Hey yalls! Need some info on an Alianware Area 51.

Hey all! In the process of getting an Alianware Area 51 M15x and would like to know how good of a gaming rig it is. I know its old and a laptop so its going to be less than a desktop but most of my knowlage is in Desktop rigs and not lappys. I have a desktop with basically the same specs and it plays all the games listed on maxx with a Dell 22in 1680x1050. (yeah its a low res but Im not a rich man. (I know the lappy will not be as good as the destop cause its well, a laptop...)

Would like to play MW3 2 and 1 (would love to be on high...)

Battlefield BC2

Dirt 2 and 3

Prostreet. (haha)

NFS WORLD

FSX and Wings of Prey

SO here are the specs,

AREA-51 M15X 15" WUXGA W/CAM SIL-RIP-PNT R1

CPEN,INTEL T9300 CPU,2500/800,6M,FCPGA6 SCREENED

ELPIDA 4GB DDR2 PC2-5300 SO-DIMM 667MHZ Y9535

M15X PRIMARY 120WATT AC ADAPTER-ACCESS

M15X ODD SMARTBAY KIT-SILVER-PNT

M17X / M15X NVIDIA 9800M-GT2 512MB

SILVER BRACKET FOR MD2GTX, MD2GT2

SEAGATE 160GB 7200RPM FFS HDD REV3

8X DVD+/-RW NEC AD-7590A

INTEL PRO WIRELESS 4965 A/B/G DRAFT-N MINI-CARD

INTEL MOBILE INTEGRATED HIGH-DEFINITION AUDIO

Just hoping I could get lots of ppls ideas please. Thank you all in advance!

Like I said I know its not the laitest and greatest, but for $405 I dont think its to bad! Or is it??

 

Well, the m15x seems to be the higher end, you can't go much better than that for this machine. My guess is it will let you play all of the games you listed at at least medium to high levels depending on the resolution of the screen.

When you say your desktop has basically the same specs, I don't see why the laptop wouldn't perform the same in this case.

I'm not a pro when it comes to prices, but I think that 400 bucks is all right. Just make sure the screen hinges are ok.

 

IMO thats a little much considering the issues that the m15x has... drivers/hinges/heat/etc...

 

I would be playing at native resolution. (1920x1200). Well the gpu does about 51.2gbs and my desktop version does 57.4gbs... also because of heat, the laptop gpu will downclock after a certain point... (at least thats what I have heard...)

Also the gpu was replaced on 8/10. (to the 9800mgt2) and the hinge system was replaced on 1/11...

 

also I am sure this question has already been asked but what is the best/fastest gpu I can (if I ever wanted to) drop into this laptop? Thanks for your help!

 

Nvidia cards have problems with the drivers, no way to use recent drivers - which causes problems and reduces performance a lot (no tweaks for recent games).

Raw performance - geforce 280m

But considering the driver problem i'd say a HD3870 mobility - less powerfull but it has decent drivers.


An alternative may be a mxm 2.1 4850 from an alienware M17 - hasn't been tested as far as i know - but if it works it's as powerfull as a 280m with recent drivers!

 

I see, but older drivers work on the gtx 280m right?

Have you any idea what the memory bandwidth is for the HD3870?

Ok about the 4850, is this what you are talking about? : Alienware Mobility Radeon HD 4850 Master MXM2.1 III-HE 1GB vRam | eBay

Does it not fit physically? Also sometime I would like to drop 8gbs of ram into it, will the mobo support that? Or am I limited to 4gbs?

 

Check http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...tems/384642-area-51-m15x-nvidia-gtx-280m.html for 280m info - it does work with older drivers.


That seems like a 4850 from a M17 - it has the correct slot. You might have to modify the heatsink a little but no real problems.

That's if there is biossupport - noone has tried sofar! someone has tried the asus W90 4870's but those are asus-specific cards that did not work.


No idea about the memory bandwidth - but that is not a good way to compare card performance anyway

 

Ok, well looks like the GTX 280 runs a little hot for my liking... still, if I get a little adventurous...

Ok. I might have to do that sometime down the road!
Well what is a good way to compare card performance?
Also any info on the max amount of RAM I can put in? Thanks for the help!

 

Here is someone with 8GB

Alienware Area-51 m15x, 8800m GTX, 8GB ram, Win7 64bit - YouTube

and i'd say benchmarks.

The 8800mGTX /9800m GT will score a bit higher inn synthetic benchmarks then a 3870 but since the latest working nvidia drivers are 3 years old there are no profiles/driver tweaks for recent games. Some games might not even work on these old drivers!

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 - Notebookcheck.net Tech

the list on the right is a very rough indication.


Ultimate m15x configuration

X9000 - but i see no reason to upgrade from a T9300
8GB
4850 - assuming it works
SSD in hdd bay
Big HDD in DVD-bay

 

Ok thanks!

Well Im going with what Ive got right now so do you know where a good place to get working drivers is? I have heard of a website called laptopvideo2go or something like that.....

Thanks for the links! and yeah, that would be an awesome set up... I kinda want to try that card some time.... when I get some money together... ;P

 

I suggest you try the latest alienware drivers - if i'm correct they are the last working drivers.

 

ok sounds good. thanks for all your help! will update when/if I get around to doing the 4850... or if I need help with drivers!

 

If I can I will try and convince you NOT get this machine. I bought a area 51 M15x when It first came out It had a x9000 with a 8800gtx and it was great but now Its old not that powerful and It has driver Issue of not being able to go passed driver 180ish and some games with just not play and tell you to update drivers (this Is an Issue with the switchable graphics). but the main problem Is that the hinge will break and this not a chance It will break It just will I had to send my laptop back 5 times In 2 years because of the hinge breaking this is not a good Investment In anyway. Also the cooling is not the best.
My main point is that you can do what you want with the graphics card put a new one in but the hinge will break at some point and this is not just me having a dodgy one there were lots of people in the forums having this issue and Alienware promised to fix it but never did the best someone came up with was fill the hinge with epozy glue and I barely ever closed the lid of my laptop.
Unless you are getting this for about £100 don’t even think about it

 

highfly, your advice is greatly appreciated. I acquired this laptop last week. I realize the hinge issue and although it has been replaced last year this time, I can see how easily it can break. (Probably the only downer in my situation) The laptop is quite powerful in my opinion as it can play MW3 on max settings with avg 40fps and the rest of the listed games (first post) on high to ultra. Which games will it not let me play?

Heating issues: I have found that there is NO WAY I am going to game without a laptop cooler. (Looking at the CM storm SF 19) As the gpu got up to 92C on Dirt 2 in about 5 min on a flat table... :O

Again, I realize how bad the hinge design is and although I found that out after I bought it, I am keeping the notebook. Price wise, after I bought an extra 9cell batt and then sold my old laptop I ended up paying $363 total. ($298 for laptop alone) Not too bad, but if the hinges break today, yeah a bad deal...

 

Well, if you have some manual skills, you might be able to prevent the hinge issue. The fix being taking the screen assembly apart and putting some industrial strength glue on the hinge fixations as well as loosening the hinge bolts a little bit. Just search youtube for m15x hinge fix.

Oh and where (and how much) did you buy a 9-cell battery?

 

Great! Thanks so much! I will have to flex my "fix it" skillz. :O

here a similer ebay listing from the same seller... : SQU-724 - Alienware Dell M15X Battery 9 Cell Laptop NEW | eBay

 

Just be careful when loosening the hinge bolts, I've actually broken one off because I loosened too much... I've had to replace it but now it works great and I don't think it will be an issue anymore.

 

Got it. Thanks! Oh btw, random noob question, will superglue work? :O I use it for most every thing but would it be ok to use in there? Thanks!

 

Absolutely not! The point being in filling the gaps between the screw holes to hold everything together. You'll need some kind of epoxy resin for example.
Some people use bondo but I've found it difficult to apply without leaving a mess.

I still suggest you watch some tutorials before so you'll have an idea of what you're getting into.

 

haha ok! Thanks! lol shows how much a noob I am when it comes to "fixing" things... Thanks so much!

 

Well, it's not an easy process and a lot of harm can be done if not done properly. You might want to ask someone who already has some experience in the field.

Just saying, I'm not responsible of any damage you could cause...

 

For that laptop you should buy a spare gpu heatsink to mod for when you're at home or stationary. I had one I modded to use while at home that was a "diy" laptop water cooler to stop the downclocking issues with the 8800m gtx. Also if you play with the bottom cover off just setting it on a box fan really drops the temps a lot

 

Thanks. On my post asking about the superglue I hadn’t looked at the video yet. But I have now and it doesn’t look too hard. I’ll take it easy. Ha! Why would I blame you?? It’s my decision and my work... Thanks so much for the advice, it is greatly appreciated.

Oohh very nice! Could you post pictures of the modded heatsink? Im kinda a mobile person so idk if I would end up doing that. But I still would love to see what you did! Yeah I have thought about taking the cover off while sitting on my laptop cooler, Ill give it a try. Thanks!

Also, I have posted this on my other thread but no answers yet... Speedfan and Thermofan both show different temps for the cpu etc... which one is accurite?

 

i cant rememeber which games wouldn't let me play may have been metro 2033 or was it stalker i cant remember well. dont get me wrong i loved the machine when it worked and the 8800 gtx is a great card eve now but the hinge issue was just to much for me hope you solve it with the epoxy solution i guess you didnt really over pay for it. i on the other hand paided around £2100 for mine so you can see why I'm a bit miffed about mine

 

Yeah thinking this hinge fix will work fine... wow! I can deff see why you are a little miffed about it! :O that’s a ton of $$$$$$!! Anyway, about my question above, which is the more accurate temp monitor?

 

Why not get a second hand M15x or M17x R1? Quite a few knocking about and are cheap. Newer with better build quality than the older m15x too?

Also there are a few mxm 2.1 III 4870M cards for sale in the marketplace see here http://forum.notebookreview.com/com...-video-cards-mxm-3-0-6990s-mxm-2-1-4870s.html

these might very well work in the older m15x and would be the most powerful upgrade as their performance is at GTX 285M level.

 

Well for the price vs. performance it was a good deal. (And I have already had it for a week...) I didn’t want to pay more than $450 for a gaming laptop so I have been on the lookout for a deal and this one popped up. Other than the hinge issue (which looks easy to fix) it’s quite solid.

Sometime way down the road I will upgrade to a GTX 285M, 8gb of ram and maybe an x9000 but not for a while.

 

The 4870 is a no-go in the m15x, it's been tried and it doesn't work.

I also am not aware of anyone putting a 285 in there, as far as I know, the 280 is the fastest and hottest GPU for this lappy.

 

Oh no really? Why not? Bios?

True, about the 285 but it seems to me that it’s the same core and just a little faster.... am I missing something that might make it incompatible?

 

Search this forum, benfclark tried the 4870 and while it seemed to work at first, it quickly stopped. We can't know for certain what was the problem but it seems to be a BIOS issue.

As for the 280, I think it's the last card to be MXM 2.1, the newer ones are type 3

 

ok yeah, I see. ok well I would like to get the 280 then. is there much performance difference between the 280 and 260? $100 difference! :O

 

Anyone on the performance difference between the gtx260 and 280?

Also my temps for the 9800m gt get up to 86--87C. (sometimes up to 89-90C. all with fan on max) (with and without the laptop cooler.) Just takes a while longer to get that high with the cooler. everythings clean and free of dust.

Is there any way I can lower the temps without having to take off the bottom cover every time I game? Im going to do thermal paste for starters but anything else I could do? Also, what is a good brand of thermal paste. I have AS5 is there better stuff out there? Thanks for the help!

 

Any info on the cooling questions and performance difference??

 

Anyone? Bump???

 

On paper, it would seem that the 280 is about 10% faster than the 260, I don't know if this justifies the price difference.

On a side note, I even don't know if this would be a worthwhile upgrade, the 9800 is already a relatively powerful card and you should be able to play just about any game at at least low details. Also, the 260 is only slightly faster than the 9800 (again, on paper).

 

Thanks for the reply and info! Anything on the cooling question? Thanks in advance.

 

Temerature-wise, you might shave off a couple of degrees by using some better thermal compound but it would be nothing major. AS5 is about the best you can get without breaking the piggybank.

It would help to mod the heatsink, to add a little metal on it. It would seem that copper or aluminium sheets glued with thermal adhesive do some good. If possible try to make something fin shaped so there is more surface in contact with air.

From what I've read, it would also seem a good idea to downclock the most powerful cards a little so it doesn't heat up that much.

 

Ok sounds great. Thanks for all your help! I really appreciate it!

 

Hi,

Just a few comments from someone who (still!) has one of these

I have had a Area51 M15x for a while. It is the 2.5Ghz9300 plus nvidia9800.

I've not seen cooling issues with it on the desk ( Although have not tried using it on my knees ! ). I suspect that the main difference between 8800 and 9800 is better cooling.

I like the expandable features it has over the newer M15x laptops ( e.g. : Smart bay can use a second battery - I have two smart bay batteries and two rear batteries - hot swapping all four of these gives awesome battery life on transatlantic flights.

Smart bay bare bones drive spares are usually available on ebay cheap too ( in case you want to add a bit more disk space or a blu ray drive )

Of course, the Hinges started going, and I found this guy in California who will fix it for about 130 bucks. His "Fix" basically is entirely new hinge system ( i.e., won't break again ). Can't recommend the service enough, I don't normally advertise for people but he's pretty good. Also : He has spare motherboards AND spare GPUs. Seems to know a lot about the M15x Area51.

If you want a definitive answer on the GPU upgrade problem, then he's probably the guy to ask ( and who would probably have one to sell / fit )

His web site is certainly more alive and responsive to area-51's than the alienware / dell suport ( in fact Dell support gave me his number ! )
web site:
Ztronics

Other things to watch for on Area51 M15x :
- HDMI output only works on external ( high performance ) gfx. HDMI output can cut out if the cable is wobbly ( i.e. don't balance the laptop on your knees with the HDMI connected to your 50 inch plasma )

-8Gb : It *will* work with 8Gb RAM & Windows7 64 bit, however, doing this will stop Sleep working. If you want instant sleep/resume, keep RAM at 4Gb.

- Port Extender : A company in germany sells a docking station that is compatible with this model, which apparently includes both standard VGA output and DVI output ( The laptop only comes with HDMI out )

I am not sure whether this is true, I don't have the port extender, but you can check it out from here :

Sparepartworld: Universal port-replicator incl. DVI for Alienware Area-51 M15x

Finally : I use it in conjunction with a Asus 23 inch HD VG236H3D Monitor. Don't get excited about NVidia 3D. AS stated earlier, the intel based internal hybrid integrated graphics stops all newer nvidia drivers ( including the 3D ones ) from working. It is an awesome second monitor though ( laptop happily drives both internal screen and external 1920x1080 monitors.

Dirt3 in particular looks great on the Asus.


Regards

~ Win ~

 

i did alot of searching when i got my m15x it had 2gigs of ram. crucial.com system scan said the mother board will only allow it to run 4gigs.

 

Pretty sure it supports 8gb. Don't trust crucial.com.

 

Yes, it will take 8gbs. I installed 8gbs of ram a few months ago and the only thing that doesnt work is the "Sleep" option. You have to do a manual restart if it goes to "Sleep" because it doesnt "wake up."

 

I couldn't get sleep to work with even 4gb using win 7 64

 

Hmm, how odd. Mine worked great with 4gbs. Then again, i just did a fresh install of 7 pro 64bit on my desktop and now sleep doesnt work on it anymore...