What size Alienware are you getting?

1) 14"
2) 17"
3) 18"
4) None

Wth happened to my poll :S

 

I'll probably spring for another 18", depending on what kind of reviews the PLS screen gets, what the single GPU options are, and whether or not the USB 3.0 controller issue gets fixed.

Might wait until Broadwell CPUs and Maxwell GPUs are in there if I have to.

Then again, the new 18 looks like it has a HUGE amount of space around the trackpad and in front of the keyboard, might be horrible ergonomics.

Might just get an X51 instead, keep my M18x, and wait for the next redesign.

 

They could have let the 15" in the catalog.. I'm not getting any of the other sizes..

 

To add a poll to a thread, you must check the box next to Post a Poll, when creating a thread, and choose the number of options.
Anyway, i added a poll to this thread based on the options in OP.

 

Alienware 14 Review | Gaming Laptop Reviews

I was going to get the m14 but according to this review, the screen is really dim with bad viewing angles, it's very hot and loud and its the weight and thickness are also high.

Razer Blade here I come.

 

I'm probably going to do the exact same thing. Got a 3940 and 680's, the jump from a 680 to a 780 isn't really justifiable at the moment. Hopefully in the next generation there's a bigger jump.

I was considering getting a new M14 as I need another unit for portability, but until I see reviews of if the throttling issues are fixed, I'm not sure i will be.

 

looking at the 14 in right now, also considering the Clevo 230ST and the P157SM...

 

USB Controller got fixed a while back. The early testing silicon of haswell had the problem, but they fixed it for the later production models so there shouldn't be any issues.

Heh I highly doubt that will happen as it would totally screw up their current lineup.

That site has typically had really horrible and inaccurate reviews. I personally would wait to see some other reviews before making a determining factor. Plus it might have been the crappy stock panel and not the 1080p IPS panel that is coming out as well.

 

Hm, I looked at the specs online which were just published and couldn't find anything regarding IPS. So they're coming later, not now?

 

According to the Engadget article, all the displays are IPS, so I'm not sure who to believe right now. The specs I think are all messed up and we will have to wait a few days for everything to smooth out.

Edit: Source: Dell unveils redesigned Alienware 14, 17 and 18 gaming notebooks, available now from $1,199 (hands-on)

 

I'll keep my M17x R3 and planning to buy x51 (or I'll change my mind and purchase Clevo). With the new models they totally screwed the prices. 4800MQ/780GTX costs around £2300 and comes with 64GB SSD/750GB HDD... Crap...

 

Going to upgrade my m17x r3 with 2920xm and wait for the next razer refresh. I had hoped the M14x would have had more powerful configs to justify it's weight and thickness. Common Alienware ! give us twin heatsinks in the M14x and take away the DVD drive.

 

I was very surprised to hear how bad the cooling was compared to the Razer.. Doesn't make sense

 

Just ordered a 17 with a nice discount. Will be glad to have a Windows laptop again just for gaming. Tired of dragging my eATX tower around.

 

Now i'm kinda torn between a base model M18 and an M17 with the 1080p display with the 780m. Choices choices.

 

what discount and how?

 

Just haggling. Called up Dell and got connected right to a US guy, which is a first for me. Only took about 15 minutes, and I wound up with ~12% plus the 5% gift card. Much more pleasant to deal with than the far east customer service.

 

Alright guys so ive been loooking into getting an alienware laptop for a while now but i just CANT decide which one to get! Ive got the money for any one of them but i dont know what will fit the purpose better. i play alot of borderlands, COD, and minecraft...but ,as everybody else does, i occasionally use the internet. Mobility shouldnt be a problem as i will only have to move it a maximum of twice a day and weight isnt to much of a factor either. Im looking for good resolution and a good processor. im a bit lazy...so the "easy keys" on the m18x make me lean towards it...but i hear battery life is TERRIBLE on the 18...I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO. HELP!!!!!

 

Hello all,

Just looking for some input....I need to help a friend decide between the 17" with a single 780m or a 18" with 770m sli any input would be appreciated. Also wondering if there would be a big difference between the 4700 and 4800 cpu's

Thanks

 

I'd likely go with the 18" because it has the better screen. No there is not much of a difference with the CPUs only 300 Mhz.

Edit: When i say better screen i mean the 17 has a TN panel and the 18 has a PLS panel. Google them if you do not understand.

 

I don't know where you heard that, but it is completely false. The M18x gets around 5 hours running on integrated graphics. (A bit more or a bit less depending on the AlienFX settings and how much stuff you have turned on, screen brightness, etc.) I have had as much as 5:15 from my M18x R2 while traveling. If you want the most powerful option available in a laptop and have the money, go with the 18. It is significantly more powerful with SLI. But, you can rest easy on misinformation about poor battery life.

 

If I was gonna go with one of the new laptops you almost have to go 18". Or else prob just get a less expensive laptop. The 18" is the flagship.

actually I just spent time configuring the laptops...I have to say the 17" updgraed nicely for around 2k seems like the best deal. 1080p display, and a few others.

Anyone going windows 8? or sticking with 7?

Is the 770 GTX worth the 250 upgrade price?

 

Well, I'm gonna dual boot 'em but I'm pretty sure Windows 7 is going to be my primary OS.

 

17 all the way

Best regards,
Ciprian B.

 

The somewhat smaller single-GPU M17x R3/R4 has always been a nice machine, but it's not even close in terms of performance... the M18xR1/R2 is a solid 70-80% (sometimes a bit more or less) higher performance in GPU intensive games and benchmarks when equipped with the same GPU in SLI. We can expect to see the same thing play out here.

Windows 8 can be pretty much gutted to be a Windows 7 v2.0 and it really doesn't add anything of value as an "upgrade" on these machines. I like Windows 8 a tad more because of a few extra features it has and I am no longer using Windows 7 on anything except for the M17x R2. But, seriously, there is no compelling reason to move to Windows 8. I did only because it was dirt cheap to buy on a Microsoft promo and I was curious. Had I been through the experience of tweaking Windows 8 into a good OS (by my own definition) before spending the cash, I probably would have saved the money for something more meaningful. If it is "free" (same price as Windows 7) then I would suggestion getting it and then tweaking it accordingly.

 

I ordered an AW 18 yesterday, base model with 16 GB and 765M SLI, but am now thinking of canceling and upgrading to the 770 SLI, The 780m's are to far out of my budget. You guys think I should try and get the 770m's?

 

m18x with 770m sli

will be my first dual card set up ever !

 

That was our old trusty R2 with the 12 cell. The new 18 has a smaller battery (8 cell) than the old m17x r4. So I suspect it's battery life will suck. I read only 2.5 hours

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

In implementation, comparing to the R1/R2, yes... absolutely correct and I doubt is will go more than 2.5 to 3 hours with a dinky 8 cell. I failed to recognize that. Thank you for catching my mistake, because that is relevant. This is a function of the battery capacity. The M18x R1/R2 was frequently accused of having poor battery life by ignoramus trolls that don't know what they are talking about and I was possibly a bit overzealous in my response because of it being a foolish rumor. However, it still gets very good battery life considering the battery is much smaller capacity. If you have a car that gets 100 MPG and only has a 2 gallon tank, it still gets awesome mileage, albeit with a reduced driving range... same concept here. It's too bad they put such a small battery in it. But, in the grand scheme of things it probably doesn't matter too much. It should still be good enough as a UPS for gaming and overclocked benching.

 

18, just dont like antiglare screen in 17

 

The AW18 has an 8 cell battery? That's ... pathetic.

 

Really...how often do people use the battery? You can't game off it or you take a massive performance hit and it's a little impractical to use for school or business. So who exactly is running this thing off the battery and for what? This system is clearly designed as a desktop replacement more so than a laptop.

 

You don't buy a m18 for its battery life anyway. I think mine has been on battery twice in 1 year. If you're after battery life you're probably looking the wrong place

 

Its like with cars, if you want a high mpg car don't go and buy a sport car big V10/V8 engine because you won't have high mpg. If you want a high battery system you shouldn't be buying a gaming computer.

 

While I agree completely with the priority being performance without compromise, it is unfortunate that the new 18 cannot match the 5+ hours of battery run time that the M18x R2 is capable of delivering. They cut a corner here and it would have been nice if they had not done that. I think I have used my M18x maybe 10 or 15 hours on battery in the past year, so it would not be a deal breaker with respect to purchasing a new 18. I would still buy it regardless... but, it's still a feature downgrade no matter how you look at it. Even with the wimpy battery, it probably still gets as good or better battery life running on IGFX than the 17 does with a 3D display and roughly half the gaming/benching performance.

 

Alienware costs much more than its competitors and, with the limited configurations it has in place, its products have to be superior in almost ever way to justify the hassle of buying them. That is why people are frustrated when Alienware cuts any corners.

The m18x owners must be particularly frustrated now, especially if the 18 has downgraded build quality.

Dell still has the clear warranty advantage at least.

 

Is it possible to get single 780 and upgrade to sli later? That would be a better route.

 

I'm quite aware of that. I've owned an M18x R2. I'm not "buying an 18 inch laptop for the battery life." But it's still pathetic to see a flagship system with an ordinary 8 cell battery, smaller than what some 15" laptops would have. (Of course this is just my opinion and we're all entitled to one of those.) I still love the laptop, but hate the battery. As Mr. Fox has said a dozen times: Some of us don't always have access to an outlet. Integrated graphics is nice to use for anything work related, and of course a decent battery would be preferable in this case.

They should at least have an option to choose a larger battery. That would be nice.

 

Where do you work that you don't have an outlet? An Alaskan wildlife preserve? If you're working without an outlet then 14 would probably be the better choice, no? And if you're buying an Alienware for work and not gaming then perhaps you should be buying something else? Sorry, I don't mean to sound like a jerk but I can't see any practical work use for an 18 over a 14 or something else. You can always buy a spare battery too...

 

I do agree that Alienware are going backwards in the battery department. Although its not going to affect most people, no one likes corners being cut. I wish the new Alienware 18 had a the same caddy (3hdd) + msata arrangement as the r2 though.
Regardless it's good to see the 18 live on.

 

Well, the places I most often use the M18x and don't have access to a power outlet are sitting in an airport or on a plane. In practice, I seldom use my M18x R2 at times when I don't have access to a power outlet and battery life is not one of the reasons I love the machine. When I do run on battery, 2 hours would be adequate in most cases. Nonetheless, that downgrade is unmistakable. Having the 5 hour option when I want to use it once in awhile is definitely appreciated. Personally, I can't think of any reason that I would be interested in buying a 14 or 17. I could not personally justify the cost of purchasing two new machines, and the less powerful machine would collect more dust than fingerprints. The behemoth will do everything the smaller systems will do, do it better and faster, with a larger screen and more fanfare. It is a lot of fun taking my M18x monster out in public, and the new 18 would be no less exciting to show off. Sitting in a place like McDonald's, BK or Starbucks produces a wide variety of reactions, all of which are priceless regardless of whether the reaction is negative or positive. I think it kind of sucks that the new 18 won't get the same battery run time. I agree with TBoneSan about cutting corners being a disappointment. Let's see... less battery life, no eSATAp, no ExpressCard slot, one less HDD bay, no VGA port... I wish they would have found a way to keep all of those things because it made for a far more versatile system having them. To be clear, I would absolutely love to own a new 18 with 4930MX and 780M SLI, and I would not pass it by on the basis of these missing features. I love powerful machines, and the new 18 maxed out should deliver truly remarkable performance. But, I still recognize where corners were cut and these features, all of which I use infrequently, are missing.

 

I'd really like to he the Mx14, I prefer smaller notebooks, but it doesn't have the specs I want. So if I go with an Alienware notebook, I'm going to be getting the Mx17. But I still haven't made up my mind whether I want the 17 or the x51 desktop. Either will work for me.

 

M18 for SLI goodness. Just need to decided on the R2 I have on order or canceling for the R3. Leaning R3 for the CPU/GPU. Its just too bad the R3 could not have been the definative choice between the two.

 

I'm getting a 14. I have a powerful desktop I do all my gaming on, and I love my m11x as a portable laptop for doing basic things with, and still having the power to play most games when I want to and I'm not with my desktop. Sadly the processor just can't keep up anymore and I struggle to play a lot of newer games on low-med settings, at least at the performance I would like to. The 14 will be a huge upgrade to this, while being slightly less portable, it will still be a lot easier to get around than a bigger one, still give me a good display at 1080p and be able to handle all my games at what I'm looking for, and be able to last me quite a number of years even if it means lowering settings down the road, I am fine with that. It is also significantly cheaper than any 17 inch model I would be interested in and unfortunately I don't have the money to spend on one or I would consider it.

Personally I would probably buy another 11 inch if I could with a 4th gen intel and upgraded graphics, though the screen can be annoying at times when gaming so I think the 14 will be a perfect fit for me.

 

I will be getting a 18, and this will be my first laptop (a good first laptop I think). I haven't had the need for one until I just got my new job. I build my own desktops so I am used to having lots of power and the 18 is the only way I want to go. Will be getting one with a i7-4900 and dual 780Ms.