AW17 R2 scrapbook (Dell products in freefall)

Regretfully, 6 months ago, I chose to purchase a fully specced AW17 R1 which has never worked. Dell have replaced the M/B and GTX880M graphics card but say it now needs another replacement graphics card ...only they don't have any. So, they finally agreed to replace the machine ...except they don't have any R1's available due to the missing graphics cards, I suppose. For this reason they offered me the new R2 version.

On the surface it looks good as it comes with the GTX 980m card however, one cannot help but notice the missing Alienware FX lighting from the sides, the drop from 8 GB of graphic memory to only 4 GB maximum, the drop from 32 GB maximum RAM to 16 GB, and higher pricing.

When I received their exchange proposition I freaked out because the new machine was vastly inferior. Apparently, it isn't that they have reduced the performance options, but that they made a decision to reduce the laptop's size to that of a notebook (hence why I call it a scrapbook). This slimming down of the machine meant that they removed the extra bay for an additional SSD and removed 2 memory bays making the maximum possible only 2x 8 GB. 3D support is no longer possible and the machine doesn't even have any USB 3.1 ports. The DVD drive has been removed and is now supplied as an external peripheral which will use up one of your USB ports.

They have also done away with the 18" version so SLI performance is a thing of the past. In fact, it appears they are banking on keeping up their gaming reputation with their new graphics amplifier.

I shuddered at the position I had been left in and the sales person agreed with me. Finally, she admitted, "we have had quite a few problems with the R1 and almost every customer faced with the offer of a replacement R2 has refused instead accepting a refund." She went on to advise me to "take your time in making a decision. If you want to accept the R2 we won't be able to refund you the difference but you can keep the extra memory and SSD you paid for. Alternatively, you can get a full refund and either buy a different brand or wait to see if Dell makes any improvements to the Alienware range in the future."

It's all too easy to see why Alienware die-hards are bailing out but I wonder what would be a better machine to buy now?

The MSI GT80 looks excellent and proves that Alienware have gone down the wrong path but MSI products are off the shelf and you cannot purchase them as you want them. I live in France and work in Italian but I'm English. This means I need an Italian keyboard and Windows in English. Not possible from MSI. "You live in France so you must have a French O/S and a French AZERTY keyboard." We're talking about a machine that costs almost 6000 euros (well over $6000) and the retailers selling them can't be assed to order a keyboard nor reinstall Windows! WTF kind of service is that?

So, I think I will opt for the refund and hopefully get some good advice on what would be a good gaming rig to replace it with.

 

What happened to the GPU ? I had mine replaced as well & that was a month ago ... It's very weird that they told you they don't have any

 

They replaced the first one about 6 to 7 weeks ago. It's only since the last 3 weeks they have been out of stock. Don't forget I'm in France so it may be different where you are.

The machine won't boot. Windows has been reinstalled 3 times and all works as it should until the drivers are installed. Through a process of elimination we discovered that the problem came about once the Nvidia graphics driver was installed. They conclude it must be the graphics card that's causing it. They may be right but I have serious doubts.

Anyway, if your machine works correctly, count yourself one of the lucky ones that didn't get swindled by the new R2. My guess is that the R2's will seriously depreciate in value. If the R3 addresses the low performance then that will exacerbate the issue.

 

I like my r1, just too bad r2 nothing interesting is upgreadable.. my next one will be a clevo.
But i wanted to say that you can have 32gb ram, a company developed a ddr3l at 16gb but it cost actually 300$ for one.

 

Hi man, I feel your pain. At least you can get your money back. A lot of suppliers would keep having you send it in for repairs.

The R2 is not an alienware in anything but name. I was about to buy one just to see but they messed me around with the order, which was a good thing. They started to arrive and long story short, it's a hybrid machine with an underpowered PSU that is supplemented with the battery (when it works). I cancelled .

Look at the sager/clevo I went with in my sig. An awesome machine, everything I wanted from alienware and only missing the flashy branding . Eurocom have a repair depot in the UK and probably have a contracted repair facility in mainland EU, maybe ask them?

Who know, either dell will dump AW by letting it die on the vine, or invest and give the 'old crew' what they want? We can only hope, I'd return in a year or so if they come up with the goods.

Edit: Just to add the eurocom configurator had all the language and keyboard options, and they will build you a 'special' if it's not an option, but possible.

 

My apologies for the problems you've faced with the whole exchange.
I wish there was something else we could do about that R1.
We will definitely take the feedback for the future R3.

 

Me and quite a few other people just LOLED at this... I'll believe it when I see it...

 

Just take the R1, fix its issues, and boom - R3. Provide support for your older machines (update the freaking BIOS so we can install the new GPUs without having to resort to tweaks/hacks).

The R1 is a fantastic machine in terms of build quality, looks, sturdiness...Stays cool and quiet, the lid is probably the most solid and premium lid I have ever encountered. Two screws and the entire bottom hatch slides off, with easy access to most components.

Why did you go all cheapo with plastic, rather than the awesome metal/aluminum build of the R1? With thinness comes heat and noise - what was that all about? Leave thin "gaming" laptops to MSI and Gigabyte, since they have plenty of experience making machines that overheat and throttle.

Your only saving grace is that while the new machines are crap compared to the old ones (having had both a R1 and R2, I can definitely comment on this with some authority) they are still better than most of what your competitors are producing (especially in terms of build quality/materials and support/warranty). But your advantage is slowly dwindling. Lenovo is now offering a warranty that includes on-site support. MSI is coming out with machines like the GT80. Clevo is upping their game in terms of build quality, and offering machines like the P770ZM with a MXM GPU and a desktop CPU.

Rant rant rant...

 

This man deserves a medal