*OFFICIAL* Alienware m15 Ryzen R5 Owner's Lounge

Tired of this. Have people really been clamoring for thinner and lighter? Hopefully they will bring back the RAM slots at least, although that's somewhat incompatible with "more T&L" message.

 

Maybe same people that asked for TCC Offset

 

They're gonna solder the wires coming out of each I/O port for your convenience.

 

Right! Asking for T&L is equivalent to asking for a massive TCC Offset

 

Ahhh.....gone are the days of big beautiful laptops. I miss the alienware 18 and MSI GT80 titans. I wish acer mass produced that 21x laptop as well. Looks like 17 is the max we will ever get in a boring thin chassis that offers no excitement that the bigger laptops used to have for upgrades and mods.

 

3070/QHD options are up.

 

Correction. Gimped 3070 / QHD options are up. Lol.

 

Looks like they expanded the number of options to coincide with the global launch of the m15 R5. Makes sense.
Also, both the base option and 2nd tier option of the m15 R4 and R5 cost the same with nearly identical specs (save for the CPU, ports, RAM speed, and screen).

 

I am the original owner of an Mx18 spawned in 2013. I just upgraded my original SSD 256GB to a Samsung Evo 850 500GB and windows 10 Pro. It runs great. I just weighed it on my scale. 12.1 pounds! I am waiting for Dell to release a 4k display that runs at 120hz. before I replace this hefty beast.

In the meantime my son is graduating college and we are going to buy him an Alienware M15 R?. He is a somewhat serious gamer. From what I understand is that the AMD version of the new M15 R5 do not have the same performance GPU's because of the lower voltages/wattage's. The intel based R4 outperforms the AMD when it comes to gaming because of this. But the R5 has the new chassis and up gradable RAM and other components, which is a big advantage.

Looks like the new intel chip version will be out shortly. It seems this is the one to get assuming it is on the same newer chassis with the upgradable components. This would offer the better performing GPU's for gaming.

With the above in mind, why would a gamer get the AMD R5 version now, and not wait for the new intel based machines with the better performing GPU's?

 

Ask him, he knows best. Or just give him money LOL


You might like this video.



I would wait for the new Intel if we are talking high refresh gaming.

 

I wonder how much the saved going with no MicroSD-Card reader and no Vapor Chamber. $10-12 bucks?

They removed the MicroSD-Card reader also for the Intel model. Maybe it will come back next year as a new feature once again?

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Alien...nd-CherryMX-mechanical-keyboard.537972.0.html

 

Papusan, I think the vapor chamber removal is more about lack of space (a vapor chamber is generally larger than the convention 3 pipe cooling system used in the R5). That makes room for the much requested RAM slots and socketed Wi-Fi card. And the even thinner (sigh) design. Also, Dell is counting on the better thermals of Ryzen and Intel 11th gen to squeak by without a vapor chamber. I personally would have liked to see liquid metal, which Asus uses to great effect in space-constrained systems.

 

Hi Will this means no Vapor chamber also for the Tiger lake models? Maybe the reason Dell don't offer the unlocked HK for the R6 refresh. It would probably boil to death in the chassis.

And keep up the good work on Youtube

 

Thanks for the kind words . AFAIK, no vapor chamber for the R6 either. The X17 has 4 cooling fans and gallium (liquid metal for the non-chemists out there) encased in silicone (to avoid electrical shorts). In other words, it will likely have better cooling and that's an upsell, along with the HK CPU, which I expect to be higher performing than the rest of the H45 clan. The HK variant has more uplift than usual in 11th gen from what I've seen so far, likely so it can take on Ryzen.

 

What is the exact difference in dimensions between the vapour chamber and the traditional heatsink? Both the WiFi and RAM are quite some distance away from the heatsink. My guess is it's more about the height and and if so, the VC would be the victim of thin and light combined with the cherry mx keyboard.

 

Naw bro you got it all wrong. They’re getting ready to release their Alienware branded Usb-C adapter cables.

 

You joke but they would absolutely sell (have you checked out the setups on reddit? People take that seriously!)

Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

 

I’m surprised they haven’t. I can imagine it having the Alienware head with rgb to try and justify the high price. ((No most people on Reddit scare me so I stay off Reddit. ))

 

The wifi card and ram slots is on the opposite side of the MB. The Heatsink is almost alone on the other side of the small wimpy board.

Edit. The tragedies in full bloom.

Go back to old fashion 3 pipe cooling is cheaper. A great way to cut costs as well.

 

I don't know if anyone has seen but they have increased max thermal limit to 105 degrees Celcius from 100 with the latest bios. It even shows how hot this device will run.

 

Even the Asus Strix scar that have liquid metal on the cpu can run hot. So it will be interesting to see how hot they run on normal thermal paste. Truth of the matter is they’re just hot running chips.

 

My alienware m15 r5 is apparently going to be delivered tomorrow. I wasn't expecting it this early. If i get it I'll report back how it does against my m15r3 with a 10750h and 2070 super. The r5 has the 5900hx and a 3070.

 

I'm really exited how it will perform, especially the thermals comparing to the previous m15 series So please share it. I'm looking forward the m15 R6 too.

 

100C as usual

 

Yeah maybe intell accepts 105C but the 100C constant during testing tells me it has reach it's thermal litmits (as usual with dell's new thin desing).
So wether it's 105C or 100C it's still unacceptable for a gaming laptop. It willl thermal Trhottle and worst it will be to HOT to touch (burning your hands, almost).

Dell is really going the wrong direction with the thin design now. Really i though M17 R4 was bad but now i think it was great compare to what is coming.

 

I also found this after I asked, it is not so encouraging, ok the liquid metal can help a bit, the GPU side are ok, but 100 C during game... Should not remove the VC from this series.

 

Same thermal engineers on the Dell G series laptops as for the Alienwares. Nothing new that Ryzen would run 100C if they cut costs on the cooling. Only the AMD fanboys who thought Ryzen would be their salvation for gamingbooks Doesn't matter what Cpu you put in the chassis if the OEM cut costs.

I wonder if a sligtly colder running Cpu due Liquid metal will let the Gpu puke more heat over on the Cpu side due Dynamic boost (to balance power between Cpu&Gpu). #borrowing some of the thermal budget from CPU and instead spending it on the GPU#. We will have to see when the results show up.

 

I agree with you. I heard that "who's coming from intel side, the ryzen cpu's no need to undervolt..." But need to do something before it burns.

 

So the 5900hx runs a 2090 cinebench r15 and a 4440 r20 out of the box. My graphics score on firestrike is 26700. This laptop seems to be patched together with software and the cpu runs insanely hot. If i install anything other than dell approved nvidia drivers the cpu will run 100c at idle. When i let windows install all the dell drivers it actually ran quite well and the idle temps were 40c or so. I am currently reseting my os and I'll try again. This doesn't bode well. Hopefully they will work on the drivers as time goes on. I don't have any liquid metal and i won't get my order in till sometime next week so I'll try to repaste with that then. For now i will repaste with what i have and see if maybe they just did a really bad job of applying paste. Who knows.

 

Which screen did you opt for? Seemed like if you wanted the qhd screen you’d have to wait till July to get your order.

And those temps seem like what I feared since asus was running liquid metal and you’d still see high temps on the cpu. So it looks like liquid metal is more or less a requirement with any laptop moving forward. I am curious if you can change the TDP of the cpu manually like some others can? Might cost you some GHz but might end up running cooler.

 

So I scrapped together enough liquid metal to repaste the cpu. It brings the temps of the gpu up quite a bit. I am considering repasting the gpu with liquid metal too. This heatsink could really use a vapor chamber.

This is stock paste and balanced thermal profile. 96c to 102c under all tests.




This is liquid metal and balanced thermal profile. 76c during cinebench and 86c max in firestrike.




The screen I got was 2560x1440 240hz. I actually really like the design change and the cherry keyboard but it runs hot and the 3070 at 115w is just a bit faster than the 2070 super.

Here are some pics of the teardown.







Lastly, I want to add a 2nd m.2 drive but there is no hardware for it. If any of you guys know what parts I need to order let me know. The heat sink has a number on it and I'll try to ebay it.

 

Thanks for the infos. It looks dell using again the same horrible paste there as usual (what paste, like a dry putty). Did you use any masking around the cpu core to save the smd-s?
I think the scores not bad at all.

 

I used fingernail polish to cover them up.

 

I wonder how the new "alien paste" is gonna do in the x series

 

So I decided that I wanted to try and flash with the normal 125w bios for the alienware 3070. I flashed the new R5 with it and it was a breeze. I'll link the vbioses just in case anyone wants to do it. It was a sizeable bump in performance and runs like a champ but it's still on the weak end. I think a 140w vbios would be best. Here are some screens.
original firestrike


firestrike with new 125w vbios

 

Ryzen 5000 series Cpu in the Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 don't do it so well vs. previous gen Ryzen mobile. On top vs. Dell's own G series laptops.

AMD Ryzen 7 5800H vs. AMD Ryzen 7 4800H cpu-monkey.com






Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 Review: Zen 3 Laptop Invasion hothardware.com

 

Does the heatsink can handle the +10W loads?

 

I think beacause it's throttling during the bench, the repaste will help a bit.

 

I understand that GPU getting a bump in performance with the higher watt vBIOS, but how did the CPU also get an increase in performance? I would have thought it would perform worse because it would thermal throttle faster.

 

The CPU also getting better because of the repaste (liquid metal).

 

One day I will read this independent review:

After many years of trying to copy Apple and Razer, Alienware finally managed to sequence and understand its own DNA, and return to their roots. The new m15 R19 is thicker than the previous models, but boy does this show in performance. The new vapour chamber, liquid metal, and larger fans all work together to deliver unmatched level of cooling and raw power. Gone are the days of throttling, repasting, modding and constant complaints. The beast, the bad boy, call it what you like - it finally deserves all those proud titles and more! Coupled with the excellent expandibility (RAM and WiFi are of course modular), traditionally robust build quality, beautiful (yet elegant and toned) design, and superb support, this laptop has no competition in the market. We could not have asked for more here. Get it, before antitrust authorities shut Alienware down! 100/100

 

Does anybody have the part number for the SSD bracket/screw mount? I ordered the heat spreader but need that part, this one is similar, not sure if it will fit tho https ://smile.amazon.com/dp/B08LT8R63T/

 

Out of curiosity, why exactly is this needed?

 

Because dell does not included it for the second slot, so you are not able to upgrade without it. Strange.

 

I bought that part and can confirm it does not fit. The part is too big for the slot. I am going to dremel it so it will fit

 

WTF, seriously...

 

You find the parts numbers in the link in my thread.

The missing proprietary M.2 ssd screw bracket screw-up is now a popular topic on Dell's own tech forum. For now up in 4 pages Link to the mess is posted in my thread "How Dell Cripple........"

 

I repasted both the cpu and gpu with liquid metal. During a game of apex legends the cpu would hit 102c and the gpu would get into the low 90s. After the repaste the cpu hits 88c max and 76c on gpu. That's after about an hour. Pretty easy repaste but you definitely need to use nail polish for some peace of mind. Lastly, I dremeled that piece down to fit in the slots and it works great. Eat **** dell.

 

These should be the part numbers, still trying to get 100% clarity on them.

MHKK8 = SSD assembly bracket (m15 R5) X197K = Phillips M2X4, black (m15 R3/m15 R4/m17 R3) 26X1Y = Thermal Shield (m15 r5)

Dell has also stated that newer machines will come with the second slot populated with these in the future. Not sure why they didn't to begin with, but yeah....