OT: Alienware Alpha vs M17xR4 3DMark Scores...

Howdy Folks,

A few months ago I posted a question about how folks thought an Alieware Alpha would compare against the Alienware M17xR4 with a Radeon HD 7970M. There was some speculation both here and elsewhere that the Alpha contained a derivative of the NVidia 860M, which is a weaker GPU (overall) than the 7970M, and would indicate that my 2 year old M17xR4 would play games "better" than the brand new Alpha console. Well, I was offered a fantastic deal on an Alpha and took it. It arrived on Tuesday, and I have been testing it out for the past 24 hours or so, and ran 3DMark (Steam version) to compare. So, the specs of the Alpha as mine is configured are:

Intel Core i7 4765T (2.0 GHz with Turbo up to 3.0 GHz)
NVidia GTX GPU (as reported by the system, driver name is N15P-GX which is the 860M BTW)
8 GBs DDR3 @ 1600 MHz
2 TB 5400 RPM 2.5" HDD

And you can see a comparison against my M17xR4 Here:
Result

Without revealing the scores (have to click the link to see them ), my observations thus far are:
Gameplay on the Alpha thus far is pretty smooth. The games tend to launch with low settings by default, but I have been able to tweak them up to at least medium, and keep the framerate around 60 fps. Games I have tested (so far)
Shadow of Mordor
Portal 2
DukeTails Remastered
3D Mark (duh!)

I am in the (loooonngggg) process of installing games via Steam. Since there is no optical drive everything has to be downloaded using either the built in Wi-Fi or Gigabit Ethernet. Speeds for installing both seem to be limited by the speed of your Internet connection so neither is faster than the other in that regards. I am hovering right around 6 MBps install so it is slow going....

As this is sort of off-topic, I'll post more observations later on if there is any interest.

So, for you Americans out there Happy Turkey Day!

Rich S.

 

If I may ask, did you run 3DMark in Console Mode or through Desktop Mode on the Alpha? Since you can buy the benchmark through Steam, I think it is possible to benchmark through Console Mode.
Other than that, this is an interesting benchmark. I would think the Alpha would do slightly better than this. Have you thought of performing the full benchmark as opposed to just Fire Strike?

 

Howdy Game7a1,

Please feel free to ask any questions, I'll try to answer them . I initially tried to launch 3DMark from the Alpha UI, but noticed that Steam BP mode seemed to be running in the background at the same time, so I exited it and ran it in Desktop Mode. I have a wireless keyboard attached and have setup a Bluetooth mouse with it, so I can switch between Alpha UI and desktop mode pretty easily. This is a must, as some games do not support the controller 100%. For example, I tried to play Child Of Light yesterday, and ended up having to pull out the mouse and keyboard just to get the game to initially launch. There are macros you can do with the controller to emulate a KB mouse, but as I am not familiar with them yet, it is easier to just grab the keyboard

Another note, when I tried to play Portal, the controller initially did not work. I had been playing the game using keyboard/mouse on my M17xR4, and those settings carried over to the Alpha. I had to go into the settings to enable the controller, which I was able to do without using the keyboard/mouse.

The only other thing of note (thus far), is that Shadows of Mordor is doing something weird. The resolution and available resolution are all derived from 1280 X 1024 instead of 1920 x 1080. The "native" setting is indicated to be 1280 X 1024 at 100%. I am running the Alpha through a A/V Receiver instead of plugged directly into my TV, and perhaps this is a glitch due to that. All other games allow 1080P so far. Good luck!

Rich S.

 

Have another question. The external PSU, does its ac/dc (I forget which) cord look like the ones made for the Alienware laptops?

 

Hi Game7a1,

Yes, it comes with a 130 watt Dell power supply. The connector is the same as for my M17xR4, and it even has the glowing blue ring . The CPU inside is a 35 watt model, I wonder if you could upgrade to a higher watt processor if you got a bigger power supply? There is no official documentation on upgrades yet, other than you CAN upgrade the CPU. Good luck!

Rich S.

 

I'm familiar with the hardware details/specs of the Alpha (despite the fact that I have no intent on owning one. Duty as a moderator, you know), but I needed confirmation about the PSU's pin. Thanks.
As far as I know, the best reliable processors you can install would be Haswell-S because with the T processor, the Alpha pulls about 85w. T processors pull 35w while S processors pull at max 64 w. 85w - 35w + 64w = 104. However, you would be cutting it close with the regular and K processor, and risk damage and a "failure to work correctly" state.
Maybe getting the 150w or 180w PSU/charger would open the possibility of installing a regular or K processor. An SSD would certainly help. Only problem is if the BIOS pouts a fit about the "unknown" power source.

 

Since the Alpha is a desktop and does not use a system battery like a laptop, it may not even have a way to interface with the ID chip in the AC adapter. On the X51, unless I am mistaken, that ID pin for the 330W adapter is not connected to anything on the computer side of the socket. Alpha might be the same way. I would try a Haswell K CPU and 330W AC adapter with it. As a console replacement, it doesn't need a powerful CPU. It should handle most games just fine and the modest GPU doesn't require a powerful CPU. This is not intended to be a high performance computer... it's a console replacement, which eliminates the need for anything to be high performance as long as it play games at ~40 FPS or better.

I would expect some challenges with the proprietary version of the Maxwell 860M, at least in the beginning. I suspect a driver INF mod will be necessary to update to more current NVIDIA drivers and some GeForce Experience features may not be functional because of the oddball GPU that doesn't match anything else bearing the NVIDIA name. If Dell provides the hardware ID information to NVIDIA to include in their drivers, then we should see generic driver support a month or two down the line. If that happens, I would anticipate the need to use notebook drivers since the GPU is a notebook BGA product. If it does not happen, then updating drivers is going to be a hassle for folks that don't know how (and don't want to learn) to do INF mods.

 

Well the X51 has a 180w PSU (the base configuration uses it), so there would be no need to go and fetch a 240w, let alone 330w PSU, for the X51. The 180w should satisfy a K processor cooled properly and the rest of the Alpha with some room to overclock.
There are already troubles about driver issues, so people either use the one Alienware recommends or the one Alienware unofficially recommends.

 

Assuming you run without any kind of overclock on anything it might be enough, but just barely. There won't be any wiggle room. I know of X51 owners that are struggling to get by with a 330W AC adapter... it doesn't get you very far at all when you start pushing the envelope. But, the X51, as humble as it may be, is still a whole lot more computer than the Alpha. The Alpha is not meant to be a high performance system, and it's not capable of being one with an 860M BGA GPU. It should be great as a console replacement without any changes to the configuration. It probably does everything it needs to do as a console replacement.

 

Oh no, X51 owners just got a boost thanks to the 900 series. The only problem is the R1 power board, but other than that, X51 owners have reported success with GTX 980 and GTX 970 with more wiggle room than before. The X51 is no longer a mid-tier gaming computer. The only thing you can't do is overclock the CPU (locked in BIOS), but other than that, it's a better computer than before.
People are already wanting to upgrade the CPU in the Alpha, and having more options like regular processors is a plus, no matter the true purpose of the Alpha. i7 T processors cost $385 on amazon, and S processors cost about as much as regular processors. While the 130w PSU can handle a S processor, that 150w or 180w PSU might be better for having a better processor at the same cost.

 

Definitely, having a quad 4C/8T Intel i7 proc that runs 3.5GHz-4.0GHz would absolutely be better, in spite of its intended audience. But, being strapped with a proprietary version of the modest 860M forever welded to the mobo is a real stinker. It's hard to level any kind harsh criticism against it as a product that plays games well for less than $600. The fact that it works well, and is extremely inexpensive, makes it totally worth having one in your home entertainment center. If it were me, I wouldn't waste any money upgrading it if it works OK as is simply because the ultra-low price tag is its most redeeming quality. It will stomp the life out of a console with no upgrades. If a person wants something with truly impressive performance, looking at this machine is a waste of time... like using a screwdriver to hammer nails.

 

Tell that to all the people who, and I'm not joking, uninstalling the Alpha UI, the thing that makes the computer unique and a console replacement.
I agree what what you mean, and that the Alpha shouldn't be a dedicated computer, but... I don't know, easier to search == life is a bit easier?