Building a new M18x R2 from scratch

Hey fellas,

First post here and hopefully not the last. I will try to keep it short
.
For the last 6 years I have been using an ACER ASPIRE 5920 laptop (Core 2 Duo T5550 @ 1.8GHz, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD) with absolutely no problems. Only had to replace charger a couple of years ago. I run it to my external ASUS MS238H monitor for movies or multi tasking and its hooked up to 2 external HDDs. It manages all my daily tasks well such as watching movies, browsing, downloading etc but is quite slow when multi-tasking. Currently my 2 external HDDs and laptop storage is full and I was thinking of getting another external HDD, a SSD for laptop and another 2GB of RAM to freshen up the laptop.

But I started looking around and never did I think I'd ever be looking at Alienware but the Red M18x R2 caught my eye and I got hooked on its looks. I couldn't find the right specs in the right colour for sale or they were close of the $3000 mark. So after days of searching I came across lots of spare parts for the M18x so thought, stuff it, lets piece a new M18x together since they don't make'em anymore.

The costly items (approx) so far have been the LCD($300), Motherboard($400), CPU(i7 3920XM - $400), GPU(GTX 680m - ~$800). RAM and HDD can be altered if price spikes too high. Now this is where I need someone to hit me with some knowledge as I don't want an overkill system.

What CPU, GPU and RAM should I go for? My main tasks are browsing, media, movies, CAD and maybe the occassional new game. I'm not heavily into gaming or over-under-superclocking the CPU etc etc, lol. Reason I ask is because I don't really know how much computing power is necessary for a particular task.

Also, can I get away with using 1 GPU for now?

If you made it this far, THANKS
Looking forward to some helpful advice!

 

Yea, you can use one GPU just fine, but... I mean, I can understand the temptation of building your own, but the price, man.
Look:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/notebooks-desktops-sale/750041-fs-ft-alienware-m18x-r2.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/notebooks-desktops-sale/749952-fs-alienware-m18x-r2-680m-sli.html

Are you sure you've purchased the relevant small parts? All the nook and crannies, screws, protection plates, small cables, etc. etc.?
A m18x service manual might have the full listing of exactly every single component you need, and there's a lot of them...
As you can see, there are extremely good offers of systems on the NBR marketplace, and not only. Frankly, I think you overpaid through the nose, and I'm unsure if you actually know what you're getting into...

 

Oops...I forgot to mention I'm in Australia so the Us-Oz conversion is also to be taken into consideration plus the two links you provided don't do international postage, not to mention they are not Red, no BluRay and have been used (i.e. scratches, scuff marks etc), I know...I'm fussy

Luckily so far I have not ordered anything except for the palm rest off ebay for $80, I mean that thing is just aesthetically cool to have, lol. At the moment I am making a list of parts and prices from different sites hence asking here about which components might be overkill for my use.

I found a list of all the components on this site somewhere and yes you are correct, all the little bits and pieces like WLAN, BT, Webcam, Ribbon cables, hinges, speakers, heatsinks, fans, charger, battery etc all add up.But if I can save a few hundred bucks from MB, CPU, GPU and RAM, the rest should be alright and it will be a new system...I'm sure we all appreciate the feeling of a new computer

 

If you can't find the specs you're looking for, I think the best approach is look for a barebones system build to grab parts off of. Could be for parts, etc. Then drop in an XM CPU, some 780Ms, drives of your choice, and you're good to go. You can swap the chassis out as well if need be, and so on. One option would be to have the chassis custom painted. I think Mr. Fox had an auto shop paint his monster. It was really slick, you should have a look.

Edit: Re-looked over your first post. You could definitely get away with 1 GPU and drop in another when you feel up to it. You may find that having one of these monsters will open up a desire for overclocking and being a general power user. I'm not sure what Ivy Mobile CPUs are going for other than the 3940XM, which I usually see for around $500. Also, 8GB (2x4GB) of RAM would probably be fine.

On the run, so can't type out a whole lot, but welcome to the Alienware NBR community!

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

i'm with Sangemaru on this one, building a desktop machine is not that difficult but a laptop like the m18x R2 requires a lot of work.

 

Well the feel and presence of "NEW" machine is unlike anything, there are people who seek for perfection, and I totally understand you fellow

I have RED base chassis and LCD LID, both are brand new, test-fitted by me on to my m18xR2 but I have reverted same day literally without leaving my desk back to patched chipped scuffed old black body already frightened of thoughts what can I do to this beauty with my daily work and carrying it with me 6days a week, so decided to save the virgin piece of beauty while I can...and may not need it for long, duno.. may let it go... and do have few spare brand new 3pipe heatsinks, so could let 1 to go with the chassis. Also have spare authentic m18x cloth sleve, new alienware mousepad and main keyboard US-Layout(L button sometimes may come lilted if typing troughout the day but if being used with silicone protector cover that never happens, other than that looks like new, things would go relatively cheap too.)

As there's saying: "seek - and you should find, knock - and it will be open onto you, ask - and you'll be given" be careful for what you wish because you may just get it!

M18XR2's are the real deal man, using one myself almost a year now, havent had time for gaming as much, not more than a ~24h combined power gaming runs on it since I have it, but boy, Im running this thing everyday over 10-14h a day for work and pleasure (multimedia, datacentre etc etc), sometimes non-stop 24/7 and its a real son-of-a-gun!

If you can pick up 3920xm/3940xm cheap enough etc sub 400$ then go for it otherwise if youre not planing to OC, I see why not settle with something like 3820qm/3840qm for a half price and almost identical stock-to-stock performance?

I would dare say NO to 8GB RAM, RAM aint expensive anyway and you should totally go at least 16GB to keep yourself from spending more money down the line. IF not going OC road, again, why not get standard 1600MHz 10/11CL ram? al these high frequency/tight timing ram use is only for benchmark numbers chasing or seeking for that extra 1-2fps while having the rest of the machine maxed out to the t!ts

Then again, if youre unsure if you will be gaming if at all, or just seldom, or maybe you have a gaming desktop, you can get away even without the GPU's iGPU from your CPU will work just fine, thats what I use daily and its more than enough, unless you do have the money to spare and do want the best bang for buck - get single GTX 780m for now, see how it feels and if you see you could do with another ~30-50% bump in performance you can add another 780m to the beast. SLI systems for gaming dont benefit in all games and not as you'd expect most of the times, most people think "1 GPU = 100% power, 2 GPU's = 200% power!" wrong, only very few games would utilize full potential of both GPU's unlike benchmarks, all games vary from title to title and so on...

For drive, SSD is the way and best bang for buck today would probably be Samsung EVO 840 series, very affordable and very quick and reliable SSD's. Optical drive? have spare standard if you like, or have a BLU-Ray RW drive if you like too, could let one or other go, but just so you know, you have to really think about - will you be using this, and will it be beneficial to spend money on things that you MAY need, but not definitely ...

Other than that you'll need alot if parts man, good call would be to pick up used M18xR2 with low specs, re-shell all the internals, and upgrade what you'd require to be upgraded.

Hope any of this helps

 

I have a bunch of spare body parts and lcd assembly stuff for sale if you want message me.

 

Hello.

I'm building mine from scratch too. I haven't finished because my car started to ask for money :\, but I should be able to finish it by the end of June.

I went with the R2 parts to make it R1/2, right now I have everything except the MOBO. I'm planning on going with GTX 680m, but if the 780m prices keep getting low I will definitely go with 780 SLI.

 

Hey mate.

I may be willing to let my r2 go shortly - only prob is it's black - if you can find yourself the red case parts we could probably strike up a deal.

 

I'll be quick and to the point: The 3940XM is the best CPU you can get for the M18x R2. With that being said, it doesn't mean you have to get it. But I do recommend considering it if you're already considering the 3920XM - you might as well go for it. For the GPU, the GTX 680M would be "most bang for your buck" card, at least until this summer. You can find them on eBay for about $400 these days. And you should avoid AMD cards altogether.

I'd definitely go on eBay and buy extra ribbon cables (among other little things). They will be difficult to find later on, and these ribbon cables do fail from time to time, especially the SATA Interposer cable. It has been known to fail even on brand new R2's directly from Alienware - I've had this happen to me.

 

Thanks for the reply fellas:thumbsup:

Thanks mate
I thought about buying a low-spec one to use as salvage but even the 'base' model M18x R2 fetch 1.5g. I wouldn't mind respraying but only if the lid was in a bad condition, I think I've seen Mr. Fix's one, its orange?

As 'UltraGSM' posted below, I could skip the GPUs altogether for now and get a decent CPU to start the party! Price difference between 8 and 16GB RAM is not that huge so as always 'bigger is better' imho.

Nah mate, landing a probe on a comet requires a lot of work, building a laptop should be a cakewalk. I've been in electronics all my life (Automotive, Marine, Aerospace) and I'm quite patient with build so once I pick something, I gotta have it

True that...some good points you raise

Can you please PM me some pics and prices of the parts you thinking of letting go or a link if you got'em up for sale somewhere?

RAM will be Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB), so you reckon 1600 instead of 1866? On Amazon the price difference is about $14 between the two, You are spot on about the GPU, it didn't even occur to me that I could run the integrated GFX card from the CPU for now and decide on the GPU later on.

For drives, I'm thinking of a 250GB SSD for OS and a couple of 1.5TB for storage (to save me from buying more external HDD).

I'm avoiding reshelling a M18x since it might end up costing the same or more by the time I renew all the aesthetic parts

For some reason can't PM you...interested on the LCD assembly. Can you please send me a pic and your asking price delivered to Australia?

Unlucky about the car Good luck with the build my friend, send us some pics when your done. So you started with a R1 and upgraded parts to make it an R2?

hmmm. your specs looks good. What colour is it? And can you PM me some pics and your price range?

Good point about the cables, I'm having a tough time find them at the moment and they are quite pricey...the Xtreme i7 is probably most ideal to half- future proof myself. Also the price difference compared to 3840xm is reasonable. If I was to skip out on the GPUs for now then might as well get a decent CPU until the GPU prices come down a bit. Am I correct in saying the difference between XM and QM is that the former is unlocked, meaning it can be overclocked easily where as the QM is not which means it can only be overclocked a tiny bit?

 

I havent listed anything anywhere yet, and yet cant PM you due to you not having enough usefull post count on your account, but when you do get 5+ post rating, please do PM me so I know I can reply you with more details.

About the CPU, its not that much of a "future-proofing", its about the power, the performance that you get NOW. You will get XM series CPU, it is fast as it is on stock clocks, and man, for daily use stock is more than enough, but if you wanna sit down and do some heavyweight video editing, rendering and so on, something heavily CPU dependant, then you may wanna look in to OC'ing it to somewhere ~4.5GHz deck for stable use within good temperature field. You will get used to it down the road and when some new platform on a new architecture (newer than current Haswell that is not even a competitor in real day-to-day usage to Ivy-Bridge XM cpu's) comes out I am nearly certain the most OC'ed Ivy/Haswell wont compare to stock mediocore new geneartion CPU's, its been like that for a long time, few refreshes of the old stuff, but when the new tech hits the floor, OLD begins to feel slow, no matter how fast that was back in a day. Take in account that your MAXED XM chip will still perform very good and at reasonable performance for years down the read, but eventually it will only be so quick and powerful till the new tech comes out. I have seen people OC their 3840qm's to ~ 4.2-4.3GHz so thats not so "tiny-bit" but if you really wanna play and save some coins, why not get 3720qm ES? These chips are unlocked and can OC as high as 3940xm in some cases, and of course they run 100-200$ incl postage on fleebay

Hope I gave some light

 

That's correct. Regular CPU's can only be overclocked about 200MHz higher than their stock clock. For example, because you can only have Ivy Bridge in the M18x R2, the best "QM" processor to purchase would be the 3840QM, and that turbo boosts up to 3.8GHz. You will be able to overclock it to 4.0GHz. The 3940 XM can provide up to 4.9GHz stable overclock. I believe Mr. Fox has done this.

I would not sacrifice good GPU's for a slightly better CPU. That's the exact opposite of what you should do. The GPU's are much more important from a gaming perspective than the CPU. The 3840QM will suffice for any combination of GPU's, including 780M SLI. The 3840QM is slightly better than the 4800MQ, but not as good as the 4900MQ.

 

I've owned the space black and currently own a nebula red m18x. I can definitely see why you'd want the nebula red. It's so much nicer imo.

As for specs here's what I recommend to look for:

i7 3920XM(unless the 3940XM you will be getting is only $50-100 more at most, i'd save the money and get a 3920XM). If you will not overclock, get the 3820 or 3840QM.
16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1866Mhz 1.35v Ram (I recommend G.Skill or Corsair). 1600Mhz ram is fine to, but if it's a $14 difference, get the 1866.
680m sli if you can find it cheap. Even if you only buy one card, get a 680m or 780m but buy the secondary GPU fan, heatsink and SLI cable. That way in the future, SLI will be a breeze and everything you need, you'll have.
Get a SSD. I recommend Samsung 840 pro. Then you can add a 1TB drive for storage.
For wireless, I recommend Intel 7260-AC.
Get the 330w AC Adapter so if you SLI in the future, you won't have to buy one.

That setup would be a very high-end setup and cost a lot. The following specs would be perfect and would last you awhile without the overkill since you're coming from a core 2 duo

Intel Core i7 3820QM or 3840QM(if it's more than a $50-70 difference, get the cheaper one)
16GB (2x8GB) Corsair Vengeance 1866Mhz Ram
256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD
1TB 7200rpm HGST Hard Drive
nVidia GeForce 680m
240w AC Adapter(If you're not going to game too much SLI could be overkill so a 240w adapter would be fine)
Intel 7260-AC Wi-Fi Card (Unless you will already have the wi-fi card with the motherboard or something)

That setup has more than enough power for everything you listed.

 

i have a spare red chassis. I tried it out but I got tired of it.. too loud for me. wish they would bring back more color options

 

this is my for sale post http://forum.notebookreview.com/computer-components/750774-fs-alot-spare-m18x-parts.html let me know if you want anything from there

 

Yes I was going to build a R1, but then I found that the R2 have space for 3HDD and can use 3rd generation i7 and I had a good price for one. So I bought the parts needed to transform it to R2. I do have some pics in my thread here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m18x/717587-alienware-m18x-r1-v2-project.html

 

I've always been wanting to do this, but the end price is what has kept me back. Building a laptop may not be as easy as building a desktop, but this would be a lot more rewarding project for me than building a desktop.

I'm guessing that the best way, and this is considering that you're from OZ, would be to start with a good M18x R2 candidate system that can be upgraded into your end goals. Plus, you'd be able to constantly use it and also be able to do some comparisons between the components it came with and the ones you selected as aftermarket upgrades.

We recently helped someone here where we are look for a Nebula Red M18x R2 at about a fair used price with a warranty. In the end what was shipped was a Stealth Black R2 with an i7-3940XM (3840QM original order), GTX 680M SLI (AMD 7970M original order), 1TB Raid 0 - no 64Gb mSATA as originally spec'd and a Killer 1103 versus a regular WiFi module which was on the Nebula Red one.

This will also be slowly upgraded into better components. I guess we're making lemonade out of lemons in terms of the supposed color and that maybe a custom paint job could be something that may bit of a project for this machine to help augment the whole reason we chose that particular machine, it's color. LOL!

So getting a good R2 unit that's fairly priced would be what I'd recommend. Build it from there either all at once or through time. I'm guessing in some cases some guys here choose to upgrade their systems one by one as they process of choosing the components tends to be the fun part and a good way to manage the "upgrade bug" that has bitten quite a number of us.

My M17x R2 is currently pending a completion of a sale and I certainly regret selling a M18x R2 that I was able to get around January of last year, thinking that the newer AW18 would be much better. How I wish I didn't sell that and simply went for that as a project. I recently finished an Alienware Aurora R3 Asus Maximus V Gene build, but is isn't as fun than working on laptops.

I hope you're able to get to upgrade an M18x R2 pr build one with a very good price when all is said and done.

 

I wish you the best of luck on this venture. Building a laptop from the ground up is not for the faint of heart. Hopefully you can find yourself an acceptable barebones to just slap a few major components into.

 

Wow, thanks for explaining the CPU conundrum...makes more sense now. I'll have to figure out the choice between XM or QM and then jump onto a suitable CPU. ES and QS are Engineering and Quality Samples right? Does that mean they have been used as a test bed and are on the verge of giving up life? lol

hmmm...I didn't think of GPU having a bigger hand than CPU but it makes sense. So when you say "... 3840QM is slightly better than the 4800MQ, but not as good as the 4900MQ" what does that mean? I think I will have to think carefully about XM and QM, see which one I will most likely use to its potential, or even half of it, lol, and then hunt down a CPU.

Yep the Red colour is what kicked it off...plus I noticed Sheldon also has Red in TBBT, lol, not that it matters.
You also pointed out the elephant in the room, that I'm coming from a core 2 duo...so any improvement would be huge for me!

I ordered the Wifi-card you recommended, thanks
You're spot on about RAM, SSD/HDD and charger, those seem like what I'm after. Currently waiting to hear back from a couple of vendors about the 680m. Silly question but how can you tell if a GPU is SLI or not? Does the part number signify SLI ability?

hmmm, the link comes up as invalid...its was working the other day though

That's quite a build you got there mate...the molded lid cover is quite something:thumbsup:

Btw, the parts you purchased, were they brand new or someone taking their laptop apart? since the prices you listed are very neat

hehehe, don't get me wrong, the price was and still is keep me on a leash about this build which is why after doing a lot of browsing and reading I take a nap and then jump back on the internet and order the parts without wasting time. I figured if I buy all the parts at once, it will be overwhelming. An yes building desktops is not the same as laptops, I have done desktop before but it feel...for lack of a better word 'too easy'.

The idea to upgrade a base model is quite reasonable but so far all I've found was around the 1.5g mark. And then to upgrade the bottom/top lid covers, GPU, RAM, Bluray, CPU etc etc would quickly add up. So for the same price as base model I figured why not buy as many new parts as possible and then perhaps upgrade in the performance parts down the line. I think price wise it might work out to be the same except that you will have a new laptop

Thanks mate...am always on the look out for a skeleton to build on but won't be wasting time waiting for one to pop up. So in the meantime I'll build one up and see how it goes.



Parts ordered so far:

New OEM Palm Rest (with touchpad board & cable, power button board & cable, LED button board & cable) ($80)
New OEM Keyboard Bezel (with media/power button boards) ($55)
New Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 7260.HMWWB MINI PCI EXPRESS Plus Bluetooth 4.0 ($29)
Used OEM HDMI USB SD Card Reader Board & Ribbon ($58)
New OEM Webcam ($30)
New Red LCD Red (($90)

Next up:
Macro Keyboard/Function keys
Keyboard
Battery
Charger
Bottom Base
Bottom Base Cover

Motherboard, RAM, CPU and LCD are the next big price items which will be ordered shortly (upon next paycheck ). As you have already noticed, postage costs does put quite a dent in the build cost

 

Some are new. The used ones looks like new.

 

Yeah, except Sheldon has an M15x.

Charger to order - 240w if you will not SLI anytime soon or 330w if there are plans to SLI. The 330w is big. The 240w will allow you to run the laptop at max speed with a single gpu.

There is no difference between SLI cards. You just need two of the same cards and an SLI cable.

For CPU, I recommend 3820QM or 3840QM, which ever you can find cheaper. These are not the extreme CPUs, but if you ever need to overclock, they can be by +400mhz for a total of 4Ghz on all four cores.

Ram, get the 16GB (2 x 8GB) Corsair Vengeance 1866Mhz or even 1600Mhz is fine.

All the other parts you're ordering will of course be the standard oem parts, macro keyboard, battery, bottom cover, motherboard, etc.

Here is a comparison of the 240w vs 330w adapter in terms of size. Sorry for the mess, it's my spare 330w adapter.



The 330w adapter is heavier and bulkier(taller) but length and width wise they're around the same. So if you don't mind that and might SLI in the future, I'd say get the 330w right now.

 

If you plan on building one from scratch, then It would be a helluva job, cause you will need screws, optical drives, circuits for the multimedia buttons, macro keyboard, trackpad assembly, and a lot of other tiny components. The bigger components should be easier to come by. Try to get a refurbished laptop from dell via customer support, or you could probably ask a friend for an m18x r2, in exchange for a new aw18. (I think the new alienware 18's don't support 2x330W powerbricks) If you still don't find a barebones kit, Try to look for a R1, and put a R2 board. I think that should be possible as well : http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-18-m18x/691062-m18x-r1-upgrade-m18x-r2-motherboard.html
Check the marketplace on NBR as well, you might find an interesting deal

 

The parts are not hard to find, I found them all very easy.The only "hard to find" part was the hinges, but Dell have them very cheap. You can buy screw kits on eBay, I got mine there and all screws have worked perfectly.

 

I can't send you a private message (maybe you don't have enough posts yet)

But I have a 3920XM / RAM / Windows 7 style keyboard + tactx buttons suitable for your build if you are interested.

 

hmmm...I think it would be best to get the beefier charger from the start instead of buying 2, so will order the 330w.

I've been looking quite a lot for the 38xx and 39xx CPUs and can't find one for less than $500. I want to know if there is any thing wrong with using a i7 3630QM?
ARK | Intel® Core™ i7-3630QM Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.40 GHz)

Intel states the CPU supports sockets FCPGA988 and I see that the M18x R2 Motherboard has rPGA989. Does this mean the CPU cannot be installed in the motherboard? I ask because I can get the CPU for $170 delivered and it would be a good start to see how much computing power that is and how much I need before forking out the big dough for a Super-Dooper CPU. I have seen some YouTube videos of people with M18x R2 with the 3630QM CPU and 680m running games at Max Settings without hassle, so I \m assuming the CPU will fit despite the 1 pin difference between CPU and MB?

 

I did a rough cost comparison between a clean build and a salvage build and found out a clean build works in my favor with costs and having a new laptop. This way I build it from scratch and will know the laptop inside out...plus half of the fun is in the build process

 

ah ha...thanks for pointing that out. I've been meaning to get the screws...found some on ebay UK. I found some New hinges for $47 US delivered, is that the price they normally go for?

 

Do you have the lcd and back cover already?

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

 

You can definitely get a 3630QM. I had one in my first M18xR2. You'll be fine with it. It is still light years ahead of your Core 2 Duo.

 

Almost has me wanting to let mine go for $2600 +shipping & insurance.

 

If only you were thinking of doing that a month ago when I was looking for M18s.

 

Sweet, good stuff. In that case I've ordered an i7-3630QM CPU. This will allow me to gauge the computing power and move up as demands increase.

Received my WiFi card today! First part to arrive

 

That's quite a beefy laptop

 

I thought you might like this : Dell Alienware M18x R2 i7 3940XM 256GB SSD 32GB RAM 2000GB 17x 14x 18x | eBay
found it while I was looking for a gpu upgrade ^^

 

Definitely no! I bought them new from Dell for 14.95 USD. Here's the screw kit that I bought: 58 Dell Laptop Screws Alienware M18x M18XR2 M2X3 M2 5x3 M2 5x5 M2 5x8 M2 5x17 | eBay

If you go to my thread I have a list with all the prices. Feel free to ask if you have any question.

 

Thanks for pointing that out but with 6 more days to go it has reached 2g I will keep an eye on it and see what it goes for...that may make me feel a bit more relaxed knowing these are still holding their prices

 

Hmmmm thinking abut selling my Alienware now. Specs in my SIG! :thumbsup:
A local sale would be brilliant!
What part of OZ are you in?

Cheers.

 

That sounds more like it Screws ordered, thanks!

Btw, where did you purchase your HDD caddy from? Also is the "Alienware logo light board $45.03" for the logo on the back of the LCD cover?

 

Quick update fellas:

Received in the mail:
Palm rest, Wifi Card, Webcam and Top LCD cover. Must say the Wifi card and Webcam are tiny compared to their pictures

Still in transit:
CPU, screw lot. keyboard bezel and USB/HDMI board.

Ordered today:
Bottom base frame cover

With regards to the motherboard, I see some listed as "Integrated" and some as "Non-Integrated" for Graphics Card. Was there two different motherboards released for M18x R2?

 

Hey mate,
I'm in Melbourne. Any pics of your laptop?

 

I ordered the HDD caddy from Dell. NOTE: its for the R2 which can hold 3xHDD. The "Alienware logo light board $45.03" is the one under the screen display. You can see it in this pic:



The M18x doesn't have any led board in the back of the LCD.

 

Thanks for that. Seems like I'll have to order that board as well.

With regards to the motherboard, some suppliers have them listed as 'non-integrated' or 'integrated' graphics card...is that true? I mean did the M18x come with two different motherboards?

 

Received:
CPU and RHS USB/HDMI board
(the SD dummy card was missing, can be purchased?)

Next to order:
Motherboard (upon confirmation of which type?)

LCD monitor (Parts-People have them for $300, I think its a good deal, what are your views fellas?) New Dell Alienware M18x M18xR2 18.4" LCD Screen WJWWC

Battery, Charger, RAM, HDD and Bottom plastic cover.

 

I am not 100% sure of what the average going rate on the LCD's are, but I do know parts-people.com are a fantastic vendor, and a very reputable company. I would say that overall 300 for the LCD(as long as it s the entire assembly) is a good deal.

 

I haven't bought the mobo, but I don't think that there's two different mobo. Maybe Mr. Fox could help you out. Even using Dell chat you could ask them.

 

A bit of an update...

Its been slow lately with the exception of small bits and bobs arriving in the mail. I need to clarify something here about the LCD.

As I mentioned previously I am looking at this LCD assembly from Parts-People.
New Dell Alienware M18x M18xR2 18.4" LCD Screen WJWWC


Complete Assembly Includes:
18.4" FHD (1920 x 1080) LCD Screen - HGT3J
Front Glass Bezel
Inner metal LCD chassis
Wireless Antenna Cables

What I want to know is what else is required to complete the LCD?
- Webcam
- Alienware logo light board
- LCD ribbon?
- Hinges
- Back cover
- Back cover grip

Anything else?

 

I can sell you a brand new screen assembly with everything included but the back cover grip and screws for a little more then that price if you want.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

 

Cool, just PM'd you.

 

Not two, but the M18x R2 only lets you use one card (integrated or dedicated) at a time, unlike most manufactures who resolve for optmius or something similar with AMD. Each switch requires a reboot with fn+f7. Im guessing that the Intel is soldered on the mobo and the discrete has to be purchased. Also for the complete list of parts, I'd refer to:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...x-part-number-list-reference.html#post8506918
Although It doesn't have part details for every entry, I guess you could use that as a checklist.