The Official m15x Owners Lounge

thank you, fusioncon, I appreciate it.

 

It is strange that everything was working well for you then, out of the blue, BAM, you have the problem. AW needs to get this thing worked out, or people will have a reason to be very upset.

 

I miss your point with the saying "you can't win them all." What the hell do you mean? People payed $3K+ for this system.... I'm pretty sure 80% of the people on this forum with m15x's having problems is more then just a "oh well you can't win them all so shut up and try to fix / enjoy your broken notebook?" I fail to see the relationship of your post and the saying. Fill me in, because i'm lost.

If the system worked fine the first couple of days, then reapplying the thermal paste COULD just make the system run smoothly for a few days. Like the other poster said the GPU could be getting too hot because of a flaw in the cooling design.

People didn't pay 3g's to get a notebook that doesn't perform to its fullest potential... coming here saying OH WELL GUYS YOU CAN'T WIN THEM ALL... is pretty absurd.

 

fusicon, ur rivatuner results looks similar to mine ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=227949).

so far it seems like everyone who previously (in this thread) posted that their m15x'es are not having a gpu downclock are now having them.

we NEED AW to get us a solution. bios updates for faster fan speeds, reapplication of AS5 WHATEVER... this needs to get done.

i've posted on their forums already and will be giving them a call tomorrow (if i have time).

 

i generally use a couple of programs at once... it makes me feel like i have a more accurate reading when more than one program tells me the same thing... ntune gives you graphs and GPU-Z gives you current temp as stated.

"installing" nTune really activates the Performance controls in your NVIDIA Control Panel. Open you NiviaCP, click on Perfomance (accept the agreement if you're running it for the first time) and click on Launch NVMonitor... then click on the [->] in the lower right of that new window.

I have little xp with riva but i hear it's good

 

Can you guys run some test and see if maybe when it downclocks.. that perhaps maybe the fan cutout and shutdown during that time? I'm trying to think of other things that may cause the problem. Besides thermal paste this could be the answer.

I have had fans that did cut out before in my old desktop from getting to warm and from the placing. This could very well be the problem from being exposed to high temps.

 

The fan isn't cutting out nor slowing down as the temp rises. It stays on the same speed (which I REALLY doubt is it's max speed) the entire time the temperature rises.

 

I have noticed the fan is very quiet and I never hear it rev up. I had the Sager 5793 and the fan speed vared all the time. Something may be up with the bios and fan speeds...

 

Well it would make sense in this case if it was the problem. Something like this would show up after some liberal use. It just does not make sense that the m15x would just all the sudden just over heat.. after being fine for a few days... Maybe the aerodynamics of the fan gets screwed or something.

As Rant said, it is kind of strange that the fans dont go into a supercharged state. This alone could lower the heating issues. Hopefully there is a bios fix to make the fan read temps then adjust to the demands.

 

Ive said this many times... Even if you pay $4000 you can't win everything... and this is not a very big loss...

 

wow 4K to get an underperforming notebook that you have to pry open ,thus voiding the warranty to apply a fix that MAY or MAY NOT fix the problem? what planet are you from??

I'd be pi$$sed if I had to do that with my POS T61p.

 

IMO any product that costs money should work as advertised. Why buy it in the first place if it isn't going to do what you need/want it to do. I wouldn't expect a $500 laptop to have as good of build quality as a $4000 Alienware, but hell, I sure would expect it to work for what I would buy it for.

I'm still waiting on a response from Alienware, will keep you guys posted . . .

 

EXACTLY!!! Perfectly put Chaz!

 

So those people out there who don't enjoy taking apart thousands of dollars worth of electronics and putting it back to together are screwed if purchasing from AW? I for one don't trust myself or my knowledge to apply AS5. I understand you might think this is insanely easy, but I'd rather not screw it up with my lack of knowledge.

You're "can't win them all" comments are pretty stupid, if you ask me. Why haven't we seen any hardcore gaming 15" notebooks before this? Easy answer... Heat. No way could thy handle the heat for a high performance GPU. Now they come out with one. My first thought was, sweet, they FIGURED IT OUT. I'm sure a lot of people figured that as well... With this price tag, we SHOULD think that they figured it out.

I agree it COULD be a quick fix, but no one should have to take they're brand new custom made performance money pit apart a couple weeks after they buy it.

You can quit repeating yourself about how we can't win them all...we heard you the first time.

Thanks a bunch Chaz. I'm still very happy with my purchase. I just want to get this taken care of. I still think AW has a quality product.

 

Spot on!

And if it doesn't work as advertised, I'd want the manufacturer to say/do something about it. As Chaz said, I expect to get what i paid for and that is what was advertised. this is a gaming laptop so i would expect to be able to game more than an hour on it. Sure i paid $4k+ for it... I'm not complaining about that since that was the choice i made. If they don't hold up their end of the transaction, I have all the reason to be unhappy... regardless if it was a 40k BMW, 4k m15x, or a $4 burger.

@ lax: You'd be upset if you ordered a pizza and brought it home only to find out you have to peel the cheese and toppings off to add your own pizza sauce (that you had to run out to buy). You can't have everything, Lax. Oh and i hear that when you buy the new BMW 7-series, you have to reinstall and bolt down the seats yourself because - you guessed it - they installed it wrong... but don't tell them. Oh, you need to bring your own bolts, of course... and they'll probably take away your service plan you paid for. You know those darn $80k cars how they come with major re-assembly required and they still might try to strip the warranty from you. Oh well, the absolute truth is that you can't win everything right? *Does that sound ridiculous?

I don't want to return my laptop... i want to really like this m15x. That being said, i'm not looking for a reason to complain. I, like the others who have purchased the m15x, just want it to work as promised

Now i'm hungry.

 

ah just received an email (2 days before est ship date) telling me it's delayed due to screen and smartbaybatt. no new est ship date but the screen will be in 03/24, batts on 04/07... although the batt doesn't affect ship date.

 

Ignore the fanboys, and just as importantly, ignore the people that have nothing but negatives to offer. Both are offering useless input.
It needs someone with a cool head that wants to work to sort it out. Maybe someone could ask an AW tech whether the fan speeds should increase. Has anyone monitered them to see if indeed they do increase in RPM as the temperature rises? If they're rather unintrustive to begin with, I certainly wouldn't mind them winding up a bit more when gaming.

 

Same here. I was informed yesterday that my estimated delivery date was being delayed from 3/13 to 3/17-19 for a backordered chassis (I'll take the revision that doesn't crack, thank you very much), and this morning I received that e-mail informing me that the screen is backordered until 3/24 (wow, 2 weeks to get an LCD screen in stock?). If the screen arrives on 3/24 and assuming a minimum 1-week build/test/etc. time, I won't see it until early April. Keep in mind that I placed my order online on 2/17.

These continuing delays, coupled with the thermal issues, have me seriously considering an alternative to the m15x. If I can sell my girlfriend on the Dell M1730, I'll likely cancel my m15x order. It will be a hard sell, though, since she's not going to be happy with the M1730's size and weight.

 

Does the 8700M GT have this problem aswell? Because thats the card im getting with my m15x, im going to play mostly COD4 and FS2004 on it will it be maxed great FPS? Will it overheat for FS2004? I do long flights in FS2004 so i need hours of non stop gaming

 

The screen is BEAUTIFUL WLF46WLF. I hear people saying they don't want a matte screen, well I can't tell. This screen is very sharp and bright enough.

 

I said it a while back I used to have a glossy 17" 1920x1200 and i accidentaly cracked it and the replacement was a matte 17" 1920x1200. Way better the matte, I would go with that even for the lower res monitor if it was possible...

 

thank you

 

so now they are telling me there is hold on my system due to parts... but the catch is that it's for the wrong parts. apparently there was some miscommunication between sales and the ones building my system.

i just called them up and i was told that the problem has been cleared and so no real delay as of now. I SHOULD get mine at the beginning of next week.

The mix-up shouldn't have happened but they were very quick to jump on it and fix the issue and i have no problems or complaint.


I also had a chance to talk to a few people and i was told that AW is in fact aware of the GPU overheating issue and they are reading the forums (prob this one too)... i was assured that they are working on this problem. This is the first time i've gotten from AW that they admit there is a problem and are looking into it.

My questions basically covered: did you know that there is a problem, how will you go about fixing that problem, what actions will be taken for current owners when the fix rolls out and how with they be notified if at all, warranty issues, etc?

Again, they know there is a problem and are working on fixes. If the fix will be a bios update, that will just roll out as any update would. IF they find that the problem is with the heatsink, they will most like send a blast mailout to current applicable owners informing them of the problem and the available fix. The owner would then call support and setup one of a 3 options; send the laptop in, have an on-site tech come by, or have the new heatsink shipped to them and replace it with tech support on the phone. Any of these 3 options will NOT void warranty.

Again this is my conversation with them and there is not yet a fix. they are testing still to isolate the problem to find a remedy. There is currently no ETA for this fix but it is reassuring that they are working on it.

 

Nicely informative. I highly doubt however they will send onsite support. They are famous for the "this issue does not qualify for onsite support" . But even without it is nice to know that they are working on something. The guy I talked to had no nice stories to tell .

 

This is my only real complaint with Alienware. The lack of communication and leaving people in the dark. Well done to whichever AW employee gave you this information if it's indeed true.
Fix or refund is fine by me.

 

+ rep for doing that

 

Yah all of the responses i got aside from that convo was just something like "IF there is a problem, we'll look at it and we'll replace parts IF they are in fact faulty but were not saying there is... it's a great system". something like that. This is another email that i got recently:

If the system reaches dangerous temperatures through time, it should be reflected in gameplay and general performance. If this is the case, we perform tests like the one I provided you with in consecutive runs and check if any issues arise, like overheating symptoms and we test the cards. In case they have unusual behavior, we replace the video card or any internal components needed with new ones to make sure that all parts are functional and to discard possibilities as to the heat sources.

Since the Area-51 m15x is a new platform, we are still evaluating behavior based in customer experiences and address problems if needed to improve the design. Again, if necessary. The Alienware warranty guarantees you will have a working system and if it is not the case, we will address the necessary issues.

Remember that you will have a 30 day money back guarantee period for you to make sure the system is what you want. Make sure you review the warranty at http://www.alienware.com/sub_pages/warranty.aspx/. I can tell you that it is an excellent product that youa re purchasing. Feel free to ask me any other questions you have, I will gladly address them.

Best regards,​

They are nice people and I've generally had good xp speaking with them... everyone from sales, order changes, and support. I don't have a complaint there at all granted some are a lot more honest and well informed than others. We just have to understand - whether some AW ees admit it or not - that AW is still working out the kinks and we'll hopefully get a good system in the end. This is expected for early adopters.

Having said that, I will try to keep the "bashing" to a minimum (i am guilty of venting on forums) and present facts so we can help AW sort out these issues.

 

THANKS!

 

So, basically they are saying that you guys are sort of test guinea pigs. lol
Hopefully they get the problem fixed too soon. I'm thinking it just might be a video BIOS update or driver update.

 

Ok now i see what good support is. Look, one time they explained everything and said "O key, our fault, we'll fix it" and nobody is angry. That's the way it should be.

 

Alright, I got a contact at Alienware and will be calling tomorrow morning about the underclocking. Stay tuned folks . . .

 

Cool good work Chaz. HOPEFULLY it's just a case of needing to adjust the way the fans are handled.

 

I hope they have something good to say. I'm sure you'll be able to get much more useful/concrete info from them than i have. Waiting for your post on this...

I kinda just got used to checking this forum every 10 mins or so. I just made this my homepage...

 

Since I have had my GPU replaced I have not had any problems with over heating like I was before the replacement. Even though I haven't gamed with it more than 1 hour yet; I still feel pretty confident thus far! Good luck!

 

you've been gaming for an hour. Most people's problems don't happen until after a few days of wear and tear.

 

Lol, that is good gophins. I was debating the last 2 days if I should cancle my order. I decided againts it after speaking with a very nice cancle prevention agent. I was assured my system would be as flawless as posible, I even had her take a look at these forums and she said she would take it to the managers as my concern was valid. I also got hooked up with a free backpack which is pretty useless to me, as I have an aluminium case but the thought is nice.

I have been getting calls daily to inform me of my m15x purchase and any issues that may arrise. So far, I am very happy with Alienware, as they have treated me with great respect as a customer/consumer. I'm pretty positive AW will have these issues sorted out with the bad m15x's and hopefully a quick fix will be announced for the fans to kick in. So far I have heard the fans do not throttle up, which could be one of the bigest issues we are facing and would explain why the systems do overheat. I am thankful the GPU downclocks when I take a step back and look at this in perspective. Id rather it downclock and not burn out the gpu. Though I agree, it does suck.. and these shouldent really be issues, but face it.. were using cuting edge notebook tech. AW was the first to bring the cards to 15 inch form factor.. We all know the risk in buying something new.. Kinda like Windows Vista when it first came out.

I doubt Alienware wants a bad name, I am puting my trust into my agent and Alienware. I really hope I do not face any issues with my system, maybe we got new tech in this new chasis batch. We will see, we are all under warranty so if something negative did happen, it will be replaced reguardless. I like Alienware as a company, I like their trademarks, their style and everything about them. I remember when they first introduced the black computer. Not something you would normally think is cool, but this was for some strange reason lol.

 

That's good to hear. I have this secret hope that there are many happy m15x owners out there gaming their little hearts out and they don't have time to post all the good things they love about their new system on this forum. Something is telling me this is prob not the case.

After reading many other threads, I was on the verge of calling in my cancellation... so i called to upgraded my warranty to 3 years instead. I know i should give this thing a chance and test it myself because if i don't, i will never buy an AW again. I figured it's either return the m15x within a month or keep it for the long haul and deal with CS and repairs. The sales rep told me that if i returned it in a month i get a full refund on the warranty also... hope he wasn't pulling my leg. We'll see.

 

listen to what you're saying. You spoke to a CANCELLATION PREVENTION AGENT. They're going to tell you exactly what you want to hear to PREVENT YOU FROM CANCELLING. Don't fall for anything in my opinion.

 

You would see a lot more people on these forums complaining..... to simply state the issue: Alienware has not been able to mass produce the notebook because of a lack of hardware / poor management. If they had been shipping more m15x's to people you would see a lot more people here complaining.

It's not that people are out there gaming their hearts out.... People simply do not have their notebooks because alienware has prolonged production for weeks/months.

I ordered mine feb 12th. On march 10th i was still in phase 4.

 

I was still on phase 4 but after calling AW, i was told that the phases are not accurate at all. Today, i was actually pushed back to phase2 from phase4 (prob because of the warranty upgrade) but they still claim that my system will be here by the beginning of next week "if all goes well".

 

Dude. I called them and they said I was in phase 4. The website said I was in phase 2. Me saying I was in phase 4 is what phase I was in. They do not mass produce and ship their notebooks. Hence why people who ordered early feb still do not have their notebooks mid march.

 

The point is, I was being treated well all along.. From the sales reps to the CP. I dont think AW's goal is to screw people over, from what many of you are starting to believe. This would hurt Dell as well, you think Dell would let AW make things worse? I'm in college, went through business ethics, management principles, and political science.

 

I do believe Dell would let AW make things worse. Dell getting rid of AW means more sales for dell specifically. They wouldn't be the first company who buys out a competitor to run them into the ground.

 

Off topic... business ethics in an agressive capitalist system? Yawn...

 

Dell owns Alienware. Dell gave AW more options, like facilities for production etc. I highly doubt they are trying to run AW out of business by purchasing them.

 

You have information that shows Dell gave alienware facilities? As far as I know alienware has the same facilities as before... if they had more it wouldn't take so long to produce notebooks and they wouldn't ONLY ship out of florida for Florida orders. Dell BOUGHT alienware, so yes they own Alienware. Alienware and Dell still see each other as two seperate companies. Business is business... and like I said dell wouldn't be the only people who purchase a competitor to run them into the ground. I'm not saying that this is what dell IS doing... i'm just saying the scenario shouldn't be counted out as they wouldn't be the only company in history to do such a thing. In fact, there are many companies who have done this in America and it's not something that is rare.

 

Just got a call from Alienware about my system status, they said that they were able to replicate de videocard downclock issue in their lab. So far on my system they are changing the video card & fan my cpu thermal paste my lcd and the top of my case cause it had a little scratch on it. They said they were waiting on the pieces now so hopefully they get them this week and ship my laptop back next week. So far I feel the costumer support is nice and I just hope the system work like it should when I get it back.

 

hey i want a free backpack...

 

The black backpack is very nice. I've been using it for 3 years now. It's a great backpack. That's for sure

 

another possibility is that people have their m15x, and are using it, and can't even tell that they are underclocking. When I tested with source engine, half-life 2, I was hitting 200 fps at points. When it downclocked during these play sessions, the fps dropped to 50fps minimum, and if i had not been looking i probably wouldn't have noticed.