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Well a thread on another forum questioned people why they are AW fanatics which prompted a reply from me. Then I thought, "hey why not create a thread where AW owners can give feedback as to why they love Alienware notebooks?!" so here it is! Give us your reason as to why you love Alienware and keep coming back for more...here's mine: Let me chime in on why Alienware is by far the best notebook gaming brand in the universe: Next business day service (I'll expand on this more below) Excellent build quality Top of the line cooling (will discuss this further) Bios Overclocking (M17x + M18x) Design Appeal Extras (e.g. alienfx, wireless hdmi, msata drive, hdmi in) NBD Service As far as NBD service I'll give you an example of how Dell recently helped me out: My palm rest's touchpad was malfunctioning, I e-mailed one of the several excellent AW reps that are available on the T|I forums, told him my problem and the next day my new palm rest was waiting for me at home. Few days later, I noticed my media panel lights were having issues and again, Dell overnighted a new media panel cover. However, it turns out the panel was perfectly fine, the ribbon cable was the culprit, so again I e-mailed the Dell rep and the next day a replacement ribbon cable was there and my system is good as new. That's one story, another is that I previously had AMD 6990M Xfire in my M18x and was extremely frustrated with the AMD drivers. I pinged a Dell rep. about it and 2 weeks later had a brand new M18x + 580M SLI delivered to my doorstep WITH a return label to send back the other system. I have a challenge for everyone out there: Find me a gaming notebook maker that can match this level of service. I can back up my claims with screenshots of the work orders so if you claim you got the same service from another gaming notebook maker, back it up. I'm sure there's tons of other Alienware users that have similar stories as mine. Cooling As I mentioned, Alienware has exceedingly good cooling design built into their notebooks. While some other brand notebook owners are seeing high temperatures on their GPUs and resorting to modding their systems, Alienware owners don't have to bother. As another personal anecdote, I have a 4 GB 680M in my system and can run it at 1200+ core and 2500+ mhz memory and the hottest it gets is 84C at 100% utilization and that's in super hot Phoenix, AZ weather! As with any brand, Alienware also has its down sides and the biggest one is their GPU throttling scheme. With their recent 680M release, they have an algorithm built in that throttles the GPU after a certain power/temp threshold is crossed and thus overclocking is limited with the Dell 680M. IMO this sort of aggressive throttling is unnecessary given the excellent cooling built into their systems. But with everything taken into account, I'd still pick an Alienware system over any of its competitors.

As you may or may not know, enabling IGP via FN+F7 does not work when a Clevo 680M is used in the M18x. However, when an unlocked bios is used, you can go into the advanced menu section, then video configuration and force IGP as the primary display (rather than PEG). Once the system reboots, it'll be in IGP mode BUT and I can't stress this enough, DO NOT press FN+F7 to switch back to discrete else your system will go into an endless loop. If that happens, you have to take out the 680M and blind flash the system with a recovery usb. So save yourself the trouble and don't press FN+F7. To re-enable the PEG, just turn it back on as primary in the bios and reboot. I've been playing with the PowerXpress settings but none seem to be able to work with regards to FN+F7, I figured dynamic would do it but apparently not. UPDATE: The PARTIAL fix is very simple Download the unlocked A05 M18x-R1 Bios Boot into the Bios, go to advanced-->video configuration and change the display from PEG to SG (switchable graphics). Keep PowerXpress as FIXED MUX. Reboot and now you will be able to use FN+F7 to switch between discrete and IGP. NOTE: You will again need to set SG in the bios after using FN+F7 one time since it resets back to PEG. Thanks to @johnksss for the SG tip.

Well we've done it, the M18x-R1 just crossed the 9k GPU barrier with a SINGLE video card! Major props to @svl7 for his vbios, to nVidia for building Kepler (what an amazing GPU) and to Alienware for designing some awesome cooling, without any of the aforementioned this wouldn't be possible.

After upgrading my HDD to corsair ssd, my OSD no longer works properly. I tried re installing the OSD application from the CD multiple times, but it just doesn't work. Is this a common problem?

This is a modified version of the M17x R3 BIOS A10, it brings back the SATA behavior of A08 and earlier, while keeping the features of BIOS A10. A lot of users don't seem very happy with the changes Dell made to the SATA performance of BIOS A09 and up, thus I created this BIOS. Just keep in mind one thing: Dell probably didn't change the corresponding settings in the BIOS for no reason, so it's possible that certain drives may have issue with this BIOS, I don't know. According to a lot R3 users, A08 brings a clearly better SATA performance on a wide variety of drives. It's up to you to decide what you need and what you want to use. Now you have the choice. Download link for BIOS A10 with the 'SATA fix', and unlocked hidden menus: M17x R3 BIOS A10 - unlocked & 'SATA fix' Read the included READ ME for further information and instructions. Load the default settings in the BIOS setup after flashing. User at your own risk.

Hey everyone, does our m14x still have the same standard 2.5" Sata drive that most other laptops do? I had heard that some of the drives have a 9mm height clearance and some have 12mm. I want to eventually exchange the 500GB standard that came with my Alienware for something bigger. I have a 7200RPM 640GB Seagate in my m11x, but I had nearly filled it. I could easily max out the 500GB drive. I saw a Seagate Constellation drive at 1TB/7200RPM, but it was a couple hundred dollars. I could get a standard 1TB/5200RPM drive, but how much performance would I lose on the tradeoff? Some of the users on various boards mention speed problems when using a 2nd drive on an optical caddy in place of the DVD-ROM. I have quite a lot of games, movies, as well as VST instruments and samples, so I love using the 7200 RPM drive. What do you guys suggest? Thanks in advance!

I received early in the morning a couple of 7970Ms and a cfx cable from MXM Upgrade Home Page 3DMark11 Unigine If you are upgrading from the 5870Ms, the screws are a bit bigger in diameter and they won't fit the backplate of the 7970M (probably a clevo card? I will find out soon). Other issues I encounter is that both display and HDMI port don't work so I attach my Dell 2410 with a VGA cable... Temps are fine and I am idling at 56-58 C with the external monitor attached (which brings the clocks up to 300/1200 @0,825V) so not that bad. 7970M.zip

Aurora-R1Aurora-R2 Aurora-R3 Area-51 M11x-R1 M11x-R2 M11x-R3 M14x M15x M17x-R1 M17x-R2 M17x-R3 M18x http://forum.techinferno.com/alienware/1877-alienware-engineering-troubleshooting-guides.html http://forum.techinferno.com/alienware/1879-how-reduce-shutdown-timeouts.html http://forum.techinferno.com/alienware/1919-how-get-back-alienware-software-after-windows-reinstallation.html http://forum.techinferno.com/alienware/1908-check-status-your-order-part-replacement-depot-status.html http://forum.techinferno.com/alienware/1907-alienware-recommended-diagnostic-tools.html http://forum.techinferno.com/alienware/1900-alienware-no-sound-troubleshooting.html http://forum.techinferno.com/alienware/1890-alienware-no-boot.html http://forum.techinferno.com/alienware/1869-macro-keys-3-keys-combo.html Callouts!! Alienware Gaming Tips for Gaming Looking for drivers and updates for your Alienware System M18x computer with AMD HD6990m Video Cards shutting down or fans not spinning M18x A05 Bios Released. This BIOS solves the issue of AMD Radeon HD6990 GPU2 fan not spinning up after a cold boot. M18x Intel Wireless Card 6300 not connecting at Full Speed M18x AMD Video Card not scaling when using full screen benchmarks and gamesBattlefield 3 crashes when using an overclocked Nvidia Video Card Battlefield 3 & Rage: Textures issues and Low FPS Alienware System displays the error message: “Display driver ATIKMDAG.sys stopped responding and has recovered” How to Set Up Wireless HD in your Alienware computer Nvidia Optimus Technology Summary Dell WWAN Wireless not detected? iTunes & Bigfoot Killer Wireless-N 1102 and 1103 Wireless Card compatibility issues nVidia Notebook BETA Driver (NV) Release Date: 10/31/2011 M14X Webcam Flickering/ Blue Line M11x-R1 & R2 LCD Broken Hinges What is Alienware Respawn? How to restore your computer to factory conditions using Alienware Respawn? What is AlienContact? Youtube Product Support Videos Alienware Arena McAfee Expiration Date Issue Dell/Alienware Enhanced Diagnostics (ePSA)

Dell has released an updated system bios for the M18x. The latest revision is A05 and it specifically addresses the overheating issue with 6990m video cards experienced during a "cold" boot (first boot). With this latest bios, the fans should spin up as the cards heat up and cool them down properly. Please use this thread to report your findings and experiences with A05.[ATTACH=CONFIG]2953[/ATTACH] Release Date: 12/2/2011 Version: A05 Importance: Download Type: BIOS File Format: Hard-Drive File Size: 3MB Download Links Dell Support Page: [URL]http://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER00181378M/2/M18xR1_A05_W32_X64_ZPE.exe[/URL] Dell FTP direct download: [URL]ftp://ftp.dell.com/FOLDER00181378M/2/M18xR1_A05_W32_X64_ZPE.exe[/URL]

Wow what a difference a sequel can make! The last game was so full of bugs upon initial release that it turned me off from it and I didn't even bother finishing the game. This third one seems relatively bug free and runs fantastic on my M18x! The gameplay has been changed to be even more relaxed and arcade like which is exactly what I've been missing. Too many games focus on realism these days that they forget why we play them in the first place--to escape from reality and enter a world that's different than ours! The music, scripted sequences and action in this game are top notch, if I had to complain it would be that the weapons are a bit too weak. It takes around 5-10 bullets to kill an enemy at times but other than that, the game has taken on a very creative twist of the GTA world and has definitely put itself above or at least equal to the GTA series. So far, based on a few hours of gameplay, I'm already leaning towards a 9/10 rating. Here's a quick video I made last night:

M17x and M15x LED Error Codes LED Error Codes Alienware™ M15x has a different keyboard status LED Layout, it is Scroll Lock, Caps Lock and Num Lock. source: Dell

6990s are in the other M18x I have on hand. I'm typing from it right now, I'm about to run some furmark tests to see if its a motherboard issue. If it is I'll be pretty pissed but at least it'll answer some lingering questions. Test 1: HDD used: The original one with Dell software and catalyst drivers. Result: Fans come on during cold boot! Test 2: HDD used: my SSD with Catalyst 11.10 v3 + Cap 4 Result: Fans come on during cold boot! About to run a few more cold boot tests to make sure these aren't flukes. If it proves to be a defective mainboard, I'm going to call AW and try to convince them to ship me one or just ask for a new system (which might make more sense). Test 3: Final test HDD used: SSD + Catalyst 11.10 v3 + Cap 4 Result: NO COLD BOOT BUG! It's definitely the motherboard that is defective. So those of you that have the cold boot bug will need to get your mainboards replaced. I'm going to ask for a system exchange. Update: For those that have the cold boot bug, remove your bottom panel and battery and look at the motherboard near there. You will see a label that has the revision of the mainboard, mine is as follows: Revision G2 1142. I'm betting that those of you with the same problem have a Revision G. The working motherboard is a Revision E (if I remember correctly).

Dell has released a new vbios revision for the 580m http://support.dell.com/support/download...eid=478843 *ISO image of GTX580 A01 Vbios 70.24.2B.00.06* *The flash utility will ask for user input to override PCI Subsystem ID. This is normal. Press y whenever prompted to complete the Vbios flash.* *ISO image of production GTX560M Vbios. Burn image to CD and reboot system. Press F12 to choose CD/DVD drive. When promoted, press Y.* OLD vbios version version 70.24.2B.00.04 had 3 entries core:50.5MHz shader:101MHz(bumped shader:270MHz) memory:67.5MHz --------------- core:73.5MHz shader:147MHz(bumped shader:270MHz) memory:162MHz --------------- core:620MHz shader:1240MHz(bumped shader:1289MHz) memory:750MHz New vbios version 70.24.2B.00.06, has 4 entries: new entry is marked in bold core:50.5MHz shader:101MHz(bumped shader:270MHz) memory:67.5MHz --------------- core:73.5MHz shader:147MHz(bumped shader:270MHz) memory:162MHz --------------- core:475MHz shader:950MHz(bumped shader:950MHz) memory:750MHz --------------- core:620MHz shader:1240MHz(bumped shader:1289MHz) memory:750MHz. Thanks to Saltius from notebookreview and Barcode for posting this at Bios-Mods! Barcode is trying to see if this vbios can be manipulated here: DELL M18X A03 BIOS THROTTLE REMOVAL GTX580M SLI

One fine day I turned my m18x off and took it to a friend's house. When I got there and tried to boot it I noticed that it hanged on the alien face screen (with the red progress bar below, which loaded quite quickly), it gets stuck there for about 2 or 3 minutes before actually booting into something or even entering the BIOS. Started completely out of nowhere, any ideas? Thanks. EDIT: Additional info: 2820QM, 16gb Kingston Hyper-X, 6970 SLI, OCZ Vertex III 240gb plus 750gb sata

I've noticed it's difficult finding a comprehensive guide online for overclocking and monitoring the GPU respective to the M14x so I've comprised one of my own. It's important to note that this discussion strictly involves overclocking the GPU and not the CPU. Using the built-in Turbo Mode or other CPU overclocking software is officially NOT recommended in this thread. CPU overclocking has been known to cause serious overheating and even permanent damage to the physical composition of the laptop. In addition, most who have overclocked the CPU have noted that it does not significantly increase gaming performance and is not worth the risk. What this thread is not. A place to discuss CPU overclocking or compare benchmarks. What this thread is. A comprehensive guide on overclocking and monitoring the GPU of the M14x and related discussion. Feel free to share information about different software tools and configurations you have used for overclocking and monitoring your GPU. What overclocking/monitoring software have you had experience with? What are the pros and the cons of each software tool you have used? Once I have verified your information, I will add it to the OP. Overclocking/Monitoring Guide F.A.Q. Q: What is overclocking? A: Overclocking is the process of running a computer component at a higher clock rate (more clock cycles per second) than it was designed for or was specified by the manufacturer. (Thanks wikipedia!) Q: Is overclocking safe? A: It depends on your definition of safe. Generally, it will not blow your computer up if done properly but will shorten the lifespan somewhat depending on how high you overclock it. It's usually safer to OC the GPU rather than the CPU. Overclocking the CPU is much more dangerous and is therefor not covered in this guide. Using the following tools will normally not harm your computer HOWEVER going beyond the limit of most of these tools can potentially harm your PC. That doesn't mean that there aren't cases of simple overclocking harming a GPU or PC overall. It happens but it is extremely rare. Q: But don't I have to overclock my CPU and my GPU to get MAXIMUM PWNAGE PERFORMACE?!?! A: No. It has been thoroughly tested that for gaming (which is what most of us use alienware's for), overclocking the CPU does not produce significant enough results to be worth the risk. Q: Well I want to overclock my CPU anyway! How do I do it? A: Go away. Q: Okay so I'd like to try overcocking my GPU. Where do I start? A: First off, try playing the games that you want to play on your system as is with your desired settings. In many cases, overclocking isn't even necessary and you will get great framerates with the default settings. In this instance, overclocking really isn't worth it. Q: My games aren't running at my desired speed. Let's do this! A: Okay. Check out some of the tools below and choose based on your personal preferences and suggestions people have made. You're going to want at least 2 tools. One for overclocking and monitoring your GPU and (even though you're not overclocking your CPU) a CPU monitoring tool. CPU monitoring is still very, very necessary when overclocking your GPU. If you want to use multiple tools to utilize different unique functions, feel free but generally most people want to compartmentalize the process as much as possible. Q: What do I need to look out for? A: Start off slow. Don't max out your clocks, max out in-game graphics settings and hop on Crysis 2 for 8 hours straight. Be nice to your M14X. It is a beast but it is a cute and cuddly beast. We must treat them with care. Slightly increase your settings, load your game for 10 to 20 minutes, and monitor your temperatures. Rinse and repeat until you've found your comfort zones. The preferred CPU temp is 60-80°C. 80-90° is generally doable but anything above 90° is not recommended for non-advanced users. So far for the M14X the sweet spot is 750mhz core clock, 1500mhz shader, and 1080mhz memory clock. Anything above that, enter at your own risk! Q: So what type of results should I be getting? A: Here are a few graphics to give you an idea of what overclocking should be doing for you. Q: Okay I'm feeling froggy! I want to flex my stuff and post some benchmarks. What do I do? A: Hold your horses young buck. There's a thread for that. Overclocking/Monitoring Tools Nvidia System Tools pros: All in one GPU overclocking and monitoring tool. Made my GPU manufacturer, is safe and stable, has fan controls and basic system health monitoring. cons: limited in overclocking M14X GPU Nvidia Inspector pros: GPU overclocking tool with "unlock max" which allows you to maximize overlocking performance and basic system health monitoring. cons: Can't control M14x fans. (Please verify) MSI Afterburner pros: GPU overclocking tool with built in real-time onscreen monitoring of clock, voltag, temperature, fan speed, and framerate. Has built in benchmark and screen capture tools. Great reporting system. cons: Has overclock limit for M14x and some have reported glitches. Benchmark has been known to produce unreliable results. EVGA Precision pros: GPU overclocking tool with monitoring including GPU temp and usage percentage. Can apply new clocks at startup. cons: Cannot control M14x fans. "test" tool doest work with M14x. Riva Tuner pros: cons: outdated HWiNFO pros: Has advanced system health monitoring (temperature, voltage, fan, and power) and controls fan speed. cons: ThrottleStop pros: Great tool for overclocking and monitoring CPU with multiple profile settings. cons: Core Temp pros: Simple, compact, CPU monitoring tool that displays temperature and usage for all cores simultaneously. cons: GPU-Z pros: GPU monitoring tool that displays GPU temp and clocks. cons: Kind of pointless if you're using one of the better GPU overclocking tools but for those who want separate GPU monitoring this would be the tool. (If you have used other software, feel free to mention it. I will add it to the list.) note: All the opinions regarding each software tool is pertaining to performance with the M14x and the M14x ONLY!

[revised by svl7, 01/22/12] Here are some unlocked versions of the M18x BIOS, this means all the hidden BIOS menus are now available. This allows you to further tweak and overclock your machine, but some settings are very advanced and not meant to be touched by the average user, so use it with care and common sense. Unfortunately quite some of the links which were previously posted here are now invalid due to what happened with megaupload. I will try to recollect all the files and get fresh links, so I can provide the complete collection. Here's what's available for now: [unlocked] M18x BIOS A03 [unlocked] M18x BIOS A04 both modified and provided by Ahmed from BIOS-Mods, a big thanks to his amazing work! Consider buying him a drink for all the effort! [unlocked] M18x BIOS A05 modified by @svl7 After flashing, go to the BIOS menu and load the default settings to prevent possible issues. As always with such mods, you are responsible for what you do to your system, use at your own risk. M18x - A05 unlocked.zip

So... let's see how good you are

Eric G. (Posterous) has again provided us with an exclusive, A03 bios, to be available on Dell Support soon. Just announced - Alienware M18X (Updated) - Dell News and more Direct Link: ftp://ftp.dell.com/bios/M18xR1A03.EXE <!-- / message --><!-- sig --> __________________

I've recreated the OSD Icons for the R1/R2/R3/R4 and R5 aka 17 as the standard ones are a bit dated. It should also work with the M15x though as my old M15x had the same setup for the OSD app. Regarding the R3 OSD, it seems its the same install for the M18x as well so it should work for you M18x owners too. I've also added the AW 17 OSD to the list. This exe is also compatible with the 14 and 18 as Dell uses the same OSD for all the new machines. There's also a set for you Area-51 m17 R1 owners. I've tried to give it a simular feel to the Invader Icon pack by Alienware. Hope you guys like it Install Instructions for R1 1. You need to end the OSD process in Task Manager since it may be using some of these icon files. Ctrl+Shift+Esc then find the OSD process and end it. 2. Backup your current icons if you want to revert to the originals (You can also uninstall and re-install the OSD application if you want to go back to the original icons) 3. Extract the attached "M17X R1-R2 & M15X.zip" contents to C:\Program Files (x86)\OSD\picture\. Overwrite if prompted. 4. Restart the OSD application. It is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\OSD\Launch.exe 5. Done! Install Instructions for R2 /M15x 1. You need to end the OSD.exe process in Task Manager since it may be using some of these icon files. Ctrl+Shift+Esc then find "OSD.exe" and end the process. 2. Backup your current icons if you want to revert to the originals (You can also uninstall and re-install the OSD application if you want to go back to the original icons) 3. Extract the attached "M17X R1-R2 & M15X.zip" contents to C:\Program Files (x86)\OSD\ICONs\. Overwrite if prompted. 4. Restart the OSD application. It is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\OSD\Launch_OSD.exe 5. Done! Install instructions for R3 / R4 / M18x 1. You need to end the OSD process in Task Manager since it may be using some of these icon files. Ctrl+Shift+Esc then find the AlienwareOn-ScreenDisplay.exe process and end it. 2. Backup the existing AlienwareOn-ScreenDisplay.exe by renaming it to "AlienwareOn-ScreenDisplay.exe.BAK" for example. Its in C:\Program Files (x86)\Alienware On-Screen Display\ 3. Extract the AlienwareOn-ScreenDisplay.exe from the appropriately named file depending on your OS and model to the C:\Program Files (x86)\Alienware On-Screen Display\ folder. 4. Restart the OSD application by double-clicking the file. 5. Done! Install instructions for 14 / 17 / 18 ** 1. You need to end the OSD process in Task Manager since it may be using some of these icon files. Ctrl+Shift+Esc then find the AlienwareOn-ScreenDisplay.exe process and end it. 2. Backup the existing AlienwareOn-ScreenDisplay.exe by renaming it to "AlienwareOn-ScreenDisplay.exe.BAK" for example. Its in C:\Program Files (x86)\Alienware On-Screen Display\ 3. Extract the AlienwareOn-ScreenDisplay.exe from the "AW 14-17-18 (Windows 8).zip" file to the C:\Program Files (x86)\Alienware On-Screen Display\ folder. 4. Restart the OSD application by double-clicking the file. 5. Done! The Area-51 m17-R1 install should be similar to the steps for the other laptop revisions above. They all basically follow the same process anyway, apart from filenames/paths. @robby_hd was kind enough to make a red version of these icons for the M17x R3 / M18x R1 which can be downloaded from his post here. **There seems to be a security issue with Windows 8/8.1 at this point in time since it doesn't allow modified exe's. I will update this post with a solution once it has been found. Also a few Alienware owners are having an issue with the unmodified OSD and Windows 8. Only the default Windows 8 OSD displays and not the Alienware version. Try the solution posted by Dell here and then attempt installing the mod. The below screenprint is a workaround by editing the security policies to allow the unsigned exe to run in Windows 8. If you are not aware of what these settings do and the repercussions of changing them, please do not attempt it. - Open the Group Policy Editor by typing "gpedit.msc" in the search or run text box. - Duplicate the settings below. Area-51 m17-R1.zip M17X R1-R2 & M15X.zip M17X R3-R4 & M18X R1-R2 (Windows 7).zip M17x R4 & M18X R2 (Windows 8).zip AW 14-17-18 (Windows 8).zip M17X R4 & M18X R2 (Windows 8.1).zip

title says it all. can the 555m in the m14x be upgraded?

Hello guys, here is the collection of the Alienware M18X videos i made, i hope you will enjoy it M18X General Overview M18X Noise Level Test M18X HDMI-IN Test with a PS3 M18X Heaven Unigine Benchmark everything Extreme M18X Heaven Unigine Benchmark Standard Settings M18X CPU Heavy Rendering Test with Vue9 M18X The Witcher 2 first video M18X The Witcher 2 second video M18X The Witcher 2 third video M18X Crysis 2 Test M18X Melting the CPU M18X Melting the GPU M18X Overclocking guide for 6970M Crossfire M18X The Witcher 2 with 6970M CrossfireOverclocked

Some people are saying that the M14 i7 processor 2630 can support 1600/1866 mhz memory, but others say it is not possible. I found this: Kingston HyperX 8GB 1866MHz PnP Memory Kit For Notebooks - Sandy Bridge Notebooks Get HyperX Treatment - Legit Reviews and this: Kingston HyperX 8GB 1866MHz PnP performance with Sandy Bridge According to previous reviews ... YES it can...? But, intel says NO: Compare Intel® Products Is it worth it? Does it increase the performance significantly? what do you think? I'm thinking of buying this: CORSAIR 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 for $82 but if the M14 supports 1600/1866mhz i rather buy one of them

Welcome to the M14X Gaming Thread This is a place where we can discuss all and any game for the M14X. Any topic gaming related is welcome. For those that want to write a game review and how the game experience on the M14X is, I will take PMs and link or post them in the Original Post. Below I have attached some links of gaming videos from the Benchmarking thread. I will try and update this at least once a week. I can fill Post one with video links, reviews, ect. If you have a game that you would like to know how it runs, or what the best settings are, this is the place you can request that kind of insight. Any submissions of reviews/videos ect will be linked and credited to the original author. This can enable new users to get up to speed, and easily find information. Thanks and can't wait to get some gaming details! I will try my best to keep the links updated as much as possible! (Mods are welcome to help!) GAME LINKS/REVIEWS: Gaming Video Links: Crysis 2: Gamer: Advanced: Hardcore: Starcraft 2: Medium: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thgb8ikjvag High: Ultra: Black Ops: Max Settings 4x AA: Max Settings 16x AA: Dragon Age 2: Medium Settings /w High Res. Textures: High Settings /w High Res. Textures: Very High Settings /w High Res. Textures: Rift: Medium Preset Settings: High Preset Settings: Ultra Preset Settings: Bulletstorm: Medium Settings: High Settings: Brink (video by Stevenowens) YouTube - BRINK GAMEPLAY ALIENWARE M14X MAX SETTINGS Gaming Tweaks:

Which one would you choose and why?

Both monitors where calibrated with the same Spyder 3 Pro calibrator The Dell monitor with sRGB profile selected, at 100% brightness, 50% contrast Dell with Adobe RGB profile selected, 75% Brightness Dell monitor with Adobe RGB profile, 30% Brightness I will stick with the 30% brightness since its not straining my eyes and the colors are very similar between the two screens. UPDATE Final settings are here http://forum.techinferno.com/alienware-m17x/286-dell-u2410-vs-alienware-m17x-r2-rgb-led-1200p.html#post2340 -note- Unfortunately I have borrowed my camera to someone else and I had to take pictures with my cellphone which sucks big time... the colors are completely different than those on the pics... anyways it's better than nothing. First chance I will have, I will upload better quality pics.