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

Cheers appreciate your response on other post! Sorry for double posting but assumed more people would see this one as its always 'current' sorry again

 

I am on the fence on which laptop to upgrade to from my M17xR2.

I am a fan of 3D, I like gaming on the3DS, and have been very impressed by 3D BluRays like Tron and Resident Evil on my 60" Samsung UND LED. That TV is sick though, and the Samsung active 3D tech is probably the best there is on the tv side.

That brings me to my question....How is the 3D effect on the M17x.

Is it WOW!!!

Also, how is the 120hz screen?

I am coming from the incredible 1200p screen of the R2.

Thanks in advance for feedback, this is a tough decision.

 

i would like to know this as well , as the r4 has the new nvidia vision 2 enabled screen i want to know how much of a difference it makes ?

 

@dsmoke1986
Just for my own oppinion, if u can accept an external 3d display u will want to buy an m18 with 7970mcf, since 3d gaming is really demanding im afraid that a single 680 can't handle it well especially for those coming games in 2013 or 2014

 

i would go that route but the magority of the time i work away from home so i cant take the external screen with me , also all you need to do is turn the res down , or in 1 to 2 years upgrade your gfx card

 

But the AMD cards don't support 3D right?

Also, I thought the point of buying the 680 was that it was future proof...If that's not the case, then I may just get the 675 and save the money.

Thx for the opinion, I have read a lot of reviews on the R3, but there is very little on how good the 3D effect is, and that's really important, since the upgrade costs $400.

 

They do, all u need is an external 3d display. I read a lot of threads saying that but just as i was not interested in that, i didnt read them carefully. U can search for some instructions, anyway, the answer is YES

AMD H3D Set Up Tool
u can check this website its going to show u some instructions to install amd's 3d

 

Wow, thanks man!

 

Does anyone use AMD Overdrive? The last I tried it was on my old ASUS notebook w/ ATI 6570M GPU, and it would crash and bootloop Windows. I was wondering if it works with the 7970M, or if anyone uses it here?

AMD Overdrive

 

no one has been able to get it to work yet. Most people either use MSI Afterburner or flash a modified vBIOS.

 

Even speaking of the afterburner i don't trust it much since it failed me frequently at no matter what clock i set it to. But if that works with you, use it! Its really friendly.

 

Yeah It's not like we don't have other choice or anything. Wait...

 

So I suspected.. Thanks!

 

They do , the benefit of the AMD 3D is that any monitor (3D of course) can be used though as of yet there is no laptop monitor that works with AMD 3DHD, correct me if I am wrong

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I've had both an R3 and R4 120hz 3D. Totally subjective but I love it and WOW is what everyone says when I demo Assassins Creed Revelations. 2 people so far have said the same thing 'how can you go back to normal gaming after using that?'

Some here have said they don't like it so it does depend on how you 'see' it

Edit: The R4 has V2 3D vision and is brighter in 3D, but darker when not used - for a direct comparison (I compensate with in-game with settings)

 

Hey guys, I in kind of in a weird situation and thought you guys could help me. When I recently opened up my m17x r4 laptop, I noticed that the "plastic stopper" that's supposed to used in between the GPU and the Heatsink was missing in one of the screws. I thought it wasn't a big deal so I didn't worry about it until now. I thought it might possibly be a problem in the future in case I have to send it back for a warranty and they decide to bring this up. So I called Alienware tech support and asked them if they could just send me a plastic stopper (lol..). The guy had no idea what I was talking about (explained best as I could..) and he just decided to send me a whole new heatsink and the screws So do these plastic stoppers usually come with the gpu or the heatsink? I offered to send him a picture of what it looks like but he said I could do that if I don't receive what I need. I will offer to send back the heatsink if I get what I need. I know this is really weird but can anyone help me out?

 

So Dell Canada finally has the 680m as an option and it is twice the price of the 7970m, so that means I get twice the performance right?

Why oh why do I love 3D again?

 

haha you wish. If that's indeed the case I would have pay it out of my a** without any hesitation. (yes I know you're joking)

 

Do u mean thermal pads for VRAMs? But no screw is needed on that stuff, i cant get you either

 

Haha nah. I admit it was hard to explain.. You can see what I'm talking about from Slickdude's guide step 5.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-mobility-7970-m17x-r3-illustrated-guide.html

 

I learnt a new word and then you can go on waiting for ur new sink

 

Hey! This is urgent and need help! I keep getting the 7 beeps of death ,which means the process has failed but.... when I take the battery out and leave it awhile and turn it on it works.... and when I move the screen back and forward it turns off, I was thinking that maybe the CPU is not sitting correctly? And that there is a loose connection somewhere? I also had a stripe effect on my screen? This only seems to happen when its not on a solid desk, which makes me think it is a loose connection? Help would be greatly appreciated!

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How do you make Alienfx come up automatically when Windows boots up? I uninstalled a bunch of programs and now I have to manually enable Alien FX every time.

And is there a list of essential Alienware programs that should be running in the background?

 

The beeps are because the BIOS is failing to 'talk' to a critical device and cannot POST. Will probably be display, video card (but not on machines that have the intel chip active), or CPU. Since you have a display problem then I think you are going to have to tear it down and reassemble, may be the ribbon cable that moves when you move the screen? Saw a great video here recently for doing that.

You may not see anything but just the act of reconnecting everything may fix it. Good Luck.

Edit: Don't forget to reseat the memory, I forgot to add this to the list of 'critical devices'

Try re-installing the Command Centre suite from your dell drivers page. That should put back the AW utilities except Respawn I believe.

 

The funny thing is that if it is on a solid surface like a desk, it acts as if nothing ever happened , I can move the display back and forth without problem.... this I find very strange?

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Wonder if it has anything to do with the accelerometer used for free fall protection

 

That my friend is very possible! Thanks for the input, maybe it is faulty? Or over sensitive?

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All that does is 'park' the HD heads. If you swing the lappy around while playing music (cue mental picture ) it stutters and you can hear the drive 'click'. If it was faulty all I would expect you to see is latency in disk access but weird so anything is possible.

I wouldn't think so but this is a very strange way for a problem to exhibit itself. For the 30 minutes or so it takes to tear it down and reassemble it might be your best shot to eliminate any poor connections.

have you tried feng-shui, it might be the orientation to the stars

 

hi,

can anyone confirm if the 2GB 680M from Alienware is a typo? Clevo / Sager offered the 4GB version at $295 more, why would Alienware charge $350 for 2GB then?

 

The GPU itself can be accommodated with upto 4GB RAM, and that would depend on the individual vendors. It's still the same GPU, only lesser VRAM which Dell decided on 2GB, while Clevo opted for 4GB.

 

thanks for the answer, can you explain under what circumstance would the difference between 2GB vs 4GB be a factor for performance? I am a bit new to the PC gaming laptop scene (been Mac laptop users for many years), so I'd appreciate any knowledge regarding that matter, thanks in advance.

 

I think it would be best if you wait until NBR users start posting benchmark results and gaming performance reviews (w/ and w/o overclocking) from both ends of the spectrum, and then decide for yourself.

 

True. The experts here I have been following seem to be of the opinion that 4 gb is a numbers game offering next to nothing and aimed at the less informed user. That was before Dell went for 2 and I was hoping it to be a little cheaper but no, not Dell

 

Any recommendations for a laptop cooler for M17x? I am new to cooler market so I know next to nothing about how to discern a good laptop cooler from a bad one.

Edit: By the way I want a notebook cooler primarily for elevation since putting M17x on my laptop partially blocks the vents.

Edit 2: Judging by google search it seems people like coolermaster X2 for M17x. Any reason to prefer X2 over X3? And is having a notebook cooler on your lap comfortable?

 

I am using the U2 now and it seems a bit small for a 17 book which should be designed for a 14/15in book. But it still works fine. A laptop cooler just serves and a decent shelf (which can be replased by bottle caps if you dont mind) that can lift ur laptop's bottom up and theres no significant difference between coolers. If you want to make a real difference of ur core temp u'd better try repasting ur card or using an exhaust fan(it will bring the hot air out of the computer much more efficiently and pull ur temp down by 8~15c)

 

This seems to be the one I hear the most talk about:

NZXT CRYO LX Aluminum Notebook Cooler

 

I just went for the Targus one Dell offer in the config. I'd tried a cheap one off ebay and it was crap, no way could you move it easily. All I was looking for was something to make it 'mobile' so I could put it on my lap without compromising the vents. This one is perfect for me and has a nice soft cover on most of it making it comfortable as well.

Nowhere near as pretty as some out there so if looks are a player then this one is not for you. Also the heat reduction over propping is minimal (a degree or so lower) so if you intend to push it on the OC front others seem better.

 

Im using the U3. It fits well, but sometimes the laptop needs readjusted on it. It tends to slide down over time.

Other than that, its a good cooler.

 

Get a U3 coolermaster the fans are perfect for the m17x.
Set fan one underneath the cpu, fan 2 underneath the late r3/r4 air vents and fan 3 underneath the gpu and you are golden.

Exhaust hot air extactors for laptops are all bad for m17x because none of them "sucks" the hot air out fast enough and simply clogs your laptop making it overheat. So in escence they are negative

 

Is this cooler comfortable if you put it on your lap, like in bed or sitting on a couch?

 

Hey Funk you order your machine with the 680?? Just wondering what status of your order is??

 

guys, if your laptop is sitting on a desk, you don't need a laptop cooler...just get a few bottlecaps and your temps will drop 5-7c

If you want to game on your lap, then you may need something

 

Yes, speaking for myself I am using M17x by placing it in my lap. During normal usage it performs just fine but when I try playing BF3, because my lap partially blocks the vents, the bottom of the laptop heats up fairly quickly after few minutes. I currently am placing two textbooks underneath the laptop to give it some elevation while playing BF3 and this solution works fairly well. I started contemplating getting a cooler simply for the sake of having a more ergonomic solution for the laptop heating issue when I play games on my lap.

Like Funkybudda noted, is this cooler comfortable to have on your lap? I, probably just like Funky, want a cooler that I can place on my lap, elevates the back portion of the laptop to prevent vent blocking, and helps out with the cooling a little bit.

 

For what you want (which is exactly what I wanted, comfortable, light, easily movable and reduces heat) I still think you should check out the Targus Lap Chill Mat 17-inch. Soft, spongy underside and easy to pick up with the laptop as a unit

Better than I expected it to be...

 

Hey guys, I have been trying to hook up my ps3 to my laptops screen with HDMI in, it works fine but I can't get any sound? Is there a specific driver I need? Thanks!

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Hi guys! Just ordered my M17x and so I'll be joining the club, so to speak.

My new config is in my signature. I want to add the Samsung 830 128GB as a boot drive and to hold a few games. I have a question about ordering that. I see options for the drive with a notebook kit, and also with just the drive. Do I need to order the one with the kit to make it fit correctly? Or if I order the plain SSD without the kit will I have everything needed to install it properly?

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can give!

 

Here's someone saying it'll fit in another thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/662317-samsung-830-ssd-m17x-2.html#post8513758

Also the 256GB drive is on sale today only at Newegg for $180 Newegg.com - SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256B/WW 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

I'm in the same boat as you. I think it might be because the HDMI In port is HDMI 1.3, but I know nothing of it so that's just a guess.

 

Thanks for that link...so it looks like just the drive without any kit is OK. If anyone here has conflicting info to that please let me know.

I looked at your link but the price for me is coming up as $249.99. At $180 I'd probably jump on it. Since my expected arrival date is 7/12, I'll wait just a little while to see if any new sales pop up on that larger capacity SSD. Thank you again!

 

There's a promo code that drops it down by $60, the code is at the product page from the link.

 

^^ Yup what he said. In case it isn't showing up the code is EMCYTZT1815