*OFFICIAL* Alienware 14 Owner's Lounge Thread

cheers. having 2 cards is new to me. should I be optimus or discrete?

 

Kind of up to you. If you value battery life at all, be on optimus. I generally leave mine on optimus unless there is a game that runs better on discrete (for me Max Payne 3 will only run in DX11 on discrete)

N

 

thanks nyceis i'll see how i get on

wonder if I can get some help on this. logging into the dell support website apparently there are 15 drivers and downloads waiting for me relating to my service tag. should I just go ahead and install all? there are 2 updates for my graphics cards it seems

 

I am going to give you my thoughts on this. I just got mine 2 weeks ago and have the same 15 or 17 updates. When I received my R1 two years ago it was the same thing. I downloaded all the drivers which caused a host of problems. My sound card stopped working, FX was all screwed up etc. If it is only optional or recommended and the drivers I currently have are meeting my needs I don't bother. This is with the exception of nvidia drivers, intel graphic drivers, and Bios. I update them as soon as they come out and have never had a problem. I also avoid sleep and hibernation mode at all cost, they just cause cause all sorts of issues. My 14's seem to want to go to bed at the end of the day, i.e. shutdown, as opposed to be suspended in a partial dream and waking up like they just had a nightmare.

 

Has anyone tried these yet?

GeForce 326.80 Beta:
GeForce 326.80 Beta Drivers: Ready For Tom Clancy

 

I've been running them since yesterday morning with no issues.

 

ok so heres the deal, the alienware technitian came to replace the keyboard for a new one (first one had squeky enter key) for another faulty keyboard ... but I guess I only realized it after he left.
Got another email from dell saying they have none in the warehouse, and will be a prolonged wait for another one.
1) the technition guy was amazing, super nice and helpful guy ! I like him
2) the people on the phone know pretty much nothing about the laptop (the help line) neither did they wanna gimme new opne
so I went to the shop I bought it from to see if they change it for me, which they did! yay
the new laptop is SO MUCH BETTER!
1) sound is so much better than first, weird hey?
2) keyboard is perfect
but subwoofer doesn't work on this one, neither did it work on the first one .... which I finally have to say, it don't really care so much about anymore
there is no fix for this yet no?
what is fwrong with the quality control at alienware is my question???

 

thanks for the reply except for the graphic card updates, i'll take your advice and probably leave the others until i notice any problems and then see about updating.

now regarding the nvidia update i'm a little confused. in my taskbar i have 'nvidia settings' with an update available that will take me from 311.48 to 320.49. but on the dell website it says the update available to me is 311.48





should i update to 320.49 and in future always update the nvidia card via the nvidia settings icon? and for the intel update always via the dell website?

 

I can only give my opinion. I only update the driver that Dell has on their site as it's the one authorized by Dell and have worked fine for me. The ones on the Geforce site are I believe beta drivers and are not authorized by Dell. Many here use these drivers with success and a few have had problems. You can always update to these drivers and if you have issues you can roll back the driver to your present one. I currently have the 311.48 and don't see a need to update but maybe some others who have updated to the 320.49 will offer their opinions if they notice a performance enhancement with the newer driver.

 

Anyone happen to know how to convert a msata cache into a storage partition?

Changed my default HDD into SSD so don't need cache anymore.

I can't see the msata drive in disk management, but can be seen in BIOS and Intel RST software (with a yellow exclamation mark)

Thanks!

 

Just received mine xD so far so good, everything works fine. Updated to A04 bios and trying it right now

 

Is the fan audible for anyone else? Just sitting here I can hear the fan whirring quite distinctly. I actually think it is more quiet when the fans start kicking in higher.

 

Received my system today. Very impressed with the build quality. The screen is flawless, and I am impressed with its brightness. Not dim at all. The panel is LGD03EA. The colors are probably fine if not exceptional for a WLED display. But, coming from a Dell L502X with a B+RGLED display, I can't help but notice the difference and feel a bit sad. It's like going from an immaculate home with freshly-painted walls to a home that people have been smoking in for years and where everything is somewhat yellowed because of it.

Edit: After having used it for a couple hours, I've already gotten used to the less saturated colors. I also found options for more saturation if desired, although this display doesn't really pull it off that well, so I'm keeping it at default. I definitely think the screen is exceptional, though. Possibly as good as you can get outside of retina or B+RG or RGBLED territory. I'm especially pleased at still not having found any dead or stuck pixels. Normally, there's one to several on any new display I get.

Sound leaves a lot to be desired, but I don't really care as long as I have headphones. There is very little bass. I feel slight vibrations under the palm rest, but I can't tell if that's from a subwoofer or not.

Another problem I'm having is with trying to update to the latest WHQL NVIDIA driver. Every time I run the updater, it gives me a compatibility error. Compatible hardware not found. Like I downloaded the wrong driver, but I didn't. Went to the device manager to confirm that it's a 765M, and it is. It simply won't update the driver. Currently at 311.48, trying to go to 320.49.

Finally, as with every new machine I get, I do plan on performing a clean install. Does anyone have any words of caution while doing so or recommendations for software to reinstall afterwards?

 

I recieved my pkextor m5m mSata 256gb today.
Did a clean indtall. Only issue I had was the nic's have an error on installation because they wanted the framework stuff updated. But you can't updte framework because the nic's don't work

 

Isn't the 320.49 driver problematic?
I would suggest you to stick with the stock driver
The latest beta is 326.80, but 326.41 driver of my rig crashed yesterday....I downgraded to the stock one

 

My other system has been using 320.49 since its July 1 release without issue. But whether version A or B is problematic doesn't matter. It won't let me upgrade to anything. "NVIDIA Installer cannot continue: This graphics driver could not find compatible graphics hardware."

 

oops sorry, it was another one which is problematic...yeah I wasn't able to install this "stable" release as well...this is a well-known bug
But you may get these beta drivers working, since they worked for mine

 

Yes I'd like to know the answer to this one too!

Yes the fan constantly whirs. However, I just switched my HDD for an 840 evo and ever since, when I am just browsing the web or typing on word, the fans make no audible sound whatsoever. I think they are off. Actually the entire laptop makes no noise. Really nice
Also ever since installing the SSD my laptop is no longer constantly warm and is in fact cool under casual use. So I definitely recommend an SSD upgrade!

 

i was speaking with alienware support (not dell) yesterday regarding various questions i had. one of the questions was should i go with 320.49 gpu update or stick with the stock 311.48? the guy suggested it was 'always worth' going with the updates on the dell website as these are dell/alienware certified.

if anyone has questions i really recommmend giving alienware support a call or tweet. much more of a satisfactory outcome on the 2 calls i have had with them

 

Bought my Alienware 14 today (what's with the repeated name change?). Bought it retail at a PC fair since the spec options for me are limited anyway (no win7, only 8) and the spec is identical to what I customzed it to online: CPU: i7 4800MQ instead of the 4700; RAM: 16 GB instead of 8. Really wish it had the GTX 770M or 780M as an option. Also, couldn't wait the 7-14 days they may take to deliver it coz my old M17x came to a bitter end last week...2 months after the warranty expired, thought I had it till next year.

Just done same bare setup so that I can get started with it - formatting it and installing Win7. I've downloaded all the drivers from Product Support for Alienware 14 | Dell US. Looking for the install order (yes, I'll search).

Trying to get some more info on the 750 GB HDD + 64 GB SSD work. Is there a way to select what goes on the SSD or is it always and only the OS?

Ran Furmark and got an avg of 15 FPS. It showed that GPU2 (which I don't have) is running throttled -400MHz. How do I reliably check this? in nv control panel?

Was trying to create a Rescue disk but AW Rescue says it can't see my external portable drive, which I can browse in explorer. They don't give the win8 install cd like they do for the M17x? AW 'Respawn' asks for a USB key. Thought my portable should suffice.

PS: the space bar is a bit squeaky, hopefully that will go with use.

 

Thanks for the comment. I have a short return period but was definitely planning on getting an SSD... would be great if this solves the problem. Was going to get an MSATA but if replacing the main drive fixes the fan issue then I can just get a large main drive.

 

I concur with the SSD. I have a 256 SSD in my 14 and the fan never comes on while surfing or even viewing a blu-ray disc. It only comes on when gaming and when I updated my Bios. I do not find the fan offensive at all, it is just not that loud or anoying to me when it does activate.

 

Guys, I'm having a problem with the Bluetooth technology of the Killer 1202 wireless card. My Bluetooth headset (Rocketfish RF-MAB2) cuts out occasionally even while I'm right in front of the computer. Trying to play a game makes things even worse. Audio is delayed by a full second or more. Signal strength to the device alternates between 4 and 5 bars.

I've been using Bluetooth and these headphones with other laptops for years without issue. Has anyone else with the Killer card been having Bluetooth problems?

 

Also, I still have not figured out why the NVIDIA drivers won't update. I just performed a clean install, and I cannot get any NVIDIA drivers whatsoever, either from Dell or NVIDIA itself, due to incompatibility. Does anyone else have this issue?

Starting to think I got a dud. Would be a shame because the screen is great and is usually what I'm most worried about. But if NVIDIA doesn't think I have a bloody NVIDIA GPU, and if the NIC keeps crapping out, what am I to do?

 

I believe NONE of us can get the 320.49 driver working. It is a common bug and not your particular problem. Get the latest 326.80 beta driver or keep the stock

 

see my post above. alienware themselves suggest sticking with the stock drivers

Nexus 4 via Tapatalk 2

 

guys I'm running the latest A04 BIOS. if I factory reset using respawn do I then need to reflash the A04 again or does respawn not affect the BIOS at all?

Nexus 4 via Tapatalk 2

 

No reflash, bios is perm. Hit fn+f5 then reboot and try to run the dell nvidia driver again

 

thanks for that. is it always recommended to update to the latest bios when they are released? guy at alienware tech support advised speaking with them to see if it was necessary for each individual service tag. he also appeared to suggest that flashing too many times could damage the motherboard. does that sound like good advice?

 

I always hold update latest bios while listen from user's feedback.
I do not want to be an "white mouse" in that test .

 

Delllienware is always going to recommend sticking with their certified drivers simply because they've "tested" them. Nvidia drivers in particular I always go with the latest beta. The past two have run splendidly.

Odds are that the version that's currently posted on the 14's downloads page will be the same version 3 years from now because, based on their track record, they're not going to bother testing drivers any further.

 

Okay, I successfully installed the latest beta driver. I know you guys had said there were problems with the latest WHQL, but I was thinking that none of the drivers were working because GeForce Experience wasn't working, either. Turns out I was just being an idiot. Although it is odd that my other laptop was just fine with 320.49. Anyway, problem solved.

I am still having Bluetooth and wireless hiccups, but I'll get in touch with Dell and see if they can't send me a replacement card. I already got the latest driver for that, as well.

 

So anyone tried it ?

 

I'm on A04 for a week.
No issues so far.

 

I put A04 on the day it came out. No issues for me..

 

So I don't know if it's the game itself or my wireless card. But when I play borderlands 2 online, I'm running in the game, and it skips ahead. Like a jump in movement. This doesn't happen offline. I never had this problem with my Alienware 14 r2. I tried stock version and beta Nvidia drivers, I reset router, and reinstalled Broadcom Driver. I don't know what the problem is. It doesn't perform like the killer 1202 Like I had in the previous model. I wanted to know if others are experiencing anything like this?

 

I'm having trouble getting the 14 to wake from sleep via my external usb mouse and keyboard. I was wondering if anyone could check their bios under advanced setting for a "USB Wake" option. The user manual indicates that there should be one, but mine doesn't have such a setting. I'm running A04. If you could list your bios version and whether or not that option is present, that'd be super helpful, thanks!

 

Well its safe to say that the Alienware M14x R3 is reasonable at word processing and other simple computational tasks, but really it does poorly when it comes to playing any serious games.

I have the m14x r3 with a 4900mq - 16gb ram and the ...... 765m GPU which is ....so bad.
Coming from my modest pc with a 3930k stock... 6gb of c7 ram at 1600mhz fsb and a Gtx Titan card...

The Alienware M14X R3 plays Farcry 3 like its on a playstation 2...In fact the game looks so crap it is unplayable....there are textures and reflections and effects the 765 just cant draw and when it does its a slide show. why they bothered giving the 765m card 2GB of memory no one knows...you name your favourite FPs and the m14x R3 does it really badly.

If your playing basic Strategy games like minesweeper and chess its fine but dont even consider anything less that a 770 m if you want to actually have an experience comparable to a ....well i was going to say a modest pc but really its not... its the GPU in the M14x R3.. its just ...really underpowered..

The 770m was a more pertinent design choice to include in the m14x R3 as the GPU upgrade... with the 765m as a bare minimum spec.. seriously Alienware come on this thing was outdated before you released it... Why not give it a GPU worthy of the 4900MQ processor it comes with ??....talk about a BOTTLENECK.

The M!4x R3 at its current design spec max is not really a games machine..more of a glorified web surfing machine \ free to play machine, windows games machine, which will handle "some" games CURRENTLY available.. however you can completely FORGET ALL NEXT GEN GAMES ON THE M14x R3 in its current guise.. ie titanfall ...witcher..and others less intensive etc

FORGET ALL GPU INTENSIVE FPSHOOTERS ON A M!4x R3 THAT ARE AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW..ie CRYSIS 1 or 3, Farcry3 .untill they rebuild the M14x R3 with a faster GPU.

Granted It looks nice and the colored lights are really pretty.. but it is completely inadequate for what its advertised as being able to do... even at its TOP SPEC which I have and am typing on right now.

The sound is really very poor compared with the M14x R2 and yes there is no "sub woofer" if it could be appropriately called that. they said it would be better but the sound is NOT and its easy to hear.

Speaking for myself It would have been a better choice to purchase a M17X

The 765m is a pitiful excuse for a graphics card

Hope this helps others who are wondering if the m14x R3 can handle what Alienware claims it can...because it can't.

 

for those of you who got Nvidia 326.80 working - how did you install it? Mine keeps giving an error....

Perhaps I need to switch to discrete mode first?

 

I played BioShock Infinite at 1080/low with a bloody 540M.
With the 765M, I am playing at 1080/high (some ultra) completely smoothly.
Unless you demand maxed-to-the-max settings at all times (which some people do), the 765M is fine.

 

Driver from the website. Nothing special.

It wouldn't let me install 320.49, though.

 

18fps - 22 fps on the simple parts of BioInfinte set on hi 1080 is not much to brag about buddy, The xbox 360 can do that.

 

Putting words and numbers into my mouth (or at my fingertips, in this case), stating falsehoods, and generally condescending is only going to make you appear trollish.

I said that the game in 1080 at high/ultra is completely smooth, even during the most intense combat situations. I couldn't tell you what the exact framerate is as I don't have a counter, but 18-22 is not smooth.
I'm not bragging about anything. I don't buy systems for other people's impressions. I'm only refuting that the 765M is "pitiful."
The Xbox 360 runs the game at 720p and no, cannot do what you claim.

If you really want to help people in making a decision, simply refer them to notebookcheck. There are extensive lists of benchmarks for the 765M or pretty much any other mobile GPU.

 

You're doing it wrong.

Sell your 14 and go troll elsewhere.

 

Thanks for now I've reverted back to dell default drivers from 326.41 beta. Was crashing my game and wouldn't recognise my HDMI monitor every now and then.

 

Incorrect. Go to the bios by pressing F2 on startup and you get the option to keep the track pad light on.

 

Just installed them over the ones that came from Dell. They worked right away.

 

I just got the base 750m as I wasn't convinced the 765m was $150 stronger, especially since I'm only looking at games that are at least 3-4 years old.

The 750m has been plenty for me. Quite honestly I think expecting top of the line gameplay from a 765m is unreasonable, but if its paper specs pull that far ahead in actual usage, its plenty for a 14" laptop.

 

Your right, It can only get better from here

 

Someone knows what can you plug there?

Sent via Tapatalk 2 via Sony Xperia S