*OFFICIAL* Alienware M18xR1/R2/18 Benchmark Thread - Part 3

Norton is full of crap, LOL. Here's where the link takes you. I stopped using Norton about 4 or 5 years ago because it was always full of crap when it comes to false positives... plus, it was too much of a resource hog. My guess is that it will block you from visiting a lot of sites that use Shockwave Flash, depending on how it perceives the Flash behavior... just nonsense.

 

I did a trial of 360 about a year ago and removed it after a couple of days because I didn't care for it... way too much background process bloat taking place for my liking. Even if it is not taking up RAM and has low CPU utilization, having extra processes running is irritating and that does have a negative impact on performance compared to not having any (or substantially fewer) processes running.

I finally landed on Vipre and got a lifetime subscription to that, but I don't even install it any more. With Windows 8, I use the native protection. I use nothing whatsoever with Windows 7. Since I make a clean "spare" image of my OS about once a month for disaster recovery, I figure there is little point in wasting any clock cycles on "security" software. (By "spare" I mean I also keep an original image of a clean OS installation and no Windows Updates applied.) I think most of security programs create their own perception of value by way of hype and hoopla. I don't really like any of them now. Almost all of them include bloatware now, and an ugly "Modern" UI look and feel that makes me miss the days of the minimalist approach to computing. I still like using a command prompt whenever I can, LOL... not seeing extras that I didn't ask for is something I view in a positive way when it comes to software.

I haven't been running anything for Windows 7 for a good while on the M18xR2 and have experienced no issues with malware. But, my web browsing is pretty limited. I don't download a lot of stuff and about 80-90% of my emails are deemed worthless and get deleted without being examined. I sort my messages by sender and mass delete anything that came from an entity I don't want to communicate with.

 

I use 4.3Ghz, highest I can get on stock voltage before it freezes. I made it around 9 min before the temp reach automatic shutdown..

 

Amen brother. Secure Erase + clean image >>> any security software in existence. Quite literally I could be up and running in under an hour if anything goes wrong, and I'm guaranteed a clean slate instead of dealing with the post-infection headache of wondering whether I really cleaned out every last bit and whether I'll get re-infected again.

For this reason I also take a minimalist approach on my system, MalwareBytes Pro + MSE is all I have. I know some people laugh at MSE and tell me how woefully inadequate my AV protection is. They have a point, and I'm still vulnerable to stealth exploits like keyloggers and actual trojans. But given my usage habits I feel this is enough (I don't torrent or do warez or cracks, at least not anymore LOL).

 

It's funny, really. I used to have more issues with malware when I cared about it. Since I have stopped caring and quit using security software, and stopped allowing Windows Updates to "infect" my system, things have been so much better, LOL! Most stable system I have ever used without all of that feces installed.

I stopped allowing Windows Updates back when I had 7970M CrossFire because every time I turned around Windows Updates were screwing up CCC or making the AMD drivers unstable, and a lot of my games were buggy. As soon as I stopped the Windows Updates, things immediately improved. All of my C++ and .Net Framework crashes stopped happening. Since then I just decided they are not worth the hassle. Having a secure system that is unstable or sacrifices performance for the sake of security is not more desirable to me than one at risk that runs much better.

 

No, I am a Chrome browser fan and never use IE for anything if I can avoid it. I'm still running IE 8 for Windows 7 and whatever ships with Windows 8.1 by default. I haven't even bothered to check what version that is. Because I do not use it, the version is meaningless to me.

Yes, I do update .NET Framework once in a while if I actually need to for some reason like software complaining about it needing to be updated. I usually do it manually with the "distributable" package instead of patching it.

Micro$haft doesn't get much love from me any more. If there was another OS that would run all of my software and games without emulation or a lot of hacking and tweaking, I would even stop using Windows at this point. I only use Windows because there's not something better available as a total replacement for Windows yet. I'm pretty disenchanted with them overall.

 

u gotta jump on firefox dude, it goes with your name lol

name aside, firefox with ability to cache in ram really brings out performance and browser is snappy as hell, way better than chrome on raid0 SSD, like WAY better.

 

Now that the new Firefox UI looks like a Chrome copy cat I will have to try it again. I used Firefox for many years and like it, but Chrome was just a lot better product at the time I stopped using Firefox. Funny coincidence you mention it, because I just looked at the new version the other day and it now has most of the same features as Chrome as well the new UI looking a lot more like Chrome and less like IE.

Probably the most compelling reason to consider using Firefox instead of Chrome or IE is to NOT SUPPORT Micro$haft or Google, and that's exactly why I looked the other day.

 

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7 4900MQ,Alienware 0FT9KT

this time I managed to OC the CPU abit but then my GFX score dropped alittle.
Should a 4810 and 770 SLI use up all 330 watts of the psu ?

 

CPU probably throttled under load and lowered the score. If Haswell settings are not perfect what appears to be an overclocked CPU quickly turns into an underclocked throttling terrible mess under load. Flip side, if you get the settings right so it does not power throttle under load it overheats like a son of a biscuit-eater and get lower score due to overheating. It takes more than ordinary thermal paste (Liquid Ultra) to tame the Haswell blast-furnace.

 

I haven't looked twice at my CPU since I bought my laptop. Been wrasslin' with the GPU so much my GPU isn't getting any lovin'.

 

New wPrime 32M benchmark for 4930MX @ 4.9GHz

 

New XTU World Record for 4930MX - According to HWiNFO64 and XTU sensors, this benchmark drew 159W for CPU Package Power.

 

Well done brother Fox. Those are some amazing clocks. You know, it just reinforces that AW would be moving in the right direction if they simply offered dual PSU's. Its a very reasonable request.

 

Hmmm... wait a minute... Firefox has advertisments in their browser now? Firefox web browser popularity wanes | ZDNet

 

Still on Firefox 22 with 0 ads. :thumbsup:

 

I installed the latest version and don't see any ads. Not sure what the ZDNet article is referring to. I don't have any apps installed, so maybe that's where the ad-ware is coming from. The new UI seems hardly any different than using Chrome... look and feel is remarkably similar. Which is good, because I am a Chrome user and like the look and feel much better than IE. I prefer how the settings are navigated in Chrome better, but simple web browsing I have to pay close attention to recognize I am using Firefox instead of Chrome. Even the bookmarks bar is exactly the same... after importing everything from Chrome the bookmarks on the bar are in the identical order as Chrome, LOL.

 

i use firefox 24 lol. i hate the new ones as some of my most used plugins are incompatible. old or not firefox i think v18 onward have the caching option in about:config

 

I really like this version, but I don't use many browser plugins at all. I already miss "Paste as Plain Text" from the right-click context menu in Chrome. I can't believe Firefox does not have that. I have to copy from a web page, paste into Notepad and then copy/paste from Notepad into the forum to get right of the HTML formatting. This is a pain in the butt. Do you know of a workaround for that?

 

Not really a FF user, but try Ctrl+Shift+V when pasting, I think that should work with FF as well.

 

Thanks, I'll give that a shot with FF. Not ready to dump Chrome yet... too good to let go.

 

This is actually a pretty decent Cinebench score for only 4.3GHz. This is with the new A09 BIOS.

 

Hi, and thanks for helping us all with your impressive knowledge of the Alienware m18X's many in's and out's.

Can you also post the XTU profile for this?

I have tried a lot of your previous profiles, but they don't work after a single bios change -- !! I guess you are aware of that. My own score of 1,000 or so from thee months go is now 900. Most of my previous XTU profiles now fail.

I bought my system from a company called HIDEvolution. They were *supposed* to be a dealer for Dell. So I called Dell today to discuss overclocking. They said that HIDEvolution is not one of their dealers, and that my warranty was void! So I have to sue them. I am beginning to wonder if I was sold a hacked or deficient system.

 

I've also bought a system from Hidevolution. But have had very good experiences with them. My system is covered by Dell still even though it wasn't exactly 100% factory spec. You might want talk to them.

 

Glad to help. Here you go...

 

new run..

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M video card benchmark result - Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4940MX CPU @ 3.10GHz,Alienware 01W2J2

 

heres one.. for stock clocks im happy..

 

Very similar to the best score for 4930MX and 780M SLI (which happens to be mine). You're at 4.3GHz with BCLK slightly below 100MHz so your description is off a little.

3DMark Vantage Comparison -Alienware 18 - 4940MX @ 4.3GHz, 880M SLI versus 4930MX @ 4.3GHz, 780M SLI

(The one on record that is higher has PPU enabled so it totally invalid.)

 

ON MINE? PPU IS NOT ENABLED// unless im confused about some thing..

 

No, not on yours. I was merely clarifying that there is a Vantage score on record for 4930MX/780M SLI that is higher than either of our systems and it is only higher because it was run with PPU enabled... which makes the result invalid.

 

Here is an interesting comparison. Looks like the power-handling limit is the only thing that prevents the 18 from keeping pace with the M18xR2 in some things.

CPU: 4.3GHz
GPU: Core 1059 / Memory 1500 / Voltage 1.056

Fire Strike Results Comparison: Alienware 18 4930MX, 780M SLI (P10755) versus Alienware M18xR2 3920XM, 780M SLI (P10935)

<iframe class='imgur-album' width='100%' height="750" frameborder='0' src="http://imgur.com/a/HOIuv/embed?background=f2f2f2&text=1a1a1a&link=4e76c9"></iframe>

I would like to see DumbDumb's new Alienware 18 with 4940MX and 880M SLI run the exact same tests using the same settings to see how the newer CPU/GPU combo compares.

 

Lol ive tried.. any over clock running firestrike gives me automatic vsync.. 29.9 frames no matter what it is..

 

Have you tried changing to AFR2 for SLI for your Fire Strike profile?

As you are running Windows 7, it can also be this nasty thing (which ruins my Fire Strike results in Windows 7) [WARNING!] KB2670838 - You don't want this Windows Update!

Here is what I have installed for Windows Updates... as you can see, it's a really short list and Windows Updates are disabled completely in Group Policy Editor. Updates can only be installed manually, if I decide I want to.

I basically never use IE for web browsing, so I still run IE8 under Windows 7.

 

deleted it and still nothing.. if i touch any thing ..kboost/voltage/gpu speed/ any thing it throttles to 29.9

actually i take that back im stuck on 29-28 frames at stock right now so maybe its not that..weird..

 

I think i figured out what going on.. GForce experience is screwings thing up.

im going to experiment and see what happens.. what are your setting for gpu?

 

well i thought i knew what it was but it keeps throttling on me.. seems nothing is working

 

highest i was able to get.. stupid driver crashes .. what driver are you on brother fox?

 

Careful with the driver crashes, one too many (or too frequently) and you'll get that nasty flag which makes the 880M perform even worse than the iGPU lol

 

Same core and memory clocks (Core 1059 / Memory 1500 / Voltage 1.056) max out the Power/Temp target sliders, link them and give priority to Power over temps.

What do you have set in the NVIDIA Control Panel Global profile? Be sure everything is turned off and set to "maximum performance" for everything... be sure the Power management mode is not set to "Adaptive."

It shows in the screen shot I posted. 340.43 beta, but 337.88 WHQL works good, too.

Edit: LOL, your 4940MX Physics score at 4.3GHz is identical to my 4930MX at 4.3GHz - both 11859.

 

A gift for Mr. Fox amongst others:

 

Thank you, Brother Meaker. I ordered one to see if I could mod it for the M18xR2. If not, maybe it will be my spare if I order myself a P570WM.

 

No, that is the inside of the Clevo dual adapter converter box that Meaker posted. I'm not sure I will be able to adapt the Alienware power sockets to that PCB yet. They are the same size, but the connections at the PCB are totally different. Might be able to change things around with jumper wires and soldering, but that's probably more effort than warranted since the dual adapter setup I already have works well. I was hoping it would be a really simple soldering job to change the sockets and output cable.

I got the one I ordered a week or so ago, but I have been too busy at work to spend time studying it closely. Sorry for the cheap camera phone quality... they're not high resolution photos like those Meaker posted.


Edit: Here are a couple of close-up photos of the socket for the M18xR1/R2, and as you can see comparing it to Meaker's photo of the underside, the layout of the solder points is totally different. I might be able to make it work, but haven't studied it close enough to see if the amount of effort it will take warrants burning the calories.

 

Those photos are crops from my Galaxy note 3 actually

 

It's still a much better camera than the one on my inexpensive HTC One V from Virgin Mobile, LOL. I'm not a big fan of fancy phones and don't like spending much money on them, but there is clearly a difference in quality on the more expensive ones.

On another note, I finally outgrew the old Mushkin Atlas 120GB mSATA that I am using to boot Windows 8.1 on my R2. I just grabbed an 840 EVO 250GB mSATA from NewEgg for $139 to increase my disk space. Even though it's on a SATA-2 3.0GB/s port, it's a decent upgrade... and cheap. I just cloned it after work today and did a few before/after benchmarks. Since Windows 8.1 is not my primary OS, this is more than adequate. In fact, not too shabby for SATA-2.

Mushkin Atlas 120GB mSATA



Samsung 840 EVO 250GB mSATA



Samsung 840 EVO 250GB mSATA (RAPID Enabled)



It is interesting that the AIDA64 SSD Benchmark ignores RAPID and actually tests the real world drive speed capabilities. I'm not sure how it does that, but it earned an extra degree of respect from me on the basis that it does so.

 

hi ...i m back ;-) whit a new fresh installed os ...5 houres at the phone whit an AW "expert ;-)" ,,,and a really have to thank at the service for two reasons my 18 crashed and they send a tecnical by me at home and tryed to fix the problem whit changing the motherboard but nothing and the second day it is also came whit a new motherboard and changed but nothing ,,so i had to give it in warranty and a currier came but i make that mistake to give whit the m18 the power supply ,,,, after three weeks i became my m18 back but whitout power supply !! ,,, they said that there wasnt no power supply ,,, at the end i was lucky enought to receive a new one ;-) thanks to xxx for trusting me and AW also ....
now i just finished to install win 8.1 and i am very happy how it performs i mean i bench 3dm06 and broke the 32k wall !! before i had 25/26000

i have the 1600mhz 16gb 4x4 can i put in the 2x4gb 1866mhz and let the two 1600s ?

 

If you install 2 sticks of 1866 along with 2 stick of 1600 all of them will run at the speed and timings of the slowest stick(s) that are installed.

Unless you are planning to run competitive overclocked benchmarks were potentially every point counts in ranking, upgrading to faster RAM is pretty much a total waste of money. You will have no discernible difference in gaming or normal everyday use and may as well stick with the stock memory modules.

About the only place it would help is with the IGP, since the system memory is very slow compared to GDDR. But, even then the value is minimal because the IGP will never perform on par with a high-range discrete GPU. The notion of attempting to use Intel IGFX for any kind of serious gaming endeavor is laughable. It has come a long way in the past few Core i7 iterations, but 100 x 0 still equals 0.

 

That's a decent score for 4900MQ. 3DMark05 and 06 are very CPU bound benchmarks. Haswell does a nice job with the older benchmarks.

 

in the nvidia cntrpanel i set the physics ----cpu
yeah but in the vantage or 3dm11 i have low scores compared whit the others
next week i repaste whit ultra and i change the ram modules
i just let the 780m to default i dont know how and if it would work a vbios or something like that

 

thanks ,,! i would like to oc the 780ms but i dont know how