Alienware 18 vs. Alienware M18x

As the title says, which one is better?

 

I had the M18x previously and have not received my new 18 yet, but I can't help but see all of the negatives to the new system. More plastic vs. mainly aluminum for the M18x, a hard to remove (and smaller) battery on the new 18, one less hard drive slot, etc. I am hoping that the 18 exceeds my expectations currently but it does not seem to have many redeeming qualities apart from a slightly improved screen (?) and a more responsive keyboard, as well as more power, though the gain is not even very significant. I only chose to go for it because I got a very nice deal through one of Dell's promotions.

I'm just a pessimist though.

 

That the new Alienware 18 doesnt look like a toy for a 5 year old outweighs all other negative aspects



Imo

 

What does "better" mean?

The new 18 has a smaller battery, no ExpressCard, VGA, eSATA or SPDIF, less aluminum, one less hard drive slot, and it lacks design cues of previous Alienwares like the "front grills."

On the other hand, the new 18's internal battery allows for a stronger and less flexible bottom cover, the magnesium alloy base is more extensive, the keyboard and chassis flex less and are more resistant to damage, the screen appears to be an improvement, the lid and hinges seem sturdier, the subwoofer is closer to the center, the chassis is easier to take apart, and the performance is better.

 

Your telling me a thing with tron - like lights all over the place doesn't look like a toy. The think looks hideous. And the cons just add to it.

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Hey, keep riding that hate train. We get it, you don't like the new Alienware.

Because you know, the lights aren't able to be turned off either.

 

Compare the keyboards to see which one "have lights all over the place". Not only was the lights of the old system hideous, but the keys was not straight and had this very cheap looking design. Kinda like an old keyboard but with LED.

Then move on to the big LED grills on the R2 which added to the whole "toy effect".

Then its the design of the R2 where the casing is curved which in my eyes doesnt look good. The new one is more squared without the flashy curved design.

 

They cut corners all over the new model as mentioned in many forums posts. It's obvious in every way possible. They added nothing, they just deleted deleted deleted, and are probably laughing their butts off that they still have members that will always buy them regardless of how much they cut corners and gouge the profits. This is fact. Design is subjective on which looks better . The deletion of features is fact. They took away a lot and added nothing in the new model, besides the screen, period.

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Besides the dreadful Alienhead logo on both alienwares, the m18x looks better when it's closed and from behind while the new M18 looks better when looking at it face to screen due to the lack of cheap-looking keyboard design.

BTW, by better, I mean it looks less like a toy.

 

I actually like the stealth fighter look of the new one. I dispise the screen bezel, it's borderline deal breaker for me, give me edge to edge glass any day of the week. I am also confused why Dell decided to give it 1 less HDD space for no good reason too (I wonder is they will conveniently address this with the next refresh).
They both look like toys with the lights on in my opinion, but they can be turned off if one chooses. I do wish Dell could use another material instead of the soft touch rubber too. It's not durable and is very vulnerable to scratches.
These are my biggest and harshest gripes but we can't have everything we want. They are still both awesome machines with a long time on the clock before either are obsolete.

 

This has been addressed to the point of beating a dead horse senseless. I own both.

The new alienware 18 outer lid is leagues better. It's bigger when open/closed and has very welll placed lights to point up to the alienhead. It's sharp. Now the inside of the screen is hideous. The bezel is horrible from an aesthetic point of view. However, the screen quality is better.

Regarding the keyboard and lighting. I prefer the more subtle lighting color; it's less bright and "in your face." It's still there but more subdued; personal preference will go either way.

The front grilles are way sexier on the R1/R2. nuff said on that.

The lighting around the chassis is a nice touch and makes up for some of the lost grille accents.

The rubber is a bit bothersome on the Alienware 18 and it's harder to clean and keep clean. The trackpad buttons get dirty very easily and it's annoying. I do like the touch pad illumination when lit though.

The bottom line is that Haswell+780s are only available on the new model but the old model maxed out is quite a performer. The biggest cos cutting comes from the missing drive bay, more conservative approach to design and HORRIBLE support that has been outsourced more than ever. My rebuild is happening in China and I could swear in 2012 my rebuild came from Florida but I could be wrong. I was one of the first orders placed, and like many owners, had probems that warranted sending he system back. I missed out on the opportunity to use my mystery Dell coupon and I have been told there is no compensation for what I wen through.

I am just hoping I get a good working machine at this point and that it doesn't take much longer to send my system back to me. It's labeled "overnigth" but obviously that's impossible from China. My original date to receive my new Alienware 18 was on 8.8.13 and that time has passed. Who knows when and what I will get. So for me, CS has been the biggest letdown from my past experiences in 2011-2012 with the M17X R2 and M18X R1. It's beyond frurating that I have been paying my DPA without a working system for over a month now.

As you can see, I can still write up good things about the system but it's too bad AW had to proceed the way they did and that will be indicative in my responses. It's sad when you finally concede to just hoping to get a working system and someone to answer how to get my 5% gift card. All Dell needed to do was take off $200.00 bucks from my DPA and I would have been a happy camper. That isn't asking the world and it wouldn't have even come close to what people got with their mystery coupons.

When I get my new system I will take good pictures of both the R1 and Alienware 18 (though you can search and find I already posted some from various angles).

 

The porblem of threads like this is that most people will tell you what they think, but not what is a fact. So for now I will ask you, are you looking for "better" performance or "better" for what people thinks?

If you want a good looking one, then sit down and Google pics, make your choise and don't make it because someone told you to.

For performance, well is a fact that since the 18 is newer it will take better performance at the end (newer CPU and GPU), so ask yourself: how much performance do I need/want?

I still feel that my M17 R1 is a beast since I can play many new games like Metro, Tomb Raider, Crysis 2 and so on. Only downside is that it doesn't support DX11 , that's why I'm building my M18x

 

I compared both of them, and i still prefer the old version. Maybe is cause i'm used to the m18x design, but still looks better than the new one.

 

To me, they both look great. They both have their own characteristics that make them unique. Of course when you're asking a question like which is better, you need to specify what you mean. If you're wondering about looks, google some pics or look at videos online.

If you're asking about performance, then it'll end up leaning towards the 18 because it's next gen. An R2 equipped with a 3940XM and dual 780Ms will be nearly as equal to an 18 with a 4930XM and dual 780Ms. Granted the CPU will be slightly better, but without knowing the specifics, would probably not be noticeable to the average user. I think as of right, the 680Ms might have the edge only due to having mature drivers and the OCability is well known. Once the 780Ms start to really get worked on, then we'll see what theses cards can do.

Each has their drawbacks as well. As mentioned above, the R2 has the last gen CPU, which is still a beast. As mentioned in other posts, the new 18 seems to have had some corners cut. Most notably for me is the missing of the 3rd HDD slot. It also seems that each year Dell is cutting corners on packaging and the little extras that come included.

When I purchased my M17X R3, the box and packaging were just amazing. All the freebies that came included were great. The mouse pad was actually a very decent make and I still use it. The hat was just a novelty, but was nice. The box it came in was sturdy and looked great. Plus the sleeve that came with it was useful to most. The M18X R1 I believe came with a leatherbound owners guide with a section in the back to hold the recovery disks. The R2s packaging looked to cut some of the corners, but still included the sleeve and mouse pad.

The new 18 took away all the little extras. The packaging even looks to be cheapened. Now I've only seen unboxing videos, but it just seems odd spending over $3000 and all you get in the box is the system. The screen doesn't even come with a plastic protector and the system is just sitting there in the middle. I guess Dell figures they could remove all the "special Alienware extras" to help maximize profits. I mean how much more is it to manufacture the 18 then the m18x?

I guess I'm just being real picky on the little things that don't matter, but just seeing those little extras that were included in the past versions didn't make the purchase of a $3000 system any more easier, but it did make me feel like I was part of something exclusive. In the end it's all dependent on the person. Some say the R2 looks like a toy with all the flashy lights. Others say the 18 looks toy like because of the tron lighting. They can both be turned off to help mask it I suppose. But why does it matter if it looks like a toy or not? I don't think most of us purchasing an Alienware are going to be taking it to a corporate type setting or a job where image is a big deal. Either system will stick out because of the huge size and alienhead on the top. If you're concerned about the image, go for a clevo reseller. They have the performance in a more subdue looking system. Which to some is a make or break.

 

I think the design differences are a matter of personal preference, but i don't like the new one. The problem to me is that they will continue to cut corners unless people stop buying them because of it. Those little things they cut DO matter, its the reason the price of the alien ware can be justified. Its those little touches that matter.

 

So far that is only theoretical, but not so in practical application. This might be accurate once a new BIOS is released that allow the 4930MX to run correctly, and users figure out how to make 4930MX sing. But, right now it is simply not accurate. A new 18 with 4930MX and 780M SLI cannot keep pace with the M18xR2 with a finely tuned 3920/3940XM and 680M SLI. If you compare the stock against stock there is a slight advantage to 780M SLI and no advantage to the Haswell 4930MX that I can identify thus far. If nothing else, Haswell 4930MX is more of a pain in the rear end to overclock. It has too many settings that seem to complicate the process without adding value that I can see so far. Plus, I can't see any point in making that kind of comparison because running it stock defeats the purpose of owning an Alienware. At the end of the day, the beast that wins is the one that slays its opponent. The gloves are off and there are no rules when it comes to achieving better performance. I expect it will be true in the long run, but other than a few one-off examples we have no consistent evidence of it being true overall yet.

 

Use logic here people:
They will continue to cut corners if the features are not needed in the general userbase. Like eSATA or SPDIF.

3rd HDD space is overkill for most people. With 2 HDD slots you have room for a HDD for storage and SSD for speed. Plus dont forget they have a mSATA slot too.

Smaller battery? Since when was the Alienware 18 even designed for being used outside the house where it is no electricity? The notebook itself is HUGE. If you plan on taking a notebook with you on flights or whatever, the Alienware 17 is the right one for you.

More plastic? For those who havent kept up with all the facts, its not just plastic thats being used, its a magnesium alloy. If you guys have read the reviews, the new chassis is far more sturdier than the old R2. Magnesium + plastic is much more resistance to everyday struggles than Aluminum. Look at the workstation notebooks from Dell or Lenovo, its a reason they use that compound mix instead of aluminum, which is soft and fragile. The new line of Alienware notebook is made of 60% metal

Design change is not cutting corners, it is applying a design that the common man like. With the PC market generally shrinking, they might not have luxury of continuing the previous trend, that stand out too much that it scares potential customers away.

 

Loss of eSATA and ExpressCard is a problem. One less drive bay (including counting mSATA) is a problem. My M18xR2 gets 5:15 on battery with IGFX. Those are huge losses that can't be snubbed as unimportant.

I agree that the construction of the new chassis is better. The palm rest and keyboard are made better as well, although the older design is more aesthetically appealing to me and some other members of the customer base that has kept the lights on a Alienware for several generations. I don't really care what the common man likes. The common man doesn't deserve to own an Alienware. If they continue down the path of ordinary and get any more common some of us that value what made them extreme will stop being customers because there won't be anything left to like about them. The common man with an Alienware is much like a dog chasing cars... has no idea what to do with it once it stops moving, LOL.

You keep beating that drum about the common man and the intent of gaining new customers, but it doesn't make it true to anyone except you, buddy. No disrespect, but repeating that mantra doesn't make it true. Nor does the speculation about that on your part harm anything... I say, just don't try to spin it out to everyone as fact because it's merely a wild guess. I haven't seen an Alienware official step forward to say that your rationale is correct. I think a designer with different tastes was allowed to change it and I doubt it had anything to do with attracting the common man because that's not the customer base that buys Alienware.

I am using both both 18" machines, plus a new 17, and there are a lot of nice things about the new systems. I love all three of them. But, yeah... they cut corners in areas I wish that they had not. There's no escaping that. The loss of features makes the new systems inferior and less capable. Hopefully, they will bring back all of the features they ditched at the next refresh. It was a mistake to drop features and I think Alienware has even recognized that because they have heard about it from customers repeatedly... ad nauseam, if fact.

And, I don't agree that the Alienware 17 is the right machine for anyone that places a high value on top performance. Any 17" single-GPU laptop model made by any company does, and always has, represented a major compromise in terms of performance. I don't even consider it a truly high performance machine. With a single 780M, the 17 is more like a very healthy game-capable machine. I would much prefer to carry around the slightly larger M18xR1/R2/18 SLI beast rather than compromise everything 24/7 with a 17 as my only option. The 17 is a really good choice as business machine for the user that wants to sneak in a pleasant gaming session now and then.

 

Loss of eSATA is a loss for YOU, that is probably true. But like I tried to say: if the clear majority doesnt NEED it, it will be in danger of being discarded on the next model revision. Dell have goals, to make as much money as possible, if they can remove a feature that very little people use while offering anything else, like IPS display which is a heck lot more tempting than the eSATA port. If they can keep the two models at the same price range, that is a lot more wise strategy for Dell business wise.
The packaging and the choice to include less premium merchandize along with it, could be to make up for the IPS display. Or the magnesium alloy.

Alienware havent lost the special look. It still have its unique LED lights, it still have the alienware head on the lid. But they managed to make it unique while still not scaring future buyers away. Just look at the pre release threads we had going here on this forum. Many came forward that finally they can buy an alienware, that they could feel proud to use.

Its not beating the same drum Mr Fox, its being realistic and see how the public react to these changes.

 

The common man wants more or equal for his money. Not less. Your making no sense here. I use my battery life when I'm on the road or at work. I use all my hard drive slots. There is no good justification of the things they cut other then cost savings. I think dell sends you a check every month or something because your mindset is really messed up here.

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I don't know that I would go that far. I don't think it is messed up as much as I think it is simply misinformed. It's somewhat logical coming from someone that does not have a good frame of reference to draw from. That same lack of frame of reference may have played a part in some of the decision-making process for cutting features on the new machines, too. It is very difficult to gauge what customers value most, especially so if you don't equally value the same things.

I can see how you might believe it is being realistic. But, stop to realize that you have no frame of reference or context to draw from past experience. It's hard to miss something you've never had, so I understand where you might be coming from. If you had actually enjoyed owning an M18xR1/R2 before, then I am mistaken and I apologize for assuming too much about the lack of value you are placing on the loss of features. Setting aside your personal preference for the new look, there was a lot that was lost for existing customers that were excited about upgrading to a new system. For someone coming from something else, the new Alienware 18 probably still represents a massive upgrade.

The M18xR2 already had a very good LED display. Setting them next to each other, I have a hard time appreciating the difference between the display panels under most circumstances, and it's certainly nowhere near enough to say it makes up for losing multiple features. I do consider it a slight improvement and all improvement is good. Had it been a 2560x1440p display, I might think differently about it being a trade-off for giving something up. I'd prefer not to give up any feature for the sake of another. I want it all, LOL.

So far, the reaction to paying the same price, or more, for fewer features hasn't been that good; especially from those that had an M18xR2. Every internal drive bay is used on most Alienware machines. It is the "if you build it they will come" principle. The thing that has made Alienware awesome for years has been the goodness of excess. Had they lowered the price to account for the loss of features, it wouldn't be as much of a problem to the die-hard enthusiasts and it would have appealed more to the "common man" like you say. Try to do a blind recovery flash on a system with USB 3.0 and see how that goes. You might find that eSATA/USB 2.0 combo port is a lot more meaningful than you suspected it was, even for gamers.

 

Since I do not own either systems.....yet , I was just going off of observations from some of the other threads going on. I would think eventually the 4930XM will surpass the 3940XM, but after reading about how difficult they are to OC, that may not be the case.

 

I think it will, eventually. In fact, I almost know it will. But, not with the current BIOS offering. It can't surpass the Ivy Bridge Extreme right now... for the same reason the previous generations of Clevo machines couldn't hold a candle to Alienware in terms of performance. They had a locked down BIOS that crippled their machines. Right now the 4930MX is crippled by the BIOS. I expect that will change. When it does, there will be a learning curve on how to overclock the 4930MX, but that's part of the fun.

The Alienware 18 is a fantastic machine. I really like it. But, it's new and it's still a work in progress. To a great extent that is expected. It would have been shocking and very unusual for it to be perfect at launch. It would have also been a first. Every new system has some kinks that need to be worked out.

 

I agree removing anything from a machine which has less is not a good thing, but some of the hate tossed for the new machine isn't as warranted I don't think. I think the external eSATA being removed is probably where the industry is heading. I bought that drive dock which can support esata, but still don't have any device to hook up to it. USB 3.0 also made that a more common standard now with better performance compared to USB 2.0. I can't say I know for sure, but AW probably saw eSATA as end of life moving forward.

I wanted to have the ExpressCard slot as well and have an old ExpressCard Soundcard. Its probably not that good though compared to what is provided. ExpressCard is sorta dead already I think and people still using it probably are purchasing more professional vs. gaming type laptops.

I would've liked having SPIF (sp?), but having kids and gaming, it's pretty much always with headphones now also so I don't know how many people still hook these up to external speakers. I'm sure there are a few, but probably not enough in their research obviously to keep it.

I consider myself a common man AW customer. I didn't have the M17x R2, M18x R1 or R2.

I think a lot of the old AW owners are upset maybe because more people can buy them. As I mentioned so many times before, the AW machine, even without a sale isn't insanely more than what's out there. People pay a ton more from a boutique small firm like Falcon-NW.

AW really is common man / mainstream purchase now price wise.

There were also a ton of posts saying people paid less for a M18 vs a M18x r2.

 

The only problem with USB 3.0 is that it doesn't work correctly much of the time. It has bugs that need to be worked out with the platform that are not related to the Alienware brand. It also has limitations that eSATA does not have.

If you ever need to do a crisis recovery flash on a system that has no eSATA/USB 2.0 combo port and only offers USB 3.0 you might be looking at a motherboard replacement, or removing the BIOS chip for a mechanical flash for a problem you could easily fix in a few minutes before. This is actually a huge feature loss, but folks that never used it cannot be expected to appreciate what a loss it actually is. The eSATA port can be used in exactly the same manner as an internal SATA port. It is faster and more reliable than USB 3.0 in addition to added benefit of the usefulness of the USB 2.0 combo feature for crisis recovery.

I agree that Alienware machines are insanely more excellent than most of what's out there. The new 18 has almost no external competition. With single GPU models it is getting harder to recognize a brand advantage than it was in the past. A FalconNW machine is a severely overpriced Clevo. I don't really consider them special at a hardware level, but they are fantastic as far as the custom paint jobs are concerned. But, that doesn't do much for benchmark scores or in-game framerates.

 

People won't stop buying them just because you expect them to, and clearly those little "touches" don't matter because otherwise, people wouldn't, you know, keep buying them. Based on that alone, I think your mindset is more messed up than Cloudfire's, who again isn't the Dell Superfan you think he is. He's very critical of Dell as well, the difference is he doesn't come across as the hate monger you do with unrealistic suggestions. The idea is that we're supposed to be helping Alienware improve, yeah? Because not buying them will do the exact opposite.

I could understand if it was a matter of terrible customer service. I've been down that road. But to whine and complain based on aesthetics and a port that most people in this thread are saying they don't use anyway isn't going to "change" anything.

Hit up IdeaStorm. It's what its there for. Telling people to stop buying the new Alienware notebooks is extremely counter productive.

If you're not happy with this revision, find another notebook company that has what you're looking for. If there isn't one with what you're looking for, maybe your expectations are too high and you're putting that on others basing your priorities onto the "common man."

 

I have typed this more than once. Complaining will accomplish nothing if you do not suggest improvements.

 

I think this point is the main problem. In the end, Dell/AW is still a business and the AW before Dell acquired them was also a business (why they had to charge so much due to smaller purchase discounts, higher support costs, etc). Competition changes how a company behaves/spends money on R&D, etc...Look at Intel and AMD, Intel really doesn't have to do much really on the mobile chip side.

AW M18 has very little/no competition and that's a problem so until there is some/any/more, we're sorta at their mercy so they will always try to build something which is more cost effective for them.

For people who have a current gen M18x, you do give up some things and it's not all good. One reason to hold off buying as well since as most have stated, it isn't a no brainer upgrade. Unfortunately, Dell already has your money from before! Just don't support them anymore until you get what you really want.

I suppose I come here going off as defending them because if they were still the super primo brand that had everything no matter the cost, I wouldn't be able to afford buying it at 5k-6k. I guess I'm simply happy they actually went cheaper and I can actually buy one for < 3k. If that means my machine is now gimped and I have 2k more in my pocket for other happy things to spend on, bring it on and keep doing it!

Maybe that's the "common man" request in me.

Like that other thread I posted about the WirelessHD, if you can pretty much do everything that 1k product can do at 219 dollars. I'd go for the 219 one every time when it's really good enough.

Of course, I'm not a OC/Benchmarker and doubt I'd have much time to even reload the O/S probably so I'm probably in the world majority, but Alienware power user minority...

I upgraded to a Samsung 830 for my old Inspiron (current machine) and just cloned it.

 

Or, you know, hit up IdeaStorm. Read above why not supporting them until you get what you want is again, counter-productive.

Also, it's just "18." Not M18x. There's a bit of confusion on this.

 

Reading the comments here has given me a few ideas:

I think that if the release of the newly designed chassis was postponed until next year when the next generation Nvidia GPU's with different architecture can be expected to be released while retaining the existing chassis design with the 18's hardware with the moniker M18x R3 (i7 3960, 780M SLI) the "evolution" would be much more pronounced.

As it stands the performance difference is negligible between an M17x R2 equipped with a 3920/3940 and 680M SLI with an unlocked BIOS and overclocked and the new 18. So the real other questions asked by a discerning potential customer are: what are the main differences aside from the obvious aesthetic ones? What wishes from the existing costumer base have been satisfied with the new chassis design if any (water cooling, tray loading disc drive, matte/anti-glare screen, 2560x1440 resolution, 450+W PSU etc.)?

Personally at first I did not like the new look of the 18, but now, especially after positive reviews of the reduced reflectiveness of the screen, I think it looks as good as its predecessor and many note that it has improved build quality so overall I would say there has been an improvement in this department but can't say so confidently as I have not seen it in person.

The fact that it is not only built and distributed from China, while real unemployment in the U.S. (counting those "no longer looking for work", students, underemployed etc.) is at or above 25%, but that also, as many of us have already experienced first-hand, the costumer service call centers are in India, the Philippines, and South America is absolutely deplorable.

The cost has increased, understandable to a certain extent with the new Nvidia hardware, but where is the profit reaped from a $5k laptop going? How much of it is going to slaves at the Foxconn factory in China who earn $12-15 a day and the costumer service reps. in India, the Philippines and Latin America who get paid $4 an hour and how much is going into the pockets of the upper management at Dell? Does this help the grossly insane disparity of wealth distribution and unemployment in the U.S. or exacerbate it? If the latter, why is the social cost borne on society not factored into the true cost of high dollar consumer items? Again, where is the money going? Does it help alleviate wealth inequality and poverty in America, which is really at a crisis level, or contribute to it?

We can build this stuff here and pay American citizens living wages and help reduce economic inequality, it is absolutely mind blowing that we collectively continue to behave as though we have a fetish for a feudalistic socio-economic arrangement. "I will continue to be a wage-slave and eat cat food as long as I know there is a chance with lottery level odds (.0001%) that I might ascend to the perverse level of material wealth enjoyed by less than 1% of the population" (it has been recently worked out that the 400 wealthiest Americans have more wealth than the bottom 150,000,000 poorest Americans, or nearly half the country).

Socio-economics aside, what I would have liked to see in the 18:

450+ W PSU

Water cooling (it can be done, especially for $5k, and especially when $3.5k or so of which go directly into Dell management's pockets when aforementioned labor costs are factored out and dell has already purchased and is simply sitting on this patent from Asetek)

Matte/Anti-reflective screen at 2560x1440 (adequately overclocked and watercooled 780M SLI and CPU could render this)

External/tray loading disc drive.

Removal of "Tact-x" row of keys or re-assignment as brightness increase-decrease buttons etc.

All of that said, there should be a significant difference performance-wise between next years iteration of the 18 with anticipated hardware changes and the M18x R2, but right now it is really only a matter of aesthetic preference that defines them.

All of this out of the way, if I was in the market right now for the best performing laptop for gaming etc. I would not be considering the new 18 at $5k+ at all, I would be looking at a used M18x R1 with an extreme processor and 580M SLI for roughly $2k, which for another $1k or so I could drop in a pair of brand new 680M and have nearly identical performance and aesthetics for almost half the price.

 

lol, with all due respect Mr Fox, saying Im missing references is highly wrong.
I have used notebooks for over 12 years, been using many different brands, I am pretty updated on the market,

It seems that it is you that lack the total picture here bro.
First of all, VGA and eSATA is gone. Outcry from the same few people as usual. You were one of the first people to say that it was a mistake on Dell's end. Now here it comes: could it be that you are one of the few affected ones, part of the really small group which Dell knew wouldnt like this change? If yes, then are you really the one to tell people the lack context?
If no, then answer me this:

What is crucial about eSATA? Run an external HDD? Really, how is that important? USB disks anyone?

Then its the whole marketing again. What do you think would bring in most sales for Dell:
The Alienware M18 R2 screen was probably good, but it is a TN screen. Many people doesnt know the difference between a good and bad TN screen. They hear TN and think about the screen that was on their previous notebook, the one that was mediocre. And they think "meh". Now they hear that the new Alienware features a IPS screen, well that is something that really get the attention from future buyers. Everyone knows that IPS is the tech to own. Like TN they doesnt know bad from good. But here they assume that all IPS are great.

Move along, ditch ports like eSATA like very few customers really use, remove all the small extras in the box they ship but put include everything the customer needs, use the extra money you saved to include IPS display which does cost more than the TN display but will tempt many buyers.

Sound like a good plan to me

 

People in this forum have been saying that Alienware has gone mainstream for years now. A $2-3K laptop still scares the majority of customers away. I've been to more than a few coffee shops in the last few years, and have yet to see even one Alienware. Lots of Macs, low-end Dells, Acers, and a few Asus. I think it is a lot easier for past and current owners to talk the way we do, but 99% of the people who approach me about my R1 are absolutely scared off when I tell them how much it cost.

The M18xR1-R2 and the 18 are all Alienware laptops, and are all incredibly powerful with maximum specs. For the folks who are unhappy with the features that Dell deleted with the M18, stick with the M18x. For folks who can do without the deleted features, buy an 18.

Nobody else's opinion should matter unless they're footing the bill.

 

The point of uber alienwares is they cater for EVERYTHING not just what a majority wants that's the point of SPECIALIZED systems. Now I've said all I had to say in this thread - Thread: I must be getting old, I like my m18x better than the m18 but to make a brief recap, you want sexy looks and a place to work and play that puts a smile on your face every time you see it go for the old gen. you want the best of now and the near future go the new 18. Personally setting up for mobile Photoshopping although the screen gamut is a letdown the extra hard drive bays for scratch disks and storage means a BIG deal, also clients and colleges carry all sorts of different media and with an m18x I don't need portable hard drives and adapters plugged in and dangling like a life support system but i can cater to everyone's media devices if I had to. For me it's worth the money.

The looks have been and always will be subjective and if dell have made more customers with the new look then fine, but I wouldn't want to buy one if that's going to be the future look... we'll see how the new customers stack up to the old being driven back by the new design.

by the way, esata? extra screen for me to navigate and illustrate on? YES PLEASE!

 

Or... you can just drop 2 780m SLI and 3940XM into the r2 and you pretty much on par with the performance of the new 18, you keep ALL your features the new one cut, and don't have to settle for corner cutting, and you got one hell of a good looking machine. Win.

 

I really wish Alienware would become it's own seperate entity or at least division. Some say that Alienware has it's own division but everyone from sales to tech support in the "Alienware" department are clueless on the machines. I want Alienware to be special again. MY M18x R1 is my first Alienware that I could afford. I have heard about Alienware since I was young and while saving up I read reviews and watched unboxing videos. Alienware had a special customer base and treated customers like they bought something special. I didn't want the M17x R3 because it had moved to plastic. I liked the solid feel of Aluminum, so I chose the M18x. It came with a dual GPU option which was a plus. My point here is that there is nothing special about Alienware anymore which leads me to the new models. Dell has taken over too much of Alienware and that has become apparent. They are missing the mark here with those who grew up with Alienware and bought their products in the past. Now mainstream users are beginning to buy Alienwares just because. They don't know what is in their system but they bought it because it looked cool. With people buying Macs at a high price, the cost of an Alienware is not out of that range for general consumers who want a laptop that "looks cool." Dell is now trying to capitalize on that by making a cheaper product at the same price. I have looked at the new design and I remain unimpressed. The Alienware keynote was a joke. These new models look good from far but up close they seem to be lacking. I hear many people saying that the previous look of the Alienware systems made them look like toys. I find my Alienware really dazzles next to bland laptops these days. The beautiful red paint really sets it apart and the only thing that says it might be different are the speaker grills. I would have loved to have seen Alienware do something fantastic with the redesign. Everyone knows the liquid cooling technology is there. Make the laptops powerful (maybe thinner?) and great looking. The aluminum body seems to be what people like so go with that. The screen bezel is utterly horrible and they should be ashamed to put that on a machine like this. It litterally looks like something out of the 90s. Also dropping things like eSata is not way to go. Most users don't use it sure, mainly because most users have become general users.

As to which machine is better? I would give my opinion on having owned an R1 that at least an R2 is a better machine overall then the new Alienwares. If you care more then just having the most powerful machine and even that has come into question about the new machines then I would look into a used R1/R2. The best part about these laptops are that they are upgradable. I just feel that Alienware may have lost it's way, mainly because Dell is pulling the strings too much. Now if only there was a company who made awesome looking and performing gaming laptops that knew their machines when it came to sales and support. Who understood what gamers want (Razer says it but that Blade is far from it in my opinion). We need a company that made our 3k purchase feel special again. Until then, I will stick with my R1. Would I get an R3 if my R1 dies right now? Not at all...

 

You never dealt with AW back when they were a separate entity, specifically the customer support based in Miami. That was borderline harassment dealing with them, they literally seemed to get a kick out of how much they could irritate, infuriate, and siphon money from their customers.

Under Dell, I have only seen a significant increase in the quality of support (which still isn't great, but honestly everyone except's Apple's support is awful) and at the very least, accountability, since they are a much larger company.

 

Maingear's support isn't like that. But that's because they haven't sold out, like Voodoo and Alienware did.

Though, Maingear's laptop line isn't really all that special, and their warranty is nothing like Dell/Alienware's is, which is why I went with Alienware in the first place.

 

Well I have been a Alienware user since 2008 and I never got any issue with the previous Alienware, they always fixed my issues, they where friendly and they didn't care to ship outside of USA.

I really hate what Dell is doing wuth Alienware, but there's nothing I can do. Even that Dell is a huge company, they don't want to ship to Puerto Rico that its part of USA. So for me they are lazy, not friendly (I gave up calling them) and they know nothibg about the systems.

The last time the "Alienware representative" asked me if the M18x was a desktop... Seriously??

 

USB3 is a much better port than eSATA really.

 

^^except for cases when it doesn't work, then it's not even as good as USB 1.1

worthless, in fact - whenever (often) USB 3.0 does not function in a pre-boot environment

once Intel gets things sorted it will probably be fine, but for now... no worky es no bueno

 

I'm kinda puzzled by some of these complaints about what Dell is doing to Alienware, it's not like they recently bought them

Alienware has been a Dell subsidiary since 2006 - It's Official: Dell Beams Up Alienware | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

 

Yes, but they didn't merge the company until the end of 2009.

 

I am actually in the camp that believes Dell happening to Alienware is one of the best things that happened in the computing world. No complaints from this fanboy.

Alienware was a great company before they got bought out, and the original owners are still valued employees. Dell made Alienware better, rather than completing destroying the company like what HP did to VoodooPC. They took them from being a Clevo reseller to a truly unique offering that has no real competition... in a class by itself, really.

 

I want to thank Mr. Fox, again, for talking some sense into me unintentionally. He had left a post many moons ago before the 3rd gen M18 came out and warned (and I paraphrase) if you don't have the stomach for the rollercoaster ride called bleeding edge tech like the upcoming M18 stay away until the dust settles. I did just that and man I am glad I listened. I am still using my gleaming like factory floor new M18x R1 and it has hummed for the last two years without one single issue including the dreaded Killer 1103 and dual 6990M GPUs. All has worked out of the box flawlessly. Lucky I suppose, but I would not be a happy camper dumping 5k and getting a half baked system. I am sure it will all work out, but I'll wait. 5k is a ton of money for me and my R1 does everything well, still, two years later.

 

I think an inspiration to the people of these forums has said it best...



Always have an escape plan.


Even when it's old gen material, Alienware provides all the options... well it used to.

Don't want to derail the topic too much... just a quick history lesson, when alienware was brought by dell whom stayed with dell and who went on to form Origin pcs? i hear many wailing fanbois talk up origin for it's alienware past and now I hear too original owners are still valued employees with alienware/dell. Am I right?

 

That is true. Some former Alienware employees did start Origin PC. Origin PC - Wikipedia - Alienware - Wikipedia

 

So whom stayed behind with Alienware and Dell? A simillar handfull of people or more?

 

I don't know that level of detail. If I were going to guess, I would guess that a few stayed with Dell, a few jumped on the Origin PC bandwagon (a small startup company probably could not sustain a large staff) and the rest did something else with their lives.

 

Aesthetics aside, from a purely objective look at build quality and design the new 18 feels significantly better built than the m17x ./ m18x. No more creaky plastic or gaps in the chassis (I had gaps between the palm rest plastic and chassis on 2 m17x and 2 m15x laptops).

 

Interestingly my M18R1 never suffered from any of the many teardowns it went through. The hinges stayed solid throughout as well, and no real flex from the keyboard as some complained about. Now given that they supposedly fixed some of these things on the M18 I recon it bodes well. The M18 feels solid and the WAF is also higher as the fans kick in later on