*OFFICIAL* Alienware 18 Owner's Lounge Thread

Note: For general questions regarding specs, ordering information and general discussion about all of the new Alienware laptops, including the new Alienware 18, please visit this thread and the Alienware Social Media Team will be glad to help you. *Official* Alienware Launch Discussion Thread

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With the total redesign of the exciting new beast, we will need a new Owner's Lounge. This thread will be the place to discuss your new Alienware 18, share information with fellow owners and answer questions for prospective new owners. As you begin to receive your machines, please feel free to add your own personal product review, photos, etc.

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Tech Specs

Processor Help Me Choose

• 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4700MQ (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz w/ Turbo Boost)
• 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4800MQ (6MB Cache, up to 3.7GHz w/ Turbo Boost)
• Overclocked 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4900MQ (8MB Cache, up to 4.0GHz w/ Turbo Boost)
• Overclocked 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4930MX (8MB Cache, up to 4.3GHz w/ Turbo Boost)

Operating System Help Me Choose

• Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit, English
• Windows® 7 Ultimate 64-bit, English
• Windows 8, 64-bit, English
• Windows 8 Pro, 64-bit, English

Memory Help Me Choose

• 8GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz
• 16GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz
• 32GB Dual Channel DDR3L at 1600MHz

Chipset

• Intel HM87 Express Chipset

Video Card Help Me Choose

• Dual NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 765M with 2GB GDDR5 - NVIDIA SLI® Enabled
• Dual NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 770M with 3GB GDDR5 - NVIDIA SLI® Enabled
• Dual NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 780M with 4GB GDDR5 - NVIDIA SLI® Enabled

Display Help Me Choose

• 18.4 inch (467.36 mm) WLED FHD (1080p) TrueLife PLS 350 Nit Display (1920 X 1080) (Standard)

Audio and Speakers

• Internal High-Definition 5.1 Performance Audio with Dolby Home Theater v4 Software (Standard)
  2.1 Speaker configuration with Subwoofer
  Audio Powered by Klipsch®
  7.1 Digtial Audio out using HDMI out connection or S/PDIF Optical port

Hard Drive Help Me Choose

• Up to 1500GB2 SATA hard drive (7200RPM)
• Up to 1000GB2 hard drive

Optical Drive

• Slot-Loading 8x SuperMulti Drive (DVD±R/RW) (Standard)
  Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BD-ROM, DVD±RW, CD-RW)

Power

• 8-cell Lithium Ion (86 wHr)
  330W A/C Adapter

Camera

• FullHD 2MP Camera with dual digital microphones

Wireless

• Killer Networks Gigabit Ethernet NIC (Standard)
  5G WiFi Broadcom 4352 802.11n/ac and Bluetooth 4.0 (Standard)

Ports, Slots & Chassis

• AlienFX Lighting Zones
  10 unique programmable zones with up to 20 distinct colors providing over 10 trillion lighting combinations
  
  Customized Features
  Laser-Engraved Nameplate
  
  Dimensions & Starting weight
  Height: Front: 56.71mm. (2.23 in.) Rear: 57.50mm (2.26 in.)
  Depth: 327.89 mm (12.909 in.)
  Width: 456.50 mm (17.972 in.)
  Starting at weight with optional SSD: 5.472 kg (12.064 lbs)
  
  External Chassis Connections
  (1x) Power/DC-in Jack
  (1x) RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet IPv6 (3x) SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Ports
  (1x) SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Port with PowerShare Technology
  (1x) Mini-Display Port
  (1x) HDMI 1.4 Output / 1.3 Input
  (1x) 9-in-1 Media Card Reader
  (2x) Audio Out 1/8" Ports (One compatible with inline mic headset)
  (1x) Line In Microphone 1/8" Port (retaskable for 5.1 analog audio output)
  (1x) Kensington Security Lock port (cable and lock sold separately)
  
  Exterior Chassis Materials
  Anodized Aluminum
  Magnesium Alloy
  
  Keyboard
  4-Zone, multi-color RGB, keyboard with AlienFX lighting controls and numeric keypad
  9 user-programmable keys providing up to 19 distinct functions per application or game
  
  Memory Slots
  4x 204-Pin DDR3L SO-DIMM SDRAM Slots
  
  Software
  Alienware Command Center
  AlienFX™
  AlienTouch™
  AlienFusion
  AlienAdrenaline w/ Accelerator
  Alienware TactX™
  
  Touchpad
  Backlit button image sensor trackpad with all-points addressable (APA)

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Technical Resources

Drivers & Downloads for Alienware 18 (alternative Dell FTP web page for all Dell drivers )


Alienware 18 Owner's Manual (includes illustrated teardown instructions)

 

Here are some sample gameplay videos with the Alienware 18... This is using the stock Dell driver and no overclocking. Enjoy.

[parsehtml]<iframe width='640' height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nnp28mPVBZE?rel=0" frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width='640' height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/HCmnf2m_Mkg?rel=0" frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>[/parsehtml]

 

Here are some photos of the Alienware 18...

[parsehtml]<iframe class='imgur-album' width='100%' height="550" frameborder='0' src="http://imgur.com/a/qDOan/embed"></iframe>[/parsehtml]

 

Thanks to our good friend, DELLChrisM from Dell Community Forums, here is a parts list for the new Alienware 18.

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Bottom Plastic Assembly
1609W Bottom Case for ODD
1WYKD Bottom Case for non ODD
1WPDD Bottom Base cover with blank COA label
4K8FX Front door with nameplate
N77GT Bottom door rear assembly

DVD-ROMs, ODD = Optical Disk Drive
3KVNM DVDRW/BD-ROM,HLDS
WY4WC DVD+/-RW,HLDS
P3KVR DVD+/-RW,PLDS
7JNWY ODD bracket
9TC6M ODD cable

Graphic Card (GPU)
CG8VH SLI cable Nvidia
R7H03 GPU Fan
MHR0Y GPU Thermal Pad
2K0KW Nvidia GeForce GTX780m N14E-GTX 4GB GDDR5 with bracket, thermal pad
TJ6G8 GTX780m GPU Thermal Module Right 100w
HTXFC GTX780m GPU Thermal Module Left 100w
1RMFM Nvidia GeForce GTX770m N14E-GS 3GB GDDR5 with bracket, thermal pad
D6V4R Nvidia GeForce GTX765m N14E-GE 2GB GDDR5 with bracket, thermal pad
H3P03 GTX765m/GTX770m GPU Thermal Module Right 75w
YX4KF GTX765m/GTX770m GPU Thermal Module Left 75w
Heat sink - 980M - part number 43K2P (right)
Heat sink - 980M - part number 54TRV (left)

Hard Drives, Cables, Brackets
PXGTW HDD Bracket
FMJH7 HDD FPC cable
RJF2Y 2ND HDD Bracket for ODD bay
R64M2 2ND HDD FPC for ODD bay (SATA cable)
5K1VD HDD 1TB,S3,512E,KAHV-SSH
1KT1K HDD 1TB,S3,5.4K,2.5,512E,AQU-B
K8Y8C HDD 1TB,S3,5.4,2.5,512E
W6F0N HDD 750GB,S2,7.2,2.5,512E,MX375
WJH3D HDD 750GB,S2,7.2,2.5,512E,JET-C
2XFM1 SSD 512GB,S3,7MM,Liteon,M6S
HHCWG SSD 512GB,S3,7MM,Liteon,M3S-M
WKJR2 SSD 256GB,S3,7mm,Liteon,M3S-M
XFJWX SSD 256GB,S3,7mm,Liteon,M6S
64T7G SSD 256GB,S3,MCARD,Liteon,M3M-M
XXM30 SSD 256GB,S3,MCARD,Liteon,M6M
M5PCC SSD 256GB,S3,MCARD,Hynix,SH920
FFKNK SSD 256GB,S3,7mm,Samsung,PM841
XVN2P SSD 80GB,S3,MCARD,3.8MM,Intel 530
0PM10 SSD 64GB,S3,FULL,MCARD,PM830
8DWMT SSD 64GB,S3,MCARD,Liteon,L3M-M
5FCRV SSD 64GB,S3,MCARD,Hynix,SH920
H9R7V SSD 32GB,S3,MCARD,Liteon,L6M
92K2X SSD 32GB,S3,MCARD,Hynix,SH920
7C4P7 SSD 32GB,S3,FULL,MCARD,PM830

Keyboard
M8MH8 Keyboard
HPWTH keyboard support bracket
JC1MH Touchpad button with bracket
GFJ8V Touchpad, Light guide, FFC

LCD
866JK 18.4 FHD, 16X9
18N13 LCD Cover WLAN+WIGGI
DKNF7 LCD Bezel
DWVPH LCD Bezel Flat
MPNHN LCD Cover WLAN
NC4YP LVDS Cable Flat
2VVTR LVDS Cable
V2Y69 LCD Bracket Left
NC3YR LCD Bracket Left Flat
X7X9V LCD Hinge Left
RH7V0 LCD Bracket Right
2FMW0 LCD Bracket Right Flat
G1P12 LCD Hinge Right
W58PR Camera, 2.1M

Memory
N2M64 8GB,1600,2RX8,4G,DDR3L,S
NWMX1 4GB,1600,2RX8,4G,DDR3L,S

Motherboards/Boards
NCCXC Motherboard, Windows 8 Pro, with CPU and VGA Thermal pad (4703X,MHR0Y,F1RJC)
3FGT2 Motherboard, Windows 8 Home, with CPU and VGA Thermal pad (4703X,MHR0Y,F1RJC)
T47XJ Motherboard, Windows 7, with CPU and VGA Thermal pad (4703X,MHR0Y,F1RJC)
RWF8Y Logo board with cable and light guide
2R94W Hall Sensor board
52YHK Power board with FCC
72YDF Non-VPT board with FPC
D8X48 Indicator board with FFC
H3VYP Card reader board with FCC
H7T88 Tron light board with holder
877KT Tron light board with holder Front
XVVY6 Audio board
D27P3 AlienHead Board with cable
9V9NY LED Board with cable, L/R

Palmrests
TMN17 Palmrest assembly

Plastics
JMP4R Nameplate
M9DVD SD Dummy card
MHN6X Plastic Holder Cable

Power Source
K2490 Power cord
3K03F Reserve Coincell battery
Y90RR AC Adapter, Delta, 330w, 3-Pin (Uses C13 Straight Power Cord)
FHMD4 AC Adapter, Flextronics, 240w, 3-Pin (Uses C13 Straight Power Cord)
FWCRC AC Adapter, Delta, 240w, 3-Pin (Uses C13 Straight Power Cord)
G33TT Primary battery, Samsung, 89WHR, 8C
KJ2PX Primary battery, Simplo, 89WHR, 8C

Processor Modules Haswell
X2R7W CPU Fan
0VMK2 CPU Thermal Module
F1RJC CPU Thermal Pad
C8HRG i7-4930MX 3.00GHz with CPU thermal pad (DNWKK,F1RJC)
HDX3D i7-4900MQ 2.80GHz with CPU thermal pad (77RHX,F1RJC)
036M4 i7-4800MQ 2.70GHz with CPU thermal pad (NXFRR,F1RJC)
86XWW i7-4700MQ 2.40GHz with CPU thermal pad (0DMPC,F1RJC)

Speakers
0M13V Subwoofer assembly with two cushions
0PFWT Speaker assembly with four cushions

Wireless
CTJ7G Killer N1202 WLAN, WiFi + blue tooth, Half Mini Card
XW7V6 BCM4352

 

Thankfully, all of the ludicrous speculation about the demise of the Alienware flagship monster laptop were false for yet another year.

Hats off to Alienware for providing us with more extreme performance in a mobile package.

If you have placed an order for an Alienware 18, please feel free to post and tell us about it. We can all be excited together while you are waiting for its arrival.

 

Can anyone confirm how many HDD slots in the HDD bay ? Is it the same as the R2 or R1 ? Are all slots Sata III ?

 

Brother TBoneSan, you might get a faster answer to that question in the http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/721403-official-alienware-launch-discussion-thread.html as I know they are devoting a lot of attention to questions in that thread. The social media team has been answering questions like that regarding all of the models. I haven't checked yet, but it may already be answered.

 

From what ive heard it has 2 hdd slots and 1 msata slot.. But there is an option to delete the optical drive.. To add another hdd..

 

Have a look at this information (link is in the other thread I mentioned)... Alienware 18 vs. m18xR2

Although not of interest to Alienware 18 owners, there are also these links... Alienware 14 vs. m14xR2 and Alienware 17 vs. m17xR4

 

So I don't see any SPDIF out on the AW18. So I guess they removed it.

 

Thanks for the links Brother Mr Fox - There's been so many similar threads lately its making my head spin.

Brother Dumb Dumb you're right by the way. x 2 in the Caddy + x 1 mSata, + ODD for the hungry

 

Ha ha, I agree... kind of like herding cats.

That's one of the reasons I opened this new Owner's Lounge. (Did the same for the 14 and 17, too.) Need to try to get a handle on all the random new threads that are being posted. We already need a place to start moving all of the threads about new orders being placed, comments and questions specific to each of the new models, as well as a place to move new posts when folks get their new systems and want to post about their excitement.

 

with the new chipset they are using it can have up to 4 drives at sata 3. Information below in link.

Mobile Intel® HM87 Chipset Block Diagram

 

CANNOT WAIT. Got a really decent price - now just the waiting game. Estimated delivery date 24th July (although I'm told by one of my guys at AW UK (not the call center or a rep) that it will be 3 weeks). Fingers crossed he's not wrong!

 

Perhaps a list of what will be inside?

 

Dunno if any of you guys have seen this, but here's a teaser while you wait for your new babies to be deployed from the mothership (Must say, I like the LPS display's viewing angles - they appear to be very good and the reflections, whist still there vs a complete matte screen, are pretty well reduced - I didn't see they guy's face in it, so it's no longer like looking into a mirror! - me likey!)

 

Here we go, from another post...

 

Something I've been wondering is that this is my first 18.4 in laptop. I currently have a Swiss laptop bag which I am worried won't fit and was wondering if I should buy one of the laptop bags but they are 115 dollars and look a bit flashy.

edit: also I am wondering if a decent cooling mat would be good to have to keep it from getting so hot. Any thoughts?

 

If someone has tested it, may you say how noise is that tiger?

 

I can tell you from experience that a 18.4 notebook won't fit into that backpack; unless you don't mind shoving the AW sideways, deforming the backpack, and leaving 1/4 of the laptop bulging out, stretching the zipper. To give an idea of what it would look like, It'd be like trying to shove a whole chocolate tablet in your mouth without breaking in it in squares. super comfy right?

The Vindicator 18 backpack and briefcase might look flashy to you, but they are sturdy, ideal for carrying (and caring about) your new baby. The Swiss one are soft and even fitting wouldn't provide enough protection from accidental mishandling. If this is your first 18.4 I'd worry more about keeping it intact and protected by a sensible case than fret over its look. But that's just my view. If the look really bothers you and you want something more sober amazon has quite the selection. For instance, a Case Logic PNC-218 18-Inch Laptop Case costs only a bit more than 30 bucks and there are many similar. Take a look.

 

Swiss does not make anything suitable for the m18 as of a couple months ago, but haven't checked recently. I ended up going with Everki for mine; not a bad bag all and all as I can fit the 18 in with no problem along with another 17.

 

Hello

My Upgrad M18X R3

 

Yeah it does look really nice when I look at the hd photos. When you are talking about the Alienware 18 you shouldn't really cut corners to save a buck to not really protect it. I'll just use the 5% giftcard from purchase. Now to decide between the backpack or messenger bag.

 

^^^ messenger bag looks more mean IMO, can take everywhere, etc business meetings, business travel etc etc, backpack long journey on foot, more casual...

 

hmm...why is the new alienware using ddr3l memory, big difference to ddr3?

 

only difference is the voltage. Crucial sells same RAM for M18X R1/R2 and for new M18X R3, all same specs, low voltage modules. Low votage, the only difference I know

 

5 weeks away. My current desktop is meh to game on. What am I gonna do with my life.

 

No-Life-Gamer congrats on maxed out AW 18! Post some pics and benches once you get your hands on it!

Cheers!

 

I'm looking forward to the possibility of seeing you bench that bad boy. Here are some targets for you to shoot for. Mr. Fox - Cumulative Benchmark Scores - Alienware M18x R2 "Avenger"

Things have been kind of ho-hum in the benchmark thread for a while, so it will be good to finally see some new gladiators entering the arena.

 

Wow that's quite a lot of testing. I'll bench it out of the box (with driver updates) with 3D Mark the day I get it.

 

UltraGsm you sticking it out with the R2? I stopped mine and went for the R3.

 

well this is complete bs.

alienware site doesnt give option to buy overclocked 4.0 ghz i7-4900MQ cpu anymore.

and for the same price it is now 3.8 ghz factory i7-4900MQ.

good job alienware. you just lost a customer.

 

hello



10 char....

 

Ha ha, I know that you will be benching it Brother Rifi-Fifi. I am looking forward to seeing your posts with the new beast.

 

why would you worry, since these are partially unlocked and can be overclocked from your bios (I suppose) just grab it test it out and see if you like or not

 

I just cant stop loving R1/R2 design and features/ports options etc. I honestly highly dislike R3 but maybe its just me. I rather upgrade to 780m if I EVER have to in my R2

im oldskool

 

why would i not worry?

and why would i buy something that's partially unlocked when I could have bought overclocked as is?

why would i just grab it and test it out like it's a toy. it's a serious investment.





alienware marketed their product with options to buy overclocked cpu, and now they pulled it from customization.

clap clap clap.

 

Serious investment? Well its not cheap but hey thats not the end of the world.

 

Alienware pulled the i74900MQ overclocked processor out of the 3.5 k model and replaced it with i749000 stock model after the grand marketing.

Good job alienware.

 

Alienware pulled the i74900MQ overclocked processor out of the 3.5 k model and replaced it with i74900MQ stock model after the grand marketing.

Good job alienware.


they did that?

 

yeah. they did that 6/12 at night.

 

Wait. So the pulled out the i7 4900MQ and replaced it with the same model?

 

nah its stock model go check it out on their site. it's now 3.8ghz stock model.

 

It doesn't mean it's not coming back. Maybe it's temporary, or something (technical or logistical?) they didn't expect, during the "grand marketing," suddenly happen and now they found themselves in difficulty and swapping CPUs was the only viable option they had to keep the machine on the market. We don't know for sure what happened, but that's no reason to bash the brand and make it a reason to discard AW for ever. It's better wait and see what happens than creating drama and insulting each other. Guys, show some maturity please. We can still discuss about this like adults, or disappointed customers, or users curious to understand what actually happened. I don't really see a big fault in that cpu swapping, and I do think it's just something temporary. If we let pass some time we might just see several totally customizable options appearing on the Dell shop, maybe with AMD cards, different CPUs and hdisk combos for different prices, etc, just like it was after a while with the M1*x series. Just calm down and take the dialogue down a notch and back to something constructive. Thanks.

 

i actually read this, and i agree with you 100%. the thing that rubs me the wrong way is pricing. now stock model is equal to what I would need to pay for overclocked cpu.

what do you think about this?

 

Dude. It takes about 2-3 minutes to overclock it yourself.

 

As I said, it's probably due to some issue they may have encountered? It's not the first time they suddenly pulled out the shop some piece of hardware only to see it reappear back a few days later. In the meantime it's not as if they can shut the shop down. I agree that if this wasn't going to change that configuration could be sold at a different price. Maybe it was simply a marketing move that backfired; that is, Dell didn't expect a sold out of that specific configuration and found themselves without that CPU. A few times we've seen AMD or nVidia temporarily sold out and in back order. I think it's better to wait a few days and see.

And yes, it's fairly easy to overclock the CPU to that frequency.

 

Ok I hope they restock soon. and there are reasons why i dont overclock it myself. I would if i could but i'm just an average consumer. which is why we buy overclocked cpus handled by actual technicians.

 

Only one USB port listed in post #1. Yet the vids seem to show two. Even that is not enough.

 

I totally understand, man. But don't overlook the fact that you've got behind a great community of quite knowledgeable, skilled, and experienced users here that are willing to help you by providing advice, tips and tricks and pointing you toward the right direction As far as technicians go, although several are certainly capable, many of those they send home have little experience with these machines and aren't so skilled as the so many here that know their notebook upside down and inside out "literally," since they've opened, modded, and tweaked their hardware many times over