*OFFICIAL* M18x R1/R2 Owner's Lounge Thread

How much did u dish out for ur sexy m18x r2?
id like to know the original price w/tax and total price w/tax u got for it!
when did u order it, and when is it coming to u!

also if i was to go for 680m the price is ALOT seeing it from origin, they offer 500+ for single gpu!

 

soooo, apparently specs for 680m is out on notebookcheck

Pipelines 1344 - unified
Core Speed * 720 MHz
Shader Speed * 720 MHz
Memory Speed * 1800 MHz
Memory Bus Width 256 Bit
Memory Type GDDR5
Max. Amount of Memory 2048 MB

to be honest that isnt all that impressive, its only fast because of the EU pipelines and core speed. but this is something new though, nvidia finally released something normally ATI/AMD would release. mobile graphic or graphics in general with high amounts of working units/EUs.

1344 cores at 720 mhz compared to 7970m at 1280 at 850 mhz, both are equally impressive and seems nvidia has a bit of edge just because the memory is clocked at 1800, which is quite low compared to its older graphics usually around 3k.

edit: nvm it seems memory clock is at 3600 mhz based on wikipedia..

 

The wait for my machine is killing me

Yeah, if nVidia's official benchmarks are accurate, the 680M actually doesn't look all that impressive. A lot of us were expecting it to be a significant jump ahead of the 7970M...it seems to be on par, or at best, a little bit ahead. And consider that it'll no doubt be a lot more expensive. (I'd still prefer to get it if I had the money...having decent driver support is nice.)

As for the memory clock, 3600MHz is the effective memory clock, whereas 1800MHz is what it's actually clocked at. The thing with DDR memory, or "double data rate", is its effective clock speed is double its actual clock speed. So if the RAM in your computer has a clock speed of 1600MHz, it's actually running at 800MHz. 1600MHz is its effective clock speed.

 

yea with bits of OC from 7970m, easily matchup to the 680m, not to mention 7990m will come out in a few months and its most certain it will be clocked higher in both core speed and memory speed and of course with more EUs.

 

Quick update - my M18x R2 arrived an hour ago and I've been busy inspecting it and using AlienRespawn to create restore discs (although I do not know how valuable they will be since I won't be using Win7 Home Premium adn I will be using my own copy of Win7 Ultimate). Still waiting for my parts (HDD/SSD/RAM) so I'm flying with 6GB RAM and a 500GB 7200RPM Hitachi HDD, heh.

I must say - I'm quite lucky. So far the screen and body of the laptop are awesome. Also - no keyboard problems. Very happy with the initial quality so far and no buyer's remorse for no 680M. I can always upgrade later.

 

nice, any difference from win ult vs reg 7?

im not sure if i should upgrade to ssd, idk if im able to change hdd to sdd cause im no good with laptop and i dont want to mess with the laptop, i dont trust myself.

what came with your m18x?
and how much does it weigh?

 

You can check out the differences between Windos OS here: Compare Windows - Microsoft Windows - main differences, amongst other improved features, would be BitLocker Encryption and support for more than 16gb ram.

The weight of an M18x can vary according to how it's configured but starting weight is 5.41 kg (11.93 lbs) this will vary on how you configure it - either way, its not going to be massively heavier than that....

 

Don't know if I am repeating this... is there a reason there is no 660M in SLI?

 

Not a big enough market I suppose.

 

You could just use your ultimate key to anytime upgrade. unless you actually want to do a fresh install.

 

In case anyone is looking for a great deal on an M18x R1 (I know, not as exciting as an R2, but still, very similar performance and about 66% cheaper in some cases), there is a 25% off coupon starting today.

When the coupon arrived, there were 22 M18x's at the Outlet...90 minutes later there are 5.

There were some really good deals to be had early on...the compulsive, addicted buyer in me picked up another M18x with 2960XM, Dual 6990M CF, Blu-ray, Killer Wireless, RED) for $1499. Seemed like a good deal and a better M18x than I have now which cost the same (picked up during April's 25% off deal). Throw in my m4's and Corsair 1866, and I'm good-to-go!

Now, I gotta get rid of something!!

 

I hate you -_-
Why couldn't I have gotten a sweet deal like that? My budget was around $1500 (when I was buying my laptop) and there were no good m18x's even close to $1500...Now you find an incredible one for $1500....You should trade your sweet m18x for my m17x ^_^ haha

 

It weighs...A LOT. Whatever you can imagine...it's heavier, lol. I think I am going to buy a 3rd power brick so I can have one in my kitchen, bedroom, and then one in the backpack (for trips/etc.).

It came with a mouse pad, some discs, the power adapter, and not much else.

If you don't trust yourself to perform the upgrades, then don't do it. Even with all of my experience, I kind of hate it the first time (especially with a brand new laptop) but now that I've done it, I would do it again and it'd be easier and less stressful. Just take your time to do it right - or let Dell do it. There's nothing wrong with that!

Shoot. Good tip...but it's too late. Did a fresh install yesterday. I had to swap out the stock 500GB Hitachi HDD with my 256GB Samsung 830 SSD, anyway.

 

Let me think about it...

No.

 

BTW - nice deal lancorp. Wow.

 

For anyone who read my thread titled "absolutely fed up with AW support" (closed) I have a little update that I think everyone might be interested in reading.

Although I did have an absolutely horrible customer service experience with AW using the 1-800-ALIENWARE line I have very happy and relieved to say that my opinion has been changed. After reaching out to a few people within the DELL/AW community I have received some amazing feedback. The first glimmer of hope came from Ms. Chetika Jackson. While she does not work for Alienware support, but instead the Dell ProTeam as a Case Mentor, as soon as she received word of my troubles she took it upon herself to get resolution. I can not thank her enough for the help she provided. It just goes to show that even though she didn't directly have any obligation to help me, she really did care and wanted a customer to have a positive experience. I also just got off the phone with Bill_B. I reached out to him through this forum and although he did not reply immediately (not something I was expecting as I know he is a busy man and has other obligations) he took time out of his day to give me a call. He could have easily seen that the situation is all but handled due to the work of Ms. Jackson but instead went the extra mile to ensure satisfaction. These two individuals have helped me realize that while you may be going through a tough time with customer service, Dell/AW really does care. It may be hard to find someone willing to listen or make the effort to make things right but I promise you they really do exist. All things considered, in the height of this I was certain I would never be doing business with Dell or Alienware again, however their actions have changed my perspective. I hope that everyone, should the need arise, can have an excellent level of service like I have once I reached these two.

 

If you do buy another AC adapter, Dell has them for $99.99 at Dell.com (330W).

I had posted about this deal earlier. That's cheaper than anyone on ebay and cheaper than the lesser 240W at Dell.com!

 

Yeah, thanks for the heads up. I was the dude that bought one on eBay for $114.99 shipped. The funny thing is that I think the guy on eBay just buys them at the price that you said you can get them for (~$75?) and re-sells...because it didn't ship for a couple days and now the tracking looks like it's coming direct from Dell! Haha. Great little business...just collect money, then click and send!

I will probably wait for my 5% rebate check or whatever.

 

Red
2670
4GB
750GB
6300
580m SLI

That has got to be a steal at USB 1509 taxed and shipped. Right?

 

Impressive, grats!

 

Just dumb luck.

The coupons came out early US time, and right in the middle of the afternoon in Sweden, i lucked out and checked my e-mail and went straight to the outlet.

I'm still happy though.

 

That's wonderful! Bill B. is one phenomenal hombre. D: Sounds like Ms. Jackson is pretty great, too.

 

Just got the new configuration for the replacement system.


Here is the old setup:

Processor: Intel® Core™ i7 2960XM 2.7GHz (3.7GHz with Turbo Boost, 8MB Cache)
Memory: 16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz (4DIMMS)
A/C Adapter: Alienware M18x 330W A/C Adapter
Display Panel: 18.4-inch WideFHD 1920 x 1080 WLED
Video Card: Dual 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 6990M AMD CrossFireX
Hard Drive: 256GB Solid State Drive SATA 3Gb/s
Nameplate: Personalized Plate (Forest Nielson)
AlienFX: Quasar Blue
Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Professional, 64bit
Adobe Reader Acrobat SW: Adobe Acrobat X Reader
Optical Drive: Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Sound: Soundblaster® X-Fi™ Hi Def Audio - Software Enabled.
Wireless and Bluetooth: Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming and Video and Bluetooth 3.0
Security Software: McAfee SecurityCenter, 30-Days Trial
Hardware Support Services: 1 Year Advanced Plan


and the new setup:

Quantity Item Number Description
1

225-2944

Alienware M18X R2 - Direct
1

310-0173

Airborne Documentation, System Exchanges,Factory Install
1

312-1333

96WHr 12-Cell Primary Battery
1

313-8792

AlienFX Color, Quasar Blue
1

317-9706

16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz
1

317-9730

3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3920XM (8MB Cache, up to 3.8GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
1

318-0770

Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
1

318-2003

Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
1

318-2318

Space Black Anodized Aluminum
1

320-3263

18.4 inch (467.36 mm) WLED WideFHD (1080p) display (1920 X 1080)
1

320-3624

CrossfireX 2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 7970M
1

330-5090

Thank You for Purchasing AlienWare
1

330-6106

Personalized Nameplate Trigger
1

331-2426

Custom Nameplate
1

331-6854

Alienware M18x 330W A/C Adapter
1

331-6858

Placement, M18X R2
1

331-6865

Alienware Documentation
1

331-6908

Resource DVD, M18X R2
1

331-6910

English Keyboard, 101 Key, M18X R2
1

331-6915

Shipping Material, M18X R2
1

331-8045

Windows 7 OS Label, Alienware Notebooks
1

342-4399

256GB Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s
1

410-0548

Adobe Acrobat Reader
1

420-9691

DataSafe Local BackUp
1

420-9956

PC Restore
1

421-0092

DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG
1

421-1360

Steam and Portal Factory Installed
1

421-3874

Camera Software 2.X, Factory Install
1

421-4289

Dell Support Center Software 3.0
1

421-5106

Power DVD 9.6, 3D
1

421-5813

Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 bit Service Pack 1, English, w/Media
1

421-7437

AW Command Center M18XR2
1

421-7438

Quickset, M18X R2
1

430-4704

Internal Wireless Bluetooth 4.0
1

430-4709

Killer Wireless-N 1103 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO for Gaming and Video and Bluetooth 4.0
1

461-8389

NO VIRUS PROTECTION REQUESTED


needless to say they have gone above and beyond all expectations. I would have been more than happy with an exact replacement but it looks like I am getting a little upgrade

 

Damn good deal! How do you get the coupon?

 

Congratz! You are one lucky SOB

 

Here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/notebook-tech-bargains/636641-dell-2012-outlet-coupons-17.html

 

U guys should weigh yall m18x's and see how much it weighm the webstie says "Starting weight" 12lbs.

 

I was looking at that model. Good steal. If it was black, I would be posting this thread. All of the M18X's they had were all red which bummed me out because I would have bought a black one. The 25% off coupon is awesome. Too bad there is only one left that I've seen for the past 2 hours and it is $3k (for those specs?).

 

10lb...12lb...15lb...don't matter much to me.....my desk can take it

 

how are you guys doing this..i just received m18x r2 and my bios always defaults to manufacture settings...i cant do anything with it..its base clack is 1.1 ghz and the multi is 12....kinda odd since i bought it with the 3820qm should be base at 2.7 ghz not dropping to 1.1ghz...are they locking it down to surpass warranty in the hopes that it lasts til then...very dissappointed...any thoughts please...this is my first post and i read everything here every page...what gives???

 

just finish re-installing windows7 (had to delete recovery partition) to recovery some space on the 64gb mSATA. had only 2Gb free space
then i realized i havent set the pagefile yet **EPIC FAIL**
so now i have 22Gb free from fresh install with all windows update.
took out the 1Tb that came with it and installed 2x WD750Gb blacks in raid0
unfortunately my optical drive caddy has not arrived yet so i just put the 1TB in an external 2.5" usb3 enclosure. it probably would of been cheaper buying another WD 1Tb drive and raid0 that but i figure speed would be better with the blacks.
only game i could test was SWTOR that was on my asus G71. got 100+ fps max settings with only 1 7970m working (cant get crossfire to work) compared to 40fps with the 260m GTX on the asus so im really pleased with the card.
looking at redoing the terminal compound on the cpu/gpu as i did hit 76degrees on the gpu at 100% even with my notebook cooler which as 3x120mm fans directly beneath the vents of the laptop. overall im happy i spent 4.5k - including 2xWD750gb drives / 16gb USB3 / 2.5" enclosure / optical drive hdd caddy / external optical drive caddy.
been awhile since i did any benching but im looking forward to it =)

 

For some reason the ones in the outlet are always marked as red. I've bought 3, 2 came as black.

 

Ahh, thanks a bunch, Thread bookmarked for future.

How often are alienware coupons available? Once a year? Once per release?

 

im just waiting for 7990m to come out, then i choose to make my purchase on either 680m or 7990m =) unless of course 685m..

 

you better grab a chair lol i don't thing it will be a 7990m in the near future

 

Why not Bro? - 6970m was pretty quickly superceeded by 6990m if I recall.....if the past is anything to go on, 79 70m would be superceeded by 79 90m in the not so distant future....

 

yeah yeah i know but they can call it 8970m not necessary 7990m we know something better is coming always

the reason i don't see a 7990m is because the tdp of the 7970m is already 100w that's all but AMD can surprise us too lol

 

True enough

 

well, AMD will surprise us if they release 7970m official driver sooner (by the way its already been 36days past from hardware release)

 

yes still no drivers and they are probaply working on making 7970m better, i dont see a 7990m anytime soon. if u got take a look at how often nvidia makes card compare to amd. you'l see. i say it will prob come out when black ops2, borderlands come out for 7990m

i alway been playing the waiting game, so im planning on gettin 7970m seeing as i got a really good deal from alienware.

and my last desktop with real graphic card was ati 24xx got it cheap and i remember playing on 36xx my dad got for cheap.

 

TDP is 100W but that's different from actual power usage/consumption. So there very well could be headroom - plus they could improve efficiency.

 

what do i do if the system fill with bloatware?

 

The TDP of the 6970M was 100W too.... then out popped the 6990M.

 

It comes very clean...no bloatware. When I did a fresh install (new SSD and I used my Win7 Ultimate key) - I even re-installed everything. The Alienware utils are actually pretty cool.

 

you can try to uninstall from program manager, if not a format always work

 

They say u can make a desktop thats alot more powerfukll and cheaper

And is it a pain carrying it around? What do people say to u when they see ur machine of destruction?

 

I seee, i want to know how much it weighs cause il be moving the thibg alot and hoes storage on the m18x?? And any difference r1 vs r2

 

Actually I haven't bought mine yet

::end troll post; start serious reply::

However the reason I plan on getting one (once the 680m is out and available) is that is hella easier to lug even a massive 18" laptop around than a honking mid-tower or gargantuan full-tower. I move around alot so the freedom of a mobile device appeals to me a lot.

Also, to build a PC with specs that would satisfy me would cost almost the same anyways. The M18x has all the desktop features I crave, like dual GPU's, multiple hard drives/SSD's capacity, ridiculously unnecessary amounts of RAM and a sound card. I also like wireless internet, which is really lame on a desktop but works like a charm on a laptop.

Plus, the M18x just plain looks sick

 

I am seriously considering returning this M18x R2 and waiting for the 680M. I'd then buy a M17x R4 with 120hz panel and a 680M. This machine (M18x R2) is gorgeous but I'm missing that 120hz love that I have on my desktops. Not to mention the ridiculous size (which I actually love) - I'm worried about it for travel. We'll see. Thinking about it today.

 

I travel extensively with mine and the size has never been an issue for me. The M17x R4 is not much smaller. But, beware... M17x R2 was the last one made of anodized aluminum and dual GPU. The M17x R3/R4 are made of plastic and the exterior is coated with the same soft touch rubber that the palm rest is. And, there is only a single GPU. Pretty big downgrade in construction and power. You might be OK with that, as long as you know it up front.