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

:cry:Oh no M18

 

Hi guys! Can anyone help me with my m18x? Just yesterday my m18x started making the 7 beeps sound upon boot up. This unit was sold to me a few weeks ago and unfortunately has no waranty anymore. Is there something i can do to check the cause of the problem myself?
A friend of mine have already tried reseating the ribbon cables and swapped a few good cpus but we still encountered the 7 beeps problem therefore crossing out the possibility of having a broken processor. Before this happened, the unit was working perfectly fine with no problems at all. Only thing we did was repasted the gpus and processors to maximize its performance. After that the problem started to show up. Physically there were no problems on the motherboard too. Could there be a faulty IC on the mobo which could be causing the 7 beeps?
I live in the Philippines and with or without warranty i dont think we have the luxury of sending the unit back to dell for repair or replacement. Would you guys even recommend of having non-alienware technicians check the unit or not?
Will appreciate any of your inputs and suggestions. Thanks!

 

@bimbylito Sounds like you did not properly seat the heatsinks when you did the repaste. First, recheck the contact that the heatsinks made to the CPU/GPU. Also, make sure you didn't remove any of the thermal pads on the chipset. If all falls, I have had very good luck doing a solder reflow on several computers. Just google it for more info. Good luck.

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@bimbylito
I wouldn't condemn your computer and say it is an issue with the motherboard, just with the CPU.
You could try and look for CPU replacements. If this is indeed an M18X R1 or R2 then my best solution would be to contact ztronics.com
They are our most trusted third-party company for old replacement parts.
I hope this information is helpful.

 

@wasserman Hi! Thanks for the response. Could it still be safe to say that the problem is the cpu? Even if we tried replacing the old one with new and known working ones?

Will definitely look on the website you provided.

@rawhide85 will try to look for the videos you mentioned. When i get back home i'll try all of these. Will keep you posted on the results. Thanks!


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What do you guys think about wrapping the m18x r2 with a comforter? A video in youtube shows that it temporarily fixes the 7 beeps issue. It aounds crazy but a few people gave their comments and say it works. Basically according to them it works the same way as the reflow thingy. I plan to do that myself but im not sure what is it exactly i need to solder reflow. Is it the processor?

Hoping for your kind response again. I'm really new at this so please bare with me and the noobish questions. ��

 

I would take the thing completely apart and boot with 1 memory stick and cpu only!
If one slot is beeping then try another. If your machine still will not boot. then it's more than likely the motherboard.

 

@bimbylito- I would suggest what @johnksss recommended as it is a quick way of ruling out your memory. However, if that does not work, I wouldd not do anything but completely disassemble it and do a motherboard reflow. What you are accomplishing is any imperfections or hairline cracks in the solder [it can become brittle over time] will be heated enough to reflow and fill the voids. This has saved me several motherboards that were confined dead. The best video I found for this was a guy on YouTube that did it on an Xbox 360. I know it's a different animal, but he explains the reflow process very well. Lastly, you will want to heat the entire board equally, let it cool, then heat the other side. You will need a heatgun as a hair dryer will not get hot enough. Trust me, it works. Link to video:
Repairing The Red Ring of Death XBox 360 - EricTheCarGuy - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/embed/oiXwA9T26W4?autoplay=1


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Hi rawhide. Went to one of the alienware enthusiasts here in our place and he didn't recommend us doing a reflow on the mobo as it might burn some of the plastic components. Last option is to buy a new mobo. This will be out of the budget but wth. Might as well let it all out.

One question though, by reflow do you mean reflowing the whole board or should i use a heat gun and point it to a specific part of the board only? On the video you recommended he used a heat gun and distributed the heat to the whole board. Not sure if i need to do the same thing.

 

@bimbylito - Yes you heat the entire board. I agree with your contact about melting plastic components but you just take care now to over heat them. For you this is to be used as a last resort. I would not buy another board until I tried it. If I didn't have such good luck, I wouldn't recommend it. Again, follow the guys lead, use a criss cross pattern, don't go directly over any plastic and you should be OK. Good luck

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@bimbylito PM sent.

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If what John suggested indicates a bad mobo and a blind recovery flash doesn't help, leaving you with no option but buying another motherboard, what have you got to lose with a "reflow" procedure? I'd say nothing. Take off the plastic shields that go under the video cards and remove any extra parts (Bluetooth module, CPU, memory, etc.) so you don't damage other components and give it a shot. If it doesn't work you were going to buy another motherboard anyway. If it does, you either saved a few hundred bucks or delayed the ultimate death of the motherboard for as long as the reflow procedure lasts.

 

@Mr.Fox I'm glad to see you agreed with my recommendation. Of course it is a last resort procedure and I would never do it on a working board. My first success was an Xbox 360 red ring of death repair. Since then I have had several laptops that I resurrected. +1

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Hello,
I am new here but always i have read in the forum. Sorry for my english, this is not my language.

I have a M18xR2 with single GTX 680m. Now i will uprgade to GTX 780m or GTX 880m. Where can i find a step by step How To for this upgrade?

 

@Sergeant, here is a video of a GTX580 install that will help you. Please disregard the guy, he talks to much. Good luck

Alienware M17X R2 laptop GTX580 video card upgrade - YouTube
Alienware M17X R2 laptop GTX580 video card upgrade - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/embed/LNGnOU_Ky-8?autoplay=1


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Sorry, but you forgot the link for this video.

 

Yep. It's up now.

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Only I found upgrade How To for M17xR3. Is it for the M18xR2 the same procedure?
Installing your card in a M17x R2 R3
1. Flash bios with (R2) A10 or (R3) A12 , unlocked Bios
2. a) Disable onboard HD audio /R3 Disable onboard grahpic card
b) Disable IDT GPU in advanced settings
//R3 change display model from SG to PDG
3. Install Card
4. Install driver with ...ini mod.

I have some questions.
Do I need components like backplate, heatsink, bottom plate for the GTX 780m/880M?
My Bios is the latest original version A12. Do I need an Unlock Bios?
My AC Adapter/Charger is 240W. Do I need a AC Adapter/Charger 330W?

 

@Sergeant here is another link. This is a M18xR1. I'll link the other video which is an M18x R2.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AitCbvv3lcQ, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNGnOU_Ky-8

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Basically, replacing 680M with 780M or 880M is a simple swap. There's nothing special as far as the hardware change is concerned. See answers below.

You might get away with 240W with one 780M or one 880M in a casual use scenario, but you won't have any wiggle room for overclocking at all.

 

Thank you very much.
Would you advise me to upgrade to a 780m.

 

You'd be better off upgraded to 680M SLI than you would be purchasing one 780M to replace one 680M. Having 780M SLI would be even better.

 

Thanks you Mr. Fox
I have Win 8.1, Is the A10 unlocked BIios ok for this windows?

Thats a lot of Money, 2x GTX780m
What all do I need components for a sli upgrade?
I see you have a 330W dual Charger. Is only one 330W Charger also ok for 780m SLI?

 

Yup, it's a lot of money. Whether or not it's worth it depends 100% on what you want, how bad you want it and your budget. But, it's way lots less expensive than buying a new machine unless you're OK buying cheap crap systems to save money.

What you are using now is actually ideal. I am dual booting Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.1 with A10 unlocked and I do not recommend using a newer BIOS. For one, you won't have an unlocked version and the newer BIOS implement new restrictions to make your beast more like a newer locked-down turd.

If you're not planning to do any kind of significant overclocking, a single 330W AC adapter will be enough to make do with 680M or 780M. Both of those GPUs overclocked in SLI, especially with an overclocked XM CPU, will draw more than the 330W AC adapter is capable of delivering. Alienware has recycled this old AC adapter longer than they should have. They need to pay closer attention and do a better job of keeping up with the demands of the technology they are selling. That, or they are intentionally using inadequate components to save money and increase profits.

All you need to upgrade to SLI is a matching 680M card, heat sink/back plate, SLI bridge cable, 330W AC adapter and (if there is not one) right GPU fan. The part numbers are listed on the first page of this thread. You will need a Dell GTX 680M MXM module because the Clevo models are 4GB of vRAM, whereas the Dell are 2GB. In spite of the 50% reduction in vRAM, all of the overclocking we have seen indicates Dell's GTX 680M modules perform better than the Clevo 680M does. If you are not a benching nut that won't matter, but you still need a 2GB module for it to work correctly in SLI with your Dell 680M. (I am assuming your 680M is a Dell GPU. If it is a 4GB card, the opposite of what I said is true and you need to buy a Clevo 680M instead.)

 

Thank you Mr. Fox
First I will downgrade to the Bios A10 and than i update of Bios A10 unlocked. Is this correct way?
After I will install the 3940xm with the 3 Pipe Heatsink. At the moment I have the i7-3740qm with 1 Pipe Heatsink inside the machine.
I think I'll install the 780m SLI or a single 880m card, i am not sure. First i will check the prices of all components.

Can i undervolt a gtx680m 2GB for a better cooling?

 

stop getting tricked into 880m is better than 780m. in reality its like less than 2% performance difference yet it cost probably 20% more. all you get is 4gb more ram. get the 780m SLI, way better for your game and money value.

 

Its looking like more of a downgrade at this stage. A dubious kind of downgrade. The extra vram is always welcome though.

 

Yes, flash down to A10, the unlocked. No need to undervolt the GPUs for better cooling. If you have the NVIDIA 100W heat sinks and good thermal paste there is no problem with this running too hot.

780M SLI would be much better than a single 880M. Too much weirdness happening with 880M right now anyway.

 

What is a good or better the best memory for M18xR2?
Inside my machine are 16GB Hynix, but i think this memory is not so good.

@unityole
Ok. I see in your signature, du you have a Dual heatsink fan mod. Whats that?

 

memory makes little difference unless you have a fast CPU which can take advantage of it.

my mod is more of a failure than success, still better than having a singular cooling module though but the leak in one of the pipe(s) is getting on my nerve.

 

Hi guys, i haven't posted in while but here is probably something you wont see every day. Today a tech came over to replace my 2x7970m cards (one of the cards died) with 2x 680m cards, but the issue now is that one cards is detected as a 680 GTX in device manager. I was not home to see the tech replace the cards but i think one of the cards he put in may be bad or the wrong model. I have already contacted Dell and had them send the tech again with a new pair of 680m cards. Has anyone ever seen a GTX 680 in an M18x?

 

The GTX 680 is a desktop GPU and there is no mobile application for that product. Check the hardware ID and look at all of the informational data for each GPU in GPU-Z. If they match, it's a driver corruption problem. If they don't match, then perhaps someone flashed the wrong vBIOS to the module that thinks its a GTX 680 instead of a 680M. When they send replacement video cards, be sure the PCB (board) colors match one another. If they are not the same color that will be a problem. Clevo is blue (4GB) and Dell is green (2GB) and they won't function correctly together.

 

Y48TK Right Heatsink GeForce GTX 680m
3MHHT nVidia support plate GTX 680m
GDMRG Nvidia SLI Bridge Cable
XHW5W FAN, Graphic Card, Slave, Right

I think thats the correct parts.
Can I order the parts directly from dell or can you tell me a good shop?
Are the bolts always present at the parts?

Ok, but what memory is recommended for the M18xR2?

 

If they have them in stock you can order them from Dell. Call Dell Spare Parts at 800.357.3355 to check. Other than the 680M GPU the rest of those parts should be cheaper buying them new from Dell than anywhere else. If they do not have everything you need, Google the part numbers. All of it can be purchased on eBay, but the cost is almost always higher even if the parts are second hand. PCHub.com is a good source for brand new Dell parts, with good prices, but slow shipping time.

 

1600 or 1866 should be fine. you'll need at least 4.2-4.4ghz to take advantage of 2133. im at 2200 and running 4.7 and i still need faster ram.

 

Is the m18x and r2 power adapter the same as the new 18s?

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Yes they are the same Brother Dan

 

I'm sure this has probably been answered a number of times, but I really don't have the patience to look through 364 pages trying to find an answer. So here goes...

I have dual 675m's in my 18xR2 and I would like to upgrade them to something better. If possible does anyone know where I can make a purchase? Would it be through Dell or another source?

Thanks.

 

Yes, dozens upon dozens... I don't have that kind of patience either, but the solution works miraculously: [Quick Tip]: How to Find Information at NBR Forums Using Google

 

The part numbers are listed on the first page of this thread. When i order the parts, are the bolts always present at the parts?
I am not sure, 3MHHT nVidia support plate GTX 680m, is this only the Backplate?

Is the new AW18 Backplate for 780m the same as the M18xR2 680m Backplate?
What do i need for Thermal Pads on the 680m or 780m, 0,5mm / 1mm / 2mm, do you have a Link?

 

New heat sinks purchased from Dell have the screws attached and include the thermal pads that are needed. The support plate is the same for 680M and 780M.

 

Are the heat sinks for the 675m compatible on the 770m as well then? Is a single 770 comparable in performance to SLI 675 for 18xr2?

 

SLI 675 is slightly more powerful

 

Is there a single card that is more powerful that i can just plug in and mod that .inf file, with the original mobo and heat sinks or am I dreaming impossible impossibilities? :cry:

 

A single 680M or 780M would be better than 580M/675M SLI and you can run just one with no problem using the 675M heat sink.

 

Thank you so much!!
It sucks to loose gaming ability right as summer started... This is a big step to narrowing down the search. I'm terrified of referb/used parts off of eBay and the like, making things difficult on myself here Especially being outside of the states where shipping is easy. But thanks for the info, is the 780 performance miles ahead of the 680 or should i stick with 680 because they were approved by dell?

 

Running stock, not a huge difference. 780M overclocks better by a respectable margin. Neither GPU struggles with games running at stock clock speeds. The most important reason for gaming to choose 780M would be 4GB of vRAM being standard. The Dell 680M is 2GB and Clevo 680M is 4GB, but the 2GB Dell 680M cards have seemed to perform consistently a little better than the 4GB Clevo 680M cards, at least in benchmarks. If you look on eBay there are some really good prices to be had on 680M and 780M. Most are still overpriced like many things on eBay are, but there are some excellent deals if you hunt for them and check frequently. They disappear fast with "Buy it Now" if the price is good. I would be an advocate for 780M as the best option, but I would not spend $200 or more extra per GPU for it than what I would pay for 680M GPUs.

 

Thanks for the advice. I found some what appear to be new 680m around $550US, from the Russian Fed , and some used 780m around the same price. Maybe i can find two okay-ish looking 680m and SLI them, but i'm kinda shying away from the additional 'complexity' and having to buy a new SLI cable. While i do understand SLI is more future proof and offers better performance, hunting them down and never having bought from eBay proves to be a terrifying prospect.

 

I recently run into this problem. My slave graphic slot seems not working. Card works in master slot won't work in slavery and shows this wrecked stats in GPU-Z. Does anyone have similar issue like this? Is this a mobo problem?

 

It was love at first sight <3