*OFFICIAL* Alienware M17x R3/R4 Owner's Lounge Thread

If you right click on C:\ in the disk management tool, there should be an option "Extend Volume" in the context menu, you can then allocate the unallocated space. Let us know if that works for you

 

At a nice price too (no tax for most buyers).

Sorry if this can't be discussed.

 

Has anyone else notice when playing bf3, Alien FX seems to go rage for example mine blinks different colors constantly when I launch bf3, It is set to green. nothing serious just weird.

 

This is for people who are looking into buying an alienware as there gaming system as I did.
Here are my specs:
225-2945
1
Alienware M17X R4 with Soft Touch - Direct
$2,449.04
009-6800
1
Shipping Fee
312-1334
1
90WHr 9-Cell Primary Battery
317-9742
1
16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
317-9745
1
3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3720QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.6GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
317-9747
1
2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 7970M
318-0424
1
Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
318-2006
1
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
421-5106
1
Power DVD 9.6, 3D
318-2314
1
Stealth Black with Soft Touch Finish
320-3275
1
17.3-inch WideFHD1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
331-6857
1
Alienware Documentation
331-6868
1
Placement, M17X R4
331-6864
1
AlienFX Color, Astral Aqua
421-7439
1
Alienware Command Center Software, M17X
331-6867
1
Shipping Material, M17X R4 - Black
331-6909
1
Resource DVD, M17X R4
331-8045
1
Windows 7 OS Label, Alienware Notebooks
420-9691
1
DataSafe Local BackUp
420-9956
1
PC Restore
421-0092
1
DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG
421-3874
1
Camera Software 2.X, Factory Install
421-4289
1
Dell Support Center Software 3.0
421-7440
1
Quickset, M17X R4
331-6912
1
English Keyboard, 101 Key, M17X R4
331-7193
1
Alienware M17x 240W A/C Adapter
342-4424
1
750GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s
342-4427
1
32GB mSATA caching SSD
410-0548
1
Adobe Acrobat Reader
410-0572
1
McAfee Security Center, 30 Day, CNB
421-5813
1
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 bit Service Pack 1, English, w/Media
430-4710
1
Intel 2230 Wireless-N
994-3730
1
Warranty Support, Initial Year
995-5993
1
Dell Hardware Warranty Plus On-Site Service, Initial Year
995-6013
1
In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis, Parts and Labor On-Site Response, Initial Year
950-9797
1
No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
600-0048
1
Ontario $0.05 Environmental Handling Fee for Keyboards
331-1349
1
Standard Nameplate

I highly recommend it! It is awesome to look at! and for those interested I run skyrim on Ultra with AA x8! I get 50-60 fps (V-sync is on) So it can keep up with the high-end Desktop PCs thats for sure!
Any questions please feel free to ask!

 

Hello im a new member and a alienware user for some time glad to be part of this forum!!!

 

Great to have you

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

I know from the r2 that bf3 auto-uses alienfx. When you have low hp, it will blink blue/orange and also when you start up the lights went out, and turned blue or something, cant quite remember.


I got another question: why can we choose the alien fx color when making the order? you can change it to whatever you want anyway so..?!

 

Switch Fn+F7 reboot and it will run off the AMD 7970m. this works for me

I noticed when my health was low the Keyboard blinks red I thought it was just coincidence thanks for the insight!
I think its a cool feature

 

SW, check here for an updated list of games that support AlienFX:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/465100-games-support-alienfx.html

 

Hey Guys, Is there a guide to doing a clean install on an R4???

I.E with proper drivers to install to get the best performance?

I know the guide for the R3, but with the R4 we have a whole bunch of new drivers and Enduro (which confuses the heck out of me)

I have an R4 on order, and a 256gb SSD on standby to do a clean install. I just want to make sure I get all the newest drivers when installing as the dell site has the older ones like always.

 

the r3 and r4 are very similar so you could just use the r3 guide.

With respect to the 7970m drivers and enduro, for the time being. Use the stock dell 8.934 driver and then do a FN+F7 to go with the dedicated GPU and not Enduro.

The 12.5 betas also work good with the 7970m. The link is in my 7970, install guide, but you have to do FN+F7 and only go with dedicated, then you will be able to install the driver

 

Yup that did the trick thanks a lot !

 

So with no proper drivers currently available still... what is the highest overclock for the 7970m that is stable? And what is the desktop equivalent of that?
I ask because Slick in all his wisdom said a slight overclock said that the card is of a level of the desktop GTX 570 (which according to some Youtube vids can run BF3 maxed out at min 45 fps: don't know how reliable that is though).
I am not a benchmarker (and most likely will not be; I'm more of a benchpresser ) but I would like to run games at full on MAX settings at 50 - 60 fps 1080p.

 

I'm running bf3 maxed out now, no OC at 47 fps

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

I need proof man! :O Notebookcheck only quoted an average of around 34 fps maxed out.

I been quoted a M18x R4 with 7970M CrossfireX and 3720QM processor for £2278... So I need to know JUST how good the R4 can be:

Mine has 7970M, 3820QM Processor and 8gb RAM.

Do you have Crysis? (Yes all I talk about is Crysis..........)

 

I used to get 47fps small maps - 37large maps On ultra with everything maxed except AA (off) on my overclocked 6970m 800/1100

If you overclock a 7970 I am sure you will run 60fps even with AA, which I think is sometimes pointless on a 17 inch 1080p display


Also is there really no drivers for 7970 yet?

 

Hopefully everyone isn't getting sick of me posting but I was just wondering how everyone who has received their R4 is enjoying it?

-Build quality?
-running smooth?
-glare?
-any major/minor issues?
-buyer's remorse of any kind?

I have been researching a gaming laptop for a while now and was very very close to ordering a P150EM, then shifted my view to 17" models. I have been keeping my eye on the P170EM and the Samsung Gamer as well as the M17x. I have made the very expensive decision that I want to have 3D capability (which seems to very much be a minority preference for most people on all the forums) which is making the M17x the only choice at the moment.

I am really hoping to swing a deal with a Dell Sales rep when the 680m comes available to order but know that I will probably be looking at very much the wrong side of $2000 which was already stretching my original budget to the extreme.

Googling M17x problem makes me a little nervous but I realize that there are probably quite a few sold each year and that the squeaky wheel will make the most noise. Is it a given with most owners here to get the extended warranty?

Thanks for any insight you can give me. I am surprised how quiet this forum is compared to some of the others but am hoping that is because everyone is too busy playing some games at Ultra Quality!

Cheers!

 

m17x r3 that I had was top build quality, it felt solid and top notch.

Only problem I had was driver updates. It's quite a bit confusing with the switchable gpu's and now it is more so with the enduro.

 

Isn't the R3 only a year old? Are you getting the R4 so you can have the latest and greatest? Do you upgrade your laptop that often usually?

 

Will a screen shot do it for you?
And I'm trying crysis now, are you refering to 1 or 2?

 

Yes, in the past 2 years i've had 3 laptops. Started off with asus g73, sold it and got a r3 when the 6970 came out, now i just sold the r3 and picked up the r4. Also i enjoy having a laptop that is always under warranty ) my r3 was a year and a half old.

 

Wow, that's impressive. Did you get good resale value on the R3? So I take it that you like the M17x over the Asus models?

 

Hey man, if you feel I'm being pushy I shall back off. Sorry, I don't mean to be at all. Screen cap, or fraps vids would be great though. But Average of 43fps at full on MAXED, 1080p specs on BF3 at stock clocks? Wowaweewah!

Mostly 1, but 2 as well if you like. I just cant seem to find many FPS numbers for the thing anywhere. There are 3DMark and vantage scores everywhere, but I want to know how the thing performs whilst gaming at top spec.

I'm still waiting for my second system as I had to obtain a refund for my first due to faulty workmanship.

 

After 1.5 years i was fortunate enough to get 55% of the original price as i sold it. Alienwares are always in demand because it is hard to find them in stores, one must order them and wait a month to get it. So a used discounted ready to buy alienware seems appealing to people.

 

So did you have a 2 year warranty and did you ever have to use it? I am actually impressed at the cost for the Advanced warranty that covers pretty much any damage at all, even accidents.

 

I didnt have the warranty nor did i get it now since i usually dont keep my laptop for longer than a year. I am however considering accidental coverage for this one year as I know alienware has amazing service. I even took the time to review one of the associates ( he actually is an alienware rep on this site too)

 

I'm a first time, brand new gaming laptop and Alienware owner.

Like you, I had a lot of concerns and questions and did an insane amount of research, scouring forums (this one in particular helped a lot).

I was getting tired of building desktops year after year after year and wanted something that just works without having to mess around with too much.

I was on Gaming Laptops - XOTIC PC - Gaming Notebooks - Custom Laptops - Custom Notebooks, Custom Laptops by PowerNotebooks.com™ - Custom Built Gaming Laptop Computers, Alienware - Custom Gaming Computers - PC Gaming At Its Best and HIDevolution.com - Specializing in customized computers, electronics, and mobile devices for gamers and professionals almost everyday, for 3 months.

Looking at my options, screen size, resolution, form factor and upgradability.

In the end, I wanted something that could do 1920x1080 natively. That weeded out a lot other laptops.

Then I wanted something that looked good, Clevos, Asus, MSI etc are definitely comparable specs-wise (and sometimes slightly cheaper), but felt that they were lacking in the design factor. Clevos in particular just looked like grey bricks.

If I'm going to be paying $2,000 or close to it, i want it to at least look somewhat halfway decent.

So I eventually settled on an Alienware. Wanted a full size keyboard w/a numpad as well, so the M17x it was. Lucky for me the GPU and Ivy Bridge refresh hit about 2 weeks before I ordered.

I ordered the 7970M starter edition from HIDevolution.com - Specializing in customized computers, electronics, and mobile devices for gamers and professionals, all standard options, nothing changed except for a Killer Wireless-N 1103 card and I wanted it in red

It ran *EVERYTHING* right out of the box w/Windows 7 Home Edition 64-Bit, never once had a problem (just had to figure out how to switch to my 7970M GPU).

2 weeks after I had it, I had installed a Crucial M4 256Gb SSD and Corsair Vengeance 2x8Gb RAM sticks. Fresh install of Windows 7 Ultimate 64-Bit.

EVEN. FASTER now.

The laptop itself is a little creaky around the battery area since it's not bolted down and removable, that's to be expected. Keyboard has a great feel to it, actually *VERY* surprised at the keyboard feel, coming from a nice illuminated Logitech keyboard, the M17x's keyboard is very very very nice.

There *are* mushy parts to the M17x's keyboard, but while typing away, using WSAD for games, Ctrl/Alt, you don't notice it at all.

No glare. The 1920x1080 screen is gorgeous. Games look gorgeous natively on it. HDMI out and HDMI in are GREAT as well.

Buyer's remorse... er, I would've probably spent MUCH more on upgrading the CPU if I had the money, but that's where upgradeability w/these laptops comes in again.

You can swap out CPUs and GPUs on the M17x.

I have not had any problems, I've owned it for almost a month now. I bring it to work w/me 3 days out of the week.

This was kind of lengthy, but I hope it helps.

I typed this post out on my M17x, sitting on the couch, watching TV, looking at the laptop and trying to find anything negative or pertinent else to say about it, but I just can't.

I play WoW, Diablo III, Modern Warfare 3, some Team Fortress 2 and Skyrim will be next on my list.

Diablo III is devouring my life right now.

Any further questions, let me know

(I ordered my M17x from HIDevolution.com, saved on tax, great customer service.)

 

So if I'm trying to get the best deal possible, do you recommend going through one of the reps on here, live chat at dell site or calling dell sales?

Also, how bad do you find the glare on the screen? I plan to mostly be using it in a semi-darkened room but is it possible to use it without too much frustration in a room with some ambient light?

 

ambient light is usually fine as long as it's not directly on the screen. You can usually just turn the brightness up and it's fine but direct light on the screen is nearly impossible to fix.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH! This is exactly what I was looking for and I really appreciate your thorough answer.

Like yourself, I have always been a desktop guy and still plan to use the PC for my living room/home theatre needs for the most part. If I am completely honest with myself, I am mostly getting this laptop for an extended visit with my in-laws in a few months (they are great but it is too long to be away from my Diablo 3 ). I could probably get away with a much lesser laptop but I am a bit of a tech head and want the best possible within reason.

Asus fell off my list quickly due to their weak GPU options, MSI seems a little too cheap to me and sounds like their quality is a little questionable. I tried to talk myself into a Clevo for a long while due to their price/performance and I hate to choose a laptop based on looks. At first I thought the M17x was a little too flashy but the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. I also figured that it is subtle enough with some of the LEDs turned off. I have also heard that the Clevo speakers are still rather weak and that the Alienware sounds great (hope that's true).

You did not mention it so I am guessing that 3D is not a factor to you. I would have been the same way until recently when I got a 3D projector and now I feel like I have to at least have the option to play in 3D if I am spending this much.

Thanks again for the info and hope you don't mind if I may hit you up for some more later.

Cheers

 

Ok I will take a short FRAPS video and screen shots tomorrow

 

I can't imagine that even the 3610QM would be a limit to gaming anytime soon, I'm still rocking my q9550 at 4GHZ with a GTX570 on my desktop and seem to be able to run almost anything I throw at it with max settings (except maybe ubersampling on Witcher 2, but that will bring most GPU's to their knees).

I would guess that you are talking about an upgrade to the 3820QM?

That's great to hear, I haven't seen too many laptops that can handle direct light. Most of my use will probably be at night anyways after I put the family to sleep

 

OK So now that I've ordered the AW M17x, I have some post-reception questions. Once I receive the laptop, and I understand it would be full of Dell bloatware, I would want to format the whole drive and reinstall my copy of windows. I also understand that I'd be provided with a drivers disk? And not just a copy of windows that Dell provides with everything preinstalled? What about the AW proprietary software like light control, etc. ?

 

You get the Windows disk, a drivers disk and I believe the alienfx softward and other addons either come on another disk, or come on the drivers disk itself. So reinstalling shouldn't be a problem at all because you have everything you need... you're all set

And I don't think the alienwares come with much bloatware besides the standard command center, etc... nowhere to the level that HP likes to

 

Definitely no bloatware of any kind, you wouldn't even know it was from Dell if you didn't have to order it from them.

You get 2 CDs, Windows Home and an Alienware Resource CD filled w/drivers, applications and software that your laptop needs.

Speakers are great, even bassy in Modern Warfare 3, the placement leaves something to be desired as they are by where you rest your palms/hands, but again, you hardly notice it while gaming.

Did not get 3D, didn't see a need for it, have the 7970M instead.

I'll be honest I wasn't quite sold on the lights as well, but once you get it, I spent about an hour playing with it hahahahaha

Just nitpicking, want to future proof the laptop, but as you said, the 3610QM is *MORE* than enough, not a complaint for sure. But again, will be upgradeable in the future.

There's definitely little to no glare on the screen. I use it under fluorescent lights at work and in a nice brightly lit living room at home.

Glad to help guys, I had the same questions and concerns you all did when I was considering a laptop purchase to replace my desktop!

Any more questions, let me know and I'll answer whatever I can.

 

It's been a while, but the only bloatware I could remember having to remove was MaCafee and Norton (not a 100% about Norton, but it seems to be on every pc I've owned).

I don't think a clean install is necessary (others will argue different). If your system is running just fine, I would recommend just doing the AlienRespawn and creating your "fresh out of the box state" restore disk. I've read a few people having issues with drivers after doing a clean install. Just make sure you get all the updated drivers from Dell, Intel, and Nvidia/AMD. The one's from your disk will most likely be out of date.

 

There was no McAfee or Norton or any kind of AntiVirus on mine.

All the drivers, their versions and release dates on the CDs match up to the ones on Dell's site as well. I'm assuming they keep it pretty up to date.

 

I would still check out the official sites (not just Dell) for the status of their drivers. Most of the drivers on my disk were outdated, even though they all matched up on the Dell site. Dell doesn't always keep up to date on all the drivers.

 

That's very helpful... Thanks! +rep.

 

When I booted mine up, I literally found nothing on it. I believe the recycle bin was there, and maybe 2-3 other icons. There's a slew of tray icons though, but that's expected. Intel's software, the command center, alienware respawn, the sound blaster settings, 2-3 other things as well.

I was overall pleased that I didn't have to delete anything. I also honestly wouldn't bother reinstalling Windows.

 

Thanks for the advice. But I really wouldn't wanna bothering wasting a chunk of my total hard drive space on the "Dell Recovery Partition" or whatever I've seen on most Dell machines...

 

You can easily delete that partition and extend the primary partition to incorporate that space. However, nothing wrong with a clean installation if that is your preference.

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall seeing anything like that on the laptop? I'd like to know just for curiosity purposes.

 

I honestly don't remember what was on the original HDD. I replaced it with a SSD within 15 minutes of arrival and after switching to AHCI and installing Windows, reformatted the HDD. However, I do see people refer to a Recovery Partition frequently in various posts.

 

Hey guys, when clean installing on a new hdd (setting stock aside in its oem form) can i go straight for the beta drivers, skip intel drivers and simply have the 7970m drivers installed to avoid endumbo altogether?

 

Endumbo lol this is going to be a trend

That might work, but I wouldn't do it just to be safe. It will take maybe 2 seconds to install the intel drivers and I'd just do it to avoid any unexpected issues

 

My SSD Crucial M4 256gb shipped this morning I plan on doing the same thing, R4 is due in my hands on the 13th (lucky number). Going to boot it up to make sure everything is as it should be then shut it down, go to bios change to AHCI, change boot order to blue ray drive and fresh install of windows 7 HP and go from there. Any mistakes in that order?

 

Thanks you for you review!

Full hd risolution is too small, to use Office/internet/ 2D ? Your eyes are safe...

I read that 1600x900 display isnt as good as full hd

 

Sounds good to me!

 

In the stock configuration, there's a recovery partition that is used by AlienRespawn. For those that use 3rd party backup tools, this partition shouldn't be necessary, but for those that want to rely upon AlienRespawn as a recovery method or just to have a mirror of the factory configuration, it's not advised to wipe out the partition.