Alienware M17x R4 Pre-Order Configuration Questions... Ask HERE

if would be more than worth the wait.

 

HAHA , all i am hoping now is that someone tells me gtx675m is good enough ~

 

Nope, I'm with them.

680M if you can afford it, otherwise 7970M on budget all the way.

As said, you will not regret waiting a tiny bit longer.. You'll just get a way more beast Alienware!

 

Get the 7970M now! It's worth the long wait.

If you get the 675m you MAY regret it for a lifetime.

 

Your 24 days is nothing compared to the 28 I had to wait for my 680m. I was dying!!!

 

I've been waiting months to be able to place my order now it's been 3 weeks since I made the payment and it's still gonna take maybe 2 weeks to get here lol

 

Or you may not

I've been very happy with mine. Never had to turn a game down and the 120hz + 3D is awesome (IMO).

 

Of course, but I don't think he's getting the 3D screen. In that case it's 7970M hands down

 

Totally, didn't read back far enough

 

Hey guys! IS there a way to get a 4GB 680m on the alienware?

 

Yeah so he MAY probably regret the performance lost since he is not getting the 120hz

 

Agree. More of a future thing though. I would have chosen the AMD on performance figures alone and the 680 was not out when I got my R4. I haven't found a game yet I can't play maxed out (except max AA which kills for very little return)

Only aftermarket - dell have decided to stick with the 2gb version...

 

its not a hardware question. I heard that it took 24 days for dell to deliver the alienware to my frd. If this is ture, i think it is madness.

 

From what I can tell they are all MTO in the same factory in China for worldwide distribution. US (and Canada I believe) have a couple of extra days for the namepates to be added after their arrival in-country. During periods of high demand or parts shortages it a roll of the dice.

The only way to be sure of getting one quick is to use a reseller that has already purchased and offering it 'as-is' on the config (although some of them offer upgrades).

 

Just ordered the r4 !
Only one concern.. Here in Denmark they wouldn't let me choose a matte screen over the glossy. Tbh I'm not sure what I'll be getting
But is there any pros or cons in getting a glossy screen over the matte one? Except in full daylight..

 

Congrats!

The glossy screen is probably the only 'bad' thing I have found. Very subjective, but even in a day-lit room I look back at myself and can see reflections of objects. Nasty, nasty, nasty. I have never seen Dell advertise a matte screen for these machines though

When comparing with my other laptop that has a matte screen the contrast is much better on the AW though

 

Ah okay, guess they will be giving me the glossy one then Well I'm not to concerned about it. But yea. I guess it could be annoying seeing stuff behind you when playing games

I've got a few questions though..

This is the setup I made
Killer wireless
Blueray
Nvidia 680m
i7 3630qm max 3.4ghz.
8Gigs of Ram @ 1600mhz, figured that more wasn't neccesary. But what brand are they using?
And then a 500gb hdd / 7200rpm Seriel-ATA. Again what brand is this?

I will be adding a Samsung 256 ssd probably. Shouldn't be a problem right?

 

Yeah, you get used to it but nobody is sneaking up behind you . If you check out the vids here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/670572-all-alienware-laptop-gaming-videos-thread.html. A couple of them were made by people using vid cams rather than capture software (look for the 'Alienware' at the bottom of the screen). You can see the person playing the game in reflection!

You're right about the amount of memory needed. I'm not sure of what brand I've got but dell typically use different brands depending on the cost/availability to them, so it can change.

My 1gb hdd is Toshiba but the same caveat as above.

No problems with adding an SSD later, a few ways to achieve this, from a complete reinstall to imaging/restore. Depends on your experience and some research on NBR as to which way you go. Well worth the effort and cost!

 

Have till the 15th to decide on this.

M17x r4
I7 340qm
1920x1080 display
4x4gb 1600mhz ram
500gb + 32 gb msata
Gtx 680m
3 years NBD + 3 years accidental damage

Total £1750.50

Worth it?

 

Thanks mate ! My plan was to buy an ssd and have it ready to be installed the moment I get my aw Then just make a fresh install in the ssd , shouldn't be a problem.
Talked to a guy from Dell, he told me they use kingston ram. And that's cool by me hehe..

Now I just need to get through the next 20days lol...

 

lol, the toughest part - you have a plan, now the waiting game begins. You can find like minded souls here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/630192-m17x-order-status-discussion-part-4-a.html, for support

NP with the fresh install. You'll get everything you need to get it up and running and then just updates from dell .

One option you might like to consider is getting a small msata SSD since you intend to upgrade straight away. One guy here did just that and said it was the easiest upgrade he had ever done, and speeds were impressive. Plug it in, turn it on in the driver and hey presto, instant SSD speeds with no re-install at all! This would leave you with a spare bay for a full size SSD later and the cache can stay on the mechanical drive to speed up data access - double win!

Have fun!

 

Unless you are planning to play on multiple external monitors at very high resolution, there is absolutely no reason to get 4GB over 2GB.. no difference whatsoever.

Totally worth it get it!

 

But in the same vein AMD is actually taking concrete steps to fix this, we are actually expecting a fix by next week

 

@ Kyrius (since I can't find the original post!) Unless you want 3D or a 120hz display then the 680m is not worth the large extra cost. Performance figures are similar so for the money it's got to me the 7970m

 

Really now? Well I mean, if you want a good performance + 3D gaming. Shouldn't you be picking up the 680m rather than the 675m?

 

For sure, only cost is the issue there . Didn't see the 675 mentioned in your posted question above. Was just looking at 7970 V 680

 

nVidia 680m.
i7 3610QM.
16GB of RAM (4x4)
120GB Intel 520series SSD
+ 500GB 7200RPM hdd.

Good like that?
Or remove the SSD for a mSata? (I don't really know the difference in performence between the two really). :O

 

Hi, looks very good. Personally, Id drop the SSD for an msata cache drive. Few reasons; performance in real use is very similar (reported by those that have done it); The msata port requires a little dismantling to get to so let them do it; You get a spare bay that is very easy to access and you can add a large SSD later if you so desire at a much lower cost; The cache can stay on the mechanical drive when adding an SSD speeding up data access. Good luck.

HTH

 

So long story short...I bought a decked out R3 (3860qm, 580m, 3D Screen, 16GB Ram, Killer Wireless, etc) from the outlet in February. Had several issues with it so Dell offered to send me a replacement. Cool I thought. Well unfortunately this was right at the time when the R4 was debuting so production of the R3's stopped. Dell instead sent me a brand new R4, however instead of sending me a similar spec'd computer they sent me a similar priced computer. The new computer featured a 7970m and 3610qm processor. I used it for about 2 months but absolutely hated the AMD drivers so I sold it 2 weeks ago. I then I placed an order for a new R4 last week with these specs:

i7 3720QM
GTX-680m
12GB Ram
1080p 3D 120Hz
256 SSD
Intel 2230 Wireless Card
Blu-Ray Drive
1 Year accidental care

All for $2,736 with a $330 Dell Giftcard.

The questions I have about my build are; they just released the 2nd line of 3rd generation i7 processors...are these a big step up over the intial 3rd generation? If so, how much? Also, how much of a difference is the Intel card going to be compared to the Killer card? I chose that because I wanted to wirelessly stream video to my tv, but now after reading through a few post it sounds like Killer is the way to go? Thoughts?

 

Awesome spec dude there's practically no difference between a 3920XM and a 3720QM already.... the CPU doesn't matter at all.. so if there's a new line of ivy bridge, i'm sure that difference will be even more negligible... except if you are a hardcore benchmarker

 

So cuz of the delay of shipping by Dell... I will be receiving my M17x with Windows 8 hmm not ideal but what the heck haha

Aaaand most likely the 3840QM instead of 3820QM because Dell has refreshed and replaced the CPUs with the new line.. and my laptop is shipping end of October so I assume tha'ts how it will be.. Either way 2 things should be upgraded

Edit: And since I'll have it start of next month, there's some time for Win8 to be out before I get it... So maybe right from the start I'll get some updates, bug fixes, better drivers

 

Thanks for the reply on my post. My build just got delayed too! Did a Dell rep tell you you'll be getting the refreshed version and Windows 8? Or did you call and ask for it?

 

np Well I am buying it through Hidevolution.com since Dell doesn't ship to the United Arab Emirates. But the guy running Hidevolution told me that the only option for the coming Alienwares is Win 8 so I was like okay cool

Should get it start of next month.. When should you be getting yours?

 

Hey all you guys with the M17x R4, got a question for you..

Using the laptop on your bed. Temps and is it bad for the laptop? Not gaming however, I have my TV in front of my bed and I always sit and either watch something or play PS3 while I have my laptop next to me to browse the web.

So lets say I'm watching a movie or something, and I just wanna have my M17x R4 there to check youtube, facebook, and stuff... would that be alright? Or should i put it on like a piece of cardboard or some surface to prevent heat or any kind of dust getting in the fans?

Edit: And what about taking the battery out and using it simply plugged in? Some people do that :S Does that affect performance, to what extent? Is that bad for the laptop? Would that extend the life of the battery?

Thanks

 

Hi! Yes you will need at least a board. I use the targus 17 lappad. Perfect for moving it onto my lap. Light and a soft underside covering. Not pretty, just functional .

Taking the battery out is no longer necessary to extend life and no performance gain - but it's lighter for the lap! HTH

 

Does anybody if it's possible to request your laptop with a swedish/finnish qwerty keyboard when ordering from UK.

 

You Swedish or Finnish?

 

I'm Finnish

 

Tervetuloa foorumille

 

Juu päättelin jo nimestä et oot suomalaine But back to business, anybody know if you can request a specific keyboard for your laptop?

 

Have you tried contacting sales over chat or the phone? they might be able to sort something out for you?

 

I'll ask the sales rep if he could arrange it when I place my order. It's not an issue if it's not possible but of course it would be nice to have a Finnish keyboard in the case it can be arranged

 

Good luck, btw make sure you get the best price there should be an automatic discount of £205, plus you should be able to get 10% off and free delivery (£20 off) google those vouchers as they change daily pretty much, plus possible 6% cashback from topcashback too!

If you go through the right link there should be no option to spec the ATI card, but the 680m is £250 option (base price with automatic discount is around £1300 I think).

Just had an online chat about the status of my order, seems there is a shortage of Cases (in black), base and lid are both delaying orders. Might be different for other people though.

 

Hi, I think you're going to have to call sales in your local country. They should be able to specify a different keyboard (as all AW laptops are assembled in the same factory in China) but their internal ordering system may not have it as an option. I sent back my UK ordered M18x when I discovered it had a US keyboard, and was told that was all that was available for that model . Replaced it with an M17x.

Good luck

 

Thanks for the tips, but my only option is the ATI unfortunately as I study computer animation and the 680m is known to be the lesser card when it comes to GPGPU.

 

I wanted to put in a order for an m17x with the following specs:

i7-3840QM
8GB Dual Channel DDR3
2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 660M
500GB 7,200 RPM + 64GB mSATA Caching SSD
17.3-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 120Hz

I wanted to keep everything but the processor at the lowest specs and upgrade them myself (RAM, video card, hard drives). However, I heard it's easier to order a GTX 680M with the laptop than to upgrade it myself. What do you guys think?

 

Hi, it's a fairly easy job to replace the video card, just a little fiddly making sure you paste/pad it correctly. It is probably a better financial decision to go with the 680 since the price will be the difference between the 660m and the 680m (which is stupidly expensive atm). And you get a machine that can fully use the 3D maxed out in today's games

Unless you intend to use the machine for hardcore multi-thread applications I'd advise saving on the processor instead. No need for top-of-the-range CPU for gaming!

 

Thanks for the reply Micky. The reason /i wanted to go with the best processor option was to futureproof the m17x a bit. But you're saying the difference between the processors is not worth the price difference? What would you recommend as the best cpu to choose then? I'm in Canada, so my options are the i73630, i73740 (+$150) and i7 3840 (+350).

 

Harroo .... i wanna ask what config will be a r3 and r4?

 

You're welcome.

From what I see here and my own experience the price hike to the top processor is based more on the 'I want' syndrome rather than the extra it gives you. I always go for the one down from the top. Not very scientific I know but on a cost/benefit basis it works for me . I only got the one in this machine as a freebie from Dell after a few problems. Getting the 3720 and the 680 should be close to a wash on the price?

IMO, you're already getting a laptop that is as futureproof as you can hope for, with very easy dissambly and a company that allows you to replace parts without voiding the warranty.

Oh yeah, in case you don't know (and dell do not advertise this), going for the 120hz display means that you can only use Nvidia cards and the integrated GPU (intel) is disabled. A BIG plus for me as I don't care about the extra hour or so of battery life, along with none of the problems I see here almost daily with GPU switching. Dell finally added the option to turn off the iGPU in their latest bios release. Dell do not add these things fo the hell of it and it's probably so that their techs can turn it off for trouble shooting!

Good luck - the 3D is awesome!