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

So I know I beat this topic with a stick but have some new info straight from aliemware tech support, so hopefully a little more reputable. I'm trying to fit a larger 2.5 hdd that's 9.5mm thick in my new 13. They actually took one apart over the phone and tested a larger 9.5mm drive and it just barely fit . This may be incorrect but the mounting hdd/ssd bracket may be slightly different based on whether or not u order it with a ssd or hdd out of the gate, sadly since I ordered the i7 (only 100$ more ) I won't have my unit to officially test till end of January

 

Well there are only 2 brackets: one for 2.5" drives and one for M.2s, and the 13 can only accept one of them.
Unless Alienware sells 13's with 2.5" SSDs, then we can only assume all SSDs in the 13 at time of purchase are M.2.

 

Just curious, can you change from Windows itself? Seems kind of strange...

 

Is the actual ssd switch board built into the metal mounting bracket? Bc I assumed it installed into the same bracket as the hdd would. But based on my post earlier I'm getting a feeling that's not the case

 

It might be delayed even longer then that. For some reason I think they may be having trouble getting the qhd models out. I got the "smart shipping" qhd model with next day delivery and its been delayed 3 times already. First it said I would get it the 11th then the 15th and now it says the 19th.

 

Same here, no options to change res in Nvidia panel but can change in windows itself

 

yes you can, with the Intel graphics software only!

 

I'll see if I can take some pics for you Champ! :thumbsup:
From looking at the manual it looks like the normal SSD hdds just have a different connector cable that runs from the mobo to the hdd connector. This is good news as it runs only on the side of the hdd and saves space.
I'm looking at how the caddy would connect and you might just be able to squeeze it in actually.
You would need a different caddy but I reckon if you ordered with the normal SSD's or hdds they would give you a different larger caddy.
We would need someone who has a 13 with a normal hdd in it to confirm the hdd size and if their caddy is bigger to accomodate 9.5mm HDDs.

Looks like I was too quick last time AA9510 in saying it wouldn't fit. I'm trying to squeeze it in for you now.
Okay so it took quite a bit of effort to squeeze it in. It wouldn't stay seated on one side so you would need to screw in the screws to hold it down with the hdd caddy right away. It just doesn't seem quite right to me as it is such a tight fit. 7mm or lower hdds would have no issues however I reckon you could squeeze in the 9.5mm WD Black. You would definitely need to remove the blue foam from the notebook bottom cover as it won't let you close the cover due to the extra padding thickness.

Hope this is more helpful!

 

Got mine today.

First impression - everything seems good especially the aesthetics.

I got the minimal spec one with the lowest screen settings, but hell, the screen is awful. I did not expect this much.

Also, the crucial SSDs currently are not recognized.

Bleh.

 

where is a good place to order a power adapter? i need to get another one for travel. I did check dell but keeps asking for system scan (i uninstalled it) and the service tag # is not being recognized as well.

Thanks

 

Good to hear you got your 13 but bout the screen and SSD not being recognised.

I learnt the hard way last time when I bought the lower RES screen for the Alienware 14. Never again!
I then bought another 14 the next day with the 1080p IPS panel and it was just simply stunning to look at.
The lower RES panel is shocking and grainy at best. Also the quality of the screen is shocking, not to mention the colours aren't great + the screen brightness is severely lacking. IPS 1080p and up from now on for me. The notebook screen is one of the most important factors of a notebook purchase for me as this is what we will be looking at all the time. So something nicer for the eyes to look at is definitely better.

Hope you can get the SSD working.

 

reborn, how do you uploads those pictures? what's the size the forum accept?

 

Hey bumbo2,
I'm not too sure about the picture sizes the forum accepts however I just click on insert image then choose the "From Computer" option and then you can either select the files to upload there or on the bottom right hand corner you can select another option to upload images.

 

How are those pics coming? ;-)

 

Hey thanks for the second round of pics ur really going above and beyond to show what I'll be getting myself into and I appreciate it. It's amazing what 2.5mm difference can really do. I originally was going to return my drive but at this point I think I'll hold onto it to see what happens. There really r no similar alternatives to this product. If uv never heard or seen the wd black2 its a pretty cool piece of tech. Not as good as a full ssd but a great middle ground with a nice jump in both speed compared to a traditional hdd and space compared to a ssd. I hope it works out and u guys know u'll be the first two know thanks again

 

Holy hell.

Has anyone found an efficient way to clean off these oil/fingerprints off of the computer? Wow.

 

Can confirm, the oil from my bottom palm of my left hand is more reflective than the right hand.

To troubleshoot this, it would be best if we could first identify what material the laptop case has, and we can go from there.

Would love an update, if only there was a better way of aggregating such a small but important update on the touchpad.

 

So... I have a 840 EVO 1TB SSD in a ASUS 750 that I would like to fit in this Alienware 13, but I'm a bit confused about the connector, this has the normal one. Can I fit it if I buy the standard HDD model?

 

Yes that should be fine :thumbsup:

 

Wow that's a super nice drive, that must of set u back a couple bucks

 

any one else notice there's a cursor glitch when playing d3? I notice it when u hover over the chests.

 

Hey bro. I was trying to upload it yesterday but for some reason I couldn't. I will try today when I get home from work!

How exactly you want the pictures?

 

Don't know if it's efficient, but just using a plain old paper napkin seems to work pretty well. I too was bit disappointed that the plastic wicks oil so well... my M11x-R3 surface doesn't ever have a problem with this. Still, nothing is perfect

 

A semi wet towels do a great jobs for me. You ca get it at PC Richard, the one to clean tv screen. Just meke sure you squeeze it very well!

 

You can post them here or on flickr, or somewhere, I don't care.
I just want to see how text/icons/etc. look at the high res.

 

Hey man, thanks for the tip - I will definitely keep an eye on this!

 

If you buy the 13 with an HDD or SSHD, it'll be a simple plug-and-play.

 

Would also love an update regarding the touchpad. The 13 is very good in lots of ways but I am seriously considering returning it if there is no way to fix how terrible the t-pad is

 

It will be included, I think.

 

Is the problem happening in Win7 Pro? If no, then we have a temporary solution (a pricey one, though).

 

is that bad? Mines on the way and I'm starting to worry now. In what way is it bad? This is my first Alienware, is it just not as good as other alienware?

 

I don't worry about the touch pad thing I use mouse!

 

I am on Windows 8. What is the pricey solution?

It may just be mine but there is a few other posts around the forums about it so maybe not just me. One problem is the lack of sensitivity but also the lack of options. There is no official alienware driver and the only options to change things is from windows itself and there isn't too many customization options. This may change in the future though as dell might release a driver for it. I am going to phone up myself tomorrow and ask around about it. Don't fret, I may be being a tad melodramatic

 

I cannot imagine Dellienware not releasing Synaptics software for Windows 8 in a short period. The relative quality of the pad I cannot judge as I only ever use it once in a blue moon.

 

Getting Windows 7, if no problem are present on the OS.
As a side note, if you order from Canada, you get the option to bundle your GA (bundled with the 13) with an R9 290x as opposed to an R9 285.

 

Is this maxwell or Kepler also win 7 or 8

 

Maxwell; can choose either OS at time of purchase.

 

Is there a benefit to taking 8 over 7?

 

Anyone knows if it can be connected to a 4k-60Hz (Not 30Hz) display without the Graphics Amplifiers, only using the Mini-Display Port?
As I have tested before, tha HDMI 1.4 only supports 30Hz...

 

A Chinese review are out. And yes, you did read that correctly. Example 1. It's basic, but it does give numbers on surface temps and size comparisons to the 14 and 17.
Google translation still sucks, though.

 

@ Egnix, Here are some pictures at 2560x1440.


http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/jeky/media/DSCN0313_zps2c18630b.jpg.html?o=2

 

I'm really upset by the support agents at AW.

 

Give me now! It's glorious.

Speaking of AW agents, anyone seen Alienware Reps at all here because none have popped up in AWA in recent days? I know they're watching, but a soon™ would be nice (without the ™ because that would be awful).
Might as well check out Dell forums.
EDIT: Just did, and rep presence is low. What's going on?

 

Not sure what's going on with them, but I'm really pissed.

 

Thanks! I really appreciate it!

 

^^ You are welcome^^ !

 

Well I think the Wife is going to buy me the Graphics Amplifier as a Christmas gift, I'M praying

 

Free upgrade to 10?