The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
← Previous pageNext page →

    *OFFICIAL* Alienware 17 R4 Owner's Lounge

    Discussion in '2015+ Alienware 13 / 15 / 17' started by katalin_2003, Oct 24, 2016.

  1. sarou

    sarou Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    14
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    73
    Trophy Points:
    41
    Los temp... Lol speed fan...
     
  2. sarou

    sarou Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    14
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    73
    Trophy Points:
    41
    Oh ! When I install, I passe in AHCI mode.
    If i turn raid no boot....
     
  3. Spartan@HIDevolution

    Spartan@HIDevolution Company Representative

    Reputations:
    39,634
    Messages:
    23,562
    Likes Received:
    36,883
    Trophy Points:
    931
    @Mr. Fox @Johnksss@iBUYPOWER @Prema @Donald@HIDevolution

    Due to the awesome m.2 SSD Heatsink on my MSI GT73VR Titan Pro, look at how low the SSD temps are:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Love the m.2 drives heatsink on this laptop, covers all the three m.2 SSDs to ensure that they don't overheat:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    xxax and hmscott like this.
  4. cn555ic

    cn555ic Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    149
    Messages:
    917
    Likes Received:
    470
    Trophy Points:
    76
    That is a well executed heatsink. Wish Alienware could have covered the PCH also like MSI does.
     
    Spartan@HIDevolution likes this.
  5. improwise

    improwise Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    60
    Messages:
    1,511
    Likes Received:
    429
    Trophy Points:
    101
    Perhaps Alienware should do like Clevo and just build barebones and have other companies that know what they are doing putting in the components.
     
  6. SUADE8880

    SUADE8880 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    171
    Messages:
    648
    Likes Received:
    188
    Trophy Points:
    56
    I was tired of continue cleaning so I added one of these :). Matte surface = Finger and Palm Print [​IMG] Resistant!!
     
    Vasudev, iunlock and xxax like this.
  7. SUADE8880

    SUADE8880 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    171
    Messages:
    648
    Likes Received:
    188
    Trophy Points:
    56
  8. iunlock

    iunlock 7980XE @ 5.4GHz

    Reputations:
    2,035
    Messages:
    4,533
    Likes Received:
    6,441
    Trophy Points:
    581
    Yikes, yea that's thermal throttling right there. Either the memory chips itself is faulty and/or it's your controller. Can you take a pic of your m.2 and post it showing the exposed controller chip? I'm curious to know which variant this is... I could provide you with more info once I know which one this is...
     
  9. improwise

    improwise Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    60
    Messages:
    1,511
    Likes Received:
    429
    Trophy Points:
    101
    How much does the GPU heat affect the CPU heat? Could it be worth getting an AW17 with just the GTX1070 instead to lessen the impact of the CPU cooling fiasco? The 1070 is probably a card that is good enough in most scenarios for the time being I would imagine.
     
  10. Mobius 1

    Mobius 1 Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    3,447
    Messages:
    9,069
    Likes Received:
    6,376
    Trophy Points:
    681
    Transferring data through LAN does eat up CPU, this is normal.

    As for your SSD, invest in some thermal pads and connect the SSD to the bottom panel, this will bleed heat and allow the SSD to run much cooler.
     
  11. sarou

    sarou Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    14
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    73
    Trophy Points:
    41
    Pictural tomorow--> goinfrer to sleep (France)
     
  12. Pete Light

    Pete Light Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    172
    Messages:
    1,052
    Likes Received:
    643
    Trophy Points:
    131
    Hey how can you see those temps for your nvme drive? I can't see them in hwinfo :( only see the activity, rate and totals. No temps at all yet I have it for my other spinning drive...

    Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
     
  13. sarou

    sarou Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    14
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    73
    Trophy Points:
    41
    New photos tomorow. I try to charge slot but win10 dont boot. I miss something...
     
  14. Mobius 1

    Mobius 1 Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    3,447
    Messages:
    9,069
    Likes Received:
    6,376
    Trophy Points:
    681

    If you change the slot make sure in bios you select the right drive to boot from.
     
  15. openglcg

    openglcg Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    20
    Messages:
    240
    Likes Received:
    118
    Trophy Points:
    56
    The best solution is a properly working cooling system. The 1070 will not fix it.
     
  16. improwise

    improwise Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    60
    Messages:
    1,511
    Likes Received:
    429
    Trophy Points:
    101
    Oh really?? :D

    You have to look at the full picture. If the laptop is also used for productivity work where the CPU is mainly used, a lower end dGPU or even a iGPU could improve CPU thermals *IF* they are affectedby the GPU heat.

    Sent from my ASUS_A001 using Tapatalk
     
  17. Reciever

    Reciever D! For Dragon!

    Reputations:
    1,530
    Messages:
    5,350
    Likes Received:
    4,377
    Trophy Points:
    431
    Yeah really. If your not making solid contact with the cpu you could have no dGPU and still throttle.

    Otherwise I would think the info is available here, should be able to compare the 1080 machine with the 1070. I think there are individual review threads for them?
     
  18. openglcg

    openglcg Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    20
    Messages:
    240
    Likes Received:
    118
    Trophy Points:
    56
    Yes really. You need a working cooling solution. That's the end of the story.
     
  19. sarou

    sarou Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    14
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    73
    Trophy Points:
    41
    Good morning !

    I thank with uefi it's not possible to choose.
    Legacy mode ?
     
  20. Mobius 1

    Mobius 1 Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    3,447
    Messages:
    9,069
    Likes Received:
    6,376
    Trophy Points:
    681

    Not legacy mode, you can select which drive / partition the laptop boots from. I don't remember specifically where the option is.
     
  21. sarou

    sarou Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    14
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    73
    Trophy Points:
    41
    I will try
     
  22. sarou

    sarou Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    14
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    73
    Trophy Points:
    41
    Hi!

    The detail of Toshiba SSD NVme :

    [​IMG]
     
  23. sarou

    sarou Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    14
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    73
    Trophy Points:
    41
    * Update *

    I try to change slot (3 --> 2) and Windows boot. No configuration, nothing.
    I dont know why it doesn't work sunday...

    I try to test temp ...
     
  24. sarou

    sarou Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    14
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    73
    Trophy Points:
    41
  25. sarou

    sarou Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    14
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    73
    Trophy Points:
    41
    3000 rpm were fixed in manual for test (Temp of ssd were 76-78°c but throttle too).

    [​IMG]
     
  26. improwise

    improwise Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    60
    Messages:
    1,511
    Likes Received:
    429
    Trophy Points:
    101
    Having sent back 2 (soon 3) AW units in the last couple of months that is quite obvious. But questions wasn't if the cooling solution for the CPU is crap as we already know it is. It was if the GPU temps affect the CPU temps or if the GPU cooling in itself is good enough to handle that heat without it affecting other components.
     
  27. PandahNZ

    PandahNZ Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    20
    Messages:
    102
    Likes Received:
    37
    Trophy Points:
    41
    Looks nice and tidy! Where did you pick that up from?

    Cheers
     
  28. pathfindercod

    pathfindercod Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    1,940
    Messages:
    2,344
    Likes Received:
    2,352
    Trophy Points:
    181
    So the weirdest thing. A friend of mine has a 17r4. I was selling him my two x400 1tb m.2 drives out of my DM3. I have spent 4 days trying to get windows installed on these drives.

    I used parted magic and "unlocked" them and cleaned them. I can add them a second drive all day long. But if I book off windows 10 To install to them windows says the drive is locked.

    Any ideas?
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2017
  29. s1rrah

    s1rrah Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    77
    Messages:
    615
    Likes Received:
    290
    Trophy Points:
    76
    I may get skewered for this but I have been using Zeiss Lens cleaner on mine with great success ... we have this stuff around our office for the obvious reason but it works very well for the "rubberized" surface of the Alienware too ... cuts the grease just enough without being overly aggressive/strong ... can find nothing I dislike about it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GPVQVCO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
     
    hmscott likes this.
  30. pathfindercod

    pathfindercod Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    1,940
    Messages:
    2,344
    Likes Received:
    2,352
    Trophy Points:
    181
    I would refrain from using any chemicals on the coating finish. I always use a microfiber cleaning cloth that is very lightly dampened with water. It gets all he smudges off and doesn't eat away at the coating.
     
  31. Spartan@HIDevolution

    Spartan@HIDevolution Company Representative

    Reputations:
    39,634
    Messages:
    23,562
    Likes Received:
    36,883
    Trophy Points:
    931
    try to clean the drive with diskpart, see: http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...lean-installation-guide.781178/#post-10085610
     
    Vasudev, pathfindercod and hmscott like this.
  32. pathfindercod

    pathfindercod Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    1,940
    Messages:
    2,344
    Likes Received:
    2,352
    Trophy Points:
    181
  33. Spartan@HIDevolution

    Spartan@HIDevolution Company Representative

    Reputations:
    39,634
    Messages:
    23,562
    Likes Received:
    36,883
    Trophy Points:
    931
    you mean even that didn't work?
     
  34. pathfindercod

    pathfindercod Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    1,940
    Messages:
    2,344
    Likes Received:
    2,352
    Trophy Points:
    181
    No sir.. ran clean on both disks. Tried installing windows straight from there. Said disk is locked. Then cleaned again, created partition and formatted within diskpart, still windows setup says disk is locked. This happens with both the x400's.
     
  35. Spartan@HIDevolution

    Spartan@HIDevolution Company Representative

    Reputations:
    39,634
    Messages:
    23,562
    Likes Received:
    36,883
    Trophy Points:
    931
    were they in RAID mode? if they were, you need to go to IRST in the BIOS and delete the RAID Array
     
  36. pathfindercod

    pathfindercod Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    1,940
    Messages:
    2,344
    Likes Received:
    2,352
    Trophy Points:
    181
    In the DM3 they were. I set the aw to raid and broke the raid and deleted it. This one has kicked my butt.
     
  37. Spartan@HIDevolution

    Spartan@HIDevolution Company Representative

    Reputations:
    39,634
    Messages:
    23,562
    Likes Received:
    36,883
    Trophy Points:
    931
    how about a secure erase? if you have GParted you can do it
     
  38. pathfindercod

    pathfindercod Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    1,940
    Messages:
    2,344
    Likes Received:
    2,352
    Trophy Points:
    181
    I secure erased both with partedmagic. :(

    I used the downloaded dell .iso for windows attached to his service tag. I might try using an .iso straight from M$. Prob same end result, grasping at anything now.

     
  39. improwise

    improwise Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    60
    Messages:
    1,511
    Likes Received:
    429
    Trophy Points:
    101
    Having received the MSI GT73VR is is painfully obvious how different these laptops are. The AW17 looks like serious business and like it could handle anything...only problem is that it can't. The GT73VR on the other hand isn't really as ugly IRL as I though but still...compared to the AW it looks like a toy. Until you start benchmarking that is, where it blows the AW17 out of the water.

    Dell has offered yet another replacement, but based on previous attempts, I can't help but to think why should the get it right this time when they have failed all times before. Not really sure where to go from here..
     
    hmscott likes this.
  40. SUADE8880

    SUADE8880 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    171
    Messages:
    648
    Likes Received:
    188
    Trophy Points:
    56
    Thanks!! Unfortunately you can't get it anywhere like that. I bought a for suppose thin mousepad that came with adhesive on the bottom and cut it to size with the sharpest razor blade in the tool shed. :). Originally, I bought the KH body skin but it was so thin and cheap I went ahead and just used it as template to make this cut out. Looks even better in person ;).
     
  41. Sleddogg68

    Sleddogg68 Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Hello all, embarking on a brand new 17 r4 7700hk gtx1070 with 4K display....Im very novice to all of the topics I see here but need some advice as to where to begin on updating this machine to current drivers, bios etc. When I go into the Alienware support assist utility it warns me that there is a new bios dated 2/11/17 that should be installed. I went in through that utility but cancelled out of it when a screen that showed the current bios to be 1.02 and showed the new version to be 1.06 as well as a warning that this was an unsupported system. On the Alienware support assist utility when i click on "drivers and downloads" area I'm taken to the dell support page which lists my service tag and express service code and on there it lists update Alienware_15R3_17R4_S1.0.9_K1.0.1.exe as the only bios update available. This leaves me apprehensive about making any changes to my machine until I get it sorted out with Alienware/Dell. My other concern is which order is best to perform updates....bios first then chipset, then drivers then applications is my gut feeling but I need perspective from the knowledge that lies here. Thanks for the time and perspective
     
  42. improwise

    improwise Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    60
    Messages:
    1,511
    Likes Received:
    429
    Trophy Points:
    101
    Seriously, having tried out the GT73VR for a while, the cooling fiasco with the AW17 is nothing short of a disgrace. Have been running Prime95 for an hour and even though the fans are not that audible there are no red numbers or throttling in sight and the CPU clocks are steady. Unless Intel made a miracle with the 7820HK in this one compared to the 6820HK in my AW17s, Dell has really dropped the ball here. If it hadn't been for the fact that it looks like it's been made by a 12 year old and the fact that they have totally screwed up the keyboard by rearranging all the keys...
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2017
    hmscott likes this.
  43. improwise

    improwise Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    60
    Messages:
    1,511
    Likes Received:
    429
    Trophy Points:
    101
    Currious, has anyone actually reveived an AW17 that did not have the cpu temp problems? Obiously there are still faulty units being delivered, but are there any fixed units being delivered as well?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  44. terrain

    terrain Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    22
    Messages:
    321
    Likes Received:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    31
    That's the screen I ordered with my 1080 ...... it's 27 days out - I'm assuming they are waiting on new displays and or.... ? I would have probably gone UHD but alas that is not an option on the gtx1080.
     
  45. openglcg

    openglcg Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    20
    Messages:
    240
    Likes Received:
    118
    Trophy Points:
    56
    bios 1.0.9 is known to cause issues. If you aren't comfortable opening your machine and shorting 2 contacts then I would avoid using it. I don't think the order that you update matters. I would avoid putting on the thermal framework drivers if you have not already. You don't really need them.
     
  46. Sleddogg68

    Sleddogg68 Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Thank you openglcg, I found myself wondering if that bios (1.09) is even for kaby lake and not skylake. However it does have the S1.09_K1.01 nomenclature so perhaps it is a dual purpose bios. Who knows....Not I...the thing that scared me is the fact that the installation took me one click away from installing a bios update that warns it is not supported. That is from the Alienware support assist utility loaded on my machine from Dell. Those are the only 2 bios updates I have come across so far. Makes me not trust the offering from the dell website or through the utility. Incidentally on the Dell support website there is discussion and guidance as to testing the thermal capabilities of our machines http://www.dell.com/Support/Article/us/en/19/SLN305033 I think it is evident that dell wants us to report our issues which is a good sign.
     
  47. TLS2000

    TLS2000 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    10
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Mine tops out at 82C with a 5C differential, so I either got lucky, or they did fix it. 7820hk here.

    Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
     
    improwise likes this.
  48. RussellA

    RussellA Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    8
    Messages:
    77
    Likes Received:
    35
    Trophy Points:
    26
    Is this while overclocking? Or stock clocks?
     
  49. TLS2000

    TLS2000 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    39
    Likes Received:
    10
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Stock. Haven't bothered with overclocking yet.

    Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
     
  50. sarou

    sarou Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    14
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    73
    Trophy Points:
    41
    Me ! No cpu temp out of box the 31/12/2016.
    Ssd temp issue but not cpu
     
← Previous pageNext page →