Almost a AW owner, just ordered.:D

yeah go for the 2000 version, the 1000 definitely doesn't fit the m15x. if anybody's still in doubt here are the dimensions...

m15x: Width:36.95cm Depth:27.25cm

Zalman 1000: Width: 33.00cm Depth: 30.80cm

Zalman 2000: Width: 40.00cm Depth: 31.80cm

 

phase 6!!! how long has it taken from phase 6 for you guys?

 

i nc1000 fits ok. i have it and the m15x sits fine on it, even though the m15x is a bit wider.

 

Wow, Cric, you're on Phase 6 already?

I can't wait to hear how everything is when you receive it. Will you come back on here and let us know if everything seems okay with it? I should hopefully be re-ordering mine within the next two months, should everything bode well.

 

WOW! just tonight i checked, phase 9!!! WOOT! so psyched. ill let u guys know when its here.

 

I just checked too and mine went to phase 9 too I'm extremely happy

 

but when i check the tracking number, there isnt one yet :'( must not be officially shipped.

 

sometimes it takes the shipping company a while to get the info into their computers.

 

oh man this is really worrying for me, i really want an m15x but theres all these problems!

 

Don't forget mate, this forum is used most of the time for technical support. Most won't come here if there m15x works. They will be gaming!

 

Mine went to Phase Nine yesterday also.

Specs Ordered:

Design & Display: Silver Skullcap Design
Display: 15.4" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD (1200p)
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - Lime
Video/Graphics Card: 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800M GTX
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T9300 2.5GHz (6MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Operating System: Windows Vista® Ultimate with Service Pack 1
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 512MB
Turbo Cache Memory: Intel® Turbo Memory (1GB)
System Drive: 120GB 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection
Optical Drives : 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Keyboard Options: AlienFX® Illuminated Keyboard – Exclusive Design


I ordered four gigs of RAM from Crucial which should be here the same day the m15x arrives.

I am going to be playing EverQuest 2 on this machine and I'm a little concerned about writing on the screen being tiny at that resolution, but I wanted a matte screen and not a shiny one. I don't like them computer screens which are more reflective than the mirror on the Hubble. If my text windows are tiny I'll increase my font size in EQ2.

My desktop runs EQ2 at about 30 fps on medium-high settings with an Asus Commando motherboard, Intel E6600 processor (2.4 ghz dual-core), 4 gigs of RAM, 8800GTS 640 videocard and Windows Vista Ultimate at 1280x1024.

Hopefully this lappy will offer similar performance but I'll post a review at the end of the week when it gets here.

I get 10 (or thereabouts) fps on the old lappy (specs posted below) in EQ2 with the settings turned way, way down.

 

congrats. it looks like you will be one of the first to get the skullcap.
good luck and enjoy.

 

hey plug_it can you track yours with the tracking number on the phase page yet?

 

Plug I have like the exact same desktop as you. Different motherboard though, Abit IB9. Also OC'ed CPU to 3.2 GHz.

 

moving along as many cancel I guess

 

the tracking number comes to you via email and then you will have to go to the DHL or FedEx website depending where you live.
in the uk use: http://www.dhlireland.ie:8080/IETools/servlet/IEPackageTracking#
can someone post the fedex link.

 

So MrDj , are you getting something else instead?
I`ve read your story and ...man it sucks

 

No, my tracking number doesn't work yet. I been checking every few hours.. heh. I'll post when it starts working.

 

Fingers crossed you'll be able to find it soon.

 

i wish the tracking worked at least so i knew when it would be here :'(

 

When it comes, could you tell us all if there is still a screen creaking issue? I watched yet another video on you tube and it sounded really bad.

 

Syth mentioned in his review that the screen creaked at first and then went away.

And Gunsmith_Cat, why did you end up cancelling if you don't mind me asking?

 

yay! the tracking shows that its been picked up 2night at 7:05pm YAY!

 

Woot!

I am gonna get mine sooner, cause mine was picked up at 7:02pm! Geez, they musta waited for an entire trainload of them before they were sent out. Mine must be loaded in a car nearer to the head end of the train than yours. hehe!

 

rofl, mine was 7:02 just refreshed it

 

Mine should be here this afternoon Gunsmith ...I'm very wary about the weak chassis/screen and I'll check it out thouroughly and possible post pics if they help.
I'm off to college soon and if I have the slightest doubt about this things integrity, it's back to AW for a refund and i'm becoming a PCMW customer.

 

woot it left orlando!!
Jun 18, 2008 9:08 AM

Departed FedEx location

ORLANDO, FL

 

Nice Crricha can't wait for pictures once you get it

 

for sure ill get some.

 

Hi Livre,

I cancelled because I wasn't able to downgrade my order on things I decided I didn't really need (like the Turbo Memory, which has pretty shakey reviews. I was speccing out with 4GB RAM, so it would have been more than fast enough for me anyway).
I cancelled so that I could place a new order. The reason I haven't immediately placed another order is because I had chosen a payment through finance option on the first order instead of paying straight out for it on a card (which I can't afford at this stage). I didn't want to do monthly payments, due to my fluctuating financial commitments each month, so I went with a buy-now-pay-in-12-months finance agreement. I would have easily been able to pay it off well before the due date too (which stops it going into 36 monthly repayments at an incredibly high apr). But going through a third party is paperwork you can really do without, and I would rather pay AW outright.

I may be placing my new order sooner than expected, due to having sold two movie costumes for £350 each on ebay (a bit of a loss suffered, but every bit of cash helps out with the AW fund)! I've made about £1000 on eBay this week, and I have just taken out a loan with my bank for £1200. Put those two amounts togther and that will afford the shiny new M15x with the specs that I want.
The only thing for me to do then is wait for Crricha, Plug_it, and Le_Meow to give me their honest opinions on the latest batch that has been shipped out. I'll make a definite decision about buying one then.

And the hardest decision I'd have is whether I should wait around before ordering, just in case they do release a matte black version, so that I can see pics of it and choose whether I want a silver shiny one or a matte black one.


Be ruthless with it Le_Meow!! I wanna know if the build quality really is worth the amount of money you paid. You sound like somebody who would fully test everything niggly and potentially disappointing. That's a good thing in this case. Please also (all of you awaiting an M15x) report on the responsiveness of the volume touch slider, and the other touch sensitive buttons.

Not sure if you have already shared this information with us, Le_Meow, but could you remind me what specs you have ordered in your M15x?


This is a great thread, btw, Crricha.

 

yes it is.

 

haha nice mine too I guess ours is on the same fedex truck,lol I got Silver Skullcap too I live in NC, did you say you lived in VA?

 

yeah i do. ah this morning it left the fedex station on the way at 8:16.

 

Ok guys, I'm back!
First off, Specs:
Ripley m15x
1900x1200 (LOVE IT so far)
8800 GTX
T9300 2.5 GHz
2 Gb RAM
120Gb HDD (will upgrade to SSD in about a half year)
Blu-Ray drive
All the fancy lights and such

After reading so many bad reviews about the chassis, I was surprised. Although it still isnt some aluminum macbook, the plastic (or whatever it is) chassis seems pretty tough. It does depress at some hard pokes, but they are about the hardest anything will get if it is taken care of well. The only flex that worries me is on the bottom underneath the ethernet and USB plugins, but it seems to hit some part/barrier/rollcage? a few centimeters in, so it's not too bad.
The hinge mechanism seems to be the same plastic as the body, and it's nice and stiff. When opening, I hear a little creaking, but it is from the depressions my hand cause at the top of the lid as it's opening. The hinge doesnt crack/moan/scream at me at all. It does wobble a bit, but either AW tightened things up, or I have a blessed model (yay!) because it is far less than what i've seen in some videos on the M15x.
On first startup, the only thing that didnt work were the touch controls, but on a restart, they are just fine. They do require some hard touch, but the only one that is made difficult is the volume slider. The other buttons feel great, just hard enough (not much frame bending) and long enough to keep the slightest touch from sending them off.

Whew. Did I cover anything? Questions? Bueller...bbuueeellller?

Edit: The back right fan spews heat like a dragon, but the left one stays pretty cool. I havent gamed too heavily yet though, we'll see.

 

Meowwwwwwwwww... nice to hear that. I would like to ask you if you could post this info in the following thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=262373

It would be nice to compile as much information as we can in one easy to reach place.

Congrats on your positive first impression. I hope it will stay like that.

 

I think this might be one of the reasons behind the examples of cases breaking. It's really hot and I'm afraid that hot air might be putting extra stress on the right side hinges.
I hope they managed to bring temperatures of the GPU down.
Monitor your temperatures Meow, just to make sure you won't be putting your laptop in any avoidable risk.

 

@milcs
lol hot hair...

@meow
you should also try to update to driver 175.63 since that does help with idle temperatures and increase battery life.

 

Ahahaha... I always do that. Men... I'm dumb!

 

Well, i'll correct on the heat thing. It IS blazing hot, but an old compaq presario we have is nuclear hot compared to this. The AW puts out about the same heat as my ps3 does when both are idling, to make a good comparison. I'm not too worried, but for thigh safety and laptop longevity, i'm buying a cooler.

 

Heard from AW today and they replaced the GPU (which was coming up to 100C while playing Crysis), the case and they found a problem with a heatsink while doing their tests. So I still don't know when I'm getting it back...
But I do hope that GPUs reaching 100C are related with a faulty batch of GPUs. I believe that most of the people will only see max temps around 90C. I hope...

 

Oh wow, they replaced your case? That sounds good, in theory.

 

Let's wait and see... I hope it is good. I really do...

 

If you want to upgrade to the 175.63 drivers I have them linked in my SLi guide.

 

just got it in uploading a few pics. its pretty glorious looking i must say. and yeah the idle temp is warm like my ps3 or xbox 360. gotta get a cooling pad for maximum longevity(sp?)

 

Crricha and Daedric:

You FILTHY no good somebodies!!!

I call "BullHell" on both of you, you filthy, filthy, filthy EVIL demons!!

It is soooooooooo no fair for both of you to live on the east coast and be receiving your laptops when I live out here in Arizona and my FedEx scheduled delivery date is June 23!!!

Mine shows through Fort Worth, TX this morning at 6:15a.

You filthy, cheating bums!

 

mwuahaha

 

Le_Meow... any chance you could take a pic on your phone or something of the screen res, as I am still undecided about whether the higher res screen will be too small for my eyes. I do wear glasses when watching tv and on the computer, so I don't want to put extra strain on them... but I do like extra desktop space.

Most people say that a 1440 x 900 res is the sweet spot for a 15.4" notebook.

I can post the two res screenshots that AW provided me with if anybody is interested. However, it is difficult to tell when viewing both of the screenshots on my native 1024 x 768 res monitor.

Maybe I should open a thread to ask if the people with each of the resolutions could take a picture of the screen up close on a digital camera or camera phone with some applications open just so we can get a better idea of how each looks. Would you be able to take a pic of your high res screen, Le_Meow?

 

Gunsmith - if you're even concerned about this - get the 1440 screen!! The m15x that I used for a week or so ran at the higher resolution, and the writing was small enough to strain my eyes after reading for just a few minutes. 1900 is TOO high-res for a 15" screen, IMO, and you won't see a quality difference anyway, on a screen that small. I'd STRONGLY suggest you go w/ the 1440.

 

Just as I thought, Friar. I just wish it wasn't so bloody glossy!

 

Yeah, that's true. Though, I've gotten used to glossy screens on my laptops. They do reflect if there's a light-source behind you, but you can adjust to deal with that. With matte screens, they absorb light from all angles, and get washed out easier. But, that's a preference thing too. For resolution, I'd warn against the 1900 on a 15" screen, especially if you do a lot of reading and writing on it.