Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
Okay, so I received my new m15x today. But before that
Four years ago I ordered my first Alienware laptop, an Area-51m 766. Since many (perhaps most) of the people on these forums seem to be first-time Alienware purchasers, I thought I would do a comparison of the old 766 to the new m15x. Not really in terms of internals because we know the m15x spanks the old 766 for gaming, but in terms of build quality, operation, and overall impression I thought a comparison of a new Alienware computer to an old one might be good.
Just for fun I thought I would also compare the Alienware products to my Asus Eee PC 8G.
To be fair, I wiped the 766 and reinstalled Windows XP from the Alienware disks last week, so it is back to the way it shipped four years ago. The only exception is that I installed Service Pack Three, and it is current on updates.
Price:
766: $3050 in 2004, moderately optioned. This included an Alienware backpack.
M15x: $3047 including an Alienware backpack and 4 gigs of RAM from Crucial, purchased separately.
Eee PC: $499. Came with a wee Logitech USB mouse painted to match.
Pertinent Stats:
766: 3 Ghz P4, 128MB mobility Radeon 9700, 1680x1050, 1 gig RAM, WinXP Pro.
M15x: 2.5 Ghz T9300, 512MB nVidia GeForce 8800m GTX, 1920x1200, 4 gig RAM, Vista Ultimate.
Eee PC: underclocked Celeron 900, intel graphics, 800x480, 1 gig RAM, Linux.
Power Brick:
766: Largest, noisiest, 8 amp, includes fan, relatively cool to touch.
M15x: Medium sized, quiet, 6.3 amp, no fan, warm to the touch.
Eee PC: Cell phone charger looking thing, silent, 2.3 amp, hottest of the three.
Thoughts: The m15x and Eee PC include a Velcro strap to secure the cord with. The Eee PC power supply is forgiving of weird voltages I regularly run it on a 74 volt DC supply at work. I am too paranoid to try the Alienware computers on this wonky supply.
Protective Cover:
Eee PC and m15x came with soft rubbery satchels to store the computer in when not in use.
Creaking Lid:
766: I never noticed this until today but it creaks pretty good. Almost as much as the m15x, and this is after four years of use.
M15x: Creaks the most. I am guessing this will creak less with age.
Eee PC: You have to listen for it, but this computer creaks also.
Thoughts: It is plastic on plastic for goodness sake! Of course it is going to creak! This is a non-issue as far as Im concerned. The door to my room creaks and makes a bump because it is wood on wood. So what? I do not think the creaking is excessive, this is just the sound of the lid opening. Apparently the old 766 has been creaking for four years and I never paid any attention to it. It is interesting that the 766 creaks almost as enthusiastically as the m15x even though it has a stiffer lid design and does not flex as much. The Eee PC is also pretty rigid, but it is so small and light that it is hard to say if it is made of any better grade of plastic.
Screen Wobbling:
766: Tied with the m15x for wobbling.
M15x: Tied with the 766 for wobbling.
Eee PC: Is pretty darn stable. This is probably due to the extreme light weight of the tiny LCD.
Thoughts: The two big lappies creak and wobble almost the same, with totally different hinge designs. This is just the stiffness of the hinge and the weight of the screen. If the hinge were looser, the screens would flop. If the hinge were tighter they would be hard to open and close. The m15x and Eee PC are stiffer to open and close than the 766, but not by a lot. This could be because the 766 is much older and more used. I can see where this wobbliness could be an issue to folks who place their computers in their laps while typing. I always set mine on a hard surface such as a table or desk, where they do not continue to wobble.
Wireless Networks Seen:
766: 9 networks found, but this is with an external wireless card. The internal wireless this lappy shipped with did not work well enough for me on weak signals in hotels, so I removed it.
M15x: 5 networks found with internal wireless. Im not too concerned that the m15x saw the least networks.
Eee PC: 7 networks found with internal wireless. The Eee PC has always amazed me with the number of wireless networks it will find. It does not transmit strongly enough to log onto the weak ones, but it will sure sniff them out.
Touchpad:
766: Best of the three. Individual buttons for right and left click, and a center rocker mounted vertically to function like a scroll wheel. Buttons all easy to push. Responsive touch pad.
M15x: Worst of the three. The surface of the m15x is not very slippery and (this sounds stupid) it requires more effort to push your finger around the pad. Horizontally mounted rocker switch for left and right click requires too much effort to push. The m15x does come with vinyl pads backed with adhesive which you can stick on the touch pad to make the surface easier to skid your finger across, and there are two different designs to choose from. I didnt stick either of these on my computer, wondering how that will look in a year or two, all gummy and dirty and nasty and peeling. The touchpad is still quite usable, but it is definitely the worst of these three computers. I carry a USB mouse with me anyway, since I dont care for touchpads much in the first place. The glowing light around the pad is pretty neat though.
Eee PC: The touchpad portion is very responsive and easy to use, but this computer has a horizontally mounted rocker switch for left and right click which is similarly difficult to use as the m15x. I get along fine on it though, as I use this computer at work and rarely bother to hook the mouse up to it.
Keyboard Flex:
766: Keyboard flexes, particularly in the lower right corner. I have used this for four years and it does not in any way hamper my ability to type on it, nor has it suffered any damage or gotten any worse. We are talking a very small amount.
M15x: Mighty similar to the old 766. I dont think this is anything to worry about, as the m15x keyboard and 766 keyboard seem very similar in design and I have had no issues with the 766 which does the same thing. Either they changed something, or I got a good one, or this may have been blown out of proportion by overly cautious new owners.
Eee PC: Flexes a little bit on the middle-left side of the keyboard. Keys are tiny and strike me as perhaps being the most prone to breakage of the three keyboards, but that is not to say I think they actually will break with normal use. Some sort of accident would have to occur.
Thoughts: None of these three keyboards really seem to have any issues that I can find.
Keyboard Usage:
766: I prefer a sloped desktop keyboard, but this is comfortable to type on. The palm rests on this computer are by far the coolest to touch.
M15x: The easiest of the three to type on, due to large palm rests. Very comfortable. Surface is a little bit warm.
Eee PC: Takes some practice to type on such a miniature keyboard. Its easy to fat-finger this thing, and I have read of several cases of people with large hands abandoning this computer. The Eee PC is hottest to the touch by a considerable margin.
Function Keys:
766: These are hell. It is particularly difficult, if not impossible, to get the monitor output to switch between the LCD and external.
M15x: Second best. They all worked fine except for the mute function. I sometimes had to try twice to get the computer to unmute, or I would have to tap the volume slider after muting. Maybe there is some delay in unmuting, and in my impatience I hit the mute function again and re-muted the speakers before they had a chance to start playing again.
Eee PC: Awesome. They always work instantly the first time.
Fingerprints:
766: I wiped it off today, I think for the first time in four years lol. Does not show dirt or fingerprints at all. Matte finish.
M15x: Shows fingerprints quite handily. You will want to keep some electronics wipes in your bag, if you want the m15x not to look as though it had been pawed by a gooey four-year-old boy. Glossy finish.
Eee PC: Mine is white, and does not show fingerprints. Matte finish.
Volume Control:
766: Easiest has an analog volume control wheel.
M15x: Hardest. Takes a little fooling with but my volume slider works fine, though I think its easier to bring up the volume control on-screen and use the mouse to adjust it.
Eee PC: Second easiest. Works digitally through function keys.
Streamed Music Playback Through Built-In Speakers:
766: Clearest, best-sounding speakers by a considerable margin, but it would be nice if it was louder.
M15x: Disappointing speakers. The left one squeals like it is full of dust on some songs, but this is not noticeable on other songs. M15x the loudest of the three computers.
Eee PC: Second clearest speakers, though they are a little high and tinny due to their small size. Quietest of the three computers.
Thoughts: The m15x was the best of the three to stream music into a room over built-in speakers with, due to the higher volume levels.
MP3 Playback Through Built-In Speakers:
766: Same performance as with streamed. Excellent sound quality, but not quite loud enough.
M15x: Sounded even worse than streamed music. Every MP3 I played caused the left speaker to squeal like it is full of dirt.
Eee PC: Same performance as with streamed. A little tinny and quiet.
Thoughts: I am pretty disappointed in the m15x speakers, after listening to the 766 for the last four years. The only thing the m15x has going for it is that it is louder. I think once it is out of warranty, a good hack might be to replace those speakers with something better.
Music Playback Through Radio-Shack Clamshell Powered Speakers:
766: Worst of the three due to no tonal control. Im sure this would be hugely improved by installing a graphic equalizer, but the computer did not ship with one.
M15x: Sounded good. I found no equalizer in the computer, but there are a number of presets for Rock, Dance, Classical, etc, for you to select from in the Realtek HD Audio Manager. One minor annoyance was that when you plug speakers in, a window pops up asking you what you plugged in. Once you answer, sound then comes out of the external speakers. The 766 and the Eee are old-fashioned you just plug speakers in and they go.
Eee PC: With its built-in 10 band equalizer and eighteen presets, the Eee was the best of the bunch to connect to external speakers!
Thoughts: This would be a three way tie if all the computers gave you the tonal control that the Eee does. I will have to find an equalizer for the m15x.
Music Playback Through Headphones:
766: Pfffffft. This thing sucks. Not only is it a little too quiet, but there are screechy electronic noises introduced into the music. You can hear the hard drive seeking and other electrical racket. No tonal control. Sounds like poo.
M15x: The m15x slaughtered the other two and danced on their graves! This thing is much louder, and there is no electrical background noise. Silent inbetween songs. Again, no graphic equalizer but there are 13 presets in Realtek HD Audio Manager and you will probably be able to find one that will work.
Eee PC: The best tonal control again due to the EQ in Amarok Music Manager, but not loud enough. No background noise.
Thoughts: Tested with Koss Porta-Pro I headphones.
Webcam:
766: Does not include a webcam, but the others dont have a modem or a parallel port lol.
M15x: The m15x has the wider field of view.
Eee PC: Almost think the Eee has the superior webcam, but they are pretty close.
Thoughts: Webcam pix below scroll over the thumbnails to find them They were taken from the same spot. One looking across my living room at the tube (with a scene from Alien displayed), and one with the box of Bisquick held at about where the computer users face would be.
Light Pipe:
M15x: No bleeding or leakage, but my light pipe is very subdued. It actually looks pretty classy.
Heat and Fans After Running for Five Hours:
766: Loudest fan noise by far. Imagine a dentists drill. Heat gushing out of this machine. These were famous for overheating issues when they were new, because this thing has a desktop P4 processor in it.
M15x: Fans are surprisingly quiet, but maybe I am just used to the 766. Second largest amount of heat coming out of the machine.
Eee PC: Had to hold it up to my ear to hear the fan over the 766 sitting nearby. Not much heat coming out I think the Eee retains all its heat, because it gets hot to the touch!
Thoughts: I have not stressed the m15x yet with anything graphically intensive. Presumably it will heat up a lot more once I start gaming on it and the 8800m GTX gets a workout.
Final Thoughts:
So far I am very impressed with the m15x. It is an awesome looking computer, my first impressions are mostly quite positive, and Ill soon find out how well it runs games.
My only disappointment is with the built in speakers, which I find to be perfectly wretched, and with the rigidity of the unit.
My old 766 has a magnesium alloy lid and bottom plate, making the whole unit more rigid and solid feeling than the m15x. I am going to have to be more careful not to bash the m15x around the way I have the 766 these last four years. My co-workers sometimes laughed at the way I hurled my Alienware backpack containing the 766 into a van or whatever conveyance we happened to use that day. I would always say Its made of metal! You cant hurt it! Those days are over!
I am going on vacation for a week tomorrow, so I am not likely to post anything concerning gaming on the m15x anytime soon. It is 2:30am here now, so I need to post this and go to bed.
Milcs: I hope when you receive your replacement system you get one as good as mine seems to be.
Below are the three lappies, the four webcam pix (filenames contain which computer they came from), and a look at the lightpipe. Those are reflections from the keys at the side of the screen.
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Attached Files:
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laptops are getting cheaper built
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Regarding your speakers, some people on here have no trouble with their speakers screeching but Me, you, and some others have this problem. If you lightly apply pressure on your speakers the screeching noise seems to go away but as soon as you let go it comes back
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Lol its like i'm on a seesaw, now i'm leaning back toward the m15x after reading both urs and Kshub's reviews
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The last picture makes it look like you have a black m15x
. It looks a lot better in black than I thought, even though it isn't really black.
m15x vs. 766 first impressions (long)
Discussion in 'Alienware' started by plug_it, Jun 24, 2008.
