Alienware 17 R4 in the warranty exchange?

Hello all,

I have Alienware 17 R3 970m base model. Due to some issues, Alienware is now offering me Alienware 17 R4 as part of warranty service. What do you guys suggest? Should I keep my perfectly functioning Alienware 17R3 or accept 17 R4 and return the 17 R3? I am a little unhappy with the lesser battery offered in the new system though. Also please aware me of the potential issues with the new model.

Following are the specs of the new 17 R4 system:

Items in this order
Item Number Description
210-AJST Alienware 17 R4
450-AAUO US Power Cord
CD-ID12435
CID12435
332-1530 Dell.com Order
389-BLST Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 Label
817-BBBP None Required
658-BCSC Microsoft Office 30 Day Trial
817-BBBB No FGA
555-BDJV Killer N1435/1535 Driver KBL
340-BJQZ Placemat (English,French,BRPT,Spanish)
631-ABHK Kaby Lake Driver
340-BJOG Shipping Material
340-AAPP Directship Info Mod
658-BCUO Additional Software
400-AORO 128GB M.2 SATA 6Gb/s SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Storage)
370-ACSE 16GB, DDR4, 2400MHz; up to 32GB (additional memory sold separately)
391-BDFC 17.3 inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS Anti-Glare 300-nits, Enabled with Tobii Eye-tracking
490-BDHU NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5
619-AHCY Windows 10 Home-HE (64bit) English
338-BLHS Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700HQ (Quad-Core, 6MB Cache, up to 3.8GHz w/ Turbo Boost)
340-AGUD Safety/Environment and Regulatory Guide (English/French)
389-BRET Regulatory Label
580-AFPW English Backlit Keyboard, powered by AlienFX
340-ACQQ No Option Included
451-BBXN Lithium Ion (68 Wh) Battery
555-BDFG Killer 1435 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1
450-AAGU Power Supply : Alienware 180W AC Adapter

Edit: Battery is changed to 99 upon my request as 68 would be a downgrade from my current system. Likewise changed 1435 to 1535.

 

you can always get the new laptop sell it on ebay and buy wherever you like, it is harder to sell R3 now

 

I'd go for the new one. The 1060 will be a lot quicker than the 970m.

If the R3 is working perfectly why is it being exchanged?


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It is a complicated story. I had a problem with IPS Glow. Case ran for 3 months. When I sent in the laptop for the last time, they have also initiated the exchange from their side since the case was running for so long. Simultaneously they have also repaired it (this time successful) and sent it back, probably because of lack of synchronization between their different departments. Since they could not arrange a refurbished one, they built a new one.

 

Newer models have far more problems. You can buy bigger battery 99Wh from Dell themselves.

 

Not all newer ones have issues, and the 17R4 seems to be the safest entry into the newer generation. From what I can tell, it is the model with the least issues. I'd go for the new one!

 

If you're concerned with IPS glow then don't bother with the FHD screen in the R4. It's terrible for backlight bleed and IPS glow.

The QHD screen is much better in that respect.


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Agreed, My first 2 units were trouble and took a little tweaking to get right the newest one was fine out of the box and surprisingly held really good temps even without a repaste. (Tho I still recommend that to anyone that uses these systems for intense gaming)

 

I just came across iunlock's repasting guide. Do I need to repaste or this problem is solved in the newer units?

 

You would have the same experience of 17 r3. Try wprime or AIDA64 to test the cpu temps, if it has core differentials go for a repaste otherwise send it to Team LHz for repasting if you're in the US.

 

Does anyone know how to unscrew a tightly stuck screw? I am unable to open the back panel because of this. I have called techsupport and they said they cannot help unless there's an issue with the computer.

 

if the screw is stripped you will need to dermal a deeper grove

 

One of the screws that attached the heat sink to the motherboard was stripped and I could not unscrew it. And it was the last screw, so the paste had already been messed up. Used a very sharp knife to cut into the head and unscrewed it with the knife. That was definitely an oh **** moment.

However, it showed that the laptop had been opened previously, it couldn't have been the original screw. Which is strange, it shouldn't have been a refurbished laptop. There were also at least 4 other screws missing from the whole assembly.