*OFFICIAL* Alienware 17 R4 Owner's Lounge

I do a little browsing, and as gaming as movies so ... I stay affraid by the banding issue, I got a 5 years old AW M17xr3 so I'd like my new one can stands some years too

 

Does anybody with the uhd model know if there's problems with UHD movies? (Either digital from vudu or hooking up a uhd player via HDMI)

 

there has been more than a few reports of keyboard issues as well, keys being off like the one you posted or the spacebar not registering etc. It might be able to be snapped in but it will probably be a new keyboard for you if not.

 

yeah I've tried but its not moving with a reasonable mount of force so i am raising a ticket, not a good start though

 

Major quality control issues. Seems they rushed release and got a huge number of orders and are just pushing them through. Atleast it's fairly easy to get a replacement.

 

My replacement 1440 will be here Friday. I'll do a side-by-side video. Toby looks like his has far less of an issue than mine, as I adjusted my settings and it got a little better. The two side by side mine looks atrocious.

 

It looks like a couple of the Best Buy's in Denver have the QHD model on display. It will be very cool to check it out. Ideally, if they release a QHD + 6820HK + GTX 1080 config here in a couple of weeks it should be perfect!

I made a virtual 2560x1440 mode for my UHD display, and its very useful for coding and web browsing, and is great at 100% scaling (even on a 15.6" display). Even better the CUDA 8 SDK has been released and supports the Pascal chips, so I can run my work's CUDA projects on the GTX 1080.

 

Yeah I can definitely notice it on mine now, but mine doesn't seem to be as bad as some others have. That's why I didn't really even notice it much. But I've taken more pictures and can see the lines. They aren't in pure whites as much, or blacks (of course) but any other color, you can usually see some lines. My eyes aren't great so I really have to squint and get as close as I can to see these lines in person, but the camera can pick them up. They aren't as pronounced as they even look in this picture, but they are there.

http://imgur.com/CEgPgrY

 

How do you find the colours? My friend bought 1 and frankly the qhd panel looked washed out. Pros was whites looked white (not yellowish tint like on some iPs panels) and blues look nice, but yellows and reds + other colours look poor on GTA 5 and AC creed syndicate.

Gently pull the key out and then gently press (snap it back in again). Hope that helps

 

Colors on the QHD panel aren't terrible, a bit cold to start with. I'm including a link to a color profile I created using my Spyder 4. Profile color target was 6500k. This will be a lot warmer than the stock profile. This may not work for everyone, usually profiles need to be created for your own specific monitor, but some people may like this profile. This profile will make whites look more yellow as it's a much warmer profile than stock.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2usQe7d6BzKNUwwcEFpb1VBYkk/view

 

Setting up some new 950 Pro m.2's ... and I noticed that even though I'm not running a RAID configuration ... in bios, the SATA mode is set to RAID ON ... should this be set to AHCI or should I simply leave it on RAID ON whether I'm running a RAID array or not?

Thanks

 

To be honest I dont like it (and i really wanted to), I'm sorry to say my thoughts after a few hours;

Out of the box build quality isnt what i was hoping for the keyboard has a faulty key straight away.

The lines issue as many have said before it's there i notice it browsing the web all the time i know it wont bother some people but it does bother me.

Most of the games i play at high ultra setting arent even hitting 60fps so the 120hz is a moot point for me.

The worst thing for me is the colors they look washed out and dull, I've tried adjust colors etc but at the end of the day its just a TN and I have had TN's before which have been ok but not this one.

G-Sync is nice but not enough reason to keep this.

I'll be returning this soon and I've pre ordered a new 13 to see if that suits my needs better.

 

FYI:

950 Pros install with no issues ... but man do these things run hot ...

...

 

@s1rrah just send em back.. or atleast try to get those m.2 cooling units from Dell. I'd rather stick to the 961 anyways.. those few mb/s dont really do the deal for me.

 

Those few MB do nothing at all in normal

My 17 with PM961 cold boots to desktop in 9 seconds , not to shabby

 

I actually ordered two of these to test and two 1TB 850 EVO's ...

I will most likely end up running the EVOs in this AW17 and exchange these two 950's for a single 960 EVO for my desktop build in a bit ...

I honestly can't notice the difference between a good SATAIII m.2 drive and a proper NVME m.2 drive ...a t least for my typical laptop usage ...

I haven't seen the 950's throttling much ... but all I did was run a 1TB read/write test and watch the transfer rates ... never really dipped. I'm using a notebook cooler too, though. There's all sorts of ways to put heat sinks on them though ..

But mostly just testing different drives ...

 

What u using to monitor temps?

 

All three new AW models (13-15 and 17) have this new modern flimsy 3 screw cpu heatsink design. Expect the same temperature variances between cores and high temp problem on all 3 models

Alienware 13 R3


Alienware 15 R3


Alienware 17 R4

 

the only thing i noticed when installing my 950 boot on my desktop was how much of pain installing windows on one is, boots about the same as my other computer with an ssd
my chromebook is the one that boots fast lol. since windows has to load so much at boot

 

That's a problem for some reason ...

I first installed the 950 Pros as single sticks and in Win 10, AID64 and HWINFO could report no SMART data (namely, temps) ...

After I did the RAID0, same thing ...

I can't find any app that can read the temps off of them.

But I did touch one of the IC's during that 1TB transfer test and, well, I burned my finger. LOL ..

 

Yep, those SSD's run hot, I saw benchmarks of the samsung 951 and 950 pro.
The 951 Actually reaches 100% and throttles, this mainly on a single HUGE file copy.
The 950 stayed below 100 degrees so didn't throttle but, still reached above 90 degrees so no good.

I saw a person post the internals of the new alienware laptops and I saw a copper plate upon the default toshiba SSD in the new laptops. And there were thermal pads between the piece of copper and the SSD.

The Toshiba ones being significantly slower than the 950 pro / 960 pro and at more or less the same price, obviously I will be buying a samsung one instead of the toshiba one. But I'm wondering If I can get one of those ssd cooling, as it's not in the system if no ssd is ordered

 

Not sure you will need to bother

I installed a PM961 1tb in My 17r4 and it showed no sign of throttling even when i copied over season 1 of narco's in 4k (200gb+), didnt even get that hot, There's a good reason (not just cost) the major laptop manufactures mainly use PM spec drives, they run much cooler

as said before i noticed no speed differences, cold boot into desktop was only 9 seconds.

 

"Major quality control issues" is, has always been and will always be the Alienware brand motto. If this hasn't been made abundantly clear by now people have been living under a very large rock.

 

Totally agree. Imho customers should start complain a lot more...

 

Its such a bummer when you spend this kind of cash and you get these issues. I sold my gaming rig because im on the go so much and bought one of these. Im not looking forward to returning a brand new computer after waiting a month to receive it. My first time buying alienware and its kind of

Not so much living under a rock as just never had an experience with alienware before. It can be hard to tell if a company just by looking at some forums. Anything bad goes on the internet even if its just 1% of the product but not many people will post online if everything is working properly. I guess ill see when my laptop finally gets here and i can test it out.

 

like 99% of the internet is complaining.

content people rarely say anything.

 

I would say (at best) 2 in 10 brand new Alienware laptops actually arrive in prefect working condition... The rest are lemons with flaws, that often time get an on site technician attempting repairs or a system exchange. Usually takes an average of 2 on site tech visits, and 1-2 system exchanges to get one that works perfectly. When you get a perfect one, cherish the unicorn because what you have is more rare than you can imagine; and usually to get there you are obligated to do your own mods/fixes.

 

"We can't tell you an exact date because of Parts availability, facilities and logistics. Regarding the discount, unfortunately we wouldn't know about that."


So they're already low in stock without even selling a single 1080 model.

It's unacceptable that they can't answer if the discount will be over before the 1080s come out. It would be unfair if I lose out on the discounts because they decided to launch a day after the sale

 

All gaming laptops seem to have issues. Is there one that is relatively "safe to buy" without having to worry about backlight bleed, thermal throttling or uneven core temperatures?
I'm disheartened by my dead Clevo, which was the first gaming laptop that I have owned.

 

I'm still using my 7 year old alienware notebook right now....

 

What about the Prices at the Alienware.com Website. Do you still have to add tax in addition or is it already included?

 

the alienware site just takes me to dell. tax isn't shown.

hopefully the 960 pro has better thermals... it seems to have a plate under the label. I'm not sure if 950 has this.

Also, is anyone able to confirm if ordering the 128 m.2 sata ssd comes with the copper plate "shield"?

 

tax is not included, but im assuming some places dont pay tax

you get 10% off right now tho so thats basically your tax lol

 

So I'm returning my 15 R3 due to temps and I've ordered a 17 R4.

- what bags are you guys using? I'm having trouble finding one that fits

- Is anyone using a cooling pad with theirs?

 

If you go back a few pages I posted a youtube video and a link to amazon that has the bag in the video that the R4 fits in. I don't personally have it, but I think its the bag that I will get when I order mine next week.

 

Sage indeed ... and I'd take it a step further by saying all computer components seem to have issues, at least for *some* poor random soul.

The MSI GS70 Stealth Pro that I still own had CPU (massive) overheat issues; it took me two warranty services to get it fixed ... *many* other users reported overheating issues they never got fixed...

The current GT73VR has bezel issues ...

My Acer XBUxxxx 144hz IPS 1440p monitor had insanely famous quality control issues with crazy numbers of folks going through 2 to 4 exchanges (I went through two before getting a perfect one) ...

The list could go way down the page. Personally, I totally get the angst because just like those who are (face it, it's true) "heart broken" over finding imperfections in some thing they had been longing for, I too have been through it many times. In what? 35 years of obsessing on hardware and software and computers in general? It has *always* been this way...

Personally, this is my first AW machine and I'm impressed as all get out. I've never seen anything put together so well.

(praying that it doesn't break tomorrow)

;-)

I'm using a cooling pad with mine and to great benefit...

It's a modified NXZT Cryo x60 that I've had for over two years now. It didn't work so well with my MSI GS70 as it's intakes are on the top and it has very little venting underneath ... but the bottom of the AW 17 has huge amounts of venting/perforation underneath and I'm finding it drops temps by 4 to 8C depending on work load. Definitely worth it ...

I dremeled out the mesh on mine and put it up on it's "kick stands" ... and it blows like mad. It has four speed settings as well...

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There may well be much better coolers nowadays ... but that thing works damn good ...

...

 

I assume the laptop hangs off the edges a little?

 

Not at all ... it was designed for 17" laptops so the fit is really good and just about perfectly flush ...

I have an older, Cooler Master Notepal U3 that I use when I'm at home and it's also very good. Just as good, if not better than the modded Cryo. Don't let the picture fool you. The fit on my AW17 with the U3 is also perfect ... in fact, there's about an inch in front and back to spare while the left and right sides are perfectly aligned with the edges of the AW ... it's pretty rad cause you can realign all three fans to be directly over the rear bottom mesh part of the chassis. It's also super light and can fit in any bag that the AW 17 can comfortable go in...

You can find this for about $40.00 online ...

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http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834953034

I have one of these that I'm gonna use for my desk as a desktop replacement. Gives you extra usb ports as a bonus


I really like that you can nope the fans on that one however.

 

I've been overclocking desktops for years ... and I just can't help but trying to lower temperatures any way possible ... even if just for experimentation purposes ...

I had these dual 80mm USB fans laying around at my office that I used to put on the top intakes of my GS70 Stealth Pro and realizing the AW 17's air intake points are the grills on the left and right sides of the chassis, I thought I'd just set the fans on edge and let them basically blow straight in to the intakes ...

Mind you .. I don't run like this all the time, my particular AW 17 cools just fine for my usage environments (generally 22C to 23C ambient temps) ... but as mentioned, I just can't help tinkering and testing ...

And man, you wouldn't believe the temp difference this made ... probably about 10C to 15C off load temps and idles dropped crazy too ...

(pardon the grease smudges)



...

Again, not a necessary thing but a fun experiment, anyway ... and hey .. as long as your running in a static position every day as I am? Why not get temps down as low as they can go? Will do nothing but prolong the life of your gear ...

The laptop is elevated a good bit from the cooler it's resting on and so the fans just happened to blow straight in to the intake grills when turned on their side ...

LOL ...

 

what are the bezel issues? i was actually thinking of getting the GT73 because alienware is taking too long to release the 1080.

 

For some users (enough to create online static about it anyway) ... the bezel plastic is pulling away from the actual LCD panel ... apparently, as with most laptops, the bezel plastic is simply held in place by double sided adhesive tape ... some users have actually gone the warranty service route with this issue instead of trying to fix it themselves ...

I looked at one of the GT73VR's at MicroCenter because I could get one with a 1080 GPU, more RAM and a better CPU than the AW 17 for the same price ... but it just seemed so "plasticy" and those red accents on the back, man ... oh, the worst ... they are actually like sort of a red/pinkish chrome ... and after holding the AW 17 and feeling the quality (as well as looking inside it) ... I was happy to go with the less formidable 1070 AW machine as longevity is my concern ...

But otherwise, MSI makes some bangin' gaming machines if you can handle the gaudiness of them ... last years Maxwell releases were much better in the chassis design IMO ...

...

 

i actually have a Cooler Master U3 also.

i also have the old Cryo NZXT LX with the 3x 120mm fans which is perfect for these systems. but they don't make those anymore.

 

id honestly prefer a more sturdy design (which i alyways heard AW was) but looks like AW is having their own problems
Like you said tho seems like every brand is having isolated issues so it makes picking one hard

im partial to the 1080 because i will not upgrade for a while, as little light bleed as possible is a must, and i need a good color gamut 4k screen


xoticps has the msi listed as having a 4k ips monitor with gsync so im guessing its not the B173ZAN01.0 panel with 88% adobe (also has 64gb ram/2x 512gb ssd/1tb hdd/6820HK as stock cpu)

 

What issues with the AW? The only issues I am aware of is the 15 inch models having heat issues due to the heat sink not making proper contact with the CPU.

 

THANKS!

Amazon has it for $35. Looks like the measurements are almost an exact fit!

Now to find a good backpack or messenger bag.

 

there are people who have received 17s with that too

since i need something reliable and thats going to last the "issues" im worried about are: the flex in the screen/light bleed, dell's cheap quality control, poor control of the fans, and just annoyances people have mentioned like their keyboard keys not being put in right (come on now $3000 laptop shouldnt have to exchanged 2 or 3 times to get a good one)

sager, msi, and asus have similar issues but from what i hear

 

Well my 17 must have been a Friday afternoon model then

The screen had the opposite of light bleed the bezel was on so tight there were what looked like pressure marks (dim/bright/dim) along the bottom

The keys well two of them were uneven and twisted and I couldn't snap them off without too much force.

And the 6700hq ran under load with 2 cores at 78 and the other 2 at 92

There enough issues in my book Returned

 

I have just bought aw 17 with QHD from bestbuy and I dont know anything about the warranty and im going to repaste thermal compound the moment I received the laptop with GC EXTREME , so the questions are will it void the warranty ? and are the problem with the pressure of cores happen to me ? or its affect 5% of the laptops ? and is there anymore issues that im not aware of ??

 

Damn it. the QHD models only arrived this week in my country, still no new alienware 13.
And people saying the GTX 1080 model is scarce. I hope I will be able to get the AW 17 with gtx 1080 asap when it releases.