*** Official Alienware Notebook System Replacement Thread ***

Hello again guys, i have big problem with dell , i buy laptop from somebody from uk and i transfer the warranty and ownership to from him to my name ( premium support plus ) , after 3 motherboards changed and after 1 month laptop been in service , dell romania ( from where i m ) tell me the laptop can t be fix anymore and after 3 repairs i will get the money back, Romania dell support contact uk custom care and they accept to give me money back to , but after 2 weeks they said can t give me the money because they have to give money back to first owner who paid the bill and the money will go to his card, that is ******** because i m owner to after transfered it to my name right? i said ok , change my laptop to another one new , they said ok accept it , after 1 week tell me i can t get new laptop because i m in romania and laptop was buy from uk and they can give laptop only to first owner, what is wrong with dell? why they have the option to transfer warranty and owner ship ? there on dell site i can t find to see if i transfer the laptop and the laptop can t be fixed i can t get replacement or refund? What i can do? i have 2 month and laptop is still broken, i can t fix it every day with replacement motherboards .. how i can get my money back?

 

def.. its a good config.. but im just worried, in a month or so you will end up facing other throttle issues, and i dont think the warranty will be extended for this system from dell.. you have to buy on your own, at this point either you take this and do repaste + other stuffs by yourself or someone who can do it for you, or else before the deadline ends, take your money back from DELL.. if the price negotiation goes well.. dont hold it too long..

 

Hello everyone, been awhile...

I sent my AW17 (2014) in this week over some power issues. Thankfully it was still, just barely, covered by extended warranty. The motherboard needs replacement, but it being a 2014 system Dell is having trouble finding a replacement mobo and have offered to do a system exchange. I suppose they’ll first try to find the same system, but again (2014) that might be a tough task so I want to be ready in case they offer a more recent refurbished or new build.

Specs of my current system as originally built (around $2,600):
i7 4700MQ Haswell @2.4GHz (3.2 turbo) w 6MB Cache
Screen: 120Hz 3D screen (FHD) 1920 x 1080
GPU: GTX 780M, 4GB GDDR5 w 1536 Cuda cores
RAM: 16GB @ 1600 MHz
Hard drive: 1TB HHD + 80GB mSATA SSD (I have since upgraded to 2 SSDs + 1 HDD)
Windows 7

Since it’s been so long I imagine most of the components on the new builds should be as good/better, but want to make sure I’m not missing anything (other than the 3D screen which unfortunately is no longer offered).

The other important component was the 780M graphics card; I do video editing/rendering at work and the 780M was on Adobe’s “recommended list” for using Premiere Pro. Their current recommended list includes the GTX 1080 which is on their higher builds, but not the 1070 or 1060 I've seen on their lower builds. Would the 1070 or 1060 be acceptable?

My other concern is the screen resolution. How are the higher resolution screens (2560 x 1440 versus 3840 x 2160)? Any issues with scaling? Not too long ago I helped my sister set up a her HP laptop with a 3200 x 1800 display and it was a PIA dealing with scaling among the different programs (we use many of the same).

The current offer to exchange the system is “tentative” as they are still looking for a replacement mobo.

Thanks for any advice!!

 

Do not budge on the screen - they have systems with 120hz/144hz panels and make sure and get one of those. On the 17" laptops those usually come on higher specced systems.

 

Yes I am expecting to do a repaste on the system i recieve.
Refund was a no go since I was getting a considerably lower amount.
So I have my fingers crossed that this system will not have any issues like that weird keyboard throttle and the screen patch.
Also, i am not looking to oc, as far as I have read about the performance with traditional paste, I'll be happy with a 4ghz all core with low 80C temps on the i9 or if it can do stock 4.3 then all the more better.
let's see....

 

Thanks. Yeah, the more I think about it, I should at least get another 120Hz panel back. And as a trade off for the loss of the 3D screen, maybe a bump up to 1440p.

 

First replacement system offered (17R5) was a regular 1080p screen - hz unknown.

 

Refurbished or new?

 

Their message didn't indicate either way. I responded with a few questions about the build, but didn't think to inquire about that.

What's your timetable like to receive your replacement?

 

*duplicate

 

The pickup initiation was 1 day, then another day to pickup, then 3 days to reach dell warehouse and now I am supposed to wait for 5 days for the replacement machine to reach me, should be arriving by 2nd April, let's see how that system turns out for me. :fingers-crossed:

 

Let's hope that Dell doesn't fool us on 1st April!

 

LoL xD

 

Fingers crossed for ya!

 

As for me, I expressed my concerns over the screen downgrade and video card (not a downgrade per se, but not sure if optimal for video work I do). I've been notified that because the CPU being offered is better, HDD better (7200 vs 5400), wireless card better, RAM speedier, I should be happy. I'll be holding my ground on the screen at the very least.

 

Don't push too hard for the GPU as Dell can decide to deny you a replacement altogether. Its all their terms so you must comply, just be firm about your dislikes but don't seem like someone looking to cashgrab/profit from the upgrade.
BTW what config are they offering you?
If you prefer color sensitive work go for the 4k screen and if gaming and high refresh rate gaming is something you might be interested in go for the higher refresh-rate GSYNC panels.
As per your previous posts about using Adobe software IMHO you would be better off with a 4k 100% Adobe RGB panel compared to a lower color spectrum high refreshrate one.
Good luck to you as well.

 

You're probably right. I'm being a little to worried about the "Adobe recommended card" aspect. Can let that go.

Its a 17R5
i7-8750H
1080p IPS
GTX 1070 OC
16GB (2x8GB) 2400MHz SDRAM DDR4
1TB HDD Hybrid
Killer 1435 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1

My original unit is a 2014 AW17

In my last reply I did say I'd be happy to wait on a replacement motherboard so I can keep my original unit and the 3D panel. They said that is a no-go, they simply don't make the motherboard anymore. They have already sent me back my drives.

 

1070 OC will serve you better than your original config for sure.
I would definitely upgrade that screen panel and be okay with the gpu. It is a good upgrade anyways!

 

Update - things moved fast. On Friday they offered a system with a QHD panel, on Saturday I accepted and it arrived yesterday.

17 R5
Intel 8th Gen i7-8750H
GTX 1070 OC
16GB (2x8GB) 2666MHz DDR4
128GB SATA3 SSD + 1TB (7200 RPM) HDD
17.3" QHD 1440p 120Hz TN+WVA
G-Sync & Tobii Eye Tracker & Presence detection
Killer 1435 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi w/Bluetooth 4.1

Came from the Outlet as "refurbished" - but the label says it was manufactured in 2019. Looks brand new. Perhaps it was a quick return.

Been using it a little, gotta say it's very, very smooth. Have a pair of EVO+ 500GB NVMe drives on the way.

It's a bit large though, I knew it had the added 1.3" in the back and is slightly wider, but it feels more significant than that. Not sure if I like it - going to take a few days and see. I carry it daily between home and work, etc.

I may think about selling it and putting the $$ towards an equivalently spec'd M17. I use primarily for work, photoshop, some video/effects editing & rendering, etc. Haven't been gaming too often or too intensely (Call of Duty, GTAs, and the like).

Regardless, I thought the return/exchange process ran pretty smooth. The Dell reps were great.

 

Hi everyone,

Will you please share what you've learned from this and other threads on how to get a legitimate replacement without tons of headache? Is that possible?

About two years ago I bought this 13r3, and of the five or six laptops I've owned in my life, it has been my favorite laptop hands down in terms of performance.... when it's working correctly.

Here are the issues that's leading me to needing replacement.

• Overheats to 101°C or more across the board when using Photoshop, After Effects, ANY gaming. I totally get it's a tiny laptop and it's going to be hot, but it's almost too hot on the hands when using the keyboard. I don't see the motherboard lasting much longer like this.
• Battery is at 30% Wear, even with light use and good battery practices.
• Battery charge icon turns off and on, dimming and brightening screen constantly when plugged in. This happens even when AC plug is firmly plugged in.
• Bluescreens a few times a week at totally random times. Has caused painful amounts of work loss.

I have recently performed a clean install of Windows 10 to try and fix the problems.

I work from home with this laptop, so I need a SUPER quick replacement to avoid downtime. Will you please share anything you've learned from personal experience or these threads that may help expedite a replacement?

I'm not trying to get an upgraded laptop, just a straight across replacement with the same specs, but with a laptop that is more reliable.
Thank you.

 

Battery wear isn’t covered under warranty for your 2 year old laptop and that wear is probably within the normal range anyways depending on how you have used it.

For the temperature issue, it’s been said a million times but once again you need to repaste it.


You’re not going to get a replacement unit for any of these issues. You can contact support for the thermal issues but that’s the only actionable item for them - and all they’ll do is send a new heatsink with an under qualified tech to replace it and slap their **** paste on the dies.


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I can't afford to believe you. If you bought a new fridge and it randomly turned off and ruined hundreds of dollars worth of food, you would get a replacement. If you purchased a new dishwasher and the dishes were always dirty with bacteria, you would get a replacement unit. This laptop cost more than the average fridge or dishwasher, and I have lost a CRAP TON of time by this thing freezing, totally endangering my livelihood.

I'm not ready to believe that in 2019 Alienware has that little service and pride to stand behind the product. I bought a 17r3 years ago and had issues with it as well, but luckily was within the return window.

 

Failure to accept reality isn’t going to help you.

NO computer company is just magically going to send you a new laptop after two years. Are you even under warranty still? Same with your appliance example - they aren’t going to send you a new unit after two years just because of minor issues that can be addressed (again if under warranty)


Also, batteries wear down. That’s what they do.


You need to come down to reality and temper your expectations. You’re being utterly ridiculous.


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Four year complete care warranty until 2021. You're talking out of your ass without any facts.

 

Lol okay guy. I was trying to help.
I’ve been through multiple system exchanges not to mention I’m a windows engineer. But clearly you know more than the rest of us.


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It's ok tiger, you just didn't know the facts. But that's so crazy because as a windows engineer, you must literally know more than the rest of us

 

All you'll get is a free repaste/new heatsink because Cpu temps is out of Dell's specs (97 ℃ for your model). The Bluescreens problems is probably due overheating so this will be fixed with the repaste/heatsink.

Regarding the Battery... If you didn't pay for Extended Battery warranty.... You'll have to pay from your own pocket. Get it before the Dell tech visit you and he will replace the battery for you when he try fix your machine.

 

Thanks Papusan! This is exactly what I was hoping to learn. Yes I have the Extended warranty and am finding out now if it includes battery.

 

I mean the extended Battery Service was added long time after the release of your Alienware notebook. In fact last year. And it's not included into any of the standard Dell Premium extended warranty.