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

Wow, I didn't have those temps tbh when I got it in game max 91°C stock.

Clearly a thermal paste problem...yet again .
That overheat bad hype will maybe force alienware to eradicate bad thermal paste from their inventory ?

 

Should I just ask for a replacement unit then? Pfff really disappointing...was waiting for this laptop for 3 weeks!!!!

 

Does it void the warranty to repaste?

 

No, it does not.

 

Why should you keep it?

 

Just wondering but is that confirmed somewhere on their page or by a Dell employee? I would def order paste right now if so and change thermal paste asap haha, but I got extended warranties so I'm not trying to screw that up

 

Is well known that you don't void the warranty with re-paste or other fixes. Confirmed by all Dell reps. You void your warranty only if you break something yourself

 

Oh, this is my first ever gaming laptop and first Alienware too, just wanted to be sure that's all, wasn't doubting the integrity of anyone's knowledge. Thanks for the info, I look forward to also contributing to the before and afters of repasting on the 2016 New 15's.

Also can I ask, (haven't kept up with this info) but which is the best thermal paste in terms of longevity and temperatures? I know all are better in different areas, but it seems the MX-4 and Gelid GC-Extreme are best?

 

I asked a similar question before and it seems like Grizzly Kyronaut would be the best Traditional Paste and Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut the best Liquid Metals paste. Check the first post by iunlock for W/mk (higher is considered better). I ordered both, not sure if i wanna go for the Liquid metal yet (might experiment with it on my current asus g73 which runs super hot).

 

Oh thanks for the info, I assumed all those Grizzly were conductive or metals due to the good recordings haha. One more thing, is it recommended to change the thermal pads too? Or was that info added just in case anyone needed new pads from the disassemble?

 

Have you seen any of my posts or thread?

Absolutely YES it's a thermal paste issue lol...



::iunlock::

 

No Need. PM if you need help.

::iunlock::

 

It would be good to as it would provide maximum cooling potential. Anything to fix Dell's flaw...with them using toothpaste for thermal paste and toilet paper for thermal pads.

::iunlock::

 

Do you recommend any specific thermal pads? I actually think I have some from about a year ago from doing research to cool VRM chips on a GPU, not sure which kind and certainly don't have both sizes haha

 

Fujipoly. ..I always go all out with the new 17.0w m/k.

::iunlock::

 

@iunlock

How long will Liquid Metal last?; is it super viscous and need to be re-pasted every few months?

 

LM is pretty much lasts forever...under very specific and rare situations it may need to be repasted, but for the most part it's a one time oil change, which makes it so great.

It doesn't deteriorate like traditional paste....

LM is the way to go if you're able...

 

Alternativly u could use alphacool Eisschicht. "German-made" Pads with 17w/mK. If u live in europe they are easier to get than fujipoly. At least for me

 

I do not know if you refer to a <whole new> model of 17.0w m/k

Spoiler: 14 W/mK Fujipoly / Alphacool pads

 

I agree that the higher 17.0w m/k's are more crumbly if you want to call it that. I've used and have tried them all...

From my experience, if the clearance between the heat sink and vrm's are a perfect fit, then the 17.0's will work fine. However, for the areas with a higher pressure I would use as softer pad like the 14.0 or 11.0's

 

oh wow new thermal pads too???

Ugh, now im gonna have to do another repaste HAHA

IC Diamond is holding up REALLY well even tho it doesn't have the highest numbers.

Seems i might've hit the silicon lottery on this machine since im hitting such high numbers without even using liquid metal, maybe??

Curious to see how it would hold up doing some tests up to 4.7GHz and pushing the voltage up to 1.5v

 

One more question regarding LM thermal pastes.. HID has the option to use the Coollab Ultra on the CPU but only ICD on GPU. Does LM not work well on GPUs? I wonder if they could do both LM so I would never have to repaste...

Thanks for help

 

Actually a question regarding LM Thermal pastes.. HID is only offering the Coollab Ultra on the CPU and ICD on GPU. does LM not work well with GPUs? I wonder if they could do both CPU and GPU with Ultra so I wouldn't have to worry about repaste...

Thanks for help

 

I would ask them to use CLLU both on the CPU and GPU. Stay away from ICD, for one it's not really that great and two people use it because it is thick to compensate for any gaps and tolerances of heat sinks. ICD so scratches the surface of the die pretty bad and although it doesn't have an impact on performance, it's just one of those things... Also, a lot of these resellers use it because they are sponsored by ICD. No figure. My take on it is, why bother with ICD when there are so many better options right?

Granted, one can get decent results with ICD and yes it can last a while (very thick paste) as some have pretty good results with it, but again...there are better options so why not opt for those instead?

The thing with ICD is this. Diamond has a rating of 1000w m/k, which is crazy, but that's solid diamond LOL. ICD has micro diamond dust, HOWEVER, in order to keep that all together it needs to have an aggressive binding agent right? The problem with ICD is that it has fillers which make it thick, but in ratio to how it performs vs how it should really perform considering that it has diamond in it, just does not add up.

Any fresh paste will show some decent numbers in the beginning before it starts to deteriorate while losing it's integrity...

We're all entitled to our own opinion and what I'm sharing with you is just mine. I would never use ICD nor condone the use of it. If you were to take a poll, the majority would say no to ICD. That's just the reality and there's a good reason for that.

If HID can do liquid metal all around...do it!

Ugly truth (ICD)...when it doesn't have to be this way, especially when there are better products out there...

 

Hi, new here and am considering getting an Alienware 15 but I want to be sure about it before I drop 3 Gs on it. I have a few questions about applying thermal paste since I don't know if I can find someone else to do it for me. I see that liquid metal has more recommendations from people but what if I've never repasted anything before? Would it then be best to go with traditional paste? Do you remove the electrical tape around the processor after the Liquid Metal is applied? And are you also applying the liquid metal to the heat sink? and when removing the old thermal paste do you just rub it with rubbing alcohol until it's gone or scrape it away? And do you just use the rubbing alc on a tissue?

Sorry for all the questions just want to make sure

Thanks

 

1. if I've never repasted anything before? Would it then be best to go with traditional paste?
If you don't drink liquids, use Gelid Extreme.
2. Do you remove the electrical tape around the processor after the Liquid Metal is applied?
No , if you do drink liquids you gotta keep those tapes afterwards.
3. yes, give some juice to the heat sink too, until it becomes shiny.
4. Yes, use isopropyl alcohol on a tissue to remove the toothpaste until the cpu is all neat and clean. Dont drink too much alcohol either.

 

Hello there Joey and welcome.

If this is your first time repasting, I would highly recommend sticking with traditional paste, which will also work very well in producing a nice drop in temps.

When removing the stock thermal paste, you can use rubbing alcohol and/or buy some ArctiClean (Formula #1 and #2). If you're using rubbing alcohol, make sure that it is at least 70%. I use both, 70% for cleaning and 91% for the finishing touch.

Tip: When removing the stock gunk, use a plastic card or something to gently scrape off as much as you can. By doing so it'll make it a lot easier to clean the rest off. Also, let the rubbing alcohol or Formula #1 soak on the die for a minute or so before wiping it off. It's also recommended to use coffee filters since they are lint free. Avoid using tissue as that stuff is a dust storm for little fibers that you can see...you goal is to keep the mobo and chips clean so that you don't have fibers of tissue and dust mixed in with the new paste that you're applying. I guess it just depends how OCD you are.

Before:


After: This is how shiny and clean it should look. Just when you think it looks clean...try polishing it again and look for any grey on the coffee filter. Take your time...It's worth it.


Here are the only two traditional pastes that I would recommend:

1. Grizzly Kyronaut.
2. Gelid Extreme.

That's it.

The Electrical tape is more so for when using liquid metal as it is a safe guard put in place the event of any pump out. If LM gets on the mobo it can cause a short, but if LM is applied correctly there is nothing to worry about as I've had zero issues out of all the repastes I've done since the existence of liquid metal thermal paste. The horror stories you hear are those who do not take their time, rush through the repaste and/or have no patients resulting in a monkey job of a paste job.

What are your usage habits? Most gaming? CPU intensive tasks? ... Lets make sure that you're getting the right configuration for your needs.

 

And same time put max OC on gpu and then run 3DM11 Try it. I WANT to see it

 

Either the sarcasm is completely lost on me or I am confusing things
Didn't you start a thread that states that this is a fault in the chip itself which can NOT be solved by repasting?
I have found some users claiming that these temp differentials disappeared after repasting the CPU, but I am still curious...

Could you please elaborate on this?

 

The temp differential is because of the uneven spread of the stock paste on all the cores. Which is why its solved by repasting.
The high temp is because of the toothpaste and high stock voltage.

 

Yes that is correct, but that is hardware related whereas most issues with temps are thermal toothpaste related. Therefore, before jumping into conclusion about it being a hardware issue, perhaps doing a repaste would be great to rule that out if it is indeed a hardware issue. ...In the event that it is, please report your issue in the respected thread.

Sarcasm and having fun is my middle name.

 

Well said.

 

Hi Guys,

Thank you for your replies you've been really helpful!

As I am having light bleed issues in all four of the corners of the display as well I am thinking of swapping this for a new model and then doing the repaste job.

Does anyone of you know how does the exchange process work with Dell? Can you keep your machine until they swap it out with a new one?

Will be on the phone with them on Monday morning.....

 

Np, glad that we can be of help....

Yup! Just call them Monday to get it all sorted out...ask and you shall receive. They are really lenient with that usually.

 

Whats your notebook model ?
And whats your display panel?

 

It's the AW 15 R3 with the 6700 HQ and it has the FHD panel.

 

That's not supposed to happen.
Where did u buy your laptop from?

 

Directly from Dell

 

Which country are you from?

 

UK

 

Thats the problem.
In UK dell has a manufacturing factory, so quality is not as good as the US. But in countries with direct shipping from US, the quality will be better.
Your panel is not attached properly, just take it apart and reattach it.

 

Actually the laptop has been shipped from China. I don't think Dell manifactures in the UK

 

In that case China is the problem

 

Hi, thanks for the reply (I think I am replying in the correct way),
I mainly use my laptop for gaming and doing a bit of stuff of AutoCAD, Photoshop/Illustrator and Solidworks.

I live in Australia where currently Dell is only offering the 15 r3 with the 6700hq processor so that's my only option atm. I have heard of these over heating as well so I just wanted to know how to do the repaste etc. I just have a few more questions. Does liquid metal stay liquidy is that why you leave the electrical tape in? And when using traditional paste should I add some to the heatsink as well? And does undervolting affect performance?

Thanks again.

 

So I managed to get dell to send me me a technician to perform a thermal paste substitution and heat sink replacement, this way I am sure not to screw up. And I'll provide the thermal paste myself. I'll just get one of the non-liquid metal ones recomended in this thread.

On that note, I was installing occt just to use the same tool as the original poster here and I noticed this overclock setting:

http://imgur.com/a/W4mrQ

Is it normal? The system had been on idle for some time, but I had been gaming before with temps on the 80-90 range and max of 100.

Can't even start the test the core#0 reaches 90 almost instantly. argh.

 

I've asked HID if that would be possible.. Sadly they replied that they stay with ICD for safety reasons and that the GPU chip has metal contacts close to the chip and as the Ultra is conductive it could potentialy be unsafe.

Shame but it's still nice to have it on the CPU I guess.

 

Order direct from dell, there's no advantage in ordering from HID.

If you want me to repaste the machine with liquid metal (I can do BOTH the CPU and GPU), shoot me a PM and we can agree with something.

 

They could just tape around the GPU.

Offer them to send them a tube of Grizzly Kyronaut maybe?

Up to you.

::iunlock::

 

I'm from Poland so unfortunately the distance is too big. Otherwise I would be happy to let you do it. I can't repaste myself and don't really know or trust anyone to do it in PL that's why I'm looking at HID as people said they do a good job with the repaste.

 

@GodlikeRU

Buy from Dell direct nonetheless, you can haggle with them.