*OFFICIAL* Alienware 13 R1/R2 Owner's Lounge

As poster above said, I highly doubt it. If it did it would need to be a ULV version in order to keep the heat and power use down.

Honestly the dual core with hyperthreading is as good as older quads anyway, it can run at near 3Ghz with all 4 threads and no throttling, and 4MB cache and all for around 15W.

It's no hardcore gaming machine for sure, but it's not really gimped like ULV used to be a few years ago. I haven't found anything it cant run at decent settings, and even the most demanding are limited more by the GPU and not the CPU.

 

As others said, the ULV dual core with hyper threading i7s are adequate enough for tomorrow's task. The only way you'll see a quad core in a 13" laptop, is if Intel made a ULV quad core processor, which I just don't think they are there yet. Nonetheless, I've been really happy/impressed with the 13" R1.

Also, note, unless you're Apple, good luck getting 6+ hours out of a quad core laptop.

 

So, I just found this article: http://www.howtogeek.com/217010/how-to-generate-a-battery-health-report-on-windows-8-or-windows-10/

When running it, just be sure to be within your user profile directory. I originally ran it and it saved the file under C:\Windows\System32\ and I was not able to open the file correctly. Saved it on my desktop and it worked. Looks like some useful information.

 

Hi Guys!

Do you know if it's possible to flash my 860mGTX with 960mGTX Bios?

Thanks for your help!

 

It might be possible, but I thinks it's more complicated on the 13. You have to get a custom main bios and GPU bios made from what I've read.

Honestly I don't think it's worth it. You can overclock the 860m just like the 960m. Reflashing won't make the chips any better and you'll get the same performance stock and over clocked (except for the very minor clock bump with stock 960m).

 

Thanks Porter for your answer
Best regards from France.

 

what is the difference on the TN Panel and IPS for Display?

 

I'm having a lot of trouble with audio over bluetooth headphones since recently "upgrading" to Windows 10.

Did anyone else have this issue? More importantly, does anyone know of a fix? I downloaded some drivers but, honestly, I'm not sure I got the right things.

 

I would try uninstalling and reinstalling your Killer Bluetooth drivers.

 

do you think i5/8gb/256ssd is enough to run games at decent settings?

 

hi guys im a new owner of alienware 13 skylake i7/8gb/ 256ssd..
can i still add another 256ssd? how many ssd slots for this alienware? or can i add hdd for my files? coz after installing nba 2k16 and ragnarok im left with 140gb ssd only...
im worrying it might slow down the system... and bootup speed usually how long?

 

Called Alienware again and they're coming down tomorrow to replace "parts" (they did not specify which parts).

Since the previous servicing,
1. Alienware head power button no longer has light
2. Pressing the power button sometimes does not power up the system (it also gets difficult to tell because of #1, especially when on battery - AlienFX will be off)
3. Multiple-keypresses on the keyboard does not register (Can't press W & A to walk diagonally in FPS games)
4. Touchpad does not work when there is a button being pressed on the keyboard (Can't look around using touchpad while walking forward in FPS games)
5. BIOS always throws out an error message upon entering.
6. BIOS unable to access Performance Options with Alienware Graphics Amplifier, with or without the GA plugged in.
7. CPU Idle temperatures 65 degree celsius. (Is this normal?! I did not check before the servicing, but I watched the alienware tech who replaced the motherboard spam thermal paste on the CPU & GPU chips before placing on the old fan/heatsink, which did not have its old paste cleaned up)

It depends on your current 256GB SSD. If it is an m.2 SSD, then there should be another vacant m.2 slot just neighbouring to your current SSD. (Total of 2x m.2 SSD slots in one 2.5" drive bay with the caddy)

You can alternatively swap out your SSD and insert a single 2.5" drive.

 

Dell has replaced my motherboard and I'm now back to a GTX 860m.

Have the Chipset section of the downloads from Dell Support been removed for anyone else? I can't find downloads for the Intel Dynamic Platform and Thermal drivers on both the Alienware 13 and 13 R2 pages.

 

Any Alienware 13 r2 Skylake owners here? What kind of battery life have you gotten out of it? Thinking about "normal" use like web browsing, Word, streaming Netflix etc. I'm trying to find a powerful laptop with a good battery life (~ 8 - 9 hours), and it has proven to be quite a difficult job.

In your possible replies, please specify whether you're using the (1) 52wh or 62wh battery and (2) FHD or QHD+ screen. Thanks!

 

You should be able to get at least 8 hours from it. I get 5-6 hours from the R1 on High Performance and up to 7 hours on Balance.

I may purchase the R2 when the 1060M comes out.

 

Thanks. With which battery/display is that?

Do you know if/how the screen will affect the battery life?

 

I have the 1800p screen & 960M. On battery (high performance), the screen brightness is at 60%. About 90% of the time, I see 5 hours or more.

The new R2 should get at least 7 hours running similar settings.

 

Do you have any idea if it should get that much even with the QHD display?

 

Sure. I have the QHD+ screen. The newest screen is IGZO, so it's even more efficient.

 

Great. Many thanks!

 

does the r2 support raid? i found that option in bios but i didnt found any raidmanager or similar

 

From what I recall, there's no RAID controller.

 

what type of m2 ssd is compatible for this model? what is the maximum limit?
for normal gaming is it normal to hear the fan running not so loud... but noticeable...
what software do you use for checking temperature?

 

Hi guys, I got an alienware 13 with the 1366 screen (i7 5500U and gtx960m) and I think the performance of the gtx isn't the correct. I got the laptop connected by hdmi to a screen and is the only reason I have to believe that the frames are not good for, or gtx960m is broken. I feel that performance in games like cs go. in this vid you can see frames taken by fraps and in the same settings I got 130 to 90 (first settings) and should be 170 to 120 and quite constant on 160. Max performance mode on nvidia control panel and battery mode. Drivers updated, w8.1. Another thing that happened to me is with the update to w10, when I did my lap started using 80% of the RAM every time, so the pc were so slow. I got my pc on warranty, and sorry for my bad english. I feel pretty bad cause it's like waste so much money and don't getting the power I thought I'd have

 

i think its throttling. same thing happened to me when i play dota2 i was really disappointed because of the low fps but then i adjusted my fan tables via hwinfo and got a laptop cooler now i am getting 90-110 fps instead of the 40-60fps when its really hot

 

Thanks for your answer dude, I will try that hwinfo to max the fan rpm, what are default values and what did you put? And why did that guy with the same pc didnt need to touch anything to run the game like that, i dont understand it, being the same pc would means it has to run on the same performance

 

Probably the laptop is in a cool environment or its in the first 5 min of gameplay or something like that. Just like when i play dota the first 10min i get 90fps after that it goes down the hill. Someone posted fan profile values just check look for the thread its fairly new. Adjust it to your liking i fixed mine so that temps will max out at 75c when gaming. Usually its the cpu that runs hot on my machine my gpu barely reaches 75 even w normal fan values. Also i am using premamod vbios

Sent from my SM-N910S using Tapatalk

 

I played with the pc in the first 5 mins and its the same, I were playing and checking the temperature and CPU is about 55ºC and same for gpu so I think its worthless to try to max out the fans cause it's not a heat problem. What can I try?

 

Its probably just drivers or oc. Some use prema vbios to get a better performance on their system. Try running a 3dmark test firestrike or smeothe test and compare it to the scores you can find in the forum if its roughly the same then its drivers.

Sent from my SM-N910S using Tapatalk

 

This most likely isn't a temp, GPU, or CPU throttling. Here are some alternatives.

• Make sure to disable Killer Network manager. It has been affecting those with online games, specially the ping.
• Make sure that when you reinstall the drivers, uninstall them first with DDU (Display Driver uninstaller). You could use different drivers, those older than the latest or use Dell's Nvidia driver.
• With the battery plans, make sure you're using either balanced or high performance. You could use Throttlestop to ensure that Turbo Boost is on.
• If you aren't using your laptop's screen, turn it off.

vBIOS flashing on the 13 is different than on the 15 / 17 as the vBIOS is stored in the BIOS as opposed to being its own thing.

 

Thank you guys for be helping me, I've uninstalled all my nvidia drivers (there were even sound, and I still can hear all perfectly) now downloading from dell's page this ones

Version 10.18.13.5384,A01

I dunno cause I'm here since no time but isn't A01 bios version? I dunno exactly what I have, but I installed the hwinfo so I think I can check it out.

thanks so much again

 

A01 is probably the version of the driver. I wouldn't be too concerned with it.
Flashing the latest BIOS, if you haven't, could help.

 

I used display driver uninstaller to uninstall all drivers and reinstalles 347 I think from dell. First I started to play I were like oh, now works much better, getting sometimes 170 and with 120-130 stable, not 150-170 stable like the vid but better. I feel some fps drops once 10 mins have passed. And then again on 90-110 fps. And I didn't watch the temperatures in that moment, should I?




I found this Firestrike: http://www.3dmark.com/fs/4409741 from you, and I got 3637 with the same specs, is that ok?


How would you recommender me to install windows 10 clean?

 

Im trying to speed up the fans but I don't find the fan option on the sensors of the hwinfo. my bios is 2/06/2015 A03 UEFI

 

Your temps aren't the problem (I would say they would be fine). I say update to the latest BIOS for your laptop (if you have the R1, that would be A04).
Given that I overclocked my GTX 860m to above the speeds of a GTX 960m, it would seem your laptop is fine.
If you ever want to modify the fan tables, make sure EC Support is disabled (it's in the HWInfo settings). You won't get full modification since HWInfo doesn't really support our laptop.

 

I think i got the R2 (April of this year i7 5500u and gtx960m) and my bios version is A03, will try to update it to A04. But I also would like to format the PC and install a clean W10. When I bought the laptop it cames with a pen what have w8.1 not customised I guess, and dell back up recovery made me to create another pen ( what i saved but I didnt use single time, i usd the img of the hdd to put the pc like fabric thing that I did twice already) so should I download somewhere the w10 or from windows updater? Should I install after that all the dells drivers on web? How is your configuration (nvidia drivers, bios version and whatever thing could be helpful) can you try your csgo and see how it performance on your lap

Thank you all so much

 

You got the r1

 

@Game7a1
could you share the vbios mod as I have the same 860m as you
On a side note how did you manage to install the vbios anyway

 

Hey Guys how satisfied are you with your current AW 13 R2? I only read alot of bad stuff about Alienware products (lots of BSOD, crappy motherboards, WLAN issues, etc.). Im having a AW13 R2 myself with the highest setup. Out of the box the boottime was terrible. Took like 1 minute for a cold boot everyday, except it is in hybernate mode. Then i make a clean install of windows 10 with an usb stick and now its booting like it should with a PCIe SSD. But im afraid i might occur lots of BSOD in the near future and wasted 1.7k € for my little portable gaming notebook.
Right now im satisfied with it, i can play BF4 on high with stable 40-60 FPS (V-Sync on - hate tearing).

But im thinking about returning it and build myself a PC with that amount of money i could build a decent one and it would be easier to maintenant but i will lose my portability . I need some advice and experience on AW 13 and about their future proof. Do they last long or will it die on my in a year or even sooner?

Thanks

 

Sorry, I can't. You'll have to contact Prema to get a modified vBIOS for your laptop (it applies for all 13 laptops, both R1 and R2).
Each vBIOS contains a laptop's personal information (like MAC Address, for example).

 

alright thanks anyway

 

well I joined the club as I said I would

AW 13 R2 - i7 - 8GB - 1080p - 500GB HDD - W10 Home - GA - free xbox controller

I'm about to order Samsung 850 Pro 1TB SSD, Windows 7 Pro, and will need to add some desktop GPU into the GA obviously so please recommend me one. And I guess I'd need to buy me a new 1080p TV that I can use with the GA, lol. Also, is the 9-9-9-24 the best memory that is available for this ? ... cause I'd need to upgrade to 16GB as well.

but it was a tough choice. I considered that it's little underpowered compared to some 14" laptops that one can find these days, including Aorus X3, Gigabyte P34W V5, Razor Blade 14, and the MSI GS40 ... all with quad core CPUs and 970M GPU. But first two got ruled out due to crappy build quality and issues with system components, the Razor wasn't exactly my type as to the high resolution screen and not available SATA port, so the last choice was the new MSI GS40 vs the AW13. But with so so design, poor keyboard, and not IPS screen for the GS40 - I went with the AW13.

did not justify the extra 100 bux for the bigger battery so I went with the standard one. I'd probably have to change it in 2 to 3 years regardless as to missing battery management software, unfortunately, but it's ok.

anyways, plan on using the laptop for at least 5 years ... so hope the 2+Gs for this setup will serve me good.

 

Its a great little laptop, but even the higher end AW15/17s I dont see performing really well over 5 years. But 3 years is mos tcertainly doable.

 

I think it was J.Dre that installed 1866MHz RAM from Kingston HyperX (very good RAM), and those worked for him. I would get the same kit, but 9-9-9-24 1600MHz RAM should work.
It may be possible to buy the 62 wHr battery from a third party or from Dell later on (as in, a year). Well, you could buy the bigger battery from Dell now, but it would somewhat pointless.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rue&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

will this ram work?

Are the kingston hyperx 1866mhz rams being downclocked by bios or does bios run them as 1866? im curious how high itll go. on my Alienware m14x i was running dual channel 1866mhz corsair vengeance and it would even push ram at 2133 if applied...

 

WOW
I just get my new 13 R2 with 500 SDD and the QHD+ screen.

The screen is just so amazingly gorgeous.
I was angry about alienware particularly with the bios and the throttle problems never addressed on my 17r2, I promised myself to never buy Alienware anymore.
But well, I needed an ultrabook with ultra high definition screen and a decent graphic card, so... there is not that much concurrence.

So well, I like it a lot, and this guy don't even throttle under unigine valley + wprime.

But really the screen !!! So good. I just regret they don't offer a mat version.

 

I got my AW13 R2 about a month ago. All of a sudden the boot up time is extremely long. It takes a few minutes just to get "Alienware" to show up on the screen while booting. Is any one else having this issue? May be related to the bios upgrade not for sure though. I have the fully upgraded model that was for sale in October with the dual SSD drives, should not take this long for an SSD to boot.

 

I don't know if it is the same problem but i adressed slow boot up on my new 13 r2 with a 500go ssd by removing the freefall software
Now it boots fast
I don't have hdd so this so this soft was probably doing a mess

 

I don't know if you are running RAID on those SSD's or not, but I have seen RAID software (like Intel Rapid Storage Tech) cause slow boot up times. During the slow boot it was doing some sort of start up checks every time, if no errors were found it would eventually boot, and I've seen ones where it did find errors and took even longer to repair them each time.

 

I have reloaded the machine so the free fall software was not installed at first, it still booted slow.