Pure Performance - Is Alienware Worth It?

Hello all, I'm currently the owner of a Clevo P150EM and rather fed up with Clevo's locked down BIOS (at least on this model) which leaves very little room in the route of future CPU upgrades. I mean, there's no point in upgrading past the 3630QM since there's no Intel XTU support. So, in considering 17"+ notebooks (since the 180W power brick of the P150EM is also a limitation), I've brought under consideration the following models:

Alienware M17x R4 - $1976.86

Spoiler

- * Tons of Upgrades & Customization Options
* 3% Cash Discounts
* Military & Student Discounts
* We only collect Sales Tax when shipping to Nebraska
- FREE - UPS GROUND SHIPPING (Use Coupon Code "ALIENFREESHIP" in Checkout - U.S. Only, Not Available to Alaska and Hawaii)
- 17.3" (60Hz) WideFHD WLED (1920x1080) Super Clear Glare-Type Screen (SKU - A1R604)
- No Spare 3D Glasses
- Alienware "No Bright Dot" Guarantee
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3630QM (2.4GHz - 3.4GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP) (SKU – X2X313)
- Alienware Stock Thermal Compound
- AMD Radeon HD 7970M (2048MB) GDDR5 DX11 (SKU - A3R701)
- No Video Adapter
- No External Mobile Display
- 6GB DDR3 1600MHz [SKU–A21414P] (Dual Channel Memory (1x2GB + 1x4GB SODIMMS)) – Default
- Default Color
- Alienware Soft Touch STEALTH BLACK (Stock Finish)
- CUSTOM ETCHING - Up to 21 Characters - (Etched Plate on Bottom of Laptop) - Enter in Comments Box During Checkout
- Customize your Alienware system with your favorite Avatar and Wallpaper! (Contact Sales for more info or can be completed upon arrival)
- No mSATA SSD Drive
- 500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Buffer (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) - Default (SKU - X5R205)
- No Second Hard Drive (Primary Hard Drive Required When Adding a Secondary Hard Drive) (SKU - X6R953)
- Disable Raid and Set up Hard Drives as Independant Drives
- Slot Load - 6X Blu-Ray Reader + 8X DVDRW/CDRW Super Multi Combo Drive
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- Internal 9-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD/Mini SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS/MS Pro/MS Duo)
- No Back Up Software
- Bluetooth Included *With select wireless cards only* (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)
- Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 (3x3) (Includes 3rd Antenna) (Dual Band) (SKU - X8R053)
- No Network Accessory
- Integrated Digital Video Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- No Spare AC Adapter
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- No Fingerprint Reader
- No Headset
- No External Keyboard
- No External Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system
- No Operating System Redline Boost
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Pre-Installed + Drivers & Utilities Disk (Supports up to 16GB of RAM) - [ Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $14.99 (Directly through Microsoft) ]
- Keep factory installed operating system
- No thanks, do not create backup recovery DVD's
- No Antivirus Essentials Software Bundle
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- 1 Year GLOBAL Alienware Basic Service Plan Warranty (Includes: In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis) (SKU - A9R990)
- No thanks, standard double boxed packaging is okay with my order
- No Outside of US Shipping Coverage
- Standard Production Time
- No Xotic PC Gear

Sager NP9170 - $1866.29

Spoiler

- FREE!! Continental (U.S. Lower 48 - UPS Ground Only) Ground Shipping on ALL Sager Laptops (Enter Coupon Code: "SAGERFREESHIP" during order process)
- SAGER Autumn Sale!!! - $100 OFF When you spend $1350* or more! (*excludes non-sager parts, accessories, shipping, & taxes) - [NP9150, NP9170, & NP9370 Only]
- 17.3" Sager FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Matte Screen (1920x1080) (SKU - S1R401)
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- Sager - 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3630QM (2.4GHz - 3.4GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP) (SKU – S2R174)
- -Stock OEM Thermal Compound
- nVidia GeForce GTX 680M 4,096MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology [User Upgradeable] (SKU - S3R406)
- No Copper Cooling Upgrade
- No Video Adapter
- No External Mobile Display
- 8GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (SKU - S4S423P)
- Remove All Branding
- Standard Laptop Finish
- No mSATA SSD
- 500GB 7200RPM [Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache] - Default (SKU - S5R207)
- None Standard
- HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- 6x Blu-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive - Special! (SKU - S7P557)
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- Internal 9-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD/Mini SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS/MS Pro/MS Duo)
- No Back Up Software
- Bluetooth Included *With select wireless cards only* (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)
- Sager - Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 (3x3) (SKU - S8R056)
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- No Carrying Case
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- No Spare AC Adapter
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No Headset
- No External Keyboard
- Standard Sager/Clevo Non Chiclet Backlit Keyboard
- No External Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system (Overclocking will add 3-6 business days to build time)
- No Operating System Redline Boost
- ~Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit (64&32-Bit CD Included (Supports up to 16GB of RAM)) + MS Office Starter 2010 -[ Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $14.99 (Directly through Microsoft) ]
- Yes, I will be upgrading to Windows 8 Professional [Directly through Microsoft] - Windows 7 purchase required (valid until: Dec.31, 2012 - U.S. Customers Only)
- No Antivirus Essentials Software Bundle
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- LIFETIME Ltd Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Toll Free Telephone Support (Labor through XPC)
Includes FREE Shipping Both Ways for Parts Warranty Repairs (SKU - X9R009)
- No thanks, standard double boxed packaging is okay with my order
- No Outside of US Shipping Coverage
- Standard Production Time
- No Xotic PC Gear

Sager NP9370 - $1725.64

Spoiler

- FREE!! Continental (U.S. Lower 48 - UPS Ground Only) Ground Shipping on ALL Sager Laptops (Enter Coupon Code: "SAGERFREESHIP" during order process)
- SAGER Autumn Sale!!! - $100 OFF When you spend $1350* or more! (*excludes non-sager parts, accessories, shipping, & taxes) - [NP9150, NP9170, & NP9370 Only]
- 17.3" Sager FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Matte Screen (1920x1080) (SKU - S1R401)
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- Sager - 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3630QM (2.4GHz - 3.4GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP) (SKU – S2R174)
- -Stock OEM Thermal Compound
- AMD Radeon HD 7970M (2048MB) GDDR5 DX11 [User Upgradeable] (SKU - S3R705)
- No Copper Cooling Upgrade
- No Video Adapter
- No External Mobile Display
- 8GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (SKU - S4S423P)
- Remove All Branding
- Standard Laptop Finish
- No mSATA SSD
- 500GB 7200RPM [Serial-ATA II 300 - 16MB Cache] - Default (SKU - S5R207)
- None Standard
- HDD Raid Settings - OFF
- 6x Blu-Ray Read/8X DVDRW Super Multi Combo Drive - Special! (SKU - S7P557)
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- Internal 9-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD/Mini SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS/MS Pro/MS Duo)
- No Back Up Software
- Bluetooth Included *With select wireless cards only* (See “Wireless Network” Section Below)
- Sager - Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 (3x3) (SKU - S8R056)
- No Network Accessory
- Built in 2.0 Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Basic Black Business Case - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- No Spare AC Adapter
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- Integrated Fingerprint Reader
- No Headset
- No External Keyboard
- Standard Sager/Clevo Non Chiclet Backlit Keyboard
- No External Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system (Overclocking will add 3-6 business days to build time)
- No Operating System Redline Boost
- ~Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit (64&32-Bit CD Included (Supports up to 16GB of RAM)) + MS Office Starter 2010 -[ Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $14.99 (Directly through Microsoft) ]
- Yes, I will be upgrading to Windows 8 Professional [Directly through Microsoft] - Windows 7 purchase required (valid until: Dec.31, 2012 - U.S. Customers Only)
- No Antivirus Essentials Software Bundle
- No Office Software
- No Software Bundle
- LIFETIME Ltd Labor* 1 Year Parts Warranty Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Toll Free Telephone Support (Labor through XPC)
Includes FREE Shipping Both Ways for Parts Warranty Repairs (SKU - X9R009)
- No thanks, standard double boxed packaging is okay with my order
- No Outside of US Shipping Coverage
- Standard Production Time
- No Xotic PC Gear

The main difference here is the price. All of these models configured as such have:
Intel Core i7 3630QM
500GB HDD @ 7200RPM
1920x1080 backlit LCD display

The differences are that I chose the 7970M in the M17x and NP9370 because neither of those models have to deal with Enduro issues, and I'd like to keep these machines under $2,100 ($2,000 would be even better). I went with the 680M in the NP9170 because it cannot disable the dGPU like the M17x can, and therefore will not be free from Enduro nonsense. For some reason the Alienware comes stock with only 6GB of RAM and Dell charges out the for even an 8GB kit. I've heard that the Alienware's cooling is better than Sager's, but that is mainly between the M17x and NP9150. Is the same true of the M17x vs the NP9170 and even Sager's flagship - the NP9370? I really want this machine to be able to overclock well (from a laptop perspective) and not have heat issues out of the box. I never knew before tonight that the NP9370 with only a single graphics card was so cheap (compared to the other two at least), so the prospect of another 7970M down the road perhaps seems quite intriguing. As I understand it, the Alienware is actually the smallest of this bunch, but size/weight don't really matter to me as this will be primarily stationed on a desk, only ever briefly having to function on battery power.

So, thoughts? Does the M17x have the best cooling and CPU/GPU overclocking support of this bunch? If so, is it worth the extra $100-$200?

 

You don't just buy Alienware for cooling, though I haven't had an issue with the 2 Clevo laptops I've bought (2 x W860CU). You buy Alienware for Dell's support, including the superior build quality, and the brand name. I've been very happy with my 2 Alienware purchases and I will continue to buy Alienware, money permitting.

 

lets be a little honest though...you buy an Alienware because you want people to look at it and say "wow. is that an alienware"....there are much better deals to be had if cost is your only factor.

 

bought mine for the battery life (graphics switching wasn't available on the clevo's), upgradability, and warranty, and I've been more than happy with my purchase. Hopefully I'll be purchasing an m17x r5 when it is released, but that is some time away.

 

I was considering the Alienware, albeit the higher price point, primarily because of how great the M17x's cooling was. My Clevo never overheats to shutdown ( at least not with the stock 680M vBIOS), but it just gets quite a bit toastier than the temperatures people claim their Alienware's were getting. I admit I have not heard much about Dell's customer support that was positive, mainly I've heard horror stories of people not getting someone who spoke the same language as them for hours on end. All the times I've contacted the various Sager resellers I've never bad any issues, and I won't be going internationally (I know Alienware is better in this regard, Sager doesn't have much in the way of international warranty last I heard).

Honestly no. If there was a way to remove the alien head and get a flat panel on the cover I would. Seeing as there isn't, the potential performance to be had is what draws me to Alienware.

Ahh yes the battery life. You can switch the entire dGPU off in the BIOS can't you? That should get pretty normal battery life same as an average notebook I would imagine? Do you have any numbers off the top of your head per chance? Both laptops seem upgrade able from what I've seen, but yes definitely the ability to so easily access everything is nice on higher end machines.

 

You need to speak to one of the Alienware sales reps on here. The reason I went with the Alienware over the Clevo was because it was cheaper for the same specs. That and the 7970m issue can be taken care of by turning off the IGP (I leave my IGP off, the issues have gotten better, but still present in some games). My machine was well under $2100, I put the SSD and extra RAM in it, though. Specs in sig.

 

Honestly, if you are lookin to save and want the perks of Alienware, build an alienware system through XOTICPC, plus they offer more options on the build.

 

I can swap GPU's from within windows with my 6990m. 7970m requires a reboot to turn the Igpu off.

 

This is true. I once brought my Alienware to class, and everybody instantly knew what it was. Though I've heard of Sager Notebooks when I had considered an Alienware for college.

I'd personally avoid this, as the very many issues posted through resellers have garnered up here, you want to buy directly through Dell. You lose the 21 day return period, on top of increased delays due to customized parts, etc. Probably not worth it.

I'd say cooling really depends on which models you are comparing, all notebooks get toasty, especially gaming ones. I tend to find Alienware fans ARE much noisier than Clevo fans, at least the Eurocomm and Sager I bought.

 

Went with Alienware, ...And will never turn back. My R4 made my ASUS G73SW look like a regular, plain notebook, ..aesthetic, ergonomics, overall design, cooling etc. (AW=10 / ASUS=5)..

I don't have to mention the GPU temps even on OC'ed of the 680M due to Alienware's design.

My next upgrade will be an R5 that's for sure, ..will the latest, fastest NVidia card. Or whatever next M17x. I might consider an M18x too, but just maybe.

Only Alienware M17X or M18x for me, ... No More.

Also, I thought the Alien logo was something that I wouldn't like, ..but seeing the alien head power button with diff. light settings, plus the alien logo at the back of the screen that is lit up; ....I realized that I DO like the Alien Logo design now.

 

Depending which CPU you plan on to OC, alienware is ahead alot if you get a XM. Base on what I read, heat don't seem to be the issue when OC'ing last gen GPUs.
Btw, don't people cross flash and get XTU working on p150em?

 

Price-wise, my R4 with the GTX 680M is for 6 months interest free. Dell Canada also offered me 24 months installment and the interest is not bad. I could still take either option..

I purchased my R4 last August through phone. In 20 mins. my order was done, ..got the laptop 2 wks. later.

As for customer support, I never needed these things really..

Lastly, the excitement I had with my R4 is identical when I purchased my Infiniti G35 coupe 3 yrs. ago. That's how grand this R4 is for me. And it still excites me everyday. Feel so fortunate having an awesome laptop like the R4 (with the GTX 680m )

And so, ...'till the next R5 or R6 with the GTX 980M :-o

 

I think another fact that gets overlooked is the sheer ease of which these things are to work on. I have never taken apart a Sager granted but I honestly can't believe how easy it is to get at the guts of an R4...I was shocked at how easy it was. Most laptops you take apart are a very tedious time consuming process with enough screws to put the titanic to shame.

I will be the first to agree with most people's assessments of Alienware's desktop line but when it comes to their Laptops they are pretty much unmatched.

 

Sager/ Clevo laptop is quite general, it is easier to blend while AW laptop certainly offers you a personality .

If you call Dell and haggle the price, I'm pretty sure you can lower that price to 1700-1800. I saw your sale listing in the NBR Market and I think it would be much easier to keep those upgrade parts and put it in your new M17x .

Cooling wise, it's difficult to say. I think in M17x, the heat sink has thermal pads and covers the memory chip of the GPU, I don't think I saw it in the heat sink of Sager/ Clevo models.You may want to research a bit about that.

 

I bought mine because the warranty will move with you around the world. I also liked that people are willing to push their rigs to death for the benefit of the community.

Sometimes having wealthy enthusiasts on your forum is nice.

 

I believe cross flashing bricks the mobos, or can at least burn them out. I know someone got all haxy with the HM series and was soldering stuff across boards before said cross flash, but that's a bit out of my reach. I'd rather not remanufacture my laptop lol. Alienware best for XM CPU overclocking you say though? That's an important note then. I would never buy an XM CPU with the machine originally, but in a year or two when they've dropped to $300-500 instead of $800+, I would consider it an upgrade for 1/4 the price of a new laptop.

Both have the thermal pads. Alienware's stock pads may be better though. This is a good point, since thermal pads can be had so cheaply, it may be better to just look online for some and see if there's any significant heat drop with new ones.

I thank you all for your posts, the M17x is a strong contender for sure and I will keep an eye on the upcoming (hopefully) R5.

 

R5 won't be out until Haswell. No reason for them to design and release another until then.

 

That's what I was thinking. By then there may be more word on the 780/8970M as well, in addition to Clevo and MSI + Asus's model refreshes.

 

It's one thing adding newer MXM gpus vs new chassis design.

Sent from my SGH-T769 using Tapatalk 2

 

My Dell XPS M1710 has been a great laptop, I've been using it hard (with a LOT of traveling) for over 5 years. But to get to the fans to clean them fully requires COMPLETELY removing the LED screen from the computer, then the keyboard, the palm rests, etc. It is such a pain I rarely do it. How hard is it to get to the fans on the Mx17?

 

It takes you 5 screws to remove the GPU fan and clean it.

 

Yup the m17x is one of the easiest laptops I have ever taken completely apart. After the first few times, it's a cakewalk.

 

Long Live Alienware!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Unfortunately Dell's support and their quality control have taken a nose dive over the past couple years, so it's tough to justify the "premium" on those merits. The build quality especially outside of the very expensive m18x have also seen regression, m17's are no longer aluminum but fully plastic..........strong plastic, but still plastic. When compared to it's direct competitor Clevo, the build qualities are essentially the same, both produce high quality/sturdy laptops with few design flaws.

Bottom line is that it comes down to whether or not you are willing to shell out over several hundred dollars more for an alien logo and grill lights. It's the same reason reason people buy a Mercedes for $80k when they could have an equally nice Cadillac for $48K, personal choice

 

still have next best day service at my house here in Alaska. Doesn't get much better than that warranty wise. Plus I bet I paid less for my system originally than you did for that system in your sig.

 

Can't agree more. That's why I mentioned how Alienware gives you a personality while Clevo/Sager just blends in the crowd . In the end, just a preference.

 

This primarily. You buy it to show off. Not to mention if you can brag about how you snagged one for less than the Clevo machines... well... That's just adding to the "wow" factor of the machine.

Though you'd be surprised how few people know about Alienware. Though the superior cooling is a huge plus...I can't say that Dell's "superior support" even makes any sense. I've dealt with several rather irate tech support specialists even just asking a few questions regarding a new machine purchase, or about spare parts lying around. >_>

 

Paid $1425 for this systems current configuration (with an OS) at its release in May, comparatively an Alienware with ~18% off via haggling was still ~$200 more......Dell has however seemingly put a stop to those levels of discounts, so those deals aren't even around anymore from what I've heard.

I'm not here to getting into a "who got a better deal argument", just answering a mans question as honestly as I can relative to my experiences on both sides of the fence.

 

I paid about the same for my system two years ago from aafes, so each to their own. Have had my good share of parts replaced over time, and did also quite a few upgrades. Might be looking at another GPU upgrade at some point here soon, but I want a 2920xm as well and with only around half a year till the next gen stuff comes out. Clevo's are great systems, and I might have to buy one to play with one day, but till then I'm all alienware.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S2 running Resurrection Remix

 

Ah, ..before I ordered my M17x R4, ...is that, I actually placed an order for an NP9170... Went through the whole interwebs to check out how it looks, performs, temps., reviews, ..how it looks, ..



3-4 hrs. straight of playing The Witcher 2, Metro 2033, Crysis 2 HRT Dx11, Battlefield 3 of the highest possible gfx, with V-sync on, targetting 55-60 FPS, OC'ed (893 / 2106-2400 stock V-bios) nets 69-72*C as maximum GPU temp. and 63-65* C max temp. for CPU... is my R4.

Though it's still personal preference.. and not meant in a wrong way.

 

My m17x R2 is my baby,

after some research, and experience with MSI, and ASUS, not to mention Acer, i decided, Alienware, has not only superior build quality, performance, cooling, look, but the most important in this days = SUPPORT/Warranty

I will NEVER, buy other brand anymore, as long as dell will keep doing good work, and care about me, i will gladly spend twice as much money on their products, just becouse i feel they CARE.

And it is not always about the performance or about alien logo we pay, we pay for the experience, and to me, dell prices are best on the market becouse of ....like in 3dmark 11 ''combined'' score

buy alien

dont look back

 

Excellent wording flingin!

 

Yes...well said Flingin. I just ordered my first Alienware m17x R4. I have been a Dell customer for 15 years & have always had a pleasant experience with customer service. Andrew@dell helped me out so much...he is a Dell Rep that you can reach out to on the Alienware forum... great guy!! I don't know any other computer company that has such good customer service.

 

The experience with my Alienware has had really good points AND really bad points. When the machine works (the majority of the time - good, very sturdy hardware), it's like having a high end gaming desktop that you can take around with you. However, I'd say the downside to the brand is its high cost, POOR customer service (in my experience) and stigma that Alienware has among hardcore PC gamers for being a brand for casuals who know little about computers. Now everybody on these forums knows this isn't really true (most of the time), but it is kind of annoying trying to combat that stereotype on other tech forums. I'd give my overall experience with my Alienware a solid 8/10.

 

In all honesty, no, Alienware is not worth it. As an owner of two Alienwares (M11x R2 & Aurora R2), I have had a bad experience with both. The motherboard on my Aurora got fried and couldn't be replaced since it was a discontinued OEM part. My M11x has reached to the point where Google Chrome eventually causes an overheating shutoff. Gaming is impossible for more than 10 minutes. My warranty expired in March, too.

They look cool, but are overpriced and do not last. Got fed up an ordered myself a P150EM. We'll see how it goes.

 

Let me get this straight. You bought a gaming system that you knew was going to be driving hard and you only got the standard one year warranty? Why didn't you get a longer warranty?

 

If price not much different I think better go with alienware. International warranty, build quality(thought 9370 seems great also).
Well alienware might have a show off factor as other said, but as a gaming nerd, that might not be positive LOL.
However, dell rarely update there drivers(after several months) and graphic cards and wireless card(killer wireless) might therefore not be best performed.
But you can just read this forum or google to solve that.

 

In comparison with other models with the same specs, I would say only the m18x really outshines the competition.

 

The Aurora was almost two years old when it died. I didn't get a warranty because Alienwares are so expensive that I couldn't fit a longer warranty into my budget. Warranties aside, I don't feel that Alienware computers are built to last.

 

Each to their own, but you can always buy warranty later down the road if you need to. I'd still like to meet the clevo that can match the M18x in CPU overclocking though.

 

I don't know why anyone would buy a desktop in the first place.

They are simple to build and much cheaper DIY.

 

...That's right, to each their own.

I have nothing but superb, excellent, ecstatic experience with my R4 model. And just like with my ASUS with the 460M, I am just going through the motions of updating drivers straight from NVidia.com. I'm currently running 310.64 beta.

BF3 Multiplayer is still playable at Ultra 1080p with 40-60 FPS average with v-sync on, motion blur off. Graphically heavy maps of BF3 can be more playable at 2XMSSA but still at ultra, 1080p.


Highest temp. as of late is 80*C on CPU and 72*C on GPU. This on OC'ed GPU ultra setting BF3. This are closely the same temps. I get now in TW2, Crysis 2 Hi-Res Pack & DX 11, Metro 2033, ..


Looking forward to an R5..

 

In all honesty, my R3 with 580m runs hot... It needs to be properly ventilated, with the back elevated (preferably) for extended gaming sessions. I'm a bit irked by this, yes, considering my friends with 3rd gen Intels and 600x GPUs are all running cool as cucumbers, but the performance of my M17x R3 is worth the inconvenience of having to watch the temps. I can run most games on high or ultra settings, including DX11 games, and it looks sexy with the lighting and softtouch texture.

A lot of people ask me why I bought Alienware and it's two reasons: 1. I love design and form factor 2. Dell offered my a substantial credit line with them, with 1-year no interest financing so I can pay for half the laptop up front and then pay the rest off interest free over the year (thus building my credit rating)

People love to diss on Alienware because it's expensive, but I would tend to disagree. If you're smart about what parts to buy, take advantage of Dell discounts, and haggle a bit... you can get a sweet deal on a very powerful laptop. Asus and Sager are both solid brands as well, I've got a friend with a Sager and he loves it. My brother has an Asus G74 and it runs like a champ. It really all boils down to personal preference.

at the end of the day... It's my money to spend, and my choice to buy alienware. There are a lot of way dumber ways to spend almost 2k than on a sweet sexy looking laptop, if you ask me.

 

The Fermi cards run HOT like the GTX 460M, 560M, 580M / 675M. These are older gen. cards. They average 83-86+*C when gaming.

The 660, 670, 680M are Kepler cards. They are the new generation cards and are way cooler in operating temp. than Fermi cards.

Hot Fermi cards has nothing to do with being Alienware.

 

tbh my 460m never got above 70C and with the new M17x heatsinks, the 580m/675m runs a lot cooler as well.

 

...But my 460M in the ASUS runs OC'ed at 827 core / 1728 memory (stock is 675 / 1250) playing Crysis 2 with Hi-Res Text Pack with DX 11 at Very High setting, 1080p. ...86*C max GPU temp. in 3-4 hrs. straight gaming.

Other games the 460M runs from 78-83*C Oc'ed, playing at 1080p at high or ultra-ish..


Before purchasing an R4, ..through forum exposure and reading I thought AW has good cooling too. And it's doing it with the 680M.

...Though my max CPU temp. of 80*C during gaming at ultra is another topic. (the sensor/s during monitoring is adding heat to cpu; EC sensor Compal with HWInfo and TS..). Let's not talk about this..

 

I was playing the witcher 2 just about maxxed out on my old 900p monitor. If I left the fans going 100% It wouldn't even reach 70C hehe. This 100watt card I have now though is another story. It is always running super hot and I haven't been able to significantly drop the temps at all.

 

It was kind of a consensus back in the ASUS boards here with the 460, 560M that mid-higher 80s' C is quite acceptable @ 1080p. Past 90*C is close to critical.

The ergonomics, style/aesthetic, and in a way cooling of Kepler, ..the M17x beats my ASUS.