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    M17xR3 First Impression

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by Mandrake, Jan 25, 2011.

  1. Mandrake

    Mandrake Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    I'm uploading it again right now. Hopefully this time there will be audio with it.
     
    Mandrake, Jan 30, 2011
    #451
  2. DaneGRClose

    DaneGRClose Notebook Virtuoso

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    Shoot ya had to point it out obc993, now I'm gonna be thinking about what happens on boot :S Nice vids Drake, appreciate the posts.
     
    DaneGRClose, Jan 30, 2011
    #452
  3. ECKS

    ECKS Notebook Prophet

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    Mr. Mandrake, what brand is the stock ram?
     
    ECKS, Jan 30, 2011
    #453
  4. oranges

    oranges Notebook Enthusiast

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    After following your thread and several others for a few days, I finally ordered myself a r3 with the 460m and 3D screen.

    I was just wondering, did you get sample video files( that nvidia or dell might have put ) so you can test out the 3D feature? I have a couple games on steam that are already supported according to Nvidia's site, but are there any particular video files included with the laptop?

    Btw, your pictures look amazing. Nice job. :D
     
    oranges, Jan 30, 2011
    #454
  5. fam

    fam Notebook Consultant

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    Mandrake for the win!

    I had placed order for m17x r3.
    Same spec as mandrake, except its red nebula!
    Now i wonder , what SSD & Ram to choose from ebay :p
     
    fam, Jan 30, 2011
    #455
  6. LVNeptune

    LVNeptune Notebook Virtuoso

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    Ok so you just plugged the AMD GPU into the 120hz beast you have...DOES IT WORK?????
     
    LVNeptune, Jan 30, 2011
    #456
  7. jywang

    jywang Notebook Evangelist

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    You are da man!!!

    If the ATI card works and the IGP becomes enabled as well, then it means that the video card controls the routing of the video signal to the display. Did you see any jumpers on the 460M?

    If the ATI card works but the IGP is still disabled, then it means that the routing of the video signal is controlled on the motherboard/BIOS.

    Superb detective work going on...
     
    jywang, Jan 30, 2011
    #457
  8. LVNeptune

    LVNeptune Notebook Virtuoso

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    Or it won't work at all because AMD GPU's aren't supposed to support 120hz laptop panels according to Dell =/
     
    LVNeptune, Jan 30, 2011
    #458
  9. Mandrake

    Mandrake Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    Nanya

    You get sample images from the nvidia software.

    I didn't see any jumpers but then again I wasn't looking for them.
     
    Mandrake, Jan 30, 2011
    #459
  10. Mandrake

    Mandrake Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    Audio still doesn't work. I'll need to cut it with different software.....tomorrow, off to bed.
     
    Mandrake, Jan 30, 2011
    #460
  11. obc993

    obc993 Notebook Consultant

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    no audio btw
     
    obc993, Jan 30, 2011
    #461
  12. Mandrake

    Mandrake Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    BTW, the card does not work. You'll see what it does once the video is properly uploaded.
     
    Mandrake, Jan 30, 2011
    #462
  13. obc993

    obc993 Notebook Consultant

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    i didnt understend it, it didnt work i suppose
     
    obc993, Jan 30, 2011
    #463
  14. Huuy

    Huuy Notebook Evangelist

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    Why did you want to swap the 460M with a 5870M?
     
    Huuy, Jan 30, 2011
    #464
  15. ECKS

    ECKS Notebook Prophet

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    Never heard of "Nanya" before. Is it any good? Do they have any kind of reputation (i.e. they produce the chips that other companies just slap their stickers on)?
     
    ECKS, Jan 30, 2011
    #465
  16. obc993

    obc993 Notebook Consultant

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    dell uses them (i believe ) in all their machines
     
    obc993, Jan 30, 2011
    #466
  17. kunekaden

    kunekaden Notebook Deity

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    i've always got samsung, hyundai, and elpedia ram with dells.
     
    kunekaden, Jan 30, 2011
    #467
  18. Macpod

    Macpod Connoisseur

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    heatpad under the card?? wouldnt that do more hard then good? or is it just there for padding.

    get some rest mate so you are fresh tommorow to do some overclocking. haha. jokes.
     
    Macpod, Jan 30, 2011
    #468
  19. LVNeptune

    LVNeptune Notebook Virtuoso

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    I knew it wouldn't work with that panel :D :D !
     
    LVNeptune, Jan 30, 2011
    #469
  20. obc993

    obc993 Notebook Consultant

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    i assumed that because at my school we got some dells and the teacher told us to run some hardware maintenance to the computers an there where nanyna on all the machines lol
     
    obc993, Jan 30, 2011
    #470
  21. ECKS

    ECKS Notebook Prophet

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    Does that mean it's good? Cuz I'm not sure what hte brand is in my hp laptop, but it's the same one from 2007, and still running strong. I think it might be Patriot or Crucial in it.
     
    ECKS, Jan 30, 2011
    #471
  22. laststop311

    laststop311 Notebook Deity

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    wait so if im understanding this correctly, with nvidia cards you get no graphic switching support so you get total crap battery life.

    With the radeon cards you do get graphic switching so you get superior battery life. Am i understanding this correctly. You have to pay 350 + 75 extra to get 3d working and you lose the battery saving graphic switching. Wow screw that +425 and losing switchable graphics just for 3d. No thank you
     
    laststop311, Jan 30, 2011
    #472
  23. LVNeptune

    LVNeptune Notebook Virtuoso

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    No. It's an extra $100 out of the box if you choose the "right" alienware package link. Battery life is maybe 45 minutes different it seems.
     
    LVNeptune, Jan 30, 2011
    #473
  24. laststop311

    laststop311 Notebook Deity

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    so using the integrated instead of discreet only adds 45 mins life that doesnt seem right
     
    laststop311, Jan 30, 2011
    #474
  25. usshellfire

    usshellfire Notebook Consultant

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    using IGP as compared to the 6870 nearly doubles the battery life, not 45 mins.
     
    usshellfire, Jan 30, 2011
    #475
  26. 5150Joker

    5150Joker Tech|Inferno

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    Battery life difference is a lot more than 45 minutes. Try 2.5 hours+.
     
    5150Joker, Jan 30, 2011
    #476
  27. LVNeptune

    LVNeptune Notebook Virtuoso

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    It's about 3 hours on NVIDIA, about 3.75-4 hours on IGP.

    EDIT:

    Unless I am blind the threads I saw showed people with ATI switched to IGP @ 4-4.5 hrs (4.5 being the max).

    On top of that it needs a reboot to switch between IGP and ATI.
     
    LVNeptune, Jan 30, 2011
    #477
  28. laststop311

    laststop311 Notebook Deity

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    well if i got an r3 id be waitin on the 6970 and ordering with that. Ofc i can only see good out of one eye and 3d is useless to me so im a little biased but more powerful gpu and more battery life easy choice to me
     
    laststop311, Jan 30, 2011
    #478
  29. usshellfire

    usshellfire Notebook Consultant

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    usshellfire, Jan 30, 2011
    #479
  30. MrHappyyy

    MrHappyyy Notebook Consultant

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    wow! thats decent battery life for such a huge laptop..

    Sorry to bother you...but can you explain how does the switching between the IGP & 6870 works? Do you need to restart the laptop?

    Lastly how is the performance of games you tried so far?

    PS: Posting here for the first time...been reading this forum from last 2-3 weeks now...very interesting insight from all you peeps! Cheers! :)
     
    MrHappyyy, Jan 30, 2011
    #480
  31. Megacharge

    Megacharge Custom User Title

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    Wow that's some brutal keyboard flex. I've never seen flex that bad before. Nice looking Alienware though, and nice reivew. +rep
     
    Megacharge, Jan 30, 2011
    #481
  32. Nathan Graves

    Nathan Graves Notebook Consultant

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    How is the noise of the R3 (fans at full speed) compared to the R2??
    The R2 under full load with XFire config is like a plane taking off next to you which is the only negative point I have with my R2.
    So if I could get an R3 with 6970M which has approx. the same performance as my R2 5870Xfire but would be much more silent it would be a buying reason for me.
    Thx
     
    Nathan Graves, Jan 30, 2011
    #482
  33. cotolay

    cotolay Notebook Evangelist

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    I was thinking of selling me g73 for an R3 but after looking at that keyboard flex video..... Well i dont think i want an R3 Anymore. Did you get that fixed man? Thats some serious flex. Wow
     
    cotolay, Jan 30, 2011
    #483
  34. AtolSammeek

    AtolSammeek Tokay Gecko

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    The one thing I read about the 3D stuff. Only 85% of the population can see it.
     
    AtolSammeek, Jan 30, 2011
    #484
  35. Dr. J

    Dr. J Notebook Deity

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    I also read that those same 15% have a third nipple. :D Remember I'm a doctor...
     
    Dr. J, Jan 30, 2011
    #485
  36. Mandrake

    Mandrake Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    To see if putting an ATI card with the 3D panel would work.

    Yea, I'm not sure why they would want to transfer the heat to the system board. I did it once with an ATI 5870 to protect it underneath.

    The more I use it the more I actually notice it has a lot less noise than the R2. The again it could be the affect of having the cooler I have.

    Nothing to fix. Keyboard works great. I had a lot more issues with the G73 keyboard.
     
    Mandrake, Jan 30, 2011
    #486
  37. xorbex

    xorbex Notebook Enthusiast

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    A bit off topic but my question is... Can you use two pairs of glasses with the laptop and if yes what type of glasses would you need to purchase?
     
    xorbex, Jan 30, 2011
    #487
  38. Mandrake

    Mandrake Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    I haven't tried any other glasses but my guess would be if you tried turning 3D on it would fail to setup correctly without the Nvidia glasses.
     
    Mandrake, Jan 30, 2011
    #488
  39. pcgeek

    pcgeek Notebook Consultant

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    An extension to this question is how far can you move from the screen, and approximately what kind of angle can you move sideways and above the screen before the 3D degrades.

    The glasses receive the signal; and the transmitter (emitter) is in the R3. Many pair of glasses can receive the signal from one emitter. I actually do this with my desktop system and we can comfortably put 2 people in front of my AW2310. I used 4 pair of glasses with the same transmitter when I hooked it to my Mitsubishi 3D TV without a problem. I upgraded the TV to a Samsung plasma and the nVidia glasses won't work with that TV.

    But there are issues with angles and distance from the screen. There are recommendations for distance and angle from the screen too. Both of these are important as to how many people can sit around a laptop and watch something.

    Aside from purchasing additional nVidia glasses, the topic actually gets very involved. There are several forums on this topic alone as many manufacturers employ their own scheme. Many of them have different problems associated with them and also few of them are true HD. For example, one provides a checkerboard pattern at 120 Hz that actually puts out the same amount of video processing as a 1080p signal at 60 Hz thusly not putting any more demand on the actual display bandwidth. This is a huge topic and perhaps should be in its own thread, but there are so many forums out there already.
     
    pcgeek, Jan 30, 2011
    #489
  40. Mandrake

    Mandrake Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    That's something I'll have to test next time I try it.
     
    Mandrake, Jan 30, 2011
    #490
  41. Mandrake

    Mandrake Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    Second part of the video is upgrading again. I cut it with the Nikon software so hopefully it will have audio this time. Still processing....

    Edit: It works...
     
    Mandrake, Jan 30, 2011
    #491
  42. pcgeek

    pcgeek Notebook Consultant

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    Do we also know where the emitter itself is on the R3? I would think it would be on the top of the display bezel as it must maintain a line of sight with the glasses and hands would cause a problem. Is it in the center, left, or right?
     
    pcgeek, Jan 30, 2011
    #492
  43. alex_xu0320

    alex_xu0320 Notebook Enthusiast

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    I heard the bep bep sound. :( :(
     
    alex_xu0320, Jan 30, 2011
    #493
  44. Schmuu

    Schmuu Notebook Enthusiast

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    does everu r3 unit have so much keyboard flex???
     
    Schmuu, Jan 30, 2011
    #494
  45. The_Shirt

    The_Shirt Notebook Evangelist

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    Personally, I think folks are overreacting to the alleged keyboard flex issue. Folks that are reporting are intentionally forcing it to flex outside of a normal typing environment.

    I'll know more when I get mine on/about 18 Feb 11, however if I can type and there is no flex, then in reality there is no flex if it doesn't flex under intended operating conditions.
     
    The_Shirt, Jan 30, 2011
    #495
  46. usshellfire

    usshellfire Notebook Consultant

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    switching between IGP and 6870 is done through catalyst control center. and DOES NOT require restarting.

    the IGP was not intended for gaming. its was only designed for web browsing and also for video.

    6870 so far has been performing quite well. runs BFBC2 and black ops on max settings without any hiccu. (other then FPS dropping to 20-25FPS in BC2 when explosions were filling up the whole screen,)
     
    usshellfire, Jan 30, 2011
    #496
  47. Mandrake

    Mandrake Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    New video but not the good kind. The problem here happens on both my M15x and M17xR3. I blame Steam for this issue but I can't be the only one with this problem.

    <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qJQbuwTv7hg?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qJQbuwTv7hg?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width='480' height="385"></embed></object>
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 6, 2015
    Mandrake, Jan 30, 2011
    #497
  48. DaneGRClose

    DaneGRClose Notebook Virtuoso

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    Hey Drake for some reason the video won't play and isn't listed on your YouTube uploads page :(
     
    DaneGRClose, Jan 30, 2011
    #498
  49. Mandrake

    Mandrake Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    It's still processing, give it a few seconds.

    I also updated the first post with all the videos.
     
    Mandrake, Jan 30, 2011
    #499
  50. DaneGRClose

    DaneGRClose Notebook Virtuoso

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    Oh ok, my bad. Most of your videos have been up before you post about them :eek:
     
    DaneGRClose, Jan 30, 2011
    #500
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