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    *OFFICIAL* Alienware 17 R4 Owner's Lounge

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

  1. NA087

    NA087 Notebook Consultant

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    Check the pch temp. If that is under 75°c then (I would) advice you not to, even if it's over don't. From what I read (your post) you do not seem like the kind of person that likes to temper or mod your own laptop.
     
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2017
    NA087, Jun 3, 2017
    #5609
    Vasudev and rickbell like this.
  2. wrathofdeath

    wrathofdeath Notebook Evangelist

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    Those temps are completely fine and won't hurt anything over time. Only upgrade BIOS if you are encountering issues, they can cause more problems or brick your laptop (more likely).
     
    wrathofdeath, Jun 3, 2017
    #5610
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  3. rickbell

    rickbell Notebook Guru

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    Seems to max at ~60-65c
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2017
    rickbell, Jun 3, 2017
    #5611
  4. rickbell

    rickbell Notebook Guru

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    I was able to overclock CPU to 4.5, temps in the mid 80's but still stable... got greedy and tried 4.6... no go on that, almost instant crashes. I'm sticking at 4.4 for the time being as I'd prefer the temps under 80c. After a couple fails with an Aorus X7 DT V6 and my first AW 17R4, I could not be happier with this new AW 17R4...
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2017
    rickbell, Jun 3, 2017
    #5612
  5. Cerreta28

    Cerreta28 Notebook Evangelist

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    Any one know if the 17r4 screen is 30 or 40 pin for the 1080p


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    Cerreta28, Jun 4, 2017
    #5613
  6. THE-HL

    THE-HL Notebook Geek

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    I recently bought an alienware 17r4 but the boot time is kinda slow-ish and its on a pcie ssd, like i disabled fast start up since i have the ssd but each time i turn it on it hangs for a few secs then it shows the Alienware logo n it starts to boot, so it has to be a setting or a driver or something.. any suggestions?
     
    THE-HL, Jun 4, 2017
    #5614
  7. STARION6

    STARION6 Notebook Geek

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    Can anyone recommend a memory brand for an update on the 17 r4? Currently, have factory single 8gb stick. Also a good screen cleaner and one for the palm rest?
     
    STARION6, Jun 4, 2017
    #5615
  8. Papusan

    Papusan Jokebook's Sucks! Dont waste your $$$ on Filthy

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    You find what you want in the AW sub-threads:oops:
     
    Papusan, Jun 4, 2017
    #5616
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  9. THE-HL

    THE-HL Notebook Geek

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    Anyone?
     
    THE-HL, Jun 5, 2017
    #5617
  10. rickbell

    rickbell Notebook Guru

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    I can tell you mine does the same thing if I do a restart or shutdown, I don't have an answer, but it's not just you. Once it starts booting it's super fast though...
     
    rickbell, Jun 5, 2017
    #5618
  11. Papusan

    Papusan Jokebook's Sucks! Dont waste your $$$ on Filthy

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    Maybe take a look at the Boot Order (Boot Sequence) in BIOS :rolleyes:
     
    Papusan, Jun 5, 2017
    #5619
  12. THE-HL

    THE-HL Notebook Geek

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    Already checked and Windows is first
     
    THE-HL, Jun 5, 2017
    #5620
  13. Papusan

    Papusan Jokebook's Sucks! Dont waste your $$$ on Filthy

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    Could be drivers. Not the first time Dellmachines have slow boot due drivers.
     
    Papusan, Jun 5, 2017
    #5621
  14. THE-HL

    THE-HL Notebook Geek

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    Thx ill look into it and see if uninstalling that driver solves it and reinstall it if it works
     
    THE-HL, Jun 5, 2017
    #5622
  15. Vasudev

    Vasudev Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    If all else fails, try this. Remove the back panel and remove SSDs and RAM. Gently wipe the Gold pins of the SSD and RAM sticks and re-insert and boot up. Sometimes it fixes issues. For me, macrium won't be go past loading screen and OS itself hung up and I resolved by following above method.
     
    Vasudev, Jun 5, 2017
    #5623
  16. LVNeptune

    LVNeptune Notebook Virtuoso

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    Message me.
     
    LVNeptune, Jun 5, 2017
    #5624
  17. THE-HL

    THE-HL Notebook Geek

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    Ill try that since disabling or uninstalling that sensor driver didnt work so for now ill have to leave windows fast startup on
     
    THE-HL, Jun 5, 2017
    #5625
  18. Vasudev

    Vasudev Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Disable Windows Fast Startup.
     
    Vasudev, Jun 6, 2017
    #5626
  19. THE-HL

    THE-HL Notebook Geek

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    I would if it didn't hang up for like 10 seconds secs when i turn it on compared to fast start up enabled
     
    THE-HL, Jun 6, 2017
    #5627
  20. pdagal

    pdagal Notebook Evangelist

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    Look at your Windows Event Viewer log. Startup delays are often driver initialization errors.

     
    pdagal, Jun 6, 2017
    #5628
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  21. THE-HL

    THE-HL Notebook Geek

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    ill check that out, im also having some stuttering issues in games but from what i read im not the only one, culprit seems bios or vbios
     
    THE-HL, Jun 6, 2017
    #5629
  22. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Game Stuttering or Freezing on Alienware 17 R4 ? We have the fix !!
    Intro ends, solution description starts at 4:00...
     
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2017
    hmscott, Jun 6, 2017
    #5630
  23. InvoluntorySoul

    InvoluntorySoul Notebook Consultant

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    before you spend 100s on thermal pads to try to fix the shutter, realize some gtx 1080 card just cannot tolerate high wattage. if you are still in the refund period just keep ordering new ones until no shuttering.
     
    InvoluntorySoul, Jun 6, 2017
    #5631
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  24. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    As they said in the video, identifying the problem and resolving it is beyond the capabilities of most users, so unless you have experience doing it previously it's probably best to let Dell/AW work out the details and provide a working laptop out of the box.

    At least now we know the root cause of the stuttering problem and can complain to Dell/AW and forward them URL's for the video - and this thread if needed - to clue them in to the problem. :)
     
    hmscott, Jun 6, 2017
    #5632
  25. etonomico

    etonomico Notebook Enthusiast

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    I fixed the slow boot problem from my two AW with a Windows fresh install. Seems like the factory image sucks.

    BTW I talked too soon... My replacement laptop with gtx1080 besides overheating is now stuttering in games even using my notebook cooler. It is so weird that the first time I tried the notepad cooler didnt stutter at all but now video output freezees like 1~3 secs every few minutes while gaming. FYI temps are fine (using the cooler of course).
     
    etonomico, Jun 6, 2017
    #5633
  26. Papusan

    Papusan Jokebook's Sucks! Dont waste your $$$ on Filthy

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    This means the TRIPOD mess continues as usual, but with gpu problems as well :rolleyes: And will Dell fix this mess before new revisions of the models will come out? Soon 7 monts since Mr. Azor said this was fixed.
     
    Papusan, Jun 6, 2017
    #5634
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  27. THE-HL

    THE-HL Notebook Geek

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    My alienware doesnt overheat at all mind you i did undervolt the cpu by -100.6 but still is cool but yea those stutters kill me, i hope dell can fix it with a simple bios update at least
     
    THE-HL, Jun 7, 2017
    #5635
  28. alexnvidia

    alexnvidia Notebook Deity

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    The overheat does not come from cpu or gpu. It can't be detected because there's no sensor on VRM, gddr5x and chokes. The fundamental issue is with the shape of the heatsink. There's tolerance issue with the heatsink and they are not created equal.
     
    alexnvidia, Jun 7, 2017
    #5636
  29. denis81

    denis81 Newbie

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    Hi everyone! Denis here!
    I'm a happy owner of a AW17R4 with GTX 1070 and 6700HQ.
    For 1200 bucks (Best Buy Open Box) it was a hell of a deal to me.
     
    denis81, Jun 7, 2017
    #5637
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  30. Juason

    Juason Notebook Consultant

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    My replacement laptop has been having the stuttering issue. Today Dell remoted in and watched me play Mass Effect until the problem occurred. The GPU was 77 degrees. The CPU was in the low 90s, but no thermal throttling was reported in HWInfo or showed in XTU.

    The throttling appears related to the PCH. I wonder if this is somehow tied to the RAM being used. The PCH is adjacent to the RAM slots, and for people like myself that have 2 DIMMS (and HyperX at that) perhaps there is some coupled heating effect? I can see why Dell might have missed this in testing if it is tied to the RAM in some way. Once the PCH hits 81C the stuttering occurs every 15-20 seconds.

    One test I want to perform, would involve playing a non-demanding game, and then using a heat gun to carefully warm only the PCH chip to 81C and seeing if the stuttering occurs. If it does, this would conclusively prove it is the lack of a heatsink or pad on this chip causing the problem.

    Waiting for my fujipoly pad to arrive so I can try that, as some people reported good success with it.
     
    Juason, Jun 7, 2017
    #5638
  31. InvoluntorySoul

    InvoluntorySoul Notebook Consultant

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    you are better off just order a brand new one, most replacements are garbage refurbs. Might you only 2 ppl out of 23 who has stutter managed to fix it, and one of them had to use extensive copper mods. My gtx 1080 will stutter in the OCBio no matter what I do, fujipoly 17 everywhere, spend over 100s and many hours trying to fix it. Then brought a brand new one, took all the pads out and no stutter in OCBio, go figure.
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2017
    InvoluntorySoul, Jun 7, 2017
    #5639
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  32. RussellA

    RussellA Notebook Geek

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    So everyone. I finally got my laptop back from @Mobius 1 after he worked his magic on it. All I can say is, my mind has been blown.

    Background: I bought a 17 R4 back in December 2016. I have since then had multiple issues including boiling thermals (CPU temp reaching 98 C, difference in cores upto 20 C), monitor lines, ssd temps, tobii issues etc. for which Dell has offered me 2 replacements, 3 on-site tech calls and 1 depot repair, and STILL the laptop's thermals sucked.

    I finally decided to send my laptop to team LHz along with Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut. @Mobius 1, not only repasted my laptop, he also did the following:
    - Pressure test on CPU and GPU die to ensure proper heatsink contact (reduced core difference to 3 C)
    - Free thermal pad upgrade to Arctic pads
    - PCH mod (heat sink + kryonaut - reducing PCH temps to 65-70 C)
    - Overclocking settings for AC power + battery profile
    - Windows tweaks for faster performance + privacy from Microsoft
    - Access to private LHz channel for further overclocking advice

    I am now wondering why the hell I tried to make things right through Dell for 6 months. Although Dell's customer support and Azor Frank's responsiveness is exemplary, their actual hardware support is extremely weak.

    I play on 41x now with average temps of 68 C. It's amazing. Highly recommend you guys to get it tuned by the team. You won't regret it!
     
    RussellA, Jun 7, 2017
    #5640
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  33. hmscott

    hmscott Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Stutter, it's stutter, not shutter - you had me shuddering over your use of shutter instead of stutter :vbthumbsup:
    https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=gaming+stutter

    The only problem with returning and re-ordering is getting sent back to the end of the order queue, and for many people that waited weeks or months to get their order the thought of doing that all over again makes them shudder :vbrolleyes:

    While a laptop replacement is often not a new laptop, it is theoretically freshly professionally reviewed, retested, and fixxed. The Double X is for the Xtra care taken by AW to make sure it's working correctly :vbtongue:

    If all these things make you studder (insert watch hairsprings into studs), it might be a good idea to drop the idea of getting an AW, and search elsewhere for your gaming laptop.

    It's sad, but there are just so many things that AW has done wrong with manufacturing, QA, and final testing - passing laptops that should have never left the factory floor with the defects they have, it's hard to recommend sticking with AW until they get you a correctly working laptop.

    But, if you want a fun DIY project, the current brand new AW laptops make great starter kits :vbthumbsup:
     
    hmscott, Jun 7, 2017
    #5641
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  34. pathfindercod

    pathfindercod Notebook Virtuoso

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    From my experience with "gaming laptop" over the last few years be it Alienware, Clevo, Asus and MSI. They are all starter projects for a DIY project. I have yet to. Or have now that has had to have something done to them thernal wise out of the box. Clevo's warped vapor chambers and CPU heatsink on the DM3 as proven by highly respected forum members need work also. Only real solution for any higher end notebook is to order from a custom house like HID and pay the extra for the tweaking, be prepared to sonit your self or pay someone like @iunlock to do it for you.
     
    pathfindercod, Jun 7, 2017
    #5642
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  35. Vasudev

    Vasudev Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    I think Dell, Asus and other BGA/LGA laptop manufacturers must send all laptops esp. gaming to @iunlock @Mobius 1 @DeeX @zergslayer69 for application of thermal paste, thermal pads and tuning.
     
    Vasudev, Jun 7, 2017
    #5643
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  36. iunlock

    iunlock 7980XE @ 5.4GHz

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    @pathfindercod, said it best... All these rigs are DIY projects... Very true.

    As for repastes, I'd like to make it very clear that they are all performed on a individual basis and have no ties (nothing to do) with LHz.

    LHz is like a mall with the food court. Same roof, but different... Hope that makes sense.

    Appreciate your support mate. :)

    ::iunlock::
     
    iunlock, Jun 7, 2017
    #5644
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  37. DeeX

    DeeX THz

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    Perhaps but Dell and Asus should still send us their laptops. ;)
     
    DeeX, Jun 7, 2017
    #5645
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  38. MogRules

    MogRules Notebook Deity

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    Same with mine.
     
    MogRules, Jun 7, 2017
    #5646
  39. Mobius 1

    Mobius 1 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    if only they're easier to disassemble...
     
    Mobius 1, Jun 7, 2017
    #5647
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  40. Wormwood

    Wormwood Notebook Evangelist

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    As @iunlock mentioned, remember that repasting is done by individuals and not LHz so I would look at reviews and reports on repasted systems and choose who does your repaste based on that.

    Personally I would recommend contacting @iunlock if you want Liquid Metal as he has re-pasted the most systems, upwards of a hundred at least, and has really fast turn-over times. I've personally sent him my 13 R3 twice, once for Liquid Metal and the second time for more modding, and he's been great - keeping in constant contact and messaging with updates.

    Given the resent posts by Mobius 1 advocating fraud I would *not* recommend that people send their systems to him and I would go with @iunlock since he's got a great track record and does superb work. He handles every system with care and does thorough work (plus he's OCD when it comes to repasting and a perfectionist - not bad qualities to have when working on systems).
     
    Last edited: Jun 21, 2017
    Wormwood, Jun 8, 2017
    #5648
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  41. IXVIXXII

    IXVIXXII Notebook Consultant

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    Hi guys, I now get this when I plug my HHD in the type-C USB of my 17 :

    [​IMG]

    Any ideas ?
    Am I missing a driver ?
    [​IMG]
     
    IXVIXXII, Jun 9, 2017
    #5649
  42. Niarus

    Niarus Notebook Consultant

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    Are you trying to plug it into Thunderbolt port on the backside?
     
    Niarus, Jun 9, 2017
    #5650
  43. IXVIXXII

    IXVIXXII Notebook Consultant

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    No, it happens when I'm using the Type-C port on the left (when facing the screen).
     
    IXVIXXII, Jun 10, 2017
    #5651
  44. xDoublee

    xDoublee Newbie

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    Hello, I have a Alienware 17 r4 (i7-6700HQ, GTX 1070) with BIOS 1.0.2. the newest version of BIOS is S1.0.14. Shall I update if my temperatures are 72c - 81c on CPU and under 69c on GPU (under stress test and while gaming, stock paste, no undervolt), will it improve performace?
     
    xDoublee, Jun 10, 2017
    #5652
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  45. Vasudev

    Vasudev Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Is the ThunderBolt Firmware patched to latest version?
     
    Vasudev, Jun 10, 2017
    #5653
  46. Wiz bit

    Wiz bit Notebook Consultant

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    I have Alienware 17 gtx1070 6820hk and have tried many bios for skylake.

    Performance wise 1.0.9 or 1.0.8 is best, 1.0.9 gives better benchmarks. They both run cool also.

    Bios 1.0.12 is OK but the fan profiles are lower (and are less noisy), it gives similar performance to 1.0.8 but with slightly higher temps.

    Bios 1.0.14 gave me slightly lower benchmarks then bios 1.0.12, temps where about the same though.

    Anyway I rolled back and use bios 1.0.8.

    Bios 1.0.2 is very old from October 16 and was an initial realise.
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2017
    Wiz bit, Jun 10, 2017
    #5654
  47. IXVIXXII

    IXVIXXII Notebook Consultant

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    Yep it is...
     
    IXVIXXII, Jun 10, 2017
    #5655
  48. MogRules

    MogRules Notebook Deity

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    Mine did this out of the box as well, I reinstalled a clean version of Windows and never saw it again.
     
    MogRules, Jun 10, 2017
    #5656
  49. xDoublee

    xDoublee Newbie

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    Thanks for info and one more question: is it safe to update from BIOS 1.0.2 straight to 1.0.8 or is better install all BIOS between?
     
    xDoublee, Jun 10, 2017
    #5657
  50. InvoluntorySoul

    InvoluntorySoul Notebook Consultant

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    it is safe to go straight
     
    InvoluntorySoul, Jun 10, 2017
    #5658
    Vasudev likes this.
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