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

NVME? There are 3. Though one of them is 2242.

 

Where? Only 1 usable for storage.

 

2242? Is there any nvme /m.2 drive with 2242 formfactor?

 

3 usable for storage. 2 m2 2280 and 1 m2 2242.
The other 2280 is on bottom of the MoBo. When plugged in, most part of the ssd is not "above" the MoBo.

 

Never heard of that. But u can always use a normal 2242 ssd there

 

ok.

 

Don't tell me it is the first you know there are 3 m2 slot on this..... I saw you from the beginning of this topic. xD

 

Oh no not those...those aren't for the VRM's....

You'll want regular thermal pads the laptop....

 

Thanks a lot for the detailed guide, that is some high quality step-by-step stuff right there!

I still don't understand one thing though, looking at HWinfo, why is it that after re-pasting the voltage went down, and the boost went down from 36x to 32x for a loss of 400 MHz? That is making it hard to figure out the gains from the re-paste vs. the gains from the lower clocks and voltage. It's bound to still be a tremendous improvement, but it would be great to dis-aggregate the effects. Or is HWinfo giving false info?

I'm very excited for the 13 I've been waiting for now!

 

I didnt notice second M2 90 deg to obvious one.

Waiting for Kaby Lake announcement, additional 4 PCIe lanes, Optane and other consequences.

 

What to expect there?

 

You're very welcome and I'm glad that you like it.

Regarding those runs...disregard as I have some new data that is much more impressive than the original runs. I think there was a software conflict or something as I set everything back to default in bios then when I had opened up some apps like XTU and TS, it must have tweaked it. Regardless though the data is still useful.

Here is my run OC'ed to 40x and 40x on the cache..ie..true 4.0GHz OC for 1 Hour!

 

amazing. Thank you.

 

Iunlcok, could you please describe the noise level? is it acceptable? Thanks.

 

The fans are not annoying. It's a nice wooosshhh soft sound. I'll take a video of it ...

 

I really appreciate it.

 

is anyone pasting with non metallic paste then pls upload ur new temps

 

If 1 of them is under the mobo, we need to open the whole mobo to install that drive? ???

 

that seems not true. Both 2280 accessible from laptop bottom.

 

Iunlock really appreciate the hard effort. By any chance do you plan to review the unit, like you reviewed the bossmonstor (in your signature). I really enjoyed your objective and thorough review.

 

yeah just noticed my bad, edited my comment accordingly

 

Imo still kind of a douchebag move to put the fan cables underneath the computer.

 

Absolutely. I've been working on that and putting things together. You can count on it.

 

iunlock, impressive temperatures!
Have you tried running Firestrike with these settings, what is physics score?

 

That is really, really awesome!

There is also a lot of info out there that these notebooks have trouble with heat, and I think your effort goes to show that it is 100% bad paste that messes everything up. This guy for example had shutdowns and stuff when overclocking:


Seems like a good thermal paste and quality re-paste job are resulting in a ~30 degree difference - that is INSANE.

 

Thanks mate.

I have all this info posted in my other thread:
[CPU + GPU Temperatures + Benchmarks] - Alienware 17 R4 / 15 R3

12,083 is the best Physics Score so far...I'll get that uploaded here in a sec..

 

The shutdowns also occur at stock clocks. At least with the 15, the 17 seems to run a little bit cooler with factory paste.

 

Ok Alienware doing really weird thing with customization. if i select 1440p screen (which is tn panel only) i can not have i7 6820hk. and no info in 1080p & 4k display gsync support or refresh rate. lastly no way of selecting high res monitor without tobi eye tracking! can anyone help me with there experience. how good is 1440p TN panel, also do you think 4k worth it with low refresh rate?

 

There are some hope for 1440p but not much: ppi approach to acceptable, fps better that 4K.
As for 4K latest report Ive seen are not good: big light bleed, low brightness, weak gamut coverage (worse than previous 4K).

 

Anyone in Chicago area willing to do a repaste for me?

 

Dell should be happy the ram manufacturers started with 16GB ram sticks

 

For some reason I can't message you, I was wondering if you can do a repasting job for me.

 

IKR

 

Click someone's name and you should have the option to do that.

 

I heard the 4K panel was the same exact panel as the R3. Is that not true?

 

The results are interesting

 

Do you have Discord? Let me know once you've downloaded that.

You should be able to click on the avatar and / it name and a window will pop up. Then click, "start conversation."

::iunlock::

 

@DeeX So what do you think about the 1440P TN panel? Specially viewing angle compare to 1080p/4k IPS panel. I am really not sure which one i should pick, ether i have to compromise i7 6820hk or 120hz QHD display. and 4k 60Hz is no different from 1080p 60Hz since i have to downscale most of the game to 1080p.

 

So, I ordered thermal paste(Kryonaut) and will probably have time to repaste the unit in the following weekend but I must admit that I'm having second thoughts.
Since the doesn't only overheat while running benchmarks but also while gaming ( Deus Ex, Witcher 3, Doom) It feels like I lost the thermal lottery. I might just return the unit.

Is there anyone that suffered from comparable results with the A15 6820HK config, that can confirm that the temps have improved drastically? What where you results before and after the repaste?

I talked to a Dell technician today, they offered to send a service technician that can replace the heatsink en repaste the unit. Since the toothpaste pictures iunlock shared are still burned onto my iris, I shared my doubts and unhappiness concerning the paste. They offered to let the service technician repaste the unit with the paste that I provide. The good news is that this certainly does not void the warranty. My main concern is that the tech dude probably doesn't know anything about pasting and will probably use the whole tube in one go. Does anyone have any thoughts about this? Thanks.

 

Take control. If you're not comfortable doing it yourself and if they are offering a tech to do it while it still being under warranty, do it.

Watch over him and you guide him to make sure everything is on point. Take pictures and also video him applying the paste for proof that the paste used is what he really used etc....in case you need this in the future for whatever reason.

Once you do a repaste (properly) you'll have a whole new system...

 

Doing the repaste myself isn't the real problem, I actually love teardowns. I've got the tools and a bit of experience and I'm confident enough do do it myself.

My main concern is the warranty. My A15 R1 died a premature death and because of that I decided to go with an extended warranty period this time. It would be a waste of money if I void it.

 

Thanks again for your advice.

 

You'll be fine. Just take you're time, be careful and for the record from my experience, I've never had an issue with warranty due to me repasting my laptop. Others can say the same as well...

 

Can you elaborate how did your R1 died prematurely? Any symptoms etc

 

Fried motherboard + power input


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Looks like I will also have to get it re-pasted :/

 

also thanks a lot for the guide, it will be of great help

 

In fact I would be interested, but it looks like the PM option is not appearing at all for me. Maybe I don't have enough posts on the forum.

 

You mean the 4K in 17R4 or 15R3 ?

 

Return is the best policy for 15 6820HK, the 17R4 maintains <85C at stock HK so you wont have to repaste if you dont OC. Even after repaste it will be cooler than 15. And never rely on technicians for repaste. They can screw your lappy as a bonus.
If you want to repaste, do it yourself.