M17xR3 Pre-Purchase Questions on Configuration - Questions go here....

Hi guys I've decided I will purchase my first alienware ever, which will be the m17x r3!. I've been fooling around with customization and geez the price can sky rocket in seconds, so im wondering what you guy's think is most important to upgarde.

Thanks alot! Shawn

 

1080P, 1TB HDD

If you really want 3D get the 460M and the 3D screen...

 

Considering the amount of ram slots, I would go with the base ram and upgrade later on my own using aftermarket RAM. You'll save a few bones going this route.

Changing out the RAM should be simple enough...

As for the HDD options, if you can afford an SSD drive, consider it. If not, look at the cost of going RAID 0. Is it that much higher than if you went out and bought a second drive? If sticking with just a boot drive and a storage drive, again - look at the cost difference. If configuring the drive options via Dell is only going to save a few bones, I would not worry about it at all.

For Screen - go with the best you can afford. This should be your first point as its the most costly to update later.

 

I'd just go with a screen upgrade, update everything else later on.

 

What cant be upgarded later on? Also is it easy to upgarde yourself even with no prior knowledge? And if I chose to upgarde not buying from dell does that make my system no longer under warrenty?

Thanks

 

It can be upgraded later on but Alienware prices the screens so high that it's cheaper to sell the old rig at a loss and buy a new one. There are only 3 things I would say you should change from the factory:

1-screen, the 1080p is a must have on a 17" rig and they're too expensive to replace after order, if you want the 3D capability then definitely get it from the factory
2-color, this is kind of a no brainer, don't order black and expect to be able to get red very easily without ordering a new machine
3-GPU, if you want Nvidia's offerings go with the 460m if you want AMD's offerings go with the 6870, this is less important but if you want the 460m the $50 upgrade cost isn't bad at all

The only other major components that can be upgraded are the CPU(I'm personally waiting to slap my own extreme in as you can usually get them cheaper on the aftermarket scene), RAM(this is one where you can save a good amount of cash, Dell's upgrade cost on RAM is ridiculous, especially if you get 8+gb of ram), HDD/SSD(again ridiculous prices from Dell, a lot cheaper aftermarket), Wifi(same thing here again, Dell charges $70 for a 6300 and they can be had for $30-40 aftermarket).

Anything you upgrade after the fact that isn't purchased from Dell isn't under warranty but as long as no damage is done the rest of the machine is still under warranty.

 

Thanks, my only question left is upgarding. Would I have to bring it to a local store and hope they don't damage anything? Or is it something anyone can do.

 

I don't think I'd say it's something anyone can do by anymeans especially something like a screen, gpu, or cpu upgrade. I will say changing things like RAM or a HDD/SSD is something almost anyone could do. Do some research, study the manuals, ask questions on here and you should be able to do just about any of it. I would personally leave stuff like the GPU/CPU for a while until you have some experience though.

 

Hey all,

I just got my m17x-r2 that I ordered for Christmas on the same day that they announced the r3. My specs are as such:

Mobility 5870's in crossfire x 2
i7 840qm @ 1.86 per core, 8 MB Cache
8 gigs of ram
1 Terabyte RAID 0 (x2 500 GB 7,200 RPM)
1920x1200 60 GHz RGBLCD
Standard DVD Drive

Now, this cost me nearly 4,000 with the warranty and such. For the r3 i would get, I'd be getting:

Either of the graphics cards (which is better?), Mobility 6870 or GTX 460M
2820qm @ 2.3 per core, 8 MB Cache
8 Gigs of ram
1.5 Terabyte RAID 0 "
1920x1080 120 GHz WLED
Blu-ray drive

Which is better? Obviously the processor is a step up, but is the graphics card an improvement or a step down? Does crossfire scale better than a stronger graphics card? I'm interested in 3D, but I'm also content with the laptop I have. Should I trade it in? Will I get better performance on the new laptop? Thoughts please. I have 30 days to trade it in.

 

The R3 GPU as of now is a step WAY down vs. the 5870m's. CF can scale anywhere from 0-40% or more, it all depends on the drivers released.

 

For the vast majority of people, it's a downgrade not an upgrade. Both GPUs offered will be significantly slower than what you've got in your system and while the new screen supports 3D, it isn't RGBLED so you'll lose a lot of your screen quality.

The system's meant for a more mainstream market who want something that's cheaper and more portable. Very similar market to the M15x, if you think about it.

Actually, CF can scale a lot higher than that. In ideal scenarios it can scale up to 80%.

Most of the time it'll be around 50% or so with the latest drivers.

 

As of now, the r3 is weak in the graphics department, a 6870 is basically a renamed 5870, with I believe slower clock rates. its faster then a 460 but no where near cf 5870 or even cf 4870. My advice would be to return your current laptop and either wait for cf version of 6870 6890 or if you can't wait here is a better laptop with a gtx 485 about 10-15 percent faster then the 6870.

 

LIke I said id a dii ff thread if I move to the R3 this is about what I would do:

I think if I were to go the R3 route I would do this:

Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit
Intel® Core™ i7 2820QM 2.3GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache)
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz (2DIMMS) <<-- to be replaced later with aftermarket
1.5GB GDDR5 Nvidia GeForce GTX 460M
1.5TB Raid 0 (2x 750GB 7,200RPM) *
17.3-inch WideFHD1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
Intel® Ultimate N WiFi Link 6300 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO Technology
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)

and 2 of these:
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Laptop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-8GBSQ for 16G memory

Maby break the raid and replace the primnary 750G drive with my ssd..maby not...donno

Then sell one of my R2's to make up some of the cost.

I really can use the 16G for my VM's and the faster CPU is a bonus, and TBH I am not a hard core gamer, so the loss of a CF GPU wont kill me at all

 

We don't know if the 6870 is faster than a 460 yet. There are no benchmarks in existence for the 6870M. Until those show up, we can't judge it.

Basically put, if you want 3D (or the other nVidia features) get the 460M. If not, the 6870M should perform pretty much the same.

 

Hello,

I am planning to take a credit and purchase M17X, however need your advise to purchase now with 460m video card or wait when they update it to 485m ?

Is it worth waiting ?

Thank you

 

485m should have about 82% better performance. Its up to you if you really can make use of it.
Benchmarks:

Crysis: 1080p, high settings
460m = 52 fps
485m = 75 fps

Need for Speed, ultra settings:
460m = 44
485m = 70

Black Ops, ultra:
50 vs 70

THE 485m gtx is the fastest card released. Just not in m17x yet

 

Thanks for the info.

As I am taking the credit and this is the most expensive laptop on the market that I am aware of, I want to make sure, that the value to price is met and the most important is the hardware is capable to perform for at least 3 years of new games development.

I think you with that performance difference it is worth waiting half a year

 

Probably a good choice

 

i think if this is a big investment then i would wait and buy the M18x with crossfire. I believe crossfire scaling will only get better with time and two 6970 should last you 3 years. 3 years ago the top card was 8800GTX right? that card will have trouble with say crysis at high settings but SLI GTX will probably get you decent frames with today's scaling rate.

 

Show math.

 

Thanks, will check on that. Still have doubt about 18x as they would've introduced it at CES. For me the most important issue with such investment is value to price and I am willing to wait, however according to this logic in a year time would be even better laptop in terms of value to price, so I could wait for ages and never get one So I decided to get Alienware before end of July 2011. Hopefully It will be worth waiting and they would add an option of 485m or SLI/ Crossfire.

 

if you're getting the 460m so you can have a 3D experience. this screen option " 17.3-inch WideFHD1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED" is not it.

you need the 120Hz screen, and according to the people I've spoken to at dell, it's not released yet. it was for a split second and quickly removed, and don't have a date of release, that and the wireless HDMI that were both announced at CES aren't available for purchase yet. so downgrading your GPU to get 3D and not being able to get the screen to allow it may be a deal breaker.

if you're not into 3D, then wait for the release of the 6970m. they made all these announcements for an underwhelming m17x-r3, and then can't offer much of it.... 3D, 6970m and the wireless HDMI...

 

The 3D display is an option and available according to the configuration section of the site...

17.3-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 120Hz WLED w/3D Bundle

 

I'd actually like to see where those benchmarks are from. 52fps on Crysis in 1080p high settings? My system doesn't pull off 52fps at 900p on high, and isn't much weaker than a 460M.

Plus, how did you get 82% faster? By my calculations that averages out at 48% faster in the benchmarks you've given.

 

It is an option, it just disappeared probably due to one of the 100's of problems with their site the day it was released, you also HAVE TO select the GTX 460m or it won't allow you to order it as Ati doesn't have direct 3D support as of yet.

 

That's a bit odd, since those of us who purchased the Envy 17 3D initially it comes with the ATI Radeon Mobility HD 5850..... the refresh Sandy Bridge version will have an HD 6850....so not sure why Alienware's ATI card will not work with 3D? Sounds to me more like Nvidia had an "under the table" deal with Alienware if you know what I mean, hahaha.

DaneGRClose, sorry had to mention the Envy again....I know how you feel about it being brought up here, you'll have to forgive me. Seemed relevant to bring it up here. Thanks.

KJ

 

It's relevant now, just not when you throw it out there as "go buy asus instead of AW" randomly. Ati doesn't offer the 3D support directly it's through a 3rd party so AW probably didn't go with them for that reason, the Ati card will work with 3D it's just not done by Ati/AMD themselves where Nvidia supports the 3D 100% in house.

 

I stand corrected. It wasn't there for a few days, so i'm glad to see it there. any idea on the wiresless HDMI?

 

question, will the 120hz screen be the same LG used by the g73jh-3d?
What about the 1600*900 res one? anyone knows it's manufacter/HW ID yet?

 

I think that's something that will have to wait until someone gets one in their hands JonnyFrost. I can't think of identifying the specific screen unless AW techs can give it over the phone.

 

Moving forward, if you want to discuss the Envy, use the HP forum. If you want to compare the 17xR3 to the Envy or any other system, use the WNSIB forum. This thread is for pre-purchase config questions. It is not a 'lets compare notebooks' thread.

Thanks.

 

thanks, I'll keep my eye on the forum waiting for some first impression or more review/infos

 

As soon as I get mine I will be running benches and doing a review if someone hasn't already done it by then.

 

Gotcha, thanks.

KJ

 

This was mentioned somewhere before and answered, Dell does not support the ATI 3d yet, if ever. Each manufacturer may pick and choose certain features on hardware to help sell a different item.

 

Hi folks. Similar to many, I suspect, I was hugely disappointed with the M17x R3 release specs. I’m now torn between three possible choices, and would appreciate any and all advice.

As I see, my options are:

1. Order the R2
…My preferred R2 specs and related questions:

• Core i7 940XM
o In real-world gaming terms, am I likely, now or in the next few years to appreciate a noticeable performance difference between this and the Sandy Bridge chips? (in truth, this is a major sticking point in the case for ordering an R2 – outgoing tech)
• CrossFire HD 5870
• Wide UXGA (1920x1200) - Beyond HD (1200p) RGBLED
o Again, in day-to-day use, is the superiority of RGBLED over WLED (R3) noticeable?


2. Wait for the R3 to be up-speced with Xfire and SLI GPUs
…Related questions:

• Do you reckon Dell is holding out on this in order to clear R2 stocks?
• Will the R3 even be capable of accommodating dual GPUs?
• Are RGBLED screens incompatible with 3D tech (is this a possible reason for its exclusion)?

3. Wait for the (as yet unconfirmed) M18x
…Related questions:

• Regarding Alienware’s new-product-release history, do they normally wait for large expos, when making big announcements (in order words, are we likely talking about E3 2011 in June)?


Sorry for the length of the posting, but, as stated, all advice greatly appreciated… this is proving to be a seriously tricky decision.
Many thanks.

 

According to the service and owner's manual available @ support.dell.com for the R3, it does not support dual GPUs. This was covered in the other thread. If you want a dual GPU system, its not the 17xR3.

As for the speculation on a 18x, please use this thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/546636-m18x-news-article-looks-bogus.html

 

Thanks for that... had missed where this was addressed elsewhere

 

Here is the documentation as provided by Dell on the 17xR3:
Documentation

 

On that point - I downloaded the manual, and in the 'Main Menu' section of 'System Setup Options' appear the list items:

Integrated Graphics: Displays the integrated graphics.
Discrete Graphics 1: Displays the primary discrete graphics.
Discrete Graphics 2: Displays the secondary discrete graphics.

Does this not suggest a capability to support dual GPUs?

 

Look at the pictures of the bottom of it(two fans - 1CPU and 1 GPU) also as stated in your reply "discrete" doesn't it ring a bell. CF/SLi setups are not dicrete cards. sorry to crap this thread with this reply also post your R3 questions in THIS proper thread read it please and i bet you'll find more answers than your questions.

cheers

 

Top of Page 55:

There's a few Overclocking features listed their that I'd be impressed to see in a released BIOS.

 

Fair enough. Thanks for the referral

 

OK, well spotted. I guess the manual may be better-speced than the machine.

 

I have no money right now, so I'm gonna be working $8 an hour for the next 3 months just for my alienware. when i get my alienware im going to school for game design, and im using it for video editing too.

$2,649 will get me this:

Processor Intel® Core™ i7 2820QM 2.3GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache)
Memory 16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz (4DIMMS)
Video Card 1GB GDDR5 ATI Radeon HD 6870M


do you think thats good for the price?

 

You probably don't need 16gb of ram, also if you're doing game design some of the programs used for it benefit from Cuda and/or PhysX acceleration so it may be worth it for you to get the Nvidia. In 3 months the options will probably be very different so just keep an eye out for it

 

Like Dane said you really don't need 16GB of ram unless your applications are extremely RAM intensive.

And if you need anything more than 4GB, it's much cheaper to just get it with 4GB from Dell and then purchase RAM yourself to put it in (make sure it's the right RAM of course). It's actually a really easy upgrade, but if you're not feeling confident just get a local computer technician to do it.

Seriously, for 8GB you could just buy a 2x2GB 1333MHz SODIMM RAM kit (in addition to the 2 sticks already in there; the machine has 4 slots) and stick it in there for way under $100. Much cheaper than what Dell charges. And if you really needed 16GB, you could get two 2x4GB kits for around $120-ish each.

And for game design, like Dane said, you're probably better off with the nVidia for CUDA.

 

I'm thinking about about upgrading to a M17x R3 and wanted to get some honest opinions on a couple of options. I've been looking over the site for a few months but it always seems like people are so extreme in their opinions.

I currently have a G73 Best Buy edition with a 1600 x 900 display. I really enjoy gaming on it and it looks great on alot on the older games but am curious to see what 1920 x 1080 would look like. Do you guys think the difference would be substantial or minimal? I mean how much can you notice on a 17 inch screen? Also for the few of you that experienced the 3d world, is it at least worth a mention when watching movies or some games in paticular?

Sames for the video card options. Is 460M powerful enough for a few years? Is there that much of a noticeable difference between med to high on game settings? I really hate waiting and would like to order this guy now but it seems the general concensus is to wait. I just generally want a great gaming extra and wouldn't mind paying a little extra for goodies but want to be reasonable. Guess what I'm askin is best bang for your buck?

 

Does anyone know what the "3d bundle" comes with? Do we at least get glasses? Or are they a separate purchase, also, does the "hdmi in" actually work as an input to the screen? Or is that something completely different, it's been awhile since I've upgraded my laptop. (Still rocking my Toshiba p105-s9722 with its crappy bios and overheating graphics card, all 120 degree Celsius of it, though I put in a 1920x1200 screen in it, so it's not all bad)

 

@Diet -

I would imagine the 'bundle' consists of the 3D glasses + the laptop 3D capable display. It wouldn't shock me to see them add some type of 3D content but I doubt it. As for the HDMI in, yes, from what I have read on various reviews it appears to be just that - an HDMI input port.

Folks, I am closing this thread. For those of you who are interested in purchasing the R3 and have questions on how to configure or wish to obtain input from fellow R3 owners on configuration, feel free to post in the M17xR3 Owners lounge -

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ial-m17xr3-owners-lounge-thread-part-1-a.html

Thanks.