*OFFICIAL* Alienware Area-51M R2 Owner's Lounge

Wow, so not even a 30 series GPU? That's kinda frustrating....

 

That's actually a good thing. Those laptop 3000 series are actually a downgrade from the 2080 Super. Keep in mind those can only go up to 165W while 2080's is about 35w higher. Nvidia dropped the ball on the current laptop 3000 series and we need some 200w+ variants to make it worthwhile.

 

The 165w 3080 in my GE76 could break 14K timespy graphics easy and match desktop 2080ti performance, still a nice upgrade from a 200w 2080 super, with it also having better RT cores and less power. I'm wondering what this X series is from alienware that is being announced may 11. Maybe we will see some 200+ watt 3080s ?

 

That's great, but will they even make a 30 series GPU for this?

 

Depends on how you look at it. No upgradability is bad. Second... With more performance with less power consumption the Unified heatsink in the R2 would let the Cpu have some more respite. Same for the Area-51M R1. + the newer graphics cards will have higher boost clocks with much lower temps.

Most likely Thinner models and with Tiger lake.

Edit.
ASUS to unveil its Intel Tiger Lake-H laptops on May 11th

 

Yes an upgrade in benchmark like timespy but not an upgrade in FPS while gaming. The 2080S 200W often deliver more FPS in games compare to the 3080 165W depending on the game.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...cale-on-laptops.834039/page-138#post-11083777
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/acer-predator-helios-700-2021

 

.

 

I expect the results would change with +1440P. And temps would drop substantial vs 200W cards. Aka bigger chance for a higher boost. +3080 ain't a 1080P card. But yeah, still crippled

Edit. Time Spy is 1440P https://benchmarks.ul.com/3dmark

 

Ok brother please explain to me because i don't have the knowledge you have.

So for 1080p the 2080s vs 3080 will perform almost the same in game at 1080p but at 1440p (and i guess anything up) then then 3080 would take the lead. Is that it? but why?
Hum....i am lost now. This is out of my league, i am just a rookie when it comes to this technical details. LOL.

edit: ok i just read correctly. The timespy benchmark is done at 1440p so the reason why 3080 performs better is because it's at 1440 vs firestrike that is at 1080P. This would mean that the 3080 laptop cards are better performer at higher resolutions......but still why is that? Hum....i wish i would understand that. lol.

 

Not so easy to explain. But the review in Pcmag is done with weaker processors. And the test was 1080P.

Here is some info. i'm sure you'll find more on the web

"Higher resolutions always tend to put core-heavy GPUs to work better, but they also minimize other system's bottlenecks"


https://www.techspot.com/review/2110-nvidia-rtx-2080-1440p-gaming-bottleneck/

 

Very interesting thank you.

I just read it but honestly.....i only understood half of it
But clearly the new gen cards are much better performer for higher resolutions. !440P an up!

Thank you for the link and info!

 

It boil down to the game used in the tests, resolutions, architecture and the Cpu used. Even a mix of all together. And of course the benchmark differences


And again this doesn't put the new High end mobile in so much better lights. They are crippled at birth!

 

Sorry to necro, but I am looking for confirmation of the 51m r2's Thunderbolt performance for eGPU usage. Is the thunderbolt port connected directly to the CPU or is it connected to the PCH? your comment implies CPU.

It would be ideal to see some CUDA-Z performance metrics fom anyone who has an eGPU dock to check it is getting the full 4x lanes from the CPU.

 

The direct connection to CPU was only made possible in Tiger Lake /11th gen, right? Defo the connection is via PCH.

 

I think an R3 with a 165w 3080 would be a very slight improvement on the 200w 2080S, but not enough to justify the cost difference. If it were 200w and a solid 15-20% improvement on FPS and ran cooler I would say absolutely. I don't think we will see that though. Personally I'm glad I didn't listen to all the haters saying wait for the R3 that may not happen.

 

I guess i'll find out in a few weeks.

 

I'm glad i didn't wait too. I was in two minds but what with there being no R3 and the lackluster 30xx parts and rocket lake the R2 looks better than ever.

 

R2 is amazing. I only wish it ran a bit cooler out of the box.

 

A bit of Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition on the A51m R2, FPS and temps; I tell you ... I haven't even been using my 9900K/1080ti desktop at all of late; running both of my 1440p monitors off of the Area 51 R2 for the past month LOL ... didn't think raytracing would impress me so much but it has. And frankly, the 10700K feels a good bit more snappy in every day use than my 9900K desktop machine:

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition - 2560x1440 (external monitor via mini display port to display port)
Ultra grafix setting / Ultra Raytracing / Raytraced reflections / DLSS: "Balanced" / VRS: "Off"
10700K @ 5.0ghz
2070 Super +150 Core, +100 Memory
1440p external monitor

...

(view on the 1440p setting full screen for best view of temps/fps stats)





...

My poor 9900K desktop is sulking in the closet LOL ... LG 27GL850 1440p IPS on left and Acer XB270HU 1440p IPS on right ... can never figure out which I want to play on ... the LG is running on HDMI and for some reason I can't get it past 100hz, possibly a cable issue but the Acer does 144hz via display port but I had to spend about $40 on a special cable to get that. Acer gets the most play time...





...

 

LG 27GL850 cannot run 144hz on HDMI. You should run it through DP if you want to use full potential of it (144hz + hdr10 you should use miniDP -> DP 1.4 cable). If you want only 144hz - miniDP -> DP 1.2 is enough. I have the same monitor, which I use with miniDP to DP 1.4 and have no issues.

 

The Area 51m has only one DP and one HDMI so had to make a choice as to which monitor to run the display port on. The Acer is true full G Sync so using the Displayport with it for full 144hz ... the LG is only G Sync compatible so decided to use the lower Hz HDMI cable with it ...

Think a USB C to Displayport cable would work for the LG? Just thought of that ...

BTW: b.kolev ... I just created a custom resolution with Nvidia control panel and the LG is now running at 144hz over the HDMI 2.0 cable ... still no HDR but cool to get 144hz :

 

dango. That looks promising...

 

Wow! Thank you for the info! Will try that too!

 

given the thickness and the cooling system,the performance and temperature should not be at the top! I suppose it's their model for office automation!

 

Liquid metal and more fans would be great if the models weren't so thin and shrunk down. If they did that in a A51m chassis it would be great but i have a sneaking suspicion that the A51m didn't sell as well as they hoped and is now discontinued for the BGA thin and light soldered throw away e-waste.

 

I agree ... I vastly prefer the chassis design of the Area 51m R2 ... I find it to be a bit of genius industrial design ... and the tear down to get to CPU/GPU for replacing or repasting is really quite easy. It's the only high end gaming laptop I've ever owned that never throttles...

 

Further update to my case, Dell is not willing to replace my system (which I prefer) and only willing to provide a full refund. This has been dragged on for about a month now and this is the only resolution they can give me...

 

The same thing happened to me, in the end I accepted the return, since I never had a response from the exchange team, and when I received a response they had equipment in stock, but I decided to refund ...... I advise you to insist, if you want to continue with your area 51. I for my part will build a desktop

 

According to Dell, 100C is fine. Its an issue with all their intel laptops now (not sure about M15 R5). Even other manufacturers are making laptops that generally thermal throttle. Macbook Pro 16 used to thermal throttle so much that I couldn't even keep its base clock speeds, let alone boost clocks.

 

It's because the manufacturers and intel push the idea that the boost clocks are opportunistic and should be only maintained for short periods so 100'c is fine. But nobody wants an experience where the game or app is giving inconsistent performance all the time due to boosting then throttling.

 

Great! Congratulations, take the money and run!

Honestly for all of us with R1,R2 and valid warranty, this is what is coming for us. As soon as our system breaks= Replace for a M17 or refund since they have no parts availabable.(refund is better if the purchase is recent)
My system is stating to show some issue: It does a pre-boot support assist system scan every new day at first boot. It detects CPU fan failure (very annoying) and after that everything is fine, untill next day. If i call Dell with this issue, they won't be able to fix it and i will end up with M17R4, R5,R6 etc....I am just waiting to call them that they officially annonce that AREA 51M has reach it's EOL.

 

So sad it's come to this!!

 

that's really the suxor. And I bought a 3 year extended warranty. I'd hate to end up with an m17 toaster oven.

 

You might end up with the new X17 that they are announcing on June 1st since R6 won't be out until Summer in US.

https://www.engadget.com/dell-alienware-x-series-laptops-exotic-cooling-110043070.html

 

Good for you that you took extended warranty. It's really sad that the Area 51M won't survive. In the past 5 years that 's the only laptop i was able to game on (after some repaste and tweaks) without worrying about temps and thermal throttling.
I really don't care if my laptops give me good score on benchmarks. What i want is a relatively cool system i can game on without worrying about BSOD, thermal throttlings, overheating. The new thin design will not be good for gaming,. Good for look and benchmark...i don't care.

 

ok, so Dell pulled the advertising for the R2 from its main page, you have to actually go to the sales page now to get to it. I'm hoping they aren't EOL'ing it seeing as i JUST got mine back in February.

 

I am sorry for you but i am pretty sure Dell is EOL the Area 51m.

 

ya, i need to get the 2080S upgrade before they do. last i checked they had refurbs in stock.

 

Hey guys-
I’ve owned an R1 for just over a year. It’s a 9900k and 2080 model. It had some issues when I first received it that required a motherboard, panel, cpu and heatsink swap. it’s serving me well now and no issues with thermals

my question is - dell are discounting the r2 just now and given that these seem to going EOL- disappointingly - is it worth a purchase of a fully specced out R2 now?

I’ve seen the announcement of the ultra thin X series but unsure if these will actually be the next upgrade I’m looking for.

 

No the R2 isn't worth the cost to upgrade over the R1.

 

From what I see on Alienware.com, there is no way at this time to get a fully specs out R2 if you're talking on the CPU and GPU front. A couple of factors seem to come into play here: 1) worldwide chip shortages 2) the possible EOL of the line(would wait on an official announcement on this though).

 

I still love my 51M R2 and I’ll rock it til it’s time for another option due to game quality. But I couldn’t help but think of Alienware when I was driving through Roswell, NM today. With the EOL of the AGA, 51M, upgradable ram, etc I think this should be Alienware’s new billboard for the enthusiast!

 

You get R2 with all specs in other countries. Nvidia is also very happy if the OEMs can buy up everything of the old Turing silicon. Lack of options in U.S could also mean that Dell want to push harder for their thinner models with 3000 series cards in their main market.

 

I am seriously considering selling this laptop with 2 years warranty left. Not only Area 51 seems to have reach it's EOL (end of life) but worst is that Dell appears not to keep spare parts for this laptop. Considering R2 didn't sell much i doubt if i ever need a GPU (DGFF i think) as a replacement i will ever be able to purchase one, even from other sellers.

So what is worst then a broken laptop?....An UNREPAIRABLE laptop.

But i have been looking at all other options today and last few weeks. I even looked for Desktop. I live in Canada and i don't know if it's the same for every country but Delll appears to be the only manufacturer that you can configure your laptop with the specs you want. MSI, Lenovo, Asus' Clevo etc....they are all either too expensive or do not offer an easy way to purchase their product.

I believe dell sells a lot of laptops because of how easy it is to configure a set up on their website. Other manufacturers are miles away from dell when it comes to sells strategy.
For example, Lenovo Legion was the one i was looking for.....they are still offering RTX 20xx in Canada. What kind of company is that?

As bad Alienware has been in their decision making + lies to their customer in the past years and months....could it be they are the less worst option rignt now????
If yes then that is really sad because Dell don't deserve me giving them more of my money.

 

last i checked they had refurbed parts in stock.

 

No I own two R2's
Don't bother wait till November. The announcements should be around then.

 

guys I have an area 51m R1 and I already replaced three motherboards. in the last motherboard some mosfets burned , I replaced them myself and the motherboard lasted for another 3 months and it burned them again. Now I paid 418 euros to purchase a new warranty from dell because it was expired and I couldn't find any new motherboard from eBay or aliexpress at a lower price. As much as I love this system (mainly because of the ability to recognize 128GB ram) I am thinking to sell it as I am sure problems will appear again and get something more recent with the RTX 30 series but I can't find any laptop with 4 DIMM slots. The R2 has only two and it's not possible to install 128GB ram. Is there any other new laptop from alienware that can support 128GB ram?

 

Unfortunately, no mate, not even the R2 can.
What are you using the System for? Post pictures if you have any please of the motherboard. Interested to see.
I think the lacking power stages were changed in the R2 but 64 gig max.