*Official* Alienware Launch Discussion Thread

How do I access the 64gb msata? I don't see it in my computer.

 

Didn't work. It still says the graphics driver cannot find compatible graphics hardware.

 

There is no "right" or "wrong" NVIDIA driver. They are a unified driver for all mobile GPUs. If disabling DSE did not work, you are likely installing a driver that doesn't have the correct hardware ID in the INF file. As a result, the driver does not find any compatible hardware. This is not unusual. You would run into exactly the same thing with an aftermarket upgrade (780M SLI in an M18x R2 for example). As the 18 is a newly launched product, it is highly probable that NVIDIA has not released a driver with the new hardware ID included. This will most likely apply to all of the new systems being distributed. Not enough time has passed for NVIDIA to publish an updated driver. It might be a month or so until they do. Until then, you will need to add that information to the INF yourself. It is really easy to do. After doing so, you will still need to boot with DSE disabled because it will not be "approved" by Windows 8 due to the driver INF mod. It will install without disabling DSE with Windows 7. Either way, you will have to click a button to acknowledge the driver is not signed. That doesn't matter... click away when prompted.

This is normal and expected. You can't see it in "My Computer" because it is being used as a cache and it is not accessible in that configuration. It does not have a drive letter because it is not used as a drive.

You should be able to see it in the Intel Rapid Storage Technology application. You would have to disable acceleration, create a new partition and format, then assign a drive letter to see it in "My Computer" as a drive.

 

Yeah I was just reading about changing the inf file, I'll wait. When I check the 750gb hdd it shows windows installed on there. Is that all normal?

 

So I have an Intel 7260 card w/Bluetooth and was wondering if its worth swapping it out??

 

Yes. From your description, you have a cache-accelerated 750GB HDD where Windows is installed. Sounds as though all is well.

 

I ran into this problem as well. I just gave up and will try and to enjoy my machine. I sorted out the video issues I believe but will keep testing while I wait for my replacement. Never had this many issues before but then again its a new platform so I am used to being part of the early adopters.

 

Hey congrats with your machine. Could you run AIDA64 and find out what display is being used? Is it LG? phihlips? Brand and model name. Thank you that would really help

 

Is it just me or did anyone else get their new Alienwares in an outer brown box with the Packing Slip ripped open and gone from FEDEX???

 

Yea, no problem. I also threw up some quick viewing angle pics in the 17 owner's lounge. I can do more extensive pics later with images meant for the purpose. Monitor is manufactured by Samsung.

 

My messenger bag had the same EDD but shipped 2 days later

 

Thanks for helping.

I dug up information about the screen. It is not new, Dell already use it on the Inspiron 17R SE
Source: http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-inspiron-dell-studio/675037-dell-17r-n7720-se-user-review-190-print.html

You can buy it on Ebay: LCD Screen Exact LTN173HT02 D02 0GN36T WUXGA FHD 1080 Laptop Display 17 3" New | eBay

Thats it, Dell offered no new display on the Alienware 17. Both 60Hz and 120Hz screen are already used on their cheap brand, Inspiron.
Alienware 14 and 18 are the only ones with new screen.

Im super dissappointed with Dell and not doing anything special for Alienware 17

 

Isn't that an anti-glare display? Did you see if it was a better display than what the M17x R3/R4 used to have? The Inspiron 17R SE is not an Alienware-grade machine, but it is the top model Inspiron with GT 650M and a 3D display option. (Both of those are unusual features for an Inspiron.) What I am getting at is that it may have been an upgraded display for the Alienware 17, and the fact that it was available in the top box Inspiron doesn't mean it wasn't something special.

 

The machine cost like $1200 on dell.com
It cant be very special.

I dont know, maybe I was hoping too much on something awesome from Dell on the screen part. I remember a video where they said they focused on great display on the newest models since the user use the screen the most, but right now im not feeling that specialness on the Alienware 17.

 

Here's my 3D Mark11 P score before I start tweaking things. Not terrible.

 

Dell makes the same mistakes every year, and others have to fix them every year. I think that avoiding the mistakes would be simpler.

 

What you should do is run Afterburner, use the log function and keep an eye on the frequency graph while running 3DMark11. Post it here to let us see if the GPU is throttling or not.

 

Same here for my sleeve. The sales rep told me they got a shortage, but it may come earlier and I had to split the order to get the laptop sooner than later.

 

Well, I'm thinking that the 17r SE screen is not exactly the same as the panel used in the new 17. If you look at what Alienware state for the 17, it says:

17.3 inch (439.42 mm) 120Hz WLED FHD (1920 x 1080) TrueLife TN 400 Nit Display w/3D Bundle

If you look at what the 17r SE says, its:

17.3in High Definition+ (900p) LED Display with TrueLife
17.3in Full High Definition (1080p) LED Display with Anti-Glare

The 3d panel on the new 17 has Truelife, not AntiGlare, like the 1080p panel on the 17r SE.

Also, notice the brightness on the new 17? - 400nits (or 400cdm2) but the panel on the 17r SE according to NBC is around 250nit/cmd2. Big difference: Review Dell Inspiron 17R-SE-7720 Notebook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews

The unit they are reviewing must be the 3d panel version, as the other panel option is only 900p. So, Like Fox said, I think maybe the base panel is the same but with some Alienware grade enhancements.....if you read the reviews for the panel on the 17r SE, they are actually pretty good.

 

You're looking at a review from their stock screen. The 60Hz screen. Im not sure which Inspiron that use the same 60Hz as the 60Hz Alienware 17 screen, but i did find discussions showing the same product number on a early thread on this forum.

Here is a link to their 120Hz True Life screen. Its the same as in the Alienware 17 if you look at the links i posted earlier. Product name is the exact same.

Inspiron 17R Special Edition Laptop | Dell

 

you guys heard anything about the keys leaving residue on the screen? i was hoping this issue would be fixed the most

canceled my ordered m14x r2 order today and swapped to the AW 14. At first i really thought the new screen would ruin the video quality but I am not thinking this any longer. Also talked the wife into ordering her the same machine.

so now 2 AW 14's with a EDD of the 24th

 

I have my AW 14 got it today. No such issue.

 

No issue on my 17. The screen is recessed into the bezel, and there's a rubber stand off around the edge of the screen.

EDIT: Oh, and I'm having the exact problems I thought I would with PowerDVD 9. Doesn't recognize any newer 3D movies, making the screen a bit of a waste. Will have to pay the $45 to upgrade to 13...

 

So I've noticed one other problem, slightly poor internet speeds and ping. I'm getting 1.5MB/s now and it should be over 2. Upload is unusually high, almost double.

Any suggestions?

That's been fixed. There is a bumper that goes all the way around the screen.

Got no sleep last night because I was hyped about this thing.

 

That was the old systems with edge-to-edge display. I don't see any way this could happen with the current design. The thick display bezel separates the display from the keyboard and there is no way I can see that they would ever come into contact with one another. There should be air space between them when the lid is closed.

Understandable about not getting any sleep with the new beast calling out to you.

Did you try adjusting your Killer Wireless Control Panel settings already? Sometimes the Killer cards are a little persnickety. It may be something in the settings giving lower priority to the traffic you are wanting to see have greater priority. The default settings might not be best for your current use scenario.

 

Well, even if it is exactly the same panel, does it matter as long as it is a good panel? - I mean, you can't judge the rest of the book by just because it has the same cover, if you get my drift?

Good review of the panel here: http://www.techjailbreak.com/dell-h...ll-inspiron-17r-special-edition-review-specs/

Again, note the brightness. On the 17, it's 400nits or cdm2 compared to ~350 on the 17rSE - maybe Dell did Alien-ize it a bit.....

 

Mines stuck at about half bandwidth too.

 

Okay, so after running a log of the core/mem frequencies and temps while benching through 3DMark's performance setting, there are quite a few drops in clock frequency, all associated with temps above 68C or so. Mildly overclocked my 780M at +100/200MHz, and the core frequency goes as high as 940, but then drops to ~614MHz when temps push 70C, to as low as 324MHz at one point in GPU test 4. Will give the modded vBIOS a run in a bit.

 

I don't understand why dell would limit the temps to 70C thats awful on that high end of a card with cooling that good.

 

The new ones don't have Killer.

I'm glad it's not just me.

 

I believe they do.


So how do we change it?

 

Mine just has the killer ethernet. It has broadcom for everything else.

 

Well, that's good news considering the sporadic issues with Killer cards before.

Check the WiFi adapter properties in Device Manager on the "Advanced" tab and try some different settings. And, make sure the box on the "Power Management" tab is unchecked. You don't want Windows to turn off the device to save power. You can do that yourself if and when you feel like it. Make sure the transmit power is maxed out, and if you are using 5GHz N instead of G, try setting 40Hz or Auto if it is set on 20Hz. There are several things you can tinker with in there that might help. Write down or screen shot the current settings in case you want to go back to using them.

If this is your first N device and you have an N router, check the router settings to make sure they are set to give preference to N devices instead of using a compatibility mode.



--Edit--

I thought some of them did.

Killer = Atheros = Qualcomm... same company if I am not mistaken.

Just a minute and let me see if I can post something more useful.

 

Well it could still be the driver prioritizing things then.

 

Yea, doesn't make sense at all.

Completely unrelated, I decided to open it up. RAM is made by Hynix. Will check the mSATA in a bit.

 

The power thing didn't do anything. My router says Netgear 2.4 G.

 

I'm getting exactly half bandwidth, getting 3.5 Megabytes ps opposed to 7 Megabytes ps.

 

See if you have anything called Killer Network Manager on your Start Menu > All Programs > Qualcomm Atheros > Performance Suite. Look for a big "K" icon.


(click to enlarge in new window)

 

Not there

 

Ditto. No programs for anything Killer related.

 

Hmm, well... other than trying some different settings on the "Advanced" tab, I'm not sure what to try.

 

I had an issue with my 17 dropping wifi constantly, installed BIOS A00 instead of the shipped A01 and it seems to be working well. Could also work for you guys.

Now I just need to fix my 2100 Fire Strike score (seems rather low) and constant noise over the headphone jacks...

 

Could someone check out what timings are the Hynix RAM running at? I'm guessing CL 11?

I guess if the Broadcom wifi keeps having problem I might have to get the Intel 7260 or Intel 6235 when my AW18 comes.

Have anyone gotten a peek at the wifi adapter inside their AW yet? I hope it's easily accessible.

 

Finally got my 17!!!!

 

Mine is 11

 

Question. So I just got my 14 and I installed a 256gb m4 msata to go with the 750gb hard drive. So I formatted both drives completely and did a fresh install of windows 7 on the ssd which worked fine but now the 750gb hard drive won't show up under "my computer" but it shows up under device manager. There's no way to access it. I already installed the drivers for Intel rst and the management engine and it still won't show up. Any ideas?

 

Where the heck is the msata slot? Is it under the keyboard? God I hope not.... The manual said you have to take out like 22 screws to get that thing off.... I purchased an MSATA card but have not attempted install yet.

 

Just take off the bottom cover and it's right there. Its next to the wireless card.

 

I will give it a shot. Thanks!

 

Well after using it the entire day I'd have to say my biggest complaint is the screen. Light bleeds around the edges a bit when it's dark colors and it's not the best at displaying dark blacks.