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

hey guys does this look good? Will it fit into my m17x r3? might i need something else to go with it? Your help is greatly appreciated.

Newegg.ca - Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW480A3K5 2.5" 480GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

 

Yup, you shouldn't have a problem!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

thinking of buying a 256gb samsung 840 during black friday as they will be super cheap and also come with a copy of far cry 3!

 

Far Cry 3?! I thought the game's release is on dec 4...?

I want the Samsung 840 too! :O

 

Are they? I saw the price of 120Gb 840 went down like $10 and that's it. Haven't seen anything else from Samsung on sale. If you find something, please let me know .

Just beware 840 is TLC which can be a lot unstable than MLC ( 830 and 840 Pro ).

 

Is this the offer? it comes with Assassins Creed 3...

Newegg.com - SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD256BW 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

 

Damn nice deal! If only they delivered internationally.. :/

 

True that!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

30th Nov according to play.com...

 

The pre-order price was around $270, I think.

 

Anyone have experience with the Samsung 840 (and pro maybe?)

I'd be interested to get my hands on those games in addition to an ssd for almost the same price -.-


sucks how newegg.ca carrys no samsung SSD...I was ready to buy one hehe

 

here is a review of just the Samsung 840 and the 840 pro. Is the pro really that much faster than the standard version to warrant such a higher price?

AnandTech - Samsung SSD 840 (250GB) Review

AnandTech - Samsung SSD 840 Pro (256GB) Review

 

that 840 pro has died 2 times on their review unit -.-

 

that not a good sign. Might be better to go with the regular one then? also how does it stack up vs a vertex 4? Just curious lol

 

That is not working for me :S as soon as laptop lights up I held F8, it made loud beeping sounds repeatedly until I turned it off. So I tried again with the tapping method... screen just stays black, buttons are lit up /: what is going on what can I do?

HELP please

 

Count the amount of beeps it makes without it stopping and restarting, it sounds as though you have CPU failure.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

Quick questions...

-if you don't order the M17x-R4, does it still come with a caddy/cable/whatever to install a second drive in the empty bay?

-Does Alienware still include restore discs for the OS (or can you at least burn some?)

-Any problems with Optimus? I don't want it, but I'm not willing to pay hundreds more for a "3D" screen to get rid of it. This is already more than I want to spend!

Oh, might as well ask...is getting the base 2.4GHz i7 okay? I'm always tempted to get better, but I guess really that's okay...

Been tearing my hair out on what to buy this year...tempted by some MSI models and even HP's best, but hopefully this is trouble free...

 

yes it sure does

again yes

Only game I really had issues with was gta 4, but that was due to the game and not optimus itself. If you ever need a guide on how to whitelist look in my sig.

yup the 3630 should be more than enough for a while

I hope it works as well as my alien has worked for me.

 

Well after beeping for quite a while I just shut it off and restarted. It sounds like it would just keep beeping but I dno I haven't done anything that would've caused CPU or GPU failure I don't wanna send it in for repair or something and have to wait

 

did you have it plugged in while it was beeping?

 

Can I ask, how long have you had the system? did you apply the IC Diamond thermal paste by yourself or was it done by a technician?

Beep Code Descriptions
1 short DRAM refresh failure
2 short Parity circuit failure
3 short Base 64K RAM failure
4 short System timer failure
5 short Process failure
6 short Keyboard controller Gate A20 error
7 short Virtual mode exception error
8 short Display memory Read/Write test failure
9 short ROM BIOS checksum failure
10 short CMOS shutdown Read/Write error
11 short Cache Memory error
1 long, 3 short Conventional/Extended memory failure
1 long, 8 short Display/Retrace test failed

Continuous is a ram error, it might not be in correctly, or u have a fault. ram is a easy fix, take out a Ram module and reboot the PC if it doesn't boot then take out another 1 etc.

 

Yes I did, how come?

I've had the system for about 2 weeks, brand new... The IC Diamond was applied by a technician, at my reseller HIDevolution.

Thanks for the informative reply I'm pretty sure it's continuous but didn't listen to it for too long because it's quite loud

I sure hope it's a RAM issue, I'll figure out how to get in there and check that. But that doesn't really answer why I got flickering blue squares all over my screen before freezing/black screen :S

EDIT: If it helps, when I power it on, and hold down F8... I see the lights come on and the screen too for a bit, but then screen just goes black and stays black. All this time it's just beeping loudly, and shuts off instantly when I press the alienhead power button...

 

Just curious if It could have been because of a dead CMOS battery, but if its plugged in thats not the problem.

 

I can't explain the blue squares etc, but the not turning on does sound like a RAM issue, it will cause the screen to not power on.

 

Hi Leo, This all sounds pretty serious

I know you've been waiting a long time to get your AW but if you're still within the return period....

You don't need this grief on a brand new machine if there is no simple fix

 

Okay well I dno whats going on :S

I turned it on and pressed F8, it does the beeping... I tried it a couple times and it beeped a different amount of times. It beeped 10 times, and 11 times, 8 times, and twice. Edit: Just beeped 6 times

It's not like I have all those problems :S note: the beeping only comes when I hold down the F8 button, which I press as soon as I see the screen LEDs come on.. Which then eventually go off and screen stays blank.

One of the times I left it on, I heard the boot up sound.. as if I was on the login screen or something, But screen is black.

What could be an explanation for the random beeps? What do I do

Is there any way I could get into the BIOS somehow :S is there a possibility that doing the RAM stick removing thing will fix something?

 

Can you try connecting to an external display first . and then try switching on please

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

I think it's a shame that the M17x you are so proud of has gotten into this mess LOL.

If the screen is black, try to plug it into an external monitor and see how it goes.

Ultimately, try a power drain and PSA test: Turn off the system, remove any peripheral, disconnect the ac adapter and remove the battery. Hold the power button for 45 secs. Then turn the system back on

Also, if the BIOS actually appears. Press F12 and go to the PSA. Run it and see how the hardware go.

 

I really appreciate the help guys thank you

The power drain didn't work Same thing happens, AlienFX lights go on.. the screen LEDs go on but it stays black, goes off for a bit, then LEDs come back on and I hear the login screen tune. If I type my password and press enter, it logs in.

Unfortunately I don't have an external monitor I could test it on right now, but since I can login... I'm pretty sure it would show on the monitor... But then the same problem would come back obviously, and system would just freeze up probably :S

 

This is officially the weirdest problem I have come across

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

You have the 120Hz so can't take off 680M and boot on HD4000. LOL.

 

You really should do the RAM stick thing before you try anything more complicated. RAM errors can cause the weirdest of things to happen and are a very easy fix.

AW is the easiest thing in the world to taka apart. Remove the battery, then take out the two screws on either side. The entire bottom cover then slides and can be removed. The RAM, and everything else, is right there.

 

LeoVainio, I do honestly feel you should seek a replacement as I think you have multiple hardware failure, its unfortunate, but it happens.

 

Thanks for all the info Bigtonyman!

I'm still kinda on the fence (for one thing, I'm scared of Optimus, for another, it is a lot of money...) but geez, $200 off and 10% cash back through Discover...Alienware stuff usually isn't discounted that much, sooooo now's the time to do it I guess!

Thanks for the whitelist/optimus info too!

 

Though they're rarely discounted, it's not too hard to get some good deals. I got about 27% off of my configuration, between online sale and gift certificate promos.

 

I'll try the faulty RAM check tomorrow... if that works, that would be insane xD
I have a question about warranty though I bought my M17x through Hidevolution.com

I selected 2 Year HIDevolution Global Warranty with LIFETIME HIDevolution Technical Support

None of the other warranty options showed Global anything... but Dell warranty is global isn't it. There is a Dell service center here in Dubai so, what would I need to do to bring my Alienware over there using my warranty? I will be contacting HIDevolution tomorrow

Thanks in advance

 

You should ask the rep but I think you would have transfer the warranty to local Dell in Dubai before they can service your M17x.

 

I'll be sending it back to HIDevolution in the US in the next couple days /: will take 7-10 days

 

Good luck and hope your replacement is satisfactory!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

I haven't had a complaint with my replacement.... I think they are much more thorough (besides very minor items like speakers) with these systems.

 

Laptop arrived today. Got one question: The 680m should be the only gpu up and running, and not the integrated Intel, right? If yes, how do I make sure that this is the case?

Computer > Properties > Device Manager > Display > Intel Graphics 4000 (disable?)

 

Better to leave it on, saves battery, and update to latest nVidia driver (BETA OR WHQL) and it should be fine, I have my HD4000 integrated graphics enabled, I don't think youtube needs the power of a 680m. it should automatically switch between them, eg. playing a game it should switch to the nvidia GPU, but web surfing would be fine without the 680m.

 

/: seems my battery wont charge but i dont know if it would be the battery, charger, or the motherboard i really think its the battery as using CPUID Hardware Monitor it says the wear level is 44% im asking here how would i go about fixxing this i have the advanced warranty though dell
Thanks for the help in advanced

 

Ignore the wear level, the software that tries to estimate that uses a ton of variables that can change the outcome. Your battery is most likely perfectly fine and there is another issue. Talk to a customer service rep from Dell.

 

Yeah well I dno if it'll be a replacement or just repair... I'm kinda worried that if they 'repair' the GPU or whatever, that I'll still have some other problem or problems will come back some day :S

 

Did I miss a reply, or have you not told us the results of pulling your RAM and trying one stick at a time?

 

I have yet to do that, didn't find a screw driver

Will a standard sized screwdriver work, or do I need a smaller tip? Because the screws under the battery look a bit smaller than usual, but not that small

 

They're about the same as the rest, a standard sized screwdriver should do the trick but it wouldn't hurt to have a fine tip screwdriver at hand in case you have trouble reaching some screws.

Let us know how it goes

 

You really should do the test before sending it back. RAM causes the weirdest errors you've ever seen. I'd hate for it to be the problem, but not tested. That's a lot of time for you to send it back and be without...

Yes, you'll need a phillips head screwdriver. A standard size one may work, but a precision one would be even better. If you don't own a set, you should get some. They're very useful when taking your machine apart to clean the dust out, or working with HDD enclosures and what not.

 

The standard screwdriver may work but make sure you don't strip the screws. Or else it gonna get a lot harder to open up next time. Been there, done that....