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

Makes sense. With that kind of system isnt that 460m almost going to be a bottle neck to the system?

 

If I remember rightly, (can't remember if it was a reliable source) the outer case is plastic but there's a magnesium chassis. So it should still be built well.

 

What about having someone in the US buy it for you then ship it to your house? lol

 

I understand that but whenever I've come into contact with an m11x it always felt much more flimsy and fragile than the m17x series, mostly due to the lack of the aluminum shell on the outside. It seems like they mostly dropped it to save a few bucks and some weight, which is a bit unfortunate but likely seemed necessary to somebody.

I've just always preferred mostly metal chassis in my PCs, the few mostly plastic (even the cheaper laptops usually have some form of metal skeleton on the inside of the plastic shell) laptops I've had always felt like they would spontaneously break, and that was with the better built ones.

That's just my opinion though,..will never know personally on the R3 'til I hold one (which isn't likely cause I don't need one ).

 

Trust me there are plenty of us that are itching to provide those answers to everyone. Come on Dell whip those laptop making trolls into shape and start shipping already!!

 

Guys, don't worry and stop speculating. Within days now notebookreview will have received their test unit and if it takes longer than that then I am sure other review sites will have received theirs.

All the questions will be answered.

 

Woo! I'm finally buying one. I've been drooling over AW for almost 6 years now, and I'm finally buying one. I have to go to the bank first and get my bank info 'cuz I'm doing it the DPA way. Check out my specs:

Performance
Processor: Intel Core i7 2820QM 2.3GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache)
Operating System: Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate, 64bit, English
Office Software: Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010
LCD Panel: 17.3-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 120Hz WLED w/3D Bundle
Memory: 6GB DDR3 at 1333MHz (2DIMMS)
Hard Drive: 256GB Solid State Drive
Video Card: 1.5GB GDDR5 Nvidia GeForce GTX 460M
Internal Optical Drive: Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Wireless Cards: Intel Ultimate N WiFi Link 6300 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO Technology
Sound Options: Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio

Style
Alienware M17x Soft-Touch Nebula Red
Quasar Blue

Upgrade Services & Warranty
1 Year Limited Warranty w/1 Year Next Business Day On-site Service
Alienhead Chrome Blue
Steam and Portal Factory Installed
Automatic Updates: Critical Updates Only

Electronics & Accessories
Alienware TactX Headset
Mobile Edge Alienware Orion Backpack - Fits laptops up to 17"

Also Included...
Adobe Reader Acrobat SW: Adobe Acrobat Reader
A/C Adapter: Alienware M17x 240W A/C Adapter
Personalized Plate: Standard Nameplate

Cost: $4384.99 or $120/month

 

Make sure you call Dell and try to get discounts on that price (not likely on brand new system like R3 as it is R2, but it's definitely worth a try). You can almost always get a price on the phone much lower than the web site price. Something I wish I had researched prior to buying mine

 

Is there some place we can ask notebookreview to look at certain things in particular? I want them to look at whether or not the HDMI IN is 1.4 / 3D 120hz capable XD

 

For all of us alienware newbies is there a preferred backup regime consisting of external hdd, etc that with alienrespawn I think it's called to minimize rebuild time and needed backup drive capacity but maxamize reliability?

 

Alienrespawn is pretty much a compressed disk image that is used to build a fresh install ready to go for you (same state as the computer was when you received it)

You are on your own for backups beyond that fresh factory shipped state

 

Ok wasn't sure if there were any "best practices" taking Alienware built in recovery tools in mind.

 

Best practice is this:

As soon as you receive your system, create the emergency rescue flash drive or Optical disc recovery media using the AlienRespawn tool. Stash it away in a safe place. If you ever need to revert back to the 'out of box' state, you can.

 

I can almost gaurentee NBR will test everything there is.....

 

Thanks, I'm assuming this is after first successful login after windows install completion? I know these are newb questions but never owning an alienware I just want to make sure I don't miss something dumb.

 

Yep - as soon as you run the intial config screens of Windows, at the desktop launch AlienRespawn.

they did - if you notice here (see red text), it explains everything.

Alienware: Client Services Support Area

Yes, they should also have the same blurb on the actual login page for My Hive.

 

i didn't get the alienrespawn software install by default when i got my m17xr2. i had to download it. It did have the backup partition but no software. My machine came with a Win7 x64 disk, resource disk, respawn disk that locks up during boot. Maybe the m17xR3 will be the same.

 

your 17xR2 came with Dell DataSafe Local then - its the same thing. At some point, not sure when, Dell re-branded DataSafe Local as AlienRespawn.

The R3 will ship with AlienRespawn unless they have tweaked it yet again.

 

Ah thx Batboy that explains it. well i used the respawn software and backed up on a Bluray Disk so i assume it worked. maybe i'll ghost hdd just incase.

 

Im sure it worked fine. You can always insert the Optical Recovery Media you created and boot to it to confirm it boots without issue. Just exit out before initiating the recovery. Also, you might be interested in this - you can 'update' your DataSafe Local to the AlienRespawn version - see my post here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...tware-respawn-faq-discussion.html#post6932605

Nothing will change other than the GUI having the Alienware branding.

For additional posts on AlienRespawn, lets use this thread.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...datasafe-software-respawn-faq-discussion.html

 

Awesome i did this when installing alienrespawn so i guess that explains why the disk that came with my machine doesn't work as its setup for dell datasafe and i have converted. the bluray backup works thx mate

 

Has anyone figured out if this will support 3 monitor Eyefinity?

It has 3 video outputs (HDMI, VGA, & Mini-Display Port) so I figure it will.

I'm guessing we'll probably have to wait for someone to try it before we know for sure.

 

This R3 will be my first Alienware laptop and only my 2nd laptop ever (was hardcore desktopper) so my experience with lappy audio is limited - my first and current machine is a Gateway FX series P-7811 and let me tell you the audio on that thing SUX. Everything else is great but the speakers sure put out wimpy sound - I usually hook up my external speakers to it.

What's the sound gonna be like on this R3??

 

There are very, very few truly good laptop speakers that exist in this world.

My m15x first gen laptops speakers are pretty bad for music but they seem really good in games (specially FPS's, the gun shots and footsteps and everything sound very clear).

I have yet to see a gaming laptop with really good speakers. Usually only the mid range laptops get the better speakers (Like the HP Envy 14" Beats audio, or the Lenovo mid range laptop has upgraded speakers). Also, Macbook Pro's have really good speakers too.

 

I know that the 17x R2 had amazing speakers for a Laptop, I was quite surprise and blown away by them. But in either case I feel that headphones are the true appropriate way to enjoy sound from a laptop.

 

I would but it seems like alot of people have problems at first with AW laptops.. so if something goes wrong ill be trying to send it to whoever send it to me, for them to send to aw, and for them to try talk to aw about the problem.

 

Does this make it possible to use R3 with two non-RAID drives instead of have to use RAID 0?

I thought that if you are going from higher capacity mechanical hard drive to lower capacity SSD, you cannot use the Alienware optical disk backup.

 

I don't see why you would have to send it to your American friend first... I'm thinking if your name is on the bill then you'll be fine sending it directly to Dell

True and while I love my headphones, I am not a headphone nut and like to have my ears unencumbered

 

Are there any cool things about an Alienware that you can't find stated in the specs. For example, I found out that the Alienware power cable has a glowing blue ring on it. Apples have a little button you push on the side to show you the battery remaining, and some Toshibas has an LED that specifically shows the amount of battery left. These little somewhat pointless and insignificant features add a lot of value to computers imo.

I really don't know how I should be phrasing this to make sense, but what are some cool little features that an Alienware has that you really don't find on the spec sheet (other than the awesome lighting, of course)?

 

I use QC2 from Bose, they're quite nice.

 

Hey batboy, whats the average size of the original respawn image? Will it fit on a standard DVD r, I see someone mentioned they put it on a blueray and I only got the blueray reader not writer.

 

Is there such thing as M15X-R3?

 

I have seen recommended to get the longest warranty you can afford. If I were to upgrade my RAM, HD, and or Video card does this void Dells warranty?

 

no Dell's warranty is pretty straight forward as you can even sell your laptop and have the warranty transfer along with it. However don't expect Dell to Cover the Ram and HDD's or videocards that you get down the road, it'll only cover the parts that came with the ORIGINAL purchase. This is also another reason why I strongly recommend users to buy the Videocard that they want with the original system over buying it from a 3rd party. GPU's go bad before anything else it seems these days as even HDD's are becoming much more stable it seems.

 

I am looking at buying the $1699 laptop and want to know how people feel about the performance of the laptop and video card. I am trying to get a good deal and really wanted to spend $1500 like Acer laptops but i love Alienware build and quality. Any tips to get the $1699 laptop for less like any codes or chat service. I am new to this and had to save up for a long time to be able to afford this laptop. I will be shipping it to my buddy in Oregon to save some tax and either meet up with him and chill or have him ship it to me . Should i wait for a better video card i want the best laptop to last me 5 yrs. Anyone have the link for the $1699 laptop they keep talking about i see this family guy stewie dude online but see no links everyone is talking about. "Hey Mr bat boy guy" you have any good discounts or hook ups since you are a super moderator

 

No video card period will be strong 5 years from now so don't worry about that.....the GTX 460m is a solid card and should keep you happy for 2-3 years. it is not the best out right now but is better than anything that was out a year ago (and is currently the best AW offers)

 

The 460M will always be good for today's games. But, no video card will be enough for the games 5 years from now. I tend to squeeze as much life as possible out of my computers though, and only get a new one after 3-5 years too XD.

Just a few years ago (3, I think), the GTX 8800 was the best. Now, that card can barely run demanding modern games like Metro 2033 or Bad Company 2.

 

Just curious. Does the 3D display of the R3 use the glasses-less auto-parallax LCD tech, or does it require the use of active/passive glasses?

 

shutter glasses will be needed for the nvidia implementation of 3D (only one officially supported at this time on the R3)

 

The GPU on the R3 is going to be the 6970 that is offered by Alienware/Dell.

 

Most likely but we are in the dark on a release date. For now the options are just 6870m and GTX 460m

 

Thanks. That is what I thought. Helps me decide to not buy it.

After using a glasses-less 3D display for some time now, I'll never go back to the old way.

I'll wait until someone implements the autoparallax 3D display in a laptop...

 

Just to further emphasize this point. I have an Alienware m15x with an 8800m GTX. This video card was released, as a top of the line card, in November, 2007. Today, a little over 3 years later, I am just BARELY able to play todays latest and greatest video games at lowest possible settings.

Given that the GTX 460m is at the low end of mid range cards, I wouldn't expect it to last any more than 2 years maximum.

 

For what it is worth, the 120Hz screen option in the R3 INCLUDES the needed glasses (usually $100+ on their own.....)

 

Sadly, nvidia simply rebadged the same 8800m GTX for some time....the GTX 400 series is the first innovation in the mobile space since the trusty G92. And the GTX 460m is actually the bottom of the HIGH end But I agree, 2-3 years as a decent card (more towards 2 if you like high settings)

 

Ah, its not about the cost, in fact the autoparallax display still costs more than a comparable sized LCD display. Just don't like wearing the glasses.

For a handheld, PDA, or even laptop, there's no need anymore for active shutter glasses to display true 3D either. For TV's, probably, since the technology would not work as well, since TV is often viewed at varying angles.

 

Am I reading this correctly, that you're saying the 8800M GTX can barely play today's games, even at the lowest settings?

That's so far from the truth, it's silly.

 

The Alienware's with the 8800M GTX only scored around 8,000 on 3DMark 06. That's about the same as an M11X today. I'm sure you can run all the games at lowest for smooth gameplay; you'll just run into trouble with a good amount of games on medium/high such as Bad Company 2, Metro 2033, Civ 5, etc.

 

There isn't even an M15x R2 yet. So the R3 is still a while off

A new M15x is pretty much guaranteed, but the question of 'when' isn't one we can answer.

...I don't know what scale you're using, but against the other cards, the 460M is hardly 'low end' or even mid range. It's at the lower end of the high performance cards.

You'd be suprised how long it could last. It won't play games at the highest details and resolutions a couple of years from now but for all intents and purposes it'll still look great. You've got to look at it in perspective; it might only be able to run games in medium (or even low) settings two years from now, but that 'low' will look as good as games on 'high' today. It won't get worse, you'll still get the same good graphics from it no matter what the setting is named.

For an enthusiast, no, it won't last two years. But a lot of people will still find it looks great in 2 years time.

 

Not trying to stick my nose in here, I'm far from being an expert on the subject of video cards. Notebookcheck.net has the 460 in the middle of the top end.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M - Notebookcheck.net Tech