*OFFICIAL* Alienware m15 Owner's Lounge

I tend to agree with this. These forums, valuable as they are, can also be a bit of an echo chamber for issues. That's not to say that the issues aren't real, I experienced them, they are, but there will be many many people out there that either don't pay attention/don't notice the heat issues that we have documented throughout this thread and that are fine with the laptop running the way it runs out of the box. With any luck, the early adopters just got a bad batch of heatsinks and the later models will be better and the earlier ones can be fixed. A lot of us here demand the best from our notebooks and as such I know that we notice a lot of things "normal" people simply wouldn't.

For me, I wasn't content to let my CPU run at 90+ degrees, or make compromises on performance (capping it at 3.3 or 3.5ish) to achieve lower temps. Many people will be fine to make that compromise, and in fact, many of the other laptops in this class already run at around those speeds under "max" turbo, so really you're not losing much compared to a lot of gaming laptops in this thin and light category. I hope they continue to improve the thermal performance of this machine through driver updates/BIOS revisions and get the custom fan curves working. Then this machine can live up to its full potential.

That said, I encourage everyone to at least consider adding prosupport to the laptop. The level of service you get should you need it is so much higher than their consumer tier support it really should be criminal.

 

LOLOLOLOLOL....see below picture from their facebook page this morning...good luck with that

 

I hadn't noticed before but the cryotech blurb boasts about having fire resistant fan blades! When the rest of the laptop is on fire do customers prefer the fans to keep on running?

 

Thanks - checked that and it was still off.

Today I downloaded an Ubuntu Seever 18.10 iso. That locks up immediately after reporting an ACPI BIOS bug! So I rebooted with acpi=off and it got all the way to the installer menu.

On the way though it complained that it can't mount my windows partitions due to hibernation/quick boot which is also useful info.

 

Well turning acpi off let's me boot my Ununtu installation but it has many issues - won't fully reboot or shutdown and my external monitors and 1070 are no longer detected.

I'll have to see if there's a less drastic acpi workaround for what now seems to be a bug in BIOS 1.2.5.

 

Do you really need to mount the Windows partition? To me it seems not too important if all the remaining Ubuntu systems works like a charm. In tehcase you really need that partition, you may consider to disable the Windows quick boot.

EDIT: I would add that acpi=off is the flag you need to make the iGPU works in the new CoffeLake architecture. The results it will be a longer battery life but no external monitor (which are linked to the dGPU if I understood). It would make sense to have two grub profile depending the usage you want to do.

 

I don't want my windows partition messed with under Linux but I did see some posts suggesting that a change in Windows fast boot status could be enough to prevent Linux starting up.

I now have it booting without disabling acpi - will.post the kernel args when I'm happy it works.

 

Awesome, can't wait

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Here's an update. A Dell tech came to my office and replaced the HSF on my m15. The results are that "it made absolutely no difference!". The temps did not go down when running a stress test on the CPU. Based on this I have to make a decision if I'm going to keep the laptop or not. I have a week left to think about it.

 

The only laptops in this category that do not have the problems as the M15 are the Tongfang gk5cn6z and the Asus Zephyrus S, which have other problems.

 

Do you have the preinstalled Windows image? Because I have a vanilla Win10 image and the CPU stays at ~40/45C while navigating and I had 60 while playing Civilization VI on battery.

 

Ask @Dennismungai
I think you need a combination fake ACPI commands and nomodeset based commands on USB booting. I faced similar issue on dell inspiron with kabylake with old BIOS and updating BIOS fixed it. In your case updating BIOS might have made it worse. OR Linux installer might have blocked since your hardware or PC is new.

 

Dont know of it had been posted yet, but i think AW doesnt know its own products
I wonder if this counts as false advertising

 

I'm using the pre-installed Windows image. On battery the temps are fine since the CPU does not ram up to full speed. While plugged in the CPU idles at over 50c with the "balanced" fan curve. If I run any kind of CPU stress test the CPU spikes to 100c and stays there. The CPU also shows that it's thermal throttling throughout the test.

 

Well apart from missing the nvidia's driver which I have uninstalled and reinstalled twice, it seems to be repeatable.

As I had to disable both secure boot and RAID in the BIOS when I first installed Linux, I did have to reinstall Windows from scratch. And the presence of a 2nd EFI partition seems to break the Windows rescue tools! It's almost like they don't want you to choose your own OS!

 

You can use existing EFI or ESP partition of Windows and MSFT/Ubuntu allows that.

 

So the reason the nvidia driver wouldn't load was that it couldn't get an IRQ. I finally seem to have settled on noapic as the boot option which works best.

Getting decent framerates now on Unigine Valley but no idea whether g-sync is working on my external monitor in Ubuntu.

 

Gsync only works on the internal monitor. The GPU has been wired directly to the screen, preventing optimus support, and external gsync.

 

I'm hoping you have that backwards! Intel GPU wired to internal screen giving us optimus but no g-sync. HDMI and DP ports wired.to 1070 and so have Gsync...

 

Sorry you're right on the R5 we have no optimus support due to a hardwired GPU to the screen. The M15 indeed does support g-sync, but only through the mDisplayport, and your external screen has to have a G-sync unit build in.

 

Finally m15 has arrived.
I have audible buzzing during charging while fans are not active. As fans starts to spin even at very slow speed, the buzzing is muffled up. When the laptop is unplugged the noise disappears. Do you have the same issue?

 

What you described might be coil whine. I noticed a slight bit of that on mine, but it was faint enough that I only really noticed it in a very quiet environment and my ear was close to the laptop. Much quieter than my XPS 15 was. That didn't bother me that much, but my brother-in-law hates it (I sold it to him), so it really depends on your sensitivity to that sort of thing (and how loud it is on that specific laptop).

If it actually is coil whine, I think the only way to get rid of that is to get a motherboard or whole unit replacement and hope that one doesn't have it. There may be other fixes I'm not aware of, but I have only done limited research into fixing that.

 

Is Coil Whine a big issue in terms of long term stability of the system? If the only problem is buzzing, then I can probably live with that.

 

In my experience, no. My XPS 15 (that had the problem more noticeably) is still going strong in its 5th year of life.

 

I'm on the phone with Dell now to see if they throw me some incentives to keep the laptop. Let's see what they say.

 

After some back and forth the max offer was $150 off. I accepted it. I guess I'll use that to extend the warranty.

 

Got mine yesterday, Nebula red with a 1060, 144 hz monitor and 16gb ram.

Awesome build and the color is really nice! Haven't had time to play around with it so much yet but enough to get a somewhat good first impression! Thermally I don't exceed 85 degrees with stock while playing destiny 2. It is quiet while browsing and doing casual stuff with The fans turning on sometimes but not very often or loud at all. While idle, the temps stay around 39-42 degrees with no notciable spread on the cores.

What's bothering me are the updates, fails sometimes and I once got a " recovery bios " dialogue when restarting after updating.. then the software check fails to look for updates etc.. so that Will have to be done manually I guess. Will have to try it out more in a couple of days but it feels damn good, love it!

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Dell, if you have company reps here, start listening to your customers.
This is how low you've fallen.

This line of hardware is hazardous. Next, they'll start shipping them out with fire extinguishers. "Innovation", they will call it.

Hmm, that's a serious improvement. Something to take notes on should I upgrade to the 970 NVMe series.

 

Just received my m15 from HID, those guys are amazing, couldn’t even tell they opened it up for upgrades. My only question is about refresh rate and gsync. I am used to gsync so I am very sensitive to stutter. Is there a way to lower the refresh rate from 144hz? Being that we are most likely going to be below refresh rate even with an overclocked 1070, stuttering will always be there without gsync. What do you guys do to remedy this? Lower refresh rate when gaming so that we are locked in to the screens refresh?

 

Hi guys can any of you tell me if my theory can be right or if I am flat out wrong? Follow the links, I think that there are some components on the motherboard blocking the heatsink from bolting down all the way. It would be good to hear from other people that opened their M15s to know if you have the same problem with the screws as me. Note that save 2 cores(0 and 2) my M15 has ok CPU temps, but after 2 repastes cores 0 and 2 still go over 90c with a -.150v setting.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Alienware/...5_i_think_i_understand_why_the_heatsink_isnt/
https://imgur.com/a/y1nms4l

 

I repasted my m15 with kryonaut and got no difference in temps. Still have to keep the turbo down to manage temps. So annoying.

 

My core zero and 2 are also high temp culprits on my unit with other cores being as much as 9 degrees cooler. Really stumped.

Only my #6 screw does down all the way. All other screws seemed to have springs on them. Not sure if that’s normal or not. Ugh.

 

Besides cores 0 and 2, also core #4 is hotter than the rest. The thermal pads over the components are too thick. This was also an issue with Alienware 13 R3. Replacing all thermal pads with Gelid pads solved the problem once I (luckily) tried them. They adjust to components and stay like that. Basically a thick thermal paste type of a pad. And 12 Wm/k and price is also right.

 

Already posted about the "adverticed feature" near 1.5 months ago. Can see nothing have changed from Dell Camp And good luck "if" it was possible overclock the cpu with current cooling setup. As 100C ain't enough.

FYI. They haven't changed the "nice" feature on their web page either. Same as before... https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/cty/pdp/spd/alienware-m15-laptop

I wonder if Azor or his second lieutenant Umar has approved that this false advertising still can be used.

 

Overclock what, throttling? LOL

 

How does the air flow works? From which side of the laptop the air is taken and push out? I'm wondering if I can plug tha laptop in an external monitor to watch movie and close the lid considering that ventilation system just above the keyboard.

 

I mostly run mine closed.with an external.screen - it has intakes on the bottom and by the power button and exhaust at the back and sides.

 

Well I've just been playing BF1 with the GPU overclocked by 160MHz core/504 memory and sitting at 78C. The CPU settled at ~85C @3.88GHz with just a -150mv undervolt...

 

But the most CPU intensive application I have - DaVinci Resolve still hits 100C and thermally throttles while rendering video. It is still managing 3.75-3.8GHz and dissipating ~58W so IMO AW have a pretty decent 50W cooling solution, just a shame that the CPU wants to burn 60+W...

I might see just how much I can undervolt it before it goes unstable...

 

Hmm - interestingly running in AWCC's Thermal Cool mode seems to set a 45W TDP limit on the CPU. It has a short burst above that when it does thermally throttle and then settles into a 45W run at ~90C, power limited, not thermally limited.

 

I was playing Forza horizon 4 on ultra about 130 fps with a 190MHz core 500 memory averaged about 76c if I go anymore on the core it freezes the game on loading screens. CPU was about 86c undervolted to -145mv 3.7 GHz hit 58watts and power throttled.

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You shouldn’t see any stuttering I don’t think unless your FPS goes past screen rate. I think the simple solution is to always lock FPS below screen rate using a tool like RTSS.

 

So I may have to return my new m15. In dark screens I have some ripple like blemishes in my screen panel. See attached, anyone else have this?

 

If you otherwise like the laptop, just get the screen replaced with warranty. You do not have to send the whole thing back and start over. Dell will send a new screen and a tech to your house.

 

Other issues as well. 99C cpu temp even with an under volt and cooling pad in games, and left fan makes an annoying click sound when at lower rpms

 

My AWCC doesn't seem to be working at all. I can't choose cool profiles or anything. Can only set lighting,

I repasted mine with Kryonaut and now I can run Civ 6 without any thermal throttling, full boost. Temps stay mid 80s C for the most part with occasional spikes to 95C, but not for very long. I am pretty happy with these results.

I don't like the electronic type noises which seem to be coming from the SSD.

 

I didn't repasted, underclocked to 3.6 as well as UV of - 0.140, Civ6 brings my cpu between 90 and 95. What an incredible game!

 

So my left fan (when I'm facing my open laptop or right fan when opening the bottom up) is making a little noise. How do I take out the fan and adjust it? Do I have to unscrew the heat sink?

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Mine is too. I even repasted and it's still doing it. Have no idea how to stop it. Nothing looked physically wrong with it.

 

So I opened up the laptop and took a good look at the air flow without taking out the fans yet. (Won't take out fans until someone lists instructions or confirms if we have to remove heat sink to do so) Did anyone notice that there is air escaping from the fan pushing the air towards the back?

For example, at Max fans you can notice there is more air flow coming out of the sides vs the back. Turns out there is a little gap between the fan and the heat fins towards the back and air escapes (towards the bottom) instead of all going to the back. I feel like if we some how cover that gap that it would improve air flow going to the back and further help decrease temps (even a little). Not sure if that gap was intentional but I don't see such gaps on the razerblade 15 for example.

As for the CPU fan, on idle putting my ear next to it sounds like it's hitting up against something, like a piece of lose tape or something being moved by the turbulence inside.

I also notice the stock nvme SSD makes sounds.... I don't know what's up with that lol you wouldn't be able to hear it with the chassis closed but it's funny that an SSD is making ANY sounds.

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