Just purchased my first Alienware! M14x

Hey, i'm new to the forum, and just wanted to say hi, and get a feel for what my first steps should be in making sure my computer is running as efficiently as possible.

I've searched and come across a few threads that can help me out, but also want some feedback from other owners that know more about these machines then I do.

What are the main things I should do as soon as i get the computer, as far as removing software that isn't needed, and installing drivers/software the is necessary? Are there any upgrades that are recommended such as re-applying thermal paste?

Also, I read something about how you can lower the refresh rate to extend battery life?

I hear the build quality isn't as good as when Alienware was its own company. Are there any problems i should look out for that would be necessary to send the computer back to get repaired? (i already read about the lopsided keyboard)

And i will not be gaming on my machine until school lets out, so for now all im concerned is with battery life, and that the laptop is running at low temps and that i dont put alot of wear and tear on the components. Since you cannot take out the battery isn't it bad to always leave the laptop plugged in?

I know this is a MASSIVE post, and apologize, but i'm honestly just exited for my first Alienware and want to make sure im prepared to make the best out of it! Thanks in advance!! Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

Well first off, congrats. I love my alienware. The keyboard is amazing, spongy, deep key strokes, and just a wonder to type on. What you should check is each key to see if they depress all the way without sticking. Check your lid hinge, check for flex around the machine, there shouldnt be any, maybe a little to the left and right of the keyboard. Check the mouse buttons to see if they are even and spongy. Play around with the lighting system to see if everywhere lights, check all of your drivers, especially your nvidia gpu, intel gpu, bios version (should be a05).
-You can take the battery out easily. Unscrew the bottom, then the battery, and then unplug it from the mobo.
-Battery life IMO isn't as great as what is stated on the site. Maybe 3.5 hours with every power saving feature enabled. Personally, I dont take it out the house, too heavy, and I dont game on the go. But if you do, you'd get maybe 1-2 hours gaming on battery.
-The bloatware on the m14x surprisingly isn't much, or at all, just do an msconfig start up check list to limit start up items, you'll be fine.
-Reapplying thermal paste isn't a must, or really beneficial unless you have a faulty paste job to begin with. Sure the cpu will get close to 95c and the gpu will get around 75, but so far there hasn't been a failure. Don't game on your lap, have a low ambient room temperature, and if you want, get a laptop cooler, that should bring the temps down 5-10 degrees.

PS- If you bought the laptop with the base intel 1000 wifilink wifi card, do your best to get a intel 6250. It's only 20 bucks or so on ebay, and is as easy to replace as ram, wifi slot is located under the battery. My wifilink 1000 was messing up a lot, and others have complained too, I got mine for free from dell support because they felt bad, but 20 bucks still isnt that bad. Its a must upgrade in my opinion, and cheaper to do it yourself than to upgrade it through dell when you ordered it.

 

Thanks!! Great tips ill be sure to check on all that stuff! its good to see that there are some helpful people on here, as some forums are pretty brutal as far as finding help.

I would rep ya but i have no rep haha
any other tips from anyone?

And i DO have that stock WIFI card, does everyone across the board have issues? i may just ebay an upgraded one tonight if thats the case....

 

I havent uninstalled anything! and its running fine! I installed Avast virus scanner, and off i went! its that simple!

REALLY loving the M14x!

 

thats .

you are making the wait that much harder! hahaha i cant wait to get mine. Thanks!

 

The only thing I did was update the Nvidia driver because I was having issues with NWN2 and The Witcher.

I rarely game on the go, and when I do it's much holder games like Baldur's Gate 2 or Civ 4. So far (about 3 months) mine doesn't get too hot. I prop up the back with a book and the cooling is fine. Of course I haven't played any recent graphic-intensive games... yet.

I got the Shaggymac cloth/screen protector thingy and it's great, keeps the grease marks from my cheezypoof-stained fingers off the screen. Highly recommended (20$ S&H included).

Finally, I got the stock wifi and it has performed way better then expected. The range is an issue only if I want to access the web outside a restaurant (in the car) that provides a wifi hotspot, but at home I have no issues at all. It's fast and haven't lost a connection yet. Not once.

So there you go, welcome to the family of M14xers!

PS
Almost forgot - The one gripe I have is with screen glare. MAJOR issue! Get an anti-glare filter or never use outside or even under any lighting (I game at night so no problem)!

 

Haha! Yeah, and i reckon the Roccat Kone with its 2 LED strips down the side really set off the lights!

mine took 5 days to arrive from order! good luck with yours!

Oh, and i also threatened to send it back as i wasnt offered a free case like other people had gotten, so i got £106 refund today in my account! So thats a Roccat INTO messenger bag for me once its released then!

 

Thanks alot for the info! So maybe the poor build quality only effects a few people? I hope i get lucky and get a nice one.

free case?!? i wasn't offered a free case either. Do you mean the little felt " bag" it comes in?

 

Nope, i mean the m14x backpack or orion bag! I told them that i had seen people getting deals where they get the case and TactX mouse thrown in! And i wanted them too. would they send them to me, or should i return this to reorder. then pointed out this was a shame as it would end up in the outlet.

10 mins later i get an email saying sadly they cant offer a free bag, however they can offer a 10% refund to allow me to buy one!

So my money is going in the bank so i can get a roccat INTO bag! Looks nice!

Goes to show you, if you dont ask, you dont get!

 

so you got the 100 dollar refund AND a 10 percent coupon?? I need to try that haha

 

My M14x shipped today!!! any other guys with m14's have any input that hasnt been touched on yet? it would be MUCH appreciated

 

Ease up on energy drinks and get some sleep when you need it. There's another day tomorrow for gamin'!

 

Get a roccat kone gaming mouse! You want a mouse with lights to match the machine!

 

YES! i was thinking about that. i think ebay may have them for cheap........

 

Good for you T,Welcome to the m14x family! I know how excited you are,you already got some good advice.I would run msconfig and uncheck any uneeded apps running and helps for faster start up,Alienware is known for not having too much bloat or crapware.Check out bat boy's optimize alien thread It's for m17x but pretty much all applies for m14x.I personaly repasted my cpu/gpu and fan mod,with a05 bios,I barely hear the fan at all.Also I think by stopping fa service from running gained me incredible performance and battery life gains like 15 to 28% just with disabling that.I know the search function on here is bad,Ck Batboy's link (alienware optimisations)there are alot of other's deserving credit for helping with the optimize thread.It'll take a bit but that's half the fun.Good Luck!

 

nice thanks for he great tips!!! ill be sure to check out the thread you mentioned

 

i cant seem to find that thread you speak of. :/ you think you could help me out? i would appreciate it!

i found this one only
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...er-install-order-guide-alienware-systems.html

 

Hey, I'm new to this Alienware world, too, and am loving my machine.

Any tips on working with games? Do I need to click the icon for each game I have and select 'run with nVidia graphics'? How well does the Optimus system autodetect?

How can I get full gfx card power while gaming on the battery?