[Alienware 17R4 / 15R3] - Disassembly + Repaste Guide + Results

Well, you should return it and try to get MSI or clevo. You can return it to Dell and order it from Hidevolution or Eurocom or even switch to LGA Clevo's.

 

What are the chances of this happening a third time? I don't mind the repaste but I at least need acceptable temps no 95+ out of the box. The pad and repaste has not helped on either system. As you can tell I'm not doing anything wrong.


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You can do it but the conclusion would be same, you will return it and demand refund. If you can wait for couple of months you might get a new system because right now there is shortage of parts. If you're in the US, you could send it to @iunlock so that the issue gets sorted out.

 

Each replacement they send is a new system. I am still within 30 days. What do you mean wait a couple months?


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Are any of those systems of same spec same 99 watt hour battery. Same build quality?


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Why would the conclusion be the same? If it's a new system?


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So was the previous models a refurb or new ones?

 

You probably got a dried out tube.
I've seen multiple random complaints about that. some people saying it was like putty....
Kryonaut is very VERY easy to spread. I found it the same as both Nanogrease Extreme and MX-4. Actually nanogrease extreme was a little harder to spread than Kryonaut (not much though).

 

@Freitz

Are you using automatic fan speeds or 100% fan?
Have you tried 100% fan?
The cores seem closer after a repaste, so it looks like the paste did something but something's limiting the heat transfer.
What's the VID of this CPU?
This can also be caused by a crappy chip with an extremely high VID. Going from 1.1v to 1.3v will add 20C....
You posted temps but did not post the VID of the chip. Please post the VID (at full load).
Someone with the Titan had a 7820HK that would *blue screen* at 4.2 ghz and ran 80-90C...found out he had a 1.3VID CPU....one of the worst 7820HK samples ever made. Needing 1.287v for 4.2 ghz...that's what many desktop CPU's need for *5 ghz*....

(Just to put that in perspective, my 7820HK @ 4.5 ghz needs **1.1v**.


MSI GT73VR and GT75VR titans will have the best cooling, and won't need essential repasting, but repasting the CPU will work wonders.
If you're going to get a Clevo, get the P870DM, then you can buy a delidded, liquid metal'd pre-binned CPU from silicon lottery instead of BGA filth, order the custom system from Hidevolution, with Bios support for 7700K and have it ship with no CPU, then install the pre-binned CPU yourself (with Kryonaut) and enjoy **5 ghz**.

 

Nah it was not like putty. Mine came out creamy but started to get harder much faster than gc extreme. I got IC Diamond and that is like putty lol, which surprised me.

 

I have had 3 replacements.

1. New delivered July 21
2. New delivered August 1st replacement
3. August 3rd refurb tech replaced mother board and heatsink in new system.

4. I have another exchange coming.


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Unfortunately I went to the beach house for the weekend and said F you to the two 17"s and brought the Alienware 13R3 (which has always worked flawlessly).

I can check on Monday about the VID of the chip. It seems unlikely though that I received 3 bad chips. (2 different machines and a mobo replacement).

I am using the stock fan profile. However important to note that when I elevate the back of any of the 17 R4's Temps are improved by 20-30 degress under load. I am getting 95 C- 97C in games when elevated I get mid 70's... So weird when flat on the desk. Also does not make sense.

 

So I can order a alienware from Hidevolution and it won't have all these problems? But I have to pay a little more since they go in and make sure it doesn't have these issues?

MSI GT75VR would be awesome except a little funny carrying that thing around to business meetings. Clevo is an interesting option. I still find alienware 17 to be the best option I just want it to work.

 

I understand that @Mobius 1 offers a repaste service for the 17R4? Does this include the thermal pads mentioned in iunlock & OWNorDISOWN video? Could you please contact me regarding this service and pricing? I also sent you a discord friend request, ronin1966. Thanks in advance @Mobius 1 !

 

I re-pasted my 17r4 gtx 1080 exactly as shown on here and after putting it all back together i am unable to start my laptop. Does anyone have any idea what i could have done wrong? I tried disconnecting and reconnecting the battery but no effect. It will not turn on no beeps nothing on battery or plugged in.

 

90% of the time it's a cable not plugged in correctly.

Maybe check the screen cables at the back. 4 should be connected.

 

http://imgur.com/a/fTVuf
There are pictures of the cables. As far as i can tell they are all in correctly.

 

Did u use LM to repaste?

 

yes i used the same stuff he does in the pictures.

 

Sorry to tell you but there's a good chance your laptop is fried.

 

thats what i think. Its still under warranty and accidental damage so maybe they will cover it.

 

What liquid metal did you use? Like, exactly, what stuff?
Saying "Stuff" shows a LOT of carelessness and incompetence on your part if you can't even tell us what you used.

What sort of preparation did you do for applying it? Did you tape (highly recommended) or nail polish off the resistors around the silicon BGA slug? I suggest you take it apart and show us high resolution pictures of your repaste, so we can see if any got into stuff outside the silicon.

 

Just done another 6700HQ.. managed to use a cooler for 1080 on the 1060. Both looked the same. The guy is over the moon. Going to research a little overclock for it.. if anyone can help?

 

Grizzly

 

If you can't even answer my questions clearly with any sort of detail, you shouldn't be applying that stuff to begin with.

 

Man I hope that was a Grizzly Kryonaut.


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It was LM Conductonaut.

 

Yea, probably fried something.

 

If you cannot locate the information you need from this thread then you should give up any hope of doing this on your own..

 

Of course

 

You should get some response from it. Like red of blue power light pulses. Did you apply liquid metal.. Have you tried disconnecting the CMOS battery? Did you use a antistatic mat - did you ground yourself while doing it?

 

I sure hope that that wasn't directed at ME, because I was the one trying to offer HELP. I already put *LM* On my own laptop and it's not an Alienware, and I know how to prep, thank you very much.

 

This is specific to Alienware.. so why have input? And your msg's aren't helping.. so why try

 

Because I help people on this forum.
But I can't help someone if they give 1 word answers when I ask for a description and pictures, and then they come complain that they blew up their laptop.

If people can't answer questions with any sort of detail, what makes you think they can repaste without destroying something?

 

You consider that help. You come across as a wise ass.. on an Alienware thread when you don't have an Alienware? In the last few days I have rebuild two R4 17s applied liquid metal and both are firing fine.. so don't worry about worry yourself about me.

kaladinStormBlessed Let me know exactly what you did, and I'll see if I can help. C

 

I was very careful with the whole process. I just couldn't remember the exact name of the brand when i was typing it sorry. I used the thermal grizzly. I also did use the 33+ electrical tape. Unfortunately I cant show you pics of the LM as I removed it last night when I took it apart to check to see if some had gotten on something else. I was unable to find any on anything but the heat sink and cpu/gpu but I don't have pics to prove it.

 

Thank you.
I just wanted to make sure there were no conductive balls on something where they shouldn't be. If you didn't see any, then that's probably not what happened.

Not sure what happened then, but it's always more risky repasting a laptop which requires disassembly of extra cables and parts rather than just fan and battery.

Did you unplug the internal battery connector before repasting? (not sure if this is possible on Alienwares, but this is STRONGLY recommended on MSI repasting videos). If the battery is connected, even with the AC removed, there's always a danger of a short if a screw or tool winds up slipping on something.

Is there a way to force a Bios CMOS reset or (if possible) an EC reset? A laptop not posting after repasting is VERY rare, as there are usually no power cables to unplug, and even with fan or display /lvds cables unplugged somehow, the system should at least POST.

 

There are two power connections. One is white, thats the DC, the othere is black, thats battery.. they could both be the same colour.. if you've not disconnected the battery you will have issues. You can reset by disconnections battery and cmos

 

Hi,

I've recently repasted my AW 15R3 and while the temperatures of my GPU are fine (maxes out at high 60s), the GPU's fan will spin up to max after applying load within a short period of time.
While I am currently guessing that this might be due to some bad contact / heat related, I am not sure which specific part is being actively monitored and would cause the fan to ramp up.
The GPU's temperature increase is a slow and steady increase until it hits 65°C from where it will crawl its way to 68°C or 69°C and then it's just locked there and won't move (stable line in GPU-Z), unless the GPU load changes significantly.
Has anyone else experienced something similar or has got any idea what might cause this?
I am on BIOS 1.19 if that helps and the CPU is doing fine (reporting a maximum of 76°C as Core Max and Package temperature as 76°C in HWInfo after several hours of gaming)

Thank you very much in advance!

 

Your temps look good to me. My temps were running at 100%+. With your temps, you could try a lite overclock for better performance.. depending on your spec that is.

 

Ah, sorry :-D
I am not worried about the temps.
My question is: has anyone else had similar temps (give or take a few degrees) and experiences similar fan behaviour?
My fan ramps up to the maximum, even though the temps would suggest that a moderate amount of cooling (and therefore noise) should do as well ;-)

 

If the fan speed hits maximum without fan performance altered in bios then I'd say there is an issue. A few others are having the same problem, either in this thread of another. Worth searching through

 

I've done a search but have unfortunately not found any posts regarding this topic :-(
Could you please point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

I just stumbled across this article which might be of interest to anyone considering a repaste:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thermal-paste-comparison,5108.html

 

It was either on here or reddit. We ll look through history of both later. Btw have you got performance fan enabled in bios?

 

Has anyone received a 17r4 that did not hit mid 90's out of the box?

 

So my third replacement is being sent on 8/10 - My 30 day trial runs out on 8/16.

Should I order an try and repad and repaste again? (last two attempts on previous system yielded no results but non load temps)

If I keep past 8/16 there is no option for return for full refund.

I am hoping I have had a string of bad luck. A lot of youtube reviewers are showing load temps on a desk around mid to high 80's. Both of mine after pad and repaste where in the mid 90's.

What does the group think?

@iunlock or any other LM and repadder can you PM me looking at turn around time.

 

I'd always mod the pch and apply liquid metal to cpu/gpu/pch. Or get a refund and go msi

 

If the MSI laptops didn't look like **** I would have already. IMO.

PCH eh... sure ill do LM and Pads but it should be able to not hit mid 90's on 20 ambient on a desk....

 

Hello! @iunlock What difference is there in removing the entire motherboard?
I lifted the mother, discounted the fans and then removed the full heatsink ...

 

Excellent! What settings did you use for OC 4.4? (Core Extra Turbo Voltage, PL1, PL2)
Did you use undervolt?