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

Thanks for the response

I read that using LM would likely void the warranty, is this the case / if the engineer did it would I be able to claim plausible deniability if anything went wrong in the future?

Also would I need to re-paste the CPU + GPU every so often / is LM more hardwearing compared to Kryonaut?

With regards to the thermal issues in general, would replacing all the thermal pads + re-pasting with either Kryonaut / LM mitigate the majority of the thermal issues, or is it likely the PSU + tension arm mods would also need to be performed?

If I lived in the US, I'd definitely send the laptop into iunlock to sort, however I'm in the UK :/

 

Who said LM would void the warranty?

 

Its true inductive paste is not confirmed by dell so if you use it waranty "could" be gone. Support told me this by phone.

 

Having read into this further, I'm coming across conflicting perspectives. Even from within Dell themselves.

https://twitter.com/alexkyse/status/814592991482576898

https://www.reddit.com/r/Alienware/..._repaste_alienware_with_liquid_metal_thermal/

Either way I spoke to the engineer who's going to be coming out to carry out the work earlier - he's happy to use LM, so I think I'll go ahead and order it. Then worst case in the future can show the above two links as proof / claim plausible deniability.

With regards to Thermal Grizzly LM - how much do I need. Do I need the 5g or would the 1g suffice. Apart from this laptop I have no other use for LM, nor anticipate one in the future as long as this fix works.

 

Guys, a little advice, do not let a Dell Support technician put his hands on his latop. A tech broke my 17r4 and ****ed the power button cable, tobii cable, and others. Now, I had to send it to the US for an exchange for a new one (Because there are no spare parts in my country). 25 days of waiting...

 

1g is enough for 1 or 2 a repaste...

a little advice, do not let a Dell Support technician put his hands on his latop. A tech broke my 17r4 and ****ed the power button cable, tobii cable, and others. Now, I had to send it to the US for an exchange for a new one (Because there are no spare parts in my country). 25 days of waiting...

 

Thanks for the heads up - the thing is I'm not particularly technical, so feel I don't have much of a choice but to let them repair it for me.

If they **** it up, then whilst being an annoyance it shouldn't be too much of an issue as I'm in the UK so spare parts shouldn't be too hard to come by. Plus worst case I paid via AMEX so would initiate a charge back if they started messing me around.

Also quick question in terms of the PSU temperatures, apart from re-pasting the CPU and GPU with LM and new thermal pads - is there anything else I can do to bring down the temperatures of the PSU (without doing the mod) or will this naturally come down once everything has been repasted and repadded?

 

someone knows the difference between these two fujipoly thermal pads that sell in amazon? I asked the sellers and they told me that there is no difference between them.

Fujipoly / mod/smart Ultra Extreme XR-m Thermal Pad - 100 x 15 x 1.0 - Thermal Conductivity 17.0 W/mK
https://www.amazon.com/Fujipoly-mod...&qid=1497025378&sr=8-6&keywords=Fujipoly+17.0

Fujipoly Ultra Extreme System Builder Thermal Pad - Mosfet Block - 100 x 15 x 1.0 - Thermal Conductivity 17.0 W/mK
https://www.amazon.com/Fujipoly-Ext...&qid=1497025378&sr=8-3&keywords=Fujipoly+17.0

 

They definitely look the same. Not sure there's any point to getting the 17w over the 11w though.

 

If I think 11wkm is enough, but I want to experiment with 17wkm. I'm not sure without being the same. One is fujipoly model XR-m. The other does not say the model. In addition there is price difference.

 

I don't have the screenshot on my phone so I'll have to post it later, but on the Alienware Discord several Alienware team members have confirmed that repasting, even with Liquid Metal, does *not* void your warranty but that any damage, unless it was clearly due to a design defect, incurred during the repaste would likely not be covered unless you had accidental coverage in addition to the regular warranty.

 

I believe Ultra Extreme and XR-m mean the same thing?

 

look at the w/mk, not the name

 

You look. They are both 17

 

When using LM can you use to much of it? Or do you want to apply a decent amount?

 

As with any thermal material, the thinner the better. The TIM will never be as conductive as the metal itself so the heat won't have to travel so far.

You want it just thick enough that it has good contact and no gaps all around but as thin as possible.

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

 

I'm assuming if an engineer does it, then if any damage occurs Dell would be liable still and not me though right?

 

I already bought these (0.5 and 1.0). I had already used them on another laptop and they were very good. Easy to handle too.

https://www.amazon.com/Fujipoly-Ext...&qid=1497096761&sr=8-4&keywords=fujipoly+17.0

 

if you want to save some money get the 60x50 version, always good to buy in bulk with thermal pads
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZSJQLME/ref=psdc_2998409011_t1_B00MQ6AJU2

 

If you have a Dell technician preform the work and something happens you will still be covered. Years ago I had an m14x R1 that needed maintenance and after there ended up being more problems after then technician came than before Dell overnighted me a new system.

Also, here's the quote from Discord regarding Liquid Metal:

 

the word is technically "adept"

fail.

 

Iunlock, what is your Extreme Tuning Utility settings/ profile your using for your Alienware R4 17 with 1080?

 

So I have re-pasted my R4 17 w/ 1080 with Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut and changed the thermal pads. I play Player unknown battlefield and my CPU Temps are still hitting mid to high 80c's and GPU is hitting 85c. Am I doing something wrong that I don't know of? Because looking at Iunlock's post he is staying very cool, so this doesn't make much sense to me. Can someone please help me out. I am running Default settings on the computer no OC. Do I need to change settings some where?

 

raise back of laptop to get airflow

 

I have done this but doesn't make a huge difference.

 

Probably not enough of the LM, you might want to add a little bit more. The surface should be like a mirror, so you can see a good reflection of any item (finger nail, screw driver etc.).

 

enough lm, but if you put the motherboard 90" sideways, it should not drip off (blob of LM stays in place of silicon die)

 

Not enough LM and also if one doesn't notice much of a difference from raising up the rear, it is because the underlying issue is the issue with the heat sink w/ not enough paste or contact.

 

After a repaste with Conductonaut, I'm still hitting having OCCT stop due to temp hitting 97 on cpu, so at least youre in the 80's.

Gpu is nice and cool though so. That's something.

 

What's your ambient temperature?
I'm not using Kryonaut, but when I use OCCT, I do get 93C on one of the cores. Barely a minute until OCCT stops. Whilst, gaming CPU stays below 85C (if my room temp is less than 30C) and GPU is <80C regardless of room temp even while its OC'ed by 10-15% on core and memory.

 

So my fears came true - engineer came round today and now the laptop now doesn't work at all.

He re-pasted the CPU and GPU with Liquid Metal + replaced all the thermal pads on the heatsink. I think he may have used too much, as the 1g tube is pretty much finished - which suggests it may have got onto the motherboard I guess.

A few questions on things I noticed:

- He didn't remove the vinyl tape (is it meant to be left on?)

- He didn't use the Artic Cleaner and Polisher I bought instead some wipes he had, although they seemed to clean all the existing paste off from what I could tell (would this have made much of a difference?)

- He removed the thermal pads on the existing motherboard saying they weren't needed (is this correct?)
(the ones you see in this picture http://i.imgur.com/5ChVBpm.jpg)

- He didn't re-paste the contact plates on the heatsink (just removed the existing thermal paste) saying that there was no need as it was a new heatsink so wasn't scratched and that the LM would transfer from the CPU + GPU (is this correct?)

Apparently, the issue is with the display connection as that's what the 2 white, then 7 flashing red lights on Alienware logo mean (I think it was that combination).

He's now ordered a new motherboard and LCD cable, which once in stock he'll replace.

I've since spoken to Dell and have escalated the issue to management, saying I'm incredibly unhappy with the situation and expect more than just another repair or full refund + 15% off a new system (which they always offer anyway), due to the cost of wasted materials I bought + my time. So I'm going to see what they come back with. I'm going to try and push for them sending a brand new model (mine was a refurb) with the same spec; a rebate on what I currently have if they fix it or alternatively if a new motherboard with a 1080 as opposed to my current 1070 and a 7820hk as opposed to my 6700hq.

 

Uhhh, from my limited knowledge, the vinyl tape stays on yes. He is incorrect on not replacing the thermal pads on the MB, and a whole 1g tube of LM is entirely too much! Likely even doubly so. I'd push for a whole unit replacement/upgrade.

 

Thanks for the response - so it should be possible to get the 1080 GTX and 7820 on a new motherboard and put it into my current laptop?

As if so that's likely my ideal situation, as the spec on my current model is 1070 GTX, 6700HQ, 32gb RAM, 1tb HDD + 512 SSD and the 3k G-SYNC display. Seeing as it cost me £1500 it seemed like a pretty good price. So if I can keep the same specs I currently have + get the better CPU and GPU due to their incompetence that'd be great!

Also, he said we could re-use the Fujipoly thermal pads that were put on the current motherboard on a new one - is this true?

 

I had a similar situation with my 17r4 6820hk, but I did not have much to update on my system. They gave me cpu 7820hk + 1tb SSD Samsung + vindicator backpack v2 + vindicator v2 sleeve

 

Good to know it can be done.

If I may ask, so I have a greater idea when negotiating with them:

- What was the specific situation you found yourself in?
- Was it a refurbished model?
- Who did you speak to at Dell to get the compensation (as the individuals who answer on AW premium support are pretty useless, telling me their standard policy. They couldn't even put the manager on the phone as that wasn't their "policy", nor could they get him to email me, however eventually after standing my ground it was agreed he would)
- What was the rough value of the compensation you gained?

 

Send me a PM

 

What is the best traditional paste besides LM?

 

Little disappointed in these stock temps to say the least. It's definitely not THE WORST but the differentials are nuts. 75C on Core 0 and 66C on Core 3...9C difference.

 

Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut is very nice one. If not LM, usually using it: http://www.thermal-grizzly.com/en/products/16-kryonaut-en

 

I use Antec7, it's similar to IC7 and has the thighest thermal conductivity of any thermal paste I've seen.

Looking at Kryonaut it looks like it is 12.5W/mk...that's insane I'm ordering a tube!

 

What a coincidence. I just came here to post my horror story and it is very similar to yours. Long story short, a tech came out yesterday to replace my mobo and botched the job completely for which, I blame myself. He had told me he had never worked with LM before, and even though I explained the process thoroughly, he did not listen and went about it like he was used to by placing an amount on the components and letting the pressure from the heatsink spread the compound. The computer turned on but there was no display, only a led code of 7 blue and 2 red, which also came back as an LCD failure. He wrote it off as a DOA motherboard and Dell sent out another mobo and technician to me today after I refused to send it in to their repair facility. This new technician had no business working on an Alienware.

We found out that the last technician did not tape off around the dies (dyes?), even though I could have swore he did, which resulted in the LM making enormous contact with the board. Again, I completely blame myself. I should have guided him through it more instead of playing Pocket Mortys; live and learn. Anyway, I had to send the link of this guide to the tech because he got stumped trying to tear down the R4. That was one reason I said he had no business working on it; the others are because, if I did not protest, he would have put the machine back together without any thermal pads because they "don't really do anything for cooling, they're more for insulation" WHAT?! Air doesn't do any good for your body, it's more for helping you stay alive. The last reason is his view of thermal paste/compound. I explained to him the overheating problems that plague these systems, much to his surprise because he has never heard of Alienwares overheating, and I said one of the main reasons is because they skimped out on the thermal paste big time; the crap they use is worthless and it breaks down completely after a week or two. To which he replied "Yeah, I don't think that helps very much". I told him I agreed and I am surprised and disappointed that they would use such poor quality items on such an expensive computer when he interrupted me saying "no, I mean I don't think thermal paste helps the computer very much. I've never had any issues with or without it". I was done after that. I wanted the computer in one piece and him gone so I waited patiently until that became reality.

The computer worked and after messing around in the BIOS for a while to get it to stop getting a BSOD on boot, I was able to test it. He used some run of the mill thermal paste and the cpu reaches about 79 Celsius during a short load. I don't know what it will reach during a longer test because I don't want to damage my gpu trying to find out. This f*cking guy... I don't if he failed to apply thermal paste on the gpu or messed up the pads, but my gpu hits 90 degrees Celsius immediately after launching any game and is in a constant state of thermal throttling. I am defeated at this point. Between Dell's f*ck ups and my own, I can't even get mad anymore; I'm just fed up.

I have all the parts ordered for the LM repaste and repad for the third damn time.. I'm thinking about trying to send everything to @iunlock to have it done right.

 

Such a mess, this is most ridiculous
There should be another guide to check technicians before they go inside..

 

The issue is that most GOOD technicians become engineers or get a better paying job than just the guys that Dell send out. Or they start services like iUnlock lol. Why get paid a pittance from large corporation for whom most customers don't know better when you can offer a high quality service to those who appreciate it?

I would never trust any technician with LM unless they have direct experience with the compound.

 

This moron "tech" guy sound awfully familiar. does he go by the name InvoluntorySoul?
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...m-stutter-freeze.804499/page-11#post-10538930
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...m-stutter-freeze.804499/page-15#post-10542923

feel sorry for you rubbish people who has absolutely no skill and no knowledge work in this line. i hope dell properly compensate you for all this mess.

 

That is the key lesson I learned from this experience.

Wow, that was an interesting read. I doubt they're the same person, but they might attend the same seminars lol.

 

Hello,

Just got my alienware r4 17 i7 7700hq 1070GTX and when I run witcher 3 or Battlefield 1 on max setting (I mean everything is on and maxed ) the CPU temp gets to 95c max. om IDLE its 35-40c
I am very worried I paid huge money for it. + I paid 400$ for shipping cause where I live its the only why to get it
I contacted alienware and they said it's in the expected range. Should I do repsate? cause there is no way to send it back to dell, cause I will have to pay 400$ for shipping it one way so total 800$
I am just worried I will break something

 

Tell me your ambient temp. Do you have accidental damage protection and premium support in your warranty?
If you have Accidental damage protection, you can try to repaste the PC patiently and carefully using @iunlock guide. Order everything you need then start repasting with traditional paste.

 

I don't have Accidental damage protection. Don't know about premium support will check,
ambient temp is 25c max 27 i guess but it will soon 35

 

Return it and get your money back, re-paste/re-pad yourself or send it back for repair. Undervolt can lower the temp, but the underlying problem aka the well known TRIPOD mess and ****y thermal paste is there still!! And please, Don't trust Dell support!!

Expect the temp will rise. Both from higher ambient and degradation of thermal paste.

 

Then the temp looks good to me. have you tried turning down graphics quality to high from extreme and post-processing to medium in witcher 3. One more thing, try HWinfo for custom fan control to get those temps down.
Try ThrottleStop and start by undervolting to -100mV on CPu and cache.