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

This. Also, why not?

 

​

Goes well with all the lights on the laptop, don't really care that it's name branded.
I might play D3 I might not, the mouse is seriously great and feels great.

 

Wow! That's pretty impressive. What exactly did you tweak beyond the typical power saving stuff in Windows? Were you on Wifi?

 

So would it be better speed-wise to get one 256GB SSD or two 128GBs in RAID 0?

 

Doesn't Wi-Fi consume more power or is it completely opposite from mobile phones?
I know that on mobile phones having WiFi enabled drains your battery much faster.

@ Gamerish: RAID 0 is faster

 

256 and 512GB give you higher write speed but raid 2 128GB SSD is not bad. Just try to get whichever one cheaper.

 

hey guys i just bought a used r3 and i'm having trouble finding out what wireless card i have because i need the driver for it... the only thing i see under the parts list is WHDPC: Card, Wireless, Half Mini-Card, DW1501, 4313
is that it?

 

its the stock dell wireless card Wireless WLAN 1501 Half Mini-Card (4313bgn).

you can find driver for it here:

Drivers and Downloads | Dell [United States]

 

how do i install that driver?? there's no setup or anything, just system files and application extensions...

 

did you click on that link? Can you take a screenshot of it? There is a blue "Download File" button in the middle of that page...And...are you using windows 7?

 

this is what i get after extracting the files from the initial exe...

 

oh sorry I thought there would be a setup file. My bad. In this case you would have to go to the control panel, click on add a device (or refresh in device manager). When there is a prompt to look for driver, point it toward the extracted folder. Hope that helps.

 

worked, thanks.

 

How do I make sure my 7970M is being used instead of my HD4000 integrated graphics?

 

right-click on your desktop and click "configure switchable graphics" and it will tell you which one is being used.

 

I have all of that configured but is there a way to know for sure?

 

Yes. You do what I just told you and you'll know for sure...

 

It has been said that pressing Fn+F7 and selecting the 7970M will disable the IGP after the ensuing reboot.

 

Add me to the list of users who had their machine die after 2 weeks of use. Was playing Diablo 3 last night and all of a sudden the machine cuts off. When I boot it up now it I get the dreaded 4 beeps.

 

Unlucky man, you're under warranty anyway so it's just a little inconvenience.

Anyways, finished Diablo 3 on Hell. Anyone else play? Add me please: Lollin#1977

Inferno is just lol.

 

Another nice way to ensure 7970 usage is afterburner- if you hit f7 and reboot- afterburner will show gpu temps for the 7970 if it is active. Use f7 again, and after reboot it will not show temperature or activity in the 7970 - because you are using the integrated intel. While on integrated you can still use the 7970 when specified- using configure graphics options. In this setup you can see activity on gpu using afterburner but not gpu temps (?) When switched over to 7970 - where afterburner works for gpu temps- you can't ever use the intel gpu.

Hope that was clear

 

What do you think the culprit could be??

 

Sounds like faulty RAM: Alienware Laptops: Beep Codes Table | Dell

Try to unplug all sticks and try one by one?

 

Ok will do!

 

ram is the easiest thing to replace...so if its only ram, then its a minor inconvenience. Call up dell and get that memory replaced. in the meantime, pull the bad stick so you can at least play D3

 

Hi,

I just received the new M17x-R4.

I currently have the Nvidia 660M. Battlefield3 ran perfectly with all settings maxed on ultra however, Metro2033 and Mafia2 weren't very smooth.

After 6 working days of owning the laptop, I contacted Alienware Support who said my system should have no difficulty running these games (especially if I can play BF3 on max). They mentioned that it was likely just a driver issue.

I decided to switch from the Nvidia 660M to the AMD 7970M since it runs a hell of a lot faster. On the 8th day (counting the weekend) I told Dell I would like to go ahead with the proposed switch. The person I spoke with over the phone didnt know much of what he was talking about since I was constantly on hold whenever I asked simple questions.
I understand they would normally collect the laptop within 7 weekdays and I would then need to order a new one? Do they count the weekend as part of the 7days? Because I thought I was within the timeframe
I was told that since 8 days had now elapsed, I would instead need to pay £90 for a technician to come to my house to swap the cards (one is coming on Tuesday).

I don't mind this but I'm just worried that I may be missing something because it seems too easy to simply swap the two cards over and nothing else?

• The Nvidia 660M is 75 watts
• The AMD 7970M is 100 watts

So wouldn't they need to change something else in order for the card to be optimised with the other system components?

Another question. If I selected the AMD 7970M card in the beginning when the machine was factory built, would anything else in the machine have been tweaked to cater for it?

I'm also upgrading the network card to the Killer one. It's only an extra £15 and I somehow missed that option at the time of purchase so the same question applies to this. If I had it factory installed, would any other system components have been altered to work along side it?

Thanks in advance.

 

Assuming you did not get the 3D screen, The only difference from what it is now and what it would have been if you got the killer card + AMD 7970m would have been the drivers, so there shouldn't be any problems

 

Check your PSU. If its 240w then its fine. No components are altered to fit a higher end GPU.

 

All the R4s come with the same AC adapter.

 

Saying that...do they come with Dell branded or Alienware branded AC adapters or just bog-standard Chinese branded ones? I ask because mine may be faulty - according to the techs.

When I usually see Dell laptops, their AC adapters are usually Dell branded; including my old XPS. I've never seen an Alienware in the flesh (except for my own) so I wouldn't know. Thanks.

 

Dell branded with the LED indicator on the tip.

 

Power brick was Dell branded too? Mine isn't...

 

http://www.global-laptop-batteries.com/images/big/dell-19.5v-12.3a.jpg

Is that yours?

 

That's the one Chinese writing on the bottom sticker.

 

That is the correct one

 

There is no comparing the 7970m to the 660m. They are in different leagues.

But i'm very disappointed with dell that they are charging you 90 quid to install the card. Are you technical? You can use my 7970m install guide as a reference

I don't think you need the BigFoot wireless. I was rocking the stock wireless card for a long time and it ran like a champ. Its only recently that I bought a 1102 because it was almost free for me (i just had to pay shipping)

Regardless, the stock 7970m is equivalent to a desktop nvidia gtx 570. it will smoke the 660m and makes gameplay much more smooth

 

GTX 675 2.0 GB with 120 Ghz 3D screen or 7970 normal 60Ghz 1080p screen?
I think gtx then upgrade after a year, because I cant obviously upgrade a laptop screen

 

i would go with the 7970m and 60hz screen. 3d gives me a headache.

 

Right now that seems to be the best way to go.

The 120 is really only needed for the 3D when frame rates are halved. I can't see any difference anywhere else.

You have to remember 3D it totally subjective. Many people get headaches, I used to way back in the day when I first tried it out on my desktop rig. I only went for the 3D model because at the time there wasn't much between the manufactures and I am familiar with Nvidia.

This time it's working great for me. Don't know it it's the implementation or just that the games use it better but I'm loving a couple of my 'sandbox' games right now.

I have some colour blindness, don't know how others see the world, just what it looks like to me. And while on the subject (waffling) Thanks to Activision for the 'colour Blind Assist' in MW3. Well, the people I'm not shooting now are grateful!

 

Hi guys!

I saw that someone mentionned Alienwares having the same screens as the samsung NP700G7C (superBright 400nit FHD LED). I spoke to an Alienware representative this morning who didn't know what that was. Would someone know more about this ?

How good is an alienware screen in comparison to other gaming laptops on the market ? (17.3" WideFHD (1920 x 1080) WLED LCD )


Thanks all !

 

Yes the Alienware screens are 400nitt. The only con of there screens, are that there very glossy, So you might have a problem with reflections.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

thank you so much for confirming this! Well, to be honest I always use my laptop in my room, so I'm really not worried about the screen being glossy. Actually, I was waiting for the amd 7970m version of the samsung NP700G7C just because of the screen but if they are the same, I might as well for an Alienware m17x R4 ! Got a 10% discount voucher yesterday

Again, thanks!

 

Just so you can be extra sure for yourself: http://www.bestgamingnotebookreviews.com/2012/02/alienware-m17x-specs-review-and-price.html?m=1

They tell you the brightness level which is indeed 400nitts: )

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

Thanks! Actually I'm going to order something similar to what you've ordered (specs in your signature). I just want to make sure the screen is worth it! I'm really hesitating between this and the samsung aforementioned.

Any thoughts/suggestions from you owners (or soon-to-be owners) of an AW?

 

Hey Alienware owners.

I just made my first order on an Alienware M17x R4 and I am very excited! I was never that interested in Alienware until I actually did some research on this awesome system (I also got some nice discounts ). I originally had an order with Sager NP9170 but I decided to with Alienware instead with all the recent problems Sager has been having lately. It was very frustrating but its all good now.

I just wanted to ask for some questions. As many of you guys on this forum had suggested, I chose the most basic RAM and I plan to upgrade that myself in the future. I watched some youtube video on how to do it and it doesn't seem that complicated.. that is unless I have to remove the keyboard. So my questions is this. Where is the RAM (the one from dell) installed on R4 system? Can I easily access it by removing the back or will I have to go deeper in by opening up my keyboard? I'm scared that I may screw up somewhere if its the latter.. I'm not very good mechanically

And I plan to upgrade my ram to 8gb DDR3 1600mhz. Do you guys any good recommendations on which one I should get? I believe the option from Dell was 75 dollars and I heard that you can get a much better one for cheaper.

I will also be adding my Crucial M4 128gb on it. Does R4 model come with second hard drive caddy? I know that R3 does come with it but not sure if there are any changes to R4.

Lastly, which screwdrivers do you guys use to open up your laptop? I have a really bad history on stripping the screws on almost everything I touch (including my old HP laptop). I know I should use a Phillips head but aren't there different sizes to it?

Anyways, that is all the questions I have for now. I would really appreciate all the help I can get!

Oh and these are my Config:
Alienware M17X R4 with Soft Touch - Direct
3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3610QM
6GB DDR3 at 1600MHz
English Keyboard, 101 Key, M17X R4
17.3-inch WideFHD1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 7970M
500GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s

 

I should have my AW by the end of the week. Its been a mission to get it here as I have ordered mine from Canada haha I will let you know what I think and maybe that will help with your decision, in the mean time look at some reviews: )

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

Depends where the person installed the RAM, I believe the laptops are manually put together.
So it might differ where the end user find them, could be under the KB but it could also be under the back cover.

Most people go with Corsair memory (2x4,2x8,4x4,4x8...you decide).
Just make sure the banks are even (right now with your base 6GB it's not, 1x2, 1x4).

I keep reading about Philips screw drivers when opening a laptop, but tbh I don't know the difference or whether it's called that here in Europe.
Then again looking at the screw and comparing it in a shop shouldn't be too hard.

As long as it fits decently, otherwise you'll strip the screws...which you do not want.

 

Keep in mind Dell/AW warranty is on-site instead of carry-in compared to the Samsung.

The screen is amazing, even though it's from what I've seen on the net.
It does look effin' brilliant.
Make sure you get all the discounts you can, the system is worth it though.
You get cutting edge technology with a lot of funk
Samsung's customer service is crappy from what I've read, be it in the US or Europe.
I myself have forehand experience with them...
It's a gaming laptop and very customizable, which is a huge plus for future upgrades.
+ you get HDMI-in (hook up your PS3/Xbox360 and use it as a TV!)
Sound system is also good-great, so yeah unless u run into some obstacles for what apparent reason.
You should be just fine...

 

Care to share how?

 

Regardless of where your installer put the RAM, there's two slots easily accessible under the back cover (just need a screw driver). You can stick two 4GB sticks in there and be done with it. Most people seem to be using the Corsairs or Kingston Hyper X.