*OFFICIAL* Alienware X Series Owners Lounge and Discussion

Yep, Have already mentioned Dynamic boost 2.0 and power sharing between Cpu and Gpu. The more expensive Hk chips is for many wasted money. The Cpu can barely run 3.5GHz in full load on Cpu and Gpu. Have already posted several posts showing this behavior.

Near 13.000 Time spy physics with the cheaper i7
https://www.3dmark.com/search#advanced?test=spy P&cpuId=2863&gpuId=&gpuCount=0&deviceType=ALL&memoryChannels=0&country=&scoreType=physicsScore&hofMode=false&showInvalidResults=false&freeParams=&minGpuCoreClock=&maxGpuCoreClock=&minGpuMemClock=&maxGpuMemClock=&minCpuClock=&maxCpuClock=

 

Did some more benching with my X17. Here are some Cinebench R20 scores with +400 Mhz on all turbos ratios. My core temps are still a bit uneven which means I messed up the mounting pressure when I put the heatsink back after the repaste. There's an 18C delta in max core temps at full load (~115W). XD

I will fix it the next time I do a touch up on the liquid metal which will probably be in 2-3 months. I will do a Cinebench R23 run after I fix the mounting pressure.

 

i7-11800H +400 Mhz turbo. Score might still be higher if I can fix that one hot core.

 

STAY AWAY FROM THE CRUCIAL 32GB BALLISTIX 3200 CL 16 (16GBx2). I put in caps to get attention. I don't know what kinda game some people on this thread are playing but I've suspected some BS from these really high benchmarks. Unless theirs some external cooling happening but even that has limits. Especially for AIDA. The Crucial was fine until 30 seconds after booting into Windows, then while running AIDA I blue screened. Before that I saw it wasn't even as fast as my Dell Kingston 3466 CL 22 memory. Not by a long shot. After I rebooted it wouldn't even load into Windows. Getting returned.

 

Is this an AW only thing? Can you talk a little bit more about why the i7s are regularly outperforming the i9s in timespy?

 

After a clean install of Win 10 and all the rest I have to say:

Fans are running even in Silent Mode around 40% to 60% ... this is not silent! OK, I have the 11980HK and 3080 but nevertheless, if I use the balanced mode in Windows and Slient profile I had higher hopes ...

My Razer 17 with 2080 is quiet in balanced Mode ...

Other points:
- 4 dead pixeles, 2 in a row and two single ones ...
- Backlight LED is flickering at lower brightness.

All together, I think, I will return it ...

Thanks for all your help!

 

Yep, exactly as with 51M - low CL RAM unstable.

 

Wow, that RAM was exaclty the one I was pointing to buy. Now I don't know what RAM to choose since there is not much stock in Spain for that kind of ram.
Do you have i9 or i7?

 

I have the exact same kit installed. Cannot confirm this, but still testing. The 3466 CL22 has a marginally better sequential read score but has higher latency in AIDA64 (I now, it´s a BETA). The cpu timespy score goes up about 100 points using this mem. So all in all not worth the upgrade. However, as I experience no problems so far, I will keep it.

Only Sandra Lite mem latency test crashes on me. I played games for hours, run benchmarks etc. So far nothing unusual on my unit. I also ran the internal AW memory test and no problems.

Are you on the tatest firmware? Also, try to run in AWCC non overclocked mode and use Throttlestop to undervolt/oc and Afterburner to oc the GPU. Also, something seems to be not right with your two 980 Pro configuration, performance is quite low. Maybe try with only one drive.

I will do further tests as I am still in the return window. And for the record, I don´t play any games with people in here.

 

Also did a repaste with LM on CPU (and GPU) 1hour after I received the x17 at release date. I have uneaven CPU temperatures aswell, I opened it up today again to take a look at my repaste. The pressure seems to be only in the very middle of the CPU DIE. I noticed this aswell when I removed the Element31 crap. I have used some more LM on CPU today, maybe this will fix the problem a bit. Nevertheless my temps are very good also with uneaven temperatures

 

Grml, now my temperatures are even worse...

 

Did you LM'ed both GPU and CPU?

 

Not sure what it is but the Time Spy physics scores with the unlocked i9-11980Hk struggle to compete with the cheaper i7-11800H. And you have the new fantastic features as Dynamic boost/SmartShift technologies. Often for-fined/freshed up with proprietary solutions by the different OEMs.

Click the Cpu score to get the physics results.
https://www.3dmark.com/search#advanced?test=spy P&cpuId=2862&gpuId=&gpuCount=0&deviceType=ALL&memoryChannels=0&country=&scoreType=physicsScore&hofMode=false&showInvalidResults=false&freeParams=&minGpuCoreClock=&maxGpuCoreClock=&minGpuMemClock=&maxGpuMemClock=&minCpuClock=&maxCpuClock=

See also http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...e-and-discussion.835993/page-94#post-11108446

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...e-and-discussion.835993/page-91#post-11107582

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...e-and-discussion.835993/page-91#post-11107555

 

Yes, checked heatsink presserure again 5 minutes ago. And adjusted some things to get a better pressure but still 10C diferrence between lowest and highest CPU core. If someone has an idea how to improve please give me a hint

The heatsink design has similarities to the alienware 17m R4... kinda three leg design on CPU... history repeats itself

 

Maybe is something related to CPU behaviour itself.

I mean, maybe because of the turbo ratios (different MHz on each depending on CPU load) some cores work more than others, that could explain temperature delta.
Or as you say, its something related to the cooling solution.

 

I have tested the core temperatures with Cinebench R23 and Throttelstop. There was a 9C difference under Full Load. In Game it seems to be much better

 

Could someone please tell me the part numbers for the backlit trackpad and the daughter board that the trackpad gets plugged into??

 

So, the old 17/15 R1-5 chonky bois had the tripod on the CPU. The M17/15 moved it to the GPU. My M17 had a 10C core to core delta that didn't get resolved until I got a new heatsink. I don't think these things are manufactured to any real degree of precision.

You can use regular thermal paste to get a rough idea of what sort of contact you're getting on the die. Apply a normal amount, install the heatsink completely, remove the heatsink and see if all of the paste has been squeezed off of the die. If there's a patch where the paste still looks fairly thick or relatively undisturbed, that would be where the heatsink isn't making good contact.

You can also grab some contact dye or contact paper and get a bit more technical with the whole affair.

Once you've figured out where the heatsink isn't making good contact, you can try tweaking the tripod legs, different thickness thermal pads, or, as I indicated with my experience, getting a new heatsink.

 

Put the original Dell/Kingston 3466MHz kit back in. It also crashes wenn performing Sandra Lite mem latency test. So it´s the software that is not playing nice with the X17 in general.

The Crucial Ballistix were absolutely stable in my system, however these is no sense in buying them because the X17 cannot get a performance benefit out of this CL16 kit.

In fact, I just for fun installed Windows 11 and now I have nearly the same latency in AIDA64 as with the Crucial Ballistix. In conclusion: don´t by this kit, it has no significant performance benefit on the X17.

Here are the 3466MHz Dell/Kingston results under Windows 11, seems to have better memory latency than Windows 10:

 

I have the i9. So far I have tried 3 sets of RAM. The Crucial, HyperX 3200 DDR4-3200 CL 20, and the Kingston DDR4 3466 CL 22 I bought directly from Dell. Out of the three the fastest according to AIDA is the Kingston DDR4 3466 memory. That's two sticks of 16GB.

 

You made a great point for leaving the thermal paste as is.

 

So can we say the slow CL22 memory Dell is sending with x17 is not as bad as expected?

 

The stock 3466 ram is not the same as the 3466 that Dell is selling. Adata instead of Kingston.

 

And who’s sure Dell only will offer ram from Kingston or opposite on their web store forwards? Dell buy in bulk. The in-price will determine next batch or next offer. Exactly as the ssd lottery.

 

I don't know if anyone has mentioned it already but the Alienware X17 with the 4k screen has adaptive sync. You can enable it in the Intel Graphics Command Center or in Windows Graphics Settings under Variable Refresh Rate.

 

My X17 is delayed til 13th of Sept, but I have seen in threads that people ordered the same config as me but got theirs already

Anyways once I get it I hope it can perform as well as yours!

 

Parts shortage.

 

That's the reason they give yet someone who ordered the same spec 10 days after me got theirs already.

Anyways I gotta work on my patience.

Sent from my SM-F916B using Tapatalk

 

Yep same situation here, mines still sitting at the "confirmed" status for over a week now and estimate delivery is by the 10th of September I complained so one rep gave me $100 off once I get my first invoice...

 

Or it just takes time to get it right.

 

Repaste was fine, would say this is related to something else. In games core diffrences are 1-3C. So I guess this was a false alert

 

What kind of test did you in order to know that CL16 Ballistix is not better than stock RAM?
Thank you.

PSA: I cannot see the attached image, anybody else can?

 

The atteched image showes (whisch I can see) that the original kit has better speeds in AIDA64 than the Ballistix. The latency of the original ram is in Windowes 11 about the same as the ballistix (around 88 ns) while having higher clocks and better read/write results. The X17 cannot profit from the Ballistix CL16, so there is no reason buying it. I will probably return it. Only in Timespy CPU score the Ballistix gave me around 100 points more (running Windows 10). In Windoes 11, which seems to have better memory handling on the X17, there is no difference in Timespy.

 

I used AIDA but that is not the issue. The issue is that it is very unstable. Constant blue screens.

 

Not worth the trouble. If you want better cooling just get a decent cooling pad. Works fine for mine.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083DNCXCP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

New BIOS uploaded: 1.2.1.

I've already installed it:

 

Fixes & Enhancements
- Improved the time taken to enter BIOS recovery.
- Added Enable Hybrid Graphics/Advanced Optimus (when available) option in BIOS Setup Menu on systems with non-DDS LCD panels.
- Added separate light colors for muting and unmuting when using the Mic mute and unmute hotkey on the keyboard.

Important Information
Once the BIOS is upgraded, you cannot downgrade the BIOS to version 1.1.2 or earlier, due to downgrade restrictions. BIOS downgrades are restricted when there are security updates and important fixes with earlier versions that impact the functionality of the system.

 

I already had Hybrid Graphics/Advanced Optimus in the menu so they may activated it for more panels and not only the 360hz one?

 

I will install now and check

 

Seems like 4K panel is not affected by this BIOS update This is really sad... can't see any option in BIOS for Optimus

 

This makes no sense. Why would memory latency change significantly with a different OS? Something is seriously wrong with that laptop; and Windows 11 or not, the latency is terrible.

 

No, it's quite bad, however, it may be hard to improve it because of hardware limitations (no wonder, given that the system is designed like a giant mobile phone apparently).

 

I think I'll order the Ballistix to check if it are stable in my system and whether or not I can see any improvement.
Also I will post gaming and 3dmark results.

 

You are clutching at straws. W11 is a beta. The Ballistix did show you a concrete albeit small benchmark improvement, so it is tbe better RAM, and - miraculously - it was stable on your system. A slight difference in sequential throughout is irrelevant in practice.

 

Then you'll need/buy an external screen

 

LOL, yes my AORUS 43" 4K 144Hz G-Sync monitor can take care, but I really love the x17 4K screen and I like to play directly on the device...

 

Why would SSD speed be better in Windows 11 than 10? It is how it is. https://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/9...ted-with-windows-11/index.html#Final-Thoughts

Up to now I like Windows 11 and will keep it on my system.

And on Windows 11 AIDA64 gives me on both kits (3466 Kingston and 3200 Ballistix the same latency around 88 ns). In Windows 10 the latency of the Kingston kit is >100. So it´s not about making sense, it´s just the facts.

This whole phone technique talk from Dell is imho just marketing talk hoping it impresses someone. If you open up the laptop it´s just the same as ever...

I wonder what´s the mem latency of the MSI GE76 or Legion 7i. ASUS solders x16 mem on it´s mainboards... I guess mem speed is quite similar on all 11th gen notebooks. It´s probably just the 11th gen intel mobile platform. If one wants better mem latency at 3200MHz and upwards one has to go for chunky Clevo plastic Notebooks with desktop hardware.

Played yesterday Metro Exodus enhanced edition 5 hours strait on Win11 with oc GPU and had no crashes, so I guess my unit is quite o.k.

 

2min 37s... My m17r4 had this throttling too.

 

I think repaste with LM is a must on the X17. i9 instead of i7 makes no sense for games on this cooling system. I went for the i9 because of the high rebate I got hoping it is better binned. And this seems the case. My i9 tolerates a -100mV underclock. I have to try out other games than Metro Exodus EE which are taxing the cpu more to see if I can get it to throttle.

 

Its not temperatur related. My M17r4 had good temps (<90 during BFV) and throttled.