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

Interesting...haven't seen in a while someone going for a 970.
Why not 980? As I can see, price is about the same.
I am closer and closer opting for one.
I got my all copper gpu heatsink the other day and installed it. I have the cpu one too.
I have measured stock ones and all copper ones:
Stock CPU: 61g - AllC: 147g
Stock GPU: 134g - AllC: 250g
Twice the weight and all copper, reasonable that they are more efficient at heat transfer.
Though, as some have noticed, for some reason the cpu one makes little if any difference.
Now I had gpu pads really bad and dirty and old, since 2014.
I got some Gelid ones with 12 W/mK of different thickness..1mm, 1.5, 2 and made an effort to replace pads. New heatsink is flat for the most part, different than stock one.
I remember mr Reciever saying he "eyeballed" the hell out of his pads and indeed, that must be done thoroughly if you want it done right.
I've heard of K5Pro before but dismissed it for beeing "only" 5W/mK but now I am considering it especially because I'm looking at putting liquid metal on the die.
Why? well, you want that die gap as small as possible and on the gpu, pads no matter how well placed, add some to the gap. K5 would be squeezed to form the near perfect contact imho.
Screwing down the heatsink slightly flexes the card (more if the pads aren't right) and I think some contact is lost there too.
I also found about EC360® GOLD 14,5W/mK pads recently so I am eying those as well.
Fujipoly cant be found, I given up on those.

So, guess I'll be doing the same - eyeballing, measuring and fitting some more

 

yea but I just want to keep the 180w psu even if it throttles a bit, same for the cooler I don't want to change for one with more heatpipes, we'll see when I receive it anyway.

 

I would give you mine stock heatsink - but I managed to break it!

 

ISO Ranger Recovery Disk or USB stick. My Ranger crashed yesterday. I need a recovery Disk or USB stick ASAP. It came with Win8 but updated to Win10 and GTX770M. If you got 1 please message me with cost cause I'm not asking for hand out cause I've lost everything. I can reinstall Windows but I'll lose my DVD and all other Alienware options.

 

https://www.dell.com/support/articl...e-the-dell-recovery-restore-usb-drive?lang=en
Is this it?

 

Reading through parts of this old thread, definitely miss my trusty Ranger. Such a good machine - heavy, solid, durabale, able to cool its components properly.

Good times.

 

WHats with my RAM?
I had 4*4 GB 1600MHz exchanged for 4*8 GB 1867MHz ones.
Its working as dual channel 1600MHz.
I tried XMP1 from unlocked bios and it couldnt post so I and had to do nvram reset.
I'm reluctant to try XMP2 now since doing nvram reset again is pita.
Am I missing something here?

Here are some bios, hw, cpuz pics

https://imgur.com/a/xFK5Nyn

 

Best to post pictures of the memory itself. It's either not an 1866MHz (which says you've been ripped off) or there are some issues with your mobo. So far if the RAM was high clock my Ranger would apply the speeds if it was set as AUTO.

 

Is it normal for it to say that the display is 1024x768? I'm not at home to check what my Ranger says.

 

Here is the memory sticks picture.
I've got it from ebay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-HyperX-Impact-32GB-4x-8GB-DDR3L-PC3L-14900S-1866MHz-204Pin-1-35V-Laptop-RAM/113778007533?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

Then when installed first it would beep memory error (4 times i think) so I discovered one of four sticks was faulty and got another one.

Now that new one has different cpuz JEDEC#, you can see in the pics, three got #3#4#5#6 and one has it as #4#5#6#7 although values under are the same.
One other thing I can see too from BIOS is that when you select custom values it lists 9*9*9*24 (I would presume those were the current settings, I did not touch/change anything, just selected custom without applying) but hw info reads that ram is working at 11*11*11*28.
Also, HWInfo reads maximum module memory clock at 934 MHz but maximum supported memory clock 800 MHz

Here are more unlocked bios tabs, haven't changed anything
https://imgur.com/a/JYiq2fu
If someone could please see those settings if there is something weird about them, I just can't tell. Compare them to yours

Yes, I thought that was weird too, but haven't touched it.

Can XMP settings be found anywhere? You can just select one of them but I would like to know what the values are. I can't see anywhere the memory voltage in bios.

I do have an issue with one usb port on the daughter board, it registers with sound when something is plugged in but doesn't recognize so its not working.
"USB device not recognized" is the message.
My R9 died so I am about to install 980m.
Bought an 4930mx that did not work either, all is fine with 4710mq.
So, it could be something weird with my mobo but I cannot find out what since everything else is normal working.

 

934 is 1866Mhz and CL11 seems to be your RAM CL value at that same 1866Mhz clock
You need to read the XMP table and then copy those values into the BIOS settings to at least run that RAM at the specced 1866Mhz CL11 ratings.
You can then try OC'ing the clock higher, or lower the timings..

 

@senso
"Seems to be" - where can you see that?
I posted pics, HWinfo does read module is capable of 934 but it works at 800.
Setting 1867 in bios does nothing.
I don't know how and where to read the XMP table, it isnt there in cpuz.
I don't need to OC it, just working as it should.

 

XMP is a memory overclock

While I havent personally had issue using my 2133Mhz ram at 2133Mhz with any of my Haswell based machines, the same experience hasnt been universal for everyone. I have only used this kind of memory on my 4700mq (y510p), 4930mx (Alienware 17 R1) and 4980hq (t440p). Also altering the ram speed on DDR3L has been murky at best without something like Thaiphoon but sometimes even then it would still go back to default. RWEverything is probably the best method to go with.

 

You the eBay page that you linked, CL is listed as being 11.
Use something else than CPU-Z to read the RAM profiles, CPU-Z never shows all the profiles.
Start with just one stick and change the values on RAM, after saving the CPU will try to train the new timings, if it fails the training it reverts to default values, thats why you dont see the values doing anything.

 

It may be possible that it is not fully functional. Try running HWInfo, it should give you some more data.

 

So, I have finally installed the GTX 970m I've ordered to replace my GTX 765M.

It worked out of the box, Windows 10 installed perfectly, graphic driver even installed automatically from Windows Update.

But, the card is throttling badly.

Now it could be because I kept the 180w power adapter but according to Wikipedia there is only 10w difference between the two cards (65w versus 75w).

I also tried to put a different graphic driver than the one from Windows Update (kinda old actually 353.54) but none will work, so I tried a modded more recent driver from Eurocom and it works fine but I still have the same throttling.

Bios version is A01, Optimus is enabled, Disabled all power saving in Windows.

I might order a 240w power adapter (not sure it will fix the issue but who knows)

edit: I think I've found the issue, for whatever reason when I reboot the pc the gpu frequencies are all messed up and gpu won't go above ~50°c but on a cold boot no issue. So not a big problem after all, seems to work perfectly fine with 180w PSU.

 

Hi,

so I just started getting into wanting to upgrade and remodel my Alienware 17 R1 and I had a couple of questions. I actually was thinking of getting the 120 hz display, change my motherboard for a better one (My HMDI slot is wobbly and evertime I accidently tap the cord inserted in it, it will glitches and turn black so I have to unplug and replug the HDMI to work again.) Change my CPU to the I7 4940MX, and change the graphics card to the GTX 980.

1. What is the most I can upgrade the laptop too?
2. What are the tools or requirements needed to get those upgrades?
3. What are y'all thoughts on it? or If I should even bother and just buy a new laptop?

 

1. Currently, the most powerful GPU you can put in the Ranger is a GTX 1070, although this may become the RTX 2070 very soon.
2. You just need a phillips head screwdriver. I'd recommend the 120 Hz display as well since 120 fps is a superior experience to 60 fps in all games.
3. This really depends on your use case and the games you play.

If you mostly play FPS games, you won't need a more powerful CPU for the forseeable future. In that case, I'd sink some money into the laptop to make it last at least a few more years. The GPU is the most important component for most games anyway. A 4th gen Haswell CPU still kicks ass in modern games (although you will have to overclock your CPU to reach 120 fps in some games, mostly open world ones). If you mostly play open world games, it should still be fine as long as they're not Ubisoft open world games.

Really the only games that will be limited by the CPU on this laptop are games that are laggy unoptimized pieces of crap, and that's crappy software you'd want to avoid anyway. I don't think the i7 4930MX or 4940MX would bottleneck even the RTX 3000 GPUs.

If you will be needing a more powerful CPU in the near future for something, just get a new laptop. The CPUs in new laptops run circles around the i7 4940MX. Single core performance is around 20% better and multicore performance is 50-150% better depending on the laptop.

 

Also, 4940MQ is a bit of an overkill, the system genrally doesn't allow for greater OC due to power limitations, I for one am running 4910MQ and it's plenty, plus 4930/40 CPUs prices skyrocket compared to 4900/4910.

There were some 1080 MXM3.0b cards available for a while from Chinese sellers, but they're hard to get.

 

Also, for anyone looking for the Realtek Card Reader driver to work in their Ranger, here's the link:
https://www.realtek.com/en/directly-download?downloadid=3511f2f5ece68bc08a4390ce4ba9a2f3
Confirmed under Win10 2004 build. After any update ( i did one from 1909 to 2004) may be necessary to reinstall.

 

So do I need to buy anything special for the GPU, and I saw someone cut up their chasis to fit it in, do I need to do that as well?

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

For the MXM 3.1 1070 yes, you need to do a small grinding and heatsink fitting (can be done DIY), for a 3.0b variant - no. Also for a Pascal card (10xx) I think it's necessary to get at least 60Hz eDP (120Hz is superior though), because of the architecture - Pascal cards do not output LVDS signal, only eDP.

 

What kind of heat sink do I need for the GPU?

Also is it easy to install windows10 on the laptop as it is now? I haven't changed anything in it other than the ram.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

Win10 install is easy as pie. Just go to MS site and upgrade with Creation Tool or whatever it's called.

As for the heatsink, search the forum, there are manuals on how to mod it, the issue with MXM 3.1 cards is that they have one long and narrow protrusion, and one sticking ugly on the side, and the RAM chips are a bitt off compared to 3.0b positions. Generally with a few copper pads you should be able to cover them, however welding/soldering small heatsinks is generally a more effective solution.

 

Get the 5 pipe upgraded GPU heatsink. You won't regret it. I didn't need any modding on my GPU heatsink, but the 5 pipe heatsink allows for significantly lower temps (5-10 degree Celsius reduction), on my 1060, and will definitely be required if you want the 1070 or 1080.

Installing Windows 10 is easy just like installing any other version of Windows.

Where did you manage to find standard MXM form factor 1080s? I've been looking for those for what seems like ages.

 

I've heard stories passed by drunken sailors I remember seeing pictures of them somewhere on this forum I believe, There were a few drifting around, but how well were they made? No clue, and I'm guessing the power management wasn't too well...

Also, I don't know if it's an error, but Eurocom is selling upgrade packages of MXM 3.1 GTX 1080...

 

Also, will my power supply be able to handle the new GPU and the original CPU?

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

3.1 MXM 1070 is rated at about 115W, but I think it can breathe higher (also the Ranger GPU slot has a factory limit of 125W if I recall correctly). I would recommend 240W as a minimum ( but excluding any CPU OC), and 330W as recommended (me and I guess most of Ranger users stick to it to not worry about power starvation).

oh, yeah, here are the 1080s mentioned and shown:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...pgrade-on-m17x-r4-schrodingers-nvidia.832653/

 

Gotcha. I've seen the taller cards. I thought you were talking about standard form factor 1080s. The slightly taller than standard MXM 1080s would still fit if you took out the storage drive in the senter of the laptop and cut away the partition.

Make sure you have at least a 240 watt PSU. None of the Pascal cards will reach full performance on the 180 watt PSU. I experience power throttling on my 1060 with the 180 watt PSU, and performance is restricted to what I can get on battery power.

 

A 1080 has already been attempted by multiple people and all have failed.

Unless you can modify external power to supply the card, it will not work. The slot is designed for use with the 780m, the 1070 wouldnt let me take it beyond 118w before the EC would throttle it.

So you will need external means of power, as well as a shunt to fool the system to think less power is being reported.

 

So your saying the best option would be the 1060?

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

1070

 

So then what do you mean by "shunt to fool the system to think less power is being reported"? Does the computer have a set limit on the power it receives?

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

R-read the post above.... #6575

 

About the 2070 MAYBE coming soon, could you tell me more about this?

 

There was a rumor circulating around a few months ago that sometime in November, we would start seeing RTX 2060, 2070, and 2080 cores on standard sized MXM boards meant for industrial grade Quadro RTX 5000s targeted towards embedded systems. We saw this happen with the GTX 1060, 1070, and 1080 on MXM boards meant for the Quadro P5000 and P5200. These cards worked in the Ranger.

I can't tell you for sure if this will happen, but I reckon it may due to a significant supply of Turing GPUs still sitting around unsold.

Regardless of generation from Pascal through Ampere, I think the highest you'll be able to do is a xx70 card from any of those generations. The 1080 for some reason would not work properly with the Ranger, probably due to the super high power requirements. The MXM slot in this laptop is capable of outputting a maximum of 125 watts.

To sum it all up, the RTX 2070 may or may not release in standard MXM form factor soon. If it does, then you'll have a path to upgade to a Turing GPU on your Ranger.

 

Oh wow, I'd be really happy if this happened. I plan on upgrading my Ranger's GPU sometime soon, so IF a 2070 in a standard MXM form factor comes out thats under 500, I may get one.

 

It will be interesting to see how power hungry the RTX cards will be if they do finally get released.

 

They'll probably be power limited like the Pascal MXM cards were (except for the 1060 which wasn't), but we'd still get most of the performance despite that. That last 10-20% of the card's performance usually commands a pretty significant amount of power. From what I've seen over the past years, this last chunk costs about a fourth to a third of the card's TGP.

If the 2070 is limited to 120 watts, that should still give us about 80-90% of the card's performance.

It's only when you get to the Max-Crap designs where you're limited to half or less than half the original TGP that you run into major performance deficits.

 

If its 120w, you will throttle in the Ranger.

 

I thought the limit was 125w. Ah well, thanks for pointing that out.

 

I ran 980M with the worst Mass Effect game, Andromeda long time back with Prema BIOS at 1.062v and it pulled over 135W. This was the peak I saw with my 980M, with svl7 vBIOS it won't push that high, I don't think the limit exists with the GPU Slot on Ranger. I will try to push the GPU again once I have a spare GPU with me, don't want to blow this card for a power limit test on an overvolted vBIOS.

Here's my testing from the 980M Blackscreen thread, 2016 & from 2017 where I mentioned 123W for an FSUltra run in 2016 and then 140W, which happened in 2017. Didn't mention that game in the thread but I remember it because that was the highest power draw from a GPU that I ever seen on this machine in my personal experience and it only happened with overvolted vBIOS, I stopped using it because I had crash always whenever it hits high temps and realized my GPU would fail. vBIOS at 1.0v never hits that high temps nor higher power consumption either even when I was running Mafia Definitive Edition, which puts a lot of load on GPU.

I think the lack of vBIOS on Pascal platform is really sad and big blow to us all, I wish we had a vBIOS mod for Pascal without Prema no one could do that magic as svl7 is retired.

 

Then maybe its some other reporting attribute that is causing the throttle, basically anyone that tried pascal over 120w on the Ranger simply failed.

 

Hello, please tell me if I can put in my Ranger matrix LQ173D1JW31, instead of LTN173HT02. Thanks.

 

Like everyone else that asks, until someone else tests, you are in uncharted territory.

 

How hard is to tighten and shift the hinges of the lid? It seems remove the keyboard is required to access the hinge screws. Is this true?

 

You need to take off the palmrest to get to the display hinges. Once the palmrest is off, you will have full access to the hinges.

 

Refer to the 17 owners manual on Dell site, I believe it should cover that. Otherwise, to remove the palmrest you need to remove DVD drive, all HDDs, battery, GPU with heatsink (CPU can stay), because all the P labelled screws are covered with those components.

 

You don't need to remove the GPU with the heatsink to remove the palmrest,
Refer to this video

 

Hi, I am not sure if anyone has already tried this GPU yet. I maybe the first one on this forum.

We've known for quite sometime about the Mining Card p106-100 being able to run and game on it as shown by Linus Tech TIps. I managed to get a mobile version of it, P106-M. Surprisingly it works well. It's about 70 percent performance of a gtx 1060 MXM but it draws only about 70 watts.

Only issue is I can't use HDMI port and it relies on the internal screen. Overall I am happy as it only cost me approx. $70 USD.