*OFFICIAL* Alienware 15 R3 Owner's Lounge

I have the 15" 120Hz panel and it does not have this problem. FYI: the Arous X7 with 120Hz 1440p panel has exactly the same problem, so it seems to be an issue with the panel itself.

 

Hey all again.

I was just wondering.. has anyone noticed, at least on the Canadian Dell site, there is no option for the i7-6820HK cpu as well as getting 3 drives? I hope the board and everything is the same as I have a replacement coming and hope everything stays the same. I still have 2 NVMe drives here waiting to be installed so I was just making sure!

 

Hi everyone. I have been following this thread and there seems to be a lot of problems with the 15 r3. I have one on order the 6700hq and 120hz tn+wva screen. I also bought a gt62 over the weekend as the aw has not shipped yet.

I'm honestly split on whether to just cancel the Alienware or not or return the gt62vr. I have a week to return it. I hate that sticker on the msi and although the warranty is longer on the msi I suspect service quality will be about the same.

Obviously people will tend to post about issues more often. So I'm just wondering if there's anyone out there that is actually not having issues or are they all too busy playing to post

 

yup i been lookin at that the last week and under all configurations of the 15" no option.

 

EDIT: This post i have also posted in http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/warning-some-i7-6820hks-have-uneven-core-temps.797477/

Guys I am here to talk about a few things i checked and found them to be unusual.

Unlike many people on the inter webs, my Alienware 15 R3 did not show symptoms of having any sort of electronics disease. But i was wrong. Because my laptop did not thermally shut down, I felt i did not have that problem.

At the same time, i did notice that i would get lags and hangs here and there, specifically when a transparent window would be displayed. The whole computer would hang and my mouse would not move and seemingly everything stopped for the moment.Even event viewer would not be able to express such an error. But i was plagued with the dwm.exe -desktop window manager- stopped responding.

The fix for this was completely stopping the intel HD 530 driver and device (using Fn + F7) and thankfully this option is available in our alienwares.

What i did next was to go and properly check my temperatures. I was running at 4GHz OC before this test and had played Witcher 3 and BF1 without any issues (hence my belief that nothing is wrong with my laptop), so i only expected victory. My GPU temps, because of me using MSI Afterburner, were known to me and were 69C max. But i never paid any attentiuon to my CPU. How wrong is was....

This is my CPU graph on load: http://i.imgur.com/xIroQpB.jpg

As you can see, there is a gap of about 20 degrees between the pairs of cores. Which cannot be good.

So thinking, actually fearing, that i might have to get this sexy machine replaced, I got myself some Arctic Silver 5, repasted, and performed the tests again. To my disappointment, and to the wisdom of those on this thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/warning-some-i7-6820hks-have-uneven-core-temps.797477/

it did not work even a bit. In fact this graph is with the paste on.

But even after this, there is a particular issue that has seen very little time in the public. I think it is the general lack of vocabulary for this issue that would make the expression of the problem so difficult, it cannot be searched for, and written about properly. This would result in two people having the same issue but different words for the issues. But here comes something very very peculiar:

This is the graph of my GPU when running both the intel HD 530 and the gtx 1070.

http://i.imgur.com/YN10IWn.jpg

It is very peculiar behavior, and i encourage everybody to install MSI afterburner on their laptops and check for this. As far as i can see, and you can too, by the graph,

http://i.imgur.com/FTixCRc.jpg

It stays onliune for a second, and the next second it turns off. Who do i say off? Because no sir, the temperature doesnt jump between 0 and 49 for example. When it says 49, it is 49 but just the next moment it is a "--" which reads it to be an unreadable value by virtue of the device being shut off completely.

I have decided to upload 3 videos of the same: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzj3rWonpXzaWkJOTHZEejRNUE0/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzj3rWonpXzaakZGU3VxS0ludEE/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzj3rWonpXzaN2QxSjVXY2ZsT0k/view?usp=sharing

Please not this: I faced no issues while gaming. The GPU stood at 69C Max guys. This is a hell of a laptop as far as i saw its performance in gaming and temperatures of the GPU. The only gripes i have are the hangs and stutters. It also feels like these would cause DPC latency issues but i am in no mood to check for it anymore.

I have talked to a dell Rep about the GPU stutter, but not about the CPU thing. I will be telling him about my readings and get a new alienware 15 R3.

My system: Alienware 15 R3, FHD display. i7-6820HK. I have uninstalled software like Support Assist and DFS (Dell foundation services). I have performed clean installs on my system.

Regards

EDIT: This post i have also posted in http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/warning-some-i7-6820hks-have-uneven-core-temps.797477/

 

Got the same issue with the mouse freezes and system hangs. At least we got a clue now which driver causes the problem.

Nice finding

 

Yes the mouse micro freeze a lot of people have this issue related to the bios, the way Optimus is handled. The intel HD5x0 drivers are quite stable IMO, had them on my previous dell xps 13, and it didn't have this issue. But it's software related so it's no big deal thankfully, a hardware issue is way more worrisome ^^.

 

Thanks for the replies!

Compared today again different setups and basically there's only like 50$ cap between the 60hz and the 120hz display. But I'm going to trust you guys and choose 60hz. Wheres the 6820hk with 60hz display option, didn't see it anywhere? Lately there has been so many different problems with the AW 15'' popping up in different forums, in someway it bothers me. I live pretty far from US and sending laptop back to Dell would take ages Soooo hard to make up my mind

 

Return the MSI, stay with the AW.

 

Why?
I have also considered MSI as one option to choose.

 

Build quality of Alienware is way better and it lasts way longer.
It is also cheaper.

 

Anybody knows how accurate the shipping dates are? I have couple of friends in the US at the moment and maybe it is possible that they can bring aw directly to me, instead of sending it

 

Ok I read through every page here. TLDR seems like the 6820s have issues with heat, but the 6700s dont?

I'm probably going to get a 6700 anyway because I assume battery life will be longer, is that correct? And it should run cooler even if the 6820 processors get fixed?

Either way I'm basically torn between the 120 Hz GSync and the 4k IPS display. Now that these are in hands of people can anyone review and compare the screen quality for doing like not gaming? Like viewing angles and colors and brightness etc?

I'm going to end up with a 15", 6700HQ, 1070, 16 gb ram, 99 kWh battery, but the display is the sticking point.

 

Incorrect. my 6700HQ is having the same issues as 6820HK users.

 

The internal CPU failure can happen with any desktop/laptop CPU. Generally it's rare, but there seems to be a bad batch of 6820HK's - predominantly - but 6700HQ's can also fail.

Test for it when you get it, return it for another if your unit has the "hot cores" problem, test again and then move on.

You could also wait for the problem to get worked out with AW.

Warning: Some i7-6820HKs have Uneven Core Temps
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/warning-some-i7-6820hks-have-uneven-core-temps.797477/

 

Ok cool thanks any idea about the screen comparo?

 

Thanks for the feedback, do you have the AW 15 R3? if so, are you having thermal issues?

Dell shipping dates in my experience are completely unreliable. Sometimes it's a nice surprise it gets shipped earlier others it seems to get lost in their system and the status doesn't change for nearly a month. But, you call support and they expedite it.

As I've spent nearly the entire week researching this since I heard about the thermal issues I did come across some videos that someone here made on the 120Hz screen and it looked pretty good but he did have some banding issues. I'm pretty sure it was for the 15 R3 and I think the video is on here somewhere sorry I just can't remember where I saw it, could be reddit as well. It's exactly what you are looking for and the screen looked pretty good with the exception of the banding and I've also read of PWM issues with the screen but it seemed to be driver related.

 

Exactly, and this is happening only in the 15r3

 

Anyone know if the 4.0 version of Alienware Command Center on the R2 page will work with the R3?

 

Yea I saw the banding video but I didn't really know what to make of it. I'm not really a videophile I just want good viewing angles and general quality. What is banding?

 

Wasn't that 120hz banding video from a 17r4 1440p screen?

 

exactly, but there's a similarity
the 17 uses AUO B173QTN
the 15 uses AUO B156HTN
So what the 17 has, the 15 also inherits.

 

If anyone else was wondering about this the answer is not. The Alienware Support account on Twitter said they are escalating to get the proper download on the drivers page for the R3.

 

That may be true but there are also differences - size, resolution, etc which means some of the underlying tech is at least a little different.

I reached out to a couple people on Reddit and twitter with the R3 120hz screen and they didn't have these issues, but some had overheating so it still seems to be a dice roll as to getting a good laptop.

 

So, just received my new AW15 R3 with 4K panel. And as I feared, the panel SUCK. I haven't seen light bleed as bad as this in several years. But I get the feeling that it might not actually be the panel that is all to blame but also the construction of the lid. When I move the lid or just gently touch it from above, the entire panel blink as a mad christmast tree. Anyone else seen the same?

There are a rumored fix for this, which I would imaging has to do with perhaps loosen the screws for the bezel or something like that. Any more info on that?

 

At the moment I'm not sure that it is a small percentage. On another forum I participate in there were four of us who ordered almost exactly the same spec (6700HQ, 1070, 120Hz, just with different RAM and HDD) and all of us have experienced extremely bad CPU temps (ie, it hits 90+C under CPU stress tests and can't maintain any level of turbo boost; even at 2.6GHz it's reaching 90C). From looking at Twitter and other users here who have ordered the 120Hz panel it seems almost everyone is hitting this problem. Not sure why it's occurring so much with those who have ordered the 120Hz panel, but it's definitely not a small percentage.

FWIW, those of us experiencing high heat with the 6700HQ are also experiencing high differences in core temps (up to 12C).

Yeah, nobody seems to be experiencing banding with the 15" panel, whereas the 17" 1440p 120Hz panel it seems very common, even across brands (Aorus x7 uses the same panel and also has banding).

 

@CarbonTwelve How are you finding the 120Hz. It sounds like the itself has been pretty good. Have you experienced any flickering in game or haven't been able to do that yet d to thermal issues?

 

The panel itself is fantastic. Zero light bleed on mine (although some others have had some), colour seems good to me (although I'm not the right person to ask given low gamut doesn't bother me too much), and the brightness is great. Even viewing angles are fantastic; I can't see any difference between this and an IPS panel for viewing angles.

I've had a couple of flickers, but nothing consistent. I'm confident this is just a driver issue and will be sorted out fairly soon.

 

Could any of you review, maybe even make a video of the 120Hz?

I'd expect repasting to solve the issue with the 6700.

 

Not sure what you'd want to see in a video?

It doesn't. It helps, but I've seen a couple of people reporting that even after repasting their 6700HQ runs hot (for those with the 120Hz panel). FYI: I already repasted mine (wasn't great paste, but still would've been better than what was there). I've requested a replacement laptop for mine, so I'll see how it goes once I get that. Unfortunately I'm not confident that it'll be good on temps given how prevalent the issue is for those with the 120Hz panel :/

 

So it sounds like those with 6820 and those with the 120Hz panels are most prevalently seeing these issues? Are those with the 60Hz FHD not having any issues? I'm sure aw will figure this all out eventually. I'm just not certain it's worth all the pain and hassle. It's like the customers are doing all the QA work for them which I know happens quite often these days with any manufacturer.

I want to keep the aw R3 (despite it's weight) but all these issues has me leaning towards cancelling the order and going with the GT62VR Pro. Build material might be better, but what good is a solidly built laptop if it has so many issues?!

 

That's surprising, and disappointing.

 

It's 4 days left to my 14 days return period and I am still not sure about asking for a replacement because of some backlight bleed on my FHD screen.

What are the chances of getting a backlight bleed free unit?

 

Hmm, so far we are seeing many more 6820HK/6700HQ's with "hot cores" than normal here, but not as many are voting / rating their 6820HK in the poll as I would have hoped.

If the percentage is that high, then yes, it's going to be something everyone needs to check, on both 6820HK and 6700HQ.

The only other thing to recommend is to not order right now, and wait for this to get worked out before ordering.

If you need to order, just be aware you might be returning it for another one due to the "hot cores" problem. Test for it first so you can send it back before investing too much time in that laptop.

Edited my other post to upgrade the warning, Thanks!

 

You can't be sure until you get it. Sometimes shipping shifts the screen mount and could cause a "good" one to go "bad.

I have heard people swapping 4-5 laptops (all brands) when these problems show up.

IDK if AW will get production settled down eventually, if you should return and wait, or just keep going through units until you find one you can live with.

GL, and please come back and let us know how many you went through to get a "good" one.

 

Not so much

Re-pasting with good coverage will bring down overall temps, but won't cure the high Core temperature differentials.

5c-20c++ differences between cores will pre-maturely thermal throttle the "hot cores" before the cool ones, limiting top end performance.

The only way to fix it is to replace the CPU, and since the 6820HK / 6700HQ are soldered they can't be user replaced easily - so you need to swap the laptop or get a new motherboard with a new CPU.

Check out the thread with user reports here:

Warning: Some i7-6820HKs have Uneven Core Temps
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/warning-some-i7-6820hks-have-uneven-core-temps.797477/

If your CPU has the 2 hot cores, 0/2, it's better to swap for another unit or motherboard, and don't waste time repasting - it won't fix the high temperature core differentials.

 

It's always a lottery. Consider if you can live with it or not. If you can't than ask for an exchange. I went through the same thing with i7559. I ended up just living with it since it was fairly uniform and only noticeable in pure black screens. If I understand correctly all IPS screens have some backlight bleed.

 

Thats great advice. Thanks @hmscott. I think I will just keep my aw order and try the aw lottery for a little while before I look at the Gt62vr again.

 

On a different note what is everyone using in terms of backpack for the 15 r3 since it's 2" wider than the average 15"?

 

Then you would want to find a bag that fits a 17inch, there are plenty options out there.

 

Maybe the repasting is not done correctly and/or the thermal paste used wasn't adapted to the laptop (bad viscosity, bad application method etc.)

 

I seem to be missing something here.

Say you repaste with liquid metal and get:
core 0: 78
core 1: 69
core 2: 79
core 3: 68
After intense benchmark

The Temp Differential persists as you say ~10 degrees; but who cares? You are not going to throttle @ 80,

core 0 and 2 would have to hit 90's to throttle right? Which won't ever happen with liquid metal repaste, and real world gaming.

Does the temp differential do some other damage?

Or the system just fine granted its not performing thermally as it should it is still performing processes as it should?

 

It's up to you, Intel says +10c minimum - and that's where I have returned CPU's / laptops.

If a 10c+ differential is such that even the hottest core doesn't thermally throttle, then sure, you could keep it. I wouldn't, as I am sure I could find a test that would induce throttling in the hot cores, especially when OC'ing a 6820HK.

You are theorizing, which is fine - it's all you have to go on right now.

When you get a CPU with hot cores with 10c+ temperature differential between cores, and you find the CPU will hit thermal throttling on some tests / games, and it won't be something you will want to keep.

If you do get a CPU with "hot cores", and you do see clear indications from multiple different tests / games that the "hot cores" are holding that temperature differential, are thermal throttling in some tests, you have been warned about how re-pasting won't help, and can you now save yourself the trouble of wasting time trying to fix it on your own.

Just so you know, many have had 20c+ core temperature differentials, and that's gonna thermal throttle, and not going to be OC'able.

Good luck, and chances are you won't need to worry about it.

 

What kind of thermals are you guys getting with the 6820HK? Please post!

 

how can you measure each cores temp ?

 

Most likely.. Intel push out last inventory before Kabys lake The last trash is now going out from their factory

Edit @Hmascot your reply


+ Re-pasting must be done long before you have to. Guaranteed. It's not always you have the same ambient temperature all time either. Who will keep a faulty product? Scary... Return of faulty products, is the only right decision!!

 

If the bleeding is substantial, it is more likely you would get a bb free screen, since yours maybe an isolated issue.
If it is not that substantial it maybe a general issue, so you might not get a bb free after return. but generally when you return a laptop with a specified issue, the manufacturer tries to send you one without that issue.
What we need here is a poll on the number of bleed and no bleed issues, giving us a ratio.

 

You can say 90% of them, but not all actually (in the rest 10 it is minimal enough not be to be noticed)
is your screen fhd or uhd?
What is the model name of your screen in the i7559 from hwinfo/AIDA ?

 

It's the FDH (LGD049B 156WF6)

 

That bleeding is substantial, so whether you get a bleed free screen or not, you must return that laptop.