*OFFICIAL* Alienware 17 R2/R3 Owner's Lounge

Here I am, a grown man, getting excited because I might get a free game on top of everything else with my order! lol

 

Well any purchase of a laptop with a 970m or higher from a qualified vendor entitles you to a free copy of Batman Arkham Knight.

 

That would be awesome.

 

This is what I emailed them and their answer was this one



Did you try updating the system to the latest A05 BIOS? This BIOS has a fix that will stop the throttle. If you still need the adapter, you will need to contact your local support to get it.


--- Original Message ---
From:
Received: 7/5/15 9:16:32 PM CDT
To: awsocialmedia < [email protected]>
Subject: Alienware 17 2015 - 180w PSU

Hello, sorry to bother you with this email, I have purchased an Alienware unit, the 17 2015, I have always wanted to have one of your products, It was not possible until today that I can pay for it, it's disappointing receiving it with constraints on performance due to the inadequate power supply, I kindly ask for a replacement that can provide 240w, thanks ahead.

 

A05 BIOS that has a useless fan profile and frying the processor? That's the answer you can give Dell support. Ask Dell if they want the laptop in return. Then they need not to give you a free 240W power supply. Perhaps Dell earns more $ to deny you your rightful claim?

 

A05 fixes the resume from sleep throttling issue, not general throttling. The description for BIOS A05 is "Fix CPU haven't turbo frequency after S3 resume.". Horrible description. Give that to Dell customer support and tell them to give you a 240W aC adapter because the 180W might not be able to provide the power for all situations. Give them this link too. http://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/19/SLN295814

Send an email to ;; [email protected]
subject; OK ID SLN295814 Alienware 17 R2 2015 CPU Throttling when using 180 watts AC Adapter
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As for frying the processor comment by Papusan, eh, if it keeps it below 90C the silicon shouldn't care. As long as the cooling doesn't cause throttling and the hardware that engages the throttling isn't wimpy (doesn't start until mid 90s C hopefully). Maybe they should relax the thermal throttling in that case to closer to Tjunction temperature.

 

The problem with a high processor temperature over time, is shortened lifespan of thermal grease (also the processor). Who will help you to change to new thermal grease (if you do not manage/dare to fix it) when the warranty has just expired? Pay for Help??? No advantage with to high temperature; Only drawbacks.

 

Hi guys =)
Just got my m17 2015 and i cant OC my gpu at all in Afterburner?
Is this locked out in the Vbios? And if that is the case, can i unlock it with a modded vbios? =)

 

its locked to +135 on the core, you need to have the right drivers in order to OC - either pre 345.2 or post 353.0 I believe (going off memory) the latest Nvidia drivers allow for it with MSI afterburner.

 

Use a driver from Nvidias website instead of the Dell default driver. Dell locks the clocks.

 

Thx alot for that But surely the 980m should be able to go past 135mhz?
Anyone know if there is a unlocked VBIOS for it?
Tried to find it for the alienware 4 gb card but only found for the 8gb version :S

 

Thx alot for that But surely the 980m should be able to go past 135mhz?
Anyone know if there is a unlocked VBIOS for it?
Tried to find it for the alienware 4 gb card but only found for the 8gb version :S

 

Just so you know (you may do already!), that +135Mhz when talking about overclocking refers to increasing the default clock rate by 135Mhz. So that's taking it from a base clock of 1038Mhz to 1173Mhz, then you've still got GPU boost on top of that, so that's a good overclock. No modded vBIOS required really to achieve that if you can get the core stable with a +135Mhz overclock.

 

I got a strange behavior with my 17 r2 4980hq 980m A00 240W.

I ran unigine valley (ultra) and wprime 8 threats together and monitor what happened with XTU.

During the first pass after few minutes the TDP drops from 47W to 32W and the CPU clock stick to 2.8GHz (this has been described by many users)
Now, if you stop the benchmarks and relaunch the benchmarks immediately , it does not happens anymore! The TDP stick to 47W, the frequency to 3.4-3.5 GHz. The 980m does not throttle according to frequencies read on unigine..
I t is repeatable.

If someone have an explanation for that

 

What happens if you game after that in a very CPU & GPU intensive game, does it then also maintain those higher CPU frequencies when gaming when perhaps it didn't before? (That could then be a quick workaround to get better gaming performance for that particular gaming session - although would be a little bit of a pain in the ass to do every time!)

 

Tried everything you said. (Heaven extreme and 8 threads in prime)

Started well with CPU at 3.2ghz but within a minute it dropped to 2.8ghz on all cores. I stopped the tests when clocks dropped then started up again but cpu still drops to 2.8ghz within a minute everytime. Temps only mid 70s during the tests.

 

Weird, I replicated three time it since yesterday.
It start at 3.5-3.4 GHz for me.

Then same machines do not behave the same.

Regarding in game testing I did not tried, it is a bit more difficult to test in the very same condition...
I am not even sure that it can bring something. I was just wondering if some expert in hardware can explain why it behaves like that.

 

Does it still throttle with throttlestop? I'm yet to experience any throttling using this. I sit at 3.5ghz post over clocking my 4710hq with XTU.

 

My bad...
It happens because I minimized Valley windows...
If I keep the windows open an centered it does throttle at 2.8GHz/32W quite quickly, sorry

My last Alienware for sure

 

My last too. I've had every model prior to this and this is the worst by far for reported issues.

I mentioned in previous posts how my CPU would throttle to 2.8ghz when playing games. Well, recently it has started to throttle down to 800mhz randomly in-game, causing immense lag for a few seconds before clocking back up. Then a few minutes later will do it again over and over.
It's the first time I have seen this behaviour on mine since owning it from April.
XTU reports thermal throttle but the temps are only at 73c on CPU when it happens.

240w psu /bios A00

 

I remember you've had this problem for a long time now, not all A17 R2 users are having the problem - can you get your laptop replaced through Dell, it's obviously not performing satisfactorily?

 

Ive already had the Motherboard replaced the first week I had it. I had to show them evidence of the issues I was having (BSOD logs etc) so they could see for themselves the problems.
How would I prove this this time when it only happens in games or when the GPU is taxed? When they remote into the computer its not going to show them any signs of a problem so they may assume I am just complaining about nothing.

Any ideas?

 

Record a video clip when you see this starts. Dell support maybe use only Support Assistant for trouble shooting on your laptop. Take the same test you also and see if the same happens there. A video clip may be only option you have. Perhaps Hwinfo GenericLogViewer also can be used... http://www.hwinfo.com/forum/Thread-LogViewer-for-HWINFO-is-availabl
Run multiple programs in the background if Dell Support want to test your pc. Several programs stress the processor more.

 

Just got a new 17r2 with 8Gb of memory. I was wondering if this ram is a good choice for upgrading to 16GB. Thanks in advance!

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...aL8OCXUUyS5WwviTpbcTfEGng9HBcceci8aAgoL8P8HAQ

 

Can we just download the latest NVidia GPU drivers from their site or are we tied to the Dell Feb 2015 drivers still?

FYI, when I got Dell tech support (who were good) they downloaded remotely the latest killa network drivers from the killa website and not the dell drivers saying the latest manufacturer specific drivers worked best.

 

I contacted support this morning. The guy straight up told me that the HQ CPU's do not keep the turbo boost when other components are also stressed at the same time.
I mentioned about the thermal throttle to 800mhz in game and he remotely tried a few things, Got me to Re-install a few things, but we were unable to replicate it over the phone. He asked me to keep any logs and possibly photograph the XTU graphs and contact them again if it happens again.

Ive decided to give up and sell this piece of junk and have just purchased this instead. Its basically a CLEVO p375sm :

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/vortexIV-Elite-SE/

dual 970s and a proper working CPU! cannot wait!

 

Haha, that's one way to solve the problem! I hope you enjoy that new laptop, it's gonna have more gaming power too.

 

LoL What good is to have a processor that does not go at the right speed when you need it??? What good is to upgrade the processor at Dell laptop configurator from for example i7-4710 to a i7-4980hq if you can not use the power of your processor when other components also are stressed sametime? Some does not understand the hardware . Maybe @unclewebb can give you a comment on this filth chat from technicians at Dellienware support. LoL
It comes more and more strange excuses from the suport team at Dellienware. One worse than the other.
Here's another explanation; LoL Dell sells the new AW laptop with the 180w psu because the battery has such good performance that hybrid bios fetches more than enough power from the battery. LoL. From Dell support in UK. Pretty good explanation The Dell engineers learned the Dell support team. Knowledge is power... LoL http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/aw15-17-r2-bios-a05-cpu-fix.778072/page-10#post-10042468

 

I sure will. I could of went for the 2x 980m but I don't need that much power. Dual 970s are good enough and I saved £400

Im just gonna forget I ever owned this machine. Its a real shame what Dellienware have done with regards to the PSU's and the throttling issues. I used to love this brand 6 months ago.

It seems very few companies are using standard CPU socket chips anymore and most are going to the crappy BGA. Such a shame...

 

Everybody should read my "poem/poetry" that is under my nickname / Avatar . Better late than never for you and others, in terms of detection of garbage... Everybody should take reviews for what this is. Read rather what others experience with their PC / laptops before you buy...

 

eh they aren't that bad

 

Have hardly seen anyone work as intended 1.25 x Tdp (turbo boost short power max). Impossible to overclock as well as run a longer time over a maximum TDP of 47W. Hq processors fit / intended more on small thin laptops / tablet designed for web surfing / email. But this is my opinion... Others may have different expectations of such a processor than me.

 

Very cool!!

They have a nice choice configuration and price looks correct! Are they built in England?
If I knew that before buying an AW
Let us know how they are, I am interested now.

 

Yes all in-house as far as I know. Its just been ordered today so it has to go through a few steps.

Here is a flowchart of what they do after order. I couldn't link it because you have to be logged in to see it.

 

anyone?

 

You can install the latest Nvidia drivers from Nvidia.

 

I was wondering if anyone else had an issue I have been seeing. I notice it especially in FFXIV and WoW but I think it happens in all games... I know its not just one game causing this though. So basically every maybe 5-10 mins ill have 30 secs to a min where my GPU usage drops to like 30% and my fps gets cut in half. After that time it shoots back up and everything runs perfect again. There is no rhyme or reason as to when this happens and my temps are fine. Any feedback on what is going on or even better a fix? Thanks as always guys!

 

I can't seem to find the right answer, does the 970m needs the 240psu or 180w is enough? Thnx

 

The 180 is fine for the 970m, the 980m is where the 180watt power supply cripples it. Of course they have their "hybrid" bios that is supposed to fix the issue (lawl)

 

This happens to me in FFXIV during big fates. It's your CPU dropping down to 800mhz for no good reason. I've monitored it and every time it does I check with XTU to see what has happened and that's what it is.

 

So even though im seeing in FFXIV and WoW that the GPU usage is dropping to like 30% when it does this it's also a cpu issue? It doesnt even happen during big fates it is completely random. I really would love to know how to resolve it :/

 

The only way I have been able to duplicate the throttling issue folks are seeing, is when I'm gaming or benching on battery only, my CPU will drop to 800 MHz due to power limit throttling - Thermals are A O K. GPU holds just fine though during these spouts. Again, when I'm plugged in with the 240 psu, I do not experience these drops. (Bios A00)

 

I am running A00 and a 240 and for the most part my gaming experiences are pretty good. it's just this weird random issue where my gpu seems to be lowering its usage from high 90s to 30s and my fps cutting in half for 30 secs and a time. Can't figure it out for the life of me...

 

Looking at this issue further.. I brought up task manager just to test something. As soon as the game drops in GPU usage I alt tabbed to the task manager and surely enough it was showing my CPU running at just under 800MHz. I will try and duplicate this.. if so then it's the same issue others are having and there is no current fix?

 

No fix that I am aware of. It was the last straw for me when I found out it did that. So I have put mine up for sale.

 

Will

Does the 970m run cooler than the 980m since it uses less power?

 

Just updating that this is 100% what's going on.. so what exactly is causing the cpu to downclock to 800mhz? What could possibly be the fix for this as well? Bios update? Or does it stem deeper?

 

To determine this; All you should test with stock clock on CPU and GPU. Test with the same benchmark tests, bios(gpu driver) and monitoring software. All testers should also test their laptops in the same ambient temperature. It's just so you can see if there is variation in the quality of the hardware.

 

I actually had my GPU overclocked since day one.. and I put it back to stock to test if my gpu was just drawing too much power for the cpu to maintain higher clock speeds. However when I changed gpu back to stock the problem still was present. I really hope there is a fix for this soon...

 

Is it usual that the fans don't spin at all when doing simple tasks, like web browsing