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

I received my M18x R2!!!! Thanks for the feedback stevie. Hey I have great news, I found out my m18x r2 comes with 680 SLI..WHAT!!! I just save $1,100.00 bucks! WOW! You guys are right, my m18x-r2 is a refurbished laptop, but it look so brand new:thumbsup:

I just raid 0 all my SSDs and i am in the process of installing drivers.

How can you tell the different between an R1 from an R2?

Why is there a red light in the Combo S/PDIF Optical output?

Thanks Guys!

 

Congrats on the awesome beast! Outstanding specs.

The R1 has a Sandy Bridge processor, is not sold with 680M SLI, R2 has mSATA, all USB 3.0 and an extra SATA port and HDD bay to name a few things. However, they look exactly the same on the outside. The only distinguishing cosmetic differences are the R2 has tacky decals on the palm rest and the COA and service tag labels are under the battery. The R1 does not have any ugly decals on the palm rest, but the COA and service tag labels (and decals that would be found on the R2 palm rest) are stuck to the bottom cover.

Because it is an optical output and uses a laser. Don't look at the red light, as it can damage your eyes.

 

This may sound like a stupid question but I do not have a red light. Does it need to be turned on via a setting or and I missing something here.

 

I don't see it either, ha ha.

---

Anyway, I see a dead pixel on my screen already. Noticed it 6 days after the laptop arrived! This is how it began last time, leading to my return...hope this isn't the beginning of something worse to come.

 

dead or stuck pixels?

dead usually shows complete white, while pixels that are stuck still show some type of color and you can fix it with light to medium pressure and warm temperature. there are also software able to help towards fixing it.

 

It's visible on a white background, and appears as rainbow colored. The last laptop I had began with one, then several more showed up after about two weeks. Hope that isn't the case here. If so, I'm sure Alienware will send a technician to replace the screen, but I hate having this happen on such an expensive laptop.

 

usually what happen is the liquid inside screen isnt flowing properly. if you see any color other than white, theres chance to bring it back to full original quality and it doesnt take a lot of work. How to Fix a Stuck Pixel on an LCD Monitor: 5 methods they got quite a few things you can try out.

if you dont feel comfortable doing it you can always ask dell to send you a new screen replacement then just mount it yourself, way better than tech doing it and rough up your system.

 

Thanks Mr.Fox Can someone help me? I've been to Dell's page for M18x r2's drivers, downloaded most of the drivers, but I am still missing three device drivers under "other devices". The three devices are Ethernet Controller, SM Bus Controller, and Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller. I've tried the update driver under properties for each device, but didn't work and mine replacement laptop did not come with a resource DVD disk.

 

You need the two additional Chipset drivers for the Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller Driver and the Realtek RTS5209 and the driver for the Atheros AR8151 Network Card (NIC). That should take care of those 'other devices'.

 

I just bought this off eBay for 2000 is this a great price or what? So I will have a 680 for sake soon I just want one.


Dell Alienware M18X R2 Dual GTX 680M SLI.
This laptop is NEW WITH BOX. This laptop is better than brand new sealed in box as we identify an average of 2% of new sealed laptops that are not up to par and we return them. In addition to providing an additional layer of quality assurance, we significantly enhance the performance by upgrading internal components. Listed below are the components we upgrade in this computer. All laptops are individually hand tested and inspected by two technicians for quality assurance and are sanitized before shipping.
Modifications: CPU - RAM - HDD
CPU/Processor: Intel i7-3920XM 2.90 Ghz (x 8 threads) | 3.80 GHz (x 4 Threads) | 8 MB L3 Cache | 55 Watts
Graphics Card: Dual (2) 2GB GDDR5 Nvidia GTX 680M SLI
RAM/Memory: 32GB (4GB x 8GB) 1600MHz
Hard Drive: 256GB mSATA + 1TB 5400rpm HDD + 1TB 5400rpm HDD
Display: 18.4" Full HD (1920x1080) Widescreen LED Display
Optical Drive: Slot Loading SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW Dual Layer
Webcam / Microphone: 2.1MP Webcam / Integrated Dual Microphone Array
Wireless: Intel WiFi 2230 a/g/n
Bluetooth: Bluetooth v4
Ports: 1 x eSATA/USB 2.0 Combo, 4 x USB 3.0, 1 x RJ-45 Ethernet, 1 x HDMI 1.3, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 9-in-1 Media Reader,1 x Audio Out/SPDIF Shared, 2 x Audio Out, 1 x Microphone input
Keyboard: Backlit 101 key (including numerical keypad) with AlienFX lighting controls
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium x64
Battery: 12 cell battery
Dimensions: 17.17" x 12.68" x 2.09" - 2.13"
Weight: 11.93 lbs (w/ Battery)
Warranty: Warranty is provided through Computer Upgrade King.

 

How in the hell was that only two grand?

Sent from my SGH-T999

 

If you actually receive it and not a box of phonebooks, that is an amazing deal. But it really sounds too good to be true.

 

This right here.............hope it's not a scam because if it's not then that's one hell of a deal!!

 

So youre the guy that bought that? Had that in my watch list! Yeah thats an amazing price for that computer!!!

 

i would be blown away if that thing actually shows up at your house.

 

Priced out at their website it is over 3400 with 7970's. So you figure adding the 680's would add atleast 1k. I really hate to say it but seems too good to be true.

 

I agree we will see I have eBay buyer protection and Paypal protection we will find out. There was 10 total they went in 15 mins.

 

Yeah that pricing makes me nervous...I am very interested to see if you actually get it. If you payed through Paypal then you are golden...they will refund every dime back if it was a fraud.

 

I have dealt with ComputerUpgradeKing before.I purchased an MSI notebook a few years ago and I had to return it because it was so full of defects and they charged me with a 20% restocking fee. I don't trust them, buyer beware

 

Seems too good to be true. You may be lucky, who knows. Keep us informed, if you will.

If it were manufacturer refurbished or used, it would seem more reasonable.

 

uuuuh... 2 grand for what appears to be a near 5 grand machine? Yeah...

Hope you don't get burned when you open the box.

 

What was their feedback score and feedback percentage? How long have they been selling on eBay?

 

Is that $2000 or GBP 2000? There's a whole world of difference between the two currencies

Also, sorry for bursting your bubble, but it seems you might be getting burned. The seller fluffed up the description with sanitizing and all that BS, and put in top specs... yet if they inspect it so carefully, why on earth did they install W7 Home Premium on a machine that has 32GB RAM?

 

He wins either way, actually. If what you bought actually shows up, you got the deal of the CENTURY. If not, PayPal will refund every dime. Is there a bookie in the house?

 

Not if he paid through bank transfer or something of the sort

But yeah, my money's on it being a scam. Of course, hoping for either it not being a scam or getting his money back safely

Edit - just saw that he paid through PayPal. Still, one may never be too careful, especially if it was one of those listings where they tell you to contact them before bidding and offer joblots and all that

 

They were an eBay top seller

Ya never do a transaction without PayPal.

 

Great point. I did not even notice that myself.

If it seems too good to be true, it likely is.

 

Well, I hope it ends well and it turns out that our buddy got a great deal. I believe Computer Upgrade King is based in California... if it is the same company I am thinking of, they have several web pages that are the same with a different business name in the top banner and a different URL, but the same phone number under contact information. They typically part out machines and sell components as used or refurbished. They do sell some build from parts on multiple machines. I purchased a few of odd parts from them for repairs to an old Sager white box gaming laptop I was using a few years ago.

Even if it is a great deal, the downside might be having no warranty from Alienware and possibly no ability to buy one.

@dodgehemi0 - good luck to you on this, bro. If the seller offers a reasonable price for you to purchase a 2 or 3 year parts and labor warranty, it might be a good idea to get that from them.

 

hi havent been here in a while i just wanna know if my temps are ok. i feel there too high but my room is about 27-30 degrees celclus

idle btw. just let it sit there with only this page open
m18x r2, duel 675m's, 3840qm cpu

 

If those are idle temps, they're a little higher than what I'd call "normal," but nothing to worry about. Ambient temperature plays a huge role, so if you can get that down, your PC will run cooler. If you can, purchase a cooling pad to use while at home. Also, make sure your laptop is propped up, so the fans can generate some air-flow.

Note: Those GPU temperatures are what I see while gaming. If those are idle temperatures, you may want to do something about bringing them down 10C for prolonged life (just to be on the safe side).

 

yeah i just had a quick game fof farcry 3 for 20 miin on max with v sync off and it gpu and cpu both reached 93

and yeah i've allways had it on a flat bench

 

Oh, okay. Well in that case, I'd suggest you keep these numbers in mind:

For the CPU, 40-60C is normal. During game-play, they can reach 80C-90C in the most intensive scenes over extended periods of time. Anything beyond 85C, I'd stop playing for a while.

For the GPU's, I'm going to assume they're similar to mine, so average temperatures for idling or normal use should be around 35C - 50C. In game-play, they'll get as high as 70C - 75C, and that's fine. Anymore than 75C and you'll want to take precautions: 1) the thermal paste may be getting bad, 2) there isn't enough circulation beneath the laptop, or 3) the ambient temperature in your room is high (along with #2). I only see 60's at the most, but my room is pretty cool, and I use a cooling pad.

I definitely recommend you get a cooling pad, if possible. They're about $30, and do help.

 

yeah it feels to hot(my laptops about 3-4 months old and i sware it wasent this hot at first)(its not dust because i clean it quite often) and i thought paste dident decay that quickly(its standard) is it anything else it could be?

i think i might get some ic diamond that should help

 

I get max 87 degrees on CPU after 4 hours on Far Cry 3 (and the fan always kicks in at max RPM when this happens, bringing it back down to a nice 75), and my GPU never go past 68 degrees. I'm on stock paste too. So it's time you do a re-paste I guess.. I also use my NotePal U3 for cooling (well, elevation more than cooling), it helps a lot I can tell you

 

Hey guys, after getting some advice from Fox and a few others in the M18x benchmark thread, I decided to finally get my dream laptop. Specs are in my sig. It's pretty barebones, as I only upgraded the essentials, but I'm still happy. It has the same specs and warranty as my M17x, but with the added benefit of an extra 680m and an aluminum chassis. The best part is I only paid about $500 more for the M18x than I did for the M17x (it came out to $2,999 after tax, with a two year warranty and accidental coverage.) Not bad, considering how much of an upgrade it is.

Anyway, just wanted to drop in and say hey. Can't wait to flash the vbios and start benchmarking

 

Congratulations! Hope everything works out well for you.

J.Dre

 

My gpu and cpu stay around 75C when max load i turn fan to max lol

 

yeah i disabled turbo mode (cpu) in the bios and it hasent gone above 75 while on load so thats good
and am currently waiting for a shipment of ic diamond

on another not just bought an 120gb ssd to use as a boot up drive(itunes and mabye a couple games as well)

 

Another thing to check while you're in there doing the re-paste is the thermal insulating material (TIM) positioning. I know it's a big issue on my M17xr4, and not as common on the M18xr2, but you still want to make sure the TIM is properly aligned. I bet Mr Fox has some pics lying around or already posted showing the proper positioning. Also key with both platforms is to slightly elevate the back if you are not using a cooling pad.

 

Hey Bro! :hi2: - how goes it?

You're right there about TIM alignment - recently installed some 680m's in my R1 and whilst the pads were relatively well placed, there were some that weren't quite right and I had to re-adjust them to cover the correct chips etc. If you look on Ebay, there are a few sellers who have pics illustrating the thermal pad placement - best to make sure your heatsinks match up with them - or use a bit of common sense and offer the card up to the heatsink prior to fitting.

My NotePal U3 seems to make quite a substantial hit on temps - drops them by around 5c or more on the gpu and on the cpu. The below is an example of my machine at idle (left) with the U3 fans on and (right) with the fans off but sat on the U3 - the machine had been idling for a good few hours before and then I put the fans on just to see how much effect they would have and I was very pleasantly surprised!. The reduced temps might have also been aided by the Dell stock TIM on my gpu & cpu heatsinks "bedding in" as they were new installations (680m Sli and Triple Pipe heatsink ) but given the time frame in which I took the readings, it's doubtful that the TIM would have gotten significantly better in such a short space of time - it's likely that the U3 was the main source for the lower temps.

Spoiler

 

nowadays when i paste CPU/GPU i dont put them on chip die, i just put them on heatsink and spread them flat with piece of plastic lol, much easier to do and less chance to scratch cpu, and more even distribution.

 

is that what u mean about TIM at 16:10

 

those are thermal pads no?

 

They technically the same thing, TIM just means Thermal Interface Material - that could be pads or paste as they are both the interface to transfer heat between gpu/cpu and heat sink.

Obviously you do not put a pad on the cpu/gpu die - that's a paste job. Pads go on the microchips - gpu vRam, for example - to keep them cool too. I've seen many people apply paste to the gpu vRam etc. too, as sometimes the pads don't cover all of the area to be cooled, but it must be non-capacitive or electrically non-conductive to avoid any damage. I'd probably say pads are the way to go as it's probably far less messy to replace when the time comes.

 

this is really weird since i disabled turbo mode(cpu) even after playing farcry for 2 hours the temp for both cpu and gpus dident go over 70 were as when it was on both went up to mid 90's

 

Unless I misunderstand what you're saying, that is because your CPU is not running at as high of a frequency when turbo mode is disabled so it isn't using as much energy therefore it isn't generating as much heat.

 

turbo basically draws more power, hwinfo or throttlestop shows higher VID more voltage so it increases temperature as higher frequency runs at higher volts or else you blue screen if not enough voltage. same with GPU/RAM etc

 

Amazon.com: Innovation Cooling Diamond "7 Carat" Thermal Compound - 1.5 Grams: Computers & Accessories

Excellent price. Just purchased two for myself.

Edit: Seems they raised shipping to $5, so it's actually about $7.50. But I managed to get two of them for under $10.

 

Exactly. You could just pause right there and line up the pads. If you ever have a GPU shipped from Dell, (applies to any PC vendor, I'd assume) the pads tend to stick to the side of the bag they're shipped in and need to be re-aligned on the card. If it weren't for counting pennies, companies could put the pads on a backing like decals come on, and provide a diagram on paper of where the pads should be placed.

Speaking strictly about Alienware, as that's all I know, if you are going to apply paste on any component that didn't ship with any form of TIM (paste or pads), you need to make very certain the component you are applying the paste to contacts the heat sink. An example I have seen of this is one from on of the guys from that con call with Louis about the 580 heat throttling (it was the 580 on the M18x, right, Stevie?). His card was throttling at the temp I can't recall atm, and he called support. They sent out a new card with a tech to install it. The system owner was local in the Austin area (kills me I can't remember his name right now. He was a really nice guy.) The tech applied dots of paste to every component on the GPU that stuck up above the board surface. Some of the dots didn't touch the heatsink, and Louis just laughed and wiped them off. Over time, that could have caused problems when the excess paste worked its way down around the components onto the card.
(Everything else in Stevie's post was spot on, so I only quoted that bit about the paste.)