Why all the hate and no excitement?(M15x)

I was excited about the m15x, but its lack of features has me wanting.

Right now I use an aging Dell XPS Gen2 17" laptop. It was an impressive design when it came out, and if I could just upgrade the GPU/CPU we'd be all set. I find its size is a bit much, especially when traveling and was hoping for a decent 15" replacement.

So onto my thoughts on the m15x -

Positives:

- Potentially stronger hinges and solid frame.

- Robust cooling solution that offers easy access.

- LED backlit screen which may offer lower power consumption, lower heat output, faster response time and/or better color reproduction than my existing 17" CRT screen.

- Core i7 is a sweet processor and I laud its design capabilities.


Negatives:

- m15x is LARGER than my Dell XPS Gen2 17" laptop.

15.5"x 11.33" x 1.65" - XPS Gen2

14.88" x 12.15" x 1.92" - m15X

- m15x weighs more than my Dell XPS Gen2 17" laptop.

8.8lbs vs 9+lbs with 9 cell battery

- m15x uses a gamer-poor aspect ratio. 15.6" has less screen space than a 15" screen.

- m15x has no HDMI. Granted, the adapter may work but we don't know yet if it carries audio or has compatability issues.

- m15x is slot load. This presents a problem when/if a disc gets stuck. With such a thick chassis they could have done a traditional drive which I'd have prefered.

- m15x has no IGP. I'd hate to buy a 15" laptop and get worse battery life than my current 17" laptop, and even the m17x.

- m15x has lackluster GPU offerings. My smaller 17" XPS Gen 2 has a 65W TDP Geforce 6800 go ultra in it. In 5 years they couldn't improve upon the thermals at all?


I dunno. I almost bought the older m15x about a dozen times over. The freaking hinges just kept me away. Its annoying to learn the successor isn't anything like it.

 

Maybe you can order a m15x without GPU card and simply put in your own. Wont be easy to convince them since they cant propperly test it before shipping

 

could have bought one of those also just not enough there to make it worth while.

 

I think both the new Clevos are very nice myself . If it were not for the single 280 in the 17incher i would consider it for sure. i7 and LED are things i very badly want in a NEW laptop but that single card makes me shutter even thinking about it (from a purely gaming perspective) . If it had a single 4870 in it i might have kicked it around abit harder .

 

Common in Thinkpads. They call them enhanced bays if you really want one.

 

I would just wait and see a review before talking bad about losing smart bay.

 

Juason you have a go6800 and your calling the gtx260 weak? Also how is your dell a 17" when the whole unit is only 15.5" across? The XPS is like two generations old, a good budget system no doubt, but to compare it to the new M15x is kinda pointless.

Unless you live in the UK where AW is expensive, buying a clevo isnt really saving you that much money, go build one of each and youll see what I mean. They are cheaper for sure but the difference in price was nothing staggering, at least in the two builds I put together.

The main reason I went M15x over clevo: looks, build quality, and resale.
Sure I guess another enthusiast could buy your system but I feel like I could put an M15x for sale locally and have no problem selling, based on looks alone if nothing else. A laptop alot of people haven't heard of for over $2000? better be a good salesman.

 

The M15x will be cheaper for most in the US because of all the discounts you can get from Dell.

 

good point, I got about $200 off... alot of others did even better I think, especially those who felt like messing around with bing, they should get 15% back in 60 days or something. Some companies out there offer great discounts, I got the EEP. I'm not tryin to bash on clevo here, if its for you, by all means enjoy it. I'm just saying the title of this thread isn't entirely true. Although I get why people who already have an M17x arent getting in line to buy another $2500 laptop. This is my first alienware so naturally I'm excited either way.

I've also been wondering about the LED. My friend has a samsung LED tv and aren't all TVs WLED? Either way the picture is emmaculate if all that high rez goodness is squished down to 15.6" its gotta be nice. Pure speculation here as I've never used a lappy with an LED screen other then in bestbuy.

 

Ever head of Pythagorean theorem? The screen would have to be at least 7 inches in height to make a 17inch.

The new m15x is 19.2 inches from corner to corner.
The m17x is only 20.3 inches across.
The OLD m15x was only 18.1inches across, that that one was HUGE for a 15inch.
Dudes 2nd gen XPS is also 19.2 across.

The new m15x is a 17 inch in size, with a 15 inch screen and with 15 inch power, all that put together equals fail. They could have easily put SLI in it with that size.

I think the is out of the every day portable range. considering that the old one was on the edge of fitting in to my Jansport book bag.
I guess, just because it is a 15inch dose not mean it is small. Hell they could put a 12 inch screen in it and call it a 12inch, it might have some ghastly empty space but it would be the most powerfull 12 inch.

 

I have a 7ish lb hp and it is no way "huge" adding 2 more pounds isn't going to break my back. Yeah I forgot the measurement is corner to corner but like i said to each his own. I was simply stating why I bought a M15x. If I wanted a thinner lighter notebook I would have bought a MBP15. I just thought the size to power ratio of the M15x was better. After having a broken plastic macbook I was keen to look into an aluminum or similar chassis. I wish mac cared about graphics, I have had 2 now and both times I was eventually bummed at what they could/couldn't do.

 

Thanks, but I need flashy lights.

 

I wouldn't say hate, but people kinda expected more with the new M15x.

Though they did make the build quality amazing this time around, the M15x lost most of the features that made it stand out before. The loss of the smart bay was alright, but losing the ability to switch to an integrated graphics card seemed like a bad move.

That and the fact that it is chunkier and heavier than the old model, coupled with the GPU upgrade it has for now....

 

How much does the previous m15x weigh, I thought it was pretty hefty too, I also wish they had done the integrated switchable graphics but that is not their fault, just the facts that intel has not let that happen yet

 

The old m15x weighs around 7 lbs, and is 1.3 inches thick. The new one being 9 lbs and 1.9 inches thick.

I have been using mine for 14 months now, and I can say that having the ability to switch between high performance ( 8800M GTX ) and high battery life ( Stealh, Integrated ) has proven to be very useful for me. The biggest gripe I have about the older model is the sub par build quality.

I was very excited when AW announced the new M15x, but after seeing that most of the things I did like about the older model were left out, I decided not to upgrade.

 

I agree. I have the "old" m15x with the smart bay battery, 350Gig harddrive and of course the dvd burner. Makes it much more versatile and yet I can still play wow on it, though I mostly play games on my M17x. Never had a problem with the hinges and I have been using it extensively for 14 months now. I do think that the new M15x is cooler looking but I have the M17x and I love having the 17 inch screen and sli (dual 260's) for gaming.

I think that most people are not that excited about the M15x because of the M17x, been there and done that. I7 is nice but not better than dual cards nor 17 inch on the road gaming fun