Alienware 13 Pre-Release Speculation Thread

Honestly, even just a tablet for school is fine. I got a surface RT 2 for class and its been amazing. All day battery life, full office, browsing is great on it, and its super portable.

My gaming laptop rarely leaves the apartment since I got it.

 

Judging by the majority of posts on many sites previewing this system is likely to be well received, the naysayers actually seem to be in a distinct minority. Again, this design is clearly not aimed at uber-performance; it is aimed at the more casual gamer who want a portable system that performs well enough. Hell, even the AW 14 is not really all that in terms of performance, and look how well it has done in the market, and the AW 13 seems poised to eclipse it in gaming performance in a lighter package.

I can understand not liking a design and predicting it will not be well received, but when you take a denigrating tone like this in your posts it speaks volumes about you, not the product in question or the people who are enthused about it

 

I've read two reviews now that say the 2560x1440p upgrade is a 400-nit IPS touchscreen. That seems a bit pointless for an Alienware, but I suppose there are people out there who like them. If I were to purchase this system, I'd probably just stick with the 350-nit 1080p screen, unless they offer a better GPU than the 860M or the 1440p screen is amazing in comparison.

 

Mr. Fox, by chance do you have a modded .inf for the newest Nvidia drivers?

many thanks!

 

Agreed, 1080p seems the way to go if the 860m is offered for me as well. I read somewhere that the 1440p was like 400-nit, so it's not that bad with the 1080p.

 

Hopefully the 1080p has decent color reproduction. Something similar to the AW17 120hz would be enough. I hated my M14xR1s display in terms of color space.

 

Excuse my ignorance, but I really don't see the point of adding anything higher than a 1920x1080 screen in a 13 or 14" computer. No (mobile) graphics card can drive a game at that high resolution with high/ultra settings, so whats the point? Also, touchscreen is just stupid on anything thats not a hybrid/convertible tablet. I've tried every interpretation of a PC touch screen, and quite truly I tell you, Lenovo's OLD X220/X230 and predecessors had the best implementation. A traditional hinge computer + touch is just stupid and ridiculous......and a waste of battery. But to navigate windows 8, I suppose touch screen is required but I digress, I never had much love for windows 8 anyhow. I just saw what it the Alienware 13 would look like, and I'm not too impressed. I would have liked:

1. A design similar to that of the Razer or MBP, meaning full aluminum unibody (A little thicker would be OK)
2. 860M or 870M graphics w/ mux switch....and a radeon offering (probably soldered, a MXM slot would be a pipe dream)
3. 2x M2 or mSATA (3x would be even better, on PCIe bus)
4. Wireless AC (intel, atheros, or broadcom)
5. Non-soldered RAM, but if it has to be soldered, 16GB minimum to avoid pagefile/excessive writes to SSD
6. 4x USB 3.0 + sd card reader
7. Thunderbolt, hdmi, dp
8. High quality webcam
9. 1920x1200 IGZO IPS non-touch display

Knowing Alienware, i'll be lucky to get 1 or 2 things off my list. Maybe I need to start my own laptop line. Won't be buying any laptops for now anyhow, waiting for Skylake to materialize before I upgrade. Fingers still crossed for 2015 release but that looks like its not happening considering we still haven't seen broadwell.

 

Yeah, it's going to be a good while before you see Skylake and Pascal, lol.

Considering their low TDP, the 900M series should fit well in this AW 13. I'm hoping they stick a 970M in it next year with Broadwell.

 

The point is that gaming isn't the only thing done on gaming laptops. You should be able to game fine at 1920x1080 via the game's menu etc. The point is a higher resolution is great for Photo and Video editing (which is mostly done on gaming laptops due to them sporting high end graphics cards). I agree that the touch screen is a little pointless though; laptop manufactures should put more effort into decent touchpad mechanics before slapping in a touch screen.

 

I cannot imagine them not using the same tech as the current IPS panels or better, at least for the 1080p and higher screens. The poor color gamut on my M14x-R2 bugs me to no end .... I can accept it on my M11x, but after gaming on my desktop with a 99% color gamut system the picture on the M14x-R2 is just...sad outside of contrast.

 

I agree... There is nothing wrong with being very critical about a product and explaining why you do not like it, but criticizing other people for having a different interest or preference is just wrong. Some people get goosebumps about fancy smartphones and tablets... some prefer little laptops. Some do not like any of those things. But, like it or not, it's coming... que será, será. Hopefully, there's room for everyone at the Alienware dining table, including those with lower performance standards. If you don't like something that is being served, then just don't eat it... right?

Remember, beauty is only skin deep. It's what is on the inside that matters most. Just don't get sucked into buying something only because it is shiny and new, has pretty lights and looks amazing.

Shoot, I might even consider it with an Extreme CPU and GPU equal to or greater than GTX 780M. It wouldn't be my favorite since it would have only one GPU, but it would be more useful to me and it would be kind of awesome to have such a powerful tiny little machine.

Yes, it does seriously diminish my gaming pleasure, and so does a small screen and keyboard, and having only one GPU. Also important to consider is the fact that I actually derive equal or greater pleasure from overclocked benching--my favorite PC game of all--so this machine simply cannot meet my needs in this regard... actually, nothing really can except for a dual GPU system with a mobile Extreme CPU or an unlocked desktop CPU. Just about every game I play amounts an extended benchmark session in one way or another and I watch the FPS, temps and clock speeds like a hawk even running at stock clock speeds... is that OCD? An addiction? Yes, but I don't want to be cured... ever. I love having this disease, LOL.

Something like this could certainly have a limited secondary role in my life, however. It would make a really nice business machine for an on-the-go professional. The pathetically slow dual core ULV CPU is good enough for business productivity apps and run-of-the-mill games. (It would deliver unacceptably poor performance for someone into content creation or graphic design, and so would the somewhat modest Maxwell 860M and its notable shortage of Cuda cores, but that's not my gig.) As long as my face is close enough to the screen, or wearing magnifying eyeglasses, the 13" 1440p display would be excellent for viewing more rows and columns of Excel with scaling at 100%. Being able to play a real honest to goodness FPS game or two without having to stoop to using some pathetic phone or tablet on a plane trip would be also be real plus. Heck, there would even be room for my G700 mouse and a cup of Diet Coke on the seat back tray table when riding in coach.

 

It could be interesting to create a design that went full in on an external GPU.

No internal dGPU but could take up to an extreme CPU then have an external caddy for the dGPU. With it plugged in have optimus for the internal screen and inbuilt outputs.

Mobile fast office machine and powerhouse gamer machine at home.

 

Yeah, some speculated this but it kind of defeats the purpose if they are using just ULV processors and it would probably bottleneck anyhow. I would bet it's just some Dell-designed add-on option for a wireless output to a television, with the transmitter plugged in the back and the receiver station plugged into the HDMI on a television/monitor. They pushed this about three years ago for a bit, I still have the set up from then (much cheaper on Amazon), forget the maker. Apparently it had lots of issues if you tried to hook up too many inputs, but if you just ran a lappy through it works like charm and more than fast enough. For a time I took my M11x on business trips and used it in hotel rooms to drive the television there, but was afraid I would forget it so now it lives on the television in the house, but I never use it as the wife frowns on using the television for gaming when the office has a monster desktop and large screen monitor

 

But that would totally kill their profit margins, seriously, gaming laptops are probably the only market at the moment where people are actually compelled to upgrade an entire platform (or at least an overpriced MXM module that may/may not work). Desktop GPUs are cheap as chips in comparison, last way longer and are extremely easy to upgrade.

 

Not necessarily any more than MXM upgrades, which have almost always worked extraordinarily well for Alienware owners. The whole concept of eGPU is kind of a cool novelty gimmick with limited application. Having that would never totally make up for a laptop that lacks amazing specs when disconnected and used without it. Wimpy machines will continue to be pathetic even while attached to a desktop GPU... it leaves you with exactly the same products you started with... great GPU, wimpy laptop. It is even more of a novelty with a pathetic ULV CPU dragging down the whole system with its lame performance. Sounds like a bonafide desktop makes more sense in that scenario, or just buy a laptop with top specs and performance up front and be done with it.

 

I have a Asus XGstation so I know the in and outs of the egpu, but I do enjoy playing with it though. Only real is no return feed to play the game on the screen on the laptop, you just kind of dock it and play your now desktop on a external monitor.

If alienware does do a "desktop" egpu for the 13 who is to say it will have standard hookups. It may be a desktop card but it may be permanently attached inside there box. That way if you wanted a upgrade you would have to buy there next box. Just not open the box and drop in what card you want.

 

I think this is great. I personally would've jumped at this had this was available when I was shopping for my current w230ss.

 

fox, meaker and tbone, u guys looking forward to AW18R2? if its called R2 at all, or clevo's possible new lappy with haswell E

 

Actually I came very close to deciding to build a small Matx x99 monster but am scrapping the thought now for a few reasons, mostly to do with portability. I really want AW to do a desktop CPU build to take on Clevo, or at the very least offer dual PSU's. I have a feeling the older m18x R2 is still going to spank the new AW18 R2 so I might have to be happy with what I have.. which isn't so bad afterall. Clevo is offering great things (haswell-E.. yummy) but its mainly the AW next day service and warrantly keeping me from changing teams. I can't go weeks without my machine.

How about you?

 

Correction... Clevo was doing great things. Looks like they might be planning on drinking the wee-wee flavored Kool-Aid from the fountain of mediocrity now. [ LINK]

"New AW18 R2" is only speculation. The Alienware 18 is a work of art, with HUGE potential, but it was enough of a flop with a locked-down BIOS and inadequate power-handling that it wouldn't surprise me if that goes bye-bye so they can burn more calories and money making fancy little machines for bubble-gum gamers.

*Sigh* The thought of having to go back to using a desktop for my gaming and benching makes me want to vomit. Too many years of fun benching on hotel room AC units and all-night gaming binges in my family room recliner to be excited about parking my nalgas at a desk after a full day of work. But, this old man ain't gonna play the compromise game... it's all or nothing on performance. If I can't have it my way like I do at BK, I may just chuck the whole notion of having a high performance laptop, grille my own $4K-$5K thermonuclear heart attack PC and stream the action to a disposable $299 Walmart laptop. When that craps out, just toss it in the garbage and grab another one. They are open 24 hours, and they're just right up the street.

Or, as you say... be happy with what we have. As long as parts can be purchased, our M18xR2 beasts might be kicking booty and taking names for a very, very long time. They may not have any competition to speak of, and with the trend toward anemic trash for gaming, I suspect they are going to have to tone things down because "high performance" laptops are not going to be powerful enough to effectively handle more than what we have in today's games.

 

That's the idea I was toying with - building a rig and streaming it to a crappy Fisher Price laptop. Then I'm stuck hauling two devices when I finally move home which defeats my original idea of having a portable beast. Hey, its not all bad. We could start benchmarking wireless home network bandwidth as we all stream to our grubby touchscreens.. oh fun.

 

Well, one thing is for sure... the OEMs that consider themselves to be "high performance" laptop producers are not going to decide what's best for me. If they don't give me what I want, they won't get a dime... my way or the highway. Homey don't play dat compromise thing. Thin and light and "efficient" just ain't gonna cut it. It has to be loud, obnoxious and lethal to anything it comes into contact with or I don't want one.

Speaking of wireless home networks, Fisher-Price quality, and OEMs deciding what is best, my network came to a crawl today. I logged into the router to see what the deal was and OMG was I ever shocked! The Linksys firmware was silently updated and what a tacky looking Fisher-Price Windows 8 abortion UI got pushed to it. I felt like I was going to puke. I mean, really... their firmware engineers must be like 5 years old, maybe retarded, or just plain stupid. I was not happy... at all. It worked OK after I reset it, but good gracious... I'm dizzy from looking at that cartoonish mess. For a minute there I thought I could hear calliope music coming from my router.

 

Best router I have ever used was an Asus, proper hardware inside. About as upgradable as their laptops but I am not into overclocking my router just yet lol.

 

ULV cpu === gaming fail

 

What type of gaming? Obviously a system with a ULV CPU is not going to be on the same level of gaming as an SLI system. All systems are targeted to different people.

Ironically enough, I wanted to purchase this system for classwork and whatnot (during class and between class) because it's extremely portable. I have now learned that none of my class instructors allow laptops in the classroom, lol. In the age where technology is literally tied to us every moment of every day, I am unable to use technology in my classes. Their excuse is that students will use Facebook and other things while class is in session. While this may be true, those of us who actually give a crap about getting a degree will not be doing those things and should not have to suffer because of the morons sitting around us.

Anyway, now that I've vented a bit, am I going to purchase this system? Maybe. Less likely, but it's possible. It will depend more on how it's priced now than before.

 

Again, the blanket statements like "fail" regarding using ULV procressors to game are about as accurate as "Alienware? It's just a Dell".

Far too many people jump on forums without either experience with various systems or simply parrot what they believe to be an informed and reasonable opinion are without thinking through the details. For gaming a good ULV processor is enough for most games when paired with a 860m because most games are GPU-bound, not CPU-bound. Even for those, the ULV will still perform quite well in most cases, at least well enough to sustain 40+ fps for many games at mid to high settings at 1080p.

Hell, more than a few games can still be run on an M11x-R3 with it's now-ancient graphics card and lowly i7 ULV chip with reasonable settings. I remember prior to the M11x a lot of the same criticisms were leveled and it turned out the systems gamed pretty well all things being equal.

In any event, it's not clear if ULV will be the only option, official specs are still forthcoming.

 

This is true... look at the minimum system requirements of most games and that is obvious. Very old and comparatively poor systems with good graphics cards can play most games. An oldy-moldy Core2 Duo at 2.0GHz satisfies minimum system requirements for many games, and that antique processor offers very similar performance to the current i5 ULV processors... very similar wPrime benchmark results (approaching a half minute for wPrime 32M and about 14 minutes for 1024M... like watching paint dry). I'm not OK with that.

What you are seeing is a reaction from people that actually care about overall system performance as much as maintaining a steady 30-40 FPS when gaming. You can do that with a console for $500 if that's all that really matters, but many PC gamers despise consoles. I know I do. The reaction is being communicated ineffectively, but the concern and outright contempt for ULV and BGA components is no less valid. Being able to play games at a constant pleasing framerate represents just one of the features that is required for a high performance system. All by itself, that's simply not good enough for some folks. Sort of like bragging about a car that gets 100 MPG and conveniently failing to acknowledge that its top speed is barely greater than the speed limit. If that is what a person wants, there's nothing wrong with that. For those that want something beyond "adequate" and offers truly superior overall system performance, this is clearly not the enthusiast-grade product they are looking for.

“Good is the enemy of great.” ― Jim Collins

 

Exactly, nor was it intended to be, just as the AW 14 is not for instance despite not having ULV chips but no one is bashing it despite significantly less performance than a well endowed AW 17 or 18. No one is saying a desire for uber-frame rates in the latest games at max settings for nothing is what this system is about, but it's performance is a far-cry from the drive-by troll-like statements of "ULV=fail". A comment like that does deserve some rebuttal.

With the all-or-nothing mentality of judging products I guess the second something comes out that exceeds your uber-lappy then people should refer to it as a "fail"

 

I am considering buying one of these for sure if they get the pricing and heat management right. I have always wanted something very portable similar to an ultrabook, but with a decent graphics card. I thought the GS60/70 was going to be that until I purchased one. If they can keep it around $1300 or so for a 1080p model with a 256gb ssd I think they will get my money. That being said I would never consider it to be my only gaming rig, but I really do not think that is what they are intending it to be. I have no concerns with it being a ULV processor as I am sure Alienware has done their homework and will make sure it can play games at a respectable frame rate. My biggest concern is heat, battery life (while not gaming) and price.

 

It should cool pretty well. I don't think that will be an issue. The 860M is already a very efficient GPU, and ULV processors are usually cooler than full pledged quad-core. Alienware also claims 8 hours of battery life...that's somewhat impressive, but I'm thinking it's just a marketing tactic - "up to 7 hours" is what they said at E3 for the AW 17 back in 2013, and I've never seen that many.

 

I would be happy with anything longer than 5 hours at decent brightness levels.

 

actually, I've been wanting to ask this question for a long time, how the hell do you OC routers...?

 

You mod the firmware most likely.

 

It was meant as a joke lol, incedently I did a search and it's possible.

 

This thing sounds pretty great! I'm hoping it'll be somewhat cheaper than the "13 Macbook Pro.

 

One thing to consider - it sounds like there will be a release with Maxwell chips then withing a quarter or two a subsequent release with Broadwell, similar to what happened with the original M11x-R1/R2. This is a sticking point for me, as I think hanging on till the Broadwell chips hits makes more sense.

 

We certainly hope that Broadwell makes more sense. It depends on the agenda driving it, and what their hidden priorities are. They may or may not be in sync with what some customers expect. There has been a lot of hype and hoopla about Maxwell in the speculation threads, but the GTX 860M specs looks like it is stripped down on Cuda cores, with wimpy bus width and memory bandwidth, so I am skeptical about it having the functional capacity to deliver unprecedented performance. It seems to me like one step forward and two steps backwards. It's certainly clocked nice and high, but that doesn't mean it will deliver amazing performance compared to what we already have available to us. It will be interesting to see how that all plays out. Compromise will be unavoidable when you have no space available for robust heat sinks and fans in order to avoid a meltdown.

 

If anything, Broadwell should consume much less power and ultimately run cooler because of this. That's, at the very least, what I expect Intel to be able to do. I'm hoping for much more, but anything less is just an embarrassment. And they should be ashamed of themselves, if so.

We're just now seeing leaks of the 970M! (Check out the Maxwell thread in the Gaming and Graphics board.) This means we should see the hardware changes in October as expected.

 

I try to ignore those threads. Too many self-proclaimed experts speculating about things without a solid basis for them. There used to be more of a pattern of advancing GPU technology, where forecasting was fairly accurate, but no so much any more. I'll just wait to see what actually happens when the product lands in the laps of end users and then decide if I even care after someone else blows a big wad of cash on an technological abortion. After the 880M debacle that's definitely the best way to avoid costly mistakes.

 

The GTX 860m is available now on the AW 17, so at least paired with a currently available non-ULV processor how is it regarded? Considering the ULV should push enough data for most GPU-bound games I would think that using it in a new offering (it's better than what is in the AW 14 today) is reasonable from a design and sales point perspective.

I don't think there is any goal here in delivering unprecedented performance if the goal is an 860m to begin with, rather components cool enough to not be a maintenance headache for Dell while still delivering good mobile performance for all users except those with money to burn on the bleeding edge hardware. On this point I give Dell credit for producing a system that doesn't cave to the "turn 'em out, burn 'em out" at a steep price design philosophy that is currently sweeping the laptop manufacturers. Many folks value performance and component lifetime enough that giving up the the best in performance makes for a good balance.

As for the creed that "good is the enemy of the best", it's worth noting it is a play on "The best is the enemy of the good" attributed to the French philosopher Voltaire. The point being you may introduce the bad (in this case heat and component lifetime issues) over the good (effective performance in a total package instead of too many compromises for one element ie performance).

 

I am speaking of Maxwell GTX 860M, not Kepler. Maxwell 860M have have only 640 Cuda cores, 128 bit memory bus and only 80GB/s memory bandwidth. Kepler has 1152 Cuda cores, can easily overclock to the Maxwell level and it has superior memory performance. In some things that will not matter. In demanding games like Crysis 3 and Battlefield 4 it will matter and graphic settings will have to be lowered for the game to be playable. The resolution may also need to be lowered to 1080p or less. That's not very impressive. That's what I mean by one step forward, two steps backward. It is also deceptive having the same product name, with most noobs expecting newer to be better only to find out too late that it's not. It should carry a different label or suffix to at least raise suspicion that something is different and should be investigated thoroughly before spending money. With the ULT processor you know up front to lower your expectations because, well... it is a ULT CPU.

The Ultrabook form factor is limited and it may be out of necessity that things get toned down on a model like this one. That does not change the fact that the same GPU will undoubtedly be used on far more capable systems with a chassis that can accommodate better hardware, but it will not have capacity to perform at the same level as the prior generation equivalent because the components were compromised for the sake of mass producing less capable products. This is "managing based on the lowest common denominator" and it is a sad trend that affects everyone. I consider it an unacceptable trend. It's not Dell's fault and I am not insinuating anything of that nature. I am speaking of the industry as a whole. We actually have people that call themselves performance enthusiasts that expect something thin and light to run like a banshee and stay cool, and then they wonder why (a) it struggles to play games unless everything is turned way down, or (b) cannot figure out why it overheats and makes so much noise. Either outcome should be expected as a natural consequence of trying to place 10 pounds of computing performance in a 1 pound package. Compromise can make products useful for many things, but exceptional at nothing. It does not matter what brand it is sold under, the outcome will be the same when this scenario plays out.

 

Today they also announced the new area 51 Dell because you fell so low, ok the new design for laptops, ok the new alpha that you do not know anything, I was always one of your great fan

 

Good info on the 860m forgot about the two series. Has it been stated that the Maxwell 860m is what is being used for the AW 13 specifically?

I understand your frustration here: " it will not have capacity to perform at the same level as the prior generation equivalent because the components were compromised for the sake of mass producing less capable products. This is "managing based on the lowest common denominator" and it is a sad trend that affects everyone. " However, if less capable products to satisfy another goal, ie mobility in a longer battery-powered platform is the demand, why shouldn't they accommodate it and make more money? Unless I am missing something (outside of the screwy 860m business), the argument boils down to: they should make the most capable laptop possible despite price and demand, because, well, I want it that way, it's exceptional (dare I say "elite").

That is not how markets work, the laptop manufacturers are in it to make a profit, and frankly if they can make 10x the profit selling slightly lower performing products to a larger market relative to something more exclusive I can understand not liking it, but you have to admit it makes more sense for them. The PC market is stabilized and shrinking somewhat, laptops are the only real sign of life and its a margin business these days. I think we all are going to have to accept that the market is no longer finding it that profitable to push super high-end products to a limited few. Now don't get me wrong, I believe in the halo effect of for instance an Alienware 18 for what it means from a marketing perspective and I like having the option to buy higher or step up. OTOH, the sub $1500 laptop market has one hell of a lot more buyers than the $2500-$5000 one does so businesses need to play there first. I understand liking exceptional performance, but the markets for such items are usually very thin and products come and go, bulk is what makes a business.

While the AW 13 may be less capable as an overall system than an AW 14, if it sells 30% more systems it actually makes it easier for a company to support higher end products like the AW 17/18; without the gross sales of lower systems there just wouldn't be a sustainable market at the higher end.

 

I am just assuming Maxwell because it has to be BGA based on the form factor and the capacity for cooling on something so small will be very limited. I don't know what GPU it is going to ship with. Could be something we don't know about that is better or worse than Maxwell 860M, but that's the main one that seems to be popular in the "gaming Ultrabook" world and it has been labeled "efficient" and all that. I understand the dynamics of business and giving customers what they want. There have always been low-end, mid-range and high-end products, and customers paying good money in each of those target segments. There should be a really huge gap between the top and bottom and for some reason, maybe based on outward appearances of what slim pickings the market has to offer, it kind of feels like that gap is closing to accommodate the low-end. As long as high-end keeps getting better, stronger and faster with each generation it makes no difference to me what happens with low-end and mid-range products because I don't buy them. But, I sure as heck don't want to be affected (i.e. punished) by compromises that are geared toward the optimization of low-end products. Looking at what AMD has done, (or possibly more accurately characterized as what AMD has not done,) the past couple of years and seeing how 880M has turned out to be junk, it seems clear to me that their priorities are either really messed up or they are growing more and more lax, careless and incompetent. I'm not talking about Alienware... I'm talking about the industry as a whole... after Ivy XM and 780M things swiftly became pathetic. And yes, "elite" is an excellent adjective to use... I like it because it has fewer letters and makes a bolder statement than "superior" does.

 

Off-topic but might as well:

I received my Corsair AX1200i today, and I am actually pretty shocked at how compact it is. It's about the same length as the 330W PSU, and only slightly more than twice as thick. Yes, a 1200W PSU that's just a bit over twice the thickness of Clevo/Alienware's 330W PSU. Makes you wonder why laptop PSUs have a much worse size/wattage ratio? Something to do with laptop PSUs only being passively cooled maybe?

 

Yeah, that's a bit off-topic for a 13" notebook thread, lol. I'm assuming it's because a PSU of that size is not necessary to play games? Alienware's are designed for gaming. They only consume a ton of power when overclocked and pushed to their limits, which very few people do. I'm also assuming that if they encouraged overclocking, they'd have a ton more warranty service requests, consequently losing them money in the long run.

 

Honestly it was more for Mr. Fox's benefit lol

But yeah my main point was if Corsair can manage a 1200W PSU with only slightly >2x the thickness of Clevo/AW's 330W PSU, then clearly laptop PSUs have a lot of room for improvement in either size or capacity.

 

It's also cheaper for Alienware (and Clevo) to keep recycling old components instead of just designing something new that is more than adequate to do anything that their machines are capable of doing. It was cool that Clevo came out with the converter box, but less than elegant. They should have both released a single 600W to 800W AC adapter for their SLI beasts. If Dell wasn't so insistent on using a proprietary AC adapter with an ID pin they could have easily used the same AC adapter. That probably would have saved both companies a little bit of cash in the process.

 

dude i cant be satisfied with 13/14 inch laptop, minimum 15" and it better be damn powerful and still got a 12+ hr battery life then we're talking. otherwise gotta wait.

 

Maxwell 860m tweaked an oced outperforms the kepler version with the same tweaks. Those 640 shaders are faster per shader and the on board cache helps with bandwidth constraints.

much like the M295x thread raw shader numbers and frequencies don't tell the whole story.