*OFFICIAL* Alienware Area-51M R1 Owner's Lounge

It will be interesting to see, if and when, there is a notebook 3080 or 3090 how much NVIDIA gimps and clock-blocks it. What they did to RTX mobile was even more of a sin and a crime than what they did to castrate the desktop GPUs. It's unfortunately pathetic and unacceptable. But, MXM is always a win over BGA and proprietary modular crap. (Proprietary is never a good thing IMHO. That always sucks because it keeps you tethered to a brand.)

 

That would be an interesting design for sure. If you don't mind 4 power bricks

 

That's a nice summary. I did not realize the Clevo had such an elaborate audio system. Sounds impressive.

The only point I would question is Dell "driver support" being a win. I don't know (and I hope not for the sake of Clevo buyers) if Clevo is going to be reliant on Micro$lop $tore filth like Dell is with AWCC, but that is a highly damning "feature" that would make me want to deliberately avoid a product. It's a major strike against the Alienware beast and it will be a massive black eye for Clevo if they demonstrate similar stupidity and incompetence by tethering functionality to any piece of UWP digital feces.

 

Well we gotta give Clevo that, they don't rely on UWP filth but their driver updates are the worst I've seen in my life.

You go to their site, go to your laptop model, then you'll be looking for Audio Driver for example, so you hit CTRL + F and enter Audio, you'll see it in a huge list of drivers, you download it thinking it's the latest, but oh wait, there is a newer one at the bottom, ok I'll grab that, but oh no there's an even newer one in the middle of the screen like who the heck organized this mess? That is part one, part two is they stop updating drivers fairly quickly for a certain model and just abandon it altogether. Point 3 is their super slow servers.

 

I live by this motto... "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". And this have never failed me Btw.... I see you steal drivers from newer models. Both for AW and Msi.

 

When they do something idiotic and evil like that they basically hold you hostage like a puppet on a string and that is absolutely unacceptable. On that basis, I say any company that takes this approach is run by losers that don't give a damn about their products or the people that buy them.

I have always been of the opinion that driver support does not matter. It is not important to update drivers unless something is broken. The only drivers that need to be updated are GPU drivers, and then only for games bugs. Otherwise, no need to update them either. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Even so, that whole concept is like chasing leprechauns and unicorns. It only works if you are really into drinking the Redmond Mafia's Kool-Aid.

I almost always download my after-release drivers directly from the hardware manufacturer web site, or a third-party resource like win-raid forums or station-drivers, so i wouldn't care if Dell, Clevo or anyone else keeps their drivers current. It only seems to matter when they are inordinately reliant on Micro$lop $tore feces, which is in turn reliant on keeping the OS loaded up with their most current and unstable malware updates.

 

LoL. I was replying on my phone and saw this when I refreshed the page. You took the words right out of my mouth. This is wisdom. Chasing new drivers and firmware is folly. If you are looking for trouble, updating a stable system is an excellent way to find it.

 

I couldn't have said that better.

 

Whats the difference in DGFF and MXM in term of port? Can a third party build GPUs for Alienware Area51m?

 

Here's a link in case you haven't spotted this thread yet - http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/official-alienware-area-51m-r2-owners-lounge.832848/ (as mentioned by @Spartan@HIDevolution )

 

MXM is an open standard. You get the specs of the port to plug into, the pin-out for data, power, etc. I think even where the mounting holes are placed as well. As long as the card is built to the spec, the laptop motherboard is accepting of any card that is designed for that exact spec.

In regards to DGFF, I guess a third party could try to reverse engineer a DGFF card for a given model (figure out the port size, pin-outs, mount holes), but there's no guarantee that if you do reverse engineer it they may have something built into the BIOS or vBIOS that one missed while reverse engineering, a change in generation to generation or some other gotcha you just didn't know. Afterall, the "D" in DGFF stands for "DELL." And as far as I've ever seen is not an open specification.

 

I imagine this would be quite expensive to reverse engineer and then produce for probably a VERY small amount they would make back. Whoever took this on might get some back on their investment, but probably mostly from people who have out of warranty GPU failures. I just don't see it being a very profitable thing to take on. Add to that I don't know what the legalities of reverse engineering and selling a proprietary piece of equipment like this is and maybe they just don't want a legal headache.

 

But how do you run newer games that require a new driver?

 

Dell's drivers are not THAT old. I've never had a game not work because it needed a newer driver but if you do then you have no choice but to upgrade and lose some performance and/or stability.

 

I Bought 2 kits when they were $1500 Brand new. I can sell my 2nd to you. PM me!

 

And, it's not that often that you are FORCED to install a newer driver to play a specific game. That does happen once in a while. Some will nag you when launching the game. Just because a specific driver version is "recommended" doesn't mean you need to install it or pay attention to the recommendation. Sometimes it's easier for a product developer to recommend that everyone do something to address an issue that not everyone encounters. Let's call that the "shotgun method" to product support. So, even then the best approach is to try the driver you are already using. If the game works fine just keep using that same driver and blow off the recommendation. The best driver to use for anything is the stable driver you are already using.

 

Good perspective........

 

I fell asleep after watching his video for 60 seconds....

 

LOL. Stephen is ok. I dont think his perspective on Ampere GPUs in the next generation of notebooks is to far fetched. With the specs Nvidia put out its going to be extremely difficult to cool a RTX 3080 in a notebook. Expecially with a 10900K in a shared heatsink design by Dell/Alienware or Clevo. Nvidia is going to have to cut down on CUDA cores and other things to make it work. However, they still have to make the RTX 3080 strong enough for enthusiasts to buy it.

 

Can I have a reply to previous post please?

 

I added my thoughts on this here.... http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/how-will-ampere-scale-on-laptops.834039/page-2#post-11045006

Maybe jump into the bed earlier every evening

Nope. Same chips means they can charge max (People expect same chips. In same way as they have done with Turing). Same for Max-Q vs Max-P. No need to cut down on CUDA cores. Just cap clock speed/TGP. Remember all could bench at the same clock speed with 2080 Max-P. Almost all could run up to 2100MHz and be benchmark winners No losers, LOOL

 

Which SSD? You are going to need to specify....yes you can put SSD's in the R1. You can add up to 3 SSD's, two M.2 SSD's and 1 2.5'' SSD. Size wise you can go to 2tb for sure, but someone tried putting a 4tb in the R2 I believe and it didn't work. I think people were saying that the ports may not supply enough power, but i don't know for sure.

See above answer, you can have up to 3.

According to the XMG website it's either 2666 or 3200. I assume for the video they were probably shipped 3200mhz but they don't say so we will probably never know. Being that they maxed the system out in every other way, it stands to reason it was probably 3200mhz.

 

Samsung Pro disks is for professional usage. Evo is the consumer variant. PRO doesn't rely on SLC write caching so it can maintain its write speed far longer than the EVO (see hard usage). Don't look you blind on fancy numbers. Second, the rated write endurance of the PRO is twice that of the EVO.

I expect this depends on the ssd brand and power specs. Up to 8TB for M.2 and 4TB for 2.5 slot as in the customization for R1... https://www.hidevolution.com/custom...4hz-g-sync-tobii-i9-9900k-rtx-2080-black.html

 

I probably should have specified, the discussion I saw was in regards to the M.2 slots in particular. Thanks for clarifying.

 

Appreciate the responses for R1

So two Samsung Pro 1TB M2. sticks
and a Samsung Pro SSD 2.5(size?) would be the fastest combo up install?

Also my year of Dell warranty is up but buying on credit card.....I believe I get an extra year warranty via the "credit card conditions".

So I think I'm on 1.10 and by this video I could go to 1.5 BIOS?
Now if I have done the updates would I need to re-install 200w Vbios?
When after doing this turning off the BIOS update and uninstalling Dell supportassist..... do I then need to do something with Dell ACC software to get access to 87 degree option?

I know it's been mentioned in thread but need an updated refresh please.

 

Well, if dell says no then we get a no :C

You think we can start a petition? So if they are making one for R3 , hope its compatible with R1 & R2.

God I miss the old alienware .

 

We can say "no" too, with our wallets!

 

I guess one could try, but :

a) Alienware / Dell has now come out and said Area 51m will only be good for upgrades on the generation of components when it was released. For example, the intel 10900K will never go into an Area 51m R1.

b) Based on what's been leaked / released to the public for Desktop Ampere GPUs, I'm not sure it will even be technically possible if there is an increased amount of power / heat dissipation that may be required.

In other words, even with of a petition of greater than 90% of current Area 51m R1 owners, my guess is the Area 51m R1 is most likely not going to see these GPUs.

 

I think its been asked but I can't find the response..... Is it likely that the 3080 will fit into the Alienware Graphics Amp and is there likely to be a significant performance degradation over the same GPU being installed in a desktop?

 

they grabbed our money be the @ss , note sure what we can do next.

 

As Dubya famously shared with the world: fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice shame on you

 

We can do only one thing: don't buy they laptops. This is the only way to sign them that this way is wrong.

 

Depends on the card.... http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/alienware-m15-r3-wish-list.832156/page-5#post-10998603


And I would be sceptical to the PSU Dell have put in if you think about a 3090. If I remember correctly, the AGA's 460W PSU is rated to provide up to 375W for the GPU. A PSU going into hardware heaven can also push your graphics card over the edge and into same hot place

 

Ah the old Alienware graphics amplifier dremel edition.

 

Again can I have some answers please.

From previous Page questions

PLANTONE, post: 11045055,

 

People here aren't your personal tech support, you aren't entitled to answers to your questions. If you bothered to ask nicely people would be more inclined to help you.

The answers to your questions have been answered many times over in this thread just search for them.

 

So I think I'm on 1.10 and by this video I could go to 1.5 BIOS?​

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yes, you can safely downgrade, make sure you don't power off your laptop when it auto restart. ​

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Now if I have done the updates would I need to re-install 200w Vbios?​

You can install any Vbios you want, 180W & 200 W are good to go, these are nvidia bios, nothing to do with intel /Dell bios. ​

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When after doing this turning off the BIOS update and uninstalling Dell supportassist..... do I then need to do something with Dell ACC software to get access to 87 degree option?​

You need to disable bios recovery in bios, as for ACC you need to replace "profile.zip" to be able to control temp slider. ​

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ratchetnclank.... not sure how to ask nicer and be more clear and direct in the question?

Thankyou Devil Hunter.
Is the 200W Vbios the best to have?

Where is the ACC "replace" profile.zip FILE as I read people having issues getting it to stay locked in....ie. restart and old file loaded.

No need to disable/delete Dell support assist?

Any other tips and tricks please and can we have a wiki somewhere please on getting the best settings on this laptop.

 

It's here: Guide: How to unlock the GPU Thermal Limit Slider in Alienware Command Center

 

My rtx2080, even after replacing thermal paste (GC Extreme / Grizzly / other) and cleaning the cooling system, heats up by 78-82 during Time Spy (VBIOS 200). Is this the norm?

 

I'm thinking on starting afresh and re-installing Windows. Should I leave my 2 x 1TB M.2 SSDs in raid? I was thinking having a full 1TB just for Windows was a waste?

 

i genuinely think you are this typ of person that can't get it done by yourself..

If you want answers so badly search for them instead of being so bossy, whats wrong with you.

 

You can create an 100/200GB OS partition included most used software. Then make an storage/software partition of rest of the disk(minus OP). Use the second 1TB ssd drive for storage or games if thats what you have on you computer. None say you have to waste the whole ssd space on windows Raid 0 for increased performance from todays NVMe drives is almost none existence. Raid 0 is mostly only useful for making a huge single partition. With single drive setup you're more flexible.

 

Also SSD 2 on my area 51m runs hot compare to SSD 1. Having windows installed only on SSD 1 (next to the battery) will make ssd to run cooler i think. This will be my next move when i get tired of windows 2004 and decide to also reinstall without raid0.

 

This should be offset by running Raid 0. With ssd's running in Raid 0, the load is spread on both ssd controllers simultaneous. Aka the ssd's could potentially run colder. But not a big advantage if you can install the OS on a ssd longer away from heatsources.

 

Just finding it hard to find the latest and best advice.... to the simple questions I ask...... as Bios and ACC updates frequent.

 

What dont you understand with downgrade to 1.5, install 200w vbios, block bios for updates.. and enjoy your laptop what the hell do you still need to know ? And no aint nobody going to make a wiki page for this thing.. try to do some effort and learn to search

 

All the guides are on the forum, you just need to read. but here:

DISCLAIMER: Do this on your own risk, I am not responsible if you brick your laptop

Force downgrade Alienware Area-51m Bios (or any Alienware) to locked lower versions

Note: The USB Flash Disk must be formatted as FAT not FAT32

Area-51m BIOS / VBIOS Collection (mirrors)


Here is what I recommend:


a) Uninstall Alienware Update AKA Dell Update and Dell SupportAssist otherwise they will keep nagging you to update your BIOS.


b) Flash the BIOS using the Recovery USB which you created using the guide I showed you above.


c) Immediately head into BIOS and make sure you disable Firmware Capsule Updates in the Security tab otherwise Windows will immediately upgrade your BIOS!


d) Once you're back in Windows, reflash the same 1.5.0 BIOS again but in Windows, I had to do that last time as I was getting weird behavior (I can't remember what exactly but once you have flashed 1.5.0 in recovery mode, you will be able to flash 1.5.0 again through Windows since you're not technically downgrading anymore you are just reinstalling the same BIOS) so do that to ensure the BIOS is 100% flashed correctly.


e) The moment the BIOS is flashed, go back into BIOS and load setup defaults then save and exit (from the last tab in the BIOS)


f) Now enter BIOS again, set your battery from Adaptive to Custom and tell it to start charge at 50% and stop charge at 90%. This will ensure the battery is never over charged and will thus prolong its life.


g) In the 2nd tab in the BIOS, I recommend turning OFF Power Share as that will drain your battery if your laptop had a USB device that needs power overnight (such as an external HDD or Game Pad)


h) While you're in the BIOS, ensure that Firmware Capsule updates are OFF






Guide: How to unlock the GPU Thermal Limit Slider in Alienware Command Center

 

that's the normal temp for nvidia gpus for 10 years at least.

If you are unhappy with these temp, try to set fan profile to performance or Full Speed or lower GPU frequency to 1500Mhz.

 

I'd be thrilled to stay within a range of 78-82 consistently

The 2070 on the R1 pretty much stays here but strays out now and then. Definitely not a problem at that temperature range...