Last-gen Alienware m15x - Never Again

I will never again buy an Alienware computer, NEVER!

First let me make it clear that the OS has nothing to do with the Computer.

I have borrowed a Mac and of course used Windows.

My Alienware has been nothing but PHYSICAL problems!

Hinges breaking and replaced 3 TIMES!

Wear marks all over the keyboard surface from making contact with the display.

Paint rubs off and the lighting systems leaks through the worn paint.

The hardware cannot be updated in "MY HIVE" because, well Alienware says there is no updates, well unless I am changing OS, then they provide the drivers. But there are no updates for stuff like video cards or sound cards. So you go to said manufacturer of the hardware and they will not guarantee that the updates will work and should be "approved" by the laptop manufacturer before installing.

Still that will not fix the physical weakness of the laptop itself.

Creaky, flimsy and dirt particles in the paint.

Do customer service operators care? NOOOOOOOOOO they talk on email apparently using scripts of the same answer andddddddddd I think they are required to apologize before starting each answer they give.

"I am sorry for your inconvenience" bla bla bla

Even if it were legal to install a Mac OS on a PC, WHICH IT IS NOT!, I would NEVER install it on any Alienware PC,, because, in my opinion, the quality control is terrible!

Check the Better Business Bureau, the truth will set you free.

The above is MY OPINION ONLY, make your decisions.

I do not claim to be an expert, again, this is ONLY MY OPINION OF MY PERSONAL ALIENWARE M15X AND MY EXPERIENCE.

I am not a lawyer nor do I play one on T.V.

 

are u talking about the old model ? not the dell one right ?

 

Yes the old one and you should of donemore research before ordering


Also I do agree it is not you fault the m15x was just a crappyish laptop

 

HAHAHAHAHA,

Yeah mine is a Post Dell ownership model, I am waiting for "black Friday" and buying a MacBook Pro.

As stated in a thread in the Mac forum, I will be using the M15X as target practice,,,,with my M16

 

I would take. It in a heart beat please ?

 

Ayup..........

 

Alienware -- MBP, they are not in the same category, right?

I expected a disappointed alienware user to claim that he's going to change to Sager or something like that, not a MBP?!

Now, if you use a Sony/Lenovo/HP or something like that and ur disappointed and frustrated, you are more than welcome to get a MBP!

Hum...I've seen so many posts saying like "I am done with Alienware and I'm switching to MBP right now!!" I believe I've seen many posts like this on other review website like cnet... Are they real alienware users???!!!

 

I think what your trying to say in a simpler context is that ( and i am paraphrasing here )

"Are Apple and AW not both overpriced pieces of crap ?"

My answer is no they are both high end computers that both fill a niche market

 

The old m15x was sadly VERY flawed from the start with poor cooling design and very bad hinges as well as a nice case.

I'd try the new Alienwares out. The M17x and new M15x both have rock solid build quality, and superb cooling.

IMO the MBP fails as a performance computer if that's why you're buying it. If you want portability and battery, then go ahead.

 

If it is only for gaming, Mac Book Pro is just a . A M9600 GT won't run any games in high details. Recent games won't be runny with high details. So if it is just for gaming, just give up that. You will regret about the low performance of MBP in games.

 

I agree with Evil, the macbooks are well designed and stuff, but they will never have the raw horses of an Alienware.

Old Alienwares = Fail. New Alienwares = AWESOME. Do your research and buyer beware

 

For once Alienware/Dell actually did something right.

 

I will not buy another Apple product simply because I don't want to be associated with Apple users.

 

I gladly sold my gf's macbook on eBay. She vowed never again to purchase another Apple product. The grass isn't greener on the other side. Those things are a piece of junk.

 

As its name mentionned, mac book pro is for business men rather for gamers. For school and business, MBP is a god. But for gaming, MBP is poor, too poor.

 

haha, ya, i'm not doubting that.

but when someone says their alienware is crap and THEN goes to say that a MBP is a better fit for their needs. they clearly have no idea what they're looking for/couldn't be bothered to look at the laptop before buying it(its pretty hard to deny they're polar opposites of each other).

 

the kind of people who go from alienware to MBP are the kind of people who buy stuff just to boast about it and better other people, the kind of people easily attracted to shiny stuff

 

OK, do tell what I should get?

I do not know what else to do, I want a quality laptop, physical quality.

I am willing to buy what will last longer than a few months then need to go for repairs.

I like the one piece aluminum design of the MBP and was hoping I could run Windows XP on the MBP using Boot Camp and be ok for gaming??

I DO NOT know computers, I do buy into the hype the advertisers use though.

What should I buy then????

Research is easy, IF I had a direction of a quality notebook to research

 

Sure, buy the new M15x. Better Hardware than the MBP and you can set it to 432256 fancy colors! Yay! Not to mention you'll actually be able to play PC games on it.

 

The question is: What do you need from a notebook? What exactly do you want to do with it?

 

Just go buy a Sager already...

Trying to help out..

 

epic post.

 

I agree, the new M15x sounds like a good candidate for you. The Clevo W870CU may also be a good fit

 

i agree with sook

but if you want a tank for a laptop the M17x is the way to go

 

Personal Observation

Well I find my MBP's go back to the shop more frequently then alot of my crap consumer grade machines, Apple Care is a MUST

Hmm for gaming they are udderly useless, the 9600m GPU is antiquated and pretty much religated to low end machines now with the 9400m and the Intel IGP

Sorry for the pun moo but I couldnt resist


I will agree with the guys and say a new Alienware, Clevo, Sager or some of the new ASUS units.

 

-_- sigh, here we go.

If you do not "know" computers, then let me join the ranks of the many that (should have) told you to leave PC gaming. PC gaming is a fickle, expensive, and complex hobby. It requires significant time vested researching the best hardware for the money (which requries a basic understanding of PC components) , is quite a bit more expensive than other gaming platforms, and requires time to be spent tinkering and perfecting to achieve perfection.

If you purchased an Alienware laptop, then you damn well better know your way around a computer and better know how to use it to the full extent of its abilities. High end PC gaming is a lot like buying high end sports cars. Can those with disposable income walk into a Lamborghini dealership, hand the seller a briefcase full of cash, and walk away with a beastly car? Yes. Are they 99% guaranteed to wreck it or never go above 60 mph with it? YES.

This is not some hobby you plunk down money for and expect it to just "work." It is your fault for not researching where your $2000+ were going when you bought the machine. Also, you clearly lack in basic common sense if you think your money was wasted. You would not have bought such an expensive gaming rig so close to the launch of a new generation of machines had you know ANYTHING about the world of computers and the rapid pace at which it advances.

Considering you do not "know" computers my recommendations are as follows:

You do not have sufficient technical experience to take advantage of powerful tools such as Adobe CS4 or probably even iLife.

Therefore, a mac of any kind will simply be more wasted money

Get yourself a nice netbook to check your email and websites of choice and spend the rest of your money on a nice Xbox 360 or PS3. Game consoles requires significantly less technological experience (I trust you can plug in a power cable and hdmi cable?) and will be far more reliable and cost effective than a PC gaming experience.

I did not intend this post to sound negative, but I felt someone needed to set you straight. Please take my advice and know this is coming from somone who has: 2 PC gaming rigs (self built) , been an old and NEW m15x owner and has owned a macbook pro and New generation unibody macbook. I also code in 3 languages and know my way around any component of CS4.

Have a good one and best of luck sorting out your issues!

 

Kind of a rude post dude

Anyone who wants to can get into PC gaming...it is not that complicated. My Alienware M17x is 100% operational out of the box, I just like messing with it....PC gaming is not some exclusive club where you have to be a computer enthusiast, that is exactly why companies like Alienware exist, so you do NOT have to do it all yourself

 

While I do agree it's better to know your way around and appreciate what u get


You don't have to know everything .... It's why we are here at nbr

 

100% agree. Having had a chance to use the M17X and use and then buy a M15X, these machines rock. Plus you get the transferable warranty via Dell and better service and support IMHO.

When Dell folded Alienware into the fold, I was one of the big proponents of the merge. I definitely still stand behind that 100%.

 

While I do agree with some of the things you stated, it IS true that your post is kinda mean... lol.

 

A little over a year ago I had a Dell XPS 740 desktop, but needed a laptop. I bought a MBP, it looked great. It was thin, it was silver and metallic. What was there to hate about it? Well, I had it a week and couldn’t stand it anymore, so I sold it for more than what I bought it for…not sure how that worked out.

At the end of the day there’s a lot more software for a PC. PCs are good at pretty much everything, not just business or checking email. My M17x is one of the best computers I’ve ever owned. While my XPS desktop packed a punch, it didn’t play Crysis any better than this laptop.

Stick with the new AW M15x or M17x.

 

It really was wasn't it. I loved the bit at the end where he's all "Look at me, I can code and have owned a computer before so I know what I'm talking about". LOL.

Reminds me of Shania Twain - "So you've got a car? That don't impress me much"

 

Perhaps this is a good time to go over to the "What Notebook Should I Buy" discussion and fill out the FAQ so you can get some more focused recommendations for what you want a notebook to do.

 

I have the best computer for you!!! You'll love this for sure!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzBZasycpb8

 

Yes, the m15x was a very badly-designed laptop. I did do my research before buying and all I saw was reviews on how awesome the laptop is. Boy was I wrong. It's like those reviewers never looked at an IBM Thinkpad or a MacBook Pro before to see what build quality really means. All I got was a flimsy piece of plastic with a blurry camera, a bad touchpad, and a bunch of lights that make it look like a modded Honda Civic than a high-performance laptop. You would expect for the amount of money you pay for it that they'd at least give you better support in terms of software/driver updates and tech support people who intimately know the hardware in and out, but what you get is your typical computer company that treats tech support like an afterthought. I'm very disappointed in Alienware, and I am not buying another product from them ever again.

 

I really encourage you to reconsider the newer models .... I'll garuntee it myself . The new ones build quality is far far better

 

As is the customer service

 

Well, that's all & good, but I'll only consider if it they'd buy back my m15x.

 

If it is under warrant you can probably get them to replace it with a current gen M15x

Just like all the M1730 to M17x swaps they have done

 

I have a Pre-Dell model m15x and I doubt I'll buy from them again'. I've had so many issues and my screen died today. Dealing with their customer service was really painful and annoying. But you live and learn right?

 

I would still try to get it swapped for an M15x if it is under warranty, is a couple hours worth a brand new notebook with the latest tech to you?

 

You didn't ..... the new one peees on the old one

 

and laughs while doing so, try the swap dude

 

If you research all my past threads I had all the same positive thoughts when I bought this M15X.

I am out of warranty = I am screwed

 

Not necessarily. I bought my old m15x from ebay and as a result was unable to use any warranty to help remedy issues, like the hinge for instance. I was able to recover most of my money by re-listing on ebay and sweeting the deal with some accessories (like exteranl HDs, gaming keyboards, etc.) I didnt need any more. I'm not sure how much you payed for yours, but with a little ebay-foo you can recover a sizable chunk of you investment.

Let me know if you need any help with creating an appealing auction! I apologize if my previous post came accross as cold or mean but I hope it clarified a few things for you, pm me if you need any help!

 

Well here is what I may end up doing,,,,,,,

My son, who is 15 is the gamer and he uses this Alienware for his gaming. I may just give it to him.

I worry about it breaking but he never leaves the house with it so it should be ok??????

Me, I need one for work travel and for surfing and emails. I am computer stupid like I admit earlier. I bought this M15X with the guidance of my two teen sons

My company provides me with an IBM ThinkPad, I cannot use it for personal surfing when I travel so I need something that will last backpacks in and out of airports

 

sounds like you a need a mac then. looks more professional too.

 

Ah, that explains a lot! Be careful with taking advice from your sons like that, while they were correct in assuming the m15x is a powerful gaming machine, they most certainly did not perform adequete research.

As for passing the laptop on to one of them, it should serve them well. I would be cautious however, the hinges will most likely fail after a few months as the build quality (or lack thereof) practically assures this. Not to mention driver issues and overheating could also arise.

My advice is that if you start seeing problems arise, do a clean install of your OS, cover any damage as best you can and turn a blind eye. Sell it on ebay "as is" and do not delve too much into specifics. That way you can recover a chunk of your investment.

As for solid laptops while on the go, you have endless options. Poke around the many different manufacturer's divisions of the forums and see what seems to be popular or highly regarded in reviews. You can further your search for the right machine for you on sites like cnet.com which offer excellent, down to earth reviews of most any laptop you take a liking to. They also have many guides to help you make the right choice so that should help.

 

I must be one of the few happy owners of the area 51 m15x. Been with me for a year and a half now, and the only problem I had encountered was the hinge issue. Lucky for me, I was able to resolve that with the help of a local laptop repair specialist.

Mine's still running great, use it all day for work on batteries and integrated. Game with it at home. In my opinion, this is where the old m15x shines, it's flexibility. Having great battery life and great gaming performance on demand

 

Why I'm not so happy with the new M15x, crappy battery life... But everything else looks awesome on it. Cha, looks like you were one of the lucky ones!