Alienware m15x General Information - Post m15x questions here!

The screen is a little wobbly by current standards (it isn't any different from my old laptop but it's 6 years old) and there is a definite creak sound when you start to move the lid. For some, it's pretty bad while for others (like me) it's nothing to worry about. As an example of its tenancy to wobble, some have said that the laptop is almost unusable in flight.

 

Yes there is basic support for things like different light schemes with new emails. AW has promised that more support will be coming (e.g. further integration with games). That said, you cannot change the lights when you go into stealth mode (but it doesn't seem like as big a deal, I mean the stealth mode button lights up when you're in stealth mode)

As to the light strip, it is (intended) to be a very thin strip of light (approx. 1mm). That said, build quality around the light strip is somewhat iffy so you do get some light leakage through the non-strip parts.

 

Unacceptable build quality ^

 

thx for the quick reply, one more thing is that i was wondering if it is possible to OC both the CPU and GPU to safe levels without damaging them and what would be the best config for the laptop be if i wanted it to last me around 4 years?

 

i dont recommending ocing either the gpu or the cpu. they both run kind of hot.

basically for the config to last 4 years
get
8800M GTX
T9300
1 gig of Ram -> upgrade to 4 yourself because it will be alot cheaper
200 gig + hard drive

with those parts, the laptop will last you 4 years before you would want to change.

 

meh, it could be better, but honestly it (the faults) only really stands out in dark-lit environments. plus, you can turn it off if you don't like it (us first-buyers back in the day are even "lucky" for having the light strip as it was initially disabled)

 

I bought a m15x (2.1 Dual Core Processor / 2 Gigs Ram / 8700M GT ) and is in Pre production phase 4, searching some info thru this forums i found out now that a gateway p-6860fx ( Centrino 1.8/ 4 Gigs Ram / 8800M GTS ) on best buy is in a very more comfortable price!

The 2 are on 1440 x 900 LCD, the m15x is in a $1800 configuration and the other one is at $1350 but is a 17'' laptop (Also i can afford to buy the 8800 on the m15x).

So im undecided at the moment, at first i wanted the m15x for its portability but now i want the gateway p6 for just the graphics, i think thats the most important overall feature for me, and seems that the purchase is very risky since im from southamerica and returning that computer will be expensive if it comes defective.

Any advice ?, If i cancel the order, can i get all my money back?
I know that i can call to ask the last cuestion but is saturday and they dont work till monday

 

if you cancel you will get all your money back.

 

I think the people that have the M15x should show Videos of the problems. Then Post on Youtube. So other people can look and see if they have the problem.

The only ones I see are people playing high end games.

 

I'm totally new here, and have a question regarding the M15X GPU.

I've been reading as much as I can regarding the overheating / underclocking issues around the M15X's 8800M GTX GPU. One thing I didn't notice was whether or not there was a corralation between the overheating issues and the screen resolution on those particular machines.

In other words - I would assume that machines with 1920x1200 displays place a greater demand on the GPU during intensive gaming cycles. My question is if anyone knows whether or not the machines experiencing overheating/underclocking issues were ones with the 1920x1200 displays, or if the 1440x900 displays were affected equally as well.

I'm considering purchasing one of these machines, and so have been very interested in the progress of AW's response to the various issues. Any help will be appreciated!

Many thanks.

 

the gpu overheating has been fixed with the x32 bios

 

That's correct. The GPU downclocking issue was fully resolved a couple months ago.

I think it's important to mention however that the GPU was never overheating, but that it was downclocking too early (i.e. before there was any chance of damage heat-wise) which is why it was a problem (normal usage would cause downclocking and inhibit game performance)

 

The over heating is gone from m15x?Wonderful

 

Thanks for the replies. Does that x32 BIOS ship with new machines now? (It isn't still Beta or anything? Does it come native, or will I have to download it and flash it?)

Also, do you guys who have an M15X recommend them now?

Thanks again!

 

new machines should ship with x32. i recommend the x32 since it does a way better job than x30.

 

I don't think the overheating is gone, the X32 fixed the downclocking and makes the fans running at higher rpm, but heat still there.
just me $0.02

 

depends on what you define as overheating. Normal operation with X32 will never put the GPU over 90 degrees C, which is normal for this type of card.

 

GRB would you agree that any temperatures over 90C should be considered as overheating? from I've read in this forum lot of m15x pass 90C for gaming. IMHO m15x were designed for gaming, if anyone want a laptop for normal operation they should get a dell m1530 or equivalents.

 

when i was playing on the m15x, my m15x never touched 90C highest i have seen was 83 :/. im going to see how the room temp will affect the m15x now since it is summer.

 

sorry, what I meant by normal operation was with no fan issues or any heatsink issues, not normal vs. gaming operation. As with exiled, no program I've ever run has sent the temperatures over 90. Once the fans hit high gear (which they do with X32) the temperature steadily decreases

 

Actually, Nirvana, some of the Tech Support staff from Alienware (Steve and Frank) were posting pretty regularly on the x32 update thread (which I've been reading since you all pointed me there!) -

Their claim is that 90C is well within the normal design limits of the 8800M GTX, and that the Alienware system and BIOS are designed around those parameters...

So, no, for that GPU, 90C does not qualify as overheating

The quote is here

 

Friar_Tuck my "overheating" was refering to overall internal temperature, not the limit of 8800m gtx, which support up 130C. If you are talking about the critical temperature limitation of 8800, then yes, 90C is far away from danger. however, it is too hot to both machine and user imo, I believe m15x transfer great amount of heat through palm rest? anyway, I am glad since everyone stated that their m15x are below 90C now.

 

Fair enough.

Yes, it is good to read that the major issues have been addressed and resolved by AW.

From the thread describing the x32 BIOS update, it seems that that update is still a Release Candidate. Anyone buy an M15X in the last few weeks, and know if the x32 is shipped as the default BIOS? Or does it still need to be downloaded and flashed?

Thanks again, everyone - the expertise and experience is appreciated!

 

sent with the system tuck!
-J.B.

 

Thanks, JB!

Nice pics, by the way. Love your desktop image. Our third is on the way - due end of July.

 

anyone have any recommendations on accessories for the m15x?

 

The heat on the right palm rest does become quite significant (and is noticeable even just browsing the internet) but it's not usually a problem because when it's at its hottest (playing games), your right hand is usually on the mouse, not the palm rest.

 

I've never been particularly bothered by 90c temp spike in the m15x. I can remember hitting 90c regularly on my old Dell 9300 w/6800m. We used to discuss it over at NBF and it seemed pretty common. It never caused any issues and I gamed on that machine for... I take that back... It's still being gamed on regularly. I sold it to a friend who plays WoW almost daily. So, it's been hitting 90c temps for almost exactly 3 years and has given him no problems as of yet.

Now, heat transfer through the case is another matter but I don't remember noticing any glaring problems with my hands getting hot while using the m15x. I think people with sweaty palms are more sensitive to this and my hands never sweat so I rarely notice it.

 

Hmm. I just like the idea of having the lighting toned down automatically when I'm in stealth mode, I could be asking for too much though.

I actually prefer the look of the wider one... with the lid shut how visible is it? Would it be possible to set the light tube to pulse when a new email is received and then shut the lid, would you still see the light? I suppose you could use the alien head but it's probably harder to see...

 

with the lid shut i can still see the light pretty well. i do like it being thing rather than being thick. the light pipe is really not that thick. i dont think there is a m15x out there with a thick light pipe. even chaz in his review unit has a thin light pipe.

i dont think its possible for the comp to recognize when you close the lid to change the light to different color or pulse. when the comp is closed i think it goes to hibernate so i dont think the lights will do anything even if you have the email light event on.

 

I wasn't asking for that

And I tend to disable hibernate on lid shut anyway

 

@gbr
When just searching the web put the on board gpu on and give the gtx a rest. Now you wont have the hot palm rest problem.
-J.B.

 

The edge light is entirely outside -- which is to say, if you close the lid the light is still fully visible.

@JB: but then I have to restart the computer to go to BinaryGFX, which is a little too much work if I'm only an hour or two between playing games, or I'm just taking a quick break, or if I don't know when I'll be playing a game again.

 

Hi everyone, I've been away for a bit but now I'm back and want to be a little cheeky! I've tried searching and not found anything so just to put my mind at ease, are there any significant driver updates that have been released recently, particularly bios updates and graphics card drivers? If there are any could someone please show me a direct link, not the alien support login thing as i can't seem to get access at the moment. Thanks for any help. By the way, i've got that beta bios that solved the downclocking stuff.

 

well thats pretty much it that I know of. I know a lot of other people are waiting for driver but as of now there is nothing.

 

will the m15x have
Montevina platform Centrino 2?
when its out

 

according to AW, no

 

Ok, basically I REALLY want an m15x, but the problem so far is that money is pretty tight. So basically what I want to know is if i can get the lowest quality laptop now, and upgrade it peice by peice later?

Basically to put it simply, can I self upgrade the:
Processor
Hard Drive
Video Card
Ram
Install Cache Memory

All without voiding the warrenty? or needing anything more than basic tools?

 

I doubt seriously whether you can (or ever should consider) updating the CPU or GPU in an M15X. I believe they're soldered in, but may be mistaken about that.

But you can upgrade the RAM for sure - it's an easy matter that Alienware provides instructions for on their website (unscrew the bottom-plate, take out the old DIMMs, slap in the new).

Upgrading the hard-drive isn't too difficult either. Should be pretty straight-forward. Another solution there is to purchase a smart-bay drive at a future date to increase storage space (transfer all your pictures, videos, etc... to the smart-bay drive to free up space for apps on your main).

I don't think upgrading RAM affects your warranty at all, and the HDD shouldn't either - but do check with AW directly about that before doing it!

 

Everything can be upgraded, including the graphics card.

Upgrading the processor and graphics card will void your warranty.

Good luck finding an MXM 8800m GTX though. You're better off buying a cheap laptop and a gaming console.

 

Yea I actually expected to not be able to upgrade the CPU/GPU as easily as the others. But thank you for assuring me about the RAM and Hard Drive though.

 

Yeah RAM and HD are easy enough. The GPU shouldn't be too bad either but the CPU might give ya some problems... if you want to save money though definately go with the lowest RAM and HD and replace them yourself.

 

if money is really tight mate i would advise not doing that upgrading notebook components is abit more risky than desktop hardware due to the way cooling in notebooks works.

i would advise..

Getting a 360 and a cheap laptops..

or building a afordable Desktop and a cheap laptop..


u can build a desktop as powerfull as the Alienware m15x maxed out and also get a say.. macbookpro 15inch for the same price as a maxed out alienware m15x.. so if your that tight for cash i wouldn't recommended the m15x at all

not to mention the cheapest macbookpro has a 8600m gt which is more than capable of playing crysis at medium with some high.. or u could get the 15inch dell XPS with the same specs as teh macbookpro if u dont want

and your desktop will out perform the m15x..

the M15x is really a some one niche/style item for people who wish all there PC gaming to be inside 1 single unit.. getting a m15x with a 8600m or 8700m is really a waste of money from my perspective.

 

GW p-6860fx for tight budget

 

Like nirvana said.
A gaming laptop in most cases is not going to be cheap no matter who you choose to buy from.
-J.B.

 

I just ordered crysis for my M15x (8700GT, 2.4GHz, 2Gb Ram, 1Gb Turbo Ram), How do you guys think it will perform? Did i waste my money?

 

Ya i wanna know too. I have an T9300 2.5Ghz, a700m gt, and 3Gb of Ram. I wanna see benchmarks for the 8770.

 

You will be fine...
I finished it on my M1530 with a 8600M GT. Obviously you can't expect anything fancy... and in the last levels, be ready for some serious lag.

 

How can you buy extras for the M15x after you've got it? I wanted to buy a Smartbay battery and an empty Smartbay to put an HDD in.
Cheers

 

Just call cs and ask for it, they will be glad to help you!