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Sentia Shopping - Questions

post #1 of 13
9/28/04 at 11:24pm
Thread Starter 
I sent some questions to sales@alienware.com and got the automated "we'll reply in 24 hrs" response but they didn't so let me ask some questions here.

(1) How many Alienware Sentia's are there? Some owners are posting pictures of Alienware Sentia's that don't look like the one Alienware is selling now.

(2) Is silver the only color option on the (current) Alienware Sentia?

(3) Just to confirm - The blue eyes don't turn off and the power button blinks when its on? You've got to be kidding me.

(4) Is there a longer lasting battery option? I see mention of a battery for a 14" Sentia on the alienware accessories page but I assume the 12" Sentia is a different creature and this isn't an option for a new Sentia buyer.

(5) Is the video/agp card upgradeable in the future like the 51m model is.

(6) Does that laptop come with an XP Pro key so I can reinstall XP in a stock (non-alienware specific) config using a retail XP Pro CD?

Looking for a dependable laptop with decent windows performance and long battery life.... little concerned about choosing the Sentia based on some of the user comments who are having problems, especially with regards to battery life.
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post #2 of 13
9/28/04 at 11:41pm
1. Nobody here would know how many Sentia owners there are, and I don't think AW would tell you either. I've never seen the pictures that you are referring to and everybody here that has posted pics of their new Sentia is the one that's selling at the website.

2. Yes

3. No the eyes don't turn off, and yes the power button blinks.

4. No not at this time

5. No

6. Yes you get the XP pro CD with your purchase so you can reinstall it if you want.

Hope that answered your questions.
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post #3 of 13
9/28/04 at 11:46pm
Here are a few answers...

1) There has been 2 versions of the Sentia. The first had a 14.1" screen the current has a 12.1'".

2) Yes, silver is the only option right not...but whats wrong with silver ?

3) Cant really answer but I'm sure some of the others can.

4) There is an extra battery option, but it has the same cap. as the primary batt.

5) It has an Intel intrigated graphics chipset, not upgradeable.

6) Again, I cant really answer, havent got mine ordered yet. But I have done a TON of research, mostly here in this forum.

Read some of the reviews, theres a really good one here...
http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=41892
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post #4 of 13
9/29/04 at 9:24am
(1) DesertJester is correct

(2) DesertJester is correct

(3) I thought you can turn the eys off through the bios...you can also change the colors too...

(4) DesertJester is correct

(5) DesertJester is correct

(6) Mine came with an XP PRO key on your laptop, but I am almost positive you can only use it if you run a clean install using the recovery discs given to you...like most computers that come with a preinstalled OS... but i have the origional 14.1 so maybe they changed that... ask if i3041 has the 12.1...
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post #5 of 13
9/29/04 at 10:52am
Thread Starter 
Think I'm going to wait and see what Alienware does to fix some of these issues. I also checked out Intel's roadmap which said the following....


Intel Alviso-GM chipset for Dothan is expected to be released in Q4 2004 and will be part of the Sonoma Mobile Internet PC 2004 platform. Alviso GM is the successor to the i855GME and is expected to feature support for Dual Channel DDR2, a 533Mhz FSB speed and PCI Express (for attaching PCI Express graphics cards such as ATI's AXIOM and nVidia's MXM removable mobile cards). The ICH6-M South Bridge will feature support for SATA150, 802.11G, improved Bluetooth support and Azalia 7.1 audio.
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post #6 of 13
9/29/04 at 11:36am
what issues do you want resolved?
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post #7 of 13
9/29/04 at 12:29pm
Re: WinXP CD- you can install that w/out running the recovery disk (which I recommend getting).
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post #8 of 13
9/30/04 at 10:44am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dukefrukem
what issues do you want resolved?
Battery life (aka Battery upgrade): Look at all the major OEM's selling pentium M laptops. Everyone one of them offers an 8 cell battery, some even a 12 cell. The post from the Sentia owner that gets 2hrs battery life really disturbes me. Especially the lack of responce he is getting from Alienware.

Blinking power button: Yes this is a small issue but I know it would drive me crazy. And what is almost worse than the actual problem is Alienware's lack of responce.

If they fix those two problems and I would probably place my order inspite of the fact intel has a better chipset slated for Q4 2004.
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post #9 of 13
9/30/04 at 10:48am
umm I watched 2 (2 hour full movies) on my trip to Italy with my SENTIA...and that is with the 14.1 screen... the 12.1 gets even MORE battery life... def. over 4 hours worth...

what do you mean by Alienware's lack of responce?
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post #10 of 13
9/30/04 at 10:50am
"The Sentia features a 6 Cell 2200mAh primary Lithium-Ion battery which provides more than 4hrs of use. The increased battery capacity allows you to work without the added hassle of monitoring the battery levels every ten minutes. This gives you the ability to concentrate on your work and not on the clock. Furthermore, by using Lithium-Ion batteries instead of the older NiMH battery technology, the Sentia is able to provide the lightest battery possible with the highest capacity. Most importantly, Li-Ion batteries do not exhibit any trace of cell "memory" and can be charged at any time without any damaging effects."

http://alienware.com/product_detail_...KU-PERFORMANCE
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post #11 of 13
9/30/04 at 1:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Sentia
Intel Alviso-GM chipset for Dothan is expected to be released in Q4 2004 and will be part of the Sonoma Mobile Internet PC 2004 platform. Alviso GM is the successor to the i855GME and is expected to feature support for Dual Channel DDR2, a 533Mhz FSB speed and PCI Express (for attaching PCI Express graphics cards such as ATI's AXIOM and nVidia's MXM removable mobile cards). The ICH6-M South Bridge will feature support for SATA150, 802.11G, improved Bluetooth support and Azalia 7.1 audio.
Yes I am also waiting for the Alviso chipset. . . the nVidia MXM mobile cards!!! I certainly hope they are availble by Q2 2005
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post #12 of 13
9/30/04 at 6:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelX30
Yes I am also waiting for the Alviso chipset. . . the nVidia MXM mobile cards!!! I certainly hope they are availble by Q2 2005

So you're going to "wait" until Q2 of 2005 to buy? That's like 5-8 months from now. You DO know that in Q2 of 2005, they'll announce something that's even better than what they release by Q4 of 2005, and something even better in Q2 of 2006, and then again, for pretty much every quarter until you die. You should just wait until you're on your deathbed, cause then you can almost be certain that they won't announce any breakthrough products.
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post #13 of 13
9/30/04 at 6:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by govtcheez
So you're going to "wait" until Q2 of 2005 to buy? That's like 5-8 months from now. You DO know that in Q2 of 2005, they'll announce something that's even better than what they release by Q4 of 2005, and something even better in Q2 of 2006, and then again, for pretty much every quarter until you die. You should just wait until you're on your deathbed, cause then you can almost be certain that they won't announce any breakthrough products.

Yeah, I don't NEED a laptop right now. But I am going to need one when I transfer (I am going to college where I live so I dont need a laptop, I use the family desktop) and also by waiting until then I'll be able to get a better bang for my $$, especially if the Alviso uses the new nVidia MXM technology... see what I'm saying? Arent there also rumors of a Q1 2005 release anyway? I have heard everything from a Q4 2004 to Q3 2005. It's not that I am waiting SPECIFICALLY for that technology... It's just that I'm not going to need a laptop until then, so I can use time to my advantage
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