M17xR3 First Impression

Mandrake can a 12.5mm 1TB drive fit inside this laptop?

 

thanks, found the modded inf file for it, 3dmark score jumped 100 points as a result and no more BSOD (still running in RAID mode but seems to be fine)

 

Mandrake: What notebook cooler is that? Looks bad , can't find the model mentioned anywhere.

 

No, even the default drive is a 7mm drive.

It's a cooler master, .

Fits nicely, when I had it on my Cryo it was sliding off.


M17xR3 by Mandrake Photography, on Flickr

 

My SSD specifically says it's not supported with IRST so you might be ok with it.

 

Do you think a cooler is needed?

 

Need would be a strong word. Having it gives it a nice tilt and running the fans even on low will reduce the stress on the internal fans. If you want to OC then I would say definitely get it.

 

BTW, the hub on that cooler is USB 3.0.

 

Would that cooler work for uhm...lapping the laptop? You know...actually putting it on your lap. Seems to be kind of hard to find the ones that should be on your lap these days

EDIT: On another note who makes these 19" gaming laptops they are boasting in that ad? Lol...Would be cool I suppose.

 

It can but it would be awkward. Plus to actually turn on the fans it needs to be plugged in. It's designed to be on a desk.

 

even after 2 hours of gaming, my max temps for gpu are at 68, cpu at 72. and the plam rest / keyboard barely gets warm enough to notice. so as mandrake mention, a cooler is not needed. but if you do get one, it should lower temps to the low 60's

 

Hey mandrake,

Just wondering what you think you would prefer if you could choose. 460m gtx with 3D or the faster 6970m? I'm thinking of canceling my similar set-up to yours to get the 6970m, however, you guys are making the 3D sound alot cooler than I figured (figured it would be ok, but kind of be gimmickly / get old fast).

I guess i'm asking if you'd give up the 3D for a faster GPU haha...

Thanks for your input (if / when u have time)

 

They exist, Alienware used to have one. (Pre-Dell)

 

If I were going to benchmark a lot then the 6970. Getting a more powerful GPU doesn't always guaranty the best gaming experience. Just the best benchmarking scores.

 

please explain. how does a more powerful GPU not give the best gaming experience?

 

Driver support would be reason #1. 3D with the 460 would be another. More heat, more power used, louder fans...etc.

 

ok so can anyone tell me what speed of ram came in the r3? i know it is 1333, but is it 10600, 10660 or 10666 or does none of that matter? basicly i got the 4gb model and i want to add 2x2gb more.....it sucks that AW used the rear ram and i have to take the keyboard off to add more.....

 

Totally agree with Mandrake. Gaming experience with 3d is worth not having the fastest card at the moment.

 

You guys do make it sound pretty cool, I really wish they had a better nvidia card to work with it...

I dont need the latest and greatest or the best benchmarks, but I want to future proof for at least a few years and thats what concerns me about the 460m. How bad is 3D mode cutting your FPS in games? I feel like the 460m isnt going to be strong enough for alot of 3D games which is unfortunate.

 

3D will cut your frames in half

 

if you are not a "all maxed out settings" junkie, then I think the 460m should be fine for a year or two..

 

i just moved from an Asus g73 that had a 5870 in it...to be honest as a regular gamer with non-super-human eyesight that cannot detect past 60fps, i cant tell the difference. i never really play at MAX...but i do generaly play towards the high end of the settings.
like i said before, i got the 460 with the idea that in a year or so when some new games come out and the price drops, i will look at a replacement card

 

It does matter because it looks like you might be looking at desktop memory. Link what you are looking to get.

 

As long as you are not dipping below 24 it should not affect the 3D gaming experience.

 

saw complaints on newegg that ppl were receiving it with European style power adapter. did you have the same issue?

 

No. It's working well here in Chicago.

 

mandrake, any overclocking results from you? saw some folks were able to push the 460m fairly well with their ASUS gaming notebooks.

 

No not yet. Hopefully later today.

 

New video coming soon.....


Video1 by Mandrake Photography, on Flickr

Video now posted on initial post.

 

unboxing? looking forward to it

 

Didn't make one.

 

WOW!!! That flex is pretty bad, did Dell not brace the under side of the keyboard at all Drake? That looks like it's gonna require some "tweaking" to brace the back of it as that much flex is far from acceptable.

 

The bottom left side is where the memory is. There is noting there to brace it so any mod would need to be there.

 

the flex is the worst I have ever seen. glad I got the tactx keyboard too

 

Have you noticed that portion of the keyboard getting hot at all? Basically is the RAM running warm at all? I'm wondering if maybe a small thin plate of aluminum or something like that spanned across that gap may work to stiffen that area up a bit.

 

YouTube - M17xR3 Keyboard Flex
worst Flex in any keyboard ever? seriously :/ maybe there is a defect in this unit.

unless you are pushing real hard how can this pass testing in dell?

 

No extra heat that I can tell but air is blowing in from the bottom and being tunneled back. that area shouldn't get hot while on my cooler. Plus my memory is OC'ed 100% of the time.

 

Pushing harder than I type. It doesn't affect typing at all.

 

a few credit cards or phone cards would probably fix that
way to go Dell!

 

I'm thinking use a thin peice of copper or aluminum plate so if the RAM does heat up it may help exchange some of the heat to keep it away from the RAM, if you were to use plastic like a card it may either heat or just insulate it to keep the heat right on the RAM 100%.

 

thats crazy. my cheap vostro 1500 has an excellent keyboard. Can you feel flex at all when doing normal typing? im hoping that your camera angle exaggerate the flex because that looks worse than an acer keyboard and thats saying a lot.

 

Send that back....That's ridiculous.

Anyone else had this issue?

 

He already mentioned it doesn't affect normal daily typing. One other question Drake, have you had a chance to glance at the heatsinks on the GPU/CPU at all while disassembling it yet? I'm gonna order some paste and pads and I'm wondering what thickness of pads are gonna be best and also questioning if I should go with TX-4 or MX-4 this time around.

 

i was thinking maybe there's a posibility to completly avoid that area but a copper/AL plate is not that bad (still pitiful for a brand new laptop).

 

Doesn't matter if it affects it or not. The keyboard is dipping below the chassis which isn't safe. It could easily cause a short.

 

I can't believe that flex
Now, i'm really glad i didn't order an r3...

 

the last few seconds seems to show that even the chasis was bending. very dissapointing after seeing the previous generation..... i would accept it in an acer or MSI but AW and DELL know how to do better than this. heck they do a better job with their inspiron line as far as keyboard is concerned.

dont understand....

Maybe ill get the XPS 17 after all

 

Hopefully it's just him...I would send this right back out.

 

That video has me concerned to say the least. I was expecting better quality from a 2k+ laptop. I debated between the Asus g73 and R3 before finally placing my order for the R3. This makes me want to cancel my order.

 

Chassis was not bending. That is the boarder around the keyboard shown in this pic...


M17xR3 by Mandrake Photography, on Flickr