Your impressions/reviews.

Like the title says. Go ahead say what you think about your new laptop so far.


My overall impression on it is...well I like it. I could have gotten something a lot more powerful for similar price, but I went with the Alienware because of the built quality(from what I was told), and I just liked the look of it more than any of the other laptops. I can't help but feel disappointed by the performance in some games and the incredibly loud and obnoxious fan. Heat is also another letdown. Do I feel that I got my money's worth? Not really since I went for the build quality.

Pros:
- It is very aesthetically pleasing.
- Very fast.
- Not that heavy.
- Nice and compact.

Cons:
- The fan(biggest downside).
- Drivers.
- Heat.

 

Interesting that one of your main positives is the build quality.

Coming from MacBook Pros, the Alienware was a huge step down in build quality. In fact, I have a replacement M14x coming that will hopefully not have the left palm rest clicking problem (there's separation between the plastic).

With that said, I do really like the M14x...and because I configured it conservatively and used some coupons it is about half the price of my MacBook Pro (which I am all but certain I will sell) for very similar performance (although I really miss the SSD!).

Still, it's heavier and not nearly as slick as the MBP...but I can deal with it for the price.

 

I don't have that problem. I think that this is the best looking laptop out there though.

 

I hate how Apple makes you pay dearly if you want any sort of upgrades when you build one. Way worse than Dell or Sony lol. I just wish that the M14x had an apple display! Haha

 

I have actually been pleasantly surprised with the display on the M14x. I like it and haven't found it to be lacking.

@ Mudig - build quality is just not as good overall. I was specifically calling out what I experienced as a reference to that. It's just an overall feel thing. Like how the Apple touch pad is leagues better than the one on the M14x.

 

It's funny you mention that. When I got the M11x R2 a couple of weeks ago, the feel was a lot better...like it was made of different material. M14x feels cheaper, for whatever reason.

 

what about it?

 

I sent mine back today, maybe I got a bad unit, but the optical drive would not eject half the time, the heat on the right side of palm rest was annoying, I had a strip screw on battery.

Other than that I thought it was a nice system, just not up to my expectations.

Might try another at a later date?

 

@Nand - I tried to update the driver but for whatever reason it won't recognize the gpu.

@Dakhan - You were able to return it without any restocking fees?

 

DELL Official drivers


you tried this one? Drivers for NVIDIA: NVIDIA & Laptop News | Latest NVIDIA drivers and related news | laptopvideo2go.com

 

I tried the driver at the Nvidia site.

 

this show you how:

 

When mine is shut the touch pad is touching the screen and leaving a mark on it and the track pad is not level.

 

Hey everyone, got my m14x Friday. After I got over the initial awe of this beauty. it is truly a awesome looking laptop. I went and installed all the games I could find. Runs everything I through At it on high settings, starcraft 2, mass effect, Battlefield BC2, the sims 3, oblivion, dead space. All ran no problem, i was very impressed with the gaming capabilities. Now after the weekend with it I do admit this baby has it's faults. When gaming the fan is loud, as people have said before me. Its not too bad during the day with all the noise going on but at night when it very quite around me., it sounds like a tribune. And to note for just regular task the fan is not even noticeable. I am disappointed that gaming on battery causes stability issues and the lack of a blu ray drive sucks but in my books those are minor gripes that can be fixed in the future. Overall I really love this laptop. Coming from previous MacBooks and an older desktop, I am truly impressed with the preformance so far and will continue to chime in on these forums that have helped me so much in my quest for a great laptop.

 

@Dakhan - You were able to return it without any restocking fees?[/QUOTE]


yes cause it was defective.

 

@Adroc88 congrants for you new toy...enjoy!

 

After reading all these problems with the m14x I'm really considering returning it....

 

This is my first alienware, and my first gaming laptop. So far, my overall impression has been positive.

Pros:
- Good screen. 1600x900 resolution is rare on a 14 inch laptop, especially a non-business one.
- looks cool (obviously)
- not much garbage software
- good value (I got 15% off through haggling with rep)
- can be overclocked
- backlit keyboard - a premium feature that is quite important for anyone who uses a laptop in the dark

Cons
- very heavy (I came from a 15.6inch compaq laptop, and for some reason, the m14x feels noticeably heavier)
- fan is very loud (thank god it isn't loud when just surfing or doing non-intensive tasks)

overall, this thing is just COOL man. I don't know if you can put a monetary value on that.

 

I've had mine for a few days now.
I've heard people taking about the screen being rubbish but form my point of view the 1600 x 900 resolution looks great and does the job very well.
Yes the fan is loud when doing demanding stuff, like playing games or what ever but when your not its quiet as you like. Been playing starcraft 2 which looks awesome on high detail settings and plays with 0 lag. The weight issue I'm not worried about, If I find cant carry around 3.5 Kgs any more then I seriously need to hit the gym.

Ok, yes the fan is loud, its a shame that its put so many people off a great lappy. I cant see any other problems, runs every thing I want. Looks fantastic.

 

guys pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaase tell us about how long the battery is lasting for you

there's a serious lack in battery info

 

6lbs is not heavy at all...

 

You mind me asking what price you got your m14x for?

 

Alienware M14x : 1.5 Base Black 1
Intel® Core™ i7 Processor 2820QM (2.30Ghz, 6MB, 4C) 1
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English 1
1.5GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT555M 1
6144MB (1x2GB + 1x4GB) 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel 1
500GB (7,200rpm) SATA Hard Drive 1
Intel® Wireless LAN 6205 2x2 (802.11a/b/g/n) Card - European 1
Dell Wireless 375 Bluetooth Card - EUR 1
8X DVD+/-RW Drive including software 1
No Antivirus Software 1
1Yr Next Day Hardware Support included with your PC 1
No Accidental Damage Support 1
14.1in Widescreen High Definition + (1600x900) WLED with TrueLife 1
Primary 8-cell 63W/HR LI-ION 1
N04W1401 1
Alienware M14X MLK Order - UK 1
Ship Accessory : English Docs 1
Resource DVD : Alienware M14x 1
MOD,ADPT,AC,DLTA,150W,3P,WW 1
UK 220V Power Cord 1
Internal UK/Irish Qwerty Keyboard 1
Alienware M14x Black WLAN 1
Generic Name Plate Engraving 1
No Carrying Case 1
AutoMatic updates - On 1
Integrated 3.0 Mega Pixel HD Camera 1
1 year Next Business Day Hardware Support included with your PC 1
Quasar Blue 1
Alien Schematic Wallpaper 1
Alien Schematic 1
(GMT + 01.00) Vienna, Amsterdam, Berlin, Stockholm 1
Integrated High-Definition 5.1 Performance Audio 1


Subtotal: £1,127.82
Freight: £16.66
Total Net: £1,144.48
VAT (Rate 20%): £228.90
Total: £1,373.38

I used my 8 % military discount and was arguing with dell that the £300 off voucher was unfair because it ended on a bank holiday which ment i couldn't call them so they gave me another 8% off

not as good as £300 off but it works out about £250 off

 

Which spec is correct ?

US : Intel® Core™ i7 2820QM 2.3GHz (3.4GHz w/Turbo Boost, 8MB Cache)

UK : ntel® Core™ i7 Processor 2820QM (2.30Ghz, 6MB, 4C)

 

The US one is correct.

The UK one has the cache wrong. it's 8MB, not 6.

 

It's all relative. It's a tank. It's not horrible by any means...but in comparison to say, my larger and just as powerful MBP...it's heavy. Perhaps it's less than 1 lb. difference...but it's the impression I get due to it's smaller surface area but increased thickness.

RE: battery life - I haven't timed it or anything, but I'm seeing approximately 4 hours according to my task bar. This is when using it on battery and only surfiing on Wi-Fi...having it in the power saving profile.

 

Are the MBPs just as powerful? I was thinking the video card in the MBP was not even close to as good. Am I wrong in that thinking. I was considering a MBP because of the thunderbolt port (thinking I could get a external video card at some point)

 

Can you get external video cards ?

I always thought why dont laptops have external video cards that you can swap with new ones when you need more powerful ones and they would have good cooling because there not inside of a box next to a hot cpu

makes sense because you have external hard drives external cd drives

 

You can, but they're horrible. I don't know much more than that on the subject. I think it's a combination of a few things:

1) They'd have to have their own power source, as - that I know of - there isn't a widely-used port that can supply enough power, and transmit enough data, at once.
2) They'd have to have their own cooling assembly, so they'd probably be loud and/or bulky, though smaller than the laptop itself.
3) At that point, you might as well by an SFF machine.

 

Well the thunderbolt port and push 10Gbs both ways, so it is fast enough to run a high end card, there are external solutions for the External PCIE ports some laptops have
ViDock Gfx: High Performance Dual Display Notebook Expansion
or you can DIY
http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...7667-lets-figure-out-how-make-diy-vidock.html

The external case is not that loud and is kinda like a docking station. This would be better then having a whole computer for gaming. You could dock your laptop and have it drive a larger monitor and game on that as well as game on the go with the laptop's screen.

both these ideas are at 1x PCIE, which can limit the speed (but might still be faster then the GT555M) but do the same thing with a thunderbolt port and you would be fine becuase they can push so much data.

Now there is no external devices like this for thunderbolt yet, but I think it is a matter of time.