Alienware 18 getting skylake? 18 vs 17?

What do you guys think? From everything I've read, the only machines likely to get skylake in the coming weeks are 13/15/17...

So what's everyone's favorite pick? 17 got quite a few nice updates to hardware and will get skylake from the factory. 18 missed most of those sweet little updates (tb3, pcie ssd, uhd display, 2133 memory, etc...), BUT...you get 980m sli action and user replaceable parts.

 

The Alienware 18 R2 should have support for Skylake Z170 desktop CPU's (e.g. i5-6600k).

Either way, benefits in gaming will be negligible between the two systems. The CPU doesn't increase performance that much.

 

If there even is an 18 R2, and if it gets a BGA mobile Skylake CPU, it won't be worthy of serious consideration anyway. It will be a BGA turd just as all laptops that use BGA technology are turds, it would instantly be disqualified as an enthusiast product. Performance becomes irrelevant as soon as they start welding CPUs and GPUs to the motherboard... totally unacceptable. But, such speculation is totally pointless unless or until Alienware makes some sort of announcement.

 

i am in the same mind as i believe the 128mb embedded RAM (which acts like an L4 cache) is only for BGA skylake CPUs. i think my haswell will last me at least 2 years before i need an upgrade.

 

Skylake only have 16 PCI lanes. Not fun in SLI. Thats why Alienware latest laptops don't use it. Having a graphic amplifier with single GPU could even cause problem.

Most reviewers of Skylake have missed Intels decision to cut out PCI lanes and instead putting it on the motherboard. I have so far not seen any SLI benchmarks with skylake + benchmarks with real life usage.

Skylake have more PCI lanes on the motherboard, but the connection over DMI3 to the CPU is just 4 lanes. Since fast SSDs can be 2000meg/sec the bus would be saturated even before using a couple of USB devices and other stuff.

 

lol there is no reason to upgrade from sandy bridge yet.

 

Some dev said weeks ago, they released the new refresh with haswell's and maxwell cpu's because they did not want to delay releasing them. Next year, early next year they plan to have Skylake - albeit later then everyone else.

 

I don't think that's the way we are moving with the Alienware 18. However, this could be only speculation. I have no updates or info about any upcoming products as of now.

 

The "refreshed" 18 with 980M SLI really is too little/too late when you stop and think about it. With Eurocom on the virge of releasing new X Extreme 15" and 17" models with configuration options including socked desktop 6700K CPU and 990M and 990M SLI and dual 330W AC adapter options, a minor component "refresh" for an EOL flagship product isn't going to cut it. If they want to be taken seriously, a minimum requirement is going back to the drawing board and showing their commitment to us by releasing a new product that can outperform the baddest dual GPU/desktop CPU Clevo, and doesn't employ BGA or firmware write-protection.

 

I couldn't agree more. We want to be impressed.

 

Its funny almost, how they turned thier laptops into mediocre with that graphics adapter. The graphics adapter is running on a mpcie bus, and has noise and interference galore, and a 980 Ti is bottle necked BIG TIME.. so technically speaking, it was a waste of a design. For over a year and a half - they have only gone backwards - to eventually start offering an older product that they discontinued - instead !

Also - the 6700K is marginally better then a 4940XM, its just cheaper - but at the cost of getting hotter. It actually performs about on par, and from the tests i'm seeing, inside a laptop - it performs even worse. Just gets 1.5x as hot when at the same speed.
So, do not all jump the gun and think the 6700K solves anything.

 

Well, that's sad because the 4940MX is the crappiest mobile Extreme CPU I know of. I've never seen one that can keep up with the 4930MX. It's almost like Intel said, " Uh oh, we didn't screw up bad enough. Quick, let's release something more crippled before anyone has a chance to figure out new doesn't automatically mean better." But, it does solve the locked down, TDP crippled BGA feces problem. I'd take the 6700K over any BGA CPU offering on no basis other than ethics and principle, even if it was a weaker socketed CPU option. I am vehemently opposed to the design concept and will never acknowledge it as being a legitimate option for CPU or GPU in anything other than low-end, inexpensive, consumer turdbooks.

 

You know Intel screwed up when 4910MQs can undervolt better than 4940MXs.

 

4910MQ is great CPU. If you get the clocks stable, it's about as great as a laptop cpu is going to come. Better then the new Skylake does (6700K) inside a laptop with a copper heatpipe/heatsink.

I mean, you think you've seen thermal throttling before - HA!

 

The 6700K will perform better and overclock much higher than the 4940MX. I'll be sure to get mine to at least 4.5Ghz assuming it's a decent overclocker

My 4930MX didn't like going over 4.4Ghz. IPC improvements (even if they're small) + higher clocks will result in better performance, especially in benchmarks.

In gaming, yeah you won't see any difference really.

 

Just hope Alienware start think again with head and with ass

And

Build new 18 inch machine with better quality

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Keep dreaming...

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Haha,

*This is not the universe you're looking for*

 

Sad

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Blame Frank Azor... Absolute moron has destroyed Alienware...

 

I agree to make new design for them )))

All what I saw from new system (I owner one of that 18 inch) that is peace of sh $&&#&#t

More cheaper materials and a lot of other issues

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Next step in new Alienware can be soldered memory. Fully BGA package is maybe the latest idea from Mr. Azor for all Aw models

 

Ok, if i right understand main ass problem that mr.Azor, we must open donation on Kickstarter to gain money and rent a killer.

 

Silkroad is closed m8

 

I am seriously considering starting my own PC company. Will be putting up a kickstarter page up. I envision to be crafted from a block of aluminum (not unlike MBP and Razer blade), but thick enough to handle desktop CPU and top MXM GPUs. Full selection of ports including HDMI in/out, 4 USB 3.0, eSATA, thunderbolt, expresscard, DP/miniDP, optical, edge to edge glass with options for FHD or UHD. I want to make this happen and give the world a true portable powerful workstation/gaming system.

 

I will fully support you kickstarter. Hell, I might even join your team to design it. I want 1440p, 120~144hz, G-sync, GTX980 SLI (non-BGA), 18"/17", extreme i7 CPU (non-BGA), unlock BIOS.

 

I will probably not have a problem milling the case, I know several milling shops and have friends that can do it. My problem would be finding panel suppliers and somebody to design the motherboard. I don't know anybody at Compal, AUO, Foxconn, or Samsung

 

The nice thing is, since your plan is to actually build something truly worth owning, stupid stuff like the thin and light criteria can be tossed out the window as a pointless endeavor nobody needs to waste any calories on. It can be massive and heavy, and that just makes it more awesome.

Why don't you use an existing motherboard and build a chassis around that? Something like the Sky X9 motherboard would be a good candidate. Some elements of the design are also brilliant, like the main chassis and palm rest being the same part, the bottom being only a cover. Building something similar in concept out of aluminum versus plastic would be sweet. That could be very simple and highly effective. Putting all of its awesome guts in a custom milled aluminum chassis with a show-stopping thermal management system would be amazing.

 

I doubt dell would sell AW18 with skylake.
The game's over.

 

Why should Dell ruin their new image with something really good? Dell has the graphics amplifier as a good replacement for performance that Mr Azor said so nicely

 

Haha.. that's true. That's why my last alienwares are m17x R4 and m18x R2.
Just bought p750dm. Really nice except for the exterior and keyboard.
But I can bare this.

 

@Raidriar Im a programmer. I can help you creating software for laptop if you want.

 

Low level? I mean like BIOS/EFI/Pre-EFI-Initialization (PEI)

 

I don't have experience in that kind of programming. I know C++ and C#. Did some desktop apps. I can also help with the website as I know PHP and did my own CMS. Sold it with the webpages on polish market. I can look into it if you need but it would take time as I didn't played with very low-level programming before. I also played a bit with OS design and emulation in Virtualbox but that was just a hobby. Contact me on private if you are interested.

 

Go for a 20inch model with 4k res monitor as well! Everything seems 13 15 or 17 inch. A 20 inch with 4k and top end gear would be a potential seller!

 

While we talk about the graphics adapter monstrosity, has anyone else wondered why alienware didnt just put a fullblown desktop extreme edition into the laptops and be done with it? then have a gpu graphics adapter i mean the intel iris pro graphics is quite good especially on the go. If alienware did it this way with the graphics adapter im sure it would sell like hotcakes to the enthusiasts. Im actually surprised no other laptop manufacturer has done this.

 

Perhaps they feel too much effort would be needed to produce something truly awesome and Frank already told us they don't know how to build a proper laptop using desktop CPUs. That should have been our first clue that they were giving up on the idea of remaining in the performance winner's circle. I suspect they also believe there is more than enough money to be made selling crippled BGA jokebooks to people that either don't know any better or just flat-out don't care. The eGPU contraption should be an auxiliary novelty item for a product that begins life being completely amazing in its own rights, totally independent of any peripheral. Having to rely on anything that tethers a notebook to a desk in order to be at least somewhat impressive as a gaming or high performance machine diminishes its overall value and cancels out its worth in terms of portability. I mean, think about it... rather than dumbing down the experience in every direction, why not just buy a super cheap notebook or tablet and build a monster desktop if you are content being tethered to a desk when performance matters. Compromise is just a filthy word if you are a high performance notebook PC enthusiast. What you end up with is an abortion that cannot keep up with an average gamer-boy desktop build and it still gets its teeth knocked out by real high performance notebooks.

 

Business and laziness must be the only reason for sure, i mean you could have the entire cooling loop of a gaming laptop to cool just the cpu and it should be fine, i mean a deskt,op cpu is at most what? 190watts (conservative estimation, newer cpus take less i think), and a 980m and haswell is already pretty much at that boundary. I am sure if some company put their engineers to it its very within reason.

Although i agree with you that a tethering box very much defeats the purpose of a laptop, but all these new manufacturers razer and asus and msi joining this game im surprised nobody made the logical product, and proceed with handicapped mobile cpu's to desktop gpus which by large bottleneck the desktop gpus in some way or another.

 

More depressing than this is hard to beat


If you can bear to read the rest... You're welcome http://na.alienwarearena.com/forums...ienware-s-general-manager-frank-azor-anything

 

Frank Says They're BadAss: Stop Complaining, Start Gaming

*tongue in cheek*

 

Yeees. Stop complaining, Start Gaming as frank said. LOL

 

Maybe it's a typo and what he really said was BAD GAS.

 

You remember that Dellienware advertised "Limited" version of Aw18 with Skylake? Guaranteed a typo as usual. Dell has had a lot of them lately . Perhaps more like this? If you buy one you get bad ass <Azer-eMachines>

 

I wonder if that is the same thing as a naughty donkey.

 

No.

 

Silent butt Deadly?

*Frank says: pull my finger* *Cass says: he who smelt it dealt it* *Someone said: overclock a BGA turdbook & ya know what u get? ... a Dutch Oven*

 

You heard it here first, big boss azor said sagers/clevos and their spinoffs all 1. don't work and 2. are low qualilty.

Although guys, lets give azor a break, its not easy to be one of the people to help raise a brand to world recognition from nothing, then also be the same guy who ruined the brand a few years later.

 

I find it odd that Mr Azor not understand what power enthusiasts want. He has seen what Aw made before, and then he changes direction totally. Something is terribly wrong over there at Dellienware.

 

They are looking for Macpoop users that want to have more power than their overpriced notebooks have.

We (DTR enthusiasts) are looking for raw power and bulk, heavy laptops with superb screens and keyboards. That new plastic BGA crap just doesn't fit in this. I have to say that I am still shocked how good this "TN" in M18xR1 can be. My IPS display just sucked next to it, i sold it

Poeple now are looking for PLS/VA displays because market says that TN sucks but if someone want to do superb TN display then M18xR1 one is a proof that they can.

 

It really amazes me how some people blow things way out of proportion, just like how people sneer at all tn panels. There have been some really good tn panels like the ones previously featured in the alienwares, yet people quickly dismiss them. Best tn panel will always beat out mediocre ips and all.