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    *OFFICIAL* M15x Owners Lounge - Part 5 (see post #1 for links)

    Discussion in 'Alienware M15x' started by BatBoy, Feb 27, 2010.

  1. Asim_j1

    Asim_j1 Notebook Consultant

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    I see 1600MHz option in the bios so I just wanna check if this will speed up my laptop
     
  2. khetik

    khetik Notebook Deity

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    You wont be able to use anything higher than 1333 ram. You can still put 1600 into ur M15x but it'll get downclocked to 1333. If you're looking to have a speedier laptop stick in a ssd, you'll be a lot more satisfied.
     
  3. Asim_j1

    Asim_j1 Notebook Consultant

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    Yea I put the HyperX 3K SSD in which gives me 270MB read and 250MB write because of sata 2 connection, I thought having the Hyperx Ram will make it run smoother I can't find the 1333MHz HyperX ram
     
  4. khetik

    khetik Notebook Deity

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    Wont really make any noticeable difference. Just get normal gskill, crucial, kingston ram. You'll be fine.
     
  5. steelcurtain11

    steelcurtain11 Notebook Consultant

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    hey everyone, it's been awhile since I logged on here, but I have a question about my M15x.

    I'm looking to upgrade my hard drive, as my 250GB is almost full. I was looking at newegg and tigerdirect to try to find a good sized HD for a good price.

    I was thinking of going for at least 500GB but if the price isn't too much more, possibly a 1TB if the m15x would work with it.

    Can anyone tell me some good price points for certain sizes or possibly link me to a good deal for a HD that I could buy? Thanks so much
     
  6. Jdpurvis

    Jdpurvis Notebook Evangelist

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    If you don't want to go to an SSD, the Seagate Momentus XT hybrid drive has been a good alternative for me. I have the 500 GB version, but I think there is a 750 GB version as well. They are widely available.

    Joe
     
  7. KurtH

    KurtH Notebook Evangelist

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    Well guys its been a great run with the M15x in my sig. I hope I was able to help some of you guys and thanks for the help that I recieved from others. But its time to let my M15x go since I dont use it anymore cause of the M18x I currently use or the M11x for my mobile needs. See you guys in the M18x forums when you switch over to the dark side like I did!
     
  8. steelcurtain11

    steelcurtain11 Notebook Consultant

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    Wow...I think my battery bit the dust last night somehow. It was working fine, then this morning I check it and it says "plugged in, not charging". I'm kind of upset since I always shut it down at night and have taken good care of it. I mean I guess it's been 2 years, but I've had plenty of laptops that are still kicking after 3+ years. Any chance of getting Dell to send me a new one or is there any place to buy a cheap one online? After buying my HD I really don't feel like dropping a ton more money. = /
     
  9. gta0004

    gta0004 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hey my m15x seems to slow down after i've played a game for like 30mins. Been happening with max payne 3, skyrim and counterstrike source for the past week.

    Its has a 2.13ghz core i3, hd 6570m and 4gb ram. Also only 2gb free on the hdd.

    Also, i'm looking to upgrade the parts on my laptop. Should i upgrade the ram and gpu or the ram and cpu first?
     
  10. steelcurtain11

    steelcurtain11 Notebook Consultant

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    Pull off the back panel then unscrew the fans and clean them out. A ton of dust builds up on the inside part that you can't see unless you take it out. It's probably just overheating and causing the slowdown on your games, mine did that as well.

    Try doing that first before upgrading anything, or even getting a bigger HD as well if you only have 2GB left. The dust on the fans is a big change though.
     
  11. gta0004

    gta0004 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Ok Ill try that.

    Spent all day yesterday putting in the new hdd tho. Imaging still didn't work but i just started fresh.
     
  12. txsizzler

    txsizzler Notebook Geek

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    Bought a gently used M15X (R2 I think). Here are the specs:

    I7-720QM
    Radeon 5850 Mobility
    6gb Ram
    300gb HD
    900p screen
    Win 7 Home Prem. 64 bit

    Came with charger, manual, recovery discs, HDMI cable w/Display port converter. Got it for $500.

    Anyhow, everything seems to work well. I noticed the first day I had it, the right side fan was really quite loud. So, I opened the back of the case and blew it out with a compressed air can. Lots of dust bunnies from both fans and vents. Still, the noisy fan persisted.

    Today, I turned it on, ran it for a couple hours (installed Catalyst 12.6 mobility), and the fan stayed really quiet the whole time (it was working too). Still, at some point, I am sure it will have to be replaced. Played around with the Alien command center.. pretty cool stuff in there!

    This is my first Alienware laptop. My previous gaming laptop was a ASUS G60vx (still have it) with an upgraded T9600 processor, and a GTX 260m video card. One of the SODIMM slots appears to be bad though. So, I am hoping this replacement will last a long time, especially with its great upgradable GPUs!
     
  13. Alienware-Luis_Pardo

    Alienware-Luis_Pardo Guest

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  14. onego

    onego Notebook Consultant

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    Great deal you got there. There are many thing you can upgrade if you ever wanted to. For instance the gpu, cpu, 16gb ram, any many more. Feel free to ask around if you encounter any problems.
     
  15. thehunterooo

    thehunterooo Notebook Consultant

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    That is a very good deal.
     
  16. txsizzler

    txsizzler Notebook Geek

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    Thanks! I have been looking around the forum more, alot of good info to be had, for sure! Once I find a decent deal, I will be upgrading the GPU (probably will stay with the AMD solutions, unless I can snag a 660m at a good price) eventually, and if I can find a good deal on a 920/940xm processor, I will go that route too.

    I wish there were dual HDD bays, rather than just the one. That is one thing I did like about my ASUS G60vx. It would be nice to be able to add an SSD, and use the current HDD for storage purposes. I have added a Logitech G9x gaming mouse. Question I do have, why do folks like to use an external keyboard (Bluetooth I would guess) with this? I would think that would be awfully cumbersome.
     
  17. Kazalor

    Kazalor Notebook Consultant

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    I used an external keyboard with my old M15x because my M15x was practically a desktop replacement. It sat in one spot for months, and I had it hooked up to a 1080p monitor and alienware keyboard with a Tactx mouse I used. However, when I travel I never brought the keyboard along, I just used my laptop by itself.
     
  18. axelfoley86

    axelfoley86 Notebook Enthusiast

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    do you guys think the 180watt dell would be enough for my m15x in sign?
    i got the 180watt for free so im thinking to sell the 240watt
    thanks
     
  19. Master Schollz

    Master Schollz Notebook Consultant

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    Where would you all recommend buying a 920/940 cpu upgrade? Looking on eBay, I swear it seemed like they were cheaper when I looked like a year ago haha. $350-400 seems a bit high.
     
  20. Kazalor

    Kazalor Notebook Consultant

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    I paid $400 on the dot about 8 months ago for my 940xm.
     
  21. txsizzler

    txsizzler Notebook Geek

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    Wow... while I would love to upgrade to a 920/940, that's a tough pill to swallow at that price. I think I will just make do with my 740.. lol.
     
  22. Master Schollz

    Master Schollz Notebook Consultant

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    Hahaha my thoughts exactly.
     
  23. avgazian

    avgazian Newbie

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    that's like half a laptop already :|
     
  24. junglebungle

    junglebungle Notebook Evangelist

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    Anyone tried a 680m in a M15x yet?
     
  25. khetik

    khetik Notebook Deity

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    Yes, svl7 got it working in it. How well it works, power issues, performance, and procedure is a whole other story. I've looked around but haven't been able to find anything on it.
     
  26. Ghost_AWP

    Ghost_AWP Notebook Evangelist

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    Hey Guys. Could anyone tell me what the part number is for the M15X motherboard? Not sure if there are revisions of this laptop or which one this is but it came with a 5850M GPU. Looks like I need a replacement mobo and am looking to do it myself. Dell wants to charge $430 for depot repair or $544 for the part. But they won't give me the actual part number. Anyone know what it is so I can make sure I am buying the right one?
     
  27. Jiapidfc

    Jiapidfc Newbie

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    Thank you so much for writing this post I am a big fan of yours now because of this post
    rss feed generator
     
  28. Alienware-Luis_Pardo

    Alienware-Luis_Pardo Guest

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    Here are the motherboard part numbers

    VT4XJ - Motherboard Service Kit, Alienware M15X (Arrandale and Clarksfield cpus)
    XDNCP - Motherboard service kit, Alienware M15X (Clarksfield cpu only)
     
  29. vs3074

    vs3074 Notebook Evangelist

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    Looking for some info guys. I have a M15x with 5730M on the way, is it possible to update it to 5870M using the same heat sink or do I need to get a new heat sink as well?
     
  30. khetik

    khetik Notebook Deity

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    What are your reasons for upgrading your gpu (as in what kinda framerates/settings do you want to play games on)? In all honesty upgrading to a 5870m doesnt seem worth at this point. What is your budget? Better options would be a 6970m/6990m/7970m or possibly wait for the newer more power efficient gpus.
     
  31. vs3074

    vs3074 Notebook Evangelist

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    Got a 5870 from recently passed M15x and got a really cheap deal on a M15x with 5730, hence the wish to semi upgrade :)
     
  32. khetik

    khetik Notebook Deity

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  33. Dav08094194

    Dav08094194 Newbie

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    Hi just recently purchased an m15x online and so far so good, One thing which is bothering me so far is very rarely when I turn it on the fan stay at max speed and ill have to turn it off and on one or twice before they work properly,
    Its running an intel i7 920xm and a 5850m and have throttlestop installed but haven't touched it yet as im still learning how to work it lol, Ive used AMD overdrive to overclock my GPU from 1000/625 to 1000/805 and put it through furmark buurn in test at 1080p with 8x msaa and got an amazing 3 frames a second :).
    I ran that for 10 mins before quiting and the gpu never went above 76 degrees and was averaging 74 to 75. Is that a safe overclock or would you recommend I change something?
    All in all im very pleased with the laptop even thought was going to build my own custom rig, but this can at least play bioshock infinite on 1080p at medium levels.
     
  34. fatboyslimerr

    fatboyslimerr Alienware M15x Fanatic

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    Hi Dav,

    Welcome to the M15x club! Firstly regarding Bioshock you should be able to play it on high on 1080p. I managed to with a GTX 460m and my 940xm! Ran smooth as a cucumber! Are you running the latest catalyst drivers?

    Secondly sometimes the fans just continue running after that initial startup phase but they will eventually turn off. If you grow impatient download HWInfo64 that has inbuilt fan control (In Sensor tab and click on the small fan icon then click custom auto and set your fan speeds at each temperature).

    If you have spare funds for a 7970m you'd really be up there with the top end machines (much faster than a M14x R2) and it does work well on the M15x even when overclocking an XM cpu and the 7970m with some throttling that can be worked around (see thread in this forum).

    I've had my M15x for 3 years and I'm still very happy with it. Only just got the 7970m myself so have yet to test its full potential but the overclocking headroom on the 920xm is ridiculous! I've managed to get 3.2Ghz stable on my 940xm! Throttlestop is your friend :)
     
  35. Dav08094194

    Dav08094194 Newbie

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    Thanks for the reply, ill be putting a graphics card on the top of my to do list, although I may have to cut my budget a little and get a 6990m although am I right when I say there all not plug and play?
    And ill have a look at over clocking my cpu asap, although with my gpu being at 75 degrees would you recommend increasing the memory speed from 1000mhz to something higher?

    Thanks a lot, will give you a thanks.
     
  36. Jdpurvis

    Jdpurvis Notebook Evangelist

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    In general, increasing memory speed doesn't have a big effect. BTW, you may get more directed suggestions if you add your system description to your signature.

    Throttlestop can help a lot. The instructions are failrly clear, and, if your 920 is currently running at stock, you will notice a big difference as you begin to increase clock speeds. Just be careful and watch your temperatures. The benchmark in Throttlestop will help a lot - before you try a setting in a game, you should be able to run the 1024 M bench without throttling or crashing. There are lots of people here who have experience, so if you have questions just ask.

    Welcome,

    Joe
     
  37. fatboyslimerr

    fatboyslimerr Alienware M15x Fanatic

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    6990m is pretty powerful and overclocks well but I had trouble with a Clevo 6990m and the wrong x-bracket. Poor pressure on chip meant very high temperatures. If you can get a dell 6990m it will be plug and play and should fit perfectly.
    Gpu temp is ok to 85 degrees. Cpu is safe upto 90! You certainly could increase the memory clocks but that would increase your temperatures! Might be worth trying to find a thread on this forum or over on tech inferno about overclocking that particular card.
     
  38. khetik

    khetik Notebook Deity

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    Leaving your memory at 1000 but increasing your core to 805 is a pointless overclock. I overclock to 750/1100 at stock voltage and its been plenty to run games on at least high 1080p. Going higher would most likely need a voltage increase as well. I use trixx to OC.
     
  39. amd098

    amd098 Notebook Consultant

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    Just wondering, does anyone have a recommendation for a displayport to hdmi cable? Longer the better if male to male, but a displayport male to hdmi female would also work. I'm in the US so any US site would be good, not sure with the ones on amazon or monoprice as some of the reviews are bad.
     
  40. ToxicTension

    ToxicTension Notebook Consultant

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    How's everyone doing? It's been a long time since I last posted.

    So I've been thinking about upgrading my GPU. The only problem is that if I do I think I'm going to run into a major bottleneck. I currently have an i5-540m and a GTX 460m. I would love to have a 7970m, but I'm expecting it won't run very well with a dual core CPU on games like Battlefield 3. Any thoughts on this? Is it worth it to upgrade the CPU to an i7 quad core?
     
  41. khetik

    khetik Notebook Deity

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    Dual core cpu for battlefield 3?...i run it on a mix of high/ultra with rare to no hiccup.
     
  42. ToxicTension

    ToxicTension Notebook Consultant

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    Maybe around 30fps. My standards are 60fps+ @720p.
     
  43. khetik

    khetik Notebook Deity

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    Mine is 30fps on 1080p...720p is easy to run for me maxed out...
     
  44. EifniE

    EifniE Notebook Enthusiast

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    I just upgrade my m15x gpu from gtx260m to gtx460m however when i boot up, the fast screen appeared n then suddenly blackout...what should i do...help me...

    My m15x spec:
    Vbios A09
     
  45. homank76

    homank76 Alienware/Dell Enthusiast

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    Greetings,

    I just received my M15x that I bought off of EBay and it currently has 8GB RAM, 260M and a Q720.

    I'll be upgrading the GPU tonight as I have extra 580's lying around and will do more research on what else to upgrade.
     
  46. khetik

    khetik Notebook Deity

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    Good luck with the 580m's but they won't work.
     
  47. fatboyslimerr

    fatboyslimerr Alienware M15x Fanatic

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    Yeh 580M just use too much power for little M15x. Sell them and buy a single 680M which works fantastically well!
     
  48. homank76

    homank76 Alienware/Dell Enthusiast

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    I discovered that a few hours ago.
     
  49. homank76

    homank76 Alienware/Dell Enthusiast

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    How is it that a 580 is to powerful, but the 680 will work just fine in it?
     
  50. fatboyslimerr

    fatboyslimerr Alienware M15x Fanatic

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    Its not that its too powerful, its too power inefficient! The 680M uses Kelper architecture which is much much more power efficient than Fermi (580M) whilst also offering more performance and runs cooler than Fermi.
    The 680M also uses low voltage VRAM which makes it an even better performer in the M15x.
     
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