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

2nd gen i7 + 460M... Yours is the R3.

 

1) I believe the optical drive is only sata II, not Sata III

2) can't really help with that.

3) I have the everki beacon and it has served me well so far after a year of use. For more backpack info go here: M17x Bags, Backpacks, Cases & Sleeves - Discuss Here

 

1. If I remember it right, the motherboard only support 2 SATA III. So whatever you put in your optical drive will only have SATA II speed.

2. I think the rubberize surface looks nice enough. If I were to put one, probably put a transparent so I can put some stickers on it =P.

3. It depends on your opinion. I know many people go for the Orion bags

 

I peeled off the protective plastic and found i was always wiping fingerprints and dust off the shiny plastic. Result? I saw a good few scratches appear pretty soon afterwards. I didnt notice until i saw them under the light, and i was a bit annoyed but put it down to some overzealous polishing on my part. I can't say whether they were there originally or not though. Was kicking myself but now i don't really care as everything eventually sees wear and tear.

 

Yes Leeshjnn is correct, that MoBo has two main bays that support Sata III speeds. Unfortunately is the ODD bay will run at SATA II speed.
About the backpack, you can always send us an email to [email protected] and perhaps we can find an option for you

 

That is thing I hate about these gloss finishes on electronics. They look good, but when you go and clean them, they get left behind with tons of marks and you can see them clearly when bright light reflects off of it. That is what I expect any more though.

 

well thats a bit of a letdown about the optical bay being gimped with only sata II speeds, was really looking forward to putting a fast sata III ssd in its place.

I agree the finish is nice but its very easy to damage or mark it up with little to no effort which worries me, so I really would like to put a good skin that will help preserve its "soft-touch" look.

as for the bag, still looking. I checked out the orion but dont like advertising that I have a $2k laptop hanging off my shoulder.

 

Hi everyone, new Alienware M17x owner here. Dell decided to replace my previous XPS L702x.

I have a question for everyone however, has anyone tried the matte overlay? If so, has it affected 3d performance when say, watching movies or playing games? I'm receiving the 3d laptop soon so i'm hoping to get rid of all the glare as it bothers me, also the reason why I purchased the l702x with a matte screen.

 

I just read in a different forum here of someone who got the Green Onion overlay. I have one on my favorites list, for if I decide to do it:
AG2 Anti-Glare screen Protector for Dell Alienware M17x R3/R4 | Green Onions Supply

Note - this one is NOT for 3D. That's a different overlay that they offer.

 

i've been looking at the choices below....

m17x antiglare | eBay

So I take it, that it's for non-3d models only?

 

I had this one on my laptop for a day AG2 Anti-Glare Screen Protector for Alienware M17x R3 with 3D : Monitors: Flat Screen LCD Computer Displays | Dell Canada It says it's for the R3 but the green onion website says it's for the R4 as well and that's what I have. I would have kept it on longer but I started messing around with a problem with my screen and ended up taking it off.

I can confirm that it worked fine with 3D gaming and everything. I did not think that it affected colors too much except for white. When looking at these forums, the white looked a bit yellowish and the screen in general looked more "grainy." It also does more of a muting of the glare as you can still see it but it's not so mirrorlike and less noticeable.

For myself, I like how the whites look better with it off and the majority of my usage is going to be in a dark environment so I think I will stick with the glossy screen for now.

 

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Thanks for your input Reechings! I will look further into this with the AG overlays. I do know for a fact that there is no way around the graininess, as even the L702x's whites were grainy. Once again many thanks! I use the laptop everywhere, from class, to study hall, even at the doctor's office. People are amazed that I can a huge 17in laptop around.

 

Hmm I've run into troubles with stickers before because some are bad quality that they leave glue marks on it. Looks kinda dirty.

You can always put a SSD on one of the SATA 3 and leave SATA 2 for storage HDD. That is what I did anyway.

 

"Gimped"? Interesting choice of words. IIRC, optical drives are limited to SATA I (1.5 Gb/s) because even the best Blu-ray drive right now wont exceed 500 Mb/s. I cite my source ( skektek's Blog: Blu-ray vs 12x DVD: read speed). There are no SATA III optical drives because there's no point. The drive itself cannot read the discs fast enough to make SATA III (or even SATA II) speeds. Don't get suckered into buying a SATA II or III optical drive. It doesn't matter how fast the ODD's SATA controller can go, the drive itself won't make those speeds. Maybe in the future...

 

Swapped out the original Samsung 4GB stick with a 4GB Vengeance to match my other one and boom, 1600Mhz 9-9-9-24 with no fiddling with settings.

 

1. Already answered.

2. Only you can choose a skin you'll really like for the lifetime of your laptop. Aesthetics are very use-case scenario specific.

3. I use a Swiss Gear bag. It's perfect for the M17x! You could consider that or go with the official Alienware bag.

 

I have a Swiss Gear bag for mine and it is a TIGHT fit. I do put the Alienware velvet case on as well of course but it just fits and I am very leery of hitting something with it as the laptop is tight against the edges. May be different with other Swiss Gear bags of course. I got mine at Costco.

 

Yeah, mine's a rather tight fit too! And yes, I feel comfortable keeping it inside the sleeve first and then inside the bag.

 

what I really meant by gimped is the sata port on the mother board is limited to sata II speeds not the optical drive it self.

what I was really hoping to accomplish is to raid 0 a large storage hard drive with msata SSD caching to speed it up and replace the optical drive with a speedy sata III SSD, I am going to have to give my storage setup some thought.

as for the bag, am thinking of getting a Slappa bag but also need something that's good against the weather.

 

Hi guys.

I'm asking this on behalf of a friend who has an M17x R4 with a 7970.

When he disables the HD4000 graphics, he's given a green screen from boot up to windows screen, also system identification program's and games only see the HD4000 not the 7970m. He's taken the 7970 out, reinserted it, reinstalled drivers. Then all of a sudden, the 7970 is seen in device manager. So, games now see the card (and run significantly better when FN+F7 pressed), with WoW fps @ 100 when tested but he still has this green screen for whatever he does. So there's been progress but the green screen's still the worry.

Could the graphics be dud or does anyone know what this could be? Any help would be appreciated because we're both none the wiser.

 

Hi. Unfortunately this sounds like a hardware problem now. You've tried all the usual things and at least it's working for now but I'd be chasing a replacement card if it's under warranty. With that is happening it won't take long for their tecs to identify it.

 

That's what I did. Bay 0 is my SSD, and bay 1 and my ODD caddy conversion are my HDD RAID 0 array. Works great for me.

I just looked up those Slappa Velocity & Matrix bags. Damn those are nice! I'm gonna eventually have to replace my aging XPS/Alienware bag ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/att...acks-cases-sleeves-discuss-here-202805955.jpg) and the Slappa's look good for the job. As reliable as the Orion bags seem, they're just to vanilla for my tastes.

 

If he has to reinsert the card to make it work, I think it is probably a hardware faulty. The R4 should have plenty of warranty left so you know you can always ask for a tech to come and replace it. I would leave it there for a few weeks to test the stability. If your friend gets that green screen again, then he definitely has to replace it. If not, it depends on how you want it.

 

Gonna install my new killer card here in a few hours. Hope i'll see a difference

 

nice! .

 

Hey guys! I'm just wondering if there's like a wireless thingy when you want to connect your laptop to the tv without using the HDMI port? Is that even possible? If there's like an accessory that you need to buy please tell me! I need to have that!

 

There are several devices like this:

Amazon.com: Diamond V-Stream Full 1080P HD Wireless PC to TV System (WPCTV1080H): Electronics

however, they have their pros/cons. As far as wireless without using hdmi, idk doubt it for vga, I'm just assuming you meant not using an hdmi cable.

 

Thanks Quagmire! So what are the cons when using this?

 

I got this which works fine: Xenta Wireless HDMI Kit - WHDI HDMI Transmitter and.. | Ebuyer.com

No discernible lag, only drawback is that it is HDMI 1.3 only so no 3D signal is carried through (although that is not a problem for you). In the US you have the option of a card for the laptop from Dell- WiHd ( WirelessHD - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) BUT, you need a compatible device or a standalone receiver (expensive!). HTH

 

So Micky, if I bought that, will I be able to connect my Alienware M17x R4 to my Samsung TV? Is it like a plug and play device?

I am planning to buy this right now. Is this good?

 

Should be no problem. I use it with my Panasonic TV to /XBox/Satellite receiver, and R4. Receiver end is on the TV so that is now completely free to go wherever I want with no trailing cables. The other end is on a HDMI auto switch connected to all the devices. Turn on a device and the switch, via the transmitter sends to the TV. 'Yes' for plug n play. No messing around with inputs on the TV or software and it all comes in via a single HDMI

It sometimes falis to connect when switching it all on but once the sequence of turning on is figured out no problems - and it does have an indicator light to see when it is connected.

 

Thanks brother Mick! Rep for you I'm planning to get that, or the Asus WiCast or brite-View HDelight. I'll let you know! Thanks man

 

You're very welcome.

It was an impulse purchase with little research over 'it should work' since I was mainly interested in moving the TV, but I'd be very interested to hear how you get on

Edit: forgot to add, the do a full kit with a hdmi switch that plugs directly in as well: Xenta Wireless HDMI Kit + HDMI Switch - WHDI HDMI.. | Ebuyer.com. I didn't need this as I already had one

 

I should have upgraded my wireless card, lol

 

It's an easy, after-market upgrade. Don't worry too much about it.

 

If anyone is interested, and has an android phone (iphone has these apps too). You can also connect your laptop via HDMI, and wirelessly use your Phone (ANDROID) with a program called Gmote: Gmote > Android Remote

It literally acts as a remote, you can browse through your media files on the laptop with it, and flip on what you want to watch, you can even stream stuff off the laptop onto your phone if you so please. VERY ingenious app, and something I've been using since the G1 for Tmo (first android phone) was released.

 

Resolution (some only do 720 and not 1080)
Heat (some adapters are known to get very hot and it's connected to your mobo)
Line of Sight (IR, not radio)
HDMI version (as Micky said, 1.3 is "L" if you want to do 3D)
Software (can be a problem for some)

Just have to research them well before buying. However, they can be very freakin' convenient.

 

Thanks for the reply Quagmire. Now I know the disadvantages. But yeah! They are freaking convenient!

 

I got the killer wireless one just in case for the future, even though I'm plugged into Ethernet most of the time. It doesn't cost much to upgrade + it's pretty easy I think.

 

just did the upgrade about two days ago and it wasn't complicated as all as long as you know how to take apart the machine a bit.

 

speaking of, I absolutely LOVE how easy it is to take apart the machine, literally two screws and a simple slideout, and you have access to the whole bottom!

 

Hello, I'm just wondering since I have a pair of Audio Technica M50's which are fantastic, whether or not I need to get a gaming headset just for the microphone? Is the inbuilt microphone any good?

Thanks

 

Might wanna stick to using one thread instead of spamming a few, but to answer your question I think it depends how loud your environment is. if there is a lot of backround noice, the built in microphone will pick it up while a headset mike wouldn't. Hope this helps

 

Haha sorry, I just keep on having more questions, but I can't change the title of the thread - how it appears on the home screen. I promise I won't 'spam' anymore

 

no problem, Just thinking a mod will probably come buy and merge them all anyway. just thought I would give you a heads up.

 

By the way, is it just me, or does the klipsche audio equipped on the M17x r4 really suck? I've been meaning to ask this but keep forgetting. The JBL system on my XPS 17 was friggin AWESOME! It was super loud and super clear, alongside that it threw some GREAT beats. The Alienware's klipsche audio, it keeps clipping/blurring when i play certain songs, not all but certain bass frequencies, are my speakers faulty?

 

They are not the greatest speakers, especially for music, but I haven't any obvious "distortion" or odd sounds.

 

Just got my Razer Blackwidow Tournament Edition for my Alienware m17x! Man, this is so good!!! So portable and teeny tiny!

 

dissapointing, klipsche is suppose to be reknown for making some quality speakers..... I guess I'm asking for too much heh.... I DO notice that one side has distortion over the other.... I will make a call to Dell soon for a replacement.

 

Mine were fine to begin with, then I started to notice gradual distortion coming from the left hand speaker, recently has got a lot worse.

Right had speaker is A1 at full volume, left hand distorts around 50% volume.

Will also be phoning Dell.