*OFFICIAL* Alienware 13 R3 Owner's Lounge

I need to get my hands on one of these. The reason I love the 1535 (going to put it in my 13R3 too) is the external 5GHz amps, it makes a huge difference in a large house.

 

Since we are getting close, i'm starting to look at my upgrades and I am really considering replacing my current desktop PC (specs below) with the AW13 and an AGA.

Desktop PC
i7-4790 @ 3.6GHz
16GB DDR3 1600
GTX 1070
1TB Samsung 850 EVO SSD

I got the base OLED model (i7, 8GB DDR4 2400, 256GB SSD), but am planning to upgrade to 16GB RAM and add either a 512GB or 1TB NVME SSD and will be using my 1070 with the AGA. I'm not sure what my expectations should be. I know I would like the gaming results to be close, but not sure how reasonable that expectation is going be.

I'd also like to benchmark them and compare results. Was thinking of benchmarking my desktop, the AW13, and the AW13 + AGA. Any recommendations what that benchmark programs I should use?

 

Just make sure you use games/programs that will test different graphics engines and API features so you get a nice even spread. Try to get an unreal engine game, a frostbite engine game, maybe unigen benchmark and of course, 3dmark. Does anyone still use Cryengine besides the Crysis games?

 

I think your expectations should be very close based on your current spec desktop with regards gaming I mean.

You can use the standard benchmarks Firestrike / extreme & Ultra, Time spy. Unigine Heaven (free)
In game benchmarks, ROTR, Division, GTA V to name a few.

 

This pre production status makes me sick... 5 working days now and no change in sight. Hopefully something will happen next week.

 

Yeah IKR, why launch a product you know your not going even start building for another month, I would understand if they launched shipped a few and said hey were short on parts and shipped when they could keeping pre order people in the loop.

but they haven't even produced 1 single retail unit not 1. ahh well be worth the wait I hope

 

I think the desktop will be better, but by how much will vary from title to title. In some of the newer titles coming out, the 6700HQ really is quite week and your 4790 will trounce it (it is a MUCH faster CPU). And this will likely become more and more of a theme with newer titles. I am assuming you will be using the 1070 in the AGA.

Well the launch was only a pre-order launch, so I think that's a little unfair. However, they could have done a better job of really emphasizing that it was a pre-order, apart from just the small text about the expected ship date.

 

There was no mention of a pre order launch in the UK when the 13 went live it clearly stated ships in 3 to 5 working days (which is standard for item that are available), that was 6 working days ago and not even entered production, so how is that unfair to express a little frustration?

on the austria site it launched stating 1 - 3 days.....

I was just saying they could have done a better job with their website? most people go to a web site see the stated ship time and reasonably expect it to ship with those dates, AW cant even give us a dtae when it will Umar has said he's not even sure, if that's the case why just not put pre order on the site as that's the truth....

 

It really is par for the course with Alienware. I have been buying their laptops since 2009 and there is always about a 2-4 week wait when they release a new model. I ordered my M18x on the day after launch day and it took 3 week from when I ordered to receiving it. You either order early and wait anxiously, or wait a month to order and get it quickly but have to watch everyone else being excited and anxious.

 

Oh no dude, that's totally fair then - they were much better at communicating the lead time in the US.

Edit - was curious so checked it out, in the US even now it says it only ships in 11-14 business days. Meanwhile UK still says 3-5 business days...

 

Disagree. I ordered the aw15 when released and it said longer than 3-5 and it came on time from the 10th oct I ordered and it was expected to arrive the 26th. No preorder. It's disappointing to say the least despit if it will be worth the wait. But right now I got nothing to enjoy but my iPhone lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Can anyone shed any light on why battery life on AW13 is poor in comparison with the AW15??
I realise that the 15 has 99WH battery compared with 74W but AW13 screen is smaller, comes with one SSD only (rather than SSD + 1TB SATA) and reports are that the 1070 on AW15 gets 6hrs compared to 1060 AW13 about 3.5hrs.

 

I bet its mostly about the battery size. You have to look deeper into the "reports" you are hearing about the AW15 since It all depends on the spec tested.. For Example, the AW15 may be larger, but most configurations only have a 1080P screen and the AW13s that have been "reviewed" have all been the OLED models which has more resolution.

Also, there aren't a lot of reviews that have delved into the AW13s battery life. Hot Hardware's video loop test netted 4hrs on the AW13 which was slightly more than the 15" ASUS ROG with the same CPU/GPU.

 

The most likely answer, judging by the Anandtech review of a Lenovo model in two modifications (one with OLED and one without) that was linked to earlier, is the OLED panel.

However there appear to be many ways to improve on that like high contrast plugin for chrome, etc etc. OLED eats less power the darker and more black there is on the screen.

 

I would also keep in mind that battery life tests will probably often be using the Intel IGP rather than the Geforce through Optimus. Therefore I would absolutely expect the AW15 to beat the AW13 due to the larger battery, usually lower screen res, and same CPU.

 

it worthwhile to spring for the extra SSD space? Not sure if 150 is a good price for it or not

 

Maybe. But the various reviewers seemed to be testing battery life during "normal use" so AW13 was using its integrated 530 HD. If so and the reported 3.5 - 4 hrs battery life is accurate it appears to be fatal flaw as the point of a 13 inch laptop is portability and portability is almost exclusively linked to battery life (which for me screws buying the OLED screen).

 

All 13inchers that give significantly longer battery life use the useless 15w ULV processors. I'd rather have the quad-core one.

 

AW has stated that they moved away from battery life as a focus with the 13 because gamers wanted the quad core CPU. If you want a bit more battery life and portability, get the R2 or a non gaming ultrabook. Its really hard to have both...

 

I think the OLED screen is a major battery drain for that config. This can be partially mitigated using dark backgrounds for the wallpaper and browser. The OLED pixels consume more power per pixel than LCD, when the pixel is turned on, especially whites, where all sub pixels are powered up to get white. Only when the pixel ia pure black is OLED more energy efficient. Check out the link below on a test performed on an AMOLED smartphone, where the test was a battery consumption between using dark themes, and standard themes for apps. There was a differential of about 40% battery consumption just by going for dark themes. Biggest caveat it points to is that for a pixel to be off, it has to be pure black, as dark colours have the pixel turned on and consuming power.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.gr...moled-displays.amp.html?client=ms-android-htc

How you use the laptop on battery only scenario, will determine how much you can take advantage of using dark backgrounds, but i think power savings can be made, by choosing the right habits for off mains power supply usage.

 

Me too.
I was at the point of buying the AW15 and the day after I got the quote for it the new AW13 came out - I prefer the AW13 but the much poorer battery is a killer for me. I presumed that even with approx 25% smaller battery that the lower spec, lack of SATA HDD, smaller screen etc that it'd get comparable battery life to the AW15. But reviews are suggesting that it has at least 33% lower battery life. Makes no sense to me and neither does it seem to make any marketing sense (if reviews are accurate for real life usage). Think, KinLL, you're right re the OLED being the battery drain. Hoping someone will share info on the battery life of a 1920 screen config. when they eventually get theirs.

Yes it is hard which is why I am/was considering the Gigabyte Aero 14 (when refreshed). The current Maxwell revision has 10hrs "normal use" battery life. They are just not built like AWs...

 

The screen size actually does not have that much of an impact on battery life. Screen type and resolution are much more important. Typically larger laptops have high wattage parts offsetting the larger batteries and keeping battery life from going through the roof. In this case, the internals are almost the same between the 15 and 13 but the battery size is noticeably different. Seems like a lot of the 15 reviews are not the 4k screen as well vs the OLED screen in the 13. Looking at the designs and specs of the 13 and 15, there is NO reason for the 13 to have better battery life in my opinion.

The 13 is meant to be a portable high power laptop. It was not engineered for long battery life - it has a freaking 45W CPU (not to mention the 100W GPU)! Many ultrabooks only have a 45W power adapter for the whole laptop lol. I personally am glad they made the choice to go quad core - that is part of what kept me from buying the 13 R2 as I felt the system was not well balanced for performance with a low wattage dual core driving the AGA.

 

Are there currently any discounts for the OLED version? Dell was running a 10 percent off all Alienware and XPS laptops until November 30th, but they have suddenly changed it to XPS only. I had it saved in my cart while I was at work because I didn't have my credit card with me, and overnight the price changed. (I work 3rd shift). I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger now that I would pay $1925 instead of $1725.

 

The HDD doesn't use any power, nor does the dGPU during those battery tests. Screen physical size has little to do with power consumption, it is resolution and panel type. The CPU is the same.
Apparently it does make sense from a marketing point of view for a gaming laptop. People care more about performance, and the screen is amazing. Ultimately, 4hours of actual usage isn't much less than the AW13 with the 860m/960m, ULV CPU and the tiny 48w battery..

 

Does anyone have any previous experience with the OLED panel that Alienware is using? Is it a Pentile panel? Is it too glossy? I'm on the fence between the OLED and the IPS, but I can't stand PenTile panels and I just returned a Razer Blade because the QHD screen was pretty much a mirror anytime there was black on screen. I've been spoiled by the low reflectivity of MacBook screens.

 

The laptop you want is the aero 14 with 1060 in it if battery life is what you want plus a qhd screen.

Edit: I've read on and see your already aware of this model.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thanks Sisqo, this is on the shortlist between AW15 and 13. (I own a gigabyte P34G at present). I discounted the Razerblade due to me being in UK and if things go tits up with the laptop, the support isn't the best....
I'm almost certain to go for the AW13 with 1920 screen and see if I can squeeze an extra hour or maybe up to 6hrs of battery life on the go (which seems possible). Am hoping they discount it on black friday...

 

any orders changed today ?

 

I don't understand why anyone would need a Gaming Lightweight for battery life. I mean, if you are going to go more than 3.5 hours away from an electrical socket (which I have never been despite needing the mobility). A gaming Laptop is not for you.

 

Nope, still in pre-production.

Sent a message to the sales guy dealing with my laptop and got some bull about the 3-5 days despatch being only the standard config and mine was altered so it will take longer. He reckons the standard configs ship from Poland to UK which I am pretty sure is rubbish.

 

Ditto. Same thing. Thought bout getting the blade. But said maybe at its cost everything is gotta be the latest in it. And it's just shy of that missing Kaby lake. And if they refresh it. It prob be to late by the time they implement it. Or knowing them. There next model is that with a 1060 which would be left trailing again with its gpu a few months later. Plus warranty is hassle and customs charges.

I'm only interested in the same 3 laptops as you plus the aorus x3. But I don't think the battery life is enough for you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Only to cancel mine...

Had enough of their horsesh1t tbh.... Told me still awaiting parts

Mine was standard config model no additions so all that stuff about configs affecting things is just.... wrong, as for shipping from poland, dont make me laugh..... It's china

I've been weeks with out a laptop now so had enough...

I bought a MSI GS63vr 6RF "Stealth Pro" 15" but the foot print is nearly the same size as the AW13 and less weight better battery so worth a punt

I got 30 days return with amazon so if it's crap it will returned and I'll maybe get an AW13 when they actually exist....

 

I've been told from the start that production was scheduled to begin on 11/22. So technically, I don't think they are "waiting for parts", but had planned it out to have the allotted parts available for production by 11/22.

 

The wait is real. I rang up last week nearly cancelling. But I decided against it cos I really want the 13" and oled. Saying that it's the aero 14 if the price is much cheaper than aorus x3

Saying that. The aw13 is deeper than the msi. But the width Is not nearly the same size as the 13. It's 5cm wider. That's much wider...at least to me. It's only old closer because it's not as deep

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thinking about canceling the AW13 to order the AW15 or the x3 V6....

 

For some reason Alienware has the wrong dimensions of the AW13 R3 on their main product page. The width is reported as like 390MM last time I looked, when in fact the AW13 is under 330MM.

 

The 15 is in a huge sale 1700 for the 1070 with 6700 and the gsync panel.

 

Still got the 13 in mind, I'll try the msi out and see how it is I've got a month with it to decide and the 13r3 will available by then so...

I'll be warming up and carefully removing the warranty stickers on the MSI as it looks like a strip down to change out the SSD m2 which is a bit of a pain.

but the FHD screen looks really nice

 

Yep. The perfect size for me. Coming from the w230sd which is 330mm wide also.
Saying that. I do have some regret on the aw15. I cancelled because the largest laptop I actually owned was 360mm wide In The t61p and 8530w at 15". I had an asus g73jh to resell on and it was f' MASSIVE!!! So I thought the aw15 was going to be way to big despite its slim size. And I bought my bro a w350ss and it's 380mm. And it's actually not all that big. Bigger than I'd like on my lap but a lot more ideal to game on it's screen....so I gave up a 4K 1070 for the same price I have a 1060 and oled qhd.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Is the OLED screen matte? That would be incredible!

<edit> Nevermind. It is a touch screen, so it has the glossy sheet of glass over the OLED. It would have been perfect if it was matte. I hate seeing my reflection on the screen while gaming in a lighted room.


Does anyone know if we can now turn off the lighted trackpad? I don't want that reflecting onto the glossy screen, and on my Alienware 14 it was the ONLY thing I couldn't turn off.

 

I'd like to say you can. But I dunno since I've never owned one before but looks as though you can. I hope you can even though I like the look of it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The new 13 uses the same trackpad as the 15 and 17.
You can select a color or turn it of. It automatically turns off after a few (untouched) seconds.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

A few days ago my expected delivery date changed from 12/01/ to 11/29 but it it is still in preproduction.

Tried to get some new information over the chat. I was in contact with the person who sold me the AW13 and even she was like knowing nothing. "There is no problem with the order" "All parts are available" "You can check here you current status of the order"...

Only empty phrases all the time...

So tried it again over the hotline and the person told me that some parts are not in stock. He couldn't tell me which parts and when they will be available. He will now try to get a date for it and send the results via email. I don't really think that this will happen...

At least my liquid metal will be here today

 

Finally ordered my 1st Alienware yesterday with EDD 7th Dec. After reading the discounts people have been getting a called up Dell and managed to get a 10% discount credited back to me after delivery. Spec:
Alienware 13 R3
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5
Intel® Core™ i7-6700HQ (Quad-Core, 6MB Cache, up to 3.5GHz w/ Turbo Boost)
Windows 10 Home 64bit English
13.3 inch QHD (2560 x 1440) OLED Anti-Glare 400-nits Display with Touch Technology
16GB DDR4 at 2400MHz (2x8GB)
512GB PCIe SSD (Boot)

I cancelled my Razer Blade Stealth + Core order as the more I though about the above the more sense it made.

I hope this now ends my search for a relatively portable workstation that I can game on and develop websites/apps. My main requirements where:
1. Light enough to carry around
2. Upgradable Memory & Hard Drive(s) + points for eGPU Capable
3. Can play latest games with at least 60fps
4. Can use as a desktop replacement and connect to my Triple 1080p monitor setup

My only concern was build quality, I ordered a Dell XPS 15 a few months back and was really happy with it.....for 7 Days then the 4K screen died!, sent it back for refund and sweared I wouldn't never buy dell again!. Never say never!.

 

Just got a phone call few mins ago from dell. Was hoping it was them asking to go ahead. But nope. An update to say they so t got "parts". No idea what it is or what time scale it will take. So I asked if it came in stock today. Would it be In time for the EDD? Which is 3 days. He said yes baring in mind I told him I had made another order before I cancelled it and told him it took a week to be delivered...and I didn't even receive it either before cancelling.
Dell is so full of crock! Can't cancel either cos it's the only laptop I like a lot right now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I've ordered an AW13 R3, forecast date is 29/11 status pre-production. I went for the 256GB SSD, so my (very basic) question is what's the recommended solution for secondary SSD storage, i.e. what do i need to search for in terms of specification (other than capacity!)? Thanks.

 

M.2 PCIe SSD is the supported type. Memory (RAM) is DDR4 2400Mhz.

EDIT: Oh, and if you are looking to upgrade the memory, I recommend this type. It will allow for further expansion down the road, if necessary.

 

Thanks for this. How things change - I tend to deeply research the market every few years when I come to buy a new machine - this time I don't have the luxury of time to learn about where the technology has got to! For a secondary (non-boot) drive @ 1TB, is there any benefit going for the higher priced M.2 cards, for instance on overclockers uk there's a 1TB Intel card (Intel 600P) at £285 (3D TLC NAND, Read 1800MB/,Write 560MB/,155k/128k IOPS), and there's a 1TB Samsung card (960 EVO Polaris - got to laugh at the marketing) at £470 (V-NAND, Read 3200MB/s, Write 1900MB/s, 380k/360k IOPS). Anyone know what performance spec the Boot drive is in comparison to the above, and views on real world performance / 2nd drive spec given first (256gb) drive will be used for windows only?

Edit - shorter=better

 

The Intel uses a buffer to store written data. It's a cheap way of making the drive and reflect the price tag. Unfortunately the drive overheats and has bad write speeds. It throttles very quickly.

I went for the 960 evo as the Polaris chipset is very good and affordable.

 

Thanks for this,appreciate the recommendation.