*OFFICIAL* Alienware m15 Owner's Lounge

If you don't set TS to run at startup, you have zero things to worry about. You can easily boot into safe mode and delete the autostart file or even delete TS to prevent it from launching on boot and preventing anything. Idk what you saw with deleting ini files, but it honestly is that simple to fix it or just as easy to prevent it in the first place (Never running it at boot). As far as the PL1 and 2, I think that is because you really don't have to play with it. The AWCC doesn't really do anything for you besides changing keyboard LED. That's the only reason I'd ever download it, if I didn't have a AGA. I have a AGA so I do need the AWCC to use that.

 

So you're saying the awcc does not actually change the pl1 or pl2 levels? ( maybe I misunderstood you ) I'm pretty sure it does...

This is a snippet from hwinfo showing the values of pl1 when changing the awcc profiles.

in my system, it has a hard time even handling the meager 33.75 Watts after it throttles... at that wattage, temps are averaging around 95C, so I was hoping to set PL1 to something lower, and also set PL2 to maybe 45W to keep it from heat soaking so fast. heck, even at 13 watts when using no turbo, it still see 75C. (man I really need to repaste,, stupid covid!)

I suppose I just need to try it and see what happens.

 

Powerlimit 1/ Powerlimit 2 change with the fan profiles.

• Profil "Silent": 45w/ 90w
• Profil "Cool": 45w/ 90w
• Profil "Balance": 60w/ 90w
• Profil "Performance": 75w/ 90w (Fans 100%)

 

You can play with that stuff on TS and it works. But you can't edit them with AWCC afaik. The values that are there are permanent, just like how they don't want us changing fan speeds. There is a fan speed setting, but it does nothing and it won't ever do anything because they know people will put it on low and people will complain about 100C. Afterall, some peoples hit 100C without their fans being on low haha

 

Guide: How to unlock the GPU Thermal Limit Slider in Alienware Control Center

 

Edit: probably better to ask this question in the thread.

 

We've been talking about this for weeks in the Area-51m Owner's lounge but every now and then someone keeps asking the same question on how to unlock it as it wasn't locked before so I thought of creating that thread so I don't have to keep copy/pasting the guide all day long. This is a new cancer bug from Dell that they have implemented in the later OC Controls. I don't mind keeping my laptop safe but throttling at 75C? That's absurd, might as well buy some Acer jokebook and get the same crappy performance.

 

I am not sure if it just doesn't work for me (maybe I did something wrong) or if it is incompatible with the m15. I tried this, since I wanted to reinstall GPU drivers anyway and I noticed that 'overclock' tab was locked as it has always been for me on my m15. Maybe its only compatible with the 51m, which I wouldn't be surprised cuz that is meant for overclocking. Still nice to know the AWCC is throttling our notebook GPU though. I did notice the AWCC and AW OC Controls both got updated very recently for the m15, which I doubt I updated previously, so maybe its already fixed by Dell, I'll check and report back.

 

Did you make sure you do a full uninstallation using the guide I posted? You have to manually delete the folders in Program Files and Program Data and then delete the reg entries. It's all in the guide.

 

Well I used Revo Uninstaller to uninstall the AWCC and AW OC Controls or w/e, but other than that I did everything else. Revo Uninstaller is the best/one of the best at removing any bs leftover by programs, so I figured that would do best for removing leftovers. But I suppose I could try the same process again with using Windows Control Panel

 

Hey folks quick question -

I have received my m15 replacement - it was hitting 100c idling so I repasted and did a bunch of other mods - added PCH heatsink and there was room to add some 1.5mm heatsinks on top of the heatpipes so I did that just because. Did LM also.

I'm idling around 40c now and topping out around 80c. Windows keeps forcing me to update the bios to 2.4.1 which seems to have a weird ass fan curve and temps are a bit hotter. No huge issue though.

CB scores over 3k no problem - I'm working on getting my GPU undervolted now and have the 9750h undervolted heavily. I'm slightly confused though because reports seem to show 100-125 is the normal UV but I am sitting stable at -.2803 core and -.1309 cache. I can push core further but I'm wondering if the thing is really undervolted or not. On the main page I unchecked speedstep and speed shift - both are active in the BIOS though - so theres no difference if I check it in TS - however if I do check speed shift I blue screen with anything over -155 on voltage.

I can't find anything talking about undervolting with SS unchecked. SST is green so I know SS is actually active and I am watching the clocks jump around so I know its working.

Any insight there?

 

Put cashe offset equal core and test Or put cashe slightly lower at -.250. Please report back you CBR20 results.

 

There is no way that having a cache offset of -.250 will be stable. Perhaps running full tilt all the time, but the second it tries to use lower power states it will crash.

 

I know this. I put it up this way so he could see if the undervolt works. The reason his chips don’t crash with -.280 on the core is due the much lower -.130 Cashe undervolt.

His chips already crash with -.130mv when chips reach lower power states.

 

Ah I see what you are saying then. I agree with you there then. I've never had any benefit from having different offsets with core and cache. The Vostro 7590 that I have right now runs at -165mv on both but going further on the core doesn't actually offer any benefits.

 

You guys are correct - the cache isn't stable much higher.

Temps are about 5 degrees cooler with the higher core UV.

Just ran a test, coupled them and scored lower on CB20.

Core -300 Cache -160 score = 3049
core -160 cache -160 score = 2849

Biggest question though is why does the speedshift button specifically lock up the computer? If I click the speedshift button in TS I will bluescreen, Speedshift is on in the bios though so I don't know where the disconnect is.

It also looks like my multipliers stay at 40x-45x all the time. This doesn't both mer because temps are in the high 30s low 40s for idle.

Just want to make sure this thing is as cool as possible and running at max performance. So far I'm pretty impressed with it though - the chassis is great, can't wait for the skin to come so I don't need to look at all the grease.



Not sure why that's not working:
https://imgur.com/a/5d8HtCu

 

So can you tell me how many watts the cpu is pulling at idle?
Any chance you could post some hwinfo plots of gameplay for the PI1, cpu watts, and max core temp?

 

At idle it's 2.5 to 3 watts,

Full load it doesn't go above 56 watts.

I'm out but I can when I get back - I'm not playing games though just running cinebench

 

Did something change with some Windows update or some AW software update? Idk why, maybe its the CoD update, but my laptop randomly goes into sleep mode while I am playing the game. Not to be confused with letting it sit idle, either way it shouldn't go to sleep during a game, but it does it While playing. It has never done this ever and its really weird. It's not due to temps either, GPU temp is 75-76C max, CPU is about 82-86C max

 

I think its AW battery boost that pulls extra juice from battery. I don't have m15 laptop but I do have ancient 15 r2. When gaming on battery with High/Ultra setting with VSync On/Off the screen brightness suddenly goes to 0% frequently mid-game. I narrowed it down it to some firmware level crap when battery temps soar above 65C taking into account nearby sensors especially Dell PCH/EC sensor.
As a test, dial down the game graphics and post fx one notch lower and try it again. If all else fails, buy 240W or 330W Dell Alienware/ Dell precision PSU for optimal performance.

 

So the problem was due to laptop lid funnily. I always had the lid closed about 50%, since I almost never use the screen or keyboard. I looked at event viewer and saw for some random reason, it had system events that the power button/lid closed event happened, even though neither of those happened while gaming. But also 2 nights ago I closed the lid a little more to about 70%, which wasn't enough to force it into sleep mode. But what it was doing was it was triggering 'lid close' randomly about every 30min even while gaming. I never really closed the lid on my 15R3, which caused it to get dusty over the 2-3 years of use, so I figured I would close the lid on the m15 more (but not fully). Idk if its a common problem with notebooks but I feel like it shouldn't be a problem, triggering lid close when it hasn't been touched for hours and no shaking of the laptop/desk is occuring.

 

Yeah, I had that same problem! now I just keep it open showing the HWinfo plots!

 

https://www.dell.com/support/home/e...oscode=wt64a&productcode=alienware-m15-laptop

A new BIOS came out for the m15/m17, version 2.5.0 . Doesn't seem like it has anything worth potentially hearing a jet engine though

 

Good heads-up, will install. EDIT: Does undervolting with XTU still work?

"- Improved the abnormal fan error report from diagnostic"

I've suffered from this quite a bit. It's going to be the third BIOS update attempting to address the issue! Fingers crossed.

 

I have the problem with the diagnostic when I start the notebook..., the 2.5.0 bios dont help...

Sometime it scans the fans, sometimes it dont scan

Since the 2.4.1 Bios I have the problem, dont know when this get fixed..

 

What's the issue exactly? Is it that occasionally pre-boot diagnostics start automatically, fans start running at 100%, and the diagnostics report claims there is a fan problem?

 

Yes exactly, the pre-boot diagnostic starts randomly, when I start up the notebook. Sometimes the fans work and there is no error message but sometimes a error message occurs.
Only solution is to press escape and turn off the notebook after the login screen. Then there is no pre-boot dagnostic and the fans work normal.

Here is the error message:

 

Exact same thing. I've been discussing this with Dell support for months (first occurrence in autumn last year, AFAIR), and have seen 3 BIOS versions mentioning a fix... disappointing to see this still happening in 2.5.0 Clearly, there is no genuine serious issue with the system fan per se, since it operates on 100% speed fine, and otherwise just works as expected during normal use. This may, however, be indicative of some minor fan or controller problem. I have found that cleaning the fans with a vacuum cleaner has helped, but it's still happening from time to time. Dell offered to send a technician to replace the fan, but I'm wary of them messing with otherwise perfectly functional machine. They also offered a replacement with a brand new machine, but sadly there is no current Alienware model I would like to own instead!

 

Yes, this is sad... my machine work also perfect but this fan problem...

I dont have any warranty and so a must trust that a bios update in the future fix this problem...

i looked in the epsa history and I see that now the gpu fan make problems and not the system fan, in the beginning the system fan make problems

maybe compressed air helps...
i will test ist

 

My understanding is that in the m15 "system fan" is synonymous with "video fan". Give it a go, it only happens very rarely for me now, so I'm not too concerned. It could be that this system fan is prone to picking up dirt, which may affect the overly sensitive diagnostics - just a theory.

 

The lid sensor on this is awful compared with AW 15 R2. I could almost close the lid on the old laptop, and it was fine until the lid actually guot closed shut. The m15 sensor stars going nuts, basically flickering, at a fairly wide angle...

 

Yeah I wish I knew that sooner, I actually started to think it was Modern Warfare simply because I trust Dell more than I trust Activision lol

 

well... yall were right about the kryonaut not lasting very long. (used kryonaut since I couldn't find phobya nanogrease extreme)

I re-pasted with kryonaut, and initially temps were awesome, dropping around 8 to 10°C, but 2 weeks later they were back to the same as before the re-paste, but now with core differences up to 15°C.

Looking at the paste after removing the heat sink, the spread looked good, but it almost looked like it separated into a clear thin watery substance, and a thinner version of the original paste.

Just re-pasted again with Gelid GC extreme (still can't find phoyba nano). Seems better, hope it lasts longer than 2 weeks.

 

Hi all, anyone familiar with 2019 M15R2 9750H overheating and if the heatsinks tend to poorly misaligned from the factory?

Hitting 101C on full CPU load at 4.0ghz. Cores 0, 2, 4 overheating, Cores 1, 3, 5 upto 15C lower. Also have a severe intermittent stutter where the system freezes for a moment then returns.

Dell sending tech to replace heatsink/fans, got thicker Coolermaster Maker paste, any tips on the heatsink alignment job and repasting to look out for, or improvements to do during the job, and how much of a difference they'll make?

 

Wow, this takes me back. I had a similar problem on a refurbished m11x about a decade ago where the machine was very excited to sleep anytime something even slightly magnetic approached the main board. If the lid was less than 90° open, it would consider a slumber. The games my magnetic watch clasp would play with that otherwise fantastic computer stole several hours of my life. That is until I ripped it apart and found it was missing some adhesive foil between the interior body of the laptop and the spot on the main board where the hal sensor was located. I stuck some foil HVAC tape in that spot to weaken the magnetic sensitivity of the sensor and my life dramatically improved. I hope for your sake the solution is less frustrating.

This is the most depressing thing I read today.

 

This lid thing is very minor, I only run into when trying to run the laptop with lid almost closed to prevent it from obfuscating Rift sensors. Didn't want to close all the way to avoid overheating. Really only noticeable at some 10-15 degrees angle.

 

so... my M15 R1 was getting really hot, and I now have re-pasted twice. First with Kryonaut, then with Gelid GC Extreme. Both had the same results: great temps for the first 3 days, then they slowly crept up to just as bad as original only the core temps are very uneven now when they were not with the original paste. Also, the original paste had pretty much glued the hs assembly to the chips and was difficult to remove.

I'm not sure if it s the pads holding the plate up on one side, but it might be as you can see indentations on some but not on others.

I'm going to re-paste again with ic diamond and re-pad in a few days

IF YOU RE-PASTE, do you self a favor and replace the pads at the same time as I wish I had.

Also, as you seem to already know, IC diamond or something like that is likely going to work better than kryo or gc extreme due low pressure heat sink.

let us know how you make out.

 

Go extreme on this bro: Gelid GP Extreme + Phobya Nanogrease Extreme.

 

Currently using gc extreme, but core 2 is constantly throttling even when pl1 drops to 33 Watts, averages 96C, seems like cores 0,2,4 are always 3-10C hotter under load. Was not like this until 3 days after the re-paste. Pretty sure its pumping out, possibly due to pads not letting the hs assembly fit properly. Honestly I don't know.. .frustrated.

 

Fail, sorry. Obviously I meant Gelid GP Extreme, the squishy pads that should provide minimal heatsink resistance (bar K5 Pro).

 

What kind and size/thickness pads are needed to ensure optimal cooling and fit? Would the Dell tech likely be familiar with doing this properly, or if it's not done right, Dell be willing to send another one to re-do it if the overheating isn't fixed?

 

Wouldn't count on Dell here.
I used 1.5mm + 0.5mm 80x40 sheets (actually it was 1+0.5, but I stacked them to cover the deeper strips which is not ideal, someone else used 1+0.5 straight up AFAIR)

 

Oh!! ha yeah, Gotcha now! thanks for the pad recommendation!

 

Can any one help me for some reason when I test fire strike and play games my clocks stay at 3.6ish here is a photo .
https://imgur.com/a/8VI6Z6V

 

What are you temps at? Chances are you are thermal throttling.

 

80s-90s it’s not showing any thermal throttling on hardware info


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

By default short Turbo Boost only lasts 28s, plus there is a bug where it stops working after the laptop goes to sleep and wakes up.

To fix the former use Throttlestop, to fix the latter restart and only shutdown or hibernate henceforth.

 

Ok what do I change in TS for the boost


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1. In FIVR click Disable and Lock Turbo Power Limits
2. In TPL set the desired power limits, specifically you can set long power above 45W to get unlimited boosting over 3.6Ghz

 

Ok great I’ll try that now ! Thanks !


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