*OFFICIAL* Alienware 17 R2/R3 Owner's Lounge

Just to add my 5c,

I also don't think it will make much difference for a gaming machine. The general opinion back when I got my R3 was that any i7 was good enough and spend on GPU. This one I have now was a free upgrade from Dell but even with the stock bios I have access to overclocking. I just use the easy options for level 1-3. On level 3 I get ~3.8 Ghz average across the cores with 4.1 on single core. No difference in gaming I could see.

The only real difference I saw researching the 4980 was that it has Intel's latest GPU on-die (Iris?). That isn't going to give me anything but battery gaming on-the-go should be reasonable with settings reduced?

CPU is more important in AMD GPU machines as physics is off-loaded to the CPU. NV have their dedicated PhysX chip. When you run 3D Mark tests the CPU physics is forced to the CPU for NV cards. This is to level the playing field (so they say??). I wonder if 'CPU intensive' games are just poor ports that do not use the PhysX? I've not researched it as I'm more interested in my gaming but I wanted to start with the best Dell offered to give it a fair test.

Time to start the migration planning, lists and links is task one . And I fear Win8, hated it when I tried it last, now I have to perservere

 

How's your build coming, Mickey? Any change in production status? I ordered on the 8th and it's still in preproduction with an ETA of 2/25.

 

Hi, It's only day 2 but same as you with an ETA of 2/10. I got a feeling from the rep that he was looking for me to be in the first batch, he said it was the first 4890HQ/980 (UK) combo ordered - he is also linked here and knows why I want to test one .

Maybe further down the road we can compare if you have the base CPU option? Good info for new purchasers...

 

I personally just install a star menu replacement (start is back) and it feels pretty similar to windows 7 to me. I still have win 7 ultimate on my r3 since it hated windows 8 and was doing all kinds of weird stuff.

 

Yeah, I got my kid an all-in-one for Christmas (and she's been using windows since '98) and she did the same.

I saw that in the UK the win8 recovery USB is included, nice if I manage to mess it up!

 

The ivy bridge M17x R4 and M18x R2 are the best systems money can buy right now. Forget the 17/18 and most certainly 17 R2.

On a different note, I wonder if the IPS 1080P screen from the 17 R2 can be retrofitted onto the 17 R1

 

Started to have a look if water cooling the G/A might be a possibility. Looks like there is a whole bunch of open space https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9osKr5mq67k#t=87

Might be able to squeeze in an all-in-unit Aquacomputer Airplex Modularity System 140 Radiator / Pump / Reservoir Combo - Aluminum Fins - D5 Pump (33005) - FrozenCPU.com (I've used these guys before) and there are a bunch of water-blocks for the 980. I might have to start saving some serious cash around a year down the road - if it works out...

 

Just wondering if it might be worth to buy an Alienware 17 with 4910MQ and GTX880m instead of the new R2, and upgrade CPU and GPU in a year or two.

I'm trying to convince myself to buy an Alienware (a looong lasting dream ) but with these BGA chips and prices, I'm considering the Clevo P771ZM.

 

there is an all in one cooler attached to a 980 in development by EVGA. Not sure on the time table for the release though. It was demoed at CES.

 

I've been MIA for a while. What's all this hate against the new AW revisions?

 

With the 17/18 R1, Haswell has been an atrocious chip. Runs hot, can't hold overclocks. The BIOS also has been locked down and signed, meaning customizing/unlocking is impossible. The introduction of NVRAM, without the ability to reset from keyboard, also makes undervolting/underclocking a serious risk, as it may semi-brick the system.

With the 13/15/17R2, the systems have all gone BGA for CPU and GPU.

 

Ah I see. Yeah my CPU routinely hits mid-to-high 80C without any overclocking. I don't even want to think about what would happen if I did overclock.

And that's quite unfortunate that the chips will be soldered on. Is this the industry move or is Alienware going down their own path?

 

^ As far as I know that's the direction Intel is headed.

EDIT: Looks like they said they will definitely support socketed CPUs until at least 2016. So not long to go.

 

I never really thought about it before but it also looks like the HDMI input option is gone and were left with HDMI out only. Not that I use the input a whole lot but it can come in handy if needed. Guess it's just another lose on the R2

 

I think its the same screen if I remember right. Don't quote me on that though.

 

Lol I wish some sites would get demo models in so we could see some benchmarking compared to other machines. I'm also curious to find out how cool the system runs now that its been slimmed down a bit.

Unfortunately for comparisons sake, I ordered about the same config as you (upgraded CPU, ssd, etc...).

What are your expectations on how our config will compare to other similarly configured machines? I hope we are at least on par or better with the Asus G751JY...it has gotten great reviews and scores for what it is. It really came down to AW or the Asus for me based on what was available, performance, build quality, and ease of repair/replacement in case something went wrong (aw in home repair and taking the Asus to best buy). I couldn't bring myself to go the route of having something I'd have to ship off for repair if and when something did go wrong under warranty. Call me unlucky, but I always manage to get the problem machines...I've had boards replaced in the first couple days on more than a couple purchases. I'm starting to wonder if I myself am an alien, emitting some strange electromagnetic waves LOL!

I honestly probably would have (or still would) went with the Asus G751jy if I could find a better deal on the dh72x config. Granted it's better specs vs the alienware in a lot of areas, but I just couldn't pull the trigger on it at $2800. If I happen to find it around the $2400-2500 mark over the next week, it might still happen lol.

Despite the changes (bga, less room for cooling, low watt power supply), I'm putting a lot of stock in AW to provide a top performer. Hopefully the gamble doesn't bite me in the butt!

 

O' well I'm sure some entry level purchasers will arrive here.

I monitor temps in everything so I will have some data there (OT anyone else notice that in ACU when on the customisation menu temps climb and climb? I back out at 85C ).

I'm going in with no real expectations. All the technical data I see says I am downgrading everything but my GPU. Since I'm in the market for something newer I'm just going to whip it and see if it cries. Don't forget you have 14 days to return it very easily if it's a miserable failure or simply not good enough. I purchased a 17/120hz and an 18 sli at the same time and just returned the 18 after side-by-side testing.

I am also a big fan of the in-home service. I've used it most of my working life at the business level. AW is the only OEM that offers this service to the public (I believe?). The 'errors' in promotional material stating a return-to-base warranty (the UK page states this ATM) is obviously something under serious consideration. Loose that and I have to jump ship.

At least on-site will be easy for the engineer, it's the cost that worries me. I would be pushing for the same service I get in business, if you have to take it away I want a loaner.

I'm not expecting it to knock my socks off but if I can get back to maxing out my games I'll probably keep it.

 

Great point on the return policy! I has forgotten about that. That should buy enough time to see some benchmark comparisons and make sure it's at least on par with the competition. That's all I'm hoping for from it. Lol that being said, I just caught myself browsing for Asus coupons. LOL!

 

I ordered an R2 w/980, SSD, but with the 4710, so we can see what difference the upgraded CPU makes. I have an ETA date of 2/2. I, too, am relying on the return policy to ensure the new R2 lives up to expectations.

 

That would be great. I have a feeling that apart from 3D Mark it's not going to be noticeable.

 

Yeah I'm certain the difference in the processors isn't going to be a $500 noticeable difference lol! I'm sort of kicking myself on that upgrade. I think I would rather have taken that cash and replaced the HDD with an evo pro.

 

I went with the M.2 SSD (256 GB) because the newegg/amazon M.2 SSD prices seem to be about the same. I'm replacing the 1 TB drive with my current 2.5" SSD, and putting the 1 TB drive into the computer that I'm replacing/selling.

I hope it's the Samsung M.2. Either way, we'll see what type of transfer rates we get with it.

 

Yeah but that's right now. With a soldered CPU it's a little safer for getting some mileage out of it .

That raised a question I'll look into. I see that all RAID options are not available, even accelerating the HDD. I would expect the RAID bios is part of the chipset so Intel Rapid Storage Technology (IRST) may load and allow you to combine the SSD's? Something else I need to check out . I kinda ignore access rates with SSD's. It's reliability I worry about .

 

So, I've been going over the documentation dell have released on the R2. I'm reasonably impressed with the user guide: http://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/alienware-17-r2_Service Manual_en-us.pdf

I was thinking that they would go the 'refer to your authorised repair facility' type instructions but it covers a full strip down. Couple of things I noticed:

IRST is supported and installed. The drive options, quote 'NOTE: Your computer can accommodate either one 2.5-inch hard drive or four solid-state drives', is promising. Not too sure what that means for combinations but it will allow for a humongous RAID SSD!

The power socket is now a separate component. At last, just how many MB's had to be replaced for a loose or weakened PSU socket?

Still trying to be the glass-half-full guy .

 

So I bit the bullet and ordered one of these. Got about $200 off the listed price for the base model. I'll add an extra 8GB of RAM myself eventually.

Which M.2 SSD would you fine folks recommend for this machine? I'm looking to get a 256GB drive for the OS, but there really aren't many options available to me it seems.

And just to confirm (for those still unsure about it) - it comes with a 92Whr battery and 180w PSU.

 

Can't say about M.2 SSD's I need to research that as well but looking at the specifications ( ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-prod...top/alienware-17-r2_Reference Guide_en-us.pdf) and the socket locations it looks like the word 'either' in my previous post is ambiguous and it's actually up to four M.2 SSD,s AND a standard mechanical drive. Maybe I can find a cheap, small capacity SSD just to accelerate the mechanical drive?

I also see the sound chip is creative. I've always preferred them and I did notice (of course placebo is an option) the sound on my R4 is far superior to the R3 I had. It also has a subboofer so I expect another improvement.

One interesting test I am looking forward to is going from the HDMI or DP out to the R4 HDMI in. Will I see the 120hz driven by the new machine? I'd like to know if they included the 120hz port in the new model? It might be there for future use, if I am lucky. I don't intend to tear it down anytime soon so I'll wait for someone to make a teardown vid and see if it's there .

 

Get the XP941 if possible.. Also make sure you have some thermal pads to connect the M2 SSD's to the heatsink (well at least that's what's done on the P650SE/SG )

 

Hi, I just checked this out and it seems I have another technology to get my head around! The M2 connector is either PCIe or SATA and the drives are different. All I can find in the R2 documentation is the statement of SATA as the drive interface for all drives. Not so good, the sata 6gb limit can be hit by these new drives.

SSD Guide: M.2 PCI-Express, M.2 SATA, M-SATA And SATA Express - The Differences Explained!

Guess I'll just open it up and check part numbers...

 

While digging around my order I found a list of all the part numbers . Seems I will be getting a Samsung PM851. It is a SATA 3 unit: http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/file/media/PM851.pdf so no super fast transfer rates (although all the reviews state it's not perceivable outside of benchmark numbers.)

I'd love to know what this part is: 203-64860 Dummy Mod for Inspiron 5537???

 

I was actually looking up the same thing on the drives in our system. Still confused as to what we can fit in there as far as open slots go, but I believe I read the same thing about it being SATA III. Bit slower than the new pcie, but the sata III is cheaper also.

Whenever I figure out what how many of what can fit, I'll probably go ahead and order some ssd drives and have them ready for the laptop. I'd like to replace that 5400 rpm HDD with a decent size ssd and probably fill in at least one more of the m2 ssd slots. I can't decide if I should format it all into one big raid partition, or keep it similar to how dell builds it with a couple of the ssd's raid 0 for the OS and some games, and then utilize the other ssd that's replacing the HDD as just a storage drive.

What do you guys think?

Also, anyone know how the restore USB will work? I gotta call and get one after my machine is built (dunno why the sales guy on the phone didn't just add it on the order...he told me to call tech support after it was shipped and they would send me one). I wonder if it's just windows on an flash drive, or if it's actually a ghost image that will restore windows and all the drivers and such...basically a full factory restore.

I definitely hope it's a factory restore. If that's the case, seems like I should be able to install the new drives, format and setup the partition(s), and then run the factory restore and be all set... Unless someone knows of an even easier way. I'm not sure, but I don't think an extra ssd can just be installed, set to raid 0 with the existing ssd and continue on...I'm thinking all that would have to be configured pre-windows, and then actually install windows, drivers, etc...

 

I believe you can create your own USB restore key with the software that ships with the laptop, rather than paying $20 to get it from Dell.

From the AW17 manual linked in this thread, it appears you can fit four M.2 drives and one 2.5" drive. I know the manual says "NOTE: Your computer can accommodate either one 2.5-inch hard drive or four solid-state drives", but a quick look at the diagram shows room for four M.2 SSDs and one 2.5".

Not sure which is correct.

Alienware 17 R2 Service Manual

 

How did you conclude what M.2 you'll be getting?

 

Also, while some fuss has been made about the small 180w PSU, I don't think that will be an issue for anybody just planning to run the GTX 970m at stock will it?

 

I made a post about the 180w in the Alienware 15 leaked thread, and concluded that the GTX 970m should have no problems with the 180w PSU.
It's the GTX 980m that I'm worried about.

 

Thanks for the info. I had noticed that almost all the new slim Clevo models are shipping with the 180w PSU. However, the new ASUS ROG G751 ships with a 230w, regardless of which GPU you've selected (so even the GTX 970m models get the beefy PSU).

It seems odd that a company like Alienware would cheap out on the PSU while a company like ASUS didn't.

 

Indeed! That's what has me confused as well. Either way, I'm sure I'll be able to add one additional ssd to raid with the existing one, and then replace the disk drive with another ssd. Just need to figure out what way to set them all up... One lump set of storage, or a boot drive and a storage drive.

On an unrelated note, I'm starting to get a little peeved that my order was placed 12 days ago and it's still sitting in preproduction status with a ship date of 2/25/15. While on the dell website, ship dates have jumped forward by about 15 days and now show the ship date to be 2/10/15. I've wasted hours on the phone with dell and gotten 35 different answers about the delays, my order, and everything else. As of yesterday, my order was supposedly escalated and expedited, and would go into production any minute now. Yet here we are 30 hours later and no movement whatsoever... And of course no phone call, as promised, to update me on the status. I swear from trying to place an order, up to the present time, their service has been complete rubbish... I think I've been promised a call back about 6 times now, and have never received one. It has gotten me some discount action though, as well as a promised call after the laptop ships where they will offer further compensation for all my troubles...given their track record with call backs, I'm already making plans to give them a ring a day or two after it ships as I'm sure they have no intentions of calling me.

Sorry to rant there...just happen to check the order status and see I'm still sitting in the awesome preproduction stage. I'm halfway tempted to order a second one and see which one gets here first. And then give them heck if the 2nd order beats the first one in... Based on my order's ETA vs the current website ETA for new orders, I'd put my money on the second order arriving before the 12 day old existing order.

 

Yes you can but it's a snapshot (preferred in this case) and I think the USB will be an install, see below.

Looking at the line drawing you can see the four M.2 slots with the HDD installed so it looks very much like four SSD's AND a HDD.

I expanded my order from the order status page and got a list of parts of everything, even the packing box! It was there I saw the SSD model and the IRST software. It might have come up as a error since it had a price column but had zero's in it. I've left the page open so I can search out stuff. Their descriptions are like text-speak. Abbreviating lots.

The HDD says MOD,HD,1TB,S3,5.4,#2,M8BP2,16 so a Seagate, the SSD is MOD,SSDR,512,2280,SMSNG,PM851. And a few things I have no sure idea what they are .

I'm also unsure whether I want a super large single SSD or just go with a separate data drive as I do now. RAID used to require that when you created an array or changed the size all data was lost and you had to restore. It's come a way along nowadays with dynamic array expansion and the acceleration feature so I don't know how it would deal with converting a boot drive to an expanded array?

The restore USB comes as standard in the UK and (assumption here) I think the USB is analogous to the win CD they used to supply. A windows install customised with the AW look & feel. You go through the install in exactly the same way as a new install. The factory image will be on a hidden partition on the boot drive. This is a backup and restoring this returns the machine to the state it was when you first turn it on and get asked for your details - all drivers installed.

If the HDD can just stay in I might just get a smallish SSD and use it to speed up the HDD. I'll still have two spare sockets to create a large array later. On that, I would use the AlienRespawn software to create a factory image on the HDD. You then have a snapshot of the machine to restore. Get it the way you like it, even install any software you prefer like firefox and then make the backup. If creating an array trashes the boot drive you are good to restore - as long as you have a bootable USB.

 

Well I just checked using my service tag, and I got a different M.2: Solid State Drive, 256, S3, 2280, LITEON, L9G
Can't tell if it is TLC or MC, but the specs aren't half bad.

 

I can give you some advice there, dell have no idea of when the factory in china will make a model for a specific run, and then the factory decides on ship dates by bundling orders for countries on single flight runs. They will give you all sorts of stupid answers if you chase them, there was even a thread setup just for people angry and confused as to when they get their machines (Order status sticky).

It will go from pre to In when the factory report it's on a specific run. At that point it moves quickly and I have seen people receive their kit before shipped is shown. The US uses a pre-staging model so all the factory deliveries go to a single dell address where they are addressed and sent on with UPS. In the UK it is sent direct to my home address from China. I got to watch it traverse the globe, sometimes in strange directions, where it got customs clearance, and when it transferred to the local delivery agent. Passes the time .

Basically you just have to hope, they rarely miss a deadline, both my previous machines arrived over a week early .

 

sounds like a Samsung pm851 to me. Samsung PM851 Solid State Drive not sure how good they are compared to the other brands and such. If I buy a new machine I'll probably just add an SSD myself. I get picky on what brands/models I have for storage. Especially SSD's.

 

Typically the cheapest option is used by dell so maybe they offer a cheaper 256gb drive? Memory ia another part that varies and comes from different suppliers.

I'd guess the S3 in the description will be Sata 3 so the same drive type as mine.

 

There are 3 256GB M.2s Dell offers.

5612H - 256GB LiteOn L9G (Vendor Part Number L8T-256L9G-11)
R37V9 - 256GB Toshiba HG6 (Vendor Part Number THNSNJ256G8NU) (MLC)
854HD - 256GB Samsung PM851 (Vendor Part Number MZNTE256HMHP-000D1) (TLC)
Still can't figure out what the LiteOn is.

 

All I know about them is my blu-ray in the R4 is LiteOn.

Where did you get that info?

This is the full list from mine:

1 555-BCIC MOD-SRV,SW,KILLER,N1525,15/17
1 490-BCLJ MOD,INFO,GNRC
1 391-BBWN MOD,CVR,HNG-UP,TOUCH,AW17R2
1 990-14788 Notebook: 1 Unit (Special Pric
1 210-ADRH BASE,NBK,CTO,ECHO17
1 658-BCNB MOD,SW,BROWSER-SEARCH,AW
1 630-AANB MOD,SW,OFC-2013,MUI,FI
1 450-AAGU MOD,ADPT,AC,180W,DLTA,3P,L6,WW
1 400-AGMB MOD,INFO,C DRIVE,SSD
1 340-AODK MOD,PLCMT,ANW,AW17R2,EMEA1
1 344-43566 1Y Parts Cost
1 619-AEOD MOD,SW,DPK,WB32/64
1 555-BCDR MOD,CRD,NTWK,KILLER,N1525,WW
1 389-BFUM MOD,LBL,ENVMT,ERPLOT3,PLBX,ANW
1 391-BBWN MOD,LCD,17.3FHD,TPK,LGD,AW17R2
1 658-BCNB MOD,SW,STEAM
1 583-BCPU MOD,KYBD,ANW,104,UK,EMF,AW17R2
1 340-ANSM MOD,SHP MTL,BOX,PZB,ANW,17
1 525-10033 MOD,SW,SNVS,FCRG,4.X,CRRS
1 658-BCNB MOD,INFO,DIRSHP,CMPL,VOS
1 658-BCNB MOD,SW,DDT
1 658-BCNB MOD,SW,MY-DELL,3.X
1 799-AAMQ MOD,INFO,GNRC
1 370-AABX MOD,DIMM,8GB,2X4GB,1600,DDR3L
1 338-BGGO MOD,ASSY,BASE,I7-4980HQ,GX,E17
1 619-AEOD MOD,SW,QFE,BLUE
1 619-AEOD MOD,SW,WB64,ENG,EMF
3 817-BBBC MOD,INFO,GNRC
1 658-BCNB MOD,SW,STAGELIGHT,FI
1 631-AANZ MOD-SRV,SW,HSW,ANW,AW17R2
1 620-AASO MOD,SW,WBLUE64,USB,ENG
1 203-64860 Dummy Mod for Inspiron 5537
1 583-BCQG MOD,KYBD,ANW,6,HOTKEY,E15/17
1 451-BBMW MOD,BTRY,92WHR,8C,LITH,SIMPLO
1 755-10607 2 years Accidental Damage Prot
1 754-81457 1Y Labour Cost
1 658-BCNB MOD,SW,DBAR,BASIC,CSMB
1 400-AGMB MOD,HD,1TB,S3,5.4,#2,M8BP2,16
1 400-AGMB MOD,SSDR,512,2280,SMSNG,PM851
1 340-AODK MOD,PLCMT,LTR,ANW,ENG,WW
1 340-ACCH MOD,GDE,PROD,MUI,SERI,EMEA 8
1 754-81458 1Y Labour Cost
1 754-81458 1Y Parts Cost
1 344-43566 1Y Labour Cost
1 525-10393 MOD,SW,DROPBOX,CRRS
1 450-AAZO MOD,CORD,PWR,220V,3W\3P,AP,UK
1 452-BBQN CUS,DS,CALDERA,ANW,IRE/UK

 

I put a link on "offers". It redirects to the info, my source.

 

Doh, I got used to forum software using link adverts and assumed it was that! Info from source , shame our AW rep vanished a couple of months ago, he could clear a lot of this up...

 

Okay, I found more information about the LiteOn L9G. It is based of off the L9M series (mSATA version), and the L9M series is MLC.
So I feel better now. While probability says that you have a 2/3rds chance of getting an MLC M.2 from category alone, who knows how many of each M.2 Dell has.

 

I bought 2 Crucial M550 512GB SATA M.2's from Amazon because they were $200 each. Is there any worries that some brands won't work?

 

I wouldn't think you'll have any problems. Welcome to the world of the early adopter!

I've asked a mod if we can have our own owners lounge, through gritted teeth he agreed...haha.

Edit: I just tried to get to the parts list I posted earlier and dell have 'fixed' it . The link under order status is gone .

 

Received my M17 R2 yesterday. Some thoughts:

-Dell installed OS on wrong drive (1 TB storage instead of 256 boot SSD). Good thing I ordered it with the USB stick.
-Speakers are worse than I expected. I expected them to sound better than my 15" MSI, but they sound worse.
-Dell tech support is awful. I called to complain about OS install, and they kept asking me for the driver/OS DVDs. The tech was incredulous that the R2 17 doesn't include an optical drive.
-Disappointed at the SATA connection M2 SSD. Was hoping they'd use the newer PCIe for increased transfer rates. Transfer rates are about 520MB read/450 write.
-3dmark11 benchmarks at roughly 10,500 overall and 12,900 graphics.
-Fans are pretty quiet, even when under load. Will investigate temps later when I have time.

 

Wrong drive?? Wow what a bunch of idiots. If mine turns up like that they can just replace it immediately. I'm not about to install windows on a brand new machine.

Thanks for sharing .