electrosoft

Do you have another system to test it? There's always the possibility it is defective.

A few things to check: Make sure to test each card independently. Make sure to reset (cmos battery disconnect, battery out) Make sure you're not somehow stuck in iGFX mode (I had this happen before, and even with a reset, it still couldn't find the card(s). I ended up doing a fresh install and when I manually switched after the install, it then found the card) Ksy, make sure to double check your SLI cable and SLI connectors. Do you have an extra SLI cable to rule out the cable itself?

M18x r1/r2 GPU heatsinks are compatible with the AW18. I've swapped in and out for various reasons the AMD 100W and Nvidia 100W heatsinks from the M18x r2 into my AW18 with no problems.

It's a shame, but I am sure Dell has the market data to back their decision to press forward with these consumer grade laptops that happen to have the Alienware brand egregiously stamped upon their chassis. I hope the sales at least bring forth the possibility that they may augment their current line up with a big box beauty.

It depends. Some HP cards I've used in other systems come up blank screened but post and boot and may need a blind flash to a Dell compatible vBios to work. This happened with a K3100m I tested from HP in a AW18.

True, but don't forget to factor in resale value of your 6990's to offset the cost of new card(s) (if you go that route).. CPU performance wise, an extreme 2920/2960 is right on the heels of the 3920/3940 and in many cases beats the heatboxed, locked down Haswell 4940mx. I do prefer the screen of my Alienware 18 over my m18x r2, though. I've also grown to prefer it's form factor and look and it is easier to break down and reassemble too IMHO.

I'm with Fox. I replaced my 7970 with a 980 last month to drive my 30" HP. When I upgrade, I never go with second tier cards on my desktop. I still would be a bit miffed if I purchased the 970 and found out it was partially neutered in specific (albeit unrealistic) settings.

3-pipe HS w/ a 2920xm or 2960xm for OC. GPUs, you really have a wide swath from which to select. It depends on your gaming needs... .....and budget.

In his initial message, he says he only has one GPU and has removed it to no avail. I'm not sure if he removed the ram, but it isn't even making it to any semblance of post.

I'm fine with Dell offering BGA smaller models (13/15), but their flagship, larger models need to adhere to the expandable/upgradable model from their previous lines. Even if they have decided to move away from the AW18/M18 behemoths of awesomeness, their 17" model should be an SLI/Xfire thing of beauty. I am 100% sure my AW18 and M18x r2 are the last of my AW laptops with their current direction they are taking.

The 2670QM in the R1 originally ships with a dual pipe heatsink. A repasting with quality TIM is always a good idea, and if you want extra added cooling (and to set yourself up for a potential upgrade to an extreme 2920xm/2960xm down the road), you can always replace your existing CPU HS with the much beefier Extreme Edition HS.

I had this happen to one of my 18xr2's a few years back that had accumulated trace amounts of elements since it was in my parts and models bench area which can get a bit dusty. Nothing worked and finally and I ended up disassembling the entire system and giving the MB an iso bath (assuming some trace of conductive material was somewhere on the system board), reassembled and everything started back up fine. I also took the time to clean everything meticulously once I had it broken down too. Maybe not the path you want to take, but I've brought many systems back to life with a complete dis-assembly, inspection and cleaning.