m17x FAQ

I have been following the relative reports on the m17x and m15x releases and recently when reviewing threads i see the same questions over and over so i thought I would begin a thread hopefully answering the frequently asked questions.



Will the m17x come with the Montevina platform?
NO, the Montevina platform has not been specified or planned with the m17x this year.


Does the m17x have BinaryFX?
NO, the m17x doesn't use BinaryFX but it still uses stealth mode like the m15x to downclock the cpu and gpu when not under load.


What are the m17x weight and dimensions in comparison to the XPS 1730?
m17x;
Height: 2.1”
Width: 16.1”
Depth: 11.5”
Weight: 10.5 lbs

XPS1730;
Height: <2.00"
Width: 16.0"
Depth: 11.9"
Weight: >10.6 lbs


When will the m17x be available in the UK?
Apparently the chassis are already crossing the ocean, so hopefully by the end of June early July.


Does the m17x have the light pipe like the m15x?
NO, but it still has the AlienFX Keypad and the following areas are lit;Alien head logo, Alienware name, keyboard, touchpad, QuickTouch Controls and power button.


Can I purchase the SmartBay Battery for the m17x?
Yes, however for the moment it is not configurable with this option.


Can I overclock the X9000?
Unfortunately at this time there is no reason to believe that there will be an option in the BIOS to unlock the multiplier in the m17x.

thanks to yomamasfavourite


What size is the battery on the m17x?
This is currently a 12 cell battery.


Can I order with a single GTX Card?
Unfortunately this is currently not an option.


Will it support DDR3 Memory?
Unfortunately DDR3 will only be supported if Montevina is installed, so no.


I want to upgrade the memory on my own and want to know what memory to use
1GB 2 x 512mb PC2-5400
2GB 2 x 1024mb PC2-6400
4GB 2 x 2048mb PC2-6400


Will the m17x take NVidia 9 series cards?
This is still tentative information as spe on the 9xxxm are not around, but if it complies to MXM IV then there is no reason why not, but heat may be an issue on installation and some cards need BIOS updates.


Who makes the m17x Chassis (and the m15x)?
The current ODM is Quanta exclusively for Alienware so this will not be seen elsewhere just like the m9750 was.


What does the m17x look like up close thanks go to Mennenth for these, first guy on the forum to get his m17x
check out his pictures here http://profile.imageshack.us/user/me...sc00435of8.jpg

I will hope to update this as and when. I hope it helps a few people.

 

Good job and very informative.

 

THANK YOU! finally someone has done this. Hopefully this will cut down on new threads. +Rep

 

good job +rep.

Although I"m not too sure on the smartbay battery options. It's not mentioned on the specs page of the m17x, under the smartbay tab, on the Alienware website.

 

Thanks for the rundown Alienwarez, this is helpful and informative. I am directing people to this thread so it should be getting some more attention.

 

Great job man

Are you sure the light pipe is not there? I think it is there but you need a patch just like the m15x to activate it.

 

I guess as it's not mentioned anywhere on the web page, that it's not available. If i remember correctly, the M15 had it listed but, it didn't turn on automatically, whereas the M17 has no such listing.

By the way Alienwarez, good idea, very useful..

OB

 

When I ordered my M17x I was told the light pipe was not in the M17x so there is no way to activate it later.

 

@dhoang417:
I asked someone on the online sales chat yesterday and they said that the m17x does support a smartbay battery but they aren't selling them yet. It's not 100% verified information but the way they said it made it seem like they knew what they were talking about and it seemed unlikely they had misinterpreted what I was asking. So it looks very promising.

 

sorry for my nievety but whats +rep mean?

 

Under your name you have a green square (Rep Power : ) with a 1.

+rep will give you a 2 when enough people will have clicked on the middle icon in the bottom of your description column ("Add to ... Reputation").

Maybe one day you'll have a 116 reputation like Chaz..

The more you have, the more usefull for people you are (it's of course not totally true ^^)..

 

I thought people bought alienware for the bells and whistles - why then did they remove them??

 

Has anyone watched this video yet? quite informative IMO.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoKlGoR1Dgc&feature=related
please forgive me if this is old news.

 

update:added recent pictures

 

Nice FAQ. One thing, though, the M9750 was 100% unique to Alienware and its' design was never used by any other companies.

 

cheers i have rephrased it.

 

I like it, nice one.

+Rep

OB