M17x R2 full internal cooling mod - huge improvement!

Think I lucked out on my new laptop... Main GPU idle sits around 43-45 and the other is usually 35-38... Gaming I have not seen it hit 70 yet. Quite different from my 260m in my M15X.. I am not even going to bother adding paste or pads to it just yet... Even though I spent about $100 on various size thickness Fujipoly Pads, MX-4, Arctic Silver removal & purifier...

If anything I would think about redoing the CPU it seems to get warmer... but that just might be my 940XM..

 

After the clip mod and TX4 on Ram and GPU core my temps are no more than 70 in furmark but my CPU is hotter than crap still. I have 0.5mm Fujipoly and TX-4 on my CPU.
Are there any CPU mods to get my 920XM down in temp??

 

joker made a retention mod on the cpu heatsink, but be careful - i cracked my cpu with it.
M17x-R2 Wikia Forum • View topic - Retention mod + more on CPU = great temps (at least for me)

 

I upgraded my ThrottleStop from 2.85 to the newest version 2.89 and my temps jumped up like 5C in wPrime and Prime95
either that or the TX-4 somehow made it raise.
I have the 5% +75 in the BIOS and my ThrottleStop at TDP/TDC settings at 80/65 and wPrime 1024M gets to 95C

Is it normal for the first core to be 8-10C more than the other cores?
This is what my RealTemp looks like when stress testing using wPrime1024:
82-81-83-92

 

Sauce, i've got my notepal U3, and as promised, my findings on the cooler. checkout the results i posted in another cooling mod thread.

 

Thanks Alex will check it out

 

here it is. cheers

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...g-mods-done-tx-4-clip-mod-18.html#post6879172

 

If you just do the cooling pads mod, would you void warranty? I thought that re applying TIM was ok to do under warranty. they would not see it anyway if you do it well, right?? just curious, i have done a GPU cooling mod on my M1730 under warranty and they never made a problem about that, they didn't even know or noticed when they replaced the GPU

 

If they do not notice how could it void your warranty?

A person has to say your warranty is void for that to be the case

 

I've got 103 degree on my first GPU with 98% load today and I realize it quite hight temp, how could I cooler it down? My notebook cooler didn't help...

Im thinking of cooling mod, I tried to take my laptop a part but it's not easy as I think lol, Im gonna give it another attempt when I get all parts neccessary coming in to mod

 

Any overclock? What stress testing program are you using?

 

only 5% overclock bios on CPU and everything else default on 2 GPUs, and it was not stress program, I just played bulletstorm for about 30 minutes with maxed out setting, so it was a quite high temp for that game?

 

I believe you should address this issue Djhuydx.

Just to give you some figures. After 3 hours running Crysis Warhead (wich is the game that warmup my cards the most) i get 83 degrees on main card and 76 on slave one. But this are peak temps. they stabilize around 75 degrees after a while. And this is with 775/1000 OC on both cards (OC on memory does nothing for me..)

 

yeah I think so, I had 103 degrees on main card and about 97 degrees on slave one, its real quite high for default running, so should I take it apart and do some mods or call dell first for that overheat...

 

If you've had the laptop for more than a couple of months, and use it regularly for gaming, I can almost guarantee it needs a cleaning. My GPUs at 825/1125/1.06V get to about 82° C when running FurMark. The heatsinks are all hacked to hell, and I have thermal grease on my memory chips with the retention mod. With the level of technical expertise at Dell/Alienware, they probably wouldn't notice any of the mods anyway. Pulling the GPUs is quite easy, just remove the hinge cover (the thing the power button is on), and the keyboard. Seven screws and three ribbon connectors. With as hot as your cards are getting during just normal gaming, I'd say to redo the thermal paste and clean the gunk out of your heatsinks. You can get some AS5 or Ceramique at any office store, or somewhere like RadioShack. Like I said though, it depends on how long since the last cleaning.

 

First thank you guys for useful suggestions,

I just order TX 4 from ebay and wait for it shipping,do I need something else? I tried to take the hinge cover out yesterday to see what happened but no successful lol, it was quite hard, just take out two of screw M2.5XL11 on back side to take that hinge out right?

BTW I had my beast from last august, it's quite a bit long?

 

You're welcome man. Yup, you just pull the two screws on the bottom of the laptop, opposite the hinge cover. I generally start prying with a plastic tool of some sort right by the 'END' key. Remember that there's a ribbon connector to the left of the Alien head too, so be gentle. After that, five tiny screws hold the keyboard on. If it hasn't been cleaned since August, I'll bet there's all kinds of dust, etc., in the heatsink. Two screws hold the GPUs in. After that you can remove the whole GPU/heatsink assembly as a unit and clean it. Also, since the CPU fan pretty much runs non stop, there's probably an equal amount of crap in that heatsink too. All I do to clean that is flip the laptop over and pull the battery and bottom cover. The CPU fan is in the center there. On the fan housing are two very tiny screws. Pull them and the fan cover will come off. Heaven knows what you'll see in there!

 

yeah thanks again for advices man, Im gonna try with CPU fan some hours later and wait for my thermal paste comes and do that with GPUs part

Edit: I took all apart and clean everything, cpu's fan gpu's fan and heat sink,everything seem better, I had 80 degree on main GPU with 97% load and 69 degree on slave card, its all good, watting 4 tx 4 and do some mod, it would be even better I guess...thanks again TurbodTalon

 

Good to hear. How much crap was in there? I did mine yesterday and there was a ton of crap in all three heat sinks. It had only been about two months since I last cleaned it, too.

 

there are a lot of crap thing over there heatsink and fans, lol I didn't think that much,dust cover almost the heatsinks interface

So mod things could make the temp even better, cant wait to do that

 

I tried the CPU retention mod yesterday. Scary. Anyhow, once I had everything buttoned back together, the CPU temps were skyrocketing immediately to 100° C. The CPU would of course throttle, and repeat the process. I was actively adjusting the screws while Prime95 was running. I couldn't get the temps down to save my life. Can't figure out what I did wrong, so I just put it back to normal and pressed on with my life. This is for anyone who was thinking of doing the mod. There are other ways to put more pressure on the CPU die. A couple of thin washers underneath the spring on the retaining screws is what I'm going to pursue next. Maybe even elongating the springs.

 

so you back to original one? you scared me for that, im about to do that mod too

 

Yeah, I'm back to stock. I'm running the hardware store here in a bit to get some washers to put below the springs. It will create more compression without going to the extreme of putting the C-clips on top of the heatsink.

 

Just ordered MX3 and AS5 , gonna do the repasting when the arrives, need to put in my BD drive as well, i'm not gonna do the retention clip mod, might do some washers like TurbodTalon sugests, tho I dunno, I dont wanna undo a lot of stuff in cas I need servicing, so I might only repaste and keep all the rest original

 

I got the CPU retention mod working. It's certainly very effective. I originally did it by moving the c-clip just like the GPU retention mod. I ended up bending the hell out my CPU heatsink. After setting it on a flat surface and pressing firmly on the spot just above the copper pad, it was straight again. This time I went the to the hardware store and got some small washers to place under the springs, like I mentioned earlier. This did the trick, and all of the threads are engaged, just like if there were no mod at all. I didn't like the other way of doing it where only a few threads were engaged. I tweaked the screws until the temps went up sharply, then backed them off until the temperature stabilized again. I'm not quite getting the results that Joker got, but I can go WAY above my original TDP/TDC, and never go above 94° C. I was running at 100 and 90, 25x multiplier. Prime95 for 10 minutes on Torture Test, small FFTs. No notebook cooler. This is a mod anyone can do that is willing to open up their laptop. I suggest the washer method though.

 

Thanks for the tip and your experience insights. Sounds good.
I might try it out next time I get a chance.


Cheers.

 

Thanks Chief. I have to give credit to Joker though. If he hadn't have experimented with it, I never even would have thought to try it. For the small amount of effort involved, there's no reason not to do this next time you repaste your CPU.

 

Good idea with the washer method, it could work better than rearranging the c-clips. I'm about to redo my system's mod because I'm still not happy with my prime95 results. BTW some heatsinks are pretty flat from the factory and if you try the retention mod with it, it may add enough pressure to crush the CPU and/or damage the motherboard. It's happened to some people already so caution is advised when doing the mod.

 

That's right, I remember one of your posts saying that someone toasted their 940 and mobo. Thanks for always pushing the envelope man.

 

Ok, I've now read through all 57 pages of this thread and am ready to try this out!! Want to try the TX-4 stuff that everyone seems to rave on about, but can't seem to get it at all in Australia(without ordering it from US and paying more for shipping than for the actual tube itself!!)

Anyone from australia got a reasonable source for this magic stuff?

 

I honestly don't think there's anything more than a negligible difference between the different types of thermal paste. Get whatever is available near you. Probably AS5 or that Ceramique stuff. Hell, I've even read that you can use toothpaste and still get around the same results. Just get the generic crap. I'm currently using cheese.

 

Nice, lol, +1

I'm using the cheap Dynex thermal paste from best buy since it's easy to get. I might switch to ICDiamond in the future if I can quit being lazy and order. I use the retention mod and it does make a huge differance. I didn't really bend or do anything, but I think when the screws are all the way screwed down, it kinda bends the CPU heatsink so the top center of the cpu die isn't in contact real well with the heat sink. To get my CPU cooled with the retention mod, all I really had to do was loosen all the screws a bit. No bending or anything. So I think having the screws all the way down warps the heatsink, and it becomes ever so slightly arced. I did however do the GPU retention mod, and removed the clips and used them to create added pressure to the CU heatsink retention clips.

 

yep, that was me.. unfortunately...

 

TurbodTalon, do you remember what size washers you bought. I haven't opend up my comp in a little while but im interested in doing this mod and wanted to go get the washers before i opened up the comp again. Also I'm using shin etsu thermal paster do I need to reapply it if I do this mod since I just did a repaste about a month and a half ago. And can you explain where the washers go, I assume its under the heatsink between the heatsink and the mobo?

 

Anyone knows the answers to his questions? I'd like to know exactly the same.

 

Great Work!! I wonder whether it's OK to apply in my M15x ??( have replace 260m with 5870m) Thanks~~

 

The washers were about 1/16" thick. Also remember that the washer must fit around the fat part of the screw, not the threaded part. All it does is force the spring to be slightly more compressed, therefore holding the heatsink onto the CPU die with a bit more force.

 

here got a question, u mean the "mem i/o" temp is not the temp of the GPU core. but the RAM temp? the specific RAM that located beside the core??

hi, I wonder whether it's OK to apply in my M15x ??( have replace 260m with 5870m) Thanks~~

Also wanna know if Icd7 is OK to replace AS5 using on the core?
Thanks so much

Another question( sorry to ask so much in a short time)

seems ash didn't use the full-screen resolution to run furmark.

I've tried, found the temp of Memo I/O will get much higher than a non-full screen resolution.

so , wanna know what temp will be if run a full-screen resolution furmark?

 

I've been running AS5 on my GPU core and memory for a long time now. I got bored this afternoon and took some 1500 grit sandpaper to my GPU heatsinks. Brought the memory and core portions of the sink to a mirror finish and reapplied fresh AS5 to everything. So far I'm running 4°C lower on one card, and 5°C lower on the other. Might just be from adding fresh AS5 to everything, but I don't recall it being that dramatic. Just wanted to let everyone know that it helped, in case anyone else becomes 'bored'.

For comparisons, I'm running 800/1100 @ 1.055v. Back of laptop is propped up with bottle caps. 70°F ambient temperature. FurMark 1.9.0, Burn-in, Xtreme Burn-in, BURN-IN test @ 1920x1200 in full screen mode. 10 minute run. 12fps average.

 

That would be what we call lapping a heatsinks. It is common in desktop enthusiast circles.

 

Yeah, I know brotha! Desktops are where I started. I would have never thought of anything like that on my own.

 

I had thought about doing it on my r1 but was worried about keeping the surface as flat as possible. it is easier to do on tower heatsinks but not so much on something like these GPU heatsinks

 

I've just done repaste with AS5 and MX3 and retention clip mod, that's huge improvement , after 10 mins running with furmark i've got 82 degrees on main card and 72 on salve one, both of them run @810/1200

A little bit ealier with same setting I've got 97/84 for main/salve card

for the salve card, when I'm nearly done repaste on memory chips, MX3 which was I using is gone lol, so I keep one dell original thermal pad on them

For the first time doing that, not bad at all?

Thanks for the guys who made that clearly guide

 

Hey Guys,

I have had my m17xR2 with 2x5870m's for about 6 months now and have been uming and arring about this mod for a while now.

I decided to take the plunge and give it a crack. I used AS5 on the GPU's and MX-3 on the memory chips.

I also did the retention clip mod and attempted to do the ducting mod. I say attempted, because I was a little unsure about how to do it exactly.

Either way, I have taken some before and after screen shots of the temps and also the settings used in Furmark.

Overall I am happy with the results, but it seems to have worked a lot better on the master card than the slave card. I am unsure if I need to reapply the heat sink or whether there is something else at play.

As you can see, in the 'before' screenshot, the primary card is pretty much 100% utilization, however after the mod, the secondary card is at 100% utilization whereas the primary is at about 75%....

Any thoughts on this?

Like a said before though, it is an improvement and the fans take a lot longer to come on. I might even considering clocking the video cards now

I thought I would post a screen shot of my in game temps.

It is good to see that they are lower then before, as I could get from anywhere between 90c-100c

 

I am getting close to those temps while gaming, and I have not done any mod or even repasted.
I use a zalman nc2000 cooler and the highest temp I have seen was while gaming Dirt 2. During the Dirt 2 gameplay my main card peaked 83c on memIO.

I think that the retention clip issue may have been solved by Dell near the end of the production of R2. I bought mine as "M17x classic", so something may have changed from the first to the last models.

+1 for posting the temp readings, now I know that I should not freak out too much at 80+

 

the differences in load of the two card may indeed justify the differences in temperatures between them, try to run something that load them evenly at 100% and see what temperature you have got. Btw, you had really high temperatures under the hood before the mod. Congratz on the result achieved.

 

Thanks The high temps have always been something that I have been unhappy about with this laptop, and now I feel much more comfortable with the operating temps.

As for the Zalman nc2000, I am using NZXT :: Unique. Unprecendented. Inspired - Cryo S Product Detail which is pretty good imo

Sorry, I'm using the NZXT :: Unique. Unprecendented. Inspired - Cryo LX Product Detail

 

Here are my temp readings so you can compare.
I have not modded or changed any cooling paste at all. everything is stock.

View attachment 64757

 

Wow! Very similar to my new temps, even with the secondary reading hotter then the primary!!

I think the stock setup was done poorly by Dell...maybe dodge thermal application, which would explain the high temps....

Basically, i would read about people clocking the cards with stock everything. And with the temps I was getting, there was not way I was going to do that!!

Just thought I would post some more temps.

I clocked both cards via vBios to 800/1100 @ 1.1v

Temps are after running Furmark for 20 minutes.

Very happy with the results, i will leave it like this for a while until I get bored and want more fps

 

Hey guys, my temps are getting a bit high lately (90°C for the master card and 88°C for the slave after 1h of SC2) and I'm thinking about doing this retention mod thing.
I already read countless guides and I feel like I can pull it off somehow (or not...) but the thermal paste choice is bugging me and I need your help.

Here's what I have at home:

-1 syringe of Arctic Cooling MX3 4g
-3 syringes of Shin-Etsu X23-7783D 3g
-1 syringe of Arctic Silver 5

And some Arctic Clean Thermal Material Cleaner & Surface Purifier.

Considering the quality of each paste and the quantities I own, which one is best on the dies and which one is best on the RAM?

The Shin-Etsu is a fantastic product but a such a pain to spread properly and I know the MX3 is a good all rounder, both of them are non-electrically conductive compound.

Please shoot.

Edit: While I'm at it, the CPU is cruising at 65°C under load, should I do something if I want a laptop a bit less noisy?