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

Hey guys, I was looking for some help. I repasted my CPU GPU with LM Grizzly, I'm a complete noob to all this stuff, it was my first time even opening a computer, but I made sure to follow the steps and after i finished, my computer booted up fine, but my alienware isn't detecting my 1070 GPU. I can't find the solution anywhere, I'm not sure if it's a software issue, but I was hoping someone could help me. The thing I could think of is that I didn't tape down the area around the GPU die, like I said I'm a noob and wasn't aware of the risk before doing it, but I didn't use that much LM so I don't think any leaked out, I doubled checked too and it didn't seem like there was any LM around the die. Does anyone have any advice as to how to get my 1070 to show up, it's not in device manager or in the BIOS menu. My computer also doesn't want to detect my second monitor anymore either. I'd appreciate any help, thanks.

 

In no expert but this doesn't look like software issue. If you damage GPU die you will have same symptoms. But you better get laptop to service center.

 

Yeah, it does sound like something was done to the GPU. You're actually lucky to have Optimus on that configuration so at least you can get the computer to boot.

Besides replacing the motherboard (which is pretty expensive since it comes with both the CPU and GPU), your alternative would be to get the Alienware external GPU amplifier case and use a desktop GPU in it.

 

Hi everyone, I hope everybody is safe and well.
Having purchased an Alienware 15R3 3 years ago, it seems the time has come to repaste the CPU, since it's getting very hot under load (90C+) even though the GPU remains cool (max 58C).
I'll be repasting the CPU/GPU myself which I've never done before but will give it a shot. The laptop was purchased from licensed resellers HidEvolution who repasted the CPU/GPU with IC Diamond, and "optimally readjusted" the thermal pads before they sent it out to me.
Which thermal paste would you guys suggest I use, provided it's not liquid metal?
Would it also be a good idea to replace the thermal pads with new ones, or will it be too tedious for someone like me who isn't experienced?

 

Well...18 months later with LM.
Some degradation is present, but repaste or additional liquid not necessary. Just use the tool to spread the LM even all over again.
Watch out for the protection degradation. 3M scotch tape must be in place and not deformed.
Temps are ok, but fans must be clean at all time. Depending on your time/performance usage you can clean them with compressed air. Disconnect the battery first.
Thermal pads still ok, didnt need to replace them. They have the outlines usage, but still in place and no cracks or leaks.
Hope people interested can read this and trust this repaste with LM.
If its done properly you will be satisfied.
Hope everyone is well and safe.
Game on.

 

Thank you for writing this. I did my LM repaste last June and temps are still quite good (if not maybe a little higher than the best they were) and I was wondering when to do another repaste. Glad to know it can be quicker this time around.

 

Well I am pretty sure if LM is done perfectly, it should practically last forever. I mean I can't prove it, I don't think I have done a 'perfect' LM paste and the m15's make it impossible to do so anyway due to its even worse HSF design compared to thse 17r4 and 15r3. But as long as its sitting flat, it should last many years. If it isn't as flat as possible, the LM can get dried out. Of course It can be effective without being as flat as possible, but it will dry out

 

Hi everyone. Just about to repaste my 15r4.
Just wanted to ask... I saw this guide on YouTube. He seems to repaste without removing the motherboard and just taking off the heat sink and leaving the fans in situ. Is that feasible? I haven't done a repaste before?

 

That's how I did it on my 15R3 too when I learned it. Way easier imo. But its up to the preference. If you unplug the battery, there is no difference whatsoever if the MOBO is in or out

 

That looks like a huge timesaver!

Although looks like he forgot to put the wireless card back in at the end, lol.

 

Hello guys,
I was wondering if using plasticine is a good or bad idea to measure gaps between cpu and gpu die and the heatsink, and for measuring the thermal pads thickness.
I'm afraid it will leave a thin layer of fat but 90° alcool should do the trick right ?
Anyone already had a good or bad experience with this ?

I'm repasting my 17 R4 1080 7820HK tomorrow for the second time and I don't want to screw up this time. What should be the minimum and maximum gap thickness for the cpu cpd gpu die ?

Thanks in advance

 

Never heard of it until I googled, but as long as you aren't playing with anything conductive, I would think it would be ok. The problem would mostly be that the plasticine is like a clay and not a paste though, so its probably way thicker and won't make a good comparison to thermal paste, which heats up and spreads out getting thinner. If you want to know the thermal pad sizes I know for sure they are available somewhere that professionals on this forum have measured and tested them to be the proper sizes.

 

Hey Guys,
I wanted to share my experience here after doing 2 repastes on my 17R4 1440p GTX1080 7820-HK :
Before repaste I still had stock pads/paste for 2,5 years, I reached 91° on GPU and 100°C on CPU all the time (no OC).
After repaste #1 (with MX-4, not following this guide, only a YT video my mistake :/) : GPU at 91° and CPU at 70°. Went back to 100°C after 3 days...
After repaste #2 (with kryonaut and good thermal pads thickness) : GPU OC (+100mHZ/+300mHZ) at 70° at full load, but CPU still reaching high temps (not thermal throttling but between 91 and 97°C after 2 hours of intensive gaming).
Looks like lottery for GPU, but big fail on CPU again ...

7500 graphic Score in TimeSpy + CPU/GPU temps curves : https://imgur.com/Nt34dZi

Here's some pics :

I had a damaged screw, so I had to buy a Dremel 4000 to cut it to put it off with flat screwdriver :

BTW I swhitched all my HS screw with the one from the MB, they are exactly the same. And you don't have to take off the MB, there are 6 or 7 screws with easy access at the the bottom.

Here some pics of the thermal paste applied the 2nd time (Kryonaut) : https://imgur.com/RkJLdfx
My Heatsink and new pads after using sandpaper #1000 and polish brush of my new Dremel 4000 : https://imgur.com/AGD7GLo

Pad thickness I had to use (3 modifications from iunlock's 1st post I had to make otherwise there wouldn't be any contact) :
https://imgur.com/x2wyBXk

Here's my PCH mod : https://imgur.com/vhwlSh1
I bought copper heat sink on Amz for raspberry PI, it was perfect fit !! 12 mm x 13 mm x 5 mm
It did the job really well with some MX-4 paste, electrical scotch (3M Super 33+) and some sillicon glue (Chineese 705)

Can you check my CPU temps while idle : https://imgur.com/xFjD5ks
There are many little "bumps" in the temp, from example going instantly from 47 to 65°C even if there is no load. Where does it come from ?

So what are my options now ?
- Switching to ICD ?
- Using thinier pads on the CPU this time ?

 

Thanks for your answer. Since I had troubles with one screw (see above) I didn't have time to play with plasticine this time ... Maybe next time ! Cause i'll have to repaste soon I guess since CPU is still at 97°C while gaming ... (although GPU went from 91 to 80s).
For CPU and GPU die, maybe thick paper would do te trick to see the imprint and check if there is good contact ?

But I'm really scared of doing dry runs because of the bad quality heatsink screws ... Or are my screwdrivers bad quality ? What screwdriver do you guys use to avoid damaging the heatsink screws and beeing able to do so many tries and dry runs ???

Thanks again

 

Dell use cheapo soft low quality screws in all their notebooks. Find proper stainless steel pan head screws here https://www.laptopscrews.com/

 

It's definitely the screws. The more times you repaste, it greatly increases the chances of those screws being stripped. Even the screws that hold the laptop covers on are very easily stripped. Not only that but they use loctite on them so that doesn't help either. Honestly on this 15R3 and 17R4 the HSF worked pretty well, on the newer m15/m17 the HSF are questionable with their contact. It's possible from trying so much you might have started to warp the HSF a little, after all it is soft copper.You might have much better luck simply trying a thin copper shim on the CPU and GPU.

 

Thanks guys. I was going to order some new screws to do repaste number 3 but first I've just left off my computer to see how it improves temperatures...
I didn't believe what I saw :
CPU : went from 97° (thermal throttling on all cores) to average 80°, maximum 86°.
GPU : went from 86° to average 65° (max 70°)
All this figures after 3 hours of Modern Warfare (GPU at 100% load and CPU all threads around 75%)

And I'm talking about the cheapest lift off ever :


So with proper lift off with fans and **** it will be amazing.

Sorry if it was discussed many times but I only read the last 50 pages of this mega thread. There should be a banner on first page : repaste only after trying lift off

(Or maybe the corks pushed exactly on the right spot on the MB to bend it properly so it made perfect contact ... )

 

Nope you are right, simply raising these alienware laptops a tiny bit has a really positive effect on the temps. It seems like you might not have undervolted your CPU at all, did you? I never undervolted the 7820HK but if you haven't yet, that's probably what you are missing. It's not as easy as a GPU OC but its very useful

 

Thanks for the tip. I tried undervolting before repaste in the first time and I didn't see any improvement at this time so I didn't give it any chance since.
Is there a proper guide somewhere on how to do it properly ? I don't trust Youtube Video guides anymore, which tell you to drop random figures in Throttlestop or Intel Xtrem Tuning Utility... Or should I ?

EDIT : -150mV, stock frequencies. 1h OCCT no error, 1h modern warfare : no crash. So far so good. All cores between 65 and 72°C, GPU at 62°C.
I'm all good for now

 

Hi everyone, this is my first message so I hope I'm not breaking any etiquette rules by making this my first post, if so please accept my apologies.
I have an Alienware 17 R4 (6820HK- 1080) from 2016 which has been getting high CPU temperatures (around 90-95C-sometimes 100C) when playing games causing a lot of throttling, I don't have any images to show it but it is more or less the same case as many others in this thread.
Following the directions on the start of this thread (thanks iunlock!!) I did a repasting with Grizzly Conductonaut and thermal pads, which to my surprise hasn't worked at all since I keep getting the same high temperatures on most cores (usually 2 or three are above 90-95C while one is a in the lower 80s). It is a bit strange to have such high temp differences, I must say that I did not notice this before (not that I really cared about it either as I was unaware of it). This led me to another post from iunlock where there is this hypothesis about an uneven heatsink which I think could be my case.

Anyways, I am pretty much clueless about what could be the reason as to why I haven't had any noticeable temperature drops. Maybe there are gaps between the HS and the die?
I found this video from some guy in youtube who uses copper shims to increase pressure on the die ( ). I've seen in some other post that it might not be the right solution for this and that he doesn't show any proof of the alleged results obtained.

Any insights will be me much appreciated.
Thanks!

 

I have used and do use copper shims, they do help a lot. I guess its also possible you could have mixed up a thermal pad causing a uneven heatsink, but only you would know that. You could try doing quarter turns of the screwdriver in numbered order until each one is fully tightened. However you could also do the same thing with a shim too. I've seen my best temp results while using shims. Some say if you use a shim you should also add onto the thermal pads. The shim should be almost paper thin though and usually the pads already have a lot of pressure on them so personally I don't stack thermal pads.

 

Hi all, anyone familiar with 2019 M15R2 9750H/RTX 2060 overheating and if the heatsinks tend to poorly misaligned from the factory?

Hitting 101C on full CPU load at 4.0ghz. Cores 0, 2, 4 overheating, Cores 1, 3, 5 upto 15C lower. Also have a severe intermittent stutter where the system freezes for a moment then returns.

Dell is sending a tech to replace heatsink/fans, got thicker Coolermaster Maker paste, any tips on the heatsink alignment job and repasting to look out for, or improvements to do during the job?

What kind and size/thickness pads/shims are needed to ensure optimal cooling and fit on this model, or how could I figure that out? Would the Dell tech likely be familiar with doing this properly, or if it's not done right, Dell be willing to send another one to re-do it if the overheating isn't fixed?

 

Ok... been almost 4 years now with my R4, and i am starting to see idle temps of 60-65... which tells me that the paste is dry, dry... dry.... So i am about to re-paste and replace the pads. I got Arctic Silver 5, MX4, Kryonaut... i think the MX4 (mx4 is IC diamond) has the better heat transfer properties, but for a Laptop, and for one i do not really game anymore, just work with the laptop, which one would last longer and would benefit me more you think? My R4 was never re-pasted, just had the motherboard/heatsink replaced during warranty like 2 years ago for heat problems, it was good until a few months ago, when i saw the idle temps going higher and higher from week to week, so i would imagine that there is dust accumulated on the fins and dried paste...

 

Not to be that ahole, but making sure you have tried blowing out the fans with a can of air ? Hehehe can't tell you the amount of times I have done that to PCs to fix the over heating.

On the note of the stock paste, I have one R4 with a 1070 that still has stock paste after 4 years and is still at the same temps under load as it was when we got it. (Lower to upper 80s) this unit is used on the daily for the kids to play whatever game they are into at the time.

Then I have my 1080 version that I have repasted a few years ago with Kryo and it's held up well, it sits in the upper 70's to low 80's depending

Anyways, hope ya get it figured out. The stock paste does suck arse but it seems to have held up for the most part on our unit.

 

Thanks to all contributors in this thread. Made my life easier. Now the re-pasted 17R4 hits it hard. Lowered my temps at least 10C globally and stopped thermal throttling that was killing me.

I did it with all new fujipoly thermal pads as suggested and then topped it off with MX-4 paste. Works a charm, hotter it gets now under full load is 89C with a core difference of about 6C max... no more stuttering and throttling.

Thanks!

 

Hello from Northern Arizona. New 17R4 owner here. Just picked up a like new R4 with a GTX1070 for $700. It's replacing an old ASUS ROG 17 GTX660.
I've updated the SSD drive to a 970 Evo Plus and thinking about the HyperX 2666CL15 upgrade from the stock 2400CL17 installed.
Also looking up the repaste info. My CPU is hitting high 80's and GPU low 70's under stress. Still not sure on the the Paste to use. I've been using AS5 for some 10-12 years now but looks like Kryonaut or MX-4 is newer and more popular. I'm a do it once, do it right! kinda guy so not rushing in without a calculated decision.
Love this Laptop! Huge upgrade over the Asus ROG.

 

Ok so after 2 years I was really done with the high temps, and found a local pc store that could remove the two stripped screws. I repasted with thermal grizzly kryonaut, and the results are amazing. My laptop used to shut down during gaming due to it going above 100°C every time, even on very low settings.

Now under heavy gaming, the CPU temps don't go above 85°C and 60 °C for the GPU. Idle temps are around 40° for both. Thanks for the guide! The only thing I didn't do is remove the antenna cables on the wifi card as it wasn't necessary to do the repaste.

 

Does this guide apply to the 2015 AW 15 R2 too?

 

I don't think AW 15 R2 come with TRIPOD