Alienware m15x

The Alienware m15x was one of the fastest systems to ever cruise through our offices, and although it had some heat issues, we were pleased with what the fastest 15-inch system we’d ever laid eyes on had to offer. Now enter the 17-inch version, appropriately named the m17x.

For those who are worried about overheating: I ran the ATI Tool and GPU-Z for 20 minutes and found that the graphics cards had a peak temperature of 77-degrees Celsius. Hopefully the BIOS in the m17x maintains better control of the system’s fans than the m15x did.  Get this though: the power brick was 114.5 degrees Fahrenheit when we shot it with our temperature gun. So far, no signs of cracking, at least.

Check out the video below to see more.

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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:

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We recently reviewed the Alienware Area-51 m15x for LAPTOP and awarded it our editor’s choice rating. When we hear reports, like the one this morning on Engadget, that a system is overheating or experiencing physical cracking issues, it becomes our job to figure out what’s going on.

When I reviewed the m15x, it wasn’t just benchmarked; I also took it home to take Crysis for a spin on my own time. The system gets hot, sure, and most do—but I never had any issues with overheating to the point that the system shutoff or became unstable—even during a 4-hour session of Crysis.

On the left side of the unit, just above the Ethernet port, I can see a small opening where people are experiencing cracks. Perhaps excessive force on the lid or directly on this area could cause a crack. One example could be a fist pound around the keyboard, after getting fragged, for example.

My pictures are zoomed up close, but in reality it’s hardly noticeable. In one, my finger is holding down the gap just above the Ethernet port. Perhaps this could have been caused during shipping, and harsh treatment could possibly result in a crack. We called Alienware to get their reaction.

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