[Alienware 17R4 / 15R3] - Disassembly + Repaste Guide + Results

@Mobius 1

Can you give us an update on when the 15 R3 video disassembly & repaste tutorial/guide will be up?

@iunlock

I read through all the pages in this thread, and couldn't find out whether or not spreading the thermal application w/a card is necessary. The video below by Crit TV says it isn't necessary (@0:55) while this thread is saying X method is the best (see bottom for conclusion: less air bubbles, most spread).

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Thermal-Paste-Application-Techniques-170/



1.) Can you clarify if spreading paste is needed (conventional paste not LM)?
2.) Best method to clean/remove old thermal paste that spilled on the side of the CPU die?
3.) Best method to clean/remove old thermal paste from heat sink?
4.) What are the differences in build structure between 15 R3 and 17 R4? (would like an apples to apples tutorial since I'm getting the 15 R3)
5.) Any disadvantages to removing the 1TB HD from the unit completely and leaving the slot empty?
6.) How many days should I let the paste cure before booting back up?

Also, anyone in the TX area that can do a repaste? I'm planning on practicing on my M14 R2, but still not entirely sure it'll be the best job.

 

Very small rice sized grain in the middle of CPU, slightly longer line diagonally across the GPU.



If you want to send the machine to me, I will do it for you (you can even request liquid metal to be applied).

 

@iunlock Hey thank you so much for this post. I just ordered an AW17 with GTX 1080 on the 25th and I cant wait until it gets here. Im already prepared to do a re-paste if necessary. It doesnt really bother me to do one. Thanks again for all the info!

 

Not able to start a conversation with you. Can you start one w/me?

 

Has anyone confirmed that liquid metal application doesn't void your warranty? Not including having to remove LM and repaste before repairs.

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

 

It voids. Source from official dell rep is on here somewhere. Möbius says to remove it and play dumb, while other users suggest that techs will know whether or not you pasted due to abrasions from LM removal

Has your pc arrived yet?

 

So whats the verdict on the thermal pads. There going to cost me like $50 to order the fuji pads, are they worth the price?

 

@Mobius 1

How's the testing for the 15 R3 going?
I just came across your comments for the Asus G752 and 17 R4 and it didn't seem like you liked them much.

 

Yes they are worth it. Tested and proven. Have you seen my 15R3 11 Hour OCCT test? Numbers speak volume...it's the coolest running AW I've seen. Of course Liquid Metal Magic.

 

I will take your word for it then.

 

hey iunlock how much would you charge to fix up AW 13?

 

For the G752VS, I don't think it's worth what ASUS is asking for, maybe if it was priced much less to keep up with its tradeoffs then it might be okay.


For the 17R4 I only disagreed with what the AW rep wrote (90c cpu is ok), this kind of mentality needs to be shot in the head, twice. Laptop is all around fantastic and has the best all round stats (only beat by MSi/Clevo DTR in terms of cooling) if you take the time to Liquid metal.

@Greel - PM me if you live Closer to the east coast

 

I see. An Asus G752VS is about USD450 cheaper than an Alienware with the exact same specs here in Australia.
Judging by the prices in the US, I can see why you prefer the Alienware.

Maybe they'll fix the poor heat sink designs in the Kaby lake series.

 

Keep in mind that the warranty is crap and cooling capacity (when properly pasted) is less than Alienware.


Also the 75W limit on HK cpu is dumb af

 

Hi, I have this Error when run ePSA boot system diagnóstic:

Test Results : Fail
Error Code : 2000-0511
Validation : 87893
Msg : Fan - The (CPU Fan) fan failed to respond correctly

Is it the fan error or will it be a problem with the cpu thermal paste?

 

PM me I have units coming in this week for service...2x 13's in fact...

 

iunlock, the 3M scotch is just for appy LM? Or leave permanently?

 

It is to leave on to protect the surrounding area in case of a pump out as the LM can short your mobo if it touches / leaks on to the transistors etc...

Yes, leave the tape on.

 

This seems to be a common error that a lot of people are getting with 1.0.6 and 1.0.8.

I would stay on 1.0.2. Highly recommended.

1.0.6 is complete rubbish....1.0.8 is being tested. Will report back.

 

From Dell Technical Support I was told to use that version of bios (1.0.8). Next week come to my house from Dell Tech support to change the cpu fan. I'm going to tell you to use LM when replace the cpu fan.

 

Now my comment is entirely directed toward Dell in that, "I'd rather listen to my dog than Dell Non-Tech Non-Support."

ie....don't even take their word with a grain of salt, take it with a grain of dirt. They don't know what they are talking about. The knowledgeable folks on here will walk circles around them clowns. Seriously.

Flash back to 1.0.2 bud...trust me and others. Tried and tested. We're here to help.

 

Jajajajaja

I'm from Argentina. In this country, dell technical support is not so bad. I can also ask to the technician at the moment if he can replace the thermal paste with Grizzly Conductonaut Thermal Grease. I do not have much experience disarming (and reassembling) notebooks

The error occurs with version 1.0.2. Update to version 1.0.8 (technical support suggestion) and the error persists.

 

Just make sure to keep a close eye on him while he works on your system.

Also, ask him if 90C temps are normal on the CPU and let us know what he says...

 

iunlock, today I asked that question This was the answer from Dell Tech Support..

--
Hello,

This processor can reach even up to 100C before shutting down because overheating. Usualy a safe temp is about 10 C minus the maximum.

Regards,

Mauricio Avalos
L1 Support Agent
Dell | Dept.
office + 1 866 2876727
Monday-Friday
3PM to 10PM CST
--

 

Oh wow....SHM....see what I mean? This is why I said that I would take my dog more seriously than them clowns.

Tip: DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM. THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT.

Thanks for sharing.

 

I trust what you say. I am an system engineer and work for many years with Computer and Servers, but it is not my specialty to disarm and assemble notebooks (I always have some screws left over). And since it's new and Iguaranteedd, I do not want to take a risk. But, when the technician comes, I will supervise what he does.

My english is very poor. I hope you understand what I mean.

 

Got it in on the 30th, but I was out of town and just got back. Temps are a bit all over the place cores hit 96, 82, 83, 75. Idle Temps are solid and much more consistent 30,32,30,32 on the cpu and 32 on the gpu.

I'm going to repaste and repad once I get these fujipoly pads in. Gpu is maxed at 62. I only ran firestrike ultra stress test, and Haven't run OCCT yet. At this point, if firestrike is giving me these numbers. There is no point in running OCCT. I Will update once I do all of that, and will take before and after screenshots.

Honestly though, I like it and was expecting to have to repaste anyway. There is some minimal light bleed at the bottom, but it's only noticeable if my head is lower than the laptop.

Also, the screen definitely needs calibration for sure because there is an obvious colorshift, but the colors are nice will test color accuracy as well. For the price/build I got this for, not including warranty and tax, I'll fix these issues myself and keep it.

Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

 

iunlock, you can publish the file this AlienFX theme to download? it's so cool

 

Can anyone who repasted there 17 r4 1080 confirm that the thermal pads are all the same thickness as the original pic? Mines coming tomorrow and i plan on doing a repaste and thermal pad change on it. Just want to make sure the original pics are still correct. Thanks.

EDIT: I also wanted to ask, anyone who re pasted with traditional paste like thermal grizzly managed to overclock there 6820HK and still get good temps? Ive seen a bunch of benchmarks around but i havent seen many that are actually at the 4.1ghz advertised clocks. I play alot of fallout 4, and have a youtube channel showcasing some of the mods. Fallout 4 seems to be really CPU demanding at times so i definitely want to get the most out of this CPU. But i just dont feel comfortable with liquid metal.

 

Just did exactly this. There is 1 change. Thermal pad on the 3 Memory chips between screws 4 and 6 IS NOT 0.5mm. It's 1.0mm.

Also used Grizzly Kryonaut which is a paste and not LM. Temps are OK overall. COULD be great, but I'm having the same issues with core temp discrepancies. It's at 4.00GHz now and temps will climp to 88C on core 0 and Core 3 is only 74C during PRIME95 or OCCT burn test. So if the plate mounted flat enough, it would be good @ 4.00GHz.

 

Where's the before and after pic of the arm that needs to be bent to help get rid of the differences in core temps?

 

Thanks for the info about the thermal pads. Are you seeing the same type of temps at 4.0 ghz gaming?

 

I swear I saw a post that sad one 60x50x1 pad was enough for the whole application. That 1mm was recommended to be used all around. Can't find it though.

 

It's in iunlock's liquid metal showdown guide, which is also another great reference for more pasting info.

 

That is for the 17R3 application.

For the 17R4 with the 1070 you'll need:
2x - 1.0mm (100x15)
1x - 0.5mm (100x15)

For the 17R4 with the 1080 you'll need:
3x - 1.0mm (100x15)
1x - 0.5mm (100x15)

*Also updated in the OP.

 

Hey I'm interested in some repasting services for my alienware 15 r3, know anyone in the florida area? PM cause I don't think I can PM yet.

 

reading this just puts me in a real quandary regarding getting my notebook today. A solid repaste from a very good product is netting 88 degrees which to me is still very high as it's a fresh repaste. I would not be surprised if those temps are back up to the 90s in a matter of a few months. Plus with the core discrepancies I am unsure if it's worth upgrading at this point. They won't charge restocking fees if I return as it's "not enough performance" correct?

 

Repasted mine last night with the Grizzy Thermal Compound. Temps after 1 hour OCCT run were 71/66/65/66 at full load. Is that pretty normal or did I not apply enough pressure when screwing the heatsink back on?

 

I have bought a new heatsink the larger one for my 1070 gtx r4 and I have bought a total of 3 thermal pads but im going to use 2 on the stock 1070 heatsink and when the bigger heatsink arrives im going to reuse them along with the third one so is that ok ?

 

Can you please share a screenshot of OCCT or a frequency the CPU stabilized after a minute while running the test?

 

Those are a great temps and pretty much acceptable differential levels. You're good to go

 

Sure I will go ahead and post them up shortly.

 

Sorry if I missed it, but how many strips of fujiploy pads do you need for AW 15r3 with 1060? Is it the same as 17r3? Thanks!

 

Yeah. It's high for a machine this size because of the poor heatsink design.
If you haven't opened it, I don't see any issue with it.

 

RIP. My unit just arrived and came with all the mentioned problems. Gotta say, I wasn't very surprised. How about that quality control? Results below

Temps are attached. Ran OCCT and laptop immediately hit 99c within a few seconds. Undervolt 150 resulted in 93 max on two cores. Obviously differentials are present.

Light Bleed is horrific
Panel is slipping off the bezel in the middle above logo
Yellow tint
Fuzzy font (worse with downscale)

Went ahead and placed an exchange an hour later.

 

Here is a pic from earlier this evening.

 

Sorry to hear that Xenrail. Did you have the 15 or 17 and what GPU? Sorry if I missed your system info earlier.

 

15 R3, and GTX 1070, 6820HK, 4K. Also getting only 3 hours on optimus

 

My disappointing experience with Dell:

I got a 15R3 delivered a few weeks ago which ended up having thermal issues. After testing it for a few days, I finally got annoyed with it and sent it back and bought a replacement which got delivered today (for an excellent price). On opening, the computer was perfect with some minor panel light bleed but excellent thermals (Stayed under 70C when running OCCT). But after using it for an hour the bezel started to split from the panel by about an inch. By the time I finished my call with tech support an hour later, the bezel had split by another another inch and keeps getting worse (3 inches now).

Sad part is I will be traveling out of the country on work for a few months from tomorrow so stuck with having to return this one too. I had very high hopes for the AW15R3 that got pretty much ruined. 13 years a dell dedicated customer and this is what they are selling me now.

I guess I am stuck waiting until the Kaby Lake comes out hoping that they get their **** right by then.

This was a very disappointing experience and I might have build my own desktop just to avoid all the ****ty gaming laptops that everyone is selling.


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6820hk should not clock down to low 2993Mhz with barely above 66C max temp and CPU package power around 44W