Rift and AW 17 R3 + GA

Hi guys,

I'm just posting to let anyone know that the Rift CV1 does work with the GA. I have a 980TI in my GA and running the Rift off of that no problem.

I'm also using dual monitors, so I have 2 display ports + 1 hdmi (rift) being used all without a problem!

Alienware Rocks!

 

I wasn't doubting the compatibility but always nice getting confirmation! Any sort of hitches at all?

 

Nice to hear that! did you try it on the internal gpu as well?

 

Only 2 small hitches I noticed.

1) I needed a new video driver, I typically don't like upgrading video drivers just because it sometimes causes issues, but luckily, I've seen no issues with the latest drivers.
2) The base didn't get recognized by the USB's in the back of GA. The headset was fine in the USB though. I had to use USB hub instead, not really a big deal.

Everything else worked perfectly.

You know, I have not yet. It's a bit of a pain to test this with my setup. I do want to test this out though, maybe in a week or so I will give this a shot. FYI, my DK2 did work off the 980m just fine. I am assuming it will work, but not 100% sure.

 

Good to know! Is the CV1 the final product then? Hows the performance with your 980TI?

 

Yes, by CV1, I mean the consumer model. The performance is flawless. I haven't seen any hiccups with any games, everything runs smooth at 90 fps. The head tracking is great.

 

How bad is the screendoor effect? On both gear VR and DK2 it was kind of noticeable.

And funny how so many people have to wear glasses with the rift since the gear vr has that slider at the top that works very well for people who wear glasses. Unless you had some really high lens strength.

 

CV1 > Gear Vr > DK2 (IMO). If you've used the Gear VR, it's similar to that. It's better IMO, but not retina by any means. Small text or details are difficult to see. With that being said, games are damn cool. Totally worth it IMO. It'll only get better from here.

I was a tad disappointed in the glasses issue, the Gear VR is actually nice, I can use it without glasses and see things fine. The CV1, I HAVE to wear glasses, there's no adjustment for me. It seems fine with my glasses, although taking it off is a pain with glasses.

Only minor gripes to an overall cool experience.

This is one of the big reasons I bought a new Alienware laptop (W/ GA).

 

thanks for the update. I have been using a DK2 with my alienware 15R2 and 970m without any problems. Got an amplifier 2 weeks ago and an evga GTX970 and now am looking for a consumer headset. Most probably will go for the Vive as it seems more like a complete package that is roomscale and sitting and cannot afford getting the cv1 and wait several months for the touch. Besides I had strange attitude on their forum when I mentioned I had an alienware and even more when I said was working fine with my 970m. That put me off even though must admit that oculus have good quality products.

 

Better order soon. They got some serious shipping delays for current pre order people.

 

Hey guys. I'm a little late to the party, as I just bought a Alienware 17 R3 off Ebay this evening. I got the 6200 CPU with 970M gfx, 8GB of RAM, and 128 ssd + 1TB HD. And while it wasn't my first choice, I used PayPal Credit for the no payment and no interested for 6 months. Figure I can put away $200 a month and pay the bill before the balance is due.

Obviously I'm already planning upgrades. As a computer tech for a local enterprise business, I figure I can upgrade to a 512GB SSD or M.2, add another 8GB RAM, and get a Alienware Amp. I was going to ask if there was more than one, as I've been looking at ones on Ebay but couldn't tell if there were any differences. Sounds like one is older, another is newer, but because of how they were build performance is basically the same. Feeling better about buying one of those 3rd party like the laptop.

And like many of you here, I'm excited about the Oculus Rift. I dunno when I'll be able to afford one, but the info here is excellent. Given I bought the "step down" CPU, I imagine I won't have quite as good an experience. But hopefully it will be good enough. I'm hoping to get a 980 Ti for the Amp when the time comes, and be able to play Elite Dangerous and other titles. Oh, and I wear glasses like some of you, so excellent info there too.

As long as I'm typing, anyone else upgrade the storage in their laptop? Specifically, I went to add an M.2 "drive" into a HP laptop at work, only to discover the Samsung I'd bought wasn't the right size for the laptop (it was too long). From what I've seen in pics, it looks like the Alienware "slot" is the longer version and a Samsung M.2 SSD should work fine. I'm leaning toward the 500/512GB version, as that's my minimum preferred storage space for SSD's.

I get wordy. Sorry about that. Really excited for the new laptop, and hope to get where you guys are at or going soon. Thanks for the time.

 

Hi merkman,

Welcome to the 17 R3 family! It's a great machine, you won't be disappointed... especially at that price. Although I can't verify, I would think your CPU would be just fine for the Rift. Most games are bottlenecked by the GPU, not the CPU, so even a step below the best mobile CPU should be fine.

Of course, you still need an amplifier + graphics card + rift. So, it can get pricey.

The M.2 size in this laptop seems long. I didn't have any problems with my samsung m.2 (evo 500GB). I bought 2 of those. If you get a second m.2, just remember you need to buy the damn screw (tiny screw). It only comes with 1.

Good luck!

 

If anyone had any questions about the Vive, I can also confirm that is working too.

 

Thanks so much! I've been an ASUS guy, but the lack of their "Amp" being released to the public meant no VR support. And I've just been around too many "we plan to release that soon" messages, only to see a product never released. So the Alienware seemed like the best way to go, at least at the moment.

Looking at the amplifiers on Ebay, looks like most complete units are selling for $150+. Most only list R2 compatibility in the listing, but it sounds like they work with the R3, correct? I'd hate to buy one and only AFTER getting it realize it won't work. Though the fact is, I don't really have the money for a 980 Ti or the Oculus atm. So yeah, pricey.

As for the screw, because I work in IT, I have several screws taken from Lenovo, HP, and others laptops in my top drawer. That should be an easy part of my upgrade.

Thanks again and have a great day. Excited to be part of the community, and get my new laptop.

 

Okay, so yesterday I found a brand new Alienware Amp for $161 OBO. Offered $150 shipped, and they took it! So my amp is shipping and should be here about the same time as my laptop.

While I'd love to add a 500GB Samsung 850 M.2 SSD, the prices have just recently seemed to go up (damn storage prices) and most places want $160+. As much as I want more space in the new rig, I'm gonna try and be good and wait for a deal.

Meanwhile, I don't need the external video card right away, but I saw this deal via ign.com, and it looked like an AWESOME card. Would this work in the Amp? Or is it too "non-reference" to fit? http://www.ebay.com/itm/301762065847?rmvSB=true

 

I have the same card mate and can confirm that the GA will not shut. Not too big of a deal as it all still works. The heatpipes hit the top of the GA cover unfortunately. At first I thought it was the 8 pin connectors and wires so I messed about with cable routing to no avail. Now I have just left it closed and there is a 1-2 cm gap in the cover.You can't really tell but if you move it around a lot it may be an issue.

Edit: Uploaded some images so you can see what I am on about. You can see that the heatpipes are actually taller than the PSU.

 

Got it. Thanks for the reply!

Well, I found a Samsung 500GB 850 m.2 ssd that a guy had bought and didn't work for him for $130. With prices all mostly $160+, I jumped on it and I'll have that for my build. Thinking the 500GB will be the primary / boot drive, the 1TB for my documents and such, and I'll use the 128gb ssd as a cache drive. Looking forward to it!

 

Hey nice set up. What are you using to connect your noctua? Looks like some sort of adapter. Usually people are buying another power supply and connecting via molex but it looks like your power supply is the default one?