New to gaming laptops have question about M17x

I understand alienware(dell owned) manufactures series line's up which are the m11x, m15x, and m17x. The 17x having bigger screen and capabilities for sli/crossfire

Here is what i'm wondering in regards to the variations, eg m17x-r1, m17x-r2

i believe the r1 model only suports core 2 duo/quad, r2 supports nehalem processors.

The following questions i have are

1)
physically is the casing of the laptop drastically changed, such as motherboard form factor, or space inside.( for example if psychically nothing has been altered would one be able to upgrade to the latest core i5/i7 board if it had has the same form factor etc.

2)
all m17x variants support multi gpu capabilities correct, so if there was a model with only 1 video card one would be able to add an additional yes(core 2 duo/quad versions included), because all m17x series was designed with sli/crossfire in mind

3)
is there a list or documentation of all m17x motherboards r1, r2 etc, such as a collaboration of different revisions or different boards for alien wares m17x line up and the boards they use in that line up as well as comparability between features additions in same boards with different revisions.

4)
final question is say if some one wanted to upgrade there graphics adapter and other stuff, the TDP is one of the main concerns(this applying to gtx 480m as well) cause if the internal powersupply is exceeded you'll just reboot on load. Is there any upgrades for the powersupply to sustain higher TDP and also i'm assuming the core i7 models have a higher power unit inside correct.

Inregards to the r1 specifically, what is the highest limit TDP for a gpu upgrade that can sustain sli/crossfire, like 2x 5870's? 2x 460's? 2x 280's?(well aware that battery life gets shortened, my goal is a pure performance machine don't care to much for battery life just 100% stability)

well i guess those are the questions for now, we'll take it from there. Look forward to some indepth responses, i understand some might question as to why i would bother going certain routes, i'm purely just looking for factual data in regards to these laptops. thanks for reading.

 

1) There's no difference in casing. Dell uses the same chassis for R1 and R2.
2) Yes.
3) You could try the user/maintenance manuals but IIRC, there's only 1 board revision for each gen. The key difference (apart from different platforms) is that R1 has a Hybrid Switching between the Discrete and Integrated graphics.
4) The 240W PSU is your top limit, unless you could build a bridge connecting 2 or more PSU's in SLI But to support newer cards one also needs a proper BIOS support in addition to TDP headroom.

 

Weird, so alienware limits graphics cards via bios limitation, is this proven or theoretical? and in regards to the revisions within generation and it being switching dedicated of to integrated(which is a battery saving feature), i've read that some boards have it and some that, meaning that some boards have a integrated graphics and some dont, is that what youir talking about being the only difference?(generation aside) or do all m17x's come with a integrated graphics for battery saving

btw, didn't really get a confirmation but r1 is strictly core 2 duo/quad yes? also whats the highest graphics card it could support in sli/crossfire, and are the psus the same between r1, r2 generation aside?

 

No, the Mobo is different. But still very similar. The R1 mobo just doesn't support these newer cards, no matter what you try.

 

so the form factor for all generations and revisions are the same? would be really great if there was a list of how many revisions there are.for each generation

what is the highest gpu the r1 supports, i take it 4870 and GTX 285 and all cards below that, 360 out of the question as well as geforce 4 series and ati 5 series, yea?

 

All R1 systems have Integrated cards and can utilize those. All R2 systems with Dual core (i5/i7) processors have integrated graphics controller but due to mobo restrictions they can't utilize it, so in other words, none of the R2 systems have integrated cards

Yes, R1 is strictly for Core 2 DUO/QUADs. The highest GPU option for R1 would be either 4870 CF or 285M SLI (probably need to do some modding). The PSU is the same 240W for R1 and R2.

 

Oh yeah. Don't know if anyone else mentioned it but I'm fairly certain the R1 can utilize that beautiful RGBLED screen everyone praises.

 

when you say modding to put higher gpus such as 285 and 4870 in sli/xfire, what exactly are you referring to? making room for bigger heatpipes? or what exactly. all m17x uses standard mxm 3.0B right

 

Modding the SLI connectors on 285M's. Someone on this forum did it and posted a detailed guide with pictures. 4870's are naturally supported, no modding needed. And personally, I'd stay with 4870's as they are on par with the 285M's but have (IMHO) more stable drivers and run cooler. This is my personal impression after owning both 4870's and 280M's.

 

why would there be a required modification for running SLI of 280's or 285's, since r1 does originally support these cards to begin with? which brings me to another question, when going sli do you have obtain any regular MXM 3.0b graphics card or are there like special cards

eg 1 standard 280m graphics card, and another 280m with sli cable attached or something like that.

 

one more thing, what mm are the drive bays and how many are there? all 9.5mm? or 12.5mm possible?

 

IIRC, the primary is limited to 9.5mm and the second can be 12.5mm.

Just remembered - AW recently updated the R2 to 285M's so there's no longer any need for mods. Few months ago there was no proper SLI cables ready for 285M's and ppl were using the SLI cables from 280M's for the 285M's. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, please.

 

i don't understand how a SLI cable could be an issue, a SLi cable is a SLI cable, how does it differ in laptops? and also your saying i don't need to buy a special gpu card, just 2 regular mxm 3.0b gpu cards + sli cable for them correct?

i've just read about that 12.5mm mod where they break of a chunk, don't really want to destroy anything

 

Let's say you got a pair of 470M's and put them into your machine; assuming they came with proper heatsinks, you still need a proper SLI cable, right? And by proper I mean the correct length and shape to fit the M17X. You grab an existing cable from 280M's and notice that the connectors on the cards are a tiny bit different.

 

this is the first i'm hearing of this, for desktops a sli cable is a sli cable all the same, thats really interesting that your stating the sli cables connecting ends are different.

Hmm as for the m17x reference wouldn't it not matter since all m17x has the same physical casing internally and externally correct? but your saying you'd need a particular sli cable for the video cards specifically, i'm guessing the sli cable is hidden inside the case and thats what you meant by modding?

 

This should answer the question

 

got a few more questions

1) so the m17x lineup came out in 2009 correct, and both r1 and r2 revisions are physically the same, so one could easily replace the r1 with a r2 motherboard, yes?

2) i heard of alienware upgrade where they take your old model and upgrade it to a new one such as r2, i'm assuming you'd still have to be under warranty for this but i was also wondering, what would the estimate ballpark be( maybe some people who had this done would know )

3)has alienware ever made a screen larger then 17.3? i know alienware makes better panels but i'm wondering about the screensize? m17x (17 standing for there screen size)

4) i've seen other alienware laptops that have different model names such as m9750 that have 17" displays, undoubtedly these we're models before dell acquired alienware and launched the m11x m15x and m17x line up. I'm wondering though are any of these old laptops compatible with r1 r2 lineup, for example maybe they use the same boards, also is the casing the same or different then the new r1 r2 models( if the casing was the same dimensionally and physically, it would seem plausible to be able to upgrade the internals, motherboard etc. i'm sure some features might get cut like usb ports or other exterior hook ups. )

5) are there any models that are exactly same form factor as the m17x , is the m15x one of those?( i dont think it is but still asking)

6) also i was reading recently that people are saying the 470m is better then the 480m?

7) i'm wondering is there a standard form factor for these "gaming" motheboards" example such as what the R1 and R2 use. i've seen a few high end laptops and it seems some company's copy of each other, so i'm wondering if maybe theres a standard for THESE particular laptops.( personally it's performance that i'm interested in it, and if a case is a case just like with desktops and they support the form factor, then that would be great.)

This question is off topic but does anybody know what power supply sager uses for there 480m SLI

 

Be aware that the m17x sold with a single GPU orig usually come with a lower wattage PSU. Make sure you have the 240w PSU for the R1 (and i think R2?) if you want dual GPU's
One of the lower wattage PSU's (140w-160?? cant quite recall) will not run a SLI or Xfire setup. Its not something thats usually listed when they are up for sale so make sure to ask, if you want dual GPU's or be prepared to fork out for a new PSU

RGB LED screen can be added to R1, I have one. Dont know about the technical side of adding it as mine came with, but it certainly can be done

5. I dont believe the m15x board supports the dual GPU either but i dont know much about them.

Sorry thats about all I can help as ive only had mine a couple of weeks so still learning too... lol Hope its some help

 

bump bump bump!

 

Can i sugest you to have a look at this thread? just to give you an idea of how the sli/cf cable looks like inside the AW and the general layout

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...placing-thermal-compunds-gpu-cpu-m17x-r2.html

 

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong, but wasnt the port placement slightly different between the R1 and R2 models?

and I think I know where you are going with this somep3ople, but please dont expect Alienware laptops to be like white book self assembly models. Each model revision can and often does have a high degree of customization between the models. The only time Alienware did make a revision where everything was basically the same was the R1 and R2. And even then, I think the internal structure between the two might be enough not to enable a motherboard switch. Just be cautious.

Pics of the R3 are already showing up and that certainly will not be the exact same chassis. So definitely no swapping of anything there.

I have the m9750 as well, and only the hard drive and ram would be swappable. everything else wouldnt fit or be supported by the bios. This even includes the screen (unless you know how to splice such connectors.)

Bottom line, there is no standard form factor for gaming laptops. not across the industry and not even across alienware. Cleovo's are a little better at swapping parts, but they only do slightly better on the video cards.

maybe let us know what you are planning and we can give more pointed advice

btw. The 470m is a better card that the 480m because the of heat and power requirements are much lower while still being close to performance. 480m is still the very top. I'm not really sure why there are not more 470ms on the market, but there it is.

 

1) one could easily replace the r1 with a r2 motherboard, yes?
1a) no, dont think so, but someone else can answer better.

2) if dell swaps and r1 to and r2, the warranty is intact.

3)there is no screen larger than 17" for alienware/dell

4) m9750 cannot be cannibalized into a r1 or r2 chassis, besides ram and hdd (and possibly cd-rom).

5) m15x is not the same form factor as the m17x

6) 470m IS overall better then the 480m, but the 480 is slightly faster?

7) there isn't a standard form factor for these "gaming" motherboards.

 

^^ True. As for the 1), you could probably swap the motherboard but you'd also need an R2 CPU heatsink and inner magnesium cage.

 

i'm just gathering as much info as i regards to these expensive gaming laptops, currently i don't have plan, just evaluating all aspects. it sucks one has to pay alot of money for a laptop then sell it all off and buy even higher model(obviously company's do this on purpose) I'm a person who's purely into performance so that's my goal and i'll plan to overclock them and install cooling mod's if necessary.

I haven't ruled out clevo or sager or another brands, i'm just asking about alienware in this thread, personally i've seen sager's pricing at the site and it's about $900 for dual 480m a total of 3k,

I understand cpu is upgradeable, ram obviously, gpu is upgradeable(with supported bios), and hard drives. I got a few of my own sources and i haven't looked into pricing on how much 2 480m's might cost, undoubtedly the psu in r2 models probably wouldn't suffice and limit overclocking head room. So decisions decisions

last 2 questions

1)how many drive bays does the 17 have are any of them 12.5mm or all 9.5mm

2)any estimates on pricing of the new r3 line up

 

bump bump bump bump

 

1) 2 drive bays, the primary is 9.5, secondary can be 12.5mm, AFAIK.
2) Should be around the same price, maybe even slightly less than the R2.

Forget the 480M's, they won't appear in the R2. There could be possible mods to support 470M's (if Dell offers them as an option for the R3).