First review of Alienware 14!

From LaptopMag (remember that the M14x R2 has the editor's choice award):

Alienware 14 Review | Gaming Laptop Reviews


Bad news for the LCD, and issues from the heat/noisy.


Edit: confirmed, 6 cell battery pack instead 8 cell in the previous generations....

 

Not a good review on a the M14, seems like they didn't fix any of the problems from the R1/R2 , the heat and loud fans kills any excitement I had for this laptop, still can't beleive DELL with how big and thick this new model is can't develope a good cooling system. The new 14" Razer puts this to shame.

 

I'm very sad that the heating is still a problem with the m14x, I'm going to wait for reviews on the razer blade and see how well the cooling is. Does anyone know first hand how is the cooling on the razer blade? I was told it uses a dual-exhaust systems but I dont know

 

Yes the 14" RAZER has dual fans and reportedly runs relatively quiet, here is a pic of the cooling system:

 

I'd take my 3 year old M15X over a new AW 14....
That isn't a very positive review. The temperatures they record from various locations are ridiculously high!

 

Wow, very disappointing. I'll wait to see if another reviewer experiences the same issues and if so, I'd rather pay a little extra for the 14" Blade. Three revisions of this model and Dell/Alienware has learn absolutely nothing for improving it.

Configurations are now up on the website. $1750 for the lowest configuration with the 1080p display and the GTX 765M. I'll wait for the 14" Blade or the W230ST.

 

If they only eliminates de ODD.

A proper dual cooling fan with a GTX770M ( for gaming at 1080p ) in this chassis.... a incredible 14 inch laptop, but not...

 

The Verge actually just released their review and it is pretty positive. They don't go much in-depth on heat but it doesn't seem a problem to them. Now I am just waiting on the Razer Blade review to decide whether the thinness is worth the 200 dollar premium.

Alienware 14 review | The Verge

 

Decent review

 

Alienware 14 Quality of the housing and keyboard (inner components) - YouTube

Notebookcheck comes through again. It seems the chassis is resdesigned for better airflow.

After looking at some pictures. The new design looks bearable with the light strips OFF. I hope we are not with this design for more than 2 years.

I knew it was a bad sign when one of the designers in the official 14 video said they were looking to design something that came from the future, 100 years from now.....................lame

 

OMG he said the keyboard was mechanical

 

Anyone notice the m14x keyboard lost about 5 keys on the right side?
Delete, home, pg up, pg dn, and end are all gone. I use those keys more than any other key while surfing the web.

I guess the only thing I want to know is what is the pin out on the lcd so I can swap the lcd into my m14xr2.

 

Remember the razer comes stock with an ssd, the m14x equipped with an ssd is much dearer, still looks like a great machine, though, loving the screen.

 

Does the razer have space for an mSata? I really like that about the m14x.

 

Yeah you can drop a 128gb msata for like 100 USD.

 

The temps and cooling are once again a disgrace.

All Dell have done is updated the components(naturally) and changed the outside appearance.

Thats it.

None of the freaking problems of heat and noise were looked at.

Iv read the R3 is even LOUDER now than the R1 and R2.

They are playing us for fools,and certainly dont care.

The Halo and COD generation of kids and idiots will just buy this laptop anyway.

 

If my components aren't boiling, and the laptop isn't taking off. I'm okay with that.

 

Actually they definitely changed the cooling system on the M14. maybe not the heatsink and fan but the underlying structure is more like a grid. which i hope together with the mesh bottom will improve cooling efficiency.

We need to wait and see. that laptopmag review just said the bottom was hot.............which is probably due to the fact there is just mesh seperating the heatpipes and your hand. they didnt say anything about internal temperatures. Is it just me or is notebookcheck the only guys who does prime95 and component temperature readings. most of these consumer review sites just say something like 'the keyboard was cool even after an hour and gaming'..........

 

Agreed. The fact that a gaming laptop gets warm to the touch is no secrect. This can be true of really any laptop. Hell even my phone when i'm browsing the internet becomes uncomfortable to hold.

 

The verge did a review on the laptop and it seems to be a complete 360 from LaptopMag's review: Alienware 14 review | The Verge

It praises the lack of extreme heat and the 1080p display, thoughts?

 

I trust the verge more. Laptopmag's temps were in Fahrenheit not Celsius. They deemed anything over 95F on the keyboard to be "extreme". Honestly 114F exhausting out of the back isn't much warmer than it is in texas and arizona in the summer time. This is why i trust the verge's review more. Also it appeared as if Laptopmag had apple ads all over the place at which point they are likely sponsored to hate against pcs.

There was a review i read somewhere that dell is still waiting on the IPS/PLS panels and that they had a TN panel in their review and not a IPS/PLS. Thus its safe to assume that the verge got a correct model.

Edit:
114F= 45C
Here you can see that the Clevo 15.6" gets up to 40.5C on the upper corner.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Schenker-W503-Clevo-P150SM-Notebook.92973.0.html

 

I am disappointed with Dell.. This thing is too thick and bulky.. Not very portable at all.. Dells needs to update their design and trim this laptop down..

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

 

I believe Dell's response is " Go buy a Razer blade "
-Love Dell

 

I'm sorry but you're a wimp if you can't deal with a 6 lb 14" laptop. With the 1080p display, it's a 15" in a 14" package

 

Im ok with the bulk and weight but i feel alienware has taken the safe road with this round of redesigns. Basically there was no real innovation or anything to really give me that wow moment.

What i would love to see is a new m14x in a year or two that takes a no compromise approach to performance and bring us an overclocked 55W processor and 780GTX level graphics in a 14inch laptop. Asus has proven something similar can be done if the DVD drive is taken out and another thermal module added.

 

what hardrive options can you install ?

I was told that the cooling will be better if you are putting on a non conductive heat surface

 

Have you ever taken a science class?
I put a 55W 2920XM in a sager 8150 and that thing ran HOT in a 15.6". Simply WILL NOT HAPPEN on a 14". Dell is providing what they can with the technology that is available. Have you seen the ASUS G46VW? It has no disc drive and has a GTX 660m. ITS THE SAME TDP as a GT 650m! Also ASUS has garbage support!

Dells goal is to provide something that will be reliable. Could they shove a 55W 4930MX in a AW 14? Sure they could. But it would throttle terribly just like the M14X R1. You would never hit the max multi and it would burn out in a few years.

 

I can't seem to find a reason why a lot of people get onto the forum here to bash about the new alienware models, especially when AW did nothing wrong.
Is it a good notebook? -> Yes it is.
Improvements compared to the R2? -> Huge.
Does it work the way it should? -> Obviously.

Come on people, maybe they did not fulfill your wishes, but they did a great job on this model I think.
We still buy these machines because we want something portable and powerful. The 765m is enough for decent gaming.
Each and every computer heats up while being used intesely, so do notebooks.
Is there a heat issue? -> no, because the fan is strong enough to prevent the notebook from overheating (<- this would be an issue).
Loud fans? -> Rather this than a toasted notebook. Turn up the volume, get a headset, a notebook from another manufacturer or even a desktop if this stresses you this much, but don't come
online and scream how badly dell has failed, because they didn't.

Now, have a nice day everyone.

 

I don't think we are talking about the same notebook and I'm afraid you're not understanding things properly. People come here to complain because the unit is a disappointment. It is a disappointment because we WANTED to buy the new model to replace our existing model, we got excited about it, but as details started coming out, we only ended up with the conclusion that it is a downgrade.

Many have complained about the removing of the Alien head, or the choice of colors, or the name plate. This is part of why we fork over the money for them, you add cool, unique things, you don't remove the classic symbols that define the brand.

I was all for replacing my not even a year old M14x R2 and after research was saddened to see that... the new model is a downgrade.

Nebula Red > Silver
Glowing keys > Colored letters
Sloped front > Wrist cutting edge (noted in 2 out of 2 reviews I read)
Alien head > Generic notebook power button
Larger battery > smaller battery
Lighter > Heavier
Thinner > Thicker
Wide keyboard with right-side Delete/Home/Page Up/Down/End > Entire row removed and keyboard doesn't cover the full width anymore, no idea where those keys are, probably require a function key to use now
Cool temp keyboard > 119f keyboard
Quieter > Louder
Sim card slot > No sim slot

All so I could get a decent IPS screen? Although reviews say it is not very bright at all, which rules that benefit out.

Okay, a better GPU? Yes, but it's sharing the same flawed single heat-pipe solution and it is louder than the R2.

Okay, the track pad is pretty, but we all use external mice.

I was literally willing to spend money unnecessarily to treat myself but Dellienware has killed the features that attracted me to the M14x over anything else in the first place. This is not how it's supposed to work.

If being disappointed that they've lost me as a customer, that I'll now have to wait another year to see if they can win me back as a customer is considered as bashing to you, well, fine, I'm bashing the new design. It is a disappointment, and I don't understand it. They could have fixed the single heatpipe design, instead they changed the outside of the case. If you call that an improvement, well, I don't think you're looking at it the right way.

The Verge review is clearly a very quick review, whereas the other one is more in depth. Just like some reviews quickly said Simcity 5 was awesome without properly spending the time to review it, this unit is a disappointment given what it could have been. What it SHOULD have been. You are defending the brand but when the real in-depth reviews come out from non-biased sites, they will not be as kind to our favorite brand.

...Donovan

PS: Those that are bashing folks for being disappointed, telling them that they obviously never took a science class, a word of advice: insulting people will not help them to understand your side. We know what is possible, dual heatpipe solutions already exist; don't insult us rather than being honest with yourselves. It's a misstep in the evolution of the M14x. Oops, I mean 14 (another dumb thing).

 

Does this feature MXM?
Or is it another one where you choose a GPU and it is then soldered on?

 

Lol, the thing looks like it's from 10 years ago, not "100 years in the future". Awful design.

 

So you have 23 posts and you are complaining about the system not being Red, not having bright keys, and losing an alienhead. I value your option immensely.

I will continue to point out that the NP8150 i had with the 55W CPU had a dedicated fan and a dual pipe heatsink and still couldnt handle the i7 2920XM. Like i said. Take a science class or go learn something.

PS: The keyboard is mechanical now.

Edit: To further my argument look at the m15x. People are trying to put 920XM's and 100W GPU's in it and it cant handle that much power. They have to underclock a 7970m and the 920XM if they want to run both.

The design has grown on me.

 

Kevin:

Calm down mate. The design of notebook cooling has not reached it's apex yet. I know there are limits but I for one hope the m14x can still be improved upon.

what the envy 15 did back in 2008 was interesting http://fanslaptop.com/images/img3/Envy 15-1000.jpg

Let's keep the personal insult to a minimal. It's a laptop.

PS I believe the rep who said the keyboard is mechanical simply made a mistake. But i hope im wrong.

 

So i should let that user voice his anger towards a laptop but i cant voice my anger towards him? Sounds reasonable.
He is insulting other peoples work of which he would never be able to accomplish on his own. He should be grateful that people are smart enough to invent these machines for him.

 

Did you order the laptop Kevin?

Once you have it can you do a load and idle temperature test on the GPU/CPU? I want to compare it to the Razer and see what's up

 

Where did you find the blades?

Note the 14" blade has a 37W CPU the 4702MQ not the 4700MQ. Its 200Mhz slower and also has a 900p screen opposed to a 1080p screen.

 

I want to compared to it with the reviews on the blade. I'm not worried about fps really, I just want to compare the cooling between the two. So I take it that you did order the AW 14 Kevin?

 

I did but it is still in pre production. I ordered it 6-11-13 at like 10 am.

 

The laptop is ugly.

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

Will be looking forward to your review, maybe the test were done on pre-production models and it doesn't tell the whole story but I will admit the early reviews are not favorable.
I can forgive the new design but the heat issues along with the louder fans has scared some people off.
I user review will go a long way as to tell the real truth.
Good luck with your new laptop, I hope it's all you hoped for and more.

 

Alienware could have done more with the 14 in regards to cooling. Still awaiting a more in-depth review from an NBR member.

 

It is still ugly and thick as hell. Look at the new Razor blade 14" or the MSI GE40, they feels hundred times better!

 

Let's wait and see if Alienware actually improved the single fan cooling solution. I remember my R2 had that super loud hairdryer sound at more than 50+ decibels when gaming or benchmarking and it was so annoying. Hoping that the new M14x is much more quieter.

Potential buyers of the new M14x that never had an m14x don't believe me? Check for yourself


Around 7:10 mark until 8:00 you will hear the jet engine 50+ decibels fan noise take off lol
[HD] Alienware M14X - Nebula Red with Soft Touch Finish - 3Dmark Vantage (Stock).wmv - YouTube

 

I'm not going to complain about noise if my laptop lasts 5 years without needing to be dismantled. I believe Dell is trying to make reliable systems. Not systems that have to be repasted every year because they are right on the thermal brink.

 

Im considering the alienware 14 at the moment due to funds over a alienware 18. Only one review said the temp on the chassis and rear vent were high and the verge review said otherwise. Might sit it out to see NBR users own benchmarks and reviews first.The 765m seems to get good high/ultra mixed settings on most games with decent fps @ native res. Im sure those extra shaders and and gpuboost 2.0 is helping alot. Im coming from a MSI GE70 with a GTX660M so im sure im going to see a massive improvement over my current machine.

 

To be honest going from a 660m to a 765m isnt going to be a major improvement from what I've been hearing is like a 15% improvement. Can't wait to see NBR reviews

 

It will be more than 15%. The GTX 765M is faster than a GTX 670MX. You will see about 30-40% better fps. Its got 768 shaders vs 384 and the clocks will be higher. Only limiting factor will be the memory. Some people unlocked the gtx 670mx and got it pretty high almost to gtx 675mx. If we can oc the memory 500-1000Mhz expect to see GTX 675MX Performance.

 

I thought the 765m was just re-branded 600m series? If your right about the 30-40% increase then it's a worth it upgrade. What about Ivy to Haswell? Aside from the power improvements what else is good?

 

no rebranding of the 6 series all kepler core and gpuboost 2.0 & higher clocks,more shaders,TMU`s and increased clock / mem speeds. This series has been the best yet sofar in the past few years.

 

Taken from notebookcheck:

"The graphics performance of the GeForce GTX 765M is clearly above the GTX 660M thanks to the higher amount of shaders. The maximum performance may differ a bit depending on the cooling solution of the used laptop (due to GPU Boost 2.0 better colling solutions lead to a better performance). In our tests the average performance of the GTX 765M was above the older GTX 670MX. Demanding games like Metro: Last Light, Crysis 3, Far Cry 3 or even SimCity were only playable in 1366x768 pixels and high detail settings at fluent frame rates. Older and less demanding games like Star Craft 2 however were playable in Full HD with all settings set to max."

"The feature set of the GTX765M is identical to the GTX670MX as both are based on the same GK106 core. Therefore the GPU supports up to 4 active displays."