Ordered an Alienware m15

Just ordered an Alienware m15 Nebula Red

Here are the specs:

Custom Built Alienware M15 - 15.6" FHD 144Hz - RTX 2080 Max-Q - 90WHr Battery - Red
Chassis Color
Nebula Red - Soft-Touch Finish
Internal Battery
Lithium Ion (90 Wh) Battery - No 2.5" HDD/SSD Slot Available
Free Game Bundles
NVIDIA RTX Triple Threat - Anthem, Battlefield V, and Metro Exodus for laptops with RTX 2080
Processor
Intel 8th Generation "Coffee Lake" Core i7-8750H (2.2-4.1GHz) 6 Core - 12 Thread Processor, 9MB Smart Cache
Video Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2080 Max-Q w/ 8GB GDDR6
Thermal Interface Materials
Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut on CPU + GPU, and Fujipoly Extreme Thermal Pads on heat sensitive surfaces – BEST PERFORMANCE – installed by HIDevolution - $95.00
Alienware Graphics Amplifier
Alienware Graphics Amplifier - $200.00
LCD Panel
15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) 144Hz Anti-Glare IPS, 300-nits 72% color gamut, Narrow-Border Display
Minimize LCD Backlight Bleed
Yes, quality check and give me a panel with minimal backlight bleed. - $100.00
Display Warranty
2 Year Zero Defective Pixel Warranty (perfect panel guarantee) - $135.00
System Memory (RAM)
HIDevolution Approved Standard 64GB Dual Channel DDR4/2666MHz (2 x 32GB) - installed by HIDevolution - $660.00
RAID Options
RAID 0
M.2 SSD Slot 1 (supports PCIe or SATA)
Samsung 960 PRO 2TB M.2 PCIe3.0 x4 NVMe SSD - $0.00 (Swapped from my old MSI GT75 Titan Laptop)
M.2 SSD Slot 2 (supports PCIe or SATA)
Samsung 960 PRO 2TB M.2 PCIe3.0 x4 NVMe SSD- $0.00 (Swapped from my old MSI GT75 Titan Laptop)
Alternate Language Keyboard Laser Engraving - $179.00
Arabic 101
Alternate Language Keyboard Photo Upload
KA-U.A.E.-20871.jpg 800 x 305 px.
Wireless Cards
Killer™ Wireless-AC N1550 802.11 ac/a/g/n 2x2 NGFF w/ Bluetooth 5.0
Operating System
Windows 10 Home, 64bit, English, with Multi Language Support
Operating System Clean Install
None
Recovery Media (returns system back to factory state)
Patriot 128GB Supersonic Rage 2 Series USB 3.0 Flash Drive - $100.00
Office Software
None
Power Adapter
240 Watt 3 Prong AC Adapter with 6 ft Power Cord (will work worldwide, includes FREE plug adapter for those without "U.S. style" outlets)
Extra Power Adapter
240 Watt 3 Prong AC Adapter with 6 ft Power Cord - $100.00
Power Cord
2 x UK 6 Ft Power Cord C13 - $20.00
Warranty and Service
4 Years Premium Support + 4 Year HIDevolution US Warranty + LIFETIME HIDevolution Technical Support - $499.00
Accidental Damage Protection
4 Year Accidental Damage Service - $209.00
HIDevolution International Pre-paid Shipping (HIPS) Service
None
Carrying Case
Alienware Vindicator 15" Backpack v2.0 - $90.00

Mouse
Alienware Elite Gaming Mouse AW959 - $99.00
Mousepad
Razer Kabuto Mobile Mouse Mat (Black) RZ-KABUTO - $23.75
Headset
Alienware Wireless Gaming Headset AW988 - $250.00

 

Nice! Please let us know how it is.

Which gpu were you thinking for that amplifier?

 

I've chosen the 4 year warranty as Dell's Warranty can be transferred here in Dubai which is a big reason to why I prefer Alienware as opposed to other brands where I'd have to ship the laptop to the USA for warranty. So in this case, I ordered the Graphics amp with no external graphics card, just for future proofing as I plan to keep this for a long time.

 

I'm glad they decided to include the amp port as well.

I also have a amp but mine is in the closet, I've sold off my laptops except for my M18xR2. If I end up with the Area-51M I have an amp waiting.

 

Are you ordering one from HIDevolution as well?

I was looking at the ports you listed for the laptop and I see no SD Card slot. Is that right?

 

Honestly I'm going to wait to see how it performs. And I am also waiting because there's apparently a 240hz display coming later as well.

No SD slot unfortunately. Kinda wish they included one since I actually use mine still in my M18xR2.

 

240hz coming later? no ETA? I hope the display would be swappable what do you think?

 

As of now, we only know more displays are coming later. I believe by April?

The 240hz will be 1080p I think. This is what people have been saying at CES so for now idk if it's 100% confirmed. But multiple people have said it. Even in their reddit AMA they mentioned more displays coming later.

As for swappable..you should be able to replace the whole panel with lid no issue. As for just the panel, you might want to ask @Donald@HIDevolution if he has any info on that.

 

Way too early to say...but stay tuned.

 

This is the first Alienware I ever got exited over! Might buy one as well! Good luck!

 

Thanks man! I recommend you get it from the HIDevolution with the Silicon Lottery and their thermal mods to mitigate any heat issues.

Yes you're right, I miss the Alienware brand a lot, that was my dream laptop since I was a kid and all my dreams came to an end after the Alienware 18 with dual 780M GTX in SLI but now this got me super excited with a beefy CPU and the latest GPU + I love the styling of the laptop and I love the Alienware keyboards, the FN key on the MSI laptops is placed on the right hand side makes it useless to me because I usually use it in conjunction with the PRT SCR button or the FN + Home button to go to the first line but since it's on the right I'd have to remove my left finger from where it's resting to be able to press the FN key on the right. Thank God Alienware's keyboard layout is like a normal keyboard. Keyboards are super important for me as I'm typing all day long on my taptop

 

I literally watch every youtube clip on Area-51M, it's that exiting! I hope you enjoy the keyboard and finally being back to LGA socket. I might go the HIDevolution road on this one, since I believe they have a way of shipping to Europe without to much import fees. I will not go all out like you, but for sure i9-9900k and RTX 2080.

 

Trust me when I say that @ssj92 is definitely getting one , and I as well. I’m not ready to purchase at the moment.

I have waited for this type of model for a long time. I will mainly get it to tinker around. Lol

 

I'll be waiting for the newer panels but this is like a dream setup come true.

I hope hidevolution can manage to cool this thing although I'm keeping my expectations low for the 9900k. Just based on the notebookcheck reviews of clevo-based 9900k laptops, the 9900k seems to perform extremely poorly in laptops form. Again, not surprising but I'd like to be proven wrong. For anyone thinking of buying the 9900k config directly from Dell, I'd say buyer beware. After going through the overheating problems of the last gen, I will never buy an Alienware directly from Dell ever again.

 

Have you owned the M18x or M18xR2? The AW18 wasn't as good as its older brothers. This is the real successor to the M18xR2 if all goes well. Only wish it still had HDMI IN, MUX graphics switch and SD card reader like the M18xR2.

LOL I've also been waiting for this type of model and you're right. Now just @Raidriar left....I feel deep inside he wants one too.

 

Congrats mate !

Can't wait to have your feedack on this beast. I plan to order one but french store isn't up yet.

I will delid, repaste and repad myself though, as there's no service near me. It will remind me of my first laptop : a clevo D900.

 

Wow, you surely went all out! And ouch that price. Hopefully it arrives quickly. Enjoy your new system! Curious about how it will perform.

 

Holy smokes man. That's an insane build. Lol. I ordered one the other day myself. But, I'll be doing the memory and storage upgrades myself. Very curious to see how yours works with the thermal upgrades.

Oh a be sure to comment on how it fits in the backpack. I'll need to get something for it too for when I lug it around.

 

Nice....all in. Congrats. I hope someone finds a way to bypass the power limits to run the CPU at decent clocks.

 

Congrats on the purchase dude, I sure hope he/she runs efficiently dropping $7g's on a laptop!
Do you mind me asking why you chose such a HUGE amount of RAM, are you running VM's or something?

Also, will you do a full post on here when she arrives, including benching etc? @Ultra Male

Not going to lie - i have also owned every single 15 - 18"" Alienware from around 2011, since the m18x r2 - nothing has been a touch on that quality, maybe this will be different, i am slightly dubious on the thermals though, even with a repaste etc !

I have 2 17 r3's atm - with the 6820HQ - and the quality is just so dismal compared to the old school models, even the 17 r4 was "good" on the outside, but internally it was just a flimsy bga board.

 

As for the RAM I just get the max RAM on any machine I buy from the get go as I don't wanna deal with compatibility issues in the future trying to find the exact RAM and also no not have any doubt that Dual Channel Rate is working or not depending on which combo of slots the RAM is installed in.

Yes surely I will make a full reciew and video as well and this thread will detail the build process with images as they becone available so stay tuned.

 

I will follow you closely, do you have an ETA on the delivery date. @Ultra Male

 

No I only had the Alienware 18 and it wasn't a great experience other than loving the chassis, build quality, and the brand but I did like the on-site support and the fact that they changed my laptop for free 3 times giving me a free GPU upgrade each time from 680 GTX in SLI to 770 to 780 with an upgraded COU 4949MX due to them not having stock of my old machine that's why I went with the 4 year warranty

 

Then don't complain about slow boot vs. others You could of course ask HID if they can put them in a antistatic bag when shipping. Put them in your laptop when you see you will need them

 

I'm mixed on it, as @TheReciever made an excellent point earlier in calling this a "model that lacked direction". 90% certain I will sit this one out alongside @Mr. Fox , it just doesn't speak to me strongly or give me the confidence I want in using a "high performance" DTR.

Besides, somebody has to support the old machines.

 

Holy crap almost $8k. Good luck with it. Waiting on the sidelines to see where the industry will go from here. Hopefully more competition will drop these prices. Alienware can basically set the bar and charge as high as they want as there are not too many on the market in 2019.

 

We will get updated drivers thread for Alienware which we have been missing for long. RAM are expensive and extra RAM always helps.

 

128gb ram is just way over the top. You will never need it. 64gb is even overkill. I have 32gb and my system doesn’t even use close to that.

 

He can use it as RAM cache drive or RAM disk to store everything in RAM.

 

Exactly, like you see all the Alienware 17M (the new ones) with over heating issues? The ones from HIDevolution I am told have 0 issues thanks to their thermal mods. I dunno what magic they do but it's not just thermal paste they have their own internal mods Donald from HIDevolution told me which they will not disclose and I understand that.

I think it should fit I will let them test it at HIDevolution if it fits before they ship it to me. Worst case scenario I'll just use my current Everki Titan it can fit a car in there but I really would like to be able to use the Alienware backpack.

I know but I plan to keep this for a long time hence why I got the 4 year warranty and I always max at out the RAM in any system I buy because...who knows... you know...

I can always use it as a RAM Disk or for extra caching speed using PrimoCache

Be smart.... be like Ultra Male and max out your RAM...

 

I just noticed the dell website has area51m bags under accessories if you're buying the Area51m. Doesn't look like you can buy them seperate as of yet and only the gear bag has any pictures that I can find. So hopefully when it's released these bags will be available. I hope they lool like the ones the m15/m17 have. Those are slick.

 

Yeah this is the one I ordered:

 

Ordered one aswell 9700k(delidded), 2080 + repaste. Thankfully I have my Alienware Vindicator 2.0 backpack from a returned 17R4 a few years ago. Good thing I kept it, hopefully the 51m fits in it lol!

 

It should bro. It's 17 inch afterall.

 

Hopefully, the dimensions seem off though. The 51m is almost a perfect square. I read the backpack dimensions and it seems its off a half an inch however it may fit with some wiggling.

 

Damn bro, you were one year too late. I think you would have loved the M18xR2. The build design/quality is still unmatched in a laptop of this category. I'm sure you'll like the Area-51M build if you liked the AW18.

I'll be keeping my M18xR2 as well regardless of whether I get this, a Clevo , or w/e. So i'll be there supporting it too for awhile. I have no plan to sell it. We got two left in the family. My other two friends got rid of theirs

Careful, my friend ordered a AW17 R4 awhile back and couldn't fit it in the backpack. I'm not sure if it was the 1.0 or 2.0 back though. It was just a tad too big.

 

Be careful of where you purchase from. There's a post floating around about the Area 51m and voiding the warranty from Dell with a repaste, CPU upgrade or something.

 

Directly from Azor himself “you need Dells *special* thermal paste” or your warranty is gone. In short... Buy paste from Dell and re-paste before tech support visits you or you have to send it in. But the question is... Will Dells useless outsourced tech support guys see the difference between Dell paste or the one you prefer? In house repair... Most likely.

 

The Dell outsourced tech support didn't even know how to open my previous Alienware 18 taptop and ended up breaking the hinges then Dell gave me a new taptop with an upgraded GPU

 

Only if its the shiny LM. Otherwise the couldn't tell the difference between this or that grey goop.

 

Dell should do something smart. Add in special color pigment in their *special* paste. They are known for proprietary solutions. So why not? Or just use their usual thermal stamps (with redish or fancy pink colors). Remember most colors can be used outside white and greyish. Problem solved

 

Just buy color die and mix it with the thermal paste right before the tech comes. You'll loose 90% performance but it's just for the tech right? LOL

 

Of course they'll notice. "Hey why isn't the thermal paste oozing over the sides and why isn't it dry?"

 

I can get away with that since I live in Dubai and the temps reach 50C in the summer, I'll tell the Dell Tech that the heat caused the thermal paste to melt.

 

How much does shipping cost for this system to get delivered to Dubai? Any custom taxes?

I think your Area 51M will be the most decked out system to exist out in the wild. 128GB Ram ! Damn!

Call it the "*****slapper" or something along these lines...

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

Around 500 USD Bro (ouch!) For customs, email [email protected] so he can better explain this to you.

Are you getting one from HIDevolution with their thermal mods to prevent overheating or getting it directly from Dell and take chances whether or not it operates at decent temps?

BTW, when you buy it, if you opt for the international warranty, then once you get it here, you can call Dell and have them transfer your warranty locally so they can send you the on-site support technician at your home and you never have to worry about shipping it back to the US for any warranty claims.

 

Damn. 500$ !!! My heart just sank! Damn¡

I'm planning on Hidevolution especially for their thermal mods because we all know that this is going to be a hot system.

I'll keep posting the updates here. I hope I can get some discounts somewhere because my budget is 3500$ including shipping and things aren't looking too optimistic at the moment.

I'll keep following up your reviews with extra attention because I trust you and the guys in this forum than any other reviewer out there. So, you're doing God's work. Hehe

But 500$.... ****!


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Well thinking about it, rather spending 1850AED on just shipping alone, I am wondering if I'm better off waiting for this laptop to reach Dubai and buy from here. I can do the repaste with LM on my own. Virgin megastore and some other outlets should have it right? What do you think?

By the way, how much are asking for that old MSI beast of yours? I'm having serous second thoughts now... might have to settle for the older generation. It's slightly out of my 3500$ budget.

This Area 51m better be the best Alienware of its generation for me to drop 4000$ on it.

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I think you may get a laptop with worse hardware (Screen,SSD,Thermals,heatsink etc) because of rushed orders. The reason to get from HID is to avoid useless chat talk, scripted talks and wait time to get the laptop customized to your liking with HID backing you up in case of any problems rather than involving Dell.
There might be no extended SW support for older generation of AW 15/17 since they're EOL! I wouldn't recommend that option.
If you had a teleporter device to go from UAE to HID HQ then its good time to use it to save shipping costs. Shipping costs are insane in my country too.

 

Don't scare me with such talk man.
You know one thing I've never had trouble with dell products is their screens. Unless I'm just lucky I've yet to get a screen from them with unexceptional edge bleed or dezd pixels. Heat and battery drain while using the laptop plugged in on the other hand has been pretty prevalent.

 

Its not scare tactics. At least you can return the laptop to dell within grace period.