When are the new Alienwares with Maxwell coming?

Well from what I'm hearing and seeing I have about ... 0 reasons to get rid of my R2 for any of this new disposable rubbish. It seems like it's still going to spank the new boys so hopefully it can take a couple of 980m's.

 

Looks like I might also be keeping my M18x for a long time. Maybe I'll finally upgrade it when pascal is out or get dual 980Ms when they're cheaper.

 

It's a pile of junk in my opinion. It has less than an unlocked Extreme CPU and it's BGA. It makes no difference whatsoever what GPU it has in it, something like this product is not worth a single red cent to a die-hard performance enthusiast. If I received this machine as a free gift I would sell it on eBay without even opening the box to look at it because I view it as being worthless. I don't have a problem if some people are willing to accept something like this simply for playing PC games, but it's far from what I would consider amazing.

Having 980M SLI mounting in MXM slots accounts for only 50% of awesome. An Extreme CPU mounted in a standard socket is the other 50%. Attach any CPU or GPU permanently to the mobo and it goes from zero to utterly worthless instantly. Even if you don't feel compelled to buy an Extreme CPU, having a CPU heat sink that can adequately cool an overclocked Extreme CPU is important for everyone, even if they choose to go with a mainstream MQ CPU to reduce cost.

 

I guess you're right, Cloudfire, they may very well no longer offer 120 Hz screens after the update... I'm absolutely gutted. I really wanted a 980M with a 120Hz screen Eurocom may be my last hope, but I'm not too sure I want to invest 2000-2500€ in a laptop that may not have the greatest build quality. Ugh, I'm really disappointed.

*snip* - LINK -

edit after the chat log was deleted: I was told by an Alienware customer advisor that there were only a few 120 Hz screens remaining and that they would probably not be included with the new lineup update. He did say the update would probably arrive this week or the next, for what that's worth, but I'm not sure he was talking about a 980M update.

 

With HQ processors, I find it totally impossible to take any of their products offerings seriously. I think I would just buy nothing or get something super cheap instead of wasting a larger sum of money on a disposable "gaming Ultrabook" that more or less can only be used with the core components that it shipped with from the factory.

 

Me too! I thought this was going to happen when they stopped advertising the 120hz display. You have to know about it to find it and then it's only on one of the configs (UK).

Depressed.

I'm also wondering if the 980m is giving them some grief with compatibility? I know AW like to release new GPU's with a full refresh but they have added in newer GPU's 'mid-stream' in the past.

In the absence of any official statements I have to think they are prepared to let the 17 and 18 wither on the vine - then drop them due to lack of sales .

More depressed.

Think I'm gonna have to buy myself that 55" curved 4K Samsung for this Christmas this year

 

Looks like the end of the line for laptops. Hopefully, the gloomy outlook is only temporary and there's a good surprise for us in 17 and 18 that we can't see yet. I'm sick of unpleasant surprises. If not, the only acceptable option left will be a desktop... which will be extremely disappointing. Ah well, at least we can say it was fun while it lasted.

I guess the silver lining is that the price of the maxed out Area-51 is very close to being the same as a self-built system with the same core components. This is great news for those that want something truly unique-looking, those that are intimidated by building their own or simply prefer the convenience of Alienware being on the hook for making everything turn out right during the warranty period.

Spoiler

 

Yeah, I kinda figured it might not work unless someone made a Vbios or Dell decides to sell their units with 980M.

 

i plan to buy a alienware 17(r5) with gtx860M. does it cpu and gpu upgradeable ?
i read somewhere maxwell GPU soldered in mainboard and cant be replace
if not , maybe i ll wait for next gen of aw with broadwell and gtx960M

 

My understanding was the 17 is their best seller.... I doubt it's going away anytime soon.

 

Going away is one thing... getting dumbed-down with a soldered CPU would be another. If it ends up following the trend we are seeing with other brands it will just be an Alienware "Beavis" version of run-of-the-mill "Butthead" gaming Ultracrap notebooks.

 

Both are easily upgradeable. But wait maybe two more weeks or so for any possible 9xxm announcements. The 970m sounds like a good deal and 980m it's going to be a beast. I'm hoping for a nice upgrade price for the 970m.

 

Yeah, it has been fun. I just wish I had got in earlier to the phenomenon of 'gaming laptop'.

I keep visualising a bunch of marketing guys congratulating themselves after the release.

"We sure grabbed that wealthy student market, and that gizmo you can plug in will pacify the enthusiasts".

Either they are going to make the docking station fit all their laptops OR they only go for one laptop IMO.

As a hard-core desktop builder in the past I always looked down on AW as a rich boys toy or lazy option to be able to game well. The R3 I got first was kinda forced on me due to circumstances but I very quickly fell in love with it - even though it put me through some bad technical problems.

Feel like I'm writing an obituary, The Death of a Brand, hopefully (and I still hope) they pull back and make a commitment to high end laptops.

Side note: That business about the pre-release dell page stating the machine comes with the AW warranty of RTB. Typo?? No, simply one of the options they are considering, and using the AW reputation to make it sound good .

 

Well seems like the lapocalypse is going to arrive a lot sooner than we expected.

 

Yes, well it seems like the Alienware laptop design team has lost touch with reality if rumors of plans to eliminate the 18 XM/SLI monster and make the 17 into a BGA-powered Ultrabook are accurate. I hope they are not.

You don't call an auto mechanic to fix your plumbing. You don't call in Mexican Mariachis for a Bar Mitzvah. It wouldn't make any sense to ask an Imam to conduct Sunday Mass or preach at the Baptist Church.

Putting consumer-oriented project leads in charge of enthusiast products that have a strong cultural following like ours makes about that much sense. Quick way to kill a brand, for sure.

Maybe it's a social engineering experiment to see how many are emotionally tied to the culture more than having a genuine passion for performance and quality.

 

The whole move with the AW 13 (without a quad option) is just surreal. What I can't get is that it won't take long for word to get around that the eGPU business doesn't really work out without a decent CPU to back it up. I can see now that they are probably tweaking their other lines and possibly introducing a revised 14 or new 15 to utilize the eGPU setup, but they need to throw some rope out there to give people something. I was optimistic at first, but now... a decent deal on an AW 14 is starting to look good.

 

Speaking of eGPUs and docks, wasn't there some company (I think ASUS or MSI, I forgot) that announced a 13" laptop that comes with a dock?
EDIT: Never mind. I found it; I was thinking of the MSI GS30. Wonder if more ultrabooks will have docks.

 

Sorry, but, what does BGA stand for?

 

A ball grid array (BGA) is a type of surface-mount packaging (a chip carrier) used for integrated circuits. BGA packages are used to permanently mount devices such as microprocessors. A BGA can provide more interconnection pins than can be put on a dual in-line or flat package.
In comparison a pin grid array, often abbreviated PGA, is a type of integrated circuit packaging. In a PGA, the package is square or rectangular, and the pins are arranged in a regular array on the underside of the package. The pins are commonly spaced 2.54 mm (0.1") apart, and may or may not cover the entire underside of the package.
Source: Wikipedia.

 

I absolutely hate that despite they having 2-3 employees that is hired to help Alienware customers, answer questions etc on this very board, and all this concern about their current and future products from people who have been following them like true fans, they do not even to come in this thread to put out some flames or even say "We are hearing your concerns and are listening".

No they are acting like spoiled brats that feel entitled and act like people will buy their systems regardless what changes that may come. Dont even try to silence the debate of using a neutured 13" notebook instead of sticking with a bigger 14" that can actually feature a proper GPU and CPU. Or the debate of discontinuing a dear old 18" notebook that have been part of Alienware for almost 4 years.

There is no doubt that they have read all of this, they just ignore us. Almost like they know the rumors are right and its nothing they can say to make things better because the design/engineering team have messed up with the new lineup.

 

Well I hope they are reading this because I want them to know that if they really are discontinuing the 18, I am completely done with them. They won't get another dime from me. I was planning on buying a new 18 and an Area 51 within the next 6 months or so. Not now and not ever if the 18 is gone. A buddy of mine was also looking at getting an 18 after the holiday's. That's about 9k from me and 3-4 k from my buddy they will no longer see.

Dell sucks, they always have. The Alienware line was the only redeeming quality they have had for years now and that is despite their best attempts to ruin it. Well, they may have finally succeeded. Congrats Dell, your suckiness is shining bright and clear now. What pisses me off to no end is these companies buy out another company that they have no ability or intention of supporting and maintaining. Pathetic.

 

Incidentally this is the exact thing that hurt both Toyota and Nissan out of the 90's into the early 2000s, particularly Nissan. I was more into cars before, and at that time they realized they had strayed making ho-hum consumer vehicles. They then banked the company basically on the revised 350z, and turned it around to a great degree. Just looking at charts of responses doesn't necessarily equate to good product design, you have to make something that excites the buyer.... and with some eye towards value. Value-wise, the AW 13 just makes no sense as priced. Knock off $300 and we might have a potential winner.

 

I've read through the thread and passed on all of your concerns to the Product Group, however I can't promise that all of them will be done by them. We have received lots of feedback here from the new machine and I'll escalate it to them for them to be aware of the thread as well. About upcoming releases, unfortunately as a Technical Support Representative there is a limitation on the information that we can share as long as our marketing team doesn't do any official announcements. Once that is done we'll be able to get the feedback from you and escalate it as well if there is any. All of your concerns are very important for me as I've worked with the company and on this forum for a long time and I understand the needs of a gaming machine because I'm also a gamer. I'm pretty sure that once that the best place to be heard about all this is in our site Ideastorm.com, they are connected directly with PG and can escalate things easily. We've been slowly revealing everything we've created and I'm sure that if we are missing any announcements, they'll happen soon.

 

Add 3k from me as well. If Alienware 18 is gone, I only have 17" notebooks as options left, but Alienware can forget about me even considering the AW17 from a company that just out of the blue cuts the cord out from the AW18, the only SLI notebook that isnt a hot and noisy machine

 

The Alienware 18 is indeed a lovely machine, a quiet (compared to others) but powerful beast. It would be a shame if that happened TBH.

 

A shame and a terrible, terrible tragedy. It will leave many without a machine of interest available for purchase, and discourage those who are not financially able yet hope to someday have one.

 

The mx18 is discontinued or is going to be?

 

You dont know the fate of that machine?

Rumor has it once they have depleted the current AW18 (not M18x thats the old design) from storage, they will no longer manufacture it.

God knows why because I know a ton who only wants 18" as well as Ive seen a lot of interest about it on their facebook page, so it must have sold well

 

That's information that we do not handle, only the people in charge of that may know what will happen. Anything that hasn't been said by them on any of our main channels is mere speculation of what may happen and cannot be confirmed until something actually happens.

I've seen those rumors on the boards, but there isn't much I can say if we haven't got any official news from marketing.

@Mr. Fox, I understand your point completely. The 18" Alienware line has always been loved and pretended by many.

 

Who doesn't want the laptop equivalent of something exciting like AC Cobra 427 side-oiler, Classic Z-28, Saleen Mustang, Hemi Cuda or Lamborghini Aventador? The gaming Ultraturds are just churn and burn go-carts.

Yes, very much so. Thank you for responding to the concerns here. I know you are sharing what you can and I appreciate it a great deal.

 

I want to upgrade my GPU to 980M SLI on my Alienware 18. Let's make it happen, Dell.

 

They're keeping the Alienware 14 on the U.S. website, so I think there's still hope for a refresh in the future.



Unless they forgot...

 

Alienware Gaming Laptops

The Alienware 14 is no longer listed on the website and its replaced by the pathetic 13, Dell should have just upgraded the internals to 970m and let the Alienware fans decide which product is more worthy of the Alien logo!!

 

This is rather inconvenient as I was hoping to buy an 18 sooner rather than later (unless they discontinue it).

I sincerely hope something is in the pipeline to get the 900m series into the Alienwares, the sooner the better. However after that disappointing launch party where not a single word or facial expression was given to let us know there will eventually be something, I don't plan on holding my breath.

 

Not sure about that, if the 14 were getting refreshed I can't see why they would pull it as an offering off the site unless the page is still in the process of being reworked to show all the models including the 14. Heck, even the deals page no longer has the 14 and tries to direct you to the AW 13.

 

It could be that they're just trying to force people to purchase the AW 13. There's a huge gap between 13" and 17", lol.

 

I feel insulted honestly. What kind of R&D is happening where you don't realize eGPU is going to be severely bottlenecked by a slow processor.

Does Alienware not cater to the enthusiast market? Well I want the product I expect from such a company. Otherwise they should reevaluate their brand.

 

These "alienware-experts" are pathetic. I asked a question regarding the alienware 13 and the e-GPU.:
Q: There are many CPU intensive games out there. I have a 2.0 GHZ i7 Quad core (2.8 with turbo boost) cpu that even is a bottle neck with the GT 555M for a game such as Tera. How can I expect the alienware 13 will truly benefit from a Desktop e-GPU such as the GTX 980 with a pathetic cpu such as the ULV dual core i5-4210U?
A: Then why don't you take the aliewnare 13 with an quad core i7 configuration?
(can you believe this answer???)

Anyway I rephrased the question more simpler, but he instead connected me with the manager. And he gave me the usual bs. "sorry for the inconvenience", "I will take note on that, have a nice day"...

Pathatic. They should at lease place some people that have a background with some pc/laptop knowledge.

 

We do care and have escalated this concern already to the people in charge. The Alienware 13 was just put on the website and may have some more things coming soon. If I get any updates from this side, I'll let you know.

Thanks for the feedback! We appreciate it. Was that through our phone line or where?

 

Oh nice, there is at least a more knowledge company member here who does take note. Appreciate that, though I hope they actually do take our notes serious.

Also you are aware of the fact that the Gap between the aliewnare 13 and 17 is a little too big now. If you ask me a system in between is required. An aliewnare 14 or 15.
It's disappointing to see alienware running so late with the 900M GPU's as one of the biggest gaming pc brands.

All I want is an alienware 14 or 15 with a 970M or 980m (preferably with an IPS panel). Nothing more. Waiting for 1 year now, but still nothing.

EDIT:

That was through chat support. They couldn't give me an answer regarding the CPU being a bottleneck. He didn't understand. I got answers such as, don't worry, the Graphics amplifier just functions fine.

 

I'm completely aware, I saw that J.Dre pointed it out before as well. We've seen that the Alienware 14 isn't available and that could easily be caused by a stock issue. It could also be because of the AW 13. Unfortunately, I don't have any info about any machines being released to reduce that gap yet. I'll make sure we let everybody know once we have that.

Thanks again for the feedback.

 

The 900 series was officially released this past month. It may become available for our models soon. I understand that sitting down to wait is not the coolest thing to do, but at the end it's always worth it.

Thanks for the info, I'll check our records and make sure we correct any errors and gaps in information among our support channels. In the meantime you can use our Social Media support (here, FB, Twitter, DCF) or the main Phone Support.

 

I would be extremely happy if we heard something about a 14 or 15 with said GPUs. I have also been sitting on my cash for a while now just waiting to get one.
I just hope we hear something about it in the next couple of weeks so this anger can be turned into excitement

 

There seems to be a general feeling of people being upset, and mainly the enthusiasts. This feeling should come as no surprise when we are surrounded by mass consumption, mass production, and extremely fast product lifecycles. The Alienware 13 and eGPU was poorly timed and only further alienated the enthusiast segment. We're worried more than anything else that we won't be listened to.

I hope that every issue and concern is forwarded and hopefully seen and addressed.

I have conquering to do and do not want to compromise with anything other than the flagship models of hardware and design.

 

Why? Because too many people stare at frame rates in reviews alone and don't delineate between games that are CPU-bound and those that are GPU-bound, as if simply rendering fps is all that matters. Its the same problem with the obvious issues of overly-thin laptops and heat issues being ignored or glossed over for ad-revenue.

 

Yes - I have been saying that in a lot of posts myself :hi2:

This is why my money is on a 15 for the record in the long haul.

 

Perfect.

First, what was the most powerful laptop system, P570WM/3, being discontinued and now possibly the AW18.

It just keeps on getting better and better.

 

I honestly got a bad feeling when I read this reply.
In my logical head, if one is certain AW18 will carry on, one wouldnt break any important NDA or secret in the company, if you said something like "of course it will continue".
But this reply and the last one " it would be a shame if dissappeared" along with "only those in charge knows" makes me believe that you know that the AW18 life is in limbo and up to the high ups at Dell to decide whether you should keep it alive or not. That this is even a question right now is because I think due to the massive cry from this thread about AW18 as well as the posts on your Facebook page means you may decide to keep the AW18 alive for a little longer.
Which means that you haven't really done any internal or cosmetic change on it, like you have done on the upcoming AW17 (thinner, better cooling etc).

Maybe Im reading too much into this but thanks for finally replying to our questions we had for so long

 

I also think a lot of us are hoping for some hints regarding when you will finally reveal the new systems. We are getting sick of waiting. I can't take any calls on which notebook I will buy until I've seen or not seen the AW18. Money is ready right now for purchase.

Are we talking?
Days?
Weeks?
Months?

 

Yep feeling very satisfied with my purchase right about now

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