*OFFICIAL* Alienware 17 R2/R3 Owner's Lounge

Hey guys, I just bought a 256gb PM951 ssd (removed from XPS 15). Do you guys think this will work well with my base model Alienware 17 R3(without any SSD and extra RAM) which is on my way? Thanks in advance! This is how it looks:

 

Uninstall freefall sensor driver?

 

I don't see why not. The Alienware 17 R3 can supposedly hold up to four m.2 SSDs.

 

Not 4 but 2 M.2 SSD in R3!




Bottom right one is SATA 2.5" Liteon 512GB SSD.

Other photos are a combination of two PCIE 512GB SM951 AHCI M.2 SSD's.

 

Sorry I got ssd 120gb. Dell accidently put it in my laptop but still i dont feel like i have it. Boot time is 1 min.

 

You must not have an R3. Anyone on here (including myself) that has one has confirmed there's only 2 m.2 slots and 1 2.5" bay.

 

Update the Kionix freefall sensor driver.

 

@Gamespy did they put Windows on the SSD or on the 1TB?

@komoornik Service manual p.25 says 4 m.2 drives and 1 SATA: https://www.manualowl.com/m/Dell/Alienware-17-R3/Manual/458672

Edit: @ cruisin5268d Ah, OK, I didn't check my actual laptop.

 

Watch this video here:

In his review video, he shows four m.2 slots in his R3?

Edit: I guess it's R2.

 

R2 aka Haswell i7-4xxxHQ series processors.

 

Yes i updated and its same. On fresh windows thats instaled on little ssd i installed nvidia drivers.... Updatet that frefall sensor and i installed on mechanical hdd lol watunder and assassins creed. Thats all. And fastboot is activated. No other problems like that.... Screen is amaizing and ill newer go to less than 4k in the future for anything. Its not true that you cant see differance. You can see clearly. Laptop is better than any other portable gaming machine.

 

Bootup time 12 sec now. Is that ok for ssd?

 

Yes, thats fine.

Although I dont see the point in a 4K screen. 1920x1200 should be the max. Otherwise you run into scaling issues and its not quite powerful enough to run AAA games at 4k.

 

@juggar I passed up the 4K screen and overclockable CPU in order to get 16GB RAM, 8GB GTX 980M and no SSD, as Dell had those goofy restrictions on the Black Friday sale. I don't think my eyes are good enough to really take advantage of 4K on a 17" screen anyway.

 

Hunter, it appears fairly consistent, but struggle in explaining it thoroughly and succinct enough to a tech person...without being able to show them.

It seems to only happen when there is a darker or gray background...Go figure!!

 

Do you have some kind of dynamic contrast or adaptive brightness thing going on?

This might help you replicate it too, especially if it's some kind of voltage stability issue: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/inversion.php

 

Adaptive brightness has been turned off and not sure of a dynamic contrast toggle anywhere...in going over the different tests, 7a is the one that seems to cause flickering in the screen. I get a lot of flickering if I scroll on that screen as well.

Is this something that Dell can diagnose? I'd assume they have all kinds of test equipment and programs at their disposal to test pretty much anything?

Thanks for the link,
SteveG

 

You may have to send it back to them to get diagnosed, unless it's something that shows up in a screenshot or video recording.

 

I am trying to buy ram for my laptop. Can someone say what 16GB DDR4 RAM is shipped with the Alienware 17 R3?
Is it from Samsung? If possible, post a pic.

Thanks

 

Oh no, I mean I tried 1st left USB and the second. Both have same problem. Is this problem popular to AW17 ? If it is only on my unit, I can request a replacement. If it is popular, it seems I have to live with it then

 

Thanks Hunter, I'm guessing that's what I'll end up doing, it also has a sticky esc key, to me it just seem trivial to send it in for a sticky key and now this, figuring I'd wait a bit more towards the end of the warranty in case something else pops up. I really can't tell if its the adaptive brightness or a hardware, as much as I've tried to isolate the conditions, I cant put my finger on the exact cause.

I'm sure they'll give me a full court press on extending the warranty, maybe I'll end up doing that now.

Thanks for your replies and advice, Happy Holidays to you and yours!!

SteveG

 

Good luck. I'm still waiting for my replacement motherboard to be delivered to the local tech so that he can schedule an on-site replacement. I'm going to be really bummed if I can't play Fallout 4 on my new laptop before xmas :\

Update: Just heard from Dell support that it's on back order. Figures since it's the less common 8GB GTX 980M version.

 

Not sure about the manufacturer/vendor, but here are some pics and a CPU-Z screenshot:
Edit: And here's some more detailed RAM info.

 

Hello, when I change themes in Alienfx, everything changes color automatically except left Macro keys. Everytime I have to manually click on the zone of macro keys and set its color separately. I noticed this happening after giving my laptop to my friend. Does anyone know how to fix this? Or is something wrong with my laptop?

For example if I change from Alienware theme(blue) to alienblood(green), everything changes to green except left macro keys (i.e previous colour remains on macro if I don't change it manually). Is this normal?

 

In some situatioms scaling is problem but in most cases its not. I shared your opinion until i got one. I play all aaa games high to ultra for constant 50-60 fps. Nvidia 980m 4gb, i7-6820, 4k screen and 16gb ddr4. I preferr 2k so i can max apsolutly all settings and play..... still no lag. If want more power you can activate in bios fan and cpu performance mode and temperatures will be as low as possible and you gain 20-30% performance. And 4k is candy to eye trust me

 

I have one and speak from experience, the 980m isnt enough to run demanding games at 60 fps. thats all that needs to be said.

 

Tha

Pls i wuld ask you to try again. Mby problem is system or drivers.

 

The macro key colors can be changed in the command center, under the tab alientactx.

 

totally agree on that!

 

oh. really? try the witcher 3 and fall out 4 on ultra setting!

 

hey guys..got a question. got a 17r3 with 6820hk and gtx980m (4gB) recently. I noticed that GPU frequency flatlines (0%) for 1-2 mins while playing some titles (BLOPs 3 for e.g.) and then comes back up again. CPU keeps running fine at 3.2Ghz. Temps see fine (~70C on GPU and 75C on CPU) so doesn't seem to be a throttling issue. Any ideas?

 

MAke sure you have the power settings on high and change nvidia power management settings from adaptive to max performance. Also, in nvidias settings, make sure you force all games to use the nvidia gpu. I dont think this is your problem but i used to have the same problems until i change all these settings. http://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answ...ent-mode-from-adaptive-to-maximum-performance

 

I have Alienware 17 R2 (i4980HQ, GTX980M, 16GB RAM, 240w PSU) and I get 3046 on Firestrike 1.1 (Graphics 3357, Physics 9112, Combined 1132), which I think is very low. Power plan high perfomance. Any ideas?

 

Hello, is there any solution for frequent wifi disconnecting issue for Alienware 17 R3?

 

GPU and Combined score is very very low. I'd use GPUz to monitor clocks & GPU load during running of the benchmark to make sure it's running at full clocks. You might need to go into the NVidia Control Panel and select the option to use the NVidia GPU for 3DMark - it's in the "Manage 3D Settings"->"Program Settings" area.

 

New Alienware 17 R3 laptop owner here, 6700/8gb/128gb/970m/UHD. Upgraded from a MSI GT70 Dominator pro 4810/880m.

Enjoying it so far, minimal upgrade, seeing lower cpu/gpu temps and quieter fan, but warmer laptop/keypad. Loving the screen, biggest upgrade reason, battery life (powersaver light/medium mix usage getting 6.5-7.5 hours).

I've read most of the pages on this thread, but seeing some mix of things/components, in different laptops/same model.

My question, I have 8gb ram, according to dell site it says 32gb max, but I remember seeing only 2 slots. Is this correct? Are theyre 16gb ddr4 ram sticks?
Looking at "Kingston Technology HyperX Impact 16GB Kit (2 x 8GB) 2400MHz DDR4 CL14 SODIMM Laptop Memory HX424S14IBK2/16"
to upgrade with. But if theyre are 4xslots or 16gb sticks, I would go that route. I run multiple vm's at a time and also a lot of video editing. All my other laptops had 32gb ram.
Does anyone know if there are 4x ram slots? or are there 16gb stick I don't see?

Secondly, the ssd. I have a 128gb, according to my config it is a samsung cm871 m.2 2280.
Is this the PCIE NVMe 4x m.2? I want to upgrade to 1tb, but can only find 512gb options.
Looking at "Samsung 950 PRO -Series 512GB PCIe NVMe - M.2 Internal SSD 2-Inch MZ-V5P512BW"
to upgrade with. Will this work?

Any other feedback or options more than welcomed. Thanks in advance.

Links to amazon for memory and storage:
Ram - http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Tech...1451848150&sr=8-1&keywords=ddr4+laptop+memory
SSD - http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-950-5...d=1451847591&sr=8-1&keywords=samsung+pcie+ssd

 

No people have reported that Hyperx is not working with AW 17 R3.

This one works in AW 17 R3 based on the review there: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232148
And people in forums have reported that samsung as well as crucial also works.

For 950 pro, just follow this guide: http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19659674. This method worked well for me. And read this thread for some clarifications: http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/migrating-os-from-hhd-to-ssd.784967/

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I saw and planned on following those instructions. Also saw the 950 pro, just wanted to make sure that's indeed the correct connection with mine. Just opened mine up and confirmed its the 2x slot ssd, not the 4 that I believe was in the r2.

For the ram, do you know of how 32gb ram is capable? I only see 2 slots, are there 2 under the keyboard/oppose side of mobo? or does intelligent memory have 16gb ddr4 sticks like they do ddr3?
I'd really need/like 32gb ram.

*Edit, followed that link to unavailable, but using that manufacture and class, found they make/offer 2x16gb ddr4 modules. So thanks.

 

Another quick note/question. I'm transferring a large file, 250gb (zipped) from a wd external. I know on my Lenovos transfer speeds are normally 120-180MB/s, alienware tho is maxed at 40MB/s?
This is connected to both left side usb ports. Its a folder with 3 vm's, compressed for transfer as now its a single file not a million or so.
I also know that both my precision and latitude also never go above 40MB/s with USB3, seems to be only a dell thing? Way to fix?

 

Just posting this here so that it might help others. After various trial and errors with my AW 17 R3 for two weeks, I found two WIFI driver versions which removed WIFI problem for me: 12.0.0.191(Nov 20, had few drops in the beginning but later everything has disappeared) and 4.0.1.137(sep 3rd) when used WITHOUT KILLER SUITE. There may be more. Maybe everything from sep 3rd. But these two are working well so far. I had problems with the versions before sep 3rd even without killer suite. I got the 4.0.1.137 from windows update. But on another windows installation on the ssd on same system, I did not get this. So had to extract 12.0.0.191 from latest killer suite. Maybe 4.0.1.137 is present in some previous versions of suite here: http://www.killernetworking.com/support/driver-downloads/item/killer-suite

The solution is to use the killer 1535 wifi driver version 12.0.0.191 by extracting from latest killer suite 1.1.57.1665 and discarding the problematic killer suite.

HOW TO EXTRACT THE DRIVER FROM SUITE:
- Uninstall all network components. Reboot. Install latest killer suite. Reboot and check that you got 12.0.0.191 in device manager.

- Then go to "Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository" and search for folder which starts with netathr10x.inf...

- copy this entire folder and save it somewhere.

- Uninstall killer suite. Reboot. Update the wifi driver from device manager by pointing to this saved folder.

- Now right click on this wifi driver, go into properties, click on power management and untick "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power"

HOW TO KNOW WHICH FOLDER IS YOUR DRIVER AFTER INSTALLING SUITE(optional, just to be sure):

- Open powershell as admin, then run this command : Get-WindowsDriver -Online -All
-Copy and paste the output in some editor and search for 12.0.0.191. See the corresponding location above that line. That's your folder.

Try it only if you are already having problems. The reason I am not uploading it is that the extracted driver did not work on my other OS installation but worked on same OS installation. So I am asking you to do by yourself. If you still want it, ask and I will give.
Also install bluetooth and ethernet from dell website or just update online from device manager or get it from killer website or follow the same above method.

Whoever has no wifi issue with suite, please report your versions and settings that you made.

Thanks

 

Hello, why are the options in my samsung magician software blank? Is my 950 pro not recognized?



Edit: After booting in AHCI mode, it recognizes but still OS Optimization is blank:

 

Well I just got my R3 in and am making a switch from an R2 and I must say that so far it seems pretty good. Here are some observations so far:

Keyboard feels a little squishier... maybe because it is new
Matte is not as bad as I remember it being (My R2 was a touchscreen with lots of glare/bleed/few dead pixels)
The trackpad buttons don't stick like they used to in the R2 (had about 2 17r2 and 3 15r2's... all were sticky)
Feels slightly lighter than the R2 (even with a spinning drive whereas my R2 was all ssd).
Fan seems to stay on where it was mostly off on the R2 (again, it is day 1, so updates are working)

Overall not much has changed but those were my little notices between the 2. Figured maybe someone would like to know or would find this helpful in the future.


---------------

Funny, but as I was typing this the wifi switched to airplane mode and would not go back to normal... uninstalled the killer, then had to dl it from a different computer to get wifi active again. Seems to be going well with the latest drivers, unmodified.

Also I am(was) suffering from slow boots from the m.2 ssd. I tried updating the k____ freefall sensor and that didn't work. I now have just uninstalled it and hopefully that works.

----------------

Oh yea, one more thing... This was the first AW that I have purchased from dell that was new. With that being said, when I opened up the box, there were massive fingerprints/and oil marks on the screen and bottom panels. Also the screen did not look like it was pushed in all the way, but as soon as I applied pressure to the corners, it snapped into place. Does alienware still test their new computers prior to sending them out? I was extremely shocked to have to get a microfiber cloth out and wipe down my non touch screen from what appeared to be brand new (aka black alienware box not brown refurb box).

 

Hey, just got my r3 a few days ago to.

With the airplane mode, had that happen in the middle of nothing now a few times. I restarted a few times, and kept going into the setting but it wouldn't slide to off.
Google, led me to hit the f button for airplane mode. Worked both times now. Weird, but thought I'd share. My fans spun slow and quiet for first few days, they've backed off since then, so I'd say your assumptions are right. More specifically I think it's setting up the indexing for the first few days. If your turn indexing off, hhd properties, and there's a checkmark, things go nicer.

My keyboard still feels mushy, I came from other laptops which more crisp you could say. But even mushy, no complaints.

I think because you didn't have matte on your r2, that's probably where some of the weight loss comes from. But other reviews also point to laptop shedding some pounds.


Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

Thanks for the post. I actually stumbled upon the Fbutton for turning off airplane mode on accident after scratching my head for a few minutes. Glad to know that if it ever pops up again then that should be a quick fix. Has your wifi been pretty reliable? I plan to be taking a very important exam at the end of Feb and was intending to use this laptop but if the wifi is going to cut out in the middle of it... I would be out of luck. I guess I have time to figure it out and it seems like updates are in the works.

Its also worth mentioning that this is one of the first newer alienware computers that I didn't have to tweak the trackpad to get it to scroll properly in google chrome. Now if I could only get 3 finger swype to go back in the browser, I would be in heaven... I hate how win10 makes 3 finger swypes alt+tab.

 

Try my guide in the previous page 194. I have tested it on two different windows installations and it has solved the wifi issue. Check if it works for you, if you want.

 

If you are looking to buy that, there is 20%off on all the items in jet.com till Jan 6th.

Coupon code: Scarymommy2016
https://jet.com/product/GSKILL-Ripj...4-19200-Lapt/80acebb606af4d6d8f3f0addfe43fbb2

Disclaimer: I don't know if 32gb will work or not. I know that 16 will work. So don't quote me if it doesn't work. I have ordered 950 pro from jet. It is a trusted site.

 

Have you tried doing a clean install for windows 10. I too suffered from slow boot times on my ssd and decided to do a clean install. It now boots up in about 3.5 seconds and everything just seems to work quicker. It's a pain in the ass getting all the drivers reinstalled especially the touch pad one, but once you do it the computer runs like a well oiled machine.

 

Hey guys., I just got my brand new alienware 17 r3 laptop with gtx 970m, 8gb ram, 128gbssd+1tb hdd running on windows 10 (pre installed with the laptop) version 1511. But the thing is that when im gaming I always get 5-15fps compared to those gamplays and benchmarks that I see on the internet.
-I haven't touched the bios that came with the laptop (never upgraded it or anything)
-I have updated my graphics card driver thru GeForce experience (GeForce game ready driver version 361.43)
-I have set every power plan to maximum performance
-I have set my NVidia graphics card in NVidia control panel
But I still have lower fps. HELP GUYS! I don't know if there's something wrong with my unit or what. do you have any ideas on how I can fix this? help!!!

here is a picture of my gpu-z while idle:

here is a picture of my gpu-z while gaming:


it only shows 540mhz as my clock speed.. but shouldn't it be 900+mhz as ive seen in the specifications of the card??

 

After a year break from WoW I am ready to start back up and in the next day or two plan on order a new AW17. GTX 980, 16GB ram etc... but am undecided on the drive setup. Am I better off going with the 1tb spinner and sliding in a 1TB 850 EVO or MX200 or going with the 512GB M2 SSD + 1TB mechanical drive?

 

If I was you I'd use that same GPUz program, but click on the Sensor Tab, then expand the window so you can see loads of data history of the sensor readings, change monitoring interval to 2.5sec to again show more data history - then with GPUz just running in the background play your games or benchmarks, exit the game & then go back to GPUz to take a look at your sensor readings - check GPU load and GPU Core & Memory clocks. What you want to see is a high GPU & memory clock and high GPU Load, which proves that the graphics card is clocking up to boost or at least base frequency & that the high GPU load would just prove that the GPU is actually being used effectively.