I have an Aurora R3 desktop with an nvidia GTX 580.  I went directly to the nvidia website to get the latest drivers.

Unfortunately, Desktop Alienware users have no problem with this. It's us Laptop users that have to go through Dell directly. :(

It is absolutely disgraceful how frequently Alienware (alias Dell) release video driver updates for their – so called – gaming platforms in the Alienware range.  This range is advertised as a ‘gaming range.’  Any gamer will tell you that in the ‘PC world,’ the most important component for playing the latest games is the VIDEO DRIVER!  Very few newly released games don’t require an immediate update of the video driver to the latest version.  There has been one single release for the ATI 6970M since I bought my m17xr3 seven months ago.  That is just ridiculous.  The problem is that Dell has purchased Alienware – a brand famous for boutique GAMING machines – but are still treating the Alienware range like it is part of their ‘ho-hum standard PC range.’  If you have a boutique brand, you’ve got to treat it as boutique!  Alienware, you are losing your ‘standing!’  Get the drivers out and get them out regularly!  As regularly as the ‘video manufacturers’ release them.  Or your customer base is gone.

I have recently purchase Rage – for example, for 80 bucks – and without the very latest ATI driver, it simply crashes.  I can’t download the latest driver from ATI because it complains that I have ‘vendor specific hardware,’ that must be downloaded from my vendor.  At the rate Dell are releasing video drivers for their boutique range, I should be able to play it once I’ve forgotten the game’s name and could have bought it for 20 bucks.  Come on Alienware!  Get it together!

Tell me about it!!!! I couldn't agree more! I just bought my almost maxed out laptop for the gaming experience. That's nearly three grand! And I get out-of-date drivers on it?! Seriously?! I so hope they fix this problem. And soon.

And be warned man, Dell is probably going to take your post down. But be glad at least one of us read it first.

Yah, I'm incredibly disappointed with the driver issue. I just bought an M18x with dual 6990s and I can't even play RAGE cause as soon as I launch it, it bombs every time and I know its because the drivers. I feel like I got a major hosing by Dell/Alienware.

uninstall dell ones, restart , driver cleaner, install AMD Preview 2 Drivers.

thats how i got it to work.  But Rage is unplayable.  I Hope BF3 plays or i will be flipping out.

Same thing with me, i got it working with new drivers off AMD using driver cleaner.  Problem is, it runs like a bag of crap.  My nvidia Desktop runs it perfectly!  unplayable on my new 5,000 laptop.  Makes sense

How did you get the AMD drivers to work? When I tried to install the official 11.9 Mobility drivers off AMDs site, it won't even install cause it says no compatible hardware found :(

Thanks for the reply. By chance, do you have a link to the exact Preview 2 drivers you downloaded? And forgive me for my ignorance (never used Driver Cleaner), but is this what you're talking about? http://goo.gl/gL5KF

i think i found a  link to AMD on rage 3d.com  Also i believe that is the driver cleaner.