Dell Alienware M17x R2 Owners Manual

Alienware m17
Setup and Specications

Computer Model: Alienware m17
Regulatory Model: P37E
Regulatory Type: P37E001

Notes, cautions, and warnings

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid
the problem.

WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.

© 2018-2019 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its

subsidiaries. Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.

2019 - 06

Rev. A03

Contents

Set up your Alienware m17................................................................................................ 5

Create a USB recovery drive for Windows........................................................................6

Views of Alienware m17.....................................................................................................7

Right...................................................................................................................................................................7

Left.....................................................................................................................................................................7

Base....................................................................................................................................................................8

Display................................................................................................................................................................8

Back................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Bottom..............................................................................................................................................................10

Specications of Alienware m17.......................................................................................11

Computer model................................................................................................................................................ 11

Dimensions and weight.......................................................................................................................................11

Processors.......................................................................................................................................................... 11

Chipset.............................................................................................................................................................. 11

Operating system...............................................................................................................................................12

Memory.............................................................................................................................................................12

Ports and connectors..........................................................................................................................................12

Communications.................................................................................................................................................13

Ethernet.......................................................................................................................................................13

Wireless module........................................................................................................................................... 13

Audio................................................................................................................................................................13

Storage............................................................................................................................................................. 14

Keyboard.......................................................................................................................................................... 14

Camera............................................................................................................................................................. 15

Touchpad.......................................................................................................................................................... 15

Touchpad gestures........................................................................................................................................15

Power adapter...................................................................................................................................................16

Battery..............................................................................................................................................................16

Display.............................................................................................................................................................. 17

Video................................................................................................................................................................ 17

Computer environment...................................................................................................................................... 18

Hybrid power.................................................................................................................... 19

Keyboard shortcuts...........................................................................................................20

Alienware Command Center............................................................................................ 21

3

Getting help and contacting Alienware...........................................................................22

Self-help resources............................................................................................................................................22

Contacting Alienware........................................................................................................................................22

4

Set up your Alienware m17

NOTE: The images in this document may dier from your computer depending on the conguration you ordered.

Connect the power adapter and press the power button.

5

Create a USB recovery drive for Windows

Create a recovery drive to troubleshoot and x problems that may occur with Windows. An empty USB ash drive with a
minimum capacity of 16 GB is required to create the recovery drive.

NOTE: This process may take up to an hour to complete.

NOTE: The following steps may vary depending on the version of Windows installed. Refer to the Microsoft support

site for latest instructions.

1 Connect the USB ash drive to your computer.
2 In Windows search, type Recovery.
3 In the search results, click Create a recovery drive.

The User Account Control window is displayed.

4 Click Yes to continue.

The Recovery Drive window is displayed.

5 Select Back up system les to the recovery drive and click Next.
6 Select the USB ash drive and click Next.

A message appears, indicating that all data in the USB ash drive will be deleted.

7 Click Create.
8 Click Finish.

For more information about reinstalling Windows using the USB recovery drive, see the
product's

Service Manual

at www.dell.com/support/manuals.

Troubleshooting

section of your

6

Views of Alienware m17

Right

1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (2)

Connect peripherals such as external storage devices and printers. Provides data transfer speeds up to 5 Gbps.

Left

1 Security-cable slot (wedge-shaped)

Connect a security cable to prevent unauthorized movement of your computer.

2 Network port

Connect an Ethernet (RJ45) cable from a router or a broadband modem for network or Internet access.

3 USB 3.1 Gen 1 port with PowerShare

Connect peripherals such as external storage devices and printers.
Provides data transfer speeds up to 5 Gbps. PowerShare enables you to charge your USB devices even when your

computer is turned o.

NOTE: If your computer is turned o or in hibernate state, you must connect the power adapter to charge your
devices using the PowerShare port. You must enable this feature in the BIOS setup program.

NOTE: Certain USB devices may not charge when the computer is turned o or in sleep state. In such cases,
turn on the computer to charge the device.

4 Headset port

Connect headphones or a headset (headphone and microphone combo).

7

Base

1 Power button (Alienhead)

Press to turn on the computer if it is turned o, in sleep state, or in hibernate state.
Press to put the computer in sleep state if it is turned on.
Press and hold for 4 seconds to force shut-down the computer.

NOTE: You can customize the power-button behavior in Power Options.

2 Right-click area

Press to right-click.

3 Left-click area

Press to left-click.

4 Touchpad

Move your nger on the touchpad to move the mouse pointer. Tap to left-click and two nger tap to right-click.

Display

8

1 Left microphone

Provides digital sound input for audio recording and voice calls.

2 Camera

Enables you to video chat, capture photos, and record videos.

3 Camera-status light

Turns on when the camera is in use.

4 Right microphone

Provides digital sound input for audio recording and voice calls.

Back

1 Power-adapter port

Connect a power adapter to provide power to your computer and charge the battery.

2 HDMI port

Connect to a TV or another HDMI-in enabled device. Provides video and audio output.

3 Mini DisplayPort

Connect to a TV or another DisplayPort-in enabled device. Provides video and audio output.

4 Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C) port

Supports USB 3.1 Gen 2, DisplayPort 1.2, Thunderbolt 3 and also enables you to connect to an external display using a
display adapter.

Provides data transfer rates up to 10 Gbps for USB 3.1 Gen 2 and up to 40 Gbps for Thunderbolt 3.

NOTE: A USB Type-C to DisplayPort adapter (sold separately) is required to connect a DisplayPort device.

5 External graphics port

Connect an Alienware Graphics Amplier to enhance the graphics performance.

9

Bottom

1 Right speaker

Provides audio output.

2 Service Tag label

The Service Tag is a unique alphanumeric identier that enables Dell service technicians to identify the hardware
components in your computer and access warranty information.

3 Left speaker

Provides audio output.

10

Specications of Alienware m17

Computer model

Alienware m17

Dimensions and weight

Table 1. Dimensions and weight

Description Values

Height:

Front

Rear

Width

Depth

Weight (minimum) 2.63 kg (5.79 lbs)

13.97 mm (0.55 in.)

21.76 mm (0.86 in.)

410 mm (16.14 in.)

292 mm (11.50 in.)

NOTE: The weight of your computer depends on the
conguration ordered and the manufacturing
variability.

Processors

Table 2. Processor specications

Features Values

Processor

Wattage

Core count

Thread count

Speed

L2 cache

L3 cache

Integrated graphics

8th Generation Intel Core i5 8th Generation Intel Core i7 9 th Generation Intel Core i7

45 W 45 W 45 W

4 6 6

8 12 12

Up to 4 GHz Up to 4.1 GHz Up to 4.5 GHz

1 MB 1.5 MB 1.5 MB

9 MB 9 MB 9 MB

Intel UHD graphics 630 Intel UHD graphics 630 Intel UHD graphics 630

Chipset

Table 3. Chipset specications

Features Values

Chipset

Processor

HM 370

• 8th Generation Intel Core i5/i7

• 9th Generation Intel Core i7

11

Features Values

DRAM bus width

Flash EPROM

PCIe bus

External bus frequency

64-bit

16 MB

PCIe Gen3

8 GT/s

Operating system

• Windows 10 Home (64-bit)

• Windows 10 Professional (64-bit)

Memory

Table 4. Memory specications

Features Values

Slots

Type

Speed

Maximum memory

Minimum memory

Memory per slot

Congurations supported

Two SODIMM slots

Dual-channel DDR4

2666 MHz

32 GB

8 GB

4 GB, 8 GB and 16 GB

• 8 GB DDR4 at 2666 MHz (2 x 4

• 16 GB DDR4 at 2666 MHz (2 x 8

• 32 GB DDR4 at 2666 MHz (2 x 16

GB)

GB)

GB)

Ports and connectors

Table 5. External ports and connectors specications

Features Values

Network

USB

Audio

Video

Media-card reader

12

One RJ-45 port

• Two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports

• One USB 3.1 Gen 1 with PowerShare

• One Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C)

One headset port

• One HDMI 2.0b port

• One mini DisplayPort 1.4

• One external graphics port

Not supported

Features Values

Power adapter port

Security

Table 7. Internal ports and connectors specications

Features Values

M.2

• One M.2 slot for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combo card

• Two M.2 PCIe/SATA slots for 2230/2280 solid-state

7.4 mm DC-in

One security-cable slot (wedge-shaped)

drive or 2280 Intel Optane

Communications

Ethernet

Table 8. Ethernet specications

Features Values

Model number

Transfer rate

Wireless module

Killer E2400 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller

10/100/1000 Mbps

Table 9. Wireless module specications

Features Values

Model number

Transfer rate

Frequency bands supported

Wireless standards

Encryption

Bluetooth

Qualcomm QCA61x4A (DW1820) Killer 1550

867 Mbps (maximum) 1733 Mbps (maximum)

Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz

Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/a/n/ac Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/a/n/ac

• 64-bit/128-bit WEP

• AES-CCMP

• TKIP

Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 5.0

Audio

Table 10. Audio specications

Features Values

Type

Controller

Stereo conversion

Internal interface

4 channel High Denition Audio

Realtek ALC3281-CG

Supported

High-denition audio interface

• 64-bit/128-bit WEP

• AES-CCMP

• TKIP

13

Features Values

External interface

Speakers

Internal speaker amplier

External volume controls

Speaker output:

Average

Peak

Subwoofer output

Microphone

Universal Audio Jack supports Headset/Headphone/Line­out/Microphone/Line-in function

Supported

Supported

Supported

2 W

2.5 W

Not supported

Digital-array microphones in camera assembly

Storage

Your computer supports one of the following congurations:

• One 2.5-inch hard drive

• One M.2 PCIe solid-state drive

• One M.2 PCIe solid-state drive and one 2.5-inch hard drive

• One M.2 Intel Optane and one 2.5-inch hard drive

• Two M.2 PCIe solid-state drives

NOTE: The primary drive of your computer varies depending on the storage conguration.

For computers:

• with a M.2 drive, the M.2 drive is the primary drive.

• without M.2 drive, the 2.5-inch drive is the primary drive.

Table 11. Storage specications

Storage type Interface type Capacity

One 2.5-inch hard drive SATA AHCI, up to 6 Gbps Up to 1 TB

One M.2 2230/2280 solid-state drive

One M.2 2280 Intel Optane storage PCIe Gen3x2 NVMe, up to 16 Gbps Up to 118 GB

• SATA AHCI, up to 6 Gbps

• PCIe Gen3x4 NVMe, up to 32
Gbps

Up to 1 TB

Keyboard

Table 12. Keyboard specications

Features Values

Type

Layout

Number of keys

4-zone RGB backlit keyboard

QWERTY

• United States and Canada: 101 keys

• United Kingdom: 102 keys

14

Features Values

• Japan: 105 keys

Size

Shortcut keys Some keys on your keyboard have two symbols on them.

• X = 19.05 mm key pitch

• Y = 18.05 mm key pitch

These keys can be used to type alternate characters or to
perform secondary functions. To type the alternate character,
press Shift and the desired key. To perform secondary
functions, press Fn and the desired key.

NOTE: You can dene the primary behavior of the
function keys (F1–F12) by changing Function Key
Behavior in BIOS setup program.

Keyboard shortcuts

Camera

Table 13. Camera specications

Features Values

Number of cameras

Type

Location

Sensor type

Resolution:

Still image

Video

One

FHD xed focus

Front

CMOS sensor technology

2.0 megapixel (FHD)

1920 x 1080 (FHD) at 30 fps

Diagonal viewing angle 74.9 degrees

Touchpad

Table 14. Touchpad specications

Features Values

Resolution:

Horizontal

Vertical

Dimensions:

Horizontal

Vertical

Touchpad gestures

For more information about touchpad gestures for Windows 10, see the Microsoft knowledge base article 4027871 at

support.microsoft.com.

1229

749

105 mm (4.13 in.)

65 mm (2.56 in.)

15

Power adapter

Table 15. Power adapter specications

Features Values

Type

Diameter (connector)

Input voltage

Input frequency

Input current (maximum)

Output current (continuous)

Rated output voltage

Temperature range:

Operating

Storage

NOTE: This computer supports Hybrid power feature during heavy loading. For more information, see Hybrid

power.

130 W 180 W

7.4 mm 7.4 mm

100 VAC-240 VAC 100 VAC-240 VAC

50 Hz-60 Hz 50 Hz-60 Hz

2.34 A 2.34 A

6.70 A 9.23 A

19.50 VDC 19.50 VDC

0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F) –40°C to 70°C (–40°F to 158°F)

–40°C to 70°C (–40°F to 158°F)

–40°C to 70°C (–40°F to 158°F)

Battery

Table 16. Battery specications

Features Values

Type

Voltage

Weight (maximum)

Dimensions:

Height

Width

Depth

Temperature range:

Operating

Storage

Operating time

Charging time (approximate) 4 hours (when the computer is o) 4 hours (when the computer is o)

Life span (approximate)

Coin-cell battery

4-cell “smart” lithium-ion (60 WHr) 6-cell “smart” lithium-ion (90 WHr)

15.20 VDC 11.40 VDC

0.25 kg (0.56 lb) 0.37 kg (0.81 lb)

11.60 mm (0.46 in.) 11.60 mm (0.46 in.)

222.20 mm (8.75 in.) 332.65 mm (13.09 in.)

74.20 mm (2.92 in.) 74.20 mm (2.92 in.)

0°C to 35°C (32°F to 95°F) 0°C to 35°C (32°F to 95°F)

–40°C to 65°C (–40°F to 149°F) –40°C to 65°C (–40°F to 149°F)

Varies depending on operating conditions and can signicantly reduce under
certain power-intensive conditions.

300 discharge/charge cycles 300 discharge/charge cycles

CR-2032 CR-2032

NOTE: This computer supports Hybrid power feature during heavy loading. For more information, see Hybrid

power.

16

Display

Table 17. Display specications

Features Values

Type

Panel technology

Luminance (typical)

Dimensions (active area):

Height

Width

Diagonal

Native resolution

Megapixels

Pixels Per Inch (PPI)

Contrast ratio (minimum)

Response time (maximum)

Refresh rate

Horizontal view angle

Vertical view angle

Pixel pitch

Power consumption (maximum)

Anti-glare vs glossy nish

Full High Denition (FHD) Ultra High Denition (UHD)

Wide Viewing angle (WVA) Wide Viewing angle (WVA)

300 nits 400 nits

214.81 mm (8.46 in.) 214.94 mm (8.46 in.)

381. 89 mm (15.04 in.) 382.12 mm (15.04 in.)

438.16 mm (17.25 in.) 438.42 mm (17.26 in.)

1920 x 1080 3840 x 2160

2.07 8.29

127 255

500:1 800:1

35 msec rise/fall 35 msec rise/fall

60 Hz 60 Hz

+/- 85 degrees +/- 85 degrees

+/- 85 degrees +/- 85 degrees

0.199 mm 0.0995 mm

8 W 14 W

Anti-glare Anti-glare

Touch options

Not supported Not supported

Video

Table 18. Discrete graphics specications

Discrete graphics
Controller External display support Memory size Memory type

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
Ti

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070
Max-Q

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
Max-Q

• One HDMI 2.0b port

• One mini-DisplayPort 1.4

• One HDMI 2.0b port

• One mini-DisplayPort 1.4

• One HDMI 2.0b port

• One mini-DisplayPort 1.4

• One HDMI 2.0b port

4 GB GDDR5

6 GB GDDR6

8 GB GDDR6

8 GB GDDR6

17

Discrete graphics
Controller External display support Memory size Memory type

• One mini-DisplayPort 1.4

Table 19. Integrated graphics specications

Controller External display support Memory size Processor

Intel UHD Graphics 630 One Thunderbolt 3 (USB

Type-C)

Computer environment

Airborne contaminant level: G1 as dened by ISA-S71.04-1985

Table 20. Computer environment

Operating Storage

Temperature range

Relative humidity (maximum)

Vibration (maximum)

Shock (maximum)

Altitude (maximum)

* Measured using a random vibration spectrum that simulates user environment.

† Measured using a 2 ms half-sine pulse when the hard drive is in use.

‡ Measured using a 2 ms half-sine pulse when the hard-drive head is in parked position.

0°C to 35°C (32°F to 95°F) –40°C to 65°C (–40°F to 149°F)

10% to 90% (non-condensing) 0% to 95% (non-condensing)

0.66 GRMS 1.30 GRMS

110 G† 160 G‡

–15.2 m to 3,048 m (–50 ft to 10,000
ft)

Shared system memory

• 8th Generation Intel Core
i5/i7

• 9th Generation Intel Core
i7

–15.2 m to 10,668 m (–50 ft to 35,000
ft)

18

Hybrid power

The Hybrid power feature enables your computer to function optimally during the following instances of heavy loading.
Examples of heavy loading include:

• Graphics and processor-intensive applications and/or gaming

• External power loading from devices relying on your computer as a power source such as gaming mice, keyboards, external
speakers, and headsets

When during instances of heavy loading, system performance is maintained through hybrid power. Hybrid power coordinates
the power drawn from the power adapter and battery, allowing power to be drawn from the battery for up to ve percent per
hour with the power adapter plugged in. This feature is disabled when the battery falls below 20 percent charge.

The following table shows the dierent scenarios and benets of hybrid power:

Table 21. Hybrid power feature description

Battery capacity Feature description

100%~20%

<20%

When the battery charge reaches 100 percent and the power
adapter is plugged in, battery stops charging to avoid
lithium-ion degradation.

Under heavy loading, hybrid power is enabled and battery
charge will deplete to maintain system performance.

If your computer is no longer under heavy load, battery will
resume charging.

Hybrid function is disabled.
Computer will throttle during heavy loading and may

encounter performance issues.

19

Keyboard shortcuts

NOTE: Keyboard characters may dier depending on the keyboard language conguration. Keys used for shortcuts
remain the same across all language congurations.

NOTE: You can dene the primary behavior of the function keys (F1–F12) by changing Function Key Behavior in
BIOS setup program.

Table 22. List of keyboard shortcuts

Keys Description

Disable/enable wireless

Mute audio

Decrease volume

Increase volume

Switch to external display

Decrease brightness

Increase brightness

Disable/enable touch pad

Disable/enable AlienFX

Table 23. List of Macro keys

Keys Description

Macro keys

NOTE: You can congure modes and assign multiple
tasks for the macro keys on the keyboard.

20

Alienware Command Center

Alienware Command Center (AWCC) provides a single interface to customize and enhance the gaming experience. The
AWCC dashboard displays most recently played or added games, and provides game-specic information, themes, proles,
and access to computer settings. You can quickly access settings such as game-specic proles and themes, lighting, macros,
and audio that are critical to the gaming experience.

AWCC also supports AlienFX 2.0. AlienFX enables you to create, assign, and share game-specic lighting maps to enhance the
gaming experience. It also enables you to create your own individual lighting eects and apply them to the computer or
attached peripherals. AWCC embeds Peripheral Controls to ensure a unied experience and the ability to link these settings to
your computer or game.

AWCC supports the following features:

• FX: Create and manage the AlienFX zones.

• Fusion: Includes the ability to adjust game-specic Power Management, Sound Management, and Thermal Management
features.

• Peripheral Management: Enables peripherals to appear in and be managed in Alienware Command Center. Supports key
peripheral settings and associates with other functions such as proles, macros, AlienFX, and game library.

AWCC also supports Sound Management, Thermal Controls, CPU, GPU, Memory (RAM) monitoring. For more information
about AWCC, see the

Alienware Command Center Online Help

.

21

Getting help and contacting Alienware

Self-help resources

You can get information and help on Alienware products and services using these online self-help resources:

Table 24. Alienware products and online self-help resources

Self-help resources Resource location

Information about Alienware products and services www.alienware.com

My Dell

Tips

Contact Support In Windows search, type Contact Support, and press Enter.

Online help for operating system www.dell.com/support/windows

www.dell.com/support/linux

Troubleshooting information, user manuals, setup instructions,
product specications, technical help blogs, drivers, software
updates, and so on

www.alienware.com/gamingservices

VR Support www.dell.com/VRsupport

Videos providing step-by-step instructions to service your
computer

www.youtube.com/alienwareservices

Contacting Alienware

To contact Alienware for sales, technical support, or customer service issues, see www.alienware.com.

NOTE: Availability varies by country/region and product, and some services may not be available in your country/
region.

NOTE: If you do not have an active Internet connection, you can nd contact information about your purchase
invoice, packing slip, bill, or Dell product catalog.

22