*OFFICIAL* "All Powerful" M15x Owners Lounge, *Part 3*

seems to work corrupt.... +rep

 

Awesome if it does...but that hotfix is for a completely different product...so...that's weird!

EDIT: So if this does end up working, does that mean it would work for ALL i7 systems? And shouldn't this really be Intel releasing some update?

 

I was thinking the same thing wolf but before when it did sync itunes would freeze for about 10-15 seconds then continue as normal... after installing the fix it has been smooth sailing so far. I'll update you all again if it crashes and burns.

 

Awesome! Well let's hope...

 

I think there might be something wrong with either my drivers or hardware because I'm running WoW in Fair (setting lvl 2 of 5) settings 1600x900 and I'm only getting 46FPS while standing still (Not in Dalaran).
Most FPS's like Mirrors Edge, Ghostbusters, CODMW2 I keep getting these constant hiccups every 4 seconds and its not my internet connection.
Someone please tell me the M15x isn't really this weak.

 

You have shadows on ?

 

Check your vsync settings and force them off in the control panel. My M15x is blazing but that's because I run it with my CPU/GPU throttle fixes + vsync off.

 

Shadows are off and I just turned Vsync off and now I'm getting 32 FPS.
On top of that in a lot of games where I have to hit key combos fast I'm hitting just 1 button repeatedly and its performing a completely different key function.

 

.... Are you plugged in ?

Did you update drivers ?

 

Plugged in and drivers are up to date. 195.62
Also, how do I disable the mouse pad on the M15x? Its really getting in the way.

 

Control panel somewhere or just do it in device manager

 

I looked all over device manager, even disabled every mouse related device and it still wont stop working.

 

I will look next time I'm at my fiances but some one else will be able to help you quicker

 

fn+F12 disables the touch pad

 

You can probably turn it off in the BIOS too. That's what I did on my laptop since I never use it and got sick of it. If you do use it sometimes, the drivers might have an option to disable it if the mouse is plugged in (I like not even having to run the trackpad drivers).

 

fn+f12 works for me

 

Oh thank you sir, that touchpad was driving me nuts. Now if I could only figure out why my FPS are sucking and why is my spacebar periodically registering as an action key in all my games.

 

True, fn+f12 works, but upon doing a clean install with the newest drivers, I found when I plug in a mouse the trackpad automatically disables and re-enables when I detach the mouse.

 

Sounds like the AW Command Center, it's got a setting to disable the pad when a mouse is connected.

 

I didn't alter any commands in the CC, so the install defaults to disable when external mouse is installed versus the factory install?

 

Yep, it also reset the default settings when I updated my command center.

 

Quick question - has anyone had issues with the touch control above the keyboard popping out just under the power button (alien head)?

 

yeah had that problem, its feel like that part is rise abit rite. I just pop it out in put it right back in and been tight ever since. you may need to unscrew the 4 screws under the battery to pop it out.

 

no, but that part does flex an aweful lot and pops back up when i press down on it

 

have not had that problem but dell did have to send someone out to replace the keyboard when it was only a week old and the text broke the plastic part and now it pops out so then i was goingto have them come out again and then when the gpu went bad and the fan went bad i just told them send me a new system

 

Hey guys could you give me a refresh as to how hot the cpu/gpu should get while gaming? I usually game with a headset so I never really noticed how often the fans start going full blast. I'm probably just being paranoid but I just want to make sure my baby isn't getting hotter than is to be expected. Thanks!

 

When i'm using typing anything and put the laptop in stealth mode or turn stealth mode off, the letter 'w' is entered, is this normal?

 

Both GPU and CPU seem to be stable at about 70C.

Yes, it happens here as well. I assume its sending some specific key command which is being intercepted by the OSD software.

On another note. Today I had my LCD screen replaced (because of a stuck pixel). I have to say I am very happy with the service. The guy who came was very competent and knew everything which had to be done to replace the screen. He also said that they get units to play on. The LCD display which arrived had no dead/stuck pixels.

 

Can you guys with the M15x try this: Run the laptop on battery and set the screen brightness to minimum and then restart the laptop. Does the screen backlight turn on? On my laptop, when I do this the backlight only turns on at the login screen.

 

The service sucks, well at least in the UK. E-mailed dell about M15x hinge problem, stuck pixel, scratched screen, intermitant CPU fan and they did not respond even after a month. I then phoned them, and they sent out an engineer. The engineer came with the GPU fan and the LCD screen panel (without the plastic layer). None of the problems where fixed and the engineer scatched up the palm rest, and plastic around the back of the hinge and the shinny plastic infront of the speakers. The second engineer came a fixed the CPU fan issue and replaced the LCD but didnt fix the hinge and ended up scratching the grey paint of the lid. Now another engineer is supposed to come tomorrow to replace palm rest, hinge, lid and plastic behind lid.

The first dell engineer is a idiot as he tried to replace the CPU fan and heat sink with a GPU fan even though it looks completely different dispite telling heim it was the wrong fan.

 

Well my service was in Switzerland so I cannot comment about the UK service. It may also be a hit and miss I guess. The engineer which came to me was from an actual company which does servicing for computers/laptops for a lot of companies

 

Accidentally had the bottom vents covered completey and played Borderland for 15 min. GPU still only managed to hit 85C.

 

Wow, NICE! Dang it Dell, just fix the USB and throttling and we have a deal

 

iPod sync is an i7 issue, not just Dell. The throttling has a workaround that I've tested and it's 100% stable. Dell will probably never release a bios update for it because I think they purposely programmed it in as part of their aggressive thermal and/or power management. Put it this way, if I had the option (which I do since I can return this M15x) to shop for a new gaming notebook, I'd still pick the M15x as I feel it's the best one out there.

 

Are those 32nm i3/i5 systems going to have the same chipset? I really wish that would get figured out.

Like I think you've said about the throttling-it's not even happening in connection to any unusual temperatures or anything. I think it's got to be a bug. I mean even if it was intentional, it's still a bug, so...

But yeah, I need both of those fixed before I buy, and I'm worried even the i3/i5 systems next month will have similar weird issues. If the M15x had a Core 2 quad I could just avoid all this...

 

The A02 bios added support for Arrandale chips so it will be the same chipset. The throttling only happens in limited situations, even without applying the workarounds you'd probably not notice it. It may be a bug or it may be deliberate because the throttling occurs during synthetic tests when the power draw reaches a certain point (e.g. both CPU/GPU are loaded). Even with the GPU fix alone, the CPU starts cycling it's active load between 50-100% rather than staying fixed at 100% like it should. I used a workaround for that as well and since then, my system can run at 100% CPU load + 100% GPU load (with massive overclocks) and it doesn't get hot nor does it compromise system stability. I can't fathom what would drive Dell to be so conservative with this machine because clearly it's capable of handling any load thrown at it with ease.

 

It's not just synthetic...I'm kind of confused by why you're saying that now when several people have found real world games that do that (I though you'd found some too, though I could be remembering wrong).

At any rate, I really want a real fix for it. And thanks for the Arrandale info. That's too bad. You'd THINK they (meaning Intel and every OEM) would fix something as major as that, but...

 

I never said it was limited to synthetic tests. I said it's found in limited cases (e.g. games and some applications) but its not easy to spot and would probably be missed by most users. The problem is clearly there, that's why I created a thread on the subject but now it's significance, at least to me, isn't as big as it first was since there is a fix that works quite well. I would still want Dell to release a bios update so none of that would be necessary but as I explained (and Dell said themselves), don't count on it.

 

My M15x is in the hands of UPS and should get delivered tomorrow 30 Dec. My original EDD was 14 January. Not bad. I will be interested to see if I have any of the issues others have had. I will try to burn a Blu-Ray disc as well and post my results.

Alienware M15x, Cosmic Black
Intel Core i7 920XM 2.0GHz (3.2GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache)
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz – 2 x 4096MB
15.6-inch WideFHD 1920x1080 (1080p) WLED
1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M
256GB Solid State Drive
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Burner (BR-R, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)

 

Update: There's still USB issues, but since A02 I've been able to synce sometimes. Don't know if the other fixed helped the issue more but you might as well try it. Took me 3 times reconnecting my iphone before it would sync. It is what it is.

 

I have an IPOD Touch and I will see if I can get it to sync with ITunes.

 

Thanks! This is going to get MESSY if next month's mainstream Core i3/i5 notebooks can't sync with the number one media player Maybe at that point SOMEONE will get more serious about fixing it.

Oh, and the NCC-1701 D is my favorite! I love that ship to pieces. It's like this giant flying city that'd dedicated to exploration and science, and is the absolute pinnacle of what we could hope to achieve as a species. Not that I ever think about such things

 

uhhm have you tried the microsoft hotfix, i posted a few pages back ?

 

Nice build. Looks like every box was checked

I'm just going based on your name, but did you make this purchase for the upcoming release of STO? I was holding out on buying a new gaming rig for StarCraft 2, but once I heard STO was coming out in Feb, I knew I could no longer hold out, and had to pony up!

 

Yes, which is why I initially gave you rep. I still get random usb errors but it eventually does sync properly.

 

Want an Alienware? Check
Want the M15X? Check
Tick off every option? Check
Waiting anxiously for the God machine to arrive? Check

 

Anyone else have this problem?

 

Yea, STO is one of the reasons.

 

hmmm, very weird,

Have you also updated to the latest intel chipset drivers from last month?..

I'm 100% sure this fixed my problems, first I had tons of different errors, what I did was:

-update alienware bios
-update to latest chipset drivers for intel PM55 (dated about a month ago)
-install the hotfix

let me know if you give it a shot

 

hi can someone help me plz thnx