*OFFICIAL* Alienware 14 Owner's Lounge Thread

I'm having a Dell technician change my ips planel because of my light bleed. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

 

Im on my phone right now so ill have a screenshot tomorrow after work, but earlier while playing skyrim on ultra for over an hour I got cpu temps at around 60 and an overall temp of around 45c.

 

I was also running on switchable in a hot room so ill see what I get on the gpu when its not 30c in the room to begin with.

 

Hey guys, anyone having sound issues? I was streaming pandora earlier today and once every 7 min or so the volume would change randomly. Usually, the sound would get louder even though I didn't adjust anything. I was listening to music while playing league of legends actually and the sound levels fluctuated.

 

Sound for me has been superb. It might have been the recording on Pandora, as far LoL that happened to me on other rig so im pretty sure it's the game. Speakers are wonderful.

 

Is it just me or the sound quality of the new 14 is not as good as the r2 model? It is just loud now but It is somehow lower in quality regardless if you have dolby on or off and fiddling around with the equalizer doesn't make it any better.

The sound blaster recon on the R2 model was just as loud as the newer 14 but it's more richer and clearer in sound. You probably have nothing to worry about though if you never had the R2 or the M17x R3/R4 with sound blaster recon but if you had those then you probably understand what I mean.

 

Yeah I know exactly what you're talking, I sold my R2 to buy this one (registered to just reply). I agree with you. I think it's a bit louder but it sounds like something is missing. It feels like it almost doesn't have a base. Out of all the profiles I like the gamers. It's the one that feels more richer to me.

For others that asked how does one know if you're using Dedicated and switchable graphics. In the control panel it says auto in "Manage 3D settings". When it's dedicated there's nothing to decide, so auto is not there, and it just shows you the settings.

I got my laptop on Monday. I'm overall happy with it. Just put a MSata and boots up in 5 secs. Not fond of the battery life though. Battery is physically a lot smaller. with switchable graphics on, I was getting 2-2.5 Hours.

 

Iv used the m14x r2 a few times but wasnt a hardcore user but i have to say one thing about this new laptop....

its one of the best purchases iv ever made. Im in love with it, the new keys i had doubts about but WOW they feel great. The new screen is amazing, iv gamed outside and inside and both give amazing results. I had absolutely 0% screen bleed, and all the games iv thrown at it played on max settings.

So far Wow on ultra gets 100+ fps while its still downloading the client(was 5% done and im getting 110 fps). Firefall max settings 90+ fps

Anyone on the fence should throw down the money for sure, i hesitated but wow. I do have the 2gb video card also btw.

 

Any of you guys have dirty looking trackpads?

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if you look as close as you can yea mine is but its on the underside it seems

 

after one hour of skyrim max out. Room temp is 79F or 26C.

 

Am i correct in thinking that you cant stop the touchpad light from turning off after the 10-15 seconds?

 

You need to change it in BIOS settings.

 

How to unlock bios? I dont have option in that.

 

When you boot up your system, spam F2 to get bios settings. Then change track pad from auto to on.

 

thanks mate.
do you know where is the overclocking setting for aw 14? i saw option to enable overclock in bios but i cant find where i can adjust clock or voltage in the bios

 

Hey all - newly posted nvidia beta drivers 326.19 have built in support in the INF for the 765M and 780M! Going to try right now... they do in fact install !!! Now to see if I'm still able to stop throttling.

Well, this is odd. They do have support in the INF file, but after installation, the screen flickers like mad on my AW14. Every few seconds, it flicks to black and then back to regular. I suspect Optimus is not quite working right - it feels like it flickers whenever you'd expect it to change between the GPU and the Intel GPU.

Next followup - turns out there is a newer Haswell graphics driver on intel.com - 9.18.10.3165 - going to try that...

And that seems to fix it - 326.19 and Optimus installed - no flickering Now to test throttling and 3dmark and such

Mixed news on the nvidia inspector. Good news is that I can still adjust the temp limit. Bad news is that overclocking no longer seems to work, whereas it did work with Dell's 311.48 drivers...

N

 

@Nyceis, excellent find bro

Can you post your idle and load CPU/GPU temps while gaming if you haven't already?

Thanks +1

 

has anyone managed to get the sub woofer working. Its in the specs but i cant configure it for playback

 

My new Alienware 14 is to be delivered today, WOO HOO!

 

OK, Good news - the overclocking seems to be broken in nvidia inspector with 326.19 but it does work with latest beta of MSI's afterburner. Still can't adjust voltage with that though (despite enabling it in settings).

Hit in P4607 3dm11 with +135/+160 overclock @ stock voltage and max temp of 71. I'm happy with this overclock

www.3dmark.com/3dm11/6884593

 

you are running this on discrete mode,right?Thats a very good score for a 14 inch machine...

 

same here..ordered on 9.This is fast

 

I really want to love this laptop. But I ordered two, and was initially ecstatic with the first,and both are exhibiting problems.

The first one is throttling the GPU and the screen has started to flicker in the left corner. AW wanted to replace the GPU. I've asked for a refund.

The second one has been diabolical. Upon opening it, the system would not boot, and it said "Boot device not found". After 2 hours on tech support changing bios settings, and doing a full recovery it finally entered windows. The tech believes that they never loaded windows 8 onto the system properly. So much for their supposed burn in testing.

Now the system trackpad is exhibiting extreme lag. For example, when I click on an icon, it takes about 2 seconds for it to register. When I scroll in a webpage, the system takes about two seconds to register that I am even using the screen. But when I use a dedicated mouse everything is fine. Drivers have been replaced, etc. Now AW wants to send a tech to replace the trackpad. I think I'm done.

 

how do you test for gpu throttle?

 

I used a combo of FRAPS, 3D Mark and MSI afterburner

 

You can also open GPU-Z and have it keep a log file while you play, then check the clock's behavior against the temperature.

 

No, this was on optimus.

 

So, throttling only happens when you're NOT using dedicated Nvidia GPU / discrete mode?

Also, does Nvidia Inspector need to be actively open for the temp limit to be removed? Or, is opening it, setting it, and closing it sufficient?

With discrete mode, running a mixture of Unigine Heaven Benchmark, 3dmark, and Prime95 (all 8 cores) for 30-45 minutes produced no throttling even with a sustained temp of 68C. Running just Unigine Heaven Benchmark (extreme, all settings to max) and Prime 95 (all 8 cores) indefinitely only brought me to 66C. The only drops in GPU core clock is when GPU usage dropped to near 0%. Ambient temps are around 74F.

The max GPU temps I've seen while gaming are 66C-67C and I've yet to see any decrease in performance / FPS in any game with reasonably maxed out settings.

I haven't tried this with Optimus enabled, but I may tonight. This is all on stock drivers. I'm not adventurous enough to run it outside (95-100F) or covering up the fan output to reach a higher temp.

Screenshot:

 

So just an update: Due to my ISP screen bleed they were suppose to replace the screen. However, the part is back ordered I'll update when it they replace it.

 

ordered 2 AW 14s. first is perfect with no defects whatsoever. The second however has the bleeding across the bottom of the screen. Will be replacing the screen on the second laptop as well.

I was really thinking the screen bleeding would be a rare problem but honestly i bet its about 50-50 chance atm. I have 2 friends who ordered as well, one with a 14 and one with 17 and the 17 had bleeding as well.

Once the beasts are up and going iv never had an issue though, keeping my fingers crossed.

 

So I finally received my AW14 since yesterday, I do a lot of things since yesterday , so lets start my history

I ordered with win 8, but after testing almost all the day I dont like some things, indeed its a good O.S but for example I have an USB TV receiver, and windows 8 dont have windows media center (you have to buy upgrade to win 8 pro and then bought windows media center.... no thanks!), sometimes try get the notepad or even the calculator its not so efficient like in 7, so I have a USB that dell give with my M14x, that has 7, I think it wont work, but it works just fine (it get automatically activated, with thats strange but I believe thats another history)
G
The main problem doing the downgrade was to decide if I install 7 in the mSata or the HDD + cache, I opted to go to give it a try to the cache option, but it was a little coplicated for me, since I have to change the system from RAID to ATA to install and then again to RAID.... it was a little complicated but now seems to work just ok!, after all the updates and install the drivers and basic programs seems to work excellent, the sound its great and the screen its fine (it has the blacklight bleed indeed, but its almost unnoticeable in a normal enviroment, just with all the lights off, a black screen and with the maxium brightness... no bothers to me at all).

One thing that bothers me a little its the nix plate under the system, it says I have a GT750 and a i7-4700 But I have the GTX765m and a i7-4800, I'm thinking to talk or not to talk... since maybe the option its that they're going to get a complete replace... will see...

About the heat, indeed it gets a little heat in a "idle" state just surfing the web, but its not really uncomfortable for me, the room Temparature its 22°C but the heat its ok for me, although I have a base because its more comfortable to me work in that way I always have one since my M15x, and seems that it do a good job, the bottom of the AW its cool most part of the time its a thermaltake here is a picture of it



I have been playing borderlands 2, one of my favorites, just play for about an hour, I dont notice any drop at all, tha game was at full resolution (1080) and with almost all the settings to Max, just a few in medium), looks excellent and plays very well, I didnt do a FPS test, but really seems fluid, here is a HW capture, it gets hot, and the fan makes noise, but with the game sound its difficult to hear..., I have the latest beta drivers, and the latest stable haswell drivers by the way!




So the good things:

For me the screen its beatiful, the colors are vivid, and it looks superb, just all its too small
The heat its ok, you are getting a high performance laptop, keep in mind that
The fan in idle state almost dont make sound, although you can hear sometimes, its quiet most part of the time

Some bad things:

The system to change to discrete/integrated graphics... hate it, you need to reboot the system, I dont know if optimus work fine, will be testing, but its complicated to understand how it works in the beginning
That dell has messed up with the nix plate! I have see some complains about these in other parts of the forum, check that when you received your AW
Windows 8 dont include a backup of the O.S, so if you want to do a clean install... you need to get it from another place
The Dolby Experience it has included, some times work excellent, but with music I dont like how it sounds!


To be far for me its an excellent 14 laptop, I hope dont give troubles in the near future


Sorry for my english, if you dont understand something told me!


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Edit:

Here is the benchmarking results utility of Bioshock Infinite, run in ultra DX11 settings

 

@jacker60,

Thanks for the review bro, those temps that you posted is with the laptop by itself without the cooling pad right?

 

It's with the cooling pad turn off, playing borderlands, I turn it on on the Bioshock benchmark utility

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Ordered my AW14 on the 10th, received it yesterday 11 days ahead of EDD. Got the GTX 765, i7-4700, 1080p IPS, blu ray, and a Samsung 840 pro (which I put in myself) for $1650 after tax. I also got the slim carrying bag, the briefcase, and a $70 gift card, plus about $40 in miscellaneous gift cards.

I'm pretty freaking happy.

This machine is amazing--I installed the new drivers and changed the GPU temp limit as suggested earlier in this thread, and everything is working extremely well. My boot time with windows 8 is hilarious... So far, no problems. I do have light bleed on my screen, but that is an EXTREMELY common part of having a bright IPS display. I have literally never used an IPS display that has no light bleed at all (I'm not saying they don't exist), and every time I buy a device with an IPS display (transformer prime, nexus 4, ASUS monitor, this laptop) over 50% of forum posters have light bleed without exception. I don't blame people for wanting screens with no light bleed, but I find it to be so common that I pretty much expect it.

Coming from an m15x, the size is great, the weight is not bad at all, the keyboard is amazing, and the mouse is a HUGE step up from what I'm used to. The trackpad not only has multitouch gesture support, but it also supports windows 8 gestures, such as bringing up the charms menu by swiping onto the mousepad from the right side.

Speakers are great, but I agree that the sound quality is borderline sometimes. I want it to be really good, but it just isn't that great--I'm hoping I can figure something out by messing with the settings a little more. I'm used to the fans on the m15x, so the sound this fan makes is pretty pitiful in comparison.

Main complaints so far:
--The lighting customization is extremely limited. You can't change the alienhead to make it different from the diagonal lines. REALLY DELL? How hard can it be to make them separate -.-
--The multitouch gestures are nice, but they have the weird windows 8 backwards settings (it treats your trackpad like a touchscreen, so when you 2 finger scroll down, the window will act like you are dragging it and it will go up). Pinch to zoom is nice, haven't adjusted it to how I like yet. I will ay the 3 finger flick works a billion times better than my m15x, but to be fair, that was probably the worst mousepad ever used in any laptop ever made.
--Packaging is great, but extremely cheap compared to the old boxes. IS MY HAT, DELL? They have gotten so cheap these days it's almost unbelievable (reference non-custom nameplates)
--Sound is borderline amazing, but it just doesn't quite satisfy my ears at higher volumes
--The edge on the front does kind of dig into your wrists. They are pretty uncomfortable at this point, but I am sitting on the floor below a coffee table that is holding my computer.

Lastly, and most importantly, I HATE the matte on the screen. I like that I can use the screen in a bright room without glare, but it looks like there is windex or something smeared all over the back of the glass covering the screen. The light distortion is REALLY noticeable to me. I have never used a matte screen, so I don't know if this is normal or if mine is just extra blurry, but I am gonna take a long time getting used to it. Otherwise, the screen is amazing--I just can't believe no one else has mentioned how blurry the display looks compared to like a normal or glossy screen.

Overall, this is my favorite electronic device to date. Everything feels like it is made with the highest quality, and it really feels like the alienware brand has been able to shine through all of Dell's ty cheapness and put out an incredibly well built device. There are clearly some software issues to be worked out per the other posts in this forum, but the GPU temp. fix really has taken care of my main concerns. If you are on the fence, I would definitely give this laptop a chance before you let the reviews scare you off. It is an amazing piece of equipment and I can tell it will last me for a looooong time.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that the vindicator slim case is inexcusably poor. I mean it is TERRIBLE. Terrible. There is almost no padding, and the case is so tight that the zipper will rub up against the corners of the laptop the whole time it is in the bag. It barely fits in the case. If you were to bump the corner of the case on something while it was holding the computer, the zipper would get smashed into the laptop with no padding or room to spare. It looks nice and is very slim, but the design seems to be not just poor, but dangerous. I am going to keep it around for a few more days and CAREFULLY see if I can break it in, but I will probably be selling it.

The vindicator briefcase, on the other hand, is amazing. The laptop fits perfectly in the airport friendly compartment, and there are a lot of cool slots and pockets in the front of the bag. I just wish it was a little thinner overall, it is almost 3x the slim case in thickness. However I will never worry about what might happen to my computer while it is in the briefcase.

It is also worth noting that BOTH of these bags arrived with scratches to the black alienhead on the front. To Dell's credit, I was offered a total of $35 back for the 2 bags (which I bought for 15% off) but if that kind of thing bothers you, I would expect to have to send one or two back, OR I would wait until people confirm they are getting theirs damage free. Basically they just aren't covering the alienhead with sticky plastic anymore, so if it bumps anything ever, that's it.

I hope this helps someone!

 

i agree, the edge digs into your wrists quite a lot, iv started putting a piece of fabric under my arms so i don't get uncomfortable.

good write up

 

I received my 14 today and so far I like it mostly.Just a quick question..How long does the battery take to charge fully?say from 10 to 100% full charge.Myne is taking more than 2 hours is this normal??I am not sure because because the first I plugged time in the charger and restarted the system it said "Please connect a 150W dell adapter,the one which is connected many not charge the system and it didn't" until I restarted and it was working fine..

 

Yea, nice write up. I also agree on the wrist digging. After playing a few games of LoL, the palm rest left red marks on my forearms. My mom thought I got burned or something haha, but it was just those marks you get on your skin when something is pressed to it for a while.

Has anyone tried the neoprene sleeve? I'm interested in getting that, but I really hope the zippers don't scratch your computer like the slim case redandblack1287 talked about.

 

Lol my wrists FEEL like they are burning...

I was thinking about getting the sleeve with my leftover gift cards, if I get one anytime soon I'll let you know if it is worth it or not

 

I just got my 14 and it is a beauty, I call it the Silver-Surfer
Why so much whining? So if you don't like how the edges dig into your wrists, here is a novel idea, get a keyboard, gaming preferably and use that I plan on using my 14 for OOTP14, Office suites for work, and some Marvel Heroes. It will be my computer of choice to travel with
Again, I am very pleased with the design, look, and feel. Job well done Alienware!

 

I have noticed something strange in here, every "X" time, (seems that its random) the slot loading blu ray made a sound, like if its ejecting a disk... someone else notice these?

 

Same here. My optical drive makes a noise every time I boot something graphics intensive like a benchmark or a game.

 

Any of you guys have a hinge the creaks when you move the side of the screen? I feel like I keep finding more faults the longer I have it

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Do you really not understand why that is not a viable solution for a laptop >_>

I mean I do have a gaming keyboard, but if I only wanted to use my computer with an external keyboard, I would have bought, you know, a desktop

 

Is that not the extra cooling system kicking in

 

Could someone please answer my question...many thanks..

 

Thankyou for your review

 

I received a AlienwareArena individual coupon code for 10% off any Alienware 14 build yesterday AFTER my return period expired. US only. It states it CAN be combined with other discounts. It does expire at some point, but doesn't list a date.

Can I post this openly on the forum? If not, feel free to PM me if you're interested in it. Hate wasting perfectly good coupons

 

No, I'm pretty sure it's not the cooling, it's the optical drive, besides someone else said have that behaviour

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The manual says 4hrs to full charge

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