Warning: Some i7-6820HKs and i7-6700HQ have Uneven Core Temps due to Uneven Heatsink

I don't suppose you have done a similar pressure test on the 17r4?

 

Unfortunately not, only have a 15. You willing to try?

 

I'll have some pressure paper to test with this 15R3.

 

The idea was to have a single line explanation.

If it is as simple as @wickette 's method of cranking down on each screw for maximum pressure that would be awesome, but it sounds like you have a much more comprehensive approach.

Maybe in the 1st post after your single line explanation add @wickette 's experience as a one line explanation with credit to the 1st post?

Then go on to have your expanded additional info following, as in if that's not enough then...?

That's another good tip, use washers on the screws that need loosening to keep them secured.

You might also mention a couple of the early contributors to the thread for their contribution in the 1st post, like @dadealus and @TheSandman2236 , @wickette , and?

 

Actually @dadealus @TheSandman2236 's input came in earlier, but they didn't follow up right away with a step by step, and left us hanging waiting for more details.

I'm happy you both came back

 

So far there hasn't been a laptop that with a little tuning on the screws wasn't fixable?

If there was a guide that could tell the noobie's what to do, basically apply pressure on one side - 2 screws or 1 screw side - they can tune this themselves without a cooling system disassembly and re-pasting?

Is that enough to fix this for most people?

 

For me the differential is at max up to 5°C which is totally on par with what I had with previous laptops.
this is after approx 1h30 of Titanfall 2 .

I have the 6700HQ, I really doubt that I'm the only one who have low delta temps...All i did was repasting and turning the screws more than what was done in the factory when replacing my heatsink.

uneven core temps are linked to bad thermal paste not always bad heatsink pressure .
But people who have 20°C differential on their 6820HK have BOTH bad pressure and bad thermal paste and this is unacceptable...

my clevo P150HM (back in the days) had this pressure problem it was a nightmare at first, had to put ram heatsinks on top of the heatsinks so that the backplate pushed the heatsinks ^^...

ps : I'm no mechanical/thermodynamic engineer, it's not my engineering field...but why FFS 3 screws vs 4 ? WHY ?

 

Hello again!

So I just heard back from Dell/Alienware and they are looking into the heatsinks and seeing if there is a new batch I could possibly try. I just took screenshots showing the temps I have.

Idle Temps:


After a bit of gaming (H1Z1):

 

Your processor don't Idle in that screenshot!!
Even max OC'd 6700K doesn't idle with +33.xxx W package power in high performance power plan

You're welcome https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idle_(CPU)
But your processor temperature is terrible. Awful reading

 

I wonder if the 13R3 suffers from the same uneven pressure issue as the 15R3.
The 13R3 looks to have very similar internals to the 15R3.
No one has done a full tear down yet but this video shows some of the internals of the 13R3:

From the service manual, the 13 seems to have the same 3 screw design as the 15 over the CPU.
However, I am happy to see that repasting should be easier than the 15/17 since the fan connectors are more accessible.
A repaste with a high viscosity compound (ie. IC7 Diamond) and some trial and error with screw tightening might be a work around.
http://www.dell.com/support/manuals...721C6D-CC60-4C86-8BD3-D914A5EBAE1C&lang=en-us

 

It may or may not be badly formed heatsinks at the root of the problem, but the tightening of the 3 screws evenly distributing pressure on the CPU is the important thing to get correct.

This should be done correctly by AW, and again if the owner re-pastes he / she will need to get the 3 screws tightened evenly to apply pressure balanced to get the same heat transfer on all 4 cores, for even temperatures across all 4 cores.

 

If my laptop arrives and the cores show significantly different temperatures what do you suggest I do ? Return it , repaste or attempt to tighten the screws ? In the case of the second two options , how difficult are they for someone who has not done it before and do you have any paste recommendations ? This is the aw15 with 6700hq.

 

This new modern 3 screw design for the Aw models CPU heatsink is a lousy component design. Perhaps RazerBook have something similar? OH 'Yeah, I think so.

Spoiler: 3 screw design for RAZER... And now Alienware as well

I've had fun with Web surfing, Youtube and made some odd work with a baby girl 4.5 GHz clock speed, + 5 hours now and the fans have not even started Not the heaviest task, but still While others have a fully throttle fun and nice 100c on processor with similar maximum Cpu power package. Oh 'well

Spoiler: + 5 hours fun on the web :)

 

What genius thought they'd save enough $$ on losing 1 of 4 screws to make up for all the $$$$$$$ of re-work, RMA's, and Full Refund Returns?

 

Maybe the new RAZER 3 screw cpu heatsink design for the new AW models, will be the future? SAVE 2-5 Cents on every machine? Jeg kaller dette å spare seg til fant.. GOOGLE translate bro http://www.digi.no/artikler/a-spare-seg-til-fant/298929 whats the name on English?

 

I don't think the issue is to do with 3 screws vs 4. IMO the issue is the weak mounting arm where the third screw connects to the heatsink. It's incredibly weak and flimsy compared to the other side (and compared to the GPU mounting arms). In comparison the Razer's 3 screw mount looks a lot more sturdy and reliable for getting even pressure.

 

I find it very odd that Dellienware and Mr. Azor went for this crippled solution... Everyone can see that the attachment mechanism for the CPU heatsink is Clumsy / goofy / poorly executed. Excuse..., But this is my honest opinion. If others say the opposite, Oh'Well

Edit. Same ****yyy 3 screws attachment mechanism for the CPU heatsink on AW13 as well

 

Little update. I have attempted to post my concerns on the official dell alienware forums but it appears they have blocked my attempt to post a thread about it. My sales rep has also not responded to my concerns (I originally emailed her yesterday morning).
Worrying..

Edit - the post has been allowed.

 

So I got this response from Alienware about my overheating concerns. Now I am even more concerned

"Thanks for the reply, I actually had a very interesting conversation with our Senior engineer yesterday about your case.
It appears that the overheating is not actually real. There is a misperception on these Processors due to the Boost, or Factory overclock feature.
These CPU are designed to run that hot, as they are working at 85Herts when a regular CPU, which does not have turbo boots, usually works at 45herts.
The system is designed to handle this temp and a new Bios will also be released to help improving these numbers, but basically it is actually part of the technology.
You may still go ahead and add thermal paste if you wish sir, it can improve of about 10 to 15 Degrees if properly applied. However note it is not a defect on the heatsink, it's just lack of information on this particular design."

Umm, I am pretty fluent in processor design/operation and I am not so sure I agree with this whole statement.

Thoughts?

 

*However note it is not a defect on the heatsink, it's just lack of information on this particular design."*
Pure Nonsense!! I didn't expect another answer from Dell's support. If this Will be the final conclusion also from Dell's engineers..., Oh"well.

 

Yeah, I am not sure who they mean lack this information.. us or the engineers LOL. Regardless, I confirmed with them that as long as we don't break anything repasting, all warranties will still be valid. This is what I was worried about but now I know I am going to repaste away!

 

I think what he actually meant is something closer to "we don't care and we're not going to do anything about it, so feel free knock yourself out with the thermal paste and hope for the best" LOL. That's really a shame.

 

Pretty much. At least they did say it will lower temps lol.

 

For those who are not afraid to fix Dell's delicate "Heat Sink Temp Gate" flaw as you @cheekeman .., Will this problem might be fixed and the machine functioning as intended...

But what about all those who don't know about this problem, or all new buyers that must rely on Dell's contracted home tech support? This will be a nightmare!!

 

Seems like a load of BS to me.
However, when taking into account their first statement (these CPUs are built to withstand a continuous 100°C, according to Intel) I have got a growing suspicion that they are willfully playing dumb to save their hide.

My suggestion would be to have them repair it / exchange the system.

My high core differential was supposed to be fixed by now...
Dell has actually sent a technician to exchange the heatsink and solve this problem.
However, the technician made my problem worse (just one of multiple examples: he did "remove", don't ask about details -.-, the old heatsink and put in the one without removing the old thermal compound. When I insisted on cleaning the CPU / GPU, he smeared the compound with his sweaty fingers and put in the new heatsink).
I have since sent a strongly worded complaint to Dell, explained the whole ordeal with the technician and requested them to do a full system exchange.
The new system should arrive in the coming days and I guess I will fix this one myself, because I really like the laptop when it's working.

 

Or, even worse, they're actually that stupid.

 

My only issue is I already had it replaced. I am going to fix this one rather than replace it yet again because I have a feeling it will not fix this issue. I will report back on if it fixes it, or not.

 

"Cutting to the Bone"

 

Dell is the epitome of Einstein's definition of insanity. They'll replace your machine multiple times for the same latent defect that affects all of them. That has been their modus operandi for many years. They seldom acknowledge their mistakes and rarely ever actually go back and fixed their flawed hardware engineering problems.

To be fair, the part about admitting mistakes and fixing them applies to all of their competitors. None of the OEMs are accountable or caring about how their mistakes affect customers... buyer beware applies to all of them.

What makes Dell unique is the insanity part... as in replacing one defective machine with an identical defective machine and expecting the defect to not be present on the replacement.

 

yeah they replaced my Alienware 18 3 times for the extreme backlight bleeding. LOL

 

From my previous post. What with all who can't fix the problem themselves?

Yeah. Evga save money on thermal pads. And Dell on screws If you have the Hot graphics you can get thermal pads from Evga for free!! Can you get the 4th hole on the motherboard and one screw from Dell?

 

That's what I'm waiting for - I don't know what to do when my laptop arrives!

 

My direct experience with Dell computers was almost 30 years ago. Dropped them in less than a year. Then, in 1999, a client bought a whole office worth of their 'solutions'. Almost every week was spent rebuilding those systems (for the next 2 years).

At one point, the Dell service technician (which I knew on a first name basis...) showed up with only a new computer case. His reasoning? We've replaced everything else at this point, let's see if a new case fixes things.

When I saw DELL on the shipping boxes, I immediately told my client to return them unopened (I happened to be there when they shipped). He didn't listen then. But he knows better now.

 

If you can't manage @iunlock's fix... Return it!! Probably should all who experience this mess return their AW machines regardless if they can fix the problem themselves. If all with this problem returned their messed machines back to Dell and ask for refund... Maybe something would happen

 

Since you guys seem to know a lot about laptop thermals I may as well ask here - would you recommend a laptop cooler/pad for my alienware 15, or are they generally pointless? I mostly use my laptop on my lap, not as a desktop replacement, but would use it on a cooler if it helped.

 

I haven't needed them for a long time, but for me the best of the bunch was the Zalman line.

See:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4RE43H2375


Edit: found the model I used to use!

 

Or you can send it to me and I'll fix it + repaste with liquid metal.

The laptop cooler is pointless if the heatsink contact with cpu is bad.

 

About bending the heatsink's mounting arms.
I've already tried such a solution on a MSI GT780 Heatsink to fit in MSI GX60. Its mounting arms where placed slightly lower on the copper plate than the GX60's.

It happened to be a short-term solution : The bent arms slowly returned to their original shape and the pressure decreased as the temps increased again.
And each time you bend the arms, the pressure decreases faster.

 

metal fatigue is also a factor to consider


hmm, difficult situation this is

 

Is alienware/dell aware of this issue? Does *anyone* with a 15 r3 alienware not get thermal differences?

I had to get my alienware 15 r3 with the 6700hq replaced because of this, even after a repaste and I'm seriously afraid that the replacement (due monday) will have the exact same issue

 

What's left :

• Grinding the mounting insert shorter.
• Elevating the mother board.
• Wait for DELL to add a spacer between the mounting arms and the copper plate, and upgrade its customers' faulty laptop (Just kidding)

 

Especially with heat as it'll get softer the hotter metal gets.

::iunlock::

 

I went through several 6700hq's, and one of them, which I returned, had severe core differentials.

Core 1 almost 10C higher than core 4 on load..... and the dumb cpu would throttle so much if I didn't disable Turbo because core 1 and 2 temps were too high.
Task Manager showed cpu seesawing

If it didn't throttle, core 1 would have exceeded 96C easy

Check this out.

 

10C difference actually isn't that severe compared to what some people have been experiencing. Personally my laptop started with ~20C difference between the cores, although some have reported even up to 30C.

 

I was reading on twitter AlienwareTech page and I saw a guy, on 11/9 asking if they were working on the well known overheating issues... the answer was "We haven't had reports about that issue." I don't know if laugh or cry...

 

Dell tech support for Australia have been saying the same thing; they have no reports of issues at all. I even pointed out the VOD from PAX Australia where an Alienware rep was talking about the issue and there being a new BIOS and the tech support guy said that was the first he'd heard of it (other than from me).

 

What a joke! Wow...SMH.... What a great example of a Clown that does not know what they are talking about.

BTW Thanks @cheekeman, for sharing! This is very valuable in displaying how ignorant they are and comedic at the same time. You should send them this threads link.

 

A great display of pathetic losers that is no good to humanity. What kind of animals (literally) do they have working over there? People like us don't consider them even human....just ridiculous.

 

And If you same time need Liquid metal for lowering the temperature. This will be a Nightmare for people who received help with applying Liquid metal. The Liquid metal will dry out, because the pressure from heatsink will decrease. And I haven't yet started talking about leakage outside Die/heatsink

Maybe you should put up an noob ThrottleStop / Xtu GUIDE instead of fixing design flaws that perhaps never will be a long term solution. TAG it in your signature like "HOW to LOWER CLOCKSPEED And UNDERVOLTAGE" for laptops who can't run stock clock speed!!"
Maybe the best long term fix, outside Dell start to re-design the motherboard/heatsink.

Dellienware washing their hands!! All too high temp will be fixed by Dell's outsourced home support tech team. If the new replacement machine has similar *delicate* problem.. Return it back and ask for refund. Only lower sales can force a change!!

 

It's particularly horrible how crap some thermal designs are getting. I cannot believe examples like link626's where he's reaching 82C with only 28.2W on a 6700HQ.
I thought the cooling setup of a Lenovo Y50 was subpar, but even then I am only getting to the 80s range with a wattage higher than 40W.
As for the uneven core differential, would lapping my heatsink help with the issue? Any way to determine (in a not so expensive manner) where to grind?