*OFFICIAL* Alienware 15 R3 Owner's Lounge

Hey everyone,
Not sure where to post this exactly,
But I need some input from you people (preferably from India)

So, I am planning to buy the Alienware 15 R3 (i7 7820HK, 1080 MQ,120Hz Gsync TN+WVA, 32GB, 1TB SSD, 1TB HDD) that's the only config available here BTW.
Reading about the various issues related to heating I am now a bit skeptical to buy it. Also, nvidia will be refreshing the mobile GPU line-up somewhere around late 2018 according to rumors. I understand that there is always something better on the horizon in the tech-world but should I wait for the new line-up or go ahead with this one. Are the issues really really bad? What I am meaning to ask is what are the odds that I would receive a faulty machine?
Also worth noting are the ambient temps ~ 40-45 C. So I have been experiencing temps around 88-95C for CPU(undervolted & overclocked) and ~60-78C for GPU(overclocked) when pushed hard for couple of hours while gaming and using a cooling pad also, I have repasted using cooler master maker nano twice. Will the temps on the 15 be somewhat similar all things considered? Or would I run into more problems?
I currently own a lenovo y50 with gtx860m 4gb maxwell and i7 4710HQ it's been going strong but now it's down to 30fps 720p.
I have been gaming on 768p for all the while I have had this laptop so switching over is a big step up for me. (I am pretty comfortable gaming at 900p as long as I get solid 60fps)
Also, a desktop is a no-go since, I am on the move most of the time.
So is making a switch now (within a month) wise? or should I wait for something else ? I am really into how the alienware looks and also I see no attractive option(look of the laptop matters alot apart from just config, If I am buying a 3800$ machine It should look the part instead of a typical 1000$ laptop look IMO) in the price range either. BTW it costs around 2.57 Lakhs INR here(3,824.16 US Dollar) for the config I mentioned.
Any input is welcomed coz now I am pretty confused.

EDIT: planning to buy it from a dell exclusive store locally from lucknow. I am a final year student living in NCR so Indian members would know exactly what ambient temps I am talking about.

 

So my 15r3 (7820, 1070, 60hz IPS) defaults to 39 FPS sometimes in games. Tabbing out and back in makes it return to 60fps, but I'm not sure the reason for this in the first place.

Has anyone experienced this? It's no more than a slight annoyance, but I can't figure out the reason for it.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

Is there any benefit in buying an aw15 with 1070 vs 1080 max q, besides “pretending” to have the best gpu this generation?

Was thinking about it.


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The 1080 max Q is very (very) slightly more powerful than a 1070 expect 5 to 10%. It has however a faster memory speed (GDDR5X 25% faster) which can be very useful in some specific professional use cases.

The cores and components are also more efficient. The 1080 max Q is more powerful, there's no discussion here no matter what some people might tell you benchmarks are benchmarks...and its found in laptops that are slimmer than a traditional 1070 laptop. Make sure the 1080 max Q laptop is not throttling the 1080 however (most don't if I remember) !

 

so I did a complete fresh install and I also got a cooling pad at the same time. after that all games run smoothly on Gforce experience recommended sittings. thanks for the help

 

I just bought a 15 r3/6820hk/1070/99whr off the outlet to replace my 15 r3/7300hq/1060/68whr and I was excited about the more powerful cpu and overclocking.

When overclocking, though, it quickly throttles to 45W. At stock voltage this means around 2.7-3.3 depending on workload. With undervolting the highest I can get stable is 3.6 and maintain 45W.
I've changed PL1 and PL2 in bios, tried setting Turbo short and long power limits in XTU to unlimited, and tried Throttlestop. It seems no matter what I do the 45W power limit kicks in after the Turbo time window then eventually climbs back to unlimited power limit after some time.
Laptop came with BIOS 1.2.3 and I've tried 1.2.4 and both have this issue. Is this as it is designed to work?

I've read a lot of others' overclocking experiences and it seems most can get 4.0+ and I haven't found any reports of power limit issues.

 

You will need Xtu in combo with bios. Alienware’s tech screwed up the possibility to use ThrottleStop with their newer AW models. They offer you their own OC app instead. But not 100% sure if this applies to Skylake models with Pascal.

 

The FHD IPS display (LP156WF6-SPB1) used in my AW15 was driving me crazy with a slight screen door effect on oranges and blues. Dell wouldn't do anything about it, so I decided to try out a LTN156HL06-C01 and LTN156HL02-201. For me at least, they look better due to lacking the screen door effect, but otherwise they seem more of a side-grade compared to my original.

The 201 had a scratch, and the C01 is too glossy for me, so I'm trying to decide what to do next (turning into a display hoarder). Right now I'm kind of torn between going for another LTN156HL02-201 and going for an upgrade to a 4k panel. The one I would probably get is a LQ156D1JW02 which I understand is a better version of default 4k panel LQ156D1JW04 that Dell is using. The improved resolution isn't that big of a selling point for me, but I would like the better contrast and color. If it was a FHD with the same specs I'd get it in a heartbeat. My main concern is how the screen will look at 1080p for gaming or if I ever had to use it worst case scenario for a specific program. Some people seem to say it looks perfect, while others say it is super blurry, and it seems to depend on the specific panel. Does anyone have some input on the LQ156D1JW04 or LQ156D1JW02 running lower resolution stuff?

Also of concern is parts/compatibility. I have pieced together that I would need a UHD cable and a UHD mounting bracket back display cover. Are there any other things I would be missing here?

 

Experienced this on my old ge60. Never experienced this with my aw 15r3 120hz panel. Maybe you have an optimus equipped laptop?

 

Just make sure that it comes with atleast 1 year warranty(hopefully starts when the day you bought it). Warranty is superb in SEA area esp in Philippines. Ask for a replacement heatsink that is CCI(imo its better than the sunon(sp). I just bought a gelid extreme paste from amazon and called support to request for a heatsink replacement, after a couple of days(3days working days i think) a tech came to my address and replaced the heatsink then i requested him to put on my paste and viola awesome temps!

Odds of receiving a faulty machine is low but faulty is very vague and subjective. If you define a faulty machine as something that has high temps out of the box then yes the chances are very high I would say in the high 90%. Initially wanted to return my laptop but it checks almost all the boxes for me. My only wish is that it would not weigh as heavy as it is. I fly from my province to Manila(capital) atleast once every month and i can say this thing is quite heavy LOL.

If you plan on gaming at 1080p dont worry about the new GPU'S as the current gen are plenty powerful and will be good for atleast 2 more years imo.

 

Nope, it's the gsync 60hz panel, so Optimus is disabled. Might get a 120hz display at some point and compare though

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About to pull the trigger on a 144hz gsync monitor. I just got my miniDP to DP cable(specifically this one( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N5RY8D7/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) from amazonUSA(had to order from the US because i cant seem to find it locally). I will have no problems running the 144hz display with my laptop correct? just double checking before i make the purchase as the only way i can get a refund here is if the monitor is broken/not working out of the box. If everything works except for my wire i wont be able to get a refund LOL

 

you should have no problem... I have one attached using the DP on my 17R4.

 

Hi guys,

I've been using my 15 R3 (7700HQ, 1070) for about a month. It started freezing periodically after about 2 weeks. Typical case

- Using laptop, everything on screen freezes, I can still hear things in the background (like a video playing)
- If laptop is plugged in, unplug and it comes back. If unplugged, plug in
- Repeat

I had the same issue on my R2 (6820HK, 980M) and had to install an older version of Windows 10 + Old Intel drivers to keep it stable. Has anyone faced a similar issue on the 15 R3? Is there a precise fix? I'd hate to run the same trial/error approach I used on my 15 R2.

I currently have the 1803 windows version + all updated drivers. But freezing started before 1803, so it's not exactly that causing it

 

My AW 15R3 does sometimes get a BSOD called “critical process died”. I run the ePSA Test without any problems. Does someone have the same issue?

 

Try running Dism restore health or sfc /scannow in cmd prompt or powershell and see if there are any errors.

 

Hi all,
Regarding these AW15R3 UHD panels :-

15.6 inch UHD (3840 x 2160) 60Hz IPS Display NVIDIA G-SYNC Enabled
15.6 inch UHD (3840 x 2160) 60Hz IPS Display

Please does anyone know what the models numbers are.?

Also since my AW15R3 comes with 120hz G-sync panel , I take that I would need to also get a 40pin cable to swap to UHD?

Thanks

 

UHD does need 40-pin eDP. I have the IPS non-GSYNC model they were selling in late 2016. The color accuracy leaves some to be desired...

 

Thanks cookinwitdiesel

I had a look at the swapping of the edp cable on youtube and looks like I would have to cannibalize the laptop all the way to the motherbord, is this true?

 

Not true. To access the eDP cable is actually pretty easy.

1) Remove back cover
2) unscrew 2 screws on back of laptop holding that IO cover in place
3) gently pry up the 2 sides of the IO cover on the bottom of the laptop and slide the whole thing off the back of the laptop

Once you have done that, sit the laptop right side up again and the eDP cable and hinges are easily accessed right behind the screen on the top and back of the laptop

 

Thanks , I was looking at this and got the wrong end of the stick!

Considering that my 15R3 is a FHD 120Hz Tn+WVA display with G-Sync (i.e.Au Optronics B156HTN ) will I be able to change to following without issues :-
1) FHD 60Hz IPS with G-sync : ( AUO60ED B156HAN or LGD049B 156WF6 )
2) FHD 60Hz IPS without G-Sync : (...not sure about this one...)
3) UHD 60Hz IPS & new 40pin edp cable : (i.e. Screens LQ156D1JW04 or LQ156D1JW02 or LQ156D1JW06)


Thanks

 

I cannot speak to the 30-pin to 40-pin issue, not well versed in it. But what I have gathered is that G-Sync and Non-G-Sync are 2 different motherboards all together. On the G-Sync boards, the display is wired directly off of the dGPU whereas the non-G-Sync boards route the display off of the IGP with data flowing through it from the dGPU to enable Optimus. The 2 features cannot coexist and both have their pros and cons. I have heard of issues like losing the ability to control screen brightness when putting screens on boards with a different mode than they were meant for.

 

So would that mean that my only option is FHD 60Hz with G-sync to rule out since my board is G-sync?

 

This is where I am not sure. I have very limited experience swapping screens on laptops - did it once when I was told exactly what panel to buy and knew it would work. I am actually trying to learn more about this myself as I am interested in know what options I have for my laptop as well. Unfortunately, like most things laptops, it is not as simple as "if it fits it works" like with desktops.

 

I have been having this issue since the Creators Update (1703), and given there are no entries on the Event Viewer or anything of the sort when it happens, I haven't been able to figure out what's causing this issue or a potential fix yet. Also, if you happen to have an external monitor connected and the laptop lid closed when it freezes, opening it up unfreezes it.

At least I can tell it's not hardware related, since Diagnostics found no issues and Linux Mint runs perfectly on it.

 

@spencerj650
To be honest you should need anything other than bios. First uninstall XTU using revo uninstaller. Go into bios, load defaults, reboot into bios. Go straight to enabling CPU performance mode and go straight to customisation. Then in here set everything to 0 except the bottom two values which you should set to 210000.

In hwinfo when you not up you should see that PL1 and PL2 is set to 210W.

Pete

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

@Pete Light New Bios is out for 15 R3 / 17 R4 users with the new microcode update, test and let us know if there is any performance difference

 

Hey guys

Just ordered a new 15 R3 system,
I had bought a Dell 7577 gaming laptop with a GTX1050 but it arrived with no backlit keyboard, so after returning it and some umming and arrring! the Alienwares had a 15% off code so thought id get this, and the newer R4's are still a bit too much,
not new to alienwares, had a 11 inch and 13 inch lappy some time ago, and then a few years back had an Area 51 R3 desktop beastie, loved it to bits,

anyway ordered yesterday with the spec below,



Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 64bit
Video Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5
Processor Intel® Core™ i5-7300HQ Processor (Quad-Core, 6MB Cache, up to 3.5GHz w/ Intel® Turbo Boost)
LCD 15.6 inch FHD (1920 x 1080) 120Hz TN+WVA Anti-Glare 400-nits NVIDIA G-SYNC Enabled
Killer N1435/1535 Driver KBL
Memory 8GB DDR4 at 2400MHz (1x8GB)
Hard Drive 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s
Wireless Killer 1435 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1
Keyboard Internal UK/Irish (QWERTY) Backlit Keyboard
Support Services
1Yr Premium Support with Onsite Service
Primary Battery
6-Cell 99W Hour Battery


my main question at the moment is, I bought one of these, (was going to go in my 7577) Samsung 970 PRO 512 GB V-NAND M.2 PCI Express Solid State Drive - Black

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07CJ3RVP3/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

is it easy enough to get this up and working, what settings in the bios do i need to changed, and also any recommendations on best way of cloning all the partitions including recovery ones from the existing 1TB drive that will come installed in the R3, onto the M2, will the Samsung software do it ?

or am i best just to do a clean install and if so, can i get all the drivers n software i need from dell as i have no physical recovery media with the new laptop

thanks in advance,

 

I did a quick search - but can someone confirm. I'm getting the Alienware 15r4 and also bought a WD Blue 3D NAND 2TB M.2 stick as additional storage. The Dell spec pages say each M.2 slot supports 1TB max (including the 2.5" drive bay!). This limitation seems odd, but before I crack open the new WD Blue drive - can someone let me know if the Alienware 15 supports 2TB drives on the M.2 slot?

 

It will work fine.

 

Assuming you are replying to me - thanks for the confirmation. I am deployed and didn't want to deal with a return as timelines are 2 weeks back and forth.

 

The volume of the drive is irrelevant to the things Dell controls, bios/firmware. If it is following the NVMe protocol then it will be detected and initiated properly. From there it is just OS (software) support and Windows has no issues with large drives and volumes.

 

That's what I figured, I just found it odd that dell's storage expansion page states "1TB" max supported - which makes no sense to me.

https://www.dell.com/support/manual...a4b311-7053-4dc5-9294-a42c475db5e1&lang=en-us

 

That is what is available, as in, from Dell. Not the max supported.

 

Was the LP156WF6-SPB1 panel in your Alienware 15 with G-sync?

 

I have an optimus motherboard, so I assume my display didn't have G-Sync.

 

That confirms it. They use LP156WF6-SPB1 as 60Hz IPS on non g-sync 15 R3 and B156HAN06.0 HW2A (AUO60ED) as 60Hz IPS on g-sync 15 R3. Thanks.

 

Not always, i receives with my optimis system a B156HAN panel.

 

What’s the overall opinion on these around here? I need a laptop for myself and found what I think is a decent deal. Plus I can screw around with the teardown and panel replacement too for fun. Yes I’m aware of it’s specs and would install a m.2 straight away.

https://www.costco.com/Alienware-15...Force-GTX-1060---1080p.product.100425701.html

 

Be sure you get max warranty. And be prepared to do the full teardown several times. The MB replacement record for Alienware is +15 @VICKYGAMEBOY @Vasudev

 

Several?

Probably not a “good” deal then?

 

Search overheating (TRIPOD)+(stutters frezes). And I have already tagged some AW owners.

 

I’m definitely aware of that but didn’t realize it needed to be addressed after getting addressed lol.

Thank you! It seems like passing on this would be ideal.

 

One cranky dude turns you away?

 

Tell me differently. I’m still here

I didn’t say I was not buying it.

 

Don't let those 12,000 reps fool you. LOL

 

LOL.. Papusan was just stating the truth.. Papusan even mention do your research.. If I will buy another Alienware laptop I would wait for a proper mounting of the heatsink and not the tripod.. The tripod is just not acceptable.. well for me it isn't.. So please do some research.. hehe..

 

deleted

 

This is only for this thread... http://forum.notebookreview.com/search/20420518/?q=Overheating&t=post&o=relevance&c[thread]=797458

 

I've got a 15R4 inbound - waiting to see if it's as horrendous as this forum makes it out to be.

Tripod design is certainly bizarre - never understood why this was the go to setup. But isn't the tripod usually over the GPU, which rarely has thermal issues in most laptops?