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

Sorry to hear about that howard. It's a simple fix, call Dell and they'll have a tech over the next business day to take care of the problem. If it was my system I'd just have them ship the part and I'd replace it myself but if you're not comfortable doing that, let the tech care of it. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to replace.

There's no need for a new system. It's obvious the problem is the fan. If you think that grinding is bad, you should have listened to my Sager 8690 video. It was a problem with the fan and the case itself because anytime I pressed on the palm rest, the grinding would subside temporarily. You won't get any goodies from Dell, it's a defect, these things happen. I don't know where this mentality of expecting free things for nothing comes from. HP certainly doesn't hand out free stuff, Apple doesn't, Asus definitely doesn't and good luck getting anything from Sager, so why should Dell? This is not aimed at you Howard, but anyone that thinks Dell should be handing out freebies for every little problem. If you guys aren't happy with it, send it back and go buy a cheap Asus or Sager and try asking them for freebies, they'll laugh at you.

People should be glad Dell offers a default 1 yr NBD service for their laptops. Ever deal with Apple care? It's terrible, you have to make these silly appointments and then go visit their clueless genius in hopes they will fix it. Dell tech support is top notch. Sager and Asus are much worse, you have to mail in your system to the depot. Try and get them to give you a freebie for having to mail in your system and see what they say.

 

one of the only reasons i have stayed with dell is because oif there warranty a friend told me once if i go with apple yeah there warranty service sucks but you never have to yous it since there systems hardly ever go bad i loughed at her and said what ever im still not going with any warranty that i have to mail in
sony will also send someone out to the house if the system is one of the higher end systems they dondt mess around with you

 

Based on my experience with a MacBook Pro and recently my gf's Macbook, these things run into problems quite often. Heat is a big issue with Macbooks since they are so thin and the cooling isn't very good. The following went bad on my gf's macbook: dvd drive (had to be replaced), casing (design flaw that caused the palm rest to crack twice), keyboard, display (another design flaw where the keyboard scratched the glossy coating) and 2 power adapters. I think if anyone's Dell had so many problems, they'd be raising hell.

 

good comments Joker. When they happen parts failures are a pain and can escalate into a major annoyance if it takes several attempts to get them rectified: if tech support agrees with your diagnosis first time and next business day they fix it, we should be praising their responsiveness.
As I said on another post, I love Samsung products but has anyone ever tried to contact Samsung customer support? Its an oxymoron.
Dell is so much better its not funny. Not perfect, but definitely trying!

 

I don't think I'd trust a Tech to even replace a fan LOL, I'd do it myself.

 

Is anyone else unable to sync their iPhones to their M15x? I haven't been able to find a solution to this yet.

 

Oh no problem, and none taken, fan is not a big deal but I do have a question,

The Video card fan, I mainly understand desktop part but not laptop. Is there a heat sink that attach the fan and the video card? or is fan just a fan that is over the video card and completely independent of the video card, simple plug and play. By asking that what I mean is I don't mind a fan replacement, but I would not want a new system needing a new fan to have to have the video card removed, bunch of stuff unearthed and unglued by a tech, someone I dunno how good he is to do a major operation. If that is the case then I rather just return with no penalty.

Thanks..

 

I'm pretty sure the fan is just screwed on

 

well all of us too timid to open the thing up lest we break stuff, appreciate the photo -- those of you with experience and knowledge are a great encouragement to those of us keen to learn but short on that experience.

 

Thank you very very much, it does indeed looks like what the tech on the phone told me was corred "IT ONLY TAKES 3 SCREW ON AND OFF, EASY REPLACEMENT" and from the phone it does look like about 3 screws to me Ill take the tech and repair For the moment the fan is holding up ok, it's not cooling the video card down as fast as when it was not broken, but still cooling it down much more than Asus G51 and G60 is. Thx again.

 

Trust me it's VERY easy to replace. Take the battery out, remove the bottom cover + 2 screws holding it, remove the 2 screws holding the fan and you're done.

 

I always press the Dell reps to send the part as user replaceable and sometimes they budge if it's a simple part. The loop hole of course is to just go get yourself certified in Dell repair, it's very easy. I've been meaning to get my own certification but I haven't had time. Once you're certified, you never have to rely on a tech again, Dell will ship any replacement part straight to you.

But anyway, it all boils down to who your tech is. I've had pretty good experience with the outsourced techs Dell uses. One came in and replaced the keyboard, display and palm rest on my old M1710 and he did a good job too (just as good as I would have). Another worked on my XPS 2 when it was brand new and since he hadn't worked on it before, I told him on the phone I'd have the manual ready for us both to work on it together and he agreed. Half the time he just assisted me in doing the replacement work lol!

 

Just double checked by playing game, definitely the video card fan making semi grinding noise, probably a bad bearing or a broken blade or some sort. From the picture it looks like the heat pipe, sink and video card won't have to be touched at all (correct me if I'm wrong) and only the fan comes in and out with 3 screws.

Call AW support again, it's the correct fan being sent out, I should get a call in 2-3 days.

PS: Right now, under same room temperature, my video card idles at 48C instead of the normal 43C before the noise started, so it's at least definitely something that has to do with video card fan if not others which I hope not. At any rate, under the BEST of circumstances, my older bestuy G51VX 260 idled over 60 - 70 C and the better and improved Asus G60VX idled at 54 to 55C under the best of circumstances. What a shame that an AW with broken fan is still cooler than Asus.....

 

So jazzzed about my M15x.

First full day with it and I have been playing Dragon Age Origins allll day. Man it is nice to be able to be upstairs on my lappy and have a machine be able to handle a good game.


LOVIN IT

Quick question for anyone that still has the factory OS install.
Is there "Alienware" based screensaver?
I found everything else from my backup but was never able to see a screensaver.

 

I wanna thank good for the opinion and suggestion and pic about the fan noise. This one, with broken fan is still a keeper

 

Going by this review of the latest firmware the Vertex is pretty much equal to the X25-m but the OCZ wins for price per MB and that it supports Trim.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/18195-ocz-vertex-120gb-ssd-review-8.html

Edit: @ Nailgunn: Mine still has the Windows 7 factory install and it does not have an AW screensaver.

 

2 screws for the fan and 2 screws to remove the bottom cover. That's it.

 

Roger that, sign me up!

 

Hmmmm...it struck me just now that there are a lot of unboxing and gameplay videos on YouTube but I have yet to see one of someone using an M15x at a LAN party. Anyone around Austin, TX or Fort Benning, GA up for one? Preferably someone who has a digital vid cam.
It'll be a Dewlicious good time.

 

If only I were that close... I'd definitely be down for it. When I get my laptop that is... ;P

 

does anyone know if there is also white color availalbe for the lighting of the keyboard and other things?

I really dont want my laptop to look like a christmas tree, esp when im in the army next year..

 

Wooooo!!! Just shipped today. Plus I just order my Alienware Orion messenger bag (40% off) and a Razer Mamba (15% off). Best Xmas EVA!!
Unless of course my lappy shows up in a thousand pieces. Then I'll just laugh my arse off.

 

What day did you place your order? I just called and mine is in the boxing stage, With a ship date of the 22nd, and a delivery around the 30th. The rep mentioned something about a possible upgrade, but I didn't know what upgrade she was talking about. I asked if I could do faster shipping and she said, nothing can be changed at this stage in the process. But she was very nice and helpful. Except for calling me by my last name without a prefix, like it was my first name. She said from here on out she will be my sole point of contact and said she would call me in a few days, even sent me a test email. All in all, so far my initial transaction with Dell has been pleasant. The real test is once I receive the product.

 

Y order was placed on the 4th, went through on the 5th. Shipped 12/14, original ship date was 22nd.
Although the Shipped Date, Carrier, and Tacking Number are Currently Unavailable.

 

You can make it any color you want or just turn it off. Personally I love the red.

 

Your going in the Army turn all lights pink. That'll make them think twice about stealing it.

 

Yea Brock mine shipped too!! Very excited. I really wanted a Slappa backpack for the laptop but those are a bit pricey. Still might get it down the road. Where did you order your Orion bag at? Amazon?

 

could anyone please upload photos of M15x in Nebula Red and Lunar Silver?? The photos on alienware website doesnt do justice to the colors.

Thanks.

 

Yeah I ordered from Amazon but I always google shop for best deals.

 

Today a Dell Tech (Rather a certified Getronics technician) replaced my screen.
He also told about the certification process, it's all done online. They don't get to play with a real machine but do everything online.
It was the first time that "my" tech did replace a screen, he couldn't even pry loose the battery for 3 minutes.
Dell internet support for techs was down so he was left to figure it on his own.
Eventually after 2 hours the screen was replaced skillfully but it took a lot of tweaking and about 40 screws...

But i am happy, my screen is pixel-defect free and everything is tweaked to my desire. Let the enjoyment begin

 

Yes, there is white color.

 

They're not great but here's a few I took.

 

Thanks. Thats helpful

 

for those interested/want to start an ambitious project, there are ATi 4870s pulled from M17xs on ebay for $700...

 

Haha I woudln't take those 4870s even if they wanted to do a straight swap for my 260M. I can't deal with ATi drivers and inconsistent gaming performance. If you're a benchmarker like Mandrake and the others they're great for getting e-peen 3dmark numbers but for gaming I'll stick to nVidia. Of course I'll probably pick up a 5800 mobility for it's sheer power when it's available but if there was a competitive nVidia solution I'd always pick that first.

 

ill get pics of my silver M15x once I get it this sunday

 

I just got my new M15x.. Any suggetions for tweaks etc? I hear there is some throttling issues.. Thanks.

Im open to any suggetions of any kind not just throttling.

My only gripe so far is the bottom right side of the keyboard seems to rattle like its not snug against the case below.. anyone else have this prob?

Thanks.

 

read through this whole thread just to get some info as I'm a potential Alienware M15x buyer. I have a few questions now, if anyone would be so kind to answer.

Many people saying cooling is great on this system, esp. compared to the ASUS G51j. Is a laptop cooler (I have an NC2000) necessary? Or is that just more added bulk and unnecessary - thinking of the M15x on top of NC2000 seems a bit.. ridiculous. With my Studio XPS 1640 I feel the NC2000 was necessary. Palmrest, keyboard area all got pretty warm.

Is the video card upgradeable to let's say from 260M to 280M or over to ATIs cards (all mobile versions)? I assume the i7, HDD, ram is obviously upgradeable.. RAID0?

Since I'll be getting this for gaming first, multimedia and web-browsing second. I've read the 1600x900 screen is my best bet. How is this screen? Bright? sharp? I'll be coming from the RBGLED 1080 which I love.

Are the throttling issues due to heat? What's the deal here? Is it just the video card that's throttling?

That's all for now, although I feel like I do have more questions.. thanks ahead of time =)

 

yayyyyy i will be home tomorrow and oging to get to open my M15x i can't wait


on another note i asked up here a few days ago does the system come iwth a restore disc i notices something about having to purchased a restore disc but was not sure
how do i get all the avatar and other stuff that comes iwth the M15x and then all the drivers back on

also wondering why they only put 2 memory card slots in there would think by now and iwth a system so fat and oversized they would be putting atleast 3 if not more

 

I had an NC2000 and ebayed it after I got my M15x. It's not needed, the M15x has independent cooling for the CPU and GPU. In comparison to the Asus G51-J, well there's no comparison, the Asus sucks and AW is one of the best.

Yes you can "upgrade" from 260M to 280M or to an ATi equivalent though that would be a waste of $ for the little performance gain. You should also be able to upgrade to the upcoming 5800 mobility series (I plan to). Raid is not possible, there's only 1 space for 1 HDD.

Well if you're a fan of 1080p, then get the 1080p screen on the M15X. Both the 900p and 1080p are made by LG and look virtually the same with respect to brightness/contrast/colors. My girlfriend's Studio XPS 16 uses the LG 1080p screen (same one used in the M15X) and I have the 900p screen. Personally I prefer the 900p screen because it's easier on the eyes for a 15.6" size but go with whatever you like.

The throttling is not related to heat. It's more than likely a bios issue which can be corrected by Dell if they ever get around to it. It will not affect your day to day use but it could potentially impact future use. If you want to learn more about it, see the throttling investigation thread I created.

 

i'm pretty sure you could put a second HDD in with a little tinkering if you were willing to lose the dvd drive. not likely worth the effort though for most.

 

I'd like to do this I have a 1TB external 2.5" drive that could fit in there ... hmm I'll deffinatly have a look at it once I receive it

 

If only the M15x offered the RGBLED of the Studio XPS 16.... well, there might be an M16x (that could also offer another HD slot would be nice).

 

Thank you. Appreciate that

 

I have the keyboard flex too. Haven't decided if it's worth calling a tech out or not.

 

I'm happy to report back on my video card fan issue where grinding would be heard during intense game play or if I tile the laptop at any angle other than flat.

I called saturday, dell tech called me said they have received part (fan) on Monday and made appt and came out on time tuesday just now. Took 15 minutes to fix and he waited 10 more mins to let me run game and test the fan out.

Im very happy that the grinding noise is gone, laptop idle back down to 42c compare with bad fan's idling temperature of 49 to 51C. During gaming, the grind noise is gone, just the fan noise working hard to move air

Though the initial 1 week old laptop fan broke was disappointing, the prompt alienware on site service was efficient (this guy's no rooke, he could have done it with his eyes closed) He further stated that alienware requring service was slim to none.

Happy Alienware customer

 

nice!

im just hoping mine arrives perfect b/c I wont be back in the U.S. for another 3 months

 

yayyyyy im home just hooked opened up my M15x and got it set up and now im confused i thout that the Display port did not transfer audio also
i have the Display port to HDMI adapter that came with my system and i hooked that up now transfering the video and audio both threw the HDMI cable that goes to the display port so im really confused is this normal ?

 

Hello everyone,

I recently decided to take the plunge and get my M15X. Managed to get an ok deal and was upgraded to a free 6GB of ram. Configurations in Malaysia usually require the higher-end specs by default for some reason.

Anyway, things have been running pretty smooth so far with the screen being absolutely amazing. Haven't benchmarked anything yet but I've been able to run everything I've thrown at it so far with no issues whatsoever.

Just a few things I've come across:

1) My computer is idling at a rather high temperature (50c), maybe because its just too damn hot here and my laptop is situated near a wall so it doesn't have too much ventilation space.

2) The sound cracks up a bit at higher volumes, I suspect that this is due to crappy speakers but I'll be hooking it up in Australia anyway so not a biggie. I've searched around and are there any fixes? What's this powermizer thing?

3) There's some flex at the arrows but that's quite normal to me. However, I've noticed my keyboard isn't flat. The spacebar is kind of elevated on its right side which actually does bug me although there is no substantial performance downgrade. Should I call tech?

Otherwise its awesome.

 

Hey sup guys, my m15x arrives tomorrow and I want to make sure everything is normal with it, which benchmarking tools should i use to test it with, and whats the avg scores on the m15x?