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

Damn it seems like all the m14x's being shipped now have the lame 1.3mp camera instead of the 2mp...

 

Erm I would, but I don't actually own any games newer than about 2008 lol... this is my first gaming machine in a while

Benchmarks are about the only useful thing I can run!

 

I love these owners' lounge threads when someone pops up with "just got mine" in the early stages. Might as well go to a Weight Watchers meeting and announce, "I have chocolate!" You become a very popular person in either case.

 

Hmm, why did you get the i5, while upgrading the video ram. You would have gotten a much better bench if you had upgraded the i5 into an i7. The only reason I upgraded to to 2GB DDR5 is because I will be connecting the m14x via Display port to two (well one for now) 2560x1440 monitors which will benefit from the Vram.

 

Because the cheapest i7 upgrade in the UK at the time was £200, and the graphics upgrade was only 50. The i7 would have taken me way over budget.

Plus I was concerned about heat issues and wanted a cooler running machine.. and I don't really care about benches. The i5 is more than adequate for the vast majority of games, and will be for some time.

 

I ordered mine on 4/20 this will be my first gaming computer so I'm pumped.

 

Hmm that's weird, in the US its $100 for the i7 and $100 for the 2GB 650m. I guess the UK had a difference price for everything. Sorry for the confusion.

 

Cool beans, cheers Bill. So just to clarify:

The UK Dell site has these three processors for M14x:

Intel® Core™ i5 2450M (3MB Cache, up to 3.1GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0)
Intel® Core™ i7-2760QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.5GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
Intel® Core™ i7-2860QM (8MB Cache, up to 3.6GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)

And the new ones listed on the US Dell site are:

3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3610QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.3GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3720QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.6GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3820QM (8MB Cache, up to 3.7GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)

Does that mean if I opted for the i7-2760QM I'd actually get the i7-3610QM at the exact same price? Likewise if I went for the i7-2860QM I'd actually end up with the i7-3720QM?

I think after knowing that, my mind will be totally at rest and be capable of blowing a lot of cash.

Although I guess this means there's no way of ordering the i7-3820QM on the UK site yet (not that I will anyway).

Yep sad but true. I can build the same M14x R2 system on the US site, with double the HDD, 12GB RAM instead of 8GB for almost $450 less. Sometimes it's not just the weather that sucks in this country.

 

If you opted for the 2760QM you would be getting the 3720QM. Dell doesn't downgrade you.

 

Sweet thanks for pointing that out! In all the "first Alienware for meeee" excitement I was struggling to join the dots.

 

I just ordered mine with a 512GB SSD.

All the other builds on the Australian website are expensive compared to the US, but for some reason the highest spec m14 seems to be cheaper when you include the upgraded hard drive.

 

Lol, I think I'll wait until they find out if the motherboard from the m14x r2 fits in the r1 before spending another $1,300. The r1 mobo only costs $200-300 now, I hope the r2 is the same.

 

Intel HD Graphics is dragging down the score

 

Just ordered mine, hope this gt 650m is strong enough to play the likes of swtor without having to be on crap settings.

 

Why do you say that? My 3DMark 11 Performance score was 2200, and most machines with GTX560s only get around 2000 according to Notebookcheck.

So I'm pretty happy with 10% better than a GTX560 in that particular benchmark

 

I think he meant the Windows Experience Desktop Performance Score, which actually makes a lot of sense. You don't need a 650m just to maintain Aero.

 

Exactly what Chainspell said.

 

JE je yea Bill!

Do you hapend to know when DELL ASIA will update the new products, they are out every were even in Australia and nothing in China and HK, Malesya ect ect

What is going on?

 

They are out on msia and singapore website but prices are crazy and customizability is bad.

 

UK has finally been updated this morning!

 

The following was what I ordered from Dell Singapore @ SGD2932.84 (~USD2,362.13)..

3rd generation Intel® Core™ i7-3610QM Processor(2.3GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.3GHz, 6MB Cache)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (English)
McAfee® Security Center - 15 Months Version
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2 x 4GB)
64GB mSATA MiniCard and 1TB 5400RPM Hard Drive
Slot Load 8X DVD+/-RW Drive with DVD+R double layer write capability
1 GB GDDR5 NVIDIA® GeForce®GT 650M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology
SG3-year Premier Service with 3-year CompleteCover

 

Ah, gotcha! I'm sure if I forced the Nvidia on I'd get a better Aero score, but it's not really an issue for me.

I notice that the lowest spec i7 upgrade on the UK site is still £200 - there must be a lot more M14s with i5s in the UK than in the US!

We also don't get the 32GB SSD caching option I'll just have to do it myself!

 

Ordered mine yesterday (UK) opted for the i5 because the extra £200 for the i7 upgrade is just silly, even with VAT off the UK prices are way over US

 

ooo red, u ordered already? i am trying to get them to give me one with 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive. hopefully they can get it.

 

dont worry it wil run smooth xD
swtor ? you should really check Guild wars 2 , you might stop playing swtor ;D
just saying ^^

oh and guys who already got theirs , it would be kind of you to upload a review video on youtube x)

haha funny part, i heard they get shipped from Texas

 

Yeah, I don't regret getting the i5.. can't really see it being a big gaming bottleneck for some time. It's not like the 650m is a beast of a card - I'd imagine the gfx will bottleneck before the cpu.

Just looking at the memory upgrade prices.. 8GB upgrade is $75 in the US, or £90 (!) in the UK. The only component we get a good deal on is the 2GB 650m ($100 vs £50).

Oh well, enough moaning.. I'm still over the moon with my Alien. Not much point in doing pics - it looks exactly the same as an R1 externally - and I'm not one for doing videos

Just ran a 13983 on 3DMark 06 (stock).. I think maybe the lower CPU is more of an issue with DX9 than DX11.

 

The config I'm looking at (standard HDD/RAM, 3720QM, 2gb 650, 1600*900 screen, 3y warranty) from Swedish Dell is prized 50 percent higher than the equivalent config in the US, including VAT. Horrendous if you ask me.

On top of that we get fewer configuration possibilities and no real chances for discounts over the phone. Kinda saddening, but I guess it's the corporate climate. In the US, they are happy to have you as a customer, here in Sweden we as customers should be thankful that we get to purchase their products... Wish I could buy my laptop from Bill.

 

I know what you mean. In the UK for a similar spec M14x it is about £300 ($480) more expensive.

I am seriously considering buying mine from the states.

 

Unigine Heaven benchmark..

A good score, but not too sure about the big range between the low and max figures. Seemed pretty smooth throughout to me..

 

GOOD NEWS!!

After speaking/chatting to maybe 20 "uk" reps and 1 supervisor constantly telling me that i will be getting sandy bridge in my m14xr2 because i ordered before the 3rd gens were released yesterday, this is not the case !

Got my invoice in an email today after it was shipped, had a look through it and guess what? Theyve only gone and upgraded my i7-2760 to i7-3720 xDD
Good times!!

I was worrying that they were only doing this for the us as the reps kept telling me this over and over!
So basically the reps dont have a clue...

Heres part of my invoicve showing the juicy bits of my configuration:

Processor : Intel Core i7 3720QM (6MB Cache, up to 3.6GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0)
Display: 14.1in Widescreen High Definition + (1600x900) WLED with TrueLife
Memory : 8192MB (2x4096) 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
Hard Drive : 256GB Dell Mobility Solid State Drive 6Gb/s
Optical Drive : Blu-Ray Disc (DVD+/-RW + BD-ROM) Drive including software
Graphics : 2GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M
3 Years Next Day In-Home Service with Premium Phone Support
3 years Accidental Damage Protection
Logitech Wireless Mouse M505

Super, it should be arriving shortly xD

 

Congrats willz

You really went all out on the spec (and insurance lol)

 

Wow with that spec and insurance that thing must have cost a fortune!

I always found the insurance to be pretty overpriced.

 

Weird , even I'm getting mine from Texas !

 

Should not take long to Gotham City

 

Cheers, Yeh i need it to last me throughout college and uni when studying engineering, it needs to be able to handle solidworks xD
Yeh with the price it was i had to get insurance, they had a 33% off when i got it so it wasnt too bad

I got a good discount too (18%) was about £340 off (do the math to work out how much the system was
+ the extra £130 off the warranty

So im happy now, its been over a month since i started looking at the m14x and I can finally smell it

 

Just left Unigine running for a good 15minutes...

GPU max 61degs CPU max 72degs

I'd say that was pretty good! The fan didn't have to go crazy either.

 

Wow that is a good discount. Did you negotiate over the phone?

Those temps look very promising too when compared to the r1

 

But sad part, i cant get the name plate engraved =[
and lol at the gotham city comment

 

Well, Dell's main hub is in Austin, Texas - could be laptops are flying into the airport and sent out from there... though I've seen people mentioning other cities from the shipping.

 

Anyone gaming on theirs yet? what kind of Frames ya getting in specific games?... Also anyone OC that 650m yet?

 

Yeah it's because in the UK Dell aren't offering the lower-spec i7-3610QM. That said, the US cost to upgrade to the i7-3720QM is $150 as opposed to the closest equivalent upgrade in the UK which is £200. So either way we are still paying over the odds!

EDIT: The *exact* same R2 build today on the Dell UK site is £130 more expensive. *cries*

 

Oh , that must suck
Yeah

Actually , I meant , I live in Spring , TX
Well, atleast my family does.

 

Was the solidworks requirement a cunning ruse to get your folks to stump up the extra cash for the crazy spec? Cos my housemate runs the latest solidworks on his crappy 3 year old Dell Studio - and it's smooth as hell.

 

Wow that's good news it means HongKong and China will fallow soon!
And yes is always more expensive in Asia for the simple reason that they always force you to get the must expensive CPUs

Lets wait what HongKong shows or China the only good thing is they are very cheap for the total 3 year plan cover, so some times is better here!

Do you guys think I can transfer the USA warraty so it becomes valid in ASIA as I have the feeling I will endeup buying in USA view the crazy price so far in Australia and Singapore am afraid HOngKong and China will fallow that rule too!

 

Hehe nah ive saved up for this laptop myself, after my dell 6400 died after 5 years i needed an upgrade
As long as i can play decent games, use autocad and solid works without a problem im happy
Also i want this laptop to last at least 3 years, hopefully more!

 

@Bill - Got my new m14Xr2 in today, but it came with the Samsung 810 not the 830. Please let me know what I need to do to see about getting this corrected.
FYI-
Order date 4/19/2012
EDD: 5/18/2012
Received: 5/3/2012


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I see the problem. You are looking at M14x, not M14xR2. There are 2 of them on the main laptop landing page on the UK site. You have to start with the one that says "New Alienware M14x Gaming Laptop," not "Alienware M14x."

 

It was the R2 I was looking at but the older procs were listed as it was before the site changed over today.

 

Exactly the same temps I found with Furmark 20 minute burn in. Fan ramps up a bit, but nowhere near anything I'd call loud.

See this post, and shoot them an email. We've identified all 27 units that went out with the wrong drive. The Alienware L3's are working to get the customer information associated with the 27 tags and have already started reaching out to affected customers. We've found 3 of the 27 on NBR.

Oh good. Then what I said before was correct. LOL

 

I haven't seen you be wrong yet.