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

For the 3D controller, you actually need to connect that to the M17x R3 mobo. No other way. I have a spare 3D emitter but that won't work without the original laptop.

 

I posted on here a few months ago about how this laptop was stuttering in quite a lot of games that I tried on it, some games it got so bad that they were completely unplayable.

Anyway just though I'd share that I finally decided to give in and I installed the modified/unlocked a08 bios (to disable the intel igp graphics) and wow it has made such a difference to the system. All the games which were stuttering before (Left 4 Dead 2 and Need For Speed Undercover in particular) now play 100% smoothly fully maxed out and test drive unlimited 2 which was just completely unplayable even on the lowest settings I can now almost full max out with no lag. My windows 7 experience index score has also improved (in the graphics sections), I no longer get any stuttering with aero, I also had a weird problem with windows live messenger which has been fixed by disabling the intel gpu. This is only what I've noticed after disabling the intel gpu for about 30mins, gotta say I'm really impressed with the difference this has made. Although obviosuly I need to point out that the fans now stay on a bit longer and I'd assume battery life will be worse but they are small prices to pay.

 

Very interesting. Would love to hear a hard figure on the battery now if you can get it?

 

Great that the connector to the screen is connects directly to the motherboard that just makes things worse. I didn't know that-_-. Anyone else have any ideas? There might be some trick to making it think its connected a motherboard.....maybe. Maybe some kind of emulation, but that doesnt sound good quality wise. What to do..... what to do?

 

it definetly takes a hit on the battery life. I just re-enable the IGPU if I need to save battery and disable them if I need to do some gaming

 

i don't think M17x R3 is actually made of plastic...I've read from a lot of reviews and heard from a lot of sources that its actually anondized aluminum and magnesium coated in rubberized plastic. And it says so on the AW site...

 

Welcome to NBR Forums. We are very glad you joined the Alienware Community.

It sounds like you may be interested in knowing more about the M17xR3. Your post was off topic for the thread that it was in, but I'm sure our friends in the M17xR3 Owner's Lounge can clear up any misinformation for you regarding the construction and/or specifications of theM17xR3.

 

About the step 6, i only have to apply the thermal paste on the middle one or the whole thing around it too?

 

just on the GPU die which is outlined in blue here if you didn't know you might also need to move the thermal pads around as well idk.

Spoiler

 

Ah, thanks alot. Another question, do i need to renew thermal pads as well? or just use the one which are from the heatsink?

 

I'd personally buy new ones but that's just me.

 

Ok. So it depends. Thank for quick reply and helping me out. I'll start work on it now.

 

no prob that's why I'm here, let me know if you have any other questions and I'll try to answer them

 

I have another question here. The ATI Radeon 6990M's GPU die has different shape compare to my current GPU heatsink. The shape of it is square and the shape of GPU die is like rectangle on a different angle, it looks like the image you showed me. Will be that a problem? Or it doesn't matter?

 

So i've been asking help as to how i would turn my alienware m17x laptops screen into a 3D monitor because i no longer have the computer part of the laptop. So i found the video connector for the screen to connect to the screen video controller ands its like little over $40 bucks which is ludicrous. So i need to found some where that sells it much cheaper feel free to search and post results for me . And i have no leads as to how i would make this screen run with the 3d capabilities still. Definetly going to need help with that one cuz i have no clue. I did message a producer of the video contoller parts that would make this idea come together asking if he had some way to make a custom 3D capapable video controller, which from his customer reviews he sounds VERY open to helping his customers get what they need even running them through
firmware issues if they have any step by step. So if you dont understand what i'm talking about just forget about this post or have someone else look at it who would know or check on youtube for MrClowdude's channel who i origionally got this idea form if yer that interested.

 

It doesn't matter so long as the entire GPU die is in direct contact with the copper portion of the heatsink, and no portion is covered by the thermal (black) material. If it is, just get a 6990m HS or peel the thermal material off the bottom the 560m heatsink. I had to do that when I replaced a 6990m with a 580M.

 

@The Revelator: thank you. That is very helpful. Completed the install and still need the drivers.
Are there any websites that are reliable which have drivers for ATI AMD Radeon 6990M? Have been searching but there are severals which are not very reliable.

 

Hi. I decided to jump on the m17x bandwagon and placed a purchase for one a week ago. I'm coming from an Asus G73JH, which has served me well for the past 1-2 yrs. Anyway, my m17x will arrive tomorrow, and I'm pretty excited.

One question I had is sort of a silly one; I was just wondering if any current owners have experienced cosmetic flaws when receiving theirs? The only reason I ask if because I'm a bit OCD when it comes to my electronics. As unrealistic as it may be, I expect a laptop to be near physically perfect for the amount they charge for their products.
When I originally purchased my G73, I always some sort of scratch, nick, or scuff on it which forced me to exchange a couple of times. I'm just hoping that I will not have to deal with anything similar to the G73.

Anyway, hope to hear from your experiences.
Thanks guys

 

Hi,

No even a single scratch on mine, I'm a maniac too !

 

Hehe, nice. Thx for the calming words.

 

If you got yours straight from Dell brand new, not refurbished, then it should be in good nic. If there are problems, call Dell straight away. You'll get it fixed asap

 

I ordered mine new. Says it's shipping from city of industry, ca. I also live in California btw.

 

Also? Who you talking to? Morgor is from France and I'm from Narnia beyond the wardrobe I'm actually from the UK.

 

I'd start by installing the stock 6990m drivers off the m17x r-3 Dell support page. I'd link you to it but I'm on my phone. Anyway, once you get that done, I'd make sure the card works properly before moving on and installing the latest AMD drivers. Hope this helps you out.

 

Ok. So i've done all the step, downloaded software for GPU and the latest Catalyst Centre Control.Except catalyst software suite (Display driver), it keeps saying that the download are not completed due to the hardware or software are not capable. After that i went into game. I was playing MW3 at maxed settings and the FPS is around 91-80. But after few hours, it dropped to 30 FPS. My old GPU didn't happen like that. I have checked every processors see if there are any overworking and also the GPU's temperature is about 40 to 60 Any solutions?

This is where I cannot download: http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/windows/Pages/radeonmob_win7-64.aspx

 

Here's a link to the Catalyst 12.1 Preview drivers that are drawing enthusiastic responses. AMD Catalyst 12.1 Preview Driver 32-64-bit driver download from Guru3D.com. Guru3d is a reliable source, but the ATI mirrors are first and best.

 

Are there any solutions for the problem I mentioned above?

 

When I recieved mine from dell, I had fingerprints all over the screen and certain area's of the outside of the keyboard were slightly raised higher than other places. I've also managed to put a tiny, but noticeable gash in the rubber(or w/e it is made out of ) outside of the touch pad.

 

Hmm...interesting. How did you put that gash in the rubber, accident?

 

Can someone with a 6990M in their M17x R3 dump their vbios from GPU-Z and then upload it for me?

Thanks!

 

Just noticed this:

DELL 4 GB Memory Module for Dell Alienware M17XR3 - DDR3-1600 SODIMM 2R Non-ECC : Computer Components | Dell UK

4 GB Memory Module for Dell Alienware M17XR3 - DDR3-1600 SODIMM 2R Non-ECC £35.99

vs adding it over the base configuration of the laptop:

16384MB (4x4GB) 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel [add £530.00 or £26/month1]

Making the labour charge £386.04. Surreal!

 

hahahah...i guess that means you're paying over £500 for the installation of the additional 2 sticks. great bargain!

 

howdy folks... Just got my m17xR3 today... sooo exciting...

Question, this was in the goodies box, and Im not real sure what its for... can someone enlighten me?
https://skydrive.live.com/redir.asp...E95E0686100B257A!164&authkey=!AFj9SrWpcvEG_6g

 

I believe that piece is for optical out, I think.

I should be receiving mine in the next few hours. Did you happen to notice any cosmetic issues with your laptop? Also, have you checked for dead pixels on the LCD screen?

Just wondering.

 

Ah, optical out.. ok... cool.

No cosmetic issues that I can see... it looks fantastic. I see no dead pixels, either... it looks beautiful.

 

Cool. Good to know. I'm getting restless...*looks at time*

 

I managed to get about 2h30mins out of it today running on the nvidia gpu, power settings set to high performance, screen on full brightness - no gaming, just internet, music and burnt a couple cds.

 

I need help on the FPS of the ATI Radeon HD6990. The FPS are pretty low. It is around 20-40 which is very terrible. At the first running it is around 90 at maxium settings in every games. Any good advice?

 

That's not too bad at all. Thanks mate.

 

download a program called Furmark and let it run for a few mins. Then see how your temp is doing

 

I can get up to 4 hours forcing the IGPU on all it takes is a simple reboot.

 

I don't have the m17xr3 yet but I'm about to buy one. I have a few questions:
1. How hard is it to replace the back cover (the red or black thing)?
2. Would it be possible to replace the screen with the 3D screen?
Thanks!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk

 

Random question:

What's the maximum amount of RAM you can put in an M17xR3? The Dell configuration thing lets you order 24Gb (albeit at silly prices), however you can couple this with a 2670QM, but Intel's specs here:

Intel® Core? i7-2670QM Processor (6M Cache, 2.20 GHz)

state this can support 16Gb max. The other processor options list 32Gb max on the spec sheets. Obviously regardless of processor the m/b has to support the RAM, so I'm a bit lost here as to what the actual max capacity is.

[This might seem insane, but in my day job I work on code that is pushing RAM to the extent that 14Gb is required, and a doubling just requires another year's worth of data -- obviously the focus is on reducing memory use, but for now 16Gb is a minimum for me, and 32Gb would give a fair bit of benefit in being able to debug the code].

 

yea maximum of the 2600qm series is 16gigs. If you want more you are gonna have to upgrade to one of the more expensive processors

 

I just run the test. And the temperature is up to 84 o-o just only a few seconds. Are there any solutions to fix? Kinda panic rite now.

 

90c is when you should really worry, as to the performance, did the temps stay constant or were they jagged like a saw blade? ill post a screen shot of what I mean in a bit if you don't get understand

 

The screen are not moving smoothly if you understand what i mean. The temperature is like 84 sometimes to 86. Before i did the test the tempature was around 65+

 

did you apply thermal paste to the GPU die?

 

I did apply thermal paste. But I will check it later. Kinda worry rite now and i have tried to run HWinfo as well and doing manual fan. The temperature decreases to around 50 but still the screen are not moving smoothly

 

I have no idea!!! It bugged me for awhile being there but its alright now , im used to it.