Getting a new Alienware M14X

hello guys!
recently i'v decided that i want to order an Alienware M14X, since it's the only laptop that fits my needs (a college student).
i needed a laptop powerful enough to run photoshop, visual studio, and games, and still be portable enough to be taken around campus.
I'v read many many reviews around the web, i was thinking about getting a MBA and give up on gaming, but the striking design of the alienware alongside it's capabilities helped me make my decision. (i'v also considered the 15z, but i gave up on it because of weak gpu and heat issues, and i gave up on L502X because of the ugly battery and ugly design)

The only problem is the fan issue. i'v been reading all over this forum about a very noise fan in the alienware. This is a bit scary. i don't want to buy a laptop for games that i won't run games on it because it's very loud and noisy. i really need to know if it's a deal breaker, should i give up on the alienware because of the noise? i'm gonna be a student so it's not really good if the fan starts to kick in the middle of the library or if it's start to annoy my room mate in college
i would appreciate your comments!

 

I use my m14x for graphic design as well as gaming and in PS or AI the fan hardly ever turns on, when it does it's pretty quiet.

 

what u said makes me more confused, your saying that it's quite and on the other side there is a thread full of people complaining about the loud fan :S:S i'v investing alot of money into this, and i'm convinced it's the one that suits my needs, but i'm not gonna buy it if it makes noise like a hair drier!

 

The fan on the laptop is quite(off) when browsing and doing non-cpu/gpu intensive work. As soon as you power up a game like Crysis it sounds like a miniature tornado inside, I would have to say that the sound level is equal to that of my 15" macbook pro when the fans spin at 6000rpm.

 

but do you think i shouldn't get it because of this?

 

Let's be real here. Performance wise, m14x is powerful for its size. It's a very portable powerhouse. Build quality is excellent. Keyboard is absolutely fantastic to type on. Screen quality is good and with some tweaking you can make a little better.

There's only two things i don't like about this machine and i'll be honest with you.

1. As almost everybody will tell you, the FAN is loud when you game or when you do some graphic intensive work. But I got use to it overtime and you will too.

2. Gaming on battery is subpar. For some reason, I can't push the gpu to its full performance when playing games. Dell needs to really fix this. Don't get me wrong you can still play game in battery mode but you'll notice the difference when playing game plug in.

I would recommend m14x base on your needs, a portable gaming machine. just keep in mind those two that i pointed. Only you can decide. Good luck!

 

It is quite most of the time you will barely hear it. It rev's up when you are gaming as any notebook will got to get rid of the heat. I don't notice the fan as my m17 is louder as my desktop is very very loud. As I am typing and doing email it makes NO noise. Hope this helps.

 

The fan when you game is loud, but that's because is so effective. Even gaming for hours, and it doesn't go over 70°C most of the time.

 

When you game the fan does get quite a bit louder, it's really a matter of perspective because to me it isn't a big deal but others may complain. PS really isn't that GPU intensive over a period of time so the fans never get loud, you apply a filter or layer or mask and it takes 2 seconds to do then goes back to idle mode basically. That's why it doesn't get loud.

 

thanks for your comments! basically according to what your saying, the fan is loud, but it's not that bad, and the laptop itself is worth it.
i need to make up my mind soon, it's a really tough decision to make