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

You're not giving enough information. What are your temps? Are you live monitoring your system while playing a game? WOW can run on integrated graphics so 160 fps is not very high. What other games have you tested? Are both the 330w and 180w psus plugged in?

 

The laptop is designed to suck air through the top vents under the screen. Air is routed through the back of the GPU, the heatsink is very functional and necessary on the RTX 2080.

Not the first one here that has found his RTX 2080 without the heatsink.

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sorry, both psu are plugged in. 160+ on ultra settings is high to be fair, I can get a lot higher by dropping below level 10 but was just an example really. Monitoring temperatures, GPU is hitting 79C after about 5 minutes. Thus, throttling

 

Did you try to set another fan profile on AWCC? Maybe you are playing on lowest profile fan thus the high temperature and throttling. When i play i set my fan on performance mode.

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it is on performance mode. I have also used AWCC to set the GPU to minimum reduced voltage and frequency and it still throttles.

I have tried using the techniques in the undervolting on the other thread in the forum and I didn’t understand it fully but I think I changed it and it still throttles. As I said in my first post, I don’t think I should need to do this to overcome the limitation Alienware have added. But I appreciate the pointers as I do like the laptop

As I said, I am trying to understand if it is returned, whether the RTX 2070 throttles in the same way? And what power drop is there for this and a different processor

 

This is the issue. You can downgrade to 1.5.0 to get full performance.

OR you can also go down to 1.6.2 and use something like GPUTweak to raise the limit.

I'm assuming you're on 1.7.3 or w/e the latest one is.

I think if most of us here messaged AW or Umar on twitter regarding this issue, it might get somewhere. The throttle is way to aggressive and should be only a couple hundred Mhz at max.

 

it came with 1.7.3 and from reading more in the thread I checked and it has the newer screen than needs that version to be able to use Gsync

okay, there are solutions but that involves reversing bios and foregoing any security and bug fix issues those lack or trying to tweak by undervolt or similar

okay, my 14day is tomorrow so I requested a return today so I should be in time. I could try for a lower spec but to be honest thinking about it I am going to lot just go for a desktop. The Aurora seem powerful and of a similar price for much more power. Unless I find those have issues too

I wonder how many returns they have had due to this

 

I think 1.6.2 will retain G-SYNC for you and that BIOS should be able to sustain load using GPUTweak.

You can try 2070 model, I don't know if anyone here reported issues with that card.

Aurora should perform fine but you lose the portability factor so really depends on what you are going for.

Me, @S.K @EepoSaurus and many others are enjoying the laptop with 1.5.0 or 1.3.2 BIOS. I am sure 1.6.2 with GPUTweak is the last BIOS that supports all newer panels and still can retain performance.

In 1.7.3 they messed something up and causes a very hard throttle at 80C.

I can play up to 87C full performance but like you said it requires downgrading. I don't think 1.7.3 or 1.6.2 has any better security than 1.5.0 to be honest.

 

Any idea what the throttle limit was in 1.6.2, I might try going to that from 1.7.3 if the limit is better than the current 75c and still retains G-Sync.

 

I think it's similar to the newer BIOS just not as bad. However, that BIOS should allow you to do this:

 

thanks for the info. I think given I have so limited return time it will go back. Maybe in the future they will fix this but given how long I have seen the problem reported from this thread I don’t hold out hope. Given they ship with 2666 and they throttle that too it just makes me think time to address isn’t going to be quick

 

Guys,

I have not been around in several weeks and need to see if you have any idea on my issue?

I noticed today that my gtx 2080 is missing from device manager, only Intel shows for display adapter.

So I restored from a backup and 2080 was back, but after window updates and reboot, its gone again, can't install driver for card since card is not seen. And I am not using external monitor so the 2080 has to be slightly working I would think or I would have no video?

Glad I got 4 year premium support, guess I will call them in the morning.

Thanks and hope everyone has been doing well.

 

Open device manager, go to system devices and look for the PCIE 16x something device, right click and click update drivers. Also update de 8x one. The 2080 will be redetected right away.

The updated device should say the word “Xeon” in it. If it does, you’re good.

Nvidia driver update caused this, this fixes it. Update Nvidia drivers again too!

 

Yep this worked! Thanks for the fast response!

 

Thermal throttling and power throttling is a thing on all laptops and desktops. It depends on what is your commitment to tinkering, but you will face similar issues on any device.

Also, some newer laptops from other brands have 75°C thermal limit. Aside from all the issues Dell faced, this limit might be imposed by nVidia.

The problem is that when you raise the temperature limit, instead of controlling the frequency upon reaching the limit (like when it reaches the stock temp limit), the GPU goes to 50W power mode until it hits 50°C. Really this should be more controlled.

 

Yes that is a big issue, but is this issue also present on 1.5.4 and 1.6.2? I've only tested 1.7.3 after 1.5.0 so if the previous firmwares have a different style limit it can be worked around with GPUTweak

 

So I was opening to test components to see which are better from the 2 machines I have here, old one dead (because of bios update and forced by dell advisor)

oh btw, the old panel is LG with no light bleeding compared to the new one chu Mei? That had a lot of light bleeding.

but the new one have the trackpad working better than the old one, and the new one have the DisplayPort working properly when in the old one was not working.

anyway, opened and one thing I noticed is the old heatsink looks more clean compared to the new one, the new one have the pipes little more crocked and slightly separated, also have drops of paints on it, and the welding it’s quite chunky in one side, in the old one in the gpu part it said tz-2, and in the new one it said tz-1, no idea what it means. Also the pipes in the new one end 1mm shorter compared to the old one.

overall I think I gonna keep the old one.

 

How I can set trackpad lighting always on ? No such option in awcc

 

you can change it in Bios settings.

 

Hey guys, yesterday my monitor had this strange colour problem, after restart everything was fine, but I am worried that my graphic card is damaged. What do you think, should i send it in?

 

The pattern looks exactly like the Space Invader issue with the RTX 2080 cards, so odds are very high that it's a bad GPU. I'd contact support.

Or the the issue might be caused because you installed fortnite

In all seriousness, you should have premium next business day warranty the 1st year for sure. So let them come and fix it.

 

Ive recently purchased the 2070 version with the 8700 (from Dell Outlet).

It has the latest BIOS version and the GPU seems to thermal throttle at 75 degrees when playing AC Odyssey on max setting. This is with Balanced fan profile.
Which BIOS versions don’t throttle the GPU at 75 degrees?

Also, does anyone else have a trackpad issue where you can’t two finger scroll inside the windows start menu? Scrolling inside the web browser is also slower. The trackpad seems fine otherwise. Not sure if this is a windows issue?

Also the laptop was listed as coming with GSync however there are no GSync options in the NVidia control panel so I think this was an error - Is Dell likely to sort this for me or will I have to return it for a refund instead?

Thanks

 

All the BIOS' after 1.5.0 had a throttle limit of 75c-80c applied. Pretty sure its 75c on most devices.

You can roll back to 1.5.0, however, if you have the Chi Mei panel, you will lose G-Sync abilities if you downgrade. Which leads to your next question, if your invoice states you have G-Sync and it's not there, then Dell should replace/fix this for you.

 

Thx a lot and yeah I know everyone hates Fortnite, but it is quiet fun to play it with friends

 

This has been answered elsewhere that all bios throttle after 1.5.0 but you have also answered my question as to whether a lower spec GPU would be better and the answer is no, they all throttle

this is all so disappointing that the capabilities they offer are crippled out of the box due to the hardware not being able to cope. I understand the reasons but it makes me wonder if the laptop needs a rethink/redesign when sold to people like myself who don’t feel comfortable tweaking in this way

 

Quick question - noticed I was getting power and thermal throttling (as reported by both GPU-z and MSI Afterburner) while idling in the windows desktop, and while playing games. Temps never exceeded 50 degrees, and in some cases I was getting the throttling at 40 degrees.
Rolled back nvidia drivers from 441.08 to 436.48 and it seems to have stopped.
Has anyone else experienced this? Is anyone interested in upgrading to the latest and "greatest" to see if this is an nvidia issue?

 

My last driver update was about a week ago, so not sure if its the same one. I will check later though and let you know which driver I'm on. As yet I haven't observed throttling at those temps and I was doing some light last night hovering between 45-65c.

 

Mine (ordered late september) is also a TZ-1 marked heatsink, but there are no soldering spills allover. Gaps between pipes seem to be smaller. My guess is that the guy making your heatsink had a bad day.

I would keep eye on this issue, but your GPU might be on its last legs. RTX cards are notorious for these issues.

Sometimes Alienware Control Center doesn't release the GPU from its low power limit of 50W with two power supplies connected. Disconect and connect one power supply if this happens.

 

This guys overclocking their videocards and rises temp limits while card may not having vrm radiator
And then Hey i have some strange problems with my monitor can you help me pleez

 

Bios v1.62

I doub't it. More the ODM. Dell does exactly the same with their XPS models.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/ASUS-...iew-A-high-end-old-school-gamer.436944.0.html


https://www.notebookcheck.net/MSI-GT76-9SG-Laptop-Review-The-Titan-of-Gaming-Laptops.425043.0.html

Yeah, on it's way to hardware heaven.

 

I was looking to replace my msi gt73vr 7rf with a a51m with a rtx2080. I want a laptop that plays the latest games with performance to spare. I just want a simple to use laptop that's going to run as it should. After reading about so much thermal throttling would you recommend this laptop. I will only be gaming.
I've never really tweaked laptops I just expect them to run with the performance you pay for.

So with the latest bios updates and such is this worth the 3.7k I'm going to spend?

Any user reviews or input would be greatly appreciated as it's a lot of money and a decent investment for me which I hope will last 2 to 3 years

Thank you

 

Mine is going back due to the throttling. I also specced a more powerful Aurora with monitor for less than the price. So for me it wasn’t worth it. I also noticed done light bleed at the bottom of the screen. As others have been able to tweak it to work I would say it could be what you want but will take some alterations from standard

You can always return it if it really isn’t what you want

oh, you should also easily be able to get at least 15% discount if you haven’t already.

 

Has anyone encountered an issue where you are unable to scroll with the track pad inside the Windows Start Menu?

If I reinstall the trackpad driver through Device Manager (update driver, "browse my computer for driver software", "let me pick from a list of available". It then lists 4 drivers, I can select either of the 19.5.17.11 or 19.5.17.13 version driver).

Once the driver is reinstalled I can scroll inside the Windows Start Menu again, but as soon as I restart or shut down and boot up again, the trackpad scroll stops working. I have to repeat the driver reinstall to fix it, which means its only a temporary fix.

Also, when the trackpad scroll isnt working, If I try and scroll in the windows start mentu, when I try and scroll up it inserts a "9", if I scroll down it inserts a "3" into the search box. Bizzare.

Someone must have encountered this same issue? If so, how did you resolve it?

Thanks,

 

Yup! Not driver related, this is actually caused by Tobii (as silly as that may sound, I was amazed and disappointed...)

Go into Tobii and it’s one of the experience/mouse options, once you turn it off (try each one, one at a time, to determine which is causing it) you’ll be able to scroll the start menu.

Amazingly stupid if you ask me... lol.

You did right by asking. It took me a while to figure out.

Let me know if this works!

 

Thank you!!

That worked. It was ""Scroll at gaze" that was causing the problem.
I dont think I would ever have thought to check Tobii.

Much appreciated!

 

Can anyone else hear their motherboard make very faint sounds when it's quiet? Not coil whine or fans or anything like that. Reminds me of an old computer making light buzzing noises, but it's super quiet. Pretty much any other sound drowns it out (even my mouse clicking). Maybe the reason I can hear it is because literally in front of my face compared to a desktop on the ground. Sounds like it could be coming from the back, maybe PSU? It still makes the sound when unplugged, but its less frequent and quieter.

 

Getting some very satisfying results here on my HP with the Alienware Area 51m Vbios after a CASUAL +1400MHz overclock on the VRAM, samsung really is the best :

 

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Don't know if it still happens but you can also fix the screen dimming after a short time of inactivity (like 10 seconds) in those same settings. Use to drive me nuts. Personally I've had Tobii disabled from day one.

 

Hi
I’m new here, can you explain a bit more on the short forms?
LM? IHS? I figured hs should be heatsink but the rest I have no clue at all
I just ordered my 9900k+2080m
And ordered gc thermal pads and other compound as well
But starting to worry because so many people here said their machine can’t handle the heat?
I got my Alienware m17r2 for like 7years, this one probably I will have to use 5 years as well so would really want it to last...

 

I have a 2070 + 9700, no undervolting yet, I always do this in BIOS and I don't think there's a BIOS way for the a51m .

I get no throttling even after 1hr of stress test (FurMark + RealBench).
Max CPU temp: 92c (might have throttled but not while I was observing)
Max GPU temp: 79c (might have throttled but not while I was observing)
Ambient temp: 23c
TimeSpy score (all default options): 7926 (max GPU was 72c)

I haven't done anything to my a51m yet, still haven't even reinstalled Windows which is something I usually do in the 1st hour.

Solder looks better on the new one... sure it's not as clean, but it has more mass. If I was sending it to space I would want less mass, but for a heat sink more mass is better.

 

Welcome! Without seeing the context in which they are written I will give them both a shot. LM = Liquid Metal and IHS = Integrated Heat Spreader/Sink.

By repasting and re-padding (which it looks like you are planning) coupled with an undervolt via XTU/ThrottleStop, you should be fine. Obviously, all CPUs are different but most here have had success with these steps.

If you plan on playing GPU intensive games you are likely to find that the BIOS (anything above 1.5.0) will limit/throttle the GPU to 75c. You can overcome this by downgrading the BIOS using the guide below, however, if you have G-Sync and the new Chi Mei panel, you will lose the G-Sync functionality going to any BIOS before 1.6.2 (I could be wrong on the actual version where the ability is lost).

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...ny-alienware-to-locked-lower-versions.829542/

I'm hopeful it will last you the full 5+ years, although there have been a number of 2080s burnout on this model. The failure rate, from what I can see on forums and such seems to have slowed, albeit I'd recommended getting the longest warranty you can afford to be sure you get the full term from it or a replacement in the future should the 2080 fail.

Hope this helps.

 

Yup, mine sounds like it was a CD/DVD drive in it

 

IHS = integrated heat spreader (the metal exterior lid of a CPU’s processor)

LM is liquid metal thermal compound in a liquid form that is highly conductive. It has the best thermal performance but takes some skill to apply safely. I personally use Gelid Extreme or ICD7.

 

I will write big post about it later after work
Shortly
DONT BUY Area-51m !
I bought my unit at 24 October.
It does not have vrm heatspreader for videocard! It will cause vrm burn out! I send message to dell and they answered "we dont have vrm heatsink upgrade option, videocard without heatsink must be capable to handle load". Aha how many 2080 without vrm heatsink did you see guys? Alive - no one.
This is nothing more than provoking breakdowns by dell itself. Even vrm heatsink cant save you from fried videocard because there is no airflow or heatpipe for it.
Another thing with my unit was poor tightening of 2 out of 3 screws that holds the pressure cap of cpu. It causes very bad contact between cpu and heatpites plate - quick overheating to 100C while the fans do not have time to accelerate, even when fans run at max they cant help cpu because of poor heat transfer. But this is a solvable problem.
The problem with missing vrm radiator for videocard is DANGEROUS. You cant apply load to videocard because it will die.

 

Okay good, just wanted to be sure it's not just me.

 

There is ventilation on the back of the GPU, but the heatsinks are totally needed on the RTX 2080.



The problem with Dell customer service is that they are not freaks that know everything of this device, and they only will tell you what the computer they have will show them. Reply to a representative by email and send him this picture, and picture about burned out RTX 2080s.



If they still don't want to listen to you, well, guess they earned a burned out A51m.

 

there is NO ventilation. because there are NO holes. Its just decorative grille without holes. Seems like you dont have area-51m.

What representative? I replied to their dell-community forum, they asked servce id of my laptop, checked it and answered like: "Thats ok. We dont have this vrm radiators as separate upgrade so rtx2080 does not need it. Just let it become fried. Do you have any more questions?"

 

The grille is real. The fans suck air thought the top as well from the bottom.



The Dell community forum is not the way to go. You need to talk to a representative through the support phone number.

I would also suggest you calm down. I'm not whom you should pay of your frustration with.

 

Yikes, where do I begin? I'm about to document my experience with Dell from start to ... not even close to finished yet. All facts, no fiction, no exaggeration, I will time stamp all relevant events.

March 2019 I buy an Alienware machine for my business - Alienware 51m - The reason being it has desktop parts inside a portable laptop which I can carry around in a bag, I was sold. On the phone, I asked the sales advisor how I could make it slightly cheaper and he mentioned some adjustments to warranty but wasn't clear. Laptop ordered.

Once the laptop arrived it was fine for around 1 month but started to show some signs of issues. CPU would reach 100.c would throttle below the minimum base clock (9900k) and I wasn't able to carry out the purpose of my job - Freelance 3d Animator and owner of a large online marketplace.

I tried to get Dell to replace or fix the machine in my home but it turned out the sale advisor had downgraded my warranty to depot warranty. This meant waiting on my machine to be sent off which would take 3 weeks ( death sentence to my job) I pleaded but to no avail. Asked for a goodwill fix, Even asked for a fee to fix but was told I had to upgrade my warranty which would cost an additional £300 or I could send it back and wait 3 weeks. Bare in mind I saved approx £30 off the base price for the downgrade in warranty. Pleaded again no avail. I was given 2 options, send it back and wait or deal with it. Because of the nature of my business, I dealt with it.

Several months passed not being able to do much, laptop constantly overheating, GPU was taking 5x longer than normal to render frames in Blender (Application I use) The screen developed a stuck pixel. Alienware's policy states a zero-tolerance on stuck pixels so I pushed for a repair in my home and my argument was that I had suffered for months with an overheating laptop and now had a stuck pixel, could they please just fix it. I was given 1 option, send it back and wait 3 weeks. After a lot of pleading, they agreed to give me a refund.

8th of October 2019 I was notified that the refund had been initiated.

I replaced my machine with capital funds, which the refund would cover and also replace my bank account.

10 working days later, no refund.

Contacted Dell and was told there was a glitch ( I had to find this out myself)

I notified Dell they were in breach of contract on the 23rd of October 2019 and had 14 days to give me back my refund.

Was told the refund was initiated again on the 23rd October 2019

It is now 9 working days later and no refund. In 1 days time, they will have breached the time I gave them to reasonably give me back my refund.

I have contacted Dell UK yesterday (16:00 04/11/2019) and they informed me there is a delay on the refund... How can there be a delay a 2nd time?!

I am now in a really awful situation where once the rent goes out of my bank tonight I will be left with £19 in my bank account. They owe me almost £3000 and if they had given it back to me in a timely manner this would not even be an issue.

I do not know what to do now, I am not in a financial position to be able to afford to sue them even though I was told by the Citizens Advice Bureau I could effectively sue for loss of earnings amongst other things due to the contract breach.

They have not only breached that but are about to breach the time given to them to reasonable give me back the money when I informed them.

 

This whole "there is no heat sink/spreader for the gpu" is BS! I have a 2070 in my a51 and I was able to get a heat sink for the under side of that GPU from Dell and install it myself. It is true that the rep you get on the phone may not be able to find it immediately. It did take the rep I had 5 minutes to find it in thier system. He shipped it to me for free.

Also it would be nice if the poster of the information that there are no vents to vent heat from that heat sink would get thier information straight. Because there is clearly vents that do this thanks to pictures posted here that show that there are vents for that.

What is up with these people? I guess they are just not that well informed.