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

Ok, Thanks

 

Hello, scrletfire and welcome to NBR, glad you joined us.

Please take a moment to review the forum rules along with the stickies in the Alienware forums. They will save you some time and answer some of your questions.

For the moment you won't be able to setup a signature, you'll need more quality posts in the forums.
Enjoy your new system.

 

1. Install it in Port 1 (the disk drive cradle/slot in the middle of the R3) to assure Sata III operation.

2. Assure that the SSD is using Firmware 0009; if not, download from Crucial and install. Crucial.com Product Downloads - Firmware Updates

3. Switch to AHCI in the BIOS. If second disk drive, change boot order to place secondary disk drive (your SSD) before HDD.

4. Install Windows from the Installation Disk and then the R3 drivers. Batboy created a very helpful guide regarding driver installation order and collateral matters. http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...er-install-order-guide-alienware-systems.html. You can simplify the driver install process by copying the d:\Dell\Drivers folder from the HDD to a new c:\Dell\Drivers folder on the SSD and then install the drivers from there. This avoids the need to locate, download and unpack the drivers for the new installation on your SSD.

5. Once you're satisfied with the SSD installation, you can save what needs backing up on the HDD, reformat it and copy/restore the backup(s) to the HDD (music, pictures, games, data, movies, etc.).

Assuming you're new to SSD's, here's a useful and popular optimization guide. http://thessdreview.com/ssd-guides/optimization-guides/the-ssd-optimization-guide-2/. Use such of the recommendations as apply and are useful to you and ignore the rest.

Enjoy. The M4 is a great SSD.

 

Hello man! enjoy the forum, it is really a wonderful place of shared information AND love

wanted to say it once again

m17x-r3 > ANY LAPTOP ON PLANET

no offense r2 guys

 

None taken, we know the real truth

 

Pal, I install my SSD on the Port 0. Does it means it's not SATA 3 yet ?? I heard some people says that Port 0 & 1 is already support SATA 3, and some people says that just install it on Port 1. So, just confuse for that....

anyway, any software that I can be used to make sure that my SSD is run on SATA 3 speed ?

I used M17xR3 with 6990m, and my SSD using OCZ 240gb vertex....

sorry for my bad english....

 

Hi all , I'm in Italy waiting for my new M17X R3 i7 2670qm , 4gb ddr3 1333 , hd 500gb 7200 rpm , GTX580M , full hd 3d 120hz , Wireless Killer 1103 .

 

Both Port 0 and Port 1 in the R3 are supposed to be SATA 3, but for unknown reasons, the performance of Port 0 is erratic, sometimes operating at SATA 3 speeds and other times at SATA 2. On the other hand, Port 1 consistently delivers SATA 3 performance, assuming of course that the installed SSD is SATA 3 compliant. Consequently, Port 1 is preferred.

 

Hi,
A word of warning to anyone who’s bought their M17x r3 with the dual Samsung PM830 configuration. DON'T use the Samsung SSD magician tool to "Secure erase" them. I did this (using the USB boot tool SSD Magician creates, as the drives can't be in RAID to use the Windows version of SSD Magician), and it has reset both my drives completely (Serial number "0000000000" and listed as "Samsung SSD" not "Samsung SSD PM830" in BIOS etc. Now when I have both drives installed the "Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology - Option Rom" fails to appear when the laptop is in RAID mode. If I swap out either drive for a spare drive (doesn’t matter what, I've tested with a Hitachi laptop drive, A WD Scorpio Black, and an OCZ Vertex SSD) the "Option Rom" screen re-appears and is perfectly functional.

Note, this isn’t a call for help (although any would be appreciated ) as I've got posts elsewhere, and have placed support calls with Samsung and Dell about this. I figured I ought to mention it in the owners lounge though, as I've gotten so much useful info here in the past. I wouldn't want any of you guys to end up with an expensive, good looking brick like I've currently got


Cheers

 

Alright so I've been playing Xbox recently on my m17xr3 with the hdmi in and sometimes I use earbuds, but the volume is really weird. It's either too quiet or too loud and pressing the volume up/ down buttons makes too drastic of a change so is there any way to change the amount of volume that's adjusted when the buttons are pressed?

Also, I have a pair of earbuds with a mic in them so is there any way to use them as earbuds and also use the mic for Xbox live chat?
Thanks!

EDIT: One more thing. What is the s/p dif port for?
--
Sent from my SGS2 Skyrocket using Tapatalk

 

been lurking but havent posted since 2007!

just ordered a m17x r3 last week. currently waiting delivery on the 20th. i find it a bit odd that it takes this long...

been getting anxious, i want this beast now!! reading these threads definitely doesnt help my cause haha.

 

Hey Moose I ordered on the 3rd of Jan and my estimated delivery is also the 20th !! Could be busy time of the year for them but currently mine is still in pre production.

 

Hi folks will be getting my new M17x R3 in a couple of weeks.. I wish it was sooner

I have been looking at these for an upgrade. Is anyone using these?

Corsair CMSX8GX3M2A1600C9 NB Vengeance Performance 8GB 1600MHz CL9 DDR3 SO-DIMM Memory Two Module Kit: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Vengence 8gig so-dimm memory.

Any help would be great.

 

I ordered on 6th Jan, EDD is 25th Jan and mine says in pre-production too... hope there's not a supply issue?

 

hey can someone help me with this? i remembered reading here a few weeks back about some audio settings with posted screenshot for better sound output. I could not find it any longer, if someone know can you link that post here please?

edit: nvm got it!
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-decent-sound-your-m17x-r3-speakers-imho.html

 

I think there might be but lets hope the parts come in on time.

Quote from Dell Rep

The order is Pending Production because of a Part Shortage and the recovery date is given as 13th. The Status will change to “ In Production” after the 13th and the estimated date of delivery is on or before the 20th of Jan.

Nagaswaroop YV
Inside Sales Representative
Dell | EMEA Consumer Sales
Phone (UK) 01344-378887 Pin 3406276,
Phone (Ireland) 1850-201-046 Pin 3406276

 

I wonder if the part shortage has to do with the mechanical drives?? My EDD on a recent order with the SSD only is the 19th and was ordered on the 4th.

 

Very useful info there turbocat - thanks...

PS I ordered the standard 750Gb mechanical drive - may upgrade to an SSD in the future..

 

Just like to say that my OEM 2920XM is hopefully on the way and I can't wait to get it.

I felt the 2860QM was not powerful enough (6.31 on Cinebench R11.5 64bit, it's fast but I am power hungry) for my video edits and rendering. And I need some insane power for 3 more projects that I will be doing - can't let me team down!

The 2960XM was an option however the temperatures (rather the stock cooling) will bottleneck it anyway on the m17x, I am not planning to use dry ice to bench or anything lol. Just stock cooling - and it costs almost £400 more which is fairly pointless

Got it for £316 + 11 delivery ebay private seller and overclocking and messing with the multipliers will be so fun.


I also have 5 IPTorrents invites, I will give away free if you PM me w/ email!

 

I will be interested to hear if you feel it gives much improvement. Everything I have seen suggests a very small increase, as in less than 10% in benchmarks. In the real world that is not even noticeable.

 

It's the 2760/2860QM that give a very small increase from the 2670

With the XM you have unlocked multipliers so can go to 5.0Ghz or higher with liquid nitrogen if you are enthusiastic...

A decent overclock will grant 30k CPU Vantage I think, which is massive

All these Ghz affect rendering times so it's very useful for a film course student like myself and laughing in everyone's faces with the sheer power of your mobile laptop - I'm barely playing games nowadays. Magic Bullet Looks and Plugins like Twixtor eat your CPU like crazy

For gamers 2670 is perfect and you really do not need more, trust me.

 

I understand the theory behind the XM, I will just be interested to see what you think after trying it in the real world. The M17x especially has thermal constraints that will hold you back from super high OC, and the 2860QM is already scoring 7390 on the Futuremark hardware charts. The fastest CPU in the world is only scoring 9900 at stock, and the XM is only in the 8000 ranges at stock.

It is one thing to say you can add points in a benchmark, it is another to actually see the difference in the real world. Perhaps in your application it will be a marked and worthwhile difference. I will be interested to hear what you think. I guess if you are doing a render that takes an hour, even 10-20% would be 6-12 minutes saved, which is certainly noticeable.

 

I think im gonna wait for the ivy bridge xm chip as ill have have time to wait and i want power

 

Mehhh. I am allergic to waiting, I really am.

@Yoda the 2860QM stock is like 21500 on Vantage and the 2920XM can score 29-30k overclocked... that's more than 10% if you ask me

With video editing, usually you pre-render something to RAM to check if you have keyframed something on After Effects right, and the faster it's done the faster you can adjust or proceed to the next edit. This way you don't lose that creative flair you get - my theory for spending this money of mine..

Anyways, feel like crap waiting for this chip. I've like updated my signature and stuff. God I love my M17x!

 

Hello, i'm interested in the m17x r3 and i would like to ask a few stuff, i guess you guys know better and you're the right people to ask

I am between 3 configurations of the m17x r3:

1) Dell Alienware M17x R3, i7 2630QM, 640GB, 12GB, 12GB 6990M, 1920x1080, 3 Yr | eBay
I have to admit i'm a bit scared of the fact that this is a refurbished laptop, never bought a refurbished one before, what could go really wrong?

2) Dell Alienware M17x R3, New i7 2670QM, 8GB RAM, GTX 560, 3D 1920x1080, Brand New | eBay
This is brand new and has the 3d screen. The gtx560 is inferior to 6990 for sure but it's a brand new laptop, isn't that suppossed to be a whole lot better? Also is there anything i should i know about the screens? For example maybe the 3d screen is not as good as the normal one or vice versa.

3) http://forum.notebookreview.com/not...6713-fs-m17x-r3-3-years-complete-care-eu.html
Third choice is the one sold by forum member Heavencry. The 6970 is quite a bit better than the gtx560 if i'm not mistaken, right? Is it better to buy a used laptop from a person you trust than getting a refurbished?

Which configuration should i go for? Thank you and sorry for asking too much

 

Hello, Deadly_Sin, IMHO i would go with HeavenCry's for a few reasons:
- The price is great for EU
- It has 3+ accidental coverage.
- Better CPU and the 6970 is not far behind the 6990

Good luck with your choice and welcome to the Alienware side!

 

ive heard that there is a hdd delay due to flooding somewhere in asia. forgot where specifically. thus, the long production time. my status has been in production for quiet some time now. hopefully it will arrive on the date estimate.

 

Thailand probably... I ordered a momentus xt so hoping status changed to in production at the end of today like the dell rep said.... this waiting game is killing me

http://www.notebookreview.com/defau...ws=floods+in+thailand+impact+pc+manufacturers

 

I just got my first Alienware 2 days ago. I have a 6990M and I wanted to know if the card will give me better benchmarking scores over time. Is there a breakin period with video cards? Thanks

 

Yup there indeed are massive delays due to the floods so I ended up canceling my order and snagged a crazy deal off the Outlet. Paid $1750 for the same unit minus 8GB of ram (Upgraded that) and a Blu Ray drive. Saved about 1100 bucks after getting the ram to 16GB.

 

Well, the card itself is not going to get any better, but configuration, newer drivers and overclocking may improve performance. What benchmarking scores are being produced by your 6990M? Which CPU do you have?

 

For those of you that have unlocked the bios or did the trick to get around the throttling issues, is your alienware able to dissipate the heat to keep it from throttling due to overheating? Mine will hit about 78C every time and then throttle down to 73mhz and then it will shoot back up in clock speeds after the gpu cools. This is even with a book propping the back-end of the laptop up. I just got this laptop yesterday and it had A09 installed with the new vBIOS.

I also am getting random reboots using furmark after using the bios trick to prevent it from throttling and when I install new Nvidia drivers, the screen will either black out after reboot or it will just BSOD. I am using an older version of Win7 I had from my sager laptop with the same chipset so I popped in the alienware factory install drive and am trying that now. Just curious if I am wasting my time or if this is related to driver/OS issues.

Thanks for the help in advance.

 

What are your specs. Rancid?

 

Rancid, you may need to repaste your GPU. This will really help...but there is no way around the 77c thermal throttle. You just have to keep things as cool as possible and make sure your fan vents are clear. The factory paste is designed for longevity and not lowest temps. plus the factory paste jobs on my laptop were awful!

 

Sorry rev, forgot I hadn't updated my sig.

M17XR3 - i7-2670qm, 16gb of 1600mhz ram, Intel 80gb SSD, Maxtor 500GB Hybrid, Nvidia 580GTX, Intel Wireless-N 1000 (they didn't give me the 6250 upgrade like I asked)

I actually tried while I was swapping out the hard drives because I was thinking the same thing. I see the 4 bolts holding own the GPU heatsink but couldn't figure out how to get the heatsink off after unscrewing them. I didn't spend too much time with it so I will see if there are some guides on how to do it. **just watched a video, looks like the card has to be removed so I was close**

Do you know if it is even possible to prevent it from throttling due to heat just playing games and not benchmarking? This is my main concern more than anything.

Thanks for the advice.

 

You have to remove the fan first (unscrew and unplug power)

The heatsink, once unscrewed (when unscrewing follow the numbers in reverse order which will form an X, i.e., 4-3-2-1) will just pop off. Apply a very small amount of pressure and pull off

you can use my CPu guide...i know yours is a GPu but it will be very similar, its just on the other side of the laptop

It may or may not throttle in a game as typically games don't heat up the GPU as good but its hard to tell. You have to try and find out but it would seem you're running a tad too hot now. and the paste is a major culprit

 

Check old Danger's Re-Pasting Guide: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/561599-m17x-r3-cpu-gpu-re-pasting-guide-w-pics.html. Good walk-through; he's pasting a 6970M, but the procedure is identical.

joebarchuck created a useful video: Alienware M17X R3 Re-pasting Guide and 6970 re-pasting guide - Newegg Promo Code - YouTube. Ordinarily you can re-use the existing thermal pads and do fine, but he addresses replacing pads in detail.

3dMark11 is a good quick test for 580M temps; not overly stressful, but will push the GPU to reasonable limits. My 580M (pushed by 2920XM) tops out at 60-61C at stock clocks (620/1500(750)/1240), so the heat issues at or near stock settings are greatly exaggerated with decent paste, ventilation and fans.

 

Hey, folks, i know a lot of you have the M4 SSDs and wanted to give you a heads up:

M4 firmware 0309 is now available

EDIT: Discussions on this subject can continue here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...762-crucial-m4-5200hrs-bug-fix-available.html

Cheers

 

Thanks, Katalin. Headed that way.

 

Thanks...going to update the firmware as well...looks like at 5000 hrs of use, you need this firmware:

"Correct a condition where an incorrect response to a SMART counter will cause the m4 drive to become unresponsive after 5184 hours of Power-on time. The drive will recover after a power cycle, however, this failure will repeat once per hour after reaching this point. The condition will allow the end user to successfully update firmware, and poses no risk to user or system data stored on the drive."

 

anyone got any trouble installing the new firmware using a flash drive? Mine got stuck after selecting default/alternate with something about initdrives not enough caches or something. Tried various methods from google to no avail. To the point I am thinking of getting a portable optical drive just for this .

 

Downloaded, burned install CD from the .iso and flashed. Went smoothly. Didn't run into any of your problems, Dragon. Wow, dual 512GB M4's in Raid 0. I'm envious.

 

thing is i swapped out the optical drive recently for more space so I could not simply burn a cd anymore

here is what im talking about, a wall of text:

 

I got that too at the beginning, but it didn't stop and went by so fast I couldn't read it. Then it asked if I wanted to flash, etc. PITA, the one time you need a CD/DVD, it's been replaced. Wonder why a flash drive doesn't work just as well though? Usually does.

 

nah, just remembered that i got another old old laptop. Currently booting it up and see if i can burn the cd there, if yes then i will just have to pull out the drives and put in there.

edit: got it done by plug in both the drives and flash drive into another computer. Strange that it did not work on my laptop.

 

Followed the advice to call up, initially this configuration totaled around 2450$
and then I cancelled to opt to the hybrid HD and it put me around 2550$ then I cancelled again and did standard 750gb and got to 2360$ note these were all online. I then called up and got the following below and got upgraded to free overnight shipping. It is showing a delivery date of around 2/1/12 what is the usual timeframe for below, the rep mentioned its usual much quicker because right now they are pretty slow. I can't wait I am stoked!!



225-0536 1 Alienware M17x Soft-Touch, Stealth Black
317-8447 1 Intel Core i7 2670QM 2.2GHz (3.1GHz w/Turbo Boost, 6MB Cache)
317-8465 1 16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (4DIMMS)
331-1347 1 Alienware M17x 240W A/C Adapter
320-1933 1 17.3-inch WideFHD1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED
320-2795 1 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 6990M
342-2220 1 750GB 7,200RPM HDD
331-1350 1 Custom Nameplate
330-6106 1 Personalized Nameplate Trigger
313-8792 1 AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue
421-4655 1 Alienware Command Center Software, M17X
420-9691 1 DataSafe Local BackUp
420-9956 1 PC Restore
421-0092 1 DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG
421-5789 1 Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit Service Pack 1, English, w/Media
410-1883 1 Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 Multi-Language
318-0395 1 Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
421-4541 1 Roxio Creator Starter,No Media
318-0424 1 Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
430-4382 1 Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000 b/g/n 1x2 MIMO Technology
461-8389 1 NO VIRUS PROTECTION REQUESTED
939-0320 1 Dell Hardware Limited Warranty, Initial Year
939-0340 1 Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis, Initial Year
950-3337 1 1 Year Limited Warranty
950-9797 1 No Warranty, Year 2 and 3
421-1721 1 Soft Contracts Service Hardware Agreement for Alienware
994-3730 1 Warranty Support, Initial Year
430-4022 1 Internal 60GHz WirelessHD Transmitter
421-1360 1 Steam and Portal Factory Installed
330-5090 1 Thank You for Purchasing AlienWare
* AW:slim
Subtotal: $2,006.03
Shipping and Handling: $0.00

Sales Tax: $165.49
Total: $2,171.52

 

Congratz on the new computer...you'll love it!

 

Great computer, but to be honest you could of probably gotten more out of them. I have a Alienware M17x R3 with a 2760qm 3.5ghz w/ turbo boost, 8Gb ram(16 is overkill), 2x 500Gb Hybrid SSD HDD in RAID. Blu-ray, Killer-N WI-FI, Bluetooth. 6990m 2gb ddr5 Ram + Everything else you have other than the wireless HD for 1700. Granted mine is refurbished, but it is in like new condition.


DK04N BASE (ASSEMBLY OR GROUP)..., NOTEBOOK..., STCHR, CTO, ANW, M17XR3
1 W0YY6 ASSEMBLY..., BASE (ASSEMBLY OR GROUP)..., NOTEBOOK..., STCHR, ANW, M17XR3
1 02TT0 MODULE..., DVDRW/BD-ROM, HITACHI LG DATA STORAGE..., BARE, ANW
1 19R99 MODULE..., INFORMATION..., ARTWORK..., NAME-P, GENERIC..., M17XR3
1 1M57Y MODULE..., CARD (CIRCUIT)..., NETWORK..., 375, FOXCONN..., ANW, REST OF WORLD...
1 2J4FR MODULE..., SOFTWARE..., CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY..., W7HP64, ANW
1 9R578 Module, Information, DELL HOME SYSTEMS..., High, Value
1 3WTV3 MODULE..., SOFTWARE..., ANW, COMMANDCNTR, M17XR3
1 4WYVT MODULE..., SOFTWARE..., QUICK FIX ENGINEERING..., WIN7SP1, NO BIOS...
1 6JKH9 MODULE..., HARD DRIVE..., 500, S2, 7.2, P11, SGT-SSH
1 8409V MODULE..., INFORMATION..., CHASSIS..., STCH-RED, M17XR3
1 92KF8 MODULE..., SHIPPING MATERIAL..., SYSTEM..., ANW, M17X, RED...
1 C112J Module, Documentation, SERI/WSI English, DAO/BCC
1 CJGVX MODULE..., BATTERY..., PRIMARY..., 90WHR, 9C, SIMPLO
1 F4D39 SERVICE INSTALL MODULE..., DRIVER..., WIRELESS..., KILLER, VOYA
1 GP5CJ MODULE..., DUAL IN-LINE MEMORY MODULE..., 8GB, 4X2G, 1600MHZ, DDR3
1 GV0CP Module, Software, WINDOWS-LIVE, WAVE4, Consumer
1 H15DK MODULE..., HARD DRIVE..., 500, S2, 7.2, P11, SSH, #2
1 H9XM4 MODULE..., CARD (CIRCUIT)..., NETWORK..., KILLER, ANW, WORLD WIDE..., 3X3
1 HWKHR MODULE..., CARD (CIRCUIT)..., GRAPHICS..., BLACKCOMB, XTX
1 JFTD2 Module, Documentation, Accessory, English, M17XR3, Dell Americas Organization
1 JY598 MODULE..., INFORMATION..., SOFTWARE..., ANW, ALIENFX, RED...
1 JY631 MODULE..., SOFTWARE..., ANW, AVATAR3
1 K972H MODULE..., ADAPTER..., ALTERNATING CURRENT..., 240W/210W, DELTA - AC ADAPT..., WORLD WIDE...
1 KP692 MODULE..., SOFTWARE..., ANW, WALLPAPER, AW3
1 M239M Module, Software, LTG DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG
1 M3T3T MODULE..., SOFTWARE..., W7HP64SP1, DIGITAL VIDEO DISK DRIVE..., MUL17, ANW
1 N971H MODULE..., CORD..., POWER..., 125V, 2M, C13, UNITED STATES...
1 TG4MT Module, Software, W7HP64SP1, English, Dao/Bcc
1 V9KPP MODULE..., LABEL..., INTEL..., NO BIOS..., CI72
1 VH5JC SERVICE INSTALL MODULE..., SOFTWARE..., ANW, M17XR3
1 VX5CJ MODULE..., LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., 17.3FHD, WLED, LVDS, AG, L
1 W753G MODULE..., INFORMATION..., DIRECT SHIP..., COMPAL..., VOS
1 WWYGY MODULE..., COVER..., HNG-UP, NON 3D, M17XR3
1 XM544 Module, Software, PC-RESTORE Transactional Line Of Business
1 YJF57 MODULE..., INFORMATION..., AUDIO..., M17XR3
1 YMHKV MODULE..., PROCESSOR..., SNB, I7-2760QM, 2.4, 4C
1 02H8F Module, Information, Touch Screen, L502X
1 WCVM8 Module, Software, Soft Contracts, Banctec Services Corp., Alienware

 

Welcome to the horde

 

They are having a 15% off $2500 or more sale right now, you might come out ahead getting the better HDD and then getting the 15% off plus a little haggling.