*OFFICIAL* Alienware 13 R1/R2 Owner's Lounge

In other words, the wear I was seeing was actually reserved battery capacity?

 

im not sure mine shows 0% wear on windows 8.1, and i set battery reserve to 3% ,maybe windows 7 detects the reserved battery as wear, try setting it to 0 or 1...

 

Well.. I'm on Windows 8.1 and none of my programs show that it has where.
My High performance battery plan has reserved level at 1% on battery while my other plans have it at 5 %.

 

I'm little OCD about my laptop. In my 2 months of ownership. My laptop developed a hairline scratch and it's tingling my OCD. How can I remove or hide the scratch?
I was thinking of using a plastic polish, but I would like to know exactly what is the best method. The laptop lid is made of plastic, but it's not 100% glossy. It's somewhat semi-glossy.

(Ignore the black rubber part, that is dust.)
Thank you.

So far, I'm having fun with my laptop. I'm getting about 6 hours battery life and it runs very cool. Doesn't get hot after little gaming (WoWS). The 1440p is beautiful and I love it.

 

Alright, I think my battery life is as it should be. About 6.5 hours for doing some light load and having the brightness set at 30%. And at 1440p, so I could get better if I lower the brightness and resolution...
But I have a glossy screen, and I have gotten used to pure 2560x1440 on a 13.3" screen.

 

@Game7a1
great seems like your problem is solved
btw randomly got this on balanced mode with auto in preferred graphics processor see batterybar in attached pic

 

Well, it's just a thought. I doubt it is fixed. I'll have to do more testing, but something tells me that I'll have to actually record the battery life myself rather than rely on a program.
Your image.... you're terrible person. That's the kind of battery life I want.

 

i doubt ill get close to 22 hrs maybe 9,but the drain is what i wanted to show you also now that i think about it ive always randomly reached a draw of -2600 mV when the gpu is set to auto-select in nvidia control panel

 

So we're pretty much have similar settings.
Well... if the drain released some of the reserved, I think I know what I'm going to do next (uhh... no one else is supposed to understand this).

 

Is it consistent through power offs/ons, though? I would say my battery life changes significantly (up or down) every 3-5 uses (which is to say it's not every time, but if fairly frequent).

 

Sorry to get back to you so late but real life with taveling and lack of wifi have been keeping me very busy. In pervious posts I have compared the two one of my reasons for the Alienware 13 was the build quality and the speakers. The speakers on the Sager are not that good however the battery choice CPU, and storeage options on the Sager are much better.

The last Sager laptop I bought was through a reseller like Xotic pc and that really worked out good for me. The performance was great just remember that their Np7338 laptop can get quite warm.

So far the Alienware 13 has remained qite cool even when running FSX

 

Anybody with Broadwell + 860m, are you able to install driver 350.12? Because even with modding, I'm unable to.

 

No, I'm not able to install it... and I don't know why...

 

Just need a couple more responses, people. If I get enough, I'll see what I can do for Alienware to fix this.

 

Side note. Anybody wanting to purchase the base panel (the thing that covers the RAM, HDD/SSD, and Wifi Card) will have to buy the whole bottom part of the laptop.
Geez... so much for an easy way out.

 

hey bios a03 posted !!!

 

Fixes and Enhancements - External:[BIOS]
Fix:
1.System can't switch to external video when lid is closed.
2.Fixed nVidia SSID

Modify:
1.Implement OC status report.
2.Updated nVidia VBIOS.
Alrighty then. Let's get to it!
EDIT: This does not transform an 860m to a 960m. However, OC is still in with driver 347.88 and 347.90. Going to test with 350.12.
However, the overclock section of the BIOS has expanded, including RAM frequency overclock settings. I think it is more stable now than before.
EDIT2: Still cannot install 350.12. Going back to 347.90.

 

Does this Bios update change the GPU performance? What Nvidia SSID fix is supposed to mean?

 

How is the switch to iGPU? Works fine? More battery life?

 

Not sure (on both). I might do some tests later this evening with some in-game and synthetic benchmarks.

iGPU <--> dGPU switching works well. I've had no problems with it whatsoever.
As for increasing battery life... haven't really done any comparisons.

 

All right. Thanks. If it was much better, you'd probably have noticed it. You still get like 4-5 hours of normal use, though, right?

 

Hi , I seek a solution to overclock my GTX 960M (+ or - 100 MHz ) on my A13 , someone you could help me?

I am open to any type of method

THX

 

Just use nvidiainspector and make sure you have driver 347.88 or 347.90.
Speaking of 347.90, I don't think it works well, so I'm downgrading to 347.88 for the time being. But... http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/9695476
Sigh... this is because the early Broadwell 13's have a 960m flashed as an 860m. This doesn't bode well with me.
However, I bring good news about the BIOS update. Overclock settings in the BIOS can be enabled for once and stay enabled. Oh, and you can disable them as well. Anybody want to bench an overclock i7-5500u?
EDIT: Uhh... never mind on that comment about 347.90. 347.88 performed similarly. Might be because my desktop resolution is 1440p. Ehh... I'm not too concerned unless it's something drastic and obvious.
Up next is the battery test.

 

I look forward to it. I'm in the market for something very portable for around $1k that allows me to game. Was going to wait until this summer to see what happens at Computex, but to be completely honest, living without a laptop is a pain in the a** for a student... Seriously.

Considering going with the i5-5200U over the i7-5500U. What are your thoughts on that? I've done some research and they're very close (in terms of performance), but do you think the i5 will offer better battery life? My guess is that it won't make much of a difference...but you never know.

Alternatives that meet my criteria are all running Intel HD Graphics, so I suppose the AW 13 is my best option.

Signed, former Alienware enthusiast.

 

I'll be doing a light load test and a game test on both Windows 7 and 8.1. You know, because... different OSes.

 

My country currently only offers the same config u own ( Broadwell + 860m ). Should i hold off my order till they refresh to 960m ? Any difference in performance or driver update issue ... as in can't use official Nvidia driver?

 

thank you Game7a1, can you give me the link of the right driver for the GTX 960M because it tells me that my graphics card is not compatible . Or there is a solution to install all the same

 

Hi guys,

1. the Aw17 R1 PSU is compatible with Aw13?

2. don't you find the Aw13 screen is too small for playing games?

 

Yes, it is!

 

You'll have to mod the driver's .inf file. I didn't think you would have to do this, though, for the 347.90.
http://na.alienwarearena.com/forums...vidia-driver-to-work-on-broadwell-13-and-more
You'll need to install Dell's latest Nvidia driver to get the .inf file.

1. Yes, but pointless. Unlike its bigger brothers, the AW13's stock PSU is enough for GPU overclock.
2. If you're transiting from a 17" screen to a 13" screen, I can see why one thinks its too small. But it's actually easy to get used to, in my experience. This may have been due to the fact that I've used laptops of varying sizes (11", 13", 14", and 15").

 

... so we also want to join the party, because we think the alienware 13 fits our needs very well. But we have some open questions

1) In Europe we have an "IPS 3.200 x 1.800" option. Is this the panel of the new xps 13? And would it be worth +100$ extra?
2) Does somebody use the 960m for DK2/Oculus?
3) We are always be warned not to use a notebook for Oculus (Demos). Has the new bios the possibility to switch off the Intel-GPU?
4) In Europe we only have 2 OS versions, 8.1 und 7pro ... would there be an 8.1 pro option, we didn't bother, so which route should we go (Rift in mind)
5) GPU driver update, in the early days it looks, the AW13 needs special Alienware driver, is this correct, or can we/will we could use the standard Nvidia drivers now/in the future?

pfuuhh ... but big thanx for every knowledge/opinion.

 

1. Are you going to use it as a 3200x1800 panel or a 1600x900 panel? Because if it is the latter, then don't get.
3. Nope. Never will.
5. Those with a 960m and regular 860m can be able to download through Nvidia. I think I did see the 960m being supported in the latest driver, but O'll have to double check.

 

I have finaly installed a 347.52 Driver
But the overclocking still locked on nvidiainspector ! Help me pls

 

@Game7a1 thanks for the fast answer
OK, but i think i know the answer now. The question was between the 2.560 x 1.440 and the 3200x1800 panel.

a) Gaming we would choose (downsizing) to 1600 or 1920
b) For working we would go max

So, i think we cant really see the pixel difference, so the panel-quality will be the man issue fast/tearing for gaming color quality for work ... what would you suggest? Again thanx

 

I think I already said this, but you have to mod the 347.88 driver to install it. 347.52 locks out overclocking. I already supplied instructions for this mod.

A. Ummm... not sure what you are asking here. But for gaming, choose what you see fit. However, note that playing some games on a lower resolution may result in black bars.
B. Depends. Things may be too small, but if you are comfortable with viewing QHD(+), then yes.

 

yes but your statement is not clear, for example ctrl A? It selects all the files and disable the drivers on windows 8.1 , how?

 

I think you're misunderstanding some steps.
Ctrl + A within the notepad. You do edits in the notepad. You have to open the .inf files, and opening them opens notepad.

 

I finally made it!

But the overclock does not remain. an idea?

 

What do you mean? You're still not able to overclock with the newer driver?

 

I mean, once Nvidiainspector close , the frequencies are delivered by default

 

Oh... just leave it open. Problem solved. I think you can create profiles, but I forgot how.

 

Thx for your help game

 

That's why i can't drive my UHD screen @ 60Hz **CRYING**
The Intel GPU drive the video output ^^

 

Well... that's only for the i5-4210u's iGPU. Broadwell iGPUs can display UHD at 60 Hz.

 

Is the Quad HD display with touch screen technology Gorilla Glass? I read all the features and specs but saw no mention of it.

 

so the i7 battery life is better or comparable? also, is the touchscreen battery life significantly worse than the 1080p? very interested in ordering a 13 this weekend.

 

Just got my aw13 and I'm already having some issues. First thing I did was install battle.net's heathstone and the application seems to be spuratically freezing up on me. Not just the application either, they entire computer. I'll hear the speakers stuttering and I'll be unable to move my mouse or anything. Anyone experience this problem? Is there anyway to fix it, or should I just consider this a malfunctioning unit and exchange it?

Thanks,
Vincent

 

Hi guys! Never posted here before, and I'm not sure this belongs here. Anyway , I just got my AW13 a few days ago, and already I'm having a strange issue. When I run Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, the game runs fine in a window, even stretched to fill the screen, but once I enter full screen mode, it slows down to a crawl. Every other game I play (WoW, LoL, Hearthstone, Mortal Kombat X, and many more) work without a hitch. I've updated everything, I have tried everything on forums to speed it up (which I shouldn't have to), and it works on even my junkiest laptop. Any help/insight would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

Have you tried whitelisting the game (google nvidia whitelist if you don't know how)?
Cleaned installed the nvidia driver?
Gone over to the Binding of Issac's forum for help?

 

SO I have been lurking here for a while, and finally made an account.

I ordered my AW13 on April 7th, and it is supposed to be shipped/delivered the 24th... (Friday!! ) I am super excited, as this is my first alienware.

I have read almost this entire post, but its all jumbling together now. I have a WD Dual drive that \i want to put in, and I know there will be some mods but thats okay.

My question is about ram speed.... I probably dont need 16gb of ram, but if i was to get ram, I have a few newegg gift cards and could get 16gb of 2133 ddr3l for pretty cheap. Would it run this speed or would i have to down clock it and run some tight timings?

Thanks

Supposed Specs:
i5 5200U
500gb hdd
8gb ram
960m
1080p

PS: I have read about a ton of graphical issues.... Will i have any?