*OFFICIAL* Alienware 17 R5 Owner's Lounge

Yeah sadly it's throttling for no reason even with decent temps... also I've been undervolting and it's still dropping to 800 on some cores and XTU is reporting no throttling of any kind, but it's still down-clocking. Returning it is definitely on my mind as I have an AW 17 R3 that has 0 thermal issues. I have a few more days to decide and tinker with it but it's not looking so great for the 8950hk cpu.

 

Hi, does anyone know what sizes of thermal pads use the 8950hk/1080 GtX?

Enviado desde mi Pixel 2 XL mediante Tapatalk

 

Why not just keep your 13 R4 as a backup system and buy a Clevo P870 TM1 from HIDevolution ?
There is NO drawback to this purchase besides price.
Yes of course it's going to be loud at full fans. You have to pay a price for running a 9900K at 5 ghz (this speed is going to be 100% guaranteed).
I would wait for the 9900K release first. Get a full refund for your BGAbook.

Then contact @Donald@HIDevolution and he will tell you what options you will have.
The existing systems come with 8086K CPU's de-lidded and overclocked to 5 ghz but you can wait until the 9900K comes out because the PREMA BIOS will support the 9900K. Make sure you get the vapor chamber upgrade!!

 

Do a clean Windows install and with only needed drivers to roll out possible OS/drivers/software problems.
Have you tried run Cinebench R15 in realtime but without Hwinfo in the background? As well tested with higher voltage to see if this can stop the system crashes?

From your pict of the 46x Cinebench R15 benchmark run I can see the clocks drop to 45x. This shouldn't happen. You sure you run 46x throughout the whole benchmark test?


1523cb but with lower clock speed (45x all cores).


Edit.
1557cb - 46x all cores.

 

I was purely talking about the temps, if he can solve the drop to 800mhz, which i suspect because of the pch.

What i rather have than the clevo? A laptop that isnt as thick and does fit in my cabin suitcase during a flight. Even though the P870 chassis is great for performance, its not a laptop in my opinion and not ment to take with you everyday. The chassis quality itself reflects this. What is crap regarding the current alienware series is that user intervention is needed to run them well.

 

measure them yourself. all heatsink revisiosn uses different pads.

Research it yourself, measure it and buy multiple size pads and tes tit yourself. Put some effort in it.

 

Is this your machine? 50 difference is like none. In fact, I am sure that it will score much higher if I manage to run on realtime or by tweaking. Maybe I should increase the voltage to keep x46? This new system gives me so much room of UV. finally the third system seems to be ok.

 

Are you getting the 800Mhz drops during idle or during gaming? It is completely different. If during idle it is normal even with high performance profile selected. It looks like it is a bios change implemented on latest versions. If you use TS and set minimum core to 31 it will not drop to 800Mhz even during idle. Try it.

 

My 8750H is running at an avg of 78 degrees C while gaming, max it hit was 99 apparently. That can't be normal right? The 1070 hit a max of 69 but runs at 60 average while gaming.

I was playing Far cry 5 for about three hours, everything on Ultra, Vsync on capped to 60 fps

 

I tried that today Aristotelhs and some cores still drop to 800Mhz which is what confuses me so much, my AW R3 with performance mode enable in bios would never down-clock but this R5 is.

 

My first post here, I have to ask. How has Dell not been class actioned over these computers? They are fixing to send me the 5th replacement, not repair replacement. I've had countless repairs on all of them.

Everyone I get I have to repaste myself because they thermal throttle right out of the box. Then eventually something will die/malfunction. I've had usb c ports stop, fans quit etc. Currently I'm having the VRM over heat issue for the GPU, which they just "repaired" it for at the repair facility. It did it as soon as I got it back. My purchase was just under 2 years ago and I still can't get them to get this right. I'm almost at the point of getting a lawyer involved. I've never spent this kind of money on something that doesn't work.

 

I'm at a point where i don't know what else to try, I've played around with throttlestop and even then my CPU down-clocks without the amplifier or with... my temps are under check especially with the undervolt but I just can't figure this out. It seems like my 8950HK can't sustain steady clocks even at 4.3

 

Yeah, it's worth trying how it works with some more voltage. Maybe it can help to stop the system crashes if you run it in realtime as well. Fyi 50 less points in Cinebench R15 is equal run your cpu with 1.5 bin lower clockspeed.

 

Under full load I've never been able to get any of the 4 8950s to preform at more than 4.3. they always run in to power limits. Anything over 4.3 and it will drop all cores under 4.0.

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That's really sucks because this CPU is about $600 more than standard and to have Alienware have such a ****ty tripod heatsink design is sad. My 8950HK will downclock to 800 regardless of what settings I have set without and with the Amplifier.

Edit: I don't get why it's down-clocking on the AGA when my previous Alienware never did downclock while hooked up to it. My AW R3 with the 6700HQ never downclocks below 3.1 and yet this one goes all the way down to 800Mhz

 

I've tried over volting and under volting. The best clocks I can get are undervolted. I tried the hardest on the mobo that I used liquid metal on and I still couldn't achieve more than 4.3 on all cores. I have never even been able to get 5.0ghz on 2 cores. They just don't have enough power to push it there. It's kind of false advertising to say up to 5.0ghz when there is no way they can make it to 5.0.

 

Oh yes. The same here. But what is it? Is it normal? When you push the left mouse button and nothing happend you have to move your mouse a bit and then it works. It looks like it is wanted.
But the jumping if the mouse while moving is not wanted for sure!!!
What is it? Someone have an idea?

 

I virtually never use the track pad, but I've heard of this issue on the Dell G series notebooks.

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Hey, did you get your computer yet? Mine is coming soon and I opted for the same option as you did, because I am going to put a 2 TB HDD in there. (maybe upgrade to a 4 TB SSD when prices are better next year - will have a 2TB NVMe also). The salesman confirmed that I would get the drive cage even if I didn't buy a 2.5" drive with the unit. The other post you responded to seems to say this is not the case! Which is upsetting, because I've had two weeks to order the cage if not. Just wondering if you've gotten to see if yours had it already (even though you ordered without a 2.5" HDD). Thanks!

 

Just to confirm you have changed the option in the screenshot below and still getting drops to 800MHz with high performance profile selected?

https://imgur.com/a/XWxpBN0

What is the max frequency you have set it to run? If it is high (lets say more than x44) and you do not have much UV or more than it should it may drop I guess because it is not providing enough power. This is a matter of finding the best UV for specific CPU frequencies and also set the minimum core ratio to 31 using TS.

But as I said, if this is happening during gaming it is a problem. During idle, it is not noticeable and seems to be one of the changes that they refer as thermal performance improvements on latest bios versions. For me this started to happen (only during idle) when I updated my system to new bios. So it is not the system itself but the bios.

 

It was apparently just as you said, I did have the minimum core ratio to 31 using TS and only once I set it to 4.4 and -160.2mV undervolt is when I haven't seen any drops in Mhz. It's been steady 4.4 and so far hasn't dropped, sorry for the lack of screenshots but I've been trying everything to get steady clocks and even refreshed windows a few times.

edit: So far I ran a cinebench r15 and got 1407 with no drops in MHz.

 

repeating it for the 100000000x time, its nto the so called tripod, its the too thick thermal pads. 4 screws around the CPU die but too thick thermal pads will yield the same results. In fact with the AW15R2 that had 4 screws I did have a core temps difference. Now with the R3 I have no temp difference and on a warm day around 80c under full load. It sucks that we have to do it ourselves but fixing the thermal pads yields great results.

 

became very annoyed with the powerlimit off 110watts without a way to circumvent it, i've asked frank and umar on twitter directly. if people can retweet it, it would be nice https://twitter.com/gregory_craane/status/1040523280795553792

 

I have 30 days to return this machine so I'll be buying some new pads for it and testing that out, If it can fix the dips and throttling then it'll be worth keeping it because the scores I get with this machine are great and can take better advantage of my 144Hz monitor.

Edit: Firestrike score: https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/28556039?
Timespy score: https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/28556724?

 

I think I'm just ignored on all their social media now @ Rei Fukai...

 

use new throtlestop and change icc max values to 200A.

 

Will try that in a moment !!!!! I've got a 4.6 stable on a static voltage of 1.3 and a -0.180 undervolt.

It stays beneath 100watts but 4.7 seems like a stretch now.

I'll report my outcomes later on. Thanks for the tip !

 

Anything below -130mv for me becomes unstable at idle

 

This problem can't be fixed without access to the IA AC DC loadlines.
removing the loadline VID boosting allows you to set a true static (or adaptive) voltage that would be stable at your desired clock (without needing to undervolt anymore, as then most undervolting would be UNSTABLE even at stock turbo boost speeds), without affecting idle stability.

This was technically possible on older alienware BGAs (easy on the Ranger and other LGA versions) but was VERY difficult (a few people knew how to do it) to get a modded bios in with those settings unlocked in APTIO without causing a brick. Now it's 100% completely impossible, which is why I will never recommend the brand to anyone, ever again.

https://embedi.com/blog/bypassing-intel-boot-guard/
https://itnext.io/bios-security-a-privileged-piece-of-software-d747e20d9480

and some other crap (The UEFI Bios Lock option isn't the problem; that can be disabled with RU if you know the right offset).

The FPTW64 and AMIBCP 5.02 unlock mechanisms for the AMI Bios is already known and posted for the MSI books. (hardest part is disabling Bios Lock). But even Prema warned strongly against any sort of attempt on Dell's BGA throttlebooks. You can wipe the entire PCH by trying something like this now.

If someone can create an actual UEFI APTIO bios dump of the bios address space with UEFITOOL and universal IFR extractor, post back with a text attachment of the 17R5 UEFI bios space dump and i'll see if you can disable the IA AC DC Loadline "VID Boost" by setting it to 0.01 mOhms with RU. (good luck, you will fail).

 

If they weren't so locked down I do believe that we would be able to extract a lot of performance from that i9. Currently my real issue is the gpu VRMs. I'm no longer willing to take mine apart to fix them because they always end up having to go back for repair, which then removes the fix I've done. I paid for a long warranty on this rig so it's their problem now.

 

In a few words, this means that only Dell-Alienware could offer an unlocked bios right?

 

Simply said: yes. They are the creator of our machine, so only the engineers can unlock our CPU to it's potential (or should I say shared heatsink potential ?) You can tweak the hell out of the R5 but it will sadly never match an LGA chip. Not in performance and not in temperature.

And I'm myself an 17 R5 8950HK owner.

 

But when you start up ts it automatically adjust your oc or frequency including uv. This is as it is on mine. I cannot set ts that it only set an uv and nothing else! Do i something wrong?

 

You can undervolt without manipulating your clocks. Just open up the fivr window in TS and tick the box to unlock voltage. Then you can proceed to undervolt CPU core and CPU CACHE.

Make a windows scheduler task to start TS whenever your laptop/windows starts or at logon and TS will be automatically started with the set UV setting. Do not forget to set the setting to save clocks/voltages immediately in the bottom right if the fivr window, and to turn on TS and save it. Only then will it work.

Success !

 

I have been trying for ages to find a working script to start TS with windows but none worked. Any to suggest?

However, for some reason you have to wait for AWCC to start (set to maximum OC) to be able to use highest frequencies with TS. Somehow AWCC instructs bios CPU settings so it has to start first. If I use TS before AWCC starts, it cannot set frequencies over whats set in AWCC OC profiles (eg if AWCC is set to OC1, TS cannot exceed the 4.8GHz even if you set it to manually but if it is set to OC2 you can reduce it from 5GHz using TS).

Right now, I have it set to 5GHz and -100mV (manual profile in AWCC) when my system starts (frequencies mostly reach 4.9GHz and occasionally 5GHz). Temps are fine when doing normal things or playing no demanding games. If I want the best temps/CPU performance, I then use TS and FIVR.

 

Hey can anyone give me their thoughts on the screens in the new 17 R5? I decided to go for the UHD. Unfortunately, the color switching/banding is more noticeable than I thought. Going to try some calibration. However, I am thinking, I do like the brightness. My old laptop never seemed bright enough even in a dark room, it was rated at 267 nits. Now, on my Macbook Pro, max brightness seems nice in a darkened room, nits are 317 (maybe just barely bright enough though?). The 17 R5 QHD screen goes up to 400. I usually set it down a few ticks. If I'd gone for the UHD 4k screen, it would be only 300 nits.

So has anyone seen both screens, or can one of you with the 4k screen comment on whether the max brightness is a bit wanting in a darkened room (just dim room lights on at nighttime, no strong overheads or sunlight)? I am trying to convince myself that the QHD is better as my main laptop screen, I can always get an IPS externally later. I think it's better to have the brightness and refresh rate and native WQHD resolution for more usable workspace built in, and add 4k IPS outside the box, than have a barely-bright-enough IPS built-in, and need an external TN for gaming/fast mouse movement/brightness. (external IPS would be brighter anyway)

Thoughts anyone? I just hate the idea of spending hours each day the next two weeks getting everything set up (I have 10 or more applications and 20 vendors' worth of plugins to re-install, for example), then decide to send this back and order it all over again with the IPS screen.

 

Uggh, it won't let me edit my previous post - I meant, I weant for the QHD! (NOT the UHD)

 

I have the 4k, but only use my external. So not much help.

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No problem - so you don't really use the laptop screen at all? I was wondering if you felt like you ever wish you had one or two more notches of brightness on it.

I haven't used an external monitor in years. I am assuming yours is at least 400 if not 500 nits though, right? Kind of reminds me, when I did have my Mac hooked up externally - it was not very usable (the built-in alongside the external), because I found my 27" monitors outshone the Macbook Pro's screen quite a bit. (not to mention size difference, but just brightness-wise - seemed like Macbook didn't work more than 2 feet away) Hmmm, that does make me kind of glad I have this one, it seems like it could keep up with an external display in brightness and be functional! So you actually did help regardless!

 

I remember making a script to start ts automatically using schtasks.
You just need to open it and give the correct path in bat file. It's somewhere in ts guide it even hidden between several older pages.

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For me the brightness is great. It's actually a little brighter than I have my main panel set to. I run 2X24s @1440p 160hz. I do use it from time to time for messengers etc when I work from home, but anything that I really want to see goes on my externals. I've been happy with the 4k display the little I've used it and not been disappointed in that regard. It's probably not color correct enough for photo editing, but for gaming and watching videos it seems quit nice. It's only 300 nits, but I think the 1440 panel is 400, I've never had the 1440 all of mine from the R4s/R5s have been 4k so hopefully someone else can provide you feedback on the 1440 panels they use.

 

The 4K panel is excellent. And I have used the QHD on my previous system. Brightness difference is hardly noticeable but resolution is. Watching 4K videos on 4K screen is a different experience. Regarding the fps, I hardly notice much difference when games play at full 60fps on 4K. But playing latest demanding games at 4K would hardly be expected to reach or exceed the 60fps anyway. Anything more than 30fps (or 40fps) offers smooth experience.

 

Do you know what size pads go on the cpu side? would you happen to have a picture showing the size, I'm unsure if the guide for R4 would work. I ordered some arctic pads 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 to hopefully fix some of my core differential and achieve better temps.

 

My only advice is, is to measure it yourself, I posted a photo a while back with my measurements. But it depends the pads itself, the heatsink revision etc. But I suspect you have to make some of the 1.0mm arctic pads thinner by stretching them a bit because they cannot be pressed as much as the Gelid pads and on a lot of places the 0.5mm pads are too thin on the GPU side.

CPU side you have to leave as is, those are 0.1/0.15mm thin.

 

From my experience the R4 guide does not apply to R5 pads. Measuring thickness is also hard if not inaccurate ss they can be squeezed (But it gives you an indication of the thickness). The only way is to visually see if they have good contact without keeping the heatsink away.

 

Thanks... I kinda convinced myself to stick with the QHD for now though. I installed some ICC profiles from Laptop Media, the one to boost dark detail/contrast helps it look better. The funny thing is, going back to my old laptop with a regular 60 hz screen, the mouse movement in Windows does seem rough! I tried using my mouse and my trackpad just to be sure it wasn't input latency. Even moving it along an inch per second it seems to stutter in its movement. I don't think the fact it's using the integrated GPU would cause that. Have you noticed any difference in mouse pointer movement from the QHD to the UHD?

 

I also have another general question - when I first started setting this 17 R5 up, I did the Lenovo precision touch pad driver thing, updated it. It got me access to the Microsoft precision touchpad settings, but then I realized Alienware does provide their own touchpad settings ("Pointing Devices" app). Anyway, my touchpad seems ok, although for some reason I think it was a bit smoother when I first set up the computer. I was thinking of doing a restore just to check, but it's ok...

The one weird issue that I can't seem to fix no matter how many times I remove, re-install the original driver, is this - only in Windows Explorer (the file manager) - when I two finger scroll with the touchpad, I have to select something in the left vs right pane to get it to scroll that pane. In every other program, including Outlook, it scrolls the pane I am hovered over. Even more weird, if Windows Explorer is in the BACKGROUND, and I don't activate it first - THEN whichever pane I hover over does scroll (in the background), as expected! I have tried disabling Tobii since that has a scroll gaze (which actually makes it scroll the one I am looking at, but ruins the responsiveness of scrolling, so I had to turn it off). Turning on or off background scrolling (inactive apps) doesn't affect the Windows Explorer behavior (except that then it doesn't scroll when in the background, as expected). An external mouse or trackball will scroll Windows Explorer based on which pane I am hovered over just fine.

So it is only the touchpad scrolling, and only in Windows Explorer, AND only when it is the foreground app. I am curious if anyone else can test this to see if their touchpad two finger scroll works as expected in Windows Explorer, or if it's also locked to whichever pane, left or right, was last selected with the pointer. If it's the same way for others, I can put it out of my mind - kind of annoying, but livable, and I do use a mouse or trackball usually anyway.

 

Oh also, to answer the question from my first post - I can confirm that, if you order with only an SSD, no 2.5" HDD, you DO still get the bare/empty hard drive cage to mount your own drive in. I was worried based on the previous responses in this forum, but thankfully, when I opened the back up, it was right there (and, I will add, nicely prepped with masking tape to hold the four screws one will need, as well as the SATA connector). So no pressure to get the 1 TB drive just to be sure to get the cage, it will come with it anyway.

 

Not really. And I am using a Rocket None EMP gaming mouse.

 

So i got me replacement unit 4 weeks ago, no thermal problems but one hell of a ****ty screen. Insane lightbleed and ofcourse a few bright subpixels... so i went ahead and let them replace the screen. Unfortunately the whole laptop needed to be disassembled for replacing a screen. (Idiot design choice imo.) But the tech guy did a pretty good job so props for that.

Finaly no more lightbleed, no dead or bright pixels. Last week the screen began to flicker on random occasions. And no Joke, again a dead pixel! How is this possible.... So i called them yesterday, there gonna send me a 3rd brand new system. Thats some really good customer service. But i kinda get the feeling that there will be something wrong with the new one aswell.

My first unit and this is no joke, had a defective bewaring in the right fan, this unit has the same problem in the left fan. Never in my live did i have defective fans on my laptops, and i owned quite a few laptops.

Customer service a 10 out of 10. Build wise, or i am the unluckiest person in the World with this particular system. Or its just crappy quality parts.

So to Sum it up.

First unit:

-thermal problems 100 degrees when on full load.
-dead pixels
-defective right fan.

Second unit:

-2 screens with dead pixels. (How!)
-insane lightbleed on the first screen.
-flickering on the second screen on random occasions
-again defective fan But this time on the left side.

The system is bloody fast, But poor screens and the other problems are kinda giving me a hard time to have faith in this machine.

I have the 4K screen btw not the 120hz one.