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

That sounds like a very nice system. Same as what i'm waiting for apart from the pasting. i gather they are now showing the overclocked 3940's on the Dell website?

Enjoy

OB

 

I probably erased it by accident. Can you send it again?

Alienware currently offers the 3940XM overclocked up to 3.9GHz. It shows as "3940QM" - that's a spelling error. I ordered mine from Xotic PC, they offer the OC 3940XM up to 4.2 GHz.

 

hi thanks for the quick reply.

did try those updates but still getting same problem.... the wd drives connects and then after a min keeps reconnecting in about 1 min intervals... im starting to think its got to do with the power available within the m18xr2.... has anyone experienced this??? any other guesses would really appreciate...

thanks again

edit: just ran laptop on intel graphics and having the same problem.... are my usb ports faulty??? has anyone had this problem with m18x r2

 

I don't know if this was brought up already, but have you tried disabling USB Emulation in the BIOS?

 

thanks for the reply....
i searched on the internet and another user is having same problem on m17xr4 on usb3.0 ports...its fine on usb2.0 ports.... i dont have usb 2.0 on m18xr2 so cant try but it works fine on my m18xr1 usb 3 port...my buffalo ministation extreme usb 3 ext drives works great with speeds upto 120mb.... maybe there is a power issue on m18xr2 models in relation to wd my passport usb 3.0 1tb drive....if anyone can test it on their laptop and post would appreciate....

thanks for replying

edit: basically the ext wd passport drive keeps connecting and disconnecting while heavy usage..playing hd movies

 

Have you tried going into device manager, universal serial bus controllers and then select properties then the power management tab for each of the generic USB hub/USB root hub listings - uncheck all the boxes that "allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" (for all of them) - might help out.

 

Thanks for the reply steve ill try and let u no..

 

​

That's a sweet system you got there, buddy.

 

Hello everyone.
Ordered my M18x a few days ago. Delivery is scheduled for 17 Oct which will be great as I'm out of the country till the 14th.

Black M18x, 3840 Ivy Bridge, 16gb 1866, 2x680m SLI, BluRay, Killer WiFi, 500gb HD, Orion backpack, TactX headphones. 1 year Advanced protection $3394 before tax and shipping.

I wish I would have found this forum before I made my purchase. I wanted to go all out and made a few mistakes. First mistake was not going for the i7 3940xm (qm on site). I went with the 3840 thinking that a few extra hz is not worth the extra $$. Now I read that the qm is actually an xm which is unlocked and the OC king. I will be OC'n mine and wish I would have gone the extra $$ for the unlocked proc.
Other mistake?? Killer wireless? Is it worth it?

I ordered with the smallest/cheapest HD available as I plan to slip in a pair of SSD in Raid 0 like I have in all my desktops. I'm looking at SSD's now and considering the Intel or the Kingston HyperX. I have kingston and intel in my desktops and they work.. period. My one desktop has two 64gb kingston from a few years ago. My other desktop has two Still runs like a dream. My lastest has two Intel 520 series 240gb and they are solid.
I think I'll go the same route in the M18x.. 2 each 520 series 240gb in Raid 0. Any issues with this thinking??

One more question.. I am not familiar with mSata and it's benefits. I mean I know what it is but would it be beneficial as a cache / swap drive in an SSD Raid 0 system??

Probably long enough for my first post.

Glad to be here and appreciate all comments on my ideas.

James

 

Hi James, welcome to NBR forums!

That's a very nice spec you ordered, but, if you want the Xtreme processor, I would advise you return your machine when it lands and re-order. If you are looking for a good deal, there is a thread on the forum where you can request contact from an Official Dell/Alienware salesperson to contact you - the thread was set up with the thought of getting NBR members a good a deal as possible and there are many people who have saved a good deal of cash by doing so. You might find that you can make a better saving when re-ordering - have a read here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/669327-alienware-sales-assistance-thread-redux.html

I noticed that you configured with 16gb - which is fine. Had you thought about just getting the base ram and then upgrading the ram yourself? - you can buy ram cheaper after purchasing and the chances are, you would get more "bang for your buck" for the $175 over base elsewhere. Kingston have just launched some HyperX memory clocked at 2133mhz for example - $78 for an 8gb kit.

SSD choice would be down to your own preference. Intel 520's are good drives and I doubt you would have any problem with them. Also, Samsung 840 (or 830 even) are solid too.....many people tend to avoid Sandforce based drives as they can experience problems maintaining Sata speed - non-Sandforce based drives do not seem to suffer with this issue at all. Saying that, running them in Raid should not cause you any problems - plenty of guys here(including myself) do exactly that and they work beautifully. My own preference would be Samsung 840.

mSata - personally, I see little point really in using it as a cache drive if you are running raided ssd's - they are already blisteringly fast and I think the only way you would tell the difference would be in benchmark results. Real world applications/use wouldn't really benefit from it. They do come in handy when you have traditional hard drives that DO benefit from the caching effect. Saying that, you could use an mSata as your boot drive for your OS and use the raid array as 100% storage for games/programs etc.

Hope that helps out a bit and congratulations on your choice of machine - the M18x really is a beast!

 

Sad to say but they do not have the XM chip in the build configuration as of right now (back order maybe).

 

If you're looking at Dell.com, the 3940 "qm" is a mistake. Intel do not make a 3940qm, just the 3940xm - if you are unsure, double check with a rep. but I'm 99.99999999% sure it's just a typo.

 

About upgrading the CPU. I travel so much that it would be December before I would be in the US to receive another if I sent this one back and re-ordered. I did a search a few days ago and found that you can't cancel the order when it gets to "Production". I think I will just live with the 3840qm. Probably get the triple heat pipe and upgrade, unlocked bios and do some playing with OC.

More reasons why I should have come here first!!
I have no problems doing any work on laptops. I worked for Austin Laptop Repair for a while so doing a memory upgrade would be kids stuff. I did look on Newegg but only saw the 1866.
I will probably order the Kingston and maybe sell the 1866 or put it in my MacBookPro.. well 16gb of it anyway. 2133 sounds great!! Where did you buy it? Searched for the past 20 minutes and can't find it for sale anywhere...

Just put a Samsung 830 256gb in my MacBookPro and it's doing great so I might go that route. Any word on the Kingston HyperX 3K ?? Looks good
I was worried about the Samsung using the sandforce but on my MBP it works like a champ. The Samsung 256 is a thin drive. I assume it's 7mm? Could fit 3 of them in the Beast!

Ordered the Green Onion Matte screen protector. My friend brought his M18x by and the glare on the screen is high. It could just be my office. So many overhead lights, my MBP glares bad also. We'll see how that turns out.

Saw a really nice looking job of wrapping with that CFW carbon fiber material so ordered some of that. $40 bought enough to do my laptop and probably the trim in the interior of my truck too!

Thanks for the advice Stevie.

James

 

The 3840QM is a great mobile processor, there's no need to worry. The extreme edition processors are only beneficial for those who are involved in high-intensity gaming and overclocking. Otherwise, you're better off with the 3840QM - you honestly wouldn't even be able to tell the difference between the two with average every day usage.

I'm waiting for mine to be built as well.

 

I'm not exactly sure where you can buy them online but: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...enchmark-thread-part-2-a-268.html#post8878200 - last few pages mention the 2133mhz modules.....

I don't know about the HyperX Sandforce drives....The Sammy is nice and slim at 7mm so technically you could use 3 in the caddy but do NOT raid them all as the raid would default to Sata II because of the speed of the middle port being only 3gbps.

 

could you PLEASE link me to news/press or w/e, ive been waiting for 2133mhz sodimm memory forever lol and finally its here..

@TexasNerd, for your SSD options, i highly recommend you to wait for intel release their 525 series. 525 SHOULD have both 2.5inch factor as well as msata, it'll prob be out soon..

 

Here you go, Bro: Kingston Technology Company - Kingston Memory Search - Search Results for: KHX21S12P1K2/8

 

cool thanks bro. this is PnP right? cause i dont see PnP anywhere it might downclock..

 

Yeah, it's plug and play. I already received my 1866mhz ram, oh well.

 

How much of a performance gain it is to be expected? My memory is already showing 7.9 on the WEI and it's only Crucial 1600 overclocked a little.

 

Only makes a difference in the numbers when running benchmarks (miniscule change). Other than that, you won't notice a thing.

 

I'm trying to get my computer worthy of benching, but I think this would be the last upgrade as it'll be the easiest and the cheapest. First thing would be to get my processor or a processor that can at least clock 4.8.

 

The 3940XM is capable of that, check it out. I ordered mine with stock overclock at 4.2GHz - I'll probably bring it up to 4.5GHz.

 

Sorry, but I have an R1 and currently run a 2920 at 4.6 across all cores, but if I try to go to 4.7 even on one core the system won't boot. Thinking I may have to go with a 2960.

 

Don't forget, high clocks (2133/1866) look nice, but come with the cost of higher timings (12 vs 9 or 10). Look around, and you'll see that slower clock RAM with faster timings (lower numbers) can outperform higher clocked RAM with slower timings (higher numbers). i.e, 10-10-10-1T is faster than 12-12-12-2T. Personally, I'd get 1600 or 1866 RAM with the lowest timings you can find.

I'd get a set of these (16GB) instead of two sets of the 2133. CAS 9 vs CAS 12 is significant. That leaves two slots open for MORE RAM in the future if you want!

 

yea, but too bad in this case this is the only 2133 mhz ram available without self OC. kinda dont wanna push my old 1866 corsair rams although its at 10-10-10. the reason for me getting 2133 is for brag rights, nothing else lol. maybe ramdisk too

 

I just received notice that my order will be delayed because it's back ordered.

 

Agreed. The best money can buy!

I was noticing on dell.com that the "3940QM" shows Overclocked up to 3.9 GHz, but 3.9Ghz is just the max turbo of the chip. That's not overclocking it. It doesn't look like Dell is offering a truly overclocked 3940XM yet.

Also, $125 for 32GB of RAM is a pretty good deal. That's about the going rate for the cheap stuff (and that's with shopping around!).

I feel for ya. That's a long time to wait for such a nice system. What's the hold up?

You best change your signature back...you might find yourself banned for misrepresentation.

 

They told me the M18x itself was actually unavailable (with 680m's), but when you spend that much money on a system, it's lame to find out you won't have it for such a long time because it's unavailable...why would they offer something that's unavailable? It should say, "out of stock". About the overclocked CPU - yeah, it's definitely not overclocked to its maximum potential, neither is the one I ordered. I'm not 100% certain, but I believe the 3940XM can handle up to 4.5 GHz without breaking a sweat. However, I'm not in need for anything above 4.5 GHz.

It kind of made me upset. I cancelled it, then spoke with someone and re-ordered it again, ha ha. I'm on the fence on whether or not I should wait or order from someone else. (I ordered from Xotic PC.) They were the only ones who offered the actual overclocked CPU, and I want to get it ASAP instead of waiting for Dell to fix their typos on the site and actually update offers (no offense).

I believe it.

 

Since the "XM" series chips are all overclockable, why not order it direct from Dell and overclock it yourself? In the past, Dell did offer overpriced "already overclocked" versions of the M18x, but it was basically a single BIOS change that you could do yourself, and they were charging big bucks for that. Sure, you're paying for the "guarantee" of the overclock, but really, I don't think the $$$ is worth it. Mostly everyone here with an XM chip enjoys easy, generous overclocking. I'm not even skilled in OC'ing, and get 4.2Ghz on all cores easily. General consensus was that it was a rip off to pay the premium for a "factory overclock".

Since there is no 3940QM, then you certainly will get a 3940XM. If, for whatever reason, you don't like what you get, RETURN IT within the return period. What do you have to lose? Plus, you get it faster than 3 weeks!

Just curious, but when you buy from a 3rd party seller, and they dry up and go away, you still have a Dell warranty? I assume yes, as the warranty is hopefully transferred to you by them when you purchase it. Does this Xotic PC offer a lower price than Dell or more because it's "overclocked"?

 

J.Dre - have you attempted to order the exact same configuration direct from Alienware instead of going through Xotic PC? What was the benefit of ordering through Xotic PC? Going through a middle-man always seems to present an avoidable impediment in my experience. It may also complicate things in the event of a warranty claim. After buying through a reseller, can you simply call 1-800-ALIENWARE and get identical service to a customer that purchased their system directly from Alienware? I would recommend investigating that thoroughly. Depending on what you learn, it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise that your system has not already shipped.

The 680M cards are still in short supply due to huge demand. They are not available for sale as upgrades. However, they may be available for new system builds. I would not be surprised if Alienware has them available for new systems ordered directly through them and making resellers wait until there is a stock surplus. If they are not readily available through Alienware on a new system, then it will definitely be worth the wait for them to become available.

 

You definitely address concerns I've had also. I'm actually emailing Xotic PC sales reps. as I edit this post, ha ha. You know me, I've been around since June asking questions about this system and finally now just submitted an order - I've probably sent over three dozen emails, and chatted with over a dozen Alienware representatives in that time - I've bothered a lot of people (including you), ha ha!

---

In my situation, it was actually cheaper to go through Xotic PC, and I get an already overclocked CPU. Also, both the CPU & GPU's are re-pasted with Diamond Thermal Compound. Someone as myself, lacking the knowledge of doing these things (and doesn't want to bring about unnecessary risk with such an expensive system), decided to order through a Reseller.

Customer service is the same. The system is paid for, as it would be if I bought it directly from Alienware, because Xotic PC basically buys it with my money (key word: basically). The warranty is not negatively affected in any way, except that it actually begins to expire the day your payment is confirmed - so you lose a couple weeks of the warranty during the time Xotic PC adjusts your system to whatever you requested. In the end, both have their pros and cons.

As I touched upon above, I decided to order through Xotic PC because the system goes through the hands of American (no, I'm not racist, just making a point) technicians who will overclock my system for me and suggest to me what clocks I should run at, as well as re-paste the CPU & GPU to optimize performance/efficiency - all of this is for the same price or less than what Alienware is asking. I'd also like to add, I wish Alienware offered more services, similar to what Resellers' offer. It makes sense to me because the system is of such quality and expense, which brings me to assume there would be more customizable options.

Several of you are probably going to argue: "Do it yourself!" or "What a waste of money!", but I see it as an advantage. The system is exactly how I need/want it when it arrives, tested and proven stable, basically "ready-to-play" out of the box. For a "newbie", per say, it seems more logical. (Yes, I just offended myself to make a point!) What it all boils down to, in its broadest stroke, is convenience.

Edit: Another pro (in my opinion) about ordering through them is that because they test the system for you, they will address and fix any problems that the system may have upon arrival from Alienware. (e.g. I've seen videos on Youtube about people complaining the speakers aren't working or making weird noises, and the lights are out or flickering [as well as the screen] - they fix that or get it fixed through Dell/Alienware - you don't deal with it yourself.)

 

Well, I can definitely see the advantage of having a skilled North American computer technician assemble and thoroughly test my system, and make sure it is also cosmetically excellent, before it is delivered to my door. Unfortunately, that does not happen with any systems except for those purchased through resellers. And, I suspect that not all resellers are doing an equally good job of things.

And, being able to "lock and load" is always a good thing. Newbie or not, having something arrive at your door that is as near perfect as possible, that's ready to use out of the box, is very desirable. Just because you can, doesn't mean you want to rip apart a new $4,000 laptop to fix anything. Nothing should need to be fixed on it... nothing. If something does, then that means somebody dropped the ball.

 

In effect, going through a reseller just adds additional time to your order. Correct me if I'm wrong, but they have to order it from Alienware/Dell and wait for it to ship and then be delivered, just like we do. But, the "checkout" and "customize" phase by the reseller does add time. Then, if they DO find problems with it, that's more time because then they are dealing with Alienware and might need to wait for a replacement system to be sent. At least if you ordered from Dell, direct, then during most of those delays, YOU have possession of the system and can use it while working out the bugs. Then, finally, another delay in the reseller shipping it to the end-user.

So, while the "deliver it just the way I want it" has it's pros, it also has it's cons. Personally (and for most on these forums), it's not a bad thing to have to "tweak" your system...we ENJOY doing it. It's fun, educational, and gives a sense of accomplishment. We like the "roll your own" method!

But, to each their own. I can see it working for people both ways.

FWIW, I do believe the your warranty begins the day your system ships (to you or a reseller) from the factory. So the longer the reseller has it, the less warranty YOU have.

 

Remember IC Diamond has a great chance of scratching and discoloring the heatsink and hardware surface involved as proven by several tests. The stock compound that dell uses is pretty good actually as long as heatsink is installed properly (pressure/contact wise)

 

@lancorp,

Yet another arguable point, but I feel I made the right decision.

@littleone,

Oh, I'm aware of that possibility, although, I see it as highly unlikely.

 

hi steve....

tried the above aswell, still no luck. i forgot i had the esata usb2 hub aswell so anyway i plugged the wd in that port and it worked fine. it wont keep reconnecting was working fine....its got to do with usb 3 ports... called dell they had no clue and got tired of holding so i hung up...

thanks

 

Had the same problem with my r2. Reinstalled windows and never had a issue again.

 

My original order has been canceled and after much deliberation I have now re-ordered and if anything got more than I bargained for...

Processor : 3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3940XM (8MB Cache, up to 3.9GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
Display : 18.4" WideFHD (1920 x 1080) WLED LCD
LCD Back Cover : Nebula Red - Anodized Aluminum
Memory : 16GB (4x4096) 1866MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Kingson HyperX
Hard Drive : 512GB RAID 0 (2x256GB) Solid State Drives
Optical Drive : BluRay Combo (Blu-ray read only, DVD, CD read & write)
Graphics : Dual 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M SLI
Operating System : English Windows 7 SP1 Professional (64 BIT)
3 Years NBD with Premium Phone Support
3 years Accidental Damage Protection

OB

 

Did you ever get a quote from my Dell UK rep? - he does some pretty sick deals for us guys in the UK - hit me up with a PM if you want to find out just how good! (I presume your order above is through a US reseller?)

 

No, I went through my company account manager. I got a better deal the 2nd time as I got the HDD upgraded, process upgraded, Bluray and 3 yrs accidental damage added for the same cost as the original deal...

OB

P.S. I noticed that you also use the Coolermaster NotePal U3, how does it perform with the chassis on the M18X...?

 

Ahhhh, I see. I was thinking that my rep may have been able to get you a better deal. I've seen him offer discount over 20% in the past....thought it might have been of interest to you.

The U3 performs great on the 18x with its positionable fans. It does a good job for me as it stops the mains system fans coming on when idling - the only noise I hear normally when browsing etc is the noise of the U3's fans. Occasionally, if I view flash, the primary gpu fan kicks in on its lowest level. As for load temps, I don't think ANY cooler performs mirales but it certainly knocked a few degrees off max. temps whilst under load - any reduction in heat is our friend, right?

PS. If you do want a comparative quote, out of curiosity, by all means feel free to PM me and my chap could provide you with his best quote.

 

I second that, I noticed that my m17x was running with less fan noise...

I would but, I've just been told my M18X will be shipping next Wednesday and no parts are on hold so...

OB

 

That's an awesome configuration, OB. Congrats.

 

Thanks Mr Fox, Art least this time i've been told by a guy from Dell that there's no parts on hold and i'll actually receive my M18X next week..:smile:

 

No probs, OB. Congrats on the proposed arrival of your new beast!

 

thanks for the reply,

were u having reconnecting issues with only wd usb 3 ext drives or other brands aswell? cuz my buffalo usb 3 ext drive works great without any problems and is faster than wd aswell, im just curious now why the problem with the wd....also did u do a clean install or the recovery cd one?

regards

 

I was having problems with all USB 3.0 drives. Alienware tried to diagnose with remote access to no avail. So I did a clean reinstall as I also upgraded to a 240 GB SSD and it came with the stock 500 GB hard drive , so trying a restore from my USB back up that was made when I had the HHD in would have caused issues in my opinion. Also doing a clean install after converting primary drive to SSD only improve the drives performance v.s. trying to clone the disks.

 

guess i should do a clean install and check it.... thanks

 

@ Mr. Fox >>>

Im aware you were going after the quest if mSATA SSD can be used in M18X R1 WiHD slot or not, wonder if you come to any answers?

Thanks