M17x R3 RELAUNCHED! (w/460M/6870M/6970M)

Omg 2200 dollars for a nicely specced m17x r3 (no 3d screen). Thats cheaper than the base config m17x here. If i'd live in the states i'd buy every aw system they offer :d

 

im not sure regarding the original design of the r1 if they changed it to make room for an xtra gfx card.

Alienware has always been known for extreme laptops n stuff, just seems a bit odd in a way to go back to a single card solution. Not saying the r3 is weak n stuff but makes it more like the rest on the market as such. Alot has changed over the last few years and more brands started to build high end gaming laptops, so it might be a bit of a tough market.

Most of them dont have the extra stuff the alienware pc's / laptops have but in all fairness some of the features are a bit of an extra and alienware does tend to have a wee bit higher price over the rest.

Most other gaming laptops always seemed to have terrible cooling although thats changing rapidly now aswell.

Ive got an msi gt620 wich was a fairly decent deal at the time doesnt look as great as an alienware and nothing near the performance but it did run games decently, asus has a nice line aswell and then there are still a few other custom brands.

an 18" alienware sounds great but its also a tad bigger.

Im guessing alienware/dell will have a few more suprises for us this year for now im just waiting till they make the r3 available in holland as its a beast of a laptop and looks fkn sexy

 

Can anyone advise if the $350 odd is worth the upgrade from the 2630 to 2820?

 

I agree, the lack of SLI/XFIRE is odd, especially for a brand which is called 'alienware'.
But, I have no idea how much heat these new gpu's (nvidia gtx485m and ati hd6970) produce, but since they outperform current sli/xfire (with 460m in sli or 5870's in xfire) systems, and the fact that 1 stable gpu is better than a sli/xfire in general (xept for nvidia in sli for physx, but such a set up is not worth its price imo) I don't think current users have much to complain about.

Ofc we'll have to see real gaming benchmarks before we can conclude what was in fact better (regarding raw power, cost-efficiency, battery life, etc).

 

supose more power mostly means more power useage and heat, that might come into effect aswell.

but having 2 gfx cards in your laptop does make it sound even cooler.

^^

 

Hello all! I have been floating around here for a while now and I love all of the help/support that is given to every one. I decided to join the group. I also just purchase my first alienware.
I purchased the M17x R3 w/ 2.2 ghz processor,8 gig mem, 1.5 Nvidia card, 256 ssd and upgraded the screen too. I didn't get 3d though. I don't need it. I am super excited and can't wait for it to get here!

 

Has anyone other than me noticed that depending on the place you order it in, you can configure AW laptops with different hardware? (Example- In Canada a few months ago, we had the option for hybrid hard drives, when at the same time the USA did not).

Bottom line, I am preying for a two 500gig hybrid configuration (1Tb hybrid) in Canada

 

This may help you a little bit guys. Found this on the alienware thread. $50 coupon. BHW1L0MX0D?MCX

 

The 3D bundle now includes the Bluray reader. So at 1799 it saves you an additional $50 as opposed to the previous 3D bundle for 1699 + 150 for bluray upgrade. I am noticing that when I click on the link for the 3D bundle it does not factor in aany EPP discount

 

One question:

The M17x R3 ships with the non-defective SB chips right?

 

DOH. Of course dude.

 

I'm praying the R3 shows up on the Canadian website sometime today!

 

Don't hold your breath.
It took one week to show up last time.

 

Thanks. Just making sure.

 

As it stands, I'm glad I didn't cancel my order.

I know the R3 is still new, but I'm sad there still isn't a newer nvidia offering. An updated nvidia gpu would've been the only thing pushing me to cancel and reorder.

 

one thing im not sure of if i ordered the laptop with the 3d screen does it come with the glasses or do i hav to buy one pair of them ??

 

Glasses included.

 

How do you plan to buy the R3 from the Phil?

 

They come with a pai. You can order extra if you like.

 

fewwwww such a relief cuz i was about to buy another one

 

I have a lot of relatives in the US. I can ask someone to buy it there for me.

 

Wow, true...and most places charge at least $100 for any blu-ray...

 

Ok a couple things here guys:

1-The R3 isn't a dual gpu machine and never will be, there is only 1 mxm slot on the mobo, I've seen everything in the machine after a full disassembly so quit throwing the "could be a dual gpu" stuff around cause it's physically impossible.

2-You cannot get the 120hz/3D panel from AW without the Nvidia card, they won't offer it, they may in the future but don't hold your breath.

3-You can buy the 6970 from MXM-upgrade for $590 USD right now, the ones they currently have are ES cards but they're bound to get some official cards soon and I'd imagine the price will be right near the same.

And for the guys asking if 120hz is a difference, if you're running a 6970 a lot of games are going to give you screen tearing at anything over 60-80 fps, the 460m can run most games on high/ultra at those fps so if you're going to get a more powerful card what's the point without a screen that can handle the frames. For anybody that has experience with swapping parts I would order the 3D kit and add a 6970 later or just wait for a stronger Nvidia offering, at the price Dell has put on the 6970 a stronger Nvidia gpu can't cost much more or they'll have people laughing at them.

Nice find, it stays a good deal there then.

 

omg... im totally a sucker for the r3, i would right now totally trade my r2 for an r3. anyone wanna?

although my question is what is the debacle with the two cards? is the 6970m better or no...?

 

3demons unless you need the battery life you gain with the R3 or just want the latest buzz words in tech like HDMI in or USB 3.0 stay with what you have. Until the R3 has an Extreme SB CPU and a GTX 485m or stronger your R2 will kill anything the R3 offers. To answer your dual cards vs 6970 question, the Xfire 5870's will beat out the 6970 in 90% of situations.

 

Hmm. Does anyone know how to access the UK config (if it's even up)? I have a feeling that us brits are (as usual) going to get screwed over in the pricing.

You aren't the only one, but look at it this way: the 6970M matches (or is only marginally less powerful) than Crossfire 5870Ms. The only notebook on the market that will beat this is one with an nVidia 485M (by about 5-10%) or Crossfire/SLI 6970Ms/485Ms, all of which will cost significantly more and throw out a hell of a lot more heat (so will be less portable too).

The 6970M has enough punch to play almost any game out there maxed out at 1080p. I mean, it even manages Metro 2033 maxed at 18fps, and that's pretty much the most graphically demanding game on the market today.

Depends. Do you use a lot of processor power?

Quite frankly, for games, probably not unless you're going for a maxed out system. The vast majority of games will see a negligible boost.

Unless there's another, different fault in them that Intel have not found yet.

 

very true, but it seems like one can upgrade it himself to the 485m which is what i would do. i dunno, i still would prefer and r3, every bone in my body is saying to sell mine and get an r3... >.< i would be perfectly fine with the 460m for now. i still want one!!

edit: what is with this soft-touch stuff though...? that kind of gets me worried, because it sounds like that makes it less sturdy compared to the r2

 

I just ordered mine. I chose the 6970 to optimize battery life using integrated graphics for non-gaming tasks. I also went with RAID 0 SSDs because I do alot of database analysis. This is a beast and I can't wait. I am somewhat dissapointed with the EPP discount of just 2%.

1 225-0537 Alienware M17x Soft Touch Nebula Red
1 317-6115 Intel Core i7 2820QM 2.3GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache)
1 317-6120 16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz (4DIMMS)
1 331-1347 Alienware M17x 240W A/C Adapter
1 320-1933 17.3-inch WideFHD1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
1 320-1939 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 6970M
1 342-2236 512GB Raid 0 (2x 256GB Solid State Drives)
1 331-1350 Custom Nameplate
1 330-6106 Personalized Nameplate Trigger
1 313-8792 AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue
1 421-4655 Alienware Command Center Software, M17X
1 421-1398 Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate, 64bit, English
1 420-9691 DataSafe Local BackUp
1 420-9956 Vista PC Restore
1 421-0092 DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG
1 410-1883 Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 Multi-Language
1 318-0396 Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
1 421-4541 Roxio Creator Starter,No Media
1 421-4550 Power DVD 9.6, 3D
1 318-0424 Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
1 430-4021 MOD,CRD,NTWK,6300,ANW
1 330-6348 Automatic Updates: On
1 939-0330 Dell Hardware Limited Warranty, Extended Year
1 939-0320 Dell Hardware Limited Warranty, Initial Year
1 939-0390 Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis, 3 Year Extended
1 939-0340 Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis, Initial Year
1 950-7447 4 Year Limited Warranty
1 990-4653 Accidental Damage Service, 4 Years
1 421-1719 Soft Contracts Consumer Accidental Damage Agreement for Alienware
1 421-1724 Soft Contracts Dell In-Home Hardware Agreement for Alienware
1 990-4683 Warranty Support, 3 Year Extended
1 994-3730 Warranty Support, Initial Year
1 330-5090 Thank You for Purchasing AlienWare

 

Only problem is I don't think the 485m is available anywhere as a stand alone part and if it was I'm guessing we're looking at a $800-1000 price range and isn't even guaranteed to work, so the only viable option at this point is the 6970m if you want to upgrade aftermarket right now. Worst part is your R2 is very tempting to the "benchmarking addict" side of me lol. Awesome rig you have there. The thing I don't understand is there's been a lot of talk of how the 460m just isn't good enough, the only things I have seen at all it can't do as a single card is Crysis 1 maxxed, and Metro 2033 maxxed on DX11(<-- some desktops can't so who cares?) The soft touch is just fine as long as you're not rough on it and keep it in the sleeve they send I've yet to have a single issue with this or the M11xR2 I had which was the same basic coating. Now if you're rough on a computer the R2 is the only choice because of materials and coating.

 

That is what V-Sync is for. It prevents screen tearing when you render much more than LCD refresh rate.

 

As has been shown, it's capable of running Crysis 2 @ 1080p, Gamer, in 3D. I'd say that's capable enough for the vast majority of people.

Of course, the people complaining aren't part of the 'vast majority'...and they're probably the people that are buying the 6970M.

 

Always enjoy your posts DaneGRClose. Any idea if the 6970 would give problems to the power issue/IGP compared to the stock 460?

I certainly wouldn't think so since I'd assume it's just the screen and the individual card that's different.

 

@above posts

I'm buying the 6970 for non-gaming purposes.
The only game that's had a chance to make it onto this system so far is Dragon Age: Origins! Though I do hope to remedy that situation by months end (when I hope to get some free time).

 

mmm, i see. i think i might just make a thread of a want to trade... lol. someone customize an r3 to my specs, and ill do an awesome trade. . but i digress.

the reason i like the r3 is because, well, i am an enthusiast when it comes to games, but since ive already had bigger n better i dont mind taking it down a few notches, lol. besides, most games that i play like crysis are nvidia friendly.

 

The guys back at laptopmag.com said it lasted atleast 5 hours. Alienware M17x (2011) Review - Performance, Graphics, & Battery

 

I have a lot of relatives in the US too! But How can I buy it? can you say me how? And anybody knows if i pay with paypal, are there some extra fees?

 

so wait, between the 460m and the 6970, ofcourse the 6970 is the better deal if not looking at 3d, correct? just want to make sure that fact is true before i start speculating.

 

Ok so enable v-sync, stay below 60fps, and end up with an overpriced card that you don't use the power of it? See my point? Games are only getting easier to run not harder, the 460m will run most games at over 60fps giving a smoother experience so why spend extra money to have power you can't use without screen tearing?

I can run it at 1080p, Advanced, in 3D when it's overclocked with very few dips below the 30fps line. If they offered the 6970m with 120hz screen or made it more competitively priced I'd be all for it but the way it sits it doesn't make sense.

Thanks! I can't say for sure but Mandrake confirmed on his rig that there's no special routing for the GPU/IGP to Display so it should be as simple as swapping cards.

About where I've been too, had an R2, had a monster of an M15x that the GPU beat most single 5870's out there as well as a few others. I've finally realized that I'm happier getting a computer I can push that may not be the top "cream of the crop" type of rig and just get a new one every 3-6 months And just an FYI unless you're saying you want someone to spec one to exactly what you want there is nothing that can touch your computers total performance and quality in the R3 yet.

Depends on your view/opinion on things, I don't think I'd get the 6970 without the 120hz panel, I can't stand tearing on the screen and without the ability to run higher than 60fps(aka 120hz) what's the point of the extra power for most games?

 

The best thing to do is, Make your relatives purchase it for you via their credit card.

 

I don't think gt555m can beat a 460m. 555 is not considered a gaming card. 460 is a gaming card.

 

mmm, thanks for the compliment, haha., +1 rep also, ive been reading what ur saying to other peeps, and its helping me understand alot more. but i think im sold on getting an r3, hands down.

 

paypal does have a charge however if u send it for personal there is no charge.

I use paypal for my clan as such and donations have always been without a charge.

Although i hear an alienware machine makes a nice birthday present or so ;p

 

If you're talking about the capability to switch to the IGP, yes, the 6970M has that capability. I believe it's 5 hour battery.

As for whether you can switch in the OS, or if you have to reboot, I can't remember.

Yes, by far. The 6970M will give anywhere from 50-80% performance boost in games, looking at benchmarks. I'd definitely pay the extra for that.

Still, the 460M is by no means incapable. It'll still max out most modern games. So depends if you're willing to spend the extra. If you are; definitely go for it.

 

I agree this is true for the current games but unless you buy another laptop in the next 1-2 years then the 460m probably wont get 60 fps with 3D enabled (on highest settings) on newer games. I typically keep my laptops ~4 years so the extra power of the 6970m will be useful in the future.

 

The gt555m is a mid level card, you can game with it, but it's nowhere near a 460m/6970/6870 level card, as soon as you enable 3D you'll be talking about medium settings on most games at best. Be careful on Nvidia's numbering sequence, a higher numbered class doesn't mean anything with them, hence the 260m-->360m crap.

 

I really hate that ATI/Nvidia changed their numbering scheme years ago >< It makes it so confusing for the average user.

 

tbh it doesnt make any sense to change the numbering n stuff, also when the mobile versions are nothing like the desktop versions most of the time. Guess its just their sense of humor.

 

LOL I wish it was just a sense of humor, it's marketing tactics to milk every possible consumer for every possible penny

 

Why is the 6970M being downplayed? It's within 10% of the GTX 485M, which puts both of them it at nearly 2x the speed of the GTX 460M.

For just $175 more, it's a no-brainer. There's no price gouging going on either, because it legitimately costs more than the 460M. The GTX 485M is a $495 premium over the 460M, just to put things into perspective.

The 6970M is ultimate. The 460M is a scrub, in comparison.

 

"17.3-inch WideFHD 1920x1080 120Hz WLED w/ NVIDIA 3D Vision Bundle [Included in Price]"

does the 120hz only apply to the 3d part? or can it also be used in 2d? (got this from the dell site.