Alienware m15x General Information - Post m15x questions here!

4. Yeah, I know, total overkill (especially since you only get to use 3.1 under 32-bit Vista) but on my current computer, one of the main issues (besides graphics) is too little RAM, so I wanted to make sure I don't make that mistake again.

 

GRB, I like your style.

 

I've had notebooks with the following resolutions:

17" : 1920x1200
17" : 1440 x 900
15" : 1680 x 1050
15" : 1440 x 900

MY favorite by far is the 15" with 1440 x 900. But, even with the 17" at 1440 x 900, I do not notice an issue with loss of resolution for gaming. Can't even imagine using 1920x1200 on a 15". Even though Vista scales reasonably well for text, very few people will really see a difference in gaming or movies.

It's hard to see the difference between 1080p and 720p on a 40" TV ... can't imagine it will make a big difference on a 15" display. Plus, there's always the option to run at higher res on an external display.

Disclaimer: Resolution preference is very much personal, and depends on what you are used to. I'm just sharing my experience, for what it is worth.

 

In response to AlienFX

well, I don't think that sc2 and Crysis will be on a blu ray disc but rather a dvd or something of that sort because if it were, then the game wouldn't be able to be played by most consumers. The Blu ray drive can still play anything besides HD though I believe.

As to the 1920x1200 resolution, it's not very useful and it's a pretty expensive upgrade. I don't think anybody would use the resolution since everything would be so hard to read, but I guess id you want you could increase the size of everything to compensate. The only reason I'd get 1920x1200 is if I want to watch movies a great deal of the time since they'd still be full screen and higher resolution would be better. For gaming, the newer games can't even be played at that high of a resolution without turning laggy so there's no point there.

 

I'm getting the $2099 preconfig, it comes with 2gb of ram.

Would I have faster results by keeping it at 2gb with the dual channeling, or should I upgrade one of the sticks to 2gb to make a total of 3gb?

 

Nah, Singapore is way farther away...in Asia.

And thanks Derred for the pm you sent me.

 

Thanks to Shazzoz and KidProdigy

I think Im going for:

- Black, Skullcap case design (wating two weeks for that)
- 15.4" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD (720p) with Clearview Technology
- Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7800 2.6GHz (4MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
- 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 2048MB
- Intel® Turbo Memory (1GB) – Accelerate Data Transfer Speed
- Windows Vista® Ultimate
- 8X Dual Layer CD-RW/DVD±RW Burner

And upgrade to T9500 penryn processor in a little more than one year. Maybe by then it will be cheaper.

What u guys getting?

 

Ok the point of the tabs on the bottom of the computer is for user upgradability. It will be exceptionally easy. The ram is literally three steps. Open laptop, put ram in, close laptop. The processor is virtually the same other than the fact you have to take off the cooling system, and put some thermal compound on it. But thats really it. Extremely simple.

 

What's the timeframe for Penryn?

 

Its out

 

Should have phrased that better.. What is the timeframe for the Penryn on the m15x? Unless it's already available and I missed it?

 

It might never get it, maybe if you're lucky it will in 2-3 months at the least.

 

I see it this way...

Technology is useless by itself. The user has to determine the application of the technology. As I've mentioned before, if you're only going to play games on the laptop then the 1440x900 resolution is more than sufficient.

But...if you do any photo editing or work in multiple windows, the extra screen real estate of 1920x1200 is invaluable. I'm typing this on a 15" (not 15.4") laptop with 1600x1200, and my old, tired eyes can read the screen just fine, and I can see more posts and page construction than an LCD set at 1280x960.

And I can always play a game at 1440x900 if the 8800m can't handle 1920x1200, nVidia chips upscale quite nicely with minimal impact on framerates...and the upscaling still looks quite nice...

And more to the point of your post...you'll probably be able to upgrade to Penryn quite easily...maybe even upgrade to the next nVidia chip...RAM and HDDs and optical drives are ridiculously easy to upgrade...BUT the decision on resolution will be with you for the life of the laptop...yep...it's $300 to upgrade, but if you don't buy it at initial purchase, you can NEVER upgrade the LCD...

For those of you who don't know what works for you, you probably need to decide how you're going to use the laptop and then head to BestBuy or Circuit City and look at different size laptops with different resolutions...if your eyes don't like 1920x1200, stay away from it and save your $300...as for me, after having a UXGA laptop, I will never go back to less resolution...

 

hey there. You actually can upgrade the monitor with Alienware as long as you have the warranty. And you can upgrade yourself too if you are out of warranty : http://www.screentekinc.com/search-lcd-screen.shtml?lcds_product=alienware&Submit.x=0&Submit.y=0

 

Nevertheless, I understand your point. I was in that position too. I have a desktop (so I have extra monitor on my side if I am thinking photo editing). Plus if one have done multiple monitor for photo editing or whatever, trust me you'll never go back.

 

Well, I'll be a pickled hawg...

I wasn't aware that Alienware would upgrade LCDs for you while the laptop was under warranty...

And I wouldn't recommend an in-home LCD replacement for the faint of heart...hinges never seem to work so good after you've messed with them...

Thanks for the tip...but I still think I'll let Alienware put the screen together for me...

External monitor would work, but I prefer to take the higher res with me wherever I go...comes from years of being stuck on a US Navy ship with very little personal space...and the m15x doesn't have a VGA out, does it? Do they make HDMI to VGA converters? I read somewhere at sometime that converting HDMI or DVI to VGA was impossible...but I thought the same about LCD upgrades...

 

It's not impossible: http://www.mycablemart.com/store/cart.php?m=product_list&c=61&gclid=CL-gkPTx9JACFQdEFQodOEjp1A

http://search.cablestogo.com/?qu=HDMI to DVI

about LCD upgrades, I forget how it works. It's either you only pay the upgrade and one way shipping or with labor or whatever it is. I forget so it would be helpful if someone here with experience or call the tech to answer this question specifically.

 

Hey
About the Intel Turbo Memory, it will become more efficient with the new Vista SP1 which will be available soon I think.
And did someone think of the noise the m15x will make because of the cooling systems? And is someone sure that AW will implement the Penryn one day in the m15x?

 

No one knows, may never happen...

 

Anyone know if the accent lights can be turned off? It would make sense for them to include that, but it's not a given..

 

Yes in the AW control panel (with the UFO logo)

 

I think the problem would start when you tried to install a game from CD/DVD onto the Smartbay Hard Disk seeing as you can't have them both installed at the same time.
I think the latest Thinkpad smartbay drives have miniUSB connectors so that they can be used as external drives but I've not seen that mentioned for M15x

 

You can only pick one color to have for the glowing lights? It looked cool in the preview with all the different colors, but when you build the notebook, you only have one color available. Seems confusing because right above that there is this Color Control Panel with all the colors available.

Could someone please explain this?

 

They ask for your color preference so that it will already be set for you, but you can change to any of the colors from the command program. I, for example, prefer blue. I wouldn't be as wowed by the first boot up if the keyboard was glowing purple or green. It's a nitpick, but Alienware took it into account anyway.

Edit: Who's the girl in your avatar? She's cute.

 

Hey Guys,

Long time reader first time poster!!! LOL.

Like most people in this forum, the m15x has peek my interest. I have seen some of the videos and read some of the previews. One thing that is a concern to me is the graphics card and their switching technology between discrete and dedicated graphics.

Question1:
Can the 8800m GTX be under-clocked in order to make it work in a 15.4" frame? If so...by how much? Does anyone know where I can the specifics of the 8800m GTX that was implemented into that notebook? How hot will this GPU get? If heat is an issue, how long will you be able to run it in 8800m GTX mode during intense and less intensive tasks?

Question2:
BinaryGFX, I know it is controllable though the Alien command center, but how much control do we have? If the 8800m GTX begins to over-heat...does it automatically switch over or down-clock?

What i am worry is that if i were to buy the m15x for its gaming performance and mobility (as compared to a 17" notebook).....I don't want to end up finding out that the perforamnce is lack luster because Alienware sacrifced/cut corners on the 8800m GTX in order to cram it into a 15.4" frame.

 

I wasn't giving a big deal to the fact that some Sales Rep say something and other Sales Rep say another completly different thing but I'm tired now!!!!... I dont know what its happing with Alienware's Sales Rep!

I asked to two different Sales Rep and theys said to me that alienware is not planning to launche the m15x in the skullcap design and in Black color sometime nearly in the future!!! And I saw a lot of comments in here that more config options will be available in the next two weeks, so what " in the name of Zeuz ButtH**le its happening???

And that was just an example. I already asked for technichal questions and always give different answers to me!... Are this happening to you too?

 

Guys, Did you know that the "External Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Card " is not installed inside the laptop?.. and it is more like an USB thing that you connect from the outside of the laptop... this is a little nuisance don you think?.. a ´pieace of this card keep outside of the unit..

 

Your link is to HDMI-to-DVI adapters...that's easy...

However, that webstore also has DVI-to-VGA adapters with the following information:

"Note: A VGA to DVI connection can only be successfully made if the DVI connection supports analog. Both the DVI-I standard (which indicates support for both analog AND digital) and DVI-A (which indicates analog only) are compatible with a VGA signal. If your DVI connection is DVI-D (digital ONLY), this connection will not be successful."

I don't think HDMI has an -A, -I, and -D suffix. You can convert the HDMI to DVI, but you have a DVI-D which will not convert to VGA (ie, a physical wiring adapter cannot convert digital to analog).

If you're planning on using the m15x with an external monitor that does not have an HDMI or DVI-I (or -D) input, you may want to ask Alienware some very direct questions.

 

AlienFX:

You get Kudos for the Nick Cage quote. Yeah, the X-Fi card is inserted into the Express Card slot on your laptop. It will give you improved sound quality, and with the extra attachment Creative Labs sells, you can connect it to surround sound speakers. I'm getting it because everyone raves about X-Fi. Seems worth it to me.

A number of people have talked to Alienware and been told that Skullcap and the black cases will be available by the end of January.

 

it fits in the express card slot, and doesn't use anything else except that (and express card is usually only used for ethernet adapters and a few storage solutions) so you're not really losing anything, it only sticks out by about 1cm so it should not be a nuisance

 

Okay, now that makes a lot more sense. It was just presented strangely.

Why, it's Justine Joli!

 

I agree, they should make it more clear. I was looking at their desktops for awhile and I thought Alien FX was limited to one color. Someone on here spoke to Alienware and set the record straight

 

Has anyone found any detailed reviews yet of the m15x? I know this site usually has a few good reviews, but I haven't been able to find any anywhere on the net. I'd like to see the pros and cons and what people really liked and what people hated. I like knowing about certain things before buying new laptops. Like on my Alienware M9700 laptop I liked knowing before hand from some reviews that the touch pad created a lot of friction when you went over it with your finger because it had the same finish on it as the chassis.

I'd like to see more videos of the thing in action too. Has anyone found any more videos other than the ones that have already been posted in this thread? Also, I know that some of you have already ordered your m15x's. It would be really nice to the people that are holding off on buying it until more options come available if the people who already ordered it posted a 5 minute video on youtube of it running Crysis or a full 360 degree tour of it or whatever. It would really make all of us happy to have more videos and info to drool over while we wait. PLEASE LET US KNOW HOW IT IS !!!

I also really want to see the framerates and the quality settings that this beast can put out in Crysis. Has anyone found anything on the net like a review that would give or show this kind of info?

 

This machine was literally just announced and fully unveiled a few days ago - it's a bit early for reviews. I imagine Alienware has gotten some review units out at least, but I don't think any reviews have popped up already.

-Zadillo

 

The m15X only became available to order last Friday and delivery of even the first orders look to be around the beginning of February. So, you aren't likely to see a user review until no earlier than the early to mid-February. There might be a review on one of the computer sites if Alienware gave them an advance model to play with but we just won't know until if/when they start showing up.

 

I have one on Order and should recieve it early feb. I would be glad to do a review and post videos on you tube for everyone.

Better yet if everyone can drop me a PM on what they would like to see in a review (video or pictures) it would be great. Also my videos could be done in HD, as I have a HD video camera.

This is my first Alienware, I have owned every 17" XPS laptop to date. Gen1Gen2, M170 and m1710 and a m90. Really looking forward to seeing and owning this laptop. The fit and finish of the AW's I have seen have been far superior to any dell I have owned. I am also new to this forum but have been a member of Noteforums.com for a long time.

 

since everyone know that keyboard and other things can change colors can anyone give me answer if its possible to set the actual brightness level of all those light?
cause all these light are very bright even at day time and thats seem bothering at especially night time thx

 

Would love to see your spec and "out-of-the-box" Crysis benchmarks, CoD4, and 3dmark06. Is that too much of asking? And maybe some normal usage and comment would do just fine too.

 

Here are my systems specs.

[1] Area-51® m15x

Display: 15.4" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD (720p) with Clearview Technology
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - White
Video/Graphics Card: 512MB Nvidia® GeForce™ Go 8800M GTX
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 X7900 2.8GHz – Extreme Edition (4MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 1024MB
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Home Premium
System Drive: 200GB 7200RPM (16MB Cache)
Optical Drives : 8X Dual Layer CD-RW/DVD±RW Burner
Wireless: Internal Intel® Wireless 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card
Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Keyboard Options: AlienFX® Illuminated Keyboard

And those benchies are surely not too much to ask. Actually they were on the list to begin with. Although I don't put too much faith in 3dmark06 benchies, real world game benches i find the best. Just simply because that the way you play your games.

 

newfiejudd-I personally would've save some money and got the 1900x1200 screen and the 2.6 processor. I would see a bigger improvement in the resolution than the 200mhz faster speed. then again, running a game that high rez would slow it down.

 

I have a 1920X1200 screen in my XPS's and M90. I actually find most 1920X1200 screen in these laptops quite dull compared to Sony and Toshibas with a lower resolution. I love the screen realstate when dealing with spread sheets and reports, but to be honest I think it would be jsut too small for a 15" even with changing DPI. I have also noticed that when running these 1920x1200 screens off native res they look absolutly terrible. And no matter how much AA you use(kiling FPS they just look like crap) Crysis is terrible on my XPS at 1440X900. But it's the only way to get anything playable with FPS.

So I just whent on the side of caution and upgraded my my CPU. I am hoping the x7900 will be overclockable, like it is in the XPS m1730.

 

U sure about the battery? When I tried to put it together it said my main battery was a smart bay battery too. so I'm confused if its a main battery or one of those that actually run in the smart bay for 2x the batery life.

 

Is that means u recommend 1400x900 instead of 1920x1200? Or else?

 

Actually, I called up Sales Support at Alienware and asked them if the x7900 is overclockable like in the M1730, and they said that it was probably possible by going into the bios, but it WILL VOID THE WARRANTY !!! Now that I know this I am not going to get the x7900 because it's not worth the $400 upgrade price from the 2.6 GHz; I'ts just not worth it for 200 MHz more CPU speed.

 

If I run a game like Crysis at 1900x1200 vs 1440x900 the higher resolution will ALWAYS look better. May no run faster, but should look better. On the other hand running Crysis at 1440x900 at 1900x1200 will look worse. If thats not what your saying, something is wrong with your setup. You should NOT need to use anti-alias at high resolutions most of the time as the higher resolution clears up most of the obvious jaggies. But I can see going with 1440x900 if all you do is game.
I use mine at work for Graphics work. I need the higher resolution.

 

Hi again,
I just wanted everyone to know about this great service that I found on the net for Accidental Damage coverage. If anyone is uneasy about spending massive amounts of money on this laptop like I am you might want to check out this site so that you can take it out of your room and into the dangerous world . The site is http://www.safeware.com/. If you scoll down to the bottom it says "Copyright 2007 Safeware, The Insurance Agency, Inc.", The Insurance Agency sounds like a name you can trust. Just thought I'd share the link with you guys.

P.S. If anyone has had past experiences (good or bad) with this company, let the rest of us know, I know that I'm curious about the service.

 

wait I'm confused - the Core 2 Duo x7900 Extreme Processor isn't just a 200 mhz increase from 2.6 GHZ t7800 right?

Because as far as high performance video editing is concerned, there is no reason to jump from a 2.4 GHZ T7700 to a 2.6 GHZ t7800 (as I heard when talking to the Adobe rep. for Premiere Pro 2.0 and After Effects 7.0)

Please correct me if I'm wrong when I say that the difference between the 2.6 Ghz t7800 and 2.4 Ghz t7700 is minimal/not worth the money.

On that note, wouldn't you either get the 2.4 Ghz t7700 OR the 2.8 Ghz x7900?.....and isn't the x7900 in a different league of processor type? I would think you wouldn't simply compare the Ghz because they are different types of processors...

Please correct me if I'm wrong because this is what I have understood from some research...

 

Extreme CPUs have unlocked multipliers. It's for overclocking, nothing more.

 

Yeah im not really a fan of extreme processors. Because I overclock a little then have to beef up the cooling. It ends up not being worth the time and money.

 

anyone know if the m15x and 17x have the side lights of any kind? i've heard of the "light pipe" thing but not sure if its true. also are there lights in the front speakers???? im addicted to blinking LEDs like a mosquito.