*OFFICIAL* Alienware 15 R1/R2 Owner's Lounge

It isn't unusual for Dell to cancel an order due to missing components.. however, they don't usually let you know until you find out a few days/weeks later when your laptop hasn't arrived.. :S

 

I would speak with dell and come at a common ground for your delay, as a delay on a laptop for me personally is unacceptable

 

All those wanting to know about the screen;

I got the AW15, 1080p yesterday. That was a deliberate choice on my part, not a budget thing. Here's my take;

The 1080p screen is excellent. Now, I'm a photographer so I'm very sensitive to colour accuracy. While the glossy screens in most laptops are lovely and vibrant, the colour's not very true... which makes photo editing a royal pain in the . I would rate the 1080p screen as better in colour accuracy than my 2011 15" Macbook Pro (pre-Retina), that I also got the non-glossy screen because of accuracy.

Everything looks really nice, and it can be REALLY bright. The blacks aren't as rich as you might get on a GOOD glossy screen, but they're definitely really good and can be reasonably deep when you turn the brightness down (which you should anyway if you care about colour accuracy). I found the screen needed minimal tuning out of the box to get me a really accurate colour gamut, and while the video is not as warm or vibrant as you might find on a good glossy screen, I think the accuracy trumps that every time.

Games run really well on the screen. Definitely a 60Hz panel rather than 120Hz, which is a bit disappointing. However, I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to retrofit at a later date when appropriate panels are available... done that before

No report on battery life yet as I've been working and not had a lot of chance to play with it yet. The GA is a disappointment, but I suspected that was going to be an issue anyway. Ended up killing myself a couple of times and resorting to System Restore to get back... thankfully I'm savvy enough to take restore points before I futz with it

Oh, and the keyboard is fantastic... nice and solid. Feels a lot better than many laptop keyboard. No, it's not a mechanical keyboard... wouldn't be in that small of a space... but it feels good. I already have a mechanical keyboard (G710+) for my gaming needs, but it's a shame my 4K screen will sort of go to waste for a bit with that 970m. While it looks good, the size of the screen alone makes 1080p scaling obvious in some things. I just can't really crank up any sort of detail on this guy yet.

Having said all that too, I will say the 970m seems just fine to drive the 1080p display, and I think they're a great match for one another. I don't feel that 4K is really all that useful in a 15" laptop anyway; the pixels are small enough that most people don't notice the difference and despite all the work Microsoft has done in the last few years the High DPI display code is definitely not there yet! In desktop apps it's a bit of a crapshoot whether or not they work. While not all Microsoft's fault, it'll take years for apps to really be in the position that they can scale properly.

HTH.

 

Is there an option to disable IGP (Optimus) in BIOS? Can somebody who has it already tell me please?

 

CRUCIAL 2.5" SATA SSDs work with the 15! Reinstalling Windows on my MX100 now!

 

So anyway i can get near your 400$ discount?

 

Can anyone else comment on the loudness of the fans in the 15? Mine is pretty loud when it ramps out, I feel like its vibrating a good bit too....

 

What exactly did the fan sound like? I may have the same problem. It almost sounds like a rumbling noise at high rpm for me...

 

The fans are loud under heavy load, but I don't think it's unnecessarily so. I don't feel any vibration, but the fans definitely can drown out quieter sounds. Best bet is probably a cooling pad and/or a good seat of headphones

 

What are your idle temps?

 

As I sit here at a coffee shop, I'm showing 50C package temperature with core temperatures ranging from 47 to 50C. Showing a 5W draw.

Here should be my OpenHardwareMonitor report. This is mostly idle... web surfing, setting up some tools on my AW15. View attachment OpenHardwareMonitor.Report.txt

 

What u think of yours red?

 

BTW, another note for anyone interested; I think the trackpad is better than I expected. Coming from a Macbook Pro myself, I honestly didn't expect much; I've rarely found a Windows laptop trackpad I actually liked to use, but having now used this one for about an hour I definitely think this is better than I expected. The light is nice, too and the feel is decent. No, it's not like the glass finish of the MBP's but it's pretty good.

Now if I can just get two-finger scrolling working properly in Chrome I'll be a happy camper...

... and currently showing a battery remaining time of 5 hours and 55 minutes. Quite a good bit better than I expected

 

I'm coming from a MacBook Pro too. What difference in fan noise do you hear between the two?

 

Well so far I like everything except for the fan noise. I haven't done much though, I'm still setting things up.

 

The fan is definitely causing a vibration when the computer is positioned as it should be. If I tilt it 90 degrees so that the keyboard is pointing out and the display is pointing towards the ground the vibration goes away. Any suggestions?

 

cause i saw got n/b version and pcie version
dunno which
if n/b it is cheaper than alienware 256gb ssd but if pcie is more expensive than alienware ssd

 

is possible to buy from a physical store? because my sister is traveling and staying in the hotel where I do not trust receive expensive commodity! I would buy from a physical store after day 5

 

First of all. What does Device Manager report your hardware ID for your 1080p panel? Monitors->Details->Hardware Ids.

Second, I feel that random users' opinions of screen quality, keyboard feel, and so on isn't all that helpful, since it is entirely subjective, and you may have a different opinion. I prefer hard numbers relative to other laptops' hard numbers. For example, "the fans are kinda loud" is useless compared to "the fans are measured at 32dB versus this other laptop measured at 40dB." This is the main reason I haven't weighed in too heavily, and am waiting for professional reviews.

Alas, in the midst of waiting for your laptop, or choosing between laptops, you'll lap up anything you can get, no matter how inconsequential it is. So, fine, I'll weigh in a bit more.

A bit of background. I teach game development and graphics design and have done a fair bit of photography. I have owned many monitors/laptop screens, including the LP3065, 2209WA, LP1423p, Samsung Ativ Book 8 (AUO MVA panel), Lenovo Y50 4K (Samsung PLS), and a slew of TN panels.

The 4K Sharp panel on this Alienware 15 is actually really nice. I haven't gotten around to calibrating it yet, but at this point, I dare say that it might be the best quality screen I've used. I have also used Apple Cinema displays and Macbook Pro 15" retina newest version. The backlight bleed isn't good, and there's some serious tonal falloff at the left and right edges, creating an undesired vignette effect. Despite those things, the colors are nice, and the contrast is really good. The screen is probably a newer version of the one tested here: Toshiba Satellite P50t-B-10T Notebook Review - NotebookCheck.net Reviews .

The hinge is really solid so far. When you tap the screen, it doesn't wobble, like others I've seen. Very sturdy. The quality of the glass isn't as nice as the Ativ Book 8 in my opinion.

I like good keyboards. I own a Cherry brown Filco with heavy-duty double shot keys, that I bought and customized long before any of the major companies started jumping on the wagon. This is one of a few expensive professional mechanical keyboards I've purchased. That said, the keyboard on the Alienware 15 was a pleasant surprise. When I test out laptops in Best Buy and the Microsoft Store, I type "the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog" in notepad on each display computer. I wonder what people think when they walk by and see the screens after I'm done. This keyboard beats all of the ones I've tested in the stores recently. This is partially because Best Buy and Microsoft puts super cheap laptops on display, or ones that are too thin to effectively accommodate a nice keyboard.

The keyboard is definitely nicer than the Ativ Book 8's chiclet keyboard, and I'm starting to think it is better than the Y50's keyboard too. I don't think it's quite better than the old scissor switch keyboard on an XPS 1210 I owned, but it's definitely similar. It's just a tad tougher and squishier.

The fans at idle are darn near silent in a quiet environment. You can hear them barely hum when it is silent in the room. However, the CPU and GPU temperature hovers around 50 degrees celsius, which is maybe a bit warm to my liking. I think the Y50 and Ativ Book 8 idle at a lower temperature than that. I might increase the fan speed a bit since they already are so darn quiet. When the fans start kicking in because of GPU load, they definitely get quite a bit louder, but in no annoying way. No buzzing, whining, clicking or anything like that. I haven't put it under load enough to compare, but I'd say it's no louder than the Y50 or Ativ Book 8 under load.

No comment about the touchpad, because I try to use either a mouse, the touchscreen, or a Wacom Intuos instead of that touchpad. It's not terrible, but on this 4K screen, its default sensitivity is pretty low. I've had some trouble scrolling with it too. In chrome (I think), it will often fly up to the top instead of scrolling down. Weird. It also isn't all that precise in my opinion. But par for the course for touchpads I guess. People swear by Macbook touchpads, but seriously, it's still a touchpad. I used one on a Macbook Pro earlier today and no thanks.

I guess I'll temporarily add these observations to the OP too, until we have some professional reviews going. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know.

 

Both at idle and at full load I'd say it's marginally louder than the MBP. When working at home in an average environment I can barely hear the fans... but they're still audible. At full tilt they're quite audible but not obnoxiously so in my opinion. I know... all just subjective, but that's my opinion.

It's worth nothing this laptop's FAR more powerful than that MBP, and that same MBP did get awfully warm to the touch.

 

I saved a lot on this purchase already ($335 usd from online price) that I am giving the sales team a benefit of doubt.
If it gets delayed once again I may have to ask for something in return

 

May I ask what the battery percentage was when you had 5:55 left?

 

Well I think I'm returning my 15 due to a messed up fan (sounds unbalanced & causing vibration) and a cracked interposer (hard drive connector).

Second time I've been let down after getting an Alienware, maybe it's time to give up on them.

Everything else about it was perfect: great screen, amazing keyboard, solid construction, etc. Haven't done any benchmarking/gaming yet so I can't comment on the performance.

 

I went for a budget build. I got the i5 965M with a 256gig SSD for $1375. $175 off coupons ($100 + $75) and 5% bonus cash plus I bought gift cards from a reseller and saved $103. This should be a good setup to play SWTOR/WOW on high settings, no?

I figured I can always do the graphics amp in the future if I need to upgrade. I also read that the i5 and i7 are close in performance.

 

oh
u return and get a new unit or refund all money?

 

It was showing about 91% remaining at that point. Bear in mind though that it may or may not be calibrated properly... I will probably have to run a "calibration loop" (run it down and recharge it) before it shows 100% accurate. Still damned impressive.

 

Yeah, I agree you've probably got a fan problem if you can hear it. I just took out my audio meter and recorded an at-load noise level of around 33db. So basically just above a library whisper. I did that by running the 3DMark FireStrike test and turning off the sound. The room was not perfectly quiet either, but the sound level from the fans was pretty consistent.

At idle, I can barely hear it. In fact I couldn't really get a good read on it because of ambient noise levels drowning it out. I'll try again when I get a perfectly quiet environment and see if I can get an idle-fan sound level... but this laptop is surprisingly quiet for a gaming rig.

 

I'm not sure yet. I really like it but I'm just tired of getting defective laptops from them.

Plus they don't even have the 970M drivers posted yet so it's not usable right now unless I stick to the original install on the extremely slow HDD it came with.

 

After reading how many people purchased the AW 15 with the i7 and 970M, I'm starting to rethink my purchase of the AW 15 with i5 and 965M. I went budget build and upgraded the SSD to 256. So I've saved about $300. I don't do hardcore games. I pretty much only play SWTOR/WOW and sometimes dabble with other MMOs. Other than that I produce music on FL Studio. Should my purchase be fine for these and the future of MMO games? I figured I could always upgrade with the grapghics amp if needed, but even that looks expensive with how much the GA + a 970M cost.

 

Is there any data to back this up? If so, I'll definitely be upgrading PSU's... but on a system like the Alienware 15, have a hard time understanding why they wouldn't ship it with a PSU that allow full performance of the hardware.

 

Just had a similar conversation with Dell re: 970/980 and via chat - "Agent (TIP_Dante V): "You can still call our Order Management Department at 1-800-247-2076 to check if they can modify it."

...not sure when you placed the order but they may still be able to modify it. If it's within a few days of order placement, you should be good. Happy hunting.

 

I see on Intel's website that the i7-4710HQ can handle up to 32 gb of RAM via 2 channels. Is there any hope that the 15 can be updated to be able to handle 32gb's? As it ships now, it cannot per Dell Chat. ( ARK | Intel® Core™ i7-4710HQ Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.50 GHz))

... for what it's worth, I would have thrown down more $$$ for a faster i7 but it looks like the mobile offerings from Intel are limited and the 4710HQ still looks pretty strong ( Intel® Core™ i7-4700 Mobile Processor Series)

 

Can anyone with a 15 get their fans to ramp up and see if you have any vibrating in the top right corner at all? Maybe this is normal...

 

Also does anyone know where to get a working 970M driver for the 15?

 

2 questions for anyone with a 15:

Does your right side fan cause any vibrations at all? Even slight ones?

Is there anywhere to get a working 970M driver or are stuck waiting for Dell to post one?

 

Ran FireStrike and according to it my max CPU temp was 75 and my max GPU temp was 62. Not sure how accurate that is, HWMonitor doesn't recognize my 970M. Max temp was 78 for Core#0 in HWMonitor after several runs.

 

a


any alienware 15 owners experiencing stuttering issues while watching youtube videos with chrome?

 

Does yours vibrate any at all when your fans run? Mainly in the top right corner?

I'll download chrome soon and check if I have any problems.

 

The right fan does not vibrate at all.
I'v played lol and far cry 3 so far, it has naver vibrated.
I got a light leak of alienware logo below the screen. I posted about that, and maybe i am the only one had the issue.
Anyway I fixed the light leak issue. So my aw 15 is just perfect now.

 

About to order mine got them at dell rep to do the i7 and 4k and 128ssd with 1tb the briefcase the 970m and 4years warranty with accidental for 1800 tax included I think this is a solid deal

 

I have zero vibrations even when the fans are running full tilt.

I also have no issues with stuttering in YouTube in Chrome. Works smooth as butter for me. I tend to use Hyper for YouTube video anyway... much better player.

 

OK... running FireStrike my GPU was at 62C, and my CPU at 60C. I think you might actually have a cooling problem, probably in the top right corner of your system. Bad fan seems quite likely.

 

Thanks. Time to get a return set up.

 

dogbird, i'm too having the same issue with my alienware logo. I turn mines off because the light leaks. can someone confirm stuttering issues with youtube videos on chrome web browsers. IE does not stutter.

 

i don't have any vibrate issues when running laptop at full power.

 

btw guys. i have a question about the Intel graphics cardand Nvidia card. I assume by default windows 8.1 use intel card for windows the only Nvidia GTX 980 iif games needs access to it right?

 

i wish we can use the G-force experience app

 

how did you manage to fix the light leak? turn off the light?

 

You can fixed the light leaks by using some electrical tape and stronger double-sided tape.
And, youtube videos on chrome does not stutter.
Do you have this problem with every youtube video? or just few?

 

Using some elctrical tape and double-sided tape.
I'll post some pics for you soon.