Alienware Area-51 M15x

JayC5

Hey peops,

I'm considering buying the above laptop and looking for some informed opinions on it - I've posted the spec below which I'm considering.

15.4" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD (1200p)
Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit
Intel Core 2 Extreme x9000 2.8GHz (6MB Cache 800MHz FSB)
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM 667MHz RAM
Intel Turbo Cache Memory 1GB
512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT
320GB 7200RPM SATA
8x Dual Layer Writer (DVDRW, CDRW)

Basically I'm looking for a machine that can be used for multiple tasks i.e. gaming, photo-editing, movies (by which I mean converting to Divx / Xvid / h.264), home recording software studio-tinkering & general web/office duties.

Has anybody any experience with this laptop or know of anyone that owns one? - feedback / problems / regrets / advice etc?

Any info would be greatly appreciated, plus I've fallen behind a bit in PC gaming, does the above spec make the grade to give me decent gaming playback and is it future-proofed?. That is will I get a year or two out of it or more?

Cheers for any help guys

PS. My gaming choice usually revolves around first person shooters such as Call of Duty, Medal of Honour, Doom, Far Cry 2, apart from that you could throw in Fifa, PES, Oblivion, Prince of Persia - games along those sort of lines. I've heard Crysis can be demaning on a system - would that push this little bugger? :pac:

Voodu Child

They have a pretty bad reputation unfortunately.

First of all the GPU was overheating, and downclocking (ie reducing performance) in order to cool down enough. The fix was bios related (fans running constantly or something) so I think technically the problem is 'fixed' but anyway, its a sign that the cooling system is barely good enough for the card in question. Not a good sign for longevity.

Secondly the build quality has been patchy, there are a couple of common problems (chassis splitting open, hinge cracks etc).

Its unfortunate because its a nice looking machine with very good power, but honestly I couldn't recommend it. Maybe look at their new ATI-based M17.

JayC5

Thanks for that insight Voodoo - much appreciated. Hmm.. I had heard of those cracks and over heating issues but from what I gathered I thought they were only teething problems at the early stages of its release.

Unfortunate as I really was considering this one, I've looked at the m17 and m17x but those things are funking huge! and not the most aesthetically pleasing either. I'm not a hardcore gamer, more a radom gamer a few times a week if even. Considering I use a fan cooler plate (usb powered) under my current Dell XPS do you think this would be of any benefit if used with the m15x? - or am I grasping at straws and should basically give up hope of buying it and listen to reason?

Cheers

Voodu Child

I've looked at the m17 and m17x but those things are funking huge!

Well most high-end gaming laptops are 17", that's just the kind of size you need in order to have enough of a heatsink/fan assembly to keep a powerful graphics card cool.

Don't take my word on the M15x's flaws, but definitely do some research on it, because ive seen them mentioned quite a lot. I do know they claimed to 'fix' the thermal problem with a BIOS update, but that seems a bit dodgy tbh, unless they've re-designed the heatsink/fan assembly I would be a bit hesitant. Try notebookreview forum for info.