*OFFICIAL* Alienware 17 R4 Owner's Lounge

Nope It Wont void your warranty as long as you dont wreak your system... repaste and for example phc modding are superficial changes that wont affect your hardware

 

First off this is 100% false. Frank Azor the heat of Alienware said himself that even repasting with very conductive Grizzly Conductonaut will not invalidate your warranty.

Second, what fear tactics? Everyone I know that does repastes are usually approached by people experiencing bad thermals and come to people that know how to fix it.
The process is not for the faint of heart and they know that. I fail to see anyone using fear to promote repastes. I also fail to see how anyone is even promoting repastes.
Regarding "for laptops that don't need it". Why do people ask for it then? Why are there several threads where people are bashing AW over thermals?
The definition of "needing it" is subjective because technically Intel chips do not throttle till 100C or something.
However it would seem people would rather be running 4.4GHz in the 70C(s) or 80C(s) then 90C(s) or 100C(s).

 

What?!? Why not? :O

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So, you're saying CPU hitting 90C+ and GPU temps less than 70C is okay to you??
Acceptable temps for a GPU depends on the game which you're already aware of.
Repasting will not void warranty at all, Dell specifically stated that couple of times. That's the reason they provide you with Service manuals. The intention is not to break the components which will void your warranty or which expires your quota of Accidental Damage Protection warranty in some regions.
There's no advertisement related to Repaste services but info related dissembling Alienwares yourself. Team LHz services are limited to USA only so no promotion or scare tactics compelling you to send your laptops to them for repaste.
Earlier Alienware didn't feature Tripods even then @iunlock made a guide to fix uneven heat issue and other mods as well. Even non LHz members contributed their own mods and repaste methods for optimal performance of AWs.

 

Exactly, I just can't be arsed replying to help people like this anymore who clearly have no experience in fixing issues themselves And do not even know the obvious facts (repasting doesn't void the warranty and just because you're GPU temp is low doesn't mean your heatsink is contacting perfectly with the CPU...)

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Bang on, +rep for you

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That issue was sorted out and TS will work on FCU and above.

 

That’s good news. The last thing I read in unclewebs thread was something about programming change with the next version of Windows 10 and TS being incompnatible.

 

I don't know where you're getting your information, but repasting does NOT void the warranty. Dell have said this many times and they even provide how-to videos on disassembly and repasting to help people. Ask yourself - why would they do that if it voided their warranty?

Temperatures are a different story. Just because they can run in the 90c range, people may want less fan noise or more headroom for overclocking.

I'm perfectly comfortable repasting myself but I can see why someone would want to pay a pro to do it. Not everyone is comfortable using conductive thermal compound on their laptops.

 

My 1 week old 17 r4 i7 7820hk and gtx1080 is hitting 97 degrees on cpu cores.. should i returned it to dell.. im not happy with this temp so high.

 

Where are you based? Best guarantee is to get it repasted and the heatsink rebalanced

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Is there some sort of setting or softz that can enable USB fast charging on one of the USB ports on the Alienware 17 1070 machine? I charge my phone on either of the USB ports all the time and it works ... but it's abysmally slow ... I thought I recall something about an application or otherwise that would enable fast charge on one of the USB ports ...

Thanks in advance for any assitance,

Joel

 

im from north vancouver BC Canada.. im not a techie guy, i dont know to do the repasting... who can help me do that..

 

You could initiate a return if you're within the return window.
I'm not aware of anyone who does repasting. You could try to repaste using @iunlock guide as @Pete Light said. These Alienwares are litle easier to repaste than older Echo based AWs.
You could ask Team LHz if its possible to repaste via shipping the laptop to them? Or you can ask for refund and invest for Alienware or Clevos from a boutique store like Hidevolution or Eurocom or Sager or Xotic.

 

yesterday update windows 10 to the latest version, I'm having many problems with the cpu 7820hk, does anyone else have problems?

 

contact alienware support as Alienwares come with premiumum support, they will remote in to your laptop and run some tests...
To check the heat of cpu and gpu.
Depending on the outcome they will either send an engineer to replace the heatsink and/or replace the motherboard but most likely replace the heatsink initially. Of course you can return it to dell, either way contact dell to register your not happy with the temps to cover yourself. Is 97c at stock clocks or overclocked ?

Dell will fix the issue and if they don't just return it and buy again but don't pay more cash sending it to a third party for repair/repaste as some have already advised you to do ... use the warranty services

 

Why not? Why are you saying that? The quickest way for them to have a fully functional laptop as good as it can be is to send it to team LHz as others have advised!

Dell are useless at resolving this problem. They only use cheap paste unless you supply them with better and will just do a repaste only. They won't balance and ensure optimum contact with the heatsink, nor will they repad and check there are no gaps.

A pro will do that as well as provide you with proper before and after data to prove the improvements and many other optimisations, CPU and GPU undervolt and overclock profiles...

Stop with the "pro repaste bashing" you are doing, Dell is not the answer unless you get very very lucky

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Im not bashing anyone I'm just making sure he is aware of all his options ... to use his Free warranty.

Dell have always been great at fixing issues for me - next day service to my house to replace a 4k screen and yes replace the heatsink - the engineer kindly put mx4 on for me as that is the paste I had at the time.

And I kindly ask you and the usual 3 to stop promoting repaste services - for the same ....... Team.
Thank you

 

@iunlock will help you if you want a pro repaste service like many others have done

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Fair points but I'm only promoting it because it's their best option to get something working completely fixed with no risks. I think they deserve to know about that. Dell repaste is the worst option (if you can repaste yourself), I've seen countless examples of them working on people's laptops with this issue 3 or 4 times and it not working and then people giving up and buying something else. Also they have a tendancy to break things. Of course some Dell technicians are great. The guy who has visited me a few times for various laptops is very good, but he doesn't know how to balance the heatsink or do pads properly. To me he's just a courier bringing me the parts

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And dell can help you straight away by calling them, they will remote in and send an engineer the next business day if required... you don't need to risk paying to send it anywhere to a 3rdy party which runs the risk of it getting damaged in the post..
Give dell a call and an opportunity to fix it if nothing else to register your concern with cpu heat - at least that way you have registered there's potentially an issue and will make it easier to return to dell if you take that option.

 

Is it stock Dell Win 10?

 

While I'm mostly super happy with my R4, I have the 1440p 120hz TN panel and I'm slightly worried about how it handles dark gradients.

I'm guessing its because of the limited sRGB coverage and the fact that its a TN panel, but there's noticeable blocking/banding in dark gradients. I can mostly see it in youtube videos, due to the compression artifacts.

I've compared with my work IPS screen and a Macbook which don't exhibit these issues. I've tried calibrating the screen but the only way of mitigating the issue is by darkening the gamma so much that the black values get crushed.

Is anyone else seeing this? For example, look at the Pacific Rim 2 trailer, at 00:24 under John Boyega's chin ( )

I'm attaching a photo which shows the issue. Its more visible than when actually looking at the screen but you can see how the screen isnt able to show a smooth gradient in the dark areas.



I'm actually considering buying the 4K screen and replacing it myself, although I'd really miss the 120hz for gaming.

 

That’s the nature of a TN panel vs IPS. Always has been. VA panels are a happy medium between TN and IPS but no vA laptop panels are available at the moment. The TN panel in the new r4 is one of the better TN panels I’ve seen in a laptop. The original tn panels in my clevo systems gave me a headache.

 

Since you're in Canada, your options are a little more limited as far as aftermarket repasting goes.

If you're within your 30 days your best bet would be to return and repurchase or request Dell exchange the system, that's what worked for me.

If you're outside the 30 day return period then your options are to contact Dell and have one of their techs come to you and attempt a fix, pay a professional to do it, or do it yourself.

There's guides here on the forum and YouTube if you want to attempt it yourself. Dell can do it too but I've seen more bad stories than good when it comes to their on site service and repaste jobs.

Good luck!

 

Hey, I am having the same issue, waiting Dell to deliver a new heatsink kit and during the repasting I will use a Hydronaut instead o Kryonaut.


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Kryonaut would perform a bit better than Hydronaut, both are non-conductive, the one to avoid is Conductonaut - I like how they put the fact that it's electrically conductive in their name

 

@iunlock @alexnvidia @Rei Fukai or anyone else,

Would you recommend adding thermal paste between the VRMs / GDDR5X and thermal pads? I am during a repad right now and even after making thickness adjustments and bending the arms slightly there are still enormous gaps of about 2-3mm. I have read that the pads + paste combo is less efficient but isn't it better than having a gigantic gap and no contact at all? I was considering putting paste between the components and thermal pads and letting it cure so it would not flow out on the motherboard. I have the Kryonaut paste and Fujipoly 11 W/mK pads.

FYI I did not overstack the pads in other spots to avoid distancing the heatsink from other components - I added 0.5mm to the original setup. The motherboard and the heatsink are screwed down tight and nice and this happens:

 

Wow that is some distance I'd be more concerned over why there's such a big gap. In the first image it REALLY looks like your pads next to the gap are way too big despite what you said. They shouldn't squeegee out the side like that, this is the reason you have a large gap next to it I suspect so I'd fix that first.

After this it's still fine to use a pad replacement paste like k5 pro but I wouldn't use kyronaut, it's not designed to be used like this and may run out or provide less than optimum results

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Usually this is because of a gamma issue, or a 6bit panel. Obviously with any encoded movie you will expect that part of the banding is caused by the compressed video. Test it on a different monitor to check. 6bit color is common for high refresh TN panels. Gamma issues might be solved by adjusting the gamma in nvidia control panel however nvidia control panel gamma adjustment is not as good as using a monitors built in adjustment.

Please check this video out on another monitor (preferably an 8bit panel with a gamma of 2.2) just to make sure its not the video itself.

 

the gap above the CPU u need to fill up with a 1mm thermal pad. the stock pad will not make any contact at all.

as for the gap underneath the GPU, try bending the heatsink metal downwards a little to make the gap closer then fill it up with thermal pad. from the looks of it, at least 1.5mm

from the looks of it, you have a Sunon heatsink.

 

it is not recommended to put thermal paste on your vrm's. thermal compund should only be used on flat surfaces i.e. between cpu die and heatsink. i'm experiencing the same problems (but my laptop does not run hot anymore due new mobo) and the first thing you should do is a repad.

add some thicker pads to close the gaps. right now your finfet/vrm's/chokes etc are partly/not being cooled, so replacing your current pads with new thicker ones should give you a considerable amount of temperature drop. i've ordered myself some arctic thermal pads and i advise you to do the same. the cooling system in the alienware is incredible (but only when it makes proper contact) my current heatsink is almost like how yours is, and i've overclocked my cpu to 4.4 ghz (on 4 cores even benchmarked 4.5 on all 4 cores without throttling) on stock paste. temps will increase when it starts to dry up, but the cooling system has some potential. i can even bet with someone that if alienware would have a proper QA, a six core coffeelake should be able to fit within the current line-up/revision and be properly cooled. i would only do a repaste/repad and enjoy your beast of a laptop

 

This post needs to be removed the parties in questions were pmed thank you for everyone’s help.

 

I agree, for one to be giving false information to someone seeking help....? A little odd there. How credible is that right?

I wish I could comment on some things, but I better not. All I can say is, careful where one gets their repastes done. Most people are better off doing it themselves than to have certain stores do it for them...

I've had a lot come my way for those repastes to be fixed. A few units had LM leaked onto the mobo. It wasn't pretty.

The sad truth is, the Dell techs they send out are third party regular people who so happened to fill out an application. Really, it's a nightmare and that is the truth. As mentioned many moons ago, I have a library full of documentation with the horror stories of these people that don't know what they are doing.

I have pics of these so called Dell techs that had my repaste guide from nbr pulled up to service my clients laptops! LOL... *face palm*

I always encourage everyone to do their own repastes. Why do you think I've even published a DIY guide?

You make it sound like people are pushing for a sales commission or something. That's so far from the truth. You have it all wrong.

There are many people here who have spent a lot of time with helping people on their own dime.

What you need to understand that if someone want's a particular service, it is their choice. Period. Offering an option is not blatantly promoting like you make it out to be.

Wanting aftermarket work done is no different than modding your car.

- And because it seems like you haven't taken the time to read through the forums, having some third party tech come to your home isn't the best option.

Risk paying to send to a third party? - And you think the tech's Dell sends out are not third party?

Quite pumping fear into people. You're contradicting your own words...

Take the time to read through the thread and do your research.

That is interesting eh? - BTW hope all is well...

As mentioned, I would not recommend putting any paste between the VRM's. Due to the thermal conductivity "properties," doing so will dramatically decrease the heat transfer by a factor of, "many."

I've done extensive testing with this using thermalcoupels to measure the surface temp of the opposite side of the thermal pads.

This is where the heat sink balancing comes into play with using high grade pressure paper. It may take a while, but it's well worth the task... just take your time until you get good contact on all the pressure points.

If you'd like to address it without balancing the HS, using thicker pads (one piece) is better than stacking...

Hope that helps and good luck!

 

Will I gain any real benefits if I move from a small stock gtx1070 heatsink to a big 138w 1080 one? My temp is okay for now

 

I've done several of the GTX 1080 HS mod onto a 1070 unit and yes it does help. My avg. temp drops under load were 3-4C, but at times I have seen more.

 

What I actually meant was, you don't to disassemble everything from mobo to display in 15 r3/17 r4 unlike 15 r2 or 17 r3.
So, LM fried their mobo? I am always afraid of LM, it always scared the hell out of me even if I haven't tried it personally.

 

Only 3-4C degrees lower?

 

Long story short, the LM repaste job was not done correctly and they had treated it like doing a regular repaste (traditional paste) without making sure the tolerances issues were addressed so there was a gap. This cause the LM to leak out onto the mother board.

What do you mean "Only?" Yes 3-4C on avg under full load. What's surprising about that? That's actually very good for what it is. These are averages, not max.

For someone that's getting temps into the mid 80C's for them to have temps in the upper 70C's to low 80C's is an improvement.

.

 

I though HS intended for 1080@150w would do a much better job than the more flimsy one intended for 1070@115w. 3-4C decrease in temp, Oh'well was only a question.

 

Does it require any actual modding or is it a drop-in replacement? Where can we buy the heatsink assembly?

 

I was hoping for bigger gains, but at the time the expectations was more fueled by the excitement, however, I'm just being careful to quote averages, rather than any higher figures to prevent any misunderstandings or unrealistic expectations.

It is a worthwhile mod though...

They can be found online on some 'websites,' however many of the sources from overseas are selling fake amd HS's so just proceed with caution. The supplier some of us ordered from no longer has them listed.

 

Yep, fix the source of the problem, don't just stuff it with pads

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my 1 year warranty is coming up and although I am really happy with temps since applying LM I am concerned that there is inconsitent framerate and frame time. I have the 6770hq and 1070.

What is the best way to stress the GPU to see if the frame time is consistent ? Thanks

 

Witcher 3 at high or ultra w/o post processing.

 

for any hitchin how do I know it is not a problem with Hardware and instead possibly another process taking up CPU cycles?

I want to rule out any potential hardware issues within my 1 year warranty as the laptop was off the outlet.

 

Use HWINFO sensors and if you see any WHEA errors it might be a hardware issue or driver related.

 

Thanks so use HWINFO to log system stats but look in windows even viewer for WHEA errors ?

 

This is the one I'm going to get, with part number 4RFW1, however I cant tell whether its a Sunon or CCI one, or which revision as well. So is it still good to get? and do I need any mod to the heatsink?
https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=24688

 

there is a dedicated thread i started with research and data collected from the heatsink variations. u can find them here
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...u-core-temperature-differential-issue.805062/