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    New to 17 R1

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by LodestarRising, Jun 23, 2018.

  1. LodestarRising

    LodestarRising Notebook Enthusiast

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    I just got a 17 R1 with a 4700MQ and a 770m for a steal price, thinking of upgrading and keeping it alongside my M15x however I am unfamiliar with this new platform.

    Would a 4940xm from taobao be a suitable upgrade? They are quite expensive on ebay in Australia however I have heard that chips from taobao are of very low quality.

    Overall would you recommend that I keep this as a 17" laptop? It seems to be the last one that is truly upgradeable; or should I sell it for a 17 R5 or an older M17x revision?
     
    LodestarRising, Jun 23, 2018
    #1
  2. LodestarRising

    LodestarRising Notebook Enthusiast

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    Are there any worthwhile modifications or tweaks that can be done with the 17 R1 as well? Like fan upgrades?
     
    LodestarRising, Jun 23, 2018
    #2
  3. EepoSaurus

    EepoSaurus Notebook Deity

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    There are tons of upgrades. A 4930mx is best. It runs cooler and overclocks better. The gpu can be upgraded to a 1060, 1070 and potentially 1080 with a modified heatsink and the 120hz panel in uefi mode. You can search on ebay for a 4 pipe all copper heatsink for the cpu and a 5 pipe all copper gpu heatsink by a chinese seller named cichin. The fans can be upgraded but they are not a large upgrade to me. Great laptop. good luck
     
    EepoSaurus, Jun 23, 2018
    #3
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  4. Papusan

    Papusan Jokebook's Sucks! Dont waste your $$$ on Filthy

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    Avoid newer AW models who can’t be upgraded. And choose i7-4930Mx
     
    Papusan, Jun 25, 2018
    #4
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  5. Falkentyne

    Falkentyne Notebook Prophet

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    Great laptop. Take care of it. One of the last good Alienwares before they turned into hot garbage.
     
    Falkentyne, Jun 25, 2018
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  6. Striker1234

    Striker1234 Notebook Consultant

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    Yes!, I have the 4940MX and runs perfect!!!

    Choose any of the two extreme processors, they are the ****!
     
    Striker1234, Jun 26, 2018
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  7. uugui shi

    uugui shi Notebook Consultant

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    is the 120hz still necessary to upgrade to a GTX 1070?
     
    uugui shi, Jun 27, 2018
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  8. LodestarRising

    LodestarRising Notebook Enthusiast

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    From what I have read, yes, an 120hz screen LVDS screen is required for that, Thank you everyone for the advice, I was trying to gauge the community's opinion of where this laptop stands compared to the other models.
     
    LodestarRising, Jun 28, 2018
    #8
  9. Striker1234

    Striker1234 Notebook Consultant

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    For Zotac and MSI you will need 120hz screen since is based on eDP, but I believe @Eurocom Support has a 1070 100W LVDS Capable compatible with.
     
    Striker1234, Jun 28, 2018
    #9
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  10. LodestarRising

    LodestarRising Notebook Enthusiast

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    Are 1080s/1070s/1060s/m390xs and 4930mxs/40mxs off taobao reliable, from what i understand these are lowly binned spare chips and may not OC the best but they are almost half the price of the ones on ebay in Australia.

    Does this sound like a comprehensive upgrade parlth?
    120hz edp panel (r1 ranger is edp & LVDS right?)
    4940mx + 4 pipe heatsink
    Taobao 1080 + 5 pipe heatsink
    32GB DDR3
    MSATA SSD
    3rd HDD in ODD caddy
    330w PSU
     
    LodestarRising, Jun 28, 2018
    #10
  11. Reciever

    Reciever D! For Dragon!

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    Not sure if the 1080 will work, it doesnt seem we have a successful example yet.
     
    Reciever, Jun 30, 2018
    #11
  12. Reciever

    Reciever D! For Dragon!

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    EDIT: double post.
     
    Reciever, Jun 30, 2018
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  13. Jnobles

    Jnobles Notebook Enthusiast

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    Where would you recommend looking for the 4940MX? I too am looking to upgrade my R1. What else did you have upgrade to compensate for the 4940
     
    Jnobles, Jul 10, 2018
    #13