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

My previous gaming laptop was a MSI GT73VR, and I won't lie, I do miss the excellent sound from that machine. The sound card in the Area-51M is nowhere near as good as the Dynaudio one, along with Nahimic 2 software in the GT73VR. Having said that, I'd happily sacrifice the quality of the onboard sound card for the increased performance with the Area-51M and it's i9900K and RTX 2080. Blows my GT73VR away, there's simply no contest when it comes to pure horsepower.

I recently purchased the Steelseries Arctis Pro Wireless 7.1 surround gaming headset, and it is beautiful to say the least. Have the transceiver set up properly so I can game on the laptop, and the HDTV, and be enjoying 7.1 surround sound in no time and without any hassle.

I'd highly recommend the headset, if you're serious about wanting great sound while gaming. They are very comfortable to wear, even for extended periods of time. Laptop speakers will always be lacking in quality in some way. Will always need to purchase some extra sound-related stuff to match the other onboard powerful components.

 

I seem to remember a cmd to disable sleep on the AW which was recommended to do. Anyone know what I mean? Can't find the post now.

 

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/support-software/How-to-disable-Sleep-Mode-or-Hibernation-793/

 

Hello there,

During the last few days I noticed a lot of throttling coming from the GPU.
I read about the BIOS versions here on this thread and today I'm using the version 1.5.0 of the BIOS and the version 1.0.0.3 of the VBIOS.

So with the 1.6.2 BIOS, the GPU throttling was of course coming from the temperature (~75°C) but now it comes from the power.

So what I tested was to downclock the CPU to an effective 3.6-3.7Ghz in game (something else in Alienware CC but you know, according to the number of cores running), limiting its power draw to 40W when playing WoW for example.
I thought that limiting the CPU like that would give more room for the GPU but even without overclocking it, I have power throttling at like 65% usage and 1905MHz.

Also I noticed on Alienware CC that in the Fusion tab for overclocking, when looking at the GPU settings, I have two sliders, one for the power limit and one for the temperature limit.
The power slider is unusable (like grayed out) as well as the Unlink button, effectively allowing me to only change the temperature limit slider.
I'm pretty sure it was not the case before, but I may be wrong?
Anyway, this slider should be usable if it's available in the software, I guess?

Thank you in advance for your time!

EDIT:
Seems to be voltage related now

I mean it does not appear to me to be much demanding of this computer right now.

EDIT 2:
Or in these examples


I already saw the GPU go for far more than that before.

 

I don't think that disables sleep. I'm unsure if new AW has AW fusion where you can disable Sleep permanently. I use that always after fresh install because Windows power plan defaults to Balanced only so most options are hidden.

 

why cant dell activate undervolt at least in bios

 

Because Dell wants to combine everything into one app. And the same app applies to most of their notebook models. Aka the proprietary Alienware Dell OC app etc is an unisex app whitch work on all models. And I have said this before... If Dell add in support for 2666MHz ram in Area it will be done by their apps and not in the Bios. More and more will be removed away from the bios and instead into their (Windows Store) apps. What you have seen now (why cant dell activate undervolt at least in bios) is only the beginning.

 

Doing that might hurt future buyers. So, it will present on newer Area 51 rev 2 models.

 

Then we r in prison, the app is almost useless , it cant do true 5ghz without downclocking two cores to 4.8

Rev 2 better be mid next year

 

anyone has a problem with RTX 2070 speck ? dead gpu or dead mobo ?

 

Many people confuse sleep with hibernation and do not know they are different.

I am not aware of a way to disable sleep at a command window. You can do it in the power configuration console, but all that does is prevent Windows from automatically using sleep to save power. The user can still manually put the system to sleep. I'd love to know of a way to remove it completely from Windows so that there is no option available for sleep like the command to disable hibernation. I would make that part of my clean install configuration routine. I use that command for hibernation just as you do... just part of the decrapification ritual.

 

Just hope you still can use XTU/TS. Without... Imagine how that will be with only Dell's apps.

Not as bad as 2080 http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...-owners-lounge.826831/page-1436#post-10936457

 

I read the PDF... sad... just, sad. One would have to be brain dead or heavily sedated to not be livid over that inexcusable mess.

Unfortunately, this is status quo crap from Dell repair depot. Many things at Dell/Alienware have changed for the worse since around 2011, but the things they have needed to fix for more than a decade remain broken and unchanged, and Dell repair depot service is one of those perma-broken features they offer their customers at no extra charge. They offer fast turn around time, but the "technicians" they employ are clearly incompetent and like a bull in a china cabinet. They don't care about the products they service or the people that own them.

They need to give you a refund or replace your machine with a new one. It was already messed up and they screwed it up even more. They had their opportunity to make it right and they blew it. The only positive thing I can say about it is that (refund or replacement) could actually happen if you escalate it and take a polite, but firm and persistent, approach and raise the issue to a manager with enough authority to do the right thing. The entry level managers can't help and don't care. With most of their competitors you'd be talking to the hand and pounding sand, and they'd refuse to accept any responsibility for their failure. It's the only good thing left I can say about them at this point, and the only reason left that I can identify as a logical basis for buying a computer from Dell. Hopefully that will not change.

 

Is there a key combination to turn on full fan speed mode without needing to start command center similarly to Clevos?

 

Nope, I don’t think so. Maybe Hwinfo64 works but I think Dell removed possibility to use fan control from that software for newer models. Everything is now done in own apps.

 

They can. The correct word for your question is won't rather than can't. There is an endless list of things that they can and should do, but will not. They want to control end users to the point of making their products undesirable. This is a problem with most notebooks with stock firmware. People that make them don't care if they work right, don't take the time to make sure the products they sell work correctly, and they don't want the people that buy them to have the ability to change anything to fix their mistakes. Don't expect this to get better (with any brand) in the future. If it doesn't get worse it will be nothing short of miraculous. Selling broken rubbish at premium prices is too popular and profitable among notebook manufacturers.

 

Hi all,

I've an issue with my Alienware Area-51M, I have micro-stutters every minutes or so, while my CPU is not reaching over 95°, sometimes I am only at 65° and I feel like a very brief throttling.
My specs are 9700k and RTX 2080.

Did you guys experiment the same issue ?

 

Right click on your desktop then choose nVIDIA Control Panel. Go to Manage 3D Settings from the left pane, then scroll down a bit until you see power management. If you see it's set to OPTIMAL which is the default setting when you install a driver. That's your issue.

Optimal Power means when there is no draw on the screen, the GPU clock speeds is set 0 MHz to save power and then ramps up once it needs to. Sounds great on paper, works like crap. This is the number one reason why anyone might experience crappy performance from their nVIDIA GPU. What's worse, is that's the default setting in the nVIDIA Control Panel after you install a new driver often leading people to blame the driver for bad performance when it's just the fault of nVIDIA's clowns.

Set the power management to Adaptive which puts the GPU at lower clock speeds when no GPU intensive apps are in use and it would ramp the clocks up when needed. That actually works. It's the best balance between getting lower heat from the GPU and good performance in games.

When benchmarking, for the optimal results, it's best to set the power management to High Performance.

Mind you, after you change the power management to whatever you set it to, a reboot is mandatory for the new clocks to take effect.

Classical nVIDIA Swiss Cheese

 

Dell OS Recovery Tool 2.3.6066.0

 

Hi guys, if I'll do recovery to factory settings with Alienware OS Recovery Tool, it will erase all my data on all drives? (I have 3 ssd drives) so I am curious if it will format all of them or just one with C drive?

 

you get to choose which one gets formatted in the initial phase

 

You are amazing, it worked
I have another question for you, so I actually set it to maximum performances in Nvidia Control Panel and my GPU temperature are still decent: around 60°.
Am I ruining my hardware by setting it constantly on "high perf" instead of "Adaptative". I noticed a slight FPS boost which I found worth it.

Note that I also set my Alien Command Center profile to "maximum speed fan" and the power saving mode to "high performances" there.

 

Well Worded.....

i think the end maybe near for true configurable laptops

 

Alienware has been in the BGA hammock for too long(soon near 5 years). This means equal development of firmware/software for even upgradeable notebook as Area will follow same paths for everything they push out. Too difficult or too late change how they act or think everything has to be(should be).

 

Some people like that, especially if all they care about is benchmarking and the absolute max score to leave no room for any deterioration in performance. BUT here's how I look at this. I do not want my GPU OR CPU running at full speed all the time, what benefit would that give me while watching YouTube, typing something Word, watching a movie, etc. that would just create slightly more heat if not significant for no reason

The beauty of the balanced power plan in Windows (which affects CPU clock speeds) and the nVIDIA Control Panel Adaptive power management is that the CPU/GPU run at lower clock speeds, keeping those temps low and as soon as something that demands more power they ramp up to full speed.

Be smart.....be like Ultra Male...

 

No, you are not going to ruin anything. Doing that will hurt nothing whatsoever except maybe how long you can run on battery. It won't run hotter and it will still idle down to low clock speeds when not under load. I honestly cannot see any reason for the other two options (Optimal and Adaptive) to exist. All the other two options do is make the GPU under-perform and behave in a spastic manner, exactly like what you experienced. Set the NVIDIA Control Panel Global profile power management option on High Performance, leave it there, and forget it.

You can use the Windows power plans like @Ultra Male mentioned and be better served.

 

I guess you're right. I mean when the Area 51m came out I thought alienware was going back to their routes. Even if it wasn't possible to upgrade everything it was atleast possible to get spare parts if something broke. Too me it looked like a step up from the out going 15 r4 and 17 r5. Then they come out with the m17 and m15 r2 and just went full retard. Even the xps 15 is more user upgradable and serviceable.

Luckily there are other companies out there that will take our money.

 

Is this the same as the balanced mode in AWCC?

 

Yes

 

anyone else having issues with the Killer e3000 Ethernet port? Mine constantly has lag spike issues, and sometimes it'll disconnect itself for 2 seconds, which happens intermittently (2 times a league of legends match). I even tried two different routers (Asus AX88U & Netgear AX120) - to no avail... will be trying a different cable once it arrives... but i doubt its the cable...

I've tried using killer's uninstaller to remove everything killer related - using the latest driver only from the INF Package.

I've even tried resorting to the OEM Realtek Gaming 2.5G driver (non-rivet) - which actually helped marginally.

My last resort was resetting the network adapters in windows 10, and reinstalled killer drivers and the killer command center. Other than better ping - i still get random lag spikes and intermittent disconnects.

I've resorted to the WiFi for now... since its the only way i can get uninterrupted gaming...

Do i have a faulty e3000 NIC?

 

yes

type services.msc in the run dialogue box
when the services launch, click any of then then press the letter K on your keyboard to scroll down to the first K entry, you might find the Killer Networking Service and even perhaps another service right underneath it called Killer Bandwidth control, double click on each of them then set them to Disabled

Finally, type the letter X on your keyboard and disable the to xTendSoft services

Reboot and tell me if it solves your issue

 

So I tried some other speakers in the alienware and the sound was exactly the same lol. Seems like the driver dell used is shockingly bad. As @Papusan said drivers have to be good for the speaker to perform well. On the other hand I have seen laptops with basic drivers which don’t limit frequencies and with equalisation they really perform. To answer your question @RMLJD there is really no point. Because if the driver is useless the speakers aren’t going to be any better even if you wire in a subwoofer it’s going to sound bad....

 

I enjoy the PCM 32bit 384KHz audio by connecting a pma-60 in usb-dac mode with JBL arena 120 speakers, soon I will also try the monitor audio gold 50, I love the ribbon tweeters

 

I belive an earlier post said the drivers were realtek... So alienware is using proprietary drivers intead of the realteks that pretty much everyone uses? Why would they go thorugh that expense and effort?

If they are realtek drivers. Its not the driver giving u an issue its the DAC or the speakers, or the worst accoistic placement ever....like directly over a fan. But most LT have bad placement, with acoustics as an afterthought. You have a discerning ear....so I figure you are accounting for that. Anyone know what DAC they are using?

Oh....if anyone is waiting on a replacement and wondering about turnaround, Mine was ordered on sunday and shipped saturday. This is on the states, and shipping from chicago. No reason a replacement would take longer

 

Any update on this?

Windows 10 pushed an update to my machine earlier this week that led to these symptoms on my e3000. I used the killer uninstaller to remove all the drivers, blocked Windows update from reinstalling the misbehaving drivers automatically and installed with the driver only and not the installer. I haven't had a problem since.

 

Tried this - still experience lag spikes

Also mentioned trying this as well - but tried it again - still same issue...

 

Had a pretty atrocious time trying to order an Area 51m recently. The dell service rep just couldn't get the specs right even thought I was repeatedly confirming what I wanted, they started to build the incorrect spec'd laptop (which I had to cancel obviously), and the prices didn't make any sense when he was changing the the quotes. This occurred over the last two weeks (true story) and I simply got fed up and told him I was exhausted and didn't want to order it anymore.

Probably going to wait until this year's gamescom and see what gets announced, or if there's any news on the Area 51m situation. The new ROG G703 with the i9-9980HK and RTX 2080 looks promising. Bit more bulky but seems to control the temps just fine and from what I read has 200W TDP each for both the CPU and GPU.

EDIT: The G703 also has two tweeters and two 'woofers' for a quad speaker system as a bonus.

 

i'm kinda hoping to see Area-51m with AMD Ryzen CPU. Imagine Ryzen 7 3700X with a 65W TDP 8 cores 16 threads in Area-51m instead of that overpriced, overheating intel i9 9900k or even i7 9700k. no more overheating CPU, more affordable Area-51m.

 

Build it yourself then click “share cart” or something along those lines... and put in the rep's email.

That’s how I did it because I’ve had similar experiences and I don’t want any unexpected ****-ups due to a rep being careless.

 

Order it online. Spec it out yourself. At least in the states its easy. Just remember when you pick the display you are also picking the color...

 

Are there any laptop stands that people like? Are any of the ones with fans actually helpful?

 

Absolutely on the way.

 

So this is driving me a little crazy: if I use both power adapters, I keep getting throttled right down to 300Mhz after a few minutes of gaming, even at the full speed fan preset. I am using ThrottleStop and MSI Afterburner to undervolt both the CPU and the GPU.

If I use just one of the adapters and turn down the rendering detail in Destiny 2, then I can play at a performance similar to a 1060. Sigh.

This has been happening with every possible permutation of BIOS (1.3.0 through 1.5.4). and vBIOS (180W through 200W 1.0.0.3). It happens if I disable MSI Afterburner and use AWCC and vice-versa. It seems like the laptop's GPU doesn't want to limit itself to 75 or 87 degrees Celsius and would rather just blow right past it in order to get hard throttled.

 

you are sure on this? haha

might wanna check your thermal paste application? you gpu is clearly overheating

 

Hi guys, I am selling my spare Area 51M because I am in need for some cash and if anyone of you is interested, check this thread out:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/fs-alienware-area-51m.830115/

Shoot me a PM if interested.

 

U may need to repaste your GPU with a better thermal compound or Liquid Metal if ur up for it

How did u get a spare , u bought 2 ?

 

This is a replacement system I got from Dell, they let me keep it and I have no need for it. I am planning to sell both my units and move on to desktops from November.

 

I actually want to sell mine , my Corsair i180 runs circles across the 51M

 

What thermal compound do people recommend?

Otherwise...is it possible to get a refund via RMA or is my only option a replacement?

 

Sent from a Galaxy S9+