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

Hey everyone!

I just received an Alienware 15 R2 with the following specs:

4K IGZO IPS display
i7 6700
GTX 970m
16gb RAM
256 PCIe SSD OS drive
1TB 7200rpm storage drive

I absolutely love it so far. Received it about an hour ago and I'm currently setting everything up. I heard that the 4K screens have some pretty bad light bleeding. Can anyone provide a picture on what's considered bad? I feel I really lucked out on my display as there's only two tiny little spots on the right hand side, about half the size of a penny and barely noticeable. So there are definitely good screens out there... it's just a roll of the dice I suppose. I was really expecting to have to return this after I've heard people talking about the light bleeding.

I originally started with an MSI GS60 Ghost Pro and decided I really didn't need a laptop that thin. I returned it because of horribly bad light bleed and instead of ordering a new one, looked around for other options. This one ended up being roughly the same price (with coupons) as the 1080p Ghost Pro. This one also has better specs and "feels" like a much more premium and higher quality machine. Really happy I made the switch.

I have a few questions though, I have not experienced any problems as of yet, but I know the majority of people have wireless problems it seems. What drivers should I uninstall and reinstall in order to avoid those problems in the future? Further, should I be updating all of the drivers on the notebook right away? Is there any particular drive to avoid or uninstall? Should I be installing the drivers from Dell's website or should I be going to the individual manufacturer's websites?

For those of you who went with the GTX 980m, do you feel the upgrade was worth it? I've heard it's roughly a 20% performance increase. The option for me was an extra $450 which was more than a quarter of the price I paid for the whole machine. I think I plan on buying a graphics amplifier a few years into the future and just using a desktop graphics card once the 970m can no longer run higher settings.

Thank you so much for the help and I'm happy to be part of the community.

 

Hello everyone. I posted my first experience a few weeks ago as alienware sent me the inproper configuration twice but the 3rd time was the charm and I received my 970m as expected instead of the 965m which I had received in the first two. I mentioned it my 1st post that the 2nd laptop sent to me has loud static/buzzing noises everytime it is lifted or moved. That's okay though because the one I am keeping doesn't do that(yet!). I have a question for anyone using the new line of alienware laptops. I know people have mentioned the soft touch surface and the fact that it picks up so much grease even when you hands are clean. I didn't think much of it as I would have to just clean it with a microfiber cloth with a tablet/screen cleaner. I have not had any success the shine always remains and you can see exactly where I wiped. Is there a certain direction that you guys are wiping(up/down, left/right, or circular motion? What about how much pressure to you use with the cloth? Do you use it dry with a spray or your breath? I honestly didn't think this was something I would have to ask about just wipe down with a cloth but it almost seems like I'm gouging the soft touch surface by using a cloth its almost like I can see the circular pattern and scratches. Its very weird. I know people complained about this on youtube but I didn't think it would be a lifetime problem. I really thought cleaning with the cloth and spray would make it perfect especially for someone like me who takes good care of their things. Thanks guys I would love anyone's help or comments that has any of the new alienware laptops with this soft touch plastic.

 

Just installed my Samsung 156HL01-102 screen (used from ebay from seller pmvision, confirmed to be a legit screen according to HWinfo). Took about 15 mins since I was super slow and careful due to being afraid of breaking clips. I felt these were necessary to remove the bezel http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LKZNMI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Depending on what you plan on using your laptop for should dictate which of the 3 popular screens to get. The Samsung covers 97%+ of sRGB according to notebookcheck so is perfect for my photo editing needs . The AU and LG have a good bit more contrast though at the expense of ~10% sRGB coverage, so would be better for gaming or movies. I measured my screen at 358 nits at 100% brightness but I'm calibrated to 120 cd/m2 so 38% brightness.

 

Did you replace a 1080p screen or the 4k?

 

I replaced a FHD screen with another FHD. The Samsung is calibrating pretty decently, not nearly as nice as what notebookcheck was able to do with their screens, so I imagine there's some specific cost-cutting component to the 15 R2 on top of just the screen that's stunting the display in some way. But whatever screen you decide to upgrade to, it will be tons better than stock. If I didn't focus on Photoshop specific needs I would have gone with the LG G-sync monitor myself.

 

Yeah, as I said earlier in the thread, Im thinking Im going to swap from the UHD to FHD, but I cant find anything on whether the connectors are the same for the FHD and UHD when they come from alienware. The FHD appears to have a 30 pin connector, but the UHD may have a 40. Im hoping someone will respond who has swapped out the UHD to see if the connector is the same. This is all if the screen has any bleed issues once I receive it, I just wanna know what to get if it does.

 

Your best best may just be taking off the bezel (if you have a plastic pry tool), unscrewing the monitor and just taking a look, should take less than 10 mins since you don't need to unplug the battery.

The model number for the UHD screen is floating around another AW 15 thread on here so you can google the specs of that as well.

 

The fhd lg screen looks great. I'm at 330 nits with the screen well worth the 50£.

 

Wonder if I can contact dell and just have them send the FHD model and pay the 50 for that one. Its still in production and just got pushed back today.

 

Dell uses really bad FHD panels for the AW 15 R2. If you can, buy a nice panel from ebay, links can be found here in the thread.

 

Buy a brand new expensive laptop and have to upgrade the panel self because the screen quality Dellinware use is rotten isn't good enough. Nice.

 

good news is panels are like 40$\40£, and can be replaced quickly

 

Hey guys, I contacted dell in order to extend the warranty of my AW15 for an extra two years.

They quoted me a promo price of around £210 (sterling).

Is this reasonable?

 

Yes it's great. The price is ok. But why use Dell cheap <useless> panels to their so called pricey high end laptops? Is it intended from Dell that most of their customers themselves have to upgrade the product so it can be Useful ? Paying a high price for high end product but receive low end in the end. Pretty amazing that their new and older customers accept such. If all buyers returned their new purchases and demanded money refunded so maybe something would happen very quickly from Dell. Not all buyers of Dell's products are so clever that they can upgrade the monitor itself. How about these? Should they just accept this when they buy such expensive products? Even cheaper laptops have better screens than this. Bear in mind the screen is one of the key on a laptop. Only a decreased sale can make better products in the end. But some people pay for the brand and give the damn in the quality. Therefore can Dell still deliver such to their customers. Sadly.

 

While the stock AW 15 R2 screen sucks, in all honestly, screens used by a lot of the other manufacturers are hit or miss as well, even among product lines from the same manufacturer. (Seems Apple is the only brand that really stays on top of their screen consistency).

I was going to buy a new screen no matter what laptop I bought (even the R1 screen is 5-10% less of color space coverage). $67 and 20 mins time isn't breaking the bank. Even MSI only puts in quality screens in a few of their products and the rest are par.

On a side note, I redid the calibration of my Samsung screen since it didn't look perfect even though the calibration readings looked good. Did about 15 calibration runs in total over 5 days, and for some reason the last 2 were significantly different, and look amazing. And somehow I can get an even 400 nits on max brightness, right now my brightness is sitting at 30% though lol.

Samsung LTN156HL01-102 from pmvision on ebay(101 is for the glossy screen, but no one online has tested its accuracy so I'm not going to be the guinea pig). If you do any type of photo or video editing, then immediately go buy one now, you won't look back. If all you do is game or other various tasks, the LG and AU have higher contrast and only a smidge less color accuracy (that most people would never notice the difference). I'll upload my ICC profile for anyone that wants it.

 

Hey, does anyone have the new Skylake models with dual nvme SSDs? Xoticpc.com claims they can be raided now. I had the previous gen AW, and raid was not yet supported. Does anyone know for certain (not guess) whether the Skylake models support raid?

 

very

 

As far as I can tell RAID is supported (can be turned on in the BIOS and seen reviews stating so). I love that I can fit 2 SSD drives with a slot for a third if I need to expand in a few years.

 

The problem are the manufacturers. There is some controversy surrounding the blue light of LCD screen which could be harmful or something like that. So they are changing the screen panels which causes brightness loss. The new MSI laptops have the same crappy screens.

 

SO now that is the weekend, i've finally started winning here (lol). I hope this post can help people find information in one spot, for those of you who are not happy with your dim and colorless FHD Panels but don't want to deal with UHD just for better colors and brightness, but have to deal with a res which is not suited for most gaming situations at native! I spent the better part of a week dealing with this, and did tons of research so wanted to share here my findings so you don't waste the same time I wasted. Changing your crappy Alienware 15 R2 panel is quick, cheap and easy once you find a vendor with actual stock of the panel you want.

Where to find information about any panel out there, ever : Panelook has every panel out there including current stocks, production dates, viewing angles, color range, brightness ratings, etc. As an example this is the panel I bought listed here http://www.panelook.com/LP156WF4-SPU1_LG Display_15.6_LCM_overview_20271.html
So when a vendor gives you the model number of a part they actually have in stock - stick it into panellook and look at the stats, see if its what you want.

Buying a Specific FHD Panel - This is 100% true for UK People, maybe those in the USA have access to a bigger market and may get luckier regarding buying a specific model but anyway - found the panel you want? has every stats, color range, etc that you've examined closely? Well guess what you probably won't find it Keep in mind every seller bids on lots of FHD panels and buy them in bulk, then no matter what part number you look up they will ship whatever they have in stock which is compatible which essentially means anything with 15.6 inch and a 30 pin 2 lane eDP port. I hate it but that's the business and everyone does it. Best thing to do is call a vendor and ask what actual model they have in stock - most of the time even if they list 10,000 part numbers they only have 10 or so models in stock that are cross compatible with many models

Where i bought - The good news is I have found a really good UK based FHD panel seller who is knowledgeable, friendly, honest with great communication and stands behind his product. He still has stock of these LGs for now - for those who have been thinking of pulling the trigger this panel is a 330 Nit 76% color coverage LG Panel. http://www.laptop-lcd-screen.co.uk/shop/ - The guy running the warehouse is a guy named Nick, and he's a great chap - they offer 2 year warranty FHD for 50£ (ebay will also be 50£, if you want 2 year warranty, 42£ without) and hes really knowledgeable about screens. Great thing about nick is you can pick up the phone and he can tell you what panels they have in stock that week. ( LG156WF4 - SPU1 at the moment). My first panel arrived with 2 dead pixels, even though Nick charges separately for shipping he apologized and overnight-ed me a 2nd replacement without even putting a hold on my card, i thought that was really trusting and cool. This 2nd panel has absolutely no light bleed and no dead pixels, I'm very pleased. I highly recommend this seller. Keep in mind their stocks change all the time depending on the latest lots of screens they've won from sellers (they buy in bulk). If you read this post a few weeks later give Nick a call from laptop lcd screen UK shop and ask what 15.6 inch FHD panels they have in stock compatible with the model i've listed ( LP156WF4-SPU1) and check it on panelook to make sure you like the stats. (this one again is 330 nits, 700 contrast, 80 viewing angles, 76% color coverage)

Installation
This is dead easy - I even installed this while my laptop was in hibernation mode, with the battery still plugged in. The bezel on your Alienware is actually super easy to remove. From the inside of the screen put your finger under the plastic and just pull up. Do this around all sides (leaving the bottom for last). The clips directly around the webcam can be a little tough but they pop out with a tug or if you want to use a plastic prying tool. The bottom part of the bezel by the ALIENWARE logo has some ahesive that sticks to the bottom of the screen part a bit so just be a little careful when pulling that last. You want to essentailly lay the bezel on the keyboard, i left the ribbon cables plugged in, but that fully exposes the FHD panel.

I removed all 4 screws, unsteated the screen and carefully placed the screen face down and let it rest on the bezel, which is resting on the keyboard, and then detached the eDP cable (There is a small latch that you need to catch with your fingernail to pull the handle up). With the cable free you can just pick that crappy panel up and throw it out your window like a frisbee- maybe it can fly!

Obviously for installing the new panel you do the same thing backwards, place the panel face down on you bezel / keyboard stack, attach the eDP cable and then remount it, screw in the 4 screws, and re-attach the bezel into the display housing. I can do the swap in under 2 mins myself.

Hope this is helpful - all in all i spent 55£ on upgrading my screen to a 330 nits, 700 contrast, 80 degree viewing angle better color FHD screen

As an aside I was nearly defeated by a totally stripped screw that shipped from the outlet, and was holding my old FHD screen hostage.. How did I deal with a stripped screw? well i had a few options as nothing was working

1.) Putting a rubber band in there didnt work, screws are too small#
2.) i couldnt use a wrench as the screws are too small and can't grip
3.) The internet s uggested Superglue - so I superglued a screwdriver into the stripped screw - this was a bad idea, it lead to me leaving a nice fingerprting on my bezel as I discovered no matter how careful you think you'll be super glue gets EVERYWHERE once it is open -_- Today however I successfully removed the super glue fingerprint with toothpicks, acetone and patience . Aside from almost gumming up my laptop the superglue snapped off immediately when i tried to use the screw driver (lol)
4.) The winning move - drilling into the AW 15 R2 display bezel stripped screw with a 5MM bit I tried drilling with a 2 mm bit which served only to essentially empty out the inside of the screw and further polish it, a 4mm bit which gave a 2nd level of polish to the inside rim of the screw, but the 5mm bit drilling COUNTER CLOCKWISE managed to get that sucker flying out of the display bezel and allowed me to continue with my life

if anyone has a stripped screw in their alienware, get a drill and a 5mm bit, line it up properly, drill counterclockwise and watch that sucker fly out.

Hope this is helpful and can be a DIY solution to the ****ty FHD Dell panels (if i paid 50£ for this LG i can only imagine dell paid 20£ for the shipped FHD panels)

 

Really interested in doing mine..... the standard panel is sooooo dull, im using a samsung syncmaster 2032 1680x1050 through the HDMI .... ill NEVER go back, the colors jump out and smack you in the face!! must get rid of this horrid panel....... wonder if i can find a 4k one..??

 

http://www.panelook.com/LQ156D1JW04_SHARP_15.6_LCM_overview_23899.html

this one maybe..???

 

If you have a FHD screen now you'll need a new cable from Dell for a UHD. 40-40 pin. i've posted about this in another thread.

 

Has anyone tried the new Microsoft Signature edition with 4K touch screen? (ANW15-8214SLV).

Wondering how good the screen is (Adobe RGB color gamut, accuracy, brightness etc). Thx.


Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

Thanks.

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

 

Cheers!

 

I wonder how much the 4k's go for....anyone inquire about the pricing yet?

 

My UHD was replaced due to excessive backlight bleed and even color was not good. The replaced one is same sharp panel but much better.
Color was still a tad off but after calibrating it with Spyder elite the screen looks amazing.
The Microsoft store one I would be interested in seeing but at 2199.00 for a 970 no way.

 

Brilliant post, and exactly the info I was looking for so thanks for your efforts.

I'm about to pull the trigger on an AW15 R2 1080p GTX980m as soon as Dell refund me for the wrongly specced R1 I was sent, I was worried about the screen but now I know a good cheap replacement is available I'm all over it!

I'll report back soon as I think I can get a good deal with all the messing about Dell have put me through!

 

Just out of curiosity, for all those that are buying and replacing screen, wouldn't this void the warranty? or am i missing something here?

 

Technically, yes. However, if you do need to use the warranty, you could always put the old screen back in.

 

Has anyone buy it? Will they offer the 980m gtx touchscreen R2 version as well?

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Do correct me if I'm wrong but, aren't the "Signature Editions" just set up with a vanilla OS (no bloatware)?

Seeing as they appear to be the same price as their non "Signature" counterparts, I'll bet there are no hardware differences between these and normal AW versions.

 

Guys this model Dell-Alienware-Echo-15-R2-ANW15-8214SLV-Signature-Edition with touchscreen is not sold by dell.com at their site. Is this model real? Dell told me they do not offer alienware 15 r2 with 4k touchscreen. So how is this possible that Microsoft has this model?

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Seems to be an individual unit just for the Microsoft Store and looks like it would be supported by Microsoft so not technically sold by Dell.

It is a strange spec but it looks legit considering its on the Microsoft store........

 

Please if someone buy it please confirm the specs and if it has 4k touchscreen. I am from Brazil and want to buy it but I need touchscreen. Because of vats and fees I will not be able return it if has wrong specs and no touchscreen. Please if someone buys it tell us if this is alienware 15 r2 with 4k touchscreen

 

I have bought several laptops in the past from Microsoft store a few signature editions Dell and Razer models and have had fantastic support.
The problem is I cant see why anyone would invest 2200.00 with a UHD touchscreen and a 970. Just pricing the unit on dell site its 1999.99 and that's with the 200.00 upgrade to UHD so basically Microsoft is saying there UHD tochscreen is a 400.00 option added in? That better be one amazing screen for that price?

 

I would like to have more information about this touchscreen uhd. Is it IGZO 4k touchscreen?

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Call Microsoft and ask them the part number. If it's the same screen from the R1, it will be an incredibly high quality screen and maybe worth the extra cost. Though, that's still a lot of money for a notebook with a 970m.

 

Microsoft cant provide any info on it, would have to call AW and ask them what theyre providing the store with. All they have is the Tech Specs, no part nbrs.

 

it is still totally mystifying why dell would want to carry four sets of screens for the same chassis instead of 2, all the while managing to dissapoint its customers. I'd have gone for the glossy UHD touchscreen.

 

same, I tried contacting microsoft to get a part # on their screen, nothing. Tried contacting AW(microsoft told me to contact them as they have no knowledge on part #s) and all they could get is their own replacement UHD lcd currently on the R2(not the old R1 or one microsoft is offering). So, short of someone buying the microsoft version and taking it apart, I dont know how to get the part # on it.

 

Let us wait someone review Microsoft new unit with 4k touchscreen.

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can you post urls to the LG and AU screens for us please... also, if you had to pick between those two for a gamer, which one would you take?

 

Has anyone confirmed if the model alienware 15 r2 echo from Microsoft ANW15-8214SLV has really 4k touchscreen ? Dell does not offer alienware 15 r2 with 4k touchscreen at their site. Could someone confirm and review this model?

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Between the FHD LG and the AU, you definitely want to get the AU (AU Optronics B156HAN01.2), it has a higher contrast ratio by ~250, deeper/darker black level, better color accuray, and 5% wider color gamut (may look a tad more vibrant than the LG). I'm not sure of the response times though, but I imagine they are similar.

I know some people on here are getting the FHD LG, but I wouldn't recommend it at all. The AU has ~1250 contrast and covers 91% sRGB. My Samsung has 880 contrast, and covers 97% of sRGB. The LG has ~1000 contrast and only 86% coverage of sRGB. Between the Samsung and LG, I don't think a contrast difference of 100 will be too perceptible, but the ability to display 11% more colors will be.

According to notebookcheck.net the brightness of the LG and Samsung are tied at 300 nits and the AU is 275. My Samsung screen actually measured at 380 nits max, but I only use it at 120 though so I don't know how bright you actually need (the stock R2 screen only gets a max of 180 nits for comparison).

I'm not sure where to buy new, I have bad experience buying new screens since they always just send me a compatible screen and not the exact model I want, so ebay will be your best bet in my opinion. Make sure to message every seller you're considering to make them confirm it's the actual make and model and not a compatible replacement.

Here's a few results I found on ebay from the seller I got my Samsung screen from so I trust him, you still need to message him to ask for confirmation though just to be safe. (His listings will say Samsung or whatever since that's the brand of laptop the screen came out of).

http://www.ebay.com/dsc/i.html?_sop...1.2+pmvision.TRS0&_odkw=B156HAN01.2&_osacat=0

 

Thats all well and good and I would prefer the auo screen as well. However we take what we can get in the UK unless someone knows a specific buyer. At the end of the day it is just an FHD screen.. As long as it's bright enough I'm ok.. Not keen on spending my life looking for the auo screen. We have a way smaller market here and you tend to find the same screens across vendors..

 

Great reply! Thanks for the info, I will let you know if I decide to swap once my laptop shows up, and if I do I will post before and after results.

Also, is the 15 R2 a 40 pin? basically do I make sure the replacement is 40 pin?

 

FHD is a 30/40 pin.

UHD is a 40/40 pin.

Cheers

Powered by: Quad Core Exynos + 6820HK

 

So, it's really starting to get to my nerves. I've searched forum after forum, thread after thread and still don't seem to find what I want!

Does anyone have a stock or semi-stock backup/recovery image of their new Alienware 17 R3 or 15 R2 systems(preferrably with GTX 970m and 256GB SSD)?

I need it to get my system back to factory settings since dell suggests that it is the only way by which I can get my system back to factory defaults(OEM installation of windows 10 + Recovery partition), so, if anyone has a stock/semi-stock image of their AW, I beg you to help me with it!

Thanks
Sagar