*OFFICIAL* M17x R3 Owner's Lounge Thread - Part 3

I have the graphic switching capability working fully now. I'm just wondering if there is a way to switch the graphics automatically instead of manually?

 

To be eligible for the benchmark leaderboards, scores need to include a screenshot of the test, as your prior post does, plus CPU-Z and GPU-Z. Here are examples -- http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...enchmark-thread-part-4-a-218.html#post8284347 and http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...enchmark-thread-part-4-a-166.html#post8098287. See also the first post of the benchmark thread for further details.

I suspect that the resistance at 40x in Vantage is the result of insufficient TDP. Try increasing Long Duration Power Limit to 99, Long Duration Time Window to 56 and Short Term Power Limit to Disabled in the Performance subsection of the Advance tab of the BIOS. PriPlane 900 (112.5A) should be plenty of Current. Vantage pulls much more power than '06, but your '06 CPU score suggests it is not delivering 46x. It might need a touch of voltage, but I would suggest first trying the increased TDP limits.

I don't know about removing the Palm Rest, but the R3 Service Manual covers everything. http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/Alw_M17xR3/en/index.html.

 

Intel® Core™ i7 2860QM 2.5GHz (3.6GHz with Turbo Boost, 8MB Cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit edit
MEMORY 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (2DIMMS) edit
VIDEO CARD 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 580M edit
HARD DRIVE 1TB Raid 0 (2x 500GB Hybrid Solid State Drives) edit
LCD PANEL 17.3-inch WideFHD 1920x1080 120Hz WLED w/ NVIDIA 3D Vision Bundle edit
WIRELESS CARD Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming & Video edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW) edit

Brand new from Dell for Here is the total after the discount: Subtotal # $2,391.06
Taxtotal # $119.55
Shippingcharges # $0.00
TotalPrice # $2,510.61

 

Do you really need a gaming machine right now? If i were you, i'll just wait for 7000m gpus and ivy bridge. They're gonna be available pretty soon.

 

Hey guys, if I can jump in for a min, Please vote for my thread in http://forum.notebookreview.com/roundup/641438-nbr-amazing-content-contest.html . NBR's Folding@home team needs all the support we can get. We have rallied lots of Alienware laptops on the team and they are putting down huge numbers! Feel free to check out the thread and put your Alien resources to some good use. Please cast your Vote for us. Don't let us loose to Toughbooks thread! Thanks guys!

Click the link above or down in my sig

Dan

 

I'm already folding and ranked 33 on our beasty team, but how do I vote for the thread? I don't want us to lose to toughbooks!

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Sent from my SGS2 Skyrocket using Tapatalk

 

Just click the link in the post or down in my signature. It will take you to the contest post and just click on the NBR F@h, and glad to have you! Keep movin on up!

 

voted but looking at the votes so far, it's not looking good for the F@H thread.

Anyway, I've opened my laptop, I've seen videos of deeper parts of the laptop, but what's under the palmrest? I've yet to see what's under there. Can anyone enlighten me?

Also, I know you can buy replacement lids on eBay, but can you also get the side pieces? I'd like to change my color to red, but I don't want just the lid to be red but not the side parts.

 

Under the palm rest there are the optical bay drive, led wires and boards and 2 speakers and of course the touchpad.

 

Any ideas what drivers I'm missing?

 

Just installed windows on my new crucial M4 and I must say im very impressed. I'm always gonna have to use an SSD now.

Edit: Uploaded my SSD scores to see how they compare with others.

 

For a few days now I'm once again the proud owner of a brand new alienware laptop It was deliverd in thursday (a very long, long day), and have tested the machine for a few days now. So far, it's just awesome! Compared to the m14x it feels really fast.

Friday I put in the crucial ssd, the hyperX 8gigs of ram and did a clean install. I had no problems whatsoever. The first thing I checked was the throttling issue with furmark. And yup, it throttles at 63°C. But sofar furmark is the only program which triggers it. I will probably do the 'fix' soon though.

After the installation of the newest drivers I download 3dmark06, Vantage and 11. (sorry I forgot the last 2 digits)

3dmark06: 17500
3dmark Vantage: 14500
3dmark11: 3500

Vantage and 11 are what they should be (compared to reviews/others), but 3dmark06 is a bit dissapointing. It should be around 19-20k, does anyone know why this could be?

But benchmarks don't tell as much as games. So I installed Battlefield 3, The Witcher 2 and a few others. Battlefield 3 on ultra presets with no AA gives around 35-50 fps. I don't know if thats high or low, but I think it's amazing! The Witcher 2 on ultra with no AA/ubersampling gives me around 25-35 fps. I will probably turn some options off, but it's still a decent result.

I've also tested 3D Vision quite a lot. Although it gives me a headache quite fast, it looks really cool. But to be honest, it's more a gimmick than anything else. The only game I would consided playing in 3D is Trine 2. If you don't know this game, try it with some friends, it's awesome. And it looks even better in 3D

Anyway, enough rambling.. So far I'm really happy I sold the m14x and get something much better. And now.. time to game!

Edit: Changed my sig to match the specs

 

I put my Crucial M4 512GB in this week. I followed one of those SSD optimization guides yesterday and ran Crystal Disk Mark. My numbers are a lot like yours except my "4KB Random" is a lot lower. I ran it a couple times and both times it came out at 14.8 where yours is a little over 22. All the rest are about the same. I don't know what to do about 4KB random on mine but I think that it's a little low. I will run it again and post a picture probably in the benchmark thread?

 

congrats on the new system and welcome to the m17x crew

sounds like a good idea to me. You can also compare your speeds to others in this other thread. They seem like similar speeds even though they are in a different machine. Crucial M4 Speeds I just installed some more stuff as well so ill do another test and see if its different.

Edit: Just got even faster speeds after the last test

 

Bigtony, I just ran the test and my numbers are very similar to your first run posted up above. Don't forget to install the 0309 firmware! Its critical

 

is there a way to tell what firmware I'm currently running? I haven't installed any firmware yet, but im not sure if i have to or not.

 

Use CrystalDiskInfo to check what firmware is currently flashed.

 

thanks for the answer, +rep to both of you for always being to a big help to us all.

 

Any time, Tony
So what's the firmware version you're currently on?

 

I was on 00009, but I reflashed to the newest update from crucial's site. I accidentally toggled the wrong setting in the bios somewhere though so im doing a blind reflash to reset it.

 

bigT, if you haven't already downloaded CrystalDiskInfo, you can just use HWINFO...i know you have that already

 

Tried HWinfo and couldn't find the firmware number, so i just downloaded crystaldiskinfo real fast and went with that.

 

I'm thinking about repasting but I can't seem to find a decisive answer on what's best? I've heard IC diamond cools well but it scratches the cpu/gpu. I've also heard mx-4 is good. Can I get some advice on what I should get?

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Sent from my SGS2 Skyrocket using Tapatalk

 

Click on moderate contact for what you might expect on a laptop

2011 Thermal Compound Roundup – Results Compilation | Skinnee Labs

I've been using PK-1 to very good results on both CPU and GPU

 

So im trying to blind flash my alien so far without success. I've been using this guide: ( BIOS Recovery in case you brick your M17xR3) but i can't figure out what to name the bios file on the flash drive. I'm just trying to get the stock A08 bios up and running at this point, but its not going well so far.

 

I'm confused. Are the ones at the top or bottom better?

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Those are temps...so the lower the number the better. The ones at the top are colder

I saw the other thread...you ok now, bro?

 

I'm confused still. I looked up the Indigo Xtreme (which is at the top of the chart) and it doesn't seem like a thermal paste at all...What is it? Indigo Xtreme™ - High Performance Thermal Interface for Overclocking Applications

 

OK, bigtonyman. I ran another test on mine today and my score is different from yesterday. I didn't do everything in the SSD tweak guides. For instance, I didn't disable tablet services because that includes the snipping tool which I just used to screen cap my benchmark. Also there were a couple of "recommended" registry tweaks that I researched only to find out that no one really knows what they do or if they do anything at all. Finally, I also didn't turn off windows search service. I have a ton of documents on the other hard drive in this rig and it isn't an SSD so I still want the advantage of having those files ready for fast searching. I did verify that indexing was disabled on the SSD. Windows 7 appeared to remove the defrag schedule from the SSD on it's own. I didn't have to do that. Anyway, I tweaked everything recommended if it made sense to me and could be verified in multiple guides. My benchmark is attached.

On an unrelated note, you guys have no idea how wonderful the keyboard on the M17x R3 is. Try typing on an Asus G73JH for two years and you will really appreciate this lovely keyboard.

 

I didn't think the G74's keyboard was that bad...

 

guys I need your help on these problems:

1. GPU:

I spent this whole evening trying to update my card to the 12.3 RC driver and failed. Now for reason I could not find, I can only install the Dell stock driver, anything else would BSOD or white screen and the driver will not load. It said "no amd graphics driver is installed or the amd driver is not functioning..." I tried in order: dell driver -> 12.1 WHQL ->12.2 beta -> 12.3 RC. Clean install, driver sweeper did not help .

2. CPU:

I just got myself an OEM 2920XM and the thing runs fine (just found out from other thread that not enough FLEX or pri plane would cause windows to BSOD at start up which occurred multiple times when I tried to raise the BLCK). I just followed widezu69's overclocking guide to the safe 4.0 Ghz zone and my temp is too high (80*C for 4.0 and 90-95*C for 4.3 Ghz). So can I ask what is the normal temp I should expect for 4.0 to 4.3 Ghz on all 4 cores? I do suspect the temp may be because I put a bit too much paste (the line method) but I want to make sure before repasting again.

3. Intel RST: about the option ROM during the POST screen, is there anyway I can update it to a higher version? Or should the app running in windows good enough?

Thanks for taking your time guys

 

Yup, had to take the gpu out to reflash but everything is running fine now.

Yea i really like the alienware keyboard as well. Did you have anything running in the backround of the old test that would slow it down?

 

4.4Ghz should require 880 PriPlane (110a current) and nothing else (0 Flex). 4.5Ghz would need 5 Flex minimum, and more for higher clocks.

Temps on full load can reach very high 90s on 4.4Ghz. When Flex is added for 4.5Ghz and higher temps may even reach 100s and thermal shutdowns can occur. No matter how good your paste job is, at these clocks the CPU will get very hot. That's why for every day use/gaming I run at 40/39/37/37, which is still better than a stock 3920XM.

 

Speaking of thermal shutdowns, and Im just asking these questions out of curiosity, but if I were to turn my fans completely off during folding@home or something similarly stupid:
1) would my computer crash before any damage was done?
and
2) would Dell complete care cover that stupidity if damage did occur?


Or what if I just overclocked it too much and damage occurred, would Dell complete care cover that? It's the same scenario, just a more accidental cause.
--
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If you changed the oil in your car yourself and forgot to put the drain plug back in it would your car manufacturer cover the damage to your locked up engine?

 

I honestly don't know, but I'm guessing they wouldn't cover that. It could be different though because one), complete care covers accidental damage, and two) how would Dell know how that damage was caused. But all of this is a moot point if the computer would shut down before any damage was done.

 

If your CPU gets to 100C the computer will just turn off. Intel CPUs are monsters, I've haven't seen a single case of a dead CPU whatsoever, I've pushed mine quite a bit and so have others with no issues or problems.
Graphics cards on the other hand... gotta be a bit more careful with them. They can reach very high temperatures and will probably shut down to prevent damage (I've seen some go to 110C). Whereas overvolting some graphics cards could result in complete failure, a risk everyone has to take.

Pretty sure Dell will cover it whatever happens to it. Just don't tell them you were overclocking insane amounts, etc, just say it doesn't work, fix it.

 

Does that mean overclocking, modding the bios, etc is against warranty rules or whatever?

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Sent from my SGS2 Skyrocket using Tapatalk

 

M17XR3 just shipped!!! Can't wait to get it!

 

Damn you!!!

Still waiting on mine to get out of the Production Stage. The 580m delay pisses me off. Hopefully something will change this week.

 

Congrats on the new system

 

Hey there Ferrari353! I sure see a lot of former Asus folks around here. I'm in good company! I didn't have a G74. They really hosed up something in the hardware on the G73JH and it continued with the G73JW but they figured it out by the G73SW. I saw very few complaints about the G74 series but by then I was $2000 and two RMAs down the road with a JH. I really despised that chicklet style keystroke missing keyboard.

I really haven't studied the proper way to benchmark an SSD, bigtony. I just downloaded the tool and ran it. I probably should disable AV and close all of the extra things in the tray before running it but I didn't. I am pretty sure this SSD is smoking fast. I'm really happy with it. I hope it turns out to be reliable. So far so good!

 

Just got my gorgeous nebula red beauty.

Surprisingly, all the drivers were mostly all updated! Pretty cool stuff.

Loving it so far, couldn't of asked for a better machine!!

 

Congrats on the new system

 

Anyone got Alan Wake?

First impressions: Wooooooooooah another amazing game!

 

Hi all,

I just bought a m18x (stock basic version) from amazon about a week ago. But, I've been doing some thinking the past couple days and while I LOVE the computer, I am thinking it's too heavy, too big, not much battery life and I can't help but think I should have bought from Dell since I could haggle and build exactly like I want.

Here is what I have now:

m18x
i7 2670QM 2.2Ghz
560M Graphics (single)
16GB ram (I added 2 x 8GB sticks under the battery)
2 x 164GB Crucial m4 SSD drives in RAID0 (I swapped these out myself)

And I just bought from Dell for the same price:

M17x R3
i7 2760QM 2.4Ghz
Killer Wireless N
Blu Ray Drive
6990M Graphics
1080p Screen

It says est delivery date 3/2/12 (next day shipping). Is Dell pretty accurate on that, or do they deliver before/after often?

I'll put the RAM and SSD's in the new machine and return the m18x. I feel it's going to be better for me, especially since a lot of the allure of the m18x is dual GPU, which I don't even have. So I'm lugging around a bigger laptop for really only an extra inch of screen space. And I get a BD player, faster processor, better graphics and better wireless card for the same price. So hopefully I won't be disappointed with the smaller screen and hope the benefits of the longer battery life, smaller footprint and less heft will make up for it.

Anyway some questions regarding the switch:

1) To return the m18x back to stock, I will put the ram sticks back in, super easy. But what about the HD drive - can I just remove the two SSD drives I have, put the original drive back in and it'll work just like before? Or will I need to change the setup, ie remove RAID0 etc, or even worse, reinstall the OS?

2) After I pull them out of the m18x and put them into the m17x, will I have to format the SSD's and reinstall the OS on them to be installed in the new system?

Thanks!

 

No need to return it, just trade with me haha Jk

 

1) it might just work magically if you put the harddrive from the R3 into the m18x...at the minumum, you'll have to install new vid card drivers because of the nvidia vs amd...but be prepared to reinstall the OS and all drivers

2) I'd definitely reinstall the OS on the new system

 

Thanks, on #1 I meant the original HD that shipped with the m18x with the OS still intact on it.

And #2, ok will do. Actually I want to reinstall anyway, because I want to update the firmware on the SSD drives, which I believe I have to do in IDE mode (ie before switching to RAID0 and before installing OS)?

 

^^ in that case, then yes, you putting in the same HDD that came with the m18x will work