*OFFICIAL* Alienware 17 R4 Owner's Lounge

What utility is everyone using to overclock the GPU? MSI Afterburner? Using afterburner, I have been able to overclock my 1070 by 225 and 500 on memory (samsung) and am getting about 19400 on my firestrike graphics score. For those hitting the 20K plus on with the 1070 of firestrike, what are your overclock settings?

 

I have alienware 17 R4 with BIOS version 1.0.2.

Ran OCCT for 30 mins and got the below temps which seem ok. Don't know whether I want to risk upgrade to Bios version 1.0.8 given these temps seem ok

Max CPU Temps 86, 77, 83, 77
Max GPU 61

Thoughts?

 

Are the kaby lake models technically AW 17 R5? Have they fixed the heat sink issue yet?

 

I recommend afterburner

Upgrade to 1.0.9 is okay, temps seem normal for a non repaste system

It should be fixed, unsure about naming scheme

Maybe ask alienware twitter?

 

I'm using EVGA Precision X OC ...

Been doing some Firestrike runs this morning and seeing how high I could get the core/memory on my 1070 GPU ...

So far, I'm pretty maxed out at the following:

Core: +260mhz
Mem: +575mhz

This gets me a Firestrike graphics score of: 19559

I sure wish there was a way to up the voltage on this card. I'm not thinking your 20K mark is going to be attainable (at least for me) without some sort of modified bios. Temps are still good, though ... so I'd love to have some sort of means to raise the voltage.

 

Is anyone aware of Dell having a new bezel with a different glue to address backlight bleed issues? I attempted to get mine replaced and Dell agreed it was defective but they are refusing to send an onsite tech. They are claiming this issue can only be fixed in the depot and said it would be a 2-3 week turnaround time.....

 

I just updated from 1.0.8 to 1.0.9 and my CPU is running 4-6 degrees hotter.

 

thats should be expected there was a error in the older bios which wasn't letting the cpu run at full optimization, which should be fixed from what i read on here

 

Question for any 6700HQ/1070 users regarding bios updates ...

I'm still running the bios that was originally present when I purchased my machine back on Oct 28th ... ver 1.0.2 ... I haven't updated as I'm generally pleased with the function of the laptop.

Would there be any reason to explore the other bios options? Have 6700HQ users done so and noticed any changes, namely in temps and/or how the CPU frequency/power operates? Also, once flashed to a new bios version, is it relatively simple to re flash back to older bios versions?

Thanks
j

 

This is a shame. They told the problem was fixed. Why a customer should wait 3 weeks more just because they failed? I ordered mine last week and I am a bit worried.

 

Guys any news for the QHD scanlines problem? If I call dell to replace my screen one more time is there any possibility now to get a screen without the scanlines ?

 

Not right now

 

Azor Frank on twitter said feb-mar

 

Just some findings when updating from bios ver 1.0.2 to 1.0.9 on a AW17 6700HQ/1070 machine ... and pardon if this has been discussed already, but I found it surprising since I've been running the stock bios (1.0.2) for the past 3 months and just today tried the newest (1.0.9) bios on my 6700HQ machine ... it looks like the newest bios quite literally "hamstrings" the 6700HQ CPU in to running well below its capabilities, even though max power is set everywhere, both in bios (CPU Performance Mode) and also in Win10 (High Performance Mode) ...

When I briefly updated to bios ver 1.0.9, I noticed a significant reduction in peak CPU frequency on the 6700HQ processor ... see the images attached and/or posted in line below. For each bios version, I did a near identical, general 10 to 13 minute test with each bios version ... running some OCCT, playing some Witcher 3, running wPrime, etc. .... I found that peak voltages and CPU frequencies were/are significantly higher when running 1.0.2 bios and much lower, overall when running the 1.0.9 bios...

With bios 1.0.2? MAX CPU frequency would hit right near the 6700HQ's spec'd max ... hitting 3,494.7 mhz regularly while averaging around 3,240.0 mhz in general. This is abougt what I would expect from the CPU

With bios v1.0.9? MAX CPU frequency would generally peak right at 3,096.2 mhz and never higher, while average CPU frequency stayed around 3,092.5 mhz.

Furthermore, as seen in the attached images, voltages were significantly lower with the 1.0.9 bios... again, all the testing was done with "CPU Performance Mode" enabled in bios and also, "High Performance" selected in Windows 10 power options...

WTF? LOL ...

Needless to say, I've re flashed with bios 1.0.2 as it's ridiculous that I (or anyone else) would want to run the 6700HQ at a peak frequency a good 500mhz slower than it's capable of.

Is there something I'm missing here? Is this Dell's attempt to assuage the 6820 CPU's heat problems and the 6700HQ was sort of a "collateral damage" sort of thing?

...



...



...

Again, pardon if this is old news but I just noticed it ...

joel

 

I received an official response to this, see here. (Long post further down)

 

Could you do this but with 1.0.8?

 

I might give it a try some time tomorrow ...

Bios flashing, as long as I've been doing it and with the many varieties of equipment I've done it with, has always given me the heeby jeebies. LOL ... it's really the only operation involving computer gear that really freaks me due to the potential of "bricking" one's equipment. The very first time I flashed to the 1.0.9 bios, for instance, on my AW17 6700HQ? ... as soon as I executed the flash file, Win10 hung with a cryptic sort of message ... something like, "do not restart your computer" ... and it hung there, literally, for about 15 minutes ... man I was stressing .. but ultimately it rebooted but when it did? And after the bios screen update progress was done? The screen just went black, half the keyboard lights went off, the fans went to 100% and it stayed in that state for another 20 minutes (I was terrified to touch the thing) ... but finally, I just held the power button down until it powered off and then restarted and, thankfully, Win10 booted just fine and bios reported that 1.0.9 was indeed running. (talk about wiping my brow!)

But that must have been because of some running routine in the background, maybe a Win10 update was mixed in there somewhere ... because the other three to four times I've went back and forth between 1.0.2 and 1.0.9? While testing for the data seen above? Things went without a hitch and quite cleanly. So the first time was most likely some anomaly. Still though ... it creeps me out to mess with anything that permanently modifies "EPROM" data (an antiquated term but perhaps still pertinent) ...

But hey ... I paid a pretty penny for an all inclusive replacement policy and I have back up laptops ... so yeah, I'll most likely retry the tests tomorrow with 1.0.8.

;-)

Best,
j

 

There wont be a problem but in the event there is a problem we can help you. There has not been a time in recent history that a BIOS caused a brick that had to be fixed by a mobo swap.
There was a time with the R3 that many people thought it was required but a simple CMOS clear would have fixed it.

 

I'm interested as well in how you go. I have stock 1.0.2 and been putting off upgrading. Have heard mixed results from upgrading to 1.0.9

 

I plan to re-order an AW 15R3 with the 7820HK and 120hz panel. Thank god they finally made it as an available option. When I got my 17R4 I realized it was waaay too big and bulky to carry around for work. My previous 15R3 was manageable but not great.

That said, the 17R4 is supposed to be a desktop replacement. The GTX1080 I had in mine made that thing a BEAST. Part of me will miss it, but sometimes work comes before play.

 

I might be missing something and others can let me know if I am ... but it really seems that bios 1.0.9 makes the 6700HQ run 500mhz slower than it can ... I have no idea why they would do that ... after flashing to 1.0.9 bios, I couldn't get the CPU to run over 3ghz ... with 1.0.2 bios? The 6700HQ CPU hits 3.5ghz regularly ... I'm staying with 1.0.2, personally ...

 

Interestingly @Vassilis008 reports that the 1.0.9 bios unlocks all the power limit for him (without the need of XTU)...

Have you tried to use throttlestop limit reasons when you experience the throttle?

 

Yea it's weird, I don't have to open xtu anymore to be able to go above 50W (currently running at 70-80W at full load). Since it's working that well, I decided not to mess with it Maybe the xtu settingq are somehow loading when I boot windows without the application being open or maybe it's a feature of the new bios as long as you put "0" everywhere in the overclocking section. As long as it's working, I'm happy

 

Oddly, I don't see any actual "throttling" ... it's like the CPU is just dialed in at 3ghz with the 1.09 bios ... there is never any "throttling" reported ... switch back to 1.0.2 and the 6700HQ CPU operates like it should ... so freakish ... LOL ... still haven't tried any other bios versions .. perhaps later.

 

On another altogether different note? Yesterday, at work, I was required to hang out at the "front office" .. meaning, no external monitor, no external keyboard ... just the AW17; I still had a decent gaming mouse (gigabyte m7) but for about three hours I was gaming on the AW17 1080p IPS screen ... and with the AW17 keyboard ... this is a very rare thing as I generally always use an external monitor and keyboard ..

But man, I tell you ... that dang 1080p LG IPS panel, overclocked to 100hz refresh rate, was just a *joy* to behold ... I got a bit giddy, actually ... LOL ... so fun to play on and also, so bright (open window office). I was playing Shadow Warrior 2 BTW .. which has an INSANE color palette already ... and the IPS screen just *broadcasted* it ... 100hz is night and day to me over 60hz ... I noticed no lag, no "smearing" or ghosting ... just ridiculously good. And again, the colors were insane.

I've been toying with the idea of selling this 6700HQ/1070 rig and upgrading to the 7700/1080 series laptop but I don't think I can live without this screen ... LOL ...

And the keyboard was nice too ... such a good chassis design ...

;-)

BTW: if you happen to like single player FPS games? You should be playing Shadow Warrior 2 ... and, even more so, Shadow Warrior 1 (the latest remake and not the original) ... they are both so insanely fun and hilarious. Other than Wolfenstein: The New Order? I can't think of a better single player FPS to waste time on... though The New Order is far and away better.



...

 

I can report that i get a solid 3.1 ghz on games that use more than 2 cores and 3.2ish on games that use 2 cores with 1.0.9. My computer is a refurbished 1070 6700hq. When i got it I did a fresh windows install with the version directly from microsoft. As i did not have any real overclocking options unlocked, i updated most of the drivers including the intel tdp and ME from dell and bios 1.0.8. After seeing reports of performance gains updated to 1.0.9 and noticed a good 10-30 fps increase in all games. In the bios I am using the cpu performance option and made sure to put the windows power profile at 100% min&max. I have not ever seen any sort of throttling on this cpu below 3.1ghz.

On a related note I had some issues with throttling on my 17 r2 the worst of which I fixed with a fresh install of windows from microsoft and a not installing the tdp drivers from dell. When the throttling was happening there would often be an event in the windows event log of throttling that was related to "system firmware". However with the same firmware and a fresh windows install i didnt not get any such throttling or events like this in the log. It seems there is more going on here than meets the eye.

100hz is a huge boost over 60. I know there are anecdotal statements that we cant see much more than 60fps but this is perhaps only true in being able to percieve fine detail clearly. Screen tearing is not as noticeable at higher fps's. But dmmm we can for sure get some benefit of a silky smooth frame rate in games like overwatch or battlefield 4. It helps immensely. Lower total input latency, less quanitized calculations of aim and bullet placement when the processing of such factors is locked to screen frame rate as in many games, and best of all the brain was just meant to handle a smooth stream of input. At 144hz we can notice a dropped frame right away. No measurements necessary. We can experience it.

If it wasnt for things like this I wouldn't be a performance freak.

 

Odelay...

 

This is Thermal Grizzly's answer about: Why should not Conductonaut be used for Extreme OC? What do they mean by extreme overclocking? What difference is there with overclocking?

------
Hi

It means that Conductonaut should not be used for subzero application such as extreme overclocking with liquid nitrogen (Temperature around -190 °C)

If you just overclock on air/water you can absolutely use Conductonaut.

Best regards,

Thermal Grizzly Marketing

 

Hi! @iunlock how are you? I need some of your time. Please, can you tell me the OC settings for (x39, 40x and 41x) that you used when you ran OCCT after apply LM?
I want to run OCCT on my 17 R4 and compare it with your results after apply LM.

Core Extra Turbo Voltage, PL1 and PL2

Update
Here you recommend Core Extra 0 and PL1/PL2 100000 for 40x. But, in this OCCT screenshot I see you use PL1/PL2 300000 for 40x. Do you use it just only for the test?



Thks!

 

PL1/PL2 is only a limit

 

So?

 

If PL1/2 is set too low... You can't feed the processor with enough power.

 

I'm not clear. Is 300,000 the best limit? Or 100,000?

And Core Extra Turbo Voltage, hat is it?

 

Info for you http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...-settings-for-4-0ghz-to-4-3ghz-stable.787791/ 100.000 or 300.000 doesn't matter if the processor gets enough fuel for wanted clock speed.

 

Thks @Papusan, you are always so kind...

 

Hey there,

As mentioned, the PL1 and PL2 are just limits so you can set them to any number you want really, just as long as it's past the range of what the CPU can hit.

 

I am quiet surprised and give Alienware thumbs up for using a Magnetic levitation fans like corsair ones I think it is pretty cool to have on a laptop!

 

Just received my 17 R4 with GTX1080 and 6820HK with the 120Hz panel, ran OCCT with HWinfo for an hour on stock clocks and got 81, 82, 78, 78 across the cores. Not the lowest but that is fresh out of the box so maybe it will improve once the paste heats up a few times. Pretty happy with the spread though! Can't see any banding at all and I love the screen and refresh rate. Time to throw some games at it and see how it goes

 

Try BF1, I found that an hour or two of that took my CPU temps beyond that of OCCT....

But then I realized my mates cat was sat behind the screen on the air vents keeping warm!

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

Haha will do! I don't have very many up to date games at the moment so I will have to add that to the list. I've read in places people have been getting Watchdogs and also Assassins Creed for free on their 17 R4 when they register it, have you managed to do this as well?

 

No! But I'd love to know about that also if you find out...
Cheers

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

that is super low compared to the review I saw online where they were showing that their CPU reaches 99C in handbrake even with those thicker heatsink pipes!

you my friend, have won the silicon lottery!

 

I am tempted to sell my Clevo P870DM3 taptop and get this Alienware 18 just because of the awesome keyboard that Alienware has!

but if I do that, @Mr. Fox and @Papusan and @Prema would snipe my head virtually from across the globe

 

I've got these 2 games registering tobii.

 

Yeh I registered Tobii but never got any notification for a voucher code or anything, maybe they have run out as it said until 31st January or stocks last.

 

After registered tobii, they send me an email (11/26/16) to tell me the code was in voucher tabon my tobbi account. And it take about 5 days after to received the assassin's creed key.

 

Did you update the firmware for it via their website? After I did that I received my code about two days later.

 

Yup I did! It crashed and deleted Tobii the first time but then the second time seemed to work, hopefully I can just wait and see! Fingers crossed!

 

Can you explain what you did to do this?

I did find this
https://help.tobii.com/hc/en-us/articles/213238785-Tobii-Game-Vouchers