*OFFICIAL* Alienware 17 Ranger (2013) Owner's Lounge Thread

Thanks for the reply!

Besides the space and the correct caddy drive I didn't know about the BIOS limitations with > 2GB drives...

But now I may encounter a new issue. As this drive it's only sold in the US at the moment I found a reseller listing a legend: "..electronic products are packaged for sale in the US with US voltage."

As I'm in Europe and using 230v plugs.. I'm a little confused to produce some electric issue with this 4tb drive.

 

Does the 17 (60hz) have issue with 980M / 970M card under windows 7 (uefi)? Any restriction on running the laptop with optimus and fully dedicated (fn f7) mode?


Also wonder if it has the same issue with Alienware 18 (M18x R3) with crippled bios (fan table, oc setting)?

 

Win7 + Maxwell = Optimus only mode PEG doesn't work maybe beeping hell if booted with that option..
Alienware 18 can run on legacy a.k.a Win7 + maxwell with sBIOS update and Fan issue is fixed for some with Prema vBIOS excl. for AW18 machines, Dell BIOS I guess fan works, check out the Prema mod thread on AW18 Sub forum...

 

So with win7 = no PEG? Display must always routed through iGPU even if installed UEFI?

The A18 require a custom bios chip from svl7, does the A17 need this also for unlock bios?

I'm not really interested in the alienware 18, looking for a single gpu laptop.

 

A18 has received an upgraded bios from Dell. Aka Maxwell support.

 

What a shame that the A17 doesn't get the same love

Eurocom also states that the 980M doesn't work with A17 if OS is Win 7



At least with windows 10 + 980M on the A17, you can still switch between Optimus and PEG mode with no problems?

 

Dellienware would not give love to the AW17 "Elitist". They would rather push out the new modern thin, slim flimsy ECHO models + the G / A and the flimsy weak 180w psu + HYBRID bios

 

So the A17 would still work with 980M (peg + optimus) if we use Windows 10? Else if Windows 7 the option is limited to optimus (display is routed through iGPU)?

Until dell/AW releases a bios update?

Also, is the 980M a drop in upgrade for the 880/870/860M heatsink?

 

How Maxwell work with AW17 "Elitist" might others respond better than me. I skipped Maxwell in my AW beast. But there will never be an updated bios for these machines. You can use the same heatsink from 780/880M.

 

I see, that's a shame then.

Waiting for input on the maxwell + win7 situation from more experienced members.

 

Before you install a maxwell card -
Get FULL UEFI booting ready on OS drive - Win7 doesn't support UEFI properly, more info on Win7+ UEFI ? -> read this,
So left with Win8.1 or Win10 (Win10 has issues with EVGA Precision X and MSI AB & 120Hz black screen on boot with latest drivers (360.xx+), Prema vBIOS v2.0 and If you use older drivers (359.xx) It may work but need Prema v1.1.1 vBIOS) And also the TH1 or 10240 or RTM release of Win10 won't boot with Maxwell plus latest drivers, need TH2 / 10586 unfortunately the LTSB Win10 is closest to Win7 and it's on TH1 only so left with constant updating breaking OS, An abomination, genocide OS . Best bet is use Win8.1.


Install the GPU while in optimus mode (need 100W GPU heatsink and M17x R4 GPU fan else GPU will overheat by 10C because of Low CFM Alienware 17 GPU fan, optional get M17x R3 CPU fan for better cooling with haswell furnace, More info on Fan upgrades with AW17? - read this thread),
Side note - the Clevo X brace fits verty tightly onto the Alienware 17 and M17x R4 machines be careful with that not to crack the GPU die or heatsink, heard r4 heatsink cracks a bit easily than the AW17 one..
Flash the vbios in optimus mode.
Switch to dedicated mode.
Install drivers with the PEG INF & Never switch to optimus again since the driver will conflict with PEG driver. Else use the Optimus INF from J95, install driver in optimus mode only and say goodbye to PEG mode permanently.

And doesn't throttle with Overclocking on Alienware 17, the Prema Mod fixes things plus if you need more info on EC Fan tables with Alienware 17 + Maxwell -> read this.

Thanks to all other AW17 users who had done the upgrade and passed the knowledge onto rest of the Ranger owners, this should cover maximum info I guess..

EDIT: Another post that might be useful...
EDIT2 : Dell will never release an update from the current position of them that seems vague and I just wish for the secure flash unlock which would make this machine on the same level as M17x R4.

 

You will NOT be able to use an A17 r1 with Maxwell + Win7 in PEG or 120Hz

You'll have to use Win 8 or higher + UEFI + Legacy Support Disabled

Eventually you will be able using the 60Hz panel with Optimus enable.. but was not my config so I can't really tell.

 

You said
<Win7 doesn't support UEFI properly, more info on Win7+ UEFI ? -> read this,
So left with Win8.1 or Win10 ( Win10 has issueswithEVGA Precision X and MSI AB & 120Hz black screen on boot with latest drivers (360.xx+)>

Isn't Evga Precision a big NO NO on every Os? Several have bricked their screens with 7-8-8.1 and finally the latest modern tiled junk from Redmond.. A big NO NO regardless of what Os an nGreedia drivers you use.

 

So to summarize.

1. You're stuck with Optimus or PEG mode once you install Win 7 + Maxwell
2. Alienware 17 needs to have GPU + CPU fan replaced by the M14x R2 fan to have proper cooling
3. Clevo 980M (which is what I have) needs dell's original x-bracket for 860/870/880M to fit properly
4. IF I had the opportunity to buy the M17x R4 instead of the A17, you'll recommend the M17x R4 100% over the Alienware 17?

Compared to the 4930MX, how many % slower (singlethread performance) is the 3920XM?

Another thing to ask, if you're already on Win 7 + maxwell + permanent PEG + 60Hz, would it be possible to revert to the old 860/870/880M (if I sell it in the future) and switch back to the PEG + Optimus capability?

\

I don't really care about optimus.













OT: Can the M17x 7970M heatsink + xbracket be directly used for the Clevo 980M?

 

I'm trying to find out which RAM would be better in a 32GB config for an Alienware 17 R1 (2013 model) capable of up to 32GB, that I'm planning to upgrade..

But.. my question is will 32GB run in 2133 or 1866 speeds?

At the moment I have an i7 4710mq but planning to upgrade to an 4930mx unlocked processor soon, I don't know if that changes anything with the memory controller. And I'm using the 120Hz panel in PEG mode so no Intel graphics or conflicts are involved..

So going 32GB which would be the best bet 1600, 1866 or 2133 speed?

 

I think 1866 will be the highest ram freq you can have on "Elitist" Maybe Thaiphoon Burner can create higher speed, but I don't know if this is possible with 17.

 

Out of curiosity, why would you invest in a new CPU and additional RAM for your R1?
There'll little to no benefits for gaming, unless you use your laptop for something else of course.

 

Thanks Papusan! Ok Yes somebody else mention that the A17 R1 "Elitist" doesn't support or work properly with the 2133 ram, so when going 32GB 1866 will be I suppose.

Hehe I know might sound weird.. but I will change it when I see a 17.3" or 18"144Hz panel with Pascal or above gpu. In the meantime I will not change my A17 R1...Panel refresh rate, keyboard, construction, slim 240psu makes the system quite good for transport + looks kind of serious professional (AKA I'm not 12 anymore) in general all this reasons makes it difficult to replace it, with current market offers

 

cos the max the 47xxMQ can do is 1866 anyway so going higher RAM frequencies is wasted since they'll never be fully utilized. I am not changing the ram in my AW17 since i have enough to cover any operational tasks.

How is your RAM configured BTW? if it's 4 x 4 then you'll need to replace all of it in order to do 32GB and my best guess the stock RAM won't have the same timings as say Corsair vengeance RAM so you have to get RAM with the same timings and in a config like 4 x 8gb. I have mine a 2 x 8gb + 2 x 4gb and yeah it works really nice.

 

Are you certain that in the A17 that you must have x4 sticks with identical timings? I say this because my old M17xR3 has worked fine with sticks with mixed timings, it just ran all sticks at the timings of the slowest stick. Sometimes though you can get incompatibilities with sticks not working together, but it worked in my case. I think it's at least important to have 4 sticks with the same clock speed & voltage, but timings can be a bit different based on my experience.

 

well, no you don't though i do prefer the idea of consistency and if everything is the same then it should perform as expected by the manufacturer rather than cause a potential problem some where and not being able to figure it out when it's staring you in the face.

 

Go for the 4910MQ instead It's of same quality of silicon grade like the 4930MX, the MX CPU is expensive plus needs high skill get it stabilized on higher clocks but that's the last PGA Extreme edition mobile chip, 4940MX is a misfire though. As for RAM I've seen HID Evo selling the AW17 with 1866MHz RAM kit, 2133 is not advisable since our BIOS is locked and using Thaipoon burner is also higher level of skill plus might be needed NVRAM reset for either of the above OC prowess...

Get HyperX Impact 1866 CL10 or the 1600MHz CL9 from Corsair Vengeance either of them with quad channel for maximum throughput, the 1866MHz with CL9 is not available from my knowledge & unfortunately 1600MHz CL7 kit from Crucial has only 4x2 8GB max, no 8GB modules. I guess going for CL9 over the 1866MHz is better as RAM doesn't play much role in gaming improvements and last option to upgrade...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...-2133-cl11-versus-vengeance-2133-cl11.745512/

 

Are you sure about the silicon quality in the 4910MQ? Are you not confusing it with the 4900MQ?

What I read somewhere about CL9 over 1866 it's that CL timings helps to reduce mouse input lag..

 

I have the 1600 DDR3L CL9 Corsair vengeance RAM and it's decent. i wish i had the monies to splurgh on a cpu upgrade too but i needs work.

 

Yes I've heard that 4910MQ is a good CPU to begin with also the silicon too, the regular non 10 variants have just 100MHz less clock on the iGPU nothing which is useful to us upgraded users right, So either the 4900 or 4910 are equally well made processors. As for the timings it's cheaper than the higher clocked one but do more research on that, personally I'm also waiting for monies to get a quad channel upgrade then will weigh which is better...

 

Yeah you can't go wrong with Corsair Vengeance, I added 16GB 1866MHz CL10 to my 17 and that gave it a good kick in the backside. Also just seen it's comedown in price since I bought it so may invest in another pair and chuck out the standard 8GB crap that came in it.

 

Interestingly enough I wonder how the CPUs are listed here? By power?

http://ark.intel.com/products/family/75023/4th-Generation-Intel-Core-i7-Processors#@Mobile

also the RAM speeds for all is maxed at 1600MHz.

 

The processors are listed By Launch Date. First rev then next revision after. So is it. Yeah, Ram speed is 1600 for mobile Hotwell. 2133MHz for Skylake. But you can use Higher ram speed but Intel will not support it.

 

well i am ok in sticking with 1600MHz RAM as it still beats the stock ram for sure.

 

Faster ram is most for benching. I think you game more than crunch numbers

 

would ebay be the best place to find nvidia stickers? i just want to get a small sheet and stick one on next to the other stickers

Also, I am tempted to buy another Samsung 850 Pro 512gb SSD so can store more games lol and have a drive just for windows 10 games while steam, origin, uplay, and battle.net share 2 drives.

EDIT: if you're looking for a decent price on Samsung 850 PRO SSDs then try Amazon France.

https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00LF10KTO

The 512GB is going for 185.85 euros and if you're out of the EU then there's no VAT included.

 

I wonder if a used 4910MQ is still good?

 

Why should it be a problem? Run and buy

 

i was just curious is all: don't want to get stung on a bad sale and lose a lot of monies.

 

waste of money imo, go straight for the xm processor

 

I've heard from people who have the 4930MX that the idle temps are higher than the 2-pipe heatsink can expell and that's the main reason why i am sticking with the 4900/4910MQ as the TDP is still 47W.

 

I think for gaming purposes that it's a waste of monies upgrading to any processor above the 4700MQ, unless you absolutely know you're CPU bound in a few rare games (you're probably not), or if you're aiming for a stable 120fps then a faster CPU is beneficial otherwise not. For non-gaming purposes a faster CPU could be beneficial for some applications I imagine.

 

so i should keep holding off and just get a CPU upgrade when i get a new PC? i want to get a 3rd 512GB SSD to replace the 256GB SSD I currently have and end up with 3 x 512GB SSDs for games LOL I've already ordered a samsung 850 PRO from Amazon France but a 3rd 512gb would be awesome.

 

Well, more storage space (if you need it) is probably more important than having a faster CPU (especially if you're mainly a gamer and your 4700MQ is not likely to be limiting you). It's probably better to put the money aside for buying a future laptop, or purchasing extra storage space (that you need) like you've mentioned.

 

Fair enough. I haven't had any issues with the 4700MQ in terms of game performance (though it does depend on the quality of the game itself). I'll just add an extra SSD into the ODD slot and swap out the Samsung 850 PRO 256GB with an 850 PRO 512GB for now and hopefully aim for a clevo in the future then strip the SSDs from the alienware and use it as a workhorse pc or just sell it.

 

Check out also amazon.co.uk and amazon.de in this last one there is a new option, since a few month ago, to show you the German page in English by Amazon

Most of the time I find Amazon.de or Amazon.co.uk later to have the best prices within EU. I don't have much experience in Amazon France.

All EU sites have VAT already included... I don't know if they're charge you something when getting into Australian customs, that where you are now am I right?

ps: about those stickers yes get them from any HK bases reseller. I purchased some when I got my old plain black Clevo P170hm, to give it more character.. but end up taking them off

 

Going back to storage upgrade, I'm having a problem...I'm starting to get a little obsess of jumping directly to a 2TB SSD

Having a C: with only 48gb for OS and a D: for Games, Steam, Battle.net, etc etc entirely might be my future goal for black Friday this year : Or maybe try to get a 2nd hand on a 850Pro

By the way watch everybody out from in Amazon.de and in other countries with "resellers" who will try to get your personal info to make the "transaction" behind Amazon. You will never see the product and you most probably 'll lose your money.

Found that in Amazon.de 850Pro that cost around €800 to just €392 as 2nd hand or even new sometimes, too good to be true

 

Why not get SanDisk extreme pros ? It's without any firmware mess plus MLC tech, I guess going for 4930MX would matter much when we either bench or maybe a Pascal or Polaris GPU upgrade (a big IF)...

 

If you can upgrade with Pascal/Polaris on "Elitist"... You will have your machine a longer time. Then is a upgrade to a 4930Mx a very fine upgrade. Go for it and same time buy Liquid Ultra

 

Corsair: great for RAM but not for SSDs
Samsung: great for SSDs but not for RAM

 

Installed a 2nd 512GB Samsung 850 PRO into my laptop with the 3rd 512GB SSD coming from Amazon France.

 

To much $$$$$$?

 

hehehe that's all i am gonna do till the next PC upgrade.

 

My next drive would be SanDisk Extreme Pro again on blackfriday !

 

If they could launch a 2tb version and a larger endurance rather than 80tb I'll do the same this November

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