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

The keyboard of the 17 r3 is the best of any laptops I have owned. And while the one on my M17X had some flex this one has zero flex!

 

Anything that helps the fan "spin faster" should INCREASE the fan lifespan. What would really happen is that a significant workload should be lifted from the fans. "Should be".

My concern again is that by opening up a new vent--or removing the case cover--the airflow path that starts by the factory fan pulling air out the back might be disrupted at the point of the new vent. AFAICT the air path does a long loop from the back intake, to the front and then out the back again, crossing both sides of the mobo.

 

Interesting, I think it would decrease the lifespan of the fans, due to the bearings getting excess wear from spinning faster.

 

Hi John,

If it makes the internal fans run with a reduced load then yes I agree that would extend the fans longevity, but there is a point where increased degradation starts and that is where the fans are forced to run at speeds in excess of their design limits, I gleaned this from articles and forums where fans have had problems after being used with high cfm laptop cooling pads. This is why I feel it is imperative to monitor the internal fan speeds and ensure that when running on the cooling pad those internal fans are not forced to go way beyond their limits.

For example the 112cfm 80mm fans run at up to 12,000 rpm, the AW 17 R3 fans according to this review "Fans Fully Blowing – set at 5000 rpm from HWInfo while playing games" http://www.ultrabookreview.com/10190-dell-alienware-17-r3-review/ admittedly the fans are different sizes but I doubt the internal fans even at 5,000 rpm can shift 112 cfm, so running the external fans at that rate would be forcing the internal fans to go past their design speed of 5,000rpm (or is it 7,000 max?). Will the internal fans bearings be able to take the higher speeds with prolonged use?


One possible saviour of a failing fan is that the extraction method might still pull enough air through to negate the failure, allowing for a controlled shut down of the laptop, after which the internal fan can be replaced. If the fan fails when not on the cooling pad then I take it the CPU/GPU will quickly overheat and the laptop will power down instantly, in this case there is potential for irreparable damage to the CPU/GPU through overheating, especially those ball solder connections.

 

There's another review for you here, the reviewer says the AW keyboard is excellent.
http://www.ultrabookreview.com/10190-dell-alienware-17-r3-review/

 

Wow...that is definitely a very comforting statement and one I am so grateful to learn.

So if I place a new order is it safe to say that it will be the 17 r3 I get, as I am extremely naive and in the dark when it comes to AW's?

Thank you kindly,
SD

 

My only disappointment with the 17 r3 keyboard is that the macro keys are of limited use to me due to the fact that the Dell TactX software doesn't support creation of macros that auto-repeat while the macro key is held down. The Logitech software for the G15 keyboard connected to my desktop is able to do this.

 

OK, so a bit of research on the internal fans, I couldn't find anything on the 17 R3 one's but I did find something on other models.

MX18 R2 is a paltry 4.5cfm CPU fan
Google search for DFS601305PQ0T

MX17 R2 has a 10cfm CPU fan
MX17 R1 just 2cfm

So if I put a 112cfm fan on the exhaust vents I'll likely be forcing more than 10x the air flow of the internal fan!

I shall have to see what the internal fan details (make, model, any reference numbers on them) are and try to ascertain the cfm of them, then pick an appropriate fan size to put on the exhaust vents. The cooler pad design won't change as I'll likely stick to 80mm fans, that way they are easily replaced or upgraded.

 

These might do for starters, 23.3 cfm, almost silent at just 16db.

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/axial-fans/7511510/

 

Thanks so much as this was definitely a very thorough and positive review for the AW 17r3 and a very convincing one at that.

I am now trying to put together a good selling price for XPS 15 9530 as it is in my opinion in Mint condition and I have an external DELL DVD, which I will include as well, as from what I was told by DELL, it can only be used with the XPS 15, and even though I don't ever believe what DELL always says for verbatim, it probably and more than likely won't work with the AW 17r3.

Thank you kindly,
SD

 

Hi SD,

I don't know why an external DVD might not work with the R3, if it's USB it should work with anything?

I guess it depends whether you think you would ever use it on the R3, if you would then there's always the option of selling the 15 after you have the 17, that way you have the choice to keep or sell the DVD depending on whether it works OK with the R3.

There's another reason to keep the 15 until after you have the R3 and that's in case you get a faulty R3 that needs to be fixed, you still have the 15 to use while the R3 is being fixed.

Not sure how you plan to migrate your documents and settings. I export Internet shortcuts and import them into the new browser. I take out my old hard drive and put it on a USB to SATA connector and copy off anything I want to keep, I then do a low level format of the old drive (secure erase for SSD).

Look at used prices on Amazon.

 

Thank you for this yet now you will see and learn of my total lack of knowledge in gaming, as I'm believing that this macro is a feature wanted solely by gamers, as I know I am definitely not using it in my photo editing?

Kind Regards,
SD

 

I want to thank you so much for this information as I'm believing the same thing as you and cannot understand myself why the drive would not work.

I also agree with you greatly with purchasing the R3 first and getting it delivered prior to parting with the XPS 15 as one never knows what they might receive and having a fully-working computer is what I definitely must have and need.

In regards to your gracious and grateful suggestion of incorporating all my needed information on to the new computer, I usually follow your way to the T as I find it leaves no room for losing any important data.

Thanks a BUNCH,
SD

 

Do not forget that the Aw keyboards do not have anti-ghost keys. This is a gaming laptop so this should have been a minimum, although the keyboard on all AW laptops is very good...

 

My suggestion to you is if you order on the Dell website store to add the optional 256GB PCIe for $250. So once you get the laptop, if you want, you can just replace the 1 TB storage HHD with a standard SSD. Since your operating system in in the PCIe it should be a fairly simple task to replace. I jus can't understand why with the low price of SSD's these manufactures insist on putting slow mechanical drives in PC's

 

That's a lot of money to add an ssd... And is it the PM951 model? You could add a 512gb 950 pro for close to that price.

 

I was wondering why do you feel the need for anti-ghost keys? I play many games and the keyboard is just fine for me!

 

I agree! I think SD probably does not want to mess with installing a 950 pro. It takes some technical knowledge to do so and I sure had my problems installing mine. So a factory installed 951 might be the easy way to go.

 

You'll have to run the internal fans faster than their design limits in order to improve upon the airflow of the stock system - by definition if you're gonna get this 'vacuum sucker' then you want to be comfortable that you're gonna run the internal fans quite a bit faster than what their 'rated' max speed is. You don't need to worry about failures causing overheating & irreparable damage because the CPU/GPU will throttle if it gets too hot, also the worst that can happen is a failed fan that you need to buy a replacement - probably won't fail for years anyway.

 

Robbo99999,

Absolutely I was thinking of taking a logical approach of analysing the heat reduction vs fan speeds. So I would start by finding out the rpm and cfm of the internal fans at full speed, then see what the temperatures are under various loads with the fans running at full speed (set to performance in the BIOS). Then add the cooling pad and set the extractor fans to roughly the same cfm level, finely adjust the extractor fans so that the internal fans are running at the same speed as they were before I added the cooling pad.

From there I can gradually increase the extractor fan speeds and see how it affects temperatures and rpm of the internal fans. I should be able to build up a profile of the system in Excel and chart the temperatures vs internal fan speeds.

From there I can start overclocking and adding more data to the spreadsheet.

I might get to forcing the internal fans up to 10,000 rpm and find no advantage in going higher. The internal fans might not speed up at all, it all depends on their design, it might be possible to pull more air through them without forcing the vanes to go faster. I might find that running the internal fans slower allows the external fans to pull air through them without increasing their speed, that way I would be increasing the longevity of the internal fans.

For sure there's going to be plenty of analysis which I'll post on here for the benefit of everyone

 

Hi STARION6,

There is a small risk that the OS comes installed on the HDD even with an SSD installed by DELL. There are cases of this on this board where people have had to clone or reinstall anyway, therefore if SD is up to the task I would buy just the HDD off DELL and put a 950 PRO in.

I really can't understand the logic of DELL not offering the 950 PRO as an option in the first place on this flagship laptop.

 

SD doesn't need anti-ghosting keys, he's doing photo editing not extreme gaming.

 

I just bought one of those vacuum suckers from amazon, as an add-on item to get free delivery for something else I was buying - it was very cheap, I'm curious to find out if it will lower my temperatures. ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/EZREAL®-COO...uum+Cooler+Extracting+Fan+For+Laptop+Notebook)
I don't need the extra cooling, but I'm curious - in fact I'll probably test it & not use it even if it reduces temperatures (or might just use it the Summer), as my temperatures are already below 70 degC.

 

Robbo99999,

Interesting video here, in the notes it says they didn't get any temperature drop from using it .

 

Robbo99999,

It looks like that cooler is made by a company that is on Alibaba as mycoolcold.com, the logo and images are identical.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=mycoolcold.com&safe=off&prmd=vni&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X

23.5cfm it says here, but this is a different model with an LED display.
http://m.alibaba.com/product/2006833418/Coolcold-Mini-Laptop-USB-Fan-Air.html

Can you let us know if your internal fan speed changes when using it?

 

Haha, yep, I did see that Youtube vid after I ordered the cooler, but for such a small buying cost I don't mind, I'm just curious to test it. I'll let you know my results, and if RPM of internal fans change.

 

Calling it 'ice' cooler might be a bit of an exaggeration!

 

That is pretty bad! I thought Alienware was supposed to be run by computer enthusiasts! Nothing like that should ever happen and yes they should have enough common sense to make the 950 pro the standard PCIe! Personally I do not want any slow HHD's in my laptop for storage or anything else! That is going backwards in my opinion!

 

Thank you so much for the great suggestion as I definitely want the faster hard drive in my computer and I will chose your grateful suggestion of the 256GB PCIe for $250. I only hope it's a good one.

I also visited the outlet yesterday just to see if maybe they would have had one there for a good price, yet instead I found older ones with fourth-generation processors with FHD for ridiculously high prices which I don't understand with some nearing $3,000 or better?

Thank you kindly,
SD

 

QC has become much worse. Everything is done as cheaply as possible today. It's a big change done by Dell in recent 3-4 years.

 

Hi STARION6, agreed! The HDD will be out of mine and in a USB 3.0 case where it belongs

 

Man you know me well. I do not want to open the computer at all if I don't have to.

 

Hi SD,

If you want a refurbished from the outlet you have to check about twice a day, as the good one's are grabbed by resellers and the price bumped up $300 on EBay!

 

Here's that example of a buyer that received a 17 R3 with Win10 installed on the HDD instead of the SSD.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...-outlet-how-to-install-win10-onto-ssd.788478/

 

Thank you so much as that definitely makes a whole lot of sense!

So they do in fact put the new AW17r3's on the Outlet and if so why would anyone buy their outdated ones for what definitely looks like brand new pricing?

 

Hi SD,

They just put on anything they have that's in a good enough condition to sell?

On the UK outlet they have 3 x R3's, none have 4k screens. I looked on there myself before buying a new one, but the only 4k one to appear had 4GB GTX980M and I wanted 8GB so I gave up waiting, decided to man up and buy the new one!

Choose 17 R3 from the list
http://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdfh1&l=en&s=dfh&brandid=7&fid=1311

 

I highly suggest you don't take a chance by buying from the outlet and go to the Dell web store get one built for you brand new! It is worth to pay a bit more for peace of mind.

 

Hi JerseyBoy,

Thank you kindly.

And here I thought with a name like JerseyBoy that you were in fact a good ole boy from the USA and from up North in New Jersey...Just kidding!

Actually right now on the USA Dell outlet the AW17r3 doesn't even come up as choice.

I'm gathering that if a AW17r3 would show up like the one that you seen, that for just photo editing, the Nvidia GTX980M w/4GB should be all I would need?

What about the Nvidia GTX970M would that be an option for me as well...Yes or No?

Thanks a BUNCH,
SD

 

As i die hard gamer i never had ghosting issues on an alienware laptop keyboard ever.

 

SD,

Yes, I'm from old Jersey, the original, the one New Jersey was named after

4GB will be OK for you, I just wanted 8GB to futureproof it with gaming, as I tend to keep systems for a long time (one of my desktops is 9 years old!).

970M should be OK for you too.

 

Thank you for this very gracious suggestion, which is very greatly appreciated, and I also strongly agree with you in just ordering it new as well, as one can truly wait forever to get the ideal unit @ the Outlet, yet if you hopefully don't mind, knowing now that I will be only doing photo editing, no gaming and basic Windows tasks and knowing the many choices @ the DELL store being somewhat confusing, what would you recommend as far as hardware for a decent setup with of course with the 4K display?

Thank you kindly,
SD

 

SD,

For your needs I would go for 6700 processor, 16GB RAM, 970M graphics, 4k screen, SSD for OS and programs + HDD for data.

If you want to be able to process 4k video in the future you could go for 6820 processor, but you have to look at the price difference and decide if you think it's worth it or not. 6700 will still process 4k video, just a bit slower.

 

What do you mean by process it slower? Are you talking about editing it or just watching?

 

The refurbished units are slim pickings from the sale they had last week. They'll probably have another one next month.

 

Hi Xentar712,

Editing

 

Well, once you buy your new AW you can do whatever you want with it! (LOL) Sounds to me like you need to get the first basic model for $1499.00 and then add the 4k screen and the 256gb PCIe and you are done! The gtx 970m should give you plenty of power for photo editing and the i7 6700HQ is a monster processor! I think you get a free carrying backpack in the deal if you are ordering from the US site!

 

So now I'm unfortunately very confused as are you presently living in the UK and saying; your originally from New Jersey as in next to New York or are you saying you are from the original Jersey off the coast of France?

Thank you kindly as now gratefully knowing that the GTX970 @ 4GB will be fine for what I need it will certainly bring down the cost, as I tend to always go for the Top-of-the-line computers whenever I am looking to buy one.

 

OK with truly appreciating everything and going by your very grateful suggestion here's what came back going with the Basic AW17r3 for $1,499.00 and adding the 4K display & 256 PCIe = $2,099.99 and Yes with a Free Backpack, yet my BIG question is this only comes with 8GB of memory and I'm am definitely under the firm belief that 16GB is needed to run Windows 10 and editing software sufficiently?

 

Yes Jersey Boy! Mine is already there! Just keeping as an OS system back up in case of major failure!