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

I just had thought about it. Although even without the cooler they didn't kick into high gear or nothing just slightly faster than normal. Then again I guess air only cools so much without anything being added to it. Oh well I guess they are there if needed or not. They were only like $30.

 

could have something to do with the EC table for the GPU, and not necessarily the notebook cooler. If you manually had the fans running at full blast, I'm sure you would see a difference underload.

 

You mean the fans on the system running at full blast?

 

Ah you think so? How big of a difference though? Will it future proof me for a while?

 

Hi guys. I just bought an M17x R4 after having to return the other one I purchased. Anyway, it's going to come with 8gb ram (2 x 4 DIMMS @ 1666). Will it likely be Samsung RAM or is there a chance it could be another manufacturer? It's only because I want to (cheaply) upgrade to 16GB RAM which I can do for about £40. Is it ok to mix the RAM so if I buy Samsung RAM and it turns out to be a different manufacturer will it still perform ok? Also, when I install the RAM will the system automatically register it? Thanks for any help.

 

Will our systems use the 1666Mhz ram? I thought in the specs sheet I saw it said only 1600.

 

Sorry, yes, you're correct. Ram will indeed be 1600Mhz

 

Depending on the game, I'd say anywhere between 15-25fps on the highest settings.

I got 1x Samsung stick and 1x Hynix stick. Not that big of a deal because I plan to upgrade anyway, but I was a little irritated that they weren't even the same brand. Mine only came with 6GB, though, so yours may be different. Also, as a general note, both Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge only support 1600Mhz memory. You can put faster memory in there, and it will run fine, but you won't get any performance increase out of it.

 

Hi all, got a new m17x r4 with nvidia 680m. Getting crashes in 3dmark11. 3dmark6 and vantage run fine.

If I switch to dedicated graphics, 3d11 completes successfully.

I have tried new BIOS A05, nvidia drivers 304.79 (from laptopvideotogo.com), and turning off cpu turbo mode in the bios. None seems to work.

Thoughts?
N

 

That big of a difference? Yeah I play stuff like Crysis 1 and 2, Arkham City, Alan Wake, BF3. I am getting with Crysis 2 and the HR texture and dx11 and highest settings anywhere around 18-27 fps maxed out on a 1600x900 display. Crysis 1 is 15-26 max with the 660m. So 15-25 fps more? That's what I need.

 

Looks like I'm going to be getting teh M17x very soon. Since you've got the 660m, and I'm going for the 680m, would it be safe to say that I could expect to near double the frame rates you're currently experiencing?

Just curious and all. I think the most demanding game I'll be playing is Arkham City. I dunno how demanding Mass Effect 3 is.

 

I'm not sure. I know a lot of gamers suggest the 7970m, and the 680m is a bit faster but not by much from what I'm reading here. In certain areas it is quite a bit, some not so much.
Review GeForce GTX 680M vs. Radeon HD 7970M - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

 

Did anyone get the mSATA and hard drive setup then put in an SSD and reinstall Windows? My understanding is that the BIOS has the drives set to RAID to enable the mSATA for caching but before you install Windows to the SSD you will want to change this to AHCI and as a result, you end up seeing the mSATA as a separate drive letter. I'm guessing this is the optimal configuration as you wouldn't want to be caching files from the faster SSD to the mSATA. I would love it if the mSATA would just cache files that you use on the 7200RPM drive still but that sounds like wishful thinking if my understanding is correct.

 

The 680m seems more trouble free. Not to mention, better power consumption and hopefully driver support, too. For the games I'd be playing, I think the 680m is a better option for me.

Thanks for the link and your input!

 

From what I read about setting up the intel acceleration (caching) you can set it to cache any HD installed. It does not have to be the boot drive

 

Yep, and for the games you listed, I'd estimate on the high side of that range. This is based on benchmarks at 1920x1080, too, so at 1600x900, I bet the 7970M will be able run all those at 60fps. Having just purchased my M17x, I studied all this stuff pretty recently.

I've only had it for a couple days, though, so even though I own all those games, I haven't had a chance to install them all yet. So far all I've installed is Skyrim (with HD textures) and AC:Brotherhood, but each of those run at 60fps at 1920x1080.

That is correct, you can still use the mSATA drive to accelerate the mechanical drive. It lets you choose when you are settings it up in Intel RST. However, like you mentioned, reechings, you have to be running in a RAID configuration and not AHCI, so I would recommend against it, for now.

The new Intel RST desktop drivers support TRIM in RAID, so I suspect that to carry over to the mobile chipsets as well. Unfortunately, for now, there is no TRIM support in RAID.

 

heya, i got the 32gb cache drive with a 500gb hdd and then went on to install a samsung 830 ssd as my main boot drive.

When i did my clean install, I didnt have the choice to choose raid or ahci, if i chose raid, the computer would just BSOD to death, which left me with AHCI.

i was also wanting to use the cache drive to speed up the HDD, but i found a funny thing, when i installed the intel RST drivers, my HDD would disappear completely from windows. My cache drive disappeared too. It could see it in bios, but not in the storage disk management. It was weird. I uninstalled RST and the cache drive reappeared but the HDD didnt. at that point i did a system restore which solved the problem. From that point on i didnt bother with RST drivers.

Furthermore, i just turned my cache drive into another storage drive, and put all my most used files on it, mainly my music. I thought i wouldnt need the cache drive to decide for me what to store onto the ssd, i'd just do that myself! Anyways, my samsung was housing the OS and main programs, and they were flying. Decided i'd put all the useless stuff onto the HDD, and since i they were deemed useless enough to put onto the HDD, i thought there wasnt much point in accelerating my access to them!

 

I remember your thread when this happened. I don't know why you could not do a clean install in RAID but since intel are clear on saying that RAID must be set in the bios, installing the RST drivers in ahci would probably be the cause of the 'weirdness' - or you have some other issue that stopped RAID from working when you re-installed?

 

Guys, need some help.

I just got my laptop back from warranty because of some issues (dead 7970m and loose HDMI out port, they replaced my motherboard and the gpu) and installed all of my custom parts (ssd drive, 16gb ram, and 2920xm), my question is how do I perform a driver installation, step by step, for the integrated GPU and the discreet GPU? I was able to install the drivers but whenever I am in integrated GPU, the 7970m is @ code 43 error but when Im in discerete GPU mode, my 7970m works perfectly fine. The guide on the first page for driver installtions seems confusing for me.

What I want is to enable automatic gfx switching (default configuration of the laptop). Please enlighten me. Thanks!

 

Sweet got my $84 dell gift card in the mail today. Now I just need to figure out what I wanna buy.

 

I got mine today too and then promptly spent it on a new backpack that would fit the system and an alienware mouse lol.

 

with 84 dollars? HOW?! LOL. everything there is minimum 50 bucks.

 

We had $186. The wife and I both got a system at the same time.

 

Can anyone with the blu ray drive in the m17x r4 tell me what model they have?

Thanks,
N

 

Device ID comes up with : LG HL CA30N

 

Thanks! I want to use the same model Dell does just to ensure perfect compatibility

 

Does anyone know what the differences are between the messenger bags for the M17x and the M18x? It looks like the one for the M18x is slightly bigger, obviously...but the dimensions on the Dell website show the M17x with more depth. Are they configured differently on the inside? Is there any specific reason to avoid the M18x bag since I have the M17x?

Reason I ask is that the M18x bag is $20 cheaper...and if there is no valid reason to get the M17x bag instead, I'll save the money and go with the larger one. That way if I ever go with an M18x, I'll already have a bag that fits.

 

Hey all, I bought an alienware m17x r3 for $1050 + S&H on eBay.

Alienware Laptop M17x R3 | eBay

Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit

Intel® Core™ i7

8GB DDR3 - Expandable to 16

(2) 320GB 7,200 RPM SATA

2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 660M

17.3-inch WideHD+ 1600 x 900 60Hz WLED

Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2230 With Bluetooth 4.0

Slot-Loading Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)




My question is WAS IT WORTH IT?

 

It's fine but it is 660M

 

Nothing wrong with the fact its a 660m. Not everyone can afford the better stuff. The 660m runs EQ2 and SWTOR pretty good on almost maxed settings. Even the 550ti I had wouldnt run it all on max.

 

Nothing really is wrong with a 660m. I just didn't want a 660m...

 

Hi guys im a newbie on here...
Im just about to press the buy button on my first alienware just though id ask you guys for an opinion first.
Any advice would be great.
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7-3610QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.3GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM English Windows® 7 Home Premium (64 BIT) edit
FREE FLIGHT PROMO Free Flight Promotion. I approve Dell passing personal data to TLC Marketing edit
GRAPHICS CARD 2GB GDDR5 AMD® Radeon™ HD 7970M edit
MEMORY 8192MB (2x4GB) 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel edit
HARD DRIVE 500GB 7,200rpm SATA 6Gb/s HDD edit
LCD 17.3" WideFHD (1920 x 1080) WLED LCD edit
COLOUR CHOICE Alienware M17x Nebula Red edit
OPTICAL DRIVE BluRay Combo (Blu-ray read only, DVD, CD read & write) edit
WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2230 with Bluetooth 4.0 edit
PRIMARY BATTERY Primary 9 cell Li-Ion Default Base Battery edit
SECURITY SOFTWARE McAfee® SecurityCenter 30 Day trial version edit
SERVICES AND SUPPORT 1 yr Next Day In-Home Hardware Support edit
ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE PROTECTION No Accidental Damage Protection edit
Accessories
ALIENFX COLOUR Mars Red edit
AVATAR Alienhead Glow edit
OS CUSTOMIZATION Redefining your standards Wallpaper edit
SOUND SOFTWARE Creative Sound Blaster Recon3Di with THX TruStudio Pro Software edit
Also included with your system
Base Alienware M17x Base
Keyboard Internal UK/Irish Qwerty Keyboard
Cables UK 2M 250V Power Cord
Documentation/Disks Southern Europe Documentation (EN, SPA, POL, GRE)
Bundle N08W7M01
Placemat Placemats (Eng, Gre, Pol, Ara, Rus)
Order Information Alienware M17x Order
Camera Integrated Skype HD Certified FullHD Camera with dual digital microphones
Additional Software Alienware M17x Resource DVD
Power Supply 240W AC Adaptor
TimeZone (GMT + 00.00) Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London
price is £1457.12

 

The configuration looks good. Decent enough specs and you don't want 3D (if you did, then the 680 would be a good choice for it).

Similar to mine! You can upgrade to SSDs later.

 

Thanks callmaster the price of the nvidia card is massive in the uk so the amd will be fine.
Am i right in thinking the amd does no 3d at all?.
Or can i ouptput to a 3d display tv ect.
Just to clarify the nvidia card is £270.00 more or 400 dollars if your from usa.
Also if any uk users see this does £1456.00 sound a decent price.
Thanks for the help.

 

Yep, significant increase here in Malaysia as well for the 680. It's about $400+ as well.

From what I've read, there's no 3D to the M17x LCD but you are able to output to an external 3D display. But I'm not sure about the specifics, will have to wait for the others to provide the details I know one person here so far has managed to get it done.

 

Thanks for the help Callmaster.

 

Always been a stickler for extended warranty, I usually max it out to about 3 years or so with accidental protection. Just to keep it going till it's time to buy another laptop Never trust electronics. My 50" plasma has a 5 years warranty. Haha

 

I would recommend at least paying the 50 dollars or whatever the UK equivalent is for at least the first year accidental damage. I believe you can output to a 3D tv as well. I've been trying to find info on this but no one really has solid answers. I know the AMD site lists 3D and TVs/Displays that ate compatible. Hopefully someone can chime in here and add some light to it.

 

Hi guys, I am new here. First off, I want to say props to Alienware. I had called them with a question and they changed my order to next business day shipping. I ordered it on July 23rd, received it on August 2. Dells site estimated an 8-8 arrival. Anyways, on to the question. My wifi card is an intel 2230. When I tried connecting to my wifi at home, it wouldn't work. It just wouldn't connect no matter what I tried. It seemed as if the card was getting plugged in and plugged out. It wasn't stable. So I bought a usb dongle to get internet. I am now at a friends house and wanted to try my wifi, see if anything has changed. Well what do you know? It works here perfectly. It boggles my mind. Is there any reason it wouldn't work at my house but would work here just fine? My computer has been updating over the past day or so. Could that affect it? Or would it be interference or something to do with the router? Well, thanks ahead of time for any answers.

Tristan

 

Try tinkering with your home wifi router settings. Sometimes there are cross conflicts between TKIP and other networks. Change the type of authentication protocol being used, among other things. If wifi works elsewhere, your laptop is most likely fine! Not to mention, this is a rather common scenario...

 

Ah, that is good to know. Thank you sir. I will try that stuff out when I get home.

 

Hi all,

I'm having issues with my R4's sound that I was hoping someone could help me with? The issue is the sound will automatically lower itself during music, youtube, games, etc.

When I go into my audio properties, disable the sound card, then enable back, the sound will go back to normal...but only for 20 seconds. After 20 seconds the sound will automatically go lower again.

I've also unistalled the HDMI audio driver from the AMD software because I thought it was that since it would flicker on and off in the sound playback settings and Catalyst software. Still no luck.

This is becoming quite frustrating and I'm hoping someone on here knows whats going on. I dread calling AW tech support to try and explain this issue

Any help is much appreciated!! Thanks!

 

DarthGator14,

If you have the SoundBlaster Recon3Di driver/program installed go to the control panel and check that the "Smart Volume" box isn't checked under THX Trustudio PRO Tab.
Maybe that could be the issue.

 

I recently purchased a P170EM, and I wasn't impressed with the build quality as well as my 7970m dying about a week in. I've RMAd the laptop for a refund. I still need a gaming laptop, and I'm thinking about an R4. I'm interested to know what current owners think of the build quality vs the Clevo counterpart and if you think it is possible to score an R4 with an ivy core, 1080p display and 7970m for around $1700 US? I'm good with haggling, currently a student and a disabled vet (not sure if that counts for military discount). The other features don't matter, as I'll upgrade the rest after.

I saw a quote thread with an Alienware rep. Should I use that or build out a system online and call in?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Tapatalk 2

 

I personally love everything about my M17x r3 (r3/r4 are the same body). I think the weight/soft touch rubber/glass covered screen/sturdiness of the monitor all feels nice.

The buttons right above the numpad for Sound Up/Down/Mute/Back track/pause/Forward track/eject/ wifi on/off / alienware control center in my opinion still need a little work in my opinion,
( I think they need to feel more tactile as opposed to just being cut outs ) It really doesn't affect the use so I don't worry about it.

The Synaptics touchpad is amazing ( the same super responsive touchpad macbooks use ) and it does the same things such as two finger scroll, two finger pinch zoom, and some new things like three finger shortcuts.
You'll most likely be using a mouse, but the built in touchpad is as good as it gets.

Some people complain about the keyboard having too much flex around the middle of the keyboard (under 5-8 number keys), but I don't have heavy hands so I've never noticed.

The r4 uses a different lcd from the r3 that is supposedly less bright, so there's that. Might want to look into it.


p.s. Call in to make your order, the reps have a floor manager who validates discounts/bargains with you/gives reduced prices for financing with Dell etc.

 

People seem to report very good success with calling in. I used the previous alienware rep and got a great deal ( not too far from what you are looking to spend but I also added on the warranty for a few years which bumped the price up a fair amount past that ) although that did require talking on the phone and a somewhat strange credit back situation ( charged for more, after the system was received I was issued a credit.

Also, the vet and student thing both will help, the phone reps should be able to help you work that angle.

Finally, a military buddy of mine picked up a m14x from the (bx?) afes or something, where he ordered the computer from them, and they were running a crazy mothers day sale. the computer took like 4-5 weeks to show up, all the while it wasn't clear if he was even getting a computer, but it came and he saved HUGE over the listed price. If you have access to that I would also evaluate that option. we are talking about i was wondering if dell was loosing money selling it that cheap.

Good luck! Loving my r4 with the 7970, 1080p, and ivy. The thing is a beast. Do a clean install and don't mess with enduro, fyi. Makes it much better.

 

I greatly appreciate the responses and the detail provided. I think I'll be safe getting the R4. I'll definitely call in to get it as well.

As a side note, the Clevo keyboard and wrist rest flexed in a similar manner to what was mentioned, previously. I'm sure, overall, the Alienware should be a bit more study, though.

Tapatalk 2

 

You're welcome. Report back and let us know how it goes.

 

I thought about getting the tactx mouse with my gift card but my razer deathadder is doing me just fine. So I think I'm gonna end up going for a printer lol.

Also, I have an alienfx question. On BF3 while waiting to respawn the media keys and touchpad color morph between orange and blue as does the rest of the keyboard. But when on command center it is not possible to do that on the media keys and touchpad. Is there a way to make it do that or is it just not possible?

 

Anyone with the Dell 680M updated their drivers to 304.xx BETA drivers? What's it like? I'm still on stock 302.77 which seem quite good for the most part.

One thing IS for certain, the 680M is much, much better than the 7970M straight out of the box - based, of course, from my experiences with three 7970M cards. SLI nVids next year sometime potentially! >.<