M18x ? News article looks bogus

These things make the R3 "mainstream".

 

$1500 starting price is by no means "Mainstream".

 

lol, I dare not ask what do u think of $500 Toshiba laptop then. U might be disappointed with the specs of the R3, but the R3 is certainly not for the masses! Dell never intended for the Alienware line to be "mainstream".

 

Yea, anyone who has ever worked at a computer store can tell you that "mainstream" is about the $400-$700 range.

 

Nice. A debate of facts has now eroded into an argument about semantics and what constitutes the definition of arbitrary terms such as mainstream and IB1932581006. Hell, go with the Crysis Warhead scaling system and also introduce gamer as an inbetween category. [/Sarcasm] Hell, the fact that quotes are being used to interject these terms more than substantiates their questionable application.

I actually think an R3 even with the 460m is a high-end gaming laptop. Sure, it isn't the flagship enthusiast machine, but it's still great machine that'll contend with the best. With a 6970m, probably a killing rig.

 

Thanks for putting this into perspective. I guess we ran out of real topics to discuss and speculate about.

I agree.

 

Lets stick to M18x discussion so the thread doesn't get shut down.

 

Agreed.

And agreed, yet again.

So, Joker, you've always come across as a very strong and content advocate of the M17X R2. Is there really a strong incentive for some of us R2 owners to move on ahead to the M18X in the immediate months following its release?

 

Very good advice...

 

i sense a mod in training


i am on board as long as price is decent and similar to m17x r2. I think in this economy setting the laptop price to high will not be a smart decision and i have a feeling it will be priced close to what m17x r2 is since the r3 is cheaper than r2 and i would imagine m18x being close to m17x r2 pricing if it is suppose to be the replacement. I really think alienware can keep the same rough shape and size and fit a 18" screen and better cooling. I hope they have plenty of headroom built into the power adapter for future video cards.

 

I think so based on the rumors we've heard. A supposed Dell employee in China (confirmed by their forum mod to be a Dell employee) said that the M18x will be coming and has what we've been wanting: anodized aluminum, dual gpu. We can assume it will have Sandy Bridge and at least 2 HDD bays. The 330W PSU was mentioned by Eric so now the biggest question on my mind is if it will support dual 485M and IPS/RGB LED 17.3". The new Precision M6600 line should have a 17.3" RGB LED + touchscreen so it's very possible for Dell to put this in the M18x (it wouldn't be the first time for Dell to put a smaller screen in a system designated for something bigger--e.g. studio xps 16 with 15.6" WLED). However, they could also opt for an 18.4" RGB LED like Sony used a while back with one of their systems. I also wouldn't mind the option for optimus + 120hz display. If we get all that we're hoping for, it should be a very good successor to the R2.

Not with my infraction record. I just don't want to see this thread closed since it has a lot of good info.

I'm willing to bet it'll be thinner than the R2, better cooled and priced similarly.

 

Heck, might be the case in the US, but here in Aus, the R3 is charged at $3399, even more expensive than the R2. The pricing of the m18x certainly doesnt seem going to be any cheaper. Wont be surprised if they tag it as a $5k machine.

 

I have to be honest about the pricing myself. I can't comment for the case in the US, but here in the UK, R3 is the expensive option. I could easily get a nice R2 config for a little more cash than a middle-of-the-line R3 configuration.

I realise that when it comes to actual production costs and materials, the new Sandybridge models should be cheaper, so the M18X should be cheaper as well. However, is this a guarantee that the end-user will reap the 'savings'? I remember similar mantras being played when the R2 came out, and I know that the maxed-out price for that machine was higher than that of the R1 from about half-a-year earlier. . . and it's still quite expensive. I guess I'm too much of a cynic, but I think such a 'saving' for Dell will largely translate to a bigger profit margin.

Then again, I hope I am proven wrong.

 

I've been through it with the R2, so I understand your frustration . But still, we have to admit that the M17x is (and hopefully M18x would be) totally worth every cent. We can wait a few months after the US release for price drop then go by the import route, if you don't mind paying customs duties of course

 

No, I wouldn't agree that it's worth every cent/penny. Sorry. For such a premium-tag, a machine shouldn't have certain basic issues straight out of the box (driver problems; gimped hardware; shoddy cables; etc). And to think that my post isn't even taking to heart the ignored issues with the R1.

I think it can be worth the pennies, and the trouble, if people negotiate a decent price and then make sure that the hardware lives up to its potential. I can't say I did that with my R1s in a timely fashion, but I hope I get it right with the R2. I also hope that the M18X gets released after satisfying a proper, robust testing procedure.

 

I think Batboy should create an official thread about the M18X with a summary of what we know for sure. I think it is being in denial now to say that the M18X is a rumor. It's been confirmed by many including Dell employees and people who have access to Dell.

Even though no official release from Dell has happened yet, the M18X is no longer a rumor and should be treated as the flagship coming out "soon".

 

Just because someone over on a Chinese forum states they work for AW/Dell does not make it so. As for people who have 'access to Dell', again, just because its posted on a forum here or elsewhere by a third party does not make it fact. Now if we had Chris or another Dell rep come into the forum and confirm, well thats an entirely different story.

This thread is fine for now... When and if Dell posts an announcement, then of course we can address the proper thread. To create a new one now is just more speculation without legit/verifiable facts.

We just will not endulge multiple speculation discussions on what may or may not be. As we have seen in the past, threads along those lines derail quickly, tend to have back and forth bickering and other nonsense. This thread has been borderline as well - I and other mods have had to come in and clean it up on a few occasions.

Not going to happen with another thread. Use this one.

Sorry folks.

 

So... This thread remains all about the possibility of the M18x .

It remains a faint star that could give out in a blink
A rumor of a land so eager to be explored
A treasure whose booty is not yet discovered
A tease from unknown rangers in the east
It remains a nerdgasm not yet come

This is the M18X

 

Did you just write a poem about the M18x?

That, sir, is awesome!

 

Nice.

Kade- If/when M18x is released I do hope Dell is fair with the prices outside the US. It's unfair that they would price the R3 higher than the R2.

 

I have never seen Dell do this. While it makes no sense its what they choose to do.

I honestly see a $1,799 starting price inside the U.S.A.

 

They probably feel they can afford to release it so cheaply in the US when they charge the rest of the world double the price. I severely doubt it takes over $1500US to ship a laptop around the world but that's the starting price difference on the R3 for many of us outside the US.

I only hope Dell\Alienware decide to usher in a new pricing scheme with the M18x. It's sure to be a beast but why not make it a best selling beast?! I'm prepared to see my hopes dashed however, since they've done us no favours with the R3.

 

A thought occurred to me tonight. I wonder if Alienware is contracting Mobile Edge to design a new backpack for them right now for the M18x... Right now Mobile Edge doesn't have ANY backpacks that support 18" notebooks.

 

Thanks, Joker. No harm in hoping, and we do appreciate mutual moral support from you guys across the pond.

As we speak, the base R2 -- which is weaker than the base R3 -- is £1599.99. The R3 is £1799.99. The base M18X configuration would have to be a bit more than that R3 setup.

 

Dell's higher pricing in EU has little to do with them "feeling" they can get away with charging more or because they somehow want to screw with the EU market. You don't just "ship" a product from the US to EU: as with any electronics vendor, they need to tack on hefty import taxes and VAT. Also, since service and support hubs can not be centralized like they are in US (i.e. they need service hubs in close to every country they sell in EU instead of have 1-2 big hubs for all of the US), they need to recoupe the costs of this inefficiency.

 

It's my understanding that there is no Import Tax on a Laptop only VAT, well in the UK anyway.

On the assumption that I am correct, I could purchase a US M17 R3 for:

Base Price - $1500
Sales Tax - $150

Total $1650
GBP £1100
VAT @ 20% £220

Sub Total £1320
Delivery £100
Total £1420

Not even close to £1799 the price here in the UK.

 

Respectfully, I disagree. The consumer pays more VAT, (or GST in NZ's case) on the retail price which goes straight to the Government anyway. Taxes do not (or should not) cause such high inflation of cost. Some increase? Yes. Double? No.

Incidentally, don't you have import tax on such items in the US?

As for service, the consumer pays for their support contract over and above the cost of the latop itself. I paid $800NZ for a full 2 year warranty for my M1730. That warranty runs out in April actually so I'd much rather buy an M18x than have to renew at those sorts of costs! And, as it happens, service hubs are centralised in major cities in NZ, although said support is contracted to large vendors here.

I hope speculation of a March M18x release are accurate!

 

If a March/April release date were the case, when could we expect to hear some sort of confirmation/announcement? I'm staring at the R3 drooling but with that nagging feeling in the back of my head that it's not quite what I want, and that AW can do better... And hearing the whispers and rumors of the M18x is the only thing that's keeping my from pouncing on the R3.

I have an R1 right now so even the base R3 is a step up and half the price I paid originally, but I'm twitching for an M18x....

Wants so bad....

 

I'd say CeBit at the earliest in March but most likely not until E3 in June. As for the R3, it's a good G73 competitor and not much else. I don't like it's build quality at all (plastic and rubber..come on) nor do I like the lack of rgb led.

 

I would look elsewhere, vote with your pocket that alienware have a gaping hole in their lineup right now.

 

I think this has already been reinforced by others, but the VAT argument is strawman, at best. Really, it seriously falls short of the mark in making the argument.

As for the overall statement. Most of us are speculating since we don't know Dell's motive. The only fact I see is that there's a very odd price hike. It could be for a variety of reasons that are unknown to most of us, but I THINK it might be profit margin. However, you seem to be making a solid claim. Might I ask how you know of this inside information? You know, outside of your annexation of vague facts that can't even fully support the burdens of the claim. Because I could take the exact same approach and make an opposing/contrary claim.

 

From what I've seen of Dell, the difference in cost of base models around the world is mostly caused by differences in spec. For example, when I bought my R2, the base spec included 2x 500GB HDDs, the RGB-LED screen, and an i7-740M CPU. The base US spec had an i5 CPU, a single 320GB HDD and the lower-res dual-CCFL screen. The NZ base spec price was higher, but so was the base spec itself.

Dell also seem to have strange price differences between regions for the same upgrades. At the time of buying my R2, I paid about $NZ150 (roughly $US200) to upgrade to dual 5870Ms. The same upgrade on the US site was $US320. I couldn't see any reason for the difference.

The good news is that the US don't always get the same pricing. If I had ordered the exact same spec R2 from the US site, I would have paid more than buying it through the NZ site. And that was with currency conversion only - it didn't take into account any shipping costs or import taxes.

 

i noticed that too. The M17x dropped by nearly $AUD700 since it's release. Now it's actually a bit cheaper than the US if you take a further 10% off with the coupon floating around the internet.

the problem is the base/only spec still includes a 2820qm and whopping 16GB of ram. Those two are nearly $700 worth of upgrades that no one really wants. also a raid 0 750gig. For the same upgrade cost i could get a SSD and put the base HDD in the second tray as data drive.

 

From what I'm reading of the early R3 reviews, Dell/AW better make it a top priority to find a replacement RGB LED screen for the M18x. HP knows well that high end screens sell machines. And I don't think Dell wants to be playing second fiddle to HP. WLED is "good", but RGBLED is where the money is on a premium priced machine.

 

This, this, and more of this. Maybe even a little more. I got a chance to get a peek at an R3 the other day, and the WLED is less than impressive. After staring at my RGBLED all day every day when I'm not at work, it made me want to cry. It was washed out, had lower resolution than a previous generation, and just seemed...off. I can't really find the words to describe it in technical detail (I'm awake far earlier than usual when I'm not working (night shift)) but it just looked like crap compared to my screen. Definitely a no buy for me.

 

Personally, I've never seen any comparatively spec'd Alienware from the NZ store anywhere near equal price from the US. The difference has always been 4 figures, but I'll believe you

Nice to see another Kiwi on the boards too btw.

I agree with Macpod about the silly upgrades they give you. 16gb RAM is only going to appeal to a very limited number of users.

Btw, this coupon you mention Macpod, I was told by our business rep in Australia that there is no haggling to be had on Alienware in Australasia. Is he talking rubbish?

 

Just started looking at Alienware as the next option. It looks the same as it is with may other things. You just can't get what you really want even if the price is high. Like the R3 with it having the 2nd rate screen and most would probably really want the 485m card. Even Sager has it in a 15in laptop. Whats the point of having SLI 460m in the M18x when a single 485m is as good?

 

First, the R3 does not have a second rate screen. It has a really really great screen as far as laptop screens go, it just doesn't have the best possible LCD.

Second, there is nothing confirmed on the M18x yet. Even its existence is not yet CONFIRMED. We can't say that it has SLI 460m's or being to complain about it.. yet.. until its confirmed.

 

The 330W PSU rumour as well as the 6970 CF rumour point to 485 SLI is a probable option on the M18x. That would make a good family tree, R3 with 460 or 485 and M18x with 1 or 2 485's, basically letting you scale up as high as you feel like going and can afford.

 

According to those seeing it side by side with the R2, it IS a second rate screen. Second rate can still be good. But the M6500 and the M17x (both premium priced machines) have top edge screens. The HP 8740 also has an even better screen. The R3 is cheaper. But it has a second rate screen when compared with other top tier machines. The way I would agree with you is that it has a good screen for its price class. But because that price is still pretty up there, some folks are disappointed.

As far as the M18x rumour goes, we are operating on the probability it is a real possibility. So we're having fun along that speculative line.

 

I'm living in Belgium and as far as I know, there is only one "hub" in Europe, situated in Ireland. My AW came from that place.

If you're calling Dell Support (one per country phone number) you are redirected to a calling center which is in Norht Affrica, I suppose.

US brands tend to use the basic conversion $1 = 1€ even if € is stronger than $ for years (I'm talking about exchange rate).

 

Yes, but "second rate" makes it sound like Alienware put some crappy low end screen in there. Its still a very good quality screen, its just not amazing quality or anything with particularly special features. Its not an RGB or a Radiance display, but its probably one of the best you can get without being RGB or Radiance.

 

He is not trying to sugar coat it.

Think of it this way:

Premium (RGB etc )
Second rate (good)
Inspiron and HP DVXXX( crap)


Three levels, yes the screen is good but no its not the best they could of done.

NOW BOTH OF YOU DROP IT.

 

I am growing very tired of the 'R2 is better than the R3' or the 'R3 is better than the R2' posts. This thread has nothing to do with comparing the two. Any further 'firestarting' posts by anyone this thread will be closed - those who continue to break the forum rules will be dealt with.

Learn to disagree and follow the forum rules.

This thread is currently under discussion for closure - quit bickering and keep to the topic.

Questions? PM me. Do not post a reply to this post.

 

As per BatBoy, back on topic...

So.... is there any news at all when the M18x is coming out?

KJ

 

It will be when they fill the water reservoir.

Also when they get their 18.4 inch RGB let custom made...


Just as I discussed with a member before ... These screens will be a one off for Dell which means they will take time to make and get stocked before shipping and will delay orders when production begins.... one thing to think about.

My best guess though is March teases or preview.

 

Point for discussion, do we think it will be thinner than 2"? It seems likely to me.

 

Most likely but not by much. Maybe 1.9" thick but wider than the existing M17x-R2. Weight should be comparable as well since it's going to be anodized aluminum (no cheap rubber).

 

Do we suspect this will be SLI 485m equipped?

Current alienware spec is pretty dated right now.

 

My guess is, - not right away. Nvidia's pricing is to blame. Dell cannot artificially inflate the 6970's price by 70-100%.