Different revisions?

So I see with many Alienware laptops that they go threw different revisions?

Let's say I buy the new-upcoming 14-inch model, it will be revision 1 obviously? Am I able to get it upgraded every time a revision comes out?

How does this whole thing work?

 

You'll be stuck with the revision you purchased unless your machine is faulty and under warranty, but the parts are no longer available, then they may replace it with a newer revision. I see revisions as refreshes to some extent.

 

When the M14x comes out it would be the first model no matter what it is called.

Dell USA has a buy back plan which one could purchase with a laptop for $54.

It works like this:

0-6 months after purchase they buy it for %50 its price
6-12 40%
12-18 30%
18-24 20%

I am not aware of any other upgrade plans through dell.

 

Yes you can. You buy first revision R1, then once R2 comes out, you buy r2 now you have r1 and r2. If you want to save money for r2, you sell r1 to help reduce cost for new r2. Same logic for r3.

 

And what is most likely to change in each of these revisions?

 

No-one knows. Probably a new CPU architecture, if there's one out by then, and probably an upgraded GPU, maybe 1TB HDD option, if they're aroundt by then.

 

CPU architecture seems to be the primary result of a revision change. All the revisions have been based on the newer platform of that time. GPU is hit or miss whether it gets a boost or not.

 

Basically put, new revisions consist of a new motherboard in the machine, and mostly minor (if any) changes to the outside of the machine. As already said they are usually brought in to bring a newer line of CPUs to the model. They usually also support the latest GPUs.

The exception really was the M17x R3; while it was still a revision, it was a massive one, with significant changes to both case and components.

If you get an M14x, it would be the R1. When a new model comes out you would actually have to purchase the new model to upgrade to it; there's no way to upgrade one machine to a newer revision (even if it was, the cost of a new motherboard, CPU, etc. would be prohibitive).

 

It's a little odd that the first model is called revision 1. It would seem to me that the M14x should just be called the M14x until it is revised, then that model will be revision 1.

A better word for the models would be "version" instead of "revision."

 

^ You're right, but Dell's thinking is probably that it would confuse most people. (and they're probably not wrong...)

 

We're talking about Dell. Common sense & logic rarely apply.

 

It is somewhat confusing. We actually list M17x, M17x R2, M17x R3, I added the R1 in my post so as to not confuse users.

 

The more confusing branding was the m17X -vs- the M17X. Same exact name, different letter formatting, totally different laptops.

 

So I have a refurbished m15x still under warranty.... if they completely remove the m15x out of the lines, what DO I DO??? Switch?

 

Continue using it for as long as it lasts?

 

Just to be picky...technically both the 'x's should be lower case (m17x and M17x), and the m17x was part of the 'area-51' line (so it was the area-51 m15x).

But yeah, it's damn hard at times to tell which model people are talking about. Even more given that there was also the M17, and some people sometimes miss out the 'x', so if someone says 'm17' they could actually be talking about one of three different laptops.