*Official* Alienware Launch Discussion Thread

Grats on getting a nice deal! From my viewpoint it's not so much about HD as it is resolution (1900x1080). Mind you, from what I sense in your message you seem to have reached a level of happiness with 1600x900, not to mention the extra saving. Guess soon the anticipation butterflies will start buzzing :thumbsup:

 

Haha actually my girlfriend is sending it to me.It reached her today and now she has forwarded it to me We have faced a lot of trouble with the forwarding prices and all She has had to pay a lot, around 330$ ~.~ coz I live in India and she is in US. I also have to pay for customs when it'd reach me.Should reach me by the 21st.Super excited even with the HD+ 1600x900 display I am all ready to own an alienware

 

So I got my new 17 yesterday I thought i remembered the new specs saying it had an optical out... However I noticed this is not the case. How could this be? I also noticed when I stream Netflix the colors change and my screen goes dimmer... Other than that the new 17 is bangin!

 

Optical out? and great to know that you are enjoying your new Alienware 17 which one did you order? the base version? or did you upgrade something?

 

A04 bios has been released. has anyone tried it yet? Item 7 says Improved Nvidia Optimus. I already installed A04 bios but have yet to try it.

 

Can't say for sure for the 17 but the 18 has had the SPDIF removed. Probably as they had a lot of MB replacements due to AW supplying an oversized adapter

 

I think I answered my own question. It looks like you need to goet something like this http://www.amazon.com/Micca-Premium-Optical-Digital-Toslink/dp/B0088IC1SA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=ZUOJE37PIZVV&coliid=I2A4PCCJM2HTJS I was looking for the standard Toslink port on the computer and did not realise an adapter was needed (came with older 17 models) You learn something new every day.

To answer you question robitut47, I got the following

Alienware 17
780m
4800 MQ
120 Hz screen
blue ray
16gb

The 3d is out of this world! I did not get the screen fro this purpose but I must say I am blown away at FPS games. Looking down you scope, dust particales, ect. ect. is absolutely spectacular!


Cheers!

 

All of the new models are sans S/PDIF. Some of the review sites are stating specs of digital out via HDMI and S/PDIF though, so maybe at some point it was in the early specs that Dellienware published?

 

as the title says, im a bit short on money so the cheaper the better but need to be able to run up and coming games like the new GTA and FIFA

 

Alienware products are not typically intended to be a low budget gaming solution. Being short on funds to work with is a tough situation because buying something inexpensive often leads to dissatisfaction and creates a bad first impression of the brand.

Maybe a good solution would be to get an older (but still quite powerful) refurb from Dell Outlet. Your money would go further without having to cut as many corners on specs as a low-cost newer system. You can probably get a more powerful refurb for less money than an inexpensive/lower performance config on a brand new model.

 

I am at work right now so I am going off this buy memory. I am trying to find a way to have my comp monitor hooked up while at the same time connecting my laptops audio to my receiver. Is there no decent way to do this? I only remember seeing one hdmi output.

I guess I need to run a mini display port to hdmi cable to monitor and hdmi to receiver... why did I not do this before... I feel dumb

This might work better Amazon.com: Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro II USB Analog & Digital Audio Adapter: Electronics But can you use a mini toslink cable on the 3.5mm port????

 

Alienware's website isnt to specific on technical details. Can someone tell me if the mSATA ports are SATA III/6gbs on the 18 and the 14?

 

They're SATA III for both.

 

A doubt that i have and NO ONE was able to answer me, not the retailers that sell Alienware in Portugal, and not even Dell when i called them personally!

If i buy an Alienware in the US and import it into Portugal, am i able to buy a portuguese layout keyboard from Dell? Only the keyboard!

Or does anyone know where can i buy one?

 

Just saw this posted on the Alienware Facebook page...

 

Yeah noticed this as well and wondered why there was no M18 BIOS update. Still in the pipeline I guess

 

When I ordered my 17, they told me that they'd only have US layout keyboards. That was 1 month ago.

Edit: It kinda sucks though. When I ordered my m15x back then in Germany they had all possible keyboard layouts to pick from.

 

i really hope i can get one with the portuguese layout when they come out on 9th of October in here!

 

You really don't need the OC'd for gaming any of the CPU's will run just fine I would get the 4900mq as it will OC to 4.0 :thumbsup:

 

Meh, I have been using english keyboard for about 5-6 years now. I dont miss my Norwegian keyboard, since you can change keyboard language to Norwegian within Windows. Its easy to memorize where the "Æ Ø Å" letters is located. You can also buy those stickers that you put on those keys if you cant memorize them

 

I am using US/UK keyboards over the last 10 years, you get used to it quickly. In fact for a period of time I was using an AZERTY (French) keyboard without any problems typing in English or Greek... Relax, as long as you can get a good price for the rest of the hardware the keyboard is the last thing... plus at the end of the day, you can use an external one if you want when at home...

 

Finally received my first amazing Alienware 17.I must say its like a dream, having it finally in front of me @.@ buuuuut I really would have loved getting white color in the alienware command center 3.0 T_T do you think that they can put white color in the later updates? I mean is it possible?

 

Awesome!

Gonna get the stickers for it! Didn't know that even existed ahhaha :thumbsup:

 

You can get the "white" color by editing the color profile file. Feel free to create a basic one, then open it in notepad and in the second half of the file, look for hex color values, there will be two per area, like:

HTML:

<Actions>
    <ZoneID>0</ZoneID>
   <ActionID>0</ActionID>
    <ActionTypeID>15</ActionTypeID>
    <Color1>#FFFFFFFF</Color1>
    <Color2>#FFFFFFFF</Color2>
    <Duration>2</Duration>
</Actions>

change all those color signatures to #FFFFFFFF like above and open that profile. You'll then see why white isn't available in the selector

 

Is it ugly or something?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

Well, it's pink. At least in the newest AW 17.

 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

Good luck. Here is one example
Portuguese Trad Transparent Keyboard Sticker Blue | eBay

 

Thanks for the tip my friend :thumbsup:

 

So you are saying that white color will start working once I do this? It'd be awesome if this would work also the update for Alienware Command Center from 3.0.27.0 to 3.0.29.0 screwed up the software completely and now the colors won't change at all Dx went back to the basic version but still it won't work sent a mail to them technical support people ~.~

 

There's a thread about it in the Dell support center (search for "AlienFX" in their knowledgebase). I had the exact thing happened to me and it took me a good few hours to resolve.

What I did was: uninstall the Command Center, Update Chipset Drivers, reinstall the Command Center (in my case, some five times) and:

(on battery power)
1. shut down the notebook
2. power it up
3. enter BIOS
4. press the power button there (notebook turns off)
5. wait 30-60 seconds
6. boot it back up normally

After doing this, everything is working flawlessly again and I can change backlights as I please. One thing I can tell you for sure is that if you set a different color profile than you're stuck on, you'll see the difference right when it lights up during booting - you don't have to open the CC to see if it's fixed.

 

So I tried what you suggested to me but it still did not work. I uninstalled it, installed the new BIOS a04 update, installed the Alienware Command Center. Then shut it off in battery mode. Went to BIOS after switching on the laptop and switched it off again.Waited for a long time and restarted but nothing worked stupid update Dx dunno how to fix this Dx

 

For UK people:

Dell has a new round of discounts on their webpage for today and tomorrow only! And you can claim another 10% from a sale rep, as long as you act fast as the offer ends tomorrow.

The 3rd option for the AW18 is discounted by £510! That is around 18%! It is odd, as the other configurations didn't get the same amount of discount.

 

That's pretty good, I guess. The only slight annoyance is that online limits you to a 4800mq and no option for 4900mq or 4930mx. I guess Dell are having a clearout of 18's with that particular cpu.

 

I think they did an error in their discount calculations. They are having a 10% off until the end of the day -I guess due to school's opening again. They originally had a £250 off I think, now they are having an extra 10% off on-top of that, which is £260 (250+260 = 510). In other models they appear to reduce a 10 off from the original price, not the discounted price! ;-)

 

There is now an instant $300 discount on the Alienware 18 systems.

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 4

 

Anyone returned a machine back to Dell for refund? Do they charge you any restock fees?

Moreover which carrier do they use and how long does it usually take for them to get the item back (in the UK)?

 

Well, I'm from the UK and I've done this several times!!

If you are returning within your 7 day return period and there is no fault with the machine, Dell *can* charge you the return carriage - think it's £20 from recollection. If you are returning in that return window again, but it's faulty, there is no charges. If Dell have agreed a return outside of the normal 7 day period, that would generally be a 'special provision' you have between yourself and Dell and you know the reasons for that return.

In the UK, afaik there is no restocking fees. Just the possibility of the return shipping bill being charged.

As for collection, generally you get a DPS number to stick on your parcel. If you have the original packaging, slap it on that...if not, ask Dell for a box/packaging to return it and they will send it out for you. The couriers in the UK who do the majority of the collections are DPD couriers. You would arrange a time/date with Dell and just wait for them to collect.

Refunds are normally processed within 7-10 business days. My last return, I had the money back in my account quicker than that. The machines themselves go to a UK address and the business is called Syncreon Tehnnologies - they must handle all Dell UK returns. I think from recollection they are based out of Berkshire, so pretty near Dell UK head offices....

 

Thanks for the answer!

It isn't within the 7-days window. I started the process for the refund at the begining of August, got the approval on the 17th, arrange the refund last week for this Friday (they gave me a 10 days window to return it) -didn't get a time slot, just the date.

The return is due to multiple issues with the machine since the day it came (came scratched), but with the repairs in fact destroying it even more. I am on the 3rd palm rest, as the replacement parts all got issues with the trackpad right click -another NBR member told me in a PM had the issue- and my HDD is reporting failure, alongside with some minor scratches done during the repairs.

I hope this is characterised as "faulty" and won't be charged. Weirdly on my case details, the customer care advisor handling my case noted "Wrong Goods Delivered - Credit the wrong Goods & Return Goods"! Which is odd!

I just hope everything goes well, as this is the first time I return something! So I have no experience of getting refunds and worry if the laptop gets lost or for A/B reason they won't refund me!

 

Don't worry, it's no big deal - trust me. If the goods are faulty, you won't get charged a bean. Generally, you just get given a day for the pickup - time slots not available but can be noted on the collection instructions, however they probably pay little heed to that so expect a nice day in waiting.

If you have had Dell send you a DPS number, just stick it on the box. Ask them about this if unsure. When the courier arrives to collect, make sure he leaves you with a receipt for collection. Every time I have returned something, DPD have left me a couple of square white collection stickers which they have printed out when they arrive. They sign these infront of you, so keep it safe....from then on, you have proof of shipping, all is left is to wait for the refund to be fully processed and you are golden.

 

I hope so! I was given a number to place on my boxes, but nothing more! My customer care ignores my emails

Oh good! The collection will take place at my work, so I guess I will have the receptionists as "witnesses" as well!

For some reason my case just got an update: Carrier returning goods to Dell

I haven't send anything back!

 

Hi everyone! I was wondering one thing, why doesn't XoticPC have the Alienware 18 still? Anyone knows?

 

Probably availability issues. I think resellers are the last to receive new models and Alienware is having a tough time keeping up with the volume of orders purchased directly from them. It was this way last year, too.

 

Did you decide to go for the 18 in the end?

 

Hi Guys ,

I live in the middle east and for quite some time been planning to buy a new desktop replacement laptop that is future proof for at least 3-4 years with max gaming. I am retiring my 8 year old desktop replacement which at the time was considered one of the fastest gaming laptops : Dell XPS m170 w/ nvidia 7800 gtx(remember that card ?this was the year before sli on gaming laptops came up) . I bought that rig in 3rd quarter 2005 and did gaming on it till 2009 and then continued to use it till today and now its high time the old fella puts his boot in.

So I have looked around and became interested in Asus G750jh (2500$,windows 8 ,16gb,i74700,780gtx,256gb ssd,750 gb 7200rpm, 1 yr international warranty) until I cam across alienware 18 in a store here that sells already pre configured alienwares.

The specs w/price are:
$4000
i74900mq
32gb
780gtx sli
1.5TB w/64gb ssd caching
windows 8 pro
1 yr international warranty(not sure about accidental damage included or not)


Wanted to ask few questions :

1. How good is the international warranty ?Is there anyway I can increase it to 4 years along with 4 year accidental damage?

2. What would be the difference in the 1.5Tb w/ 64 gb ssd caching configuration to msata512 boot w/750gb 7200rpm config in terms of gaming?Which one is better?
I cant change the configuration so if I buy this I am stuck with the 1.5TB w/64 gb caching.

3. What do you guys think of this deal .Is it worth it to spend 4000$ or the Asus is better for 2500$ ?Remember I want the rig to last for hardcore gaming till 4 years.

4. The other alternative is buy online through USA and get it shipped to a friend in USA who will bring it over here. In that way I can change the config to
a. 512msata w/750 gb 7200
b. 16 GB instead of 32 GB because 32 GB is really not needed though the 16 GB are in 4*4 Gb config instead of 2*8 GB.
c. Get the 4 year support+accidental damage Warranty.
This system when I configured through the USA site was 4997$. So again , is it worth an extra 1000$?

Would greatly appreciate your suggestions.

 

The 512GB mSATA boot is much faster than the 64GB cache, IME. You probably won't notice at all once your game is up and running though. The cache SSD alleviates the problem the 16MB cache on the HDD has with large texture files. FWIW, you can get a PM841 512GB mSATA from ProVantage for ~$120 less than Dell charges. The price you can get isn't too shabby either. The absolute cheapest you can get 780SLI for (without any discounts) is $3200 here in the states, and that means you get a 4700MQ processor, no Blu-Ray drive, no cache, only one 750GB HDD, 8GB RAM and the base Windows version (not that most really take advantage of the features in the Pro/Ultimate versions). The difference between a G750JH and the 18 with 780M SLI and the 4900MQ will be massive, and I know which one I'd go for without question.

 

link? I hadn't been able to find a 512GB mSATA anywhere for nearly as cheap as the $400 upgrade Alienware charged

checked ProVantage and the closest I found was a 480GB mSATA for almost $500

 

PROVANTAGE: Samsung MZMTD512HAGL-00000 Samsung SSD PM841 512GB SATA III 6GB microSata miniPcie 3BIT

I thought Dell was charging $500 for the PM841? Or at least they were last time I looked.

EDIT: Looks like they lowered the price to $400. So I guess you don't really save much.

 

It's really not fair to compare $2500 to $4000 since 1 780m on ebay goes for like $800+ I think...You also got a higher cpu and memory compared to the ASUS. The Asus does have a SSD, but those aren't too expensive if you get a cheap, very nice 840 evo at $169 or so. If you read the deal threads here, you can wait for a sale. The M18 in my sig was < $2400 with 1 year warranty after a crazy discount coupon and 4 years warranty was < $3k...

Holidays are coming, more discounts will as well...It's not very hard to get at least 10% off...

All that said, if it was me (and it WAS since I just did this!), I would get the one you really want and just wait for a sale if money is a concern. Some people are loaded and don't care, but I'm cheap and like to get as much for my money as possible...

Read ALL the deal threads here. No one is just going to hand you a 30% off coupon though so if you don't have time, it'll certainly cost more for whatever you purchase...

 

I think I missed it because they are using the wrong image

but yeah being a EPP member I got it for only $390 from Dell, I think they actually priced it pretty reasonably and it's been that price since early August at least