Ordered an Alienware m15

I have the same problem. I want to order an 51m from HIDevolution but i need to pay 700€ VAT (Austria) (9700K del, 2080RTX, no ram, no ssd). Shipping is not the Problem at all ~ 150€ i think. I have also a conversation with Donald from HID about this, but i dont know what to do. There is no offer from dell.DE atm to compare prices and do stuff like delid + repaste by myself.

 

Silicon Lottery definitely has its place. You pay a premium to avoid drawing a short straw by getting a poorly binned sample of a CPU that runs hotter and takes more voltage. It's less important on a desktop with excellent cooling, but it still has merit. On a laptop with thermal management challenges it's more meaningful because a nicely binned CPU sample is going to run cooler using less voltage. On a desktop it has merit if you want a nicely binned CPU that should deliver a better than average overclocking experience. If you don't care about either of those things and you are content to let the chips fall where they may playing the roulette wheel to save a few bucks, then Silicon Lottery is a waste of money.

It is definitely possible to get a superior CPU without paying Silicon Lottery for a cherry picked sample, but you're paying them for a legitimate service and mitigating the risk of randomly drawing a short straw in the game of chance.

 

Good point. You guys and gals all know that if you call your home insurance company most have accidental computer insurance for very little. I have USAA and it cost me 25 dollars a year for this insurance, and it is much easier than dealing with dell that is for sure.


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I’ve never even heard of silicon lottery. I get what it is however just never even knew that was a thing. You would think that Intel would not like that, because it’s saying their build quality is poor.


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I will say I’ve never spent this much on a computer either, I’ve always waited for the new to come out and buy the old at a deep discount. However I’m very excited about this laptop and knew it is worth the higher price point. So I get why the OP ought his to...


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Yes it definitely nice but 7k. That hurts

 

The laws are a tiny bit different in India and UAE.

 

Safeware is also a good option for expensive computers and other electronics. I have used them before. They offer full insurance coverage, including theft.

https://www.safeware.com/About-Us/The-Safeware-Story

 

I would guess so. Is the OP not in the US?


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No, he is not in the US.

 

Since @Ultra Male is no longer buying one of these, maybe this thread should be closed so it does not become another off-topic repository for random chit-chat.

 

What changed?

 

Most likely due Good advices from good old friends.

 

I don't know for sure. The absolutely obscene price alone would have been a good enough reason. Waiting to see how it turns out when other people spend their money first would have been an equally good reason. There are not any meaningful critical reviews out yet, so waiting for a few of those is also a good idea. All I have seen so far is marketing hype and CES hoopla. We need to see some truly serious reviewers like GamersNexus and AHOC torturing it for all its worth. Someone who will tear it down and critically analyze how things are made, how much effort went into the design of the motherboard, power delivery system, thermal management components, etc. Just like they do the desktop components and GPUs.

To keep all of the marketing hype in proper perspective, I think some very basic things need to be explored in more depth. Stuff like how many power phases are there, and how does that compare to a typical high-end enthusiast grade desktop Z390 motherboard, how robust are the VRMs and what are they doing to keep those in check, etc.

As good as it would be to see it, it's not very likely Dell will send one to any reviewers like Steve Burke or Buildzoid. They'll probably take the extra safe route if any go out for reviews and send them to the more tolerant reviewers with lower expectations and more likely to give it a pass on mediocrity, like David Lee or Linus... as they'll focus on aesthetics and specs more than results, as usual. It's got to be better than a Razer turdbook, and Linus thought (or pretended to think) they were good products. Then again, Linus really wasn't all that kind in his reviews of Alienware's crippled desktops, so maybe they won't send him one based on how that turned out for them.

 

I think it was a wise decision. 7k is a lot of money to purchase and without any reviews. Also he definitely could and will in the future get a better price. Impulse purchases are the worst sometimes!

 

Agreed. The price truly is obscene! Even with basic configurations in the US, it's comes to 4k easily. For us overseas users, it's going to be 5k with a 16GB Ram configs.

Moreover, the reviews are going to be biased as hell. Same old crap from the famous reviewers will come out first. We might be well into March before this machine gets a proper rundown from truly trustworthy reviewers.

Dell needs to put their money where their mouth is and needs to prove that this machine is a thermally managed well designed laptop and not like the debacle they've been producing since 2014! I am not expecting anything ground breaking though.

But, with all that being said, I might buy one because I am in desperate need of an upgrade and if this system is one that can be fixed by the end-user, I'll give it a shot just because my Dell experiences with a Dell warranty in the past deservers I shot them little bit of my loyalty. It has truly been exceptional. No other company comes close in India and the UAE.



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If you haven't noticed... Notebookcheck.net haven't reviewed Alienware 17R5 with the unlocked i9-8950Hk. Dell is probably damn glad they didn't send an unit with this specs. Would be a disaster review!

And yees... Seen more crappy statement posted in an OEM sales webpage? Of course David isn't an employee at Dell. But still PAID by Dell in one way or another.

 

That's really good. Dell really must offer those kind of protection. Usually they offer protection for accidental damage and device malfunctioning.

 

@Ultra Male

What made you cancel your order?

I see you have the MSI branding back on your sig.

 

I so want this machine to be good. I actually want to get one! But as said many times in this and other threads - AW need to answer the important questions, anything less I’m going with my suspicions being that they’ve got too much to hide and they’ve yet to put it through it’s paces to know its shortcomings.

Aesthetically its beautiful in my books. But a 1080p screen is a tough pill to swallow. 4K 60hz (anything) is an instant deal breaker.
It’s hard to resist the appeal of a upgradable (if not at least serviceable) machine but AW are going to be locking this thing down hard.

What puts my nose out of joint is they’ve offered a 9900k without allowing enough power and thermal overhead to set it free. I’m certain it will be thermal throttling as most other post 2014 machines.
I would have had more respect if they’d acted more responsibly towards unsuspecting customers and sold it with a 9700k as a max config due to the inherent thermal/power limitations and let modders go for a 9900k at their own peril. This disregard for their customers already feels a little too familiar.

 

You know what this post isn't getting the attention it deserves. Every time I see my old AW 18 (now handed down to my son) boot up I'm reminded of all the helpful, technically-detailed posts from Mr Fox back when it was shiny and new. I imagine your time here will necessarily diminish given your focus back to the desktop scene but just a shout-out to thank you for all youv'e done to help!

 

I just realized something:

Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut between Intel CPU Die and Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS) + GPU, Gelid GC Extreme between IHS + Heat Sink, and Fujipoly Extreme Thermal Pads on heat sensitive surfaces – BEST PERFORMANCE - installed by HIDevolution - $30.00

"Between CPU Die and IHS" so HIDEvolution delids the 9900K as well? @Donald@HIDevolution

 

Yes, that is correct

 

That is because HIDevolution is awesome. They do things the way I would do them.

What some might consider overkill and excess should really be viewed as normal and ordinary.

 

have you tried lower each individual core voltage on your all core 5.2ghz OC for lower temps, or even try 5.3

 

No. Too much effort for too little return on the individual core voltage. I can do 5.3GHz but performance goes down a little because I cannot keep it cold enough under load with the water chiller, so it is pointless for anything but CPU-Z validation. Would need to use LN2 or DICE for 5.3GHz or higher CPU performance.

 

Ordered it, delivery February 20. Will see how it will perform. Hope the cooling system is good.

 

Do you have some benchmarks to share? I will be traveling to US on April/27 and I would like to buy a similar machine from HID cuz I already bought from them in the past and had a good experience being using the same hidevolution m11xr3 since 2011 without any major issue.

I think that the only thing missing is the Hebrew keyBoard layout, The backlit will work normally for the new laser engraved characters ? Why is so expensive to laser engrave those characters (they charge 179 usd) ?

Do you thing that the binned 9900 worth the upgrade ? I will be using advance cad software that is most CPU bound (Revit) and my biggest concern is the thermals. Also I choose standard 32gb ram and Samsung Evo raid 0 cuz I don't think that the upgrade for premium ram and Samsung pro would make much difference. Am I right ?

The most important question is: will I be able to change the display when they release a 4k ? This is critical since the next version of Autodesk products will probably have a big focus on higher resolution screens, I really don't understand why they can't sell a 4k screen for this machine right now since there is so many 17 inch 4k screen laptops.

Also, I'm doing master degree and I have student ID and .edu email, would be possible to get some additional discount from Dell through hidevolution ? I mean, I know that Dell offers student discount but I don't know how this works buying from @Donald@HIDevolution

Thanks,
Renan

 

I have cancelled my order for the time being for financial reasons

 

Sorry to year that, can you give me advice for the specs ? Thank you

 

Get the Silicon Lottery binned CPU, that will guarantee you don't get a bad CPU that overheats so you can run at max clocks without overheating. As we saw from users here, they are able to run at the advertised speeds so getting a silicon lottery CPU will only enhance your experience. Take no chances here because if you don't get it now and end up having an unlucky CPU that overheats, dealing with returning and what not is a big pain in the butt.

As for specs, go for a minimum of 32 GB RAM or 64GB if your budget allows.

For the screen upgrade, no one can guarantee that it can be upgraded

Now don't ask me about pricing and why this or that is expensive, complain to DELL

 

The screen upgrade is my biggest concern, it's too much power for 1080p. I have better resolution on my smartphone with a snapdragon cpu. What you think ? You would bet that it gonna be upgradable ?

 

Screen isn't upgradable because Frank Azor said, display can't be upgraded and there won't new high res screens coming out due this year. Its something to do with custom small bezel and Dell doesn't have enough custom displays in stock. I think @Cass-Olé has posted it somewhere in this thread.
You should check with your college to see a list of available computers from Dell,Lenovo or HP available for Student pricing w/ additional benefits such as longer warranty and accidental protection. Maybe you'll see/get a catalog saying Mobile Supercomputer or similar (Supercomputer is atrociously expensive). I don't think Alienware will be part of that catalog since they usually associate with gaming and not Professional products unlike Thinkpads,Precision or Pro Book.
Go for 64GB RAM if budget allows it.
Its best to check with Donald or any HID reps for in-depth info regarding A51m.

 

Since there is no hope for 4k upgrade i will choose the new m17, could you give me some advice on the specs ?

Custom Built Alienware M17 - 17.3" FHD 60Hz / UHD 60Hz - i7-8750H - RTX 2060 / 2070 Max-Q - 90WHr Battery - Silver
Chassis Color
Epic Silver - Satin Finish
Internal Battery
Lithium Ion (90 Wh) Battery - No 2.5" HDD/SSD Slot ...
Internal Battery
Lithium Ion (90 Wh) Battery - No 2.5" HDD/SSD Slot Available
Free Game Bundles
GET BOTH Anthem + Battlefield V for laptops with RTX 20 ...
Free Game Bundles
GET BOTH Anthem + Battlefield V for laptops with RTX 2080, GET YOUR CHOICE of Anthem OR Battlefield V for laptops with RTX 2060 or 2070
Processor
Intel 8th Generation "Coffee Lake" Core i7-87 ...
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 2060 w/ 6GB GDDR6
Thermal Interface Materials
Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut on CPU + GPU, and Fujipoly ...
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
None
LCD Panel
17.3" UHD (3840 x 2160) 60Hz IPS, 400-nits, sRGB 1 ...
LCD Panel
17.3" UHD (3840 x 2160) 60Hz IPS, 400-nits, sRGB 100% color gamut, Narrow-Border - $300.00
Display Warranty
Standard Alienware Pixel Warranty (warranted against 3+ ...
Display Warranty
Standard Alienware Pixel Warranty (warranted against 3+ defective pixels not on center of display - up 2 to defective pixels okay)
System Memory (RAM)
HIDevolution Approved Standard 32GB Dual Channel DDR4/2 ...
System Memory (RAM)
HIDevolution Approved Standard 32GB Dual Channel DDR4/2666MHz (2 x 16GB) - installed by HIDevolution - $270.00
RAID Options
RAID 0 (striping) - Must select 2x identical drives in ...
RAID Options
RAID 0 (striping) - Must select 2x identical drives in M.2 SSD Slots 1 and 2
M.2 SSD Slot 1 (supports PCIe or SATA)
Samsung 970 EVO 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe 3D-VNAND SSD - ...
M.2 SSD Slot 1 (supports PCIe or SATA)
Samsung 970 EVO 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe 3D-VNAND SSD - Up to 3,500 MB/s Read-2,500 MB/s Write - Installed by HIDevolution - $335.00
M.2 SSD Slot 2 (supports PCIe or SATA)
Samsung 970 EVO 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe 3D-VNAND SSD - ...
M.2 SSD Slot 2 (supports PCIe or SATA)
Samsung 970 EVO 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe 3D-VNAND SSD - Up to 3,500 MB/s Read-2,500 MB/s Write - Installed by HIDevolution - $380.00
Alternate Language Keyboard Laser Engraving - $179.00
hebrew backlit keyboard
Wireless Cards
Intel® Wireless-AC 9260 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n 2x2 NGFF w/ B ...
Wireless Cards
Intel® Wireless-AC 9260 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n 2x2 NGFF w/ Bluetooth 5.0 - installed by HIDevolution - $35.00
Operating System
Windows 10 Home, 64bit, English, with Multi Language Su ...
Operating System
Windows 10 Home, 64bit, English, with Multi Language Support
Operating System Clean Install
Yes, Clean Install of Windows 10 including 32GB Clean I ...
Operating System Clean Install
Yes, Clean Install of Windows 10 including 32GB Clean Install Flash Drive - $40.00
Office Software
None
Warranty and Service
1 Year Premium Support + 1 Year HIDevolution US Warrant ...
Warranty and Service
1 Year Premium Support + 1 Year HIDevolution US Warranty + LIFETIME HIDevolution Technical Support - $139.00
Accidental Damage Protection
None
HIDevolution International Pre-paid Shipping (HIPS) Service
None
* Pre-Order, 1-3 Weeks to Our Warehouse

Unit Price: $3,772.00

 

Why do you need 4K? I'd take the 144hz IPS display over 4K any day...

If you need 4K, forget the m17 and get the Clevo competition to the Area 51m. The m17 is not a good product in my book.

If it must be an Aliemware, wait for the OLED m15

 

I need to use with Autodesk Revit 2019 with other external 4k monitor, in 4k the lateral menus take way less screen from the draw space than FHD. I will not be buying to play games at all. I need CAD, Render and warranty from local dell that's why i will not choose other brands, cuz they do not have local warranty in my country. This CAD software is way more CPU bounded than GPU, that's why i choose the 2060.

 

You're better off buying buying workstation class Dell Precision P4xxx or P52xxx with 3 yr onsite and ADP w/ CUDA optimised rendering with Revit(only some portions rest use CPU) and CPU performance will be better than m17.
You can look at Thinkpad P72 with Quadro GPU certification for Revit and other Pro apps. http://www.hidevolution.com/lenovo-thinkpad-p71-20mb0028us-quadro-p4200.html
I won't say its cheaper than AW.

 

But the P72 is much more expensive and much more bulk. Nonetheless those quadro are GDDR5 instead of the new GDDR6 com turing architecture and they don't have RTX. I emailed Enscape Staff and they told me to buy the best gaming laptop for my budget. Do you believe we gonna see Quadro RTX laptops in next few months ?

 

Any compelling need for RTX for Revit?

 

I use the native Revit Ray Trace view a lot and i believe that sooner or later autodesk will take benefit from the RTX hardware and Enscape will do the same.

 

You mean RTX quadro? If its for work then I'd suggest waiting for RTX Quadro with atrocious pricing.

 

Hi Renan,

I have just got the area 51m with rtx 2080 and i9 9900k, I use also for 3D rendering, some render engine I use only uses CPU and other like Vray I can use the power of the CUDA on GPU and it is so quick to render comparison with the CPU, I would consider get the 2080 as Revit also supports V-ray and if you decidded to render it using Vray you would get this benefit... soon we should be seen these render engine using the algorithm of the RTX to render and the 2060 will not be included I believe... I have been testing the machine render on GPU and another scene using CPU so I am stressing both parts together and the CPU does get hot, keep always 100c on performance mode, if I keep on balanced mode the speed of the CPU drops a bit and keep the tempertura around 94c, I need to do more test but I probably have to check it as I can't keep my machine running 100c for a long time...

Let me know how you doing with the machine once you get it with content creator...

cheers,

 

Do you think that will be possible to upgrade the screen when they release a 4k display ?

 

Even if you manage to get custom made it won't work because Dell has added only specific monitors to work.

 

So it is a dead end and if I spent 5.000 USD on this "fully upgradeable" machine I will be stuck with a screen with lower resolution than my smartphone forever ? Thanks

 

That's why I suggested Thinkpads the parts will be available readily and you've 4K HDR DV 10 bit panel too. Only choice is your quadro GPU. You can choose P3200 and P42xx to get it at reduced cost. I think you can HID about the specifics because they deal with Pro hardware and know what a user needs are! Most important thing is warranty w/ ADP the longer the better. 3 years warranty is standard procedure and you can extend it upto 2-3 years and it has regular BIOS update to enhance the experience which you can choose to install or skip.

 

I would caution ever updating a Lenovo BIOS. Much higher chance of bricking your laptop than many others.

Also if you do any proprietary or government work, stay far away from Lenovo

 

I have owned probably 20 different lenovo laptops over the past 3 years and never had one issue updating the bios on any of them. I'm not sure where you're getting that from.

 

I think I was mixing that up with the problem of actually changing BIOS settings. Huge fiasco on the X series and some P series of bricking the machine when some settings were changed. Check the Lenovo reddit. They say it is fixed now, but I would be nervous none the less.

My second caution still remains though.

 

Yeah I never had issues with the settings they were mentioning in my X1E.

Your second caution can be applied to anything designed or produced in China so I'm not sure it's fair to just point your finger at Lenovo...

 

Designed more than produced. Hopefully most firms would notice if something was out of place on their designed circuits . I would imagine most companies design their own firmware too (again hopefully LoL)

Relevant to the Notebook world, I could never recommend Lenovo or Hawei to sensitive business work.

 

Lenovo specifically says Tamper Protection BIOS. Maybe enabling that bricked it w/o proper credentials?
There are more people using Thinkpads, Precision and HP Pro books in use in most govt. sectors. Is it because its chinese?