Sapphire Jasper's "20% Cooler" cooling mod for AW18

This project is abandoned: damages implied

**Please note, this project is more of a private project. You may use this for your 18 or other desired devices but at your own risk. I will bear no responsibility for any damages caused in anyway accidental, intentional or unintentional.

This thread will be edited frequently as I am currently busy with work as well as waiting for my items.

So anyway, WELCOME, to my cooling mod of my Alienware 18! I am not an overclocker as much, but I am nuts about cooling! I want the best if possible.

As some of you know, I am working on this and thought it would be nice to share with all AW18 owners, especially many knowing about the poor latency of the fan tables.

[20% Cooler Mod]
15 Pcs of Ram Copper Heatsinks,
3 Pcs of Black Aluminum
Cooler Master's new Thermal Compound
1 X J77H4 AWM18X R2 CPU Fan at 11.7CFM (Current one: 5.5CFM)
2 X THPDJ AMM17X R4 GPU Fan at 11.4CFM each (Current one: 5.5CFM)
Whisper Quiet due to the fan tables
Ready for overclocking

Italic - Pending. May not work (Not tested)

Details of my laptop:
CPU: Intel Core i7 4900MQ Factory Overclock to 4.0Ghz (OC LV 1, 40 39 38 38, BIOS)
BIOS: A12
GPU: GTX 780M SLI
RAM: 16GB DDR3L (4 X 4GB) Ram
SSD: 1 X Samsung 850 PRO 256GB SSD and 1TB Samsung 850 EVO SSD (SATA)

So I am now at Phase 3: Time to attach the new heatsinks! (In progress)

Phase 1: New Thermal Paste: Cooler Master Mastergel Maker Nano
I will first be using Cooler Master's new Thermal Compound, Cooler Master Mastergel Maker Nano (CMMMN). According to some of my research, its a new non conductive thermal compound developed featuring Cooler Master's Nano particles. With that said, some of you may wonder why I didn't use CoolLaboratory Liquid Ultra (CLU) and IC Diamond (ICD)

I had a bad experience with CLU and Dell doesn't look happy with me using it either as they may void my warranty. I had a couple of heatsinks replaced and after my most recent repaste, it didn't perform well.

For ICD, it is unfortunately unavailable in Singapore, the country I live in. I have also decided not to buy it online as on research, it tends to scratch the dies of the CPU and GPU. Also, CMMMN performs almost the same about a 1-2 C difference. So I ended up deciding it's not worth risking scratches for that small bit of temp. It is non conductive and does not contain particles that can damage the components of your system; like a stock paste or MX4.

So, last night, I decided to take my system apart to paste this new CMMMN thermal paste. It should be noted that you will NEED to spread it and cover the die using the included spreader. Using the dot method, X method, line method, etc, does NOT work; the CMMMN will not perform as well and will end up performing like a stock paste; tried before.

I have after which tested. Here are the results. Just new thermal paste, temperature in room is a pretty warm 33-34 Degrees Celsius. System is on a flat surface with it's cover on, no external coolers.

It should also be noted that, while I was repasting, I tried fitting heatsinks as a test in the first GPU, but it disturbed the heatsink and thermal paste since the chassis was bulging by them, causing the temp to slightly go up (guess I need a repaste again once I finish this project)

Phase 2: Extended wiring of new fans (To be commissioned)

Done! Works like a charm!

Phase 3: Time to attach the new heatsinks! (In progress)

It is time to attach the heatsinks! But, I need more double sided 3M thermal tape! Be right back!

Phase 4: Repaste (To be commissioned)

Thread Edits:
Edit 1, 20th September 2016: Created thread, phase 1 complete, phase 2 in progress.
Edit 2, 20th September 2016: resized images due to them being too large.
Edit 3, 27th October 2016: Removed images as new work in progress.
Edit 4: 30th October 2016: Performed and swapped phase 2 and 3. Done up the fans (except the J77H4).

 

Note: Phase 2 is delayed temporarily as I will need to order Double Sided Thermal Adhesive Tape since my heatsink's adhesive were lost.

But here is a pic on my testing progress so far:



Those 3 pieces of "aluminum" are actually 3 pcs of Aluminum chipset heatsink coolers I found at the famous SG IT Mall Sim Lim Square.

An important note: if you'd like to try this experiment yourself, ensure that you can fix your chassis back properly and press the spots were the installed heatsinks are to ensure there is no pressure or something blocking. Do not force the chassis down or allow bulges on your chassis as it can damage your internal components, voiding your warranty or even making this cooling mod useless.

And.. It seems the Primary GPU Heatsink doesn't have space .

 

What did you do to make the new fans fit? Cut the wires and add length?

 

for the Alienware M17X R4 GPU Fans, I don't think I can.

The J77H4 (Alienware M18X R2 CPU Fan), fits perfectly. However, the myth is true that the cable is too short.

I tried plugging it into my motherboard and yes it works.

At the moment, paying a guy in Sim Lim Square to help cut and solder on more wires.

 

another thing to let u guys know, the heatsinks are more to increase the efficiency of the fans by directing more heat to the exhaust area since heat will attempt to transfer to a cooler area (Learnt in physics).

Thats the strategy behind this haha.

However, this project is still delayed due to some new issues with my 18 and I am working

 

Just FYI, I have purchased the fans and I am going to splice new wire with theses:

http://www.morrisproducts.com/pc_product_detail.asp?key=F2EABDDDF7C14DD1809793583F8B3C42

no solder required.

 

My stuff is on the way too! But would take close to the end of month @_@

 

So here is my update. Clips are too big to install the CPU fan back into the laptop, so soldering is required. I just finished soldering mine and will report any difference if any in performance.

The THPDJ AMM17X R4 GPU Fan will NOT fit into the Alienware 18 so do not waste your time or money.


-imest

 

Was actually planning to do some crazy thing to ensure it fits xD

 

Just received the J77H4 CPU Fan (Brand New) and another set of memory heatsinks.

Thermal Paste still performing well.

All I need now is the Double Sided Thermal Tape and I will be good to go.

 

So, after "gambling" on whether this fan works..


Soldering..


Soldering of J77H4 complete.

And... she works like a charm! Although I am still going to need to put some tape to cover that stubborn hole between the fan and the heat sink, so that all air will be forced through.


Diagnostics seems to say the fan is fine like the original..


And.. the sensor works as well! Note about the 3,800 RPM. It seems to occasionally top out there. Almost never seen this on the original CPU Fan

Also, while at idle and at full speed, in a room of 24 C, the CPU went down to 25C, 2-5 C cooler than the original.

So, this concept... WORKS!! Although I am still curious, what's making this fan perform better, despite the congruent looks.

 

So I am back with my update. I installed the J77H4 AWM18X R2 CPU Fan at 11.7CFM. I have CPU Intel® Core™ i7-4910MQ Processor, over clocked to 4.3GHz for 1 to 3 core use and 4.2GHz at 4 cores. My temps prior to CPU fan upgrade were at 78 to 84 degrees Celsius under full load (stress tests), after they are in between 70 to 72 degrees. I would recommend preforming this upgrade to other Alienware 18 (October 2013 ver) owners.


-imest

 

what do u use to OC your cpu ? and can i try your settings ? i have the same cpu in my AW18 R3

 

Jasper this would have been a nice write-up had you taken more pictures and provided detailed instructions!

So in sum, you exchanged out the CPU fan for another fan?

I recently exchanged the 680M SLI for a single 980M in my M18x R2, and while I do love having 680M SLI power on a single card with 8GB of VRAM on tap, the card does get up and sits at 80C sustained even with the fan at 4200 RPM, IC Diamond on the die, and the back of the unit elevated for airflow.

I too am trying to brainstorm ideas to cool this thing down, but that has kinda taken a backseat right now as my personal living situation has improved and I was able to pull my desktop out of storage (signature) and am currently using that.

What I have thought of was taking a metal ruler, drilling holes in it that line up with a spare 90mm NZXT Kraken G10 fan that I have on hand, and then screwing that into a block that would replace any book that I currently use to elevate the unit. I would then place the unit down on this jury-rigged cooler in a way that the 90mm fan would be positioned directly under the primary GPU. I would power said fan with a USB to fan header adapter. I think this would be better than the pre-existing stands as it would be more portable and there wouldn't be any mesh obstructing airflow between the fan and the unit.

 

Hi vulcan78! Thanks for feedback. I will only post more photos when this mod is officially complete. For now, it is almost done, just waiting for my double sided thermal tape (Why is it taking so long to arrive at my place? D

This mod is mainly for the 18 and I don't have an M18X R2 to test, although if you can fit, it would work.

Although, I am curious.. Why is your M18X R2 GPU kinda warm? Is Maxwell hot?

While playing Doom 4 on my 18 (WITHOUT COOLING MOD, EXCEPT THERMAL PASTE), 70-80% Usage, Ultra Settings 1080p, my GPU only sits 70-75 and that is with stock fan tables, no extra cooler with fan at 2.3K RPM I guess?

Of course, if I override it and push it to full speed, the cooling is going to drop as low as 63-65. I am on a 780M SLI though. Correct me if I am wrong if 980Ms are hotter as they are still 100W cards.... Right?

 

Usage of 70-80% with a GPU with lower TDP (980M SLI with Prema vbios hitting 145W according to Hwinfo64, whereas 780M is a 125W card) makes it run that much cooler.

If my 980M is only at 80% usage the temps don't exceed 75C. It's the sustained 99% usage that gets the temps up. (utilization corresponding to wattage drawn here, that additional 20% usage is the difference between 115 and 145W).

Additionally, I am running really good thermal pads on the memory, Shin Etsu, if I remember with high heat transfer. What this means is that instead of the memory "just dealing" with the heat with factory heat pads that heat is now being conveyed more effectively to the heat-sink that is also shared with the GPU core which results in hiking up the GPU core temp.

Edit:

Oh and plus rep, we need more people experimenting and doing write-ups such as this, your contributions are appreciated!

(I'm getting an error that says "you do not have sufficient permissions to view this page or do this action" when attempting to + rep you, sorry I don't know what the issue is).

 

I use ThrottleStop. I will upload my configuration file tomorrow.

 

Here you go! In order for this to work correctly I believe I had to turn of OC in the BIOS and disable non-turbo flex support in BIOS as well not sure if that is the correct name. I followed Mr. Fox's guide here on these forums. If you do some digging you can find it. FYI 4.3GHz is the max clock frequency you can achieve on the 4910MQ.

Let me know if you have questions.


-imest

 

i did try my pc froze after 30-+ sec non flex-turbo is disabled and the bios oc ..

 

What were your CPU temps before it locked up?

 

70 -+

 

Here is a video posted by Mr. Fox


He has a better video somewhere but I cannot find it.

Post your questions if you have any.


-imest

 

its oke now i found the problem thermal paste ... i changed it and it worked like a charm now i have GC-extreme that i bought recently thanks man

 

Hi guys, unfortunately due to damages I implied and it made Dell didn't look too happy, I am aborting this project.

After spending about US$150, due to the fan tables that is, I found that there is no way I am able to improve the temperatures.

Thanks everyone who has supported me in this project. It was fun and all, but basically, I achieved.. Nothing, except for damage.