The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Consider buying M17x R3, have some questions

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by lidowxx, Jun 7, 2011.

  1. lidowxx

    lidowxx Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    169
    Messages:
    801
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Okay, before I decide there are several other options too, M17XR3(with 6970m) happens to be one of them, I have never owned an alienware machine before, so I got a couple of questions, some of which you might probably find noob-ish :p

    1. I have heard R3 has switchable graphics, how does that work? Do I need to reboot to switch to another GPU? Any problems relate to this?

    2. How is the cooling system of M17 R3? more specifically how is the idle/load temp for i7 quad and 6970M? Any throttling issues? Do I need to repaste the CPU/GPU? I don't want to void my warranty right after I get the machine.

    3. Can I install drivers from AMD(for 6970M)? Or must I stick with drivers released by Dell? This is essential because OEM drivers usually lag way behind AMD/Nvidia, not sure about Dell's side, but still I would prefer MUCH if I could install drivers directly from AMD.

    Thank you for your time, all answers appreciated!!
     
    lidowxx, Jun 7, 2011
    #1
  2. lidowxx

    lidowxx Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    169
    Messages:
    801
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Come on, anyone?
     
    lidowxx, Jun 7, 2011
    #2
  3. shermantank92

    shermantank92 Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    83
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    1) Nope! Just hit FN-F7 and you can switch gpus on the fly
    2) I have really only monitored my GPU temps, and they have never gone over 70C even when OC'ed pretty high. System is never hot to the touch and the fans rarely ever have to work very hard.
    3) I installed the AMD drivers as one of many troubleshooting steps to figure out why my system wouldn't charge(turns out it was the MOBO) and they worked fine! The only difference was that I had to open up the CCC to initiate the switchable graphics as the FN-F7 method didn't want to play nice with them.
     
    shermantank92, Jun 7, 2011
    #3
  4. lidowxx

    lidowxx Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    169
    Messages:
    801
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Thank you for your kind reply, now that's kinda reassuring, did you get the temp without a repaste job? And as a general rule, any mobility drivers released by AMD can be installed on M17x R3? Thanks again!
     
    lidowxx, Jun 7, 2011
    #4
  5. mark_j

    mark_j Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    68
    Messages:
    129
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    1. No reboot required, works great. I did get a blue screen after switching back and forth several times in a row (playing with it). I suppose I asked for that though.

    2. My i7 idles at 49c and never seen hotter than 61c. The 6970m idles at 50c and never seen hotter than 74c. These temps were logged by CoreTemp and GPUz respectively during a 2 hour gaming session.

    3. I would search this forum about driver installation and how it affects the switchable graphics. There are a few quirks. I've only used the Dell provided drivers so far.
     
    mark_j, Jun 7, 2011
    #5
  6. ECKS

    ECKS Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    950
    Messages:
    4,635
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    106
    1) Buy it.

    2) But do be patient cuz Dell's customer service sucks, and their build times are really slow.

    3) Once you receive it, report back about your excitement and awe :)
     
    ECKS, Jun 8, 2011
    #6