M17x R4 Wishlist

You're kidding right? You have a portable computer and you still want to be strapped down to wires?

 

WiFI?!

Latancy, latancy, latancy. You might not be a gamer, so I'll chalk it up to just not knowing, but gaming on WiFi is a nightmare, Ethernet is a must.

 

Well not everyone games on their Alienware, my friend DJ's with his M17xR2. I haven't had a major issue with my M17xR2 and Intel 6300 or my old i7 desktop with a D-link dual band PCI Xtreme N WLAN card. Yes latency is going to be higher than LAN, but I live upstairs and I don't have an option for 100 foot LAN cable.

 

Latency is no longer a problem, especially if using Bigfoot Killer Wifi. Last time I had latency problems in online gaming was about 4 years ago. Things have changed and I agree with the comment about wires, I get claustrophobia when using desktops, lol.

 

Everything wireless! WirelessHD, WiFi, wireless sync and wireless induction charging! KILL ALL THE WIRES!

 

Well I would love my i7 desktop back with a LAN cable, but that isn't feasible right now. So just get the best WLAN card you can get, and you should be good. Again I've NEVER had an issue with any Intel WLAN card.

 

I plan to upgrade from the M14x to the M17x as well when the M17xR4 release, and the thing I like to see it:

- Default Native 3D option (can be switch on/off at will)
- Giving option to dual GPU again like the R2 series.
- Give us back the Anodised Aluminium chassis like the R2 series.
- If not native 3D option then give us a resolution higher than 1080p.
- Like widezu69's post, Give us Wireless! Come on, this is 2012 - Leap year + Year of the Dragon in the Chinese calendar so I think Dell can go all out
- Reduce the USB 2 port to 1, and increase the USB 3 to 3-4 (Not sure how many on the R3 though)
- Give option to turn the Optimus off in the BIOS by default without the need of using a custom mod, because I dont know about the current R3 but the M14x we've been having many trouble whitelisting those game, especially those that stubbornly not to play using the NVIDIA GPU even you have force it so.

For the CPU/GPU, I'm sure that Dell definitely will put an Ivy Bridge & AMD/NVIDIA's next gen GPU in (HD7000 & GF 700 series), though I know this will be off topic but I kinda like to see a World's First 20" Gaming Laptop - Alienware M20x, because the M18x resemble the M17x very very much, in fact with the release of the M18x, most of the feature like Anodised Aluminium chassis and dual GPU was being transfer to the M18x instead, so a 20" Laptop would even be more rewarding to those bought that.

 

Optimus can already be disabled in the R3 BIOS.

Windows 8 will have a lot of UI changes for touchscreen devices - I'd like to be prepared.

I'd trade dual mobile GPUs for the possibility (and for some manufacturer) to put a single desktop GPU on MXM. Reference this article that showed that even 6990M Crossfire/580M SLI performed worse in most cases than their single GPU desktop counterparts. It doesn't have to be a top-flight 250W+ TDP 7970 or GTX680; the 28nm parts coming out this year should have a much better performance-per-watt than current 40nm ones. I suspect a power-optimized 28nm desktop GPU within the current electrical and thermal envelope acceptable in the M17x (100W) would perform much better than single mobile GPUs and approaching where we are presently with dual mobile GPUs.

Edit: Apple already uses desktop GPUs in something resembling MXM, here.

Once new chipsets support USB 3.0 natively without a 3rd party, I want all 2.0 ones to be dumped. Ports are always backward-compatible but not forward to exploit the full bandwidth.

 

Oh dear, another victim of mobile card naming confusion. The 580m and 6990m counterparts are not the 580 and 6990 desktop version. The 580m is similar to a 560 Ti and the 6990m is similar to the 6870. That article is vastly misinformed and isn't commenting on performance but rather the bad naming scheme that the video card manufacturers give.

What you are wanting is currently being done at the moment. Nothing is new. Low enthusiast Desktop card = top end mobile card. 580m = downclocked 560 Ti.

 

Yes, I know they're not the same thing... they are in name only, which is disingenuous in the parts of AMD and Nvidia.

 

Maybe release a nvidia only version with the NF200 chip so if external SLi is possible it would run at [x16, x16] instead of [x8, x8]

or maybe lucid virtu

 

Video components that update themselves, and dont require either an advanced degree in computer programming nor 4 hours of free time to update (each and every update).

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/647065-best-ccc-cap-also-new-3dmark-vantage-results.html

 

yeah i just found this now and i have ordered my laptop god damn it... i hope its not heaps better than the last hey

 

well, I am hardcore gamer (online) and I game WiFi (mainly BF3 and HoN), no latency problem at all...

man, whatever you say I am supporting it

 

i like having the network port for when im docked in at home. I'd rather be on a hardline connection than wifi(though I haven't had any issues with wifi). Another reason to have the network port is its more secure than the wireless these days as wireless encryption seems to get broken a lot these days. also don't forget having to configure networks and switches, its a lot easier to just plug into the net jack than have to screw with the wifi. Just my .02 cents

 

filter your network with MAC addresses and you are done, no one can break into it

 

yea i know, but I have friends that come over all the time and it would be a pain to have to constantly add MAC addresses.

 

oh pain but I did it that way, I had about 25 something computers in my MAC filter at some point

 

M17xR4 Wishlist:

1) Bring back extreme processors as an Oem upgrade option. R2 had XM and sli/xfire, but now the R3 has neither and is crippled. m17x gave up sli to its obese brethren the m18x which is fine with me, but the lack of official extreme processors as well is embarrassing at best.

2) Native 1920x1080, rather not have to shell out for an upgrade from 1600x900, when every respectable 17" gaming laptop (Msi Gt78x, Sager NP8170 etc) comes standard with 1920x1080.

3a) Nearly 9.5 lb is not acceptable for a 17" laptop. Lets strive to be in the same weight tier as the 8.6lb Msi Gt78x. Just Under 9 lb will suffice for the R4, lets leave the title of behemoth monstrosity exclusively to the m18x please.

3b) The Power Brick should not rival ultrabooks in size and weight, lets lower the psu's watts for the currently crippled non dual gpu/xtreme cpu M17x by about 25%, and improve form/weight. Not everything Alienware has to be exponentially larger, besides performance (and price) that is..

 

Been researching around for my first gaming laptop, and I'm on the fence between the upcoming M17x R4 and the Clevo P150EM. Off the top of my head, the biggest thing holding me back from the Alienware is the nasty glossy screen. If a matte screen option is offered on the next generation, my decision will be much easier.

 

my only wish in a laptop is to have a next gen external connector like a USB 4/5 connection that will have enough bandwidth to allow me to attach a desktop graphics card to it. One can only dream...

 

Actually ive did google about same thing that you were talkin about. I think you can even do it now with M18x, as per my knowledge its contain Express slot, there is one device which can run desktop Gpu, and able to take signals from express slot. From Gpu can attach any external monitor, but with Alienware there is HDMI in given so can feed it with M18x screen. DD

 

That sound pretty interesting! I know eGPU docks are limited because the can only output to a separate monitor but the HDMI solves that. Imagine having dual desktop 580's at home, then dual 580m's on the road.

Edit: Although at only PCI 1x speeds...

 

Dual 580 a bit overkill for just 17.3" with 1080p, even dual 580m can kill any game so far. Ohh yahh laptop without GC in it can kill mobile gpusXD

 

Hi, im purchasing a M17x today, but im still pondering some changes on the configuration. Thats what im thinking right now:
Processor 3820qm
GC 7970m
Ram 8gb
HD 750gb
Accidental damages care
BRdisk combo
FHD display

What do u think? any advice?

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/8504133-post127.html

And since the M17x R4 is now released, we're closing this thread.