Almost a AW owner, just ordered.:D

How come your M15x has gone back for repairs, Milcs? What's up with it?

 

It's a long story... to put it short...
Lots of small problems (structural things, webcam, security lock does not fit kensington locks, keyboard has a bit of flex, etc...) and the major problem... Overheating. GPU goes up to 100C and CPU to 92C when on full load. This has one imediate consequence... CPU downclocks. The not so imediate consequences are still to be revealed, but there are a couple of users whose lids broke and might be due to excess of heat. 100C inside a laptop during gameplay can't be good...

EDIT: If you want to read a bit about problems that have been identified (and reproduced by several owners), here you go... a best of:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=254627

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=248848

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=257737

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=257737

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=257873

 

Hmmm... my ROCK had a lot of keyboard flex on the right-hand side when I got that back from a stuck pixel repair. They decided to take all the components and put them inside a new chassis instead of replacing the screen (costs them less to change bases than to change a 17" WUXGA+ screen, apparently). Hence why I took it back for good because the keyboard was perfect and flex free before.

Keyboard flex annoys me greatly. I hope when I get my M15x it doesn't have much flex.

Hey Jum... I found a good M15x review for you here: http://www.hitech99.com/laptops/2008/04/16/alienware-m15x-review.html

It talks a little about the keyboard. If that doesn't help, I'm sure that current M15x owners can answer your question.

 

The keyboard is a normal keyboard... It's nice and good to use, appart from the flex close to the arrow keys (bottom right).
Several people have reported some keyboard unresponsiveness. Some people say it's driver related (related with touchpad). Some people sent the laptop back because of the unresponsiveness. For some people it was so serious that they couldn't use it at all for services like msn, as most of the keystrokes wouldn't be registered.

Hope that answers...

 

LOL, a Best-of-Nightmares just for us newbies. I don't know whether to laugh or cry! (I'll check them out anyway. I've already read a thread that Mr DJ posted and that alone almost made me cancel my order!)
I bought a really good Zalman notebook cooler that plugs into a USB port of your notebook. Would that help with the reported overheating issues, you think? It was really good with the 17" uber-specced ROCK I had.

 

NOOOOOOOOO! dont cancel just because of my problems.
like any company,when it come to computers there are always winners and losers and sadly this time i was a loser.
the day i got my m15x so did a member called LaptopLou. she hasnt been back since so she must have a perfect working m15x. its just a pure luck of the draw.
you always read horror stories on these sort of forums as that is what they are mainly here for. people with perfect working machines are at home gaming to their hearts content and that is why they dont visit here much.
for the amount of m15x that have been sold worldwide so far must be in the 1000s now and its a bit like the lottery. do you feel lucky.

 

Hey Mr DJ!

Have you seen this video on You Tube? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlo9yGo7ckY

I have spoken to the guy who posted that video to ask if his twin daughters have experienced any problems with their M15x's... overheating, slow key response, bad build quality, creaky screen, etc, etc, and he said that there have been no problems as yet. I guess that's two more people who are happy. There's always hope.

 

I e-mailed him too to ask how their computers were and he said they haven't had any problems and use them quite a bit. Gives us a bit of hope!

 

And not only that... but he says they are gamers too!
I read that another member on here thought they'd just be using their M15x's for girly lightweight things, and colour co-ordinating the lighting FX to their outfits! I almost took offence to that statement. Especially as I can't WAIT to match my outfits to the lighting FX. Kidding.

 

Me too, being a girl gamer, I found it a bit insulting that the poster assumed we'd be matching our FX lighting to our clothes. When mine finally comes in and I take pictures, I might just match it for the hilarity

 

Ha-ha! And I might just do the same.
I did down-spec this baby to kerb overheating stories/issues a bit. I'm planning on getting back into my creative writing, music composition, and digital photography a lot more than gaming, as games are too much of a distraction for me sometimes. Be nice to have the odd flirt with my Orange Box, Vampire: Bloodlines (an old favourite), and the upcoming Colonial Marines game though. I need to hurry up and get a PS3 so that the temptation to game on a PC is far less. Maybe I will get stuff done then. (Plus, being a huge Resident Evil and Silent Hill fan, I feel those titles play better on consoles)

Did you go with the Ripley lid, or the Scullcap lid, Livre?

 

Here's a non-sexist advise... regarding those two little lucky girls. They got the M15x with the 8700GT, not the 8800GTX. The 8700GT hasn't had the overheating problems the 8800GTX has.

I'm not as "positive" in supporting this decision as MrDJ is. I think this is not the right time to step into the M15x. I think on the next month, couple of months, lots of things will be happening that will change the m15x market a lot. There's a new competitor (the Clevo M860TU with the new Montevina chipset) and maybe AW will respond to that by putting forward positive and measurable solutions for the huge ammount of problems the M15x has proved to show.
True lots of people have received their systems and are happy... but most of these people are not even informed about what's going on underneath the lights. Most of people are not expert users and the lights are enough to get them mesmerized.
But well... who knows you guys are not happy? I'm interested in knowing what's happening with people that just start receiving the m15x again in the UsA.
As with everything... being patient is a very valuable virtue (I wish I had that!).

 

I think im gona make the go and order it! Is it possible to add another hard-drive in the future?

 

The M15x will only take one hard drive. If you mean... you can upgrade it in the future... yes, by all means. I actually advise it to people. Save money, but 1GB of memory and a 120GB HDD and upgrade those yourself. You will save over £200 that you can use in far more useful things.

 

I fully understand your concerns, Milcs. I know the 8800gtx is prone to overheating. My 8800gtx-fueled ROCK was too hot to rest on my lap, and that's even when I wasn't gaming. So it spent all of its time on my Zalman cooling stand. This kept it lovely and cool throughout the base, and the fans were very adjustable.
I was wondering if this nifty little Zalman stand would work in my favour with the M15x...? I'm not sure I would want to risk using an M15x without resting it on something like this stand that lets the air flow properly through the vents while cooling it at the same time. It isn't even that noisy.

EDIT: I went with the 8800gtx, as I've seen that card in action before in my former laptop and was very impressed. Not really seen the 8700gt to pass comment, but the fps and overall performance of the 8700 apparently does not come close to the 8800gtx. I prefer to level-peg with what's current so that I don't have to worry about upgrading for a while. I thought that the 8800 would do me just fine for a year or so. You think I have made the wrong choice then? Some people have had overheating issues with the 8700gt too.

 

Should i go ahead and get the 2.5GHZ? or just keep the 2.4

 

I really have no experience with coolers. But, as a AW representative stated clearly, the M15x is designed to work on a flat surface, without anything blocking air intake or release. If a laptop can't perform without a cooler, then something must be wrong.
Appart from that, don't expect the m15x to be any different. The 8800GTX will give you probably close to 90C while gaming and around 65-70C when on idle.
I do hope you will be happy with it though... If you want to save money, upgrade the RAM and the HDD yourself. Upgrading from AW is just throwing money away (literally). For instance, for 4GB of RAM I paid £60. How much is it to upgrade from 1GB to 4GB in AW? Over £200. Just an idea...

 

Jum, the difference shouldn't be very obvious.
But get the 2.5GHz and get 1GB of memory and 120GB of HDD. You will then upgrade for very cheap and save money in the end and have a top notch machine.

 

Gunsmith_Cat, I ended up getting the Ripley. I'm also going to be using it for uni, and I like that while you know which brand it is, it subtle and doesn't stand out too much, unlike the Skullcap. Of course, some people prefer that

And my favourite is Silent Hill 2 :3.

 

Silent Hill 2 is my favourite too.

What graphics card did you go with, Livre?

Milcs... any idea what temps the 8700gt runs at? Wondering if I should change my order and downgrade to the 8700gt instead. However, I have gone through the V12 finance option and I've already had to cancel one order placed because Alienware wouldn't modify the spec cheaper, only to a spec more expensive. :S Just wondering if it's worth me saying to them: "I don't care about the loss of £200, just give me the 8700!" ...

 

I ordered the 8700 GT. I couldn't justify the extra $500 or so for the 8800 being a uni student and all. As well, since I had heard about so many problems regarding overheating I thought it was best to stick with that.

 

Meh. Methinks I should phone customer support ASAP and attempt a downgrade?

 

You should really go with whatever you feel comfortable with, it's your choice of a machine. From both what I knew at the time and from how much money I was willing to spend, that is what I chose, and I'd still stick by it.

 

Ha-ha! I just spoke to a "Sebastian" from tech support in the United States (apparently all of our UK advisors are busy and he handles the overspill calls). I asked him about the 8800GTX overheating and he said it is a problem and that chassis cracks do happen. Nice advertisement there. I guess I really should downgrade.

 

if your going to use the m15x for a lot of gaming stick with the 8800 the new bios has fixed any downclocking.

 

Not so worried about the downclocking. Just worried about the issues that overheating is reportedly causing. I don't care if I miss out on framerates, so long as: (a) My laptop doesn't melt around the hinges; and (b) It doesn't run too hot to handle itself.

 

:3 I hope it works out for you Gunsmith. I wish everyone on this board lived near each other so we could all have a night of gaming together. *wishful thinking*

 

You just want to laugh when my laptop melts into the table!

 

You have seen through my ruse ;_;.

 

the laptop wont get hot enough to melt into the table since it will shut down by itself before that happens. even if it does melt into the table you can sell it as modern art and buy yourself another m15x.

 

Exiled... You seem to have chosen the same M15x specs as myself (apart from the Hard Drive size). So you haven't had any problems when using your laptop with this 8800 card then? You'd recommend I stick with it? Or downgrade?

This is the notebook cooler I bought for my previous 17" lappy that I planned on using with the M15x: http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3360&Itemid=40

Apparently it reduces the temp by about 10 degrees C. Is your laptop overheating on its own, Exiled? Was just wondering if I would need this cooler hooked up to it constantly.

EDIT: Oh, crucial question... are the M15x's intake fans on the base? I hope so. Just that if they aren't, the notebook cooler will just counteract the good it's supposed to do if it's blowing the hot outflow back up inside the machine.

 

i have the nc1000 just sitting on my desk and i dont really use it. then again i got it during spring and it wasnt as hot as it is now.

I havent been playing games with my laptop since 4/6 since gpu decided to fry itself >>. Yes AW is really slow when they are trying to send you replacement parts. i dont think it was the temps fault since the highest i saw my card go was 83 - 85. I think it was a faulty card since i did get a couple bsods relating to the card.

i would still stick with the 8800. the 8800 is really alot more powerful than the 8700. It really depnds on your needs. For me, Since im going to start uni in sept and you never know when your professor starts becoming unbearable. by that time you will wish you had the 8800 and start gaming on it. my uni also has lan parties from time to time.

if you want i could compare the temps of the notebook cooler to see if it will make a difference. i should have the comp running by next week.

 

That would be amazing if you could do that, Exiled. And I imagine it would definitely benefit others here too.

And on that reassuring note, I think I'll retire to bed! I should have gone about 4 hours ago, but this whole 8800gtx temperature dilemma - and screen and chassis breakages - has had me more than a little worried.

 

P.S. Is it true that I'll need a 64 bit version of Vista to safely use the 8800 GTX?
I ran the 8800 on a 32 bit Vista Ultimate on my last laptop with no apparent problems. I'll be having the Vista Home Premium on the M15x. I'm assuming the one Alienware offers is 32 bit?

 

No, 32 bit is fine. 64 bit isn't fully supported by alienware (cause they fail, 64 bit is so much better).

Also, the downclocking was caused by overheating and is fixed now, the 8800 is safe, however the extreme CPU's are not, but you have a T9300 (of which only 1(?) person had downclock due to overheating)

 

wait a week and see what voodopc will be like..

 

Maceto's wise words... People should just wait now. There are so many new things coming up, that it's just unwise to make a decision now. And we are not talking about 6 months, we are talking less than one month.

Anyway... The M15x without the 8800GTX is really, in my humble opinion, not worth it. If I was to go with a 8700GT, there are lots of different options out there that are more reliable and will give you less problems. But, that's just my opinion...

 

Don't suppose anybody here has played World of Warcraft on the M15x have they? Noticed any overheating issues with the 8800 whilst playing that? (Not that I play it much... only when extremely bored... and then I get inadvertantly hooked for hours!)

 

WoW its fine if you don't happen to have the extreme processor. If you do, the CPU will overheat and downclock. Appart from that, you should be perfectly fine.

 

I would try Nexus Laptop Coolers it uses heat piping. Works good on both my p4 3.4 ee laptop and Aleinware 51 5550I laptop other then not going into sleep mode right. Laptops temps are around 76C in games like Lord of the Rings Shadow of Angmar and the memory Hog Civilation 4.

I never played WOW. So I dont know much about the downclocking on that game.

 

while im waiting on my alienware, i was looking at laptop coolers, and was wondering if anyone has a suggestion for the m15x, based on where its fans are for which cooler will be better. thanx

 

I heard the Zalman nc-2000 was the best one.

 

I have a Zalman, and it's awesome. But it is active (uses fans that require power). The Nexus is passive (no fans, uses gas-filled heat pipes to dissipate heat).

I always wondered how those worked... good to hear a positive review!

But if you're looking for a fan-based cooler (they probably work a bit better), the Zalmans are the way to go. The build quality is excellent (aircraft aluminum), and the fans are extremely quiet and durable.

Word to the wise - you need to be careful with fan-based coolers on the m15x, since it draws air up from the bottom of the chassis. Some coolers blow air down, away from the laptop chassis. You want one that blows air up and into the chassis, assisting its own cooling system. The Zalman does this very well, through hundreds of holes in the aluminum surface.

For an m15x, though - go with the 17" Zalman (the 2000 model, not the 1000). The m15x is large enough that it will hang off the edges of the 1000 model.

 

(sorry if there's already a thread on this) but when you say overclock the 2.5, how exactly do you do that?

 

why get a potential problem if it looks nice.. this is like getting a hand made Italian car vs a German one, and they might be like for like on paper, but no offence the Germans ( in every survey) have a higher score.. Don't you think AW will come under Dell's wings at one point and quality go up, as of now it's not. Voodoopc seems to be the case. HP are targeting the high end market in the same as AW, but it has undergone Hp's testing. Do you not think even though HP has issues like Dell, like Sony etc- that the testing has at least been done?

If you get the AW your choice, but think before you do it, have a look at what's coming now, from Sony, HP etc- it's max a month away.

milcs you know voodoopc can be purchased through HP in the UK ( only place outside US)

This was the info I got as the salesperson assumed I was asking about the 13.3 laptop:

"The Envy 133 and Omen will be available in the UK (only) end of june, we are currently taking names and contact information from individuals who wish to have the first available systems. Please respond with email, phone number and full name if you would like to ensure receiving a notebook or omen as soon as it is made available for configuration."

I am awaiting their 15.4 to see what specs it might have or go for a Clevo

 

phase 3! YAY

 

Hi Crricha. I had to cancel my M15x order, so you will get yours way before I get mine. I decided to pay outright for one instead of going with V12 finance, and have just sold two of my movie costumes for £700 on ebay!! So I will be able to put it on my card soon and pay most of it off right away.

You've chosen some nice specs with your machine. I used to have the X9000 in a previous laptop, but I'm into saving money right now so I'm gonna go with the 2.5 processor. It's more than adequate for my needs (video editing, music composition, graphic art, web design, Manga creation, gaming, etc). The X9000 is as its title states... EXTREME!! I don't really wanna go to the extreme in a 15.4". (17" or 20" SLI maybe).

As for coolers, I had the Zalman NC-1000 for my 17" ROCK. It is an AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING (*breath intake*) cooler that I really think you should look at getting. It's such a pleasure to touch (and I don't mean that in a pervy way). The metal is constantly cool, and that's without the fans on! I don't know how it stays cool to the touch, but it does. People are saying that the 15.4" M15x fits the NC-2000 model better, but on the product description of the 1000 it states that it will fit 15" - 16" laptops. I would be grateful if somebody could elaborate on this, as I would like one that better suits the M15x. (All I know is that a 17" laptop fit on my 1000 okay, and it cooled it really well. It may not have been flush against the edges of the cooler, but it still cooled).
You can get these coolers in both black or silver. Given that you have ordered pretty much the same specs I had in my specced out ROCK which stayed cool thanks to the cooler, you really should look into getting a Zalman. Others on here may know of better coolers, but it seems that this IS the better cooler.

 

ah nice thanx! phase 5 as of today yay!

 

@ Gunsmith:

I have the Zalman 2000. They SAY the 1000 fits 15 inch computers, but I think they are referring to non-widescreen 15 inch computers. The m15x will DEFINATELY hang over the edges of the Zalman 1000 by about 1inch on either side. I've had my sister's m15x on the Zalman 2000, and it fits very well. The Zalman 2000 is about 1inch wider than the m15x chassis. For this computer, I'd go with the 2000. It is - as you say - awesome, and kept the bottom of her m15x cool through several hrs. of Crysis gameplay. It blows air upward, through hundreds of holes in the aluminum plate, and assists the m15x's cooling system (which draws air upward from the bottom of the chassis, and through the interior, out the back). Zalman 2000=Great product!!

 

Here you go, Crric. http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/caseaccessories/zalman-notebook-coolers

I think the silver one will look best with the M15x. I have a black one because my last laptop was black, but I will be getting a silver one when I get an M15x.