*OFFICIAL* "All Powerful" M15x Owner's Lounge, *Part 2*

Where is it coming from?? I mean my previous alienware took only a night to reach UK coz it was sent from Ireland alienware depot. What about the new one? Any idea??

 

3D Mark06 Score
4080
SM 2.0 Score
1479
SM 3.0 Score
2038
CPU Score
1160


http://service.futuremark.com/home.action;jsessionid=C7647CEF5942CD81CEC078BDCF928C5F


So is that good? bad?

 

@ oneabove: No idea m8, but aren't they assembled in China? If I remember right a Dell dude told me that.

@ ShaZadam: I think it's a bit low? :S You sure you're not running in stealth mode?

 

Awesome! Everyone else join too.

 

well my new M15x arrived yesterday and i believe my little ordeal is finally over. this one arrived with no issues and i upgraded to the 820 and 1333 while i was at it. no dead pixels, bluetooth was installed and worked perfectly. i had my orochi paired and working within 2 minutes of booting.

also points for dell CS for a change this time. i received a call from a rep yesterday and was informed that the headset mouse combo wasn't available when i ordered. i explained that not only was it listed as an option on the EPP order page, it was glitched and you couldn't add it. i went on to further mention i've seen 3 different promos on the EPP site that were glitched and didn't work. the rep was very nice and informed me that the tactx headset was on backorder and i could choose another. i ended up with the tactx mouse and a razer barracuda headset being shipped out.

now i have a spare BT module to boot as i never installed the one they sent me from the previous build that was returned

this is one smokin laptop and im glad i stuck it through and didn't go for the envy.

 

3DMark Score
10613
SM 2.0 Score
4577
SM 3.0 Score
4568
CPU Score
3020

Now with out stealth mode on lol
those numbers seem much better

Downloading vantage and will have those scores later today

 

Got a mail from dell. Delivery date on 2nd dec. ;-)

 

Im typing from my new Alien now

ill post a review later on

The only thing that is kind of big let down is the touchpad it isnt the best thing. It is a a bit worse than I thought it would be.

Does the default windows driver work better?

cause at the moment its really not the best : /

 

also the default driver forgets the settings that I saved and applied when I restart and I keep bringing up the horizontal scroll thing. But then I cant make the vertical one work lol

from using a macbook touch pad to this its a huge downgrade, But I will be getting a mouse soon for most of my use

Thanks guys

 

First, make sure you run the test immediately after rebooting. Windows apps have a habit of leaving remnants of themselves in memory (threads, processes, services etc).

Next, configure the machine such that you aren't running anything essential. Dump the virus scanner, shut down Alien Fusion's service, go through the list of startup apps and get rid of anything you don't need to run a test. Then, reboot and test.

 

You probably know this already, but for those that don't, the key concept here to get your way is a phrase called "Chargeback". If you can't get satisfaction from a company that you have used a credit card with, you can persuade the credit card company to get the money for you through a 'chargeback'. A chargeback is where the credit card company takes the funds straight out of the merchant's account, and is usally a process reserved for fraudulent or errant charges. The reasons merchants don't like it is that if they cause too many chargebacks with unhappy customers, the card processor will change the terms of their agreement with the merchant.

The most common way they change the terms is to hold funds. For example, PayPal's first recourse in the face of a bunch of charge backs is to modify terms to say that you, the merchant, won't get your funds for 60 days after a transaction. That could kill many businesses, hence the terror and fear most senior members of staff at a merchant will exhibit if you threaten chargeback.

Bear in mind as well that this should be a last resort. It's kinda like calling the cops on someone - you don't do it frivolously.

 

Yeah the touchpad sucks. But the good news is the problem is almost definitely software related. The touchpad works really smooth in ubuntu, though the pointers wobbles a bit.

Remember to download the latest touchpad driver from dell's website, it might fix some of your problems. I just hope the next version of the synaptics driver will solve the slowness of the touchpad.

 

Though I really can't see how the touchpad errors could slip through quality testing.

 

Thats something of a good sign.

Did I read that some people had better luck with the default windows driver?

 

Well that is another problem, when I upgraded, the device now shows up like this:

I have tried to remove and re-add. But it just shows up the same. Also, I try updating the drivers, but the driver is from 9/24/09, pre Win 7....

 

Ok i couldn't help it so I woke up this morning and placed my order. I placed an order for a xps16 last month but with all the problems dell had I just cancelled it. The xps 16 has the faster cpu, blu-ray burner and better screen but for gaming I think the alienware would be better because of it's faster video card. The alienware came out a bit cheaper after I took out those upgrades. Dell also let me keep the $99 mini10 that came with the xps16 since they had all the problem. This is what i got.


m15x
Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6GHz (2.8 GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz 2 x 2048MB
15.6-inch Wide FHD 1920x1080 (1080p) WLED
1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M
$50 Dell Promo Gift Card - Arrives in 6-8 wks, carries a 90 Day Exp. Dell.com/giftcard
500GB SATAII 7,200RPM
Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Primary - 9-cell (85Watt) Lithium-Ion Battery
also added a dell mini10v for $80 and a t-shirt
total plus tax is $2,155.52



xps16
Intel CoreTM i7-820QM (1.73 - 3.06 GHz 8M/8 threads) $0.00
4GB, DDR3, 1333MHz 2 Dimm $0.00
16.0 inch Wide Screen 16:9 1080p Full HD RGBLED LCD, W/2.0 MP, XPS 1645 $0.00
ATI Mobility RADEON HD 4670 1GB $0.00
500GB 7200RPM Free Fall SensorSeagate Hard Drive $0.00
Arctic White High Gloss Finish with Leather XPS 1645 $0.00
4X Slot Load Blu-ray Disc (BD) Burner (Writes to DVD/CD/BD $0.00
Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi MB $0.00
9-cell Battery $0.00
Bund. LoJack Theft Recovery - 1 Year DHS $20
CompleteCare Accidental DamageProtection, Inspiron, 1 Year $0.00
2GB DATASAFE ONLINE 1.1 FOR SDO/DIM/INS/XPS $0.00
Dell mini10v
total plus tax is $2524.83

 

Have you tried to right click the touch pad icon in the system tray and deal with the settings like increasing the tracking speed and check the precise aiming stuff. Not sure it will solve your issue but it worked like a charm for me.

 

You are really making it hard for me not to be rude.

Please don't treat me like an idiot

 

Deon just take it easy he was just suggesting something.

@nMotion96. Congrats! What's your EDD?

 

Well I've decided to wait till Dec. 30th to order so I can get the maxed out CPU and other upgrades for $2272 tax free. And who knows, maybe they'll have a better graphics card to select with the system by then, or maybe there will be some confirmation on a M17x refresh with an i7. If that happens I'll definintely go for the M17x. Its only another month right? But damn this wait is killing me.

 

Haha Brock you're telling me. It's been 9 days since I placed my order. I don't think this is very healthy but I've been counting the minutes .

 

I got 3 edd for each of the time but the m15x is the longest wait of 12/17

 

bros, i just joined our steam society

 

Welcome to the APA. We need everyone to join! Link to the steam group in my sig.

 

ok I spoke too soon.

laptop # 1. first screen big trash behind lexan. second screen stuck pixel.

laptop # 2(arrived yesterday) just noticed a stuck pixel on it.

I'm about to unjoin the M15x ranks as there is no way I can settle for less than a perfect screen for this amount of $$. I have 4 laptops that were cheaper and a 30" LCD here and not ONE has a bad pixel anywhere.

/sigh

 

Sorry to hear that... shadowarachh

 

How do you get a max out alienware m15x for $2272? Where did you heard the alienware m15x get a better graphic card?

 

Sorry to hear, sometimes the luck of the draw turns out unfavorably for some. I also had a bit of dust on the plexi glass but when I tapped on it, it fell to the bottom and fortunately I never saw it again.

 

j-train:
sorry to hear of your continued woes: for me, device manager allowed me to un-install the NIC, win7 then re-installed it on boot up and found the best fit driver. If you can not uninstall the NIC completely see if you can update the driver within device manager, i.e. let win7 find what it thinks is the best fit -- whenever I have seen this it has been a software issue with one program not playing nice with another rather than a hardware issue and the trick has been to find the base level at which to fix it, which is why I thought uninstall/re-install would work better than just a driver change. The drivers for the NIC are usually more robust than the wireless ones and the driver you have is the one I expected you to be using.

Failing this, you are beyond my direct experience and if the problem persists hopefully someone else can give you an option from their experience and/or knowledge of what's happening.

 

@dttran83
Said a maxed out CPU and some other upgrades. I can get it through AAFES for $2272 tax free because I'm military. There is always another better graphics card around the corner and since the M15x has been out a few months I suspect it wont be long till another better one is offered.

 

this one had that too. i also tried that with the first one. it wouldnt fall. its just crazy i get 2 different machines in a row with bad pixels when all the other lcd screens i have are fine.

i SO wanted this to be done and nothing be wrong. its a great machine.

 

Yeah that sucks. I guess you could request an LCD replacement if you're up to the task otherwise you can get a refund and wait for the newer M15x with the ATi 5800 series or buy a different brand. Either way good luck.

 

Just noticed that the same specs I put on dell site came up $25 less then what i was charged on the phone when i was talking to an epp guy


BASE,NBK,ANW,BLK,M15X
Intel Core i7 720QM 1.6GHz (2.8 GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz 2 x 2048MB
15.6-inch WideHD+ 1600x900 (900p) WLED
1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M
320GB SATAII 7,200RPM
AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue
Alienware Command Center Software
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
DataSafe Local BackUp 2.0 Basic
PC-Restore, Dim/Insp
Alien Cyborg
ADOBE READER 9.0 MULTI- LANGUAGE
Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
CyberLink PowerDVD 8.0 Software
Nero 9 Media Burning Software
5.1 Channel Audio
Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11AGN Half Mini Card
AUTO-UPDATES,ON
Primary - 6-cell (56Watt) Lithium-Ion Battery
No Warranty beyond 1 year
Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus At-Home Service, Initial Year
1 Year Limited Warranty and Next Business Day,Desktop
Next Business Day In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis , Initial Year
Warranty Support,Initial Year
Soft Contracts,Banktec Care,Alienware
Steam and Portal Factory Installed
Alien Cyborg
Internal Bluetooth 2.1 Mini-Card - 2.1 Enhanced Data Rate
Standard Nameplate

$1,849.00

Was anyone able to change their headset/mouse to an mini netbook once the payment has been done if i add $99?

 

Just a thought with the dust, someone mentioned degaussing by I think unplugging the laptop, removing the battery and holding power for 10 or 15 seconds. Maybe discharging the static will let the dust fall.

 

So I uninstalled the synpatics drivers and the touchpad is now smooth as butter. Side scrolling works which is all I need anyway. Good riddance.

 

Just wonder can you over clock the cpu/gpu on this laptop? I notice you guys are getting benchmarks of around 11k-12k on 3dmark. I just tried and benchmark my computer and this would be slower than my year old desktop with a q9450 and 512mb 4870.

 

The desktop 4870 is more powerful than a mobile 260M (which is equivalent to a 9800GTX desktop part). If you want something that beats your 4870, wait for the M15x refresh that will have the ATi 5800 mobility series and/or mobile fermi (which seems unlikely anytime soon).

 

does fedex deliver on holidays...? i have a edd of today for my crucial 256gb SSD. if thats not totally accurate hopefully ill be receiving it tommorrow. then again it might be waiting for me at home.

 

I'm guessing they're same as UPS, off on holidays and weekends(unless it's an special package) next shipment should be on monday.

 

what 4series ati card is more equivlent to the 260m? Wow my hp envy13 with a L9600 and 4330 only got a score of 1566 and cost more than the m15x.

 

Desktop or notebook? The notebook equivalent is the 4850 mobility. I just did a 3dmark06 run at 1280x800 and got the following with the 260M OC'd:



I'll have to hook up the M15x to my HDTV later on and run it at 1280x1024 to compare.

 

wow 13654, i got 13888 on my desktop with no OC with OC I got 16459 but I also got 10 things running in the tray. So the m15x should be just as fast as my desktop with no OC.

 

Um... is there any risks when it comes to overclocking gpu's?
I'm a noob at overclocking

 

Yes Joker howm uch did you OC your laptop's GPU by? I don't know much about the subject but would be interested in doing it.

 

oh Koo. That be mess up if they put in a GTx 280m.

 

Hm, is this a good time to get an M15x? I'm trying to decide between it and an Asus G51VX. Obviously the AW is more powerful, but it's also more expensive even for the necessary upgrades (260M, 4G RAM). But the $99 Inspiron is very tempting.

Is there any reason to wait? How long should this $99 deal last? And I suppose most importantly, is the AW worth the large price difference from the Asus?

 

This question has been asked and answered numerous times.

 

It's really simple, go to nVidia's site and download the nVidia system tools. That will enable the OC'ing option in the control panel. There's no real inherent danger to overclocking unless you go crazy with it. I wouldn't recommend pushing the memory passed the default 950 for daily use but for benchmarking I wouldn't go above 1000 mhz. The core/shaders you can keep raising until the system freezes or you get artifacts, at that point just back down about 10 mhz and that should be near your max OC. Keep the core:shader ratio at 2.5 (e.g. 550 core and 1375 shader).

The OC in the run I did was 670/1675 shader/950 memory.

 

Promo on sites said today or until dec. 1st, don't worry though just talk with an epp rep, they tend to give you hidden free items or bonus depending how good of a talker you are(i got the free head/mouse instead although i think he did charge me like $50 more i think), I ordered mine on the 23rd EDD says I'll get it on 12/15, but the sales rep told me probably next week.

 

I am using Riva Tuner v2.24, it is very easy to use and stable...
http://downloads.guru3d.com/RivaTuner-v2.24c-download-163.html