Alienware M17 R2 Processor problems

After i changed my both gpu thermas paste it become less hoter. Now it only 60 playing gaming, while before was about 80. Then i realise that maybe i shoul change cpu thermal paste. Because after i just turn on my laptop its about 50 degrees hot. It wast so hard to dissasembly my laptop, while dissasembling i watching some tutorials on my acer laptop. I done everything very carefuly. Thermal paste was used V1 IC VALUE COOLER MASTER. I cleaned processor but i think it has left a bit previous thermal paste. Then i added this new paste. After laptop assasembly everything was fine. I checked now its a loot of cooler, only 40 degrees when i surffing network, while before was 50. But then i release that i have one problem, before dissasembly i played some games and everything was fine, now when i try to play something it very laggggged. I cant do anyting. Even ant low setting and with crossfire enabled or disabled same problem. Maybe i messed something with my processor? any ideas?

Hmm maybe there was to mutch thermal paste?
Processor model Intel Core i7 720QM @ 1.60GHz

 

The amount you of thermal paste you apply should be less than a drop the size of a grain of rice, if you think you used more than that, you should go back and re apply, and be sure to clean it properly before you do.

 

Has your temperatures increased now?

Try monitoring with HWinfo. Perhaps post a dump after its been used over time and perhaps after you see the problems.
It is possible to see thermal throtling on HWinfo and also temps on all cores.

 

Explain your methodology of pasting.

 

As Natalia_J explained, all you need is a raindrop/grain of rice drop of thermal paste/TIM. Anything more and it will actually make cooling worse because the heatsink won't have proper contact with the die. Just use like an old credit card or business card and evenly spread it.

 

From my point of view.

He sees lower temps after pasting also the CPU.
Not often will they increase when paste gets hotter and the paste film gets thinner.
Perhaps not all temps has been looked at yet and its throttling like (a dirty word)

But HWinfo could tell him if its needed to pull it apart again or first look for other stuff.
The more times tearing it down, the bigger chance of messing things up.

 

I am back. Hmm i tested with HWinfo but i cant see any errors. And more magic happens, everything worked fine. After 3 laptop restart all games started working normal without any lag. I wonder what happened. Today when i turned on my laptop i realized that my master gpu is overheating because working with AutoCAD 2D it get over 70 degress, dont know what happened, fans working without any problems. After disabling crossfire i cant enable it again, then after few restarts everything back to normal. Now both video cards on AutoCAD about 45, but processor back to 58degrees while in the morning while video card was overheating it was about 40. I really dont know what happening with my laptop. By the way in about two weeks i got two blue screen, its just stopped working. One last thing in HWmonitor on hdd drive icon is red, so i think it has a lot of bad sectors.

 

Check the other temperatures on your gpu.
Could it be bad heatpads making your secondary card go on strike?

Just since youve pasted your GPU's again too.

 

Like i said before my gpu back to normal, but now again all games bacome lagged. Gpu temp ar normals again. And after playing lagged game for 10min i get windows blue screen, it restarted to fas to write down long code, but after restarting some pop up table showed saiying error. Now when i turn on game everything works perfect.

 

It should be possible to monitor a few more temps on the GPU besides the chip in HWinfo. (not only one GPU chip temperatue)

The GPU chip will never see if you have bad cooling on the memory, etc.
The secondary card might not heat the memory unless you run fullscreen picture (i think) making it behave normally when not in fullscreenmode.
This could be why you see it normally after reboot and things have had time to cool and you not yet has started fullscreen mode again.

This is just guessing since you say all your cores in HWinfo are normal and there has been no Thermal throttling.

If you play, and get a problem with the lagging.
Stop playing, and exit to windows, take a screenshot at the HWinfo leaving as many GPU and CPU temperatures as possible in the dump. Also the thermal throttling info.
Put the screendump in here for others to see. My guess is that if you only have one single temp sensor for the GPU in HWinfo, you can get help in here to be able to see more sensors.

 

Sometimes when i start my laptop everything is fine but sometimes all games are lagged. Another interesting thig that when games ar all lagged max gpu temp is about 46degrees. I think there is no thermal throttling because core 0 51c core 1 49c core 2 49c core3 49c. Everything fine if we talking about same. By the way i used more thermal paste than one rice its about 6 times more maybe this is the problem, anyway tomorow i try changing it again. I write what happened after changed thermal paste again.

 

Change your thermal paste to icd7.
Good luck.

 

If your MAX CPU temperature is truly core 0 51c core 1 49c core 2 49c core3 49c when it acts up, then i cant see what you should have CPU problems with thermal throttling. Then again, its the most obvious reason so perhaps you dont see your HWinfo correct. Thermal throttling can cause it to lag. GPU memory to hot can do it too, AND in the end also shut down your computer.

To much paste is not good, but in the end the cooling looks OK from what you tell, and the 720 in normal pace is nowhere near in need of as much cooling as the 920-940's OC'ed.
It even copes with the crappy thick original paste for years, where they put on way to much originally.

Again i ask you. Screendump your WHinfo and make it contain your GPU too as well as the thermal throttling bit for CPU and all CPU temperatures including MAX temp so its possible to give you other help than just say, repaste and repaste again and again.


If you dont want to do that perhaps use this guide and follow every single one step on that guide on PADS, PASTE and more before checking back in. The pads (greenish "tape") is as important as the paste, and my 10 cents is that you have been neglecting them. If you just read your basic GPU and CPU temperatures you will never ever discover if you did a bad job on the pads.


Obviously you dont have to use exactly Shin Etsu, there are many great pastes like icd7, Gelid extreeme2, and many more doing a great job.


But its recomended that you dont use one of the worlds worst pastes when you do all this work, needing you to do it again soon.
It is not much saving in using a crappy paste when it comes to cash.

V1 IC VALUE COOLER MASTER :
test of your paste:

Cooler Master IC Value V1

This is the least-expensive paste from Cooler Master. It's really easy to use, but doesn’t work any better than the random no-name compounds we've tested. While the price is right, performance leaves a lot to be desired. We can only recommend this product for experiments like this one. Fortunately, it's pretty hard to find in the U.S., so there's a good chance you'll never encounter it.

 

Adding 3 print screens, in third photo red line simbolise how mutch thermal paste i used.

 

Well, this looks like a mess, and you shouldnt spread like that. It makes air bubbles. Its not a bathroom floor you cement
Also try to get another Paste, a better one, softer one. If you paste again, follow the video on amount etc etc.

Search on Google on test heatpaste, and then search for the best of those in your area.

Your pictures says nothing about Thermal throttling.

You using Power supply or battery?
All indications looking at your frequencies point towards you not using your PSU or the PSU is broken or not recogniced.
Here is your CPU

You havent got turbo and only two cores running at stock speed as max. (Did you take theese shots after a laggy periode, it doesnt seem like it?)

Your GPU's also indicate battery speed. If you have 2*4870 cards the GPU speed should be 550 MHz, memory speed should be 888 MHz.

If you fix your PSU issues, (if it is that) then you might get a temperature problem since this will make your CPU run way hotter.
Then you have to repaste.

 

I changed thermal paste, but nothing changed. Yeah i using my laptop without battery. But i using it for about one month and i dont have any problems when i using without battery. First i though that turbo boost stopped working, so i tested it with turbo boost monitor, everything was working properly. Adding some photos. In last photo is another problem, i accidently demaged turn on cable, you can see that on third photo. Can this by the reason of lagg?
Hmmm interesting idea about cores, but how that can happened? I didint changed or damaged anything. I take theese shots after i played GRID LAGGED EDITION for about 10min.

 

you are using way way to much.

Look at the description in the link i made earlier.

You might have to buy another power cable.

Is the screendump you made from fresh started computer without the CPU or GPU had been doing anything?

Try making one after the lagging.

 

Someone already told before this is not the problem, because it wont overheating. Yeah i looked at you'r link but i cant find anyhing usefull information. Comput starts without any problems so for now i dont thinking about new power cable. And in the end one more interesting thing. I made screenshot after i worked for about 2hrs AutoCAD and played GRID for 10min. And i even cant use damm windows paint when i choose another font size is stopped working. Somekind of dark magic. I have two 5870m video cards u asked before this question.

 

Omgosh holy crap
The paste is over the edges flooding the components next to core.
It also looks like milk curds...

I would look to do what trome71 says + replace that connector cable too.
Aiiii caramba!

 

I see how that guide could have made you confused. They did apply all over the DIE.


This is not the ricegrain method, but still should be the way to do it on your CPU.
Here are more methods. Look at the amount they use.
This shows more methods and the amount they use

Are you using a groundstrap while playing around in there?


Thing is, if your temps was that good, the paste job would have been good.
BUT this only if your CPU and GPU worked 100% full speed and your temps were like that. Your computer does not run 100% full speed and you might get temperature problems with this messy pastejob when it works 100 % again, but time will show. (if the last paste job was over the top but in spite the sensors shows that it works, then its best not repeating it )

Your HWinfo shows all of your computer is putting on the breaks.
Perhaps run a benchmark test on your computer and check HWinfo again, and read a bit about benchmarking first Perhaps paste screendump in here again.


If you even have 5870's your GPU speed should even have been greater than what i suggested earlier.

It seems you are running a low power sceeme on your computer. (power management)
Either because its set like that by you, or your PSU is a bit bad not giving you enough power, or perhaps not recognized.

MY PSU when it was not recognized powered my computer, but did not charge my battery. (meaning this could power it without the battery too)
BUT all breaks was put on on my system running like you show with your HWinfo.


Try another PSU or check your MOBO power socket if its loose. (you have to open a lot and know what to do if you check that socket)

Do you have the battery?
If so put it in.
If it tries charging it, im probably wrong.(your alienhead changes colour also when turned of)


If not you have a bad PSU or Mobo power socket. (most likely the last)
It should also tell you that you have connected a PSU but it doesnt recognize it if you have a bit of power on the battery and you remove the power plug and re-enter it.
If you have had problems with your battery before and thats why you removed it, its probably because your computer didnt charge it.

 

Maybe i aplied to much thermal paste and it damaget theese little thing near processor? No, i dont have groundstrap. All temps were fine until i changed processor thermal paste. Yeah, before repasting cpu paste my gpu speed was very hight. I mean perfect for gaming. Interesting idea about power management, but i using same charger as before one month. My charger model is FLEXTRONICS Model GA240PE1-00 you can find it on ebay. Maybe you have same charger like mine and maybe you using m17 r2 model? If yes then please make print screen of hwmonitor window. I dont have battery for a while, i am using laptop without battery and before there wasnt any problems.

In hwinfo it says that turbo boost locked, here is print screen. But in intel turbo boost monitor i see that turbo boost is working.

 

I have an R2 but ive another CPU and GPU than you, so speeds are even faster. If i run "tough" programs, HWinfo always indicates my max speed as max speed after its been performing hard both CPU and GPU. Not longer using that PSU, but it is the orignal.

Dont have any HWinfo screendumps here as im not @home, im offshore on my Elitebook 8570P work computer.

Difficult to say whats happening, but whatevver intel turbo boost monitor is saying, if nothing else detects that speed, it probably does not work.

I personally dont thing the spillage should ruin anything, but its worse you not using groundstrap. That is an electronic killer.
Personally i would have cleaned up that thingy since when you fix your "slowness" it could probably become undercooled.

There is someting slowing both the GPU and CPU, probably not your pastejob if you didnt damage anything by accident while touching it or pulling the computer apart.

Do a test of your windows experience index if you dont want to install benchmark. Leave HWinfo logging.

Perhaps install GPUz to check on your GPU's, running two programs, one for each card. Logging clocks to MAX under sensors before the windows experience index check.
See if you find another CPU speed checker if you dont trust HWinfo.

 

HWinfo logging is same like before. Windows index doesnt changed, its same like it was before all this magic start happening. I dont think that i can broke something, except power cable. This is my 4th laptop dissasembly, i done everything like in tutorial. Windows index score is 5.9
Processor: 7.1
Memory 7.4
Grapgics 6.7
Gaming Graphic 6.7
Primary hard disk 5.9

Yeah, i have same idea, something i dont know whay is slowing down my computer.

Edited 18.48

I accidently find out about Stealth mode on alienware. mine never worked, i pressed button but nothing was saying about stealth mode. So i decided that this touch button not working or something like that. I googled a little and found programa on this forum wich inicates stealth mode is on or off. Mine was off. So i turn it on, i know i know it's for saving battery etc, woked like magic dont know why. Now about 5%lag and 95% without any lag games. I think i found problem, something wrong withc power plan but i havnt changed it for about months its always on high performance, but when i am using this plan max procesor cloc is about 400mhz. When i using stealth mode max processor clock is about 1100mhz. One more thing first i turn on stealh mode, gaming work perfect and laptop runs better, when i turn off stealth mode magic start happening. All processor clock changing to max about 2543mhz. But only for 30second, and then back to normnal. In tha 30 second i can play without any lag. Any ideas? Adding 3 pictures,
Without stealth mode on
Stealth mode on
Stealth mode just turned off
After 30s back to first photo.

 

How to set up your stealth mode and what to do about your power profiles would have to be others answering.
I dont have my computer at hand, and i dont use it at all.
Its not even installed.

At least you got somewhere in finding at least one cause of breaks on.

When it runs now it is soon time to be checking your MAX temperatures since this is the first time you add real power to your CPU and GPU's. And if you have Throttling.

 

Sorry for not writting so long, work and other problems.

No i dont have throttling. Before this laptop i had acer aspire laptop, and that laptop had throttling after i played some games on that laptop its get very hot and become lagged. My cpu never goes up more than 55c.This is not max power of my cpu, because i am using stealth mode, with this all 4 processors can overclock to 1000mhz not more. Yuo can see it in hwinfo64. You dont need to install stealh mode, its already in your computer...

 

Did you use Throttlestop and disable BD_Prochot?

It is know that in G73JH that was a pretty common issue with cpu locking at 9x multiplier.

 

Yeah it helped, i think now my laptop back to normal, what does this BD.Prochot do? Why did this happened, i mean before this program i felt like i lost turbo boost or something like that.

 

BD Prochot is a feature that allows other sensors on the motherboard report that the CPU is hot and so it starts to throttle down...
I think its pretty useless feature... since the CPU knows itself when its hot.

 

Yeah it's working, but... Playing Race Driver GRID i got no lagg, but when i turned on medal of honor warfighter i get a lot of lagg. When i truned GPU-Z i realised that i have one more problem D, my max gpu can overlock to 400mhz max, by deff it should be about 1000mhz, while other gpu overlock only to 150mhz. Any ideas?

 

That should be because of stealth mode AFAIK
It disables secondary and allows the primary to run at max 2-nd profile...
Try turning it off.

 

Its turned off i have stealth indicator, downloaded from this forum.

 

Can you download GPU-Z form here, and check what your clocks are when in game and post a screenshot in here?

Also are you using an external monitor?
That can cause the GPU to lock to 500/1000 clocks.

 

If you read the entire thread you will see that his speed is typical of what would be battery speeds.

Not full GPU speed and not full CPU speed.

Could of course have changed by now.

 

He got the CPU running at full speed by disabling BD-Prochot afaik
Now just need to figure out a fix for GPU.

Edit: I've checked the SS's again, and wrom what i see i can say 2 things,
Either your drivers arent installed correctly, (resulting in max 300/400 speeds)
Or your motherboard tells the GPU's to passively cool down (thermal throttling is 300/400 too)

 

Yeah processor works fine. I tested my gpu's with GPU-Z max 400mhz oveclock. Before i messed up with processor everything was fina max overlock was 1000mhz i think. When i playing games max gpu temp 55c and in furmark i stopped seing anything when testing. I mean mhz, temp etc. Disabling crossfire wont helped.

 

Yeah interesting idea, because i am dont have battery. Another thing my alienhead changing colors random every few seconds from main blue to orange and orange in control center means charging, but i dont have battery...

 

Ok, so we can rule out thermal throttling by the card, (could still be problem on the mobo)
Did you try to do a clean install of windows by any chance?

The battery thing is interesting, but it's probably just a bug.

 

Yeah i tried on another hdd, because of processor problems. I dont remember but i test video cards on that hdd. By the way i am using A10 bios

 

Can you test again please?
The BIOS is OK, are you using unlocked one or stock A10?

Instal the chipset driver and GPU driver, then use hwinfo64 to monitor max CPU and GPU speeds and post a screenshot here please.
Something like this:

 

Maybe it's because UPLS is disabled? I dont think so, but suggesting, i tried to enable and disable ULPS didint worked. But when i enable ULPS my crossfire stopped working. I reinstalled video drivers nothing changed. My bios is downloaded from original dell driver website. My processor works fine with trottlestop, but my max gpu overclock 400mhz and max temp 53c i dont think you will see something on ss. But tomorrow i will post it.

 

ULPS should have nothing to do with this, but you can at the last resort try to OC the cards to appropriate clocks (700/1000) using sapphire trixxx.

Ok, thank you. If you have reinstalled the drivers as well i think that the motherboard is slowly going towards hardware heaven
1. thinks it's running from battery insted of AC - explaining the charging light and the clocks lock
or
2. some sensor on the mobo is broken and is thermal throttling both the CPU and GPU down

You can try the unlocked A10 BIOS, but i don't think it'll make any difference.

I'd like you to try to do a power drain, it might help tho

Remova AC and battery... pres and hold power button for 30s, then plug in ac and start it up. (It's a long shot, but might work .....

Ok cool

 

I am going to try using sapphire trixxx , and another method 30s resseting. But i think it has problem with mobo jack or AC charger

 

One more thing, enter bios and make sure that adapter warnings are ON , save and restart.
If your boot stops at POST, it's most likely your AC is bad ...

 

Yeah i knew this before. I disabled warnings, because i googled abuot my ac charger and its not bad. I mean it worked fine one month after that magic started happening. Hmmm cant it be that i wont get enoug energy from my charger? Look i found another thing on google " BY Default, the ALienware M17x
switches to Power Saver when it
is unplugged (ATi Catalyst
automatically switches). It may be
a power issue but if M_706 has the
5870M, then flashing the VBIOS will most likely fix this "

 

If you enable power warnings, do you get a warning on next startup?...

I can get you 5870M vBios if you want, but if it's adapter problem it wont help...

 

Yeah, it says that adapter isnt supported. But it worked fine for one month.

 

Well then, that is the reason for all of this xD...
Try to get a new adapter to test if it's adapter dying or the motherboard :/

 

Well as I mentioned to you before.
Knowing this is R17r2 it is highly likely it is the socket for the AC adapter on the MOBO messing up for you.

 

What if i change adapter? Maybe it will fix it?

 

Off course.
If you swap and problem still exists you might have to get to the connector and solder the pins or change the connector.