Alienware m15x General Information - Post m15x questions here!

Well, here is what I put together. Might order next week:

[1] Area-51® m15x

Display: 15.4" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD (1080p)
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - Blue
Video/Graphics Card: 512MB Nvidia® GeForce™ Go 8800M GTX
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7700 2.4GHz (4MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 1024MB
Turbo Cache Memory: Intel® Turbo Memory (1GB) – Accelerate Data Transfer Speed
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Ultimate
System Drive: 200GB 7200RPM (16MB Cache)
Optical Drives : 2x Blu-ray Writer/DVD±RW Burner
Wireless: Internal Intel® Wireless 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card
Sound Card : External Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card
Keyboard Options: AlienFX® Illuminated Keyboard
Mobile Essentials: Alienware® 6-cell Smart Bay Additional Battery
Warranty: 3-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
AlienRespawn: AlienRespawn v2.0 Recovery DVD – Windows Vista® Edition
Microsoft Office Suites: Microsoft® Office 2007 Small Business - Factory Installed!
Includes Basic + PowerPoint, Accounting Express and Publisher!
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mesh Cap
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mousepad
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mobile Binder
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Personalized Nameplate
Alienware Extras: Owner Identification Card
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m15x Protective Cloth Sleeve
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m15x Keyboard Diagram Overlay
Alienware Extras: Area-51® m15x Smooth Mylar Touchpad
Avatar: Alienhead Glow
Window Style: Graphite Window Style
Mouse Pointers: Standard Mouse Pointers
Wallpaper: Alienhead 3D (Widescreen)
Wallpaper: Alien Cyborg (Widescreen)
Wallpaper: Alien Schematic (Widescreen)
Power Plan: High Performance
Automatic Updates: Automatic Updates On
Sidebar Gadgets: Calendar
Sidebar Gadgets: Weather Forecast (default location)
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Time Zones: (GMT - 5.00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)

$4,436

Might up the processor, but I'll add more ram on my own. Since you all say it's easy

 

hope us future M15X owners will be able to upgrade to those

 

another cool feature (atleast i think its cool) is that AW attaches this plate at the bottom of the m15x where you can get whatever name you want laser etched onto it in english and the alien language AW came up with. pretty cool i think

 

yeah and its free too!

 

Looks good. But, do I get my real name? Or my game name? Decisions decisions...

 

real name lol

 

yea i did this for my avatar

 

lol lets start a thread is m15x and m17x 9800GTX compatible???

 

your not gonna get any answers and its going to be way too far off.

 

I just ordered the $2099 m15x, they put that command center picture at the top but don't let you get the fancy lighted keyboard.

It was so sexy too :-/

Should ship out the 17th for me, can't wait

 

I just realized this doesn't have esata... I thought it did. I guess that's the M17x that has it.

 

tell us how it is when you get it.

 

yup its the m17x

 

you mean the m15x you ordered does not have the lit keyboard??

 

Yeah, I most certainly will.

Nope- the $2099 preconfig does not have the illuminated keyboard. I asked an online sales rep, she said the only way to get one is with the $2699 model. I think I can still light up the logo and stuff with the colors I want, just no keyboard lights.

 

now that is sneaky i must say

 

No its gonna have keyboard lights just not controllable is all.

 

"All-new Ripley case design including Alienware non-illuminated, custom keyboard "

Nope, no lights for him at all.

 

so basically you're paying $600 for not so great upgrades and a lit keyboard...nice one AW

 

Hey don't worry man, the 8700m GT in a 15 inch notebook is still a first of it's kind and still very good.

Good luck buddy!

 

I don't think they'll ever even be a 9800GTX since as naming schemes go, the 8800 GT (G92 that the 8800m GTX is based off) should have been called 9800 GT because the 9800 GX2 is just two G92s like the 7950 GX2s and the 9800 GTX is just a G92 with more shaders/higher clocks so that the 8800 GT is the new 8800 GTS and the 9800 GTX is the new 9800 GTX... Damn you nvidia for your confusing numbering schemes!

The 9xxx series at the moment is just a die shrink which should lower temperatures but no drastic improvements as it's still the same generation card, same architecture with a smaller die size. (Though I hear the desktop 9600 GT might get a 256bit bus, hope that stays the same for the mobile version!)

So the next top end mobile chip will be based off nvidia's next gen chip GT200 which presumably is coming out mid this year to compete with amd/ati's next gen chip R700. So yeah, we won't be needing to upgrade our gpus for at least a year and a half basing on how long they took to introduce the 8800m GTX unless they release a 8950m GTX though I don't think the difference in performance would really be much anyways. Maybe longer since the GT200 is rumoured to be the largest gpu out there.

 

Guys I dreamt about watching a video on youtube about someone unboxing their M15x.

 

You need to seek help fast. By seeking help, I mean buying me an M15x. Then I can help you out by posting the unboxing video.

 

Thanks I'm still really pumped, I wanted a 15 with a good graphics card, and $2100 was a little higher than budget ($2334 after tax/shipping), but I feel it'll be worth it.

For $600 you get the fancy lights and the 8800, you could get a PS3 and 4 lamps from target for that price. Plus it wasn't anywhere near budget, but anyone who can afford it will have the super sexy-light extreme.

 

Really disappointed with the configuration options

 

yeah me too

 

Just wait. A smartly configured m15x with amazing specs should cost around $2200-$2300, Alienware's "reccomended configurations" are overpriced with price upgrades and ****. Look at the M9750's "reccomended configurations", you could get an awesome system at a much better value if you smartly configure it yourself.

 

Will penryn be implemented into the m15x eventually or no?

 

but i really dont feel like waiting! ill freeze myself

 

The motherboard could handle it, but only time will tell. Alienware usually doesn't upgrade the processor chipset until a new notebook model comes out.

 

Penryn is still Santa Rosa though, they will update eventually...hopefully

 

Actually they put the dimensions on the tech specs tab ant the bottom right of that page

 

that wasnt up before.

 

How do you guys know for sure that there will be no penryn in the m15x? Are you guys just speculating or are specs formally released?

EDIT: Never mind, I saw the page with the configuration options. Damn.

Now heres my question: Will the models be fully configurable soon?

 

honestly were about as clueless as you are.

 

Yeah, they definitely will let us configure it from the ground up soon, probably by the end of January.

 

Ahh, cool.... when I was looking at it earlier today, they didn't have that Tech Specs tab.

I've got to say, this really sounds like a winner....... can use the bay for an optional battery, and has the BinaryGFX stuff to switch to integrated graphics; and at 7 pounds, its within reason to be somewhat portable, so this could actually be a nice dual machine; great for gaming, but not bad at all as an all-around laptop either.

-Zadillo

 

Im with zadillo on that one this laptop has the makings of a truly amazing all around laptop. Probably somewhere on the top ten list of all around amazing laptops. Especially with a reasonable base price of 1400$. Best in show? Possibly!

 

lucky I wish i could get one right now. But i still want to wait for a config that i like

 

The thing is, they are not even on cnets list for best of show for hardware, but that 1300$ gateway with the 8800M gts is

 

well it's not my dream configuration- i would have liked the lights, the 8800, less ram (so i could put my own in) and a faster cpu...

but that would jack up the price, and i cant wait till feb before i get the new one- my t41 is crashing when i open 2 IE windows now.

if you can wait, it's always better to wait

 

Cnet is half retarded though... seriously some of their reviews are absolutely ridiculous. Either way this thing is definitely gonna win some awards.

 

I merged two threads with this that pertain to the m15x. If it's not too much to ask, could we keep as many m15x comments in here as possible rather than in separate threads? This forum may get hectic over the next few days so I'd like to keep things reasonably organized.

 

Cool, the forum does look better now!

 

Yeah much better now

 

sweet i dont have to open any more tabs! Back on topic though I kinda feel like alienware is just toying with us and its really unfair. ( not unfair just pisses me off ) Because first they create all this curiosity through the contest. Then they reveal the laptops but wait! they come out later but were not telling you! So ces right? you think theyd come out! Too bad only M15X comes out... AND THEYRE PRECONFIGS!!! Not even skullcap! Or color options! grrrrr..... I just need to vent...

 

I want to see a notebook with a quad-core CPU in it - that would sweeten the whole deal.

 

Yeah, I was hoping to configure and submit an order for one of these tomorrow, but they DON'T have complete BLACK case with Skullcap available.

Me, being the paranoid wannabe-laptop-owner called up Alienware, talked to a rep named Denise (ext. 6219 - dont know why I'm displaying this info but I guess I felt like it) and this is what she said when I asked her that I wanted a completely black skullcap m15x:

She said the other configuration options should be available within the next 2 weeks.

To confirm this I again asked her "So the configuration options will be available by end of January?"
and she said "yes."

Then I again asked her "So if everything goes as planned, the other configuration options will be available by end of january and not run into mid february or something?"

She said that 2 weeks was the guideline that Alienware had given them. I think she said something to me that basically meant that she did not have the authority to give out an exact date.

Hopefully 2 weeks, and 2 weeks only, is the extra wait time. I'm sick and tired of this wait!

 

you and me both... I think im gonna go with... 8800MGTX, WUXGA screen, 200GB HDD @ 7200, 1gb 667 RAM, and a 1.8 Ghz processor. Then upgrade later to a Penryn T9300, and Crucial 4gig kit.

 

Well i doubt im the only one that has been following engadget or gizmodo for ces news and reviews about the m15x but as you already know there has been no such news from these sites. Does anyone know a site that has a ces review and or video of the m15x. So far the only thing I can find is at http://brandednew.com/2008/01/10/alienware-area-51-m15x-jan-10-2007.aspx Let me know if you guys know anyother good sites. They including pricing and availability info as well but not sure if its anything we dont already know.