M18x Pre-Order Configuration Questions... Ask HERE

I never do.. And I do ram change at least once a week (IT Consultant/Tech) But In school I learned you can cause delayed issues if you don't. Because of static discharge. And the damages are not always immediate. As a rule of thumb, treat your baby, like its a baby. Better safe than sorry. I know when I get mine Ill tear it apart to get intimate with it.. (hopefully in a couple hours) and Ill be using one.

 

Where does the RAM get installed by default, like if you get a 2x2GB configuration and want to swap it out for 2x4GB?

 

The bottom slots.

 

Thank you sir.

 

Totally agree (am also in IT ). Also never use it but I once killed a GPU just by touching it.

 

I'm thinking of replacing my ASUS G73JH with a M18x by September. Does Dell/Alienware usually have any good back to school discounts around then?

 

Generally, AW doesn't have huge discounts like other Dell products, but everything is possible.
PM/Email me when the time comes

 

Does anyone know which HD manufacturer Dell is using for the 750gb hard drive option? When I order, I plan on getting that drive and using it as storage and going with an SSD for the primary drive.

 

Looks like Seagate, that is what came in mine and what the parts thread indicates for the 750.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m18x/579752-m18x-part-number-list-reference.html

 

Damn BatBoy you are good aren't you ? Still waiting for someone to post Stock (with 6970 CF) vs Pimped Benches ... Anyone got a link for that ?

 

Thanks for the info.

I was hoping it would be a Western Digital since I read people were getting that for the 320gb option.

 

which is the better upgrade, 2720 or 8 GB of ram?

 

2720 100%

 

can anybody tell me, if dell is releasing other color options other than red and black?

 

You should get the 2720 if you want to solve for Pi. If you would rather have dozens of windows open at one time, get the RAM.

 

Or get the 2720 and get the RAM elsewhere for much cheaper. Essentially what I'm doing.

 

Hi all,

Is it possible to get a matte screen instead of a glare screen?

 

Not unless you do it yourself.

 

Pre-order/owning questions: I'm going to order, but i want to know before the box gets here -
#1) Are the memory and hard drive slots/bays easy to get to? If i order bare minumum to replace aftermarket myself (save $) are the slots easy to access without major surgery? Other laptops (ASUS) have slots half covered by the chassis and require more than opening a single panel to get to the bays....

#2) Does EVERY M18X ship with provisions for 2 hard drives? If I order with just one, I can still add a second, and even change from single to RAID array on my own.

 

just wait my m18x with cf 6970's and a 2630qm (all stock besides gpu) will arrive tuesday, however ill be out of town til friday evening and i plan on booting it up friday night and run benches. I plan on doing dell drivers, then ati, then gpu oc and try to see if i can do a 105 bclk so just be patient and ill get them up

 

As long as you don't want more than 8gb of RAM it's pretty easy. Opening the front panel under the keyboard can be a little daunting but not impossible. Depends on your comfort level. I'd call it minor surgery.

Either way, the instructions on how to do are provided by Dell in the service manual. Lots of people have done it so far. The HD bays are easy as are half the RAM slots. It's just that second set of RAM slots that are a pain.

Yes.

 

SSD question for the M18.

If buying factory installed SSD's, I can see from the parts list that Dell use Samsung PM810 (aka Retail Samsun 470) and also a Liteon Vangogh SSD.

PVGPX 256GB SSD-S3, 2.5", Liteon Vangogh
4K2C3 256GB SSD-S2, 2.5", Samsung PM810


Now, Ive heard of the Liteon "brand" in the UK and tbh, its a budget brand and I wouldnt choose to buy a TV or anything related to Liteon simply for that fact.

Tried googling for more info on the drive but no joy.....EDIT: found this: http://www.liteonssd.com/products_256.html which "could" be the one Dell are using but im not sure....



So,

Anyone have any info on the Liteon Drive?

Is it possible to "specify" which model you want - If I was ordering, I think I would prefer a Samsung drive instead.

Also, is this Liteon drive that Dell use a Sata III drive? - I know the Sammy is a Sata II drive.....

 

+1
Most compaines blanket the ram cost, and that's why i asked about the accesibility of the slots before finalizing the order today. I can start with 2x 4GB for 8 and later add another 8. I just so happen to already have a pair of Seagate 750GB hard drives here, so ordering with the 320 also saves me up front. That let me get a little more processor, get the dual ATIs, and even the BluRay - which i'm not sure i need either - I've had one in my tower for a year and haven't used it AS a BluRay once.

I'll have to look - but i'm sure there's a hardware compatibility thread somewhere here - so check what RAMS and SSDs people are installing with 100% success. Things like RAM sinks and even the module itself can 'not fit' or not work - so before i order aftermarket, i just want to check that thread too

 

Sale!

Buy.com has the best price I could find for Kingston RAM and Intel 510 120GB ssd's..

The ram is $110 but they have a $30 rebate. If you ship to California you will have to pay sales tax. The RAM I got is KHX1600C953K2/8GX. It isn't Plug n Play but I believe we cannot benefit from PnP.

The Intel 510 drive is $260 but there is a $30 rebate on it too and that makes it only $230.

Shipping is free.

Party on.

 

For those in the UK, just a FYI but the Factory OC'd 2920xm is now available to order online......its only £850gbp up from base lololol - actually, its the ONLY xm option now! - the non OC'd xm has done a runner........

 

Hi,

I'm new here (obviously) and after years of mediocre desktops/laptops I have decided to go for the m18x as I am sick of playing the games I love on low settings (or not being able to play them at all!).

I have a couple of questions if you guys wouldn't mind helping me out a bit. I don't know much about computers so you'll have to bear with me. I have been trying to educate myself over last few days but not getting far!

Ok, first question; Processor, do I go for the 2820QM or 2920XM? I only play games on my laptop and store music etc, but I do want to play my games on max settings.

Second Question; Memory, short and sweet, which should I get?

Third Question, Hard Drive, As I understand it and SSD drive is the best so should I go with that one? If yes, I am a little concerned about the 500gb size. I think I would fill that up pretty quickly. So is the 1TB Hybrid the way to go?

Thanks for any advice in advance

 

Firstly, Welcome to NBR and congrats on your first post!

This would be my advice. Others may disagree but here goes!

q1 - 2820 will be more than enough for just gaming and storing music. Most games are heavily dependant on gpu rather than cpu, with a few exceptions that are cpu intensive such as crysis and metro to name a few. Still, the 2820qm will be more than adequate for gaming.

q2 - Just buy the stock ram/included in price from Dell and dont go for more than the bare minimum - you can get better ram aftermarket and for alot less money. Kingston HyperX is a good and very popular choice. Bear in mind that unless you are ok with opening up your laptop, only get 8gb max as to put more in involves a bit of work with the system in terms of opening it up, removing the keyboard etc. Not hard but if it scares you, just get 8gb.

q3 - Again, dont buy SSD's from Dell (not that they are bad, they just cost alot more!). I would maybe go for a pretty large traditional HDD - maybe 750gb (because you HAVE to buy ONE HDD from Dell to have your OS installed!) and put the saved cash towards a SSD aftermarket from an online retailer (maybe Amazon or Newegg etc). Then you can move the normal HDD to the secondary drive bay and use the SSD in the primary with windows installed (and any other apps/games that you may want - dependant upon SSD size)

I dont know how well the hybrid drives perform in a 1tb Raid setup....cant comment on that but if you want REAL speed, you need a "proper" SSD.

Hope it helps!

 

Thanks for the detailed response. Much appreciated. OK this may be the most stupid question you've heard this month and I apologise but as I said, I know bugger all about computers, but how can I install more ram without opening up the laptop? (and yes it terrifies me ) and presumably if I wanted to mess around with the HDD's then I'd have to open it up no? Won't this void the warranty?

I've also seen people having to do extra stuff with their laptop, downloading drivers etc. Is this required? For instance, what did you do with yours when you got it?

sorry to load you with questions, its just very overwhelming looking at all the info in the forums. Again, thanks for taking the time to help.


Just noticed you're from chester. Me too

 

I plan on buying an M18x within the next month or so and does the Intel® Advanced-N 6200 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO come with 3 antenna's preinstalled or just the 2 wires for the 2x2. I'm asking this because I want to buy the N6300 at a later date. Also can anyone with a 2820QM processor that's teared their system down is there a single or dual pipe heat sink for the CPU?

 

Wow, small world my fellow Cestrian!

You can install more ram simply. See here for online instructions. Dead easy mate. Its four screws to remove the bottom cover....as simple as opening a can of beans. That gives you access to 2 of the four memory slots. You can then put x2 4gb modules in there (not sure about x2 8gb modules but that would be very pricey) very easily. Drives can be changed just as easily by removing the bottom cover. Again, see here for instructions on swapping drives.

None of this voids your warranty unless you damage stuff in the process but rest assured, you wont if you take your time.

As for drivers, your system will ship perfectly functional in terms of drivers. Think of updating drivers as just like keeping your car fully serviced. Sometimes you may want to check on the oil level in your engine ....drivers are the same....you can check for latest drivers on Dell website for any new drivers for your system.

Mostly, dont worry. These systems are great and are VERY powerful. Might seem daunting at first but it really isnt.

Remember, if you have questions, there are lots of people here ready to help out. Just ask!

 

Hi, I plan on ordering an M18X in the next couple of days and I am going to be using it for gaming mainly, with the hopes that it will give me a chance to play games on a high level and continually play games over the next couple (+ ?!?) years. I am thinking of getting everything stock apart from the GPU (getting the 6970 XF) and the Processor (2720QM)

My question is with the option of the wireless connectors, the 6200 or the 6300, is there any noticeable difference with gaming ? Should I bother to upgrade to the 6300 or stick with the 6200?

 

Great! That eases my concerns somewhat. So the laptop will be ready to go straight out of the box then.

Final question for the time being, do you know any good vendors for ram and ssd drives or links to good products? I'm really in the dark with all this. not sure if you can post on here. Could you pm me?

Again, really appreciate this help

 

Im not able to PM you yet as you have to have a few more "posts" under your belt to get that NBR priveledge

Regards to ram and ssd's....I just tend to google for the best deal. There are lots of ssd's out there and budget plays a big part. If you are looking for reliability in a ssd then Intel are probably the best....if its speed, OCZ Vertex III.

The M18x can utilise Sata III 6gb/s SSD's so I would be looking at those that are Sata III for faster speeds.

The ram - lots of stockists in the UK sell them....even Ebay...If you google for "kingston hyperX 8gb sodimm 1866 or 1600" you should get some good links to buy from....

Hope that helps in the meantime.....feel free to post back or PM me when you can....

 

ah ok. nevermind. thanks for the suggestions. how hard would it be for me to have 16gb ram? I presume it would require me opening the laptop up. We have a family friend who is in IT that could probably do it.

Ok, so if I get a 240gb OCZ Vertex III series SATA III 2.5 inch (the one twice the size is just too expensive), would this be adequate size for the laptop and what programs should I install onto it and what should be kept on the 750gb HDD?

Tell me when I'm annoying you

 

Hahaha - your not annoying me whatsoever. I was in exaclty the same position as you 12 months or so ago....so dont feel embarrased about asking ANY questions to ANYONE here on NBR, we are all here to help.

Regards the ram, if you want 16gb (like I have done) it isnt "hard", anyone with a bit of savvy can do it really just that some people may find it more daunting than others.

Have a look at this thread. It has pictures to show you what needs to be done to access the 2nd pair of ram slots to upgrade to 16gb (4x4gb).

Accessing the ram slots under the keyboard on M18x

Regards the SSD, 250gb is a good size. Keep the apps/games you use or play the most on there....the other stuff that you dont really need the speed for, keep on the secondary. You can always move them around as and when you feel like it.

 

That's great thanks! Was thinking, if I order 8gb from dell as stock would they have them inside the laptop or put them in the more accessable slots at the back? Would you be able to request they put them inside leaving the 2 that are easier free for extra memory? If so I can just buy another 8g?

 

Dell puts the RAM in slots 1/2 which are at the back. 3/4 under the keyboard are left open. I doubt they would honour that request, but you could always ask when you place the order.

The 250GB SSD/750GB 7200RPM 6.0Gb/s combo in RAID 0 is pretty sweet

 

Thanks for that. What is RAID 0. have looked on forum and noticed a few people having issues with it but I have no idea what it is

 

RAID zero is combining two hard drives together to make one bigger, faster "virtual" drive. For example, in my m17x R1, I have two 150 GB drives, but they show up as one 300 GB drive. The read/writes to the drive are also faster than if I had a single 300 GB drive as well (something to do with the magic of RAID...probably too boring to go into).

Maybe I've been out of the loop for a while, but why would you RAID a SSD and a non-SSD drive together? Doesn't that just slow down overall file access since half the file info is being written to the non-SSD drive (versus storing your OS/applications on the SSD and your files on the non-SSD)?

Apologies if I'm totally wrong on this. I'm pulling my RAID knowledge from the archives

 

Thanks for explaining that. I've been thinking about just getting the base HDD and then buying a 240gb SSD and like a 2tb HDD would this be possible? Do I need a 2.5" or 3.5"?

 

2.5" for laptops. Dont think you will get a 2tb HDD to fit internally in the M18x as they are probably way to big.

 

Lol ye have noticed that. Have found a few 1tb's. Its loads cheaper buying them seperately.should I go with the 1tb?

 

Well, as long as the drive fits, and you can afford it, you may as well go for as large a drive as you can.....I know lots of people like to use WD Scorpio Black 750gb HDD's......dunno if they do a 1tb version or if it fits!

Id go for the Scorpio Black 750gb as its very fast for a normal HDD, if not as fast as a hybrid drive.

 

My understanding is the the 3rd antenna is installed, and only the 2920XM has dual heat pipes. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Anyone with the XM processor? If so, does Dell put the core i7 extreme sticker on the laptop? I had a 600m and they would put centrino stickers etc...

 

Mine has the black sticker underneath...doesnt say "extreme" though but then the colour of the sticker denotes that anyway....

 

Hello guys. I'm Italian, and I want to buy an Alienware M18X. In Italy there is still a forum for this computer. I ask you: It 'a good buy? you find any defects, such as cooling, noise, video cards, or other? Recommended it to me? With that configuration? Thank you. Sorry for my English I speak with the translator of google.

 

frenk- Here are a couple of reviews to help you decide. If you spend some time checking out the comments on this forum and here: Alienware M18x, you will find that the M18 is a beast, and the best looking laptop on the planet IMHO. Good Luck
Review Alienware M18x Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews
Alienware M18x Laptop Review - Introduction