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

If you really need a PC, I would probably order the M18x and by the time it gets to you E3 would have already passed, at which time you'll still have the option to return the system.

 

This is so true, the warranty, despite the headaches it can bring, will save you, and sometimes can land you with a newer system.

 

different GPU, different temp, sounds about right

 

I don't know about that anymore. Let's say I upgrade my cpu 3740qm to an aftermarket to the xm, upgrade the 680s to 780ms. The warrant only then covers my mobo and screen, as everything else it essentially aftermarket upgraded. In which case I don't know if it's truly worth it. If your not upgrading then sure.. But if you are... What's the point.

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

The point is if any of the parts under warranty are having an issue they are covered. Lets say something goes wrong with the MOBO it's replaced, and if it can't be you will receive a newer system to which those parts you bought aftermarket might be able to be used. Or if the screen goes bad it's covered. The warranty never will hurt, and quite honestly it can save your rear when needed. To each their own though.

 

Heya guys.. This is my first time posting in this thread. I hope you guys can help me when i have any troubles with my m18x.. M18x rulesss

 

Hey guys,

I want to say huge THANK YOU to Mr. Fox for the m18x teardown video. This was my first absolute teardown ( 3pipe heatsink replacement + new thermal compound on everything ) on my m18x and without the very patient and amazing instructions i would have had some problems !

I was SHOCKED to find that my slave GPU did NOT have any thermal compound :O ( it is not my first time disassembling computers in general, it was first on my precious m18x ). I have no idea how it did not die on me. The crystal and the heatsink were completely clean. No trace whatsoever..

Everything went well, replaced everything with Prolimatech PK3 and with some patience was able to bring everything back together without any hiccups. ( no screws left ! )

Thank you again, Mr. Fox !

 

Great work! I am sure your temps will be good to go now. I did the same on my new machine and the videos I found here were invaluable. Great community & great people here. :thumbsup:

 

One point for the OP to remember is that as he is in the UK, like me, he will only get 7 days to return. We don't get 21 days like the US, so that could be a sore point - depending on when the machine arrived. If it's ordered under the business category, you get ZERO return options in the UK.

 

Yeah, the return thing can seriously you over here, especially with the speed of our postal services.

I can get this for £2,091.54 with all the offers, it's very tempting
Alienware M18x R2
Windows 8 64bit, English
3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3740QM
12GB 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
Dual 2GB GDDR5 AMD® RADEON HD 7970M CrossFireX™
500GB 7,200 RPM + 32GB mSATA Caching SSD
BluRay Combo (Blu-ray read only, DVD, CD read & write)

 

Good old DMXDimension codes :thumbsup:

Depending on how important the blu ray is to you, what I would recommend would be to ditch it if you wont use it, also ditch the 12gb ram unless you really need it for any ram hogging applications, and with the money saved, up the gpu to 680m Sli as it's less problematic and also overclocks like a demon. By my calculations, you could get that for £2,463.54 with the DMX codes.

You can always grab more ram and even a blu ray later if you wanted to and it will be cheaper in the long run. If you can't stretch that far, I'd still say save yourself a bit and ditch the ram upgrade, possibly the blu ray unless it's a must. That way, you'll be getting a killer machine at a great price. Chances are that the same amount of cash won't stretch as far with the new releases, you can bank on the fact that Dell won't be offering £300 off the list from the get-go on a Haswell machine.....if you are on a budget, I'd be very tempted to grab a great deal now.....if you went for the 680m Sli option, it's gonna delay your order by 14 days anyway, so chances are you will still be in a return scenario when the new machines hit - giving you the choice of a return or keep.

 

Thanks for the detailed reply! I can't quite stretch to SLI 680's, I only own blu rays so when I'm away from home it'd be nice to play some with me/long train journeys lol, and i was upgrading my ram because a poker programme called Holdem manager is probably has the most broken ram usage, and as it was £50 for 6>8 or £100 6>12.
I understand it's expensive and dell do rip you off, however i do love playing around with computer parts, but i'm looking for something ready done good to go throughout uni

 

In which case, if you are happy with getting a very powerful machine at a great price, I'd jump on it. Hell, they are wanting that kinda money for refurb's on Fleabay right now. I wouldn't imagine you would get a machine equivalent in performance/spec when the new models go live. You will be served well for some time with the spec you have priced so if you are happy, I'd pull the trigger. Only thing I would say is if you can afford more warranty, get as much as you can. Especially if it has to last you through Uni.

 

Can i extend it? after 11months of the first year, do you know ?

 

Sure you can. Before it expires. It'll be more expensive than buying at the off, but yes you can do that.

 

Stevie has some wonderful points about this. In regards to extending the warranty you will pay just under $400 USD per year so it is far cheaper to buy as much as possible up front.I just extended my warranty and the total came out to $368 after taxes and such. All in all you are getting a great deal with that config, I would pull the trigger and not look back.

 

Thanks, i'm curious to know what sort of frames i can get in games such as wow/cs go with dual cards

 

Can you be more specific? We can probably help, but we don't know what you need help with until you share that information with us.

Cool! Glad the information was helpful.

 

This might help with regards to WoW: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m18x/718487-fps-wow-pandaria-gtx680m-single-sli.html and as for Counter Strike Global Offensive, this article gives some figures for 680m Sli (228fps on ultra) so performance *might* be comparable to that for 7970m crossfire: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M SLI - NotebookCheck.net Tech

 

I suggest you read some of the threads on negotiating with Dell Sales. They are in the general Alienware forum category.

I seems some folks get 10% off instead of 7% and 4 years of warranty tossed in to sweeten the deal. I don't know the voracity of these claims but it is worth a try. Just build your machine, then click the chat to a Dell rep when the little window appears I used the call back feature. I know that in my case I made an offer by telephone, the rep said no so I said no, then he called back in a week and we ultimately ended up with a deal. I have never regretted it.

 

Hi brothers!

So, simple question today: How often do you all update your M18x drivers from Dell's page. Personally, if I see a new date next to a link I want to click it. But then I remember the horror stories from fellow owners on this forum who updated, say, their Killer driver and now the thing doesn't work.

Are there any driver categories you don't trust and, therefore, don't download? I know the old "If it isn't broken..." mantra but I do want my computer to be as up-to-date as possible.

 

Yess i was hoping to upgrade my m18x r1 into the second gen XM processor and exchange my 6990m cfx into 680m sli.. So i've got a question about the process,. Once i've done replacing all the components like installing the new processor, graphics card and etc and finaally assembling back my laptop, does it start normally?? And it just recognises the new hardware installed without any request for bios update??

 

If it ain't broken don't fix it is the best approach. When it comes to drivers the latest is not always the greatest. I would apply that to everything including BIOS updates available for download from Dell Support. One possible exception to that rule is video drivers. If you get new games frequently, sometimes video driver updates are very useful. Especially if a game you care a lot about works poorly. When it comes to drivers, Dell Support is not the only place to get them. With video drivers, it is normally the last place to look because they are seldom updated. However, Dell's recommended drivers (even when outdated) are very useful for troubleshooting. More often than not, they are validated as not introducing any functionality problems even if they are not performance optimized.

Yes, it starts normally. It's a good idea to pull the CMOS battery to clear out all the old settings. When you first boot after doing that it might beep a on your first attempt to POST. Hold down the power button to shut it off and it will be fine the second time if there are no problems from your hardware installation. There is no reason for a BIOS update on account of the new parts.

 

Thanks mrfox.. By the way what exactly is a CMOS battery?? You mean the Normal battery or something else??

 

The CMOS battery is small and round like an oversize watch battery on the motherboard. It retains the settings in the BIOS when your unplugged and the main battery is out.

 

So i have to pull out the CMOS battery as in remove it from the motherboard then put it back?? Then i start my laptop and wait for the beep to ensure nothing is wrong with the assembling?? Then i hold the power button to restart? Is that all?

 

hey guys just a quick question, I recently noticed my 3940XM is running pretty hot, the cpu idles at about 40c-45c but when under heavy use or playing certain games like borderlands 2, the temps spike up to high 90s to even 102c at one point between instances of the fan kicking it to the next higher speed level, but when the fan is maxed, the cpu stays at around mid to high 80s and will occasionally spike into the 90s. ive tried all types of different thermal paste and have repasted a million times already and so far shin etsu x32 seems to be the only paste that keeps the cpu from hitting the max 105c and throttling. i have the triple pipe heatsink for it so im just wondering if this is normal for this cpu to run so hot because i dont remember it going this high when i first got it. the top of the screws on my heatsink are a bit messed up from all the repasting so idk if its as tight as i was able to make it when i first got it. maybe i just messed up the heatsink after repasting so many times?

 

What kind of clocks are you running it at? - normal or heavy OC? - it's not unusual to see a heavily OC'd 3940xm hitting 90c+, but 102c is not good....that's not far off a thermal shutdown. Maybe the heatsink is not secured down quite as it should be or the thermal paste application was not a great one. If the screws are fubar'd, you might be able to get a replacement set of screws and go from there....

 

thaks for quick reply! so im running OC @ 4.2ghz with vid override of 30 and before when i used IC Diamond it was hitting spikes of 105c and started throttling like crazy, so i started using shin etsu. i use the line method for pasting, but the cpu never sustains in the 100s only spikes for a split second but will dangle in the 90s every once in a while under heavy load.

 

Well, there's only a few things it can be, really. Heatsink not secured snugly enough, paste application is iffy, very high ambient temps and maybe system fans. From the sounds of it, the fans are working as they should so that leaves the others. I take it that you have made sure the heatsink fins/system fans are clear of dust bunnies etc, right?

Maybe Mr. Fox could assist, he knows more about OC'ing the 3940xm than I do...maybe there are some settings tweaks you can make to help it run cooler under a heavy load.

 

You disconnect the lead to the MB. There are procedures for this you should look into carefully before proceeding.

 

Ahh thanks i will, hopefully you can sort a finance option over the phone. and yeah i think the best thing would be to haggle with the warranty rather than any more discount as £2,000 for a crossfire system with those specs doesn't even seem that bad to fair

 

So i must dO this procedure?? B. Clear CMOS:

Remove system battery
Disconnect AC adapter
Remove bottom cover
Hold down power button for 30 seconds
Ground yourself to the motherboard by touching a screw on the chassis
Disconnect wire from coin cell battery
Touch screwdriver tip lightly against pins the wire connects to for 1 or 2 seconds
Reconnect coin cell battery wire
Connect AC adapter and power up
Press F2 to enter BIOS
Set date/time and any of your customized settings
Press F10 to save and exit
Load Windows
Install system battery


Note: your system may start beeping after clearing the CMOS. Don't panic. Hold down the power button to shut it off. Turn it on again, and it should restart and clear itself by resetting BIOS defaults. If your OS was installed incorrectly with the BIOS set to AHCI instead of RAID, you may need to manually set that back to AHCI in the BIOS for Windows to load.

 

Try reducing your flex. 30 is way too much for 4.2ghz. You can probably reduce it to 0-5.

 

You got it. :thumbsup:

 

Alright thank you very much AlienMike. Can't wait for the ordered parts to arrive~

 

Hey guys, quick question for you.

I know that the proper "home" for this is probably the Marketplace, but I wanted to gauge a level of interest first, before advertising them, as chances are it will be only of interest to UK NBR members due to shipping logisitcs. Anyway, I hope this is okay with the mod's.

Basically, I've come into a bargain that I will just not use myself, and wondered if anyone would be semi-interested. I grabbed a couple of brand new and sealed LED Samsung HDTV Monitors, like these: Samsung T22B300 21.5 inch Widescreen LED TV/Monitor with Digital TV Tuner - Gloss Black (Full 1080P, Dolby Digital +, HDMI, VGA, USB, Scart): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories. It was just a thought, as maybe someone could use 'em for a mutli-monitor setup.

Of course, me being in the UK, they are probably only interesting to UK members due to shipping costs.

What d'ya reckon?

 

Oh ya i forgot to ask. What if i dont do the CMOS battery resetting procedure? Will it affect anything on my system? Cause from all the videos of upgrading and teardown videos i've seen there is no procedure regarding this CMOS battery. So how important is this?

 

You would clear the CMOS to reset all the BIOS settings to default. There are many reasons to do it like failing POST for example. Chances are if you need to clear it you will know and not have much other choice to get up and running.

 

Decided to just wait until the new release of the m17 as i feel crossfire cards might be overkill for WoW/Cs/need for speed type games and i think the 18 might be a hassle to take to the library/lectures at uni.
How do you feel about moving the m18 Mr Jones every few days? will it be annoying?

 

Nah, that's just silly talk. If you had an M18x you'd be so in love with how powerful it is that you wouldn't even want a wimpy single GPU laptop any more. Having dual GPU is far from overkill. I consider it a basic necessity. And, it's a wive's tale that it's too big or not portable enough to take anywhere and everywhere. There are hundreds if not thousands of us that prove that to be wrong day in and day out.

 

ha, ha that's true brother fox!

 

I don't get the portability argument for going a m17 over a m18. It's only 1 inch more of heft and you get x2 the power with dual GPU's. I can't see how that extra 1 inch is the straw that's going to break the camels back.

 

While there might be a few exceptions, I believe it is primarily because most people that make those statements are repeating what others have said, or they are makings some assumptions, and don't really have any idea what they are talking about.

 

I'd also go with what the other guys have said above. Portability is not a problem and the 18x is superb piece of kit. If you felt two gpu's was overkill, there might be a single gpu configuration that would lighten the hit on your wallet whilst leaving you with the option of adding another gpu later on down the line - that's something you can't do with any other Alien.

 

I'm going to have to disagree about the m18x portability for several reasons. I had to buy an expensive backpack (yet another) just to lug the monster around. With the power brick the backpack is quite heavy. Obviously the m18x is not designed with portability in mind, it's not an ultrabook it's a desktop replacement. If you are just measuring the difference between m17x vs m18x then it's a valid discussion but remember the choices in transportation diminish with the m18x since it is so enormous.

Obviously we're not going to hold some type of race with m17 vs m18 at the track.

Mr. Fox travels extensively with his m18x I have traveled enough with it to know I don't want to until I boot it up wherever it is I am. I would consider it barely portable especially when combined with all the other things I am carrying.

 

It is as portable as it gets, its a L-A-P-T-O-P , if its too heavy - go to GYM, if you cant - exercise at home, there is no such thing as "I CAN'T" - only exists for this is - "I DONT WANT / I DONT NEED / I'M AFRAID", if its too powerful for your need's - YOU DON'T NEED IT AT ALL, but if you feel you may need it and its too powerfull - it will last you for a very long time since its "overkill" you will not need another laptop for a very long time. So dont complain about it at all, not even a comment. If you really want best of the best, size is not an issue, I would even want it to be 20" if it can be one day, it would still be portable in a form of a laptop and in the power beyond desktop

my 2 cent

 

Hi,
I have an AW M18XR2 with 680M SLIs. As then new 780Ms are getting closer my questions are:
1.) is it possible to upgrade vom 680M SLI to 780M SLI
2.) what does it cost and can I ask Dell/AW to do it
3.) does it make sense or should I wait for eg. 880M SLI next year or won't the 880s be no longer compatible?

Many thanks

 

1. yes
2. maybe
3. nobody knows

 

Or to elaborate slightly

1. Yep. Chances are you will need to modify drivers for it to work correctly - just like 680m is not validated for use in my R1, 780m will not be validated for use in an R2 - that's just the way Dell roll, as they will make more money from people "upgrading their whole machine" vs. using sneaky driver hacks!

2. It will cost HUGE to get the 780m cards from Dell. Also, you will probably find that Dell will not be offering them as an upgrade for the R2 - ever, and also, any stock they do have will be going towards new builds machines. Your chances of getting them from Dell are slim to none.

3. If you are happy buying off Ebay for maybe around $1,000 per card, the 780m is likely to net you around 15% improvement over 680m at stock. Will the next gen gpu's be better? - sure. How much will they cost? - a lot.

I'd say for you to sit tight and enjoy the 680m's you have until we've seen exactly what the 780m will bring over the next few months. You never know, you might find that dropping a huge chunk of cash is simply not worth it in terms of cost/performance - unless you have very deep pockets and simply must have the very latest technology as soon as it lands.