Well my Alienware Area-51 M died last Thursday. It' s been overheating constantly for over a year now and now that it' s bit the bullet I' m sending it in for repairs. I' m hoping it' s considered a total loss and the warranty will cover me for a new computer. These are the are the two that I' m currently looking into-

If I do get a whole new laptop I' m thinking about one of these two. What do you guys think?

[1] Auroraâ„¢ m9700

Processor: AMD Turionâ„¢ 64 Mobile ML44 2.4GHz 800MHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Windows® Vista Home Premium - Without Remote Control or TV Tuner
Chassis: 17" WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 LCD with Clearview Technology - Saucer Silver
Motherboard: Alienware® NVIDIA® Mobile SLi Chipset
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR SO-DIMM at 400MHz - 2 x 1024MB
System Drive: Single Drive Configuration - 100GB Serial ATA 1.5Gb/s 7,200 RPM w/ NCQ & 8MB Cache
Optical Drive: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/ Software
Video/Graphics Card: Dual 512MB NVidia® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS - SLI Enabled
Sound Card: High-Definition Audio with surround sound
Wireless Network Card: Internal 802.11b/g WiFi Card
Communications: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet & 56K V.92 Modem
Bluetooth: Integrated Bluetooth® Device
Primary Battery: Alienware® m9700 12-cell Lithium-Ion Smart Battery Pack
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mousepad
Alienware Extras: AlienInspection - Exclusive Integration and Inspection - $100 Value - FREE!
Free Alienware® T-Shirt: Free Alienware® T-Shirt - Black

[1] Area-51® m5790

Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7600G Overclocked to 2.66GHz 4MB Cache 667MHz FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Windows® Vista Ultimate - Without Remote Control or TV Tuner
Display: 17" WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD - Saucer Silver
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
Memory: 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz - 2 x 1024MB
System Drive: Extreme Performance (RAID 0) - 200GB (100GB x 2) Serial ATA 1.5Gb/s 7,200 RPM w/ NCQ & 8MB Cache
Primary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/ Software
Video/Graphics Card: 256MB ATI Mobility™ Radeon® X1800
Sound Card: Intel® 7.1 High-Definition Audio
Wireless Network Card: Internal Intel® PRO Wireless 3945 a/b/g Mini-Card
Communications: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet & 56K V.92 Modem
Bluetooth: Bluetoothâ„¢ USB Adapter
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
Alienware Extras: Alienware® Mousepad
Alienware Extras: AlienInspection - Exclusive Integration and Inspection - $100 Value - FREE!
Free Alienware® T-Shirt: Free Alienware® T-Shirt - Black

Which do you guys think is better? I' d mainly be getting it for 3d applications and games. I' ve been told the Core 2 Duo is better than the AMD chip but I think the NVidia Dual SLi cards pack a more potent graphical punch. Any opinions?

Anyone?

For some games you' d have to disable one of the 7900' s or it' d be unplayable. But 2 x 7900 would be preferable to the X1800, but then the Core 2 Duo would be preferable to the Turion.

I see your problem.

Personally i' d actually go with the m5790. The Core 2 Duo and 1920 x 1200 maximum resolution would be the main reasons.

How does the new x1900 compare to the SLi cards? I have the option of uprgrading to that if I go with the m5790 it' ll just take a while longer for them to get the part in stock.

The X1900 Crossfire is comparable to a 7800 GTX. But since these are mobile cards i' m not sure about the specifics. I' d expect the 2 x 7900' s to outperform the X1900, though i' d also expect a 512MB X1900 to be a significant improvement over the 256MB X1800.

Both cards are great for a gaming laptop though and both should be upgradeable anyway, even if it can be a pain in the ass sometimes.

Do they offer 4GB RAM or do they limit you to 2???

Stuck with 2GB of RAM. Alienware doesn' t offer more for their laptops right now. I' d like more but still for a laptop those are pretty damn impressive.

I feel like I shouldn' t be getting my hopes up though. I' m starting to get the feeling they' ll just repair my old one which sucks... Hopefully I' ll hear from them soon.

Hmmmm, maybe you should have made it unrepairable

Well since it' s been overheating for well over a year and reaching nearly boiling point when doing so I doubt there' s much that can be salvaged. When I was on tech support with Alienware we were doing benchmark tests on it to see what was wrong and the graphics card was only puling off 2% of what it should have been. The dual P4s when stressed sky rocketed the internal heat. That' s what caused it to finally fry all the way.

Being exposed to that kind of heat almost daily for over a year and seeing how its performance plummited during that time makes me believe pretty much every piece of hardware in there was affected. Hell the wireless internet card died and isn' t even recognized my my computer anymore.

I' m hoping everything is burnt up. It should be.

Well your first option has more graphic punch even with one card disabled (although it' s close) and the lower resolution is going to give you a much better frame rate with games if both are running at native resolution. On the other hand the Core 2 Duo is much better then the AMD, the CPU performance will be much better and at the same time it will consume less battery power but both are moot points since it comes with a bigger screen with a higher resolution. Because of the resolution you won' t be able to max out the settings on the second laptop and will be able to more often with the first option if you wan tto stay at native resolution.

Strictely for gaming I' d go with the first option. However, if your Alienware Laptop isn' t covered by the warrenty you should take a look at what Dell is offering. I wouldn' t buy a desktop from them before I would DIY but they have a good selection of laptops for a comparable price with Alienware. I bet you could find a laptop from Dell that has best components from both Alienware options you' ve shown and have it cost less then either at the same time.

http://www.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/notebooks?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

Basically this thing will serve two primary purposes- videogames and 3d modelling software (Max, ZBrush, Mudbox etc...). Which one would be best for this.

Oh, and I can knock up or down the screen resolution for both. The only reason I left the first one lower was to keep the prices about the same. So you think it' s better to have a lower resolution screen?

Oh, and the Dell costs more... by a decent bit. Really surprised me.

I got a Dell but it heats up a lot and can be noisy at times. I would go with the Area 51 .

Stuck with 2GB of RAM.

Poor baby.

That' s an interesting dillemma dude. Personally, I' d go with a higher-res monitor for 3D apps & that, but that' s just my opinion.

Alienware screwed me over. I' m not very happy at all right now. The computer got shipped to my parents house and they opened it and sent me pics. Apparently Alieware decided to send me a beat up refurbished piece of crap that' s scraped up and missing one of the lock switches on the bottom. My computer was in much better shape than what they sent me.

I' ll just post the email I sent them. It sums it all up. I feel like a dumbass that I sent it in with grammatical errors but oh well. I was too angry to proof read at the time.

Alienware,

My name is Richard Larson and my account number is ******. The phone number and email address my account is under are ***-***-**** and ******@comcast.net. As you can probably see from the notes on my account I just sent in my laptop for repairs due to constant over heating, poor graphics card performance, and wireless internet issues. My parents just got it back (I currently live away from home for college) and found that the computer was was in a completely different state than it was in when I sent it.

According to the paper that was sent along with my computer only the motherboard was replaced. This however is incorrect. I just got off the phone with support and they said my graphics card was also replaced. It worries me that this was not listed on repair sheet because I have no personal way of confirming this. Also, while an appreciated bonus, part of my case was replaced. The part around the keyboard and touch pad is not the original. Mine had distinct palm prints worn into it from the amount of use my computer received. Having this not listed on the sheet nor with the notes the service agent has also bothers me.

Even though that piece was replaced I noticed the underside of the computer had far more wear and tear upon return than it did when I sent it. This includes a large scratch, wear on the edges of removable pieces, and one of the lock switches completely missing. I have attached pictures to show this.

Then there' s something else strange, I think my screen was replaced due to the absence of a dead pixel that it had since I first received it when I originally bought the computer. While the support agent said that the screen wasn' t replaced I really question how a dead pixel would just disappear after being there for three years now.

Finally my parents also said there seemed to be glue on the keyboard and on pieces of the case. That really does not sit well with me at all. Messy craftsmanship, additional wear and tear, a missing lock switch, and the oddity of a dead pixel that randomly vanished seems very questionable. I really feel that I was just given a refurbished computer even though I was assured it' s my original unit. I hope you can understand that a lot of this confuses and worries me.

I really hope I can be offered some sort of explanation. I would also like the matter of the missing lock switch the be addressed and hopefully you can either send me the piece or repair it yourselves. On top of that I need some way of confirming that my graphics card was replaced since I have no paper work that confirms this. The wear on the bottom (scratches, etc...) and the gluey substance on the keys are also very unsatisfiable and I really don' t know what to do about it.

Overall this experience has not been a pleasant one. I do feel you a have great support staff. They have been very friendly, helpful, and responsive for the most part. I just wish the same could be said about the actual repair stages of my computer. I feel the company really dropped the ball in this aspect and since that' s the most important part I can' t help but be annoyed.

I hope to hear a response from you soon so this matter can be taken care of as soon as possible. Thank you for your time.

Richard Larson

Try customer service, if that doesn' t work. Send it back and tell them you want a different colour.

Lol i have an alienware aurora, and so far it has lasted ok (for ayear now) work will be getting me upgrades to a workstation level gfx card now, more ram, other HD etc..etc.. this model seems to be lasting, where is your franchise of alienware located? The irish one can be a little tardy in gettin back, but I seem to be able to get them to do what I want most of the time.

If it is the irish one I could write them an email saying you are a student of mine ..etc..etc.. would that help at all?

I live in the states. The Corporate HQ for the company is actually in Miami Florida which I' m less than an hour drive from. It' s their policy though that I' m not allowed to drop off or pick up at their offices. It has to be mailed. It' s a joke if you ask me.

I got a response from them and they apologized. I had to send them more pics of the damage because the first ones didn' t go through. I also demanded a new computer this time around.

I appreciate the offer.