*OFFICIAL* Alienware m15 R2 / m17 R2 Owner's Lounge

R2 soldered ram and WiFi card.

 

Is that the only main difference? am I right about the battery and screen as well?

 

Yes.

Info about the ram. R2 have 16GB soldered ram as max capacity vs. 32GB for R1.
https://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/alienware-m15-laptop_setup-guide_en-us.pdf
https://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/alienware-m15-r2-laptop_users-guide_en-us.pdf

 

m15 R2 has a couple of design issues:
* Soldered RAM (a first in a gaming laptop, by buying this you'd support the design decision)
* Invented motherboard makes maintenance much more difficult
* Soldered WiFi
* No 2.5" SATA caddy in case you wanted a large cheap storage drive
* 76 vs 86WHr battery

 

Minor point, but I wouldn't be too surprised if the m15 R1 took the new 32GB SODIMMs, just as A51M does.

Dell claimed max 16GB RAM for my old AW 15, and it takes 2x16GB fine.

 

The m15r1 also has an inverted motherboard right?

re: Supporting a design decision? Was here when everyone cried about the whole dell going full bga so I feel it's a similar thing all over again .

So a m15r1 i guess is still a good purchase. Any idea if the 15r2 has better screens? like how many ms response time?

The new 10th gen cpu is out right? Hoping there is value in holding out for that refresh.

Gotcha!

Any idea on the screen difference? The newer ones have better response times? Thanks!

 

This is different because all laptop manufacturers went BGA due to Intel dropping support for socketed mobile CPUs. Here only Alienware and I believe Acer have been dumb/vicious enough to solder RAM.

m15 R1 does not have an inverted motherboard, and would be a great option with the 9750H CPU.

 

For the R1 is 60Wh or 90Wh battery possible.

 

I already accepted the fact that people here whine and as much as WE try and "vote with our wallets" we do not get the outcome we want. Listened to people already by getting another brand that was socketed and eventually just gave in and accepted that the laptops we get should be ugpraded 4-5 years down the line.

Alright then will look at the 15r1! Hopefully the new 10th gen cpus are not that much of a step up interms of performance so picking this one up will not be a hard pill to swallow

Would not mind picking up the 60wh since I dont need much juice on my new laptop

 

Anyone notice Alienware.com has a m15r2 with a micro sd card slot on the main page?

 

Dell GPU Models for m15 R3 and m17 R3 leaked:

 

The slim line can support Max P 2080 Super?........

 

Well you know Dell, in their mind, even if a CPU runs at 100C that's considered n0rmal so anything is possible.

 

Well even if they do it would likely be 150w. Sooooo maybe in the m17 R3?

 

With a lapped heatsink and carbonaut I'm running my GS75 at 150w 2080 levels (I shunt modded mine) and it sits at 77°C in firestrike so it's possible to squeeze a 150w part into thin and lights, companies just can be bothered to use better TIM.

 

It seems you forgot the unlocked 8 core chips That one won’t make it easier with a shared heatsink.

But cap Gpu temp at 75C as in their gaming flagship will of course offset some of the problem.

 

A 75°C temperature cap is very limiting. They might as well just make it a Max-q at that point. Just look at the Eluktronics mag-15.

As for the 8 core Intel cpus, we all know there's no saving that without liquid metal.

 

Wait the m15 also has the 75C GPU temp limit that's now on the Area-51m? If so, then how to fix it? by downgrading the BIOS also?

 

can the VRM even take this kind of punishment? it's designed to work at max q power levels in the first place, which tops out at only 90W.

 

It can, I've done my research and the GS75 uses 5 50A NCP 303150 mosfets for the gpu.

For reference the alienware A51m with a 200w 2080 only uses 6 of the same mosfets. The mosfets are also actively cooled on the GS75 with a dedicated heatpipe over them whereas the A51m only had passive cooling for the mosfets.

Granted its not running at Max-q levels of efficiency any more but that's to be expected.

 

I expect we will see more and more locked down firmware with no return. BGA is is planned obsolescence and Dell's engineers has to be sure it will survive the obligatory warranty. The expencive Premium extended warranty will cover Dell's costs to replace fried hardware after that period expires... Am I screwed? My 17 r4 just died on me suddenly.

 

How can they measure when the thing will fail just outside of the warranty? I suspect they put a lot of effort into this rather than fixing their quality issues.

 

Mean Time Till Failure is a metric hardware developers can derive from component quality, frequency of use, and engineering samples. Think about a keyboard switch; they can test a batch till they fail, and then use that as a projection per lot number of what the average failure rate will be for the run. CPUs, GPUs, MOSFETS, VRMs, and the like are no different.

While I do believe some of what we see here is a bit extreme, there is some calculation that goes into determining how long something should be reasonably warrantied. Further, I highly doubt there's a profit margin to be had by Dell for charging $300 - $400 for a three year extended warranty if it means they'll end up spending two to three times the cost of the warranty fee in parts and labor if the units are designed to fail. More likely is that the laptops are designed well enough to last beyond the extended warranty period so that the fee is never dipped into for the majority of owners that purchase it.

I think forums like this are a reverse survivor paradox; we typically only see the units that have problems on Reddit or here. We don't hear from the folks that have error-free units.

 

I've owned two AW laptops. One arrived with a wrong GPU, the other with faulty GPU/mobo. Both have proceeded to work without major issues after the factory QC problems have been sorted. Without going into further details, this experience has lead me to believe Dell has room for improvement in 3 areas:
* Quality control at the Chinese factory
* BIOS features and development quality (particularly lately)
* General design of their thin and light laptops - they run too hot out of the box, and the latest model was internally designed like an Acer: inverted mobo and soldered RAM/WiFi.

Other than that, I have been very happy with my earlier AW models (although the thin and light m15 R1 required repaste and tuning) and have no reason to believe they fail prematurely despite heavy use (but the m15 R2 design is a showstopper for me).

 

The M15R2 can run the i9-9980HK and 2080 Max-q without thermal throttling provided you get a good heatsink.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/full-speed-9980hk-with-no-throttling-new-m15-r2.830612/

So thats part of the QC complaint I think.

 

I think not. Out of the box" means "as delivered", no modifications. The thread describes a success story of a user who had to eviscetate the laptop in order to apply LM and eventually achieve good thermal performance..

 

I agree with all of your points. The M15/17 R2 is a step backwards. I recently purchased an M17 R1, still waiting for it to arrive, and I'm hoping it doesn't have any major issues. My 15R3 is still running very strong after almost three years of pretty regular use. I came from Aorus, which has (in my opinion) real QC issues.

 

Check your screen might have screen bleeding, or your heatsink might be faulty and check your paste after you got. If those are okayü you are gonna amazed with the device.

 

I've got a tube of Artic MX4 arriving the day after it's delivered. I'm going to see if XTU/Throttlestop alone can manage any thermal problems before repasting/padding. I've read elsewhere that the 2.5mm pads are too thick? On my 15R3, I pulled the pads altogether and just used thermal paste.

 

Enjoy

https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/success-dell-alienware-m15-r2-i9-9880hk-2080-maxq.297254/

 

It's too thick yeah. About padding check some guide that if that's necessary.

 

R3 announced.

https://www.laptopmag.com/news/alienware-m15-m17-r3-refreshed-with-rtx-super-intel-10th-gen

interestingly, 17" R3 will come with the full RTX 2080 Super GPU. no max q crap here.

 

About time, other laptops in the M17's class all came with 150w 2080s. Instead Alienware decided to put a 100w 2080 Max-q which was kinda strange.

 

That has my interest. . .

 

Ah now they mention the Area 51m R2. June 9

 

Dell US Website got an update:
https://www.alienwarearena.com/experiences/alienware-m15-m17-r3

M15 and M17 R3 versions are now being show but it looks like they are not yet part of the Dell online configurator.

 

Sorry to disappoint you. Max-Q Design and soldered ram with ram speed below Intel’s specs for 10th gen chips

https://www.dell.com/en-us/gaming/alienware-laptops

 

i knew it was toooooo good to be true. press release got it wrong.

 

Same love. And as usual... Same MB to cut costs.

 

What's the average temps for cpu on the m15 R2 i9 2080maxq?

 

without a repaste and most likely these will be locked from UV they will throttle fast.

On the R2 I had with i9 2080 no repaste but UV and it was peaking 100, some on here report better temps but I think repaste and UV was needed?

 

I recently applied liquid metal on my unit but I'm seeing 90-92 on CPU. I applied a very small amount just to be safe but I'm just wondering what's the Lowest any one on here has been able to keep the i9 at?

 

Maybe they just wrote what they were told to write. The media never think about anything. Their job is to push whatever the propaganda is that they're paid to push and the sheeples' jobs are to believe whatever they're told and spend their money.

I would say Dellienware got it wrong. Bad choices... wrong design decisions... they're messed up, so it only stands to reason the product follows suit.

 

There i was, getting excited and wondering how on earth can they cool 150W (bare minimum) GPU power on such a thin laptop. probably due to vapor chamber magic? woke up from sleep and dream bubble burst by @Papusan

 

who is right and who is wrong?



go straight to 2min 15sec and you will hear Ernie (alienware product specialist) personally said M17 R3 get ful power RTX 2080 Super. What's going on??

 

The m17r3 is in the same size and weight class as the GE75 so it wouldn't be surprising at all if they fit a 150w 2080 super it.

 

The more i look at it, the more i think m17 R3 having a full RTX 2080 Super max P is credible. the PSU for m17R3 will be up to 330W and the only reason for that will be to power the power hungry full 2080 super.

 

True, makes no sense to have a 330w for a Max-q.

Unless they are catering for the i9-10980HK

 

Dell's website is flawed.

Here is the specs... Remember Nvidia say 80 - 150+ W. None know where it will lands for Max-P on the thin and light m17R3.

 

So the m17 R3 IS coming with the full 2080 super.