Alienware 17-R4 cheap keyboard?

Question

I'm not enthusiastic about the quality of the keyboard that shipped with the new Alienware 17 R4. The keys seem a little loose in their housings and some, like my numberpad 4, just seem to be popping straight off. My spacebar also doesn't register anything but a direct strike on the centre of the key. Has anyone else had issues, or did I just get shipped a bad keyboard?

Liky · Answer

My space bar is not very sensitive either but the rest is good

Eddy182 · Answer

I am having problems with my new 15 R3 and one thing is my left shift key sometimes works then doesn't work at all to make @ sign etc

hindesite · Answer

Oh, wow - I have the 17r3 and the keyboard is perfection itself, and it is worrying to hear reports of anything less than that on the r4.

No way should keys be falling off, either, sounds defective.

If Alienware have changed the keyboard, they've made a big mistake; the r3 keyboard is what you expect to find on such an expensive laptop..

KingPhineus · Answer

Ugh, same problem here. Keys feel very weak and the spacebar is a royal pain in bum! Anything less than a hard tap right in the center of the bar doesn't register. This is myfirst alienware system so I am a little surprised at the shoddy quality.

Pbradao · Answer

I'll admit, except for the ghosting problems I really loved my R3.

Pbradao · Answer

Considering this thing is a lap-crushing four and a half kilograms I'm not surprised. Does the old alienware keyboard work in the new chassis?

eternalkp · Answer

the new Alienware laptops have 2.2mm keyboard travel, which is inferior to the old one (17 R3, 15 R2) of 2.6mm. What is this obsession with making laptop thinner, are we apple now?

hindesite · Answer

Where did you see that information? Would indicate it is definitely a different keyboard and judging by the rapid appearance of complaints, very inferior to the 17R3 keyboard, which is just beautiful.

And yeah, thinning down the 17 would have to be a joke...this thing either needs to go on a serious diet (which would be great - especially with an alloy body!) or just accept the advantages of the larger size and fill it up with more goodies and better cooling.

eternalkp · Answer

Is it just me or the 17 R4 is way uglier than my R3? That extra backside looks terrible. If there is a way to upgrade my 980M to 1070, i would be all over that. Oh well, I will grab an amplifier when the 1080ti comes out. As of now, the 980M keeps me happy playing witcher 3 on ULTRA at 4K resolution. The frame rate could be a little higher, but still playable regardless.

www.youtube.com/watch

Oreok4 · Answer

I have a R4 on the way and i think it looks way better than the r3. A lot cleaner looking, I am now a bit concerned about the keyboard though as well as the sound popping problem, low fps, and shutting down issues im starting to get concerned with my purchase..... that and it being stuck in processing for 4 days now. i guess ill see when it arrives.

Don_Chooluvit · Answer

@Oreok4 I had a 17 r3 that was replaced with an R4. The keyboard is better than the R3 beyond a doubt. I've had it for a week and am very impressed with it. I had the popping off keys on my R3, along with a few other issues which made me get the replacement. I haven't had any issues with the new keyboard. whatsoever.

Oreok4 · Answer

Thats good to hear, hopefully i get a problem free one :) Thanks for your input

hindesite · Answer

That's interesting, and makes me think there might be regional differences (we see this with service, maybe it applies to hardware as well? Or maybe there is some variation with component iterations over time. My 17r3 is pretty old, and the keyboard is great; also, I'm in Australasia.

How about you?

hindesite · Answer

Is it just me or the 17 R4 is way uglier than my R3?

Impossible, there isn't an ugly stick that big. I certainly didn't buy the 17r3 for its looks.

I do like the fact that there is now a separate MiniDP on the back, and other ports and power have been moved there as well. The 17r3 has pretty much everything hanging out both sides, and it looks awful. I guess the workaround would be to use a Thunderbolt dock to power the system and break everything out - so why won't Dell support this?

At the moment I have 6 cables hanging out the sides of the laptop, and it looks bad.

Pbradao · Answer

Is there an aftermarket keyboard that might solve this problem?

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Alienware 17-R4 cheap keyboard?

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