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

I think they must hire the dumbest monkeys they can find and train them to intentionally violate all customer requests.

 

I ended up doing a clean install off a USB. Thanks Mr. Fox! Is there a driver install order anywhere for the R3? I've been searching google and these forums to no avail

 

Install order is not that important. The concept is antiquated and I have never found it to matter in most cases. Install chipset first and the proprietary Alienware stuff (Control Center and OSD) last. Everything in between should turn out fine.

 

Thanks Mr. Fox! Just finished off the driver installs and everything went great. Thanks again for all of your support man, you've helped me out quite a bit. Cheers!

 

Man, I cannot believe how long this poor fellow's problem is playing out. Maybe some of you guys would like to chime in to help him out. Poor guy bought a DOA Alienware 17 R3 in August and his issues remain unresolved to this day.

http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/p/19990418/20954480#20954480

 

I contacted them through their facebook (Dell) and it instantly became elevated.

 

Maybe you could suggest that to the guy. He has posted several videos on YouTube about his unresolved issue. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYavlBQO8T6dWkjhrRuFCAA

 

Just seen his video from your link, and posted on the video. This guy has to have the patience of a Zen Monk because looking at the timeline, I'd have already visited Michael in person for an explanation.
I know it took them 2 techs to my house, then 2 visits to the depot to finally diagnose it as a faulty motherboard which took around a month.
But dayumn, 3 months? And they wonder why the ship is being jumped from.

 

Yup. The ship is sinking, but it's also on fire.

 

New times? Dellienware is in BIG changes!! Top Support and easy RMA was Dell guarantee that you ought to select ALIENWARE. Soon this is also somewhat distant. Aka history

 

Thank you so much Mr. Fox!


I thought I was a member of the note book review forum, but have lost so much stuff on this AW 18 that I have been using.
It needs a fresh OS install after 2 years. Got to love Win 7. Plus I took it apart down to the keyboard to get to the 2 ram slots.
Then put in a mini SSD card for the OS, and 2 hard drives for storage and backup.

Bought it from Newegg about 3 years ago. But I spend so much time trying to keep it going because everything is done through email with Dell.
When I asked them how do I read their emails and respond when the laptop you sent me is broken?

Umm, Sir is there a library close by? Or a friends laptop you can use? Or your mobile Phone?
They did leave a voicemail on the house phone and said we understand you are having issues with emails
but these are the options. Blah, Blah, Blah and Blah! Please let us know which one is best, thank you and have a nice day!

They leave no number to call back with an extension or what hours they work, not to mention needing a time zone converter!

So between that and sending Dell every damn possible picture, video, talking with Area Manager, then had to actually prove it did go into repair
again and at least 18 or more remote sessions in the past two years it has taken time away from our lives that we will never get back!

My emails they reply to are always under a different thread and says "message clipped" hiding all my attachments and YouTube videos.
And they said "we don't do that" That's why I take a picture before I hit send and another after it is sent.
I am so worn out, mentally, my health due to lack of eating, sleeping.

It's been 2 years ago for a Brand New $3500 Win 7 laptop AW 17.
Then a Refurbished AW 17 laptop.
Then a Brand New AW 17 R3 Win 10 DOA laptop.
And now this Second Brand New AW 17 R3 DOA which I was forced to send in for Repair as you have seen on YouTube and came back not fixed!
And had the Area Manager looking over it and making sure he would be responsible it would come back perfect.

OK, $3500 laptop, had to renew the warranty twice now, been paying each month for 2 years and still Owe $3000!
I am so worn out I wish I could really show and post how Dell has messed up our household for the past 2 years.
Not to mention me and my mom have depression, I myself am on permanent disability.

So here is what I am at as of yesterday and waiting for a reply. Slept 3 hours since then and this laptop is locking up as I type this.

" Dear Michael,

We hope you are doing well.

We are following up your case and have discussed it with Arturo. He confirms offering our best resolution options and honor the warranty, however the request is still for a refurbished system. We reviewed the case records, we are aware there is a history of repairs and we understand you no longer want to work with our Techs, therefore we can proceed with the Used System exchange if you confirm, the other options are for remote diagnosis and repairs if needed, we can still attempt to resolve it without the exchange, but in order for me to proceed further I would need to confirm if you agree with the used system or return the Case to technical support.

I'll wait for your reply.

Thank you for choosing Alienware "

Mr. Fox, Your help has really made a difference in my life with this nightmare.

Please, please pass this along.

Thank you so much again and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

OK, I had asked this today.

Have you found a Replacement System yet?

And are you working Friday or anyone else from the

Exchange team between today and Friday?

Now that you have everything you need from us!

I need to approve the system specs within 48 hours.

And since this old system is not working for emails all the time.
An update on this nightmare AGAIN, would help so we can get ready for Thanksgiving.

Then I get this!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"thank you for writing, we are still working on the Exchange dispatch, we have been unable to create it due to a flag on the account due to multiple replacements sent.

We are working with our Warranty Team to clarify the account records and update the information accordingly, as until this is done, the system will not let us process a 4th exchange. As soon as this is resolved I will be placing the Exchange dispatch and then we can start searching for a system match.

The first part is out of my hands (correct account and orders info), please accept our sincere apologies for this delay with your case.

Thank you for choosing Alienware."

I am calling the stupid automated system and get someone, I don't care who!
But I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!

 

Alienware has decided that they would like to proceed with a system replacement after the motherboard replacement and now two GPU failures on replaced 780m's. To say I am not excited about this would be an understatement. On one hand, the new GPU's are awesome and their obvious advantages over previous laptop GPU's is pretty obvious but there is the BGA crap that I am less then excited about and honestly don't want anything to do with. Add to the fact that I have less 2.5 inch drive bays, no Bluray drive, Less ram slots albeit the same amount of ram in the long run and the slew of problems that have cropped up with the new machines I am less then excited about what they will offer.

Unless things have changed they have to offer me a new machine as refurbs can't be used as system replacements in Canada but I am certain they will try to give me a 1070 even though I have a 780m class GPU now which I will plan on fighting but I don't know how far I will get as the 1070 is obviously better then any of the X80m cards that came before it. CPU wise it looks like no matter I get aside from power usage it will be a downgrade from my 4800mq so not sure what to do there.

Also none of my bags will work anymore from what I understand as the laptop is completely different dimensions with the cooling chamber and it will most likely not fit into my current Vindicator lineup.

Le sigh

On one side, I am sick of dealing with my current issues, but on the other I don't want to deal with a whole new slew on a machine I can't do anything with. I also have a 980m that I will have to sell if they do give me something ridiculous and I accept it.

 

If Dell push on you BGA. Don't open the box and sell it. Then buy something decent with socket hardware!!

 

The 6820HK is a better option than a 4800mq. The machine you describe is quite old and imo outdated. a 1070 with a 6820HK would be an excellent replacement. Who cares about 2.5inch drive bays. You get nvme in return which is a ****load faster. Thunderbolt for future purposes etc. DDR4 ram with a lot higher frequency.

 

As they are no longer able to fulfill the warranty with like or better, being the only options available are soldered garbage, press them for a refund, file complaints with any government/trade agencies that apply to Canadians and get your money back. If that fails, do as @Papusan said and sell it in the unopened box and use the money to put toward buying something decent with modular CPU/GPU. I would not even turn it on. Let the person that buys it transfer the warranty to their name and be done with it.

 

Took 4 months for me, i sent my computer 4 times and at the end i had to tell them that i refuse to send it again. A lot of effort is a euphemism, i called about 30 times, sent more than 20 mails, filmed 7 times my screen to show them the issue, contacted them on Facebook, Twitter etc. Had to deal with justice to force them to swap my computer.

Now i see why they're so low in the service after-sale classement rate. If my memory is good, they're like 195 on 210. Worst after-sale service ever.

And it's not even my first time. 4 years ago, same circumstances, took 3 months to repair my computer.

 

Yes the service leaves a lot to be desired, but there are those rare gem of a rep that will bend over backwards to help out.

That being said, I will no longer be purchasing Alienwares. The ones in my sig will be the last I ever own. Will probably get some clevo or MSI machine, or probably an ultrabook and a desktop from here on out....too much BS in the mobile space. Nobody wants to play by a standard rulebook anymore.

 

Thanks @Papusan, for pointing me towards this thread. My issue is documented here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...tles-to-0-78-ghz-xtu-says-thermal-but.801219/
Apart from poor customer treatment from Dell-Alienware support guys who do not only lack empathy but also make offensive remarks, there was no ownership on their part.
Official response from Dell (Alienware):
Initially they asked me to choose from one of the given options, as can be seen below


I selected option one, and below was the response (I should pay for the visit) despite the fact that I have warranty. Also, if you look closely their guy says, "This issue is as per design" (Wow!! the audacity)

http://i.imgur.com/WU2TH8i.png


Their suggestion, use the laptop in balanced mode, refer the image for details. A laptop which is advertised as "High Performance, Gaming". Basically, they had a poor BIOS, and they forgot to add a heatsink on the third most important chip - PCH, which heats up and causes power deficiency (my understanding). They didn't do a product recall, though design was flawed, and it is customer's hard-luck that he bought the laptop. This suggestion indirectly implies that all this laptop can be used for are movies, web surfing, and nothing really hardcore. If the customers wanted to do that they would have purchased something 3x cheaper. Also, when I asked over the call "what was their design meant to be", they said, that information cannot be shared, as information that is required for the customer to make a decision (ie reqd. to fool customers) has been provided. Then how will a customer know that an " issue" is as per their design?

 

You're welcome bro Post everything in the thread I posted.
By the way, The heat Sink on the third Most Important chip - PCH as you said, is not the only problem with this BGA models(not everyone has the same problem). Throttling arises from several factors. Firmware, cooling of PCH, Low end components on MB and from the quality of these low binned i7 BGA chips from Intel.

But it is correct that you sayd. I have said exactly the same as you... They are all damaged by design. And Dell know it!!!

 

Just to add to it they are not even providing a refurbished mobo as a replacement, let alone a full-fledged laptop replacement. I really don't know what to do.. my laptop isn't that old yet.

 

A refurbished mobo as a replacement will not help yooo much. Yoo will only get the same problem (Maybe even worse). Only the money back can save you from the mess from Dell. Sorry, but so it is. Just remember all this mess you have experienced, the next time you want to buy a computer.

 

Of course, I will remember this. Moneyback is not a possibility in India (laptop is 18 months old). I had another question though, are you guys ( @Mr. Fox @Papusan @rinneh ) aware of how some customer's were treated wrt the same issue (other cases)? I need information about the cases where a replacement was done for this issue or Dell Alienware was ready to provide motherboard replacements for the least, anywhere in the world (apart from @VICKYGAMEBOY 's case).

I was able to find the below links:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Alienware/comments/5chqsk/alienware_15_pch_thermal_sensor_90_c_temperature/

https://www.alienwarearena.com/ucf/...rumPost/one-more-time-cooling-of-alienware-15

https://eu.alienwarearena.com/ucf/s...-17-r2-2015-cpu-gpu-temps-someone-please-help


https://www.alienwarearena.com/ucf/...rottling-on-alienware-15-r2-any-update-on-fix

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/why-is-my-alienware-15-cpu-throttling-to-800-mhz.777144/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Alienware/...are_17_r2_throttling/?st=iy4hohnm&sh=ea64bfe0

https://www.alienwarearena.com/ucf/...l-an-issue-i-ordered-aw-17-r2-and-i-m-worried

But no where the final resolution was confirmed (this maybe due to the fact that at times people don't post the resolution status)

PS: The reason I am avoiding the PCH mod is because it will void my warranty. Plus why should I do it in the first place, and most of all why should I reduce the ambient temp to 18 - 20 C before playing a game. Why should I use Balanced mode (which kills the performance), when it is advertised as "High Performance, Gaming" laptop. If this issue is as per design then the design was flawed and they must do a product recall (and hence I need to get few example wrt replacements).

 

Case closed for the Throttling mess for the first Alienware BGA "Echo" models. Your machine is EOL. Dell has now gone ahead and launched new machines with new problems. They have more than enough with fixing the overheating due the new designed Tripod Cpu heatsink mess!!

Maybe try Alienware Arena. Talk with @Game7a1 he can probably help you over there.

You could also talk with @iunlock and @DeeX
Both have had a lot of contact with Alienware higher up in the past in social media due the mentioned problems with the newest Alienware's. They could probably help you with this also. Because Dellienware's rep isn't much here and help Aw owners anymore. New times now!! Isn't like before. Alienware is pure DELL now.

Edit: Maybe @Mobius 1 @woodzstack can as well give you some advices what to do next.

 

Most of the people who have reported the 15 R1 and 17 R2 throttling problems in AWA are, conveniently, here in NBR. There's also only 1 AW Rep in AWA (don't know his schedule) and none here in NBR.
In any case, it's as Papusan said, the laptop is EOL, so they're done and through with that laptop. Any repairs are whatever hardware they have left like motherboards and heatsinks. There's also the problem with different regions offering different levels of support (ie: how good they are and what they can do). Escalating to the higher ups may help, but there's no guarantee.
And if I remembered correctly, there were a few users here gathering data to prove the flaws in the design before the Skylake models launched. Don't know how that ended.

 

Thanks for the reply. As per Dell's Terms and Conditions the Service level Agreement is the same throughout the world. So one can authoritatively ask for replacements, if he/ she is able to demonstrate precedence in either of the first party forums Dell's Community (preferred) or AWA, or Service Tag details (pre and post replacement), given that his/her case is found similar to the one documented in their database where replacement was made.

Also, the design flaw is definitely wrt the PCH, I just recieved my CM SF-17, opened the back panel. Locked the clock at 3.2 GHz (-55 mV under volt), using throttlestop, unchecked BD PROCHOT and C1E as recommended by @unclewebb. Ran Witcher 3 (Blood and Wine expansion pack with recode mod; really heavy!!) for 3 hours continuous, got 82 as highest temp. No, thermal or PLT was observed and clock was stable as hell, at all. Whereas, earlier i was observing either thermal or PLT even when I was fixing the clock at 2.6 GHz (base clock) and undervolting by 75 mV, depending uponw whether BD PROCHOT was checked or unchecked. In sum my hypothesis is PCH gets hot and is not reported but definitely has an associated sensor (no way to monitor it from OS, only BIOS for R1). Once PCH is hot if BD PROCHOT is checked, even though CPU/ GPU temps are fine, as measured by XTU, thermal throttling is registered, if it is unchecked PLT is registered, reason being that PCH was getting hot any ways and internal sensor triggers throttling (H/W channel), causing it to bottleneck the power inflow (and hence the H/W was starved of power). Only difference was that either BIOS or Embedded H/W is coded to short to 800 MHz / 0.78 GHz if a thermal throttle is observed whereas downclock in PLT is variable depending upon power starvation so lowest clock was 1.5 GHz. So heat-sinking the PCH should solve the issue. But I should not be opening the back panel before gaming everytime and the thermal paste + copper plate mod will void the warranty (Devil Vs the Deep blue sea). I will do the experiment with 3.4 and -40mV as well. Any suggestions are welcome.

 

I never experienced this problem myself with the 2 AW15R1's that I owned. So I cannot offer a solution for this. It is sitll not clear what the exact cause is (combination of drivers, firmware and bios I suspect).

I do recommend you to contact Alienware USA directly. The support in India seems to be quite poor.

The problem is also that not everyone has this issue makin git even more difficult to pinpoint what the reason is.

ALso if you do it well, you can heatsink the PCH and reverse it if support is needed.

 

I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the service quality. It varies among regions despite what it should be on paper, and some regions offer poor service. Other regions could offer better support.

Wouldn't AW USA redirect him to AW India in the end, though?
But yes, I think people concluded it was not just one sole thing that was causing issues.

 

I had some service provided by the USA team. Great service by the way. My exoeriences have been actually quite stellar. Will go AW without a doubt again for the next laptop.

 

indeed, it is still better thn other laptops, i love my alienware, even though these small flaws are irritating, but seriously R1 had bad throttling issues.. atleast for most people..

 

Sure, will try that route this friday. Hopefully, they don't direct me back to Dell India, or at least provide some sort of internal escalation or some work around/ recommendations.

 

I think, with this level of poor service where the CSS guy shouts at you, judges your intentions and makes remarks, isn't trained to investigate properly, and is incapable of providing a resolution, it will be foolish on my part to invest in another Alienware (or Dellianware as @Papusan addresses it). Alienware in India is overpriced by a factor of 1.5x for the least (luckily, I bought mine in the US). I think Vendors like Clevo, Sager, Hi-Devolution, and Eurocom will steal the day, and for the sake of it even Razor, MSI and ASUS (never thought I would say that when I had my AW m17x R4 3D, but I am saying that now) would be way better choices (at least Razor did a recall, MSIs have options and Asus did a partial resolution). I am not including HP Omen.

In the electronic durable industry, service is equally important as the feature set; and definitely way more important than any brand association or even looks (some other options top this dept.). Trust me this is coming from me, and I have owned Alienwares and XPS' in the past (roughly 10 years now across multiple models). I am not happy saying that.

@VICKYGAMEBOY, I think the replacement solved your problem to an extent, but that doesn't mean others are having a great experience with the service or the laptop (just saying). Also, "these flaws" are not small, I am talking about the one with R1, I do not know about flaws in R2.

 

What is the typical ambient temperature in your region?
Do you use a cooling accessory (pad et al)?

"Not everyone has this issue", I guess thats why responsible companies like Microsoft produce a Knowledge base and known issues document. It may be people aren't noticing the issue, or due to varying ASIC percentages (capability of handling heat and voltage varies), so the extent of problem might be different.

PCH was always cooled one way or the other in the original "AW" models, (not talking about 13 and 14, as they would never add something like a 980 M GT in those)

I am assuming by heatsinking you mean doing the thermal paste + copper plate mod. But considering that it is a solution, it should be coming from Dellianware, not the user (their design and logic of having a "locked" BIOS were flawed, they are the ones who crippled the system and stifled the user). It should be a certified mod, provided by them or warranty should not be voided if the user handles that. Removing it whenever a service guy comes for a visit will just add to the inconvenience of the user, also additional effort would have to be undertaken to remove the dry paste from the PCH, because the service guy will notice that and cry bloody murder. "Doing it well", introduces the paradigm of chances too.

 

The problem is partly because some users abuse the system and sabotage their system on purpose to get a replacement. Something that some users even promoted on this very forum. Lying about an issue and getting a free replacement.

Also dont think other brands are better. Razer users are constantly shafted with bad support, MSI, Asus often outsource it to generic after service companies that do Asus, Acer etc at the same time. Lacking precision and knowledge.

I dont use any cooling pads or external coling solutions. When I had the R1 I just used it. Mostly in rooms with an ambient temp of 23.
Dont pay too much attention to ASIC, its an indication, not an insurance. Thre are plenty of cases a lower ASIC score still results in a better chip.

 

Also, if some people abuse the system that doesn't mean all do so, especially if it is a design flaw and it is happening more often than it should be. I searched for 10 mins and posted 8+ links of the same issue, thats why product recall or registered known issues, giving users the ability make an informed judgement. This scenario, concerning some people abuse the system, is similar to an innuendo that exists in modern times in the political scene (and is what separates a demagogue from a good leader; you know what I mean). Also, this doesn't increase their COGS much, considering most replacements will be refurbished. They can choose to benefit from a Brand name that is trusted and revered.
Talk about outsourcing, same is the case with Alienware / Dell India (CSS lower to middle level outsourced entirely), but here hired staff is even worse in terms of cooperation. But anyways, Hi-Dev, Clevo, Sager etc. win the battle (which was the point), providing modular laptops (what used to be XPS and AWs of yore). ASUS moded the BIOS for the exact same issue, Razer laptops were replaced (I will still hold them to that!); I don't even have an option here, even for a refurb mobo (leave replacement aside, even though I HAVE WARRANTY). Please don't belittle the issue by defending Alienware, we are all entitled to our opinions though.

Agree with the ASIC comment. The region where I stay the temps are 31+ now, in Jan - Feb!! Most of the Indian subcontinent rather Asian subcontinent has higher temps. They could have foreseen it, anyways they are charging more in these regions, why not do a region specific mod like automobile companies do.

 

Razer did never do a recall as far as I know and I cannot find any source about this online.

and 8+ links is not much compared to hundreds of thousands systems sold. and that is the problem. It is not widespread enough. I do agree Alienware has to fix it. The problem is Alienware support in India, is just really bad.

 

By recall I meant, they replaced the system, similar to the manner you could replace the 180 W adapter if you have a 980 M GT with AW 15 ie their initial screw-up(recall in electronic durable industry doesnt mean like an automotive recall). Even if you leave them aside, I am right in other cases. Atleast my argument stands in other cases.
8+ in 10 mins is a huge number and that is a number of blogs! Individuals have reported issues in them, you can check the links out (my first or second post here) and see people doing "me toos" there. Let me tell you how skewed your opinion is about the expanse and extent of the problem involving Alienware's ****ty design, my younger brother has the same problem he hasn't even said "me too" in a blog (let alone post a blog); yes we made the mistake twice!! You can even see similar hints in the benchmarking link of R1 on NBR (people experiencing the same and not calling it out)
The lurking variable here is that one has a problem to start with, but one needs to exercise specific use-cases (gaming) to discover it. If your use case is brand association, non-gpu intensive tasks along with CPU, you won't even discover it. Let alone report!! Also, this list gets further shortened when you go from Excerise to finally report ie Excerise (run loads ie games) -> Experience -> Find -> Report.

Now please don't say games comprise a specific use case or they are overloading the system (these look ok only when coming from Alienware / Dell support), Gaming is the use case for which this company was setup (the original AW). Also please don't say run on balanced mode and not High perf like those daft service personnel. No one can defend their (AW's) mistakes and actions!!

Also, the CSS reps are themselves confirming it on the mails that " this issue is as per design", please the links/ snapshots I posted while back on this very forum. So no reason, it won't be present on other R1s, though dormant. (Wink-Wink)

 

There are a lot of users on this forum who did not receive support from Razer after their systems broke down. Just as a lot of users on this forum did get a system replacement for example Alienware. Its all anecdotal. You cannot base statistics on this at all. People tend to come to a forum with a complaint or a problem. Even if you collect 100 people with the same issue it doesnt say anything based on the sales numbers of thousands. That would be only a 1% failure rate, something that is far under the average for the tech industry.

I had 2 R1's and 1 had a motherboard swap after a technician botched the system while replacing the chassis (a system arrived damaged from transportation). All these 3 AW15 R1's didnt show any sign of issues like you describe. Systems that I used 12~16 hours a day for work and gaming. Just as your experiences are anecdotal, so are mine. The only thing we can conclude here is that its not a problem that any R1 system has.

The issue as per design statement is just what non informed techs use to close the case. Thats why I recommend you to contact AW USA directly. No interference from Dell and direct contact with the actual designers. Try to get out of the support scope from India because that is where the problem lies.

 

Please forget about what I spoke about Razer, it was just an example. Trust me they did many replacements though unlike Alienware. But so as to stop the fruitless argument, lets assume that they didn't do replacements then let me say this that they are as worse if not better than Alienware. Leaving that aside, my initial argument still holds for the other vendors I mentioned (buying either AW or Razer is a blasphemy, none should commit).

I do not agree with your logic of reported statistics, it doesn't flow through logically. There is a level of huge churn at every step of the process that I mentioned. As there are countless "me too's", the blogs/ forums by themselves aren't representative. Again, PCH cooling is missing in all, not just my case. Let's agree a combination of problems is causing my issue and not just what I think causes it, cause I don't want to argue anymore. As per adequate service levels, no case should be ignored without proper investigation should be done, unlike in my case and issue should be resolved proactively (even if the issue is just one of a kind). I will follow through your advice and contact AW USA and would be unsatisfied till AW of any region solves my issue, if ever they do that is.

 

Sorry but even if you think it is a fruitless argument, i want to see at least some proof of this on the table since the common consensus is that Razer is truly terrible and worse than AW on these forums. Also as you can see in this poll a lot of people did had system replacements. Also, it is very rare for any brand to offer a system replacement.

Part of my job and education was to do research and make conclusions based on statistics. I can assure you as a 2x university graduate that your statements and reasoning behind this do not hold any ground. You are searching for topics that confirm your bias. Like I said even if you collect hundreds of "me-too's" its still a very small percentage even if you consider people that do not notice the problem compared to the tens of thousands/hundred of thousands sold. The real problem is that no actual cause of this problem has been found, dont forget that all those reviews online never came across this problem during testing. Which makes it even more strange.

I do agree it sucks that AW india treats their customers very badly. That is a returning issue that is reported on this forum. My experience is that the people from AW USA truly go out of their way to find a solution.

 

Well after 2 dell engineers fried 2 system boards while replacing the keyboard in my r4, dell are finally shipping a replacement...
I lose the 4k display, but gain a 1080 gpu (was 1070), so not a bad result.

 

Let's see, and lets look at the current facts then (obvously which are readily available, here only)
I had the privilege to view your comments on this forum, and read your interactions with other members. You have always been pro-Alienware (in your self-righteous way which is great, as in your case you didn't face any issue with the product or service, good for you bro, I am really happy for you) and have shunned scathing remarks, even though they resulted from AW's lousiness (lets forget the region angle). So lets not forget that you too (I am not the only one for sure as you claim) have a confirmation/ anchoring bias.

My last comment clearly pointed out that I am ready to go with your statement, as I do not want to argue. But atleast I am right as far as other vendors are concerned. An issue must be corrected even if it is standalone and has no precedence (it isn't a court of law after all). That puts Razer and AW in the same bucket, or lets go with you, Razer is marginally weaker than AW (I am not pro Razer, but you are definitely Pro-AW, given your comments). Ratio of worst to best (extremes) on this forum is 0.7: 1 (not a good stat for any H/W mfg to have). Now assuming that this poll is a representative set of the universal set, which it is not, and even the sample size, is too small to come to any conclusion or establish causality. At the same time there are many lurking variables (ex - use case of the user being a key one) and elements that can have a confounding effect (ex - the reported replacements in this forum are across Models and across revisions), speaking in the lingo you are trained in. Given your qualification I hope you can atleast relate to the churn at every step of the process, and hence we cannot fill in the blanks or make a statsitically significant prediction. Conclusion is that we can't fill in the missing data using Multiple Imputation or Expectation Maximization, and certainly not with our whims and Series mean. At max we can correlate only, and make subjective remarks. Also, a design flaw requires the OEM to make a replacement, legally, as the OEM committed a mistake in developing that product and the performance isn't predictable and it can perform differently than it was advertsied or it works differently than it was intended to (really strict in Automotive and defense fields: coordinated recalls are the result). Among flaws Design > Mfg (you will know why I am decently qualified to say so). Come to think of it you are implying that AW and Dell, with all their resources are unable to diagnose a problem: Semiconductor tolerance and behavior too complex for them? (you don't have to respond it is rhetorical). "No actual cause of this problem has been found", can be due to the fact that they initially invested in the investigation and later didn't have enough budget to focus on correcting the problem for existing users, as they had to focus on releasing another revision within the same year, which doesn't face or demonstrate this problem to the the extent its predecessor did. All this while they cannot publicly acknowledge this issue, as they would be mandated to make H/W replacements, they will invite legal cases etc.

Talking about profiles, I come from a subcontinent, denizens of which are sterotyped with anything related to Maths (that includes stats). After my undergrad (focusing on electronics) I was working towards developng RADAR and Camera based systems that enable semi-automatic driving and automatic braking in vehicles (Adaptice Cruise Control / CMBB etc.); using higher Maths (fourier, jacobian, etc.) and Embedded systems (have worked on microprocessors - freescale/ intel/ nec, ASICs, FPGAs - CPLDs and PLDs). Pursued my masters in business (took a lot of analytics related courses), and now I work as Product Manager and use SPSS and R everyday. As a PM I can tell you that reviews are mostly superficial (especially, ones from famed channels and resources), and in some cases can even be bought (it is really sad but true). For a comprehensive review, especially in VLSI or Semiconductor domain, long term usage should be excersized (from engg. experience), as issues become visible (notice the words, I am not using appear or develop) after a decent amount of time and usage, whereas marketing team focuses on getting the reviews out as fast and as positive as possible, and if a reviewer is good he/ she will specify that he/ she couldn't spend too much time with the computer or didn't test certain use cases, otherwise wouldn't dare touch the achilles heel or in some cases would review iteration number 2. As you would know, all these tech gurus out there do not buy the system, they are given systems to review as people follow them and rever them to be thought leaders.

Also, I want finish by saying. I respect your opinion please respect mine too. Lets close the argument here, it is actually distracting me more than I thought it would when we started. I am grateful for the insight that you shared, I will try connecting with someone on Alienware.com via their messenger channel.

 

The reason why I am more pro AW than some other on this board is due to my experiences. I test laptops for a friend of my that runs a chain of PC shops in Europe. Also I tend to want the best for my needs/reliability. I change laptops fairly often. In my search for a good laptop I came across multiple brands and I tested multiple brands. In regards to pure build quality I have AW in high regards, Clevo machines, Gigabyte machines and MSI machines felt like toys and the chassis longevity is shorter unless you really treat it like a princess. Hinges mounted on plastic plates for example with Asus laptops that tear over time are a nice example on which AW didnt skimp (metal on metal), or plastic base chassis with aluminum panels that do not offer any protection and do flex a lot vs an actual metal chassis surrounded by a carbon fibre composite in AW machines. The build quality itself is just better than most others. But QC do can be an issue as portrayed by the current model thermal paste issues. Now you undestand on what I based my opinion. I have tested 10+ laptops past 2 years alone. Also the support from other vendors was way worse in Europe. Simply cannot beat next busines day support on site which in at least Europe no other vendor offers. Other vendors all outsource the repair jobs at service centers such as Getronics in the Netherlands and thats pretty much end of the line for any laptop once you send it there. It comes back worse.

It is true that reviews are quite superficial. Especially when it comes to long term durability. However, once you have the throttling issues, it is very easy replicate.

The problem might not be even hardware. People reported different results with different Intel Thermal Framework drivers for example. Driver combinations and versions might be the culprit. Also might be the reason why I never experienced the same issues on 3 different motherboards. As mainly software developer/webdesigner this would be my best guess (I did do industrial design next to it). This would also be a reason why it is so hard to pinpoint for AW why this is happening.

The PCH heatsink just might be a hardware remedy for a software limitation. If I had a R1 unit near me I could test it with temperature sensors placed on the PCH and do some stresstesting to see how hot the PCH can become under load. The TJmax of PCH chipsets are quite high so they shouldnt throttle under 90C. But in the AW15R2 it is sometimes the case when the wrong thermal framework is installed. Such an issue might be the case with the R1 as well. If there isnt an error within the bios at least.

 

That is some insight, Thanks!
I found: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Alienware-15-R9-M295X-Notebook-Review.144904.0.html
where under Performance -> Processor, one can see what I should have seen before buying , the same throttling related issue pointed out by a reviewer. Basically, we have a thorough reviewer here.
I used to appreciate the build quality of m17x r4 3d, but those are the days of yore, now build quality is flimsy (I remember my first day with AW 15, after I sold my m17x, was really disappointed with Keyboard feedback and plastic quality). But now, Hi-Dev, Sager etc. are doing fine (decent quality, might not be great but more like what AW used to be).

 

Well wish me luck all, Dell have tried repairing my laptop (faulty GPU or MXM board so they've replaced both, including the heat sink) and it still has the same issues to a fashion so Dell are now requesting I sent my laptop into the repair depot. Despite numerous requests I've had to relent and send it in, bizarrely the Alienware technician acknowledged they had issues at the repair centre before and have since change service providers with a view of providing a better service. I like to think they want balls it up and repair it properly or I am hoping for a replacement....

Will keep you all posted as I'm curious to see how this plays out.

 

You are not forced to use Intel DPTF driver. Up to you whether you want to use this piece of trash. I can not see a single reason to have this installed!!! And several have tested with and without this Bloatware... Same throttle fest.

 

@Garry7263 - this thread is also relevant to your situation.

 

Not sure if this thread is still active since its been a while since any posts but looking for some opinions on my:

Dell Alienware M18X R2, i7-3940XM, 32GB 1600MHZ DDR, 1.5TB SSD TRIPLE RAID, Dual Nvidia GTX 680M SLI and Blu-Ray. Basically was a 6k laptop with completely max spec brand new.

I still have the complete care and premium plus warranty coverage till 4/28/18 after extending it when the original 4 year warranty expired.

After years of running great and minimal issues the display finally crapped out along with a few other things like overheating and sounding like an airplane when running at times because of the fans.

I originally called them on 12/11/2017 and after walking me through some troubleshooting unsuccessfully they decided to have me send in the laptop to be repaired.

On 12/13/17 i received the box and mailed back to them which they received on 12/16/17.

On 12/19/2017 they began the diagnosis.

I called several times about every other day after this to try and make sure they were staying on top of it and also trying to get an idea of when i could expect to get it back. Every time i was told either they would mail that department and email me back or something similar to other posts on this thread. Finally on 12/28/17 they told me the warehouse should have it ready the following week.

On 1/02/18 they said that there was a Part Backlog and that they no longer make or can replace the m18 screen and so are unable to fix my laptop. They said that i qualify for a system exchange and should be getting contacted by that department in the next 24-48 hours.

As of today 1/4/18 i still have yet to hear from them regarding anything as far as what I would be getting other than what the rep had originally told me that they can exchange it for an m17 R4 since they don't make the m18 r2 anymore.

I want to make sure that i hopefully can get a maxed out m17 r4 since my original r18 was over 6k and the m17 r4 max out around 5k today.

Do any of you have any advice on what i should say or ask for when the exchange department finally gets ahold of me or any other advice to make sure this doesn't turn into a several month process? I have never dealt with Dell on a exchange but want to make sure i don't get a lesser system, refurb or somehow screwed over in this process.

 

it might take anywhere between 15-45 days depending on ur country.. i had 3 replacements so far.. im from india.. usually they capture ur system and once they recieve it.. they will send u the final specs of ur alloted system.. if u agree. they will proceed to account dept to get approval cleard.. once that is done.. ur process will go to manufacturing assembly line.. then it might take 4-10 working days.. depends on the availability of the parts, then shipping etc etc.. its a long one.. apart from that.. just ask for GTX1080, 16 or 32 gigs ram, HK processor.. 120hz Gsync Panel and a decent SSD + HDD.. if they agree.. good luck

 

Thanks! I am in the US. On the replacements do they replace the value of price you paid for originally or just what they feel is appropriate? I assume based of other posts that I do have a certain amount of negotiating power with them on what i am willing to accept or not?

 

You can always ask for better system, but its way off now.. i mean Alienware 18.. not even End of line.. just try to get a high end system from current line up.. if they dont agree, then you can always point out that you had the top most model of those gen alienware.. surely they cant deny.. after all its BGA which they will give.. but remember once u agree to mail, there is no turning back..