*OFFICIAL* M14x R2 Owner's Lounge Thread - READ BEFORE POSTING

hi guys.. would like ask regarding creating a D: drive from the existing C: drive. is it safe to do? i'm just afraid of losing data or incompatibility with alien softwares and others

 

I have been playing Max Payne 3 at 1080P on my 50" Panasonic with all the shaders, shadows, and textures set to high. I only turned off MSAA and even turned on FXAA and Tessellation.

The game is running smooth and my 2GB 650M was so worth the extra $100. Even Rockstar has stated that they made and tested this game to work at the highest graphic settings possible and to take advantage of all the new 600 series GPUs features.

Why would NVIDIA even make a 2GB 650M if the extra 1GB would never be used. Look at Rockstar's PC system specs page (Rockstar Games Presents Max Payne 3) and you'll see that Rockstar's highest tested specs are near my R2's specs aside from the 2GB GTX 680 (The 2GB 650M is still pretty sweet for a mobile GPU).


ROCKSTAR'S MAX PAYNE 3
HIGHEST TESTED SPECS
Windows 7/Vista (64 bit)
Intel i7 3930K 6 Core x 3.06 GHZ
or AMD FX8150 8 Core x 3.6 GHZ
16GB System RAM
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 680 2GB RAM
or AMD Radeon™ HD 7970 3GB RAM

 

I just ordered an M14X R2 from Dell yesterday. Expected delivery is 8/2/2012, does anyone know how accurate that date is? I am hoping for it sooner so I can return my XPS 15 ASAP.

Are there any known issues with the M14X R2? I have looked through a lot of this thread but haven't seen anything consistent. The reason I am sending the XPS 15 back is due to the terrible screen and weak wifi.

 

I have found them to over-deliver when it comes to shipping times :] It should be there pretty quick indeed.

Compared to the m14x r1, the r2 has very few known issues. I have seen mention of USB 2/3 issues, but I have not run into them. There are also the usual aggravating issues related to the factory thermal paste (thankfully the r2 runs so much cooler that a repaste is not needed). I would also assume that the graphics drivers have issues, but they will be updated over time. So very little to worry about :]

BUTBUTBUT you're wrooong! ;]

I have rarely seen people discuss the merits of 2GB when it comes to non-gaming applications. I VJ at 720p, and I have long wondered how important VRAM is for multi-display setups.

 

Oh no, not you again ;> I still beg to differ. Let's have a friendly challenge. Your R2 is running a 1gb 650m, correct? My R2 is running a 2gb 650m.

Let's both use the same benchmark (i only have Heaven and Fraps installed at the moment) on the same game at the same settings and compare without OCing. Are you game or are you lame?

 

Post up your scores and I will try to do a bench in the next couple days. Throw up screen shots so i can copy your settings and run the test. Please only use the 900p screen on your laptop and not an external display at 1080p. I have 6gb of ram but I don't think that should affect on the graphics end. I am using stock drivers and not sure what difference it makes.

 

A few more questions before my M14x R2 arrives. Is the screen so shiny that it will actually cause viewing problems? I will be using it in well lit conditions frequently. If so is it worth getting the anti-glare screen protector?

I know the built in audio is 5.1 capable and it has 3 3.5 mm jacks, is it possible to plug in my Tritton PC510 into the 3 jacks for surround sound? I know it only has 3 I don't care if the mic will work, I know that would require a 4th jack.

 

faiz23 is gunna win!! woop woop

 

lolz...i highly doubt it and really I think at the 900p resolution and having DDR5 the ram is not the bottleneck. You will up the ram up to 2gb but the video card is only able to process so fast. GDDR5 is amazingly fast so you will not have a problem moving data from RAM to CPU to process efficiently and quickly. The 900p resolution does not need as much VRAM as compared to running at 1080p pixels. Having 2gb of data loaded to the VRAM is no good if GPU can only process so fast. If you run out of VRAM in the case of 1gb and have a SSD/HDD that will use it as virtual ram for the GPU. Having SSD flash as virtual ram along with 1gb of DDR5 you will not have any effect on FPS since the GPU is the bottleneck specifically the CPU of the GPU and not the VRAM for the GPU. Do you guys realize the HOLY GRAIL RETINA MACBOOK ONLY HAS 1gb gt 650m...ZOMG what now ...

 

I was just kidding. I have the 2GB card in my r2. I'd still love to know more about how vram might affect the performance of a VJ program that is using internal + hdmi + MDP @720p...

 

Hey Guys,
Is it just me or is the R2's batery gaming is better than plugged in
Cause when i play Crysis 2 or AC B'hood, Battery gaming is a loth smoother
BTW Core clock on battery is 405Mhz and when plugged in it is 203Mhz?
I Reinstalled Drivers, ,Whitelisted the game and did all the stuff.
I am this close to doing a system recovery so if anyone knows how to solve this it would help a lot

 

Maybe you can try to check the power options inside AlienFusion (or reset to default if it doesnt work).

 

Yo just did a clean install with latest drivers on a 120gb sandforce ssd. Give me the link to the specific benchmark you want me to run and the setting so we can compare the results. We can do a set of 3 benchmarks like 3d marks, crysis 2 benchmark and heaven.

 

Just thought I'd let everyone know..

I was one of the first to get my m14x R2 on this board, but after 2 months it died (failed to boot up giving single beeps).

Over a month later, and Dell/AW have failed to get hold of the parts to replace the motherboard. So, with much regret, it's going back for a refund. I've lost faith in the product, and in the support provided.

Kind of annoying, because there isn't really much else out there to compete on a size/power level

Back to the drawing board..

 

I tried default and High Performance but none seem to work
Note that this only happens in Crysis 2 and Assassins Creed B'hood
I reinstalled them 3 times and all and whitelisted them so i think it might be a driver problem.Temps are fine tho BTW

 

I ordered mine 7/17 and it just shipped today at 2:30pm from Elk Grove Village, IL. FedEx says it will be here 7/25. Expected delivery date when ordering was 8/1, so hopefully yours ships tomorrow!

 

That doesn't make any sense. How can new M14x's go out fully assembled if they can't find parts to fix yours? Worst case scenario, they should be able to send you a replacement M14x.

 

That would be great, I just checked the order status and they changed the delivery date to the 1st and the shipping from second day to next day. So nothing really changed just expedited shipping. I will be keeping a close eye on it the next few days and hopefully it will ship as early as yours. The Orion M14x backpack which I ordered at the same time will be arriving tomorrow.

It is being delivered today!!! Can't wait.

On Dell's order status site it doesn't show shipped yet but it says the order has partially shipped and a tracking number. Shipping weight is 13lbs so I am assuming this is the M14X R2. I only ordered the laptop and the backpack is there something else I should be expecting? I just don't get the partially shipped message.

"Your order is partially shipped.
Your items may be shipped separately and delivered on different dates in order to complete your delivery as quickly as possible. "

 

You're right, it doesn't make any sense.. except that they're obviously prioritising new builds over repairs (can't blame them I suppose).

They did offer me a new one, but I had already had enough at that point and just wanted my money back. The 'brand' alone isn't strong enough to keep me as a customer.

I'll go bigger this time I think.. the 14 was nice, but I could make room for more

 

Go with 15" Sager or CLevo and I heard they have amazing warranty support.......

 

My M14x arrived this morning, but I didn't get to open it since I'm at work now. But from the looks of it, FedEx really mishandled my package ==. The tape was already off. Still...can't wait to go home and unbox it myself, hoping the padding stuff protected it from any real damage.

Picture of my mistreated Alienware box:
1.
2.

Will update with bigger and better picture when I get home tonight.

 

Yep, box arrived scuffed and also has a small hole. My r1 came with a nice black outer box to protect the nice packaging. The r2 actually has crappier packaging all-around than the r1. I also noticed that they shortened the power cable on the r2. Penny pinching corporate tactics.

 

Yep, mine also arrived with the tape torn off like that. I kept thinking someone might have switched out the m14x with a big heavy brick But all was fine when I "opened" the box.

That's one of the first things I noticed: shortened power cable.

 

Check out the m17x (or is it m18x?) second hdd bracket issues! They make some very strange cost-cutting decisions for a premium brand.

 

Four more hours then I'll be home to "open" my box xD. I'm glad you guys are telling me FedEx people didn't switch out the laptops with bricks xD As long as it's safe and nothing is missing. But I'm also saddened to hear that the R1 packaging was nicer and that Dell is starting to scimp on us.

 

Four more hours! Nice, you're going to enjoy it. I figure you don't really look at the packaging again after you have the m14 all set up.

 

Hey guys, new to the forum!

Just ordered my very first decent computer (be it laptop or desktop!!!)

I am expecting delivery of my Alienware M14x R2 on Monday!

Here is the spec that I ordered:

Nebula Red
i7-3610QM
8GB 1600MHz DDR3
2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 650M
500GB HDD
14.1" WideHD+ (1600x900) WLED with TrueLife
Normal DVD Drive
Killer Wireless-N 1202 (Not sure if this will really make a difference but... £15 extra, why not!)


I would like to upgrade a few things at a later date, but if I can get your views please?

RAM - is it worth going more than 8GB?
Hard Drive - 240GB SSD, from what I have seen the SSD is so much faster than the HDD

I tend to use the laptop for normal day to day as well as gaming (most types of games but mainly motor racing and first person shooters)

Mike

 

Yeah, that's a good base to build on. Don't worry about more RAM if you're just doing typical tasks and gaming. You can also install an mSATA SSD and keep the 500GB HDD where it is. Eventually, I will put SATA III SSDs in both mSATA and primary bay, which will prob be the end of the upgrade cycle for my r2.

 

How is this guy getting 7.1 on both the graphics and gaming score on his WEI when all m14x r2 users and sager users are getting the 7+ scores only on gaming and around 5+ on graphics since optimus and the WEI graphics being used is the intel hd 4000.

How did he manage to get the same score on his graphics like on the dedicated gpu?

 

Don't stress, it apparently is inconsistent. If you run the assessment multiple times, it should eventually reach 7.1. Same thing happened with my r2.

 

my box was also beat up

 

Correct.

My original assessment came back low. Once I booted up and installed updated drivers and Windows updates I ran it again. 7.1 for both graphics tests.

 

M14x R2 Review "The Brits" version

Also listen towards the last 5 min of the video the jet engine hair dryer sounding fan of this amazing machine.

m14x r2 - YouTube

 

Got Mine today! its definitely better than my m14x r1.
Cheers!!

 

Hey faiz23,
Sorry for the late response. Been busy with work and family. I finally got around to downloading and purchasing the advanced 3Dmark software. I have only run one test so far, but I plan on posting more when I get more free time.

So let's just compare with 3Dmark11 for now. Below is the URL Link of my score (im using the beta driver 304.79) and I've also inserted a screen shot of my benchmark settings.



NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-3610QM Processor,Alienware M14xR2 score: 0 3DMarks

 

Looks like a lot of m14x r2 users returned theirs for a refund or replacement because because of the super glossy screen or fan noise or some other issues.

It seems that the m14x r2 has the throttling horror issue once it reaches 65c and severely downclocking the clocks of the gpu and making everything laggy

Some Links to corroborate

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m14x/661036-m14x-r2-temperature-cooling-thread-6.html

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m14x/674262-m14x-r2-crysis-2-problem.html

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...ers-lounge-thread-read-before-posting-58.html


That's no good then and that's bullshyet if Dell/Alienware did this. The gpu is capable of absorbing even in the late 80s celcius and even early 90s and if it's already downclocking/throttling around 65+ just so you could say it maintains less than 70c in exchange of pure 100% gpu utilization/performance then that ruins the whole point of having a gt 650m not running in its full potential.

Are you telling me that it's ok for the gpu to downlock and throttle this low of a celcius temperature under 70c and not get 100% use and performance of the gpu just so it will stay cool? That's not good at all and Dell/Alienware needs to address this issue ASAP

 

Hi guys, I accidentally posted on the R1 forums, so I guess that's the reason no one's replying to it. Anyways, here's my query.

Is there anyway for the M14x R2 to change the various backlighting automatically depending on certain conditions? For example, I want it to change colors depending on the day of the week, i.e. Monday = White, Tuesday = Red, Wednesday = Blue, etc etc.?

Also, how do you guys clean the outside surfaces of your m14x?

And joining in on the discussion, my WEI score for graphics and gaming graphics is at 7.1.

 

Pick a different benchmark since I do not have the paid version of 3dmarks 11. Do HEAVEN or some sort of game benchmark to test it or leave it at regular demo settings.

 

Very curious about this? Any further info? I swear throttling was haunting me when I owned my r1. I would get framerate drops worse and worse as my VJ sets would progress. I wonder if it was all related to the GPU temp... The r2 runs much cooler, but still curious.

 

Greetings,

I received my M14x R2 on Tuesday and I absolutely love it, upgrading from an M11x R1 its... Well I can scarcely put it into words. I plan on taking it apart and repasting the CPU & GPU and at the same time I was hoping to replace the heat pads on the memory with some high quality Phobyra pads but I'm not sure what thickness to order and i'm hoping someone in the forum can help. I haven't taken the machine apart yet and I want to do it all at once, paste and pads. Does anyone have any recomendations on 0.5mm or 1.0mm thickness pads for the Video Memory?

Alienware M14x R2 - i7-3720QM/8GB Kingston HyperX 1866/GeForce GT 650M 1GB/900p HD+ Display/128GB Crucial M4 mSATA SSD/500GB Seagate 7200RPM HDD/Killer 1202N Wi-Fi

In High Regard,

Kaldon

 

Just wondering if anyone ever had this occur. My sounds stopped working all of a sudden, no matter what checked, nothing seemed wrong. But, when I plugged in a headset, I could hear sounds fine. Then it fixed itself when I restarted my laptop. Hopefully it never happens again.

 

Prior to running the WEI, change your NVIDIA Settings in the task bar to use the 650M. Then change it back to auto afterwards.

My WEI (no overclocking)
Proc 7.7
RAM 7.7
Graphics 7.1
Gaming 7.1
Disk 7.9

The Beast:
Alienware M14X-R2 (Stealth Black) 14" 1600x900 (900p) | i7-3820QM | GT 650M (2GB) | 12GB RAM| 512GB SSD | Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW) | Windows® 7 Ultimate 64bit |

 

Wait you lost me, what program do i need to set to use the 650m so that it will show the nvidia gpu score on the graphics WEI score.

 

Hey just ordered the m14x r2 for $1468 (with tax)! It has 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3610QM processor (6MB Cache, up to 3.3GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0), Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, 14.0" High Def (720p/1366x768) with WLED backlight, 12GB3 DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz, 750GB 7,200 RPM SATA 3Gb/s, and 2 GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 650M with Optimus™. Pretty great deal. Thank you dell canada!

 

pretty crappy setup if you ask me. Stop wasting money on 12gb of ram and 2gb video card. Spend the money on ram upgrade for lcd upgrade and keep the video card upgrade if you plan to run multiple LCD. You will surely regret the 720p screen with the lackluster brightness and contrast. The low resolution makes it a pain to make it a productivity device with multiple windows. Even if you plan to use an external monitor when you are on the go you will realize how saving $100 was the worst decision of your life when ordering this laptop.

 

Ok. I didn't get the highest quality screen. I'm not what you would call a screen snob. I am used to SD resolution. I know exactly what I'm buying. You don't have to make me look like a retard.

 

Just because you are use to SD resolution does not mean you are use to crap brightness, colors and contrast but enjoy and have fun with the laptop.

 

I will enjoy my laptop. Also let me specify with the previous screen; my last desktop was free, so i shouldn't complain, but the monitor was fairly bad quality, when it works correctly. The rest of the time it has a dark pink tint. Needless to say I needed a new computer. Sorry if that was off topic just wanted to say.

 

First time poster, obviously.

Just ordered my first Alienware laptop. It's been delivered to my house in the states but I won't get hands on with it until my courier delivers it to me here in Afghanistan.

Here are the specs (and no need mentioning how I went overboard with the RAM capacity...I have money to burn and felt like it):

Alienware M14X R2 Nebula Red with Soft Touch Finish

3rd Generation Intel Core i7-3720QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.6GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)

16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600MHz

14.0" High Def (720p/1366x768) with WLED backlight (perhaps not upgrading the screen was an oversight, but I think I'll be able to live with it...this was kind of an Alienware test run in any case. If I like the overall performance and build, I'll be customizing a larger model prior to my return to the U.S.)

1 GB DDR5 NVIDIA GeForceGT 650M using NVIDIA Optimus technology

500GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s

32G mSATA caching SSD

Killer Wireless-N 1202 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO for Gaming and Video and Bluetooth 4.0


That's the meat and potatoes of the build. I would have preferred a SSD, but it's just not a good value at this point in the game. The 650M is kind of the bottleneck in this whole setup from what I can see, although it is a capable GPU for sure. It would seem to have a limited lifespan, however.

Like I said before, assuming I find the M14X-R2 capable and enjoyable, I will be going for an MX17 or at the very least a newer version of the M14X before I return home in the next year or two. The 14X will cover me for any gaming in the short term, and I've always wanted to try out the alienware machines in any case.

The whole package above ran me $1602 after taxes (1483 before). Not a bad deal, but we all know we pay extra for going the Alienware route (and anyone who goes with Sager pays just about the same, sometimes more).

Looking forward to getting it hand delivered off a Blackhawk sometime in the next 3 weeks.

I'll update later.

 

Why are you in afghanistan currently and are you serving the country. If you are in the armed forces than you qualify for AAFES which has good prices and no tax. Also you have money to blow...lolz what does that mean. I have money to blow as well but only on things that makes sense. Like hmmmmm...how bout I blow your 16gb of ram out of the water with 16gb of ram for half the price. If you have money to burn then why not upgrade the LCD which will benefit from the $100 greatly or even the 2gb video card that is soldered on and can never be upgraded. You overpaid on the one upgrade that you can do extremely easy and for a fraction of the price.