Am i kidding Myself, or is the m17xr2 still an extremely awesome laptop?

I know this may sound like a "I am begging for attention" or "seek approval" thread... but I have been struggling with the question for a while. Heres why.

First, even though i did not originally bought an r2, since the r1 had soo many issues (and I had the protection plan), i got upgraded to an r2... lucky me. This was like 5 years ago.
Then, once i got the r2, I fell in love with it. the screen is gorgeous, loook cool, etc. But i also fgure, all good things come to an end, and eventally other revisions will come out.
It was then last year that I did my first upgrade to ATI 6970 thanks to eurocom. The upgrade did not go as smooth as expected, and in the end, I settled for single GPU.
And now this year, i upgraded to 7970 & 840pro SSD.

And now, as i sit in front of my machine, i still think it as awesome as the first day i got it. I know there are better lappys out there... but again... this is a 5 year old purchase that has kept upgradeabiliy and flexibility for years and years!!! i have never owned such a versatile laptop in my life. I know i dont hav the new generations of the i7. i know my Sata is not as fast as it could (yeah my 840pro is probably overkill on it), and I know i dont have USB 3 (I got a pcmcia card that gives me USB3... but I know its not as fast as a real motherboard plug. But besides all these weaknesses, I still can't help but feel that there is nothing out there that compels me to say "hey, its time for a new laptop".

So again, does anybody else share the same thoughs as me on the r2?? or am i just full of it, and am kidding myself thinking the machine is so great... when it truly isnt?

 

Yes, my feeling is exactly the same.
I wanted to buy a newer m17x revision, i'm glad I didn't and upgraded, when I see the potential and 3dmark scores and gaming performance compared to the recent revisions.
Then looked at an m18x, which is slightly to big for my liking, and on top they don't sell them here in the Netherlands anymore

It's not the fastest 17 inch around anymore, but it's damn close to it. Sometimes it's hard to convince people it's a 4-5 year old laptop originally, when they see they performance it crams out with some upgrades.
I actually had a collegue who thought I was messing with him and gave him fake scores. He just bought a new desktop pc with a nice budget (mostly best bang for buck parts), and just couldn't believe the laptop he knew I already had for years completely blew his new pc away. I felt a bit sorry for him (bought him a beer after though to make up )

Just wait what happens when a decent/fancy/slightly less complicated/risky PSU mod is found for the m17x-r2 and people start to 7970m XF or 680 SLI

I also still find it quote enjoying to read every m17x owner working with benching stuff and getting the performance higher, people get scores/performance no one thought possible with a laptop that has been around for a while, and scores most others dream off are crammed out like crazy whilst we all are so used to them that they're all normal stuff to us.

 

I hear ya. I recall that at one point I could have upgraded to an r3, but I read the r3 didnt had Xfire/sli... and also the RGB screen on the m17xr2 is just stunning... I seldom see any laptops with screen that compare to it
I did not even checked on the r4.... so unless they had the rgb screen or sli... i think I would still be happier with my oldie but goodie R2

P.S. anyone knows if tehre is a "For sale" thread or forum section? I could not find it aywhere, and i might be selling my old 6970

 

You can sell your cards here: NBR Marketplace

The sli/crossfire is also the main reason I didn't jump the wagon when I was doubting, all the rest I see just as little bonuses (although the processors made a leap as well meantime), USB3 is nice but I couldn't care less, the RGB screen I love, but a decent other screen I could live with. But the crossfire/SLI, is a must have ^^

If they release an R5 with SLI/Crossfire i'd be all over it, but until then, it's just not going to happen. I think this goes for the majority of R2 owners.

 

Yeah I've come to notice the exact same thing. The upgrade capabilities of this machine are simply amazing.

I'm planning on going to a 7970M again when I get the spare cash. :3 That plus a better SSD and a larger generic HDD. Once I get that stuff, I'll be set until this machine dies.

 

As an ex-M17x-R2 owner, the M18x - r2 is a huge improvement! Don't get me wrong, the M17x-R2 was one of the best gaming laptop in 2010-2011. But sooner or later you guys have to move on to a better model. I believed the M17x-r2 is a collector item (RGB screen &1920x1200) now and the M17x-R2 is showing it age. I hope all the current M17x-R2 owners will upgrade to a M18x-R2 with 680M SLI/7970M crossfire or just wait for the M18x-R3 model in the near future. Good luck guys and here is my story on how I became a M18x-R2 owner - http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m18x/707537-i-love-alienware.html

 

For me, the m18x-r2 or coming r3 is the top candidate to follow up my m17x-r2.

Though it would help alot if i could actually buy one here, they took it out of the alienware shop and don't sell it anymore :/
So it's would be quite the challenge to get one in time, if i want a new unused model straight from Alienware.

 

This is something I thought a lot about a few months ago, and I have to agree.

Long story short, I fried one of my 5870Ms in the process of dusting my laptop out, and was faced with doing nothing, replacing it, upgrading it, or replacing the laptop. The most logical choice would've probably been to build a desktop (since I don't really use the portability of the M17x enough to justify having a laptop over a desktop), but since I'm studying abroad this semester, that wasn't an option.

I ended up putting in a 940XM, 16GB of the Corsair gaming memory, a Samsung 830 256GB SSD, and Crossfire 7970Ms. I've still got mixed feelings about doing Crossfire: Even after modding a 330W PSU to identify as 240W, it shuts down under high load in games like Crysis 2. In other games, like Skyrim, I get 60 FPS constant with a high degree of stability, and both cards staying <65°C. Ignoring the processing increase of Crossfire, having 4GB of video memory is nice (albeit overkill in most situations), and can be useful (the high resolution textures I installed in Skyrim take up more space than the complete original game [~7.2GB], and it actually uses ~3.5GB while running).

I've also noticed that a lot of marketing hype goes into newer technology. If something has been benchmarked at 20% faster than its predecessor, then yes, it's objectively better. The raw improvement isn't arguable, but the effect of it is. The first generation of Intel Core processors is dated. Running two 7970Ms with a 940XM will yield a significantly lower score in 3DMark than the same two cards running with an Ivy Bridge equivalent. But when I put every setting in Crysis 2 on Ultra, I get 42 FPS with one 7970M, and 60 FPS with two, which I think is significant. In a number of recent games, I can still get 60 FPS running with Crossfire enabled and my i7's Turbo disabled.

What I'm saying is that it's about your personal satisfaction, first and foremost. I stuck with my R2 for somewhat insignificant reasons (the M17x R3/R4 uses a plastic chassis instead of anonized aluminum; the M18x is thicker and heaver, and I don't like the way the vents on the back look), and then used the fact that it supported Crossfire as an excuse for buying two video cards instead of one. But I'm happy [for now ], so I have no reason to regret my decisions.

 

I dont own a R2 but i think it's a awesome laptop is every respect, If I didnt had that much money and i was searching on a marketplace for a good laptop I think the R2 would be a beast.

Sjoerd

 

They do have a PSU mod for the M17x R2. It's a bit extreme but necessary.
alienware-m17x-r2-dual-psu-2-x-240w-for-amd-7970m-cfx

Yes this laptop is the shiznits! I love it! Just need to get some cash for a 7970M upgrade

 

I spent more on upgrades the last month then a complete R4 with (except processor) the similar specs would have cost me, so the money isn't the issue.

It's just the other things that made me not want to trade in the R2 for an R3/4 (no crossfire for future upgrade) as I always want to be able to use a laptop for a year or 3, and so it needs enough upgrade options, which the R3/4 with lack of 2nd GPU unfortunately does not offer. They just shouldn't have left that out, I have no clue why they did in the R3 and R4, but I think it's a big mistake.

Now I think about it, they might want to push the people with those demands to buy an M18x instead of an m17x. Just to bad you can't bloody get an m18x in the Netherlands from dell... :/

Yes, this and the M18 PSU mod, which I both don't really like. Although the M18 PSU mod does look a lot more useable then the other mod for me personally, i'd still just prefer a bios option to turn off the PSU check. With the M18 mod I still have my doubts if 330 watt is enough power to fully utilize a 7970m setup with an XM processor and overclocking on both, and if the PSU gets defective, you have to do the mod all over again on another m18 PSU.

 

Which PSU mod did you do? Swap the ID chips on the PSU boards? Or the touch ID wire method? Also are you running Dell or Clevo cards?

There is another method which I don't think anybody has tried as yet. It involves connecting the ID chip directly to the R2's motherboard so theoretically you can use any PSU and the mobo will detect it as the 240w. Its also much cleaner as you don't have to break open the 330w. Solidstate who was the first to perform the ID chip swap successfully confirmed that it should work on techinferno.

Edit: Also I'm with .Cameron on reasons not to change ie. the aluminium, looks, x-fire ability, rgb screen. Disregarding the generation of tech, its basically an M18x in a compact chassis. For everyday use the XM chips are more than sufficient especially with ThrottleStop. Above a certain point games don't require that much CPU power and thats where X-fire carries you through. This beauty even takes up to 16gb of RAM so I see no need to change just yet

 

It was imsolidstate's mod for transplanting the 240W ID Chip into a 330W adapter. It's recognized as 240W in the BIOS, and it functions correctly in terms of the laptop being powered and battery charging, but if anything overly taxing on the GPUs is processed for more than a few seconds, it shuts off (even with Turbo disabled on the i7). I'm fairly confident that the mod was done correctly (and I feel like something wouldn't be working quite right if it hadn't been), but I'm not electrical engineer. It's also possible that it won't work on an R2 (when it worked for imsolidstate, it was on an R1).

I think they're Clevo, but I'm not sure (ordered for MXM-Upgrade). With the Clevo vBIOS, HDMI is works as expected (and the image it outputs is unbelievably clear compared to what it looked like before on the same LCD-TV with 5870Ms). On a related note, I flashed a vBIOS on the cards to undervolt them, which didn't appear to have any real effect.

 

Thats great news though, awesome job! It gives me some comfort knowing when upgrade time comes around I know it should work. He was using a R1 chassis but swapped the motherboard out to an R2's

I'm no electrical engineer either but if I recall correctly, the highest wattage draw that has been measured using a 240w adapter was around 270-280w from the wall using one of those killawatt devices so its possible that with the 330w mod, although its working as it should, the motherboard might have some protection built in to shutdown when the power draw exceeds a certain level (maybe >290w) since it wasn't designed to sustain that level of voltage. This it all theoretical though. There's no idea of really knowing although undervolting should help if thats the case.

You can get in touch with sl7 on the techinferno forums to help with undervolting. He's quite the guru when it comes to BIOS mods. StamatisX did the dual-PSU mod and never documented any shutting down issues so my theory could be total nonsense

edit: It is total nonsense just read the article again and he wrote a single 240w adapter shut down after drawing 260w, dual-PSU's no shut down which means the mobo probably isn't the problem.

 

It is exactly as my fellow countryman suggests, the only better AW to replace the M17x R2 is the M18x R2 (or comming R3)
The potential of the R2 really has no real (practical) limits, and this is from a laptop that houses 3 generation old architecture!

The FullHD+ (RGB version) 1920x1200 screen is in the top 3 of the best screen displays!
USB 3.0 can be adapted (card) but does not offer a real benefit over the usb 2.0. so no real loss there.

The CPU (offcourse only talking about the XM series here) are high up in the performance ladder......offcourse they can and will never beat a high end SB or IB cpu, but you will never even notice the difference in the everyday usage. Perhaps when you want to render models or stuff like that......but be houghnest...that's what Desktop processing power is for.

I love it it's simplicity and it's pre- evolution look.

R2 all the way!

 

i had a R2 2 years ago.....I respect that machine....ultimate production to date....but as many would have said...the closest to it is M18x....and unless your are a classic collector and lots of money along with time and knowledge for modifications...its time you bought yourself a new readily available system. That would be the logical or rational decision.

 

I ended up with my R2 because my brother upgraded to M18x r2. He said it's better overall, but there are still some things he misses about the one I have now. He does feel he made the right choice to upgraded FWIW.

 

I like the chassis, much better looking than the soft touch in my opinion. However, I find the R3/R4 a bit more comfortable touchpad/palmrest wise.

 

It's about the total package.....

The R3 should have never been build.
Removing the dual gpu option is a big mistake and removing the FullHD+ screen was the even bigger mistake...

 

In norway, the new m17 will set me back about the same as this R2 costed me about 2.5 yars ago.
In that computer there will be a i7-3630QM and same single GPU as i have bought and 8 Mb, normal HDD.

Price of my 2,5 year update is about 1000-1100 usd. The computer will set me back about 4000 usd in norway with the spec mentioned. (my SSD update is not in there since i went for the quite pricy neutron GTX)

Its not that much slower for laptop use since my computer can run all i throw at it for now.
I now have the full HD screen.
And I still can update with another GPU if i do PSU mod. Not so for the new one.

 

As a current nebula red m17x r3 user, I would have to disagree with the dual GPU part.

I previously own a desktop pc with specs of i5 2500 oc @ 4.2ghz, HD 6870 crossfire, 8GB DDR3 1600. I've ended up selling my 6870 crossfire and ended up getting a 6950 even though it has less raw power.

Crossfire has way too many issues such as micro stuttering, frame drops, screen tearing, game incompatibility, etc...

I also observed that running crossfire with a stock 2500k vs overclocked have noticeable impact on fps consistency in games.

The biggest reason I could see why Dell dropped cf on newer m17x rev. Is due to power consumption and weight(needs more stuff like additional cooling).

As a person who carry my m17x at campus, I very much appreciate the weight saving and battery life.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

If you learn how to use "radeonpro" you can avoid most crossfire issues. I can honestly say this because when you have crossfire issues like poor optimization on single monitor, its still playable. I had to figure out a way to make poor crossfire optimization play on a 5040x1050p resolution. Believe me, radeonpro can do SO MUCH. I've been a loooooooooooooooong time ati cfx & eyefinity user with a 4850cfx, 5770 cfx eyefinity then 6970 cfx eyefinity and now 7970m cfx @ 2560x1440. Crossfire issues are so few and far between (for a long time I thought micro stutter was a myth) and it takes me far longer to get eyefinity to work on new unsupported games (before widescreengamingforum gets it up).

 

how do i avoid crossfire issues using radeonpro ?

 

Following up on my earlier response....you must also know...M17x R2 has a very badly designed touchpad. Its area is alot more smaller then the perceptive borders. Also its mouse poll rate has always been on the lower side.

On the matter of cross fire or SLI..it is not worth if you are intending to other work versus gaming alone. Dual GPU is 95 percent for gaming...I chose R3 and then upgraded to R4 because the chassis alone doesn't make a computer awesome....At the end of the day its about what is under the hood. Aficionados with deep pockets will continue to talk about it like a classic car...but if you want innovation and recent technology you got to go for the newer ones.

People will say you can add this and that...cut here, solder there etc etc...but all this comes at a very high risk and money is involved. You can never change the motherboard. USB 3.0 add ons are nowhere near native ones found in M17x R4.

Battery backup is bad in m17x R2. Its gonna cost you if parts need replacement.

In terms of economics... ask yourself what u want...Eg. If you gonna get a R2 for $1000 vs buying a new one costing almost 4000....fine go for it...but dont expect r2 to be equal in many ways to R4. This is the reality of it. I know there are some hardcore fans out there who simply convince themselves and others coz they dont want to change...The aluminium chassis is simply awesome...

But its heavy. Some will remark that they didnt find it heavy. Well they are just denying the fact about it.

But if you gonna pay 2500 for R2 vs 4000 for a new one...I will just go for 4000 if i can afford it.

What you want is one thing...what you can afford is another and what you would like to squeeze into what you can afford is a whole different ball game. In short its balancing and only you can do it.

Go by priority scale....do get enamoured by those who gloss over R2 so much so that they forget what a computer and recent technology represents.

 

I completely understand what you mean. I have an M17xR1, and I absolutely love this laptop. Nebula Red with the anodized aluminum shell, still plays the games I want to play at a high level, great hard drive storage space, a guaranteed conversation-starter when I pop it out in public... and it's paid for. Is it the shiniest, most sparkling model Alienware offers? No. However, it's all mine and I have had some awesome times with this wonderful piece of equipment.

Be proud of your older technology. I plan on keeping this bad boy until it freaking dies.

 

The thing is, most of your points are solid.... but only if you directly compare a laptop that's considerably dated and pit it up against the newest and baddest thing on the block.

The 920XM at stock keeps up with the 7970M without a problem and the fact that GPUs are so powerful now essentially negates the need for CFX or SLI unless you're working with a lesser pair of cards. I've seen the screens on a Sager and the newer Alienwares and I can say that the RGB screen is considerably better than the R4 in every way.

Also, comparing the prices between a new and an old machine is irrelevant. You said that it costs money to upgrade a machine, well... it costs MORE money to buy a new machine. If the old one does what you need, and it's not about to break from overuse, then why change to a whole new machine? I can upgrade to a 256GB SSD for around $230 and grab a 750GB Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid HDD for around $140, then, upgrade the GPU for around $450, if I got the 7970M of course, and be done with it. Sure the CPU is nothing compared to even the most basic of Ivy Bridge i7s, but that's irrelevant too; I can upgrade my machine for around... $800 flat and be completely done with it... or I can buy a new decked out R4 for... $3000?

I think I'll stick with the R2 until I have to switch.

 

I'll keep my upgraded R2 above a full specced R3 or R4 any day. Though valid points have been said. Basically, if you already own an R2, consider upgrading it. If you don't have one yet, then of course go for a new and fresh R4.
Money isn't really the issue by the way, I spent more on upgrades then the average R4 costs. I just refuse to 'upgrade' to something that lacks what i find most important, dual gpu and raw power. the newer processors for me don't negate this enough for me, and the R4 doesn't have enough other appeal with stuff i care about to justify replacing my R2 with.

In fact, instead of buying an r3 or r4, i am keeping my R2 and am about to enter the best of both worlds, as I am on the verge of ordering a decked out M18x-R2 tomorrow, to accompany his little brother ^^

 

Sick puppy :thumbsup:

 

All of you guys are right.... I was referring to a fresh purchase of the Alienware system by a guy who doesnt have an R2.

If you already have an R2 then of course upgrading would be feasible barring your needs for latest nifty features and ergonomics. For me the new tech was essential over the rest of R2...so i went ahead.....

I think our conversations would help people to decide what they really for some time to come.

 

Well, in worst case scenario when people read this thread, even not looking at R2/R3/R4 preferences, they will see that they are investing in a powerfull system which they will be able to use years to come if threated right and taken care of, and upgraded from time to time.

 

I don't think you're kiding yourself at all !!

I have a measley R1 QX9300 with dual GTX260's and I'm still happy as a pig in crap 4 years later.
Even my antique still handles pretty well in heavy gaming.....my mouse pointer disappears in zerg fights, that's all. No issues at all.

I still love this little R1, so your R2 must be awesome )

 

Love mine too. The 7970m has proven stable in the long run. And the RGB screen still has no dead pixels. Best value for money that I ever had.

I hope I dont need another laptop for another 1-2 years. That would be best. Given that I am finding all I want on GOG, I should be set.

 

The truth is if you are happy with what you have then smile and be happy .
I had an R2 and for the hassle of the Crossfire and the extra weight (I carry my laptop to work everyday) I opted to upgrade to the R3. It had a single powerful card that was no more powerful than the crossfire setup in the R2 but a whole lot less of a hassle plus it was more than a kilogram lighter. When I owned the R2 I used to say that the weight was not an issue; until bought the R3 that is and then I did notice just how much lighter the R3 is. I do have to say that I missed that RGB screen though.
So in summary the R2 is a great laptop but the R3 was better and the R4 is the best. I play everything maxed out and I don't have to fiddle around with Crossfire. I understand that someone with a crossfire setup may get a few extra frames a second than I do but in practical terms that does not matter one iota. The difference though between all the models is minor. We still have the best laptops made.

 

Must be nice to upgrade to a new M17x each year. If I did that with my M18x I'd either go bankrupt or homeless lol.

 

Yeah, people that upgrade every year or buy an excessive amout of computers are nuts.

 

I'm on my 5th computer in 4 months lol, but I've still been able to get most of my money back from selling the previous ones while they were pretty new. Upgrading every year and dealing with depreciation would suck though.

 

your the crazy one dude!! and I justify not upgrading every year by doing small upgrades instead of shelling out a bunch for a machine every year. Means I get new toys more often.

 

Speaking of toys, post office says I have a box, hoping it's a box with a 3920 in it.

 

I upgraded from the R2 to the R3 because of the Crossfire and weight issues and I was really happy with that and had no intention to buy the R4 but on a Thursday my computer crashed so I spent all Friday and Saturday working on it swapping hard drives, reinstalling Windows and so on and I came to the conclusion I had a motherboard failure so on Sunday morning I went shopping to buy myself some cheap 15" until I could get the R3 fixed because I absolutely must have a work computer. The first shop I walked into had the R4 with the 680M card so I thought it was just meant to be .

By the way the problem with the R3 ended up being a Hard Drive so it is sitting in my suitcase until I go home. I haven't made up my mind whether I'll give it to my daughter or keep it here where I work in case I have another problem at some time in the future.

 

Yet another thread about R2 awsomness.
I will keep it until it will accept newest GPUs, then. when it will become lazy, slow, and R15 will have RGB screen, then i upgrade..


DELL REPS - RGB PLEASE ( as an option at least ) - PLEASE

PEACE !!

 

I'm actually not really happy with the R2 awesomeness now that I think about it.
I WANT to upgrade every 1-2 years, just to keep having somewhat the newest tech, which I like. It's crap if you WANT to upgrade, but you have no option (luxury problem, I know).
Bought an M18x out of mysery, hoping for a great m17x-R5 release soon-ish

 

I still think the M17x R2 is a very awesome laptop and love the machine. It is built like a tank, the RGB LED 1200p display is fantastic. With an XM CPU and humble 5870M CF it is still more powerful than many of the latest crappy plastic single GPU systems that are peddling as gaming laptops. It doesn't run as fast as my M18x does, but it doesn't need to in order to qualify as awesome. The one we have now has only 4870M CF, but I still think it's a very sweet lappy and it still plays most games decently. The only thing that I can say I don't like about it is the touchpad. I rarely use the touchpad on any laptop, but the one on the M17x R2 has always been somewhat unpleasant to use.

 

I do love my R2, and i'm planning to keep it up and running for a good while. I almost upgraded Video cards, then the rumors for new AMD mobility cards arrived and i decided to hold the trigger..

Now instead of going to m18x or m17xR4 i decided to build a good desktop and to keep my R2 for my portability needs.

 

congrats on the new CPU. go break some benching records now!!

 

Would love to try but can't get anything downloaded, xtu, throttlestop, basically any program I'd need times out without downloading. Can't even get an unlocked bios (on A09 now) for various reasons...........thinking my benching will be limited to bios oc's and the unigine programs.

 

My R2 still does the gaming I need it to, TF2, SC2, Dota 2. Even BF3 on med/high ran fine on 1680x1050, 1920x1200 was a little laggy. Considering it is 3 year old hardware, not too shabby.

 

Also holding out for the new range of AMD's cards. I just hope that this beauty pulls another rabbit out of the hat and its as if not more compatible than the 7970M. Crysis 3 demands it

 

Crysis 3 works perfectly fine on an R2 with 7970m actually

 

Hey jiggy, is the game worth it? Been thinking about buying it, but with bioshockinfinite on the horizon ,tomb raider, defiance and the new starcraft... i am wndering if i am biting mroe than i should. But I also heard that it rocks

 

I have found the Singleplayer very worth it (I didn't finish it yet, but it's great to play), if you liked Crysis 2 you will like this.
But I don't like the multiplayer personally, then again, I didn't like Crysis 1 and 2 multiplayer either. I'm more of a BF3 / Bops 2 guy.

But even for just the singleplayer it's worth a purchase, the game looks amazing on decent hardware, it almost feels next-gen.
Far Cry 3 is also a nice game to consider by the way

But of course, from the list you mention, there's just 1 must have. StarCraft 2 ^^