*OFFICIAL* Alienware 17 R4 Owner's Lounge

I believe gtx 1080 is with them

 

I'm not sure about anyone else, but I have that two finger slow scrolling problem with this 17R4's trackpad. I've tried playing around with the trackpad settings extensively. I don't know if it's the driver, or what. I have not found any solutions yet. Coming from a Macbook Pro with a great trackpad, I've pretty much given up on using this 17R4's trackpad and have to plug in an external mouse.

 

@mobile96: Even if you break some minor things you could claim it under accidental warranty protection.

 

Hey guys, I finally decided to create an account and post my experience so far

I ordered my AW17R4 (6700HQ/GTX1070/QHD gsync panel @120hz/16GB DDR/NO SSD) back in nov 2 and was delivered on nov 11 to US. But as Im currently living in Colombia I finally received it mid dec.

When I finally tried to play some games I got random system restarts so I installed hwinfo and saw uneven core temps around 20C and CPU package up to 99C + throttling, by this time I was not aware of all thermal issues with the "new and better thermal design", so I went online just to be amazed by the huge amount of similar problems. As it took so long to take my laptop overseas I was already out of the 30days whatever warranty but when I placed my order I also got premium support to extend my warranty internationally *phew*.

So far I think my laptop is no longer having any thermal issues after 2 heatsink replacements, the last with modified CPU thermal pad thickness. I also installed a toshiba rd400 ssd in december wich was running really hot (around 70C at idle when cpu/gpu fan speed were at min speed and up to 80ich under load), tried to fix it buying the ASSY Thermal Plate but dell failed to ship it and they cancelled my order after 2 or 3 delays. Anyway I got it fixed somehow changing it from ssd slot 3 to slot 2 (better ventilation?) and/or because my system is not overheating.

A few weeks ago I upgraded my bios from 1.0.9 to 1.0.12 just to get a lot of graphic stuttering and a huge drop in graphic performance so I went back to 1.0.9, not sure if 1.0.8 is better tho.

Right now ill keep looking for the right tread as I'm willing to share some benchmarks scores and temps to compare and determine if theres any other possible optimization for my model beside repasting wich Im about to do with Grizzly Kryonaut when it finally arrives. Also as I dig into this forum I can see other problems related to my system like screen bleeding/watermark (I cant really notice any bleed or watermark in my panel) but theres too much info here so I would like to know if theres any guide of what to check/test for this models.

I'm definitely going to keep closer to this forum from now on and thanks to @iunlock for the repaste guide. Sorry for the long post / English.
Regards

 

Yes for the 6700hq 1070 that i have bios 1.0.9 provides the best performance. I also get battery draining. I would get more than 1g of kryonaut in case you want to try multiple repaste techniques.

 

Does any one have the part number for the 40-pin eDP cable? I found one on ebay for the 17 R3, but wanted to confirm that it'd work before I bought it.

 

i7-7820HK and GTX 1080 configurations are available on the US Dell site.

Note: Price went up by approximately $300 and there's no mention of a refreshed QHD screen or any other display options.

 

Yep - a zero.zero % discount.

 

T_T its not out in Canada

 

its updated. the only option for i7-7820HK and GTX 1080 is now a 3k 400nit 120 screen so base is 2,743.99 for that setup.

 

I spoke too soon.

The top configuration is actually cheaper that the i7-6820 now, hahaha.

 

Part number is WTNR3. Let me know if this works since I'm still waiting for the cable from Dell. It's been 2 months

 

So is it time now to call dell customer service and ask for a screen replacement ? I am tired of these scanlines and I avoid using my laptop very much because of this.

 

Yep - they did the normal discount but got rid of the TENOFF. OK - who's going to be the first to report temp's on the 7GEN with 880 and new, or what we think is the new screen?

 

I ordered a 7820HK/1080/QHD with my account rep, should be here 3/27-4/4 they say

I saw the old QHD in a Best Buy and could immediately see the lines in question. If this unit has the same issue, I guarantee it will be back for a return the next day. Here's hoping they really did fix it!

 

Screen is the least of my issues --- Actually my QHD is quite nice. I'm looking forward to seeing if 7th gen keeps the 1080 any cooler.

 

i ordered mine on friday last week it will be here not later than the 4th of april (at least that's what dell says)

the screen on my previous unit also didn't have any lines just really annoying shadows on the lower edge that were visible all the time

 

So, after my brutal, effed up experience with Dell, it's been 14 days since Dell has received the laptop and replacement that I sent back. But still no refund. I'm calling my lawyer today to explore my options. Sick of this. Why does Dell need to hold my money for 14 days (and counting) after they received both laptops? When the refund finally arrives, I'm going to write a long reddit post about the cheetiest customer service experience in my life, worse than Comcast, hope it goes viral. I never expected such a nightmare scenario, so pissed.

 

Was it on a credit card? If so why not just disputed with your credit card company and give them proof that has been returned? I've done it all the time in the past with everything and I had always get my money back in an instant.

 

In route and soon we shall see..

 

Nice!

 

I just ordered, 04/04/17 delivery estimate...

17R4 / 7820HK / 16GB2667 / GTX1080 / 512+1TB / QHD

 

NEW BIOS

Alienware 15 R3/ Alienware 17 R4 System BIOS

1. Alienware 15 R3 new Graphic controller support.
2. BIOS flash utility enhancement.
3. CPU and graphic performance improvement.
Version
Versión S1.0.12_K1.0.8, S1.0.12_K1.0.8

Date: 16 mar 2017

 

If i'm right it seems like an updated BIOS just for Kaby lake CPUs as its the same version for Skylake (S1.0.12) that crippled my GPU performance

 

And how convenient that they REMOVED the link and option to download the Older Versions - you know.... the ones we know work.

I won't be updating yet. Still sitting on 1.0.2 as I have not seen anyone unanimously vote any of the other BIOS versions to be completely stable.... Correct?

 

The new BIOS is throttling my cpu to 798 mhz while plugged into the wall...unplugged i get full cpu speed

also it says my power adapter isn't the actual dell 240 watt power adapter...despite it being that adapter.

none of these issues happened on prior BIOS (computer ran at full speed on other bios with same adapter)

 

No they didn't you can always go here.

http://downloads.dell.com/published/pages/alienware-17-laptop.html

 

Try resetting BIOS to defaults and then reflashing.

 

I had the same thing happen to mine. BIOS update didn't help. I had to get a new power adapter from Dell.

 

Surprisingly, bios 1.0.12 now works fine on my 17r4 6820hk with OC 4.1 Ghz. Super stable after several tests with OCCT and hard work with HandBrake. CPU temperature never exceeded 69°.

 

can somebody tell me if it's possible to put two rammodules with different capacities into the aw17 r4? like one 8gb module and one with 16gb?

 

I ordered the exact same config, eta march28-april5th.

 

I had the same issue as you. I posted in this forum, but no one ever replied. Doing some research on the Dell Support site, I got ahold of a Dell rep named Alienware-Eimy. He/she went through the troubleshooting steps with me. We tried numerous audio drivers and bios updates, nothing worked. I was out of town this week, but a dell tech will be coming to my house and installing new speakers. I hope this will fix the issue.

 

Mine is March 27 - April 4. Lets see who wins!

 

I have the same issue. They replaced my speakers already, but nothing changed!
Good luck to you.

 

So did Dell offer to buy back your laptop? Whats options did they offer you? I brought the laptop from best buy and at this point I cannot return.

 

Just an FYI that EXCLUSIVE10 is working for 10% off in combination with the 20% (30% for five star) P@W program. The P@W ends tomorrow but anyone can sign up with a work or .edu email. If you count the wow points as cash, you can score a 17r4, 1080, 7820HK, 1440p, 16 GB, 4 yr accidental/premium support for around 2K. P@W points can be redeemed for many gift cards including BB, Target etc. On the order below, I got 30 * 2812 = 84,360 in points which translates into 843.60 in gift cards. Or you can use your point for credit card credits as well. Lots of discussion over at slickdeals for TV deals at Dell using this as well.

https://slickdeals.net/f/9867704-lg...rd-potentially-great-deal-with-wow-points?v=1

https://www.corporateperks.com/

Alienware 17 R4
Alienware 17 R4 $2,812.69 1 $2,812.69
Sku Description
210-AJST
Alienware 17 R4
338-BLHO
7th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-7820HK (Quad-Core, 8MB Cache, Overclocking up to 4.4GHz )
619-AHCY
Windows 10 Home 64bit English
490-BDMP
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1080 with 8GB GDDR5X
391-BDFB
Alienware 17.3” QHD (2560x1440) 120Hz TN AG 400-nits w/ NVIDIA G-SYNC and Tobii Eye-tracking
370-ACSE
16GB DDR4 at 2400MHz (2x8GB)
400-ANVR
512GB PCIe SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Storage)
555-BDFG
Killer 1435 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1
451-BBXO
Lithium Ion (99 Wh) Battery
340-ACQQ
No OS Recovery Disc Included
580-AFPW
English Keyboard
389-BRFE
450-AAKK
Alienware 330W AC Adapter
450-AAGO
US Power Cord
332-1530
Dell.com Order
340-AGUD
Safety/Environment and Regulatory Guide (English/French)
332-1530
Dell.com Order
658-BCUO
Additional Software
340-AAPP
340-BJOG
Alienware 17 R3 Shipping Material
631-ABHK
Kaby Lake Driver
340-BJQZ
Placemat (English,French,BRPT,Spanish)
555-BDJV
N1435 & N1535 Wireless Driver
817-BBBB
No FGA
801-2185
803-1695
803-1698
803-1716
975-3461
4 Years Premium Support
801-2220
4 Years Accidental Damage Service
658-BCSC
Microsoft Office 30 Day Trial
817-BBBP
No Anti-virus Requested
389-BLST
Intel® Core™ i7 Label

 

Thanks for the heads up on this!!! Waiting for a code. Do you have to login in using a perk at works portal?
Curious, whats in it for them? Why would they want a work e-mail (SPAMers etc.)? Any chance this could be used along with ebates? Thanks for any help.

 

I had more issues (heat: cpu, gpu and the bad panel), so I will get a replacement.

 

Just pulled the trigger on this for same config with nice 10% Military discount. $2878.84. Cant wait as this will be a nice replacement for my AW18. Good to be back!

 

No spam lol. They used to go by NextJump and some corporations used their Perks @ Work or Corporate Perks programs. I have a couple of invites left if you want one PM me you email address - no work address or .edu needed that way. Read up via the slickdeals threads. There are a couple in the TVs section. Combining this P@W promo with Dell gift cards and credit card price protection, people are getting great deals on TVs. After you hit 5000 points you earn 50% more points - that is how people are getting 30% points with this promo. No, Dell will not pay ebates and perks. It would be nice if they did!

 

I would see about getting in on the perks deal. If that works for you, cancel the original and get: 20 * 2812 points = $562 in gift cards of your choice. You automatically get epp pricing with the link in perks and EXCLUSIVE10 will give you another 10% off. PM me your email for an invite.

 

Damn it, just signed up and can't message. Anyway you could message it to me? Not sure if i can receive either. Thanks again.

 

See if you can check your inbox

 

I think everyone defected Alienware's 17 R4s are getting shipped on the same date. only Arrival time will defer depending on your location. Why Defected.... WE are the first batch right? In NA....See what i did there lol

 

i'm just gonna ask this question again: does anybody know if i can put two different sized ram modules into the AW 17R4?

 

You will loose Dual Channel mode. But it will work in single mode with max capacity.
As each pair of memory modules is accessed as a single entity by the memory controller, the modules at each pair must be identical. Each pair, however, can have a different total capacity. For example, you can install two 2 GB modules and two 1 GB modules, for 6 GB total.
(Remember AW BGA machines has only 2 ram slots)

 

@Papusan thanks for the answer! that means to keep dual channel mode both channels need to be the same size right? does it matter if the modules are from different brands? (sry i really don't know a lot about this topic)

 

You're welcome
Correct. And Yeah you can use different brand (but I would not recommend your wanted SETUP). See also RAM INFO

 

@Papusan alright thanks! I ordered mine with only 8gb of ram because i can get another 8gb module for literally half the price than AW wants for it.
I'll be fine with 16gb i guess.