*OFFICIAL* M17xR3 Owner's Lounge Thread - Part 1

No the wireless HD was demonstrated at CES and there were no outside device plugged into the PC. It is in the PC that the Wireless HD board is.

I am just not sure why it is not available yet since it was one of the main features demonstrated at CES.

 

So was the 6970, so you guess is as good as mine haha

 

Bilk the early adopters, and exact another pound of flesh when delivering on the goods.

Money money money

 

pfft. Dell offers 2% discount max for epp now for r3, gonna just pass it and wait for envy 17 to come out.

 

Just ordered mine, everything base model besides the screen, upgarded 17.3-inch WideFHD1920 x 1080 60Hz WLED, and the video card 1.5GB GDDR5 Nvidia GeForce GTX 460M. Came out to 2106.06 after taxes, all I could manage to get was a free Mobile Edge Alienware Orion Messenger Notebook Case - Fits laptops up to 17" ( 89.99$ value ). Do they not allow you to customize your name on it anymore?

This is my first alienware, suspose to get it February 9th

 

If you are from the US that config should only be $1699, you might want to check out the dell recomended section of the site.

 

no im from quebec, base model $1599, screen upgarde $150, video card $50, then added 15 month anti virus which was about 40$

 

Dude, there are really good FREE anti-virus programs out there. Don't pay for crappy software that will slow down your computer. AVG Anti-Virus is free and really good.

 

True, but I believe that the latest AVG version, rather than requesting, requires you to be a part of an AVG community (or whatever they call it).

Avast antivirus is getting good reviews, and still appears 'free' in all visible ways

 

they neglected to give you the 250 discount that is running as a special right now on m17x. i would call back and see about getting it

 

its us only.. believe me I tried

 

I run an AVG every 6 months and then delete it. With the way I use my PC I have not gotten any virus. It's useless to have an anti-virus installed on your gaming PC. It just slows it down.

Just use AVG every 6 months or so and delete it once the scan is complete.

 

Does anyone know if the HDMI input also works for sound? And if you could use USB gaming headsets with that input?

Hmm. Looks like the 6970M is pretty much exchanging blows with the 485M in the gaming benchmarks, they look like they should perform around the same. Eh, I hoped the 6970M would be even more powerful.


Oh, by the way, if anyone's wondering when the 6970M will be available...

A reliable source has informed me that his sources in Clevo are saying that AMD will release the 6970M to manufacturers by March. (Sounds like it was a supply issue then.)

As for when Dellienware will start providing it, that I don't know. Hopefully, as soon as it's available.

 

I am gonna hold and wait to see what comes down the pipe, not in any hurry TBH.

 

Agree completely... an occasionally useful (and necessary) tool, but otherwise (at all other times-99%), a waste of space

 

Would it be reasonable to assume then, that if the 6970M may not be available until March, the 485M must be a long way away?

 

Most antivirus running in background do use your hard drive and internet and system resources in order to monitor/check/view commands and running apps on your system. that does take 30% of your system's resources right away, considering its just a laptop not a Aurora PC, its a huge blow for gaming perfomance. i would suggest you not listening to reviews on net (who does that with anti virus software?) and get yourself one good free antivirus
In where i live people do know ways of getting AVs that cost even more for free but not that its legal, though, nobody's in jail. dont fool yourself paying for something that is not worth a buck, buddy.

@Gabardine
I'm pretty much positive they're releasing the 485m soon, I got that feeling. It is available in Sager already, see no reason why isnt it available for AW (if it will be ofc)

 

I love your optimism (and would love to share it... if the 485 appeared on the R3 I'd be there in a heartbeat).

But... following a bit of thought on the matter...

I think that Dell are aiming this machine at a class of customer which is focused more on 'very good', rather than 'great' performance (I may be in that class).

I reckon that they may feel that they might be hurting themselves by offering the 485m, before the release of the M18X (unconfirmed but inevitable at this point).

 

I'm not sure about the rest of the world, but in the US, Microsoft offers their Security Essentials (which includes antivirus) for free. I use it on my notebook and it doesn't take up much resources at all. Is that enough to keep systems protected?

 

Someone actually said that a rep told them it was two weeks away (the 485M, I mean). Exactly how reliable that information is, I don't know. Reps have a habit of providing misinformation at times.

But I do think that if they're sticking a 6970M in there, the nVidia equivelant (485M) is likely. I mean, they've got the 6870M and 460M providing similar cards from both brands already.

Oh, and just because the 6970M is being released by March doesn't mean that Dell will pick it up right away. We might have to wait until April, or even later. However, seming as they boldly showed off a 6970M pulling off stunning benchmark results, I do think they'll try and get it into the market ASAP. (Or at least I hope that, seeming as I plan on ordering in March...)

A 30% blow to performance? Seriously? What antivirus are YOU using?!?

I just leave Microsoft Security Essentials on mine and run a scan every once in a while. I see no visible effect on performance because of it.

There are plenty of antiviruses out there with excellent engines that run very efficiently, giving a minimal (if even noticeable) effect on system performance.

 

And, yep... never paid for AV, and can't see myself doing so... There's a myriad of effective, free anti-virus/spyware/malware applications out there…

(any recommendations on this subject appreciated)

Atm, I’m using Avast, and am quite satisfied with it.

I hope that that Rep is betraying his profession and being completely honest

Just registered with me... BatBoy (mod) stated yesterday that this thread 'Owner's Lounge' must stay on-topic, and not become a speculation thread... (or it may be closed)
I think we may have been veering towards that...

 

Just keep this thread updated with the latest reviews, benchmarks and photos as R3 starts landing
Good luck

 

Ordered the $1699 deal last night, expected delivery date 2/10.
I spent some time on the phone yesterday haggling with a sales rep, got into some casual football talk, still would only knock off a few dollars. Then to get home and see this thread and the link for a better deal. It was disappointing from the aspect that its better than what the rep offered.

In the end a good deal. I hope these are a little ahead of expected date.

 

I wonder why some of us have an EDD of 2/10 and others 2/4 with only a day or two date of order difference? I canceled an order from 1/11 with an EDD of 2/4 and reordered on 1/12 with an EDD of 2/10. Only difference was AMD to Nvidia card with 120Hz 3D capable screen. (Got the $200 upgraded screen for "free")

Cannot imagine that the volume of orders in one day pushed things out nearly a week to deliver. (FYI, I also have NBD delivery).

Could the choice of card/screen have pushed delivery off so far?

 

Can you take advantage of 120hz 3D screen without using nVIDIA glasses ?
I mean all 3D screens can't be watched without the glasses because it will appear blurry
So i'm interested in 120hz screen but don't wanna use the nVIDIA glasses

Any clarification would be appreciated

 

I'm going to order a new m17xR3, and I couldn't decide between the 1 year warranty or 3 years warranty.
Does this kind of high end laptop tend to break down easily?
Please give me some suggestion. Thank you very much

 

hello people,

I am going to be ordering an m17x r3 end of january. if the gtx 485m isnt an option by then, ill be ordering with the 460m.
My question is, will the single graphics card support 2 external monitors(U2410 to be exact, but i can change to different) and also the laptop screen at the same time, so extended desktop across 3 screens in effect?? i need the 3 screens for work not for gaming. gaming will be on the laptop screen. is there a problem with using the u2410 as the resolution on them is 1900x1200 as apposed to the laptop 1080???

I am more inclined towards nvidia for the CUDA support.


Thanks.

ps. i was going to start a new thread but thought it would be better to ask in here.

 

if the 485 is actually going to be available in a couple of weeks i know a lot of us 460 buyers will be cancelling or returning their notebook this month.

 

Interesting that the status of these system went from "Processing" to "In Production" very quickly. The EDD we see may get pushed up.

 

yep, i imaging the first batches will make it before the end of the month. but again, if the 485 is really only a couple weeks away, I'll be returning mine and demanding an upgraded unit without paying a restocking fee.

 

There is no restocking fee that I know of, they have a 21 day no questions asked return policy. So if the new one comes out within 21 days of you recieving yours, just call em up, ask to return it, and order the new one. Yes it really is that simple

 

Still, guys, can anyone explain why r3 is single card machine? does it became smaller and they can't fit dual card?

 

glad to hear that, just like hp

 

They always pad their estimates.....Scotty principal...under promise over deliver.....

BTW mandrake...can we expect a full on review of the R3 from you ?

Probably to hold the price down....buisness descision most likely, not technical

 

Simply designed differently. Cooling should be better with bigger heatsinks and one less gpu causing additional heat.

When the R1 was released with the 4870, orders sat in pre-production for a couple weeks. Just glad that is not the case this time, although when I call it says the order is "processing". Seems like Dell once again stop giving accurate info over the phone unless there is another new number to call.

 

About to pull the trigger on a system. Some final questions perhaps someone can answer:

1. What kind of battery life can we expect with the R3?

2. The R3 is indeed 9 lbs and less than 2 inches thick, correct? The Alienware website is still listing the specs for the R2 I think. This is huge for me, as I will be taking this laptop when I travel. 9 lbs, 1.77" for me is portable. Anyone else planning to take it on the road?

3. I read the manual and saw that Optimus is not available with 3dVision. Does that mean that it's not available at all on laptops with the 120hz screen, or that it's not available when viewing 3d content? If it's not available at all, why not? This is a concern for me because I want the maximum battery life on planes when I'm not gaming and doing other things like watching a blu-ray movie, etc.

4. If I order the laptop now, and the 485m comes out before it's shipped, I can cancel my order and re-order the laptop with the 485m, correct? At that point, I would rather just wait and get the laptop with the 485m than going through the process of returning it.

Thanks!

 

1) if trust DELL, up to 6 hours
2) yes im planning to take it with me on road (14 hour flights at least each 4-5 months) and if you need a gaming station, no questions should be asked. actually i went for a $100 backpack with it, hopefully would be helpful to carry in
3) my guessing is that if you turn on 3D you actually turn on discrete GPU, therefore you cant expect optimus to work - probably thats what is meant there. If you're watching blue-ray movie, thats a big load for system, dont expect any system to work long with that. Watching an AVI on my previous up to 3 hour laptop made my battery last 1.5 hrs. now imagine blue-ray @ 120hz screen
4) you can even go for not cancelling the order and just "restructuring" it as some people say, if you tell rep. that you'll return your purchase otherwise. Many others also say returning is quite easy

TO ALL WHO WANT TO RETURN R3: remember, DELL will most likely REFURBISH the laptop and many those who can't afford the system for that money can get it refbd at lower cost so be generous, guys

 

There is a 15% restocking fee but if you're reordering then they don't charge you. That's what I've heard at least.

It's the way the system is designed.

It's not meant to be a dual card replacement for the R2. Why do you think the R2 is still advertised and still on sale?

The R3 is aimed at a different market. A similar market to the M15x. Cheaper, more portable, and still powerful.

 

I must have hit them when I re-ordered then, because I have never been hit with a restock

 

Reports of the 485M coming to the R3 in two weeks? That matches up pretty well, with Clevo's ETA on 485M equipped P170HM as 'Late January'.

This machine becomes very attractive to me, if that beast comes to it. 485M + 120hz screen sounds awesome.

 

I am verry much in a wait an see mode, would like to see a review or two from some people. I am a bit dissapointed that the screen isnt 1900X1200 but I could live with it...

HDMI in, 16G Ram capable and 2 USB 3.0.....

And I dont doubt I could sell one my M17's for some decent coin to help cover the cost.

 

Well, it looks like the reports might not be just one misinformed AW rep after all.

If the machine has a 485M (and providing it's not rediculously more expensive than a 460M) then I'm sold.

The 485M is the most powerful mobile graphics card on the market. Well, the 6970M might be better but if so only by a tiny margin, if the benchmarks available now are anything to do on.

Provided they've got a 485M in it by March (in the UK store) then I do believe that'll be enough for me. The benchmarks make it seem so damned powerful it can handle max settings as well as 3D...

 

Yeah, I don't know how Nvidia did it, but the 485M is matching the desktop 6850 in a lot of games. If it has headroom to OC, it's truly a huge leap in mobile power.

And to think, I was once impressed by the 8600M GT DDR2.

 

by march? nononono, by the end of January is when i need it, so no marches, it has to happen in less than 2 weeks actually the rep. i was talking to promised to send me information on 485m availability @ email. dunno if it is to be trusted or not, but lets hope he didn't misinform me.

 

Oooo, please share the info here if you get it. This is what is holding me back from ordering right now. If the 485m were an option, I'd have ordered already.

 

I'm in exactly the same position... I’ve little patience for waiting much longer…

I'd love to believe the your '2 weeks' info on the 485.

 

Matching the desktop 6850? Bloody hell, that IS powerful.

To be sure, that's a massive step up from what I've got now. (Good thing too, as I'm going from 900p to 1080p resolutions and playing in 3D...)

 

What are your sources? If the 485M comes in two weeks I will purchase. I just wish the Wireless HD was also available.

 

@Gabardine
my friend, I'd also very much like to believe in that. The thinking is quite simple: they have actually made a statement at CES2011 that shortly after official release (that means not march definitely) they are going to offer more options (like bla bla bla and whireless hd streaming) i think one of those should be 2820QM proc. and ofc the 485 video option... well.. lets hope it's true. I almost ordered it when I saw a link stating "up to 2gb nvidia GTX 485" so, you know, I'm not fooling others on false hope. Sounds like i am pre-owner of r3 im going to get it anyway!!!!

 

i have my reservations regarding the ability of the 460m to handle 1080p with decent graphics settings at 120hz. Those reservations were somewhat realized with the Envy 17 3D with the 5850.