Alienware Real Overclocking Package For All 18X And Up! Would You Buy Into It? I Would.

So here is the deal. We are now asking Dell if they would implement a “Real Overclocking” package. One where the bios is really unlocked and gpu are unlocked as well. Of course this would all be well with in reason of course. I’m thinking it’s time to get with the times on these high end machines. Just like Intel has a plan in place for overclocking . And other big names like Evga, Gigabyte & Msi are also following suit. Now I for one would be willing to pay for this type of upgrade from the factory. So what I’m asking is..for a set amount above normal cost. We would get a machine with unlocked bios (And that’s unlocked within reason. Which you already know from this forum) Gpu’s with over clocking enabled vbios files. These specially made altered systems would be attached to the users service tag number. This would cut down on someone paying the premium and then sharing with the world. These unlocked machines are specifically tailored for for those who know what they are getting into. Now you might ask…what if we burn up the cpu? Well last time I checked…I haven’t seen or heard of anyone actually just flat out burning up a cpu from over clocking. This lets us know that what’s in place now is keeping this in check. And I’m talking about the group with unlocked bios files. We already know you guys at “Dell” have been playing with some of these files so you know they are mostly safe. You would save far more money doing things this way then to keep doing things the old way.
This is just a thought I was having and would love to get input from both sides on why or why not this could or could not be done. But that 90 dollars for you to set level 3 over clock in the bios is a joke. Really? And Speaking on that factory bios… who thought it was a good idea to run a flex of 25?? That’s 1.5V That is way to much voltage. The problem with this is you need more amps not voltage. Which seems to be corrected in the M18xR2.(To some Degree) This needs to be changed in the M18XR1. You can run a 45X (4.5ghz overclock) before having to add flex voltage. Raise the watts up in the bios from 99W to 125W This would work well. Change amps from locked 97 up to unlocked 175 max. Still keeping within system specs. Add a version of intels XTU that works with this motherboard and we would all be happy. Well…most of us anyway…. I know there is allot to this so I would love to hear from everyone….

 

One reason I could see is it causing warranty issues. IF a CPU was genuinely bad and just burned up or GPU too and the person had a unlocked computer whos to say Dell wouldn't just say it was overclocked too much and that is how it burned up and not cover it under warranty even if it really was just a bad CPU and GPU.

Although I would also buy into this if it was offered and I knew any warranty issues were covered.

 

Seems like something a reseller would have. Would I be willing to pay extra for it? No, I probably wouldn't. "A set amount above stock price" would be outrageous if set by Alienware. They must make up for the costs of doing so (hardware, software, labor), and throw a percentage of profit on top of that. It mainly depends on how much it would cost because this stuff is available online and I can do it myself for free.

 

I see where you are coming from john, i just don't think the cooling systems in mobile computers are just quite ready for this yet, but i can see them implementing this option a few years down the road once they can truly feel confident this will not cause issues due to heat, because of state of the art cooling is not at that level yet (water, etc..).

 

Any level of cooling is available now, it's only a matter of how much you're willing to pay to get it.

Companies like Alienware don't have these options available because the cost of doing so isn't profitable, yet. I'm sure one day it will be.

 

I like the idea. I guess a whole lot would depend on the "how much $$$" for these unlocked features. The charge for lvl 3 OC, I agree, is ridiculous. It would be better charged for an unlocked BIOS, not for some one to hit 1,2,3 save and exit.....

I would love to see an XTU version for notebook's - all the ones out now are for desktop boards. Wether Dell would go to the trouble of trying to work with Intel to create such, I don't know - be nice to think they would but who knows.....

Also, regarding the Bios/vBios being registered to the service tag, what would stop someone taking a dump of each and passing it around? - I dunno how that would work.

Great idea though, John. +rep.

 

You always come up with good stuff, John. I also strongly believe that the user should have more options for obtaining maximum performance. These laptops are very expensive, and should have more options. If Dell were to implement this, there would be a small margin of people that would damage their hardware. There's no getting around this. HOWEVER, the extra dollars that would be generated from the enthusiasts that would jump on the Alienware bandwagon would far surpass those losses.

I have the triple pipe CPU heatsink, and my CPU at 44x multis still gets pretty toasty during benchmarks and while running any sort of stability tool.

 

Yeah, that was the whole purpose. It's covered under your warranty. Attached to your service tag number.

No reseller yet has offered up an unlocked bios solution because they would need dell to back it first.

It's just like a desktop system with stock cooling. You know your limits. And the bios is still unlocked.

There is a water solution for he M18x, but not sure if dell is looking into it or not. This could also be a part of the package deal.

Thanks.

Basically it's the idea of get your computer unlocked legally and a warranty to cover it. Less problems if it's done correctly.

I also have a few ideas about this, but will have to wait to share just exactly how..

Thanks.

The only reason people even think 43/44 and 45x is a standard is because of people like us who went out and proved it could be done. If we never did this.... No one who even think it was possible.



The cpu is only a 32x@4 or 34x@4 & 37x@4 to begin with. It was never standard to run them at these other speeds. And quite frankly...Not needed to either. Not for every day use. That is more of a users personal preference thing. Or it's more for amd chips to keep up these days. Most desktops can't run 4.4 ghz on stock coolers for any long period of time on all 8 threads, so it's pretty safe to say a laptop would run into far more issues trying to compete, but that's not what your paying for. Your paying for the legal system that says. "here is your real unlocked/overclocking laptop. have at it. You already spent 4 grand, it might as work like a 4 grand machine was intended too.....

 

I just dont see them giving out computers that make is very easy to just be like " durrrrr the more I move this slider the faster my computer goes.....Hmmm whats that smell....!?!?! get the fire extinguisher!!!!".... ring ring, Yea, Alienware. You need to send me another $5,000 computer because I just pushed it too far not knowing a damn thing about computers but had the money to buy your unlocked version covered under warranty. Figured the faster I made it the better and turned it into a camp fire


Sadly there are many people with more money than brains. If this was offered on the website many many people would buy it and burn it up within the first day of having it..... As it is now to be able to overclock and unlock BIOS you have to have some type of knowledge about it all...

Not saying at all there arent still people burning up computers by overclocking as it is now but if they did this that number would be x192828349405857484395958.

Maybe if they worked outsomething different with the warranty on this system......

 

Let me ask you this...Do you own an M18x for starters?
And if so, do you run the unlocked bios?
And if so, do you run the unlocked vbios?

If you answer yes to all the above, then you would understand that what your talking about is really not inline what we are talking about. The only real issue with this is the gpu. And more so it's the memory. And even more than that, the people trying to blame stuff on shooty products when in fact it was user error. This is already being done and people are already using the normal warranties to exchange. And since no one has burned up a cpu or motherboard by over clocking. Your "everyone would burn it up in a few days" not valid. Come on now. Did you even read the first post? I understand debating but come on now...And this market share is is like less than 1 percent as well.

 

I have a M18x on the way. And yes I did read your post. So I guess theres no way for a person to damage the computer with a fully unlocked computer. Thats cool. Have at it Dell!!!!!

Think about it from Dell bussiness stand point.....

Locked BIOS and other programs needed to overclock/ potentially harm the computer and have warranty replace it.

Completely unlocked and overclocking encouraged with this "overclocking package".... MORE potential damage to computers that will have to be replaced under warranty.....

Dell would be taking on a risk with this. Either start denying warranty claims left and right due to USER FAILURE. Or replace MUCH more computers under warranty.....

All Im saying is if this were to happen the number of overheated and damaged computers will increase. Im inclined to say there arent many people screwing thier computers now by overclocking because the people that are doing it now mostly know what they are doing.

If you ask just a regular person about over clocking most will say what is overclocking.... Youd be surprised of how many people dont even know its possible, now put a easy to overclock computer in thier hands and poof....

I think there are many people with Dell that care about what we want but Im sure it all comes down to the bean counters up top to say yes or no to an idea based on how much money it would make the company.


Just my opinion so dont get defensive....

 

Just my opinion and not a debate.
Make sure you don't use any of our unlocked files or ways to enhance your computer. And I will take your comments under advisement, but if you attempt to use any of these files and you ask for help. I will be one of the first to talk about it.
Hope you don't take that wrong and get defensive.

 

I totally agree regarding the cpu. It's unlikely that someone would toast a chip because of the built in limitations/safety protocols in place. I think anyone who knows an iota about OC-ing a cpu realizes that even the standard level 3 OC is well within the limits of its design. The fact that it will handle more only goes to show that it is safe....many people running over-overclocked xm's here with no problems. I don't see it being an issue for Dell in this respect, especially warranty wise - the extra revenue generated would potentially more than cover the "possible" replacements from OC-ing. I don't see Dell being out of pocket on this one....it's a great idea.

Maybe the gpu scene is a bit different. Many users have toasted there cards with gung-ho tactics. I don't know here BUT if Dell could maybe raise the limitatations significantly high enough to allow the enthusiast to tinker more AND at the same time, make a vBios that won't allow for insane limitless clocks....maybe that would work. Again, the revenue raised would probably cover any one toasting the odd card here and there.....

Oh, and a side thought.....if it's a concern over warranty claims, maybe if the "package" was offered without extra upfront cost but more so, cost added to the warranty of the machine.....say xxx more for 1yr, xxx more for 2 yrs etc etc if you chose the "unlocked deal"........that would take care of it I reckon......

 

Never once said I wouldn't do or that I don't do it. I even stated Id buy into this. Did you even read my posts?

lolz

Im actually surprised that for as long as Alienware and the Hobby enthusiast crowd has been around something like this hasnt been offered yet.

 

Exactly Brother Steve.
Some of them are even running this bios as we speak.

As to vbios...That's why it would be better for them to have it set versus us modding it to make it work. They have plenty of data from us here on he forums, plus what they already know. It would be very possible to do. And temps under even extreme conditions are still far better than expected.

Yes I did. But buying into then give 50 reasons on why it wont work and you don't even have a machine in your hands says a bit more. If you had one, you would understand a bit more. So in any reasoning...It's always easier to play the safe card "leave that alone you'll hurt your self" than to actually see it in effect.

It is... It's called Level 3 overclock.

We are not impressed!
And this cost you 90 Dollars! And it's not even set right."Explained in first post"

 

Are there not reps on here that can give us a inside on why Dell has not made this a package option... so we can clear the air on this one...

 

I do have a "machine" in my hands and I DO overclock it. I have had many alienwares in my past also.... So yes I do understand and although I would buy into this I was just stating why I could see why Dell might not go for it. But none of us are insiders in board rooms or their engineering so we really have no idea why is hasn't happened. I can guarantee you they have brought it up but it was shot down for some reason or other that we don't know.

Level 3 overclock is different than what we are saying here unless Im mistaken. We aren't asking for a simple overclock from the factory. We are asking for a fully unlocked computer from the factory so we can overclock on our own as we like with our settings.

 

Your machine is not an M18x... Quit nitpicking.

We have some insight as to things that are going on, but like we do every 6 months or so is..Ask again.

We are asking for what we already have and what some of them have tested.This unlocked bios we have now is only about 80 percent unlocked(That is what we are asking for - Not 100 percent - We still need some protection from ourselves). We do know there are about 2 settings in there that should be hidden as to what you mentioned earlier. (The happy clicker) This isn't something that we are just throwing out there without knowing what's going on... We even have ways to protect from such things, but still get our full enjoyment out of the machine. (Beyond what is expected)

 

If OC'ing is fully unlocked and everyone can push it in a few clicks, it will stop being interesting, IMHO. That's my only CON. But I like the idea in general. It's doable. Also, if Dell says no, you can still make it happen by offering it as an aftermarket upgrade along with other stuff like custom painting, etc.

 

Your right. It's not an M18x so I dont know anything. Sorry bro.

The painting would be an awesome idea as well. Ive seen a couple paint jobs on here that Id be all over if it were for sale...... A good airbrusher could probably make some good money on just this forum really.

 

It hasn't stopped the desktop community. And it hasn't stopped here either. All kinds of people have every day over clocks in place, so I can't really see that getting old...

 

Here is my question. One of the arguments is that there would be some people burning their stuff up and dell/Alienware would be talking a big risk. What are manufactures' policys when people burn up their desktop components? OCing is the same idea whether you are on a desktop or notebook, right?

Sent from my SGH-T999

 

Burning what up exactly? Can you point me to one m18x claim where someone burned up a motherboard or cpu. Just curious here.
We are not talking free raine 100 percent do as you want. We are talking well within what is in place now. Which has been tested tried and true. Sorry, you will not get more voltage than is already in place now. This is a laptop not a desktop. Now you get more people breaking something trying to flash a bios than actually breaking it by using it.

We would be more concerned about the vbios portion of the equation. since some of you think it's cool to burn up the memory by overclocking it till there is no tomorrow. That is a bigger concern than someone frying a motherboard and cpu. Im pretty sure no one has burned up a core gpu yet. Now the voltage regulator or corrupted the memory chips...is a whole nother matter.



Side note:
Right now the 680m are doing extremely well...but watch what happens when the 680mx comes out. And if it happens to be a better card...Watch how many people start having 680m problems.

 

Gonna be harsh for a second, please don't take it the wrong way. I just hate to see good people get their hopes up on things like this.

Good suggestions with nothing backing you. Unfortunately, we have to be realistic here. Alienware won't listen to people who use their computers, all of whom have no background in business administration (I assume from what you have posted, I may be wrong), nor any influence on decisions made by the company. I'm sure Dell has a team of consultants and analysts who go through QE reports, etc., who make suggestions to upper management based on actual facts and numbers, not suggestions from a group of Alienware enthusiasts. I have a lot of cool ideas as well and would love to be able to forward them to Alienware, but why would they listen? Even if they did, they probably wouldn't credit you or recognize you for the idea. Sorry to rain on the parade, I honestly like your ideas, but there's no reason to waste your time and energy on such a cause with less likelihood of success than a drunk man winning a game of darts. I felt this had to be said.

Edit: We're all entitled to speak freely, so I'm not saying "stop", I just want to make sure everyone realizes this stuff probably won't happen because we all discussed it in some thread. But I'm in if it's reasonably priced!

 

Yeah, you're pretty much wrong there as well, but no hard feelings there either.

 

an over clocking package would be awesome plain and simple.. if your not for it dont buy it.. all the more reason for alienware to pick this up and run with it..
If your not comfortable with it then you dont have to choose that option.. just like with any other option they have..

Its been proven that we can safely OC are machines with running them far beyond whats offered.. and by doing so we are raising the bar of whats expected in a gaming laptop.. and by doing so we also push the manufactors into putting out better hardware
for are laptops..

with out us I doubt much would have taken place in the world of gaming laptops..

Dell/Alienware should give us all a Damn award for making there brand what it is because with out are imput and are testing and are pushing the machines as far as they will go I highly doubt that
we would be sitting in this M18x forum talking about this very thing..

Dell listens to its customer base even tho it may not seem like it they do as does any other smart company.. You cant just push products and be like here ya go have fun ,, we would be like what is this crap? get this out of here..


Brother John had a very valid reason for bringing this up.. and tbh I agree with him 100% on it..

Look lets compare 2 systems real quick.. the M18x-r1 and the M18x-r2..

the m18x-r1 is an awesome machine and most every thing is on par with what we wanted in a gaming laptop, but we wanted a few other features and they listened.. so now lets jump to the m18x-r2.

now with this machine they gave us some of the features we wanted in the R1 but they are lacking in the bios department.. in the R1 the bios steps correctly and from what i cant tell the only thing wrong with the r1 is the settings they thought were correct wich we have proven to be wrong mainly the 25 flex.. the stepping scales correctly and other than it being locked its an ok bios..
Now on the r2 on the other hand its just wacked out..tons of problems.. for one thing the blck is way out wack and jacked up.. you get 3 options.. 1. stock(wich is the only way to go atm) 2. an absurdly higher blck that if it did catch and go WOULD ruin your cpu. and 3.a way lower setting that doesn't make a lick of sense and for that matter the bios in a whole doesn't make a lick of sense..

So you see what brother John suggests isnt any thing out of line its simply saying hey dell let us correct your issues for you and show you what works because we have 10s of thousands of people that do this every day and are experiance vs the 50-100 people you have working in you bios department I think we could lend just a little helping hand to make the product even better... and we are willing to pay you for the ability to do so openly..
So why shouldnt they go with this idea put forth? not only do they get some of the best mind out there that dont work for them but they dont have to pay us.. and we would pay them for the ability to basicly help out in correcting any issues we may find.. Sounds like a damn good deal to me..

Now I wish Dell would release its tools they use on the bios so we could maybe correct some of the issues that the R2 is having bios wise..

Again if your not comfortable with it dont opt in for the option stay in the safe zone.. we all understand.. but please dont come in here and rain are parade..


And Brother John I say you submit this to there idea storm and ill be the first to back you as Im sure countless other will..

 

Something like this should be put in place if for no other reason then people forced to depend on 3rd parties to potentially unlock things they feel should be there to begin with.

Regardless if people are against it does not matter as the people they are rallying against are still going to find a way to do it anyhow.

Johns proposal of charging abit more also gives Dell more money to cover any damage the person might cause if something pops up, but if nothing like this is in place and these people are still doing things from the grey area they will still call Dell and say the system croaked come and fix it so i cannot see how this is a bad thing no matter what.

Alienware has dabbled in the high end market back in the day and to some degree when Dell consumed them with the ALX line but for one reason or the other it all went away.. I know they had personalized support as well which all costs extra but people were certainly willing to pay for it, i am not sure to what degree though.

Good luck John, Alienware really should employ you to handle this kind of thing because you have the patience and wherewithal to make something like this happen.

 

Thanks guys!

Yep, just another idea in a long list of them we tend to come up for Dell...

 

Submit it to idea storm please so i can back it!

 

Where at over there?

Ok, posted. I see someone asked about the same thing a year ago. So now it's a year later...Guess we see what CJ has to say..

​ Idea Storm

 

up voted and commented on!

 

cool deal..

 

This is definitely something that should be implemented. I think it's silly that they haven't already done it. The risks from inexperienced users flashing their BIOS (with one downloaded from support.dell.com or an unlocked BIOS) is greater than the risks associated with inexperienced overclocking.

I have not identified anyone that damaged their system from overclocking an Intel XM CPU. Worse case scenarios are the CPU protects itself from heat and end user stupidity and shuts down, or simply won't boot until you select settings that work.

 

Commented on idea storm and voted.

 

I just did as well. Hopefully, more people will follow suit with comments and votes...

​Idea Storm

 

Let me reword this for you. Some people in THIS THREAD have suggested that their could be a problem with people over heating their components. " paste my question here from earlier"

I never said there were any claims, just asking a question.

Sent from my SGH-T999

 

I was just thinking this same exact thing as johnksss:

"The issue of the locked BIOS is a delicate one for many. It is beyond obvious, however, that if Dell had simply kept the GPU core open (just a single setting), I would never have needed to resort to nvflash, much less risk bricking my M18x attempting to flash an unlocked system BIOS. We are dealing with a product marketed primarily to enthusiasts, and those people like to overclock! If the rash of warranty returns and repairs for failed flash attempts is not an indication that this is a feature these types of users EXPECT, then I can only hope a decline in sales will force Dell to better listen to it's target audience. Put it another way, I would cheerfully pay extra for Dell to configure my M18x from the factory with an unlocked BIOS, in addition to the overclocked CPU. Let us use our hardware the way we want!"​

Read the full article here: First Impressions - Alienware M18x notebook

 

Let me reword this for you
Mr M17x R4- Stealth Black|3720QM| Radeon HD 7970M | 1080p HD 60Hz | 8Gb Ram 1600 MHz| 750Gb 7,200 rpm | Killer Wireless-N 1103|Blu-ray| Win 7 Pro |
There is no worry of burning up a cpu or motherboard from over clocking with unlocked bios that we are using now. This is a proven fact so far. As of todays date, there is still no record of this happening. This is the main reason for now asking for this. Do you understand yet? We have been testing for over a year and half now. That is pretty solid data, don't you think?

And as for what gets burned up....The video card. And that is also explained.

Lets look at your original question.

Same idea? Basically....yes.

These answers are not to get your riled up, but to only point to the main part over looked. MB bios has been proven to work. And we are talking "with in reason" "Not 100 percent open" The unlocked bios is not 100 percent unlocked just incase you didn't know that...

And they know it works. So why not make it official now.
But our biggest hurtle would be the vbios. We have a good idea where to start on this which is good for all, would rather that be handled by Dell. They have alter a vbios or 2 in the past. (The 580M throttle that well...lets say...could have come out a bit better) & (The 6990M fan profile work around)

 

I didn't suggest the stuff would burn up, other people did. Not me.

Now, thanks for answering my question.

 

Never said you suggested anything. I only answered your question.

Np

I think you guys sometimes take these threads a little to close to heart.

 

Posted & Voted...

"This is a great idea, It could even be incorporated into the Alienware adrenaline package, called Alienware Engine or something?

I for one would pay for a package that allowed overclocking to within pre-defined limits but, that once implemented would allow my M18X R2 to run at say 4.5Ghz with no additional cooling or modifications, with the full confidence that this would have no detrimental affect on settings or general running of my "Baby".

"You don't buy a sports car to do 20Mph"
"You don't' buy an Alienware to play Solitaire, You buy an Alienware, because they are the best, of the best, of the best, Sir!!!"

OB"

 

The 3940XM could easily handle 4.5 GHz, so I'd buy into it at a reasonable price, despite what I said earlier. In my opinion, it should be included or discounted with the purchase of an XM processor, but that's just me.

 

To bring this up again... This is one of the best idea I have seen in a while, but the biggest problem in today's market is that people have no money and they want cheap. They are not willing to pay more than already what it is for something better. As it is Dell is competing with others and are trying to bring their prices as much as they can down so that they will not fall from where they are now. Yes, an totally unlocked system with a water cooling system will make a huge difference for everyone, maybe it will make the possibility of implementing the desktop CPU's in those machines more possible and reduce the heating issue by a lot. But today's marketing is bad (yes, I repeat myself), and very few will be able to go for something like this because of their budget, not because they do not want too...

 

Not sure what prompted starting this discussion up again after 4 months, but the Alienware M18x is not a product designed for people that want cheap. The economic environment is very bad for almost every kind of business right now, but there will always be people that can afford the best, or will find a way to buy the best even though they cannot really afford it. Watering down the M18x to make it affordable for people on a limited budget (or expect something for nothing) would be a terrible idea and ruin it for those that can.

Alienware has no real competition for the M18x. They have more or less a monopoly and should not burn a lot of calories trying to water it down to make it affordable for the masses. There are plenty of mediocre products available for the masses. There is no good business rationale for compromising a flagship product. Enthusiasts with the financial resources to own the best will find something else if they do that and they will alienate (pun intended) their loyal following.

It's OK to want something and not be able to afford it. That applies to fancy houses, exotic cars and a long list of other things that can be considered a luxury. If someone cannot afford it, they need to buy something else and lower their expectations. Folks that are on a hamburger and hotdog budget don't get to enjoy prime rib... they need to just deal with it... life is hard in the wild, wild west. But, expecting folks on a prime rib budget to eat only hamburger and hotdogs is unrealistic. They will just find another place to eat.

 

Extremely well said, as usual, Mr. Fox!

 

True, had Alienware not had a dual GPU setup with all the trimmings I might have reluctantly got a desktop, not to say their is anything wrong with desktops, but I wanted a laptop that's up to the task and doesn't look hideous in the living room.
Alienware should definitely offer a real overclocking package. I think it should be free with XM selections as a goodwill gesture.

 

M17X and up is what this needs to be.

 

Well still see no reason for them to do isso.eu bought mine and hoping to arrive this week.
But honestly they should demand from manufacturers of higher quality video card because I have seen a lot here in this forum who had to RMA.
I hope my toy does not stop at the first year of life.
Even before being elected in over the top has to be elected the most reliable and durable.