I Cannot Overclock My Alienware 18 to 4.3Ghz?

Quick question: when I order my AW-18 I plan to swap the 750GB HDD out to Sam SSD-1TB Evo as the main drive. For stability concerns is it best to order with Win8-Pro or Win7-Ultim? It sounds like the Bios in Win7-Pro is more stable at the current time, as many are returning Win8 and reordering with Win7, any opinions? Also If I order Win8-Pro is it better to switch to Win8.1 beta to help assist with the overclocking or is that just a non-factor?

 

go with windows 7!

 

W7. Also you should get the regular version as it performs slightly better than pro. Don't get pro unless you absolutely need it.

 

That would depend on the amount of ram you want to install. By not getting Win Pro, Enterprise Edition or ultimate version of windows you are limited to 16 Gb for Win Home Premium & 8 Gb for Win Home basic. Memory Limits for Windows Releases (Windows)

 

I guess I am in the minority in that I like windows 8; once I started realizing how to access everything. It's lightning fast and haven't run into compatibility issues.

 

Win 8 is fine. I like it. UI part of it is failure though. Some updates started failing so I just updated to 8.1, and the problem went away.

 

I've been using 8 for the past 1 year and i love it, 8.1 still needs work, but it seems to run fine for most everyday tasks.

 

I took a gamble, and specifically asked for Win8 for my replacement M18. Can't say I regret it. Sure things make sense on a touch screen and not a PC, but I've yet to hit a major annoyance. Also seems like a faster OS than Win 7.

 

Does that mean those that bought a system or upgraded later on with 32 Gb of RAM with Home Premium are only able to utilize half of it? Why would Dell allow a computer to be configured in this way?

 

The configurator on their website throws an error if you try to build your system in an incompatible manner and as for upgrading later, why should Dell care?

 

Not just a Dell thing anyway. Better question is why don't the M$ mafia allow it in all copies of their wonderful product.

 

I have 2 identical laptops, (both from year 2009; HDX X18s) one with Win7, the other with Win8. The stock Win8 runs cooler than W7 by 5 degrees C and thing run faster. For Win7 it can be modified to run cooler if you turn off the Aero feature to create less drag on the system. I considered everyone's advice and ordered an AW-18 with Win8 Pro today with the basic HDD 750 GB. I also bought a Samsung Evo 1TB that has Magician software to transfer all the main HDD stuff over to the new SSD. The Evo SSD uses RAPID to double the read speed to RAID 0 like speeds, but you can't RAID 0 them to quadruple the read speeds because they need to piggyback on the MB-Ram to extend the speed. Its a simplier design than taking to SSD's to raid them so I skipped the 512GB mSATA Boot drive in favor of the 64GB Caching drive. The plan is to keep the 64GB mSata to speed up HDD for a total storage of 1.75 TB. I still would have one extra drive space for next generation SSD, which would become the new boot drive, probably called the EVO 2 some time the middle of 2014.

The Evo SSD runs cooler also to help with heat buildup. I live in a 80 degree weather with no AC so I have to run a laptop cooler with a fan design, with a second 6 inch personal fan to keep things cool. I haven't seen any water cooled laptop coolers yet unless you include home made ones like that time I spilled ice tea on the keybo...

 

Where did you buy the 1TB Evo SSD?

 

I agree with the UI part. It has a lot of features that I really like, but the UI absolutely sucks in its default form. It's not a faster OS as some say, but it sometimes feels that way due to differences in the way it works.

Windows 7 is actually the superior OS in its default form. The way I have totally emasculated Micro$oft's implementation of Windows 8, it's like Windows 7 on steroids, LOL.

 

Windows 7 can be modified to run faster, but I took out the search feature, missing it, so put it back in.

Running cooler also helps to run faster, so I modified my laptop cooler (CM Storm SF-19) by cutting out the grill where the fan air exits and put a large dish of ice under the laptop cooler with 1 inch gap spacing. I get double the air volume flow and its quieter, running very low temps at idle, mid 30's or a drop of 6 degrees C, running at ambient room temperature of 80 degree F. The ice melts very with with the increased air flow, so I might only use it on days were the room temps hit above 90 degrees F.

 

If it is not difficult to find in your area, see if dry ice works OK. That is colder than ice and it leaves you with no water to discard (or accidentally spill). With those room temperatures, it's going to be a challenge keeping things at ideal operating temperatures. Just the ambient temperature with the system turned off is already way too hot, LOL.

There are steps you can take.

 

Lol, that overclock could be dicey and may be pot luck

Never done anything but air clocking myself.

 

Hello everybody.
I am new here in this Forum and i have some Questions.
I found this Forum and the Thread at Google. Because i can not overclock my new Alienware 18. I have already downloded the Intel XTU and followed the Manual from Mr. Fox. But i can not find where to deactivate the MSR Lock. Where can i find this Option? Please Help me, i can not change the Core Current Limit to 112,000A.
Sorry about my bad english.
Best Wishes,
Christian

 

Hi Christian. Welcome to the Community. Until Alienware releases an updated BIOS, you're not going to be able to do those things. You cannot disable the MSR lock because that BIOS menu is hidden and there is no way to change the Core Current Limit to 112.000A right now. I trust they will be releasing a good BIOS soon that addresses your needs. Actually, everyone needs it for their CPU to run as it should. What CPU does your system have?

 

Hi Mr. Fox. Thank´s for your Answer. I have Updatet the Bios to AW18A02.
My System is: Alienware 18 / i7-4930MX / 2x NV GTX 780M - SLI / 32GB DDR3 1600 / 500GB SSD / 750GB SATA3 7200 RPM
Greetings

 

Hi Christian; I have the same config as you and we are all in the same boat, Dell needs to hurry up as I am getting very tired of waiting to fully enjoy my extremely overpriced laptop.

I have had some good success with a program called "nvidia Inspector" for tuning and overclocking my dual 780's - there are some good videos on you-tube, check it out while we wait for Alienware/Dell to fix this major issue.

Cheers,

-Jeff

 

Is there a reason not to get the 1TB Evo as I'm thinking of installing two if I get a 18 and using the 750gb as an external HD for back up.

 

No reason to not get them if you would like to. That's if you can find them in stock somewhere.

 

Well, I've messed around with my processor and can get it to stay relatively stable when running CPU benchmarks, but in 3DMark 11 graphics tests and in actual gaming, it throttles down to 800MHz, which destroys my performance. Physics/combined scores are as they should be though, so I'm not quite sure what's up. Very nice boost when it does work though.

EDIT: Opened up XTU after a reboot and core current limit is now stuck at 0.000A and the farthest the turbo boost power sliders will go is 83W and 67W respectively.

 

@mmolteratx - check your BIOS settings. Be sure "overclocking" and "Extreme Edition" are both enabled.

Core Current Limit cannot be adjusted with XTU and it will not give you an accurate reading. Until we get an unlocked BIOS or figure out some other way of reprogramming it to 112.000A or higher, that setting will remain stuck at 32.000A regardless of what XTU shows.

 

Yea, both are enabled. Problem is, every time I open a game or try a 3DMark run, the CPU downclocks to 800MHz, unless it's running a CPU only or combined test, which is bottlenecking the crap out of the 780Ms. Not sure why it started doing that, as it wasn't regular a problem before today.

 

@mmolteratx - I have seen the exact same behavior you are mentioning, and it is always with 3DMark11 when I see it. I do not think this observation is a BIOS problem. I think it's just a quirk with Haswell that is not fully understood yet.

Have you tried using ThrottleStop 6.00 yet? That may help. There are a couple of other things you can try as well. Try lowering the long and short turbo power limits and see if it helps. Also try lowering the Core Voltage a bit. I am finding Haswell seems to be very voltage sensitive and actually tries to throttle with too much voltage. Of course, with not enough you will get a BSOD. There is a small window with a happy medium on voltage. More voltage is needed for a higher overclock and less for a lower overclock, but it's a small window of acceptability up and down the scale. Sandy and Ivy are much easier to overclock because they are not nearly as picky about the power settings.

 

I think its because in the bios theres 2 sorts of power limits , one being the amperage in one hidden menu, and in another overclocking menu(hidden as well) it goes by total power. With both being unable to change, you can not really do much, your limited to the confines of what is set.

since the total power max and the total amps are set as a max.. you really only have a set/max voltage too... setting the voltage down, will make its current reach closer to the max, until it hits the total power setting... the same thing when setting the voltage higher...it will lower the amps... so the margin to play with is VERY limited. since at one point, if you lower the voltage too much, you CAN not hit the power its set too, because the current is limited too, CRASH... you get the idea..

this is my concept on what I assume is happening, as I know theres two settings for power on this machine, in hidden menu's. factory set too. unchangeable atm.

 

Hey guys are replacable cpu chips as pricey as mxm replacements not that I will initially have use for the 4930mx but about 5-6 months down the road it would be a possiblity.

 

4930MX is about $1100-1200 separately.

 

Its definitely an option. I had a 3610qm before I upgraded to a 3920xm. Right now a 4930mx is pretty expensive but like all tech they'll come down in price. Id expect it to be worth almost half as much a year from now.

 

Thanks just over 200 a month for the next 6 I can Handle

 

My EVO 1TB is on backorder with B&H so I am going to cancel and try NewEgg, they are hard o find in stock. How did it go on your setup?

 

It's the same list price from intel as the old 3940XM I believe.

 

Personally, I'd wait until Broadwell. Prices will drop sharply on the 4930MX if the 3940XM is any indication. You have about 9-10 months between then and now, so it won't be a significantly longer wait.

 

I didn't use it as boot drive so I didn't know. Newegg has it in stock for a few days since 22nd August I believe. I got mine there. As for speed, I didn't run other benchmark except the one in the Samsung Magician. With RAPID, 1023 MB/s sequential read, 958 MB/s sequential write, 117 kIOPS random read, 107kIOPS random write.

 

Well, I got my clocks stable at higher frequencies after considerable tweaking to the power settings in XTU, but yea, the stock fan profiles are horrible. Overheats and shuts down very quickly when playing Crysis 3.

 

might even only be 5-6 months away, sometimes they're only 1-2 seasons apart, and only difference being 100mhz..which is nothing...

 

I just got delivery from NewEgg for the 1T-Evo-SSD. The sata to usb cable was not part of the key for the order. Also, the disk that was shipped was Magician v4.1: I found the updated software for the Evo; ver 4.2.1 on the Samsung website: Samsung SSD | Samsung Semiconductor Global Website Sounds like your getting great speed out of the drive using the Rapid. For HDD backup software; I don't trust AlienRespawn, found Clonezilla awkward to get going, Macrium Reflect backward for file viewing, so I'm opting to use Acronis 2014, which is not yet compatible (won't install) with Windows 8.1 RTM, but they are working on support compatibility for the new operating system when its released to the general public next month. Planning to use that extra internal 750GB HDD as a backup drive for those disk clone imaging, or bicep workouts when in the briefcase.

 

I don`t know about AlienRespawn or Clonezilla, but I`ve tried Handy Backup, as a HDD backup software it`s normal and performs its functions.

 

I decided to try the Samsung Migration 2.0 software, using the latest updates from the Samsung website to transfer over to the new SSD to see if that would work without doing a clean install. It became three times more sluggish for everything, although the S-Read increased in speed => 547, S-Write=>812, so using Magician 4.2.1 Rapid created faster data transfer rates. The Windows Experience Index on the processor dropped from 8.1 to 5.0 due to the migration software messing with the processor. Within 24 hours the system was crashing and eventually went into the unrecoverable black screen, with no boot possibility. I guess the Alienware 18 didn't like the migration software, so I am thinking about doing a clean install of Windows 8 to see if that solves the problem.

9-10-13 Update: Dell sent me a USB key with the drivers and instructions for a clean install, but I messed around with the Windows Recovery Media CD and tried to do a clean install and that failed, so I did a few windows updates, restarted a few times and everything is back up to full speed on the Processor and data transfer rates. So it kind of fixed itself with some fiddling. Data transfer is faster than the Samsung Pro SSD, or any mSata.

 

hey, guys... try these settings for 4.2Ghz overclock and run benchmarks to compare your results) cores uparked!

 

Probably good settings for an M##x but this is bupkis for the new Alienware models until we get a proper BIOS.

 

Nice, thanks for sharing, man. I use similar settings to get 4.2 on all cores. Only difference is that I keep Core Voltage at 1.220 and Processor Current Limit at 115.000A. That allows me to verclock the 780 SLI at 950/2800 and not experience crashes. Do you use these settings while you overclock the GPU as well?

 

wow, the RAM AW gave me in this laptop and how the bios reacts with it is annoying. It won't do anything NOT in its spd table... and since nothing is the standard usual settings, it defaults to 1333 cas 13.. I get 4,000MBs from my RAM, LOL.... we're talking ddr speeds, nevermind ddr2..

anyone got a familiar starting place for thiers , that works. I really hate this bios. Nothing you set sticks.

 

rafix73, that was done not on my computer, just had a few hours of playing with clocks, hehe) i also tried TS 6.0 Beta and adjusted multies to 3.9Ghz with 112A and raised TDP to 99W (80-85W should be enough as well) And got almost the same result as with 4.2Ghz run.

Also, check MSI afterburner after gpu run. As far as i was able to check, 780m with unlocked vbios increases clocks after 850Mhz on the core by 13Mhz steps, and to get the desired value i had to bump the clocks by 2Mhz more than i wish. e.g to get to 954Mhz i had to set 956Mhz in Nvidia Inspector panel! No such thing with memory settings though... I was stable in games at 980(982)/2800 1.025v 24/7!

 

Very nice. What temps did you see?

 

these 780m's don't get that hot, when pushed, least not at all on stock voltage/clocks.. tried to hold them at 100% use for 4 hours.. never passed 71 degrees Celsius

 

mm. Yesterday ran Unigine Heaven for a couple of hours at modded stock 850mhz and saw one GPU between 78 and 81, the other 72 to 76. Meh, already time to repaste? :-/

 

Yeah, the BIOS really sucks... that's why we are so eager for Alienware to release an update. Now you're seeing it first-hand. The need is pretty urgent, so hopefully the wait won't be too much longer.

If you don't push them hard enough to outperform the 680M, then they don't really get that hot. When you begin pushing the voltage and power/temp targets enough to make the 780M really scream, then they start to generate some heat.

It is certainly worth a shot... it didn't change anything for me. Temps were more or less identical after repasting. I think what you are seeing might be normal for 780M, especially since the fans in the 18 don't run much of the time. And, when they do run, they do so at speeds well below their RPM capacity.