FR or BNIB how to tell the difference ?

hello all

new born soon to be alien here
need help

so here is the story :
i am from outside us and wanna buy alienware from 3rd party agent kinda like
mcfractal i believe

the thing is iam afraid if they buy the FR since i dont know what is the difference between fr and bnib
are there any diifference like serial number or anything ??

also in alienware website
there are 2 types m17x
the ones that basic start with 15 ($1799) is R1
and the ones star with i7 ($2339) is R2

is that right ?

thanks a lot for helping me out

 

If you meant i5 and i7 then they are r2's since the r1's do not support the i3,i5 or i7 CPU's. FR vs BNIB can mean nothing is different to the box is not an Alienware box, there is no leather type Alienware manual but a paper one instead, no ball cap, felt sleeve or mouse pad, it varies depending if it was 3rd party FR or DELL FR.

 

so if dell FR then there are no difference whatsoever
even the serial number FR or BNIB is the practically the same ?

oh man that is weird
so by just simply filling the ball cap , sleeve and manual
any one can make FR unit become BNIB unit ??

 

Factory refurb means someone ordered the unit and returned it within 21 days and that was repaired or parts where replaced and it resold by dell. Many times dell will take multiple dead units and scrap the parts that work and make a refub unit by using parts they have lying around. A FR does not mean simply that they took the NEW laptop and removed the EXTRA's and slapped it in a brown box. FR are units that were shipped out or used and what you are looking for is "Previously Ordered New" Those laptops usually do not make it out to the customer and are in MINT NEW condition. The last is "Scratch and Dent" which means cosmetically it will not be in the best condition with small scratches on the body or marks on the lid and base.

 

thank you very much for the answer but now it is even more confusing than before

so basically there are 4 conditions of alienware in dell outlets
BRAND NEW
FACTORY REFURB
PREV ORDERED NEW
SCRATCH AND DENT

now are there any certain way we can know for sure which one we got ?
especially the brand new unit

thank you very much

 

Dell Outlet Inventory Descriptions

Certified Refurbished PCs are laptops and desktops that have been returned to Dell, put through the production process, and then again retested to ensure they meet all original factory specifications. Certified Refurbished systems may have some observable cosmetic blemishes, but they will not affect performance.

Previously Ordered New systems are PCs that were canceled orders, or PCs that shipped out to a customer who either did not open the box or decided to return the system without ever using it. Previously Ordered New systems do not have any cosmetic damages..

Scratch and Dent products are systems with considerable cosmetic blemishes that do not affect performance. They are a great way to save money while still enjoying Dell Outlet's rigorous rebuilding and testing process. Scratch and Dent computers will not have scratches or pits on the screen, missing or illegible letters on the keyboard, or damage to the touchpad or palmrest.

 

thanks for the xplanation
but still didn't quite help me
i need to be able to differentiate one another
if anyone could please tell me the difference , and if could
some pics will be sweet

so basically like this, let say i am a noob , which i am
then i see an alienware lappie , from close , then what too look for ?
and how to know which conditions it was ? (brand new,certified refurbish,previously ordered new,)


thank you very much