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    Alienware 13 Pre-Release Speculation Thread

    Discussion in '2015+ Alienware 13 / 15 / 17' started by tinker_xp, Aug 8, 2014.

  1. YassineMaj

    YassineMaj Newbie

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    Is there a big performance gap between quad and dual in games?
     
  2. TheSandman2236

    TheSandman2236 Notebook Consultant

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    Which one do you recommend?
     
  3. J.Dre

    J.Dre Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    At least 2 years of both enhanced support and accidental. They may be able to tack it on for a discount. It's still early.



    [​IMG]
    Hmm, don't people want these systems for or before the holiday season (Christmas), not afterwards?

    I hope you guys get your systems earlier than expected. That's a long wait.
     
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  4. niko2021

    niko2021 Notebook Evangelist

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    No quad core for the Aw13. Not even dual core regular laptop processors. The aw13 is stuck with the BGA packaged ULV processors. They're soldered directly onto the motherboard, 15w TDP. To be honest, if you don't need portability, the aw17 black friday deal with the r9m290x is an awesome deal, and yeah I know, whole different category. I may snag a cheap aw13 if I can get it for under a grand with 1080p screen. No need to wait for broadwell really. or even the gtx 960m, since the 800m series are the kepler cards for notebooks. (they just skipped the 800 series name for desktops) so even if a 960m comes out, it'll be a rebadge.
     
  5. n=1

    n=1 YEAH SCIENCE!

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    Not as professional as adding a mustache:

    [​IMG]
     
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  6. FoHMike

    FoHMike Notebook Geek

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    Psych 101 right there. It always turns out homophonbes have homosexual tendencies, and trolls want those lights ;)
     
  7. FoHMike

    FoHMike Notebook Geek

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    Anyone that cares what the PC you have looks like, you shouldn't be working for/with. Screw them. ;)

    Well, the i7 is a bit faster, but obviously not a lot faster: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=2248&cmp[]=2259 about a 14% increase in synthetic benchmarks...
     
  8. gabswiss

    gabswiss Notebook Consultant

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    Nice deal, I can get it for $980 with my EPP discount + 10% back with Dell Advantage and paying Dell Preferred account... Tempting
     
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  9. xxpmrong

    xxpmrong Notebook Consultant

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    Okay now that the i7 is out, the next question is - is it really worth it?
    I've been longing to see a user review before I finally pull the trigger =)
     
  10. enjoytokillyourself

    enjoytokillyourself Notebook Guru

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    hi ,,,,sorry but i dont know what it means U cpu ?!?!
     
  11. Game7a1

    Game7a1 ?

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    Ultra Low Voltage. They are weaker variants of regular voltage processors that use less wattage and volts.
     
  12. Game7a1

    Game7a1 ?

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    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-4510U,ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. GR8 (not an Alienware, but still)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i5-4210U Processor,Alienware 0VMGD7 (Alienware 13)
    Bonus: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 video card benchmark result - Intel Core i5-4210U Processor,Alienware 0VMGD7
    You won't expect a user comparison of the 13 with i5 and i7 until January since the i7's ship after holiday season.
     
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  13. enjoytokillyourself

    enjoytokillyourself Notebook Guru

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    ok thanks ,,, it also means that there is not a possibility to overclock it ?
     
  14. Game7a1

    Game7a1 ?

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    Let's say it wouldn't be easy to overclock it, if at all. It is possible to undervolt the processor, so there's that.
     
  15. proper158

    proper158 Notebook Consultant

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    Thank god! I was starting to consider the Omen because I'm in desperate need of a laptop with touchscreen, decent gaming and form factor (but have had horrible experience with HP). Now I wait for HIDEVOLUTION to offer the i7 version as well as figure out there SSD config (they aren't entirely sure about the M.2. Slots so they have three total SSD slots up to 3 TB.)
     
  16. Djangi

    Djangi Notebook Consultant

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    The i7 model is powered by an Intel 4510U, see the comparison here. Although it's still a low power solution with only 2 cores(4 threads), it is considerably stronger.

    Since the i7 options isn't available yet on the Dutch website (same for the rest Europe), I decided to cancel my order for now. I really hope it will be available for order soon.
     
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  17. J.Dre

    J.Dre Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Considerably? That's definitely up for debate... It's basically an overclocked i5-4210U. You're looking at 10%-13% better performance, on average.

    Will you notice it while gaming? Of course not. The difference is negligible at best.
     
  18. xxpmrong

    xxpmrong Notebook Consultant

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    what do you think guys?
    fire away!

     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 12, 2015
  19. proper158

    proper158 Notebook Consultant

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    Yep saw that when it came out since I was still debating the two. I would have gone Aorus if they offered touch screen but will probably stick with Alienware since my m11x r3 is a tank. Also concerned about heat with the Aorus and that finicky mouse pad. I think if any brand is trying to compete with the Razer 14, they need to offer a variant with touch and at least offer a size up with similar CPU as the Aorus I.e. quad core i7 etc. Laptops get outdated quick! I should know...I was on a Sager 5660 (2002), Acer, HP, Asus x2, Mac, Alienware and Razer Edge.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 12, 2015
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  20. Flaick

    Flaick Notebook Evangelist

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    I've read about Aorus X3. It's cool, lighter, thinner, and stronger...but what about noise/termal? The Aorus X7 (the 17" brother) have some temperature issue. Ok, the performance is the first thing, but don't forget to look at noise/termal values when you buy a gaming laptop. For that reason i still remain with Dell - Alienware.

    Maybe the Aw13 have not the high-end hardware, but the overall quality is great.
     
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  21. bumbo2

    bumbo2 Notebook Deity

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    Haha, that's true brother flaick!
     
  22. swazi skunk

    swazi skunk Notebook Enthusiast

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    I'm considering this laptop to get back into PC gaming. Will the i7 option be enough for the new World of Warcraft expansion? And any upcoming expansions for the next 2 years or so? It would be nice to play at 1080p on the screen and then dock with a nice size monitor with lets say a 780ti or 970? How does the 860m and i7u fair for blizzard games?
     
  23. bumbo2

    bumbo2 Notebook Deity

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    For blizzard games, I think will be ok!
     
  24. Docsteel

    Docsteel Vast Alien Conspiracy

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    Good info - about what I was expecting around 15% or so in real-world (17% by math alone). So assuming an average of 35 fps for a reasonable GPU-bound game like an MMO with high settings with an i5, then the i7 would likely be around 40 fps. That's significant enough to warrant a cost bump. My concern now is that since we have a pending release with an i7 Maxwell now, the Broadwell will not appear until like March or later :mad2: I really, really hate what these delays have done this season...
     
  25. Docsteel

    Docsteel Vast Alien Conspiracy

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    I read a number of reviews by both pros and buyers and there seemed to be a frequent gripe about inordinate fan noise (given the design of the unit and heat loads) and recurrent issues with construction quality, enough so that I'd pass on the unit personally.
     
  26. Docsteel

    Docsteel Vast Alien Conspiracy

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    It all depends, my M11x-R2 in my sig had an OC option, and coupled with Throttlestop turned into a beast relatively speaking, enough that it darn near equaled for a CPU-bound game my comparative M11x-R3 not OC'd.
     
  27. Game7a1

    Game7a1 ?

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    I think that may have been because Alienware unlocked the CPU in the R2 (and R1 I think). They may have not done the same this time around.
    That's not to say overclocking is impossible, but having it be worth over the trouble is another thing. If it can help make an i5-4210U perform like a i5-4210M, then that would be great.
     
  28. Flaick

    Flaick Notebook Evangelist

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    Do you mean about Aorus? Or Aw13?
     
  29. xxpmrong

    xxpmrong Notebook Consultant

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    CoD gameplay on AW 13

    They showed it running with 860m and then with the GA GTX 970.

    I dont really see a difference except for the last scene on the water.

     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 12, 2015
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  30. swazi skunk

    swazi skunk Notebook Enthusiast

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    looks a lot more fluid to me with the GA (fps rate?) for the same money I can get a Clevo P650SE though so theres that to consider...
     
  31. J.Dre

    J.Dre Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    That poor CPU. I bet that thing is on fire.

    That scene with the 970 when it dips down to 30 FPS is because of the CPU folks. :thumbsup:
     
  32. Docsteel

    Docsteel Vast Alien Conspiracy

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    At the end of the day the G/A is a really a gimmick with the AW 13; it helps fps somewhat, but the return for the dollar coupled with the poor decision to go with a dual-core ULV basically makes it only useful for seriously GPU-bound games IMHO. The AW 13 is more of a true work machine with light-to-medium capability (as was the M11x-series), a point which frequently gets lost among enthusiasts, but again with upcoming games the lack of a quad needlessly gimped it even in that role.

    Now, coupled with the AW 17 for instance (and the probably defunct AW 14) it is a great idea, really creating a situation with no need for a desktop. For the AW 18 it becomes more of an experimental toy unless they have a dual-GPU variant of the G/A.

    I'm predicting we might see either a switch to a quad if Dell relents on the AW 13, or still, the advent of a new 14 or 15 in thinned out form factor (and maybe the 13 goes away in year). One of those with the G/A makes so much sense in today's market it hurts... I believe the only reason the old M15x didn't sell well was that for the cost and the weight, it just made more sense to move towards a 17 if you were at all serious as the difference was negligible and you got the option for SLI (heck my first system was an M15x... I sold it and got an M17x). The only problem with this theory is the current pricing of the AW 13 which is for all intents and purposes is the same as the AW 14 sits at a price point that overlaps the 17.... madness for a system without a quad-core in today's market. In a backhanded way the AW 13 actually boosts AW 17 sales....

    Sorry - Aorus...
     
  33. swazi skunk

    swazi skunk Notebook Enthusiast

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    Coming from a noob to todays tech specs in reality.

    The AW13 with a decent quad core cpu and ability to GA would of been totally killer for me.
    The idea behind it is amazing, be able to plug in one cord and get desktop GPU & connect to desktop peripherals
    And have a thin 13" on the go? Sure I'd rather have a 14 thats true but still

    But even the AW17 isn't offering 900 series GPU's
    I've been looking at buying a AW laptop for 2 years now and every time it seems like they are one step behind. Why would I buy this when I can get a much better speced laptop from another manufacture for the same or less money? Looks and name that's why, and that's why I've been waiting for a AW. I think I'm done waiting though, its obvious this wont be offered with a actual gaming CPU and I'm overwhelmingly disappointed; I was really looking forward to this laptop..
     
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  34. Docsteel

    Docsteel Vast Alien Conspiracy

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    There's a couple of points to consider.... first, just buying on specs really is a n00b-ish way to look at things, and many young gamers are not really experienced in the ins and outs of PC technology these days and don't understand all the compromises that are made in a good design... so they read specs and cost and conclude that the best tech at the cheapest cost is the *right answer* which usually isn't correct. it's also why Alienware sometimes gets undeserved criticism, people often only consider price/spec, with no real understanding of the full experience of ownership including warranty support, tech support and workmanship (cooling and sound-levels are often the first complaint from inexperienced buyers who buy that flashy ultrabook gaming system and it sound like a jet taking off and burns their lap). Routinely gaming laptops have reports of build issues from other vendors at a higher rate than I hear with AW (not saying they are perfect, but the ratio appears to be less). Your other issue, they they are behind on technology is generally not true, but they are a later adopter because they take more time to work out the kinks so the support issues are minimized, at least in theory.

    The 900-series will be in mid Q1 most likely, and due to the delays in Broadwell AND the Graphics Accelerator now being part of the mix we have an unusually late arrival for the tech at hand but the combined solution is from a design and quality standpoint a better solution than most of the other vendors.

    Now, on the issue of the AW 13, it is a good design with the glaring exception of the CPU; if it was given a good CPU with even an 860m, it would have really been something, and coupling with the G/A would have actually made a splash. Terrible, terrible oversight on Dellienware's part, but it's not indicative of poor designs across the entire lineup.
     
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  35. FoHMike

    FoHMike Notebook Geek

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    Very well said, Docsteel.
     
  36. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    well, i7 they put in the laptop is also 15W TDP... sadly it seems like we are stuck with this BS until the revision of 13.. 1 year from now? AW.. you ruined our dreams...
     
  37. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    Its just a shame that it has ULV, imagine if they paired it with an i7 quad core... it would have been wet dreams machine... and I still don't get it why they couldn't put an i7 inside, ok this is AW, not some average brand who would justify horse power at the expense of excessive amount of heat, but still, I think i7 quad core can go into this machine without major heat issue! Anyway, next iteration of 13 will be awesome imo.
     
  38. rfielder

    rfielder Notebook Consultant

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    But not in Canada! Just checked alienware.ca, and no sight nor sign of an i7 for the 13.
     
  39. swazi skunk

    swazi skunk Notebook Enthusiast

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    This is primary my point in being let down.

    Another laptop similarly priced the P650SE is slightly thicker, but has a gaming grade CPU i7-4710HQ and a 970m 3gb with excellent temps. The style is okay (when compare to AW pretty impressive designing).

    I don;t know if it's proper etiquette to ask this question here or make that comparison, however I would be interested in hearing and argument for the AW13 over the P650SE considering. To be far a tastefully speced out AW13, upgraded screen/860m2gb, i7*2 and small SSD comes out to a total close to $1800 WITHOUT the GA/DGPU. The Sager with upgraded screen (better then AW and 15" too) w/ 970m3gb (more shared with shared vram) i7*4 and ssd is about $1500.

    I may not be on top of things but it would seem you are paying $300 MORE for buying a last gen GPU, a comical ULV CPU, and ability for GA. Don't get me wrong here I want the AW, bad. However I can't seem to bring myself to buy these specs regardless of here-say warranty claims and fail rates because my opinon would differ from the given AW laptops I've seen fail. I have been salivating over a AW just WAITING for them to get it right. ATM they still dont have 900-series for their laptops and doubt they will till halfway through its tech life as it seems is been the case the entire time I've been researching too buy. And when they do release it will be at a cost greater then other venders original, factor in the discounts that other will likely be offering given the tech isn't as fresh and AW is STILL a tough pill to swallow.

    I see a lot of guys recommending different kinds of laptops, AW doesn't seem to be on the list almost at all. I haven't been recommended the AW13 by anyone. I was so pumped to finally get a cutting edge AW like I've been waiting so patiently for till I googled it and found nothing but people putting it down. I totally dig AW style, their programs, the support, this GA thing (to me) is really what I've been wanting to come back from consoles. The amount of disappointment I can hardly express, but that momentum isn't gone. If a valid argument can be made I would be happy, I have yet to see one.
     
  40. JasonR24

    JasonR24 Notebook Guru

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    You'd be better off going with what you feel is better. Clearly you're not sold on Alienware and neither was I and still aren't. You should definitely be considering better value tech. Don't settle! The clevo is a good laptop but is say the sager is a better choice. There seems to be this whole argument of "specs are for noobz" No specs are for realists, that's what computers run on. Definitely compare specs and cooling performance and make the best choice. Sager or aorus would be my choices.
     
  41. swazi skunk

    swazi skunk Notebook Enthusiast

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    Aorus x7 pro looks VERY beastlike; it's in a whole other galaxy then the AW13 and I'm not sure the X3 is a fair debate either
     
  42. JasonR24

    JasonR24 Notebook Guru

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    VERY! Honestly must be the best performing laptop out ATM. You'd be mad not to consider it if you have the budget!
     
  43. Game7a1

    Game7a1 ?

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    Might not be universal then. The i7 is an option in the US.
    They may open the option after Christmas (no one is getting an i7 13 before Christmas due to the shipping date).
     
  44. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    Do not get x7 pro, it has massive CPU throttle (at 70C it cuts CPU down to 800mhz I think).
     
  45. maxheap

    maxheap caparison horus :)

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    well forget about before, the ETA says 28th of January.. I would say not before February :D
     
  46. Game7a1

    Game7a1 ?

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    Some days ago, the ship date was 12/18 and 1/7.
    So those who ordered when that was up would get it in January or post-Christmas. Plus, there would still be three days left of January for the laptop to arrive if it shipped on 1/28.
     
  47. JasonR24

    JasonR24 Notebook Guru

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    That's not true, it has an i7 boosting to 3.7ghz which is capable. Not as good as a desktop which is obvious but the reviews I've read haven't mentioned this CPU cut at all....
     
  48. swazi skunk

    swazi skunk Notebook Enthusiast

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    I did not intentionally derail the discussion
     
  49. proper158

    proper158 Notebook Consultant

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    I think I'll wait out the next releases of AW 13 and a possible Quad AW14 or 15. While I'll wait I'll grab the HP Omen and when AW does the release around March I'll give the Omen to one of my employees.
     
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  50. xxpmrong

    xxpmrong Notebook Consultant

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    can i be your employee?! =)
     
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