Phase 2: (Billing/Finance) 
Your order has been validated and is waiting payment processing. While in this stage we are confirming any credit card and/or payment information for security purposes. Please understand that this phase is necessary as it will protect you the customer from any fraudulent transactions. We observe very strict security guidelines and hope you will appreciate our efforts. Note: Your method of payment and other factors may influence how quickly we can build your PC.

Phase 3: (Payment Processed) 
Payment has been received and the order is now in queue for production.

Phase 4: (Pre-Production) 
The inventory that will be used to custom build the PC is being pulled and inspected. In the rare occurrence that a PC component is not readily available, you will be notified via email.

Phase 5: (Production Phase 1 - Assembly) 
Your system is being hand-built by an Alienware Assembly Technician. Alienware takes great pride in building our systems, as our motto reflects, "build it as if it were your own." The assembly stage can take some time, as all the components and cabling in the system is carefully installed for greater upgrade flexibility and thermal airflows. Every Assembly Technician has been trained and qualified to Alienware standards. We pride ourselves on giving you a high performance computer system!

Phase 6: (Production Phase 2 - Integration) 
This stage includes the installation of the operating system, drivers and any applications that are specific to the system you ordered. Our Alienware Integration Technician will also install any demos, benchmark utilities, and burn-in software necessary to correctly monitor your system’s performance. These functions are performed by AlienFactory, a proprietary software designed by Alienware for our valued customers. This is also the first stage of the Alienware 200-Point Quality Control Process.

Phase 7: (Production Phase 3 – System Testing) 
Your system is undergoing the second stage of the Alienware 200-Point Quality Control Process. This is the most crucial stage. We perform a series of grueling tests that push the hardware components in your system to the very limit. This phase is especially important because it is here where the system either passes or fails. If it does fail, it will automatically go to one of our Diagnostic Technicians to identify and correct any problems before we ship it to you. The system may need to go back to an earlier production phase to meet stringent Alienware performance standards.

Phase 8: (Production Phase 4 - Quality Control/Shipping Prep) 
The system is undergoing the final stage of the Alienware 200-Point Quality Control Process. An Alienware Quality Inspector is in charge of inspecting your system from top to bottom for any obvious or latent defects. Our Inspectors are seasoned technicians/engineers and are very experienced in the art of perfection. Note: If the system does not pass any of our performance standards, the system may have to go back to an earlier production phase and it may slightly delay your order.

Phase 9: (Order Shipped) 
Congratulations, the order has been shipped. We only hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed building it for you.

Thus begins my first journey with Alienware, with my newly ordered Alienware Area-51 m15x laptop. Here are the specs:-


However, the process from the moment your card is charged, to the time you finally have it in your hands, is fraud with many phases and possible setbacks. Just ask these guys at this link:- http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=229217 . He basically got his unit ONE MONTH later! But thankfully the QC is in place so the one month wait of patience is rewarded with excellent build quality.

There are NINE (9) phases that your Alienware laptop have to go through before it reaches your hand. Mine is still in Phase 1.

October 21st 2008 - Your Order is Currently in Phase 1 -
Phase 1: (Order Confirmation) 
Your order has been received and is awaiting order confirmation. As part of our security procedures, all orders must be confirmed before they can be processed.

What I had done is made a call twice to them confirming that they have received the supporting documents towards the purchase that they needed. It is as per quoted in the following email:-

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

These are the rest of the phases:-
So what I'll do is chronicle it as how those guys at the NotebookReview forum does it , to compare if it does indeed takes that long. I'm praying that it does not.

Otherwise, this may be a loooooong journey.

wah.. very long process indeed...

Can i know where are you from? US or Malaysia? Alienware does not ship international. I envy you for having the system.

yeah i guess its worth waiting. blue-ray rom... damn its tempting.

^ do you apply for alienfinance?

how much u bought? in RM

how much u bought? in RM

When the specs being offered here no longer excites you, it's time to look for more exotic solutions.

Sager and Alienware. Sager's design, personally, looks like 2 paper folders glued together to me, just aesthetically bland and dull. What's left then?

yeah i guess its worth waiting. blue-ray rom... damn its tempting.

hm.....if spoil how? sent b to uk?

1. How long does it take from the moment my credit card accepted and charged
for payment, which is Phase 2, until it is ready for shipping, Phase 9. My
primary concern is regarding your policy of assembling the components for
the order and prioritising them for assembly. My worries also stem from this
link:- http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=229217 , which
chronicles the horrific delays and further delays incurred upon that
particular user in that forum, before he finally receives his unit A MONTH
later, but not without further heckling, reminders and phone-calls on his
part! Is my experience going to mirror his, or have the apparent problem of
securing parts and components for the assembly of the laptops have been
resolved?

2. I am from Malaysia, and if you notice from the order, I have included a
Blu-ray Writer drive into the order of the m15x I have ordered. The UK, if I
recall correctly, would reside in Region B when it comes to Blu-ray disc
region playback. Blu-ray discs from South East Asia (Malaysia included),
Japan and the US all resides in the Region A, and therefore REQUIRES Blu-ray
drives of similar region (Region A in this case) to enable playback. My
question is, is the Blu-ray Writer drive that is going to be assembled into
my m15x allows for region change, or if that is not possible, maintains a
Region A designation so that all my Blu-ray discs I have accumulated can be
played on the laptop?

3. My third concern, being an order outside of the UK/Europe for that
matter, would be regarding the voltage/power requirements of the laptop. Is
the power adapter/charger unit for the laptop capable of accepting Malaysian
voltage of 240Volts/50Hz? I believe the plug head is similar to the
British/UK specification, it is just the voltage/power rating may differ. If
the laptop power adapter/charger unit accepts multiple voltage ratings
(100-240V), then there should not be any problems in this regard.

Dear Stringfellow,

Thank you for contacting Alienware.

Please find the answers to your questions below:

1. When placing an order, you are given an estimated ship date. This date depends on payment being processed in the next 24-48 hours and on the availability of the items you have selected for your system.

Some components are in such high demand that it may take more time before they become available. Thus, if you configure a more sophisticated system, the delivery time may be longer.

Keep in mind that Alienware computers are customized and built by hand. When a customer places an order for a computer, we reserve the parts exclusively for that computer.

In your case, your estimated ship date is November 17, 2008. This is the date when the system will be shipped to your address.

2- You may change the region on the Blu-Ray optical drive in order to watch region A instead of region B.

3- The AC Adapters we use for our notebooks are 110-220V capable, with auto-switch.

According to our records, your order is currently in Phase 3 (payment applied) and in queue for production.

If you need further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.


Best regards,

Andrea Gil
Electronic Support Department
Alienware Ltd.
Main Line: 00353 906 456 500
Fax: 00353 906 486 967
www.alienware.co.uk

Dear Mr. Stringfellow,



Thank you for calling Alienware.



In regards to our phone call yesterday in relation to your questions about the Blu-ray drive and the Power Supply Unit.



The power supply needs 220 -240 Volt, this means you will be able to use the system without an extra adapter.

With the Hardware you are able to switch the Blu-ray drive to region A or B, but you just have 5 times and then it will be blocked. The other way to switch the regions between A and B should work with the Software ( PowerDVD programme) and then it should be unlocked all the time.



Unfortunately we do not have an update on your order yet, at the moment we are waiting until the payment has been proceeded successfully. This should be done by this evening or tomorrow. After it has been proceeded your order status will change and you can see that online on our Website www.alienware.co.uk .



I hope this informations have been useful for you and if you have more questions please feel free to contact me under the number below and I will assist you.



Kind Regards

Christina Sommer

Customer service UK



Alienware Ltd.

Free Phone:                 0800-279 9751

International Phone:      00 353-906-456-500

Fax:                 00 353-906-486-967

www.alienware.co.uk

I wonder how much our Kastam Malaysia will tax your for laptop over 15K?

Alienware does ship international, Alienware UK does. In fact, that's where I configure this unit from, from www.alienware.co.uk. I could wait until I get back to the States  and get mine, but the cost of double shipping basically makes it the same. (Double shipping =  Alienware ship to my place in CA., then ship second time to KL). The fact that the recent economic meltdown also means that the Euro denomination is at its weakest, and makes it cost-friendly enough, in my books, to get it done from UK.

I've recently got back from Melbourne, and have personally tried out an almost max-specced out Alienware m15x there, and can vouch for its excellent build quality, and sterling performance.

The waiting continues.......

P/S: This was partly thanks to the recent disappointing Apple Macbook Pro keynote announcement, for having wrap the almost same spec-ed Macbook Pro, but only in a fancier unibody shell and glass trackpad. I've also personally fondled the new Macbooks in Melbourne, and my gut feeling still says the same: Once you get past the tacky glass trackpad and the shinier shell, the new Macbook Pro hold no significant specs.

So which manufacturer makes the most powerful 15inch laptop? Sager and Alienware. Sager's design, personally, looks like 2 paper folders glued together to me, just aesthetically bland and dull. What's left then?

I thought alienware is bought by dell?

Stringfellow.

Can test drive right? I might get one later when i am bored with my Asus G1SN.

9800M GT is available for customize now on m15x. Only if Montevina platform is available as well then it would be near-perfect.

i might shop for one but is pricey

Phase 9: (Order Shipped) 
Congratulations, the order has been shipped. We only hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed building it for you.

just curios tho, stringfellow, ur still a student or already working lol. Still single? LOL not sure if wife would allow their hubbies to get this

They sell these in Melbourne ? How much would a uncustomised one cost ? and would it still be able to run games smoothly ?

Please keep this thread clean other than queries, concerns, discussions or information materials regarding Alienware generally, or this particular model specifically. I cannot answer your queries for you, there are things in life where only you can provide the answer. This is one of them.

P/s:Alienware may not have a "Wilayah" around here, but the Mothership patrols the sky, all different layers of them, SAMs be damned.

dropping by  hope to see this laptop hit Malaysian shores soon 

Woah. That's fast! It's only been 1 week+ and you've reached phase 9!

monster gaming laptop .write a review after this ?

SECRET Airwaybill number - Detailed Report

October 28, 2008  15:58  Dublin - Ireland, Republic Of  Shipment picked up

October 28, 2008  19:34  Dublin - Ireland, Republic Of  Departing origin

October 28, 2008  20:44  Dublin - Ireland, Republic Of  Departed from DHL facility in Dublin - Ireland, Republic Of

October 28, 2008  22:44  East Midlands - UK  Arrived at DHL facility in East Midlands - UK

October 29, 2008  02:21  East Midlands - UK  Departed from DHL facility in East Midlands - UK

Wow congrats bro 
Post some pics pls after u get it 

hmm....meansur purchase is tax free? not including any tax at all? thats a good sign..

Will definitely do. I may even do a Youtube unboxing clip, with that 300 soundtrack in the background. Or maybe the Sprach Zarathustra for added effect.
Computers are non-taxable items.

The package has departed Leipzig, Germany on its way to Hong Kong at 0700 this morning.

Also had just did a little bit of shopping in preparation of the arrival of the Alienware, namely these items:-

1 x Crysis Special Edition
1 x Crysis Warhead
1 x Command & Conquer Tiberium Wars
1 x Command & Conquer Kane's Wrath
1 x The Witcher Enhanced Edition
1 x Command & Conquer Red Alert 3
1 x Logitech G5 Gaming Mouse + Free 1 x Razer Gaming Mouse Mat "Control" Edition

Will be heading out tomorrow to get Far Cry 2, and am feverishly waiting for Fallout 3. Are there any other games that would put the Alienware to work? I was contemplating Call of Duty 4, but I've already finished the game on PS3, and don't feel like buying the PC edition, with its sequel, Call of Duty World at War coming out so soon. Any other suggestion/recommendations besides the usual 3dMark06, CPU-Z, SuperPI, etc?

Will definitely do. I may even do a Youtube unboxing clip, with that 300 soundtrack in the background. Or maybe the Sprach Zarathustra for added effect.
Computers are non-taxable items.

The package has departed Leipzig, Germany on its way to Hong Kong at 0700 this morning.

Also had just did a little bit of shopping in preparation of the arrival of the Alienware, namely these items:-

1 x Crysis Special Edition
1 x Crysis Warhead
1 x Command & Conquer Tiberium Wars
1 x Command & Conquer Kane's Wrath
1 x The Witcher Enhanced Edition
1 x Command & Conquer Red Alert 3
1 x Logitech G5 Gaming Mouse + Free 1 x Razer Gaming Mouse Mat "Control" Edition

Will be heading out tomorrow to get Far Cry 2, and am feverishly waiting for Fallout 3. Are there any other games that would put the Alienware to work? I was contemplating Call of Duty 4, but I've already finished the game on PS3, and don't feel like buying the PC edition, with its sequel, Call of Duty World at War coming out so soon. Any other suggestion/recommendations besides the usual 3dMark06, CPU-Z, SuperPI, etc?

bro why not Prime95

really jealous ur alienware lar hope ur laptop will arrive on time

I heard Far Cry 2 dont really worth your money.My friend got a copy and he say STALKER is better.There are 2 games for STALKER,one call Shadow of Chenobly and Clear Sky.Highly recommended.

It's hard but the atmosphere feels great.Not exactly a good way to push your com to maximum but it's definitely a good game to play.

FO3,if i were you,i would just avoid it.The fans hate it so much.

Company of Heroes and it's expansion,Opposing Fronts is also a good game.Looks great and have loads of fun.

GRiD and DiRT is also good racing games.

Your wait must be unbearable

Cheers mate. I help you pray to make it arrive on time.

u still have others notebooks rite? I envy you qosmio

seriously feel like going to us and buy already

^Great! I'll be on the lookout for a crazy looking person then.

Yup, why not? Forgotten about that already. Alienware does include a 72 hour period of burning-in of the notebook, that is part of the 200-points checklist. They would already posted the results on that leather folder included, along with other benchmarks such as 3DMark06 they did beforehand.
Checked into DHL again, Package has arrived in Hong Kong close to midnight a hour ago. If there are not complications, I hope it would catch the first flight out and be here by afternoon, and be in the delivery van for sendoff this evening. Please arrive before I go to work!
Isn't Stalker an old game? I've sidelined that in favour of other games before, so I'm hesitant to pick that up now. Far Cry2 looks ultra-gorgeous from the screenshots, plus it has the most intuitive benchmarking section built-in. Those who had grown up on the old Far Cry will find it a different beast altogether because of the even more open-endedness of it, but I'm up for for some non-linear goodness. FallOut3 got glowing reviews from almost all reviewers, I just checked Metacritic. Are you sure it is that bad?

The FO fans hate it from top to bottom,left to right.

Who you gonna believe? FYI,game reviews these days are untrustable these days.Most of them are bribed to say only the good stuff about it.

It's up to you anyway.I find that,games with better graphics these days are more like tech demo than a game.I dont bother trying them at all.

what else they can make? that is their source income. so its better to give "good" review instead of it.

game nowadays to techy for me. but i shall wait for upcoming Diablo3 and StarCraft 2. Since im fan of Blizzard product.

LoL. wat the heck.. like dat also can.. maybe their just jealous..