Alienware 17 i7-4700MQ and 780M Heat Issues

Hey guys,

Sorry if I adding to the masses of heating issue posts but I did some research of the problem and what I have to do but I want to ask you guys.

I have a Alienware 17 with an i7-4700MQ and GTX 780M which I preordered at launch. It's been a little over a year now and I'm noticing the fan going off all the time and the temperatures being really high on idle, light office work, and gaming.

Here are some of the temps using HWMonitor:

CPU cores on idle: around 60-65 degrees
CPU cores with browsing, youtube, office work: 76-82 degrees
CPU cores while gaming: 85-93 degrees

GPU on idle: around 63-65 degrees
GPU while gaming: 85-93 degrees (with random lag spikes in game like being at 60fps then dropping to 20 for about 10 seconds and going back up)

Im pretty sure these temps aren't normal. I checked with a flashlight through the grill for any dust and i see very little on the fans. I'm suspecting the real cause to be Dell's thermal paste job. I brought Artic Silver 5 and I am planning on applying it this weekend to the CPU and GPU. So can anyone give any input on this issue or what else I can do?

Thanks!

 

These are definetly not normal temps.. I personally would return the AS-5 and get a better thermal paste as As-5 won't be good enough,,, Something like Gelid GC Exreme is what you need... Definetly do the repaste.. Also if you have warranty, call Alienware and have them replace the fan as it may be faulty... Also not harm in asking for the CPU+GPU heatsinks to be replaced...

 

From your post it sounds like you didn't actually remove the bottom panel and look at the heat exchangers. It is there that the dust accumulates and reduces the air flow.

I strongly suggest you remove the bottom panel and have a look. Also while you are there do a re-paste. I used AS-5 the last time I did a re-paste because it was the only paste I had available and it works quite well. As Tom points out though there are better pastes out there but if you have the AS-5 try it and see how it works for you.

 

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll try with the AS-5 and see if there is any improvement and then try more high performance pastes. Unfortunately my warranty ended a few months ago and the problems started just recently.

 

I didn't remove the panel. I'm too busy so I have to wait till this weekend to actually open up the cover and clean dust and repaste. I forgot about the heat exchangers so thanks for reminding me. Also, how much AS-5 did you use? I read that pea size is the best but I also heard the AS-5 doesn't spread as easily and that more should be applied.

 

I used about twice a grain of rice. It will spread and you don't want to use too much. Don't be mislead by how much is there originally because I think the stuff Dell uses is pretty thick. If you are in doubt do a trial run with a smaller amount and reinstall the heatsinks and then pull them off again and see that you have full coverage.

When you know how much you are going to use then clean both surfaces again and apply the paste as a ball to the centre of the GPU / CPU and then fit the heatsink trying to not move it side to side too much. When you clean the heatsink and chip I always use an old credit card. That way you can't damage the mating surface.

The job is not difficult just take your time and treat everything with a lot of respect.

 

Got it. Thanks!

 

It just needs a re-paste. Don't be alarmed.

 

Just be careful with AS5 as it is capacitive, newer pastes like ic diamond do very well without a long cure time and do not impact electronics if you get it somewhere.

 

It is smart and warm up the pasta to 50-55 degrees Celsius just before application. It gets a bit softer and squeezed out a lot easier. Wrap the pasta in a bag and put it in a cup of warm water. This is especially important with a thick thermal grease. :hi2:

 

I have the same configuration like yours i7 4700mq and gtx 780m , I recomand it to repaste with CLU -coolaboratory ultra paste,
my idle cpu is 42c
browsing 50
my max cpu is 71c

my idle gpu is 29c
browsing 0, using hd 4600
my max gpu is 61c
...and I have it for 2 months and best temps ever.

 

Sounds like a good idea. I will definitely do that. :thumbsup:

 

Thanks for confirming that my temps aren't normal. Max GPU 61 degrees is really good.

 

max gpu temp is during cs go and grid 2 ...all day working...during 3dmark 71c

 

Don't forget to tell us how you go on the weekend.

 

Actually I had some time today and did it. Overall much better improvements with the AS-5 I had lying around.

CPU on idle is now 40-45 degrees (10-15 degree improvement)
CPU browsing is around 50 degrees ( 25-35 degree improvement)
CPU while gaming went to about 61 (only a few mins on assetto corsa need to play more to get more accurate results) (20-35 degree improvement)

GPU on idle is around 50-52 degrees (13-15 degree improvement)
GPU while gaming only went to around 72 (again I only a short test) (13-25 degree improvement)

Overall I am really happy with the improvements with only a quick paste job. Fan is now really quite and doesn't keep turning on during browsing. I paste that Dell put on was all dried up and burnt. Also there was some dust accumulation on the fans and a huge block of dust in between the fan and the heat sink for the CPU. I realized that this may be because I am now in a college dorm that is REALLY dusty compared to my home.

Thanks for the advice guys I really appreciate it! I am going to order a Notepal U3 Cooling Pad soon to further help the cooling and maybe in a few months I will clean out the fans again and apply better paste (IC Diamond).

 

I love a story that has a happy ending. Good luck to you.

 

Yes and thank you!