*OFFICIAL* "All Powerful" M17x-R2 Edition Owners Lounge!

Looks like ASUS G73 is not bad & cooling seems to be ok.

 

sucking in air through the keyboard leaves me a bit skeptical.

 

You're right, does look pretty decent. Just a shame they only tested with 06, as we all know that's largely CPU bound these days. Although it was still faster than anything else which is a good sign, but Im sure Im not the only one who'd have rather seen a Vantage run, or perhaps letting us know whether the BIOS had overdrive functionality enabled.

 

air through the keyboard=fail

HUGE airflow impedance....

 

Let's wait for the proper review. Pre-review is about to give us some idea about the performance. Let's play the waiting game.

Notebookcheck reviews are balanced most of the times.

 

Don't jump to conclusions early. Let's wait & see

 

but you have to also remember, that the plate under the keys helps ALOT in protecting the system from spills, now that is gone or has holes in it.....so spill damage just got alot more serious

 

Maybe Free ASUS accidental damage protection come in handy in that case

 

I hope they have a filter under the KB in that Asus if they are pulling air that way. You'd be amazed at all the crap that can get into a laptop KB. It's even worse when you're the one who has to clean out someone else's. But the worst thing I can think of is that if you spill some liquid on the KB and are quick enough you can save a system. With this system it's going to suck that liquid down...

 

I do value a good warranty, but I value not needing it even more

 

good point

 

That said, always buy the warranty when spending 3+k on a laptop.

 

i'm getting the 1year advanced and then i'm gonna extend it before it runs out, i don't have the money for the 3 year right now.

 

I usually wait for Dell to send me a letter to offer warranty( a few few weeks after purchase). Why? Because they give you incentive for buying it. Last offer was a $75.00 gift card just to buy a warranty.

 

oh ho...thanks for the tip.

Is it possible to buy 3year accidental cover + warranty after purchase?

 

I never buy an extended warranty at the time of system purchase.

(No need to explain why )

 

Yes... You can. Warranty is where they make all their money besides the product.

 

I bought mine with 3 yrs basic warranty. I've never used complete care before on any of my laptops. Maybe I'll add it later on. Just got me an Intel 160gb x25-m G2 ssd retail boxed for $398 shipped..good deal?

 

Very, if the deal is available at a retail location please post link.

 

It was off eBay so no link, sorry. It was initially listed at 450, got them to drop it to 435 buy it now, used bing CB and it dropped it to $398 shipped (had 2 dollars existing ebay bucks that automatically applied). There's also $8 from eBay bucks or whatever that I was given from purchasing this.

 

The only issue is the warranty. Intel will only warranty their products purchased from authorized resellers.

 

Really? I never knew that. How strict are they with this policy?

 

I've never tried to follow through on any of there warranties so I'm not sure. I bought mine OEM through newegg and that technically falls out of their support/warranty realm as well.

 

Well, I am officially getting the M17x-R2. I got the base system plus the LED RGB and 3 yr Advance warranty (the real reason I'm going with Dell).

I got the EPP discount plus the 5% and an additional ~$40 off (so a little less than the 3% for the DPA but only by $30).

ETA: 2/19/2010

 

The UK may not add a new warranty but they will extend an existing one.

So if you did not buy Complete care at the time of purchase, they will not sell it to you afterwards.

 

Grrrrrrr......I'll call customer care to confirm it.

 

Ive tried very hard in the past to get the complete care with acidental warrenty and even going to manager level its always come back that its imposible.

its been advised to customers that they needed to cancle and re order to add complete care. as even in pre production warrenty couldnt be upgraded.

 

I went with the one year Advanced Warranty. Spending 3K on laptop I figured it was a good idea. I'll likely extend it before it runs out.

 

Update for those that are military related and can order through AAFES. They finally have the M17xR2 now listed on their web site!

The only problem is there is no discount showing. I emailed the lady I have been working with at AAFES to find out if/when they will update the prices to show the EPP discount. I'm thinking they just got it up today with the normal prices just to at least get it on there.

Keeping my fingers crossed. I got confirmation today that they received my problem child M17x and will be refunding my account this week. As soon as I see the discount on AAFES I am placing my order.

 

Try configuring the system. When they added it to the EPP site, the discount wasn't listed until you configured the system (or perhaps added it to the cart).

 

Yea I tried all the way to putting it in the cart and it stilled showed the normal price. When I normally configure computers on that site the discount shows for each individual selection as I configure it. This time it did not. I'm hoping for the "just wanted to get it posted quick" reason and the discount will show in a day or two.

 

Something really odd is going on with AAFES right now (at least, I hope it's a mistake). The starting price on the M17x i7 is $1888 vs. Dell direct of $1799 with all upgrade prices approximately equal resulting in AAFES being about $100 more expensive, not factoring in tax on Dell direct. Is Dell actually trying to charge the government (specifically the military) more? Hopefully it's as you say and they just hurried to get something online and will apply discounts later. Not that I'm looking to purchase now (my M1710 is still rockin' even if it gradually heats up like a small nuclear reactor when I play SW KOTOR - one of the best games I've ever played BTW), I'm just interested in the pricing flunctuations as I might considering just buying another laptop this summer and giving my M1710 to my family (warranty is up in October). I'd extend the warranty but I don't really want to risk Dell refusing to replace it with anything better than a $1000 Inspiron later on to replace my $3000 XPS. Enough of my rambling. Back to this amazing (hopefully) machine.

 

If you just call dell EPP, you can get a 10% military discount, if your with the Army at least. When I ordered my R1 I decided it was better going that route. you can also wait till they have another 5% cupon for a total of 15% off.

 

Back when I first ordered my M1710, I first configured on the AAFES site for right around $3000, then called in to Dell to see if I couldn't get any lower. After speaking with several reps the lowest I could get a quote for was $3400. All reps confirmed that this price was with the "military discount" and when told about the AAFES price, they flat out told me they couldn't match it so I ended up just ordering through AAFES online. Heh, I tried getting a good deal for myself and letting a rep get commission, but if it means I have to pay $400 more, I'm going to have to go with online.

 

do u need to order both hardrives to get the second hard drive bay? i want to add an sdd, and out of curiosity what kind will fit, does it matter or are they all pretty much the same???

 

The AAFES discount isn't just a flat 10%......when I configured mine, the nebula red, was a $300 option. However the 920XM was only like $450. The starting price was $2k. But a lot of things were already added like the 1333 ram, etc... However some things weren't even selectable, but in the end, if I would've configured it through the standard Dell website, I would've spent over $600 more, and that's before the AAFES free shipping and no taxes. So in the end I saved almost $1k by going through AAFES. This is why I'm eager to see what they work out with the M17x R2. I just went to the AAFES site though, and I still had no option for the i7.

Edit: just found the i7 option..... they are still listing both M17x's the i7 and the c2d

 

I ordered mine yesterday, 1/25/2010.

System Color: Lunar Silver - Anodized Aluminum
Processor: Intel Core i7 820QM 1.73GHz (3.06GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache)
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
Warranty: 1 Year Advanced Service Plan
Video Card: Dual 1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 4870 in CrossfireX
LCD Panel: 17-inch WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 RGB LED (1200p)
Memory: 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
Hard Drive: 256GB Solid State Drive
Internal Optical Drive: Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Wireless: Intel® Ultimate N WiFi Link 6300 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO Technology

EPP Price Plus taxes and Haggling: $2,778.30
Original Price after taxes: $3445.35


I couldn't justify the price difference between the 820 and the 920 CPU's. AW's bios still gives you overclocking functions despite your cpu and the 920 doesn't benchmark much higher than the 820.

I didn't pay for win7 ultimate, I get it from my university. Since microsoft got rid of ultimate extras, there's no real reason to own ultimate anyways, unless you get it for free. In short, don't buy ultimate unless you've maxxed out everything else.

I got the 1 year accidental damage warranty because I was told by my sales rep that, before your 1 year ends, you can call in and extend your warranty by 1, 2 or even 3 years and only pay what you would have up front. Seemed like a stupid idea to pay it right now...

Final note: Where the f**k did all the blu-ray go?

 

Have you seen these benchmarks: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Intel-Core-i7-Processor-Clarksfield.21684.0.html
Based on those, I don't very much gain even from the 820 over the 720 unless you use a program that is intensely optimized for dual-cores and would gain from the difference in their Turbo Mode frequencies.

 

Honestly I have better luck going through Dell then AAFES. Look at the prices and configs below. Also with Dell I can get Microsoft Office which I need for work. Isn't the complete care included on the Advanced service plan? Same exact configs Dell is cheaper, and thats not with an EPP discount. Plus I need to call dell to try and get blu-ray

AAFES $4,316.25

System Color Space Black - Anodized Aluminum
Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Ultimate, 64bit, English
Processor Intel® Core™ i7 920XM 2.0GHz (3.2GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache)
Memory 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz
Power Adapters 240 watt Adapter
Display Panels 17-inch WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 RGB LED (1200p)
Video Card Dual 1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 4870 in CrossfireX™
Hard Drive 500GB 7,200RPM SATA-II HDD
Nameplate Personalized Nameplate [NAME HERE]
AlienFX Quasar Blue
Avatar Alienhead Chrome Blue
Wallpapers Alienhead Chrome Blue
Adobe Reader Acrobat SW Adobe Acrobat Reader
CD ROM/DVD ROM Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Sound Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
Wireless Intel® Ultimate N WiFi Link 6300 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO Technology
Automatic Updates Automatic Updates: Critical Updates Only
2nd Hard Drive 640GB 5,400RPM SATA-II HDD
Security Software McAfee® VirusScan Plus – 36-Month
Factory Installed Games Steam and Portal™ Factory Installed
Bluetooth None
Service 3 Year Advanced Service Plan
Complete Care None
Service 1 No DataSafe

DELL $4,187

SYSTEM COLOR Space Black - Anodized Aluminum edit
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7 920XM 2.0GHz (3.2GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Ultimate, 64bit, English edit
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 3 Year Advanced Service Plan edit
In-Home Service after Remote Diagnosis: for issues covered by Limited Hardware Warranty, technician and/or part will be dispatched, if necessary, usually in 1 or 2 business days following Remote Diagnosis. During Remote Diagnosis, you may be asked to access the inside of your system (where safe to do so) or to participate in troubleshooting until a cause can be isolated.
VIDEO CARD Dual 1GB ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 4870 in CrossfireX™ edit
LCD PANEL 17-inch WideUXGA 1920 x 1200 RGB LED (1200p) edit
MEMORY 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz edit
HARD DRIVE 500GB 7,200RPM SATA-II HDD edit
ADDITIONAL HARD DRIVES 640GB 5,400RPM SATA-II HDD edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW) edit
WIRELESS CARDS Intel® Ultimate N WiFi Link 6300 a/g/n 3x3 MIMO Technology edit
Personalize
ALIENFX COLOR Quasar Blue edit
AVATAR Alienhead 3D edit
WALLPAPER Alienhead 3D edit
PRE-INSTALLED GAMES Steam and Portal™ Factory Installed edit
My Accessories
ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM
SOUND OPTIONS Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
BLUETOOTH Internal Wireless Bluetooth® 2.1 with EDR
Adobe Reader Acrobat SW Adobe Acrobat Reader
POWER ADAPTERS 240 watt Adapter
AUTOMATIC UPDATES Automatic Updates: On
Standard Nameplate Trigger Standard Nameplate

 

damn, that's a good price!
Wish i could have that epp discount too..
i payed around 3300 for the spec in my signature

 

hi,
won't the warranty be cancled if you open a 17x r2 and put in that drive? just asking as i was thinking about doing the same.

and is the x25-m the best i could get for a laptop? or could i also use the x25-e?


thank you!

 

anyone? 10char

 

No one knows for sure on the R-2. The early R-1s came without the extra bay, but the later ones, like mine, came with the bay already in place. Within the bay were the interposer and screws in a nice foam block. Hopefully they will come with the bay as I fell that dell may have realized that most consumers would appreciate it. Lets hope they do. It seems thats what they learned on the R1 since they threw them in there.

 

It won't void the warranty by adding in a second drive yourself.

 

void.. that was the word i was looking for

what if i would remove the current one and add 2 for raid?

 

memory and hard disks are customer replaceable parts.

 

So looks like aafes does not have the R2 on the overseas site only the conus. Sucks for me I am in Iraq for 10 more months i hope they fix that soon ill be ordering 1 on the 5th regardless tho.

 

If there is a problem caused by a third party part though, dell won't cover the damage. They may also tell you that it's a faulty HDD and they can't help. Just a heads up. Either way I replace that stuff when I get the laptop.

 

I was looking at that this morning and I think you can still get a conus system shipped to an APO. Theres no reason why they can't since technically shipping charges to an APO are the same as to a stateside zip. Also this post may be helpful to you as I priced them out this morning. It was cheaper to go through dell. Thats not even including the EPP discount. Call dell direct and tell them your with the u.s. army or which ever branch. That should be 10% off. You may want to double check again though. Might change based on the configuration, but I figure AAFES has to make some money at some point which may explain the price variances.

 

Are the dell ssd's that bad? Is the Intel x-25 the best one could get or are there other alternatives?