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

Anyone ever have an issue where they left their system unplugged so it died in the middle of the night then when you turn it back on the HDD is corrupted and it deletes a lot of "orphan" files? I had to respawn my wife's system yesterday for this happening. My desktop has been just shut off numerous times without issue. The laptop dies and I have to reinstall everything. Anyone have an explanation as to why? Granted it does have a better Windows score now than it did before but still lol.

 

Ordered mine! Should be an owner as of 23rd! SO PUMPED Can't wait to get the 7970m and put it through it's paces First Alienware Laptop, (I already own a AW2310)! I shall gladly wave it in front of Mac Users faces

 

It causes a rupture in time/space that sucks all available AW 680m stock into another dimension.

Grats on the new system!

 

Most definitely. I have never nor will ever own a CrApple device. lol. This laptop rocks.

 

Haha nice one. I do feel sorry for the Nvidia fan boys though, not only do they have to spend 350 dollars more but they have to wait over a month longer. Nothing against Nvidia being that's all I have owned before this 7970m. Thanks, our setups are almost the same

 

Yes I will be going this too hahahaha

Sent From My Rooted E3D

 

Any one know how to check for all the issues?

like bad video card? etc...

 

Careful. Go looking for problems and you might actually find one! Don't worry about it. If you notice anything unusual, post here.

 

I just want to make sure i didn't get a lemon before the warranty runs out, that way i can get it replaced if needed.

I guess I shouldn't look for issues

 

Finally got my machine back from the dell depot. Everything came back perfect minus a missing hard drive interposer for the secondary hard drive so I'm down to to just my SSD. Gotta call up dell here later and see if I can get a new shipped out or something since I really need that other Hard Drive.

 

How many of you respawn your system when you first get it? Also what are the benefits of doing so if youre doing it? Seems like it would be just like it is now to me. Although when I had to do the wife's, her windows index score went up lol.

 

I created recovery DVDs and then just did a clean install. Mainly because I'm anal and want to know that everything is exactly the way I want it. I also installed an aftermarket SSD, so a big part of that meant getting rid of the recovery partition.

 

Hi all,

FINALLY received my machine. Everything looks pretty good so far, a tiny bit of space above the screen on the top middle right that I don't love but is very minor and wouldn't be noticed by most people. I am running AlienAutopsy right now before I go about putting in my SSD and re-installing everything. One thing I was curious about is if everyone else had plastic wrap still on a lot of the parts of the machine when they received it? In the unboxing videos I saw, there were sticky plastic coverings on the lid logo, the hard drive/power button etc. Mine only had them on the speakers?

 

I created the respawn disk as soon as I got my system. Put the disk in a safe place, then proceeded to to do my upgrades and updates. Since I have since installed an SSD, if I ever intend to sell my system, I could just put the HDD back in, insert the disk, and let the system revert back to stock. Now my new issue that I didn't expect to do so quickly, was to upgrade my GPU. Since I had a 580M and now have a 7970M, not sure if I'll run into any issues with the respawn. I'm hoping it'll still work, just end up with having to unistall the Nvidia drivers and just install AMD drivers afterwards.

 

Hey has anyone run the AlienAutopsy PC Checkup Gaming Test? Mine has been sitting on the Modulo X Test for a while now.

 

Mine came with the OS disk and resource disk as well as a recovery partition. I guess I really dont need to create a back up disk. I just wondered what is the difference between respawning it and how it was when it arrived for hers to be scoring better than it did before lol.

 

Just got my R4 in and am absolutely blown away by it! Such a beautiful machine. Haven't really tinkered with it yet because I've been at work at all day.. Is there any first things first that I should do? Update the BIOS? If so how? Lol. Update Nvidia drivers? Anything else I should do?

Thanks guys!

EDIT::Sorry for double post!
haha. I was wondering the same thing. Mine only had the plastic on the speakers as well.

 

Even with those, you'll still need to download programs that were installed on your system. I believe AlienRespawn and AlienAutopsy, powerDVD, roxio, Live! Central (webcam), and some others aren't part of the resource disk. Not a 100% sure on that, but I don't think they were on mine.

When you use AlienRespawn to create your disk, your essentially creating a fresh, out of the box state for your system. When you restore to it, it will be like when you first turned your system on. For me, that's the best way to do it. That way, you only have one disk to use. You won't need to reinstall the OS, then mess around with all the drivers, then search online for all the programs that you are missing. Essentially, it could save you hours of trouble.

 

Does anyone have slight indents on their lid that start almost from the left and right sides of the lid and go in towards the narrow section of the lifted ridge that goes down the center of the lid? The ones on mine are subtle and you almost have to look in the right light to see them. They do look like something that could happen if too much pressure was put on the lid but I really hope that's not the case.

 

Alright, to all the 7970M owners. Do you think we can still play this on Ultra or High?

Crysis 3 - CryEngine3 Tech Trailer - YouTube

 

Seeing how Nexuiz (built on CryEngine 3) works perfectly well on Ultra, I would be hoping the same for Crysis 3.

 

Hopefully! I can't wait to play Crysis 3!

 

Hey I've been comparing prices of Samsung 830 256gb SSD and the lowest I've seen is on amazon at $198.99

Amazon.com: SAMSUNG 830 Series 2.5-Inch 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7PC256B/WW: Computers & Accessories

Do I need the laptop kit/Norton Ghost combo version? I've got an M17xr3

 

The one you linked should work great! You will need to do a clean install on it though. That is what the laptop kit is designed for preventing (it will enable you to clone your current HD to your new SSD). However, I have heard of issues with that so I recommend the clean install.

 

Sweet I read that somewhere and already downloaded the drivers from the clean install thread. I am excite. Ordering now

 

Congrats on the SSD!! If you haven't use one before it will knock your socks off.

 

Samsung 830 are amazing! My boot all the time (from pressing the Alienware Head to Desktop) only takes me 22 seconds all the time! Amazing!

 

Ordered the same 256 ssd samsung 830, will I see any improvement from my macbok's Vertex 2 ssd in terms of speed and booting times?
Can't wait to receive my 680m on monday!
And a little OFFT, speaking of which, DON'T ever use TNT Express! Been waiting all day home yesterday for my beast to be delivered (at noon on the tracking number it said "delivered to their depot in Alicante" - which is 35 km away, then "Out for delivery", then in the evening "Receiver not home". I was home aaaaaall pkng day taking work leave, with my phone near me, no bell rings, no phone rings! Lazy driver!!!! Lies outright! But this wouldn't be the problem, they have their offices closed during weekends, so the soonest I'll get it is on Monday when I'll have to travel 40 km to their depot and pay the 10 Euro highway tax. Bad bad TNT!!!! Just a heads up about this company, as I googled them and there are hundred of similar cases with lies "Receiver not home" without even bothering to send a damn SMS or a call!

 

Installed the Crucial M4 512gb earlier, now I'm installing all the drivers.

Was wondering, since installing AMD's 12.8 drivers would I still need to install the integrated graphics driver? I tried and it said computer doesn't meet minimum requirements.

 

Anyone else still getting the sound card disappearing from their laptop? I am on bios A05 and I am still running into this.

 

Ill be ordering my M17x R4 soon ...

Wanted to ask you guys, should i just get the 3720QM or get the 3820QM? Worth the extra 200 bucks?

Ill be using it primarily for rendering, and in Applications like : Photoshop CS6, After Effects, Maya, 3DS Max and Zbrush/Mudbox.

Already decided to add 16Gb Vengeance 1600Mhz CL9 , a 256GB Vertex 4 SSD and an extra 750Gb Scorpio Black

Will be getting the 675m since i really need the driver stability with my applications.

Knick knacks include - Win 7 ultimate, Full HD LCD,extended warranty, extra caddy, blah blah...

 

Is the extra 200 going to stress your budget if not go for it, but the benchscores are nothing indicating its worth an extra 200. I would upgrade to an Xtreme core instead of paying 200 for such a marginal upgrade.

It works great i have been running it at absolute maximum settings (high res textures enabled). The weird thing is that with Enduro enabled i average 37.8 FPS... (Enduro hit or miss) without it runs 29-30FPS.

I have these benches saved based off Fraps

 

Question for you guys. Is it hard for you to plug a 3.5 jack into the headphone/speaker/microphone combo port compared to the other two? I really have to push to get in while the other two just pop in. Same toughness to pull it out too. It still goes in all the way and seats correctly, the Sound Blaster sees it, (haven't tested audio through it yet) just seemed odd. Also my right 3.0 usb ports are sorta the same way.

 

its because the ports are still new and they are somewhat...tight. It will go away after you've plugged in/out for a few times. (that's what she said)

 

Umm... It really wont, ill just be basically saving it. Since the whole Config + Extra + a Sense and a Mech Keyboard will total out at around 3300$'s .

Another problem is that Xotic, doesn't offer the XM series processors with the M17x. And the M18x will be a tad too big for me.

 

All right, thanks. I figured that it was okay, I just never had to apply this much force for a audio port before.

 

hey guys !
Today my graphic card requested a software update from 12.6 to 12.8, and I figured why not I have updated in the past using the catalyst control center.

After downloading and starting to install 12.8 I experienced a blue screen with error code 000x00007e something like that (all I remember is a 7 and e).
Anyone know what could cause this? I had to restore back to last month because when it rebooted it said no graphics driver was installed =[

 

had the same issue with my 6990m. No clue why but 12.7 and 12.8 don't work at all for me.

 

Hi guys. I think I'm going crazy. I feel like there's no perfect laptop out there, it doesn't matter how much I search. After finally deciding the Alienware R4 with the 680m and 3D screen would suit my needs, I read some things that are pretty much a deal breaker for me. Could you please share an opinion?

1. The battery life. In one place I read it lasts over 5 hours, in another review I read it lasts only a little over 2 hours. Some people say because the laptop/screen is 3D, there is no Optimus so the battery life is very bad. Could I please get some clarification over this?

2. The screen. Some say it's great, others on this forum say they want to exchange it for a clevo just because of it's glossy screen. Is it that bad/ reflective? Is there a chance to use it outdoors? Also read about some matte cover, does it work?

3. How is the 3D experience overall? This is the part I'm most interested in.

Thank you very much.

 

I have the setup you are looking at and am still putting it through it's paces.

1) I can't give you an exact figure for battery life but I would say so far that I wouldn't expect to get much more than 3 hours on this guy with light usage.

2) The screen is VERY reflective. This was one of my biggest worries and for the first few hours I was really unsure if I could handle it. That being said, I think I have just gotten used to it and don't notice it anymore. Outside would probably be a stretch if it was sunny out, although most laptops wouldn't be great with a lot of ambient light. It sounds like some guys have tried the anti-glare screen cover with mixed results. I would love to have the choice of a matte screen that would look as good but it is not the deal breaker that I thought it might be.

3) I haven't gone crazy with the 3D yet but it is looking great so far. The glasses are comfy, the brightness level is great. I played Max Payne 3 with all the eye candy turned on and it was running smooth at 1080p and 119 Hz. I am a big fan of 3D and decided that there was no way I could spend this kind of money and not have the option. The first time I fired it up, I knew I had made the right choice.

Bearing in mind that I have less than 30 hours on this machine I would say that I am very pleased so far. It is a sexy machine and looks the part for the money I spent although the lights can be turned off and it can be semi subtle. I am still getting used to having this much power in a semi-portable package.

Getting back to your questions, if you need a machine that you can use on the beach for the day I would look somewhere else. But if you want high end specs, this is the machine I would choose (and did obviously). Also unless I am mistaken, the M17x is really the only choice that you have if you want 3D and a GPU that can actually handle real games on it.

 

Hi guys,

My apologies if this question is already asked. But i'm looking for a reliable site to purchase the new GPU 680M for my M17x R3 in the US. Would be greatly appreciated if someone can post the link with the exact model that works with the system.

Thank you very much.

 

You could look at upgradeyourlaptop on eBay, but its probably gonna cost an arm and a leg.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S2 running Resurrection Remix

 

ebay.ca

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M; 4GB DDR5;1344 CUDA; MXM 3.0b ALIENWARE UPGRADE KIT | eBay

ebay.com

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M; 4GB DDR5;1344 CUDA; MXM 3.0b ALIENWARE UPGRADE KIT | eBay

 

Thank you reechings for your in depth response. I was hoping for 5 hours + with light usage as I've seen on some reviews, 3 hours is not too bad either .

You pretty much scared the out of me when you said the screen is very reflective. How come you don't notice it anymore? Do you just have to find the right angle where there are no reflections or do you just don't care about them anymore? Thanks.

 

Guys, I've tried installing this AMD Catalyst 12.8 WHQL – 7900 MOD – BenchmarK3D driver on Windows 8 Enterprise x64. It won't work! It simply stops while installing the "AMD Display Driver". I've tried with Enduro OFF as well as ON. The yellow icon shows up in the end with an "Error messages Driver Install: the installation failed" in the log. Please help!

 

The reflections are there and there's not really an angle where they disappear. I think it's more that the screen is very bright (the 3D one at least although it looks like you have to leave it at 60Hz to crank it all the way up during desktop usage). Also white backgrounds like this web forum don't show them much. Most games have lots of colors and action going on so it all blends in although I do most of my gaming at night as well so that may make a difference but to be honest I think it is more that I just don't really notice it after using the computer for a while unless I start looking for them.

All that being said, I personally wouldn't take my chances with the dimmer 60Hz panel with this screen.

 

Hey guys, just wondering what cooler people would recommend for the R4? Mine's started getting a bnit hot, so want to go safety first with a cooler. Thanks.

 

The reflective screen is the only real 'complaint' I have about mine. Sitting in a sun lit room right now and have a perfect reflection of my face staring back at me . I also game in the dark so it's not an issue there but it does need some sort of anti-glare IMO.

Have you cleaned it out first? When mine was overheating the heatsink was clogged up with fluff (and cat hair!) and I'd only had it a few months - a can of compressed air does the job.

I got the Targus Lap Chill Mat 17-inch as I like to be able to move it easily onto my lap and it's comfortable and robust - although other coolers are probably more efficient (around 3-5C lower) it is perfect for my requirements

 

Thank you for your responses guys. I'm not gonna buy it then. I think if I pay that amount of money for a laptop this shouldn't be an issue. Do you think they'll change this, maybe on a future model, R5?

 

I just picked up a Cooler Master Notepal U3. This thing is amazing. My idle temps went from 50-55C to 42-45C. Not meant to be used on your lap, but on a desk, this thing is the best.