Cyber Green Alienware Area-51m - First Impressions

First Impressions - (lost in bottom of another thread- would like some feedback from 16.1 users about Hib problem etc...)
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Finally had some time to load up some games last night - will post more pics shortly. FFXI took just over 3 hours to load/patch (load disk 4 and patch)- hope to actually play it a bit later. Tool has put together a list of Q&A's - that I'll try to fill in as I work with the AW.

First impressions - (mostly loading software) - this unit is very fast. My reference machine is a Dell 8500 2.6GHZ w/ 1GB ram. I plan to sun Sandra on my 3.2GHZ desktop and the AW 3.2 to see how much of a difference there is. Desktop is running a 160 Sata etc...



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Keyboard - is STIFF with a capital S. My new 8500's keyboard is quite a bit stiffer than my first 8500 (purchased shortly after Dell rolled the 8500's). The AW keyboard is as stiff as it gets - and the more I use it the more I like it.

Cyborg Green - Not what I expected - I'm much happier with this color than I thought I'd be. I'll post some high res pics ( with my Canon 1DS (10Mpixel) cam when I get some web space. I don't think the current pics do the laptop/color combo justice. Silver is nice but I have been there and done that (my Silver AW should arrive in 4 to 5 weeks - will take pictures side by side).

EYES (alien) - Much cooler that I thought it would be - It definitely sets this laptop apart and I think a GREEN lap without them just would not be right. It would be nice if they bumped this up a notch by using more color's - or more options for the colors. It's a nice add and I'm sure folks looking at the back of the laptop who do not know about AW will take a second look and wonder why a guy in a business suit is working on such a unit.
Note - When the laptop is charging its eyes blink BLUE -bright enough to light up a dark room with a blue strobe. ( I suggest you not charge your laptop in your sleeping area unless you want a night light).

The Bad - (1.8 day old lap – still have to use a bit more to know if these are real problems or just ….)

The Screen -I have the 16.1 and perhaps its due to the fact that I'm running it side by side with my Dell 8500 (running 19X12). I spent the first hour or so trying to get the screen adjusted and finally got it to where I like it (not as good as the Dell but....) I found that I had to turn the contrast on the keyboard (fn key + F7) all the way UP - then goto video properties - advanced and pick the COLOR tab (ATI) and turn the Gamma all the way to the left (.5) leaving Brightness and Contrast right in the middle. I'd love to hear from other 16.1 owners about their screens - I'll have another 16.1 in a few weeks to compare it to. NOTE – Upon Reboot the settings get rolled back – If I open display properties the gamma goes back to my pre-set – Kinda weird and I’ll continue playing with to see if it happens consistently

Hibernation – I’m having some problems when I try to power up from Hibernation – it has hung a few times – and when finally loads xp the desktop has been re-set to 640X480 16 color…

Heat – DVD, Battery life etc… will be addressed in the coming days as I use the lap a bit more.

No AW forums yet...

Left the "Card" with what I assume is my access code in my office - Plan to check them out Monday.

For Pics check out -

http://alien.50megs.com/photo.html


I'll be posting some High (10Mpixel) pics of Call of Duty, BF, Halo and Lord or Rings Return soon - and whatever else folks ask for.

Higher RES pics - check

If you want higher RES- and the most recent posted pics check out-


http://www.punkdoutcomps.com/rfaster/

Mechanic - Halo runs as good as -

Halo runs as good as it does on my P4 3.2 Desktop - I am running a Gforce FX 5900 Ultra on it - again I don't think Halo taxes the GPU all that much. I played Halo a bunch on the X-Box but I'll take the better RES and new maps on the PC.

So to answer your Q - it runs quite nice.

Halo Port - Not 4 Stars - Vice City PORT POOR@!

Agree - they could have/should have done SO MUCH more with the port.

Talking about Ports - how about Vice City - I mean I played it to death on the PS2 -- was really hoping for more on the PC. The Resolution on the PC is a JOKE!

Ghosting

I have played Halo quite a bit and no Ghosting to speak of. My desktop is a Sony 21 LCD so I'm used to LCD's -- if that makes sense. I know when I switched from CRT's to LCD's it took a little bit to get used to playing some games on it. The LCD on the AW appears to be very stable - no flicker or Ghosting.

Note - been busy loading and trying to get the COLOR settings worked out on my AW to play anything but Halo yet.

AW - Return for Sager -

I agree that AW needs to fix the display issue - its a known issue and is unacceptable to deliver a laptop like the one you got and well like the one I have w/out the color mod. What games are you trying to play? -- what Frame rates are you getting - perhaps you should compare it to what other AW owners are getting to see if its yours - or ALL AW's...

When the Sager comes in puke green and has blinky eyes I'll sign up to

Best of luck - Be sure to post your results -