Joining the Alienware Ranks, but I have a concern....

I ordered an amazing machine just a few hours ago, and I am super excited. I also feel like I got a great deal. Here are the specs and price:

Subtotal $1,898.00

Tax $166.02

Shipping and Handling $0.00

Environmental Fee $0.00

Total $2,064.02

Description Quantity Unit Price Subtotal Price

Alienware 15 R2 1 $1,898.00 $1,898.00

210-AFTR Alienware 15 1 - -

490-BCZG NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GTX 980M with 8GB GDDR5 1 - -

338-BISW Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6820HK (Quad-Core, 8MB

619-AHCY Windows 10 Home (64bit) English 1 - -

391-BCMY 15.6 inch UHD (3840 x 2160) IGZO IPS Anti-Glare 1 - -

Cache, Dynamically Overclocked up to 4.1GHz)

370-ACLR 16GB Dual Channel DDR4 2133MHz (8GBx2) 1 - -

400-AJSK 256GB PCIe SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s

750-AAKE Xbox 360 Wireless Controller / Black 1 - -

555-BCRM Killer 1535 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1 1 - -

451-BBMY 8 Cell 92W Hour Battery 1 - -

340-ACQQ No Option Included 1 - -

580-ACTO English Keyboard 1 - -

583-BCQG Alienware 6 programmable Macro module keys 1 - -

450-AAGO US Power Cord 1 - -

450-AAJI 240W AC Adapter 1 - -

332-1530 Dell.com Order 1 - -

340-AGUD Safety/Environment and Regulatory Guide

332-1530 Dell.com Order 1 - -

658-BCUO Additional Software 1 - -

525-0016 Dropbox, Digital Delivery, 20GB for 1 year

340-AAPP Directship Info Mod 1 - -

340-AUNR Alienware 15 R2 Shipping box 1 - -

332-1286 US Order 1 - -

631-AATS Skylake Driver 1 - -

340-ASNB Placemat (English,French,BRPT,Spanish) 1 - -

555-BCRW Killer Wireless 1535 Driver 1 - -

817-BBBB No FGA 1 - -

389-BHOX Regulatory Label 1 - -

800-BBKV FREE game with purchase of a GeForce GTX 700

658-BCSC Microsoft Office Software Image 1 - -

817-BBBP None Included 1 - -

801-2185 Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Initial Year 1 - -

803-1695 Premium Support with Onsite Service After Remote

803-1713 Premium Support, 1 Year 1 - -

389-BHGE Intel Core i7 Processor Label 1 - -



My main concern is the 4k screen. I requested a 1080 since I can barely see certain interface text in games at 1080 anyway, and I doubt the 980m will be that great at 4k. My question is, if I stick with the 4k screen but game in 1080, will graphics be negatively affected? I mean, I am happy with the mistaken 4k upgrade, since the screen is 300 nits vs. the FHD 220 nits, but I don't know if I will be happy with the resolution. Any ideas?

 

Actually both screens are a bad choice

1080p for resolution, but reading your specs closer I saw the 1080p is only 220 nit, very very dim.

I would request a cancellation, and get an MSI or Clevo - Alienware isn't a good choice right now...

I tried to change my vote to No vote, but I had to pick something, so the lesser of 2 evils is the 4k, but that will suck for apps that don't scale.

 

I just ordered this exact machine but paid 800 more dollars, considering cancelling after reading about all the BGA ******** these days with alienware. Where did you order it for that cheap? is it used?

 

BGA may be a problem for some, but for 99% of us we use it just fine

Alienware is the problem, they are not having a good time delivering product, and when it does get delivered there is a higher rate of complaints being posted here about problems. Some are ok, but in the long term it's better to roll the dice with another maker, for now at least.

 

The 1080P screen is tested to have only 180 nit at Notebookcheck reviews A big downgrade from previous Echo models early 2015 Here you have to choose between the plague or cholera. I would rather say none of the screens.

 

As an owner of AW 17r2 I'd definitely suggest you to get a clevo instead of AW. This laptop has been a nightmare for me. Why not get a clevo? You would be able to OC much more instead of trying your system to work at stock clocks.

 

Good luck with that. Check the "8GB thread".

 

I have got the 1080p LG panel and it's great. Windows at 100% is very usable. Scaling, even minor at 125%, is a blurry fail to unusable apps spectrum of experiences.

 

THe 1080p screen with low brightness seems to be a fluke, other users report a less bad brightness panel. I have the R1 with the 300nits panel though which is really a good panel. However I would rather go for the 4K one if I had the choice at that time. Why? scaling on 200% looks great and only a few apps do not scale but this will become less and less while 4K is becoming the standard. Also the 4K panel is exceptionally good even slightly surpassing the Macbook pro 15 retina screens which are one of the best panels in the business. For games you can run anything on 1080p and the pixels simply will be doubled and it is very hard to notice the difference.

That you have a problem does not mean that everyone has this problem, another side of the problem is that you cannot use your warranty or else Alienware would correct it. I do not have any performance issues and can enjoy my alienware at full boost speeds 24/7 while even OC-ing the GPU. I would take the Alienware any day of similar Clevo's. I only recommend going for Clevo if you want their laptops which can be upgraded.

 

I cancelled a Clevo order to get the Alienware. I've owned one before, and I was not impressed with the build quality. From what I understand the current Clevo models have a build quality about equal to MSI, and I am extremely displeased with my MSI.

After watching some Youtube videos. I think I will be okay with the 4k screen, although I appreciate everyone's input.

 

The build quality on the Clevo's isn't bad.. I have a P771ZM and it's pretty good IMO.. The Lid isn't as well built as Alienware but that's fine... I would suggest cancelling and getting a Clevo too..

 

If I were to get a Clevo, it would be the 750DM model. With identical hardware configuration as the AW15, I'm coming up about $200 higher. Plus, this model is only available with the i7 6700 vs the 6820 in the AW.

I'll give the 15 a shot. If it doesn't show up on time, as configured and performing to my expectations, and they don't offer a credit or free swag, I'll send it back and give the Clevo a try.

At this point though, I've tried everything but Alienware (Asus, Clevo, gigabyte, and MSI) and nothing has checked all the boxes for me. If this doesn't work out...well **** I guess I will just stick with my current MSI system.

 

Hate to say it wonky but I'm pretty sure the clevo P75xDM's i7 6700k is the desktop CPU which entirely blows the BGA i7 6820hk out of the water. I'm considering canceling my order and just cross my fingers that alienware can integrate mxm or some socketable processor/gpus in their newer future models. Otherwise hate to say I might never look back.

 

Hmmmmm

Curse you people! My mind was totally made up yesterday.

I'll sleep on it.

 

Its a bigger machine though, a bit of a different class. I do think the clevo will have a hard time keeping the cpu cool. The cooling solution is hardly bigger than the alienwares.

The Clevo is really a desktop replacement, so you give up some portability, battery run time etc for some more performance and the ability to upgrade (potential, because the newest geforce 980 mxm board doesnt fit the machine, no clue if newer cards will have a different format as well
0.

 

What's the battery life? 45 min?

 

Haha! Listen, I would really not try Alienware... Getting a refund will make you literally cry... Ask @T2050... It took him 2 months to get his money back... Alienware's CS has gone to the dogs ever since Micheal Dell bought back Dell..

Get a P750DM... It will cost slightly more initially however you have a desktop CPU, 2.5" HDD slots , easily accessible CPU and GPU compartment to repaste them and on the whole, unlike the AW no throttling problems

It really depends.. I usually can see about 1hr - 1hr 20 of anime with power saving mode and screen on 90% brightness... You can get up to 2-3 while doing web surfing, document writing if you tweak settings more.. Don't expect miraculous battery life lol

Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk

 

Not quite as bad as I thought. Interesting. This Clevo is a pos: sible alternative for my botched AW15 R2 (4GB VRAM): http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/7985/
Will give it a think.

 

You have a point however given the fact that clevo has released its P870DM which is equipped with a mobile-desktop GTX 980 and a desktop 6700K, it's a much better option.

 

That laptop is like twice the price of the average Alienware 17 R3.......also much heavier. But its a totally different style machine ofcourse.

It is the price realm of in where I rather buy a high end but not the most high end laptop and a good much more powerful desktop. 4000euro for a laptop is just nuts in my opinion with those mid range desktop specs. Because thats what it is. a midrange desktop in a laptop chassis.

 

It's not 4k Euros, it's $2800

 

I suppose I should edit the title of the post. Leaving the Alienware ranks. I checked out a few of the the Clevo models referenced throughout this thread, but they were a bit too bulky for my taste, and I also have some concerns about a laptop cooling system trying to handle any type of desktop component. As such, I have gone with the following build:

Product Quantity Unit price Subtotal
Sager NP8658 - Special! / Clevo P650RG 1 $2,063.00 $2,063.00
Configuration:

Product Amount Unit price Subtotal
1 TB HGST Travelstar™ 7K1000 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drive 1 $0.00 $0.00
15.6” Full HD 16:9 LED-Backlit (1920 x 1080) Clear LG IPS MATTE G-SYNC™ Technology! 1 $0.00 $0.00
16GB DDR4 PC4-17000 2133MHz Memory (2x8GB) - SPECIAL! 1 $0.00 $0.00
6th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-6700HQ Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.50 GHz) 1 $0.00 $0.00
Embedded 4 cells Polymer battery pack 60WH 1 $0.00 $0.00
FREE UPS Ground (CONUS Only) 1 $0.00 $0.00
Guaranteed no dead or partially-lit pixels for first 30 days of purchasing - SPECIAL! 1 $0.00 $0.00
IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU - SPECIAL! 1 $0.00 $0.00
Intel® Dual Band Ultra Wireless-AC 8260 M.2 AC + Bluetooth 4.2 Combo Card - Special! 1 $0.00 $0.00
LIFETIME Limited Labor and 2 Years Premium** Parts Warranty 1 $0.00 $0.00
No Canada Warranty 1 $0.00 $0.00
Non-RAID Storage 1 $0.00 $0.00
NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 980M with 8GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® G-SYNC™ 1 $0.00 $0.00
OFF 1 $0.00 $0.00
Remove Branding 1 $0.00 $0.00
Rush Order Service - Shipping within 2 business days (not including day of order) 1 $49.00 $49.00
Samsung® 850 EVO™ M.2 500GB SSD 3D V-NAND - (Primary Drive C) - (Free Game Offer*) 1 $90.00 $90.00
Windows® 10 Home 64-Bit Edition Preinstalled, (with 64-Bit USB Recovery Media) 1 $105.00 $105.00

 

I just checked the confg and with a 980 and the deskop K series CPU it costs 3500 euro with an SSD, extra harddisk etc. It was 4000 when reviewed with the 980.

 

The build you chose is not with the desktop CPU's etc. So you are pretty much getting just the same laptop as the alienware in an in my opinion worse chassis, but you do get G sync.

 

Makes sense. Incidentally I feel like returning my AW15 R2 and getting that exact model...

 

How about (in addition to gsync):
* Real 8GB 980M (hopefully - it's the only mem config offered)
* 64GB RAM support
* 4 sodimm slots = higher memory throughput
* 0.5kg less weight and slimmer
* Looks like a better full size keyboard
* Fingerprint scanner
* No panel lottery
* No hdd lottery
* Additional SATA slot
* Better price
* No need to interact with ridiculous Dell CS.

Downsides are limited to the lack of GA and 30% weaker battery.

 

Actually he is getting a much better laptop.. 4 RAM slots, 2 2.5" slots, better screen then the crap ones on the 15 and a whole lot better laptop! Enjoy Op!

Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk

 

I would not get a Clevo.

While Dell's CS is ****, they have policies in place and resolve issues (eventually). Sometimes a tech will come to you as well. I've had that experience, I also had a time where I had to send in a machine to Dell and with 2 overnight shipments (there and back) the whole process took less than a week and my machine was fixed. No hassle whatsoever.

Just my personal opinion, but the Clevo's look like garbage. They are so ugly, and yes, I do value aesthetics and build quality.

Just my 2 cents, I will never go with Clevo. I am not a AW fanboy by any means. I also like the Asus ROG machines, but went with dell because I believe the GA is an awesome solution!

 

Not sure about build and aeathetics. Check this one out:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Schenker-XMG-P506-Clevo-P651RE-Notebook-Review.152021.0.html

Aluminum chasis! Looks like a AW15 killer, unless you really need GA and value it over the extra RAM (I don't).

The reseller mysn.co.uk are by all accounts excellent. They are actually active on this forum... I effed up by ordering AW15.

 

Sorry man, I think it looks fugly If I were going into the military, this might be good... not for sitting on my desk It's personal preference tho, some people love Clevo's, I say go for it, I'm not going to sway you from it. Just not my cup of tea. I also like the resale value of AW's... but again, it's not a competition, get whatever you want. I want an AW ... hopefully my 8GB will ship soon! I'm gonna order a 980ti soon too for my Amp!

 

I think you are being a bit too harsh here. AW15 isn't exactly that amazingly looking in the first place (I wouldn't be brave enough to whip it out in a company cantine full of aluminum macbooks) and the rubberized coating is a mess.
I don't want to have to hope I get what I paid for, and I do have a proper desktop so I can connect my desktop GPU to the host system over PCIe x16

 

Not harsh in my mind, but again, it's personal preference so there's no need to debate it. I like my choice. The fact that we didn't get the 8GB is an anomaly. It's a mistake they shouldn't have made and their CS just doesn't understand... but beyond that, I have no problem with my purchase. I even tried to cancel my exchange, because this machine rocks! For some reason they can't do that, lol. Oh well! I'll check out the new one when it arrives in a few weeks I'm sure.

 

Man, I can't even get an exchange from those Dell people. As you can see they flat out lie to people telling them an exchange is impossible and shipping 8GB builds to other folks. This is no way to conduct business.

As for your preference, fair enough, although for the record I am currently leaning towards the view that the Clevo P651/XMG P506 will be a better option for me based on the following points:
1) 64GB
2) again, Real 8GB VRAM Technology (TM)
3) lighter
4) aluminium chasis - should more robustly handle commute stress
5) transparency about components used - it has the same FHD LG panel I somehow won from Dell (it's a 300 nits panel actually)
6) Fantastic support judging by the activity in the Clevo section of this forum
7) Affordable Win 10 Pro option off the bat
8) Can choose not to have the Killer NIC (less driver pain and linux support)

Check it out:
http://mysn.co.uk/xmg-p506-gaminglaptop

 

If you're not happy, I'd suggest returning it for a refund and buying the Clevo. There's no need to convince me. I just happily prefer AW's for my own reasons... I could go into, but they don't apply to you. I also like the 4k screens, again, my preference and I have my reasons.

You just need to understand how large USA corporations work. Play the game "so to speak". If you follow the process, you'll likely have no problems. The minute the train derails, they have processes in place to handle it, but again, it takes time and you have to ride those rails. The fact is, you have some guy in India (Customer Service) who doesn't know about the issues with the factory in China (Manufacturer) and doesn't understand what the difference between the 2 video cards. It's clearly an uphill battle not for the feign of heart. It also is something they want to avoid, the amount of money lost with my order is staggering... 1 return, 1 new order (wrong), 1 exchange on the way... all shipping fee's they have paid for (all overnight shipping), all CS time they have paid for. True, it was their fault, but I understand time is money. They don't want to F around.

I'm not defending them, they F'd up, and I'm about 50/50 this laptop coming tomorrow will be the correct one, lol. I'm fine either way, I'll soon have a 980ti monster to use anyway. (Cleaning up my drool thinking about it).

We may disagree, but have a good new years!

P.S. If you press harder on the exchange, they should fold. Not sure on the UK policies tho.

 

Jeff, I can see where you are coming from, but let's not generalize too much. Would you expect something like this to happen at Apple (obviously a corporation which dwarfs Dell)?
I also think that the way Clevo resellers operate (check out that nice detailed configurator if you haven't already), is really how I would like notebook manufacturing business to work - so it makes sense to support the model of choice. BTW Apple are on the opposite end of the spectrum - won't even reveal the CPU model

Even if Dell offer me an exchange tomorrow, I'm not sure how reliable that offer would be or - more generally - what full set of components might be delivered. Concretely, would I win the pretty decent 300 nits FHD LG panel again? Quite unlikely, and I def wouldn't want an inferior panel. OTOH I know exactly what panel I'm getting in a Clevo. I am also quite keen to get 64GB RAM support, which is something Dell would only offer at a huge premium with a crappy quadro card in their precision line.

Thanks, and have a good one too! Apparently, we have been through quite a bit of a journey on the Dell train, so I hope our ultimately very much first world problems will soon be resolved - this way or another

 

Ha! So true! I also do wish Dell/AW would allow me to set the specific parts as well

 

Just some aluminum pieces stuck on a plastic frame......in fact many youtube reviewers are not so fond of the clevo build quality. In fact I consider this lying to the customers. When they say aluminum chassis I expect full aluminum. But the bottom panel is plastic, the bottom frame is plastic and just the palmrest and screen lid are aluminum. This is the same case as with the Gigabyte p34w laptop series. Aluminum pieces on top of plastic and it does flex till there is no tomorrow. The Gigabyte was the most poorly build laptop I ever had and reviewers are complaining about the Clevo screen lid for being too weak as well.

 

Turns out AW was unable to cancel, so both systems should be arriving on the same day. I'll play with both and send one back.

Agreed that gigabyte is total crap. The p35g was easily the most poorly built, hot, and loud gaming notebook that I have owned (out of nine total).

What is aluminum on the AW 15? As far as I can tell, only the lid surface is aluminum. The rest is carbon fiber or plastic, right?

 

In the inside there is a metal frame, i dont know what type of metal, could be aluminum or magnesium. The hinges and motherboard are mounted on this piece. I dont like plastics but the alienware is most easily the most well built plastic laptop that I have worked with.

I would love it if Clevo would do a m15x style magnesium/aluminum frame laptop. The aluminum panels that a lot of manufacturers just glue on top of a plastic frame are purely for looks.

 

7 vs 3TB storage But as said; You can buy a nas or 1 or two portsble ssd's when you run out of storage space

 

Of course AW were unable to cancel - welcome onboard the Dell train, sir

When are the deliveries scheduled for? I'm literally sitting on a fence here.

 

My top 3 concerns about the Clevo at the moment are: battery life (even in the mobile CPU model), build quality and thermal management. That said the XMG P506 is a top gaming laptop on notebookcheck. Need more info on how serious those issues are.

 

The thing is, all those gaming laptops we have issues with are reviewed fairly well by various websites including notebookreview and notebookcheck. The Gigabytes also which I found to be terrible. I wonder whats up. Are we too much a bunch of critics or are the reviewers not thorough enough.

I would consider the Clevo though if the battery capacity was better and could endure more cycles.

 

Well, that's a good point - any given review is likely going to be representative of a best possible usage scenario, given that
* The reviewers are sent the best possible unit by the supplier
* The reviewers are unlikely to be subjected to standard customer service, which happens to be pretty much a disaster in the case of Dell
* The review time is likely to be fairly short
* Sample size is 1 (and heavily biased)

What do you mean? Yes - the Clevo P651 battery is 60 Whr vs 92, but would assume both can do 300 cycles (unlike Macbook Pro batteries which can handle 1000 cycles)

 

The thing is that reviewers like Linus tech tips do point the flaws out.

Regarding the battery, the Alienware can handle more, they do no state it anywhere but the Toshiba cells used are excellent and one of the best in the business. I had a Samsung laptop that could handle 2000 and the Macbooks nowadays can handle more than 1000 too. 300 is really considered fairly low end these days. The Gigabyte that I had (and i had 2 replacements) had simplo cellpacks and i could see it degrade going from 0.3% wear to 6.7% wear in 3 months time. Clevo's have simplo cell packs too. I am not too fond of those. Apple switched away from simplo as well due to failures in ipads.

 

@rinneh: hmm, I'm pretty sure I saw Dell specify 300 cycles for the 92Whr battery... check this out:

http://downloads.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_laptop/esuprt_alienware_laptops/alienware-15-r2_Reference Guide_en-us.pdf

Any specific Linus tech tips you are referring to in this context?

 

Hmm. But @rinneh said 300 is really considered fairly low end these days. So Dell use low end quality batteries in their high end laptop models also? Or have I misunderstood something?

 

I think you deduced the unimaginable

To be fair, I have yet to find corresponding info, or equivalent manuals for that matter, for Clevo P651RG/XMG 506 (the direct competitor of AW15) - but right off the bat, the battery there is only 60Whr and I would be quite surprised if it was a high-end model.

 

BTW there is more confusion around the battery. Clevos have this smart charging feature, where it won't charge if the battery charge is over 80%, which will likely extend its life. Dell on the other hand provide express charging in the AW15, which - while convenient - I imagine negatively affects battery life...

 

I just checked the pdf file and it surprises me because somewher eon their website in on eof their battery faqs it says that their current batteries can last for a 1000cycles, this on laptop models from a few years ago. But I cannot find it anymore. The thing is, they do use high quality cells so I expect them to last longer. Maybe one of the Alienware representatives can give us a shed of light on this matter?

BUt the battery health is very stable in my AW15 but the Gigabyte I had went from 0.3% to 6% and higher in a few months time which had Simplo cell's. Apple also stopped using Simplo cells due to problems in their products with those battery packs. So it affected my choice to buy a Clevo because....they use Simplo cell packs .

That function of the Clevo only prevents it from making full cycles, a full cycle is more damaging than a smaller than full cycle. But it is also a fact that the faster you charge a battery the longer i lasts because the process of crystallization inside of the cells is shorter.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2683...last-slow-charging-may-not-be-the-answer.html

Cant check them now directly because there are a ton of new videos on both hardware cannucks and linustechtips. But it was the video from linustechtips where they reviewed one of the latest high end Clevo laptops about how it was very well performin gbut th ebuild quality was so-so. Hardware cannucks did one earlier about the Clevo 15inch with a Geforce 970 bga inside on which he commented the screenlid was not up to par compared to the rest of the laptop but he still liked it. I dont remember the Clevo model number but it was the one with the 3 fans inside. I almost bought that laptop but the batterylife was too short and I did not like to have 3 fans in such a small laptop. Rather have 2 with a bigger heatsink.