*OFFICIAL* Alienware M17x Owners Lounge - Part 2

I don't know if that depends on drivers but if you unplug it it is NOT supposed to just shut off. The dedicated graphics do run on battery. It just drains the battery faster, that is all.

Drivers 186.82, as far as I know (I am using those) switch you automatically to integrated graphics if you unplug it. Still, your laptop should not turn off just because you unplug it. It is a laptop after all.

 

I have the same thing, but its when I put pressre on the laptop from the bottom at times such as lifting it. I try not to do it, but I'm sure it's all part of the territory when you have so much power packed into a little case. I use the term little loosely.

Power Issue:
Hmm that sounds like it makes sense, kinda sucks though, although when I plug the system back in, I have to restart it. I'm going to test that theory tonight. If thats the case I feel like a fool for not thinking about it. I don't see what would be wrong with Alienware making it so that the dedicated GPU's ran on battery. Sure it would drain the battery in 20 min. but that would by me enough time to move my laptop from the couch or bed to the desk. Oh well.

 

wan to try overclock on My M17x with SetFSB, but i dont know my clock generaot, can anyone tell me?

 

I notice it sometimes when I play with my xbox controller and my hands aren't even on the laptop though if its from "pressure"

 

you dont need it

you can do it in the bios or nvidia system tools

 

Hey been away for a while, still have that one card 10 degrees hotter than the other, i think it might be the drivers as you mentioned before BB, I haven't messed with any of my drivers yet so I still have all factory installed ones, could that be the issue? and what is the most recommended driver that I should be rocking?

Thanks a lot for all the help you guys have given me this past year tho, you are all appreciated ^^

 

I'll check on the drivers, but this really is begining to be a PIMA. Really begining to turn me off of the laptop. I wouldn't expect it to shut off either. I just hate to spend time on the phone with dell when it'll take at least 20 phone calls and many hours before there is a decent resolution. It even does it when I have it on integrated graphics. It's runnin on the 9400 and I pull the power cord and off it goes. *sigh*

On a side note my spirits were lifted 5 min. ago when my buddy walked in with my QX9300 from HP. Now I'll get to put that in tonight.

 

still only using default drivers, have my vid card setup as sli,
was playing borderlands for about an hour or so
temps are crazy, one card is 73 while the other is 42, this doesn't seem
right at all..... anyone have a clue?

 

i cant overclock at system tools, bios i can but only untill 11, 11.5 will show blue screen....

 

SetFSB would be less stable than a bios OC.

 

What's up My Alien Crew....I had a quick question I wanted to run by you all before I get started on my upgrade. I received my 2nd HD (Kingston 128GB SSD) and I am about to pop it in and get it setup. I am aware that I should make the SSD my main drive which will house my OS. Also I have been told that I should install all of my apps I will access frequently on this drive (Adobe Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, Premiere, and Dreamweaver) as well as a few other programs. Is that correct? My main question is, whether I should load the SSD as a slave first and then install the OS on it, swap drives and then load up the software, blow out the current drive and use it for storage or is there another recommended way to go about this? Thanks in advance. All my current specs should be in my sig.

 

If it were me, I'd clone everything on my mechanical drive to the new SSD using HDClone or Acronis. Then I'd wipe the mechanical piece and use it for storage of all my media files.

 

I was actually thinking about cloning the drive but I hear so many people talk bout how important it is to have a clean install. That is definitely the way I want to go but I ruled it out when I read the many post that say always start with a clean install.

 

Clean installs are good, as windows machines can accumulate an awful lot of crap in the form of old drivers, temp files and such, but I've never seen any conclusive evidence that you'll see a measurable difference between a well-maintained OS and a brand new clean install in a game.

In the end, it's up to you. I'd just make sure to run something like CCleaner regularly and just clone, but I'm lazy.

 

for me cloning gives major problems. i used acronis enterprise 11(the one which came out in 2009) with universal restore and i cloned my windows 7 and vista.

when i tried to restore either image on the same pc with same hardware they both failed in restoring user logon data so i had no user account to login to and couldnt do anything to fix it cos the temp/guest account did not have any rights

 

has anyone called dell to get a tech down just to open the laptop and clean the fans/vents? temps seem to be getting higher on idle and though id really like to open the system myself and clean it out,im a really clumsy person so im afraid i might break something while opening it up.

is it possible to call dell and request for a tech to come down and open it up for me so that i can clean it?

 

i cant overclock CPU through the System tool by nvidia. even i change the value, the clock didnt change

 

Overclock in the BIOS by increasing your FSB

EDIT: also if you OC in the BIOS then it stays OC until you change it back to the stock 1066 FSB. You don't have to mess with it at each start up

 

I agree, i could not be happier with the BIOS OC.

Went from 2,0 to 2,5 GHz on my Q9000. Going to push it higher tonight.

 

Can somone please clarify something for me?? I got my processor in from HP Spare Parts yesterday and CPU-Z states that my processor is named a T9400 and the specification is a Q9300. Are they one in the same and is it just a differant name? Which is what I'm thinking. I picked up the CPU from HP. If there are any differances what are they? See pic below. Also Looking at one of Mandrakes screen shot it looks as though his voltage is 1.163V where as mine is 1.250V. Just curious as to how this affects the performance. If there is any differance. If there is then I'm going to call HP and ask for an exchange.

 

Run the most recent version of CPU-Z. I believe that one had known issues

 

You guys were right, I just needed the more recent version of CPU-Z. I was hoping I had a CPU with more voltage

 

The voltage is not determined by the CPU. It is determined by the BIOS. They top out at 1.1625 V in the M17x until we figure out how to open up the BIOS and change this.

But glad you got it figured out

 

That makes sense. Thanks again

 

IT'S HEEERRRE!

I've been waiting around all day for the FedEx truck to come. I finally HAD to take a shower, and as soon as I got out the truck was at my front door!

I'm currently downloading iTunes, already upgraded to Google Chrome as my browser..

I haven't experienced any stuttering / DPC latency yet, but I've only just had it on for ~10 minutes, so that remains to be seen.

Logging in to Steam to start downloading some games now...

 

Yeah, so I'll be getting my machine sometime next week.

Out of the box, I'll be getting dual 280m GTX SLi config, along with a T9550.

I have a few things to add to this baby:
- Extension of warranty.
- New CPU.
- And in the distant future, a bluray writer.

I'd like part names/numbers for the BD-RE/BluRay-RW drive. I need to know what I should be searching for because just entering a search query for 'M17X BluRay drive' will most likely limit my options.

Cheers.

 

wait so your replacement 1730 ended up blowing up in your face, too?

 

Steam has Crysis Max Edition on sale today for $13.60. Worth it?

 

OT: I think so. But maybe that's because I have never played any Crysis game. This is the only deal so far I have purchased during the Steam sales. There is more in depth discussion on Steam's holiday sales here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=445010

 

If you do not already have Crysis, sure, that is a great deal if you want the game

 

Uh, replacement? Not sure I understand fully.

My original XPS with Dell, was returned and refunded.

Then I took a part of that refund and tracked down another used, by three-year-NBD M1730. I got this unit, and I got an X9000 CPU off of Nickbarbs. And no, this one did not blow up in my face. Lawl. Because I have learnt now, how to make the best of a good M1730. Pompous as that may sound, I tracked down the right machine with the right parts. My Beast is 110% good. The X9000 in overclock is an absolute saviour. I keep the back raised and the vents clean. This system owns. With the 9800m GTX that I had tested, this system owned even more.

However, I happened to stumble upon a very good deal on the M17x. Someone was selling a brand new unit with a little under a year's worth of N.B.D. warranty, and the price made the package a borderline steal. . . so I jumped at the opportunity. Now I am going to see which of the two I keep.

Edit:
And Crysis Maximum Edition is a great buy for that price, provided that you don't already own Crysis, Warhead, and the other expansions.

 

Got it Kade. The way you were describing what happened in the 1730 thread, I thought Dell gave you a refund and then you re-bought a 1730 through them for dirt cheap or something.

Enjoy the M17x. I am .

Thanks for the Crysis replies. The reason I asked here vs. the Steam thread is that you guys have the same computer and I figured several of you had it as well!

 

You had the right idea, minus getting it from Dell. I just knew I couldn't trust their refurbished or new units. I went for an old and functional unit using the original quality parts. Of course, I made damn sure it had a renewed and running warranty package.

Anyway, I sure am very eager to test-drive the M17x. Hopefully, a few hours will convince me to sell off this M1730. Heh.

Anyway, all the best to you guys with the new year.

 

what color m1730 do you have?

just wondering...

 

Original from Dell was Bone White.

The next one I tracked down, happened to be Smoke Grey. I liked 'em both. The white had its own charm because damn, one can light up an entire room with that config.

 

Welcome Kade.. There's no comparison i'm 110% sure you'll keep the Alienware

 

God I didn't even realize you were posting in the m17x owners lounge. You'll see soon enough there's no comparison. This computer is sleek, metallic, and cool (in every entendre possible). It's also stuck the USB ports in more intelligent spots.

The only downside I've seen so far going from m1730 to m17x and continue to hold as a negative is the keyboard - the m1730's keyboard was beautiful to look at, and to type with. This one's a lil' difficult to get used to, especially if you don't smash the keys like I don't, using 8 fingers to type.

The DVD drive is also awesome. Oh, did I mention - its a laptop with THREE video cards??!!

 

Is 75C for both 260s too high for my M17x running Crysis? No cooler. 1920x1200. 20mins.

Other games don't hit those temps. Is it typical for Crysis to do this?

 

those temps are fine WaR

Crysis tends to run much hotter than other games do, heavier 3D load

 

Cheers, Nick!

I'll look out for that feature.

Meh. I prefer black keyboards. I just prefer black period. But the feel-factor is worrying. I'll give it a shot with hopes that it ain't as bad as reviews imply.

Yeah, the 9400 will come in handy for other projects outside of gaming.

It is safe. Heh. But it's kind of a shame that you can't have complete fan control. What with all the praise about this system's cooling, I would've liked fan blast feature. Because I know for a fact that with the fans running well on older cards, the temps can be kept below the 70 mark, even for Crysis. But, 75 is safe. What you don't want is your cards always going to mid 80s and then crashing back down to 50s and 40s and 30s.

-FIN-

Anyway, I hope I can agree with this 'world of difference' view. Although, just a mild but positive difference will be enough to seal the deal for me since I did get the Alienware rather cheap.

 

Thanks guys. After that round of Crysis I used Compressed Air for the first time on my laptop. I just finished playing Crysis for some 40 mins and the max was 68. I guess it was a little dirty too. Still, it's nice to know that 75C is fine.

I see what the big deal about Crysis is now. Pretty awesome game. I even got my wife to play too

 

My dad enjoys watching me play it on the 52" screen too lol

 

Of course. Like it, love it, or even hate it, the CryEngine 2.0 is a goliath spectacle, rich in features and power. Quite possibly the one authentic benchmark that can help one realise the future potential of their machine.

War,
Good to hear about the temps. 68 is much better. I just say that with your machine and the die-shrink on the GPUs, you should ideally have a low result in the late 60s. Guess it was the dirt getting in the way.

 

Playing crysis on very high does make me feel cool inside..does anyone else get this feeling? lol

 

Compressed air from a can and not a compressor I hope...

 

he he. Yes, from a can. If it were from a compressor I think dust would not be the only thing flying out of the laptop.

 

Not the toughest wallpaper out there but was looking for something relaxing.



to match my laptop




Edit: Sorry. Meant to post this in the W7 Desktop Screenshot forum.

 

Ha! Ha! Ha!

M1730's are dying left, right, and centre. People are getting M17x as a repalcement, and yet the M1730 owner's lounge is active while the M17x owner's lounge is. . . dead?

Man, quaint irony is so amusing.

Sorry, guys. I'm just having a little fun. Been far too busy to really try out the M17x, but I finally took it out of the box today.

Here are my impressions:
- Nice box. All black.
- Nice internal box. All black, with patterns, and fancy too.
- Nice owner's manual; it is both nice and disturbing to see that Alienware are sticking to their gimmick-work.
- Alienware mouse-pad. . . nice. I don't use an external mouse, but cool.
- Alienware cap. Right. Nice. . . it's black, but I'm never gonna' be caught wearing that otherwise, or even in private company.

Well, that was fun. How about the machine?

- Right. Now this does feel sturdy, which is a great thing. It's slightly heavier than the M1730, which I could not care about in the slightest because sturdy and heavy are good things in my books.
- Runs cool. Just as everyone had claimed. I had to hold up the rear-end of my M1730 with the x9000 forcing the fans to run full-blast just to keep the temperatures nearly this low. The M17x's basic temps without fans and just powermizer are even lower! Excellent!
- Again, focussing on the thermal question, I was impressed by the protocol in the BIOS. The fans kick into full blast very early, so temperatures never exceed those dangerous points. Yes, it gets loud, but that too is just dandy in books.
- Performance. Well, when I did get the 1GB 9800m GTX in The Beast, I noticed significant gains in texture intensive DX10 applications. This was obviously good. With the M17x, I get the same perks, but with more speed. I wouldn't say generations apart, but still a bit better and appreciated.
- Keyboard. Okay. Writing and drafting is a part-time venture for me, so I would have every reason in the world to be fussy about the keyboard. Yet, I am not fussy about the keyboard. Why? Because I don't think there's anything wrong with it; couldn't care less if it is a few micro-dBs louder. Cool.
- Speakers. Hell yeah! M1730's speakers were weak! They were loud, but the sound was flat and lacked proper bass. Having come from the M1710 and a Toshiba X205, my standards were too high. I was glad to discover that the speakers on the M17x have solid bass to them as I can now listen to some heavy music without getting what can be best described as a sterile and anemic output.

On the whole, with the M17x, what mattered most to me was the design-concept, and how well it complimented the internal hardware of this machine. That's the key point for me, and I am very happy. I was not really looking for a performance upgrade, but rather, a machine that worked well and efficiently without compromising its hardware. Along with the performance benefits, this machine does make some important improvements upon the M1730's somewhat flawed design, and that makes my decision -very- easy.

Wait a second. . . the bloody touch pad? Yeah, I'd rather stick needles through my fingers because this thing has terrible response time and feel. The general flow of the mouse is gritty and inconsistent. Crap!

 

For whatever reason we M1730 owners used the owner's lounge pretty much for everything, driver discussion, benchmark, problems/questions and etc.
I notice on this board there are multiple threads, I counted 20 different active M17x threads one day, not a bad thing just think the activity is spread across threads.

BTW, good to see you made the M17x addition.

 

Hey Kade,

Uninstall the Synaptics drivers and reboot. Your touchpad should be much smoother. And you're not using an external mouse ?? how do you plan on gaming on the thing? I'd recommend you get a good external mouse asap, MS' sidewinder X8 is pretty good. Also, if you can return the M17x do it, the i7 refresh just hit town.

For the rest of you M17x owners... I wonder how much of a performance boost for gaming (not encoding, we know the I7 will destroy) the new proc will give the machine.

I'm also wondering if M17x Core i7 users will still be able to squeeze 3+ hours of battery life when running on integrated with the more demanding processor.