*OFFICIAL* Alienware X Series Owners Lounge and Discussion

Better then the service manual. They were taken at higher res but site limitations prevented uploads that high. From what I can see their seems to be enough room for the SSD you showed earlier. Those standoffs are at best at least 1 mm high.

 

Awesome. I really appreciate you taking the time to gather those high-res pictures of the slots/SSDs. It for sure looks like there may be hope for double sided SSD's, though it would be close. Thanks!

 

My Curiosity got the best of me plus I don't like unfinished business. And your welcome

 

360hz model with advanced optimus or connected to external screen?

 

360 Hz model, advanced optimus disabled in bios. Screen has very good motion clarity in UFO test, however it is not the brightest and has not the best colour accuracy. Would have taken the 4k version if it had an option to disable optimus.

 

Thanks for your reply. I have the 4K version and it has the best Laptop screen I have ever seen. I can not go with 1080p on 17" anymore

I really really hope that Alienware will drop a BIOS Update for the 4K version soon. It would be nice do disable optimus in BIOS. Unfortunately nobody knows if this will ever happen. I get no response from Alienware regarding MUX switch is available for 4K version. Nevertheless with G.Skill CL18 RAM and a bit of OC I get very good scores even with internal display and optimus enabled. But as everyone knows optimus holds back the true power of the device

 

So G. SKILL actually works at CL18? That's cool. What's the improvement in TimeSpy score?

 

My Kingston value RAM runs 3466 at CL22 and not CL24, as reported by some. AW control center even shows CL21, but HWInfo says CL22. Wonder if a CL18 3200 Kit would boost performance.

 

Just a side note, I think AWCC does not show the correct timings of the RAM.

The CL18 RAM boostet my CPU score to 11500 Points in TimeSpy. With the original XMP RAM I got 10.000 points.

As mentioned earlier in this thread: You need to lower your Windows resolution to 1080P before 3DMark benchmarking. There seems to be something wrong with TimeSpy and 4K Windows resolution. (at least with internal display)

 

Wow. Thanks for sharing, obviously something is very wrong with this 4K config.

 

Yeah I was also very confused what was going on. First I though the low CPU score is because of Optimus. Then I figured out the stuff with the resolution.

X17 with G.Skill RAM CL18 RAM:

Benchmark with 4K Windows resolution: 10.000 CPU Score
Benchmark with 1080P Windows resolution: 11.500 CPU Score

X17 with ADATA 3466Mhz XMP RAM CL24 RAM:

Benchmark with 4K Windows resolution: 8.500 CPU Score
Benchmark with 1080P Windows resolution: 10.000 CPU Score

It only seems to affect 3DMark workloads. Cinebench was fine for me all the time, regardless of the Windows resolution

 

Cinebench R20/R23 don't really stress the GPU so would be unaffected (the old R15 has an OpenGL test).

8500 TS score is basically a 90W 2080 level result, with Optimus.

 

I was talking about CPU not GPU

GPU score is 13.500 points with external display
GPU score is 12.500 points witrh internal display

 

I was referirng to your "Cinebench was fine for me all the time, regardless of the Windows resolution". Cinebench wouldn't be affected by the resolution.
When you say it's fine, do you mean that none of the cores hit 100C and thus throttle? What's the score?

 

Could it be that your ADATA 3466 MHz RAM is x16?? I also have the 3466 MHz RAM, but mine is from Kingston.

They also use different fans. Some units come with Sunon and some with FCN, some have even a mix of SUNON and FCN fans. My understanding was always SUNON Maglev fans are amongst the best one can get.

 

I have repasted with LM on GPU and CPU. I do not reach 100C anymore. I guess my best score was 5800 - 5900 points in CBR21

 

Would you be able to send a link from where you bought the G.Skill ram from please?

 

The larger fans in the front are Sunon and the smaller ones are FCN. The smaller ones are not something I've seen in any other laptop which is probably why they aren't Sunon.

 

From an engineering standpoint it makes since that it would support the faster DDR4 3200 CL18 and potentially CL16 ram because it supports DDR4 3467. The other laptops which didn't support it were pigeonholed by CPU limitations. A lot of negativity about the X series but why I chose it over the older 10th gen series is because Dell puts so many limitations on it's BIOS in terms of performance. To be fair the 11th gen CPU's are only rated for DDR4 3200 so it's a wonder that Dell allows for the faster RAM. Also now that I've had the chance to open it up I can say that their is a lot of room for airflow. As I said before, the thinness was exaggerated. Yes it's thin but were talking millimeters in size differences not centimeters compared to much older laptops I've used in the past. Another thing I really like which I wasn't sure about is the keyboard. Not necessarily the layout because I think the enter key is to low and I keep hitting the backsplash key by mistake, but typing on it. I could care less about mechanical keyboards because this isn't the 80's and I'm not overly nostalgic for the IBM PC keyboards. But on the other hand I can remember walking into the IBM PC store as a 13yo and mom who was an IBM employee dropping $1300 for an IBM PCjr for me. That was 1984 so with inflation $1300 then is $3300 today. But I remember how impressive those big IBM PC XT's and AT's looked way back when. But the X17 keyboard alone is a reason to chose it over the X15. IMHO. The trackpad is also very impressive. And I can't stand trackpads.

 

Based on what we know so far there are quite a few clear negatives about the x17:

* Something's wrong with the performance of Optimus models
* Inverted motherboard makes maintenance more difficult
* The keyboard layout is not great
* Somewhat limited I/O
* Slow RAM supplied (thankfully it can be replaced, unlike in the m17 R2-4)
* Stock vBiOS not true 150W+15W
* Element 31 more of a marketing gimmick compared to LM, and probably even a top traditional paste like Phobya.
* Yes, it has SODIMMs again, but only two - got to make space for those extra fans I guess, only needed because slimness trumps other considerations

Then we have the abysmal x15 with soldered RAM, limited TGP, and castrated I/O.

Sure if you compare these machines with archaic laptop models, not to mention a 1984 IBM XT, you will be in a happy place, but in the present reality the annoying shortcomings are still there.

Even more annoying is the fact that they seem to have nerfed or EOLed other product lines to make this look better...

 

I just went with Legion 7i largely due to the strange performance- mostly Dell's fault for skipping MUX on the good display options after closely looking at both. Alas no notebookcheck review of the X17 yet with hard numbers on every detail. A 3080 really needs more than FHD, so the 360hz display being the only real option with MUX and G sync is really disappointing unless someone is just a competitive overwatch/siege player but then a 3080 isn't needed at all. It is almost like intentionally poor decisions were made (as usual with Alienware) to save Dell a few bucks here and there. 4K 17 inch 144hz G sync screens do exist- some Clevo resellers use them. Legion's QHD is G sync, MUX, 165hz, 450-500 nit, 1:1200 contrast and most of them easily hit 13k Timespy. Dell lacks G sync on 4K, the performance without MUX resultingly is a 10-20% hit to 3070 levels unless using external display. Clearly the X17 can perform like it is supposed to if it hadn't been handicapped. An X17 with 4K 144hz G sync with reliable 13k Timespy and RAM that doesn't immediately need to be replaced from the factory would clearly be a big winner.

Also, why Dell doesn't just make M51r3 with 180W+ 3080 also makes no sense... They are Dell- they are big enough to go to Nvidia and demand a higher TDP, or fix it in the vBios themselves. I had M17R4 in the past and surely many here remember the VRAM overheating microstutter debacle... AW always manages to shoot itself in the foot.

 

I did mention that I keep hitting the backsplash key instead of enter. I also replaced the stock RAM. I do like grizzly paste but from experience no manufacturers are good at application. Thinking about how bad Nvidia applied it to my old Titan Xp's when I was removing them in place of water blocks. For I/O I don't know what your looking for because it's far better then say Apple laptops. That is nitpicking. Same can be said about the motherboard layout because I had no issues getting inside and replacing RAM and SSD. I actually liked the layout because it was easy. If your replacing paste then fine but most average people won't be. Also not sure if you saw my post but their is a lot of airflow compared to what I was expecting and the overwhelming negativity on this thread from people who hadn't even seen it but relying on youtube videos for evaluation. As an experienced PC builder and programmer I can say hands down that it's positives outweigh the negatives. I've used and worked on far worse.

 

Well, the x17 definitively is not perfect, but is not a bad product. At least IMO.
I'm liking it and I'll keep it.

 

We are not comparing with Apple, but with other AW models and competing laptops in this class.

The inverted motherboard layout is primarily a concern in relation to repasting, although it's true that some laptops are even worse in that the mobo needs to be removed to gain access to RAM or SSD. That is rare though.

The negativity is well justified and supported by very clear rationale, which does not require direct experience to validate.

Personally, I'd be in the market for a 15 inch model, and the x15 is a disgrace.

 

I'd also like to add that the power brick is the largest I've ever seen. Any larger and it would have been unmanageable. I dread the cost for it's eventual replacement because Dell power bricks are not known for reliability. In fact the tiny one I have for my latitude is the longest running brick I've ever used from Dell at over 3 years. That much wattage with the Alienware combined with plugging/unplugging will be interesting to see it's longevity. And direct experience to validate? Are you serious? That's a BS comment and I know BS because I'm a Texan.

 

And this is an owners thread so to anyone who isn't an owner, interested in becoming an owner, or a member of the peanut gallery I say grab your energy drinks and kick rocks. Nobody likes a critic.

 

Legion 16 is about the size of a 15 as the screen to body ratio and overall weight are pretty amazing. I'm a fan of the G15 advantage even with the terrible LM job and cheapo RAM- unbelievable performance potential for a $1500 laptop. Regardless, I think the X17 as usual is a pretty laptop from AW, and their collab with cherrryMX has the potential to result in the best laptop keyboard ever. I just think there are major mistakes in screen choices/MUX here that completely derail what it could have been and they lost me as a customer this gen as a result. I/O and KB layout are more minor complaints for most but AW used to be awesome at providing plenty of every type of port.

Also to those saying get out if you aren't an owner- I always, always read these threads closely to figure out what I should buy each generation so I think discussing major flaws is very important.

 

No arguments but remember the words shoulda, coulda, woulda, Alienware also use to not be owned by Dell, and nobody can screw up a product faster then a giant corporation or government entity.

 

The problem with that is the message you are sending to Dell is not "hardly a perfect product, but will keep it". You've voted with your wallet for this thin and (hardly) light strategy, so they assume you are all-in. Don't be surprised to see more Apple/Razer style dumbing down the next generation.

Please tell me which item on my list requires direct experience to validate. This isn't bull riding...

Exactly right.

 

can you tell us in more detail what this problem is? how it manifests itself. I have an m17r4 and sometimes it loses the external screen before restarting

 

First and foremost the X17 comes with 2 PCIe gen 4x4 M.2 slots contrary to the service manual and nobody mentioning that anywhere. I already posted enough about that detail. And also makes the X17 a true unrestricted boot RAID platform. Had I not stuck a Samsung 980 pro in that slot I'd never know. And crickets on that. So that was one thing which made the Asus laptop a potential better alternative.

 

Interesting, but to be fair, SSDs weren't on my list of concerns. Frankly an SSD RAID is a bit pointless, and you probably won't be able to use Samsung software for your 980 Pros in RAID mode.

 

The 980 pro's don't use Samsung drivers, they use Microsoft standard NVMe drivers. They won't even allow you to install the Samsung driver. And the only Samsung software that they work with is Magician which only allows firmware updates and benchmarking. They work with RST but when I set up my X17 in the BIOS after a clean install of Windows, I set it up for individual drives. So unless I want to reinstall Windows again, which I don't, I can't install RST unless it's changed in the BIOS for RAID. After spending like 3 hours installing 500 GB of software from my Steam account, I don't wish to repeat the process anytime soon.

 

Should have said AW 17R4, not M17R4* (1080, 2016). Great naming schemes...

 

Maybe it doesn't translate well from Japan or whatever Asian country determines that.

 

No Samsung AHCI driver for the 980 Pro yet? Huh, that could explain the poor random performance as noted by bro @Papusan earlier. See here: https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/jh1bb3/comment/glm1p67/

Anyway, what what will Magician say about your drives when the controller is in RAID rather than AHCI mode? (Magician also enables health monitoring BTW)

 

Magician does not recognize the drives in RAID but that is nothing new. I have been RAID'ing Samsung SSD's since the 950 pro's for M.2, and beyond that with their SATA3 drives. CrystalDiskInfo and HDiNFO sees them in RAID and also monitors health.

 

Today I got a call from Dell rep asking to resolve my missing X17 issue. Talk about day late and a dollar short. Like the short kid waiting for the bully to get beaten up by someone stronger, then throws in a punch after he's unconscious and laying on the ground.

 

Finally, got my Alienware X17 today.

Specs:
Display: 4k 500nit 100% Adobe RGB
CPU: i7-11800H
GPU: RTX 3080
Memory: 16GBx2 3200Mhz CL22 2Rx8 Kingston HyperX-HX432S20IBK2/32
Disk: 2x1TB SK-Hynix Gold P31

Here are some Time Spy and Fire Strike benchmarks with no overclock on the GPU or CPU. The only thing I did was apply a mild undervolt of 62.5mV on the CPU Core and Cache. Benchmarks were done on the internal display and fans were maxed out running on Thermal Mode: Full Speed in AWCC and Power Mode: High Performance. Thermal paste is still stock and ambient temps were ~29C

Nvidia Control Panel Settings:
1. Open the Nvidia control panel.
2. Select the adjust image settings with preview menu.
3. Select "Use my preference emphasizing" and set it to performance.
4. Apply the settings then goto the manage 3d settings menu, and set "Texture filtering - Quality" to High Performance from Quality, and disable Vertical Sync.

Ref: Nvidia Control Panel settings for 3DMark Benchmarks - EVGA Forums

Remark: The above settings, apart from the undervolt, is how I standardize all my benchmarks. My room is a bit hot at the moment. Normally, I would run these benchmarks when the ambient temps are ~21-22C, but today it is ~29C. My air conditioner is off because it's triggering my allergies.

Time Spy Link: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (notebook) video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-11800H,Alienware Alienware x17 R1 (3dmark.com)

Fire Strike Link: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (notebook) video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-11800H,Alienware Alienware x17 R1 (3dmark.com)

 

Cooking on those temps though at 73C for TS and 70C for FS. Great scores but at the risk of shortening the lifespan of your silicon. What are your GPU drivers?

 

You are right the temps are a bit hot especially for these relatively light workloads. But keep in mind my ambient temps are higher than usual at ~29C and I am still running it with the stock thermal paste. I have not repasted it yet.

 

I forgot I had this because it's been so long since I ran TS other then my X17 but this was in 2017. My record for TS and after I broke 1900 I stopped.

 

Ok I lied but not on purpose. I found this one which must of been my record for TS.

 

My all time best FS taken in 2017.

 

Has anyone ever conclusively proven this beyond theoretical concerns? We've had years of laptop silicon baking in the 90s C during routine gaming from a variety of manufacturers, including a lot of alienware models, and you'd honestly be hard pressed to find a single manufacturer today that won't have these temps WITHOUT a skilled LM repaste, AC down to 68F, and a laptop cooler with 6 fans. Sparing the 10lb Clevos of course with 12 heat pipes. Also not including the top 10% of people that win the silicon lottery and know how to take advantage of it.

 

Bought it from eBay. Here is the complete name:
G.Skill Ripjaws 32GB DDR4 3200MHz SO-DIMM F4-3200C18D-32GRS

 

I’m sorry if this has been asked before. Does the x17 support double sided NVMe drives?