Purchased my first Alienware ever (M17x), couple of questions =D

Hi everyone, I'm new to Alienware ownership and to the forum actually and just want to say I'm very excited to be part of the alienware owner's club =D

Today I purchased an Alienware M17x on eBay and the seller is getting ready to ship the laptop to me now. However I have a couple of questions I hope you guys can help me with:

1. The M17x is the base model configuration meaning it only has the P8600 2.4ghz, 1 gtx 260m and the low resolution screen 1440 x 900. I was wondering if there's a way to call Dell and ask them to upgrade the laptop's monitor because I really wanted the 1200p screen but the price was just too good so I went with the 900p.

2. I've just began learning about gaming laptops and found out that laptop processors are upgradeable on alienwares, is there a site you guys can recommend so I can look for a quad core mobile processor? With my specs is a quad core worth the upgrade or I should keep the 2.4ghz since I'll only be gaming at 1440 x 900. I'm afraid my cpu will be a bottleneck to the GTX 260M.

3. My M17x is the single GTX 260m setup, does it also come with the less powerful 9400m inside?

4. This is the reason I was able to get the laptop at a cheap price: the owner said the LED lights on the laptop is currently not working because he did a bios upgrade and no lights work now. Is there a fix to this because I really want to get the laptop shining in its full glory!

Those are the questions I have for now, thanks so much in advance!

 

Hey, welcome to the forum. Yes you can upgrade the processor. If you wanted to get the QX9300 it costs about $1000 from dells website if you were having that put in your computer. You can also buy the processor at HP for about $550 shipped. http://h20141.www2.hp.com/hpparts/Default.aspx?mscssid=A22CCBC94E974B348B172BCE851C2D45
Part number: 507946-001.

As far as the screen I'm pretty sure you can replace that on your own as well.

The laptop also comes with the integrated 9400 GPU and runs when the laptop is not plugged in. It is done to save power. You can switch back and forth between cards in the BIOS

Pretty sure if you search the forum you can find a solution to the keyboard lights assuming what the previous owner stated was true.

As far as graphics cards from what I understand they get expensive to upgrade. It's cheaper to have them upgraded when ordering from dell, but you can do it if you want. Good luck with your machine and congrats on getting a good price.

 

Oh I see, thanks for the help!

My priority is to change the screen to 1920 x 1200, can you provide me with some more information on how to do that or do I need to go through Dell for this?

Also after I receieve the laptop I am planning to get a complete maintenance/accidental warranty from Dell for 2 to 3 years for about $500, because I've heard stories of how people were able to get a brand new Alienware laptop after their old one dies within the warranty period so I think that may be a worthy investment. Is there any truth to those stories? Thanks

 

As far as the screen goes, I'm not sure where to get it. Maybe keep checking ebay. As for the warranty, it is a wise investment. Especially if you get complete care which coveres accidents. If you drop the laptop or spill a soda on it and kill it, complete care will cover it. I ordered my M17X on black friday and the estimated deliverary date is 15Jan. Lastnight I extended the warranty for an extra 4 years so now the laptop is covered for the next 5 years. 14 DEC 2014. If you are still in the warranty time frame, and your laptop dies, like the motherboard, and dell doesn't make that laptop anymore or have the parts, they will send you a new computer, one of the newer models with specs close to your laptop, but not worse then, and if anything mybe better. Numerous forum members have had thier Dell XPS 1730s die and they were replaced with M17X of similiar specs. So althought the warranty is expensive, it can definately be worth it. I live with kids so I need the peace of mind. Kids get interested and sippy cups tend to spill

 

I dont think he will be able to get warrintee on the laptop he order from Ebay unless it came from Dell or Alienware. I hear alot of people buying alienware computers from Ebay tried getting the system fix and the Techs from Alienware will not help them.

 

you need to get them to transfer over the warranty to you

yes you can upgrade the CPU, just try reading the sticky or looking in my sig


You cannot get the M17x screen anywhere except maybe ebay or Dell them self its proprietry