*OFFICIAL* M18x Owner's Lounge Thread

[bumbo2]

I picked up a M18X from the Dell Outlet. I called them after seeing the 15% off on the site specials Ads and it said to call in for offline availability. I picked up a black unit with 2960XM with level 1 OC, Dual 500GB drives, 16 MB of 1600 ram, Blueray, Killer WiFi, 580M SLI, Win7 Ulitimate, and Soundblaster software. All for under $2500. I was going to wait for the new Sager but after the delays and some reading up I decided to go with an Alienware if the price was right. I think it was.

wow man enjoy it!

[Keith]

Hi Guys. I apologize if this is a noob question, or if it has been discussed at length and I have missed it.

I have a M18x on the way. I can't wait! I'm a little unsure about something I would like to do though. The M18x I'm getting has a standard DVD drive in it, and I would like to put a Blu-Ray drive in there instead.

Currently, I have a M17x R3 that has a Blu-Ray drive, and I want to do a drive swap between the two machines. I've looked around on Google for instructions on how to do this and I came across the service manuals for both machines that show the instructions on how to go about it.

My question is if this is going to be as difficult as it looks? I've disassembled laptops before, so that part doesn't worry me too much. What does concern me a little bit is it seems I may have to tear down these machines more than I would like to simply swap optical drives. I'm fearful I may get in over my head and not be able to put it back together.

Any help any of you could provide would be appreciated.

[astkhat]

The build quality of the M18x is second to none. The chassis is aluminum and it has a durable anodized color coating that looks like a million bucks. The thought of buying a plastic chassis laptop makes me feel ill after owning an M17x R2 and M18x. Fit and finish are impeccable. There is simply no match for the M18x in quality, performance and price.

Many of the outsourced third-party techs are incompetent and do much harm. Many are excellent and very competent. You will find that scenario in any business. The warranty is unmatched, but the best option to avoid the fallout of incompetence is to do any repairs yourself (unless you're accident prone and tend to break things you try to fix). In the event you need to use the warranty for part replacement, talk with your Alienware Support rep about "Parts Only" dispatch. If they resist, ask to have your case escalated to a manager for further discussion. (Level 1 Support often balks at POS, but managers and Level 2/3 reps are usually a little more open minded and caring.)

Awesome machine... congratulations, and welcome to the "M18x Club" bro.

Well, that's interesting. If I tried to do any repairs myself, wouldn't that void the warranty?

For instance, I REALLY want to put some IC Diamond 7 on the GPU. Or I really want to install an SSD as a boot drive. If I do either of the above by myself, wouldn't that void the warranty? Is there anyway to get this done without voiding said warranty? (Oh and grats on that redic. outlet deal!)

[madcowzone]

REALLY getting excited about ordering one of these for myself.. a few new questions.

I want something that will last me for a while as far as basic gaming goes, i'm huge into MMORPGS like guild wars 2 and tera and WoW but also play new titles like BF3 from time to time. Now, I know the M18X can run any of these maxxed out at 1920x1080 but how will it deal with games in say 2-3 years?

Basically I want to be future proof if i'm spending upwards of 3000$ at least for 3 years. I don't care about graphics, so would i be able to play new gen games in the future at low settings 1920x1080 with no frame problems? how would the m18x work as far as recording and doing youtube commentaries on new releases?

i've literally watched every video of unboxing for the m18x and reviews on it on youtube and pretty much know what i'm getting but i want opinions.

also, the new R2 coming out in april or so. would it be safer to wait and get that and will the new GPUs be better then the current by a fair amount?

[tanderson]

I've never done one this complicated either. I printed the manuals out, yes, you have to actually remove the screen also, quite a bit to it. The connectors for keyboard, drives, etc all slide out, so don't panic if they slide out or if putting it back together, your keyboard no longer works (speaking from experience), you'll just tear it apart again and insert the keyboard connector (looks like a thin electrical tape/connector/circuit board to me). I separated the screws for every part (or every step according to the service manual), there are a couple videos but the manual pretty much says it all but you'll understand once you dive in. Keep a couple cloths around to protect the screen etc. A nice big table helps or plenty of room to separate components. Hardest part for me was the what I think was the i/o board you have to disconnect to get the dvd drive out. Btw, your don't need a torx wrench either....(yes, I tried that, those have nothing to do with disassembling the laptop)

[TheMacs]

Well, that's interesting. If I tried to do any repairs myself, wouldn't that void the warranty?

For instance, I REALLY want to put some IC Diamond 7 on the GPU. Or I really want to install an SSD as a boot drive. If I do either of the above by myself, wouldn't that void the warranty? Is there anyway to get this done without voiding said warranty? (Oh and grats on that redic. outlet deal!)

The M18x is built to be user serviceable. If you got the advanced warranty you can quite literally drop it down the stairs and they'll fix it. If you want, you can re-read the warranty agreement but there's not much you can do to void the warranty. A good chunk of people on this board (myself included) have repasted their CPUs and GPUs and had warranty work done

[astkhat]

Well this is promising. I do have the advanced warranty, but when I talked to the sales associate over the phone he told me that if you open it up yourself you void the warranty.

So, I don't know what to think about this.

[Mr. Fox]

Well, that's interesting. If I tried to do any repairs myself, wouldn't that void the warranty?

For instance, I REALLY want to put some IC Diamond 7 on the GPU. Or I really want to install an SSD as a boot drive. If I do either of the above by myself, wouldn't that void the warranty? Is there anyway to get this done without voiding said warranty? (Oh and grats on that redic. outlet deal!)

Well this is promising. I do have the advanced warranty, but when I talked to the sales associate over the phone he told me that if you open it up yourself you void the warranty.

So, I don't know what to think about this.

I think you're just talking to the wrong person and getting bad information. (Ask the person that told you that to show you where such verbiage can be found in the Alienware warranty.) I have done my own repairs with Dell/Alienware blessing numerous times. Alienware computers are made for enthusiasts, and real enthusiasts take their systems apart, if for no reason other than simple maintenance. I prefer POS over a tech dispatch and Dell/Alienware has been very accommodating with that.

Now, if you were to break something due to carelessness or inexperience trying to take apart the M18x, that damage would be a different story and most likely would not be covered under the warranty provisions for defects in the system.

The other thing is, unless you are having unusual problems with overheating, there is no good reason to take apart the M18x to re-paste anything. The factory thermal interface material (TIM) works just fine, even in overclocked systems. The M18x has an awesome cooling system and there is nothing to be gained unless the factory TIM was incorrectly applied. Doing so in the absence of an overheating issue would be a waste of time and money.

Hi Guys. I apologize if this is a noob question, or if it has been discussed at length and I have missed it.

I have a M18x on the way. I can't wait! I'm a little unsure about something I would like to do though. The M18x I'm getting has a standard DVD drive in it, and I would like to put a Blu-Ray drive in there instead.

Currently, I have a M17x R3 that has a Blu-Ray drive, and I want to do a drive swap between the two machines. I've looked around on Google for instructions on how to do this and I came across the service manuals for both machines that show the instructions on how to go about it.

My question is if this is going to be as difficult as it looks? I've disassembled laptops before, so that part doesn't worry me too much. What does concern me a little bit is it seems I may have to tear down these machines more than I would like to simply swap optical drives. I'm fearful I may get in over my head and not be able to put it back together.

Any help any of you could provide would be appreciated.

I've never done one this complicated either. I printed the manuals out, yes, you have to actually remove the screen also, quite a bit to it. The connectors for keyboard, drives, etc all slide out, so don't panic if they slide out or if putting it back together, your keyboard no longer works (speaking from experience), you'll just tear it apart again and insert the keyboard connector (looks like a thin electrical tape/connector/circuit board to me). I separated the screws for every part (or every step according to the service manual), there are a couple videos but the manual pretty much says it all but you'll understand once you dive in. Keep a couple cloths around to protect the screen etc. A nice big table helps or plenty of room to separate components. Hardest part for me was the what I think was the i/o board you have to disconnect to get the dvd drive out. Btw, your don't need a torx wrench either....(yes, I tried that, those have nothing to do with disassembling the laptop)

It's not difficult, although it can be a little intimidating if you don't have a lot of experience working on laptops. Unless you are accident prone, take it slow and follow the service manual instructions and things will turn out fine. After you've done it once or twice it's a piece of cake. The most challenging part is removing the bezel that surrounds the keyboard. Be gentle with and nothing will get broken. After you've removed and installed it a couple of times it will come on and off without a lot of effort.

[TheMacs]

It's not difficult, although it can be a little intimidating if you don't have a lot of experience working on laptops. Unless you are accident prone, take it slow and follow the service manual instructions and things will turn out fine. After you've done it once or twice it's a piece of cake. The most challenging part is removing the bezel that surrounds the keyboard. Be gentle with and nothing will get broken. After you've removed and installed it a couple of times it will come on and off without a lot of effort.

I can attest to this. I was a little too rough the first time and now it doesn't quite sit flush on the screen hinges.

[astkhat]

Another question I was wondering about.

Am I able to add an SSD, or something like that to the computer of my own volition? Or can I only add components purchased from Dell themselves?