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

I think you've a nice score, if you'll take into account that you didn't do any cleaning of Dell's 'bloatware'.

 

Seems as a normal score for Cinebench R15. But too low for Gtx1080 in the OpenGL test (useless test - Even old Gtx980M is able to crush Gtx1080 in openGL).

But what with more than a single round Cinebench? Can it keep up and hold the scores? This is from the Cinebench R15 tests from latest Alienware reviwed late fall 2017 (7820hk in Alienware 15)...

 

Ite definitely tapers off with multiple consecutive runs. The scores drop to below 760 after about the 5th consecutive run...

 

CB GPU scores are low for me too on 980m (87-89FPS).

Change CBr15 Process priority to Realtime in Task Mgr and you might get better scores. You will feel the PC is frozen or stuck, but its fine, wait for few minutes and test will be completed very quickly.

 

I have said it several time... Don't trust on OpenGL benchmark... This is from Gtx970.

 

Tell me why you didn't upgrade to MXM pascal?
When I used RTSS, it showed 600 fps for me.

 

I repasted my 15 R3 and the temps on the gpu idle are good, solid 37, but the cpu is jumping all over the place, from 65 back to 100 and back down to 70 and back to 100.

I removed the heatsink a second time to make sure there was enough liquid metal, and it's good, same as the gpu. Could it be that the electric tape is covering a thermal sensor?

They keyboard is not hot, am I getting bogus readings somehow? I also put on new thermal pads across the board.

 

Repasted again, in the past when I repasted alienwares for my friends I used paste they provided. Often Gelid or something like that. Less viscose pastes in general. I always used ICD7 myself and recently Phobya Nanogrease. But my temps where spiking suddenly after repasting my own AW15R3.

What I noticed is that using the drop technique instead of spread is not a good idea with these fairly low pressure heatsinks. So today I used Kryonaut and the results are better when using the spread technique. The core temp difference is small (without the arm bend mod) and the combined GPU & CPU load temperatures during gameplay in a heavy game such as AC Origins is good too.

My recomendation is to use thermal paste types that you can spready easily and thinly because with Phobya Nanogrease the pressure from the heatsink is not enough to spread it perfectly thin thus creating a gap that will hurt the temperatures in the long run.

See screenshot for gameplay results of playing AC Origins for 30 minutes.

 

80C is too much with Vsync and 20C ambients. Uncheck BD RPOCHOT,C1E and Speedstep. Enable Speedshift for better cpu speed/performance.

 

I dont have Vsync on. You can see the FPS is around 90. 23C ambient. This is with both the GPU and CPU running. Its a reduction of 6C compared to stock paste in the same scenario.

When I use Prime95 the temps do not even hit 70C for CPU alone.

You cant go much lower with this system when using non Liquid metal paste. The third heatpipe goes from the GPU over the CPU to the side vent. So the GPU temperature greatly affects the CPU temp. What I did notice was that the fanspeeds are also lower with Kryonaut.

 

Hi,
I repasted my Alienware 17 R4's CPU and GPU thermal paste and after I have checked everything (Handled with care)
I boot it up and it is showing "Checking media presence" then proceeds to "No boot device found"
I check the BIOS and my stock Nvme SSD is not showing up/detected. Can anyone please help me?
I am desperate. I have tried setting it to AHCI (RAID was default) and still not able to detect. I have also tried disabling "Secure boot" if it can detect SSD. But still not showing.

I can see my HDD drive though. I've also tried putting the SSD on the 2nd slot (it was on the 3rd slot). Checked all ribbons, pins and everything (everything in good condition and not show of chipping or broken pins). SSD has no broken pins-- also the slot shows no broken pins.

Could it be the BIOS? I'm on BIOS 1.2.3 I have the skylake 6820HK version

PLEASE HELP!!

 

Did you try that SSD in another computer, see if it shows up?

 

hey guys, i just bought an alienware 15 R3 a few weeks ago. Thermals were a bit higher, no throttling though, but i went for liquid metal for ice cold laptop. Thermals improved, but not as expected, so i ordered new thermal pads to change. I have the i7 7820hk model with GTX1070, the pads thickness are the same as AW17 R4 with GTX1070? can anyone confirm this please?

 

Could any one point me to where the keyboard back light connector is located? After repaste the backlight on the keyboard no longer works. I think I may have missed a connector. Would much appreciate any help.

thanks

 

Hey guys, I'm losing my mind here.

I have a 17 R4 with a GTX 1080 and 7820HK. When I got my system last year I repasted with Conductonaut and reppaded with Fujiploy pads. Temps were good, but not as great as others. I was still able to game without any heating issues. A month ago I noticed some artifacts while playing The Division. I noticed temps were a little high, but nothing that should cause any artifacts (80-90 tops). I decided to repaste and repad once again. I got another tube of Conductonaut and went with Arctic pads as they were cheaper, but had good reviews.

Here is my issue. My CPU temps are f**king crazy. Idle I'm looking at 50-60+ constantly fluctuating. When I try to run OCCT it immediately quits after maybe 5-10 secs with temps into the 100s. I took my system apart and checked everything over. I did notice that some left over thermal pads were still on the CPU heatsink essentially causing me to double up. I figured that was the culprit. I cleaned it off and put some fresh pads down. Put everything back together and still got crazy high temps. I don't know what else to do. I have a little conductonaut left over, should I try repasting once again? My GPU is ice cold. I don't even feel any hot air coming out of the CPU fans nor does the heatsink feel hot.

On a side note I found that The Division has red and green artifacts when you run it on DX12. DX11 has no issues. So it was essentially a software issue and I really didn't need to repaste or repad. Plus the sata cable broke and I had to wait on a new one. Got that one in and it's still very touchy. Takes multiple times before the hdd gets recognized. ****ty design imo.

 

Did you use conductonaut on the CPU only or on the GPU?
did you apply nail polish coats over the SMD resistors if you applied it on the GPU? (Super 33+ tape works well too, but don't ever leave those things exposed. Not only can it cause a short, if it doesn't happen to short 2 resistors, it can STILL EAT THE SOLDER and make the SMD fall off!

Conductonaut is expensive. If you're going to experiment with applications, buy something cheaper and a lot more of it, and get a cheap syringe from a pharmacy to put it in (You will still need some sort of cap that fits over the nozzle, however).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Galinstan-...372053?hash=item4b38602455:g:488AAOSwzBJaf3aT

 

Been doing this for years. Used Super 33+ and ensured it didn't get anywhere besides the die and heatsink. Both GPU and CPU have conductonaut on it. $14 on Amazon, not that expensive. As stated earlier, my first time repasting and repadding this system went fine. Second time around and I'm having issues.

 

Check that the fans work as intended. And ask Dell support for new TRIPOD Heatsink replacement and start all over again. Dell will probably send one of their tech to replace it. Afterwards you can repaste-repad it yourself.

 

Everything was working just fine, just overheating like crazy. I took it apart again and swapped out the pads on the cpu just to see if maybe they were a bit too thick. Now my system won’t boot up. It powers on, fans kick in, but then it turns off and the alien head is an amber color. Not sure if it’s the CMOS or not. It did this earlier today, but booted up after a couple tries.

Unfortunately I am deployed so any replacement parts will have to wait until I’m home. May end up sending it in as I’ve been having a hell of an issue with the HDD recognizing. I’m thinking it may be motherboard related.

 

You have paid Premium price for the day after home tech support. I would never ever send the notebook into Dell depot for repair. Oh'well, your choice.

 

I could care less. I’m getting tired of this damn system. I can send it in or they can come out. If they fix it, great. If not, I’ll take a replacement that will hopefully work.

 

Any thoughts on it not booting up? It powers on for about 3-5 seconds, fans kick in, but then it turns off. The alien head turns amber/orange when it turns off.

I’ve tried looking online, but haven’t found anything helpful. Perhaps my battery is dead? But wouldn’t it boot up with the power brick connected?

 

Super 33+ does NOT ensure that the LM does not get anywhere outside the die and heatsink!!
It only protects the SMD resistors around the CPU GPU that it covers up. It does *NOT* stop LM from escaping and running right over the tape like it's a snowball on a ski slope or something. Ok it won't run off freely (that was a bit of a joke), since LM likes to stick to anything it comes in contact with, but bumps will just make it slowly move around, until eventually, it winds up escaping the entire heatsink area.

Take careful look at the CPU. Do you notice that it is RAISED off the surface of the housing for the BGA? (Same goes for LGA as well)
Look:




That tape protects the metal thingies around the CPU housing from short circuiting if LM touches it. Some CPU's have larger resistors like you see on GPU silicon. That's what Super 33+ tape protects from. You can see a clear air space gap where the CPU is raised above the housing. There will be NO heatsink pressure outside of the CPU's exposed elevated silicon surface! If LM manages to escape the CPU surface area, it will simply run right over the Super 33+ tape and not even care (same goes for people who use nail polish coatings too). Very hard bumps can cause this, especially on a heatsink with low static pressure!

@Papusan

THAT's why you use something highly compressible and cut out like *THIS* to 100% completely ensure NOTHING ever gets short circuited, even if the laptop is dropped!
You need to check all around the CPU and GPU area (if applicable) to make sure you don't have any conductive balls of doom sitting around randomly.

 

I’ll bring it into work and take it apart again. I’ll go over everything and give it a good cleaning. If all looks well, I’ll probably repaste and repad it one last time. If I’m still having issues I’ll pack it up and give Dell a call when I’m back home.

 

You can boot into bios? And the notebook should easly boot up with only the power brick connected.

Yeah, check everything. I would do it before you send it in to Dell. Read also MiSJAH's guide on how NOT to Liquid Metal repaste!!

 

Won’t boot to BIOS. Just turns on for about 5 secs then off.

My paste job didn’t look anything like his, but I won’t say it’s perfect, especially after the issues I’m having.

I’m guessing maybe something isn’t connected or I’ve got some wires pinched somewhere. I’m usually pretty careful when disassembling and reassembling, but again, there’s obviously something wrong.

I probably won’t be able to get to it until Saturday. I’ll get back to you guys once I figure it out.

Thanks for the help.

 

Episode 3
(not so) quick update regarding the laptop

After , in my last episode, I removed LM spillage and replaced with Kryonaut,

heat, of course, decided to rise again to hell and back while playing PUBG@2560x1080 and streaming . (picture)


So I went ahead and made sure laptop starts undervolted to -0.110v (my stable point) AND bought a Cooler Master Cooling pad - NotePal U3.
FINALLY I had a usable laptop. (picture)


BUT

I had an issue..what if I was travelling?
Problems would instatly arise back to 97-98...even with undervolting.

I came close to seling it, to be honest and saying **** it, I'll buy an XMG or a Titan.

Still, tried one last time: asked my local dell to fix it.
removed undervolting,came to them,showed them that it's almost melting the cpu....and the guy i was talking to, a smart dude, agreed it's FUBAR. He, obviously, said we should change the heatsink.

We opened it up, we tested 3-4 times how the old HS stayed on....contact was perfect on my CCI heatsink. didnt work.
So he said...ill try order a replacement...and we hope for the best.
(note) during the testing, the ****ty leg clams broke off,because the flexible numbered legs are stamped on this frail metal.

New heatsink came,and, to my surprise, it was a full SUNON. (bad picture, but you can see it's not CCI by the number of letters)


Kryonaut, flatness test, and one install later....I have these temps, tested with/without cooling pad U3 turned on/off , undervolt, on a flat table, lifted:

case 1:
DAY 1, no U3, no undervolt, flat on a table (most common situation, tested with PUBG for 1hr and streaming at 1080P....most stressful test I have:


CLEARLY, temps are WAAAAY better.

Case 2

DAY 1, uniengine heaven left for 1hr , no u3, no undervolt:


CASE 3:
DAY 1: u3,. undervolt -0.110 , pubg with stream on for 4 hrs:


CLEARLY temps are awesome.

Day 7 (and i burned it in pretty hard) - with u3 and undervolt:



With 85- 86 temps at flat level,no undervolt,no cooling pad, no nothing, we are talking about a worst case scenario, because you CAN schedule undervolting at system start-up, and be done with this.
However, if I just undervolt, temps stay at around 77-79....which,for me, while travelling, makes it a LOT more manageable.

I am getting closer to 12 days,and the temps still amaze me.

In conclusion to my episodic situation...no, you dont need LM, even tho the design of the heatsink is utter garbage.
No, don't buy first batch of laptops, especially from Dell. They are ****.

Notes:
I saw the stapled heatsink flexi-legs break off the heatsink while we were trying to bend the arm a bit more...

From an engineer's point of view (me) , it's garbage, and the metal they used tor the non-copper heatpipes is garbage (CCI one, at least) ;
-the fan dissipation fins are TOO DAMN small, TOO SHORT (if you open the fan casing, they were meant to be TWICE), too close together which results in poor airflow and clogging up too fast and insufficient surface to dissipate;
and there is AT LEAST a heatpipe MISSING that was supposed to be placed on it.

(sincerely, f*ck you,Dell, for your 5-7$ cost reduction on a 2000+$ laptop)

I hope, for now, the saga of the overheating will come to an end for at least a year....until I can save up for a german XMG.

Dell's bullsh*t got me fed up. They destroyed, in my eyes, what Alienware was when I was a child growing up in the 2000's.
Shameful.

 

A few questions about thermal pads.
Would fujipoly 17w make sense instead of the 11w ones?
Also, is stacking 2 or 3 layers of 0.5mm a bad idea?
The suggested amount in the guide would make it not a very cheap thing if I have to buy sheets of all thicknesses (and I live in Japan, they don't sell it here, I need to buy it from Amazon.com).

 

Look at Arctic ones they are cheaper and much softer and survives even after multiple disassembly. If you're an expert at repaste/repad invest in Fujipoly pads which are brittle and must be replace again and again after every disassembly.

 

Thank you, I'll do how you say, considering it's the first time I do something like this.

I'm also very unsure whether I should go with liquid metal or stick to normal paste..

 

Go for normal paste. BTW, what's your ambient temps?

 

Thank you!
Here we have quite hot summers, around 30 degrees, and very high humidity.

 

That's okay. Where I live it hits above 30C on daily basis and sub 40s sometime.

 

Fuji pads are for rich people. I kid you not. You have absolutely no idea how tiny the pad they give you is.

One 145x145mm arctic pad is basically equal to almost 3 fuji, in terms of size...and cheaper.

Here is a fuji 1mm pad.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZSJQX0E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here is a 1mm arctic pad:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UYTTXSM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Using a fuji instead of an arctic will make absolutely no measurable difference in terms of overclocking. We don't even have VRAM or VRM temp monitoring on these systems anyway (some desktop video cards do, then you could do a comparison of the pads, provided you wanted to do all that repasting work....usually the ones who do that are the ones who get paid for it or are sponsored and do streaming/videos).

 

Thanks for the inputs guys, you helped me make up my mind

 

Arctic is fine. I prefer the elasticness of arctic as well.

 

Fully disassembled the laptop today. Because during a repaste a few weeks ago I lost some of the palmrest plastic clips.

Tips to prevent this, use a short spudger instead of a guitarpick or credit card. Those are too long and you might force the clips too much when using those. This was less of a problem with the Skylake versions and 17inch versions though from studying videos and photos. But even the Alienware team lost a few of those clips in their official disassembly video. So be careful.

Anyway, replaced the palmrest which is a pain to do, really everything needs to be disassembled for it, took me about 1 hour but it was worth it to bring my machine back to perfection.

Some notes for others who need to fully dissemble the machine:

-The Trackpad assembly is also stuck by very strong adhesive by the way and not only screws. So be careful. Cut the adhesive away with a pick between the palmrest and trackpade on the left and right side.

- When you disassemble remove the screenlid. Raise the palmrest on 2 rolls of tape while unscrewing the hinges or else you risk breaking of clips as well since you are placing the palmrest onto those clips on the bottom to unscrew the hinge on the topside.

.

 

*Update*

Took the system apart again and looked everything over. Nothing seemed out of place. The Conductonaut still looked good. I smoothed it out once again just to make sure there was even coverage. After putting the system back together it finally booted up. I have no idea what was causing my issue, but it seems to be all fixed now. Been a day now and the temps are looking good and no issues so far.

 

Could be the way you tightened the bolts on the heatsink. The order of how you tighten them affects the pressure. But even the method of assembling the motherboard to the palmrest assembly. I noticed that if you tighten down the right fan of the heatsink last it will put some extra pressure to the heatsink. If you tighten the left side firsth you create more pressure on the GPU side instead.This happens probably because the heatpipes ar enot perfectly straight.

 

Could be, but I doubt it. I always tighten them down in order. Even it was uneven, would that cause the system to not even boot into the BIOS?

 

Well i could replicate it myself so....

And why wouldnt it boot in such a case? It only affects your temps.

 

You must not have read my post about the issues I was having.

 

My bad, mixed it up with another problem.

 

It's all good. I'm just glad my systems up and running again. Been about 3 weeks since it was down. Finally got to do a little gaming yesterday on my day off.

 

Nice. I love playing RTS games like Starcraft 2, Warhammer, etc and those games just absolutely fry my GPU and CPU. After repasting with LM the temperatures are much better but still pretty high(around 90-95). Oh well.

 

Such temps with LM are not okay... Thats about 10c more than mine on traditional paste.

 

I would say it's kinda normal. Playing games like Overwatch, CSGO, League .... my temperature never reach 70. But RTS games like Starcraft 2, Warhammer really stress both your CPU and GPU. Its like running AIDA 64 GPU and CPU stress test at the same time.

 

With what clock speed? Dell's adverticed 44x or stock?
Could you, please run Cinebench R15 and post pict with results and temp? For monitoring use HWiNFO64. Use High Performance Power plan in Windows. Thanks

 

Star Craft 2 hardly stressed my laptop. Only the CPU but my gpu is doing hardly anything with everything on the highest settings. Current triple A titles need more.