M17x-R4-should I install the Creativelabs software?

Did a clean install of 8 on my new M17x-R4, and Microsoft's audio drivers installed and appear to be working fine. Windows Update offers me Creative Labs Soundblaster Recon3Di drivers though.

Typically in notebooks Creative's stuff has just been software running on top of someone else's hardware...something I don't want to mess with.

In this case though that Soundblaster is actually listed in Device Manager and nothing else is, soooo maybe it actually is hardware?

Any thoughts on installing it? I don't like tons of extraneous programs running if I can help it.

Really disappointed that it turns out you CAN'T disable Optimus on this thing...the F7 key even has that I/D GFX logo, but it doesn't do anything. (Also, weirdly CPU-Z was able to crash it. I've never had that happen before)

 

You needs to download the alienware drivers, OSd etc.

Then use fn + f7 and it will turn off.

 

FN+F7 doesnt work on nvidia cards. You can get an unlocked BIOS but I don't see the point since Nvidia have decent stable drivers which just work with the integrated gpu.

I'd get the software if you can, let windows install that update (its a newer driver version .2040 vs 2039 on dell website). You might want to install the control panel thing as well to tweak the sound to your liking.

 

Okay so for sure installing the AlienFX drivers WON'T let me disable Optimus? Literally the very first program I wanted to configure (VLC) won't run on the Geforce, so this ain't a good start :lol:

Any point to installing the Creative Labs software if 8's built in drivers are working?

 

You should defiantly install the creative drivers. Side note I'll try and grab pics of the sound profile for SB Z profile settings for Fatal1ty, FPS, RTS and etc. Can't comment on the Nvida Optimus since I have an AMD card.

 

In the M17X the creative chip is def an actual chip this time instead of just software if I remember correctly. I would suggest getting the Creative software right from the Alienware support website so you have access to all of the EQ settings and what not. While it will work with the windows drivers, it will probably work better with the actual Creative drivers. I know when I plug in my headset it pulls open a menu to select where my mic and headphones are plugged in because there are multiple ports but I don't know if that will work without the creative drivers.

There is also a post on these forums somewhere about tweaking the EQ to make it sound better and I can say from personal experience that it really does help to tweak it from factory EQ settings. Sounds a lot crisper and more loud.

 

Huh, sort of feels like eight years too late, but still that's cool it's an actual Creative chip finally. Seems like the SNR is very good so far (and was terrible on the old M15x), so it's worth it for that alone if that's Creative's doing!

 

I can vouch for creative's eq settings too, makes quite a big impact on sound quality if done properly and the pull up menus for when one plugs something in.

 

fn+f7 works for me on windows 8 but i don't have UEFI enabled.

 

Doesn't do anything for me. Installed latest drivers, HDMI in last time I tried worked, but cant disable optimus. (using windows 8 with UEFI etc on as well)

 

Sorry i said i don't have uefi enabled. I'm running legacy.

 

Sound settings in xml format
https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0BxXoSvZ6udY6Tm5JVnhTanUtUTA/edit?usp=sharing
I believe you can import these files if not open and plug in settings.

Link has been fixed

 

I normally run a Blu Ray player's audio in through my notebook's mic jack (as well as a portable game system's audio). Wasn't getting any input with Microsoft's drivers, so I installed the Windows Update Creative drivers.

Now I get audio (after rebooting a second time), but I think there may be a weird amount of latency, and the audio sounds WEIRD, like it's coming from inside a tin can or something. I'm wondering if it's applying some weird post-processing to it, but I don't see anything to configure. There are no actual Creative programs that I'm seeing, and I don't see anything relevant to configure in Windows' sound settings.

Got to get this working, so I'm panicking lol

 

You need to go to the dell drivers support page and download the audio software package, it contains the soundblaster recon3di control panel where you can add sound enhancements. Without any enhancements I think it sounds weird.

 

Ooookay...I installed the Creative software for 8 from Dell's site. Then ran Windows update, and reinstalled the Creative driver from there, as Dell's had I guess overwritten it with an older one.

That gives me a Sound Blaster control panel, and that lets me set up the third jack as a line-in instead of microphone (don't know if that matters), and lets me disable "THX TruStudio Pro", and "CrystalVoice". (Actually I don't think CrystalVoice does anything when it's set as a Line-in, only when it's set as a Microphone).

And now, I think maybe, MAYBE my audio is normal, no tin-can effect or the like.

I have to say the Creative driers are really inoffensive compared to the last time I used 'em back on Windows 8. This whole process was fast and painless, and their control center is pretty straight forward.

I guess this really does have a Creative chip, and the SNR SEEMS to be way above normal for a notebook...I can't hear any hiss (although I'm in a loud environment where it's a bit tough to tell).

Man...if this is working now I'm really impressed, actual Creative hardware? GTX 680 with no Optimus? Notebook specific software that actually doesn't stink? Keyboard that seems like it's actually trying to compete with real keyboards, instead of an awful chicklet thing? The engineers working on this thing know what they're doing...

 

Thanks! I hadn't realized I had to install that first...I'm sort of loath to install extra software I don't need on a PC, but in this case you do need it, and it's (so far) really inoffensive, doesn't do anything weird.

I actually think it sounds really bad/weird WITH the THX enhancements...I kind of suspect that with the Windows Update drivers alone, it was doing that post-processing, only had no control panel to disable the post processing, leading to it sounding strange and having noticeable latency.

EDIT: oh I noticed that Creative defaults playback to 24-bit and 48000Hz or whatever. Don't know what this chip does internally, but maybe it really is 24-bit audio? Hopefully they set that to whatever makes sense for the chip, but if that's for real, that's unique too.

Anyway it sure seems like there's a lot about this notebook that really makes it better than the competition...

 

Glad you got it working, as long as the control panel is accessible you can taylor it to your own liking. One thing I would do is disable everything on task manager under the start up tab. I have 'requiredapplicationslauncher' which is all the alienware stuff to load on startup (means I can switch alienfx on and off with the multimedia key F11) otherwise without it you need to manually open up the command centre then it will work. But you can even disable that too if you please.

If your anything like me then having as few as possible notification icons in the taskbar is best.

 

I would imagine Fn-F7 won't work with UEFI boot. As I understand it the card must have UEFI code on board, and the NV ones do not ATM. The key sequence will write a change to the bios to force whichever card following a reboot.

There may be updated vBIOS with UEFI support coming along but I've not seen aty yet - although win8 does not interest me one bit ATM

 

Yeah, from what I'm seeing with 8, no reason to upgrade to it if you don't need it. I mean it has a few nice tweaks here and there, and I like that it has updated drivers in it, that's always good...

but the new "flat" look is stupid, harder to make things out. That's the least bad of the bad changes though...the whole Metro thing is just dumb. I love the idea of having an optional touch-centric interface for programs, but they should be the SAME programs, like say you're using Firefox in desktop mode, you switch to tablet mode and same firefox, same everything is there save for the interface. Instead it's an iOS-like walled garden with mostly different programs that run in what almost feels like a different OS. It's a lame launcher compared to the start menu...

Ugh...they don't actually think they're replacing the real Windows desktop with Metro, do they? Because if they ever did, I'm jumping ship to Apple. I like Windows better than OS X, but I like OS X a lot more than Metro...

8 does work with a normal BIOS boot though, and I think the only thing UEFI only gives you is a slightly faster boot? Like chops a little time off the Pre-OS boot time? Well, eh, that's not much time anyway.

 

Sorry about that link has been fixed.

 

I don't mind windows 8, I never had a computer with windows 7 so it wasnt a big deal for me to go to windows 8.

UEFI is mainly for faster boot times and more secure booting apparently safer from viruses since windows defender boots before a virus will. Don't understand it too well, but too late to change it now. I have heard that the newer cards built ca. 2013 might be UEFI compatible, since they have a updated vBIOS which works with it.

I dont think metro will replace the desktop, just compliment it at best. I dont mind launching desktop programs from the metro start interface anymore since it works. Similar to mac osx spotlight where you type anything, be a program name, file or whatever and it would just launch it, I do the same with the new start screen just type what i need to launch.

 

The thing is, Windows already did that, where you'd type stuff and launch, and it used to work much better, and be on the same screen. It USED to be much more like how OS X does it actually than it is now. Depends what OS you came from, although I'd think even coming from OS X Windows 7 and earlier would make more sense.

I just got done deleting most of the metro programs, as I found them all worthless. Wow...a mail program I can only use with hotmail, and only use full screen, and even at that doesn't really have a good interface...hmmm lol