David55

"I have been looking all over for a forum discussing the new Alienware 18 Area-51 laptop model AA18250. I have not been able to find much..." Many users on reddit share info in posts/comments. However, they are not organized in any helpful way and differences in post titles do not help (for instance, sometimes "a51" is used for "area 51", sometimes "area 51" is used for the desktop model rather than the laptop model). I have used two AA18250s and will keep probably the one here now. Yikes to hear about the missing bracket for the ssd slot screw mounts! When I have a bit more time, I plan to install SSDs in slots 2 and 3. Dell has deleted the webpage for the dual thermal bracket that covers slots 2 and 3 with one piece. If you order the laptop with a gen5 drive, I think Dell puts it in slot 2 with the dual thermal bracket (and slot 3 empty). They seem to put gen4 drives in slot 1. May I ask which slot Dell put your SSD in (slot 1, 2, or 3)? Did that slot have the mount for a screw with a thermal shield/bracket attached?

"...im confused... there's no dGPU solution under the hood, just 1 full tilt GPU?" I know less about this than you. But I'm pretty sure that there is not supposed to be any discrete GPU with AI integration (as we have understand dgpu in terms of quadro, geforce, or rtx cards). The qualcomm ai chip will be very good for ai but not designed to function in many of the ways that traditional gpu's function (though of course tensor cores and even cuda cores can also perform ai work).

The manual and the marketing/advertising material for the Pro Max 16 Plus list an easy access/sliding bottom cover. However, there is no option to select this on the ordering page. Can anyone share whether you believe the Pro Max 16 Plus does or does not ship with the easy access/sliding bottom cover? By the way, as regards the 16, Dells new naming seems confusing: there is a Pro Max 16 Plus, as Pro Max 16, a Pro 16 Plus, and I think also a Pro 16, a 16 Premium, and a Pro Max 16 Premium). It seems that the differences between these are not a single spec such as processor series, but rather seem to involve different keyboards, case materials, and SSD slots. How is this naming a good idea? - I sincerely cannot tell.

This pcmag piece has what I think are some new pics. Dell's Pro Max 18 Plus Demolishes AI Tasks With Qualcomm's New Coprocessor https://www.pcmag.com/news/dells-pro-max-18-plus-demolishes-ai-tasks-with-qualcomms-new-coprocessor

No fingerprint reader, unfortunately. Could some people share their thoughts? Could the heavy cooling design, for instance, contribute to longevity of the system if not used much for gaming? Or could this design compromise durability even if it is great for powerered gaming while it lasts?

Any speculation on or indication of pricing? For the specs (such as 18", Ultra 9 275HX, Nvidia 5080 or 5090) I may get the Alienware 18 Area 51 even though I do not game. No ISV certifications and although power and cooling is prioritized over reliability and durability, the 18 Area 51 is the cheapest laptop with similar specs along with what I have found to be Dell build quality. If a similarly equipped Pro Max 18 Plus (such as an RTX Pro 4000) could have similar pricing, I would wait for it. Any comment on the possible pricing or the comparison with the 18 Area 51? On a different note, I wonder whether the easy-access bottom door will provide access just to one of the SSDs or will be an easily removable bottom cover with latches instead of so many screws and clips. In case you are interested, here are the only real reviews of any kind so far on the Alienware 18 Area 51: Unboxing and first impressions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2ZFnXQ02bw And the review with a bit more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuFQ4LN--II

The 5090 is now available both as a customized build and with pre-chosen RAM/SSD. My issue is that both the customization options and the pre-chosen RAM/SSD options only allow for multiple SSD's in Raid 0. I want to order multiple SSD's with no Raid 0. If anyone orders one, could you post updates here on changes to the estimated delivery date?

This has been available to order for a couple weeks now. No reviews yet. Has anyone ordered one? I am curious about the new hinge, and whether it is as secure/stiff as previous models. (I prefer a stiff hinge that does not wobble over a looser hinge that is easier to open with one finger but that wobbles.). Just two configurations available. I would want to add an additional SSD, and/or a larger capacity one. Could anyone who orders/receives one post here about your experience? Does the shipping date keep changing?

According to that article (notebookcheck 3/18/25), "The Dell Pro Max 16 Plus comes with up to a 4K 16:10 tandem OLED panel, 120 Hz refresh rate, and VESA HDR-1000 True Black certification. On the other hand, the Dell Pro Max 18 Plus restricts its 18-inch screen to 1440p." Why should the 18 inch screen have (or be limited to) that lower resolution?

I'm hoping some people will help with some basic instructions for replacing the 6300 wireless card that came with my M6700 and now seems to be failing. I have a 7260 card that I never tried using. Is it worth trying to put this in? Could Windows 10 find a driver upon booting? Should I try to save a driver to USB first? If so, where/which should I try to find a driver? I see for sale (on Amazon, for instance) an 802.11AX WiFi 6 AX200HMW 3000Mbps Mini-PCIE Interface WiFi Adapter with Bluetooth 5.0 for Windows 10. Could this or something similar work or have a better chance of working than the 7260? I'd appreciate any input/advice. As I get older, I find this stuff increasingly difficult and would be grateful for any help.

It worked. Thank you.

Thanks. I see one from 2019 that requires the Intel serial IO driver, and one from 2015 called "Dell Touchpad Driver" that does not require another driver but does specify support for "Alps multi-touch touchpad". Do you suggest I try one over the other?

Plea for help with turning off the touchpad on my Dell M6700. (Still using my M6700 everyday.) Back with Windows 7, I recall installing a Dell Utility software package (from the Dell M6700 Drivers and Downloads) that included settings for turning off the trackpad. I do not see that utility listed anymore. With my recent Windows 10 installs, I let Windows install everything - I did not install any Dell drivers or software myself. My Windows trackpad settings only allow me to change the sensitivity of the trackpad. I want to turn it off entirely. Please excuse my ignorance. Will either of the two Dell drivers for the trackpad (currently listed on the Dell M6700 support page for drivers/downloads) somehow give me a setting for turning off the trackpad? If not, how could I turn it off? Please help. Please suggest specifically what I could do to turn off the trackpad (like you're talking to a six year old).

In case it is worth anything, here is my low skill, ignorance based, two cent experience with the M6700. For windows 7, I used to fresh install windows with the precise Dell drivers (downloaded to USB) in the recommended order. Beginning with windows 10, I just let windows install whatever drivers it thinks I need and it has worked fine. The only thing missing is a utility for changing features of the keyboard, trackpad, and pointer nub. Don't even know if Dell still provides it anywhere.

Thank you for the input! I am (perhaps irrationally) afraid to take a drill near the laptop. May I ask what you think of using electrical or other tape, or supergluing a screw driver to the stripped screw?