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

fixed: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-i7-3720QM-Notebook-Processor.73455.0.html

 

Intel Core i7-3610QM
6Gb of ram may by 6 more later for total of 12gb
750BG hhd with 32gb ssd caching msata
gtx 675m with 3d screen

$2,374.00
so this is what im looking at just want opinions

like to keep it under 2500 if i can

 

Does the 7970m work with the 3D? If so, go with that one. It is a much better GPU than the 675m (from what I hear) and it's cheaper.

 

no the 7970m sadly only works with the 60Hz screens.

 

Hello community! Please don't judge. I'm not very knowledgeable with computers. I'm learning as we speak!!!

I was wondering if this setup would be ok? Would I run into any problems? I play PC games.. but don't consider me a "Hardcore" gamer.

I would like to be able to edit videos, use photoshop, & play pc games without any hesitation.

-Alienware M17X R4
-3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3610QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.3GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
-6GB DDR3 at 1600MHz
-2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 7970M
-1TB RAID 0 (2x 500GB) 7200RPM
-Intel 2230 Wireless-N
-Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
...
...
...
===============================================================
Total: $2,245.10. (My budget was $2300)

 

Pretty good computer, you should try and find a cheaper quote, i.e. aafes, or dell preferred if you can.

 

Do yOU know if Dell has discounts for Alienware's in computers?

 

All I could find was coupons online. Like $50 off and such. Free shipping. You enter them in on the checkout page. Just search for "Alienware coupons" on google.

 

Nah that's hardly a discount (usa has like 10%). Might have to call upon the power of Twitter and contacts to help me out on this one.

 

Hey guys I know I just quoted myself but since people are slowly receiving their m17x r4's if you did get the msata 64gig drive did the laptop come with the OS installed in the msata and utilized as a boot drive?

 

I've seen a couple of post about the 64gb mSata drives here and on the M14x. Yes, to OS is on there and the recovery partition. I think you'll have about 20gb free space after all of the AW/OS stuff. All the My Docs/My Music point to the 64gb mSata dirve but can me easily redirected in the properties

 

Could I ask what kind of boot times you're experiencing with it?

 

i don't have it myself. my m17x is still in production and I went with the 256gb SSD. i do have machines with older serial Ata SSD drives and if you turn off windows splash screen you get 30 sec boots easy. The M14xR1 I had for 2 weeks with the same Ssd my m17x is getting was like 20 sec. fast enough for me

 

Yeah, 20 seconds is about right for the Crucial M4 too, I was just hoping somebody else had the 64gb mSATA boot drive. I've ordered an M4 too, but I don't know what the speed difference will be like.

 

The speeds for boot times should be roughly the same as the Crucial M4. We just built an Alienware M14x today for a customer and the mSATA drive they use appears to be the new Samsung PM830. Specs can be found here Samsung PM830 SATA 3 256GB mSATA SSD Review - Ultrabooks To Gain Capacity and SATA 3 Speed - The SSD Review

 

Anyone mind answering those questions? :]


Thanks community.

 

It will probably be just fine. Though you may want to check here, scroll to the bottom, and expand the benchmarks to see how each of the CPUs compares. Then if you think the difference is worth it maybe consider getting the next one up.

Once it arrives monitor your usage for the first couple of weeks and if you find yourself needing more than 6Gb RAM you can always buy additional sticks online.

Apparently the Killer-NIC is worth the extra £15. I didn't read the full article but here's the summary:

"If you only care about file transfers at near to moderate distances, then we don’t see a pronounced advantage to paying more money for Qualcomm's hardware [...] But for applications where sustained, even performance is needed, such as video streaming, the Killer 1103 is the obviously more dependable choice, and it’s the new bar in wireless client adapters that other vendors need to surpass."

Hope that helps.

 

3720qm is a pretty good jump from 3610qm, I did that.

Get your own ram as suggested.

Bluray because? You may want to search on here for the Sony BD burner, if you do videos it could be something useful. And I bet the burn would cost clost to what they want for the player upgrade.

With the Killer, you will lose the WiDi function, may not be important to you plus you could always add WiHD if you do it yourself or if AW adds it back into the options.

Why not do the 2x750gb raid0? I personally am addicted to ssd drives, but that amount of space would be super $$$. (Edit: oops, I guess the 1.5 tb is on the m18x)

 

Hey guys I'm about to pull the trigger on getting an m17-r4.

I originally wanted to go with 2x 128gb Samsung 830 SSD raid0 option, but it seems storage space could be an issue.
So I'm opting to get a 256gb Samsung 830 and just leaving the 750gb disk drive in there for now.

Anyone know if taking out the DVD optical drive and replacing it with the mechanical drive requires any additional hardware?
Or will the hard drive fit snugly in the optical drive space?

Thanks for the help.

 

Hey everyone so I ended up doing a lot of research and contemplated between several laptops. I typically do not like Dell laptops but it is hard to turn down an Alienware customized laptop. I thought baout getting an Asus but I disliked not being able to customize their laptops and being re-routed to a third party supplier from their website. I had a Sager NP2096 customized but it is 3 years old and has since crapped out on me. I pulled the trigger on the newest Alienware M17x R4 let me know what you think about the specs and cost obviously significantly high due to the customizing but any feedback on if it was a good buy or no is appreciated!


Alienware Customized M17X R4 with SoftTouch Direct

3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3610QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.3GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
Genuine Windows® 7 Professional, 64bit
16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (4DIMMS)
2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon™ HD 7970M
Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di High-Definition 5.1 Audio with THX TruStudio Pro Software (Standard)
17.3-inch WideFHD1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
32GB mSATA caching SSD + 750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
Killer Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming and Video and Bluetooth 4.0
Accidental Damage Service, 2 Years
TOTAL: $2,700

 

If gaming is really the only hardcore usage your laptop is going to see, the 16GB of RAM is entirely unnecessary. Even if you do need all that RAM, buy it from amazon and save yourself $150. Also, you could get a 128GB Crucial M4 SSD for less than the 32GB mSATA (again from Amazon). You also could have called a few reps and haggled on the phone and potentially gotten pretty significant discounts (about 10% but the guys who are really good can managa 20+%).

 

Guys need advices
My current setup

I7-3820
2gb ati hd7970
8gb ddr3
32gb msata cache+ 750gb 7200rpm
Killer wireless

My concerns I'm from singapore and only the integrated 7.1 audio...and what is the 32gb cache for?? I did not opt for it but its included in the singapore model...I got no concerns bout price but isit worth waiting for the gtx680 or just go with it now? And I'm planning upgrade my ram myself, what ram do you all recommend looking at 16gb kit! Thanks for all advices.

 

1) The 32gb is a MSATA drive normally used for caching purposes - think of it as a mini SSD drive - as a cache drive it's used to help hard drives perform better. If you will be getting an SSD down the line then there is not much benefit to the small 32gb MSATA.

2) As for the 680 - rumors are still rumors - I wouldn't hold my breath, but if you are not dead set on getting a Nvidia card then the 7970 is beasting right now. You won't be able to do 3D with the 7970 though (if that's a problem)

3) For ram that depends on what you are looking for? Just gaming? - if price is not an issue then you have several options:

- you could do 2 pairs of 1866MHz ram for 16gb (uses 4 slots though )
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1866 Laptop Memory Model CMSX8GX3M2A1866C10

- or you could do a pair of 8gb sticks @ 1600MHz for 16gb (gives you ability to expand down the road if you want/need more since it's only 2 sticks)
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8G) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model CMSX16GX3M2A1600C10

- lastly if you are just going to game and not worry about speed numbers, just buy 16gb of any reputable/cheap brand of DDR3 So-Dimm 204 pin ram @ 1333MHz and save yourself some money. Ram is pretty cheap now though so you have plenty of options.

 

Hey guys i need help here:
I want to order my Alienware but i need some answers. The option where you choose 64gb mSATA and 500gb hdd is the mSATA the boot drive and is it worth the money like are mSATA going to improve the speed performance. If so im going with this config

Intel 3rd gen 2.3ghz
AMD 7970m
WideFHD (1920 x 1080) WLED LCD
8gb ram
64gb mSATA (just essential items) 500gb hdd (movies and stuff) and then another SSD the Cruical m4 68gb (games and editing programs)
Killer WIFI
and should i get Bluray or just stick with normal DVD (money is no problem)

Is layout fine and also is there really a big difference between Killer and Intel WIFI im not really a online gamer should i stick to Intel.
THanks

 

Thanks will definitely get a ssd soon...as for ram wise what do u all recommend? Gaming and programming and video convertings, would u all recommend 32gb, and can 64bit use all 32bit at all

 

As long as you're running 64bit Windows Professional or Ultimate you can utilise 32gb ram.

 

Hi guys! Where could I find the good deals for Alienware M17X?

 

Welcome, if you are looking for good deals I suggest to look at the various threads as well as the hot deals section of the boards.

 

Guys if i could get advice fast that be great i can't wait anymore i want to be part of the awesomeness of M17x PLZ

 

honestly i would drop the ram back to 6gb, you can get 16gb of corsair vengeance for 99 dollars on newegg or amazon, versus the 75 dollar upgrade to 8gb.
As for the hdd go with the 750gb if you dont own one already and pay 140 for the crucial m4 (sata3) and put both in your laptop.

 

Hey Guys, thinking about getting an R4, i want to get a 512 GB SSD (without spending the dell price), and then leave room for another down the road, would you guys recommend a Samsung 830, or a Crucial M4 (i know, you are all going to tell me that 512 isn't necessary, but i don't want a spinning hard drive)

Crucial - Amazon.com: Crucial 512 GB m4 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT512M4SSD2: Electronics

Sammy - Amazon.com: Samsung 830 - Series MZ-7PC512N/AM 512 GB 2.5 Inch SATA III MLC Internal SSD Laptop Kit with Norton Ghost 15: Electronics

(im pretty sure both of these fit in an R4, plz tell me if they dont)
(im not deal hunting yet, dont worry, that comes later )

 

Both the M4 and the 830 are great drives, and more similar in practical performance than standalone benchmarks might first suggest, but the 830 is probably the best combination of speed, reliability and value currently available among high end SSD's. And this from a thoroughly satisfied M4 owner.

 

Thanks for the help, that's what i was looking for

 

I like this test Samsung 830 Series 128GB Solid State Drive Review - PCMark Vantage - Drives with Data Testing :: TweakTown USA Edition from TweakTown.
It shows SSD performance in a more realistic environment. Testing empty drive performance is nice but in reality it will be full of data, so testing it half-full or more seems much more appropriate. Samsung 830 seems to be better in this area than Crucial M4.

 

Thanks, I never though about it like that before, that's a good point

 

Synthetic tests don't translate directly into real world applications.
Looking at multiple reviews I think Sandisk Extreme, Intel 520, and Plextor M3 Pro are probably the fastest drives when it comes to real everyday use. They perform really well when 75% full.

 

Thanks man, I'll look into those

Just out of curiosity, what kind 512 Gb ssd does the R4 ship with when configured with that on Alienware's website, that dell can charge over $900 for it

 

Isn't it a Samsung?
I believe it is, but get a second opinion to be sure.

 

I just configured my M17X

Total is $1782.62. Is it an affordable price?

 

How good are the screens on these laptops? Anyone now how many nits they are?

 

Do you happen to know which Series of Sammy? (like 830)

 

That's a very similar spec to what I'm looking at Vanish, and the mSATA question is the top of my list too. If it is the boot drive and it's performance is roughly comparable to an SSD then that would be my preferred option. Dell's SSD upgrade option price is staggering, but I'd rather not spend the first part of my time with a shiny new laptop taking it apart and reinstalling stuff onto an M4 that I bought separately!!

So if anyone's got an mSATA up and running, could you give a quick overview on its performance please - boot time etc

 

Why waste money with Dell SSD's though? You can buy a reasonable size SSD (256gb) for a couple hundred, and since the R4 ships with two discrete bays, it's pretty easy to install it.

I mean, I realize that there's a certain value in not having to change anything on a new laptop, but if it just seems like you'd be better served buying a better processor if that's the way you want to go.

Re: Blu-ray, I got it, largely because with HD-DVD dead, I think it's the disc format of the future. We may move away from discs, but as long as they are around, better to have the more current technology for $100.

 

It's a very valid point, and certainly it's not something I'm going to rule out doing in the end.

I guess I'm just being a bit precious - want new laptop to be everything I want it to be, without either paying lots more, or DIYing it!

 

Yeah. I get that. I just think there's a bit of a difference between adding a hard disk to an open bay and replacing the processor .

 

Agreed. I added an SSD yesterday before I even powered mine up for the first time and it worked like a charm.

If you can use a screw driver and read English, you should have no problem putting in a new drive.

 

That's my plan.

The Corsair Force Series 3 GT 240 GB was the poison of choice. Not necessarily the best of the bunch, but large enough, the price was right, and from what I understand, it compares favourably against similar mid to low-range SSDs.

 

Engineer by trade, with some MS and Cisco quals too, so should be ok...

Will just have to convince Mrs Badger that it's not broken, I'm just making it better as soon as I get it!!

Thanks for the reassurances, nice to have options when it comes to working out the best configuration to go for.

 

Explain you're saving money, then offer to take her out for dinner/night out.

Win/win.

 

Noooo, if she thinks that money's been saved, she'll mentally reallocate those funds for shoes or something