When are the new Alienwares with Maxwell coming?

If the 18 is truly gone I'm super glad that I got mine in time

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There won't be an AW 15 this year. We would have heard about it by now. And since we haven't we know the AW 18 isn't gone either.

 

Agree 100%. Dell isn't that good at keeping secrets. I also can't imagine AW abandoning the 18" market; I would be astounded....

 

Alienware just launched a new sale on the U.S. website - "up to $700 select systems" and free coupons. It's pretty obvious they're trying to clean out the R1's and leftover GPU's for new stuff. In other words, the new stuff is coming and will be here real soon. I hope they surprise us this year. I would hate to be underwhelmed with Alienware, again...

And they better stick a better GPU in the AW 13 than the lousy 860M, or at least offer a better one as an upgrade. Pretty sure they will.

 

I'd even say the exact reverse is true - they actively try to promote a new product before availability for buzz. While I could see the emergence of an AW 15 one day, I do think we would have heard *something* rumored before this point.

 

It might be interesting to bookmark your post and come back and read it after the new stuff is released and see how accurate it turns out to be. ALL OF THE OEMs are swallowing this thin and light thing hook, line and sinker. An 18" machine that is too thin to support amazing hardware is less useful than an equally pathetic 15" only bigger and heavier, offering nothing meaningful in return apart from a nicer screen size and keyboard. I would be less disappointed, but more amazed if they don't ride the wave if that is how the masses plan to spend their money. Do I like it? Nope. Will I buy it? Nope. Does it change what the OEMs are doing? ...I think you know the answer.

I think we can all agree that it is going to be "interesting" to see what transpires in the coming weeks, regardless of where our passions reside.

A powerful GPU and a powerful CPU will be the price of admission for it to be even remotely amazing. Anything short of high end on both will make it just another belly button "gamer" Ultrabook with Alienware aesthetics.

 

I'm gonna create noise if they discontinue the AW18. Its the only SLI notebook out there that cuts it in terms of workmanship and cooling.

Clevo can keep their noise machine and Aorus can keep their volcano hot ultrabook.
I demand a thick beast with SLI. With lots of room for the heat!

 

I've just chatted with Alienware Chat, this is what I got:

Should we thrust ?

 

Since the 13 comes with the Maxwell variant of the GTX 860m and the Alpha's GPU is Maxwell based as well and both are to be released next month I would heavily doubt this chat.
The Area 51 is shipping this month and selling this holiday season, so I wouldn't ignore any chance of it having GTX 980 and GTX 970 GPUs.

 

Dell treats their Sales team like mushrooms - keeps them in the dark and feeds them sh.. poo.

I wouldn't place much value on what they say.

 

Still waiting...

Have they fired all their engineers and now the company is run by monkeys? Not even a freaking comment from the Alienware reps guys in this sub forum.

Good job showing you are not caring

Oh, and if you discontinue the SLI 18" notebook you have had for so long, you can just file bankrupt and quit selling notebooks all together. Or rename your company to "JustAnotherGenericNotebookCompany Inc".
The 17" AW offer nothing special things over MSI GT72 or Clevo 17" machines.

Luckily MSI seems to be working on a SLI notebook so I will take my business there instead then.

 

Well I don't know if this means anything or not, however I noticed they had taken down the AW 17 and 18 this morning. Though they are still there, but there are no options to configure them or what not.

 

They've limited upgrade options on all of their systems on the U.S. site, including the Aurora.

Now they don't have 780's or the Titan Z, etc. They're basically draining stockpiles of GPU's and CPU's. We are very close.

 

There are still reductions on current AW 17 models running until the end of the month here in Belgium (and I think Europe generally), so I guess the new ones will not be available for purchase until after then, but hopefully the announcement is coming soon...

 

I thought it may have meant something. Though my bad for not mentioning it was the U.S. site. I should have thought to include that ><; to differentiate from the others. I didn't even look at the other systems now that you mentioned it. I hope you are right thought about the wait. I am looking forward to Alienware including those new GPUs into their lineup.

 

Could be that the website is buggy, but yes, there are low amount of config options to choose from.

 

There are some soldered CPU benchmarks seem to have happened before the one with the GTX 980m; however, somethng did not add up with these early tests.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-4710HQ,Alienware 0FT9KT
AMD Radeon HD 8970M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-4710HQ,Alienware 01W2J2
They're both Alienware laptops with "current" CPUs and GPUs. Oddly enough, the 18 has dual GTX 880m and the 17 has the rebranded r9 m290x. It just seems weird that Alienware would offer last gen GPUs and current Gen GPUs for the next revision, so could it be that the soldered CPUs are testing CPUs (aside from the benchmark with the i7-4960HQ)?

 

One thing to keep in mind. 3DMark doesn't always accurately read the cpu model.

For example, I have a m15x with a 920XM(oem) and when I do benchmarks, it's recognized as a i7 950.

 

You are absolutely correct and everyone should not assume anything. We have already seen examples of this with Alienware 18 owners that have machines with Haswell CPUs that are misidentified by 3DMark System Information. If the stock specs are similar to 4710HQ and the software doesn't have any way to identify it the information will be inaccurate. If the specs are not similar to something else it will be identified as an "Unknown Processor" instead of the wrong one. Same thing happens with GPUs... "Generic VGA" is how they are identified by 3DMark.

If anyone wants a real beast laptop, hurry up and grab yourself an 18 now or forever hold your peace. From here on out things might get really pathetic in terms of performance, and rumor has it that all they will be selling is single GPU wimp machines. Watch for the sales and promo codes, and take an 18 with whatever CPU and GPUs you can get. You can always buy better heat sinks and upgrade the GPUs and CPU later on if you need to, just buy cheap and act before it's gone forever. What you need most is the chassis and motherboard... so, buy cheap, avoid getting left behind, and you can do the rest without any help from Alienware.

 

An update on this: They are not selling the Alienware 14's anymore on the US website, and there are only two Alienware 17 options available. The Alienware 18 is the only system on the US website with the most options available. They are definitely clearing out and making room for new stuff.

We're probably only days away now.

 

I know why Alienware 14 is nowhere to be found. Think about what have been said about AW18 the latest days....

Its pathetic!

@Mr Fox: I might just do that. My concern however is that I could be stuck with two graphic cards that nobody wants to buy and that $1800 AW18 suddenly cost me $3500 since I need to hunt down overpriced GTX 980Ms from eBay and a better CPU to make sure it doesn't bottleneck the GPUs. Then there is the issue of having two companies to deal with regarding warranty. One for the GPU and another one for the notebook. Which may crash if warranty/replacements discussions down the line happens. Who's fault is it etc.

Suddenly it became much more complicated.

 

-Deleted-

If they made it BGA then all the DIY market's gonna collapse !!

 

Hi all. As someone who got in on the bottom end of the AW18 with the base model that has the dual 765m's, I have been salivating just waiting for the 18 with 980's. I can't describe how disappointed I will be if they have decided to scrap it. In fact, I also planned to buy an area 51 but if they cancel the 18, I honestly don't think I am giving them another dollar. But I am entertaining the thought of getting one with the 880's as people has suggested. My question is where does everyone find the deals or discounts that are always mentioned? Just on the dell site or is there anywhere else? Also, is it recommended to get the 18 with the 880's even with the issues or would I be better off trying to find an older version with the 780's? The 18's seem to have alot of issues and I wonder if it just became not worth it to them due to always having to eat the repair costs and and replace parts due to their extensive warranty coverage.

 

Don't ever EVER buy GTX 880M. Its hot, its operating on the limit of what is possible inside a notebook hence you may get scenarios where it is not performing like it should and its crap compared to GTX 980M and even GTX 970M

 

If you can find a used AW18 with 780M SLI in Dell Outlet, eBay, NBR Marketplace or somewhere else, get that. It's the best configuration available. Unfortunately, the lesser GPUs have smaller heat sinks, so you will want to buy 100W heat sinks if you upgrade to 980M SLI later. Only 780M and 880M have the good GPU heat sinks. I would say buy cheap as possible because the GPU heat sinks are about $25 (USD) so that may work out to less than going with 880M and not having to buy heat sinks. CPU is easier... to the best of my knowledge there is only one 3-pipe heat sink in the AW18 regardless of CPU.

I would normally be an advocate of going with 3 or 4 year warranty, but not now. Consider it a DIY project, no extra warranty, just acquire the cheapest 18 you can find for the core build as a foundation and forget about warranty or support. No point in wasting money on a warranty for a product no longer supported. What will they give for a system exchange on an Alienware 18? Two Alienware 17 systems? Full refund of original purchase price? You'll get left high and dry or massively downgraded to an inferior product on an extended warranty if they don't have service parts. Same problem with the Clevo P570WM being discontinued.

 

All of the links and stuff are still there, they just don't have any configuration options available. This means there are no more 750M's and 765M's being produced.

The Alienware 14 is still here. Don't turn this into the "Great Alienware Panic of 2014", lol.

 

I wouldn't count on Dell Outlet for the time being. It seems to be buggy.
I did check the page (link may not work), and they only a have an 18 with dual GTX 770m.

 

No chance I'm buying a used AW18. Nah-a.
And if warranty for GPUs are out of the question for AW18, then the cornerstone of Alienware, the warranty, is missing, then its just like the rest of the OEMs, except worse...

Secondly, if they phase out AW18, what happens 2-3 years down the line if the PLS display dies and its no longer under production? Install mediocre TN displays and hope the customer won't notice?

Too complicated. Its just like you say Mr Fox, risky DYI. :/

 

It's labelled, "Dell Outlet New."
Doesn't sound used to me. But yeah, used computers are usually a no-no.

 

If they discontinue the 18, the only way it can be viewed is being the foundation for a DIY "kit" laptop, not one with full OEM product support. Alternative options are going to be extremely limited if this monster is put out to pasture. I will keep the systems I have for their historical value and move back to building my own desktops. Not because I want to, because I absolutely do not. It will happen only because I refuse to compromise on the laptop side of things. Homey don't play dat.

Unless there is something wrong with it, a used computer is a helluvalot better than pathetic one.

Using today's public web prices and assuming zero effort to find a good deal on 4930MX/4940MX and 980M SLI you will end up much better financially through buying cheap and upgrading. If you buy the highest spec available right now, you'll be stuck with 880M SLI or end up having about $6,000 tied up in the machine after upgrading to 980M SLI. You would save somewhere about $2,000 (USD) simply buying the low spec Alienware 18 and buying your own Extreme CPU and 980M SLI and 880M heat sinks versus getting 880M SLI and spending a crap-ton extra for upgrading to 980M SLI.

 

My plan is to keep calm, and wait for the announcements. I've dreamed of owning a 17 inch Alienware since I first noticed them when the 580m came out. Plus, with all the news everyone's posted in this thread, I'm more than happy to agree that their stock of old units are running out and an announcement will be made soon (hopefully before the end of October).

 

Well, Maxwell without this kind of CPU power will be like a day without sunshine...

Try this with a thin and light Ultrabooty crapbook:

 

So much for the refresh coming soon

Both Alienware 17 and 18 got all the previous options with the sucky GPUs.
"Shipping in November 15th"
Alienware 18 Custom Gaming Laptop | Dell
Alienware 17 – One of the Best Gaming Laptops | Dell

Good job Alienware. That's 1.5 month after your competitors started offering Maxwell GPUs and you are still shipping 2.5 year old GPUs.

Man this is so infuriating.

 

They just put it back to how it was yesterday. I think maybe there was a mistake and they weren't supposed to change it yet.

This morning it was different. Now it's back to how it was.

 

Who the hell wants to pay almost 4 grand for an AW18 with 880M SLI now?
You can get a Clevo with 980M SLI for $1000 less that destroy that Alienware.

They haven't even reduced the price on the units, they just play around with words "$400 rebate based on market value".

Yeah market value that you decide that isn't nearly accurate to reality. Monkeys!

 

They should just toss them aside for system replacements. Or at least drop the price a lot.

I don't know what they're waiting for.

 

Yeah, but if the CPU runs hot and throttles, that largely negates the benefit of having great components. It's a catch 22 situation. With a CPU that can't be pushed very hard it's not going to be able destroy anything equipped with the same core components. I am not aware of a Clevo laptop you can buy that will handle a cool and throttle-free 4.7GHz overclock like the screen shot I posted above.

 

The price comparison was between AW18 with 4910MQ and Clevo P377SM. Both of these machines should have no problems cooling that CPU. Hence the P377SM will destroy the AW18. Likewise with 980M SLI overclocked. The CPU shouldn't be a bottleneck there.

CPU overclocing wise perhaps the AW18 will do better on CPU benchmarks like you say, but that about it I think since 980M output so little heat compared to 880M anyway which shouldnt interfere with the Clevo's gaming performance, even over clocked.

AW18 with 980M SLI would be a better choice than a Clevo with 980M SLI for sure, you absolutely have a point there. But here we are, and may not see one :/

 

I totally get your point here and very much agree in principle. I don't care about the other comments regarding the machines with wimpy components because I would not entertain the notion of buying one of them, but this part (what I quoted in bold text) will really suck if it comes true because of the 18 being discontinued. If there are plans to discontinue it, maybe with enough of an angry outcry and public condemnation the Godfathers in control of everything at Alienware HQ will have a change of heart once they figure out it is going to hurt their reputation and wallet to not offer a big monster with an unlocked Extreme CPU and dual GPUs. People that want that kind of machine are probably never going to just say " Oh, well... I guess I will settle for less now." Many will either spend no money, or spend it elsewhere on something they want instead of compromising.

 

Well said Mr. Fox this IS why people buy Alienware to have the extreme CPU's, the dual GPU's a system that is powerful and up-gradable, I really hope they don't go with the thin, light and no power laptops.

 

I hope they continue too but someone will always fill a void if it's left in the market.

 

Here's a bad thought.. New 17 with SLI and a soldered CPU like we saw in the benchmark recently.

 

Is anyone actually shipping computers with the new GPUs or is it still only sales talk and a few samples?

My point is that maybe Dell are being conservative and won't promise something they don't think they can deliver yet whereas other makers don't have that reservation and are quite happy to make promises knowing that they aren't going to be kept. That does not excuse Dell from not making some announcement of the direction they are going to take with the new chips though. The total silence makes it look like the head of Public Relation (I wrote the initials but the spell checker changed it to PR) has taken a little holiday and no one else is brave enough to announce anything

 

While the AW refresh happens only whenever there is a new Intel Processor was out, if they are making a refresh this would be the first. I strongly believe the AW will continue their rep as it was with just a new GPU refresh without that BGA crap. Think Positive

 

MSi, Asus, Clevo & others are already selling laptops with the new GPUs - plenty of people have already gotten theirs

 

That sucks Come on Dell get your backside into gear!!!!

 

BGA certainly does seem to be shaping up to be the new PGA sadly.

First Broadwell, now there's rumors that Skylake won't even have socketed M chips. :/

All I can say is I'm glad I built that desktop.

 

And meanwhile, phones are trying to be more modular.
I don't understand this trend.

 

Exactly.. people want phones they need bags to carry and complain about laptops being heavy.

 

While laptops are getting smaller, phones seem to be getting bigger and Samsung just recently came out with a 7 inch smartphone.

Maybe their brains got microwaved from spending all that time with their phones...

For the record I still have a flip phone ROFL. I like it because it's compact, and it's a godamn phone and doesn't pretend to be anything more. If I need a GPS I have my trusty Garmin, if I need music I have a decent MP3. I don't feel the compulsion to check my FB every 10 minutes or whatever. To me a phone should just be a phone, but I guess that's why "you're like so 90s man" lol.