A Happy Ending! (And a Question)

Thanks to those folks years ago that helped with my M9700 purchase decisions! Interesting story for ya

Most important point. After my 2 year warranty ran out, I extended! 4 years in, I began to get graphical glitching. Without wasting too much time explaining this part, I did what any patient good customer would do. I made all the calls, did all the hours of troubleshooting, and took apart and reassembled multiple times to test cards and such. Tech's conclusion? Bad LCD, send to Depot. 5-10 business days + shipping times.

2 months and many calls later, my part still isn't in, and no ETA whatsoever. I got unlucky, and caught in the middle. I'd say I've been very diplomatic and patient, calling the recommended people, waiting for responses, following up when they did not, etc. Did my due diligence.

I finally won my little war. I've been offered a new replacement laptop. Configure it with my contact and rejoice! My M9700 was maxed out, so I'm going to qualify (I'm told) for a maxed out system. However, I assume that with these processors and GPU's now, maxed to maxed will not be equivalent. So I choose less HDD and no striping for cost savings, and hope to max key components.

Only problem I have, is that I'm so out of the loop now. Core2XQuad w/ ATI? What? M17x vs M17? Wait, the M9750 ISN'T the best gaming system they make now? Hmm.

I realize this is all very subjective, but one thing I know, is that this community knows Alienware. So, in lieu of my own research, I ask you:

If someone told you that you could configure any laptop you wanted from the Alienware Notebook website, what would YOU do??

(footnote: I game, do not do vid editing, and like to multitask )

Thanks for reading,

Champs808

In my discussions we were already deciding between the M17 and M17x, but I hesitated because I wanted to research. I believe this is an option for me.

Spose it comes down to Quad vs 30%GPU power now.

I found it interesting that a single 9800 compared well to the Xfire config.

Aesthetically I find them about the same. Although I saw a thread here indicating that the M17 will be upgradable in ways the M17x will not.

I'd like to report that my issue is resolved. Alienware offered me a credit equal to what I paid, not equivalent parts technologically speaking. I was afraid that I would be force-fed inferior components, but was happy to find that the company did the right thing.

Even though the system I specced has what can be considered 'major upgrades' it is still valued at a bit less than I originally paid. I did not have to negotiate.

As a side note, I requested minimal HDD, no blue-ray, no special componenets or upgrades. My only concern was CPU/GPU/RAM. I believe this helped my cause by not being greedy and asking for more than I think is fair.

My order has been placed. I'd like to thanks Marco who handled the majority of my case, and Jason who helped me place the order.

Now I again get to wait in the Phase-Game! Looking forward to my new M17. (And hoping the 4k series cards will be validated in the future :P )

Update:

As of today my cancellation went through and funds released for my new system. I was pleased it did not take the full 10 business days for the cancellation to post. Now in phase3 and I'm hoping for a quick build.

The old laptop was shipped from the depot to Miami. I used a printed Fedex label and boxed up my power cable and cd's / dvd's to send back. Oh, and just because their email wasn't specific about what they needed and did not need back, I sent them the t-shirt. All 3 years of it

Heh no one wants to touch the M17 vs M17x argument again. There's another thread covering that topic I suppose. I did notice there are NO reviews of the M17 or M17x posted yet. Strange.

RE: the story, I'm glad to share it. I think it's important to tell the tales so others can learn from our mistakes or successes. Although I haven't had my computer for what will likely be 4 months, I have to look at it as a success.

Now if I could just get out of phase3!! >< Should I call and continue to push for a quick build? hmm, I think yes!

Just to be thorough:

[1] M17

Video/Graphics Card: Dual 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3870 - CrossFireX™ Enabled!
Processor: Intel® Core™2 Extreme Quad QX9300 2.53GHz (12MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Chassis: 17-Inch WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 LCD (1200p) with Clearview Technology
Keyboard Options: Illuminated Keyboard – Alienware Exclusive Design - Astral Blue
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate (64-bit Edition) with Service Pack 1
Notebook Tuners and Remotes: Without Media Center Remote Control or TV Tuner
Memory: 4GB« Dual Channel DDR3 SO-DIMM at 1066MHz – 2 x 2048MB

System Drive: Single Drive Configuration - 160GB 7,200RPM (8MB Cache) w/ Free Fall Protection
Optical Drives : 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW) w/ LightScribe Technology - View Demo
Laser-Etch Your Label Directly to the Disc!
Wireless Network Card: Internal Intel® Ultimate N 5300 a/b/g/Draft-N Mini-Card with MIMO Technology
The World's First 450 Mbps Wi-Fi Adapter!
Sound Card : Internal High-Definition Audio with Surround Sound
Warranty: 2-Year AlienCare Onsite Service and 24/7 Toll-Free Phone Support

Let's see how that baby runs..

I capped my credit, and at the time didn't want to push over. I had previously extended on the M9700 (which is why I was covered for this situation whew) and I plan on doing so again. It's worth it.

Put in a follow up call to my contact today after having sent an email last night.

Evidently, while I was at work, I moved to Phase5, good news. The other important issue I needed to confirm was shipping. In '06 when I purchased my 9700 I requested 2day Express which I was told was approved. However, my lappy went out Fedex Ground, which, to Hawaii, takes roughly two weeks. I was fairly upset that my $4000 laptop sat in various hubs getting kicked around for weeks until put on the plane. This time I'm being very insistent that this system is shipped 2-Day. And I'm told again and again that it's been approved. Let's hope it works out!

Holy cow. Phase 8! O.o

Either I said all the right things, they aren't that busy, or I'm just incredibly lucky lol. With my 2day ship Could it be Monday? Tuesday??