*OFFICIAL* Alienware Area-51M R1 Owner's Lounge

Correct—I didn’t make any changes, over or under.

 

As long as laying one over the other doesn't short connections, and cause heat buildup that will interfere with the Wifi - intermittant function - or M.2 card operation - thermal throttling - it "might" be ok.

I'd not do that for the above reasons, and the possibility that the M.2 card would hit the case bottom - or bouncing around the case bottom would flex and apply pressure to the m.2 card which would then press against the chassis and Wifi card. It's all pretty close tolerances usually, so there isn't room between the chassis and the case bottom for much to slip between.

If you do try it, use some kind of non-conductive tape / barrier between the two cards, double layer of mylar tape on the part of the m.2 card directly covering the Wifi / chassis, maybe another double layer on the Wifi card area covered and across the chassis brace if covered.

Not sure why you need to do this, as I'd simply sell the "too long" m.2 and buy an 80mm m.2 SSD that does fit, if you do please make sure to secure it from bounces and jostles - maybe use some foam between the case bottom and chassis to secure it from flopping around inside when transporting the laptop.

Photo's please if you do it, so we can see the results.

 

What was the temp you are at

 

I didn't like the idea of an IHS that is not sealed. What matters when re-sealing is that how much sealant you put between the IHS and the PCB and how quickly you do the job. If one puts too much and then doesn't do a quick enough job, it dries up and does not get fully compressed even if the CPU stays in the relid tool or gets installed straight in the socket. The key is to apply a VERY thin layer of sealant on just a couple of edges, just enough to hold it in place for later, and then clamp it down for a few hours. Once it has "seated", then it can be "filled" around the edges with as much sealant as one wants. There will be no contact issues this way.

RAM and SSD issues are usually related to other factors as well, but such huge circuits can be complex and a catastrophic failure can lead to some unexpected results when one analyzes it, so it could be partly the reason. But in my case my Ram died on it's own. It was 2 years old, and other memory sticks from the same kit are still running. I sent it back to Corsair and they have already shipped out a replacement as this is a lifetime warrenty stick with Samsung memory chips on it.

I did some benchmarks of my own.

OS disk (Samsung 970 Pro 1TB - Half for Windows, half for CentOS)


Second disk (Samsung 960 Pro 2TB - For data, games etc)


Third disk (Samsung 860 Evo 4TB - For Big stuff and multimedia)

 

Regarding the nVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 GPU fix vs. the power inlet MOSFETs 'fix', I have this to report.

I, and the entire staff at HIDevolution sincerely apologize for giving inaccurate information to our customers, and forum members.

We gave the information we received from Dell, which turns out to be only partially accurate, just as @S.K. stated. It addressed the GPU only, and not the power inlet MOSFETS. It may even turn out to be totally inaccurate if there is an additional fix for the nVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080. We will know very soon when Dell makes their official reply and plan of action.

The good news is, thanks to @S.K., we were able to take the case to the right places at Dell, and had the patience and persistence to get what I hope will be an acceptable resolution.

The Notebookreview rules state "Do not post content from private correspondence, such as email or chat, within the forums." So all I can say is...

We do now have written assurance from Dell that they have recognized and acknowledged the issue, and are currently working on an official reply and plan of action. We believe it will only affect Alienware Area-51M with the nVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080.

The target is to release the reply and plan of action tomorrow. If it doesn't happen tomorrow, it will be very shortly thereafter. They now get it.

@VoodooChild @HaloGod2012 @Latostno @DannyB513 @Mohammed1824 @Papusan @Mr. Fox @Johnksss @Ultra Male

Please forgive me if I omitted tagging anyone.

 

This is good news. Better late than never.

I hope they do come out with a statement and plan of action.

Thanks for the update! Looking forward to hearing what they have to say.

 

Thanks @Donald@HIDevolution for this post. It's refreshing to see that HIDevolution is being transparent about this and their previous repasting mistakes. I wish Dell learns a thing or two about transparency from you guys as well.

 

Thanks Donald,

I've always appreciated your honesty and that's why I chose to take my business to Hidevolution in the first place, because of you.

It's good to know that a "fix" is being worked upon and makes me personally feel a lot better as you already know, I'm expecting a new 2080-based Area 51m from Hidevolution sometime next week.

Please do keep us posted as to what happens regarding this because I'm sure Dell will stay tight-lipped as always with their customers.

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If somebody can send me high resolution pictures of the new motherboard that will come with it....

 

Does this mean that ALL manufactured A51M systems currently in production have these flaws? I have 3 on order currently for friends & family. One just arrived today and two are seemingly delayed due to a 2080 shortage.

 

You can count on me. Although, my system is already coming with their thermal upgrades, so I'll only open her up if I'm not satisfied with the thermals of this system otherwise my $80 upgrade would go down the drain.

In any case, I'm sure it is only a matter of time before something screws up within the system and a Dell technician shows up at my place with replacement boards without any thermal grease and I'll have to repaste the sucker myself. Seen it way too many times....

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Quote possibly! My advice is to run the system you already have in hyperdrive mode and see if it doesn't crap out. If it does, you will know which "batch" you received.

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That is correct.

Way to get the word out!

 

Hey Guys,

Is there a way to determine if you have a AUO or LG panel in the Area 51m?

Thanks

 

Look in HWiNFO64. It will tell you which panel you have under "Monitor" section.

That sounds like a really bad idea to me.

If I were you, I'd wait for a while before going forward with it at this point in time. Unless you can personally make sure which motherboards and which parts you are getting in your computers, you could get anything and it would last for God knows how long. And every single one of these will need to be undervolted, there is no question about it. This chassis and cooling solution cannot cool them both running at full voltages, unless the laptop is floating in a bucket of liquid nitrogen.

 

Hi SK
I notice that you have experienced some thermal issue last month regarding the gpu running 86-87c under heavy load without undervolt. Did you figure it out now after several parts replacements?

 

Sorry, don't know. I didn't make any adjustments--perhaps it was foolish to think this thing should work as advertised out of the box.

 

Yes, this had multiple factors contributing to it. A big factor was the old motherboard that I was using, as I have stated in this post. Plus, it was a slightly warped heat sink which was replaced as well. On top of that, the DGFF connector had some bent pins in it which was later on replaced (that could or could not affect temps, who knows). The biggest factor was the unstable power delivery which led to gpu clock fluctuations which produces heat as well as shortens the life of electrical components. I couldn't have achieved mid 70 temps with the old motherboard no matter how much I tried. The coolest I managed to attain on that was I think 79 degrees in an air-conditioned room. And that was never stable. GPU kept crashing randomly giving warnings even with TDR disabled. The unstable PCIe bus must also have contributed to this mess as I run a slight overclock while gaming (limit OC, not hard OC with fixed frequencies). But that's all gone now and my GPU is running nice and cool with liquid metal, VERY stable at 1950 MHz at 937mV. Occasionally jumps up to 1980-1995 MHz but that's GPU boost and it tells me that I have a LOT more overclocking room which I don't really want to use until I feel the need for it.

This is a desktop replacement with monster parts. You can't expect it to run like a maxq laptop. This thing needs your full attention when it is running. A good thermal solution and an undervolt is a must in any case, irrespective of what anyone's expectations for out of the box laptops are.

 

Correct--I did not undervolt or overclock. Just swapped out the Killer 1550 for the Killer 1650 and other than that installed a bunch of games, my Logitech mouse and headphones, and a new printer. Didn't mess with the AW or Killer control centers other than to open them up and skim the different info they displayed.

 

Oh they make a new bios that keeps the volt much lower ?

 

Also, because most of them had underpowered mosfets either on the GPU (NCP-303151 instead of NCP-303150 on the GPU) and AON ones on the mobo. Mosfets and other power components on the circuit should be one thing that should be TOTALLY exempted from cost-cutting revisions of the circuits before they go in production. The fatter, the better in this case. Of course, keeping in mind the size and thermal + noise constraints.

 

In other words: caveat emptor.

 

If they did, this will be like running a v8 on just 4 cylinders just because a random grandma can't handle the acceleration. It will move but it will no longer fly. I wouldn't want that to happen AT ALL. Power control should be an option that should be given to the user to control via a sophisticated piece of software out of the factory, so that users can make their own decision. It shouldn't be one-fits-all because that situation will suck.

 

l

 

Responsible gaming is a more suitable word to use. But in this case, to some extent, yes. Once the fix comes out though, this will be a totally different situation.

 

New motherboards for everyone

 

I'd like to keep mine.

 

Just to keep everyone updated for whatever value it is, I received a notice from customer support stating that I'll receive a follow-up regarding processing a replacement in the next 24-48 hours.

Given the latest info here (thanks, @S.K.), I'm worried that getting this system right will require a motherboard redesign--that makes me think that there's no way Dell could possibly send me an out-of-the-box solid 9900/2080 anytime soon, and I don't want to lose my ability to get a refund on this purchase, so I'm thinking I might cancel the exchange and just go with a refund at this point. The two factors going into my decision are going to be the update from Dell that Donald referred to (hopefully that comes in the next 24-48 hours) and whatever the exchange email from Dell says.

 

I can also confirm that Dell is scheduled to release a public statement tomorrow. I would've put up the email I received this morning but it will be against the forum rules at this point. Be patient for another 24-48 hours, you'll have a definite answer soon.

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Mind Pm’ng a summarized version of the email ?

 

Hopefully we get the answer in the coming days via Dell officially, but will all future motherboards be sorted too or only the ones bought with the 2080. I mean what if someone wants to upgrade their 2060/2070 to a 2080, will the motherboard hold up?

EDIT: Maybe this official statement is also the reason the 2080's aren't currently available to order. I'd imagine Frank would have just said 'yes, this is due to stock' but he hasn't?

https://twitter.com/AzorFrank/status/1128842547483291648

 

2080 are short from NVIDIA side as well. Too much demand because of the first batch 2019 gaming laptops hitting the market all at once. Plus, I have a feeling that if somebody wants to upgrade their DGFF, they'll get a replacement motherboard from Dell as well. I'm not sure what will be the final verdict on this though.

 

Definitely could be stock issues as as you said if Nvidia are struggling to supply them. I'd just have expected him to agree and say it was, if it was simply stock.

Good to see all your hard work has helped HID pressure Dell etc. Hopefully a good outcome for all in the post.

 

Check your PM.

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I haven't performed enough tests with all the profiles, but for the first one, if I remember well, it was around 75c in balanced (the fans were silent almost all the time).

Thank you very much for your answer. I will keep that in mind. I didn't lock the frequency in Afterburner, so the GPU was upclocking and downclocking as needed.

 

Most of the media have a review unit for a couple days then send it back and move on.
You watch the youtubers and most of them no clue about laptop setups and tweaking. Makes me cringe watching a jay or Linus laptop video, they are all clueless.

 

You forgot good old desktop with socketed hardware.

 

I'm still using the g510 and I still love it. LCD screen is so nice for msi afterburner.

 

They ain't 17" laptops.

There are two 15" LGA + MXM solutions too if sockets are the only requirement.

If a desktop will do, go for that.

 

I apologize for asking a question that is definitely answered somewhere in the last 1000 pages but I had no success in clearing things up.

I got my rig at the end of April from Japan - 2080 gpu with 9700K cpu. I understand there is a certain chance that it might just die? I read some stuff about it being related to the bios, I am running the latest bios right now. (1.5.0) Is there something I should be worried about? Any preemptive actions to try to evade the apocalypse or should I just force it sooner rather then have it after the warranty expires?

Also, besides the Everki Titan (I had a Clevo 870DM before this one) can anyone recommend a more compact backpack for this one? (The depth of it is the biggest problem with the backpacks I've tried so far)

Thanks and cheers

 

@S.K has mentioned undervolting the CPU and GPU to reduce the risk. A few of the users who experienced the burnouts did note that they were not undervolted.

Not sure if you have seen but we're expecting an official statement in the next 48 hours or so from Dell on this.

 

First of all, don't stress about it, if it dies, it dies! Thats what warranty is for, isn't it?
Use it like you would normally would but with a little undervolt on both the CPU and the GPU like it is recommended all over this thread. Stress test your machine to its absolute paces and if it holds up, you've got a stable system on your hands. Some people have been using it here since launch and their system is running just fine so there is no way to predict if you've a "lemon" on your hands or not.

The Titan is a great bag but its massive! Look for the Area 51m specific Elite backpacks, they look wonderful with its gray color and less "gamery" look, so when i receive my system, it will be on my list of items to buy for sure.

Hope this helps.

And by the way, welcome to the $4000 Russian Roulette Club!

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Is there any comparison in mainly GPU power on this with 2080 vs raider ge75 with 2080? And not 1080p. But for VR and 4K.

How close are they in GPU performance since the m51 has the added watt

 

I had plans to install optane 905 SSD which is 22110 drive. And the problem that it's going to be a very expensive test If I'll not find a way how to fit it.

 

Get the Alienware Elite Backpack. Super light weight, super durable and fits this laptop plus both power supply units perfect with still a lot more room to spare. I like the design and interior as well.

As far as your first question goes, monitor the temps and if it came from factory and all temps are comfortable, just use it as it is. But if I were you, I'd open it up anyway to inspect because everyone including the factory workers can make mistakes and I wouldn't like someone else's mistakes to waste my time and energy.

 

I don't understand the desirability of such a drive, it's huge, small capacity, and overpriced - and probably performs well under a cheaper Samsung NVME 1TB:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820167466

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA12K77Z5902

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820147597

I'd sell it and get something better... and cheaper / faster.

But, if you do get it to work, please post the photo(s) of how you got it installed and secured.

 

This is a full fat 200W GPU unlike raider which is a max-q machine. This thing can easily go past 2000 MHz. I managed to take mine to 2050 MHz (although heaven showed me to be running at 2245 Mhz ) stable at 83 degrees celcius which a raider can't achieve. Plus this is a 9900K we are talking here. Raider is a mobile CPU. There is absolutely no comparison, but for average games you will not even notice a difference apart from frame rate numbers.

Intel's marketing team is REALLY good, hence the hype. Samsung has the best NVMe drives in the market right now. Samsung 970 Pro is the current king of speeds.

 

Looks nice...
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA22F98U7621

The Everki Glide is a little cheaper:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAD247WX7512

The Everki Checkpoint is a bit pricy, but nice:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAGGN78S5684

AW tend to be bulky, so a slightly large backpack might be helpful, the Everki Titan is a nice made bag, and comes in a few functional styles:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...&isNodeId=1&Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH

https://www.youtube.com/user/EverkiDesign/videos

 

How did you bypass nvidias 2100mhz limit on the core ?


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MSI Afterburner FTW!

That's what Heaven showed me. The Afterburner was telling me that I was running on 2050 something. I don't know which one is correct lol! Both heaven and afterburner report different speeds at times. Even right now as the afterburner tells me that my card is running at 1950 MHz, Heaven shows it to be running at 2100 MHz. The moment I cross 2100 in the clock curve, heaven jumps above 2200 mark.

 

My next question ... lol