*OFFICIAL* Alienware 17 Ranger (2013) Owner's Lounge Thread

I've tried reseating the flex ribbons and all that i've tested the video card in my second aw17 and it works fine i haven't tried my display on it tho. I really don't want to

 

Greetings. My new 880m was arrived. I've bought it from Woodzstack and i thanks to him. The installation was extremly easy and it was a plug and play. But the card runs slow. Only 1.900 in FireStrike, also the games are slow. I've checked the clock and it reach correctly the 954Mhz. The temp doesn't go over 62°C (very good). I have the 240w PSU. NVidia driver are 368.71. So, any idea?

 

which firestrike, show us a link to the firestrike please.

 

Sorry, here the link: http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/14322292

The GPU seems ok. Also i have 120Hz and 3D screen so Optimus is factory disabled.

Update: following Woodzstack's suggestion, i've clean the fan and heatsink CPU. There was lot of dust between them! There aren't no way for the air to reach the CPU. Now my CPU's went down about 20°C, but the score is always low: 2.300 ( http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/14323568)

 

lol WTF 20C difference that is insane. Anyways - now you need to get things running properly, if the CPU now does not throttle. First get it to at least a stable 3.7Ghz all cores through using XTU and adding proper voltage.

Also - what version of windows are you on ?

I also notice now your physics score is tripled what it was before - and if you look your GPU score value went up as well, almost doubled.

Course now we got to figure out what version of windows your on, then get you using the right driver. newer drivers will gimp your card because that is now NVidia works. It's how they make you think thier newer cards are faster, by making older cards slower due to drivers crippling them, so you need a 344.75 driver from mr.Fox probably (guessing your on win 7), if your not on windows 7 then you have few options for drivers. some will work good some will not. when the driver works good it will get you double your score easily.

EDIT kay forget that windows 7 crap i realise my mistake in that... so windows 8 or 10 right ?
You will have to find the driver that works for you, but of course fix your system up first. get your RAM going to CAS 9 at 1600 all SoDimms and your CPU voltage to like 1.3v and 3.7Ghz all cores.

Then go into nvidia control panel and go to manage , and check the settings for pow management and v-sync and select prefer maximum performance and disabled on v-sync, then also enabled/force threaded optimization. Also prefer /force single display performance mode. Pretty much for Asx16 and texture quality to : VERY HIGH and the rest is flavour. If you don't set these this way, you might not be maximising your graphics card. There are other options too but they will impact performance and should be only tweaked really based on what application your using.

 

Actually i have Windows 10 with latest NVidia drivers (372.54). But i think it's strange that the drivers drop from 6.000 to 2.000 score at FireStrike. On my HDD i also have downloaded the 359.00 or the 332.xx (stock version) ready to install. But i wanna try the drivers downgrade as last option.

Maybe something put the pc in safe mode when it has run hot? Now i have to manually turn on something? I've searched into BIOS but there are anything about Turbo on/off.

Update: i've reverted to 332.xx Nvidia drivers. Downloaded directly from Dell's site. The score is bad: 1.998
Now i've lost my hope

Update 2: re-installed Nvidia drivers from zero, used DDU. Nothing change Actually i have 359.00 version.

 

Ok i've made a clean Windows 10 installation.

1. Only Windows 10
2. made Windows update
3. 880m drivers installed by Windows update.
4. Download 3D Mark from Steam.
5. Run FireStrike...SAME PROBLEM! Extremly slow.

It's the END. I have no idea.

@woodzstack: i've check Nvidia settings you said this morning. I check again after clean installation.

 

you shouldn't have needed to clean install as the drivers from the 860m should have detected your 880m.


And I finally got the AW17 working that i got as a parts machine. 3 ribbon cables a card reader board, touchpad board (thank you hunteroo) and an lvds cable now i have a beast of a secondary machine

 

Hi guys. Actually I have into BIOS – Performance the Turbo enabled but Overclock disabled. Is it normal? I mean, the Aw17 R1 comes out from factory with Overclock disabled? Or it was disabled due to CPU overheat two days ago?

 

Don't ever use those OC settings, They crank up too much voltage. Truly retarded junk, If you are Interested in OCing have a look at Throttlestop thread (A lot of info there..)

 

I've turned off my oc and agree with ash leave the oc off

 

Ok solved. The problem is the 240 PSU. Fortunately i have 860m and 880m with 180 and 240 PSU, so i made some tryies.

With 240 PSU:
860m lose 25% performance
880m lose 50% performance.

With 180 PSU:
860m works as espected.
880m didn't tested cause 180 is not enough.

So now i have to buy a new 240 PSU, mine is an used one, maybe it was semi-broken when i bought it.

But if is the PSU broken, why the AW17 doesn't perform correctly in battery mode? I plugged PSU (broken), start 3D Mark, it runs slow, i unplug PSU and it still runs slow.

 

Try this: shutdown, disconnect PSU and do a cold start, which means no fast-boot, fast startup and other such shenanigans (you could also simply remove and re-attach battery, since that will ensure a cold start as well). Result might be that it runs as expected on battery then and if so then it's a psu identification problem (whitelisting in bios).

 

Ok t456, i'll try your suggestion, but actually the 240 PSU is recognized as 240W into BIOS (First page).

 

Rather than the PSU I would check the battery ware.. The battery inside your laptop might be almost dead, that why all the performance issues.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

I've just tried the t456 suggestion and doesn't work. I disconnected the battery cable and then make a 3D Mark test.

With 180W PSU it score: 2900 about
With battery it score: 2400 about

 

sounds like battery is the problem

 

Here what said HWMonitor about my battery.

 

Mmm wears level seems ok for me.. Maybe somebody disagree?

 

EDITED -
Alienware and all the high TDP (DTR- desktop replacement) machines can't run properly off the 8Cell or 9Cell batteries afaik, You must need a PSU for maximum performance. Don't worry about it It's been always this way.

Else you got this Optimus which is better in this case since the IntelHD is enough to run off battery but remember that Optimus load the CPU pipeline too much by putting high temps onto the Hot Haswell CPU architecture so not much worth if you ask me but helps out with portability and light processing and workloads can give you fair amount of battery backup, Don't game with Optimus mode use it only when u unplug the PSU.

As for the PSU look for NBR marketplace for OEM original PSUs and Get one from Dell if you can't manage, Yeah they will be expensive but they are worth since 100% genuine stuff, I had to get a 330W PSU to be safe on every aspect since the 240 PSU can't provide juice to Overclocked 4910MQ -4930MX and 980M, yeah I don't OC but the 330W is super ample for my current setup so less load on the PSU = more life on the PSU.

Also snag a battery from Dell soon, they have Simplo ones in stock, check the part no from the OP, expect them to have atleas 1-3% wear on them because they might be holding in the shelves and even un plugging the Battery causes deterioration overtime.

Remember to use the Desktop mode by rt clicking the battery icon given that you have the Alienware OSD installed. After 100% charged the battery should say " Fully Charged" not " 100%, plugged in charging". Since the Alienware computers / real DTRs use the PSU power / AC line instead of bogging down the battery and destroying the battery life and performance like the new retarded AW / old MSI machines..You can check it from the HWinfo or AIDA64 graph, Alienware computers until 2013 are built like a tank and taking good care of them would grant you many years of love.

Here's the shot from my Alienware 17 with the AIDA64 -> Imgur

One more thing you can check is remove the batteryand get the new PSU and run it and compare it with plugging in the battery and the new PSU = same scores (try it both new and old batteries by this you can check if the old battery is having issue )

P.S - fun times - I remember my M15x the old AW batteries had this gauge to check the wear and power level this lasted until the M17x R4 which was superb subtle and coolest feature also had this stealth option to run off a downclocked GPU mode which was cool though but I had the 260M which was the super flawed MXM card ever made by nvidia, 4 cards died in my hands and Dell won't let me get a 4870M or 5870M cards. And ultimately she died in 2013, back then I didn't knew much..Loved that machine tho.

 

i need some help if possible guys

i have AW 17 R1 Win 8.1 980m on 358.91(upgraded from 780 and i still have it) .. i need to update the driver to be able to play some recent games like BF1 Beta
i read about the windows 10 problem and about the precision X i dont use it anyway

- is there a confirmed way to upgrade to win 10 without the bricking problem ?
- also what is the latest good driver for windows 8.1 ? and do i need to flash any bios ?

and honestly i am thinking of selling the alienware and end the struggle .

 

Do you refer to screen brick problem? If yes, i have 120Hz screen with Windows 10, and no matter at all. I never used Precision X.

 

For drivers refer to this Techinferno Aftermarket driver thread, and For the stability and performance have look at this subforum's - Graphic card and software with threads on Nvidia driver updates, because drivers these days are un-reliable, I'm using the one from the same thread but It was released for Pascal Titan X and works like a charm with J95 INF mod.

For Win10, You can install the Win10 TH2 1511 release / 10586 that's 100% stable and 120Hz works (I'd avoid the RS1 for now as there are so many things left to patch in that bugged b$ winblowsX- 1607). Win8.1 everything works and better if you don't want DX12, for vBIOS where did you get your card from ? I have a vBIOS from woodzstack that I can share if you want, It's stable for me as Prema vBIOS is high voltage at 1.067 vs the Woodz one at 1.000. If you got from Woodz I can safely assume that you are good to go.

 

yes that problem , i have the normal screen and before i knew about this bricking problem , i tried to upgrade to windows 10 and got black screen with crouser mouse problem , never reached the desktop at all , so i had to go back to 8.1 and then i read about the bricking probelm
and i never used Precision X as well .. not sure how should i upgrade , i think i have to make a clean setup

i use J95 moded drivers too , yesterday i installed the latest one 372.00 and it works perfectly , because the last one wasn't
available for 8.1
i bought my card from Hidevoulation , didn't modify the original BIOS in the alienware
- is modifying the BIOS makes a big difference ? and can you backup the original BIOS just in case ?

as for windows 10 i didn't like it anyway, just in case of selling the laptop i may need to make it windows 10
- when you installed the windows 10 did you make a clean install ?
i was thinking of putting back the 780m that came with the laptop and then installing windows 10 normally .. then switch to 980 and mode the drivers .



thank you both for helping .. really appreciate it

 

Bios in AW17 is locked as a virgin. Forget modification of bios. Do not mix older Aw models with this last socket machine from Dellienware. And always do a clean Os install

 

New psu arrived! I've solved my performance problem. So when the perf are down, check the PSU

 

Happy for you! So now you changed it for a new 240 Slim PSU? Or are you talking about the "Internal Battery"?

 

I've changed olny the 240 slim psu. I've bought an used one for 30$.

 

Wow I never thought a PSU could be damaged.

Great news now enjoy!

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

Oh' YEES. I have killed 2 of my 240w Psu's because of my benching I use 1x330w for my Aw17 "Elitist " and 2x330w for my Clevo P870 BGA-KILLER And Dell's engineering team said the wimpy flimsy 180w Psu was more than enough for their first gen Aw Echo laptops with 980m graphics

 

Do you think Papusan that going 4900/4910mq will be safe with the 240psu in a 4Ghz 4 cores? I know that for the 4930mx I'll have to jump for a 330w psu...

 

Yeah, but you haven't much headroom. If you kill it, just buy a new one aka 330w

 

Again me, I’m just curious about 800m temps. I get 81° C when Fire Strike runs, and 90° C when I play War Thunder (at max settings). I’ve made a wrong pasting? Could I made some mistake when installed TEP? Or the temps are normal? I know the 880m is an hotter card

 

What thermal paste and pads do you use? And ambient temp?

 

Mh...i've bought them from Woodzstack, i don't know the thermal paste brand. The TEP is a 3M. Ambient is about 27°C.

 

I am absolutely sure that @woodzstack sent with top paste. Have you asked him about the max temp you get? And how do you the paste job?

 

I dind't asked Woodzstack cause i've already asked him lot of technical questions, so i don't want to annoy him anymore

For repasting i've watched some YouTube videos.

 

But how did you apply the paste?

 

I applyed it as rice grain, in the center of GPU.

 

I would disassembled heatsink and looked after the application was good enough. Worth a try. This doesen't take much time.

 

Ok Papusan.

I've bought an used 100W heatsink. Maybe it depends?

 

Aw have always had good quality heatsink. If this one you have is bad, you would probably had higher temp.
Either check paste as I said or wait until someone with the same GPU setup can give you some answers.

 

check with a tiny strip of paper too, when your placing the heatsink that all components are covered, if you can pull out remove the strip then you should be able to see if its snug or too tight or too loose and not touching, as for the grain of rice on the ICD7 I sent you in that small tube, you can actually just splash a ball, and then smooth it out flat and almost paper thin - if you can get it to make proper contact. just take the heatsink off and notice what kind of contact it makes. Practice makes perfect. Shim up where you need extra contact, and even out where there is too much contact.

You can also contact me whenever, I never said my support was infinite but I never said I wouldn't help you anyways.

 

anyone have problems with their usbs not working? Mine keep disconnecting repeatedly and it is really freakin annoying

 

Is it a phone over MTP connection ? If yes then when you remove the other hardware and plug into the MTP based device make sure you disconnect the male usb cable from the laptop port and then plug the new hw into

 

No it quite literally is a usb hardware malfunction and its pissing me off as it keeps making the annoying windows disconnect noise and it is constant. I'm at a loss as i've just completely reinstalled the os from scratch

 

Hi all, It took me a long time to realize my cold boot/start-up problem only occurs when using the Corsair 1600 9-9-9-24 1.35v RAM but not with the original 8GB CL11 1.35v ram. For a long time I blamed my 980m upgrade or even the 120Hz panel upgrade but I've never really consider the ram to be the cause.

Did anybody happened to have the same issue of booting up and then the mouse cursor "freezing" the whole system forcing me to long press the power button to restart? Then once that happens 1 time never replicates it a 2nd time... only if the system turns off then again after some hours (I don't really know how many) the issue happens again when turning on the machine; usually in the morning...

So I only came with two conclusions, or there is something wrong with the mobo/ram incompatibly, or my A17 R1 just doesn't like to be woken up early in the morning after a hard game night

 

Hello everyone

I want to replace my alienware 17 r5 (2013) keyboard but I am a little bit confused about the part no. On the dell specification website it states the part no. is 4H8N6 but when i try to find it on ebay, it shows its part of m18x r3 laptop. Could anyone please help me? my service tag is D35QXY1.

 

The AW 17 and AW 18 both use the same keyboard.

 

Just for the nostalgic ones wanting to upgrade the Alienware 17 R1

http://alienware-forum.de/index.php/Thread/8042-AW17-R1-3D-120Hz-GTX-980-N16E-GXX/

Edit: Those 5 pipes in GPU and 4 pipes in CPU beautiful...