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Alienware Ignoring m15x Issues?
May 28th, 2008 by Todd Haselton 
The m15x was greeted with open arms when it first arrived in our offices on February 19, 2008. By the time we’d finished our review, on March 20, we awarded it our Editors’ Choice, because it earned great benchmark scores compared with other gaming rigs that had come through our office.
But our benchmarks didn’t pick up on the troubles that were soon to follow its release. Within weeks, there were reports of cracking and down-clocking of the system’s GPU core clock and memory clock speeds from 500 MHz and 799 MHz to 275 MHz and 301 MHz, respectively, once the system had reached 90 degrees Celsius.
Shortly thereafter, a BIOS fix was released, and we no longer saw down-clocking on our test rig. Since all of our products are merely on loan for review, we sent the system back.
But over the past weekend, I received a complaint in my inbox that stated the following:
“I own [the m15x] and it is a good computer as you say. However, the second hard drive is pure vapor ware. I ordered one three months ago and still haven’t gotten it. And they can’t even give me an expected delivery date. Obviously and unfortunately, this appears to be pure marketing hype. Further, I defy you to figure out how to order this second battery on the Alienware website. You are not even offered the battery for purchase. I strongly suspect this is vaporware too.”
Now the trouble here is that, when we review systems, companies tell us what will be available and what will not, and they include the accessories with the notebooks. I had both the additional six-cell battery and the second hard drive here in the office. But apparently m15x owners can’t actually buy them. So the whole “hot swappable” feature becomes moot.
Then today, the great people at NotebookReview.com, owners of the m15x and original discoverers of the aforementioned issues, wrote us a letter.
As it appears, forum members and owners are now claiming that the CPU is down-clocking as well, and the issue is affecting the Intel X9000- and X7900-based systems. Apparently Alienware has stopped issuing BIOS updates and has left some owners’ queries unanswered for up to ten days.
Worse, owners are now also reporting “wobbly screens” that have been “too much for some users.” While those RMA’s have been answered, it’s now apparent that some systems have faulty Kensington locks, making their systems susceptible to theft.
I want our readers to be aware of these issues, specifically considering that I’m the original author and no longer have the system. Please leave your comments below, and let’s try to get an answer.
We spoke to Alienware, and the company confirmed that a SmartBay hard drive and battery were being mailed out to the above customer. As for the overheating issues, we were only told:
Among the thousands of Area-51 m15x notebooks that have shipped, we have only received a few direct reports, to Alienware, of any issue. Alienware’s top priority is to investigate any concern or issues reported to our customer support team. If there is any issue, we will let our customer support team know immediately so they can begin working with those customers to resolve the issue.
We recommend that if any customers are experiencing issues, they should please contact our team at: area-51_m15x@alienware.com. We ask that they please include account information, order number and a description of the issue.
Regarding Smart Bay Battery/Drives: Currently, customers ordering the Area-51 m15x with an additional smart bay hard drive or battery are receiving those items, which are shipping with the unit. If there is an issue where a customer did not receive his or her drive, they should contact customer support for assistance.
But if the above statement is true, why are the NotebookReview.com forum members not getting responses for their defective systems? And why are there so many reported failure cases that the forums were able to identify the troubled CPUs before Alienware made a statement? Alienware, what’s going on?
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16 Responses to “Alienware Ignoring m15x Issues?”
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May 29th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Awww..When a good “Brand” goes bad. For those of you that want to blame this on the Dell take over, this began long before. I have an Alien Desktop before the Dell take over that was a nightmare from the day ordered (which took three months to deliver after they had already charged me.) Then service problems and all the same above problems were going on, no parts – slow response to cues and dim witts on the phone that i had to train during the first phase of calls. IMO…They got too big for their britches too fast and Dell did make things worse, switching brand stock parts made things collapse. It’s sad because they were a benchmark in their day. Its even more sad to see that these same problems still exist. So where do artist/photographers turn for a “reasonable” and similar notebook alternative? Voodoo and Widow break the bank book!
July 11th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Hello,
I got my m15x the day it was released in January 2008. I used it at work 8 to 10 hours per day, 5 days a week. By June 2008 the right hinge of the LCD screen was cracking and opened up. Little pieces of plastic and screws/nuts were falling out.
I removed the LCD front panel and examined the hinge system. The nuts that the screws go into are held in place within a brittle plastic anchor. That anchor (there are 3 or so anchors per side for the hinges) has broken apart and little pieces of plastic are everywhere.
I want to be clear that this laptop was my “baby” and in no way was it ever dropped or abused. I looked online at the notebookforums and found two other users who had pictures exactly matching mine with the same issue.
Warning to those interested in the m15x: after approximately 700 hours of gentle use (meaning its sitting on my desk at work) the right hinge will be the first to go. You will notice it is wobbly and pretty soon the LCD panel on the front will break away and little pieces of brittle plastic will fall out.
I work in the IT industry and have come across dozens and dozens of laptops. I have never seen one with such a piss poor hinge design. It should be anchored in metal, not plastic. You have been warned.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:26 am
I also was one of the very first AW M15x owners with an Nividia 8800m GTX. I so was so excited about getting this system. Well I first started noticing the down-clocking issues with my GPU(8800 M gtx), and with a BIOS update the GPU seemed fine. Then while playing World of Warcraft, I noticed my frame rate dropped tremendously. I did a little stress testing on my CPU and it was over heating and dropping clocks. I contacted AW and we organized a return to Depot repair, even though I paid $300 for ONSITE warranty repairs. So I was blown away that I had to return my Laptop for repairs. Pure rubbish.
Well while it was there I asked AW to look at the Webcam and the poor sound coming from my speakers. They said they would take care of everything. Well it was 30 days before I received my system back from AW. So I was delighted when it came back to me.
I was grateful for the Upgrade on my CPU from the X7900 to X9000 that was released just a few days after I purchased my M15x. So off I begin testing my system again. Webcam was still not working, the speakers still sounded like screeching cat, and best of all the CPU down-clocking was worse. The system would reach 95 degrees Celsius in about 5 minutes of stress testing. So I called up AW again and again I arranged for a return to depot repair. It was about a week before we organized a return to depot that I actually had to pay for. So the system was returned and it was there for considerable time again, another 3 weeks went by and by this time I had enough and cancel my order and was offered a full refund from AW for my troubles.
Well I waited and waited for the funds to be refund and eventually they were, but they were short over $200 of my original purchase. I inquired about that and was informed it was due to the exchange rate. Well I was thrown back by that comment and then inquired about the refund on the shipping I had to pay. The cheque finally did arrive but it was a long time coming.
The gentlemen I dealt with was helpful and confessed to me that if he were he would be “upset as well” if it were him. All in all my first experience with Alien Ware will be my last. From day one the system was a complete failure. Down-clocking CPU and GPU’s, flimsy wobbly screens, uneven keyboard lighting, terrible speakers, huge gaps in the casing between components. To me the craftsmanship was god awful for a system that cost me so much. If your shopping for a premium system with portability and reliability I would stay way clear of anything with that alien head on it. After surfing teh web for a while I also noticed all the complaints about a previous 15″ generation notebook that AW conveniently forgot to support it’s customers with. This is nothing new for AW. And I strongly hope that more people read this story and hear the truth about this dodgy and disappointing system.
July 18th, 2008 at 8:20 am
For four months, I dealt with some of the Alienware m15x’s more bearable design flaws and manufacturing defects, including:
-Wobbly screen
-Severe keyboard latency and double-entry twitches
-Unresponsive touch-sensitive controls, especially when used in tandem with peripheral USB devices
-Monitor failure to fully resume after hibernation
-Aesthetic issues: several noticeable dimples and paint drops and a spot of chipped paint, upon arrival
About a month ago, however, the serious problems started to emerge. Over the span of 48 hours, my speakers fizzled out and went dead, my monitor casing popped open while I was opening the lid, and several pieces of the machine’s inner workings rattled loose and fell out through the cracked casing.
When I went over to Notebook Review Forums to check it out, I noticed that others had encountered the exact same problems.
“Surely,” I thought to myself, “this is a manufacturing defect that my warranty will cover.”
I contacted tech support, as well as an Alienware representative on the NBR forums, and arranged to have my machine sent in for the repairs. At that point, I figured that my problems were no big deal: a week or two in the shop for repairs, and I’d have my baby back. The customer service representatives were very friendly and helpful. I was optimistic when Fedex picked up my machine.
One of the things I learned while waiting to hear back from Alienware was that the m15x’s hinges are mounted on plastic, rather than metal (like most other laptops – even the cheap ones). I found this to be unsettling. I don’t know where your money goes when you buy an Alienware product, but it certainly doesn’t go towards manufacturing costs.
About a week later, I got a call from the repair center. The representative begrudgingly informed me that the damage to my laptop was not covered under my extended warranty. I wasn’t quite sure how this could be so, since the warranty very clearly states that it covers all manufacturing defects, with the exception of accidents outside of Alienware’s control, and damage resulting from misuse, abuse, or mishandling.
At this point in time, I was not amused. I returned to NBR forums, and posted quite a nice little rant about the whole thing. I was quite satisfied when I noticed several other users on the forum posting that they had cancelled their m15x orders because of all the negative feedback they’d heard from me and other disgruntled customers. At $3,000-$5,000 a customer, I like to think I caused some damage, or at least saved some people some money. Additionally, I threatened to contact a lawyer for breach of contract regarding the warranty.
Needless to say, I got a speedy response from another Alienware representative (James) on the forums. He still maintained that the damage was not covered under warranty, but agreed to “waive the fees” that customers normally have to pay for similar repairs. I appreciate his help, even if I still don’t understand what happened to my warranty.
A week or two later, the machine arrived back at home. I eagerly opened up the box, and I was shocked to see the “repairs.” The corner that once had a gaping chasm now had only a minor gap, but the gap was still perfectly visible. Anyone who was giving the laptop a good look would notice it. Furthermore, the hinges, USB ports, and audio jacks all seemed to be much tighter than before, as if the repair center had simply forced things into place. I was immediately distrustful of the quality of the repairs.
Within three weeks, the casing began to tear itself apart again, as I had anticipated. In addition to the original gap widening, the central hinge had also started to crack and morph. I took a few pictures of the recurring damage, and attached them to a curt letter to customer service requesting a full refund. With help from Alienware-James on Notebook Review Forums, the refund was approved.
I’m now anxiously waiting for the money, so I can go buy a replacement. I haven’t decided what to do with the extra money, yet, but there will be plenty left over.
Alienware has lost my vote of confidence, and they have certainly lost my business. When I pay top dollar for a machine, I expect not only great gaming components, but great manufacturing quality. I don’t want chintzy plastic, wobbly screens, shoddy speakers, a terrible webcam, and faulty controls.
Heck, I can get a Clevo with BETTER gaming components and fantastic manufacturing quality for far less money. Maybe that’s just what I’ll do.
March 18th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
LOL…for me it was the left hinge, I opened the front black panel and saw that some plastic was cracking then I saw screws coming out. I called alienware(20minutes to talk to someone) they sent me a shipping label to ship it….I tryed to fix it myself with a glue gun to hold the nuts in place for the screws to go in after I put the black front panel …..only worked for 3 months I sent my m15x in, took 1.5 months to come back and they fixed it I was kinda happy because they replaced the top which had some scratches.
June 9th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
“LOL…for me it was the left hinge, I opened the front black panel and saw that some plastic was cracking then I saw screws coming out. I called alienware(20minutes to talk to someone) they sent me a shipping label to ship it….I tryed to fix it myself with a glue gun to hold the nuts in place for the screws to go in after I put the black front panel ”
I removed the LCD front panel and examined the hinge system. The nuts that the screws go into are held in place within a brittle plastic anchor. That anchor (there are 3 or so anchors per side for the hinges) has broken apart and little pieces of plastic are everywhere.
“I want to be clear that this laptop was my “baby” and in no way was it ever dropped or abused. I looked online at the notebookforums and found two other users who had pictures exactly matching mine with the same issue.
Warning to those interested in the m15x: after approximately 700 hours of gentle use (meaning its sitting on my desk at work) the right hinge will be the first to go. You will notice it is wobbly and pretty soon the LCD panel on the front will break away and little pieces of brittle plastic will fall out.
I work in the IT industry and have come across dozens and dozens of laptops. I have never seen one with such a piss poor hinge design. It should be anchored in metal, not plastic.”
I have a same problems with you, but i bought this alienware from someone online, and Alienware said they not gonna fix it because the warranty was cancel when i bought and i dont know any website can fix this problem, all of the website i know can fix Alienware aslo said this laptop is too new, they can’t fix it.
Can any1 help me about where i can fix it ?????
August 29th, 2009 at 7:50 am
Well, unfortunately you can add me to the unhappy Alienware Customer list. I have had my m15x for just over a year and now my hinge has broken. I had no idea how many people had the same problem until I looked online. This is my 3rd Alienware Laptap, and I was happy until now. Now I dont really want it repaired but rather refunded as I dont want a machine that costs a fortune and will but the sounds of it break again. I also have the keyboard lag and my CD/DVD does not open most of the time.
I contacted Alienware Support about a week ago, they asked for low res pics of the fault. Since sending them the same day, I have heard nothing. I have sent an email everyday since then and still nothing. What happened to the great service that Alienware was meant to have when I bought the machine?
I was planning on buying an Alienware Desktop system next, but with this happening, I am thinking NOT! I really hope that Alienware pull their finger out and get some service going, this is obviously a design flaw with the m15x and thats their fault not ours. Most people I know who buy alienware are passionate about their machines and word of mouth spreads quick, I hope they realise how bad this could be for the company if they do not assist the people that buy Alienware. I will wait and see and let you know what happens.
August 30th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Now I have been told that I need to send my machine in for a new case, this is going to take 5 weeks!! I am in Italy by the way. And from what I have read from other people there is an excellent chance that the same problem will happen again, probably when my warranty has run out. Oh how I wish I have never bought this m15x!!
August 31st, 2009 at 2:32 pm
I am busy writing them a letter that I will email to the big guns if I can get their emails. I am so tired of sending 5 emails to find out whats going on and getting 1 short reply every 5 days, and always from a different person. My problem is that I travel all the time and do not have a base country (I work on a yacht) so how would I work sending it away and 5 weeks later getting it back? And what happens in another year when the same thing happens to my machine, because in 3 months time I will be going to South Africa. Its these reasons I bought Alienware in the 1st place. And too think I was such a huge fan and avid supporter for Alienware, I cant believe that this is the route the company is choosing to follow.
Does anyone know if the case / hinge problem has even been sorted out yet? And does the skullcap design have the same weak hinge as the Ripley?
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Dell rocks. I am so very glad they bought Alienware! Their service is excellent.
September 3rd, 2009 at 10:47 am
I bought an Alienware m15x in September last year and within 6 months experienced an overheating issue that would cause my volume to become uncontrollable. I had to wait several months to send it to Alienware because I was in school, but I finally did. They had my computer for two and a half months (I had to send it back 3 times because the problem was not fixed) And now I have the computer and the problem is still here. I now communicate directly with the head of service and he has told me essentially to deal with it because it is an issue that is known and that they can’t fix. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like a $3000 computer shouldn’t have issues like this or should at least be fixable. You don’t buy a Lamborghini expecting to have a non-functional seat belt.
September 8th, 2009 at 4:30 am
Hi Guys, i’m also having troubles with my M15x iwould say it’s rubbish, my CPU downclock a lot & it restarts automatically…. & then my LCD is dead! they told me to reseat the inverter but no luck.
Since i’m in Dubai i need to pay the shipment for repair back & fort! Damn you alienware…!!!!!!!!!.
September 20th, 2009 at 5:54 am
I’m having the same issues with the hinge cracking and the screen becoming wobbly. The screw on the right hand side of the “Alienware” logo falls out all the time and I am constantly finding tiny pieces of translucent plastic. I even found some inside the computer when I opened it up to clean the fans because I could hear the plastic bits rattling around inside.
My m15x isn’t even a full year old and the screen wobble has been getting progressively worse. Has anyone found a way of fixing this themselves? I really, really do not want to send my computer away, but not being able to open and close a laptop for fear of breaking the lid defeats the purpose of having a laptop…
The problem with the screen reminds me very much of my sister’s problems with the giant HP laptops they are marketing so heavily right now in places like Best Buy. They’re good for a couple months and then the plastic around the screen cracks apart.
I got an Alienware because they got such great reviews in the past and the m15x seemed so popular for gaming, but this lack of basic functionality is really disappointing.
September 21st, 2009 at 4:21 pm
My advise, get the m17x instead. Stunning machine, much better build quality, no squeaks.
October 31st, 2009 at 9:58 pm
I purchased an area 51m15 x last april 2008. The first mistake was ordering it with VISTA, a hateful OS and I m sure Windows 7 is equally rubbish. I doubt the dolly bird in the cab, who ‘designed’ the stupid gimick I can see what Im doing’ thing actually uses the machine or has any clue, Windows – you insult our inteligence – again.
The machine was working fine, plenty of gismoz and extremely expensive £2000. Last week, 18 months on, the screen hinges popped open and the screws fell out, they are missing now, and my £2000 machine is held together with black gaffa tape. The machine design casing was faulty from the start. I have a VAIO that was its predessor, Its still mint, works and is not broken or plastic rubbish. If I saw the machine before I bought it, I wouldnt have bothered. Most of teh asistance at Alienware is poor, there are a couple of guys I have spoken to who know exactly what they are talking about, the rest come accross as students on summer jobs and havent got any technical nouse at all.
Great shame, I too treated this as my’ baby’ eagerly awaited it, Alienware please note, dont bother sending me cap or a fancy wallet or a pretend invoice that gives the impression it was manufactured on Mars. Instead put th eeffort into producing a competant high end piece of kit. Ill buy a Mac next time, forget the windows nightmare or the gimmick laden kit. Macs are a gimmick but they last longer. My vote goes to Vaio. Well done Sony. Please produce to spec able piece of kit and Ill buy that any day(ps dont sell it to me with Vista or Windows 7, Ill take XP, no waterfalls or family protection – useless rubbish)
Alienware – now owned by Dell? Oh dear the new laptops look like kids toys, wont be buying one of those embarrassing things,
November 16th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Oh dear, seems like I had a good one. Mine lasted 18 months before going pop. The hinge problem, yes I have it, left first.
I was playing Dragon Age on Sunday, sitting through an FMV after completing a small quest, screen went blank and just sat there. At first I thought it was just loading, some of the load times are a little long. But no, I switched off, start it again, I can hear the internal fans switch on but the screen remains blank. The HD doesn’t boot up either.
I will take home a VGA cable to enable me to plug it into my TV just in case something is happening that I can’t see, but I am not holding my breath.
It’s a great time of year for it to go on me.