It All Comes Down to This... (some questions for m15x owners)

After hours upon hours of browsing NotebookReview, especially the Alienware forums, this is what it all comes down to...

Basically, my dad and his girlfriend got their own house together, and I'm obviously not going to lug my desktop around, since I'll be there days at a time, I think it's time to invest into a laptop. I have some doubts about the m15x, I just want to make sure that I don't spend so much on something that will be a pain in the end. I've read through the forums a lot. There's a lot of owners with problems, and a lot that have perfect m15xs. Here's a few questions I have for any owners:

Did your m15x come with any paint defects, scratches, or any cosmetic defects when it came? It pisses me off a lot when something that costs over $2k comes with even a few small cosmetic defects, so this is a little important to me.

If I got a case, would the m15x fit in a 1.3" thick case or would it need a bigger case? I've heard from some people that it's around 1.5"-1.8". I'd want a case when I order that fits right, so I'd want to know what size case it would fit in?

How loud are the fans when playing a graphic-intensive game? My headphones don't really block out noise, so it might get annoying.

Can I pick up the laptop without it wobbling enough to annoy me? I might walk around the house (holding onto the m15x as well as I can ) to go from my room to see what's going on downstairs, sit on the couch to play, etc. I would mostly do that for anything that isn't a FPS, especially MMORPGs.

How well does the m15x hold up with a lot of care? I've heard a lot of people call the plastic it's made out of cheap, and if looks like crap after a few months or a little into the first year, then it might not be a great choice.

Lastly, after getting the m15x do you think that you didn't get enough for your money or that Alienware meet your expectations?

Only problem is that I don't know when to buy. The 8800M GTX has already been out for a good while. I might wait until the end of the year just so I can use some money I get for my birthday (December 19) and the holidays into some extra money for the laptop, I don't think I could afford the config I'd want right now. If I get it at the end of the year, I know I'd definitely want a 9800M GTX and Montevina would be nice, too. For the price, I want the best. Maybe that's what the Breed teaser is revealing?

If they don't include the 9800M GTX, I'm not sure what I would want to do. The 8800M GTX won't exactly be outdated at the end of the year, but it would've already went through a year of its' lifespan. Plus, Nehalem (is that a Q2 2009 release or Q3?) will bring some nice speed improvements, and the 10 series from NVIDIA will probably be the next major video card series from NVIDIA (the 9 series wasn't really that new or that much better).

Let's pretend that I bought it today, this would be the specs I would get:

Design & Display: Silver Skullcap Design
Display: 15.4" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD (720p) with Clearview Technology
System Lighting: Alienware® AlienFX® System Lighting - Red
Video/Graphics Card: 512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8800M GTX
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T8300 2.4GHz (3MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
Operating System (Office software not included): Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
Notebook Tuners and Remotes: Without Media Center Remote Control or TV Tuner
Memory: 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz – 2 x 512MB (would upgrade later)
System Drive: 250GB 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection
Optical Drives : 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
Wireless: Internal Intel® Wireless 4965 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card
Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Keyboard Options: AlienFX® Illuminated Keyboard – Exclusive Design
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service

$2,349 before tax ($2,540 with it...). Not a great price, especially compared to the Sager NP8660 (the thickness kind of lead me away from ordering that, let's not get into an argument on that), but it's not a horrible price, either. That's without a case or a RAM upgrade (which I'll do myself) and that's only with a year of AlienCare warranty, which I think I would need to upgrade to 2 or 3 years for $200-$300 more.

BTW, thanks to everyone that read through all of that !

 

edit: sorry, didnt see that in the initial post. didnt mean to be obnoxious

 

Thanks for the link, but I'm not a huge fan of the Sager NP8660. The thickness really started to lead me away from buying it, but it's something to consider. Personally, I think Alienware designs their notebooks much nicer, too. Like I said in my first post, let's not start a Sager vs. Alienware argument, I think I've almost decided on the m15x.

 

In the scale -

"It's pretty" on one side;
"It works great" on the other.

Guess it depends on what you value.

 

The m15x has been working fine for most people, a few have had some bad problems with it, though. Downclocking is fixed, I don't hear anyone complaining about it anymore. The only problem is that I could be taking a risk having to get it fixed all the time.

I don't want to turn this thread into a Sagervs. Alienware argument. I've read a lot on the forums and I know what I'm getting into. I appreciate the suggestions, though.

 

If you didn't notice, he already mentioned the Sager np8660, and said he didn't want it. *thumbs up* for reading skills.

p.s. this is the Alienware forums, if he wanted a suggestion on a sager, he'd go to the sager forums... fyi.

as for the original topic... I think a lot of the issues have been ironed out (mostly), but I'm unsure. when I got my m15x in march, there were some minor flaws in the paint, mostly just spots that looked almost like there was a grain of sand under the paint... other than that, most issues were solved with all the patches, all of which will be pre-applied.

according to recent purchasers, the screen chasis creeking, cracking and whatnot has been effectively solved by AW, though mine creeks a bit when I open it up (just sounds like plastic bits shifting in their casings)... like I said, newer owners havn't reported this issue.

about newer tech, no garantees, it could come, it could not. you can always look at another laptop (like a sager) if montevina and the 9000 series of nvidia cards is that important to you...

no matter what you buy, it'll be outdated in 6-8 months, so try not to hold out for the "next best thing", 'cause you'll be waiting a long time... (eg. next year, when nelheim (or whatever) and the 10 series is out, the next gen will be announced and you'll be waiting for that instead)...

I don't want to lead you wrong... this is older tech, it is already 'outdated' but by no means does that make it 'bad' or 'inadequate' in any way. This is still a powerful and kickass box. I love my m15x, and I plan to for many years.

as for your specs... why the T8300? I know it doesn't look like the T9300 offers much, but the extra L2 cache could really push your computer into a bracket of 'futureproof' that you won't get with the 8300. but that's just my opinion... you don't have to listen.

Whatever you choose, don't look back and don't keep watching the market... I've been coaching a friend into what computer to buy for a few weeks now and I've been looking at all the new laptops and thinking "wow, if I only..." ... well, at the time, THIS was the right choice for me, and I shouldn't doubt that... but the more I look at it, the harder it is to not do that...

In any case, I hope you're happy with your purchase, good luck!

 

double ditto.....

 

Thanks for being the first to actually read my post . The 9800M GT that's in the Sager is the exact same card as the 8800M GTX, the only card I would want would be the 9800M GTX, which should be at least a good 20% faster. For the price, I'd expect the best. The T8300 should hold up well. I don't think double the L2 cache will be a huge deal. GameSpot benchmarked Crysis on desktop processors, and a 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo got the same average as a 3.20GHz Extreme quad-core, so I think for whatever the 8800M GTX can handle, the 2.4GHz won't be holding it back. Plus, I could use the extra $100 into a RAM upgrade and a case.

How's your m15x been?

Out of curiousity, which laptop would you have gotten instead? Thanks a lot!

 

Not sure. I'm not sure of what was available when I actually bought my m15x. the XPS m1530 was the other major model I was looking at, at the time. but I would've wanted the T9300, LCD-LED display and the 8600M GT... wireless N, basically everything I got. my big complaint is primarily that I didn't do enough research for myself before ordering. I didn't even know xoticpc existed. Now that I do, I wish I had. just dunno what models and options were available in march...

like I said, I try not to think about it. plus, a lot has changed since then (damn technology, moving so fast)...

I got the m15x, I think because the T9300 wasn't available in the m1530 at the time... the m15x was the only laptop that fit my customization needs and had almost everything I wanted (would've liked an integrated fingerprint reader for BIOS authentication, but whatever)...

the CPU, graphics (aka NOT integrated), wireless capabilities, etc.

I'm kind of an eliteist.

 

lol you and I are in the exact same situation kind of, i'm also considering an m15x with the same specs as yours, good luck with your purchase

 

eariler on you guys said that the overheating problems have been solved, does this include the x9000 processor?

cause i am thinking of getting this processor and the 8800 in the m15x and was wondering if it was a good idea to do it

 

no, i think the X9000 still downclocks. imho, it's just too powerful for the m15x. in any case, the T9300 should serve you fine too.

 

JonnJon, I direct you to the thread you started regarding the x9000 downclocking which answers your question: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=277130

 

To answer your questions...

Did your m15x come with any paint defects, scratches, or any cosmetic defects when it came? It pisses me off a lot when something that costs over $2k comes with even a few small cosmetic defects, so this is a little important to me.
Yes... minor scratches and paint job imperfections. Nothing major though.

If I got a case, would the m15x fit in a 1.3" thick case or would it need a bigger case? I've heard from some people that it's around 1.5"-1.8". I'd want a case when I order that fits right, so I'd want to know what size case it would fit in?
I read somewhere that a 17'' MBP sleeve would fit the M15x very well

How loud are the fans when playing a graphic-intensive game? My headphones don't really block out noise, so it might get annoying.
They are quite loud when the GPU fans kick in. Other than that, I think the M15x can be described as working in cycles. During these cycles the temp goes up (and fans from both CPU and GPU are off or going very slow) and then fans kick in to push the temps down. This happens independently of you being on idle. Normal cycles of "idleness" are not very loud, but audible.

Can I pick up the laptop without it wobbling enough to annoy me? I might walk around the house (holding onto the m15x as well as I can ) to go from my room to see what's going on downstairs, sit on the couch to play, etc. I would mostly do that for anything that isn't a FPS, especially MMORPGs.
If you are planning on picking up your M15x (which, by the way, sounds pretty weak when you grab it with only one hand from one side) and walk around the house with the lid open... be ready for some serious LCD wobbling. Contrarily to what someone said, the wobbliness and cracking haven't been solved. Appart from patches, nothing was done regarding the M15x chassis. The question is... are the wobbliness and creackiness bad enough for everyone to be driven insane? The answer is NO.

How well does the m15x hold up with a lot of care? I've heard a lot of people call the plastic it's made out of cheap, and if looks like crap after a few months or a little into the first year, then it might not be a great choice.
I guess the best people to answer that are fex, jay, buzzin, Mrfro. They took very good care of their M15x and still, the lid snapped open. Only 4 people... but still something that you should consider when making your decision.

Lastly, after getting the m15x do you think that you didn't get enough for your money or that Alienware meet your expectations?
The only thing I got was headaches and lost money and time. Obviously this contrasts with lots of other happy costumers. So I guess that, in the end, this is a very personal issue. You will only find about it when (and if) you buy it. To put it short, this was the most expensive plastic box/toy that I've ever got.


Given you are thinking on waiting a bit more till you buy your laptop, I'm completely sure lot's of other things will be out by then. The 9800GTX will definately be out (although I doubt it will be put on a 15'') and you will be able to make a more reasonable decision. More, by then, the M15x will have been outmatched by it's competitors (namely the M860TU) and very likely, AW will come up with a response (let's just hope it's not a new webpage or new screensaver... even though that would be enough to make lot's of people happy! ).

Hope that helps.
Take care,
M

 

*ahem*

I'm wary about doing this, because a lot of the less-courteous users on this board get really uptight and defensive when people make honest evaluations of Alienware products. But, since you specifically asked, I will answer as fully and honestly as I can, based on my experience. As you've aptly noticed, experiences may vary from machine to machine.

Did your m15x come with any paint defects, scratches, or any cosmetic defects when it came? It pisses me off a lot when something that costs over $2k comes with even a few small cosmetic defects, so this is a little important to me.

At least two tiny little grains of who-knows-what were painted over, leaving two tiny bumps on the otherwise smooth surfaces. One was on the back of the lid, the other was on the right palm rest [which was a particularly annoying haptic treat]. Additionally, the stick-on cover that goes over the webcam lens was not even remotely centered correctly, and little things like that drive me crazy. The lens cover cannot be removed/adjusted.

Finally, there was a visible "bright spot" behind the monitor, near the top middle. Not a dead pixel: it looked more like an LED light bleeding through, or even some of the tube lighting bleeding through.

If I got a case, would the m15x fit in a 1.3" thick case or would it need a bigger case? I've heard from some people that it's around 1.5"-1.8". I'd want a case when I order that fits right, so I'd want to know what size case it would fit in?

I'm afraid I've already sent mine in for a refund, so I can't do the measurements, but I don't believe the m15x would fit in a 1.3" case. It's a big boy, for a 15".

How loud are the fans when playing a graphic-intensive game? My headphones don't really block out noise, so it might get annoying.

Not bad.

Can I pick up the laptop without it wobbling enough to annoy me? I might walk around the house (holding onto the m15x as well as I can ) to go from my room to see what's going on downstairs, sit on the couch to play, etc. I would mostly do that for anything that isn't a FPS, especially MMORPGs.

Absolutely not. The hinges [which use plastic gear mountings, rather than the metal that even most budget laptops use] are quite flimsy. Even typing too hard/fast can cause a noticeable amount of wobbling. When using the laptop on your lap, every twitch of your leg will translate into wobbling.

How well does the m15x hold up with a lot of care? I've heard a lot of people call the plastic it's made out of cheap, and if looks like crap after a few months or a little into the first year, then it might not be a great choice.

If you take very good care of your machine and don't transport it very often, the m15x could probably hold up for a long time.

For the average user who takes average [or even slightly above average] care of their machine, however, the m15x might be too flimsy. Alienware seems to have a plastic fetish: they use it everywhere. The keyboard, the chassis, the hinges...

I understand that some people like their laptops to be light. Good for them. I'd rather not be paranoid about damaging my laptop every time I moved it or opened the lid.

Lastly, after getting the m15x do you think that you didn't get enough for your money or that Alienware meet your expectations?

I absolutely did not get what I thought I had paid for.

Hindsight is 20/20. I wish I would have compared Alienware more thoroughly against other brands like Sager, ASUS, and even Falcon Northwest before I bought the m15x. It's a miracle that I was able to get out and get my money back, before I regretted it.

I will say this, though, despite the fact that it's almost exactly the opposite of what I've heard from everyone else: Alienware's customer service is good. Not terrific, but perfectly suitable. It is not the nightmare I heard about before I bought my m15x.

In fact, that sort of influenced my decision making. See, I always heard that Alienware made great products, but had crappy customer service. I figured that, with a good product, you shouldn't really -need- customer service after the purchase.

Turns out, it's quite the opposite: good customer service, but shifty products at dramatically bloated prices.

Go pick up any gaming or PC hardware magazine out there, and you'll probably see at least two Alienware ads, one of which will usually be a two-page spread. Hell, there's a good chance that there's an Alienware advertisement at the top of this page, right now. If it's not there, do a hard refresh a couple times until you see it (CTRL+F5).

Alienware has to pay for those ads somehow, and they do it by inflating their prices, big time.

I know that you've already looked at the 8660, and I won't tell you to do something you don't want to do, but I'll just say this: you can get a comparable [or better] machine for a significantly better price from any of a couple of other companies that depend less on mass advertising.

It's something about those darn keyboard lights, man. They suck you in, and by the time you realize you've been duped, it's too late.

Alienware might be great for some people. Maybe I just got unlucky.

Just make sure you do your research before you buy. This is a ton of money to drop on a laptop, and there are a lot of great options to choose from. The m15x is only one option, and a lot of people would tell you it's not the best.

If the m15x's sleek looks are what you're interested in, don't forget that, with the money you save, you could have a laptop fully custom-painted. Custom paint jobs are sick.

If you end up going with the m15x, good for you. I wish you the best of luck.

 

Did your m15x come with any paint defects, scratches, or any cosmetic defects when it came? It pisses me off a lot when something that costs over $2k comes with even a few small cosmetic defects, so this is a little important to me.

Mine came perfect. I inspected the laptop for quite a while before turning it on. If i was going to be really picky there is a hairline of extra paint near the top of the speaker grill. Its really not noticeable unless you really look for it. I dont really count a small hairline of paint that isnt noticeable really on a speaker grill to be a defect. The laptop came to me in great condition.

If I got a case, would the m15x fit in a 1.3" thick case or would it need a bigger case? I've heard from some people that it's around 1.5"-1.8". I'd want a case when I order that fits right, so I'd want to know what size case it would fit in?

I use a Shinza ZeroShock III sleeve for my m15x. its about .8 in thick but its 17 inch wide. If you have doubts you could just go for a 17 in case. If you want to see some pics of how this case fitted my m15x i could go look for the thread with my pics in it.

How loud are the fans when playing a graphic-intensive game? My headphones don't really block out noise, so it might get annoying.

Depends on what game you are playing and if you are using head phones or speakers. With headphones or speakers on you wont notice the sound the fan makes really. if you are using earphones you wont even notice the fans come on. If you speakers are off and the fans go max it just sounds like rushing air. It also depends on what game you will be playing. On TF2 the GPU is at 78 and the fans dont go max. On COD4 and Grid the fans will go max because they use the GPU more. Once it hits 88 you will hear the fans go on but after a min you kind of just go back into the game and you dont really hear the sound anymore.

Can I pick up the laptop without it wobbling enough to annoy me? I might walk around the house (holding onto the m15x as well as I can ) to go from my room to see what's going on downstairs, sit on the couch to play, etc. I would mostly do that for anything that isn't a FPS, especially MMORPGs.

While walking around with my m15x the screen doesnt really wobble. It might be just me. While walking down the stairs you will see wobble. THe wobble doesnt really bother me. The only thing that creaks on my m15x in the top part of the lcd when i lift the lcd panel. The hinges dont sweak when i move the lcd.

How well does the m15x hold up with a lot of care? I've heard a lot of people call the plastic it's made out of cheap, and if looks like crap after a few months or a little into the first year, then it might not be a great choice.

I plastic doesnt feel cheap on the outside but on the inside it kind of does. Mine still looks new after 4 months with it. I dont see any age on the laptop yet.

Lastly, after getting the m15x do you think that you didn't get enough for your money or that Alienware meet your expectations?

I think i got what i paid for. Sure the build quality can be a bit better and more solid but at least the performance and looks are there. The customer service i think is really good. Regular CS is bad so I use Roswell exclusively. They are one of the best CS i ever talked to. If AW doesnt keep that department i dunno if i will be buying another AW. If AW does keep that department i know i will most likely buy another AW laptop.


Only problem is that I don't know when to buy. The 8800M GTX has already been out for a good while. I might wait until the end of the year just so I can use some money I get for my birthday (December 19) and the holidays into some extra money for the laptop, I don't think I could afford the config I'd want right now. If I get it at the end of the year, I know I'd definitely want a 9800M GTX and Montevina would be nice, too. For the price, I want the best. Maybe that's what the Breed teaser is revealing?

If they don't include the 9800M GTX, I'm not sure what I would want to do. The 8800M GTX won't exactly be outdated at the end of the year, but it would've already went through a year of its' lifespan. Plus, Nehalem (is that a Q2 2009 release or Q3?) will bring some nice speed improvements, and the 10 series from NVIDIA will probably be the next major video card series from NVIDIA (the 9 series wasn't really that new or that much better).

I dont see the 9800M GTX in the m15x. The m860tu cant handle the 9800M GTX. Since alot of people out there claims the m860tu has a better cooling system than the m15x and there are some people that will defend that statement with their life, im guessing the m15x wont do any better at handling the m15x. You can always keep waiting for the next best thing but then you will end up buying nothing. If you are getting a quad core cpu in a a laptop and the laptop will most likely be used for gaming then it is kind of useless since most games cant use 4 threads yet.


I think people need to stop posting about the Sager m860tu on threads where people want to ask about their configuration. If people wanted to know more about the Sager then they would go over to the sager forum. They should stop saying in every thread to stop wasting your money and save money by buying the Sager M860tu.

 

save your money and buy a sager. i have an m15x and i love it, but it isn't worth the price. get a sager, you will have more power for similar price.

 

its not like the sager is better in every way than the AW. Montevina will give you around a 10% performance boost which i dont think is too much. At least the AW is still more mobile with a integrated gpu and smartbay. for mobility i would still choose the m15x over the sager

 

Good job reading OP initial post!

/sarcasm off

 

do yourself a favor and skip this model. it has tons and tons of issues that pop up after a few months.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=273885

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

 

Thanks for the help, guys! I think I might buy a m15x sometime during the next month, after Breed is over. It would be nice if Alienware included a 9600M GT to start the system off with at a slightly lower price (maybe NVIDIA will stop making 8600M GTs because of the defect and force manufacturers to only include the 9 series?). I'm not sure if I can afford an 8800M GTX/9800M GT/9800M GTX if I bought it now, but at least I can upgrade that with the m15x (upgradability is huge for me, even if it's not the 9 series, it lets me save $500 and then I could buy an 8800M GTX later on).