[Alienware 17R4 - GTX 1080] - Everything You Need to Know...Now and Later.

So the flag ship is here and we've been extensively testing it since the first batch of systems landed on our doorstep. It's been pretty much nonstop.

This thread is solely dedicated to the new ALIENWARE (GTX 1080) as that is the flagship model that a lot of people are interested in.

Below we'll start off with a Q&A, but first please make sure to read the disclaimer if you are a new buyer looking to buy an AW and/or a current owner that have just received your shipment.

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DISCLAIMER:

The thermal heat issue is not just with Alienware's so ditching your AW to go with another brand/model is not some magical cure or fix it all solution. Unfortunately, the heat issue is universal so please keep that in mind. I think the issue here is that AW has a larger community, thus the spotlight on these new models are making it stand out in the crowd from other OEM's.

However, where the current AW models also top the 100C club madness, is with the Tri-WhyInTheWorldWouldYou? (Exclusive Design) CPU cold plate mounting point design.

Is there a solution to help with evening out the CPU temps? - YES. ( Link to thread.)

We all are fully aware of the gaming laptops having heat issues, therefore, please do not be shocked at something that you already are aware of when seeing 90's and 99C in CPU temps.

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Q&A:

Does the new AW GTX 1080 laptop have the same uneven heat sink issues as the 1070's? -

Yes, in fact it is the exact same heat sink assembly with the addition of three larger (wider) heat pipes which is a good thing, but it still has the tri-WhyWhyWhy screw design on the cpu cold plate. Even the 17R3 is 100x's better than the one found on the new revision.



Notice how the arms on the AW1080 are pretty dinky? It's almost identical to the one found on the Dell XPS lol...Yikes... Even the 15R3 arms are sturdier.



The previous AW17R3 had it right...



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Should I buy the GTX 1080 AW? -

It depends. Yes and No.

IF, you are planning to repaste or to have someone do it for you then yes I'd go for it, but only if you need the power.

IF, you don't plan on repasting then I wouldn't recommend any gaming laptop in general. The AW GTX 1070 is a fine choice as the GPU can be overclocked and you'd be running right in the base line territory of the GTX 1080 at only ~122W vs the GTX 1080 running stock at ~178W when the GPU is taxed. See the difference? So if you don't need all that power, opting for the GTX 1070 model would save you hundreds of dollars and still give you an excellent gaming experience with a better MPG.

So ask yourself, do you really ...realllly... need all that power? Take off the "Go BIG or Go HOME," hat for a minute...don't worry I did too, but I actually do need the GTX 1080, not just to have it, but because I'll utilized it to the max and even then it may not be enough. However, for most gamers that game at 1080p or even 1440p, the GTX 1070 should suit you well.

Even more to think about and consider. Do you really need the GTX 1080 if you have an AMP?

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Will Dell fix the heat sink issue?

Chances of that happening is slim to none. We have to keep in mind that the heat sinks and motherboards are already made. For Dell to change/fix the heat sink would mean that they would also have to completely redo the motherboard as well, which is $$$$$ + TIME. We won't likely see anything until the R5 revision. Sad I know, but if you're willing to get your current unit fixed, it can be a fine machine as I long with others have demonstrated already.

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Should I bend the tension arm? Will it break?

The tension arm is very strong so don't worry about snapping it off. Even without the bending of the tension arm, the temps are so much better after a repaste (62C to 70C with traditional paste) and in respectable range that the differential becomes less of a factor, than comparing it to 99C to 89C. - ie...even with a repaste by itself you're good.

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Project AW GTX 1080:

As many of you know the flagship model is no different than any other model in that it overheats. I can confirm that the 6820HK is fully unlocked and the GPU is power unlocked as well. Those who are getting lower than normal scores with their benches are dealing with thermal throttling on varies levels. It's something that I will go more into detail here soon so stay tuned....

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FULL REVIEW COMING SOON...

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Message to Dell:

If you are reading this, here are some of the things to seriously take into consideration:

1. Make sure that the R5 revision has proper+even mounting pressure with a four screw design. No more triangle "stuff." People are returning their systems and Dell is losing a lot of money.

2. Make sure to keep an unlocked CPU in the mix. The 6820HK is the only reason why a lot of us even bought the new AW's. If there was not an unlocked CPU available, a lot of us would just have gone DTR.

3. Do not cripple the BIOS by locking it down. A crippled GTX 1080 is not going to do the consumer much justice. I along with many others have already demonstrated what these things are capable of. It can run cool. The issue is the thermal paste and uneven heat sink due to the single tension arm on the CPU cold plate.

4. Upgrade the thermal paste to something worthy. It's apparent that the stock 'stuff' isn't working when you have 10 out of 10 systems overheating. Please do not lock down the power limits to cripple the systems. That is not the answer. You have one of the best cooling systems in the industry, but it is being squashed by cheap thermal paste. Please correct this and invest in better quality paste that will hold up.

...more to be added...

 

"Adding insult to injury?"

Remember that double double gum commercial? Well that's what's popping up in my head. Can't help it.

 

Absolutely will repeaste. In fact that's a criteria for laptop shopping. If it cannot be repasted with liquid metal, it's a deal breaker. Temp difference is so large you can game on carpet probably...kinda...not recommended.

 

Holy smokes!! I had to do a double take double glance on that double stamp toothpaste goo. By all means people...repaste! I'm getting mine today to check things out. Keep up the good work iunlock and continue to let us know your findings. Especially on what is holding the GTX 1080 back and it's headroom for overclocking.

 

Sure thing mate. Looking forward to hearing back with your thoughts as well.

Cheers

 

Yeah, I'm not buying Alienware anymore. Thank you for sharing this information.

 

What is said is that alot of other notebooks are having similar heating issues. I guess Sager/Clevo was smart to repaste before shipping out.

 

I'm going to repaste and see when I have some time to sit down. Now with the caveat that I haven't studied every system out right this second, I will say that I HIGHLY DOUBT the heat issues are as pandemic as they are on this system. I agree that a repaste on an enthusiast machine shouldn't be out of question. However the temps in the 100s out of the box, poorly designed heat sink and thermal throttling on this model AW is NOT normal or even within "just accept it and fix it." My AW 18 had NO thermal problems, nor my AW m18x R1 nor my M17xR2. I know there were plenty of other designs that had inferior cooling than those models I listed and did have thermal issues. Again, I doubt EVERY SINGLE manufacturer is sending out every single gaming unit with temps in the 90+ range upon minutes of operation. I do think the overall quality of construction of this system compared to many others is solid but if the design flaw will not be changed and it revolves around the heat sink then a repaste will only make the changes last so long. I am NOT messing with the control arm because IF I do decide to send back my unit for a refund then I am not going to risk breaking the control arm. Maybe years ago I would have risked it but not now. So if manipulation of the control arm is mandatory to have a good gaming experience than I would safely guess that there will be plenty of 1080 solutions out within the next few months that won't have this issue. Maybe this is just my sign to wait for the proper 1080 SLI and get a proper 4k gaming rig whenever that gets released. If everyone speaks with their wallets but shakes their head at Dellienware, then how do you expect them to fix the issue? They have no motive. However, if enough people read where the system stands and what is needed to get it to work, maybe it prevents enough sales to make them fix the issue. Read up on the Original m15x and the revision that was the result of the various activists on this very forum. We demanded they give us a proper fix and in doing so, they totally redesigned the flaws of the AW m15x original.

 

I received my Alienware 17 R4 GTX1080 4 days ago and have been using it extensively. The heat issue is solvable, as iunlock has shown wonderfully, and hasn't been a problem for me. Here are some thoughts and issues other than about heat:

What's good about the display: Nice buttery smooth GSync and fast refresh rate when playing games. It's crisp and sharp when displaying normal text (aside from the horizontal lines, and Windows 10 scaling issues). I find it's brightness good too.

Horizontal Lines on Display: I'm increasingly saddened by the quality of the 2560x1440 TN GSync 120 Hz display panel that comes with the GTX1080 version of the laptop. Somehow I didn't really notice it at first, but now I see it quite glaringly since my eyes know what to look for - it's as if every even row of pixels has a different brightness than the odd rows. Just try a few of the different wallpaper backgrounds that come with Windows 10 and you'll see. It makes for a horizontal striped effect, that I can now notice even on solid colors (especially gray or medium brightness colors). It looks like some kind of retro CRT screen effect. I don't know if this is a screen defect or it's just the way this TN screen is supposed to be. I thought I'd be OK with it but it's getting annoying now. The effect is far less visible on very light-colored (e.g. white, or very very light gray, like in this forum).

When gaming, or watching video, this is a little harder to notice, but still noticeable. I did plan on also doing all my normal web/app/game development, 3D modeling, texturing, and artwork on this laptop. It looks like I may have to hook up an external monitor for that, which is inconvenient due to very limited space and having to bring the laptop to different places during the day to work.

Others have reported this horizontal stripes issue too, but it doesn't bother them as much; or do they just sit much farther away from the display? I do have a habit of keeping my head around 1 - 1.5 ft from the monitor when working though, especially when I do detailed artwork, 3D modeling or texturing. If I move my head farther away, then things just feel too small for my old tired eyes.

==> Is this horizontal pixel rows problem happening on everyone's 1440p TN GSync 120 Hz display for the GTX1080's? Has anyone else found a solution? Is this something that can be somehow fixed with a replacement?

Light Bleed: I could not find any light bleed whatsoever on this display. I guess that's one advantage of TN panels over IPS panels. Woohoo. How is light bleed for everyone else for this specific display?

Color Banding: Awful. Just looking at a wallpaper that contains a blue sky gradient on this display, it feels like I'm in the 1990's again, on a VGA 1st generation LCD monitor.

Viewing Angle: meh. It is a TN display for sure. As long as you're sitting in front of it, it's ok. But if you're at an expo or convention and a few people are trying to look at the laptop's display, then they're all going to see something a bit different. Somehow even my 4-year old Macbook Pro's monitor has better viewing angles than this.

Trackpad: Maybe this is just because I'm used to the trackpads on Apple laptops but the scrolling gesture on the trackpad is wonky and scrolls at an unreliable speed, as if there is an acceleration to it, rather than tracking to my fingers' movement speed. And when my fingers scroll to near the top of the pad and it's more of the fleshy part of the fingers instead of the tips, it responds differently, sometimes scrolling in the opposite direction.

Wifi: The wifi was a bit flakey. After a while, the connection kept dying or slowing to a trickle periodically. I made sure this wasn't just because of my router by also testing with a different laptop next to it when the Alienware's connection went bad. I don't know if this is the solution or just coincidental, but I uninstalled the Killer software and it became much more reliable.

 

It's kind of sad that Dell had to resort to the advice of the consumers to improve on the design of their laptop. It's not like they just started their laptop business. What were they thinking and/or how hard are they working their designers and engineers?

Now this noob-tripod-undertested heat sink design. Can someone give this a name?
#tripodgate?

 

Here are some 3-legged-dog names for inspiration:
http://www.petplace.com/article/dogs/selecting-a-dog/naming-your-dog/three-legged-dog-names

Hat Trick sounds too cool, but maybe the "on the nose" name is most appropriate:

#Alienware-three-legged-dog

or somesuch

 

Haha... funny stuff.

 

That is one thing going for them. If Clevo/Sager could ramp up on their quality, they can capture a lot more from the OEM crowd. Redesign the chassis by hiring a good designer and team them up with a good engineer to get all the technical stuff right and bam....watch them fly. My 775DM3 (6700K/GTX1080) ran very cool at stock clocks, but even running at 4.6GHz as my daily driver the temps were respectable.

At stock clocks...(Mind you I had delidded the CPU and repasted with Liquid Metal all around...)

 

I don't blame you mate. As I've stated before, if it wasn't for the unlocked CPU (6820HK) it would be game over for me along with a lot of others who are barely hanging on. No brand loyalty here.

Fortunately, IMO the new AW is aesthetically the best looking gaming laptop and looks do come into play for a lot of people, because it's something that you have to look at everyday. It's like buying a car for me...I wouldn't be able to buy a car, no matter how nice it is under the hood if it didn't suit my taste.

Also, the build quality is superb and there's nothing in the industry (in this class) that can top it at the moment. Razer Blade Pro? Maybe, but Razer is being retarded in trying to play Apple with the pricing and shipping it out with a 6700HQ/250W PSU? *face palm* which means the GTX 1080 is crippled? Someone please confirm, but anyhow. .

The cooling system in the AW is the best I've seen as I have yet to see anything else in this class (6820HK) to run as cool as the new AW's. If there are any, please link me as I'd be trilled to see great temps elsewhere. I know the MSi's have very good cooling systems, but not sure how many are running on liquid magic. @hmscott, perhaps you could chime in?

Unfortunately, despite the solid build, great looks and great cooling system the cheapo thermal paste and tri-WhyInTheWorld CPU plate mounting design makes all the goodness crumble down, unless it is fixed.

So for the good majority of the buyers who don't want to get under the hood, it's a failed product. 99C out of the box in unacceptable. However, high temps is a universal problem across the board as my 775DM3 was worse...so either way....

1. AW has more check boxes in many different categories that would put it ahead with a fix... (The consumer should not have to be fixing their problem...I agree...)

2. ...While other OEM's can be just repasted and have great temps, but then you go back to the categories and if a buyer doesn't like the looks for example or the build quality, then this is where AW pulls ahead.

It's all subjective of course, but I feel that it is safe to say that in the category of build quality AW tops that with flying colors. Cooling system wise, it is among one of the best as well, although MSi does have a better grip in the heat sink department, which others should learn from.

The reality is...with a fix it works...but would I ever recommend an AW to someone who wants to drive the car off the lot without having to touch anything? Absolutely not. That would be very unkind, but that can be said for other OEM's as well as this heat issue is universal.

Now we're back to square one.

 

Dave, I suspect probably less than 5% of AW's customers even know how to check core temps. The vast majority will be unaware of the issues unless it is so bad that it causes thermal shutdown and they send the units back, which Dell seems to have 'fixed' by updating the bios to ignore shutdown until temps get to 105c

I think this is a failing of the reviewers and review sites which the vast majority of the public use to assess a product before purchasing it. I've seen all the official reviews of the AW 17 R4 and not a single one has mentioned these issues. Maybe we should be pointing our anger towards them as well because if they start to highlight, that's what will really get Dell's attention. Dell doesn't care about a bunch of enthusiasts complaining, they care about the mainstream market being affected or disaffected

 

"On the noose" is a better name

 

Yes, the heat sink on the CPU mounting plate is poorly designed with its three arm design, but the cooling system is one of the best and does a fine job.

The CPU tension arm is very strong so I wouldn't worry about breaking it. You only need to bend it just a little bit to create more down force when the screw is fully screwed in. That's all. It's not a big deal or task. Pretty simple.

If you want 1080SLI and 4K, perhaps look at the P870DM3. It's a monster, but that produces a lot of heat...

I think people are already speaking with their wallets by sending their AW GTX 1080's back, but to each his own. There are many of us who appreciate the new AW's for all the pro's that it has, who are willing to deal with the two con's of repasting and slightly bending of the tension arm that takes 2 seconds to do.

Also let me point out that even without bending of the tension arm, with a proper repaste the temps are going to be so much better that even with a core differential it wont' matter...ie...

99C and 89C is obviously a no go....however, with temps like 59C and 69C, despite the core differential at those temps would anyone really be complaining?

BTW, Dell is listening and they are fully aware of the problem. They've seen the posts here and have seen the data that has been sent to them...

 

Correct. The majority will go without ever knowing what the temps are. So what Dell tried to do with the bios updates is to cripple it even more for the thermal issues to go unnoticed. -

Nien, nien, nien.... not under our radar you won't Dell... That's why we're calling them out in letting them know to stop with that non-sense. It's absolute madness. Bios 1.0.6 and 1.0.8 is complete rubbish and crippled.

You don't offer a GTX 1080, let alone have your spokes people make bold claims (fully unlocked this and that) only to cripple the machine with a band-aid / totally low move by crippling the bios. That is so not ethical, especially when the consumer has paid thousands of dollars for this machine.

 

Running Tests with BEST CASE SCENERIO right now. Re-doing Firestrike, Timespy, Heaven and Valley. Will also do a 30 min OCCT or AIDA64 stress test for 30 min.

It's cold outside here. That's the best case. 6C or 42-43F. Makes a difference. Almost cracked 17K on firestrike. GPU in the 40'ish range doesn't downclock as much running closer to it's max boost freq for most of the run which advertised IIRC is 1775MHz. CPU sits around 75-78C on Core 0 which prevents throttling.

Still....da fuq. CPU cooling has it's issues with the cold plate mounting. GPU seems to be a bit too agressive with downclocking. running around mid 50's to mid 60's it shouldn't throttle so much. Gives close to 22K in Firestrike vs just above 20K normal. That's Graphics score only that I'm looking at.

 

How much force do you need to bend the tension arm? Does it bend back easy? I'm sure Dell doesn't want you doing it, but if I can bend it back if I need to make a warranty claim for something I might give it a shot. Even with my repast I'm still getting a 10-12c difference on my cores. Also is it recommended to take the heatsink off the motherboard or is it something I can do with out completely tearing it apart again.

 

Hey iunlock. Which BIOS would you recommend I use? I think I seen you say something about which to use in another thread but I don't remember where. Mine is being delivered today. Thanks!!!


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1.02 i think

 

You got it.

1.0.2

 

Thanks guys!


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Good points; I like it. So I am repasting now so I apologize if I didn't read the guide thoroughly but I wanted to reference it because I decided I am going to go for the control arm manipulation. Is there a way I should position it toward the HS or is the idea just directional pressure will create a 'decent' amount of tension by the stems pressure? I decided to go with the control arm manipulation because I am not using LM. I am using IC Diamond which (a few years ago) was really good stuff. Can I still expect to net some decent results? Thanks
Dave

 

My french vendor tell me that my order is blocked in "pré-production" because i ordered an i7-6820hk... Alienware manufacturing are doing modifications for these processors about temp problem. So delivery could be delayed.

Is it true ??? Do you have informations ?

 

The arm needs to be bent just a little, enough to where when you tighten the screw, there is a noticeable pressure (down force / tension.) Also, because you're using ICD which is among the thickest of pastes, you may want to make sure that the heat sink is seated properly...ie...make sure the thickness of the paste is not altering how the heat sink sits on top of the die. I'd even give the center of the cpu cold plate directly above where the die would be located a slight push to make sure that it sets completely.

ICD will yield you better results than stock for sure. The thickness of ICD may do this situation some justice, but pastes like Grizzly Kyronaut and Gelid Extreme will yield better temps. Your core temps should be very close to each other considering everything is good under the hood....I'll predict that now.

Please post your screen shots showing the temps when you're all finished.

 

Hmm that is very interesting. I hope they are not doing the double double stamp like they have on the units here in the US.

 

I'd start a different thread not to derail this one. However it's possible. I heard heat sinks are on backorder and I'm wondering if they are doing some modifications or if it's just because of all the complaints of temp problems that they are going to be sending out the same problematic part that is causing the problem. I doubt 6820 would warrant QC changes when 6700 processors are throwing the same temps out of the box but at this point nothing would surprise me from dell. But start a new thread so this doesn't get bogged. Dave

 

Sorry. Move it please end delete this one

 

Can you confirm my method of instead bending the tension arm, putting some O rings between the screen head and tension arm itself to create more tension? Would be a more safe method maybe?

 

Given the issue at hand, anything is better than nothing at this point. Bending the tension arm works well. I have a temp differential of only ~3C between my cores.

 

Do you need to take the heatsink off the motherboard to do this? Or can it be done without a total tear down? Also once it's bent is it bent for good? Or can it be bent back into place in the future if need be. Thanks

 

iunlock and co. are awesome enthusiasts for working through all of this and coming up with solutions to fix people's units. Having spoken with iunlock first-hand, he's 100% genuinely concerned and working to correct these issues so people can enjoy their AW's.

My 1080 unit is going back, however. Not due to known heating issues (which it did exhibit), but due to a spongy-flexing keyboard around the 10-key and a 3-4 inch gap above the Alienware font on the bezel and screen.

 

hello, I'm really new to liquid metal thermal paste. I was reading your Post on how to repaste your alienware 17 r4. I noticed you used scotch electrical tape when applying the paste. why was that? and also did you leave that tape on the motherboard when you put it back together?

 

The liquid metal is highly conductive so the tape is protect the mother board from creating a short. I would think you leave the tape on also.

 

How about:

#failienware

 

ASSus too

 

Nah, that's whole 'nuther animal

 

You're eyes have been spoiled my friend. A 4K screen will make anything look like a downgrade for the most part....When I went from 4K to a 1080p AW (clients) although the 1080p was great for what it was, I just could not get used to it. However, the QHD is worth hanging onto despite its short comings due to it's performance.

Yes I would take off the mobo to do the arm trick. You can always bend it back, it is not permanent, but I wouldn't ever bend it back as that could lessen the tension integrity even more. Just leave it put once it's bent.

Yea stuff like that warrants an exchange or return. Hopefully it's better the second time around! Thanks for your kind words as well.

The tape is 3M 33+ Super (Electrical tape). Yes you keep it on and it is placed where it is to protect the surrounding area in case of a pump out. Free insurance basically and makes for easy clean up. (It's a safety net to catch you in case you fall.)

Yup!

ROFL....

 

Horizontal line: this is known problem on all TN+WVA 120hz gsync qhd display from AUO

Light bleed: this is not the panel problem, but panel mounting issue due to not properly screwed down screen to display lid manufacturing tolerances. two cables underneath the laptop's display overlap each other <- could be the culprit also

Banding: not entirely sure on this one, could be the screen's coating or it needs a calibration
Viewing angle: it's a TN display, go figure...

Trackpad: should mention also the reverse scrolling issue and driver inefficiency using abnormal amount of cpu power just to track 1 finger. the issue that you are experiencing is related to the speed of scroll, not the position of your thumb: http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/trackpad-issue-on-pascal-15-17-alienwares.798649/

Wifi: Killer = bad, Intel = good. Unless you find a barebone driver for the killer without suite you'll probably run into the problem described above. However the stock 1535 and dell driver worked well for me, so there's a hit or miss chance there.

 

This thread is a great resource for potential Alienware owners. Not only because of what is said in the main post, but what has been collectively shared by the community here. Let's keep this at the top.

It's good to be informed.

 

Hoping that Dell will amend the 3 arm heatsink

 

I am really interested in picking up a 17 with the 1080 but I am shocked that dell does not offer any screen options. I would really want an IPS or IGZO screen and don't know if I can go back to a TN panel. I am currently using an R3 with the IGZO 4k matte and love the color accuracy and sharpness. Can anyone convince me that the TN screen will be good? I know that macbook airs were using TN screens and the last air I had (2014 I think) looked really good, but still... Is the QHD 120hz screen the top of the line for the 17r4?

*Edit* I just noticed that you can now configure one of the lower models with the 1080 and add the 4k screen but with every other option the same its something like $400 more which is not exactly the way I want to go. Plus gsync and 120hz is a nice plus of the TN that the 4k would not have.

 

Unfortunately this TN screen is one of the worst TN screens I've seen, but I'm not sure they're all as bad as mine with the horizontal banding issue. Dell is going to send a technician onsite to replace mine. I just hope it is better. It's a shame they didn't allow the 1080p or 4K IPS screens with the GTX1080 and better processor.

Unless you plan on using the laptop with an external monitor, I'd recommending waiting for them to come out with other options, or going with the GTX1070 version. Otherwise, you'll just be setting yourself up for disappointment. Or maybe check the screens out yourself in a Best Buy - the seem to have less problems than the ones ordered directly through Dell, and you can return/swap them more easily.

I'm coming from a 2012 Macbook Pro and a 2010 iMac 27", and both their screens looks far better than this TN panel.

 

My 1080gtx AW17 repasted and tuned by the great iunlock will be here in my location early next week. Man, you got to see what iunlock did. Amazing work

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Hoping to have him do the same to mine, when I can finally contact him

 

Are you able to message him?

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In regards to the horizontal line issue, I believe Dell moved away from AUO and are currently going with LG (solves the issue).

If you are experiencing this issue, call tech support and they'll swap it out with an LG.

 

Yes I got in contact and will be using his services