M18x R2 HD 7970M Xfire GTX 680M SLI when ?

They're roughly equal. IIRC the single 7970 is on average very slightly slower (i.e. a few percent), which is pretty damn amazing IMO against two of last gen's top GPUs. (The 675 is literally just a renamed 580, it's physically identical.)

 

Do you think they will add other card configs besides the single 680 to the R2 in future?

 

Very similar in performance. There would be pros and cons for single versus dual GPU. There is some efficiency in a dual GPU system that would be lost with a single GPU, making the dual GPU a more attractive option.

I have not seen anything to suggest that only a single 680M configuration will be offered versus 680M SLI. Is this information from a reliable source, an assumption, or a typo in your post?

 

7970m xf available for Canada, as it seems. (@ 250$ more than 675m sli)

 

$50 more than in the US, and isn't AMD a Canadian company?

 

Dual 7970m crossfire is available in the Uk tomorrow !

 

Hope France will follow soon, it'll be nice to get my 18x before summer.

 

Gratz to everyone getting their m18xs soon you won't regret it one bit ^^

 

I just order mine cant wait

 

Congrats Speedy! - what specs did you go for?

 

Red,3720,6gb,750gb single drive,7970's of course ,3 year advance warranty everything else stock

 

So, one hurdle down, next one: hope everything is OK when you receive it.

 

Nice one Speedy - the wait begins!

 

I'm glad that they are starting to sell the 7970M CFX for all eager new Alienware owners/upgraders, but they don't even have a real driver for it yet. This doesn't bode well in my book...

 

cool speedy!

 

Sure they will the time they have been shipped!

 

Well, AMD and Driver support???? (but I hope they come up with something that works LOL )

 

speedy did you got the wireless HD?

 

no just regular wi-fi

thanks guys

 

I will no worry about drivers, I just want the cards

 

When is your delivery date?

 

Hey ! This reflects my future/desired system, too !

Congrats and I wish you'll get your system in just under a week !

 

28th

cool man, hope you can order quick , thanks

 

Hahaha - kinda like saying "I want a Lambo but don't worry 'bout the engine...." :laugh: (I'm sure they will get it worked out though.....)

 

Will setup camp outside your house in a bush for the 27th ready to ambush the courier before he makes it to your door.. on a more serious note that isn't too bad. Plan to order mine Monday, hope I don't have to wait much longer!

 

The driver problem should get sorted pretty quickly. AMD driver support has been pretty poor for a good while now, but they crank 'em out as fast as hatching tadpoles and they're bound to have at least one version that works good out of a dozen. I think the issue right now probably has more to do with the GPU becoming available between driver releases and just is not being recognized properly. A key to having a better experience with AMD is not updating your driver just because they released a new one. Find one that works right and leave it alone until there is something to be gained by updating. There are enough people in our Community changing AMD drivers like socks, so you will find out soon enough if the new version is worth burning any calories on. NVIDIA has been historically better at driver development, but lately (last 6 months) not so much.

 

Also for the sake of clarity, extended warranty is under "service and support" right? Just its somewhat ambiguous to whether it includes replacing faulty hardware or not? I presume it does include this? As im not really interested in any kind of support over the phone, literally just want an extended warranty on components! If anyone could clarify this would appreciate it!

 

numb18, if I am understanding your question correctly, it includes both. They diagnose the issue by speaking with you, running tests and connecting remotely to the machine. They replace hardware whenever the problem is hardware. It generally requires phone support first, as they rarely send out replacement parts based entirely on the customer's diagnosis. They will need to confirm the issue independently of what you tell them. If the problem is software related, it's not covered under the warranty in most cases.

 

lol it changed to the 24th just with a phone call so I am more happy now hope you can order soon

 

well brother stev. I never had any drivers or overheating problem with my previous 6990M. that's why I don't worry avout anything, for example my nvidia driver stop working just playing video on youtube, can you believe it!

 

Oh thats really useful thanks, yeah thats completely understandable I have no issue speaking to them over the phone in order to resolve faulty hardware issues and such. Just no desire to speak to them on how to setup a wireless printer or how to use software ect! Think Im going to go for the 2 years though, figure if its going to break it would of done so by then.

 

Nothing suprises me these days, Bro !

 

I'm still waiting on HIDEvolution to give me a quote before I order. The wait is killing me.

At least most of you guys still have powerful machines to use while you wait. I'm stuck not being able to play some of my favourite games that I could 'just about' play before one of my 3870s died...

Still, maybe it's best if I don't get my new machine until after my exams are over. It might be rather disruptive (to say the least) if I get it in the middle of my exam period

 

I'm sure there would be plenty of "friends" willing to look after it for you whislt you study

You know you can always see what my rep can do for you as you are in the UK, right? - might not be as good as HID but at least you dont have to worry about customs spotting your "$500 HID 'valued for insurance purposes and evation of UK duty' M18x" and stinging you for the full value....anyway, you know where I am if you wanna quote...

 

I wish I had your machine, so that I can feel the massive jump in performance when the new one arrives.

 

ROFL! I am currently "gaming" on a POS from the dell bin at wal mart thats 4 years old and cost like 400 dollars at the time. The only things I can play (at low) are WoW (4 FPS) and TF2! I think once i finally start playing BF3 my head might melt like the nazi guy's from Indiana jones and the lost arc

 

I wont even post my specs.. Suffice to say I'm on a duel core running 2gb RAM and a HD3000 series graphics card.

Imagine when my 3rd gen i7 arrives with 16gb ram and duel 7970's. I think I might faint.

What should I use as a benchmarker btw? When I get the laptop, I'm going to install GTA IV straight away to test it, cause imo thats the most intensive game I own, and I can barely run it (20fps) on my current computer (on low).

 

It can max out ur gta 4 easy heck even a single 7970m will have no problem maxing it.lol

 

Well true, but thats why I'm buying a M18x. It should be able to max any game for the next few years comfortably. I just want a good comparison to this old piece of crap I guess hehe.

 

Dual 6970M released for UK and France !
At last, I can order mine !

 

Yeahhh its finally online...uhh wait wait were expectin Dual 7970m isnt it XDD lollzz

 

I just checked an it shows Crossfire 7970m's as a £430 option to upgrade to.....no option for a single 7970m......

Good price though.....

Side note.

ANYONE INTERESTED IN GETTING A GOOD DEAL/DISCOUNT ON A UK ORDER - FEEL FREE TO SEND ME A PRIVATE MESSAGE AND I WILL PUT YOU IN TOUCH WITH MY DELL REP...HE DOES SOME PRETTY GOOD DEALS!!

 

Actually , there is no point to throw single 7970m in it. yeah its smashin price!!! ive already mentioned it almost a week ago
Hope they will give me R2 with Dual 7970m as replacement from M18x R1 :|

 

Additionally killer wireless is now an option again! (Uk)

 

Lol what a horrible <strike>nightmare</strike> typing mistake !!!

 

I'm in the Middle East right now and still hoping to get it delivered here while I am here. Even if it was sent to the UK and I was hit with 20% duty on the machine's full value, it still works out over £200 cheaper than the default in the UK, and hopefully HID will give me a nice discount as well - so it should work out at worst slightly more expensive than I can get it for in the UK (after a rep discount). And that's worst case scenario (i.e. it ships after I leave the Middle East)

Still, I'll see what the shipping estimates are like. If it's not going to arrive until after I return to the UK, I'll see what your rep can do. I'll shoot you a PM if it comes to that. Thanks

Feel free to take it off my hands, provided you're replacing it with something more powerful

 

Oh if you do get it delivered to the middle east mind telling me how long it takes ?
I plan on getting it delivered there as well using HID

 

Through a courier (I plan on using DHL) I'm guessing 2-3 days after HID ship it. My old M17 took 2 days to the Middle East, being shipped from Alienware UK (specifically, from Ireland).

 

Lucky you.. I will be waiting for 3 weeks until my delivery

 

@EviLCorsaiR, seeing you are in the ME, I am in the UAE and I've been wondering if ordering online and having the laptop delivered to me will have customs issues. I would buy from here if local sellers have decent specs (and prices!).
I'm looking at Aramex' ShopNShip but I see you used DHL before and you didn't seem to have customs issues.
BTW, where are you getting your machine from?