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

Sounds like it got stuck in a P state. From what I've seen it looks like the card is on idle clocks/enduro/hd4000 card hence lower clocks.

Did you try unplugging the power adapter in and out? It might just think its on battery mode for some reason (faulty adapter?)

 

Open the AMD Catalyst Control Center, go to PowerPlay and make sure it's enabled. Apply changes and close the catalyst.

See if that helps, if it doesn't hit Fn+F7 after the steps above and restart your laptop.

 

Can't be Enduro or HD 4000, I leave my computer in discrete graphics mode almost always. Plus running at 450 mhz, it can still run some games alright, much better than the HD 4000

Yea I did try plugging the adapter in and out. No luck

I am always running my computer in Fn + F7 mode, or discrete graphics mode as I like to call it. As far as powerplay I have both battery and plugged in set to "Maximize performance"

This is also a new interesting thing I found. I am unable to replicate this problem short term. Hence, I shut down the computer, unplug from the monitor, boot, test with no problems, running at 850mhz on the laptop screen (as expected) sleep a few times, wake, nothing.

Then I shut down the computer, plug it into the monitor, boot, test (850mhz as expected). Then I tried sleeping it, which is where the problem normally seems to be: when the monitor is plugged in 24/7 during sleeping and waking. Slept it, woke it, tested it. Still 850mhz!! tested a 2nd and 3rd time, Still 850mhz!! I only seem to get this 450mhz during a long sleep time, generally overnight. How weird is that??

 

This is good but, is the box that says "Powerplay enabled" checked? That did it for me. Unchecked it seemed to be not switching back to the discrete (or needed restarts after sleeping).

Although, maybe hibernation has something to do with it? You could try to run an elevated command prompt to turn hibernation off.

I think it was

powercfg.exe -h off

 

I do not have this check box your are speaking of. Also the FN-F7 Forces discrete graphics. The Intel HD 4000 is disabled so it is not switching back to that.

Already have hibernation disabled too :/

I even have the correct monitor drivers for my monitor installed. It's the weirdest thing. I'm pretty savvy, but I and many others have been stumped on this one.

 

Hey ladies/gents,
Having an issue with an otherwise issue free M17x R3. I'm trying to use a set of AX360 headphones in 5.1. They worked perfectly fine in my M17x R1. This headset uses Analog inputs (4x 3.5mm) for ease of use in PC mode. It can use SPDIF to a receiver, but that is a hassle. Anyway, I can't get the headset to properly set up. I can go into IDT, have the inputs plugged in and it recognizes it as a 5.1 set up. However, no matter the combination of inputs into ports I use, I can't get every channel to work. At most I could get 4/6 speakers/sub to work. Not only that, the ports are not color coded like the R1's were, so I'm not entirely sure each one is going in the right spot.

Any insight on this? I loved my R1/AX360 combo for the longest time, travelled thousands of miles together. The R3 works with the AX360s, but usually just 2 speakers in stereo mode.

 

guys there is a possibilty to trade my laptop with an alienware m17x r3.does clevo 7970m works on r3?also the dell 460m works in clevo?thx!

edit:also the r3 has the gtx 460m gpu.the heatsink from 460m works on clevo 7970m?does it fit?

 

No the clevo 7970M doesn't work in the alienware motherboard.
The alienware systems have GPUs made by dell.

 

Thx for the fast answer.!

Sent from my awesome Nexus 7 using Dirty Root Box v2.5 & M-Kernel a56!!!

 

Are you sure about this? I've seen plenty of people use clevo NV cards without issue, and a simple vbios flash is all that is needed for full driver compatibility, are AMD cards different? The GPU's are the same on all NV cards, only the vbios changes (to have the dell ID)

 

Really thx for your opinions. But I have serious problem. I have M17X R4 3d /w 675m and I bought 680m from M17X R4 non 3D.. But it doesn't work on my alienware. No respond and just beeping 8 times again and again.. So after clear CMOS I pushed power button and.. beeping 5 times and no respond either. Is there something I missed?

 

Nothing I know of, it should just work. Does not matter that the R4 it came out of is not 3d. I'd put back the original and make sure everything is OK and try again. It could be just a poor contact but maybe it's faulty. Do you know for sure it (680) was working fine before you got it?

 

I changed into 675m again and it works fine. I tried almost 10 times but there is no difference still beeping.. And former user told me it worked fine. And he's telling me problem is maybe difference of heat sink between mine(675m) and 680m.

 

Nah, even if you botched the heatsink it would still boot before overheating. Are you using the 680m x-bracket? This is the only really important bit. CPU dies are different thickness between models and the height of the posts is specific to the die so the pressure is correct. A thinner die originally and you risk cracking the die, but the 680 is thinner than the 675 so if anything the pressure will be too low. If it does not get to the bios post screen then I think the card is faulty. If it was overheating very quickly it would at least get this far before shutting down (with a thick spread of compound!).

 

Hey Guys,

I just reinstalled my Win 7 from CD and after drivers were installed. Now, some Fn + functions are doesnt work like Fn + F7 so I cant change the video card....
Alienware command center is installed... 7970m + Intel 4000 driver is up, I see the options on the desktop when in "right click" .

What can I do? Do you have maybe any idea?

 

Anyone know if there is an msata drive on the M17xR4's? if so, how to access it?

 

That means my symptom has no connection with x-bracket thickness?

 

Yes, it (msata port) is under the KB. Search out a stripdown video, there are a few on here

Only if it is not making contact to the point it is immediately overheating. You should see if the compound is being spread to the point of almost nothing when you remove it. If there is a lot there then the contact is poor and needs addressing - but I still am not sure that this is root cause since it fails POST - sorry not much help

Edit: see the post here where they removed the heatsink altogether! http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/672230-m17x-r3-680m-compatability-86.html#post9267885post #858

 

Have you installed the alienware OSD drivers? The controls the HDMI input key and dedicated graphics key as well.

 

My friend installed clevo 7970m in M17X R4 and it works fine. But he has one problem because graphic card and heatsink are not matched properly.

 

Thanks for the info :thumbsup:

The heatsink contact is the more usual problem with mix-n-match setups. The component layout is generally the same but thickness's will change, hence the use of different thickness of pads on other components. Can usually be fixed with some careful examination though

 

Still looking for help and it dropped a few pages back.

 

hi guys,

Need your personal opinion here.. what would you choose.. The new AW 17 with 770M ( $1,980 ) or M17x R4 with GTX680M? ( $1,820 )

Please help!

 

Dropped this a bit ago, anyone?

 

I would definitely go with the 680M in the R4. It's faster at stock for gaming than the 770M, if that's what you're going to use it for - the CPU has less impact, all quad core i7's perfect for gaming. I have the GTX 670MX, which is a slower clocked 770M, and I've overclocked mine by 50% for great effect (nearly as fast as stock 680M), so you probably could overclock the 770M to 680M speeds, but it would involve flashing a modified vBIOS to the 770M to unlock the +135Mhz overclock limit. Yes, makes more sense to go with the 680M in the R4!

 

P.S. I've been a lurker for a while on these forums & learnt so much (by my humble standards!), which has helped me get my notebook to it's current non-stock state! Just want to say thanks to all the contributors on here!

 

Welcome aboard!

Maybe add a sig with your spec on? Always nice to see

 

Hi MickyD, thanks. It wouldn't let me add a sig until 5 posts, added it now, so hopefully will appear on this message when I hit the send button!

 

My dell 680m core is dead.. So I refund to seller and I'm planning to buy a new one Clevo vendor because dell 680m is very hard to get. So I have question. Can Clevo 680m vbios change into dell vbios for my Alirenware's 3D function?

 

Well yeah, any vbois can be flashed on a card as long it is for the same model

but cross flashing different manufacturers cards is not reccomended
for example, the clevo 680m has 4gb ram and different vram chips from dell 680m(2gb)

i am pretty sure it might cause some incompatibility issues

 

Also guys i have another issue,
my warranty is about to expire at the end of this month
and it is to expensive to upgrade (out of my budget now)

1) will i still be able to receive support from dell?
like drivers and bois updates online, and phone support

2) will i able to get a new warranty afterwards? After it expires
can i get complete replacement coverage?

 

Actually I read in quite a few threads that the ram amount does not matter and you can flash either vbios. Often the dell one is replaced with a clevo one as the clevo one allows for better overclocking (dell is limited to +135) but may well interfere with 3D operation .

 

Hi,

1. You will still have access to all the on-line resources but phone support will be on a pay-as-you-go basis.

2. Unlikely that you will be able to renew after an initial expiry period.

Complete care depends on the policy in your country. In the US, renewal is specifically stated in the terms and conditions. In the UK it is specifically excluded, meaning that you can only purchase complete care at the time of initial purchase and it cannot be renewed at ALL.

Just been through all this with dell and was very annoyed I could not renew

 

Well my laptop is was ordered in US by my sister and then had the ownership transfered

i was told that complete care package was not transferable as any replacements or repairs can only be done in the country of origin! That means, if anything happens, i will have to send it back to US!
but i would still be receiving basic support in any country

Then i just got the one year basic coverage in the package...
i should have known, upgrading warranty after buying the laptop is more expensive!
should have bought max warranty when making the configuration! (had already exceeded my laptop budget though)

 

I made the same mistake! The accidental portion of the warranty is out-sourced by dell to an insurance company in the country of origin. The insurance companies will not provide coverage for permanent relocation to a different country. In some locations it is not even an option. I was purchasing quite a bit of kit from dell in Mexico and was told that accidental damage is not offered at all. Since I was spending a whole bunch of cash (around $75K) I pushed for a better explanation other than the standard 'sorry sir it is not available' answer. Finally got told (with a 'please do not quote me' from my US rep) that if claims are excessive the insurance company will not offer cover. In Mexico they found that just before expiry too many laptops were having 'accidents'. This was around 5 years ago so things may well have changed

Edit: forgot to add, if the model is sold in the destination country then on-site repairs and parts replacements may well be available. I transferred a Canadian purchased laptop to Brazil and successfully made a call to get a HD replaced on-site after the waranty transfer. It's very country dependent, a phrase I heard a lot was 'cultural differences'

 

You'll probably be alright anyway. I've always ever just got the basic warranty that came with all the laptops I've bought, and the roll of the dice has paid off so far - all my laptops have lasted for years, and never failed - praps I've just been lucky! Just don't drop it, spill **** on it, get it stolen, or throw it out the window in rage! (Oh, and clean out the dust once in a while, don't use on bedsheets (flat surface required for vents - probably telling you how to suck eggs!), then hopefully all will be good!)

 

I have an Alienware M17X R4, I have tried to reinstall windows 8 after some frustrating HDD issues. I get "A media driver is missing" message. Anyone know what driver they're reffering to and where to get it? I apologize if i'm in the wrong room.

 

Press F2 at startup to access your laptop's BIOS, load defaults then save changes and exit.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...er-install-order-guide-alienware-systems.html

 

I will be joining you guys 2 days

Ordered a refurb r4
gtx680
1080p
dual 500gb drives
and a I7-3630QM

Cant wait for it to show up so I can ditch the 500gb drives, the ram and the dvd drive in favor of dual 1tb, maxed ram and a bluray.

Kinda wish the outlet had some 3d models, but I dont think I would ever use 3d anyways.

 

Woop woop, after trading my high end PC, been an owner of the M17x R4 for 2 days now.

Loving this laptop, i am really amazed how well games run and without problems maxed out.

Specs:

Intel i7 3630QM@3,4ghz (turbo on) Ivy Bridge
Corsair 16GB DDR3 1600MHz
ATI Radeon HD 7970M 2GB @850/1200
17,3inch 1920x1080 Glossy (i think it's a IPS, viewing angles are STUNNING)
SSD: Samsung 840 120gb
HDD: 500GB

 

Welcome aboard guys! Nice to see there is life in the old dog yet!

Yeah, I got the 3D just because I could, and never expected much from it but IMO it's awesome. Never mind though, you don't miss something you never had! You would definitely benefit from an SSD cache drive (MSATA port) if you want 2tb of disk space and they are not that expensive, you only need a max of 64gb.

Great to hear, enjoy

 

Excellent! But is there not part of you that misses some of that desktop performance?!

 

Steady on MickyD, mine's even older than the R4!! ;-) No, it's OK, I'm not jealous!

 

Only for Crysis 3 i miss the desktop performance, it's the only game that doesn't run fully smoothly.

 

Ha ha, I'm just bitter right now about the new models, bitter in a bad way not jealous (which would be good, I'd just get one!). At least I think dell have increased the resale value of our machines

Funny you ask about replacing a desktop and performance drop. I got my original R3 to replace a desktop I built (long boring story) and that had 2 x 295's in quad sli plus a 9600 dedicated to physics - all on water. A great hobby but at the end of the day this R4 easily performs as well gaming so I'm happy - maybe if I had put a couple of the latest GPU's in it it would be a different story!

 

Ah, so you're a bit unenamoured with the A17!

That desktop does sound like a beast, but lots of driver problems with sli & especially quad sli, from what I've read anyway! I have a bit of an itch to build a desktop gaming PC, I like the idea of it as a project, it would be my creation with the best bang for buck parts I could get. But, short of cash at the moment, and if I'm honest my laptop suits my gaming needs right down to the ground considering it only has a 1600x900 screen. In fact, due to 1.4x less pixels than a 1920x1080 screen, combined with my GPU overclock that is about 10% short of a stock 680M, then the comparative performance in games is like having a 780M with a 1920x1080 screen, albeit I don't have that 1920x1080 screen gourgeousness!

 

You could say that, it's all I can do to not be 'that guy' ranting about the old days when you could buy what you want not be told. I see they have even dropped the mouse mat now, stupid penny pinching on a premium priced product - oo er, I'm ranting again, time for another pill!

That rig was what set me on the NV path. For the most part I never had any driver issues, it all just worked, I could run different clocks and voltages easily across the cards, only throttling around 95C was a problem - totally self-inflicted!

If support goes bad then I'm looking at these guys: mySN.co.uk | XMG | Schenker Technologies - XMG U702 17.3" Ultra Gaming Notebook

Sli in a 17 looks nice and the price sure is right!

 

Wow, yes, but it is a bit of a munter that's hit every branch of the ugly tree... reminds me of a Volvo from the 1980's! But, looks aren't everything, and the performance is certainly there! Although wouldn't let me configure sli 680's, but can get sli'd 670MX, but that's not super fast unless you overclock the 670MX like I have. Crossfire 7970M could be an option, but crossfire has proven to have had loads of driver issues with dropped 'incomplete' frames, so that any FRAPS readouts aren't representative of the actual experience! (Although, they are planning on fixing that with upcoming drivers). Noticed you can only get desktop processors in that one. Battery life might be poor. Hmm, I'm not convinced on that one! I suppose you could always try to get an excellent refurb deal on an Alienware M17x (actually a lone 680M isn't much of an upgrade for you really, scrub the M17x!) or M18x if you wanted an upgrade.

 

Ha ha, the AW sold me on the looks but now they have dropped all but the alienhead on the lid, yeah the new light bars are OK, but no AW power button (flashing eyes on disk access - cool) or media bar killed it for me - along with the boring looking chocolate slab KB.

I tried the 680 sli build and see it was not there but there are a few mistakes on the descriptions that relate to earlier models so if I get serious I'll call and ask - unless there is a heat issue I would expect them to build it.

 

Good call!