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

Well if you won't use too much of the hard drive then go for the 750GB, if you'll need more than that then go for the 1TB

Well personally I would say your friend doesn't know anything.

But I would get a second opinion from someone here on the forums

 

So should I just cop this bad boy as I planned tommorw?...I really can't wait nemore I've been busting my and saving up for a long time...just want to make the right move..ill be pretty mis if I purchase 2mmrw and 3 weeks later the price is 3-400 bills lower..if yes then what's the most I should pay I've been hearing $1465 I was quoted is 2 high..as far as mods and upgrades I have a close friend who's vp marketing at newegg so ill be getting 65% off on parts

 

In my opinion you should totally buy it asap... even if a new 'something' comes out next year it doesn't matter. RAM isn't gonna get faster, Hard Drives will be the same, CPU's already don't matter they're already too powerful, the m17x GPU's can max everything out already (7970m or 680m)... and the M17x chassis itself won't change.

And almost everything is super easy and cheap to upgrade aftermarket... so yeah get it, and then next year or something upgrade the graphics card if you really must

 

Yea thanks I'm gonna just buy tommorw..what's the most I should pay for the stock config...

 

Don't know, just make sure you get either the 680M or the 7970M. I would suggest the 680M if you can budget it, but the 7970M is equal in performance but not as expensive. Definitely don't get the 660M.

To reduce the price, a lot of people call them and can haggle for a small discount.

 

Thanks guys. if nothing comes out from AW on the MX front, I will pull the trigger next week with 680M. At least I will have the machine for Xmas For once, I can own the fastest single card for a Xmas

 

Doesn't the MX draw more power, I think the gtx 680m is 100W TDP and the gx 680mx is 125W TDP I think ?

 

I'm seeing 122W in my searches. Either way the R3 MMX is out, but what is the max TDP
on the R4 MMX slot?

 

You don't even understand. For 6 months I researched everything about graphics, graphics cards, overclocking, SSDs, all games, watched gameplay videos of the 680M, watched unboxings, reviews......

No matter how you think you prepare yourself. When you get it you'll be blown away by how it is 100x better and more awesome than you could have even imagined to expect good luck on a speedy delivery

 

You mean MXM 3.0b slot? Aren't they supposed to be 100W? Anything higher would be unstable???

 

Are both HDD bay/slots SATA 3 or SATA 2?

 

Both are SATA 3.

 

Yes, (MXM not MMX - doh!) that is what I thought, dell will not use one higher than 100W since they are already concerned about the heat generated...

 

The brick is 240W so I doubt they will go for anything higher than 100W. I believe because the maximum power a MXM 3.0 can draw is 100W. Correct me if I'm wrong though. So that's why I'm pretty skeptical about the 680MX on our M17x unless Dell wants to underclock it ( that would be pointless ).

 

And imagine it in the M18x. SLI 680MX + XM CPU = 300w+

Not to mention other components..

 

Hey guys, any idea when 670MX or 675MX cards will be available for m17x>?

If I do get the gtx 660m now to save some cash, will i still be able to upgrade the gpu in the future in case i want to get a gtx 680m or a 670mx or 675mx?

 

Ok, i'm shopping for a new gaming laptop. I truly love the look of the 17x. It has many of the features that i happen to be in the market for.

Up to now i have only messed with the options on the dell-AW website and this is what i have managed.

Spoiler

Alienware M17X R4 Alienware M17X R4 with Soft Touch
Operating System Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
Processor 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3630QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
Memory 6GB (1 X 2GB, 1 X 4GB) Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
Keyboard English Keyboard
Display Panels 17.3-inch WideHD+ 1600 x 900 60Hz WLED
Video Card 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 660M
Hard Drive 500GB 7,200 RPM SATA 3Gb/s
Hinge Up Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish
Adobe Reader Acrobat SW Adobe Acrobat X Reader
Optical Driver Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Audio Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di with THX TruStudio Pro Software
Wireless Networking Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming & Video and Bluetooth 4.0
Adapter Alienware M17x 180W A/C Adapter
Documentation Alienware Documentation
Office Productivity Software Microsoft® Office trial
Shipping Material Shipping Material - Black
Security Software No Anti-Virus Software Selected
Additional Software Additional Software
Primary Battery 90WHr 9-Cell Primary Battery
Hardware Support Services 1 Year Mission Critical Support
Complete Care 1 Year Accidental Damage Service

But a few of the questions i have.

How easy are upgrades if i decide to change something.
For example i plan on switching the 2gig ram out for another 4 gig Stick.
What if down the road i wanted to upgrade the video card.

How is the reliability.

How much (if any) Bloatware should i be prepared to removed.
(silly programs manufacturers put in to help less proficient users)


I am looking at a final tag of 1836.60 at the moment via the website.
That's using the 50$ coupon and some 35.36$ special that i am not sure where i pulled up. Possibly a student discount. but i might have a better discount through work.
And i am hoping that black Friday or cyber Monday will reveal a deal sealer combined with some attempted haggling by calling and finishing the order.
Have anyone seen preemptive black Friday deals?

 

Self upgrade on the R4 is quite simple. The bottom panel slides off with a simple removal of the battery pack and about 2 screws.
Usually the ram is right underneath this panel (sometimes it may be on top right underneath the keyboard area which is a bit trickier to get to but manageable nonetheless.
I was a bit scared at first but there are plenty of video tutorials and even the manual is pretty detailed. I say with a bit of caution and a steady hand you'll be fine.
Get a grounding strap that goes over your wrist for extra precautions if you'd like as well haha.

Bloatware? I'd say there's next to none in that regards so no worries there. Dell/Alienware did really well keeping everything functional.

Wish you luck on your blackfriday hunt. I have no experience with that so I'm afraid I can't help there.
Cheers!

 

Please oh pleases upgrade the 900p screen to 1080p. The 900p screen screen quality lacks vivid colors and contrast and uses a poor quality panel compared to the 1080p where it actually covers 100% of SRGB and has better contrast ratio and brightness.

 

I call it bloatware, generally what ii call anything unnecessary.

Some other computer examples,
HP's support assistant (starts on bootup hogs system resources to tell you what any number of other programs can tell you in moments. Attempts to flash bio's on its own.)

I had a Compaq that had some annoying programs preinstalled that liked to start on startup. annoying to remove from the on startup list and uninstall.


Another side question. Is it worth it to go windows 8 or should i later down the road pick up a spare HD and set it up for dual boot (either/or)?

I considered it. but im already stretching my budget. I am keeping in mind the thought of upgrading it later. i just bookmarked a thread a few slots down that talked about upgrading the screen.

 

If you upgrade it now, it costs like 100 bucks. If you wait, you will have to pay around $120-200 and you would have to do it all by yourself. I would say try to compromise as much as possible, call the Dell rep and haggle. I'm sure you can lower it down quite a bit.

If you look up the R4 owner manual or tear apart tutorial, you can see how easy to replace stuff. If your R4 comes with 6Gb ram, it takes you 2 screws to remove the bottom and replace the ram. The video card is about 2 bottom screws, 3 fan screws and 2 screws to remove the card + heat sink. That's pretty much everything. Very simple.

The bloatware my M17x came with is the Mcafee, if you ever consider it to be one. The easiest way is to install a flesh W7 right when you first use it .

Hope it helps.

 

I see nearly 150 on the website. which puts it out of my willing to go range at the moment unless the Black Friday deals are good.

What about the W8 upgrade is it worth it yet?

 

Running windows 8 right now, no major issues, no OSD display but windows 8 has its own ones anyways.

 

Learn to haggle. If you are a smooth talker that is polite and humble, you will usually get a 10-20% discount on your total customization.

 

from what ive read they are pretty difficult to haggle with at the moment. im hoping that its due to a decent black friday special. and im not horribly great at haggling.

 

Quick question from UK:

Is £2675.84 a good deal for the followings:
- i7 3740
- Windows® 7 Home Premium (64 BIT) (3D issue with OS8??)
- GTX 675M (680m out of stock! fermi vs kepler... i know 675m is just a 580m)
- 8192MB (2x4GB)
- 512GB SSD
- 17.3" 120Hz w/ 3D Bundle
- Stealth Black – 3D Compatible (wanted Red, AW should be fun & colorful)
- BluRay, Killer Wireless-N & bag

Should i go for it or wait for 680m & Nebula Red?

 

In my opinion, the 7970m and 680m are definitely worth the wait, the difference in performance between the 675m and those is huge.

 

Get the SSD aftermarket and save yourself £300

Other than that it's decent although high on price. Haggle or use a code from 10% quidco and get 6% cashback.

Dell Voucher Codes, Cashback & Discount Codes | Quidco

I paid £1550 for my spec in my sig so there are deals to be had.

Alienware promotions page is worth checking too, links are broken atm but keep checking. I had instant savings of £225 from this alone. Alienware Promotions

 

how good are the improvements the solid state drives give you ? and how difficult are they to install and program

 

Thanks for sharing; i'll definitely wait for 680m but they didn't know when will have it re-stock

 

Any ETA on the 670mx and 675mx to fill in the gap of gtx 660m and gtx 680m?

 

Well, you are paying it with your own money, so the better you haggle, the more you can get . It's your own money on the line. Doesn't hurt to try. If you feel like you can't haggle anymore, just try another time with a different rep. I'm sure there is always somebody having a bad day .

To answer your question regarding the SSD, it's freaking fast. If you have around 15-20 programs on start up, you will realize how beneficial a SSD can give you . And it's extremely easy to install a SSD. you can remove 2 screws at the bottom and then another 3 screws to remove the hard drive tray. Generally, hard drive is the easiest to replace in laptops.

 

I really appreciate the help. Normally i suffer through from the box computers with rigid specs. So i am still working through what all ill need to know about buying more flexible machines. So many Options XD

 

I think the 1080p is worth upgrading over the Bluray reader. Is there really a point in watching a Bluray movie in a 900p screen? Just something for you to think about.

 

Still an upgrade over my current screen at 900p

 

I kind of agree with leeshjnn, but on the other hand if you get the blu-ray drive you could always hook your pc to a 1080p tv and you'd have the best of both worlds

 

If you buy an Alienware, without the 1080p screen. I will find you, and I will kill you, after which I will upgrade that screen myself.

 

I have a m17xr2 with the 1200px screen, it really is excellent, Im actually considering buying a new r4 on black friday, but I'm not sure if I can swap that screen in. Any ideas?

 

Yeah. You can swap the 900p screen with a compatible 1080p screen from a R3 or R4.

 

I hope they have a good deal

 

R2 screen doesn't fit.

It's a 16:10 screen whereas r4 is 16:9.

 

If they do have a good deal i will pick up the 1080 screen.

 

I'm at a loss for words... What is the point of getting an Alienware... if you're gonna get a 900p screen and a 660m... I would definitely go for a Clevo or something just to get the 1080p and 680m/7970m if my Alienware would be like that.

Like... if you're gonna get the 660M, at least that's easier to upgrade later. But AT LEAST don't skimp on an HD screen...

 

Still no word on the GTX 670MX and 675MX? MSI has it, Clevo has it, Soon Asus will have it on G75VX. When will Alienware have it?

 

Man, I can't resist with the deal. A like new refurbished M18xr2 with 680 SLI, 16G Ram, 3820QM, 256 SSD+ 1TB, blueray. 2 years onsite warranty for 2750 USD. I Ordered... 5 days to go. Hope it is smooth!

 

THAT! is an INSANE deal!!!!!

 

Yeah, never thought I would go with M18x's 12 lbs body, but well, never had a SLI before and I need a break from MBPs. Had them since 2006. This machine will overkill the sc2 HOTS I intended to play, but well, whatever. I am excited!

Forgot to mention, the sales guy said all refurbished AW ( at least in HK) comes with NO software preinstall. I will have a Win 7 home premium disk and that's all. I found that odd, but whatever, I will take 1/2 day off to clean install a Win 8 upgrade

 

Well Alienware Dell Refurb in UK was configured with alienware software already on it. Plus windows 8 doesnt take too long to install btw , about 2 hours at most, (including installing new hard drive etc and updates). Really fast on a SSD full install takes less than 30 mins.

 

Hi fellow Alienware users,

I am looking to buy an Alienware laptop for the first time. I am a casual gamer and I will be using the laptop for a lot of web browsing, e-mail checking, etc. I have decided to customize one of the laptops on Dell's website shown below:

Is there anything I should consider adding, changing or removing for my needs?

Also, I was thinking if I were to buy the following externally:

1. - SSD - Alienware charges: $300 for 256GB
2. - RAM - Currently: 12GB; Alienware charges: $150 for 16GB
3. - Video card - Alienware charges: $200 for the Radeon 7970M
4. - Network card - Alienware charges: $75

Who would be the best manufacturer for each?

What is the difficulty level for changing the above components?

Thanks in advanced for all of your answers. All of your posts will be very appreciated.

 

I would recommend the 7970M over the GTX 660M, it will be a HUGE difference. Honestly one doesn't need 12GB of Ram unless you're going to be using heavy programs that utilizes a lot of Ram, just my opinion, most games don't ever utilize more than 4GB of ram. Also getting an SSD anywhere else would probably be the better bet, you should check websites like Newgg.