Just got my M17xR2 - First Impressions (and Issues)

Hi all! Im past the point of excited now! kept thinking of this baby, reading and doing tonnes of research of the past few days while waiting for it to come. and now here it is, i must say, WOW! im going to summarize my initial thoughts on this machine.

What i like
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1. Sturdy and top quality material and design. absolutely loved it!

2. Fast, oh did i mention it's FAST? (i come from T9300, so 940XM is a major boost) Default 3DMark06 stock everything - 20000+. Vantage close to P15000. COD6 over 100FPS at all max settings!

3. RGB LED LCD is so bright and it looks really good. the resolution is amazing!


What i dont like (and trying to figure out ways to solve them)
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1. Heavy, really really heavy. before buying it, i know it's heavy, but i didnt expect this heavy. but i cant complain too much because of the specs underneath.

2. LOUD! this is the part i dont really enjoy. out of the box, the machine when loaded, whines like a hair dryer! it's not just loud, it's insanely loud, close to the point of not tolerable. im aware of this before buying, just didnt expect it to be this loud. guess the Heatsink really isnt up to the challenge cooling cpu/gpu and has to rely on high RPM to cool it down. im looking for ways to fix this problem now and i've seen some cooling mods posted. will try to change thermal paste to AC MX2 (i've got one lying around) or should i get MX3?
p/s - CPU temp sore all the way to 89C under load. is this too high for extreme cpu?

3.Issues with CrossFire. Lots of them. lots of flickering when starting COD6 but sorted it out. still couldnt get splinter cell conviction (with latest patch)to work. really low framerate, lagging and flickering. 3dmark vantage sometimes crash. mmm... not a really good start, but kinda expected it before buying after reading all the comments posting by NBR M17x owners.

4.build quality, while excellent it might be, i do notice a little bit of paint chipped off at the front right close to the grill. just 2 tiny dots, but i expect better paint quality from a 3000Pounds machine. i think Joker posted something about his R2 paint chipping off as well before.
Update: take a look at the picture below. the paint just chip off when i run my finger over it. SHOCKING! im sending this back.


all in all, i need more time to get to know this machine and decide whether to keep it. right now only the loudness of the fan and crossfire issues are bugging me. i prefer not to return my machine so if you guys can drop me some tips, it'll be very much appreciated. thanks

 

You should return it if the paint is visibly chipped in the front. I had an R2 like that as you mentioned and they replaced it. As for the fan noise, the 940xm consumes a lot of power and as a result puts out a lot of heat, there's not much that can be done about that. For the GPU's, you can do the paste + retention mod, I saw close to 20C drop in load temps.

 

while i agree on the noise part when under heavy load, but i don't mind it that much since
a. i prefer it to make noise but efficiently cool unlike other brands (you can guess which brand i mean )
b. When i game i have the volume pretty high so i usually don't hear it at all.

p.s i guess you should change your name to alexati now

 

I would love to do some of the suggested cooling mods but I'm afraid of voiding the warranty I paid extra for. Have you encountered any "mods" that are warranty neutral? I imagine a majority of them are pretty invasive.

Oh and have you considered getting an external cooler? I hear a lot of good things about the NZXT Cryo LX. It was a bit heavy for my taste so I ended up going with the Targus option.

 

You can always get a noise canceling headset if the fans bother you too much. I use Razer Megalodon and I can't even hear my fan.

 

hahaha.. i guess i probably should..

 

replacing your own thermal paste is invasive, but i dont think it will void your warranty. unless of course you replace even the thermal pad, that's a different story.

 

i have just emailed the rep and ask her to contact me back. i am returning the system. that tiny dot has become much larger after i run my finger over it. the paint just chipped off like it's not even there. Joker, if you are seeing this, please tell me how you argued with your sales rep when asking for a new replacement or refund. i dont want the conversation to end with up with "dell does not cover minor cosmetic defects bla bla bla". thanks.

 

you can return it within 21 days without question.

 

Don't know if you are going to return it to get a replacement or just give up on it, so I'll throw out there that the M6500 is a bit quieter, only comes with a single GPU card but does include as GPU option the 7820 workstation version of the 5870. It is also lighter, but it is more pricey because of the workstation certifications. I myself have debated between the 6500 and the M17x before with 2 or so pounds and 1 GPU difference between the two.

Food for thought anyway.

 

dont think it works that easy in UK. i've asked the sales rep and UK customers only get 7 working days return instead of 21. and there might be restocking fee involved.

 

thanks for the options. im not really thinking of abandoning M17x, not yet. still kinda like it though despite the issues with the system. but i will look into the alternative systems you mentioned here. cheers

 

does your replacement have the same paint chipping off issue when you run your finger over it?

 

Obviously not, it was a defect. No M17x-R2 should have chipped paint from the factory. As for the CPU temps, I did a retention mod on it today and my load temps dropped drastically: M17x-R2 Wikia Forum • View topic - Retention mod + more on CPU = great temps (at least for me)