*OFFICIAL* Alienware 13 R3 Owner's Lounge

I got a PM 961 1tb 3000/1700 ish and if im honest it's no faster in real world at loading games / apps or windows than a standard SATA SSD with around 550/500

money is better spent elsewhere than fast Nvme's like extra beers...

 

Anyone else having a bad time downloading the dell recovery image? It just slows down to 0 at 3/4, or thinks its done at 4 gig, or its corrupted.. Real nice download manager dell has there.

 

Right there with you trying to download it. I know if its not done if Rufus wont extract it at all. Sigh...

im at 4 gigs right now and still going so we shall see.

2nd time reinstalling windows.. Bleh. All because I wanted to RAID. Now because I cant change my screen brightness.

 

Same happened to me, had to pause it once or twice and then resume it for the download to even continue.
But i got the image now, btw thanks for the tip about the recovery image!

 

If anyone is intersested the AW13 r3 runs off this powerbank:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/MAXOAK-500...ie=UTF8&qid=1481149491&sr=8-1&keywords=maxoak
It does not charge the battery but laptop runs perfectly.

 

Well I recommend trying to mount it in windows right away, mine are all corrupted. Better discover that now instead of when you really need it.

 

upload it to google drive or something PLEASE

 

Right, i just noticed that the size is way off, compared to the amount mentioned on the website. :S

Re-download i guess...

 

By any chance did your order get shipped ?

 

no, and going off what theyre saying on reddit theyre more likely to cancel my order than ship it

last i heard directly from dell was "theyre monitoring the part shortage".

 

I got 4 hour, +/- 5 min playing 1440p and 1080p video through youtube, wifi is on, 25% brightness. what are you guys getting?

 

Thanks a lot for the info. That doesn't seem terrible for OLED, though I had hoped for maybe a little more with a steep undervolt like yours. Still, definitely workable!

 

I havent gotten the BSOD yet, but I'm at -170mv for gaming definitely takes some heats off...if -170mv steady I might go for -190 battery mode


EDIT: spoke too soon, best I could get is -155mv for gaming. Temp is 72-75C GPU and 66-68C CPU.

 

Got mine.

1. Had manufacturing/test mode on
2. Perfect physical appearance, no issues/damages
3. Preliminary temps - attached [just got home 30 mins ago, haven't stressed the system yet; updating OS, soft and installing progs ]
4. Ready for re-pasting [but will wait with that for now]
5. Got secondary drive that goes in tomorrow [I went with MX300/1050Gb - $248.00]
https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX30...481173581&sr=8-3-fkmr1&keywords=mx300+1050+m2
6 .And extra RAM [Impact @ 2400 / 32GB - $148.00] https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Tec...d=1481173677&sr=8-1&keywords=impact+x+32+2400

Pros:

OLED - its just absolutely phenomenal [11/10]
Built quality - honestly, I was expecting less. I am VERY surprised by the feel of the system [10/10]
Size - Alienware/Dell sucked at giving out a proper scale reference of the system; marketing videos and pictures absolutely don't do it's justice when it comes down to understanding of its size [at least it absolutely did not do it for me]. The laptop feels just tiny, ultra-portable. I just adore it !

Cons:
Backspace - what the hell is this ?! Is there some sort of a return lag ?

Overall, this little beast is absolutely INCREDIBLE ! Worth every $ spent and day waited. For those of you guys who are still waiting for your systems to be shipped out/delivered - don't cancel your orders, you are in for a major treat !

Hands down, one of the best laptops I've ever had.

 

Fixed the OLED issue I just said **** it and reinstalled windows.

Installed it as the very first driver and it worked like charm..

Sorry guys that didnt want to hear this solution..

Best laptop ive ever owned so far.

 

Ordered Nov 3, received Dec 6th - OLED, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD (PM 961), 1535 wifi, got it for a little over US$1700 (found some code that gave 15% off, was unusable a day later)

Packaging was .... sub-par. Expected to see laptop in a fabric sleeve and something placed between screen and keyboard when closed.
Was not in factory mode - battery charged to 100%
Changed SATA mode from RAID to AHCI - this cause quite a bit of fun for me to figure out how to boot back into it, contemplated completely reformatting until it was resolved
Turning on CPU performance mode or Fan performance mode = gets quite loud, loud enough to turn it back off.

Coming from an old MSI GS60 w/ 970m, this is a far far superior notebook. The build quality is top notch, it's hefty in a small size, everyone who holds it is surprised by the weight given the relative size of the laptop.

Keyboard feels pretty good - quality could be better, my nails have scraped the right SHIFT key already.

Screen is astounding - truly amazing, I can't wait for a 32in or better OLED monitor to become available (at reasonable prices). In switching from the MSI GS60, I specifically wanted a better screen, OLED or IGZO, which basically gave me 2-3 options, one of which is the overpriced Razer Blade. Running at 150% scaling vs 200% at default.

Speakers, side-firing are surprisingly decent
Touch pad is functional, I like the large buttons - illumination is tacky and distracting (turned off)

Inspect your ports very closely, my right side USB-C had some flecks around the edges that i picked out with a tweezer.
Other than that, no issues, no manufacturing defects and smooth sailing so far.
Best laptop I've ever had, outside of a Thinkpad (2 vastly different uses)

Waiting for a 1TB 960 EVO now before I can play any games

Things that could be better:
- Why isn't the screen edge to edge? like the XPS 13, could have been a 14in. There's a lot of bezel space especially on the bottom with the illuminated ALIENWARE branding (turned it off)

 

when i go to check out for a new order with the same specs it says: Estimated Delivery Date 12/16 ― 12/20

while my order says: Estimated delivery: Dec. 09 - Dec. 19


so theres a chance that somebody who places an order today would get their laptop before me
i really hope Dell sends me this before the 16th (my eta was 12/9-12/16 a day ago, changed to 19th today)

 

Btw anyone that has received a AW 13 owned a previous AW 14? How much difference is there other than the performance?

 

Aside from trying for 2 days now to download that recovery image I'm having a hard time finding a suitable bag.. The alienware 14 inch messenger seems to small for the 13r3 plus the power brick. Anyone find something nice?

 

So spoke to the carrier today and they have stated that Dell have requested that the package stay on hold. No reason was given.
Contacted Dell who had no clue as to why the order would be put on hold...... No notes on system regarding the request.....
Said he'll speak to the carrier and try to sort it by end of play today.
Has anyone experienced this or something similar?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

This reddit post has some hearsay on Dell's order system problems, maybe it's just a bug in the order system?

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/concerned-about-dell-next-year.799092/

 

Thanks for the link. Bugger!
Hopefully be sorted by end of play and get it tomorrow......Hopefully.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

I feel you man, I'm in same boat and pretty frustrated by dell, deliberating if I should cancel the order and try out Razer or Asus..

Edit: Just got off the phone with dell support ,as per them Order is still in production and has no issues until now(which I don't believe) with a ETA of 12/19

 

Bags

I can confirm that Filson's original briefcase fits perfectly fine

[ http://www.filson.com/luggage-bags/briefcases-computer-bags.html ]

 

dude that's some pretty high Idle temp...I Idle in the 30's-40's. While gaming I get to 65-69.

This is not the best lappy I owned, I still think the Aorus is the best, granted more people had issued with that laptop but my Aorus x3 plus V5 did not have any problem, as far as durability goes, I'm not planning to drop test mine. The Aorus is A LOT lighter too, very comfortable, When I opened the Alienware, I thought they accidently sent me a 15" it was a "holy **** this thing is heavy!" moment.

The screen is very pretty, but I don't think its warranted going from a 4k Igzo panel to OLED just for that, the touch screen is just gimmicky (this is not just alienware, this feature is pretty useless in all laptop for me)

The laptop gaming is pretty good, Overwatch played perfectly fine, I never dip into the 40's, hell I don't even know if I ever saw below 60's, but I do played on 1080p. Starcraft 2, if you played custom map, it will take heavy tolls on the CPU, I assumed this is because of PhysX, I dip into the 20-30s several time playing Marine arena, I'm going to switch to PhysX to GPU to see if it will help.

Day to day usage I can tell already that it will be pretty frustrating with the Micro Lag. I'm surprised that Dell has not address this issue, while it MAY be an NVidia issue but I'm sure Dell has enough money and power to pressure Nvidia to create a fix.

Surprisingly, even with the Aorus more powerful processor and 4k IGZO panel, it still beat the 13's in term of battery life, I usually get 4-5 hours playing videos.

 

Thinking of making the switch from the 15 R3 to 13 R3. So what kind of problems are plaguing the 13?

These are the issues I've documented for the 15 R3

1. Uneven heatsink pressure related to tripod setup (core differentials)
2. Thermal heating/throttling related to #1 and bad toothpaste compound
3. Palm rest clicking
4. Backspace key clicking
5. Battery charging to 60% max (factory/manufacturer mode)
6. Killer Wireless disconnect issues on high data volume (also related to buggy software)
7. Micro stutters on desktop (win10)
8. Bezel slipping off the IPS panel (crap double sided tape and build quality)
9. Light bleed
10. Fuzzy font on 4K, worse with 1080p on native 4K
11. Yellow tint in color
12. Underperforming battery life (1-3 hours on 4K -- equivalent to GSYNC panel)

 

1. Uneven heatsink pressure related to tripod setup (core differentials) don't know, haven't gotten that far
2. Thermal heating/throttling related to #1 and bad toothpaste compound don't know, haven't gotten that far to check the toothpaste but when I game the GPU get to 74C max and CPU to 68
3. Palm rest clicking not that I'm aware of
4. Backspace key clicking mine works fine
5. Battery charging to 60% max (factory/manufacturer mode) I dint get this on mine
6. Killer Wireless disconnect issues on high data volume (also related to buggy software) no problem so far on my 1535
7. Micro stutters on desktop (win10) pain in the ass! I will get OCD with this **** quick
8. Bezel slipping off the IPS panel (crap double sided tape and build quality) I don't see it
9. Light bleed none
10. Fuzzy font on 4K, worse with 1080p on native 4K none
11. Yellow tint in color none
12. Underperforming battery life (1-3 hours on 4K -- equivalent to GSYNC panel) I get 4 hours top with undervolt and playing 1440p/1080p video through youtube 25% brightness. If you looking for an airplane laptop for multimedia, this is not it, or you better fly first class for them outlet.

you only get 3 hours with the 99whr battery? wth?

 

Finally mine has arrived. And I've got to say the build quality is great!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwfd6-7EOrmqaVJxenByWlNnN00/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwfd6-7EOrmqNjdwRlJVa2I2b2c/view?usp=sharing

Compared to a 13" Macbook Retina
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bwfd6-7EOrmqRTJXZ0FWN2tEeVU/view?usp=sharing

 

Then someone dropped my Aorus in the trash before shipping it. My Aorus x7 v6 was good when I got it and I didn't have anything else to compare it too.

But now with the AW13 there is light years between them in build quality. Aorus is cheap plastic and re melted aluminum, the aw is like something from a transformer movie in a good way. Much better build quality, every screw done with precision tools.

The flex in the chassis on Aorus is non existent on the AW. The Alienware keyboard can take a massive punishment whereas the Aorus was like a toy laptop keyboard.

We apparently got very different laptops... but maybe they did something very right with the x3 vs the x7.

 

Lol, just realized the alienware laptops are very square looking

 

Totally goofed with that attachment. I was running some things in the background and that wasn't true idle state; I'm idling in low 40s [40-42]. But, the cores' temp variation is in 2-3 degree intervals for the most part. Not even close to what some other AW13 R3 owners been reporting. Or perhaps I am just yet to discover it under a full load

 

How's the fan noise on the Aorus compared to the AW13?

 

Gotta love that "ENTER" on your keyboard's layout [UK?]

 

I think the flexes is the trade off for the weight but if you think about it, most laptop spend 80-90% of their life stationary, meaning on some type of stationary platform. So the flexes doesn't really bother me because the weight is very attractive, I'm never going to take my laptop anywhere that is prone to water damage or dropping. The AW13 is pretty damn heavy and that's without the adapter, 2 aorus x3 plus v5 probably would add up to the weight of 1 AW13. I'll certainly feel the difference once it is in my back pack compare to the X3 plus.

Side note, the reason why I never compare the Aorus to the Razer blade is because I don't think the two are even close. if you take a look at the razer, the screen bezel is horrible and upgradability is almost none existence. The razer is so thin that heat would become an issue.

 

the aorus is a lot more quiet but then I thermal paste it with thermal grizzly kryonaut and its a 970M GTX. but during normal use its a lot more quiet even with the more powerful I7.

 

I think that's right, I got that temp with the Aorus x3 plus v5 with the I7, after a repaste I got in the 30's though.

 

Yeah I know, Love it!

 

So after purchasing and returning the new Razer Blade 2016 model (For those that don't know, it suffers from throttling, the hardware is limited to prevent overheating, ie: there are smartphones that outperform the Blade). Which was too bad, as it was one the the sexiest device that I've ever held in my hands. I really, really, wanted to love it. But at that price, it was an insult and borderlined on criminal what they did with it.

So I bought an MSI GS43VR. A thousand dollars cheaper and wiped the floor with the Blade in terms of performance. I've had it about 3 weeks, and honestly, it is really a great performer. Small, light, good looking, and #value in my opinion.

For reasons I cannot explain, I was very drawn to the new Alienware 13 R3 ever since it was announced. As a professional during the day, who carries and brings with me my laptop everywhere, previous iterations of Alienware laptops were never an option for obvious reasons (at least I hope they are obvious). The new R3's, particularly the 13, finally.... doesn't looking like something purchased at Toys R' Us. In fact, it looks down right unassuming, sexy and sleek. Something I wouldn't be embarrassed to bring into a meeting room. Portability is a big factor for me, as I travel around the city with my backpack and laptop perpetually. This is the one area I was somewhat concerned with, because for some reason, depending on what review you read or video you watch, you'll find remarks like "it is a portable 5lb unit that will fit into a backpack", or "it's weight is very misleading and you'll have a hard time getting into the trunk of a car". So .. not sure where in the middle this actually falls.

I purchased the 13 R3 yesterday (OLED, 32GB Ram, 512GB HD, 1535WiFi, Win10 Pro)... with an estimated delivery date of the 19th-21st. I have 30 days from date of shipment to return it. I am quite happy with the GS43VR, but I really want to see that OLED, 1440p screen. If it's as good as everyone says, and the device itself is somewhat portable, I think I may be swayed. It's worth at least a look. I'll report back when I get it in my hands. My journey to find the best 13-14" gaming laptop continues!

Also the micro-stuttering issue, which to some degree have be present on both the Blade and the MSI, have been all but eliminated by disabling the Game DVR within the Xbox App, and disabling Windows 10's Superfetch.

 

oooh forgot aobut the superfetch! I don't know the other one though, I don't have xbox app, is it still enable?

 

Ok, noob question. Although I have some experience with overclocking, I never undervolted a chip before. What is the goto software? This is achieved via software right? And maybe a useful guide on the subject? Thanks!

 

Is anyone else having problems with stuttering? I notice when I'm typing, or doing anything really the computer hangs for a second every once in a while. This is a huge annoyance for me. Also I noticed that the keyboard repeat rate is annoyingly slow, even though I have repeat delay to shortest, and repeat rate to fastest.

 

Experiencing the same issues.
What's your configuration ?

 

Intel Extreme:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/24075/Intel-Extreme-Tuning-Utility-Intel-XTU-

Guide:

 

Yes, it's automatically enabled even if you never ran the Xbox app and signed in - quite annoying.

In addition to disabling superfetch and this xbox dvr option, I also turn off paging file completely and disable hibernation.

 

If you want something different & stylish (depending on your taste), my wife got me one of these for my birthday it fits the AW13 and psu and anything else you need mouse,etc perfectly:- https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/463694302/messenger-bag-mens-15-womens-laptop?ref=unav_listing-same

 

Excellent stuff. If you don't mind or anyone. Can they upload the recovery image. I've rang up dell asking to get the recovery image software as the website said was possible. But when speaking with an agent said they don't do it. He then told me a recovery image is there to load in the driver section. I then told him it does load with preloaded drivers. And he confirmed that's correct. What's the point of that. I can get s better copy from windows with the anniversary update (which wasn't on the dells version)

I'm a bit pedantic and want restore it back to how it was out the box because the drivers don't like the Tobin eye software doesn't work the same now and the oled screen looks horrible now. Or I'm forced to return the unit and wait till the 30th of Dec for a reorder LOL. other than that it's real nice machine.


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I mean my current syste, a 4 yeard old Lenovo Y500. Not the alienware 13 lol

 

This is the life my current system gives me. I'm still waiting on my AW13

 

I have the "Case Logic dlc-115", really like the laptop bag and i can fit in everything, so the laptop fits in perfectly and even has some movement space left.
Also fitting in the charger and cord is no problem at all.

 

Thanks!


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