*OFFICIAL* Alienware 15 R1/R2 Owner's Lounge

Ok here's that disassembly I promised you guys. Sorry it was shot in portrait with my iPad, I had to jerry-rig it to get it at an angle where I wouldn't have to hold the camera while I was disassembling it. I don't have work tomorrow so I will take a step-by-step picture disassembly and re-pasting. Let me know what you guys think and if you would like anything else.

 

I was wondering if anyone solved the trackpad issue with Chrome. It seems that Alienware isn't using official Synaptics drivers. Is anyone using different drivers?

 

How about a re-assembly video

 

coming right up!

 

I purchased an m.2 256gb drive and an evo 850 500gb drive.

I was running the OS on the EVO, then last night my m.2 drive came in, so i cloned an original image to the m.2 drive last night and hooked up the evo as a slave.

But i got to say the evo was faster on boot times, i ran a benchmark test, the evo is 16% faster than the m.2 drive.

but im not gonna return it, just wished i would have purchased a 512gb m.2 then i could have kept the OS on the EVO.

just thought id but this out there if anyone is looking to purchase an m.2

 

Which M.2 did you get?

 

I ordered this one, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820510051

I should have waited and ordered this model instead http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...0147398&cm_re=m.2_80mm-_-20-147-398-_-Product

 

Hello again guys. Just wanted to ask if the A02 bios improve anything besides the 180w throttling? I already have the 240w psu so I don't know if there is any benefit for me to flash the bios. I heard it improves fan noise but would like some confirmation on this.

 

Ah, that makes sense. Transcend makes budget-oriented SSDs, so they aren't going to be the fastest around.
The URL for the EVO M.2 truly describes your feelings.

Not really, no.

 

Have you got goshting?

 

Anyone still having issues with the 180W PSU that was included with the AW15? I talked to XoticPC, and they told me that after testing, it was not necessary to swap the 180W for a 240W.

 

For a 980m, I've seen people say that you can get improved performance by having a 240W psu. Although I returned by laptop, Dell did ship me a 240W psu after I spoke with a rep.

 

I was also curious if 240W PSU would make a difference. I just received my AW15 with 980M yesterday and got the 240W PSU today. I can put up some quick 3DMark11 numbers but a few comparison tests have already been done in the AW15 benchmark thread on this forum.

 

How about for 970M, is it necessary to get a 240W PSU ? and Bro... why did you return ur laptop?! why is everyone returning them! XoticPC is just now sending me mine and I'm getting it on 3/10... but now I'm not so looking forward to it after hearing everyone wanting to return them

 

Don't worry there are plenty of people happy with their AW15, like me

 

Mine is doing really great, now, as well (thus my lack of recent posts). I'm actually debating on selling my 18 to help buy the 4k version, for home. The 1080p matte for work and 4k glossy for my dim bedroom would be the best of both worlds.

 

That's good to hear. XoticPC stress tested mine so I feel safer. Do you think my 970M will need a 240W PSU? XoticPC said it wasn't necessary but I'm not sure if they are trying to save money or not

 

Well it can't hurt, that is for sure. I think someone somewhere mentions it being slightly better for the 970M.

 

Do I just call dell and let them know? Even though I bought from XoticPc it still has warranty on it, so I should be able to right? I also heard some people here saying dell reps denied them a PSU

 

I have no idea how that works with XoticPC since they are a reseller, although your warranty should still be through Dell, So i am guessing there is a chance Dell is who you would need to contact.

 

Another extremely happy 15 owner here! don't worry

 

you will love the 4k display! it really is Amazing!!! don't know how good the 1080p version is but this one, wow!

 

Now I regret not getting the 4K... but i just didn't cuz I felt like since it is so high res would lessen the gaming performance of the comp, plus i dont care much about touchscreen either

 

Yea, well, it is indeed great, but probably if you game more than i do, 1080p is better for sure, you'll never get the high fps with the 4k even with the 980m. I did't wanna spend crazy money on a laptop as much as i wanted the best thing (i know sager clevo etc etrc well there aren't in Europe) but i used those 300/350 euros more for the screen rather than the 980m performance, 970m is plenty for me.
I like the glossy, Always had a glossy so that also made my choice easier, as for the touch, i like it, but i try not to put finger prints on my screen as with this trackpad i feel pretty comfortable using it right now i don't need to touch it
Last thing, the battery for 4k screen and this power seems legit, i can get 3and half to 4:30 pretty comfortably withouth changing settings too much, movies and web surfing, so for sure the 1080p got the real advantage here too, that's gotta be nice!

 

Just got mine yesterday and the 4k screen is amazing. The pixel density, crispness, and details are stunning. The crispness of text alone is quite fixating. Of course modern games will slow to a crawl. Less demanding games like diablo 3 can be run at 4k on a 970m.

Modded skyrim w/ kountervibe ENB looks amazing at 4k. Even at 1080p in windowed mode, I get the same crispness as 4k, but its sized for ants. 1080p upscaling on 4k is not as good as 1080p native, but the difference is hardly noticeable. I got the GA as well and hopefully with the radeon 3xx, I can play skyrim windowed mode at 1440p or 1600p at decent fps.

 

Well, you shouldn't worry about people returning - if you ask me. I returned it because my experience with the laptop was not good. Within a few seconds of switching on the laptop for the first time the battery failed. The following day I had issues with the GPU - I believe. Game play was stuttering and freezing intermittently, and I noticed my laptop abruptly switch off while running few benchmark software. I called tech support and had quite a few reps login remotely to my laptop and examine the issues. No one was able to pin point the reason. They asked me to mail the laptop to their warehouse where they would further examine and possibly replace hardware as needed. I was of course less than happy to have hardware replaced on my laptop within a few days of it arriving - regardless that it was covered by warranty. I just felt that the production line for the new series of AW laptops is not stable. The reps offered me an exchange - but I just was not confident that Dell's new production line would provide a laptop that would last for a few years.

I'm happy though to see that many people here like their new AW laptops.

 

Thanks for sharing, its a good infomation. 1080p upscaling on 4k is not as good as 1080p native

 

@tomjones456

You should not need the 240W PSU for the 970M. The 970M is an 81W card, and the 4710HQ is 47W. Ironically, the 980M is a power hog, at least more so than most of us expected.

 

Just adding to the all the feedback about the PSU dilemma but I recommend getting the 240W over the 180W AC adapter for the 980M config.

I experienced micro-stutter in BF4 and COH2 using the laptop straight out of the box with the 180W adapter which really had me disappointed. Good news is that I got much smoother gameplay after switching to the 240W adapter (along with upgrading drivers and memory to 16GB). I guess I will have to settle with an even bigger power brick...

My impressions on this laptop are mostly good but I have two major complaints. (1) I experience ghosting on the 1080p screen which is sometimes quite bad as it strains my eyes. (2) The fan profiles are too aggressive - the GPU/CPU is only 70/80 respectively in BF4 but the noise almost sounds like a small vacuum without my headphones on.

 

Love the Laptop (Alienware 15, 980M) unfortunately not able to run a Video Player on the 980M is a deal breaker. I went on Nvidia Control Panel and set global settings to Nvidia High Performance, change power management from Adaptive to Maximum Performance but is a no go; changing program setting doesn't do nothing either. I will finally return the Laptop and look elsewhere, it really sucks as I hate most of the Gaming Laptop designs I have seen, I tried a ASUS ROP G751 they look horrible but work way better for my needs.. Nothing really catches my eye whether is a Clevo/Sager, Mythologic and etc.. total shame, I love Alienware's design. Sad day..

 

About 15 model..which are approx your CPU temps on idle (web surfing etc, not gaming or heavy tasks)..mine are about 50-60 degrees celsius.. They seem a bit too high

 

Another thing.. My fan when starts make an ugly noise similar to a vibration but only when it starts from idle..after that the noise disappear.. Is it an issue?

 

I noticed this as well, mine gets warm while idling or surfing the net. not sure why, at first i thought it was the battery, but i dont know

 

That's the exact issue I had and they gave me a full refund for it. Send it back.

 

But in this way i must wait another 2 weeks forma a new laptop?

 

There's no way I was going to live with that sound. Plus if your fan goes bad you're going to have much bigger issues.

 

ok I've called them and next monday I'm going to call them again and ask for a refund. Alternatively they offer me a repair...what do you prefer?
I think to go for a refund and buy a new one

 

well if u like it just repair it maybe, if not get the refund. i would repair mine, wouldnt want to wait for a new one

 

Personally I would get a refund and get a new one (or something else like I did). Who knows what else they might mess up if they have to take the whole thing apart to get to the fan.

 

I agree with you...repair is not the best choice..anyway i'm checking again my fan noise..the same noise of starting fan happens when i power on the laptop...it's only the transition from stopped fan to fan started that produce this noise..more than vibrating fan its like something else but i dont know how explain

 

I've uploaded a video with the fan noise sound when it starts.
Is it the same noise of your laptop?

 

I can't really tell from the video. If mine was sitting on an unstable table it would sound like an engine revving almost due to the vibrations. And when I tilted the laptop 90 degrees (keyboard pointed at my body and display pointed down) the vibrations would disappear. Can you tell which side the vibrations were coming from? Mine were coming from the fan on the right side.

 

Mine its not vibrating even when i move the laptop in every direction.. But produce that noise for a second only when fan starts..

 

maybe is a system check when it starts, i ll let u ow when i will restart mine if i have the same

 

Is not only a system check because it makes this noise every time CPU fan start (also during windows environment for example when starting a game)

 

Well guys I have just gave my system a good testing on BF4 and my screen doesn't seem to ghost any worse than my Alienware 18 did. I must admit I am pretty chuffed with the 15

 

I'm also trying it out a little today since i had more time, Dota 2 runs perfect with all maxed (i know shouldn't be hard) and Dying Light i am playing good enough with medium settings, i could also max out but isnt perfect, well i m very satisfied for now how the gtx 970m handles this laptop with the 4k. Also Assetto Corsa looks Amazing.
It gets warm of course after a little but fans do a pretty good job i think, not too loud and keyboards is warm only in the too middle, rest is pretty cool.

 

Yea, though not that loud due to your mic/camera positioning. It makes that little "electrical" noise when the fans first get the signal to turn on. It doesn't bother me as it only happens occasionally. The fans, minus gaming sessions, are nearly silent for me. My little XPS 13 is super loud, at all times, so that startup noise is doable.

 

Mine only gets warm around the 1,2, and 3 keys down to shift, z, and x. I come from playing only on consoles (Atari-PS4/Xbox One), so I play strictly with a Xbox One controller. The mild warmth doesn't effect me, due to this.

 

You are defenitely right, its not hot to the point that it bothers me so not an issue at all, gonna get an xbox controller as well for car games and such so its just gonna be the screen to look at hehe