Alienware 2015 models, anyone happy with them?

The overwhelming vast majority of reviews, both professional and amateur seem to give high praise to the new revisions of the Alienware lineup for 2015. Seeing the reviews on Alienware.com, MSstore.com, Amazon, and elsewhere everyone seems to be satisfied; however, the boards here seem like nothing but doom and gloom.

I am disappointed in the lack of options in upgrading it, not so much the CPU and GPU, but the 16GB limit on RAM and the lack of storage spaces does seem incredibly shortsighted to say the least.

Well with all that said, are the issues of throttling and overheating exaggerated and are there people out there that are happy with their purchase? I'm torn between the Sager 9752 or 9733 and the Alienware 17 R2. The tech support of the Alienware seems impressive with next day support as sending in my laptop for a week or two seems like a huge inconvenience with the Sager.

 

Raid support is a laughable non existence, but besides that i like mine. Going to wait till Skylake becomes available might jump ship to one of those if the options improve

 

Yea, I've seen the complaint about RAID before but for myself, that isn't a huge dealbreaker. I'm considering waiting until Skylake but work is offering me $1200 to buy my own laptop now so figured it was best to spend their money now to subsidize the cost of my own laptop, rather than them buying me a regular overpriced Dell or HP laptop.

 

If works paying then you cannot beat it, its a decent laptop, and the 980 is a beast of a mobile GPU.

 

I have high praise for the Dell support as when I first bought the machine it crashed and blue screened all the time out of the box. I contacted support and they diagnosed a faulty board so sent a tech out to replace it next day. Very impressive.

However I've discovered the new board has a problem or could even be intentionally set by dell, so I have been one of the complainers about throttling issues on the 17 r2.
My CPU will stop its turbo mode when the gpu is getting used. There are some people in this forum who's this doesn't happen on their machine. So at the end of the day I think mine is just a lemon (again)
Fingers crossed you recieve a good machine if you decide to go with Alienware.
If you don't then at least you know Dell has your back!

But, overall I am happy with it and even with mine throttling it's still one powerful beast that plays anything you can throw at it with high settings and good framerates.

 

Got a 15 with i7 4720 and 980m with a 128ssd and 1TB 7200. So far, no problems whatsoever - temperaturs of CPU/GPU haven't gone past 80C so haven't run into any throttling issues yet.

I'm nothing but satisfied with my unit. I had a minor issue getting it to work out of the box with the discrete graphics card - but once I put Geforce Experience on and optimised the games so that they would trigger the discrete graphics for them, I've had no problems.

If you can get a good price for them, I'd say why not? Clevo and Sager probably have better prices for the same thing - but if you get an excellent deal like I did, then definitely go for it.

 

I'm one of the few on here that enjoys mine, once I spent a week or so with it, working out the fine tuning of the 4710HQ, and another hour or so on the OC for the 980M, it meets my expectations for this laptop. I was fortunate and did not receive a unit with a throttling issue. Perhaps mine simply has a good paste job. I finished my desktop dock for it yesterday with the alienwae graphics amplifier and GTX 970 reference card for the GPU. Once I did this, I was able to hold much higher OC on the CPU as well as maintain turboboost indefinitely (8 hour stress test on CPU never once dropped below 3.6 ghz, and peaked at 3.76 ghz OC'd). Yeah, to add the desktop rig added on 500 USD (180 for graphics amp and 320 for GPU), but even adding that into the 1699 purchase price for the laptop, I'm still in the spot where I am comfortable on cost for what I get. Here's a link comparing firestrike scores with just the laptop with the 980M and then the desktop setup with the 970

http://www.3dmark.com/compare/fs/5224553/fs/5189969

Roughly 18.7% increase adding the amplifier and the 970 card OC'd (Once OC'd it matches the 980 Stock fwiw)

 

Good stuff. I am contemplating heading up the MS store to see if they have any in stock so I can see them firsthand but there is a pretty nice deal on a sager in the for sell forum here. So decisions decisions

 

I'm also really happy with mine, I have the 1080p i7, 970M, 128 GB SSD, 1 TB HDD & 16GB RAM.

The screen is gorgeous, build quality is really nice, keyboard is great and I just really like the whole package.

Mine has a thermal throttling issue and I'm dealing with Dell at the moment to get that resolved under warranty. I fully expect that it's going to be resolved to my satisfaction, I've been through the warranty process with Dell before and it always worked out well in the end.

There are many people in here with no throttling issues at all, so just check yours out when you get it and return it for another if you have any issues!

 

They're not bad machines when compared to the competition. They're just worse than previous AW models.

Only real issues I had with mine were the surface temps of the keyboard (far too hot) and the fact you need to completely disassemble your laptop in order to access the CPU/GPU to re-paste. Well, that and the fact RAM is limited to 2 slots and you only have one 2.5" SATA bay.

If you can get a good price on it, go for it. But overall, given the usual prices, I'd probably go for a Clevo.

 

Well right now alienware ends up being cheaper due to all of the discounts, coupons, cash back, and dell gift cards.

I'm waiting to hear if work will subsidize the cost of a used 9752 for sale here on the forums because it is $1800. The alienware 17 r2 right now I've got priced out at $1709 before the Dell gift cards and cash back.

 

Mine had a lot of assembly issues and I ended up asking for a replacement which just arrived today, we'll see how it works, hopefully ok!

Satisfied with the laptop? No
Satisfied with the laptop's performance? Yes
Satisfied with support staff? Yes
Satisfied with replacement time? So so, took a lot to convince them, and over a month for the laptop to arrive.

 

AW13, i7, 16GB RAM, GTX 960M. Totally happy with it, for my needs perfect travelling notebook (got it for bargain price after all discounts, coupons, etc). Solid, stable, as powerful as I need it. I like how components are made, I like the way it looks. The keyboard for me feels very nice. Not using touchpad that much, but I think it is good. Runs cool and quiet with games I play, no throttling (currently Fallout 3). Battery life is good, I do not need more. Screen is great, sharp, wide viewing angles (1920 x 1080 IPS). For stationary use I will eventually get Graphics Amplifier (ver. II, if and when it comes out?). Yes, there are some design compromises I am fully aware of, but no design can satisfy all conflicting requirements.

However, to be fair, if I was looking for a larger 15.6in model, I would say that Clevo (AKA Sager) P650SE would likely be my preference: more flexible configuration, ease of servicing and upgrading, and overall equaly well build. Clevo 13in model however (W230 series) is showing its age, and is nowhere as nicely build as the AW13.

 

Well I guess that's because of the change in focus from Alienware, the lineup became a lot more mainstream so that meant some shortcomings like the ones you know, I don't know, when I was younger I always wanted a M17x but it was extremely expensive for me, now that I'm older and I have a job I was able to afford the 15 at the mid tier config so I guess there's just a lot of people like me in those reviews, 1st time alienware owners I guess. A lot of people told me to go to Gigabyte or MSI but those brands are almost nonexistent in my country so at the end it was either Lenovo, Asus ROG or Alienware. With Lenovo I said a big NOPE after checking one out at BestBuy, the Asus had the same GPU/CPU but was like $300 more expensive and hell, I always wanted an Alienware, so far I kinda love my 15 but I hate the mechanical drive, I fear that one of these days on a rage I'll end up getting the 850 pro 1tb from samsung :/

 

Yes, SSD is the way to go - get the 850 (or something similar, many options), and move the HDD to a nice external case. BTW, the 850 Pro and EVO were just introduced with 2TB capacity and 10 years warranty. Wow! (yes, expensive).

There is also psychological factor: places like Amazon are full of voices from buyers who made a decision based on emotional response, and they get this warm feeling if someone says: you've done well, good decision. You rarely get this on forums like this one, where people (often individuals who do not even own a product they criticise) tend to voice problems, issues, seek advice how to fix something, etc. None really reflects statistics of how satisfied people are with a product, they are more collections of fragmentary, anecdotal opinions.

 

Which is one of the reasons I asked. I tend to do a fair amount of research into my purchases and this is one I didn't want to get wrong. I tend to need my laptop so having to send it in and it be gone for weeks at a time isn't really an option, but at the same time I do not want to get a laptop that overheats, throttles to the point you can't play games or run my engineering programs. The lack of response from Dell in regards to the PSU problems was, and is, perplexing to me. Sounds like they are finally starting to listen, but I find it incredulous it took so long for them to listen to the complaints. Plus while yes I do like the looks of the Alienware, I would prefer something a toned down a little bit. I love the look of the Sager line up: plain, simple, yet elegant. Oh well, as long as I've waited now I'll just wait for the skylake updates and see how those turn out.

 

Mine has been great, no complaints. There is no competition if you want a 15 inch laptop with the 980m.

 

Throttling is only limited the 980M version isn't it? The 970M version I had never throttled.

The thing is with the AW15 machine, they are fat big and heavy, but can handle the heat due to beefy cooling system with huge air intakes.
Can't really be compared with any thin or light machines, which often end up throttling, and seem to best at bursts speed/operations.

I was happy with mine, although I had a fault out of box and returned it. Dell hiked the price, therefore did have a chance to get another. At this stage I figured that be wise to buy something near half the price (with i7-4710HQ and IPS platform 15.6 IPS) to get through the next few months to the new tech that surely awaits us all. There are a few bargains around that can be found here and there, as retailers move old stock in favor of new stock that are simply re-branded products.

 

Very happy with mine...I have the I5 with 965m and paid $700 for it in the outlet. The thing that really surprises me is how fast it boots with the regular 1 tb hard drive. Fully boots to windows in less than 10 seconds...Probably will pick up an ssd eventually but not in a hurry...I play all games on high settings, mostly rpgs.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

The disk performance of the AW models with HGST 7K1000.1000 (1 TB, 7200 rpm) is actually pretty good. I was impressed with performance of the Alienware 17 R2 with that disk. Sure we installed the 500 GB M.2 SSD later that day, however, I was still pleasantly surprised nonetheless. I was impressed enough to order the same drive for my Dell Precision M6800 at work.

 

I'm very happy with mine, love the fact that there is the graphics amp for it, just wish it didn't use optimus

 

Honestly, has the male population been so demasculated that 7 bloody pounds is now heavy? I blame the skinny jeans for this trend, as there should be no complaints over 7 pounds. I bring mine to work, daily, and survive. Hell, I use to bring my Alienware 18, in a Vindicator bag, to work....................

 

Where I work if I turn up to work with a huge ass Alienware then I would look like a right dick head. Everyone uses small portable devices that are simply plain and get the task at hand done, such as the HP 840 G1/G2. If need more options just dock, or remote to a desktop from there. I don't go to work to play games.

 

I just prefer a decent size screen, I guess. Even my XPS 13 feels a bit like a toy, with it's miniscule footprint. I don't see how people gain enjoyment from tiny cell phone screens, either. I haven't used mine for video/web content for roughly a year and a half. Would the Alienware 13 get stares at your workplace?

 

I'm very happy, especially after the sleep throttle fix, since I let my pc to sleep often.

When I was going to buy a successor for my alienware m14x which had a GT 555M, I would have been more than satisfied with a 970M, but instead they offered a 980m too which was quite the performance upgrade for me. Also this screen has better color reproduction values, so I have better quality, also in terms of resolution, an upgrade from 900p to 1080p, and this matte screen is very good as it has not noise on it, which many matte screen does have. Aside from that the slight ghost blur which reduced after some use, is something I tend to get used to so not much of an issue anymore.

Also Amazing keyboard, on laptops alienware is one of the very few brands that do it so good. and of course the design + lights is something I can really appreciate. So I am more than happy when it comes to my alienware 15.

Also my alienware m14x did get very hot, if I overclocked my GPU I had to disable turbo boost, and in my last year of use of the 3,5 years I used it, it couldn't bare turbo boost at all anymore.

But the alienware 15 has for my, contrary to many people out here, very good cooling, As I NEVER reached above 85°C which only got there because of the bad fan curve, when the fan is at high speed, I am mostly below 80°, and the fan almost never reached 100% speed while gaming.

 

Thanks for the advice. I purchased a surface pro 3 for the wife and took her inspiron 7720 se for the time being. It is getting the job done and should hold me over until the quad cores are released.

Any of you have the 4k screen or touch screen and actually feel they are useful? Seems like alienware would lean towards g-sync rather than 4k or touchscreen considering they are primarily gaming laptops.

 

First impressions for my signature edition AW 15 are pretty good. Haven't got the time to really test it yet, but everything feels good. A little thicker than I expected, but not a huge deal. There are small nitp picks here and there, like how the feet aren't really grippy at all and slip around on my stand/table (fixable), the lip around the keyboard is a little high around the spacebar and arrow keys especially (when gaming, my fingers tend to hit it, making it harder to press down) and I didn't expect the body to be mostly plastic. It feels sturdy, but I wish the gray lining along the bottom would have been metal. Also, the 4K screen is already messing with Windows, fingerprints appear very easily, and there is a weird creaking/sticking sound when pushing down a little harder on the right palm rest. I mean, you have to really push in the right spot, but still unexpected. If I was to be especially picky, I would say the left trackpad button is a little higher than the right one, but in the end I don't think it makes a huge difference.

Really, these are small annoyances that can be looked over. The creaking could be a loose screw or something (hopefully). The screen is beautiful though.

 

Yea, I kinda wish the grey bottom parts were light metal as well. The service bay door could be a little thicker, as well, like my 14 inch. It already has a couple of scratches. When you do an eventual repast, you can check the palmrest for loose screws. You could also request an in-home repair tech to check it for you. The disassembly is pretty easy, as I had a in-home request and I went ahead pre-arrival and fully took mine apart and use better thermal paste.

 

I'm happy with it for the most part. I just wished I'd not gone with the 4k.

 

Have the same problem with my M14x. I had turbo boost turnoff years ago since it contributed to the GPU throttling. Without turbo boost, have't seen my GPU ever throttle (Except when the fan gets clogged with dust and have to clean it) . Don't know whose idea it was to put a turbo boosting CPU and GPU on the same heat pipe knowing that it will heatup like hell.

Hope Alienware does a good job on the Skylake 15s. Waiting for them to come out.

 

yes thank you

 

Errrm what is wrong wit skinny jeans. Fashion doesn't make people weak in all of a sudden.

But I can say from my own experiences that carrying around3 to 4kg a day in a messenger bag is not good for your back. I did it for years and it is slowly but surely affecting your back which takes years to fully recover.

 

Skinny jeans are the root of all evil in today's society. War, famine, plagues, corrupt governments, the whole enchilada. Seriously, though, they are a part of a movement to emasculate the male population. The latest trend (see Will Smith's son) is now male skirts, for straight men. The skinny jeans also aid in "overpopulation" as they reduce male sperm count due to increased heat and constriction. But on the laptop, 7 lbs is not a brick and can be easily carried. Our ancestors carried shields and battle armor, along with heavy agricultural tools/equipment, so I promise we will survive.

 

LOL

 

I am planning on getting a AW 15/17 this month but i haven't found any discounts on it. Can you share the ones you found?

 

If you're a veteran sign up with myid. Com and they'll verify your service and you'll be eligible for military discounts which is usually 15% at Dell. My bank offers another 4% off if I shop through them as well as 3% cash back if I use my credit card. Dell also offers 5-10% dell advantage as well.

 

This is truth. Skinny jeans are the reason why dell switched to non- upgradeable parts in their new alienware line up and got rid of raid and sli configurations as they were deemed too manly for skinny jeans.

 

Microsoft stores website has the (Currently sold out) 17r2 980m with touch and 128ssd boot for 1799 - take off an additional 100 with their save100 code.
They also have the 15 with 970m 256gig SSD boot dive, 4k touch panel. Both models have the 4710, 16gb ram, and 1tb storage drive (5400rpm)

 

@ reptileexperts, The Microsoft deal is amazing to say the least. Unfortunately, like you said, it's out of stock. If someone else knows something like it, please do share. I know one on Newegg but its $1849 without touchscreen (has SSD and 16GB RAM).

Well, the thing is, i am an international graduate student planning to move to the US early next month for my studies if all goes well. So, i don't think i would be applicable for any of these offers (except the dell advantage one i think).

 

Yea it may be difficult to qualify for those discounts. Perhaps check your school and see if they have any dell discounts and good luck on your studies!

 

Not sure about the US prices or availability at Best Buy, but the Canadian Best Buy has the next best deal for the AW 15 (970m, 128gb SSD, 16gb RAM, i7 4710HQ, 1080p Screen, etc.). Check everywhere and compare, or you can wait a while for the MS store to go back in stock like I did (I waited about a month or so).

 

You just made my day

 

People in the past didnt live for like 80 years More like 40 and max 50. So I would not state that as an example .

And imo the whole idea that men must be super manly is ******** in my opinion. I am not the manly manly type but I am sure doing well in life. Strenght is the ability to create a good path in life. Not the ability to beat someone up or something like that.

Anyway just ordered an Alienware 15 and looking forward to trying it out. Hopefully not having the problems I read about on this forum. Had a Gigabyte p34wv3 before this and that laptop was so weak that it would bend in my laptop messenger bag,

 

If weakness of the structure is your main concern, you'll be plenty happy with the durability of these PC. However, if overheating rears its ugly head / intense throttling you may wish you had chosen otherwise. HOWEVER, I love mine, and have not seen a drop of the issues reported by other users.

FWIW BestBuy will price compare with direct competitors, but it has to be in stock online. If you manage to find it in stock from MS store, you can always go pick it up at BB locally and save face on shipping / handling time / have an immediate place to return it should you witness throttling / power issues.

 

The Gigabyte was quite terrible when it came to build quality. Had to repaste and udnervolt to stop throttling as much as possible. I got it quite stable in the end. But the bending of the casing was the last straw for me.

I ordered a 970 version so I expect the 180watt powersupply to be sufficient. Hopefully no throttling. But from what I read it depend on the bios?

 

It depends on a lot of factors it would seem. Best to try Bios A05 and monitor temps, if things get too hot to handle, either install a manual fan control, or downgrade to A00 - which is still the best bios IMO

 

Try the BIOS pre-installed on your model, then if there aren't any problems just leave it alone, for the better. I have A00 pre-installed on the signature addition and haven't found any serious problems other than loud fans, which I'd rather have than high temps.

 

A00 is still the best bios, reason being it doesn't have any of this hybrid bios crap, which I think heats things up considerably.

 

WTF is a hybrid bios? Is this something they did to address the need for the 240w PSU?

If that is the case that is redic... Thats just a bandaid which is inadvertently causing more problems. Just give everyone a 240w psu.

 

Yes- though my system was heavily discounted through the outlet, so was cheaper than a directly comparable Clevo (by some margin). After a rough experience with a Clevo reseller I am unlikely to go there again.