TONGFANG GK5CN5Z / GK5CN6Z / GK5CQ7Z / GK5CP0Z

Wow those are very expensive and have good reviews across the board. Plus you got that 1070, which I believe is 40% more powerful than the 1060. Are those coupons and promos you used to get that price reusable? That is a serious discount. I don't see those discounted that much anywhere. You'll likely already have dual channel, unlike this OP one which you will have to fix on the OP. The keys might be better with the alienware and I'm sure the trackpad will be better. I personally could not get an alienware laptop because I find that alien head hideous, but other than that the alienware might be worth the extra $400. That said $400 is $400 and a lot of money to most of us!

 

Specs aside, hasn't alienware been handicapped by heating/throttling this generation?

 

I'm not sure but they seem to have mostly 5/5 stars on most sites I see them at. I'm just going off memory. That said I though "Max Q" means it has been refined with the laptop design to generate the least amount of heat possible. I thought you sacrifice power with those for thermal efficiency.

 

Yeah that discount was serious coz I managed to snag an employee discount of 17% (from my cousin) to combine with a 15% coupon running 2 weeks back and include those promotions. And no, those aren't reusable. At the earlier price of $999, i was thinking it wasn't worth switching. Never owned an alienware before so don't have a comparison.

The slight reduction in GPU power is a downer but not a huge deal since I game predominantly on my desktop with a 1080ti. Biggest issue is the small battery while the M15 has a 90Whr battery. Guess, i can always play around and make that comparison

 

Does anyone know if you get something like a different brand ram and go with the dual 8 gb, can you get something slower or faster than the 2666?

 

That's a killer deal and hard to see a one timer go by. What is funny is I just got an emai land OwnOrDisown just posted a review of that laptop a few minutes ago! I have not watched this but maybe you should to help you decide.


All that said for me personally I'm going to be much happier lugging around an $800 laptop versus the $1400 MSI GP63 I bought and returned. I was so nervous hauling that $1400 around and I was so angry when it didn't perform like I thought something that expensive should. With this OP one I'll be a lot more forgiving considering the overall value.

 

If I am reading this correctly, are you saying the 15+ is the better buy at $799 than the 17+ at $999? (Even though i think legendary > KING, haha)

 

^^ The M15 is HOT garbage for its asking price. HOT HOT HOT...how many times you want me to say that before it's tattoo'd in your eyelids? If this was launched 10 months ago, fine. But expectations have changed. I'm sorry to hurt feelings but I haven't seen this many returns on AW laptop machines EVER.

OP Laptop: RAM at 2666, less is fine but you're robbing performance and higher is asking for trouble. No XMP profile to accept higher speeds, but then you also have to have that XMP profile actually programmed to work with these speeds. This is straight experience here and not "I read this here" crap.

You go 2666 with the lowest CL which is likely 15.. Lower CL is faster, the Goldkey Memory in the OP is 2666 CL 19. You will not find it right now now anywhere. Our local Microcenter carries it but it's not exactly what you want. Will you ACTUALLY see, feel or know the difference between CL 15 and CL 19 in the real world? Nope.

2400Mhz Memory from 7th gen did fairly well when mixing RAM manufacturers but 2666 is sketchy. Crucial was always a recommended go-to before 8th gen, now it's hit or miss. Do not mix capacities. Things get flakier the faster you go, that's with anything.

Someday in a few more generations of laptops I hope to have manufacturers heads wrapped around their own product better so they can deliver to the enthusiast first. Then from there the common folk will be thrilled with their fast devices and never know the difference. These people won't upgrade their memory anyway.

Gigabyte is adding a SKU for their next laptop (according to my connection) to have dual channel because of me. They literally did not know that single vs dual channel RAM makes a difference until I showed them my review. So before you go busting their balls, most manufactures do not know that it makes a substantial difference in situations rarely tested. You can thank the bigger YouTube communities for years of single player benchmarks for this lol.

Man I could talk CPU and RAM all day! That's my JAM!

 

Jesus it's so hard to choose between keeping my 15+ or returning it for the 17+, back on black Friday there were zero deals even remotely close to this, now there is two...

For anyone with the 17+ or its various other tongfang incarnations, can you verify the power adapter port let's the adapter fit flush? That is probably my biggest concern besides the thermal differences and plastic chassis vs the aluminum one/vents.

 

This has excellent comments made about it at https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/12/11/walmart-overpowered-17-gaming-laptop-review

Some of the highlights:

"Ok. These machines are obviously built with cheap parts and manufacturing. Moreover, I have read a number of articles blasting these machines because they can’t even live up to the specs on paper due to their shoddy builds. Here is the bottom line folks: you get what you pay for, especially in the realm of technology and gaming. Don’t go to Walmart if you are in the market for a gaming PC, and if you need to, you will be better off with one of the twin consoles."

"...The laptop and the review are both garbage. One needs only to go to a few other major sites to read how predictably shoddy these machines are made, so shoddy that their performance doesn’t do the decent specs justice. This review is disingenuous, plain and simple, and these machines are hardly “overpowered.”"

""Overpowered"? What now? Think they need to look at the specs again..."

"Horse ****. Don’t buy this garbage."

""Overpowered" followed by "Laptop" is an Oxymoron."

Worth a good laugh. That being said, I ordered the 15", can pick it up Wednesday. FWIW, it seems like people that have actually owned these like them, and those that don't just quote the scathing reviews from PCMag or TheVerge and call them trash.

 

The 15" at $799 is a no brainer at this point. The $200 price delta allows you to match the amount of ram on the 17" and still be $100 ahead. I am not a huge fan of 1080p on a 17" panel.

 

Apparently, but can not confirm, the 17in is PWM but the 15in is not?

 

Dell just replaced my 15r2 with a 15r4 under warranty and I will be selling that one (8950HK, 4k Gsync, 16GB, 1070 OC) and keeping the OP 15+. I need something a little more portable. I have been using the OP 15+ all weekend and it is a really nice system. Hoping the larger batteries come back in stock soon so I can do that mod. I also was had the Aero 15x but ended up sending that one back due to reboot loops and crashes. The OP 15+ just works...

 

Just registered here after following the discussion about this OP laptop over the past week. I want to start out with a big thanks to Bob on the research and testing he's done on these, and for posting the deal in the first place on SD. Ignore the morons over there, you've definitely helped people by pointing out this awesome deal.

I ordered mine initially when the price was $999 and felt I got a fantastic deal. When the price dropped to $899 I contacted support and was able to get an $80 refund, because I purchased the combo with the VR setup, which is now out of stock. I didn't figure it was worth fighting for the few extra bucks, and I plan to return the junk VR setup anyways so I'll get another $20 back.

I spent all morning wondering if I should return this 15+ and get the 17+ for another $100. I have another $100 spent in RAM that's on the way to go dual channel anyways, plus a bigger screen and HD. Downside is that I actually use it on my lap, so I wasn't thrilled about the extra weight, but that was about the only downside.

Then the price on the 15+ dropped another $100! I got on chat again with support for my refund, and simply asked for a price match on my order. The guy comes back and tells me they refunded me another $180. So now I'm looking at about $260 difference between the 15+ and 17+, which I think seals the deal for just keeping the 15+.

Anyways, what are the thoughts on buying a non-matching 16gb stick versus 2x8gb? I don't plan on selling the 16gb that came with the OP, in case I need to warranty (assuming I can deal with the sticker issue lol). Both options are about the same price, with one giving better memory timings and matching brands, the other option giving double capacity, at the cost of memory timings.

As far as my thoughts on the laptop after using it for the past week, I'm extremely happy with it. My only minor complaint is the keycaps could have a bit more concavity. It looked like they might on the 17+ but I'm not sure if it's an optical illusion due to the shape of the keys. But the screen is gorgeous and the machine is very fast. I have a Dell G5 that I'll be returning that I picked up before this deal and it's ridiculous how much better the screen looks when comparing the two side-by-side. This machine is also a full pound lighter than the G5 and about an 1" shorter length and width, and slightly thinner as well. At this point, i'm pretty surprised these aren't sold out, but I suppose it's due to all the ignorant people hung up on it being a "Walmart" laptop. Maybe in another week, we'll be able to get the 17+ for $799.

 

Someone posted this stick worked fine with the one that comes with the laptop- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KBKIJY2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . I have one on the way and will post my results.

 

So has anyone able to successfully download the intel starter pack with the Walmart code? I have tried multiple times and get an invalid master key error message. Tried contacting the intel website, but never got a response from them.

 

Do the keycaps look like this on the 15"? I really hope not, don't really care for the octagonal shape. They look square in other pictures/videos I've seen.

 

Not sure if I already posted this here or on another forum, but my power plug definitely sits flush into the laptop.

@Bob Evans I saw those comments over at IGN, they’re pretty stinkin’ biased!!
And yes, they keycaps are squarish on the 15”.

 

No they don’t look like that on the 15+. That’s the 17 inch one.

 

Whew. Even more glad I got the 15+. Thanks.

 

Hey guys, its been a while since I've last been on this thread.
Any updates on a GTX1070 Max-q variant of this laptop? Last time I heard it was being tested by NVidia

 

Hi there. If any of you guy are opening up your OP15+ for ram upgrades. Can you please also check for me to see if that 2nd m.2 slot will accept a SATA m.2 drive? Since this is not always the case on similar laptops. Where one of the 2 bays accepts pci-e/nvme only. Thank you.

Typically your laptop will already come with 1x SATA ssd. So it's a case of moving it over to the other slot and seeing if it is recognized in BIOS and can still boot. Kind Regards.

 

This is straight from the owner's manual...
Slot 1: SATA+PCIE 3.0 by 4 (Supports NVMe)
Slot 2: PCIE 3.0 by 4 (Supports NvMe)
RAID 0/1

I tried moving the stock m.2 sata to the other slot just for kicks... no Bueno.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

Not sure if anyone answered this, but according to HWInfo, it's a 16 gb stick of PC421300 ram, 260 pin sodimm. I would think anything would work with it. I believe it's single rank, if that matters for compatibility.

 

I thought one of the slots was only by 2.

 

This is what I think I am going to go with:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232166&ignorebbr=1

Or, I might buy one stick of 16 GB and take my chances that it will play nice with the gold key.

 

The M15 is brighter, but the 15+ is better when it comes to light bleed (at least in my case). I do not have any kind of calibrating software so I can't tell you about color accuracy.

I will say this, I much prefer the M15 to this. But the savings is too ridiculous now to ignore. At $999, the price difference was still in a zone where I could make the case. But now it's a huge difference. I I could allow myself to splurge on the PC I want (which I can, but for my kid's future have decided not to) I would keep the M15 hands down.

I know that doesn't help you. I struggled hardcore for the last couple of weeks with this.

 

That's Dell paying for PR, IMHO.

That thing throttles like there's no tomorrow without serious tweaks. And Umar whatever his name is straight up lied in one of his livestreams saying his never throttles, it just keeps going higher and higher and it likes being at 100C...

Edit - sorry I know my multiple posts in a row will piss at least one of you off, but I am at work and trying to respond to things quickly.

 

Guess you thought wrong... lol

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

Thanks everyone, went with the 15

 

I verified myself the 15 has no PWM and I checked at minimum, 50%, and 100% brightness levels. I get my 17 on Wednesday and will check it as well and report back.

 

Thanks for the reply. So screenwise, it is similar in your opinion I take.
Yeah, if there is a huge price difference it makes sense to just go for the 15+.

What is your opinion on the overall build quality between the 2 laptops or fan noise while gaming?

OT, did you return your M15?

 

The M15 is built like a tank. It's a solid laptop. The bezels didn't really bother me much because my old PC (Lenovo Y580) had the same shiny plastic on the bezels. I've always liked the Alienware shape, and this slimmed down version is really nice. It's comfortable as hell to type on for me and I really came to love the trackpad. I don't have any concerns about the power port breaking or giving me issues down the road. The fans on the M15 are MUCH QUIETER by comparison (it seems like they are better quality fans overall, though my left fan was starting to make some rattling noises when it would start up and slow down), but keep in mind it runs much hotter too. For some reason, when I installed a fresh iso of Windows Pro and installed AWCC from Dell's site, I could not get access to fan profiles - so I don't know which setting it was on. I had to undervolt it to -.150Mv and limit the turbo to 3,500MHz to keep the temps down to a reasonable level (mid-high 80s) while gaming in Civ 6. To answer your question - yes I did return it. Actually it is sitting in my office, waiting for the UPS guy to stop by and pick it up.

The 15+ is a nice build for the price. I really can't complain. I don't love the keyboard, but it's OK. The trackpad is OK. The screen not having any light bleed is a real plus versus the Alienware (I believe Alienware uses the AU Optronics panel which some people prefer and in my case it definitely got brighter but I didn't notice any major flaws in the LG panel used in the 15+ (which by the way is the same panel used in the much more expensive Razer Blade 15 advanced). I do like the tiny bezels and smaller footprint. There is more flex in the chassis of the 15+. It's not so much of a tank. The M15 is all magnesium and you can really feel the difference, but the 15+ should be fine. Quite frankly I worry about the bottom of the M15 getting scuffed very easily over time which would bother the hell out of me.

In either scenario you are compromising. The question is, are the compromises you are making on the 15+ really worth the extra cash?

If it were a few hundred bucks, I would say yes and keep the Alienware and be happy for a long time (barring any issues with the hardware). But in my case for the system I had purchased, it was over $1,000 difference. I got the M15 for about $1,699 before tax (red, windows pro, 8750H, 16GB, GTX 1070, 144 hz panel, 512 single SSD drive) and the 15+ ended up at $699 (walmart issued two credits - first for $100, second for $200). With tax (6% here in PA), the gap widens.

The major thing I am missing here is TB3 - so I have no upgradeability from a graphics card standpoint, but if this can hold me over for a few years, I can go buy something that blows me away down the road and not sweat it. Pass this along to my dad or one of my two boys...

It's almost like a Ferrari vs. a Honda Accord. One is amazing, but much more expensive and is something you'll almost agonize over to keep perfect (at least I would). The other is reliable, easy to maintain and isn't something you keep in the garage on a rainy day.

 

$699 for the Walmart OP is laughable. You could almost consider gifting it at that price! The M15 is a sweet machine and more refined than the OP, but it’s impossible to compete with the value Walmart has offered on these.

 

Where have you seen this for $699?

 

It made it down to $499, but now they're out of stock.

 

Yeah had me freaking out again lol.

 

It didn't get down to $699. But Walmart issued me two credits on my $999 purchase. One for $100 and one for $200.

 

Thanks for your input! Really insightful. Seems like i should keep my M15 order intact and do the comparison myself to understand which laptop to keep since either choices has some compromise.

By the way, for $699 that is a steal! As in 144hz IPS and a 1060 with I7. Did walmart screw up when they did the crediting? Either way, happy that you were able to make a choice that you like since I saw you posting a couple of places (i believe reddit also?) on the M15.

 

Haha! If you have to make a video for each time it keeps dropping ! Or make a new post on Slickdeals for the next price drop!

 

I literally told the woman I already received a credit of $100, but she went ahead and issued another $200 anyway.

I was hoping she would take off the tax, but she did better! I'm not complaining and I am not sure why she did what she did. I've seen others get the same treatment.

 

in one of the youtube 17 chassis review I linked, the one with a cat, said the 17in 144hz panel is from Auo model AUO309D, if the 17+ is using this auo panel, then it has no pwm and is g-sync compatible

on the other hand, notebookcheck says the LGD05C0 for the 15+ has no g-sync

ps. i am a noob and dont know what g-sync is, just passing along the info I stumbled upon and hope someone can shed some light on my decision between getting the 15+ and the 17+

 

It's a work around for vsync so screen tearing doesn't happen

 

Is the memory on the laptop locked to run at 2666mhz?

Does timings of lower CAS memory get recognized?

Asking to understand if its worth getting better memory to have it run dual channel.

 

Haha, I failed to quote @billycuth he got an amazing deal through a refund mistake which took the price down on the 1060 version to $699. Lucky chap!!

 

I recommend you stick with 2666. If you want to spend more get lower CL.

I talked about this a few of my posts back in further details should you need it.

 

Found it, thanks!

 

That other slot does not support sata.

 

Can you use a 4 lane PCIE in the slot, even though it only supports 2 lanes? this one for example?

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-500G...ywords=500gb+nvme&refinements=p_36:1253505011

 

Yes - that would not be an issue. You will just not get the full speed but most will not notice any difference between 2 and 4 lanes.