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

if you already have a R3 and your past the 21 day mark, in another post you can get the 7970 for around 450usd. I really dont think you would notice a huge increase between the ivy and sandy bridge for gaming. Maybe a video editing program or something else would take advantage. If you are still in the 21 day warranty I would call dell and return it. I bought my R4 with the sandy bridge yesterday but if they announce ivy in the next couple of days, I will have it replaced.

 

Where could I buy a 2960XM ? There is none on newegg or tigerdirect (Canadian sites)

 

The 2920XM is a much better value for money and will overclock just as well as the 2960XM in the R3

eBay or other forum members in the Marketplace is your best bet.

If you've just bought your R3, return it..

Check this out, clock for clock Ivy Bridge is almost 1.5% faster;

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/650966-clevo-p151em-670m-3920xm-tested.html#post8373280

vs my benchmark:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...-p151em-670m-3920xm-tested-2.html#post8373982

 

is your cpu stock or oc'd?

 

My CPU is running the same multipliers as the stock 3920XM, hence the clock for clock benchmark... I just overclocked it to run the same clocks as the Ivy XM would normally run at stock.

 

Apologies, still new to all the terminolgy

 

Do the 21 days count from the day I purchased it online or from the actual day I physically received the unit by courier?? Cause I waited almost 3 weeks to get this m17x r3.

 

21-Day Return Period for Certain Hardware and Software Products and Accessories: Unless you have a separate agreement with Dell, or except as provided below, all hardware, accessories, peripherals, parts, and media-based software (provided that the software is unopened and still in its sealed package or, if delivered electronically, software that you have not accepted by clicking "I agree to these Terms and Conditions" button), may be returned within 21 days from the date on the packing slip or invoice for a credit or a refund of the purchase price paid, less shipping and handling and any applicable restocking fees (as further described below). Any product returned to Dell without prior authorization from Dell will be considered an unauthorized return, and the customer will not receive credit for the product and Dell will not ship the product back to you.

Exceptions to Dell's 21-Day Return Period:

New PowerEdge, PowerConnect, and PowerVault products purchased directly from Dell may be returned within 30 days from the date on the packing slip or invoice.
New Vostro, OptiPlex, Latitude, and Dell Precision systems purchased directly from divisions designated by Dell as Commercial or Public may be returned within 30 days from the date on the packing slip or invoice.
Application software and operating systems that have been installed by Dell may be returned only if installed on a returnable system, and only if you return that system within the applicable return period.
Dell EqualLogic and EqualLogic -branded products, Dell|EMC and EMC -branded products, Dell Compellent and Compellent -branded hardware and software products, Dell KACE and KACE -branded hardware and software products, Dell Force10 and Force10-branded hardware and software products , PowerVault ML6000 tape libraries, non-Dell-branded enterprise products, enterprise software, and customized hardware or software products may not be returned at any time.
Software licenses purchased under any type of volume license agreement may be returned only with the express approval of the publisher, which in many circumstances will not be granted.
source:
Dell Terms of Sale, License Agreements & Policies | Dell

hope this helps

 

Okay, thanks.

According to that info, I should be within the 21 days return period if I go by my packing slip that came attached to the shipping box.

So I'd have to pay for shipping and any extra differences between hardware choices.

Question is, will they wait to ship the new one once they receive my current m17x r3? Would be handy if they ship the new one already, and then I can swap transfer my current files and software from system to sytem.
And then ship back the old one.

Tho I guess they may not be that trusting?

EDIT: Does anyone have experience with having returned a unit within the 21 day clause to get a newer unit? If so, how was it handled? Did you ship your old unit out first and than waited an eternity for the new one to arrive? Or will they ship it out, have you transfer files and settings to new one and then ship out old unit to Dell?

 

I returned a M14X for my current M17X R3. It's a lot of waiting and bugging. It took about 2 weeks for the process to complete. I called them every other day to get a status update and had them expedite it.

 

Anyone? ^^^

 

I'm not experiencing the issue, but I use a TacX keyboard and mouse, so my hands aren't actually on the laptop at all.

I gamed when I was on vacation and didn't bring my keyboard. I never noticed any heat in that area and I was gaming 2 hours at a time, but I did have a cooler underneath...dunno if that actually helped a lot, but I never noticed significant heat.

 

I've never noticed extreme heat. It does get warm.

Do you use a custom fan profile and prop up the back of your laptop? Also check to see if you need to clean out your fans. It shouldn't get too hot to where it's uncomfortable to the touch.

 

What hard drive do you have? the one HD port is right underneath the palm rest.

 

Only games I play with the KB are Rage and Mass Effect 3, neither have got warm enough for me to notice. Although I do have a couple of strategically placed pieces of wood Velcro'd to my lap table, so I have around 1in of airspace under it .
All others are with my trusty XBox controller...

 

Can Alienware M17x R3 Upgrade CPU Ivy Bridge i7 3820QM and GPU HD 7970M or GTX 675M??
And can Ram be upgarde to 32GB Max too??

 

CPU: No one knows, probably not.
GPU: All yes. HD 7970m is a beast. GTX 675 is just a renamed GTX 580m.
RAM: Yes with 8GB chips @1333Mhz.

 

Oh

Thanks

 

I've never noticed ANY heat at all near the palm rest. I do have an ssd there, though.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

 

Yes, I tried using the custom fan profile from HWInfo because I crashed one time. I didnt get to see how high the temp was though. If you know that sound before you get a BSOD, I had that sound then my screen just turned black but the keyboard lights stayed on. I waited for about 2 minutes but nothing changes so I just restart the system.

Then that's why I increased the fan speed when playing that game. I put 3500 for 70C and 4900 for 80C because my CPU is around 77-86 when playing the game.

The game btw is Tera MMO. Its a new one to be released on May 1 and the graphics is really good but I thought my laptop should be able to handle it.

I have the regular 750GB HD. Does HD normally gets hot? And if it gets hot, a portion of the motherboard is between the HD and the palm rest right?

 

Yes, the old traditional HDD magnetic platter's get fairly hot when under intense load.

Hmm.. Are the 4 dimms of RAM located in two different places??
I have 16GB of DDR3, and when I slide the cover off the m17x r3, i can only find two 4GB DIMMS.

How do I access the other 4 GB?? Is it beneath the keyboard on the top side of the laptop, rather than the bottom side of it?

 

yup you can access the other 2 dimms by taking the media bar and keyboard off.

 

Hey guys. I just did a fresh install after putting a new SSD. Everything is going perfect right now so I want to create a recovery disk or usb.

I dont have an alienrespawn so I cant recover from the stock settings. I just want to create a new recovery based from my new setup which I think is really flawless.

What program are you guys using to do this? I have read a few about Symantec Recovery Disk from googling but I want to follow what you guys normally do here.

 

Acronis True Image is good. Folks say nice things about Norton Ghost, but I've never tried it.

 

Thanks. I'll take a look at it.

 

Which directions did you use for your driver install order? Did you do anything special to tweak your SSD? For instance, did you move your paging file and disable hibernation?

 

Anyone have a good recommendation for a cooler pad for the m17x r3?

 

Coolermaster U2 and U3 work well. There's actually a thread on recommended coolers.

 

Hi. I followed Batboy's procedure for the fresh install but I haven't done any mod and tweaks yet as I dont have any idea about it lol. If its going to improve my read and write, please point me to the right direction

I just bought the big Targus Chillmat.
Targus Laptop Chill Mat by Office Depot

Its a bit pricey but its so silent. Sometimes I have to check if its running by checking the fan.

It helps a lot on my CPU temp when playing. I think it also helps with my palm rest problems.

I like the Belkin one too because it is shaped convex so there is a lot of space in the middle between the laptop and the cooler pad but it only got one fan in the middle.

Edit: Sorry mods. Didnt notice I have consecutive posts. Please just combine them - Thanks katalin_2003

K: No problem

 

Isn't that the one that contains lead? In the notebook cooler guide, I remember them specifically saying NOT to get the Targus chillpad or chillmat or something because it didn't cool well and it even said on the box "wash hands after handling"

I also have the Belkin one. If it's the same one im thinking of, then it will suck for the m17x r3. It worked fine for my Dell inspiron 1525, but for the m17x, it barely does anything.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

 

You will probably need to continue using it for more than 100 years to feel a slight effect of it. It wont be out and good for public consumption if its going to be really hazardous enough or worse fatal. Even the water we use everyday have lead due to all the plumbing materials we are using. So dont worry too much about it

 

Does anybody know how to drop down shader temps at all? I was just curious as my 6990m shader temps are always hotter that the rest of the card and I didn't know there is an easy fit to drop them down.

 

There is a great youtube of changing RAM
Alienware M17X R3 Swapping RAM - Easy guide on changing RAM on the M17X R3 - YouTube

Titled: Alienware M17X R3 Swapping RAM

 

Yay....

Got delivery of my 17 today. Just one quick question....

When i check the dispay by typing dxdiag or through catalyst control center it discribes the graphics card as HD 6900 series.

How do i find out if its a HD 6990 as ordered?

 

Install GPU-z and look at the clock speeds. a 6990M runs at 715 gpu / 900 memory.

Here is mine

 

I've been downloading desktops and themes and tons of other things. BUT I would really appreciate finding some of the software that came on my laptop that I lost when my RAID 0 failed. Specifically the Face recognition software and other useful apps like that, which we can only get from DELL/Alienware.

I know some of it can be found since I found a link to AlienAutopsy here. I can't remember all the goodies that would have come with my laptop. And I don't need everything as I have replaced most of it already via other sources. I'm looking for stuff specific to making the AW experience SUPERIOR!

So maybe these;

Face Recognition software
Camera Software
and any other things like those

TIA for your help!

 

Team - I have updated the opening post with information provided by DELLChrisM as follows:

 

+rep Good to know for updating to the 7970m as well. Doesn't look like the 580m heatsinks are comparable so this chart should help people figure out what to order.

 

You should be able to get all of that factory installed software from "My Dell Downloads" and you can find that by logging into your account at Dell Support. It is tied to your service tag number.

 

Good luck with that !!

Ive been trying to access 'My Dell Downloads' for over a month (since getting my m18x). Have had no luck what so ever - keep getting a 'Service Tag Not Supported' error.

I currently have a ticket open regarding this but im not holding my breath, was told by support rep 'to try again in 3 days time' if not mail back and it will be escallated :/

Regards,

Dave.

 

The only thing available there are drivers, no apps what so ever.

I'm a little disappointed that my post was engulfed into this massive thread where it will get little response from someone that can actually answer it from Dell

 

I had to log into a site somewhere and gave me access to all of the software that came with my laptop. For some reason I'm thinking it was called something called dell access even though that's probably wrong. Ill double check when I get back to my laptop.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S2 using tapatalk 2

 

Finding your thread swallowed in an omnibus thread can be disconcerting, but it happens. Y ou must use Internet Explorer for this purpose. Go to Dell Support - Welcome to Home User Support. From the left hand column, click on Dell Software Download Center (under Drivers and Downloads). Then select My Dell Downloads at the next screen. Select your registered system and the available software is listed and can be downloaded. For the standard user, the only things of interest are Dell Webcam Central and an old Roxio Starter, plus some now obsolete Adobe Reader versions.

 

This may be an isolated case. I just fresh installed and downloaded all the drivers I needed from Dell Downloads and never had any problem. Its still worth trying daspazz to see if it works.

 

You guys can get good discounts at hidevolution.com they are even cheaper then dell for some reason check it out!

are you using IE? it only works with IE

 

Yep but thanks for checking me on it!!

You were right. Only found the LiveCam software, the rest I already had found via other sources. I did find the Facial recognition software by doing a google search and I think I found the Dell version. Seems there are a few other makers that have as good as or maybe even better products. I was disappointed to not find the Alienware/Dell version on the Dell site.

And it did take IE to get anywhere on the site, why is it that FF is not supported as well, I wonder. I know it's a pain for a company to support another browser but come on, it can't be that hard to make a few others work with their site! Some people will not use IE at all anymore. I do prefer WaterFox over IE now.

Thanks to all that helped out! And my apologies to Katalin_2003 for acting like an before!!

 

Hello everyone,
I am very new to the whole gaming laptop realm and was hoping someone could help me out with a question. I am looking at getting the m17x mainly using it to play SWTOR and college work. My question is, is it better to get the 500BG HDD + 32GB Caching SSD, or 500GB HDD + 64GB Boot Drive?

I know just getting an SSD would be optimal, but its a little bit out of my price range atm. And I'm not too tech savy so I'm not sure I could install one myself.

Any Advice that you guys have would be greatly appreciated

 

If you can unscrew a couple screws and install windows off a disk, you can do it yourself.

 

Guys, is Windows 7 Backup/Restore function good enough to restore the laptop in the last saved working condition?

I just created a backup of my system and save the image on the secondary drive. Its the 1st backup I did since doing a fresh install on an SSD.
Is this gonna work or do I really need to get a 3rd party software that functiDo on like the Alienrespawn or Acronis?

What is its difference with the 3rd party backup software out there?

Edit:

I forgot that I haven't activated my W7 HP yet since I fresh installed. When I was trying to activate, the keys wont go in. I called AW and discovered that my Product Key that is in my sticker with the service tag is an Ultimate and the installed OS when shipped and the DVD that comes with the unit is a Home Premium.

AW is sending me a new DVD with Ultimate in it
Do I have to fresh install the ultimate (again) or I can just install as upgrade?
Thanks guys!

 

Hey Guys,

I am hoping you guys might be able to help me out. I recently started playing Tribes: Ascend. Initially, I found that I had horrible FPS because the game wasn't switching to my Nvidia 560M graphics card, instead it was just using my intel one.

I went into the Nvidia control panel to set it to run the Nvidia graphics card as "Preferred" as well as add Tribes to the list of programs for the Nvidia card. This successfully allowed me to use the Nvidia card and get buttery smooth gameplay at 1080p.

But now after the latest patch, it stopped switching to my Nvidia card. I set the same settings again, but it still runs the intel card instead of the nvidia one. The game is unplayable now even at 720p.

Any thoughts on why the latest patch disabled my Nvidia card? How might I force the Nvidia card to remain active?

Thanks,

Quadron