Maxware79

We got ours from a guy on NBR but he doesn't have them anymore. You can find them on Alibaba but I believe they are the full NVMe speed cards. There is an issue with our Alienware's though, the adapter drains power constantly, even with the power turned off. If you have an internal battery then it will drain that too. The M18x has a removeable battery which makes it a little easier.

Big thanks to @ssj92 for guidance on how to get this fix done. This guide is to help anyone that fell prey to Dell's corrupted Alienware Command Center Application that was sent out on many M15x and M17x R1/R2 Resource CD's. Installing this Application from the CD would brick the AlienFX chip on the board so the lights went permanently dark. Dell's only out of warranty advice was to replace the board at the users expense. You will need: C8051F MCU Emulator USB Debugger Connector cable (for connection between Debugger and M15x or M17x port) M15x HEX File or M17x HEX File (See below for link) Silicon Labs Flash Utility To locate the hidden Service Port on the M15x and M17x R1/R2 Second Laptop or Desktop for flashing C8051F MCU Emulator USB Debugger https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/313304447036 Connector cable (4 pin connector for connection between Debugger and M15x port) I managed to find this cable on an old broken laptop. I just removed the connector from one end and stripped some insulation from each wire so they could be inserted into the debugger connector. You may have to search eBay for something suitable Make sure the cable is wired correctly into the debugger connector. See below. M15x HEX File https://www.dropbox.com/s/mb0vfnp24uq0giy/code_m15x_r1.hex?dl=0 M17x R1/R2 HEX File https://www.dropbox.com/s/hd7dwdfouq5tupu/code_m17x_r1.hex?dl=0 Silicon Labs Flash Utility https://getwinpcsoft.com/Silicon-Laboratories-FLASH-Programming-Utilities-238798/download/ Locate the hidden Service Port on M15x To access this connector you will need to remove the palmrest tray. I used a Dremel tool to cut an opening in the tray for easy access. Be careful not to damage the board if you decide to cut this hole without removing the palmrest tray first Locate the hidden Service Port on M17x R1/R2 TBA Process 1. Uninstall any traces of Alienware Command Center, if still installed. 2. Turn on the laptop and enter the BIOS 3. Using the secondary computer, download and save the HEX file (link above), Download and install the Flash Utility (link above) 4. Plug the USB Debugger into the secondary laptop 5. Plug the connector cable into the Service Port on the M15x (location shown above) 6. Run the Flash Utility. In the Connect/Disconnect tab, press Connect. If it doesn't connect then select the USB Debugger option and try again 7. Go to the Download Hex File/Go/Stop tab and browse your system for the HEX file you saved earlier. 8. Enter 000000 in the Hex File Start Address field 9. Check the Erase All Code Space Before Download 10. Press Download (the download should begin) 11. Press the Verify Download button 12. Press Go You should now have fully functioning AlienFX lighting again and you can reinstall the Alienware Command Center Application. Only use the version from the Dell Support website and not from the Resource CD.

Really clever and clean Johndill. Next step is to attach the spare heatsink to the CPU heatsink and see if it can the CPU temps, not that I've ever had a problem with my 3920XM.

It is an extremely modular laptop with just about every part being replaceable/upgradeable. @ssj92 has pushed it further than most of us with his Quadro RTX 3000 upgrade. There isn't a better 'tinkering machine' around, in my perfectly unbiased opinion..... They can be as cheap or as expensive as you want them to be. Back in 2013 I spend $2500 just upgrading the GPU's to dual 780M's and the CPU to a 3920XM. Seems crazy now. Buying a base model can still seem expensive because these systems now have the 'collectible' badge to them but you may be able to find one for around the $400 mark if it needs a little work. I usually sell my refurbished projects for around $1000-1100AUD ($700-800USD) which is a lot for a laptop with a 3rd gen processor and one or two 600 series mobile GPUs. You just have to remember that you're stuck with a 3rd gen mobile CPU so it's not going to keep up with todays processors although an overclocked i7-3920XM or 3940XM are still very capable units.

I just wasn't using the 1070 and I needed some extra cash so it had to go. I had the 970M laying around so it just made sense. I really don't get to play games these days with work and family.

I've owned this R2 since 2012 and it has been through a number of changes and upgrades since then. Unfortunately the latest change was a downgrade from a GTX 1070 to the 970M. I have bought and sold more Alienware laptops than I can count but I don't think I'll ever let this one go. Currently running from a Samsung 970 Evo using an MXM to NVMe adapter in the secondary MXM slot. Resprayed in Delft Blue which shines in the light and goes a deep blue in low light.

Not a silly plan really. US/English keyboards are almost impossible to find and they're always used when you do find one.

This is a pretty good idea! Did you just get some of the battery cradles from ebay?

Alienware M18x R1 Drivers and Downloads Alienware Command Center Support Documents Service Manual Alienware M18x R2 Drivers and Downloads Alienware Command Center Support Documents

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Alienware 17 R1 Drivers and Downloads Alienware Command Center Support Documents

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Alienware M14x R1 Drivers and Downloads Alienware Command Center Service Documents User Manual Alienware M14x R2 Drivers and Downloads Alienware Command Center Service Documents

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I'd like to give a big shoutout and thanks to @Hiew and @Reciever for giving us another platform to keep our discussions regarding everything PC (and more) going strong. The site looks clean and easy to use and I'm looking forward to being a part of it while it rises from the ashes of NBR. Here's to many more years of us dribbling about how much better things (laptops) used to be! 😉

Nice!