AlienwareTech @ E3 - Alpha SteamBox Console Replacement

We wont get any new Alienware models until Intel have moved their behinds in gear and released a new chipset (9 series which have PCIe support for SSDs) and Broadwell (Quad mobile) is out.
Maybe then, but they also need to wait for any new GPUs to offer other than 880M which the current models have.

So both Intel and Nvidia are to blame here. And it sucks that both companies cant get a new node ready. We should have had both Maxwell and Broadwell by now.
In 2012 we got new high end Kepler in June and Ivy Bridge in April.

 

That's a valid point, Atreiya. Take away the ability to overclock and do other amazing things involving brute force, and there's really no point at all in throwing down a huge wad of cash on a maxed out Alienware 17 or 18. When they cripple high-end components, lock down the firmware, and you find that you are basically left with no option but to take a machine on face value and run it their way instead of your own way, a person might as well save a bunch of money and get something comparatively cheap to play games with. You can certainly do that with mid-range discrete GPU specs and a run-of-the-mill Core i7 running stock clock speeds in a Razer, Aorus, Lenovo, MSI, Asus, Qosmio, Envy, Alienware 14, X51 or a long list of other less expensive options if that's what floats a person's boat. You buy it cheap, wear it out, then get another new one in a year or so. (That's how I buy my clothing.)

I guess the million-dollar question is, "what are we willing to put up with and how low are we willing to go before we decide to switch to Plan B" (i.e. settling for a Clevo or lowering our standards on performance)?

 

This thread proved to be so much better reading than my patho class.. Should have gone into literature Mr.Fox.. There's nothing I can really Input or address which has not already been said.. I've been observing Alienware since 2005, going to the kiosk to touch the beasts always out of my reach.. I will always want them to be that unicorn which is both mystical and beautiful.. I don't want them to become another apple.. Although that is partly the consumers fault in a sense.. My system has been great so far so I can't attribute to the change that has happened since it's my first system . Maybe the company needs a rebreather to ignite the passion they once had.. I honestly thought what Lexus did with the LFA in order to refresh their minds and reignite their passion was awesome.. Despite the harsh criticism they received for it.. Sometimes it's not all about the money or the sales but about the people you serve and cater to again just my opinion

 

Hey, you wouldn't look like She-Hulk!!! But you're right. One of the first things I did was get my wife to hold my A17. She appreciated the heavy weight as being a superb built machine, but she wouldn't carry something like that around everyday. I wasn't trying to leave anyone out in my assessment, I promise! But if you wanted to start bodybuilding, you could squat with your M18x lol

 

I couldn't agree with you more even if I tried to.

 

There's quite a bit of variability between companies yes, but US labor laws are so horribly bad when compared to the EU it makes the US look like a third world country.

 

If by third-world you mean a dictatorship, yes... we have way too much government control over everything, including private business. But, we're not supposed to discuss religion or politics in a technology forum.

See Forum Rules for a full list of what is OK and not OK.

 

Alas, my warranty is coming to an end soon and I am at a loss as to what to do in terms of a news computer. My desktop building plans have been put on hold as I await X99 and DDR4. I am hoping to work with svl7 to introduce the M18x R2 CPU TDP controller into the M17x R4 bios so we can have better control of the TDP.

I really miss WiHD though. It was working like a dream on the M17x R3 beaming 1080p lossless to my television. *sigh*

 

This thread is a prime example of why I love this forum so much! I am planning on retiring my M17x R4 next year and quite frankly if there is no change of direction from Alienware with their current offerings moving forward I will not consider the AW17 as a replacement. As disappointing as it am I will have to look elsewhere for my high performance laptop needs.

And to comment on their E3 announcement, I have never owned a console and never will. It's a box of compromise and I will have none of it! Hell the last time they got everyone all worked over a big announcement it ended up being the X51 and not a new fire breathing Area 51 ;-/

 

My M18xR2 warranty ends in August and cannot be extended further, so I'm right there with both of you bros. I plan to keep the M18xR2 indefinitely, or at least until MXM modules are no longer manufactured, as it's a useful tool to correct borked GPU firmware flashes. It has served me valiantly and nothing else is capable of matching it, all things considered. But, unless some kind of insanely powerful MXM video cards get released sometime in the near future, I am more or less tapped out on HWBOT points unless I start downgrading and overclocking inferior hardware purely for the sake of accumulating more hardware points. (Points are points, but I prefer they come from exciting hardware with crazy numbers.)

If I had $4,000 to burn on a brand new laptop right now it would have to be spent on a P570WM because there isn't another brand new alternative that has the capacity to perform up to my expectations. The other option would be to spend a similar amount on an open-air desktop extreme benching setup for overclocking craziness and just continue rocking the M18xR2 as my daily driver like I have all along.

 

The P570WM is awesome but way overkill, plus I value my shoulders I'm eyeing the P370SM3 with the 120Hz display and dual 780m's. I'm unsure about the overclocking prowess of Clevo machines, I know that Prema provides unlocked bios versions for the machines. I might head over to the those sections to find out a bit more.

 

The drawback to that is the abortion commonly known as the 4th Gen Core i7 "Haswell" processor. I'm extremely unimpressed by Haswell, even though mine is better than most. There is a small percentage of them that overclock well. Many struggle to run 4.3GHz, which is downright pathetic. My 4930MX overclocks like a banshee, but in all but a few tests it returns benchmark numbers lower than the 3920XM operating at identical clock speeds. The greater degree of difficulty managing overclocked Haswell temps is an added "bonus" LOL.

If you can get the P370 machine with an Ivy XM and 780M SLI it might be a better option, but I am not sure what level of overclocking is possible. The only Clevo I have ever noticed truly impressive benchmark numbers from is the P570WM with a 4930K. I am also not sure if Prema's unlocked Clevo BIOS has as many robust features as an unlocked InsydeH2O BIOS like what we are used to. I know Prema has done an awesome job with it, but my impression from the information I have looked at is there are fewer options available to tweak and tune with the unlocked Clevo BIOS.

Admittedly, I am ignorant of the details here and have a lot to learn about the pros and cons before I would have a level of comfort with the idea of purchasing a Clevo as an Alienware M18xR2 replacement. This is mainly because the brand never really interested me until things started going south in terms of performance with the latest Alienware product launch. There was simply never any reason for me to care or pause to entertain the idea until now. If I eventually decide to go that route I will likely have lots of questions for Prema, Meaker, Q56_Monster and usmc362 and want to see tons of photos showing all of the unlocked BIOS screens, etc., etc. as a prerequisite to jumping off the ledge and hoping that it turns out well. If I could "rent" a Clevo for a month, put it through some rigorous testing, with the option of returning it for a 100% refund if I decide that it is a pile of crap, it would be a much easier decision. I really hating having to make choices based on a lesser of two evils concept.

 

Come on m13x and the return of m15x gogogo!!!!!

 

Or... we can keep the r2 alive forever brother fox.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

 

Unfortunately the Ivy version - P370EM does not support 700 and up series GPUs. The new P377SM looks like a promising prospect at the moment because it supports dual 880m's (no one has tested 780m's but I'm pretty sure it will work) and I'm also interested in their triple pipe CPU heatsink that was present on the P370EM that shares a second fan:

View attachment 109190 View attachment 109189

I am only considering this over the M18x R2 because 17 inches is the threshold that I can really carry around, or my GF will allow and the added thickness of the P570WM would maker her explode With the P377SM, the footprint will be similar to the laptop I am using at the moment.

 

If your dealing with sli laptops and Alienware and computers of this calibre overkill shouldn't be in your vocabulary.

 

Agreed... maybe that's OK for console jockeys, but there should be no such thing as overkill or "good enough" where PC performance enthusiasts are concerned. Nothing should ever really be viewed as being "good enough" no matter how nice it is. Better is nice, but there is always room for, and an insatiable expectation of, more performance than what we have now. Taking a step backwards and lowering expectations in terms of performance is never a good option.

Here are some better expressions we can use instead of "overkill."

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Oh you guys

I used the word overkill in the sense that to contain that massive socket 2011 chip, it takes a behemoth chassis that is the P570WM. A way too overkill commitment for me if I want to maintain my relationship with my GF

Anyways, to the topic of this thread, I will hang onto my M17x R4 for as long as I can until I hear definite info on (lack of) new Alienware systems. And until UK Clevo resellers here start stocking the P377SM. I love the fact that a dual PSU solution is quite elegant on the Clevo systems.

 

What Hulk does to Loki here is a nice example of what we expect... pretty simple.

<iframe width='560' height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/YStUg14_23o?rel=0" frameborder='0' allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

 

M-m-m-m-multikill !!! That just took me back. Never got the 'Combo wh0re' one though.. lol love it.

Yay for overkill Yello You Gotta Say Yes To Another Excess - YouTube

 

Quite so - I really, really want to stick with Alienware for my DTR because I really loved my original M17x R2 (with the 1920 x 1200 RGB-LED screen). I like to overclock things a bit, but it doesn't seem like you can really do very much with the current M18 the way thing stand right now. It has been hugely disappointing to read posts about the BIOS and power issues, etc. Meanwhile, I'm not really in a rush for a new DTR, so I guess I'm okay with waiting until next year or so to see if they up their game back to where it should be. I fervently hope that they show a marked improvement, because I would certainly miss the raw power I have (and my blingy keyboard, hehe).

 

Haha, maybe so - I'd have to actually motivate myself into going to a gym first, though. I've at least tried to do yoga, but I'm not going to lie - if it doesn't involve work or gaming, I can be just a little bit lazy (especially when it comes to maintaining a decent exercise regimen - lol).

 

I wouldn't buy another alienware laptop unless I could get the same longevity as I've had with my m15x that still operates flawlessly 4 years on and can run watch dogs on high/fxaa at 45 fps (after a few upgrades....hint hint).

Steam machines are going to be a massive flop IMO. This i3 alpha thing can die a horrible death running bastion browser game at 720p and still managing to overheat.

 

I would like you to stick with something high quality ... like an Alienware 18, you will really enjoy it if you decide to go that route. There is no need to get a maxed out system, a mid tier with i7-4810: GPU: 860 or 770 SLI will be strong enough at half the price of a maxed out system. One of my friends just received an AW18 today in the mail for about $2400 price. She goes to hot Yoga in the Santa Monica Studio to workout and sees Mr. Bikram there sometimes. He motivate everyone with a Ra Ra speach..to just keep everyone going thru the workouts. Tonight is the unboxing party for her new AW18 that just arrived in the mail, should be a lot of fun. In terms of lugging the spacecraft around, I use a thin Samsonite brief for short treks and a 20" pilot luggage with 2 wheels and a pull handle for longer voyages, its super cheap for the 20" roller at a big box place like K-Mart.

 

But it have a custom designed Maxwell GPU
(Probably GTX 860M with "desktop cooling")

 

This is something that sounds incredibly heartrushing. Seriously, I'd want to be a part of it )
Picture it now, a machine with pre-applied indium foil on the heatsink (partner with heatspring, why not?) with metal-to-chip cooling design using 0.1-0.25mm high-performance pads for vrm/inductor/chip cooling, with 70+ PSI factory standard, and a 3-pipe heatsink retail option. It wouldn't even require maintenance or repaste, just the padding would need to be positioned carefully.

Partner up with sharp for one of those nice 1440p iGZO displays, go for a more user-accessible hardware layout for updating stuff in it, get some decent speaker technology and a steelseries keyboard, have the bios completely open and try to design the wiring in such a way as to allow almost any electrically and mechanically compatible GPU stuck inside, present it at a premium price befitting premium quality, and that's that.

Also offer an unbranded and restricted-feature barebone version with less bling but retaining the performance capabilities / unlocked bios for people wishing to get a powerful machine at an accessible price. Ahhh, the dreams....

 

I would love to see a DRT machine that took standard but shrouless desktop GPU's and that had limitless options for external PSU's. I'd kickstarter a project like that.

 

The problem with standard desktop PCB's is that they don't really obey any concept of restricted space... the mxm standard is actually great to have, since it also defines pcb size, which doesn't exist on desktops as far as i'm aware... people looking to make low footprint desktop pc's have a great amount of headache choosing a proper GPU for their machines... and I'm willing to bet even if we found a good combination, any desktop card we could afford to use inside a DTR would stll be weaker than top MXM cards.

 

Yeah, I've been thinking about it and how/if it could work. A couple of MXM modules do already work well for the amount of space required.
But I was think along the lines that the PCB housings wouldn't be a fixed spec though. The laptop's fans would need to be adjustble too.

 

I want to see a new MXM 3.2 standard that uses a spare SATA port to draw extra power.

 

so, Alienware had all in content to announce at E3 basically. All they unveiled was lost hopes and dreams of anouther failed experiment, that we, the community knew better then to believe in (the stupid alienware steam box, derp what a ing stupid idea, seriously)

 

Yawn. I'm disappointed, but I didn't see anything I didn't expect. I'm sad to say that I do not think my next performance computer will be an Alienware, for the time being. Maybe when this fugly design is thrown out the window and replaced with something nicer, I'll move back. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the M18x design, and I'm sure the other systems would have benefited from remaining in the same design factor, but replacing all the plastics with aluminum ala M18x. This haswell/broadwell business and AMD/nvidia rebadging business isn't encouraging either.

The M17x R4 will stick around with me for quite a while it seems.

 

Yeah the last thing we all need is a other wimpy console endorsing 30fps.

 

EDIT: Completely missed the thread.

 

The current design are here to stay for atleast a couple more years. And I`m willing to bet that the current design sold a lot more than the old one. I know me and several other members at NBR joined the Alienware ranks just because they finally made Alienware beautiful. In my opinion the changes is design was absolutely necessary to move to more broader audience than to cater for the few who wanted to be different. Nothing wrong with being different, and I feel the notebook still sticks out against other brands. The LED lights are absolutely gorgeous on the new model, the lid is sooo much better designed. Alienware should have an option to remove the light on the touchpad though, because right now you can only choose between always on or automatically shut off after a period of time.

I don`t get the hate for the new alienware models and I think the majority overwhelmingly loved the new design while the minority, the die hard alienware fanboys was left behind and complain because change came.

What I do agree on is that they should remove the rubber palmrest on the new design and put in Aluminum instead. Its so easy to stain and show fingerprints on the rubber palmrest.

All in all, the new models was an excellent change which will drive the brand forward. They could add in a couple extra features like Mr Fox miss from the old model, just keep the current design.

 

You can always set the touchpad colour to black, y'know? - then it's effectively 'off' LOL.........

I think the ONLY real reason that Dell redesigned the new line-up to look like it does is just to appeal to more people who wanted a 'dumbed down' gaming laptop, in terms of aesthetics. There seems to be this constant trend from a lot of manufacturers to try and make their machines look as bland as possible.....Razer making the Blade look like a black MacBook etc etc.....pretty soon, we'll all end up with one slab of boring looking monotony, aka Apple.

I personally don't mind the black soft touch finish - sure, it's a bit of upkeep in terms of fingerprints, but I'd prefer the insulation factor over aluminium, which may get much warmer to the touch.....

 

You can if you forcefully set the trackpad color t black, the AlienFX tool won't let you do it but you can always edit the theme, it's the ZoneID 8, just edit it with your favourite notepad app so it looks like this:

HTML:

  <Actions>
    <ZoneID>8</ZoneID>
    <ActionID>8</ActionID>
    <ActionTypeID>3</ActionTypeID>
    <Color1>#00000000</Color1>
    <Color2>#00000000</Color2>
    <Duration>0</Duration>
  </Actions>

 

I've just opened CC >> AlienFX and set my touch pad to black, without the above, with no problem at all.......easy as pie. It is now black and not lit up at all.....the rest of the lights are as they were.....

Not sure why you require a workaround to do it....

 

We may not have the same AlienFX version then, mine simply won't let me select the black color.

 

Yeah - thought it could be that. Here's what I've got right now for OSD and CC....

 

Odd, I have the exact same versions here, and I can definitely say I won't let me select black for the trackpad.

 

Hmmm. Weirdness indeed.....I'm running .NET Framework 4.5.1 - I know that CC/AlienFX can be a bit fickle with regards to .NET stuff......Win 7 or 8?

 

I have the same version as steviejones, running Windows 8-8.1 the black in located between purple and navy @ the 3 o'clock position on the color wheel. Does your color wheel not have black between purple and navy? Also, if your on: VIEW BASIC MODE, hit the drop down arrow to: VIEW ADVANCED MODE to get the color wheel which has the 20 different colors.

 

Works on this Alienware 18 as well...

 

Thanks for the tip guys. I haven`t even used Alienware FX yet although I had this machine for a year now. I like the original colours
But will change to black for the touchpad

 

lol saw your original post and yeah you definitely dodged a bullet there

though to be honest I don't think there's anything wrong with what you wrote originally, everybody has their preferences and are entitled to their own opinions

 

I followed a Fox tip and went into the bios to flip the touchpad to have the color on all the time, I don't like the way it flashes on when you touch it in standard mode. Getting back to E3, I think steviejones need to re post his: I don't know why you can't have desktop performance in a laptop "pic" with his notepad stuffed into a rather small computer case. I thought that was more innovative than anything presented at E3.

 

I hate my M18 palmrest it get to dirty!

 

You mean this little cherub? (I guess it's actually similar to the Alpha, in a way LOL)

 

Well ive been sitting here contemplating on if i should comment or not... And I decided I needed to.. Ive been waiting about a month now to get my laptop fixed do to Alienware inciting a tech come out and do the job and they messed it up bad.. now im not here to complain about that but this thread kinda reminded me about it in a way on the waiting part..

1. How are you going to come in here and drop a video and tell us to stay tuned.. and then just disappear.. no live feed link nothing..

2.It saddens me that Alienware Doesnt listen to the comunity.. Now I do like the idea of the steam machine..just not in its current set up.. maybe as an add on for say s dual boot.. or even like what media player used to be..

3. I want to know how the heck you can sit here and tells us that your new machine will run every game to date and new ones on ultra at 60fps on any thing other than say an 18 inch monitor.. come on.. not with these specs your givin us..

4.Im sure Desk tops make up a bunch of your revenue but laptops have to be your bread and butter.. and the lack of interaction by Dell at this moment and for say the last 6 months is sad... We help you with issues in the laptops you release and you guys use what we create lol.. and those that come up with the fixes don't take the credit.. get a thank you.. they do it because we like the product and want it to be the best it can be, but alienware /Dell has repeatedly shown that they are trying to cripple the systems to run at the bare minimums.. before if there was an issue an employee would drop in and give updates and now it seems like its just broken dreams and empty promises with no fixes in site..

5.I wish Alienware would have during E3 been like heres a fully unlocked bios.. have at it.. even if it cost people a little extra on the warranties im sure the ones that wanted it would pay for it.. just to have machines that run correctly..


maybe its just me but this was super disappointing.. and I feel let down... like being poor on x-mas lol