Replacement M17 Seems Lesser Quality

So, After various problems with my M17x r2, Alienware has agreed to replace my computer. Just a little info on my m17x, its got the 940xm/and dual 5870's in it. I explained to the representative that an r3 would be a downgrade to my current system. His reply was, well they will find a way to fit 2 graphics cards in your new r3, and I told him this wasn't possible. I continued to explain how this new laptop would be a downgrade, and he told me I would have to wait 3-4 weeks until I receive it, and then if I'm not happy, call back. I decided to call again today, and see if there was anything that can be done, instead of waiting a month to receive something I'm going to send back. I have many complaints about the new r3 m17x, here's a few, Softtouch peels/single graphics card/optimus/case construction/lower performance. Now I said all this to the rep today, and he said there was nothing that could be done, and assured me that the new r3 would outperform my previous laptop. I feel I'm being cheated, and when the product I bought doesn't work, they downgrade me, even though I paid the same price. I was just wondering if anyone else had any ideas on what I can say, or any past experiences to share.

 

Why not try to work it out with a high end m17x with a 2820QM , 6970M , SSD and 8-16 gigs of ram try to haggle it out I am sure you can get a great deal out of them

 

I'm in the same boat as you right now. I had the exact same R2 with a plethora of problems. They are sending an R3 out, but I don't know the specs yet. I have argued a lot with them about getting an M18x, but they wouldn't budge.

 

an R3 with anything above a i7 2720QM and a Radeon HD 6970 will beat the pants of any R2. only downside is the loss of the RBG screen and the aluminum case. the 6970 is better than dual 5870s. what are the specs on the system they sent you?

 

Since he mentioned "optimus" I am sure he got 460m

 

Wait, so I might get a 460m? Those fiends!

 

Im pretty sure dual 5870s are slightly better than a single 6970m.

 

Slightly, but the 6970m actually outperforms the dual 5870's in some modern games.

 

you also dont get micro stutter. and all games don support cf. its not a huge if any loss.

 

I have a R2 and a maxed out R3. The 5870M CF beats the single 6970 in every game I tried except for Shogun 2, Crysis 2 & NFSS:Unleashed by about 7% to 10%. In those exceptions I stated the difference is from 10% to 15%. I've never noticed micro stutter with 10.8 CCC+.

Maybe I haven't played any games that make this happend.

 

I haven't received the r3 yet, I get the order number Monday. I am not satisfied with losing my dual graphics cards, it was the biggest selling point for me. I had an m11x before, and absolutely hated Optimus, its one of the buggiest technologies that Nvidia has ever released. I currently have the 940xm i7, crossfire 5870's, 8 gbs of ram, slot loading bluray. Pretty much the top of the line. The crossfire cards are the biggest thing right now, making me feel cheated. I also don't want to lose my i7 extreme, but could understand and settle for a chip that equally performed. Every benchmark I have seen between the r2 and r3, show the r2 stomping the r3 by a pretty big margin. Not to mention, the softtouch on my m11x rubbed off/peeled, and the plastic didn't feel solid. I've had countless problems with this computer, and don't really feel that my requests are out of line, considering I paid big $ for it.

 

ok but the sandy bridge processor is still way better

 

Intel rolled it out with defects, sorry but I'm not at all impressed with the r3, and I have a feeling I'll be on the phone quite a bit with alienware.

 

What defect are you referring to?

 

Sandy Bridge had NO defect, Cougar Point had a small defect that affected Sata 2 ports but was remedied within a month...Your statement is flawed.

 

Maybe in your dreams... 5870m CF at 900P has issues at some games and even is not so smooth sometimes. For the 6970m, any game I played at full resolution of 1080P everything was perfect, unbelievable. I can even overclock the card to 800/1100 with no issues whatsoever.

 

I don't know man from my experiences I can play any game i want with 4x AA at 1200P with playable framerates. Maybe you just had a bad rig or something? I play BC2, AC: Brotherhood, bulletstorm, homefront,....( I have like 40 or 50 games) no problems at all here not even micro stuttering on any of the games I have played.

Than all but the 920xm because of the unlocked multi's and the TDP/TDC manipulation. The 2920xm is better though.

 

It's great to hear that you didn't encounter any micro stuttering problem, mind to explain what have you done to your R2 to make it perfect?
Did you reflash the vbios or updating the drivers to make it problem free?

 

I don't understand why the benchmarks are lower for the r3 by such a huge margin, yet a few of you are saying how much more powerful it is than the r2.

 

No doubt you will hate the R3, since you have yet to get it and are already arguing how poor the performance and build quality is sight unseen. Try to get an M18x and be happy...?

 

I purchased these off of a notebookreview member and they already came flashed, I am running 11.4 with 11.3 cap 5. Uninstalled drivers using CCleaner and Driver sweeper like 4 times each in safe mode and regular. Other than that didn't do anything else.(except flash them to 825/1200)

Because they want to justify their purchases. Honestly you should have pushed for an M18x or another R2. An R3 is a downgrade even with all the bells and whistles(M15x successor).

 

Not likely. I can compare ACBH Crysis 2 WOW CATA and many other games I have installed on both laptops, they run much better on R3.
I have also thought before receiving the machine that it's not going to be as good, trust me, it is better in many ways ...

 

Great, good to know that they run fine on the M17x R2.

Are those games you mentioned optimized for crossfire setup?
Because I heard HD5870 CF will perform better in case the games are crossfire optimized.

 

Wow... and several more people are having the same problem. I have argued the EXACT same argument. I didn't bother reading the entire thread. I only needed to read the first post. I too feel the R3 is a major downgrade and they agreed to pretty much max everything out. I have an 8 page thread of the ongoing issue. Wow.

 

I'm going to try and push for an m18x, bottom line I don't feel they are compensating me adequately. I've heard they won't give refunds either at this point, so I feel they are obligated, to make things right.

 

That's all I keep hearing is that it's "better". That's all the reps keep telling me. It's "better". We're comparing apples and oranges guys. The R3 is nice in it's own respect, but it is NOT an R2 and people that purchased the R2 purchased it for several reasons including the dual video cards, the aluminum shell and the RGB screen. In those respects, the R3 is a downgrade and I don't care what anyone says - dual 5870's blow away a single 6970 ANYday of the week hands down. Numerically speaking, it's just not possible. You MIGHT be able to MATCH the speed if the R2 in question has a low end processor and the R3 in question has a high end processor - but that it is. A maxed out R2 like mike cannot not be compared to any R3. They have replaced my system once already and want to do so again now with an R3. Unacceptable. They say they don't have any more R2s... that's not my problem, that's Dells -so send me an m18x because it's the ONLY machine that comes close to matching my machine and yes, it's an upgrade - but that's what the policy states. In the case of a failed machine, you will get a replacement of equal or greater value. My machine has not worked right since I bought it 6mo ago and I paid $3100 for it. If you go online and build the R3 they're offering me... it's significantly less than the $3100. Unacceptable. I hate to keep rehashing in multiple threads... especially about whether or not the R3 is better than the R2... there is no "better", there is only the needs of the customer and Dell should have changed their design so much on this model without expecting backlash when it comes to replacements. They need to figure something out.

This is pretty much all I'm going to say on your matter my friend because I have my own thread here. Check it out. I even filed a complaint with the BBB. So I don't want to be repeating myself on several threads and start sounding like a fanatic... but I am a man of action. It's alot to swallow -but take a few minutes to read up... at least the last few pages and updates where I'm in the same boat as the OP. Might be some help there for you.

That is all. Good luck my friends. Shoot me an email if you need any help - I'll do my best to offer anything I can. Take care.

 

To each his own my friend, The OP is getting a downgrade no matter which way you slice it, Dual 5870's are faster when BOTH are utilized in crossfire. If the game does not utilize crossfire the you will see a little better performance with a 6970, but we are not talking double the performance here. So regardless the true successor to the R2 is the M18x NOT the R3 and he is getting a downgrade pure and simple.

 

Exactly. Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

If adding GPUs caused performance to scale linearly, I would agree with you, but as of now, Ive seen them go back and forth between different variables because they dont.

Regarding the upgrade, they will likely argue depreciation which is why they will send you the R3.

 

Sorry, but this just seems ridiculous to me. This laptop is only a few months old, and already has had its slew of problems. I need a replacement system that is at least as good as the specs of this computer stated it would be. The idea that the value of my system could go down in time, yet become inoperable while inside the warranty period, and they could send me a system based on what the current value of my computer is appraised at sounds purely like ripping people off.

 

Which is why I keep saying it's comparing apples to oranges.

As far as depreciation goes, I don't about others - but that doesn't apply to my situation. I've never owned at $3100 system because I have had issues with it since the second week of owning it. They replaced just over two months ago and it has been bricked for over a month now. You see where I'm going with this. If I had had the system for a year or even 6 months and never had any problems to begin with until now and they simply didn't have my machine any longer - they'd have more ground to arugue on, but since I've never had a working system, they owe me a brand new 100% fully fucntional machine or a refund. And since I've never owned a fucntioning machine longer than 30 days... I deserve a replacement value of exactly what I spent. If you check out my thread, you'll see more details and it will blow your mind.

They recently told me that I couldn't get a refund because my purchase just reached 6mo. They said if it hand't reached that far that gthey could work out a full refund, lol! The funny thing is that my replacement system broke down at month 5 and I called it it right away and they gave me the run-around. I wasn't able to get anywhere until my 6mo passed. How convienient for them, right? It's unacceptable and for what I need - which is dual video cards, an aluminum shell, 8mb cache in my processor and an RGB 1200p screen - then the only option for upgrade is the m18x. Sure, I'm losing the 1200p screen, but they are increasing the size of the screen over an inch - so I can live. That would be a fair trade and if I had $3100 right now, I could buy the exact m18x that would fit my needs. It all makes perfect sense, but they want to argue "policy" with me and countless others and downgrade our systems. If they can't match the equipment we have, then they need to refund our money. And no, a refurbed machine is not an option because as I said before... I paid $3100 for a brand new system - not a refurb and since I've never had a new working system for longer than 30 days, then I am still owed a brand new system that matches the specs I ordered - or again, a full refund.

And that's exactly what it is.

 

sorry, double post

 

It is true indeed that most games do not utilize CF properly, actually you 'd better think twice before making such judgment. I am personally (and thus far is all I argued about) satisfied completely with what I get.
R3 benches 19500 pts @ 3dmark06, my r2 did 18900 all maxed out (940xm, cf5870, 8gb) and stock paste maxOC 21300 (gpu+cpu), Right now R3 does exactly same 21500 pts.
Consider this: yes, RGB is much bigger on R2 and more colorful, owning r3 for a week I forgot about its looks, plus, 1200p requires a lot more computing power than 1080p and i wonder why dont people ever consider that... this is one of the reasons of why for an example ACBH lagged @ my r2 insanely at some moments

 

I dont like it either, but thats just what I see them doing. I understand where both of you are coming from, but from their POV. Even though your systems are only a few months old, they will likely date it from the R2 release and then calculate what is more or less "todays value". At least thats what it seems like theyre doing. I agree that you should be refunded your money, but from their POV, that would be a loss of $3100, labor on your previous, and another system to refurbish. Giving you a refund would create a precedent that would likely end up costing them a lot of money.

Also, just because Im wondering, what kind of warranties did you both have?

 

He already said he had the m11x which has a very similat build to it regarding the plastic shell. That's the biggest problem with the actual "build" and the OP has mentioned that.

As far as quality goes in regards to performance, it's been posted all over these forums and others showing that the R2 out performs the R3. This is not a discussion about which is better, but it is a discussion regarding the system the OP paid for. He paid for dual video cards and an aluminum shell. So for his needs/wants - the R3 does not offer those things and no other upgrades are going to compensate. Again, the 6970 does not beat dual 5870s. Sure, it may out-perform older games or games that can't ultilize the crossfire, but again that doesn't matter because the point is - he paid for dual video cards and no matter how you shuffle the cards, he's not getting what he paid for with the R3 and therefore he should be getting a refund or an upgrade to s similar machine that has the features he wants - like the m18x. No one has stopped to consider that while the 6970 may be a great card for most gameing - not all customers bought the m17x-R2 for gameing. Some of us use them for work and heavy video/sound editing. Which is another reason the 1200p RGB comes in so handy. The fact is that while running multiple applications that are demanding alot of graphics power - dual cards will out perform the single card. Especially if you have similar processors.

So again, this keeps coming down to which machine is better and that is not the issue. The issue comes down to what the customer paid for and what he/she needs for his/her personal computer. Others like myself purchased the R2 for very specific reasons that are important to us and if we do not get those options - then maybe we wouldn't have dumped so much cash on it. Maybe we would have gone elsewhere. So, bottom line - the R3 is NOT the R2 and the closest thing is the m18x.

That's the idea.

But again, we're going back what I said above in this post. I still think it's apples to oranges... but quite simply - we paid for dual video cards and an aluminum shell and that specific screen. That's what we should get.

Yeah, I understand their POV for sure. They are going to lose money. They already have. But that's not my problem. They sent me TWO defective machines. If they were building quality products, then we wouldn't have these arguments at all. And I understand that sometimes things happen and not every system is going to be perfect, but they still need to stand behind them regardless. Yes, they will lose money... so have I. I have not been able to to my side jobs for the last 6mo. I've spent $3k in software that I haven't been able to use. Can they make up those dividends? Nope and I wouldn't ask them to. I just want what I paid for.

As far as my warranty goes I got the Advanced Warranty. I only paid for a year because I couldn't afford to add more and I needed my machine built very specifically. The salesman told me I could purchase the extended warranty later at a "slightly" inscreased rate. Yeah, try double the cost. I made my purchase 6mo ago and I'm getting freaked out because I've recieved 2 crap machines... what happens when I get this one and it dies in 6mo??? I think a year is a good test bed on a machine... we're almost to month 7 and I haven't recieved my next replacement yet. So say 8mo by the time I get everything settled. That gives me 4mo of warranty in the end and they will NOt extend warranties no matter what happens unless you pay out the rear. Best bet is to buy the 4 years right off the bat no matter what you have to sacrifice.

 

Not apples & oranges, my friend
I 've been trying to explain this and well frankly its @ u to understand or to not, but whats actually happening is that you paid money for a 17 inch laptop, is that about right? their service agreement is straight about this: you get exchange with a system of SIMILAR or BETTER performance. what I said is R3 is of a better performance in some sense (sb is much better than 1st gen i7, thats a fact) and from educated perspective of view those dual cards are not better than a single 6970m, many people in here have already said that, I say so too after seeing myself, soft-touch needs more care, that's for sure and bla bla bla and etc.
my opinion is: they will not give u a m18x
u should be happy with r3 because they can actually find you a R2 and then ur stuck for sure (they almost found one for me i totally freaked out bout that...)
and if u still think u are more educated in this topic, god speed my friend. you argue from non-technical perspective that has 1 clear PRO (screen) and many CONS that are potentially arguable and will be explained by a savvy technician (performance? chassis? dimensions?)
and if even this didnt convince u then here's what might give u a 10% hope: demand talk with manager, demand filing a complaint
G L
- Leo

 

I'm sorry but your arguments are full of holes and really don't add up. So I will try to explain this again:


"I 've been trying to explain this and well frankly its @ u to understand or to not, but whats actually happening is that you paid money for a 17 inch laptop, is that about right? their service agreement is straight about this: you get exchange with a system of SIMILAR or BETTER performance. "

The size of a laptop is just one part of the whole machine, he also purchased it for the build type Anodized Aluminum, and the Parts Dual GPU's and an Extreme CPU, and it's not similar or better performance. It's similar or better Specifications.


"what I said is R3 is of a better performance in some sense (sb is much better than 1st gen i7, thats a fact) and from educated perspective of view those dual cards are not better than a single 6970m, many people in here have already said that, I say so too after seeing myself"

This statement about sandy bridge is true only if we are not talking about a 920 xm and a 2920xm all others do not compare(920xm OC capabilities have been proven on this site to still give it an edge over the 2720, 2820,...)

The dual GPU solution is better than a single GPU solution, if the DUAL GPU SOLUTION IS BEING UTILIZED(this can be 0-80% improvement depending on CAPs over a single GPU. I am not talking just about the 5870's vs 6970 this is a generalized statement.) Also, I must be uneducated for taking this stance from what you say.

"u should be happy with r3 because they can actually find you a R2 and then ur stuck for sure (they almost found one for me i totally freaked out bout that...)
and if u still think u are more educated in this topic, god speed my friend."

This is pure speculation and your opinion, as I am sure many people are happy with their R2's and would rather keep it than have it replaced by an R3. Also, Are you more educated in this topic than anyone else? If so, What are your credentials that make everyone else's opinions false?


"you argue from non-technical perspective that has 1 clear PRO (screen) and many CONS that are potentially arguable and will be explained by a savvy technician (performance? chassis? dimensions?)"


Let's argue this point here Dimensions do not matter really as they can change from refresh to refresh. I personally have been upgraded from a 16" laptop to a 17" laptop before through dell. Now Performance, I already have talked about this previously. He paid for DUAL GPU's therefore he is entitled to DUAL GPU's not a Single GPU(which when supported can show a 0-80% improvement in performance over a Single GPU, again depending on the CAP's.). Glad you brought up the Chassis, The Chassis on the R2 is far more superior than the R3 and would be more comparable to the M18x which is also Anodized Aluminum. Where the R3 is a soft touch rubber and plastic not the same thing sorry.

Ultimately, You are happy with what you have that is fine. The OP wants an honest and logical assessment of his situation, and that is that the R3 is not the true successor to the R2, and that it is a downgrade specification/performance wise. I didn't even bring up the RGBLED as he is at a loss either way it goes M18x/ R3 because they don't offer the 1920 x 1200 screen period anymore. This reminds me of the ASUS g73 vs Alienware M17x R2 comparison, and as I have said in that argument you can't compare the two.

EDIT" Also this whole pro rating thing is wrong they do not base it off the market value they base replacements off of specifications.

 

Mkelliny said it best. And that has been said over and over.

I just don't understand how some of you are so closed minded about this. I am really happy that you love your R3. That's great! You had a good experience! Even better!

But again... broken record time... I did not pay for a plastic machine with a single GPU. And you just don't seem to understand that. You can make assumptions all you'd like about whether or not my statements are educated -it makes no difference to me. But I can also assume that you did not read/undertand what was posted before commenting because you still seem to be stuck on specific benchmarking tools and games to compare the machines. For what I need/want in a machine - the R3 does not offer. I'm telling you that for my specific needs - I need dual GPUs. I need a sturdy chassis and shell. Again, I am very happy that the R3 suits YOUR needs - but it does not suit mine and a single GPU will not perform as well as dual GPUs for the kind of work I do on my system. The rubber/plastic case will not stand up well to the environments that I will eventually be putting my system through once I get one that works correctly.

That's it. Thats all that needs to be said. The rest are just a bunch of "points of view", assumptions and most of all... opinions. My issues are not opinion based. My issues are factual. That means that for a fact - the R3 is not what I want and will not suit my needs. Period.

And as far as filing a complaint... I have done so. Dell has 28 days left to respond to my claim with the BBB.

Look, I'm not trying to argue or fight with anyone here. I'm posting my expericnes for other's to learn from. I'm not trying to figure out if the R2 is better than the R3... for my needs it doesn't matter which is "better" in your opinion. I bought my R2 for very specific purposes and the terms agreement state they have to replace my machine with an identical machine or a better one. For what I need - the R3 is simply NOT better. End of story. It is not "better" for many of us. A refurb replacement is not an option for me particularly because I have never owned a working machine for longer than 30 days, therefore - I am still owed a brand new machine that will fit my needs. If they cannot comply - then they need to give me a full refund. And hey, I'm not against taking another R2 - if they have one that's brand new because that is what I paid for.

 

I can deal with a loss on the screen, what I can't is the dual cards/extreme chip/and the chassis. Those were specific to the m17x, and the whole reason I got it, I spoke to a tech manager today who said he's going to speak to a focus group. They'll see what they can do and call me back tomorrow sometime, we'll see what happens from there and I'll post any updates. Also, just to note I don't feel because they stop producing my product that they're entitled to downgrade my system.

 

My sentiments EXACTLY. I can deal with the downgraded sceen. A full pixels aren't going to be that much of a change. The WLED is still a very very nice screen. But settling for plastic over aluminum? Nope. One GPU in place of two? Nope!

 

They haven't stopped making it just refreshed it and made it 1.1" bigger.

 

Agreed.

 

But it is; because if it wasnt your problem, we wouldnt be here at all. They will find some sort of asinine justification for your trouble, and an even more asinine justification of why they can give you what they will.

Not to be rude, but if were going to argue terms, we should find it verbatim.

OC or Turboboost? OC likely wont be factored as its generally not apart of the original CPU specifications; all CPUs are binned differently so it wouldnt be fair to go by that.

The only problem with this is that the HD 6970M is about 25% faster than the HD 5870M, so they can argue your base level performance is increased and not variable. 0-80% is a huge range, and nothing is guaranteed.

I think its more about overall performance than actual components, people keep saying "DUAL GPUS" and yet its likely they go by performance rather than exact hardware.

Im not saying youre wrong, nor am I saying youre right, but like I said, if were gonna talk about what AW does, we should use their actual documentation rather than speculate.

 

We all have our opinions, I was just trying to find anyone else who had similar experiences or anything constructive to say regarding my situation. One example that comes to my mind is, what if I bought a m15x with issues, if I needed a replacement would they downsize me to a m14x? Its the successor to the m15x if I'm not mistaken, or would they upgrade you to a m17x. I don't feel I'm out of line in wanting to retain my dual gpu's, extreme chip, and chassis. As far as talking about dual gpu's, its not only performance, its about that feeling I get when I think that my laptop has 2 gpu's. I like it, call me stupid or whatever you want, but I bought something with those certain specifications in mind.

 

They tell you on the phone that it will be similar or upgraded specifications, you can't use the justification that a single gpu system is the successor to the R2 and therefore what it should be replaced by because the base performance is 25% better. When you pay for two GPU's you pay for that 0-80% variable in performance or else why did Dell offer three versions a single gpu, nvidia dual gpu solution, and an ati dual gpu solution. Just saying you can't argue that he is entitled to an R3 because of the name and size. Also Over clocking is valid as it was a selling point on the R2. Stock yes the 2820 is as good as the 920 but the 920 has that edge because of its overclock capability which is why people pay $1k dollars for it. Anyway I am done arguing about this.

Here you go Terms:
Dell Terms of Sale, License Agreements & Policies | Dell

 

Does anyone know why the m18x has 2 versions of the extreme chip, one overclocked and one not. Can't you just overclock the same chip for $75 less?

 

Yes

10 char

 

To Nas Ghost... Why don't you all loot at it like this... let's just say that the 6970 blows away the dual 5870's ok? Well, the R3 in that respect, is still a downgrade because I can't have TWO 6970's in the R3 if I wanted them, right? And I never could because it simply doesn't have the hardware to support it, right? This is common knowledge. The R2 can be upgraded and can have two BETTER cards installed where again the R3 will always only be able to hold one. No matter how you guys try to play it - the R3 is not of equal or greater value because it does not support dual video cards and does not have an aluminum chassis/shell. Period. So lets stop the argument about whether or not the 6970 is better than the dual 5870s because it doens't matter, lol! Either way, the R3 won't hold ANY two cards and the R2 WILL so even if that 6970 is better... then fine - I want an R2 so I can install dual 6970's on my own and still enjoy the metal chassis/shell and 1200p screeen.

I agree. It's the same argument over and over, there is no other way of justifying the R3 as a replacement. Regardless, it's not what we ordered or what we wanted and it doesn't have the power.

I agree man. And I don't blame you for ending your argument. Unfortunately, I am screwed right now and I will argue until I am blue in the face... and then some. No matter what any of these guys say or how Dell tries to slice it... it doesn't matter about any specs or anything else... the R3 is NOT an R2 and for the last time it is comparing apples and oranges. They're both great machines in with their respective qualities - but what I like and what these other guys like are totally different. Our needs are different. And as I stated above, Dell cannot downgrade us by their own policy.

Who cares which cards are better and what benchmarking tools are used on what machine. I don't care if these bozos think the 6970 blows away the 5870's... the point is the 5870's can be upgraded to have other dual cards and no matter how you slice it, the R3 can NEVER have dual cards and it can never have an aluminum chassis/shell... anything less is a downgrade and NO upgrade anywhere else is going to compensate me for that loss - I would rather show elsewhere.

I just don't understand how these guys can keep arguing that. It's just common sense.

Earlier I said, "Yeah, I understand their (Dell's) POV for sure. They are going to lose money. They already have. But that's not my problem." And Ghost replies with...

Ok sure, it's my problem because I have to fight it - but it's THEIR problem that they sent me two POS machines and are now attempting to downgrade me. It's their problem and mark my words - they will fix it. They cannot continue with these business practices forever. It will eventually catch up to them.

 

Man I hope you get taken care of soon I was in the same boat as you had a thread with my own customer support horror story http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/524781-dell-techs-ruin-more-than-they-fix.html. Finally got that resolved and I am happy I am sure you will get a result that at the end of the day you will be happy with, but I don't get why people understand why we say that the R3 is not comparable like Conradzz, you, and I. Honestly, I love my R2, and I am happy that I have had no issues at all, temp, brightness, sleep, micro stuttering nothing no problems at all besides the issues in that thread which was all Tech caused.

 

Few quick things. Yes the r2 can have TWO gpus. However, it was noted that someone was going to try two 6970s. Don't bother, it has already been tried and only 1 was ever made to work effectively. Also, the r2 is almost definitely not going to be able to support these better future gpus, so it is kind of a dead end unless you go m18x

Dell usually goes by performance. They are a corporation after all. They are trying to make money. So, from their POV they WANT to give you the m17x r3. You should ask for the m18x though. You already have lots of ground to argue on.

However, the dual gpu one might have to drop. Dell as noted goes by performance, so they don't care that you overclock your 920/940xm, they will look at it stock and how it compares to sandy bridge. Same with 5870CF, they will look at the minimum boost from CF, and compare it to a 6970. I may be a r3 fanboy, but even I know the 6970 looses to CF 5870 (90% + of the time). So hope for the best, expect the worst. This is dell after all

Go after the m18x, but if you can't get it, demand some crazy upgrades, warranty, goodies, etc. for your m17x