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

Hello, new to the site so don't rake me through the coals. I got the Alienware 17.3 r3 2016 laptop 256ssd 1Tb windows 10 white alien background. I forgot to do a back up as soon as a got it so was hoping maybe some one has an image. I know I can do a fresh install and all but I'm just a bit anal about having the factory image. Its been awhile since I bought a laptop and coming from Mac I didn't realize I had to do a backup. Thanks!

 

Any image is going to be specific to the service tag.

However, I can assure you that the 17R3 doesn't really come with anything pre-installed that isn't available on your personal driver downloads page.

I was actually impressed with the lack of bloatware, and in fact the Dell OS install image is very close to the stock Microsoft one.

 

Ok cool. Thanks a lot.

 

is the alienware 17 R3 upgradable to gtx 10 series?

 

No. BGA all the way!!

 

aww sucks

 

External Graphics Amplifier.

 

I received my Alienware 17 R3 from the outlet and I'm really pleased with it so far.

However, I have a question - when I press the power button, there is approx 3-5 second delay before anything happens (i.e. before the power/screen/keyboard button lights up). This was not present when I first received the laptop but I updated the bios to the latest version which I suspect may have caused this.

Has anyone else experienced this issue? Is it possible to 'downgrade' the bios to an older version so I can test?

I am in the middle of downloading the Windows 10 anniversary update so unsure if this is causing the delay.

 

It takes a moment to start up for me as well. It did it since day one. Not an issue I think. I recommend though to stay with 1.3.6. After talking with some Alienware engineers I understand its the most safe bios.

 

Just FYI - this is how long it takes - (that's someone else's video not mine but mines pretty much exactly the same). It's really good in terms of the total boot time - amazingly fast!

 

Its the same on my machine.

 

That't pretty quick actually. Mine takes a little longer when I have the AGA connected but it's still a non factor

 

wondering can the current alienware 17 screen be upgraded?

 

Sorry for digging up this old post, but I've finally come up with a solution for this problem (I've had the same noise since day 1).
The problem is the wires for the I/O board run directly over the subwoofer and they are unshielded.
Luckily there's an easy fix: you wrap the wires from the I/O board to the motherboard in tin foil and put some tape around to secure it.
For me the hum disappeared completely after this.
You just need to take the palmrest off so you can reach.

 

My system unexpectedly powered off whilst idling a couple of nights ago. Wouldn't respond to the power button. Detaching and reattaching the power cable resulting in a small electrical arcing noise and whiff of burned electronics, then the PSU went into protection mode. Called AW Support who said it would need to be sent to a repair centre which could take up to a month to return. I said I'd prefer them to dispatch an engineer to replace the DC socket and motherboard. They said if I disassembled the laptop, took pictures and emailed them to prove there was no heat damage to the case then they would agree to book an on-site engineer. I did as they asked and the engineer was booked on a next day service. The engineer replaced the two components, re-assembled the system and checked to ensure it booted to OS. Flashed BIOS to 1.3.6 on new board and all seems well.

 

Good that you challenged them on their initial solution, you ended up with the best deal! Did the engineer say what he thought caused the fault in the first place?

 

Awesome, thanks! I'll look into that.

Does someone have a link to a service manual or teardown video handy?

 

Guys, New to the Forum, 6 months back got a 17R2 on sale from Dell (looks like last ones. Got hit here in Hong Kong. I have recently switched for gaming onto it from the Xone but that throtrtling thing is killing me. Using XTU I see the Thermal throttling happens and the FPS drops to 10-20 in games like division etc.. I heard ordering a 240 watt will solve the issue ( which i ordered and waiting for delivery). I am on the A06 bios. Should i downgrade it to A00. WIll that help. I keep the laptop well ventilated with Aircons all the time. Not sure wtf is wrong though. Still under warranty but making the Chinese call center is a messy business.

Any thoughts will be helpful

 

A 240w psu can't fix Thermal throttling!!
Svich to 240w may fix other throttling problems for a few, but not the majority of owners with this mess. Bios A00 have a better fan profile(better fan profile will reduce thermal problems). Thermal throttling can be fixed with a better thermal paste. The thermal paste from Dell is pretty useless and the paste job can also be badly executed. Also a homemade heat spreader on PCH chips will help.
@VICKYGAMEBOY have most experience with this mess. And can guide you further... Or you can take a deep look into one of many threads about the Throttling mess in the AW sub forum here!!

 

Not sure about the 17R2, but SpeedFan is able to control the fans on my 17R3 after enabling Dell support. That sounds more appealing to me than downgrading BIOSes.

Re-pasting sounds like the best fix for heat problems though, unless it's under warranty.

 

Yes Repaste with Gelid Extreme, or ICD7, you will get better temps.. it will also improve ur max temps. for PCH u def need to use a heatsink, and u get urself some fujipoly thermal pads and change the stock thermal pads from the heatsink, also remember if u have 8gigs model, ull have four VRAM behind ur CPU which doesn't have any themal pads on them, for PCH this is the best, see if u can get something less then 3mm, as I don't want other users complaining about the cutting solutions..
http://www.performance-pcs.com/3m-8...-adhesive-2mm-ultra-thin-heatsink-6-pack.html
I wish I could get these.. sadly in my country they don't have. u can get something around 5mm ones and trim it down to 3mm to fit it in.. don't not touch anything on base panel.. good luck

 

Thanks for the link. Might by these.

 

your welcome bro. here is another link with just one piece.. whichever ur comfortable.. get it
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...10_Adhesive_-_17mm_x_17mm_x_2mm_-_Silver.html

 

Have to research though if the adhesive will hold for a longer period.

 

I'm using a 0.5mm thermal pad inbetween.. so it stays there.. moreover its 3M one..

 

I worry a bit to create pressure on the motherboard with an extra thermal pad in between. If the 3m doesnt let loose after a while it would be great. But if it does come lose it could become quite catastrophic.

 

I think 3M knows something about making adhesives.

 

Yeah thats true. I wonder how much the temps will be affected by a small heatsink. Going to try it. The highest I measured in an ambient temp of 24c (airconditioned) was 81c.

 

FYI, the 37x.xx nVidia drivers break compatibility with a lot of games due to a stupid Microsoft requirement for WDDM 2.1 drivers: https://forums.geforce.com/default/...hread-released-9-21-16-/post/4980887/#4980887

For me this meant that TES4: Oblivion was badly broken (no HDR without shader package hacks, and even then no shadows).

Recommendation for now is to stick with 368.81 or older. Edit: Confirmed that Oblivion shadow options + shadows are back on my machine with 368.81!

 

WELL after 2 days of fiddling. .I turned off all overclocking for gpu and cpu .did a reinstall of Windows and installed the A001..Had a copy of it with me..Did 3d mark stress tests and before it was always making to 60 or 70 percent. ..and Now It passed with 99 percent for stability . . Did some division for an hour and no hiccups or framerate drops..Waiting for the 240 psu to do some overclocking though..But the system. Is quite stable now. I don't think it's thermal as it's just a 6 month old lap..

 

Does anyone know where I can get this kind of thing in the UK?

Also, will I be able to stick this onto the PCH by taking the bottom cover off and not taking the laptop apart? I already too it apart to repaste it with grizzly conductonaut and don't want to take it apart again unless I need to. Temps on the CPU and GPU are way better than stock now but I have noticed the PCH temps are warm.

 

You have to take it apart unfortunately to get near the PCH.

 

Oh, I thought it was on the bottom of the motherboard next to the WiFi card slot so thought I may be able to get at it by just taking the bottom cover off - is that a different chip that I'm thinking of?

 

So I've got a 17 R3, and recently I've noticed that the lights on the monitor/lid portion are no longer showing the correct color, more specifically when I tend to pick a color in the blue range. So for example if I pick one of the light blue shades the color is right on the bottom portion, and the keyboard looks right, but "Alienware" text and the lighting on the front of the lid are closer to green than they are light blue.

My "Return to Depot" warranty is good until January of 2017, this would be covered correct? I'm guessing this isn't something I could fix myself with some kind of troubleshooting. Full disclosure; I upgraded the RAM/SSD on my own so would this have any effect on warranty coverage? The lights most definitely worked for quite a while after I did the upgrade.

 

I think RAM and SSD are meant to be user-serviceable components from Dell's point of view.

 

You can see it near the wifi card but it is covered by a piece of chassis.

 

IMO u dont have to remove the whole thing, since the one i suggested is pretty thin, u can try to squeeze it through the backpanel.. its bit tricky.. but yes u can do it.. its 2mm thick.. unlike the ones we have.. and im not sure about UK. try on amazon.. they must have some online stores like performance-pcs.com..

 

So I'm just curious about my lighting problem. Does anyone think there is any chance this is something I can fix on my own? I'll try and describe the problem.

So basically what happens is that the all of the zones light up, but specifically the lights on the lid (and I think perhaps the keyboard lights as well,) don't seem to be properly showing lighter shades of blue.

In the "quick change" section if I pick the 2 lighter blue options, the lights on the lid are light green. If I pick the purple options, the lights on the rid are more red. So it seems to me that maybe there are 2 different colors mixed together to make those light blue, purple, whatever, and on the lid maybe only 1 of the 2 colors are working? If I choose the dark blue quick change option, they all work properly.

It's obviously not the worst problem in the world, I'm just curious if it's something that could be solved without too much hassle. I don't mind taking apart the laptop if it would help. Thanks.

 

Hi All,

I was gaming on battery today and I noticed an issue where the screen goes dim and the USBs get suspended when gaming. When I stop gaming, the USBs work again and the screen brightness can also be increased again (I was playing Deus Ex - Mankind Divided at high settings). Is this normal?

The issue is the same as for this guy:

https://www.alienwarearena.com/foru...pport-1/gaming-problems-on-battery-with-17-r3

 

wow it seems.. ur not the only guy.. for past couple of weeks even im having this issues, never happend before, when i play league of legends my screen dims, i see the gpu usage goes to 50% for one seconds and comes back.. let me test other games.. and see if this exist.. im using 372.70 and i tested on 369 version as well.. but for me this thing is happening when the charger is plugged in..

 

Check the DC in cable.

 

solutions tried. diferent wallsocket.. chargin cable light is working.. it happens on both battery and charging mode, tried different nvidia drivrs, different Intel Drivers, reflashed VBIOS, clear CMOS, Fresh Install OS and what not, but sadly its still happening, any game i play, my GPU usage frequency varies a lot. from 400mhz to 850 to 1126, and the screeen dims too when throttlnig happens, im looking for ME firmware for R2 skylake version.. sadly im out of warranty.. hmm..

 

I mean the DC in cable in your laptop itself. One user had an actual fried DC cable and mine wasn't that great also after 8 months of heavy use. It seems to be that bios 1.2.2 for example in my case pulled too much power through that cable while gaming and charging at the same time. Apart from the slight burn on my internal DC cable I didnt had any other issues, but another user on this forum did had users with screen dimming etc. I got a replacement cable and replaced it myself.

 

You mean the small black cable which connects the mobo to the left hand side power port with white end tip ?? but my laptop is charging properly.. this is the screenshot.. i ran both XTU and GPUZ basic render test, so there is no issues on CPU side, that i can confirm, this is only happening on GPU side..

 

I got told it was due to the bios combination and powerdraw but maybe it was a manufacturing problem because it seems to be not widespread. I only saw 2 other cases. This is how my cable looked after 8 months of heavy use (50+ hours a week).

 

that was for alienware R1, but im using alienware R2, if there is cable issues, shouldnt it affect CPU usage.. but for me the CPU stress test ran 100% stable for 1hour.. without any issues, the moment there is slight load on GPU, it goes to 20 to 50% or even less, and gets back to 99% for few seconds again, u can see from GPUZ, the bars all over, it shows PWR / UTIL.. util is normal.. so i think its the GPU power related issue.. im looking for ME firmeware for alienware 15 R2 skylake version.

 

The cases I know and on my laptop are all R2. Anyway. It might be worth to just check the plug to be ure. To rule it out.

 

ok let me disassemble my laptop, it also dims the scree, this started after i did the repaste..i also did hear a small coil noise near my cpu, like minor buzzing sound, i was guessing it must be something related to power... oh gosh.. let me check the cable first..

 

could it be the cause for GPU throttling and CPU coil whine ?, and also i found that cable alone costs 35dollars.. gosh... @rinneh.. was ur cable similiar like this..

 

One word for this. TRAGIC.!! And how many other systems have similar flaws?