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    Questions about the R2 fan noise

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by Huuy, Feb 17, 2011.

  1. Huuy

    Huuy Notebook Evangelist

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    Right now Dell is having a great sale on the R2: RGB, Xfire 5870M, i7-740QM, etc.. I called up dell and they said I can get it for $2000.

    I don't know the price of the R3 with an 6970M yet, but I would like to wait and see, my biggest concern about getting an R2 is the fan noise. I travel a lot and I know people would be annoyed if they constantly heard an extremely fan, including myself.

    I tried looking online but I got very few answers. The only R2 review I could find was notebookcheck and they said the R2 fan noise under load is 52Db! That's pretty loud.

    I know the R3 uses the PowerXpres/Optimus when the computer is idle, does the R2 5870's use PowerXpress? or does it use Powerplay?

    The only other laptops that I've owned are the W860CU, and the M860ETU. Would i notice much of a difference?
     
    Huuy, Feb 17, 2011
    #1
  2. katalin_2003

    katalin_2003 NBR Spectre Super Moderator

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    It's a gaming laptop,normal to be loud!
    But if you use it in public areas where people might get upset by your fans noise then you can run it in Stealth Mode(not the same good performance but your fans won't kick in like in games).
    Also the fans are not loud all the time,if you're not using intensive applications they will idle at a low speed(inoticeable).

    cheers
     
    katalin_2003, Feb 18, 2011
    #2
  3. The_Moo™

    The_Moo™ Here we go again.....

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    I have owned the 870 and the noise is a bit louder maybe a little less then double
     
    The_Moo™, Feb 18, 2011
    #3
  4. Psyloid

    Psyloid Notebook Evangelist

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    I just got an R2, would it run HD mkv movies/blu ray in stealth mode with no hickups? Didn't try it yet ...
     
    Psyloid, Feb 18, 2011
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  5. debaucher

    debaucher Notebook Deity

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    Mine does.... heck even my HP 210 netbook plays HD content with no issues (once I installed the broadcom HD minicard)

    D.
     
    debaucher, Feb 18, 2011
    #5
  6. FrozenSolid

    FrozenSolid Notebook Evangelist

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    Hey Huuy. I owned the W860CU and the R2 is quieter during normal operations (read none GPU or CPU taxing operations) than the Clevo. Using it for Office type applications Word or Excel it is almost silent but start playing Call of Duty Black Ops and it starts to really crank up. That said; I can still play EU III in stealth mode and I only take a small performace hit, but don't tell my boss! :D
     
    FrozenSolid, Feb 18, 2011
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  7. Huuy

    Huuy Notebook Evangelist

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    Thanks for the help, how much louder is it compared to the W860CU under load?
     
    Huuy, Feb 19, 2011
    #7
  8. FrozenSolid

    FrozenSolid Notebook Evangelist

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    Quite a bit louder. I would not like to be trying to watch TV while someone else was using an M17 R2 at full throttle in the same room. Having said that it is not obnoxious to me using external speakers at normal volume levels. The vents are at the back and tend to send the noise that way as well.
     
    FrozenSolid, Feb 19, 2011
    #8
  9. Huuy

    Huuy Notebook Evangelist

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    Huuy, Feb 19, 2011
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  10. TurbodTalon

    TurbodTalon Notebook Virtuoso

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    Yes. That video is actually a very true-to-life representation.
     
    TurbodTalon, Feb 19, 2011
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  11. VoiceInTheWilderness

    VoiceInTheWilderness Notebook Consultant

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    But hey Huuy, on the bright side, you could do like I do and hook straps to your Alien, set it running on an infinite-loop task, and it will fly you to work! And once you are there, you can warm up your lunch behind the exhaust jets too. I try to see it as a good thing, 'cause mine runs like a raped ape when I crank it up.
     
    VoiceInTheWilderness, Feb 19, 2011
    #11