooler, you can order an alien respawn disc for $50 (a little high though, as one DVD is worth like $1...)

idk what the heck number 1 means

 

Thanks Travis. That is really stupid to charge for a restore disk. Its also stupid that Dell gives you the real disks AND Alienware is owned by Dell.

The virtualization extensions are on pretty much all new 64-bit processors and allows you to run a virtual machine (vmware or virtual pc) at native speeds. I know that Dell with their XPS m1530 they disable it in the BIOS and don't give you an option to enable it. That is part of my reason I'm probably not going to get a 1530 and go for a m15x.

 

Cooler they do provide you with a Vista disc. I got one thats labeled "System Recovery DVD" when I pop it in it says installing windows. Now what the difference is between this and the respawn dvd i'm not sure cause I didn't buy the respawn dvd.

 

Well its better than nothing. Thanks tacomenace.

Now if anyone can answer my question if virtualization is enabled that would be great!!!

 

i just noticed on the front of my m15x , to the left of where you put your thumb or whatever to lift the screen, theres a little black dot. looks like an infared thing or somethin..? what is it???

 

Infared, for the media center remote and such.