Alienware 13 Pre-Release Speculation Thread

Yep, the 13 either has a bracket for 2 M.2s (since they are so small, the brakcet has two slots for them) and a brakcet for a 2.5" drive. There interreplacable from the look son the manual, but the upgrading process is going to be a hassle.
I need those tools to fix the m14xR2. I really hate it when it throttles at 65 C or 70 C. It's either I fix it or I get a 13 R2.

Should be 1 M.2 512 GB SSD. One of the few times Dell recommended is right. Either get the 256 GB M.2 or the 512 GB M.2.

 

Thanks for the info

 

It will come with a single, tiny M.2 SSD. If you order the "384GB SSD (256GB Primary + 128GB Storage)", it will come with an adapter that has two M.2 SSD's on it. They are not 2.5" SSD's. At least that's what it says on the US Alienware Website. I don't think it's different elsewhere.

 

That's kind of weird, are you putting multiple builds into a cart and forgetting possibly or dealing with reps directly?

 

I have a question, when you plug in the Amplifier, does it use both the GTX 860M + and the Desktop card together or it just switches to only the desktop card? ?_?

 

It switches to the desktop card.

 

That's not entirely true. They've been "about high-performance hardware" up until 2014, debatably 2013, for specific models.

 

To me, it seems like a lot of graphics drivers to manage. First the Intel hd driver, then the gtx 860m driver, then let's say you have an amd card in your amplifier, that's 3 graphics drivers alone.

 

how is that going to be a problem? the OS will manage that for you =)

 

I've come to really enjoy Nvidia Experience where the drivers get automatically updated. I haven't had an ATI card for a very long time but I remember having to download modded Omega drivers and it was a big pain in the butt.

 

We're all worried about the i5, I am too. We all have that/those games who we knows really benefit from the CPU.
In my case it's GTA5. I bought GTA5 when it came out and after 5 hours it had fried my launch Xbox 360. I was like "fuuuccckkk thiisss" and I've been carbon freezing myself for time to speed up for the PC release. My life begins and ends with this game, now that they have increased the online experience (overhauled the character creator, 30 player multiplayer, new massive GTA4 style DLC incoming, lots of fixes, next gen graphics). But I know this game is gonna need the CPU. Every GTA does.

Every model, the amount pedestrians and cars, combined with longer draw distances. It's going to require serious computation. It's not just the speed frequency (MHz) but also the quad. I am sure it's going to use Quadcore. For all the bad things that was said about GTA4 PC optimization, its use of the quadcore was one of the best ones. Now that I am sitting here playing Assassins Creed Unity, I am being reminded of that startling fact. The game takes advantage of less than 30% of your GPU. Ubisoft screwed up with the coding.
I am praying to the flying spagetti monster that GTA5 will be optimized more like Max Payne 3, which was a really well done game, technically with lots of graphic tweeks, impressive performance spec-for-spec and so on. But I am afraid it wont be so. I feel the 860m is a really nice and snug fit for a 13 inch laptop. It feels impressive, wellrounded and not stupidly or compromisingly powerful, but I agree with Docsteel that the CPU leans on very conservative.


What I don't understand is, why can't CPUs be more like GPUs with optimus? 5-6 years ago having a dedicated GPU in your notebook meant it was enabled 100% of the time. When Optimus (and the laptops who had build in graphic switching) came out it was a game changer. suddenly all the battery, heat and so on was relieved when you were not gaming. Why cant they stuff in a Quad and still have 8 hours of battery life, and just downlock the CPU when your not gaming? like, shut off 2-3 cores? Is it just that CPUs dont work that way, or is it the IGPU when using java and flash that kills battery? It seems that way on tablet and smartphones as well.

 

I think that the old core parking effectively did this, though the times it kicked in weren't conducive to gamers often. But I have wondered this too, ULV made sense 4-5 years ago, we should be at the point now with quads that they should be very power and thermal efficient with fine OS control. Surely we can do better now than just rely upon dual-core systems

When a system goes all out at the frequencies now the thermal goes up... and Dell is terrified of thermals now and their impact on support I believe, and to an extent I agree with them, but I think they are too conservative currently. MSI has some software controlled feature to put the system in one of three states, this to me is a great idea... there are times I want my gaming rig full tilt, but other times I would be willing to sacrifice performance for fan sound levels. The MSI guys are not geniuses, they are just willing to give short-vision gamers what they want ... today's performance at a reasonable price, to hell with the system two years from now. Dell OTOH, has a long tradition of users (originally corporate) that want systems to be in use for at least three years but preferably five and continues to design around this strategy, which means limiting support issues become paramount, we end up with slow releases and non-edgy system designs. Dell is treating their gamer community like just another rank of high-end corporate users and this is just not correct.

"Gamers" and enthusiasts on the other hand usually don't have this mentality - it's give me the best now and then let me upgrade over say three years.... this is the fundamental problem with the BGA right now... and it means you have to buy a unit every year or so, and it absolutely means buying the best CPU/GPU you can get your hands on. Dell and MSI I believe with the G/A are trying to develop a strategy to overcome this issue, namely that a CPU for say three years is "good enough" while the G/A works to make up the slack of not being able to do much upgrading in the laptop itself going forward. It's making the best of a bad situation, and I believe Dell lacking the ability to put any news out on the fates of the 14/17/18 pushed the anemic AW 13 i5 out the door with the G/A... this was bad. I think they should have just released the AW 13, with an i7 option, then held the G/A back until all the lines were at least announced to support the G/A. Instead they banked on buffing their sales of the AW 13 by pushing it along with the G/A and I think it's resulting in a lot of skepticism now instead of interest and excitement to their (and our) detriment.

Grats if you read all this btw

 

Everyday I'm at odds with myself...order AW13 with i5 or wait three months for i7?

 

debating the same my self..

 

I was thinking to call dell and cancel my order today!

 

If you need a computer now, then the debate is understandable. If you don't need a laptop now or for a short while (couple of months), wait for the i7. I already planned on doing that since announcement since Broadwell-U was round the corner and that it proved to be more powerful than Haswell-U. It still hurts looking at the 13 since it has most of what I want in a laptop.

 

My feelings exactly ... it's just so close to what I want it really hurts... and I really was looking forward to it as a selfie-Xmas gift. I could even have lived with just the ULV if we had an i7 and knew that was all there was going to be (I really need a quiet M11x replacement). It's the lack of information that is frustrating as hell. I'm afraid to pull the trigger, then sometime in January at CES or PAX we suddently get news of a new 14 (or 15), or that with Broadwell we get a full-on quad with a 900-series GPU, then there is the whole advent of Silverlake down the road.... but since that is a year out, it's in my opinion a non-factor. There are so many changes in Silverlake, it's going to take vendors time to sort it out and gauge how to make best use of the changes.

 

Same boat here. I need a computer badly, but just can't decide whether to buy now or wait 2 months. :| Good post btw Docsteel, I concur completely.

Btw, thinking a year in advance in tech is just too far (ie Silverlake), but the 2 month debate is killing me!

 

My birthday is next month and I also wanted to treat myself with a new computer, specifically something portable to help with my studies.

I'm also torn between brands.

 

What else are you considering? Given that having a desktop is impossible for me + my fondness for dell's warranty has made the decision less about between brands (for me) and more about whether or not to wait. The only thing I'd be tempted by is an Aorus X3 with a 9xx...love dem macro keys! But ultimately, I'ma huge fan of the 'graphics amp'...

 

The Aorus x3 is overpriced and has way too high of a resolution for my liking. The FPS would not be suitable for smooth gameplay. I want something small enough to take with me practically anywhere, while also still being able to play a game or two between classes. Sometimes I have hours to kill.

I'm looking at 13" and 14" notebooks, specifically the Gigabyte P34 with the 970M. My only concern is fan noise and heat. All of the previous Gigabyte P34 models sounded like leaf blowers and people had some serious complaints about heat & throttling.

My concerns clearly expressed here:

 

It's ridiculous that reviews don't judge on fan noise with a consistent measurement under light to heavy loads. For some folks it is a real issue to be concerned with; not even mentioning it and taking a few minutes to measure just shows how much collusion there is in the industry. At best you will get statements like "fairly loud" or "quiet compared to it's class" which don't tell you jack.

Dellienware seems committed to not having throttling since it's been a bane through the years and more so recently, I would not be surprised at the move to a ULV is just part and parcel with the throttling issue, and the reputed low fan noise on the AW 13 (based on one comment) is just a byproduct of that decision.

 

It was designed around cooling. So, I'm assuming it will be much quieter than the Gigabyte, as pretty much everything is.

That's why I'm willing to wait, but I sure am tired of waiting...

 

I don't know I t I'll be fine with the ULV cpu!

 

The Aorus X3 would be my next consideration but lacks touch screen. When I switch from my Razer Edge to the M11x...the lack of touch on the m11x gets me everytime. Windows 8 was meant to be touched especially working on your lap. I've been on i7s for the longest time, I have no idea how a newer i5 will work but it feels like a complete demotion. I could wait, but I have so much work to do in my business that the AW13 would fit all my needs, especially with a supped up one from HIDEVOLUTION (2 TB SSD with eGPU 970 GTX). For now I'm going to hold off and wait for reviews from actual users. Then pull the trigger.

 

hmm? what are you talking about, CPU already has different C states and P states. your CPU automatically downclocks when you are doing anything. with IVB the lowest is 1200mhz and haswell further reduced it to 800mhz

 

My problems with the Aorus X3 Plus (and other Gigabyte 13"-14" laptops):

1. Keyboard.
2. Touch pad/track pad.
3. Screen shaking/moving.
4. 3k display (870M not powerful enough, 970M may be acceptable).*
5. Temperatures/fan noise.
6. Battery life (display decreases it dramatically).

*The internal components, not being upgradeable, is a concern for me with this display, as newer games will only become more demanding. Ultimately decreasing shelf-life. Yes, down-scaling is always a possibility, but it defeats the purpose of getting a 3k display in the first place.

---

My hope is that Alienware will put a better GPU and CPU in the AW 13, then it would be almost perfect for what I need. I don't believe I've ever been more lost in the search for a laptop before, lol. This year is so wrong...just wrong. What are these companies doing? It's almost as though they're experimenting...

 

This is how I feel each time I need a new machine haha - what compromises do I want to make this time? The truth is for me, 95% of the time I'm in front of a screen, I'm working, not gaming - so mobility, battery life, high DPI display, lots of ram/HDD space, and macro keys are always better for my productivity. Gaming is definitely a priority, but it doesn't make up much of how I spend my time on a computer. The only reason I'm concerned about the ULV proc is what's the point of buying a machine with external graphics ability if the CPU will bottleneck it (and that ability is why I'm choosing the AW13 over the X3 in the first place, so...).

X3 will have the 970 probably in January, btw, according to an Aorus rep. The only way the AW13 will get a better GPU is when nvidia releases something with the same TDP that's more powerful. Alienware has said they won't go up in TDP for the graphics, and the 970 is what, 15 watts over the 860? I'm concerned about the long-term reliability of anything not-alienware, though: I like to keep my machines for ~4-5 years.

 

questionS from this vid

1 - is the keyboard really that durable?! yep I do that all the time with my gaming desktop keyboard! But I don't expect that can be done on a lappy. I treat my MBA like a baby =)
2 - the HDMI port at the back, is it only useful with the GA on?
3 - the guy mentioned that he uses the 13 for his office work and he gets 4.5 hrs on battery and that we should expect about 1-1.5 hrs on intensive gaming. Isn't that kinda short?
4 - the surface attracts lotsa finger prints! arent you guys turned off?

dont get me wrong, I am still looking forward to get this!

PS I love how the marketeer explained why gamers want a thick laptop. looks spot on to me!

 

1. Alienware laptops, for the most part, are durable. Some are like bricks. Owning an m15x and m14xR2, the quality of the chassis was and is premium and sturdy. Oh, and the keyboard rarely messes up. No flying keys or anything like that. Sounds nice typing on it.
2. It's useful without the GA too. Both the Mini-Display port and HDMI port are able to be used with or without the GA hooked up.
3. Some reviewers mention 4 to 6 hours, so maybe he's using high performance plan without using the GTX 860m? It is questionable, sure, and the battery life isn't what is advertised. It better be long.
4. I'm not. They're easy to clean, anyways. It isn't as if it'll depreciate the value. And yes, I am also talking about the touch screen too.

 

I was there - PAX was awesome

The AW keyboards are awesome - I hate chiclet keys, and AW's are the only laptops without 'em (worth buying, anyway). 4.5 hours is, IMO short given the low power GPU and CPU (both in terms of draw and performance...)...

 

I love reading the comments under that video of the AW 13 at PAX Australia. Not many of them realize the CPU will bottleneck the desktop GPU. It's a cool idea, though. Alienware said they made the Amplifier back in 2011. They've been working on this for years... I just hope they have plans for better internal hardware in the AW 13 to properly support it.

EDIT: For reference to anyone who doubts this: The 4710HQ can barely support a GTX 980 M, which is almost equal to the performance of a GTX 780 desktop card. If the 4710HQ cannot support the 980M/780, how can Alienware say an i5 dual-core CPU will? Or better yet, how can it support Maxwell desktop GPU's that outperform Kepler? That's completely misleading. (Source: http://forum.notebookreview.com/gaming-software-graphics-cards/763237-gtx-980m-limited-cpu.html)

 

It always depends on the game, but it sucks intel delayed broadwell and screwed over the AW13 for a few months...

 

For the 4710HQ & 980M bundle, it depends on the game. The i5 has half the cores and threads. It will not depend on the game for ULV dual-core. It will be bottlenecked, period.

 

Have any data on this? Or links to, say, NVAPI reports with that CPU or similar?

 

Take the performance output of the 4710HQ and 980M (provided in my post above), respectively compare them to the performance output of the i5-4210U and desktop cards offered in the Amplifier. You will see, without a doubt, that there will be major issues with throttling and bottleneck from basic deduction.

 

Hearing that they have been working on the G/A since 2011 and the issue of pulling the video and keeping the system from crashing tells me no question that at the very least the 17 will get this as an option which still makes me think an eventual redesign to mimic the thinning out of the AW 13 is in the works. What I find odd is how the whole question of CPU-bound gaming is just ignored... I guess the majority of popular games for "gamers" in their eyes revolve around FPS and so forth, and quite possibly their market research shows this. Being primarily an MMO player with FPS-style games second and needing a decent work machine in case I need to spin up a VM or two, my needs for a decent GPU are paramount. What holds me back on just grabbing an AW 14 before it is too late is the fact that the GPU is not one but possibly two steps behind now and the single fan setup. Had they designed it with a dual fan solution to begin with, they could quite possibly have kept the thickness more in line with today's market expectations, been quieter and had a better seller. Had they coupled that with a G/A... it would have really been something. Undoubtedly this would have cannibalized AW 17 sales to some extent...

 

This would be nice to have for the Alienware 17 or 18 and an unlocked CPU. Especially if Broadwell is a fixed Haswell and runs much cooler... That's for sure. With a proper BIOS, we could easily overclock the 5930MX to 5.0GHz (assuming it runs cooler and better than Haswell). That would definitely bring a lot into play for us laptop owners. I think the "Amplifier" would be great in that scenario.

 

The 5930XM is out already?

 

No, I'm just guessing what the 4930MX replacement will be called.

 

I am thinking about buying this one to replace my sager with the gtx675. The Sager is a nice machine just not one that you want running on the battery. The m13 looks like it would give me much better battery life and a performance kick.

From what limited reviews that I have seen there seems to be some debate about the battery life. Does 3 to 6 hours seem right?

Just picked up a used M11xr3 at the pawnshop to replace my M11x su4100 due to my always wanting a M11xr3.

 

It's the difference between night and day isn't it

There's a reason R2 and R3 M11x's go for upwards of 500 or more USD on Ebay!

The irony is that I can get more for my M11x-R3 than I can get for my vastly more powerful M14x-R2... shows you how important mobility and size are to many folks.

 

Yes there is a vast difference between the two. After all these years I'm still impressed with the m11x model.

I'm looking at the m13 as more of a upgrade from the m11xr3 than the Sager 15 p150..............Maybe a m17 in my future?

 

If you have an M11x, the AW 13 will definitely be a nice upgrade for you.

 

Dell said at PAX all refreshes of future laptops will get a GA port.

 

Yep I agree, I'm still gaming on my m11x r3.

 

New video. I posted a comment tagging Alienware, no response.

 

Dang....I want this laptop but i7 Quad core!

 

It'll never come with an i7 quad core, or even a regular "M" series cpu. Only ULV, Realize it's an m11x successor, not an alienware 14/m14x successor. With that being said, it's a shame that they discontinued the 14 inch style laptops. 14 inches in my opinion, is the perfect display size for a gaming laptop. It's still semi portable while still having a large enough screen and body for a quad core CPU. I've never liked 15.6 inch laptops, too generic for me. I really hope they come back to the 14 inch size.

 

Yep...I think you're right. I'll have to wait for tge i7 dual core version or consider the 17 inch when it does a refresh.