How far Alienware has gone backwards

As you can see the post below. It's importent to spread the word. A lot of people don't know about BGA and need that someone with the knowledge can tell them the truth... Not everyone knows that there are better option if they want max performance in portable format without having to buy a desktop. A BGA machine can't replace a desktop if you want real power!! They can't!!

PS. Have you seen a very good benchmark from the new line from DEllienware? Not me!!
a

Still much more portable than an AW laptop + this G/A whatever you go. I can use my laptop over the whole house home without to lug with me that G/A in different rom I use. And it is still much better to carry a smal bag designed for my 17 inch laptop than a bulky purse for this graphics amplifier and a bag with the laptop.

Edit: @Cass-Olé you said:::

A) they don't offer the 980D (desktop 200w/180w) gpu which was announced last September as the 'Fastest mobility graphics card ever built for gaming laptops', while the likes of Clevo / MSI GT80s (980 x2 / SLI) do offer it; 8months later, Aliens got no desktop gpu in a laptop hence ain't got the 'best' mobile gpu or gpu configs out right now, because:

Acer offer Gtx980 now. Also Msi Gt72. All big OEM brand offer GTX 980... CLEVO, MSI, ASUS + ACER.

 

@ Cass-Olé

It's not being personal at all. Believe me. I don't let complete strangers online have any form of impact on my needs. I will listen to advice yes, but ultimately I make the decision.
Entirely up to you whether you believe that or not. I KNOW the case here. The AGA will offer superior performance for less price. That is just a fact.

I'm growing tired, like many others reading that these new systems are just junk when in fact they are brilliant computers, REGARDLESS of what you think. They've sold well and they perform well.

@Papusan

I can't believe you brought up the ancient and well beaten to death and beyond dead horse of an argument that laptops can't be desktops.
Congratulations on pointing out the obvious....again.....

If I wanted a desktop, guess what I would have bought.......

Not to mention that the gap is now closing fast between the two, especially with the latest 900m series cards.

You can be as vocal as you desire. It won't change a damn thing.
This is the new direction for portable gaming laptops and Alienware have recognized this. Whatever helps the company to grow and stay relevant to their market is what they will do.

 

Acer is the last of the major brand that would offer a laptop for desktop cards. This means all major brand minus Dellienware... This means that Dell goes ahead, because they know what their customers want? They have most likely another buyer group now.

 

I have no opinion on 13/15/17, because if it isn't the 18 being talked about in whatever flavor, I yawn, personally. You used words 'the new direction for portable gaming laptops', but when I hear 'gaming laptop' (these days) I think GTX 980, 980 SLI & 980m SLI, then the conversation devolves to 'all the rest' on the market; you can say, I'll just plug into my AGA, but then we're no longer discussing 'portable gaming' using the fastest mobile gpu's & configs yet offered, not really, not if I have to envision u in your home, tethered to a desktop anchor. Which is fine for you, but now you & your Jailienware are out of the upper-echelon of the 'portable gaming' discussion as we critique the finer things in life. This did not used to be the case of course, which to some is a step backwards. And as Mr Dell spends 67billion on mergers, we wonder how tight the Aliens have been told to buckle their belts in the near future as well ... which is its own discussion regarding future products & where they'll sit in the performance hierarchy, & their owners in the pecking order. I hope I said this right

Well, here's what we do Cal. I have 10ways to approach the same thing, imperfectly worded or not, 1080 launched with the promise of TitanX+ powa --> & it's showing up here, in AClub & Arena mated to AGA as we speak, so this is the moment where AGA takes center stage, am I right? Now's when it's s'posed to shine brighter than ever. How these three forums handle the news should make for interesting reading, whether one owns Pascal or not.

After Thunderbolt eGPU's allow 'all' lapdog owners to play on a level playing field 'soon', this is 13/15/17's moment in the sun, a sun which is starting to set. We have an announcement on Dell.com that 1080 is a perfect match for AGA, but ... launch weekend, is there so much as an install guide? How about support, have u seen any yet? AGA Lounge:

• Alienware Support believes it's an incompatibility between the 1080 & the built-in Intel HD Graphics 530 drivers. Issue has been escalated, with follow up expected by Tuesday. Hopefully It can be fixed soon

We do speak of one of the few products on earth capable of affording a lappy this opportunity so we would like a seamless transition come launch day, 'the Big Event', the thing they've been waiting for, for months? Uh, no. We call this weekend an inauspicious start. Incompatibilities? They didn't escalate last week? (weeks ago? On p.52, I posted May 7 of these fools handing out 1000 free 770s, we can be sure they've had 1080s for weeks now to test with, hand-delivered). I've read a bunch of people left to their own devices, fending for themselves on so basic a thing as installing the new 1080 for AGA. 980Ti was last summer which gave the Aliens a full year to 'prep' for 1080's launch. Ponder over that for a minute as we're stuck this weekend in what looks to me like amateur hour. Let's assume, that since no 1080s are being sold by them?, they don't need to rush & get yours working today yesterday or tomorrow. The Big Event? All I hear is crickets chirping from their end ... how about u.

Next, look ahead & we'll get performance results from whomever goes 1080 / 1070s way, it can't be stopped & verdicts will be rendered over the efficacy of AGA pro vs con as has occurred since it 1st launched; it's back in the spotlight & we'll hear non-stop what people have to say from here on out. Fine with me. But if u buy one Cal? Jerk that *** psu out of there, toss it in the garbage & toss in a Corsair with 120mm fan, then post your displeasure in the AGA Lounge over the old junk they sold u ... cool? Let them know it ain't cool to pair your 980/Ti/TX/1080/Ti/TY with their $50 junk. Push back & demand better ... demand quality --> this is NoteBook Review

@Poppysan's an ex-Alien owner; he's troubleshooted more people out of a bind in his free time than people will ever know, or ever tell because his signature's changed, but, all or most of us begin life as bright-eyed owners, until, one day?, the Honeymoon wears off, like for this fellow we saw last month, who's May 3 post has still gone unanswered, lingers there & here as a reminder that not all owners or ex-owners are or were happy with the high-cost marriage

____________________
AGA fan upgrade​

edit because honestly? Dell buys Delta fans by the billions, they literally pay 3cents for the 92mil in there. The idea here, is that the Aliens have been told by Dell to source from their parts bin to keep cost to a minimum on their end, so they could care less how loud your fan is, so long as they roll in the dough at the end of the sale. To add insult to injury, they don't even make a fan-swap ez, u have to jump through a hurdle to put a qwiet $20 (Noctua Noiseblocker etc) in there. So, once the psu is tossed, once the fan is tossed, ok, maybe now after throwing another $95 at it or so it can finally pass for something, but, as an 'Alienware' product only comprised of so few parts, shouldn't the niceties already be built in ... lift the lid & pow! Again, AGA is the poster child for we'll buy low you sell high ... we don't want them addicted to Dell's cheap parts bin brother, none of us do ... & you can tell Joe & Frank I said so.

​

 

My m18x fits in 17" cheap targus laptop bag lol. If you don't have strength to move around with 5.5kg laptop then you have to go to the doctor mate.

 

I just realized something funny. A lot of you are promoting desktop replacements. But those laptops are fairly mid/high range desktops and not really high end as in the highest of the spectrum. SO its a category between gaming laptops and desktop in my opinion. The Quickest laptop GPU is the desktop 980 which and correct me if I am wrong do not fit in standard MXM laptops and only 1 card in SLI MXM laptops. A single 980 is really not a fast card anymore when you talk desktop. Curious what will happen for the new pascal GPU's. The thermals arent that great with the current reference boards because of the small chip die with A LOT of transistors.

Thats one ugly ass backpack though. No way I want to be seen with that

5.5KG is something anyone can carry but comfortable it is definitely not. On a bicycle in the sun for 20 minutes? YOu have a nice sweaty spot where your backpack was on your back.

 

I'm sorry if you are so weak. Better go to gym.

 

No matter how strong you are, 5.5kg+ on your back is not good for health.

 

I had more weight on my back when I was at school due to heavy books.

 

Dude I am in far better shape than most people on this planet. I come from a family that produced various top athletes....

THat doesnt mean it is good to carry 5.5kg on your back 2 hours a day. Next to that it is simply not comfortable.

 

@ Cass-Olé

I'm fully aware that I will need to be tethered in future to the AGA for gaming as it will no longer be able to play the latest games on the mobile GPU. That's not a negative for me.
It will still outmatch the absolute majority of new laptops on performance and WILL outmatch absolutely all on price. I'm more than happy to wait until the next revision of desktop GPU's, might even wait two generations.

@rinneh
Likewise buddy - I'm 6ft tall and around 200 pounds.
I go the gym regularly and I'm more than capable of lifting 100+ Kgs like many who also attend. At the same time I'm not going to let pride get in the way of admitting that the M18x I owned was not fun to carry around, especially in a city and even more so on buses. It's not purposed to be carried everywhere.

The definition of Portable

1. capable of being transported or conveyed: YES

2. easily carried or conveyed by hand: NO

Ergo they are "portable" in only the broadest of senses.
Travelling abroad would be even more troublesome as they will take up quite a substantial amount of your luggage weight allowance.

@ GodlikeRU

Oooooooh - You carried heavy books - Strong boy you are.......
Doesn't differ from the fact that you would have set them down regularly. Now imagine having an additional 5.5Kg+ on your back with that Alienware 18 or any large laptop for that matter.

Don't give us bull. It wouldn't be comfy at all.

 

I guess different horses. I don't go to the gym but carrying around an extra 5kgs is nothing to me and as for international traveling which I do a lot of the laptop is hand carry so is not part of check-in baggage. Checking it into the hold would be playing Russian roulette with your laptop.

If you think 5kg is bad check out this beast with 20 core 40 thread Xeons, water cooled of course weighing in somewhere around 30kgs.

Hahahaha...

 

It's doable but if I can take something lighter with strong performance I know what I'm picking, hence why the 15 is ideal.

That is a beast - It looks reminiscent of the old windows 95 PC's.

 

It doable but not comfortable. As in if you have it on your back a longer time while it is hot, you only will wish for something lighter. The AW15 in my possession isnt even that light that well. I loved the Vaio Z13 when it came out. It could game moderately well but only weighs 1.3kg. It was perfect to take with me.

 

Y'all shouldn't be lifting with your back
Crisis averted.

 

Long winded post. Sorry.

There is a fairly narrow window in tech for worthy upgrades. Luckily things have slowed in recent years making CPU swaps quite an attractive option. I get it. Heck, USB2.0 ports are still out there or even DVD's. However! If you want thunderbolt and a supported OS, I'm guessing your upgrade path has an end to it. Same for better screens or even the lowly camera. To be current as an enthusiast, you will likely only get one worthwhile "refresh".

I relate it to cars and when the majority switched from carb to fuel injection with clumsy ECMs. People hated them. Now some of the fastest cars on the planet got that way with the tech that was so hated not that many years ago.

I'm not selling BGA as the best thing, or the next fuel injection, but rather knowing this will drive tech in its own way. Those speed freaks in the lab WANT you to have fast stuff... its how they remain employed. Good days are coming. My prediction is a blend of the two. CPU/GPU still BGA but on its own module that can be replaced.

All that said, if you are using arguments that upgradeability is a requirement, I wonder why you both arguing against the GA? LAN parties are a lot less common than they were and internet is better - people stay home to game*. If the GA gives a gaming life cycle boost to THEIR needs vs non-BGA then why not? Both solutions are unlikely to allow skipping too many generations. If you need bleeding edge GPU or CPU for work, thats a different story - but then WORK systems get replaced on a regular basis.

"But without the GA being with you its pointless since the 900 series GPU will be old by then"
Yeah, so you drop a few FPS on the same game you likely purchased 2 years earlier. Turn the eye candy back on when home.

* Funny because folks hauled towers and huge monitors around in those days. GA or 20" laptop is nothing by comparison

 

for thous that travel a lot a GA doesn't offer portable performance as you say its for keeping at home or taking to LAN parties for my self i'm at home about 3 days of the month

but naturally i still want to game/oc/tinker with any available spare time whilst away

 

Look at ASUS GX800, Computex event and MSI tell me how much Alienware has gone backwards, GA or Hydro cooling or what not, Prove it otherwise. Period.

EDIT : And to fuel this thread's purpose the regression, there's a Benchmark on the most potent configuration on a notebook / DTR class machine, I cannot find it unfortunately but it had 980 SLI with 6700K in a P870DM chassis with Prema Mod sBIOS, fully unlocked raw power to churn more than that GX800/MSI Titan s on AIR cooling.

 

did alienware buy the patient off that company that built the water cooled m18x? or was it just a one off?

 

Now coming graphics dock's for full speed http://www.pcworld.com/article/3075...uses-laptops-with-hellacious-performance.html The only thing Dellienware could offer instead of raw performance from internal hardware. Now is also this little advantage soon history... Dellienware is soon nothing. Only a brand which now only offers thin / light laptops for maximum portability.

Edit @JAY8387
Just bragging and show of. Dell did not have the balls to make such a thing. Now is the balls even less visible...

 

"External gpu enclosures designed to add gaming performance to otherwise pedestrian laptops seem popular in 2016" ...

​

Spoiler: DiabloBox

Taipei, Taiwan – May 30th, 2016 – TUL Corporation, a leading and innovative manufacturer of graphic cards since 1997, has released a brand new external graphics card chassis called the DEVIL BOX. PowerColor DEVIL BOX is based on AMD XConnectTM Technology which was introduced on March 16th, 2016 by AMD. This technology has developed in collaboration with Intel’s ThunderboltTM group. The PowerColor DEVIL BOX is primarily for users who would like to have an even more powerful graphics card, whether Nvidia or AMD, on his/her notebook or mini PC in pursuit of desktop-class graphics performance. With a qualified graphics card installed in the PowerColor DEVIL BOX and connecting with ThunderboltTM 3 specification, gamers and enthusiasts will be able to play any types of games on the market without sacrificing the portability of a thin’n’light notebook.

Connection Thunderbolt™ 3 (40Gbps cable)
GPU Support GPU Type: PCI-Express x16 graphics cards
GPU Max Dimensions: 310 x 140 x 50mm
Max GPU Power: 375 Watts
Plug and Play compatible graphics chipsets
Qualified AMD Radeon™ graphics cards
— AMD Radeon™ R9 Fury
— AMD Radeon™ R9 Nano
— AMD Radeon™ R9 300 Series
— AMD Radeon™ R9 290X
— AMD Radeon™ R9 290
— AMD Radeon™ R9 285
Supported NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics cards
— NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX Titan X
— NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 980 Ti
— NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 980
— NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 970
— NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960
— NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 950
— NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 750 Ti
— NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 750
Output USB 3.0 * 4
USB3.1 Gen1 TypeC x1
Ethernet 10/100/1000
SATA III for 2.5” HDD upgrade
Internal Power Supply 500 Watts
Chassis Size 400 x 172 x 242mm
Accessory A/C cable
Thunderbolt™ 3 cable (40Gbps, INTEL certified)
Support Ready for SATA III 2.5” HDD

500w power supply, awesome sauce. Nice find Poppy. Honestly, I'm not sure I like that AMD is doing this technology on their own dime while Nvidia gets to ride their backs, seemingly for free. I could be mistaken, but they're calling joint AMD/Intel. All three should pitch in, frankly. Well? eGPU's may be expensive at 1st, but like with AGA which launched at $300 then dropped to $200, all we can do is come back in a year & see where prices are at. The one article mentioned the Asus box needs a pair of Thunder ports, making them proprietary Asus only ... what were they thinking. eGPU for the masses at least looks like the smart move. Oh well, Asus owners can try DiabloBox if the price suits. 680watt, looks wicked

 

I remember all those who bought the Dell graphics amplifier. Used a half years to get it to work properly . Dell's buyers were the Guinea Pig for Dell's proprietaryG/A solution. What more offers Dellienware now which is a so called advantage instead of high performance duo socket hardware? Jeees ..., Thin apple similar laptops that give slightly better portability due to BGA hardware in a pretty design, LOL

Edit: And Acer, Msi, Asus and Clevo stay on with heavier laptops intended for the best graphics Nvidia can offer!!

 

P870DM remains the most cost effective/logical solution for a DTR with full desktop components.

Acer, ASUS, doesn't stay on the heavy laptops. They use BGA with desktop components which doesn't make sense. I don't want to commit to a fully BGA laptop given the price.
MSi, Clevo still make sense when they use MXM GPU, though the MSi doesn't have replaceable CPU.


G/A is nice, but is proprietary. So TB3 EGPU solutions might cater to the demand that AW/Dell refused to fulfill.

 

dp

 

I am fully aware of this! Clevo is the only option now, if you want like me fully socket hardware... I hate BGA if you do not already know this !! The Point was... All major BIG brand continues with slightly thicker laptops with desktop graphics... Dellienware continues with their own!! Thin light laptops for maximum portability. They are far away from what the other brand can offer now!! Aka DELLIENWARE don't want to offer their customers the best graphics you can put in a notebook. They offer only thin/light Apple similar laptops with the Breadbox instead...!!

 

MSI has replaceable MXM's, I posted that ASUS machine because most of the people like BGA nowadays cough*this thread*cough so that should be enough to put a fullstop to the GA praise, MSI already has an SLI solution but limited by power this ASUS machine can handle 660W power.

 

Dellienware is in its own league now... Along with Apple and Razer. Both of these brand + Aw offer only thin lightweight laptops!! Design and max portability.

 

i like the idea of but as you will be docking & unlocking the system over time the water level would drop along with slowly introducing impurities in to the cooling loop how do you even bleed and refill it? i would especially not want to be bleeding & refilling a 24 inch laptop as presumably you would have to do it when it is connected to the docking station?

would be better all self contained with in the laptop but i imagine that asetek own the patent on that & is probably why they built the water cooled m18x saw enthusiasts modding laptops to be water cooled although external & thought there would be money in it

but even then i wouldn't want to bleed & refill that m18x

also asetek could of done a better job on the water blocks really going over the GPU vram along with gpu & CPU chokes

 

Oh I didn't knew that Alienware had a liquid cooled prototype or real machine, But instead of gimping like MSI even with MXM GPUs ASUS did an amazing job by getting the BGA Cpu at 4.4GHz and GPUs also running OCed at 14xxMHz with Liquidcooling and 660W is definitely good considering there are no laptops in the world with that power and unlocked potential, If they had Clevo like vision then ASUS might have become the King of the hill with maximum potential for Enthusiasts.
Too bad EVGA is just another Dellienware, Crapzer, Crapple.

 

660w of BGA and no future hardware support.
660w that needs external watercooling to cope with heat

no need for the asus, mr.fox proved that the P870DM can handle dual 980dekstop (most likely the P775DM cards) without trouble while still being aircooled (probably not for long gaming sessions though)

 

660w of BGA and no future hardware support.
660w that needs external watercooling to cope with heat

no need for the asus, mr.fox proved that the P870DM can handle dual 980dekstop (most likely the P775DM cards) without trouble)

 

i don't believe they did i think it was asetek expecting the market to try and go that way
http://www.asetek.com/press-room/ne...liquid-cooling-for-laptop-and-all-in-one-pcs/

also im not defending alienware oh hell no

i'm just condensed about the long term practicability a water cooled laptop that you cant bleed, a custom desktop loop requires bleeding every 6 months or so even with demineralised water & a kill coil as over time the internals of the components release impurities into the water , i also agree a water cooled laptop would be amazing but i would want it to be all in one not on a base station my fear is that as we haven't seen on its due to someone i imagine asetek are holding a patent over such a system & well did you see the lawsuit they brought against amd & coolermaster for the fury x

 

Even if ASUS paid me back I wouldn't buy that machine , It's just a reference for the top notch potential .
The 870DM with dual 980s doesn't exist as of yet to people, so ASUS is the best laptop for those looking for 980SLI, the MSI gimped by the hybrid power and 330W peak.

 

I actually like the idea of non proprietary GA's. There's no harm in adding upgrade options and functionality to a machine.
But at that point, for better or worse it's basically a desktop if you want power.

I'm not even against thin and light. They have their place and it's good to be able to effortlessly sling one under your arm in work environments.

But BGA and enthusiast shouldn't be in the same sentence. Awesome it is not, no matter which way you slice it, it's a step back for the consumer. I'm not ok if I can't work / upgrade / repair / maintain my machine. I'm not ok being held hostage to pay for a massively extended warranty for fear of something breaking and having to replace everything in one go since its all welded together.

The fuel ejection car analogy is terrible. It's more like having a car with spot welded nuts and bolts. Wanna fix it? Nope. Wanna mod it? Nope. It stays as is until it dies or the owner is forced to sell and upgrade. Then who would really want to invest in a second hand machine that can't be serviced without exclusive dealer warranty (want a second hand laptop with a bga 580m anyone) ?
One things for certain it will never make classic car status or be on anyone's restoration list 40 years from now. How could it... See the correlation?

I'm not here to shame anyone for buying a new AW. If you know what you've bought and it suits your needs, that's fantastic. I'm happy you're happy. If they went socketed I would have jumped on a 15 with a GA.
But, Alienware has simply changed their priorities and don't offer anything that outdoes or outpaces their last best effort (AW18/m18x r2). I don't care a great deal since Clevo is offering the goods but some choice wouldn't go astray.

 

id of liked to seen an mXXx series laptop, or at least a limited run, with the water cooler in but i imagine dell/alienware would of had to pay out a substantial amount making it really not at all financially viable for dell as they were already making cut backs in the quality/ bom cost (just look at the build quality change from the m17x r2 to the r3) and would probably would of wanted to offer a different warranty on the system do you really want to let the general consumers loose with a laptop they have to pore water in and out off then wobble around to get all the air out?

 

it doesn't, yes. but that's because people willing to invest in such a setup can be counted by fingers

 

Perhaps this new BGA mini SSD comes in next (If Azor want even slimmer lighter ) rebadged AW notebook models? + Maybe also with soldered RAM? Will this be the very new feature from Dellienware?

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Samsung-unveils-fast-BGA-mini-SSDs-for-Ultrabooks.167289.0.html

 

Did someone wonder why he wants everything slimmer and weaker? Maybe he has a problem with his own slim components

 

We are closer on this than it may appear. The upgrade-ability of the GA is probably not much different in results than what you are limited to for internal GPU choices for an old laptop. I don't have the GA though and would only consider once I'm at that fork in the road, YEARS from now most likely, so the desktop comparison falls apart unless you only have the intel GPU when mobile. lol.

As for car analogy... its perfect in describing the reactions and attitudes people have now.

Funny thing about arguing so strongly* against the GA or BGA is that it requires me to assume you have a long upgrade path with xxx, that its needed, OR that many even bother. Brandx needs to sell NEW units - and they do. To enthusiast. A few of you are up front about it... you want the option to swap the latest CPU/GPU, just because you can or want to. That's great. I suspect you still replace or add systems because that upgraded system will still be outdated to enthusiast. Its in your blood to try new tech!

Games? Office use? Those needs do not change monthly or even yearly so much that you upgrade each time. Portability demands are always high though.

*Its the level I take issue with.

 

Because it is oh so hard to imagine that people actually use their laptops as laptops and not desktop replacements....

 

Then u have ultrabooks. Alienware does not need to be ultrabook's brand.

 

Remember Dell's flagship AW17R2/3 is classified as DTR laptop. I don't know what Dell was thinking when they changed direction and made this thin slim AW17 <Echo> model. Most likely because of this models motherboard being shared with AW15. Maybe Dell will use the same motherboard also in a future new rebadged AW13? This mean much more money for Dell' shareholders and a lot easier to obtain spare parts for failed hardware in every country.

 

Hand it to Dell: best warranty in the b'ness with on-site repair. Brand new owners of flagship 17 R3 get treated right for their $ + the extry the dish-out for long-term warranty. A class act.

Alienware 17 R3 Power on Issue
_______________


Well, I don't think I'll be buying another alienware product
_______________​

this might be u someday: new non-booting 17 R3s appear to be a real thing lately, so make sure you have the best coverage out there for it fellas.

Spoiler: Fix It Yourself

June 2 Forum Sticky: Alienware 13 R2, 15 R2 & 17 R3: Systems Not Powering Up > ah yes, the good old pliers trick > & on Arena: [SOLUTION] Alienware 13 R2, 15 R2 & 17 R3: Systems Not Powering Up > " If you're having this problem with one of the latest BIOSes (bioses plural?) , I suggest you read the page"

(if your system's not powering up? & u can get online?, read that page. If your system's not powering up & u can't get online?, u won't be reading this page that directs u to that other page with a pliers fix)

​

 

You can read the page if you buy a computer as a backup. Or maybe use your phone or an tablet . Always smart with backups. This applies to your personal files and hardware .

 

This is what pisses me off. People keep boasting about how great Dell's warranty and on-site support is which is true, but the question is, why go through all this and waiting for parts or a laptop replacement for a relatively still new laptop. Not very reliable for the large amount one has paid for it.

When I had my Alienware 18, I had my screen replaced 3 times after a few days due to backlight bleeding, then after a month, no boot due to motherboard failure, then a CPU failure, then Dell replaced the whole system with a brand new one with even upgraded specs. Great. but I had a lot of hassle and inconvenience being without a laptop for so long. With my current Clevo, never had any issues. The quality of Alienware products is pathetic for the price you pay. that's why they need an on-site next business day warranty, because they know how prone to failure their systems are.

 

I'm still very happy with my AW 17 "Elitist". Great as pc No. 2 and I will keep this for a long time. Possible my wife or daughter takes over the machine. GTX780m is still an ok graphics card also for their use. In the beginning there were a lot of strange, but after that everything is very good. Did not dare to buy a BGA machine from Dell if I could bear buy BGA. All too much weird bugs that other brands don't have.

 

New 17s are dropping like flies lately

My new Alienware 17R3 is totally dead no signs of life
____________________
pliers trick? or refurb'd mthrbrd?
refurb w/on-site, that's my bet​

 

This problem is a bios issue. It has nothing to do with hardware. I had this too. They replaced my motherboard. But they actually didnt need to do that. They released a fix for it past week. It is caused by a bios flash and incorrect settings. Need to disconnect the battery, remove the memory and connect 2 pins with a flat head for it to reset all settings. Still sucks that they released that bios (ver 1.2.12) that caused this and didnt pull it from their website.

Thats the exat opposite of the spectrum and the wrong side of balance for a lot of users here including mine. DTR machines are the opposite and also not the right balance. For that money I rather have a real powerful desktop and a portable laptop. Not all users want the same, get the right tools for yourself.

One of my biggest beefs next to the weight with Clevo desktop replacements is the price of updates. The money is not the issue, but the principle. Paying twice the money for a MXM board compared to a normal desktop card that even comes with superb cooling.

 

Apples to Apples comparision is better why bring desktop prices here, Ok the prices are ridiculous but why ? that's because of lack of competition from AMD in the mobile spectrum.

Suppose take my case I had a failed 860M what could I do If had an echo system and out of warranty then Dumpster ? I kinda develop bond with machines as time passes I cannot just throw them into a dumpster and buy a new one every year, btw the effective cost is lesser actually (Warranty, PCIe hyped SSD, IMHO normal SATAIII are enough for the given workloads, latest gen BGA CPU, GPU = $$$$) !! So upgrades / performance by OCing is not the sole reason, It applies to the fixing it yourselves, and the chassis for user friendly environment. The new Echo machines is a full downgrade, even the Ranger / Viking machines battery placement is awful the old M15x M18x, M17x all had the battery bays which looked cool and offered a guage as well to measure the life cycles and power on the fly, but the echo machines servicing takes takes to pop out the keyboard for battery wtf, what is this regression ? Absolutely unfathomable and inexcusable, They cheaped out on the GPU vRAM, on the R3 echos and it took 2 iterations to fix things. Even they misled consumers with the PCie SSDs on the R3 actually they were just M.2s & Still no Quad channel RAM the older M17x R3, R4, 17, 18 all have quad channel. Actually I thought all 4x sodimm slot means Quadchannel but it's not the case the Quadchannel means only HEDT LGA 20xx sockets, anyways there's no support for 4xslot RAM.

Next is BIOS the old machines which used Insyde H2O had no locks or whatsover the M15x has a Phoenix BIOS which also doesn't have any secure flash or NVRAM and enjoys a slew of GPU upgrades, the M18x R2 got legacy support from custom sBIOS which Alienware even failed to do so with Maxwell officially, WIP of the M17x R4,R3 (Ok, the NVRAM is there in latest Clevos as well but It's easier to fix things up over the hectic Ranger/Viking type of reset & ofc the custom sBIOS) the new machines have an Aptios sBIOS like Clevos but who's interested in modding that (idk if that secure feces is still there or not) ? No one, all left to the Clevo mothership since they don't cheap out on the internals and specs. Plus they killed off the M18x what a misery.

Finally the design, the M18x R2's timeless design is still one of the best in the world.

I had magnetic attraction towards the Alienwares since the M17x R2 I , the sole reason was because of their superb cooling and MXM, back then no one had these feature set, they were fantastic looking beasts the ALX machines too, but new Area 51 also cheaped out. The demise of the brand started from Dell becoming private since 2013.

Amen to once great brand now ashes. RIP Alienware.

EDIT : The Evil Dell killed the demand for the MXM GPUs and now Nvidia doesn't give reference designs of MXM to ODMs and all of them jumped to Better Get Another bandwagon of gimp-o-rama, Except MSI and Clevo and they have to make their own designs. Please vote with your wallet for this niche feature else the future is doomed for notebook enthusiasts / power users.

src -> from Prema at T|I.

 

The best part about Alienware's warranty was that if there was a problem they'd send you out the replacement parts on the same day and let you do it yourself at request. Alternatively they send a technician to do it at your house if you weren't confident doing it yourself.
That's the beauty of having replacement components. Even back then, Alienware was known for being substandard if you sent your machine in to get fixed and was always advised against from members on this forum.
The new Alienware's being BGA and all pretty much have to go back to base where quality of workmanship is questionable.