*Official* Alienware Launch Discussion Thread

The review at the following link suggested that the non-3d HD screen on the 17 was better than the screen on the 18, at least in terms of brightness.

Alienware 18 Review | Gaming Laptop Reviews

 

Brightness is not the main factor in quality of a display. You have to consider colors too. The 17" display is likely brighter because it doesn't have the matte cover over it. If they measured the sRGB and the gamut of each display i am positive the 14 & 18 would be better.

 

Would it be fair to say then that the 1600 x 900 screen on the 17R4 I just received is particularly subpar?

 

Not really, it'll be 72% gamut like the 1080p variant. The resolution will just be lower. If when looking at it, you don't find anything particularly off, then it'll be perfectly fine for you. If you don't do any photography or graphics work then you have little to worry about.

Personally, colours don't affect me that much. Get a calibrated profile and load it in, you can get things to be pretty accurate. For me it's all about the refresh rate. 24fps movies divide equally into 120hz allowing each frame to be played for 5 refreshes as opposed to the 3:2 pulldown needed for 60Hz displays. I love the 120Hz display on my M17x R4 and if I were to get a AW17, it would be with the 120Hz display.

 

high quality TN panel view angle is good enough, and you get to avoid all the funny stuff like IPS glow or backlight bleed etc.

 

It is pretty good, I compared both 14 and 17 and aside from the matte finish I could barely notice the difference between the two.

 

is the msata port in 18 inch sata 3 now? if use as a cache ssd it cant be used a storage drive right?

 

So you could notice it though.

1600x900 will be subpar compared to the PLS on the 18 or the IPS on the 14.

I think last years M1x Rx Series had 60% Gamut panels. Not 72%

That just sounds like some major OCD with the refresh rate.

 

It's a bit of that but if anyone who is active on the various AV forums they would know that playing films on a 60Hz monitor isn't ideal. This is why modern TVs advertise 120Hz or 240Hz to reduce stuttering because they can be easily divided into 24, the common framerate for films. I help develop framerate conversion scripts like the ones you see in the modern TVs so it is important for me to be able to see the actual playback speed of a clip that is untouched.

120Hz FTW.

 

Ah so it is work related. I follow.

 

It is SATA III now, and if you're using it as a caching device you can't use it as storage.

 

Hey Luis you have any of these machines in your lab and allowed to release any benchmarks/ Overclocking results on the video cards?

 

May be you can. According to IRST you can set aside space for a cache as well as have a standalone OR as part of a RAID. Chipset Software — Intel® Smart Response Technology User Guide

 

Here's a link to early adopters of the 780m overclocking:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...ks-overblocks-vbios-afterburner-evga-etc.html

So far it looks to be around 20% more than the 680m. The 680m unmodified seems to hit around 7200 in 3dmark11. The 780m is hitting 8600 in 3dmark11 - thats a huge jump to say drivers aren't even yet supported. I'm kind of hoping I can hit 1300-1400 with a little overclock with SLI.

Looks like it will overclock well:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...ks-overblocks-vbios-afterburner-evga-etc.html

Hitting 8400 unmodified. The 680m was hitting 7200. It doesn't even have a real driver yet!

 

The chart is meant to show what the laptops support, configurations depend on parts availability and vary from one country to another.

You can check your order status here, the tracking number will appear as soon as it ships.

The default panel for the Alienware 18 is 18.4" WLED FHD (1920 X 1080) TrueLife PLS Display and it comes with 2x4GB sticks.

A popular configuration (money/performance wise) is

SSD as a boot drive
Big Size HDD for storage (1tb+)
Small mSATA to accelerate the storage HDD (32Gb-64Gb)

I haven't heard anything but I'd definitely join your cause if you want to submit it

Ideastorm

We don't do benchmarks as results may vary based on config or settings but I'm sure you'll be able to find some 780m results out there (even if not with official drivers).

:O that would be nice !

 

Anyone know why the current configurations only offer SSD as cache / boot rather than standalone SSDs? Not available yet?

 

Luis, do you have links to the service manuals for these yet? Would like to see how hard upgrading the dvd to blu ray would be.

They're not yet showing on support.dell.com

Thanks,
N

 

Mine is coming with 750Gb and 64gb mSata cache drives.

Intent is to put in a 256gb Samung 840 Pro for booting, Seagate 750gb Momentus XT.

My question is do I need to do anything special?

Can I just use Alien re-spawn to back the system to a flash drive. Then remove the original drives, put in my SSD and HDD. Them simply boot from flash drive and restore my system?

Or is there any special settings I need?

Once I have this bit set up, I might put the 750gb drive and mSata 64gb back in and set up for caching for extra storage. For now I just want my SSD working and my HDD in and working. I really don't need that much space as I only use the AW18 for games. everything else is on a Mac.

Thank you

 

Yeah it gives a nice economical solution; to purchase the biggest SSD you can afford and set aside 32Gb for a cache of the original HDD

The boot option (256gb) IS standalone if I understand your question

A cache SSD drive size it typically 32gb or 64gb.

You got it but it can be easier than that. Just put your new SSD in, change the boot order and restore to the new drive. The caching (in firmware) will remain on the original drive and all you'll need to do is wipe it down once you have it all working. If you get into problems just set the boot order back and you have your original machine back

Good luck.

Edit: do NOT make and bios changes if you are restoring an image - you might see advice about different settings but I've see many people have success with a simple backup and restore.

 

Perfect I will do that. What about if I simply want the original drive and msata out? simply for weight saving or to sell on as it wont be needed? (I like to explore all my options lol)

 

I don't have them yet but it's very easy to access, you just need to remove the bottom cover and about 4 screws.

Not a problem

 

Fantastic.

Rapid Edit there brother Luis lol

 

Not a problem. I recommend leaving it in while you set up the new drive then you can just turn off the cache in the software (IRST) and take both out

 

Luis, are you able to tell us at all about how well the video cards overclock? Note: I'm more interested in the memory overclock on the GPU

 

This would be excellent - getting to the DVD drive in the m17x r4 was a bit of a chore.

N

 

Mine's still in pre-pro. Usually takes a few days, IME.

Yea, we replaced it on my step dad's R4 and it took a while. Nowhere near as bad as changing the DVD drive in my MB Pro to a Blu Ray drive though.

 

Yeah it used to be much harder, but now that the ODD can be swapped for a HDD I'm guessing they wanted a faster way yo get there.

 

Does anyone know which SSD you get directly from Alienware in the laptop if you order it and is it worth changing to 840 when you get it?

 

It wouldn't be worth it to switch.

 

Yeah, you can partition the mSata to use some for data and some for caching. Obviously, if it's only a 32gig mSata, it's rather pointless....

In the past, Dell SSD's have been Samsung and LiteOn. What you get will depend on stock of either.

 

It was mentioned earlier in the thread to avoid the 3d screen on the 17. Why? Is it b/c 3d will be used so sparsely or b/c the 3d feature brings compromises for 2d operation?

 

I stated that because 3d is getting phased out again. ESPN is canceling its 3d broadcasts this year and i think its safe to guess that no game dev will work the extra time to include 3d in it now.

 

The 120hz screen isn't about 3D. It's about 120Hz.

That said, I hope an Alienware rep can answer:

 

It doesn't affect 2d functionality at all, it's purely a personal choice.

I will request the information and get back to you once I have something.

 

As far as gaming goes they are still producing top level titles that work great. MP3 and Crysis3 are awesome!! Check out nvidia's '3d Ready' title list (and you get a 120hz display that many want even if they do not use the 3D)

OTA 3D is poor because of the 24hz restriction to keep bandwiths to a minimum - without a 120+hz 3DTV with smoothing technology it's rubbish for quality. Problem with gaming is that that smoothing technology causes horrendous input lag - unplayable at 1080 .

Game developers have to do very little for 3D as it's all generated real-time by the hardware/driver, as opposed to film 3D...

But it IS a prerequisite for nvidia's 3D 60hz to each eye. Dell only ship it with the 3D kit...

 

You're fine, don't worry. It will take a few days.

So wait...is the 18 matte or glossy?

 

Yeah the 120Hz screen is nice but i don't want this guy to expect that every game will work in 3d. In fact when i used it i would get irritated severely at the crosstalk. Fun feature but totally not worth basing a decision over.

Alienware 14
14.0 inch (355.6 mm) WLED HD (1366 x 768) Anti-Glare Display TN 200 Nit Display (Standard)
14.0 inch (355.6 mm) WLED FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare IPS 300Nit Display

Alienware 17
17.3 inch (439.42 mm) WLED HD+ (1600 x 900) Anti-Glare TN 220 Nit Display (Standard)
17.3 inch (439.42 mm) WLED FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare TN 300 Nit Display
17.3 inch (439.42 mm) 120Hz WLED FHD (1920 x 1080) TrueLife TN 400 Nit Display w/3D Bundle

Alienware 18
18.4 inch (467.36 mm) WLED FHD (1080p) TrueLife PLS 350 Nit Display (1920 X 1080) (Standard)

Truelife is glossy.

 

That's what I thought. Thank god. Just double checking...

 

Neither apparently. It is listed as 'truelife', see: Dell TrueLife™ LCD Screens - What is it?

A reflection reducing technology with a glossy finish as I read it

 

Sounds good. I just don't want matte and I'm completely baffled as to why any company would offer matte displays on gaming laptops centered around graphics. Matte displays effect visual quality quite a bit so it seems strange they'd be offered on high end laptops.

 

Yeah, mine too. My last 3 orders stayed in pre-production for quite some time and then all of a sudden it was dispatched and at my door in a couple of days.

 

For sure, recently it's been about 60/30 in favour of working good. FC3 it atrocious sadly though.

I've been playing with 3D since back in the day when I built a dual 295 rig and yes, crosstalk was always the big problem.

I got this AW more as an experiment rather than expecting it to work as well, as it does. MP3 for example is perfect, full shadows and not a hint of crosstalk -

Customer demand I guess. So many complaints about the reflections but I just accept it as a downside of better clarity

 

The increased color accuracy on a glossy screen means little when reflections and glare ruin the experience in most conditions, and the Alienware glossy screens are über reflective. Only cheap matte screens ruin visual quality, and I want to believe that Alienware did not add those.

Whether or not you like matte screens, nothing is wrong with the option. Competitors offer both. Adding both matte and glossy options for all models would have been the sensible solution.

 

Yeah people were SCREAMING for matte displays on alienwares. I guess it depends on the filter as to how much i'll like the matte. But what i'm looking most forward to is not having to wipe off the key imprints on the plastic over the screen.

 

Of course, these machines ARE aimed predominantly at gaming...BUT, they do serve other purposes. Photographic work is one. Most professional photographers would prefer to work with a matte display because of the fact it's a better medium to work with versus glossy. The Alienware 18 display is, as Micky said, a balance of both. No where near true matte, but also no where near as reflective as the outgoing R2.

 

Yeah that's pretty much what I was getting it. Both should be offered for all models.

Buy some small stick on rubber bumpers and put them in the corners, works like a charm.

 

I'll wait until the 17 inch IPS panels are available.

 

Erm, you might have some wait there, fella.....I think if they woulda been offered by now if they were to be an option.

 

Hopefully this hasn't been answered (cause I didn't want to read through the 17 pages I missed), but as far as I can gather, the RAM modules are Kingston (cause they're the only company that I can find that makes the DDR3L modules). I'm trying to find an extra 16GB (for 32 total) and I can only find 240 pin stuff, or regular DDR3 204 pin. My question is, can DDR3L and DDR3 be mixed? My initial suspicion is no, but I'm sure some else has a better idea.

 

My take is that DDR3L is only low voltage ram. IE 1.35V instead of 1.5V. I might be wrong though. Let me do some research

http://www.jedec.org/news/pressrele...anticipated-ddr3l-low-voltage-memory-standard