New M15x Owner Information

if bios a08 is not installed, it's easy enough to do so. the easiest way to check is to use the touchpad, if it feels horrible.... (it's also easy to update, just download the update from the net, run it and burn on a blank cd... boot from the cd, press B when asked and let it do it's thing... it will flash the bios and the EC - i believe it shuts down itself so don't turn it off before it's finished... yes it takes a few minutes).

about the touchpad disabling upon plugging in a mouse, i love that feature too. all that's required is the mouse driver installed from dell's website (should be pre-installed)

no need to configure powerplay options unless you experience throttling, there are a few people who have needed to disable powerplay and manually set their 3d clocks when playing a game. if it's working normally, there's no reason to disable powerplay, it's a great feature.

i've been using bitdefender internet security since my sister and father pitched in and we got a 3 licence set for cheap, however prior to this i was using comodo as my firewall of choice, it's free and has great features, also light on resources.

spybot S&D is great, i avoid it's teatimer option because that just annoys the crap out of me, however it's scan and removal of malware is fantastic.

grats and goodluck with your new laptop, i'm sure you'll be happy when you unbox it... it looks magnificent!

 

wattos i think you should add this thread also:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/375100-what-will-not-void-your-warranty.html

 

Totally worth adding.

Thanks for the link bro! Haven't seen that before

Rep given!

EDIT: Just saw BatBoy's post Link

Guess we need someone to create a new thread and verify from Dellienware

 

oops just noticed that too, heheheh sorry

 

pretty basic stuff everyone should know. except the CPU. updating the bios to fit the new CPU could cause trouble sometimes. just good to have a representative on the phone w you when your doing it

 

i only can say Thanks for all this info, is reall complete ¡¡

muchas gracias ¡¡

inka

 

Got my new m15x in today, a full two weeks ahead of schedule. Ship date was suppose to be Oct. 14. Anyway I'm thrilled with it so far but haven't done much with it yet. Converting from mac so don't have a mouse yet. It came with Bios 08 already but the touchpad is truly horrible. It takes 3-4 swipes to go from one side of screen to the other. I uninstalled the driver as well so windows would default but no help. Is this normal? I can't imagine the people on here would be happy with the "fix" it this is indeed it. Any ideas on what I should do? Attempt to reinstall 08 maybe?

 

try setting the speed higher.

 

i like the background

 

Amazing how the simple things are sometimes overlooked. Thanks for the fix. Night and day difference.

 

Is it really night and day difference? I come from a macbook and using this horrible touchpad is bad enough to return the laptop.
I have updated the bios, played with the settings, removed/updated drivers and while there were some improvements nothing comes even remotely close to the macbook. At least if it were decent I wouldn't mind so much.

When moving the cursor it gets really difficult to navigate within letters in a word or any specific location where accuracy is important. Anyone else experience this?

 

I'm sorry, but this is a gaming laptop. It is designed to be used with a mouse, and only in times of great need, used with a touchpad. Also, the MacBook Pro's have possibly the greatest touchpad that has been used in a laptop. It is hard for someone that experienced something so great, to go to something inferior. If it's really that big of a problem, then you might want to go back, but for most users it's not that big of an issue.

 

I don't buy that excuse. This is a gaming LAPTOP not a gaming desktop. The trackpad on a $2k+ laptop should be GREAT not crappy. There are plenty of people who game on a trackpad (I know healers on WOW for example that use it, etc.) it honestly should not feel this bad. There is even a topic just to discuss this issue and a bios update that "helps"; obviously there are issues with the trackpad and I am not the only one noticing.

 

No, sorry bro but I'm gonna agree with miahsoul especially becuase if you used the trackpad on either an m17x or m15x before and after the bios fixes you'd know it really isn't that bad. I don't care what kind of a laptop you have the trackpad isn't meant for gaming and this is a gaming laptop. If you have such a major issue with the trackpad take it to the discussion on that or call alienware and complain, or if it's a big enough issue as miahsoul said no one is forcing you to use it.

 

I can't believe you guys are giving Alienware excuses. If I purchased a Ferrari and the A/C or radio wasn't working right you better believe I'm going to complain and have it fixed. Your excuse is like if they told me oh, its meant for going fast, just put the windows down instead of the AC.

Stop making excuses for this company, you don't owe them anything (or do you?). There is no reason why it shouldn't work correctly.

 

You bet but you don't purchase a Ferrari and expect to be able to stick mud tires on it, a trackpad is not designed to do heavy gaming such as fps on it it's just the nature of the beast. Now do I think it could be better? Sure! But it's a decent trackpad for daily use items and as soon as I game I whip out a mouse as I think that even the best of trackpads are too slow to use in real gaming.

 

Oh well, I guess another macbook pro with Windows... cant stand the MAC OS. I love the pretty lights on the 15x though! lol

 

the touchpad is pretty crapastic but is still usable. just some people don't care about it, like myself who don't use a touchpad at all not matter how good it is.

but i feel ya, i still think the alienware line up deserves better touchpads. even though i will never use it, hahahah
i mainly use desktops so using a mouse is second nature, i feel like a retard when using a touchpad.

 

A/c= Fans and Radio= Speakers
Those both work perfectly fine.
Track pad is like your steering. If you use stock steering, it's okay for normal day use. But it's when you upgrade to after market parts from Razer, Logitech, or Steel Series when you get the true performance.
It's better than the rest of my families track-pads.
What exactly is your problem with it anyways? I find it perfectly fine.
Perhaps the texture is a little odd, but I usually use some sanitizer before I touch this baby so my hands are dry and free to glide right across any surface. But still, I'm sure it doesn't compare to MacBook Pro, but it certainly will suffice and can't be all THAT bad..................
(If you're complaining about multitouch support, yeah, the multitouch blows on this trackpad.)

If you must, you could buy a Apple Magic Trackpad though. You could even mod it into the M15x palmrest, which would be a first and really cool if you pull it off.

 

Hi! I will be getting my new MX15 tomorrow...I have never owned a laptop before but love the looks and everything else about the MX15....there is a posting in this section about what to set up first and other different steps to set up the computer...are these still up to date such as the driver links...my system is a follows...i7 740QM quad 1.73ghz2.93...4gb ddr3..1gb ddr3 ati radeoon 5730 graphics card...500gb sata 7200....right now there is an update for the ati graphics card on the dell website for a free 5850 ati graphics update worth 150.00 on an Alienware MX15....I called Dell today and asked them if I could have the update and they told me I could if I sent in the ati 5730 that came with my system but I wonder if I really need to mess with the update since most of my computing will be usual web surfing,watching movies and playing a few games only occasionaly...what do all of you think?.....thank you so much and I am looking forward to being a member of the forum.......Honeycomb

 

Hi Honeycomb!
Yes, the thread is pretty accurate, just don't use the ressource DVD you will get with the user manuel, always download your drivers from dell website!
If I were you I'd really take advantage of the sale and I'd get the 5850 asap. that card is just mighty powerful while the 5730 really isn't that great.
Congrats on your set-up, we'll probably meet again in the M15x owners thread!

 

M15x is arriving tomorrow and just have a quick question, is it still necessary to change the battery for 24hrs when its brand new? Or do laptops no longer need to have this done?

 

nope you can just turn it on right away, the battery should already be around 70% charged, so enjoy and congrats.

 

For sure take the upgrade on the video card i order a m15x for my younger brother (10 yrs) and mom with a 1gb 5730 and even though neither will use the potential of either video card i would gladly take the free upgrade as it would make your resale value higher and your system will last much longer while playing games at high or med-high. if you want i can send you my brother 5730 and you can send that in as a replacement and send me the ati 5850 i will send you $35 for your troubles and cover shipping

 

Hello guys, I just bought my computer alienware M15x. Just got it 2days now and discovered this.

I Should read all the comments but I think replying and asking would be faster in the long run.

Alienware M15x (Cosmic Black) | Intel Core i7 Q740M | 8GB 1066Mhz RAM | 1GB NVIDIA 260M | 1600x900 display | 500GB 7200rpm HDD

The weird thing was after I got my laptop, and just checked on dell. They removed 260M from the list (Dell.ca) and put the 5780.
So does that mean, my graphic card isn't that great? and should sooner or later upgrade?

Sorry another question. A08 is recommended to be installed or not? after reading some threads, I'm still confused if I should or not.

 

The 260M is a great chip, but the 5850 is 1.5x-2x more powerful stock. Plus the 260M costs more. Save some of your money and call up dell and change your order quick!!!!
Unless you got it outlet...

 

yes A08 is recommend if its not already installed. your gpu is fine for most games, but the 5850 is better atm for gaming. but the 260m is still very good and has the benenfit of cuda and physX for running applications.

 

LOL I meat 5850 oops. Thanks

Just sucks how, I did a good 3week research and 3days after I got my computer in the mail. They come back with the new better graphic card. Sad but what can I do.

When is a good time to upgrade your gpu anyways? People tell me, after 1year is the best time.

@inap: Thank you, just about to restart my computer.

Oh ya, the only thing I regret not getting is 1080p on my computer. Oh well , it must be nice having it.

 

Hi Faiz 23!!! Well I received my M15X two days ago....I haven't been able to try it out on anything yet because I had to order a wireless router to get on the internet and I don't really know how to hook everything up to make it work so I can get on the internet. I do have a dektop,of course but don't know what to plug in where...however,wanted to let you know I contacted Dell 3 days ago about the update from 5730 card to 5850 card and I have about 2 different agents telling me that yes, I can get the update free of charge since I just ordered my new one and the offer was still on the Dell site. actually when I called them 3 days ago, I had not received the Alienware yet and thought that I could change the order and put in the 5850 card but they said it was too far into production at that time...also, An agent today told me he was sure I would be able to get the update for me after it has been oked by Dell supervisors...he is supposed to call me back by Monday...they have been really great so far..here is what he told me...that I would keep the Alienware I just got until another completely different computer with the 5850 ATI card would be sent to me which I would then return back to Dell with no restocking fee and they pay for me to ship it back to them!This sounds unbelievible to me!I will keep on it though and let everyone know what happens.......Later everyone....Honeycomb

 

The 5850 has been out since May. o.o

 

Maybe me ...then again I live in canada.

 

Hi Everyone!I just thought I would update my progress on getting the ATI graphics 5850 update...The replacement for my Alienware M15X computer that was shipped last week with the ATI RAdeon DDR3 5730 to update to the 5850 with the FREE update has just been approved by Dell!!I will be getting a new computer in about a week. with the 5850 replacement for FREE!....I have to say that Dell handled this GREAT! It took about two days (not including the weekend) to get it approved but I really didn"t have any problems with anything...the peolpe at Dell were great with follow up e-mails and phone calls...Also, Alienware also called me a couple of times to make sure I was getting everything done on the update as well....it looks like Dell has really come through with this one for me....this was the first time that I have ever ordered a computer from them and after all the horror stories about their customer service I was really sceptical about buying from them but I think like someone else here on the forum said you just have to keep calling back and you will hopefully get things resolved for you;actually I only had to call them a couple of times on this and the first time was just last Thursday so I think I got it resolved pretty quickly...can't wait to get the new Alienware....will post updates about everything when I get the computer.....later....Honeycomb

 

Nice, congrats Honeycomb! I wish I had you luck!
You're gonna enjoy the power of the 5850!

 

hey wattos, great thread!
however, the very first point you make, with regard to the touchpad, has actually completely disabled mine.

If i unplug my USB mouse, i just cannot get the touchpad back working.

does anyone have any hints?

 

weird. hard shutdown fixed it.

 

Want the best tip anyone can give you? ( and that you probably heard many times already...)

Whenever your laptop is acting fishy... And things just seem out of wack, the FIRST thing you should do is do the bios reset/power drain trick. , shutdown,Unplug your laptop, take out battery, and hold power button down for 20 secs. This trick will be your bestfriend... And never underestimate it's POWER!!! loll

 

nice one, cheers mate...!

been pretty damn fun messing around with this new beast. really is a unique laptop style!

have already had fun setting up the winamp alienfx plugin with some pretty good results!

 

i finnally received my new m15x 2 days before the EDD here are my specs!


1 Alienware M15x, Cosmic Black $0.0
1 Primary - 6-cell (56Watt) Batt $0.00
1 Slot-Loading DVD Burner $0.00
1 AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue $0.00
1 5.1 Channel Audio $0.00
1 6GB Dual Ch. DDR3 at 1066MHz $0.00
1 Intel Core i5 540M 2.53GHz $0.00
1 15.6-inch WideHD+ 1600x900 $0.00
1 ATI 5850,1GB,GDDR5,ANWNB $0.00
1 Standard Nameplate $0.00
1 AUTO-UPDATES,CRIT,AW $0.00
1 500GB 7,200RPM $0.00
1 Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 MLANG CNB $0.00
1 MCAFEE PEARL MUI,30DAY,W/O,CNB $0.00
1 NO ISP REQUESTED $0.00
1 PC-RESTORE, DIM/INSP $0.00
1 DATASAFE LOCAL BACKUP $0.00
1 Nero Media Burning SW, ANWNB $0.00
1 WIN 7 HOME PREM, 64, ENG,AW NB $0.00
1 Alienware Logo $0.00
1 AW Command Center Software $0.00
1 INTEL WIFI LINK 5300 802.11AGN $0.00
1 HW WRTY + SVC,ANW M15,UNY,INIT,REL $0.00
1 NBD OS,ANW M15,UNY,INIT YR,REL $0.00
1 Internal Bluetooth Mini-Card $0.00


i got this for 1500 CDN

I also wonder is it possible to change the internal DVD reader burner into a BD or i should get an external drive eventually? So far the laptop is amazing i love it. I will be connecting a 22 inch monitor on it aswell. I read about those SSD drive and i am really interested of making a switch to one eventually. Space wise i have an external HDD so i dont need that much space. Give me heads up about it!

 

If you know what you're doing with computers it is possible to switch the DVD to BD, but you basically have to take the entire laptop apart to get to it. I have an SSD drive in mine right now I can tell you the switch is well worth it IMO. If you're looking for an inexpensive SSD shoot me a pm once you're to 5 posts, I have one I could sell you.

 

I am actually pretty handy in desktop i have been building my own computer since childhood. I have always went for the best bang for you buck component. Now i know alienware isnt bang for you buck but i wanted to give myself a nice candy i have seen one area 51 like 8 year ago and i was impressed. I will pm you once i get 5 post 3 more to go!

 

I have really silly questions regarding updating the graphic card driver here. Hope that I can obtain answers here.

To download ATI driver, which link should I click?

Is it just Catalyst Control Center (69.1 MB)? Do I need to download and install Catalyst Software Suite (1.1 MB) as well?

What is the use of HydraVision Package and Avivo™ Package? It seems like I do not need these two packages to update the driver.

Sorry for these silly questions. Previously, I have a desktop that has Nvidia graphics card. That is why I am quite clueness in updating the ATI graphics card of my M15x.

Thanks for the advice given.

 

Not a silly question, there really isn't any on here, asking a question is better than possibly messing your computer up Just do the Catalyst Control Center link. If you want to try out newer drivers than that I have both 10.9 and 10.10 as well, if you're new to drivers or want the best stability though the Dell drivers are the way to go. PM me or post on here if you have any more questions.

 

Download Option 1 - Full Software Suite. What you download is not the 10.8 reference suite itself, but a download utility that will in turn d/l and install it. Shouldn't need the separate CCC d/l unless something goes awry with the installation.

 

Listen to Rev, he knows a lot more about this stuff than I do

 

Sounds like the same response to me, I'm just a step slow and a dollar short. LOL.

 

No you're not I'd say you have 99 cents(so just 1 cent short) I have 3 cents(97 short), same amount as my brain cell count most days, 1 is lost 1 is finding the lost one and 1 is sleeping LOL. You're just better at explaining things Rev.

 

Thank you very much for the information.

As for ATI Catalyst™ Display Driver 10.9, it gets even more confusing. It has Display Driver and Catalyst Control Center. Is it adequate to just install Display Driver without installing Catalyst Control Center on fresh Windows? In other words, if I do not need to use additional functions, can I choose not to install Catalyst Control Center?

Anyway, I will just follow the general advice given, which is to download Catalyst Software Suite.

Pardon my preference to Nvidia drivers, I find it much earlier to know which file to download if I am to download Nvidia drivers. At the Nvidia website, there is just a link to download the drivers. Additional software, such as Nvidia SLI Profile Updates, is placed in different links, so that you will know they are not needed for basic driver installation.

For ATI drivers, they appear to be placed together. That way, I cannot tell which is needed, which is not.

 

Do not download the drivers from 10.9 or 10.10 from their website, 10.9 was never released for laptops(mobility) to the best of my knowledge. If you need 10.9 or 10.10 let us know and I can upload them for you for you to download. Also one thing I'm thinking is if you are looking at the download for 10.9 that means your not on the mobility drivers, anything for your laptop will always be Mobility in the title. Let me know if you want them and I can upload them for you to a file sharing site.

 

Al, those 10.9 drivers you linked to are for desktop cards and won't install or work with the mobile cards without modification. There is a hacked/modded set of 10.9 display drivers around that can be used with our cards, but I would avoid those until you are more familiar with the cards and the driver update procedures. Also, new official 10.10 drivers are expected tomorrow.

Edit: Again, second to the Great Dane, I surrender the field. LOL.

 

alvinkhorfire
Dont worry i always went with nvidia i know the drill aswell. After reading these forum i went with ATI so im a bit lost aswell but i will find my path soon enough hehe.