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Refreshing my old M17x R3


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  • 6 months later...

Hi MattyB, these old R3s are absolutely amazing! They can still hold their own even though they're 8 years old. I bought myself an old one a few weeks ago, and despite a few issues with win10 (such as audio drivers) I got mine running. That colour scheme looks great - did you paint it (and with what)?

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  • 4 months later...

Wow that's some sweet looking R3. Congrats on the paint job :thumbsup:

I have a R4 and even though it's well looked after, the years has started to weight on the old boy. Random scratches and marks, the touchpad started peeling off, dead pixels...-_- But it still keeps on  trucking.

Just curious - how did you managed to refresh it? is it easy to do it at home or do you need some professional/semi-professional equipment and materials?

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Thanks. It's easy enough to do yourself if you're comfortable removing the motherboard. This was an early attempt at an Alienware paint job and I've started to perfect it since this one. It's a little rough compared to my recent ones. You just need some spray primer and decent spray paint and clear coat. I use Rustoleum products. You'll also need some fine grit wet/dry sandpaper (I use 1000 and 2000 grit).

Basically you just pull the machine apart and tape up any areas that you don't want sprayed, put down a few coats of primer, light sand, few coats of base color, light wet sand, and then a few coats of clear coat. I use a beach tent to spray in to help reduce dust/hair/etc getting on the wet paint. It still happens though and constantly sanding it out and re-apply layers can be painful (if you want to get it perfect). 

I have recently re-sprayed the soft-touch lid and it came out way better than expected.

You can just buy a new soft-touch lid for around $35-40USD. 

 

IMG_3284.jpg

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It's looking amazing with the lid being painted as well. Great job.

It doesn't sound that complicated, more of a hassle (reapplying paint and sanding) than being difficult. I really hate that kind of things because the perfectionist in me will want to make it immaculate and I understand that it wont be possible - there always will be a spec of dust or anything to ruin it. To this day I still hate putting screen protectors on phones :rolleyes:

But it's good knowing I can refresh my old rig should I decide at some point. For now even with the few scuffs and scratches it's still looking OK.

Thanks for the pictures and the explanation.

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No problem. I just finished respraying an M18x R2 Gloss White and it took about 3 months because it kept getting tiny bits in the final coats. It was infuriating to say the least. I really need a cleanroom or spray booth especially for the colors that really show imperfections, like white. So far my best effort was on my personal M18x. It's a deep blue indoors and really pops in the sunlight. 

 

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IMG_3345 - Copy.JPG

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