OMG. That is not cool Alienware. Not cool at all

Looks like Alienware really want to squeeze every spare cent out of you. On the Australian site, you can only get the backlit keyboard if u go for the 9800GT SLI option. And that is 1200$.

So, they want you to have to buy their 9800GTs, just so u can get their backlit keyboard (a 50$ upgrade on the US site), one of the main reasons i want this laptop.

For some people, spending that much on the GPUs is ok, but not for a guy with only a 4200$ budget.

Do u think it would be possible to get the 8700GT SLI and the cheaper option without ALienFX keyboard but then order a seperate backlit keyboard from alienware AU?

thanks

 

order via phone. and if they tell you it's not possible, just harass them a bit.

 

Yeh, im just worried they wont take some teenager buying a $4000 laptop seriously. And i dont think my parents would be able to negotiate anything, theyre not tech savvy (just get anything, i dont care)

 

you know, i think that if you want to spend 4000$ with them, they'll take you seriously

 

hehe.

i just saw that theyre site lists a backlit keyboard "as standard".

I cant get the 8600 GTs, theyre defective (my parents somehow know that ), the 8700GTs are just outside my budget and the 9800GTs are wayyyy out of my league.

sigh, seeya alienware, hello Dell m1730.

 

i wish you all the best with the m1730 then not even considering sager?

 

neverrrr.

priority: FLASHING STROBE LIGHTS

and sagers look like crap imho


BTW, to replace alienware RAM with RAM bought from shops, do u need to purchase 667mhz DDR2 RAM for it work? or can any RAM work?

 

any SO-DIMM DDR2 PC-5300 667mhz (sometimes listed as PC-5400 675mhz) RAM will work just fine. but try to aim for name-brand products (Corsair, Crucial, Kingston, OCZ, Mushkin, for starters).

 

man, it is really tempting to get a m15x.

Do u think an m15x with a 8700GT and a t9300 will have overheating/breakage issues?

 

well, the overheating issues are basically solved with BIOS updates etc. and the hinge snapping, well, it's probably not related to which components are in the system, but to how often the lid is closed/opened (and possibly a little luck).

what's your budget?

 

The m15x now does not have any heating issue with any configuration. If you are worried about the hinge, all you have to do is tighten the screws located under the rubber of the border of the LCD.

 

you sure about that, elsayed? seems like an awefully easy way to fix such a problem...

 

my budget is up to $4300. Thats alot in the USA, not alot in Australia

 

desktop maybe?

 

actually, heres something even better.

http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/26383

it fits the requirements perfectly.

 

nah, already have one at home. Its weak and outdated, but i doubt my parents would let us have two desktops at home, no matter how powerful it would be.

 

@Whizzo
I myself am still very surprised with the results I got after doing that. The hinge feels very solid just like what do you expect (at least here). Opening the lid makes minimal creaking comparing to before. I wish more people would try it to see what results they get. It's really worth a try IMO.

 

that stuff's PC-6400 800mhz. the Santa Rosa motherboard in the m15x, m17x, and m1730 will only handle up to PC-5300 667mhz.

so basically, that RAM would work, but you'd be paying for speed you can't use.

EDIT: that's not even SO-DIMM memory, that's for desktops. look for notebook RAM.

 

ok then.

what about this. its sodimm

http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/25416

 

yup, those look good. lifetime warranty ftw

 

thanks. ill rep you, because youre being really helpful.

BTW, how the hell do u get a custom user title? i ahve 700 posts but i still cant find the option

 

Do you have any notes or details on how to do this?

N

 

First, remove the rubber on the LCD (just hold it and pull it out). There are six; I think all screws need to be tightened. If you only want to fix the hinges then take only the bottom two. After you take them out, put them aside.

Second, tightened the screws. (you need a small Phillips screwdriver)

Finally, stick the rubber back.

Let me know how it goes. Here are some pictures that may help.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24803&d=1222476271
http://forum.notebookreview.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24804&d=1222476271

 

woot! Im all set on this laptop now!

So will the RAM 100% work? Any chance that it wont? Should i upgrade to 3
2GB of RAM on the Alienware site just in case?

 

No kidding - I gotta try that! Rep for you!!! Thanks!

 

i can guarantee you it will work (if you buy the right stuff of course).

 

And the stuff i showed u earlier is 'the right stuff', right?

I just dont want to be stuck with a 4000$ laptop with 1GB of RAM

 

the second one you showed me is good, yeah:


http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/25416

 

Man Alienware Australia was a joke last I checked. Still hocking Pentium Ds in that old case 6 months after the P2 chassis was out in USA. And then overpriced on top of it. I dunno what's going on with them, feels like just a couple guys sitting in a warehouse waiting for a yearly cargo ship or something. Electronics in general (even with the conversion rate) seem overpriced over there; I think there's some sort of import duty or something going on.

 

well then quite clearly, you need to check more often.

*Disclaimer*: this post contains no hidden messages.

 

qaz, you should be happy with an m15x. personally, you're getting something quite similar to my config, T9300 w/ 4GB RAM and the 8700M GT. I'm very happy with it, and since the x32RC1 bios I applied earlier this year, NO DOWNCLOCKING! no problems at all. I have a slight hinge problem that I'm planning to warranty repair when I can have the time away from my system to do it, but until then, I'm good. I actually tightened one of the screws and the problem seems to be fixed (or at lest, not getting any worse).

But I digress, newer m15x's shouldn't have this issue. mine is over 6mo's old now.

Enjoy it. also, if you have any trouble with the RAM, return it, and try a different brand, same specs... I doubt you'd be able to get non-working RAM twice in a row.

 

i myself am sceptical of this "old/new batch" talk going on...

 

I don't believe this is a "new batch"... I just believe it's a "less lazy" batch.

It seems to me that whomever was in charge of assembling the outer chasis, and installing the monitors/mobo to the chasis, didn't quite screw together the upper part of the chasis entirely... and I think that's the source of many of the problems.

IMO, they had to either OVER tighten it (breaking it), or under tighten it, causing it to be loose.

Either way, I believe that now, they've fixed this issue... not by replacing or modifying any of the parts, but simply by adjusting the tightness of the screws around the display.

 

Hope its improved nowadays yeah, but man at the time it was sad. Emailing thier rep enough to feel like harassment didn't matter either as he had no clue when the new stuff would be avail (was living there & wanted an AW but couldn't wait forever). Almost got my bro to get it from the USA site & ship it over, but figured it'd be a huge expensive PIA. Eventually got tired of waiting & got XPS. Good to hear they've gotten it together since then though.

 

Will all new m15xs have the new bios, the ones that solve most issues?

Its not that bad over here, Dell online prices are alright.

But if u think alienware prices were bad, they were charging 5700$ for a HDX with a 8800GTS and 2GB RAM. Tou could get the same thing in America for 1500$.

 

the new ones should come with x34 installed. if it doesnt you can always upgrade. most people are staying with x32 because of latency issues. so i guess we just need to wait until x35 or something.

the hdx is pretty cool tho. someone from college let me use his hdx to play cod 4 and it was pretty amazing. the screen size is insane. i wasnt really used to something as big as the hdx. my desktop screen is only a 19 in tft display >> and yes this guy brings his hdx to school everyday.

 

im waiting on that email responce from alienware to see if i can purchase a sepreate backlit keyboard from alienware au. If i cant, then its a 50/50 battle between the m15x and the m1730. If i can, then its a three way fight between the m17x, m15x and the m1730

 

ahh, i slept on my decision and honestly, i really dont want to put up with Alienware's so called lousy service, and i can only assume that will get even worse over here.

im just going to get the Dell m1730 and put up with the 3.2minutes of bettery life...

 

Some guy is selling a Dell XPS M1730 with 8800GTX SLi for $2000 on the BST forum section. Look on the DELL OUTLET store to get good deals. Trust me stuff in the Dell Outlet store is gold.

Lemme see if I can find it...

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=270562

If its still for sale say hello to your new laptop

XPS M1730 Smoke Grey
T9300 Proc
4GB DDR2 RAM
SLI Nvidia 8800GTX
120GB 7200 RPM HDD w/ Free Fall Sensor
Intel 4965 AGN Wifi
Dell BT 355+EDR 2.0

 

unfortuneately it has been sold

 

Aww . Well just shop around and you can get a NICE M1730

 

once again: i live in australia. that kinda rules out any dell outlet store or any bestbuys. Im going to get a dell m1730 with

x9000, 2 200GB HDDs, 4GB RAM, SLI8800GTX, Vista Ultimate and 3 year extended warranty with accidental dell care plus. all for 4200$. thats about $2600 cheaper than the m17x with same configurations from alienware au.

 

**** you have a lot of money. You are going to end up with the 9800GT's BTW which are the same as the 8800GTX's. And wow thats not a bad price and btw I love Dells Accidental and Onsite warranty (not sure if its the same in London).

 

its the same

i really wish i lived in america.... 4200$ over there could buy me a really decked out m15x or a m17x....

EDIT: wow! i just configured a smilar specced odachi on k|N's site and the dell was cheaper