m17x r4 replacement -- what should I seek?

My 7970m failed before I could sell the laptop, and Dell is offering me a system replacement.

I've heard of someone being offered a Precision m6800 as a replacement for his AW 17. If I were to get an m6800, I would retain an upgradeable CPU and GPU and all of the RAM and HDD slots that my r4 has, and the Quadro k5100m outperforms the 7970m. On the other hand, I do not know if Dell will "water down" its Precisions with the next iteration.

A replacement 17 r2 would in all likelihood perform much better than my m17x r4 and come with a better screen, but the r2 seems like a downgrade in every other way.

I'd like to avoid getting the 17 r1, which would lack both the performance of a maxed 17 r2 and the ports and (supposed) sturdiness and reliability of the Precision.

 

The 17 R1 is better in all ways than the R2 as the R2 is BGA'd to death. That means no upgrades and once it dies, it dies unless you're a soldering wizard. Get the R1 if given the opportunity.

The 17 R1 has an MXM slot and a socketed CPU so it's just as upgradeble as it's predecessors. It's essentially an M17X R5 if it ever existed. The 17 R2 is a pile of solderjunk. I really do think you're getting the R2 confused with the R1 as the R2 is blatantly inferior due to being BGA only. The 17 R1 is very reliable because it's not BGA. It's more reliable than an M17X R4/r3 as it does not suffer from the 7 beeps of hell.

 

Although also keep in mind while the physical sockets in the 17r1 are there and compatible with other components, there is some level of lockdown that prevents you from swapping in components compared to the older m17x series.

 

The choice is really up to you. The Precision M6800 has excellent build quality, but it is missing some features that I /personally/ would miss from a typical Alienware machine. Notably the backlit keyboard and maybe some software associated with an Alienware notebook.
It's really down to your needs and functions; are you gaming a lot or do you find yourself doing 3D work ( AutoCAD/Solidworks/etc )?
If you're looking primarily at upgradability and customization down the road, I would probably look at the Precision M6800. For gaming functions, an AW17 R1 might do you better as it still retains some form of customization, but like the above post mentioned, compatibility is a different story.
My opinion is that either one is a winner. But that's just me.

 

I would suggest the R1... You'll have quite a few options and even with the locked down BIOS, everything will be fine (just be careful when undervolting as resetting everything is a pain)... 970M/980M work perfectly in Optimus mode in the R1... M6800 isn't bad but of course, it is a different type of notebook...

 

I always thought that the Precision series had BIOS lockouts which prevented you from upgrading it's GPU. Is this true?

 

No idea here about this tbh...

 

Dell has offered me a rather nice replacement, and it does not have a BGA CPU or GPU or a plastic case. I think it is refurbished, but the specifications are enough of an upgrade that the matter of "refurbished or not" cannot debase the whole sentiment.

I don't know if I will keep the machine. Are the GTX 880ms still troublesome?

 

Depends on your luck.. I would take the 880M machine, remove the 880M, sell it and get a 970M

 

Out of sheer curiosity and worry (fellow r4 7970m user) what were the failure signs and did you run it enduro or over clock it permanently?

 

I did not have a prior warning. The computer froze, its screen showed artifacts, and it did not boot in dedicated GPU mode when I tried to reset it. Soon after, I could not use a recovery USB or boot it in safe mode or "Enduro mode" either.

I almost always used the m17x in dGPU mode (no Enduro), and I rarely overclocked the 7970m.

 

Why not post the full spec of the replacement so we can get an idea.....

 

I did not post the specs because I don't want to sound like a boaster. At any rate:

Alienware 17 R1
Intel Core 4th Generation i7-4940MX Processor (Quad Core, 8MB Cache, up to 4.0GHz)
256 GB Solid State Drive
1TB, 5400 RPM 2.5 inch SATA 6Gb/s
32GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz
Slot-Load Dual Layer Blu-ray Combo (BR-ROM, DVD+/-RW, CD-RW)
Windows 8.1 (64Bit) English
17.3 inch (439.42 mm) WLED FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare Display
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M graphics with 8GB total GDDR5
Intel 7260
8-cell Lithium Ion (86 wHr) Battery
240W AC Adapter

Old specifications:

Alienware m17x r4
i7-3740qm
AMD 7970m
500gb 7200 RPM
8gb RAM
DVD+/- RW
Windows 8.1
1080p 60hz glossy
90wh battery
Killer 1103
240W

 

I don't think there are many people here that would call it boasting - I certainly wouldn't. In my book, any failed machine deserves to be replaced with 'like for like or better' as that is Dells stance on replacements. It's just your good fortune to fall into the 'better' category on this occasion.

As for that spec, it's a killer replacement when compared to your outgoing machine and personally, I'd snap it up. As for your attitude towards having upgradeability with sockets/slots, with that replacement, the only real upgrade that you could do (apart from hard drives etc) would be the gpu - the older 17 has had people drop a 970m/980m into them, so from that point of view, a new 17 R1 does not hold any advantage over the older 17 - other than the ability to add or use an eGPU Graphics Accelerator with an external desktop card. You also lose your Blu Ray if offered a new 17....not sure of how much importance that is for you, but I like to watch movies on my machine from time to time.

Obviously, you could try and push for a new 17 if you felt that the GA would be of benefit to you - other than that, the spec of the older 17 is superior.

Regarding the 880m, even if you did have issue, you should still be covered under the balance of your remaining warranty - might be worth your while looking into extending your warranty.

 

To clarify: when I said that I did not know if I would keep the replacement, I meant that I might sell it (and buy a laptop from another company) once I get it. I agree with you, @steviejones133 and @TomJGX .

I'm wondering, however, if I should try to get a 120Hz LCD. I would prefer a reflective (and better-looking) screen.

 

I'd certainly ask for the 120hz - one thing to bear in mind is how important battery life is to you as the 3D screen cannot be driven by the iGPU, hence power consumption will go up as the 880m will be in use all the time. No Optimus.

It sounds like you might be somewhat limited to spec by what Dell have in their inventory that are already built, but it's worth asking....

 

Amazing specs chief, consider this laptop to be a desktop of sorts even our (my specs are all the same 'cept for the bluray and 32gb Rams ) R4 were no DTR compared to the beast they are offering you. Myself I am at a crossroad I want to have a 980M but I don't want the soldered stuff AW wanting me to buy, I'd say the 17R1 is pretty much the r4 capability of upgrade with the power of a desktop in a laptop chassis.

 

And I have always used it in enduro mode, simply cuz I can't find any fault in playing anything from watchdogs to bf4 and no over clocks ever...YET...

 

Btw with the specs u have it most probably is a 3D-120 HZ screen... It is like my configuration minus the processor... Every R1 with these specs I saw was a 120 HZ

As for the 880m I have it running more than perfectly with almost every game but ofc u will need to repaste

The maximum temp I saw with my repaste of Zalman STG-02 was 80c playing Dying Light for like 12 hrs on full settings while that game was chugging 4 gigs of vRam and utilizing the GPU @99%

And u can always upgrade to a 980m in the future but take care if it is 120HZ u won't be getting Optimus

 

Got the machine. Looks new. It feels sturdier than the r4, but I prefer the r4's design somehow. Keyboard might be better, but trackpad is not. I don't know what I think about the matte screen--it's such a disorienting change. Fan profiles are indeed atrocious: the CPU fan is a nuisance. OS was installed on the wrong hard drive when the machine arrived, and cloning the OS to the SSD took a while. SSD not as snappy as I had expected, and I don't have time for a fresh install. The Intel 7260 might peak at lower speeds for me than the Killer 1103, but I'm not having connection drops with the 7260. It's a decent laptop.

Don't know if I will keep it.

 

Your experience is similar to mine, except I really got screwed on my replacement specs (they downgraded me to a 1600x900 LCD.....)

I much preferred the M17x R4 design, but the Alienware 17 feels a little sturdier. Did not like the matte display at all, the colors were washed out as compared to the M17x R4......

So I bought a M18x instead

 

Yes, I considered selling this and buying an m18x r2, but doing so might be more trouble than it's worth.

The laptop still works, and it is still decent. I don't know if I prefer it to the r4. I expected much worse when I heard that I would get a refurbished machine.

The process of replacement went smoother than I had expected. I did not have to argue with anyone, and Dell did not try to waste the last days of my r4's warranty. As I had expected (when the 7970m failed), Dell lacked another r4 part that I needed replaced, and I was offered another notebook.

Since Alienware has had much bad press lately: here is evidence that its customer service is not always poor.

N.B. Apparently, I could not get a 17 r2 because my old system was more than two years old. That worked out well for me (because the 17 r1 seems better than the r2), but if that is true and a rule across all models, it does not make sense. I assume that the rule in the abstract would be: "Those with systems older than two years old are not entitled to new replacements. 'New' as in 'non-refurbished' and 'the newest model.'" Does it mean that someone whose still-warrantied m17x r1 or r2 failed today would not get a replacement? I've read about Dell offering new and latest-iteration 17s and 18s for m17xs r2. Perhaps it's a recent change?

 

Methinks you've been fed a line about not being able to get an R2 due to the age of your current machine. I think it is more so the case of Dell wanting to get shut of older R1 stock. I've seen many people with much older systems get brand new current iteration replacements.

What is the spec of your machine that is being replaced and what is the spec of the replacement?

 

Yes, I suspected that the rep was feeding me a line, but I didn't question it. I posted the specs on the last page, and you responded:

 

My bad. I forgot you posted the specs. To be honest, the proposed replacement is indeed a step up in terms of overall performance and that is all Dell need offer. Would it have been 'nice' to have been offered an R2? - that is open to a LOT of interpretation because of BGA, poorer build quality, PSU issues, BIOS issues etc etc for the new machine.

I guess it is down to personal preference as to who would prefer an R2 over an R1 - personally, I wouldn't.

 

My case is practically identical to yours since I was given an R1 as a replacement for my AW R4 (faulty 7970M too). I personally prefer the design of the R1 over the R4. Only complain I've had with this laptop has been the CPU, which is a 4910MQ and yes the fan profiles are atrocious but don't forget to re paste which can make a big difference. After re pasting the 880M It's been running really cool and doesn't go beyond 80 C.
Also the upside of being able to switch out GPU or CPU makes the R1 a million times better than the new Alienware R2 models which are complete garbage because everything is practically BGA.

 

I also replaced my R4 to R1, problems 7970M and creative audio card.
I have curiosity, what is the complaint of the cpu 4910?

 

Haswell CPU's use too much power and generate too much heat as a result.. You need good thermal paste like Liquid Ultra to keep them completely cool if you OC

 

This nails it lol. It can run from anywhere from 70C - 85C and sometimes when doing certain benchmarks or running an antivirus scan it can reach up to 90C . It hasn't failed or made the laptop shutdown but it is concerning for it's life span. But the replacement they gave you looks solid when compared to what we had, it's a significant upgrade. Just make sure you check it's working perfectly and doesn't have any problems.

 

Thanks to advice you buy Gelid Extreme and have not had more problems temperature (CPU and GPU).

That's true. At the beginning I had problems with high temperatures of the CPU - GPU. At the 4910MQ the temperatures always they seemed very high (sometimes was able to see 93ºC).
However, after applying a new thermal paste temperatures they have improved. Total load on the maximum temperature can be 75-80°C.

 

Undervolting is your friend as well

 

What values to use to undervold XTU?

 

On stock clocks mine can't go past -57mV ... Some people said they could go down -100mV on stock clocks ... I have a very bad chip

 

I'll try with reference to your values.

 

I've been able to push -115mV for usage, but it won't come out of sleep half the time, so I keep mine at -65mV for stability.

 

First down to 50mV without any problems, then probe with 60mV there was no problem.
I have accomplished down to 65mV, it is a stable value for my chip.

 

Neat! Now your temps would be much lower

 

Also your chip will last longer as result

 

Correct, the temperature range is really acceptable (68-73ºC)