Alienware m15x General Information - Post m15x questions here!

Yup, only for overclcoking. Most chips are actually the same Chip. Like everything else some work better then others. So when intel test them the better chips gte a higher frequency. That means usually the better chips get the extreme stamp and are clocked much higher with an unlocked multiplier.

The x7900 has been runnig great for most people at 3.2 ghz range with out a significant increase in thermal heat. It does generate heat but the system can still cool it.

 

For my systems if you run below the native res of the the graphics tend to look worse. Plus it takes significally more power to drive 1920 x 1200 then 1440 x 900. This in my eyes will give your laptop a little more longivity down the road instead of trying to drive all newer games at 1920 x1200. My wifes notebook as the same screen 1440 x 900. And i find it fits the 15.4" quite nicely. not too small not too big.

So for me yes I would recommend the lower res screen on the M15x, but as many people have stated if you do any type of photo editing then teh larger screen may be what your looking for.

But again it's a personnal choice.

 

Looks like the insider exclusive period is over. The m15X is now available to the general public from Alienware's website: http://www.alienware.com/.

 

I missed that in your original post. I thought you said running games at 1920x1200 would give you worse picture than the 1440x900 at native resolutions. And yes, as I mentioned too, higher resolution would be harder on the fps. But I would rather run at higher resolution than a lower resolution w/antialias turned on. I think I did a test a while back that running with more graphic features turned on lowered my fps more than running a game at a higher resolution.

 

Wow that would be an interesting comaparison to see. I know with certain games any AA and it will kill FPS. I think for me, I will be happy with 1440x900. And in the end it's what I can be happy with. And hopefully as the past has proven to us the LCD can be upgraded.. I also have a 24" dell at home to plug this into from time to time.

 

It was foolish not to include a 1680x1050 resolution option. It's a nice middle.

 

I think it's even more foolish to not offer a nice standard WXGA resolution as an option.

 

Eh not really. 1440x900 is ok for 720P, and 1920x1200 is goot for 1080P. 1680x1050, while nice to use (my asus g1s uses that), it won't show 1080P. so having two choices I think they did well.

 

So it's basically a "mine is bigger than yours argument", and of course bigger being better. What a joke!

 

Huh? were you talking to me? If you were, I was jsut commenting on why Alienware choose those two sizes. One for 720P and one for 1080P. I'm sure they did that because of the option of the Bluray.

 

I was about to say the same exact thing, but you beat me to it. Yup 1920x1200 scale with 1080p perfectly, so I would say they did a good job in terms of that. But yes working on 1680x1050 is great, I tried that once and I really like it. Maybe just working spreadsheet or document on it, not necessarily gaming or watching movie on it.

 

true, cant stand anything higher than wxga, so wxga+ is gonna be a challenge for me
i wonder it its got 3g wwan slot in it...

 

Ugh I guess I'm just going to have to pay a visit to the local Fry's/CircuitCity/BestBuy or something and see the LCD screen sizes for myself!

But if you're doing photo editing, you can easily output to a 1920 x 1200 monitor, right?


So now I have 2 Dilemmas: 1920 x 1200 v.s. 1440 x 900
and WHICH PROCESSOR?? t7700 vs t7800 vs x7900

I guess the LCD screen size ill have to check at the store?
Processor wise, I want to run games (like Crysis, Bioshock, etc.) and I do DV (and eventually HD in the future?) editing using Adobe Production Studio (Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0, After Effects 7.0, Photoshop CS2, Audition 2.0, Illustrator CS2).

Does anyone have any recommendations? Thank you!

I really want something super fast and super reliable - I just dont have 5,000 bucks to blow away (I'm still in high school and my dad is going to buy it, but we're trying to get parts that are actually worth the money for my needs...like I realized that for the time being I won't need a Blu-ray burner/reader on my laptop bc the technology is not as sophisticated as it will be...and when I do need one i can upgrade)


Thanks a lot!

Edit: Also, does the m15x Integrated Audio also have the optical audio jack? Or does that only come with the Creative XiFi? What is the benefit of having the Creative XiFi thing? It's an extra 100 bucks and prob. sticks out a centimeter (no big deal). What's so great about it?

 

If I had someone to buy my Asus G1s, I would buy the 1920x1200,t7800 because 2.4 is what I got and while I doubt 2.6 will make it much faster, but I'm all for a faster processor as long as it doesnt cost $650 for 400mhz. I want the BluRay BUT I want something that can burn DVD. So I'm stuck getting the BluRay burner. Another arm and a leg.

 

The m15x only has an HDMI output. HDMI can only go to a device with an HDMI input, or if you buy a converter, to a device with a DVI-I or -D input. If your monitor only accepts a VGA input, no dice without a middle piece of hardware to convert the digital to analog.

What size HD video editing? 1080 or 720? If 1080, I would highly recommend the 1920x1200. If 720, then 1440x900 will still work for you (although somewhat painful).

As far as previous discussions on aliasing, nVidia chips will allow you to play without scaling a lower res up to the native resolution. You can play the game in 1440x900 on a 1920x1200 screen with large black borders around the image. Runs fast and preserves the quality, but not very immersive. Or you can allow the chip to scale the 1440x900 up to 1920x1200...that costs 1-2 fps (more if you enable AA), but causes the artifacts and jaggies (which are reduced if you run AA).

If I understand what I read about the 8800m GTX, the only current games it should struggle with are Crysis, and maybe, Supreme Commander. I have a hard time downgrading my native resolution just to try and get playable framerates on Crysis which sounds likes it's still a difficult proposition at best.

That's my two cents...I will purchase with the 1920x1200, but I'm used to UXGA on a 15" laptop...

T7700 and upgrade later if you need to...

I asked the salesperson about this and he couldn't find where the the m15x headphone port was TOSLINK. Therefore, based on the general lack of AV ports on the machine, I suspect no. It's a good question to ask if TOSLINK is important to you.

For me, it would be exactly what you hinted at...an optical audio output...but not sure it's worth $100 to me...I'll pick it up later if I find out that I just can't live without my beloved TOSLINK...

Incorrect...the BluRay reader will burn DVD-Rs, DVD+Rs, DVD-RWs, DVD+RWs, and DLs...select the BluRay reader option and then click on more info...the pop-up will display speeds for all the read and write formats...with that selection, you don't get LightScribe (I think that's a cool feature...expensive and monochrome, but cool) and you don't get a BluRay burner...I think I'll initially purchase the LightScribe...and then purchase the BluRay reader later...unless they'll give me 5 free BluRay discs...and then maybe...just maybe...

 

Problem for me is.. This is a gaming machine in my eyes, not a movie machine. Therefore, 1920x1200 is just too large for a 15" lcd for gaming period.

On the other hand, 1440x900 is just slightly too small. I have it on my MBP, and would love a resolution upgrade, but I guess that's not gonna happen...

It's like they went from one extreme to the other..

 

i read something over at another forum regarding the overclocking of processors. I guess there is NO WAY that a manufacturer can tell if a CPU has been OC'ed unless it was volt modded. If you go through the bios then you would be fine. That may be a reason for some to have the 2.8ghz EE as it has unlocked multipliers. I remember a few pages back or in another post that people were afraid to go EE since it would void the warranty. 3.2ghz stable may be attractive enough to warrant the upgrade for some (3.2 on dell systems seems to be pretty normal with these processors).

 

I stand corrected. That saves some cost.

OT- Anybody just say the new Macbook Air? Wow. Talk about a lightweight notebook. Price was spot on at $1799. BUT if you change the processor to 200Mhz faster, you're forced to get the 64GB ssd. Now the price jumps to over $3000. Ouch

 

2 new updates for you guys:

THE $2099.00 CONFIG SYSTEM DOES NOT HAVE THE ALIEN FX LIGHTING AT ALL
I spoke to a sales rep, there is no configured light options, who knows if they even put lights on the unit at all? (ex. the alien head logo on the back). I thought that you could use the alien fx light console to adjust the touchpad/alienhead/side area, but you can't.


THE SHIP DATE OF THE 17th WAS A LIE
I got an email from the order status department saying my unit should ship out in a week and a half. I ordered it with a ship date of 1/17, another rep told me 1/23, and now I'm looking at around 1/29.


I'm kind of regretting not waiting to see if the cheaper unit will allow for an upgrade to the 8700/8800, because there was no reason to order the $2099 config after all- the nicest part about the m15x is the high end graphics card and the sexy case design/lights. The $2099 unit has neither, and doesn't have the plus of shipping out 2 weeks before the $2699 unit.

Hopefully they're just trying to give themselves more time and they can ship it out by the end of this week, but I'm already starting to feel the burn. I am in phase 4 though, so who knows... this coul all just be a bunch of miscommunication between the departments.

 

mrwater, what phase is yours in now?

 

I'm in phase 4 today- the email I got today (less than an hour ago) said that I was in phase 3, but the website has said phase 4 since 10am this morning.

I was looking at the m15x page again, and they don't say anything about not having alien fx on the 2099 model, so maybe the sales rep just thought I meant the lit keyboard. I will be happy as long as I get lights, I don't care if I can change them, although that's def. a very cool thing to have.

 

hmm, then I'm not as far behind you as I thought. I also entered phase 4 (according to the website) at around the same time.

oh, and I'm 99% confident that you will still have the lights other than those on the keyboard. Why I think this is because if you choose the $2099 one and click customize, the one gallery pic they have at the top shows the keyboard lights off and the other lights on. If you go to the $2699 one, the keyboard lights are also on. This important distinction wouldn't've been done by chance, so I think it means that you'll only lack the keyboard lights.

 

I just called the order status phone number-

I'm still on phase 3, I should hit phase 4 in 24 hours and...

I'm still on track to ship out on the 17th! The person I spoke with said since I paid in full on the 14th, and I ordered an preconfigured system, it should be on track to ship out as planned. As long as it ships out this week, I'll be happy

I'm not thrilled about the conflicting information between the people who respond to emails, the website and the people who answer the phones. I was told that the phone reps can get the most current info, so I'll just go by that in the future.

 

Can't you cancel your order? (I'm not sure if you want to, but can you once you've ordered? And how late into the ordering process can you cancel? Can you return it after you've already received it in the mail for a full refund?)

 

Thanks for the detailed response!

However I didn't fully understand - the m15x may only have issues playing Crysis on 1900 x 1200 8800m GTX, right? It will be perfectly fine if I get a 1440 x 900 LCD?

Also, if I do get the 1900 x 1200 LCD, will Crysis still work fine and just not at the best/maxed out graphics settings or what?

But now here's the thing - how can someone make a game (i.e. Crysis?) that doesnt work on (the? one of the?) best graphics card(s) on the market.


I'm so confused because I want to make sure that all my programs/high powered games will work flawlessly on this laptop and am still not sure which LCD screen size I'm getting.

Is the only difference between 1440 x 900 vs 1900 x 1200:
-1900 x 1200 causes lower frame rate on games (meaning you have to use lower graphics options)
-1900 x 1200 has more pixels (meaning more space on the desktop)
-1900 x 1200 has higher resoultion (1080p, which probably won't even be noticeably better than the 720p on a 15.4" screen)

thank you!!! I'm having a huge dilemma lol! (not that I'm the only one)

 

I can probably still cancel my order, but I want the laptop.
By "feeling the burn" I meant that I understood what people said about Alienware's customer service- for a brand that charges so much, it certainly isn't as good as I would have hoped. I haven't had any nasty people, if anything everyone's been nice, I just don't appreciate 3 different stories from 3 different department.

I have no idea about returning for a full refund, everyone seems to get zonked with a restocking fee if they return their item.

 

Well the 8800m GTX is not exactly the best graphics card on the market, but it's a much watered down version of 8800 GTX or even 8800 GTS [the desktop originals]. And though one of those would be enough, some serious gamers still have them in SLI.
Remember Crysis was not made to be played on a laptop!

Also you're right, you're not the only one having a dilemma! At least you don't live in rip-off Britain; we have to wait longer and we will pay more too :cry:

 

Given that the 8800M is equal to SLI 7950s according to nVidia, then based off what results AW laptop owners have had with Crysis and SLI 7950s you should expect around 50 FPS average at a mix of Very High/High settings (on the lower resolutions like 1440x900). However, from what I know (I don't own the game/haven't tried the demo) there is still another level of detail, Ultra High, which appears to be out of reach.

Remember that Crysis works on the best desktop graphics cards on the market, not necessarily on the best laptop graphics cards. While the 8800 GTX shares the same name as the 8800M GTX, the 8800M is significantly less powerful than the desktop 8800 (I think someone said the 8800M comes in at just slightly worse than the desktop 8800 GTS)

-Yes (if you run at those native resolutions)
-Yes
-Yes, but it's a little vague to use the word "resolution". No, a circle won't look blocky on the 1440x900 vs. the 1900x1200 just because there are literally more pixels on the 1900.

 

For those of you still questioning the 1920 or 1440 res, saw in interesting article in Home Theater Mag today. Out of 5 or 6 HDTVs they tested (from 50 to 61" sets), the number 1 performer was a 720P 50" Plasma - going head to head against 1080P sets. From 6 ft back, the "experts" couldn't tell it was 720p, even with a Blu-ray disc playing. (This was a Pioneer set, known for quality, but the other sets were good ones as well). Point is, are we really going to be able to tell the difference on a 15.4 inch display????

I ordered the 1440x900, but would love to see a side by side comparison with the 1920x1200.

 

on games like Oblivion you can notice the difference. And furthermore, in TVs you're 6ft away whereas on computers, you're about 1.5ft away. On movies you probably will not notice any difference, but games are a different story. But you really would be an idiot (not you specifically...generally speaking) if you bought a 15x for movie viewing. For that price one should go for sony AR or something.

I do agree with the TV resolution though. 720p 1080i or 1080p makes barely a difference and only if you go really really close will you notice a very slight difference.

 

It looks like all that's left is a visit to Circuit City/Fry's to check out the resolutions in person....if the 1440 is too small for my liking then I'll choose the 1900 I suppose.


But just so I totally understand - for high powered gaming, there is no problem with the 1900 x 1200, right? I'll be able to play high performance games flawlessly with no issues in full-screen? And even though Crysis was meant for a desktop, will I be able to play it on a 1900 x 1200 laptop full-screen without problems (assuming I don't choose ultra high video mode in the game settings and what not)?


So with the 1440 there aren't any issues, but in the event that I decide to go for a 1900, my gaming isn't compromised?

Thanks! Sorry if the question is redundant.

 

for crysis specifically, you'd be better off with 1440 res but with higher details. 1900 you'll be able to do but in horrible horrible detail settings. Even the 8800 Ultra in SLi will have trouble with 1900 resolution. Any other game 1900 will be nice.

 

My $0.02... (and I feel like I'm beating a dead horse, and people are probably groaning seeing another post from me about this)

If you are only going to game and surf the internet on your brand new $2000+ laptop, then I would choose 1440x900. You will get smooth framerates (for most games [eg, Half-Life 2, UT 3, CoD 4, Bioshock, C&C 3, etc]...Crysis will probably be problematic at its minimum resolution on a laptop for years to come until laptop hardware catches up with Crytek's visionary? non-optimized? programming...most desktop hardware struggles with Crysis...BUT even with a lot of the options set to Medium on Crysis, you probably still have a better looking game than Far Cry...someday we'll remember that games are all about the gameplay and not the graphics so much...I'm still pissed off about Myst...great looking game in the mid-90's but so *yawn* boring...gimmee the pixelated Full Throttle anyday...but I digress which is my and V. Hugo's sign of dementia), and the pixel structure is still small enough that it will look good even 1.5 ft away from the screen.

If you are going to do more than game, and in particular, photo editing or video editing, I guarantee you that you will appreciate the extra space on your desktop from a high-res display. Standard def video may only be 720x480, but if you've ever used Adobe Premiere, you will find that the video window is a small portion of the overall display. There is a timeline window, a tools window, a history window, a files window, etc...you can close all the individual windows, but it makes editing more time consuming and annoying. Same for photo editing in addition to my digital pictures being a minimum of 1280x960 off my digital camera...the 960 doesn't fit very well on the 900 rows of pixels...so you either have to zoom out or scroll around. Some people have suggested using an external monitor with the m15x to do these tasks...you need to check again...the m15x has ONLY an HDMI out which means if your monitor doesn't have an HDMI in or DVI-I in, you're out of luck...

 

funny, because Premiere Pro and some photo editing stuff is EXACTLY what this laptop will be for in addition to gaming....and since it only has HDMI, I think you have probably finalized my choice towards the 1900 x 1200. Thanks IWantMyTV!

although I suppose I will do one last check at the store - not like I'm in a rush - I have to wait for the skullcap to come out!

Thanks!

 

But then it's not like you can play games at those resolutions anyways right? at least not the more demanding games. Or, does that not have anything to do with the 720p and whatever stuff?

 

iwantmytv is right. I would get the highest resolution for this laptop only becuase I need the space on the screen for work. I'm the type of guy who HATES running any game lower than the stated native resolution of the monitor. So I know Crysis is bad. Heck, its like 17-27fps at 1680x1050 on my Home system. I'm running 2gb ram, 8800GTX, [email protected], so I KNOW its not gonna play. But I can always scale the gfx down. which I HATE but I have to give somewhere if I need the 1900x1200 screen. I'm guessing here, but going with the 1440x900 will probably yield almost 25% better frame rate compaired to the other screen. Hmmm damnit. If it wasnt for work, I would get the 1440x900. Or if I was going to get it with teh BluRay. which I was.

 

Nice post, IWantMYMTV. Agree with everything you say, but I really urge those who have not seen 1920x1200 on a 15.4" notebook to see one before choosing the $300 option. Even though it will be better for photo editing, I know that I can't see the tool bars, etc at that resolution. But the pro probably knows all the shortcuts by heart, so that may not be an issue...

 

Greetings,

I've been lurking for some time but decided to throw my 2 cents in. As the previous owner of a 15.4" WUXGA laptop (Dell Inspiron 8600) and a 15" UXGA laptop (Inspiron 8000) before that, I have to say that I love the resolution. I only begrudgingly went to a 17" chassis (Dell Precision M90, still with WUXGA) as my i8600 fell behind in graphics horsepower. I'd gladly go back to a 15.4" (my preferred form factor) with WUXGA, and given the 8800m, the m15x may be just the thing to make me do that.

Having said that, it's a very subjective preference, as others have said. While there's some control over scaling desktop and application GUI elements (mostly font sizes), you'll be stuck with the size (in absolute pixels) of many of them. Unfortunately, not many 15.4" laptops on display in stores have WUXGA displays, but if you can find one, definitely check one out before buying.

Cheers,
Jeremy

 

WTF!!!.. Look what I customize in the new SAGER.. and look to the stunning freakin' price!!!!... WITH PENRYN T9500!!! .... I like the Alienware design but take a look at this:

PRICE : $2,899.00

- Display: 17" WSXGA+ LCD with Matte Finish Surface (1680X1050)
- Processor: 45nm Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T9500 / 6MB L2 Cache, 2.60GHz, 800MHz FSB[+$365.00]
- Video & Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTX Graphics with 512MB DDR3 Video Memory[+$465.00]
- Operating System: Genuine MS Windows® VISTA ULTIMATE 32/64-Bit Edition[+$80.00]
- Memory: 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 X 2048MB[+$110.00]
- Primary Hard Disk Drive: 200GB 7200rpm SATA 300 Hard Drive[+$165.00]
- Optical Drive: 8X DVD±R/RW/4X +DL Super-Multi Drive & Software
- Wireless Network Card: Intel PRO/Wireless 4965AGN - 802.11A/B/G/N Wireless LAN Module
- Bluetooth: Internal Bluetooth Module
- Intel Robson Technology: Intel 1GB TurboMemory Module[+$35.00]
- Primary Battery: Smart Li-ION Battery Pack
- Integrated Security Device: Fingerprint Reader
- Warranty: Sager One Year Standard Warranty
- Carrying Bag: Standard Carrying Bag

 

Yea everyone knows Alienware has bigger prices.

 

I have owned laptops with 15.4" displays with 1680x1050 res and I loved that for gaming but was too much for everything else. I couldn't imagine 1920x1200 on a 15.4". I guess it would be good choice if you got the blue-ray drive and watch alot of movies, but I would opt for the lower res(standard dvd burner), and I'm primarily a gamer... 1920x1200 on a 17" on the other hand....

 

Well I figure I'll give anyone interested in the m15x a follow up to my purchase story:

I checked today and I went back from phase 4 to phase 3. Yesterday I was in phase 4, but I was told that I was in phase 3 (and that I would hit phase 4 today).

I called the order status line again, she told me there was an error on the site- I'm internally on phase 4, and my system should start the building process tomorrow as long as they have the parts. First she said I was on track for my ship date. Then she said that as long as there's no problems with the quality testing, my system should ship out early next week (first she said monday, then wed, then no later than friday).

I asked if it could possibly ship out on friday if they have no issues, she didn't give me a very positive reaction, she said "yes it will probably ship by next friday yes."

So anyway, there you have it. I was hoping I could have the system in my hands by wed, but I'm probably looking at a friday of next week as the earliest.

----
The only positive thing is that I ordered Crysis and Gears of War (in addition to buying hellgate london at a store), and they will get here before the computer. I don't think the 8700m gt will be the best card in the world for crysis or gears of war, but it should handle hellgate nicely.


EDIT
I just got a call from a guy in the sales department asking me what name I'd like on my nameplate. I left the name out of the box because I didn't really care about adding one. I asked him if he knew the status, and when it'd ship (just for the hell of it), and he said it's on the production line now. I could very well have it shipped out friday! hot damn!

 

Not bad considering the original estimated ship date was the 1st.

 

The estimated ship date for the $2099 model was 1/17, the full out $2699 model was 2/1. I wouldn't be complaining if I had ordered the one that had the 2/1 ship date

 

Ah gotcha, hadn't seen that. Well, that does blow then Hopefully it gets out on Friday!

 

Does anyone have pictures of a 15" 1440 x 900 and/or 15" 1900 x 1200?

I went to Circuit city and the had NOTHING. The only 1440 x 900 they had was a 17". boohoo!

I would love to see images and compare...hopefully Fry's or Best Buy will have examples...

 

I'm pretty sure Fry's stocks MacBook Pros.... the 15.4" models are all 1440x900, so that would give you some idea.

Not quite sure where you'll find able to find a 15" 1900x1200 res..... maybe if they have a T61p on display or something.

 

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=582086&view=findpost&p=14451427

You can relatively compared with with the pictures given on the individual on that forum.

I also have bunch of friends who use 1920x1200 on 15.4incher on both XP and Vista. XP seems lot smaller than on Vista (maybe since Vista use bigger icon and font).

I have been asking myself this question since m15x was announced (late last year). My advice: wait for the review that probably one or two weeks away. If gaming on 1920x1200 doesn't cut it at all, why get m15x for only work or photo editing use? Might as well get those HPs/Dells that have 1920x1200 with Penryn in it.

So wait till they review how games (other than Crysis) will do on that resolution. I'll definitely go with 1920x1200 if it turns out to be at least decent. If gaming isn't practical at all @1920x1200, then forget it.

 

I personally would definitely get a 1440x900 LCD for the m15x, no question about that; I'm not paying so much money for a laptop only to realise that my single 8800m is struggling to play games on a higher resolution.
But with the m17x, 1920x1200 would be my choice as the laptop obviously has a bigger screen and dual 8800m cards, so it will be able to take advantage of the extra pixels.

EDIT:I'm still deciding between the two anyway, depending on how long more I can wait for m17x and how portable it will be...

 

Well, a nice notebook.
but is there allready some information about the release in Europe?
Alienware only sends to North- and South America.
Thanks, Airholland