some last buyers advice m15x :)

hi

I read most of the AW things around here and i've made my decision. i'm getting myself a m15x for Christmas

1920x1200 screen
geforce 8700
intel T9300

and from here some questions rice

first of all looking @ the prices for adds on RAM & HD. they are expensive compared to off market. now was i wondering : can i try to get discount on those things of shouldn't i even bother and just by them cheap afterwards?

if so(no discount):
about the ram. 677 mhz (800 won't work right??) any tips on the brand??
now it's going to be 4 GB, but 8 won't be a problem later right ?

can they deliver the system with a bit 64 operating system ?

what can i expect to pay extra for a empty HD smart bay ?

it doesn't matter which alien fx system lighting i choose right ? i can adjust this any time in the software?

the main HD which brand do they use? i would like to buy one aftermarket but would like it to have the free fall sensor.

the standard battery is this a 9 or 6 cell ?

is it advised to take a 2 or 3 year collect & return and how this work? is it like an extended warranty or more like a free help desk & diagnostic service ?

last question
if you had a spare 200 euro's what would you do :
- Extend the warranty
- take an extra Smart bay battery
- upgrade to blue ray!
- buy something extra nice for my girlfriend / go out for dinner


thnx in advance

 

1) you'll save tons of money if you buy the HDD and especially the RAM aftermarket (warranty won't be affected). which leads to...

2) any name-brand SO-DIMM DDR2 200pin 667mhz PC-5300 (sometimes called 675mhz PC-5400, same thing) 2x2Gb RAM set will do just fine. on a side note, with a 64bit OS, you could get 8Gb of RAM for 299$ i think on newegg.

3) no 64bit on the m15x, i'm afraid. however, there's a great guide/walkthrough here on NBR for switching over to 64bit, including modded files for everything.

4) i think it's about 20$, or 25 euros.

5) totally switchable, no problem.

6) mine's from Seagate. not sure about the other capacities.

7) 6 cells.

8) it's basically a normal 2 (or 3) year warranty. "help desk" and "diagnostic service" are, so to speak, included. on a side note, you can extend your warranty at any time (will still under warranty) up to 3 years.

last question) definitely something nice for your girlfriend, since you'll probably be neglecting her a bit when you get your new lappy

hope that helped.

 

good reply whizzo.

@ dj_wb: just curious tho, why are you getting an m15x now? I mean, you can get a better & cheaper montevina laptop out there.. Or perhaps you just fell in love with the looks?

 

a few reasons

as a child i'm facinated by the alien never owned one but always wanted one

i wanted a high end laptop so the other options were hp elite book or lenovo W series. looking @ same spec machines (not much wuxga's for 15") resulted in almost the same price for all three machines. okey the alien ware was the most expensive but the design gave the final blow

 

As an m15x owner, here's my 2 cents. If you're really interested in getting one, I would suggest this:

-Get a 1440x900 screen. 1920x1080 will look really tiny on a small 15-inch screen. With a GeForce 8700, your frame rates will be in the single digits at 1920x1080.

-Upgrade to the 8800M GTX/9800M GT. That will future-proof your machine and give you decent frame rates in the latest games.

-Get the least amount of RAM (1 GB) and upgrade it aftermarket to 3 GB. Unless Alienware bundles Vista 64-bit with the m15x now, that's all a 32-bit OS will ever see.

-As for the hard drive, get the biggest 7200 rpm you can afford as changing it out later for an aftermarket is going to be a big inconvenience.

Good luck with the new lappy.

 

i may take up your for the 9800 advice going to think about it. i'm only using it for photoshop, illustrator, pdf & lightroom stuff.

the 1920x1200 is the resolution i need. i know it's going to be small but that's what i need.

the harddrive is going to be the 160 gb 7200. the 500 gb will support me with space. and when ssd drives are going to be cheaper i'll replace the 160 gb

 

If you're not going to be gaming on this laptop, I suggest you look elsewhere. You will pay a premium for the Alienware brand, guaranteed. A Dell XPS M1530 or an HP EliteBook 8530w will cost a lot less, and won't have the flashy "gamer" features.

 

Honestly, the absolute only reason to get the m15x is to get a 8800m GTX with the option of long battery life (6-8 hrs with smart bay and binary gfx). Anything less than the 8800/9800 and you're better off getting a cheaper, smaller, lighter computer.

 

you get a free mousepad...

 

@ dj_wb:

hahahha, yes, my reason for buying is the same as you; It was psychologically important for me to get an AW
The 8800M gtx was also an important deciding factor though, you should consider it, unless you don't plan on gaming and such.

I'm mostly satisfied with my unit, but as an owner, I feel that you should know a few things:

- the chassis feels cheap & doesn't look like it could endure a beating.
- OK cooling. Not great, but OK.
- Expresscard slot gets very hot (with an 8800) and *may* fry anything you put in there. I ruined my creative x-fi soundcard this way

hope this helps

 

As whizzo said, I would also opt for that last option You can extend the warranty and purchase the smart bay battery after you buy the laptop

With regards to the 1440x900 and 1900x1200 resolution, do take into consideration that the 1440 screen is a glossy one, while the 1900 is matte. I was able to compare them side by side, and I have to say that the colors are way more vibrant with a glossy screen.

 

take an extra Smart bay battery and go get her a burger.

 

LMAO!!!!

hell, id get the SB as well, but then go to the pub and celebrate my new purchase....

 

get an sb batt, and cook her dinner!

 

that sir involves work...and then that gets in the way of AW delivery anticipation...

 

thnx for all the advice
so if understand right.
better the 9800 with the t9300
instead of the 8700 with the t9500

if i'm already going for the more expencive video card (what everybody here is advising ).
why not upgrade to the quadro ?

 

Yes the T9300 processor with the 9800M GT is the most recommended config around here. Don't worry the 9800M GT and the 8800M GTX are just the same card

Resolution would be more debatable. I personally would recommend the 1440 Glossy, especially after seeing how "grayish" the colors were with the matte screen. But if screen real estate is the main concern, then the 1900 is for you

As for the Quadro FX card, not many people here in NBR have it. I believe it is more inclined to work better for autocad programs and the like and not for gaming.

Finally, as everyone has already told you, change the RAM on your own. Even if you're not really good with computers, there is a step by step guide on youtube to help out. Even Alienware has a step by step guide with pictures on how to do it.

The Hard Drive can also be changed on your own. The only downside here is reinstalling everything into the new hard drive.

 

i'm a user of photoshop / lightroom & other adobe design programs. would the quadro then be better ??

 

if that is your primary use, then i would take a serious look at the quad unit.
that gpu is geared more towards those apects.

 

I would recommend WUXGA to you in this case and if you don't intend of doing much, or any gaming you might want to opt for the Quadro FX 3600M.

 

i placed my order
WUXGA with the quadro
t9300
1gb ram --> upgrade to 4gb off market (OCZ 4 GB DDR2-667 Kit)
160gb ram 7200
empty Smartbay that i'm going to equip with a 500 gb disk (samsung)
intel turbo cache 1 gb
dvd'r with lightscribe
alienfx

am now waiting for the final price (with empty smartbay) thnx for the help

when it comes i'll take some pics

 

YAY!!! another OCZ owner...(we will conquer and assimilate you all)

 

Congratulations! I think you made the right decision. The WUXGA screen is great and, as you said, it's hard to find them on a 15" laptop. If you want lots of visual real estate you're going to get it. On top of that, the matte screens aren't prone to reflection.

In regards to filling the SmartBay with another hard drive, you'll need to order the hard drive enclosure from AW. I think it's about $35.

Congratulations and good luck!

 

You can just order the 9800, then hack the drivers to mod it into the 3600M. It's literally the same card.

 

i wired the money

second last check before i order my add ons
this is the correct ram
OCZ PC2-5400 DDR2 SODIMM
& the harddrive that goes into the smartbay
2,5" sata

right ?

 

kick ?
second last check before i order my add ons
this is the correct ram
OCZ PC2-5400 DDR2 SODIMM
& the harddrive that goes into the smartbay
2,5" sata

right ?

 

sounds good to me.

 

today it's being shipped

ram is already here. should i upgrade it before i turn it on or should i just start it up first ??

 

Make sure everything is working properly before making any changes....IT 101.

Congrats on the new toy.

 

after a few complications it's finaly comming. by dh(s)low today if they are right.

pics will follow soon

 

finaly






and now play a little and then have to leave for jamie lidell ....

anyone any idea where i can find the guide how to install the empty smartbay

 

There are guides on Alienware's site on how to dismantle the smart bay.

This is a guide on how to dismantle/reassemble the smart bay module:
http://4help.alienware.com/cgi-bin/...WdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1zbWFydCBiYXk*&p_li=

This is a guide on how to format the hard drive for the smart bay:
http://4help.alienware.com/cgi-bin/...WdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1zbWFydCBiYXk*&p_li=

 

take a look at my pics of the smart bay hd.

its as simple as just removing the screws and then just connecting the hd to the connector. after that just close it up format it and it will be good to go.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=240250&page=3

congrats on the m15x

 

i think they shipped the wrong kit to me :S

 

That looks like an empty smart bay cage. Is that what you ordered?

 

no i requested a smartbay kit where i could put my harddisk in.

 

I think you misunderstood. If what you ordered from Alienware is just the kit without the hard drive, then that is the empty smart bay cage you have.

 

but how do i get my Sata disk in here.

i can't mount it. can't connect it.

on the picture you see everything that i got.

 

Oh, I'm not really familiar with the assembly/disassembly part of the smart bay module.

Maybe the other forum members who have done it can take a look at your pic and see if that's all that should have been provided by Alienware.

 

they send me 2 smartbay kits for optical drives..... they are going to send me the correct ones.

 

glad you sorted it out since i was wondering where the ribbon cable was. When i needed AW to send me some parts they sent the wrong thing a couple times. They really need some better ppl working there

 

or just people who listen properly what would i need 2 empty opticalbay units for

 

we should all offer to work ther, that way theyed be the best put there....

"if i had a million dollar ... Dum dadadum...."

REMIX

"if i was manager of AW, id lower my prices and make eveything with 100% effort!..."

 

i don't know about lowering the prices that may result in a cut of my salary

and maybe some one could help me with this. i have the turbo memory. but where can i change te settings and assign it to programs that i want?
this is what i understand from it http://www.intel.com/design/flash/nand/turbomemory/demo/demo.html i can't find the dashboard