vikingrinn

lol, well, you're right - i don't think the intel hd 3000 iGPU is going to be on par with amd 6970 crossfirex dGPU's anytime soon...

anywho, for everyday tasks, never really experienced much of a problem (an ssd would definitely remedy the case of a 3-5 minute reboot time...) with the intel hd 3000, and the newly revised intel hd 4000 has made many improvements for a 'good' average all around iGPU:

Intel HD Graphics 3000 - Notebookcheck.net Tech

Intel HD Graphics 4000 - Notebookcheck.net Tech

I'm not surprised at all - it's exactly what I expected. I'll just flash to 675M and then sell my system later on as a 675M SLi system

and then move to an R2 w/kepler 680M SLI, which should prove to be quite a beast?!?!~

i emailed her last week, still no answer...

she's been flooded since picking up for jason - pm'd...

so what's the email of the guy ?

lol!~

anywho, it's a gal now anyways!~

dell/alienware representative 'nactownag' has asked me (since his posts over at nbr have all mysteriously vanished...) to make aware that there is currently a new 25%+ promotion underway that he will be able to honor until his last day 09/05/2011, which can be obtained by following the instructions found within the following post:

Originally Posted by nactownag

Please read this entire post

Here's the deal guys/gals, I need you all to please help me with this. I've gotten what seems like 100 emails from people and 99% of them go something like this:

"Hey I'm looking at an M17x what can you do for me"

I don't mean to be rude but this does nothing for you or me besides waste me 15 seconds to open the email and read it.

The situation is tough because I'm constantly being watched and monitored and I have to make sure that I'm taking inbound calls as well as helping you guys.

Yes...most of my deals end on 8/20/11. Also my last day at Dell is 9/5/11 (moving to a new job in a completely different field while I'm still in sales).

Now here's how you can help me help you

#1...please don't give me a hard time with negotiating. We can talk about it a little but I truly am giving y'all a sick deal most of the time. I won't name any names but a few people keep asking for more or different configs for same price or more discount. I'm giving everyone the MOST i possibly can. If a system has 20 bucks in margin/profit I'm not giving you another $100 off or a free bag. Don't ask. Again not trying to be rude but let's get real...the deal is already awesome.

#2...when you email me, please tell me the EXACT specs that you're looking for (processor, memory, screen res, hard drive, led color, namplate, EVERYTHING) because it takes time to create quotes and go back and modify them if I have to add a nameplate or something. This is also beneficial so if I'm not available via phone to place order you can have an accurate quote # to call in and place the order. If you have to change the quote then the discount goes away.

#3...send me your name, address (billing/shipping), AND phone number in the email. I need this to be able to create a quote for you. International folks, this can be difficult to deal with. Sometimes it goes through...sometimes it doesnt. It's hit and miss.

#4...People who want to spend more are going to save more. This is a fact of life. If you want to buy the base level M14x I'm probably not going to be able to save you much $$$ but I'll be able to give you a better warranty or more RAM or something for the same price. Why you ask? Because if you don't want to add anything to it then there is no profit or margin for Dell. I'm not about to sell you a system that has negative 200 bucks margin and hurts Dell and my paycheck. Sorry.

#5...if you can and it makes no difference...PLEASE USE A DELL PREFERRED ACCOUNT TO PAY FOR YOUR SYSTEM. It helps me out tremendously. Even if you open an account and put $1 on the account and the rest on your credit card for airline miles. I'm serious.

I'm sorry for having to be so direct. I know this is an awesome deal but I have to be as efficient as I possibly can to make sure everyone gets served before the deal is done and I'm done at Dell.

By the way, I'm not going to be in the office this Friday/Saturday so Wednesday/Thursday is it. Two more days.

If I haven't responded to your email, don't take it personally. Just re-send your email to my DELL account...read a few posts back to decipher what it is.

I know I haven't posted since I first posted way back when and I apologize for that but I never realized it would be this big of a deal. I hope everyone understands.

I think the people that have dealt with me know that I'm a good and fair guy to deal with. Just be reasonable and don't waste my time is all I ask.

Gig 'Em

Jason

and contacting him via the information found within the following post:

Originally Posted by nactownag

What I'll try to do is this...and there are no guarantees because I'm busy today.

I will TRY to go to the office tonight around 8pm CST and create some quotes.

Here's the caveat: I won't be there for long and I'm not changing quotes so I literally need you to tell me every single thing that you want.

I need your name, address phone number (billing and shipping address if different). I can't ship anywhere outside the states.

Seriously guys, make sure I know everything that you want. Don't send me two different configurations. Just send me what you want. I might add RAM or I might add warranty to it (I have to have positive margin). Don't ask if you can change something...just take it and be happy (it's a great deal).

I won't be placing the orders over the phone tonight. I'll just email you the quote and you'll go to www.dell.com/qto to place the order. If you tell me you are using a Dell Preferred Account (don't lie to me) you'll get first priority.

I'm moving some stuff from my apt to my familys house which is about 2 hours away so when I get back from there I'll stop by work and do it.

To figure out my email is my first name (signed below ) underscore last name (a guy who cuts hair) at dell dot com. I hope you can figure that out.

Thanks

Jason

hopefully this helps some of those here preparing to order a new dell/alienware system, and he also stated he has a co-worker who might possibly begin assisting us with future $aving$ after he is gone...

Personally I would like to see them stray away from the current muscle car design and focus more onto scifi designs. I would also like to see something much more original then the current media controls.

I would like to see a more industrial/refined look with a hint of the current muscle/scifi design. Kinda like a thin sleek MBP with a hint of AW styling and all metal design.

like perhaps an alienware designed competitor to razer's forthcoming balanced/thin 'blade'?

nice review!~

the alienware M17x R3 and M18x are definitely both excellent systems, yet share the overall sentiments of d(h)ell atm...

thanks again for the in depth article guys!~

amd has just gone to press with their official answer to nvidia's gtx 580m, the 6990m, to be showcased in alienware’s flagship m18x:

At its core, the Alienware brand is about pushing the limits and finding new extremes in gaming performance," said Arthur Lewis, Vice President and General Manager for Alienware. "By offering two AMD Radeon HD 6990M graphics processors in our flagship M18x laptop, Alienware and AMD have come together to provide gamers the ultimate mobile experience.

engadget article/full amd press release here, although curious as to why they'd even highlight their lackluster hd3d feature when brute force is more their offerings strong suit...

Waiting for Green lantern and Pirates of the Caribbean.

ndeed!!!~

during that whole entire seven day long break between classes last week , was presented the chance to see Thor in IMAX 3D on two different occasions - NICE!~

it was even better the second time - but special effects and concept of principal character Thor aside, do agree with the realistic 6-7/10 overall. would love to see hollyweird start leaning more towards the nolan/snyder production style (and stop cheesifying everything), but not expecting too much...

now bring on pirates, hangover, and super 8!!!~

congrats brian, enjoy!~

I don't know how many of you heard of the Zeitgeist Movement.

They have produced three very interesting documentary movies that deal with the corruption of the world goverments, the outdated and corrupted monetary system and lots of other very interesting issues. I can't say i agree with all of their claims, but nevertheless i found their movies extremely interesting to watch.

You can access and download those movies for free here : The Zeitgeist Film Series Gateway | Zeitgeist: The Movie, Zeitgeist: Addendum, Zeitgeist Moving Forward

I strongly advise you guys to watch it and i would really like to open a discussion about it here.

I wanted to share an email i got from them couple of days ago.

Let me know what you think.

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TZM: Response to Media; Death of Osama bin Laden

On May 1, 2011 Pres. Barack Obama appeared on national television with the

spontaneous announcement that Osama bin Laden, the purported organizer of

the tragic events of September 11th 2001, was killed by military forces in

Pakistan.

Within moments, a media blitz ran across virtually all television networks

in what could only be described as a grotesque celebratory display,

reflective of a level of emotional immaturity that borders on cultural

psychosis. Depictions of people running through the streets of New York and

Washington chanting jingoistic American slogans, waving their flags like

the members of some cult, praising the death of another human being,

reveals yet another layer of this sickness we call modern society.

It is not the scope of this response to address the political usage of such

an event or to illuminate the staged orchestration of how public perception

was to be controlled by the mainstream media and the United States

Government. Rather the point of this article is to express the gross

irrationality apparent and how our culture becomes so easily fixed and

emotionally charged with respect to surface symbology, rather than true

root problems, solutions or rational considerations of circumstance.

The first and most obvious point is that the death of Osama bin Laden means

nothing when it comes to the problem of international terrorism. His death

simply serves as a catharsis for a culture that has a neurotic fixation on

revenge and retribution. The very fact that the Government which, from a

psychological standpoint, has always served as a paternal figure for it

citizens, reinforces the idea that murdering people is a solution to

anything should be enough for most of us to take pause and consider the

quality of the values coming out of the zeitgeist itself.

However, beyond the emotional distortions and tragic, vindictive pattern of

rewarding the continuation of human division and violence comes a more

practical consideration regarding what the problem really is and the

importance of that problem with respect to priority.

The death of any human being is of an immeasurable consequence in society.

It is never just the death of the individual. It is the death of

relationships, companionship, support and the integrity of familial and

communal environments. The unnecessary deaths of 3000 people on September

11, 2001 is no more or no less important than the deaths of those during

the World Wars, via cancer and disease, accidents or anything else.

As a society, it is safe to say that we seek a world that strategically

limits all such unnecessary consequences through social approaches that

allow for the greatest safety our ingenuity can create. It is in this

context that the neurotic obsession with the events of September 11th, 2001

become gravely insulting and detrimental to progress. An environment has

now been created where outrageous amounts of money, resources and energy is

spent seeking and destroying very small subcultures of human beings that

pose ideological differences and act on those differences through violence.

Yet, in the United States alone each year, roughly 30,000 people die from

automobile accidents, the majority of which could be stopped by very simple

structural changes. That's ten 9/11's each year... yet no one seems to pine

over this epidemic. Likewise, over 1 million Americans die from heart

disease and cancer annually - causes of which are now easily linked to

environmental influences in the majority. Yet, regardless of the over 330

9/11's occurring each year in this context, the governmental budget

allocations for research on these illnesses is only a small fraction of the

money spent on “anti-terrorism” operations.

Such a list could go on and on with regard to the perversion of priority

when it comes to what it means to truly save and protect human life and I

hope many out there can recognize the severe imbalance we have at hand with

respect to our values.

So, coming back to the point of revenge and retribution, I will conclude

this response with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., likely the most

brilliant intuitive mind when it came to conflict and the power of

non-violence. On September 15, 1963 a Birmingham Alabama church was bombed,

killing four little girls attending Sunday school.

In a public address, Dr. King stated:

“What murdered these four girls? Look around. You will see that many

people that you never thought about participated in this evil act. So

tonight all of us must leave here with a new determination to struggle. God

has a job for us to do. Maybe our mission is to save the soul of America.

We can't save the soul of this nation throwing bricks. We can't save the

soul of this nation getting our ammunitions and going out shooting physical

weapons. We must know that we have something much more powerful. Just take

up the ammunition of love.”

- Dr. Martin Luther King, 1963 -

~Peter Joseph

The Zeitgeist Movement

"praising the death of another human being"

a human being?!?! that is very insightful, as is the remaining [sic] diatribe, to the mindset of the author. also, while the superficial equating throughout the [sic] diatribe boggles the logical mind, it's purposefully right in line (evocative) with the deeper agenda of the author...

it is one thing to express elation at the news of quick end to a vile heinous creature, such as americans did upon learning the fate of bin laden, and quite another to celebrate the death of countless thousands of innocent humans (from every country, ethnicity, and religious background imaginable) as displayed throughout the middle east after 9/11. for that matter, it is also quite different than the recent celebrations in palestine over the gruesome murder of the fogel family in itmar...

unfortunately yes, i’ve witnessed the first so-called 'documentary' zeitgeist (good lies always contain elements of truth), and i do believe goebbels (and the author's unsurprising friend/associate michael moore) would be proud (always exploit natural fears and apprehensions) of new age mystic/communist (and 9/11 'truther', amongst other things...) peter joseph merola. at the onset, my recommendation for anyone bantering about spaceship earth having ‘limited seating’ (aka population control) as does merola, they should be first to 'jump ship'…

merola seems ambitious to become the next relevant cult leader with marketing of his 'new world order'. people have flocked/gotten lost (albeit ironically seeking to 'find themselves'…) to group think like that (for one reason or another) throughout the ages. curiously enough, jared lee loughner found merola to be most inspirational...

as for myself, i’ll stick with locke, hume, rousseau, kant, smith, etc. for enlightenment. i’m amazed how students graduate from universities without even general exposure to the works of these individuals for which the cornerstone of post-feudalistic thought is based. the concentration seems to be on putting the genie (of liberalism) back in the bottle, and regression (ie: socialism and communism, both societies of subjects led by elite oligarchs) paramount. one might wonder what the purpose is in that? (rhetorical) in addition to merola himself, as an ardent objectivist/libertarian, i also personally detest the very premise of merola's collectivism at its core...

"those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" -george santayana

edit: for anyone taking time to consume 'TZM' material, be sure to also checkout:

The Zeitgeist Movement

This seems promising, better that the Thor movie in my humble opinion.

...huh?!?

Norse messiah, the mighty God of Thunder moonlighting as a comic superhero?!? nope, no way, NeVaR!!!~

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nah tho, j/k w/ya of course!~ Reynolds kicks ass too, should be a great Green Hornet - especially after that performance as Deadpool!

Captain America looks to be definitely shaping up nicely (still would have preferred someone like Mark Valley):

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although not this summer, with Nolan & Snyder at the helm of the Man of Steel, we may see (despite the current dc comic writers intentions otherwise) a real Superman in this lifetime; Truth, Justice, and the American Way!~

Dude you can't hate on justin beaver, his purple shoes and tight jeans are awe inspiring, especially his haircut. I'm driving down to the bay soon, keep that vapo ready. And to stay on topic, since most of you guys like metal, this is one of the only metal bands that I really liked as a kid:

metallica 'ets', nice!~ (altho 'one' ftw!~ )

while pretty eclectic (well, xcept ghetto) from pop to classical, it's usually either rock or electronica playing here!~

dood, couldn't grow up 15 minutes from san dimas and not rock out to:

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and last, but most definitely not least - my number one all time favorite band :

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great stuff - fits perfectly with the official M17x R3 & M18x trailers, and will be a nice addition to the forthcoming t|i reviews!~

would mixup something of the 2nd and 4th, preferencing the larger font, longer duration flames in correlation with the smoldering, and the shorter overall time frame...

looking forward to it, and keep up the great work guys!~

p.s. even with a fiber connection, youtube stutters at times due to their throttling... sheesh!~

How does this compare with the 17xr3 screen?

atm the M17x R.3D's 120Hz WLED is the best display offering across the entire alienware laptop lineup, and hopefully alienware eventually offers something similar (or better) in the M18x as well...

LOL was hoping that would get it, THANX!~

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U.S. M18x Product Page Live (atm):

Alienware M18x Laptop Details

yeppurz, just noticed the same and wondered who ordered bb to drop the hammer on that and why, really...

oh well, thats what t|i is here for, right?

More and more china rumors about the 580m, which is the same specs as a 485m but running cooler and higher clockspeed.

Im not really sure the 580m would be worth the extra money over a 485m - if its only 5% faster (projected clockspeed increase equates to 5% performance increase) it had better be only 5% more expensive.

-Ash

If it's GF 114, it should cost less and be a lot more than 5% faster. Guess we'll just have to see if it arrives.

would be a nice surprise...

for the time being alleviated the issues by sticking with oem (dell) drivers on a fresh install, but can see how this will be a learning curve to those who always like to 'stay fresh'... lol

frustrating, since that's how it should be (ability to stay current with amd drivers)...

the random/occasional bsod's are showing up with the 6970M based M17x R3 (single dGPU...) units 'over there' as well. while partly reassuring it's not just here, hopefully it'll be remedied soon and we'll start being able to use regular driver updates straight from amd...

Lets just not forget about the dell driver support for the 5870m crossfire debacle... we had to fight tooth and nail to get those updates, remember?

-Ash

and there's currently issues (aka random bsod) moving off anything other than the oem (dell) amd driver on the M17x R3...

:sigh: was my original apprehension taking the amd route - only time will tell...

wow

the prices are insane. I do think those aren't the final prices though. 900$ for 6970 XF setup is not going to fly.

agreed, it's definitely not "going to fly" at those prices. feel for those who've successfully placed their orders online (which there have been a few reports of just that 'over there') if those aren't "final" - but with the starting price in line with what had previously been tossed about, maybe the 'price is right'...