M17 - R1 (2009, PreDell) Problems. Please help!

Alright, so for the last 6 or so months I have been incurring a progressively worsening issue with my M17 Laptop. This problem is that after playing in-game (especially high intensity ones, such as Bad Company 2 and Black Ops. However, I have had the problem in Minecraft lol) intermittently there will be a static sound followed by a momentary lag and stutter. This problem varies in intensity and seems to occur randomly and without any particular cause.

Among other things I have...
-Installed and Reinstalled Drivers (Both AW and OEM)
-Tested it in an outlet and across an extension chord
-Tested it in rooms cooled to 65 and under and rooms over 90
-Changed out the battery, tested it in AC and off AC
-Reset the RAM and Graphics cards

While some of these (especially the drivers) seemed to alleviate and even stop this issue... (the longest being 5 days) it has continued to persist.

Below I have provided an issue of Bad Company 2, you needn't watch the entire thing just the first few moments will suffice to hear the exact sound I am referring to, note that there is a momentary lag associated with it.

Other observations that I have made suggest that it may be a power issue (While running on HDMI I noted that I could play an HD video on Youtube... but, after unplugging the system made this repeating static and lag sound much like you see in game. However, after plugging in the issue quickly stopped. However. After repeating the -same- experiment the next day the video played just fine. Again, the randomness is what is making me think i'm looking in the wrong area.)

I have listed my PC info below, and likewise, they are in the description of the YouTube video as well (in addition to further explanations as to my own research and testing.) If there is absolutely any information that I can provide or tests that you can recommend to try and get to the bottom of this, or even come closer to solving it would be greatly appreciated and I await your feedback! I have been fighting it for a good six months and Alienwares notorious tech support has already scammed me out of $60 dollars so i'm willing to try just about anything! Thank you!

YouTube - ‪M17 Static sound durring Bad Company 2‬‏

I would also like to emphasize this is the M17R1, not the M17xR1 that seemingly has latency issues. Also, this computer has Dual Core, not Quad~

 

you have the same issue as quad core users have

post the full machine spec i need every component in that machine (yes i need to know if you have a alienFX KB or not) and the bios version (no not all machines comes with the same
ac adapter and the devices that are connected to it in short everything i have an idea of where the issue comes from but i need the data

 

I loaded up the original order form and the following was listed. It's every hardware and software component that originally came with my computer: If there is any other information I will list that as well, and if still not enough let me know and I will seek it out. Thank you so much for your help and quick reply!


The Following information came from the Original Invoice:
1 - M17
1 - M17 17" Accessory Set Black
1- M17 17" WUXGA W/ CAM BLK-PNT REV. 2
1 - Intel 3.06GHz X9100 6M M17
2 - ELPIDA 2GB DDR3 PC-8500 SO-DIMM 1067MHz
1 - M17/M15X ATI Readon M88 XT 512MB HD3870 Master REV. 1
1 - M17 ATI Radeon M88 XT 512Mb HD3870 Slave REV. 1
1 - M17 W840 Crossdire Cable
1 - M17 Illuminated Keyboard US
2 - SEAGATE 250 GB 7200RPM FFS 16MB SATA HD
1 - 8X DVD+/- RW NEC AD-7590S SATA
1 - INTEL Shirley Peak 3X3 AGN Full Mini Card
1 - VIN3 INTERNAL HIGH DEFINITION AUDIO W/SS
1 - Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 (COA)
(NOTE: I have upgraded to Windows 7 64 bit, Clean install)
1 - Windows Vista Ultimate X64
1 - Alienrespawn v2.0 Factory Install
(NOTE: No longer functioning)
1 - Command Center for VIN3
(NOTE: Command Center not installed, didn't like it very much lol)
1 - Cyberlink YOUCAM 2.0
1 - Power DVD 8.0 + TrueTheater
1 - Nero 9 Preinstall
1 - AlienRespawn V2.0 Media Kit
1 - Alienware Digital Download Store
1 - Crossfire X
1 - ELX Blue Mobiles Vindicator 3
1 - RAID 0 Striping 2 Drivers
1 - M17 12 Cell Addditional Battery Rev 1

The only thing I have not included from the order form was information pertaining to Stickers, caps, random alienware 'stuff.'

----------END----------

The Following Information is Taken from Device Manager. It lists The hardware component, and the drivers version as well as the corresponding Driver Date. Unfortunately, I don't know what the specifics on some of these devices are (exact name, etc but hopefully the driver info and what is listed above and below will lead in the right direction. If not, I can look harder)
1. Batteries
Microsoft AC Adapter (I am having this replaced)
-6.1.7600.16385, 6/21/2006
Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Control Method Battery
-[Same as Above, on both counts]
Microsoft Composite Battery
-[Same as Above, on both counts]
2. Biometric Devices
Authen Tec Inc. AES1610
-2.0.0.18, 11/24/2009
3. Bluetooth Radios
BCM2046 Bluetooth Module
-6.3.5.430, 4/8/2010
Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator
-6.1.7601.17514, 6/21/2006
4. Computer
ACPI x64-based PC
-6.1.7600.16385, 6/21/2006
5. Disk Drives
Volume0
-6.1.7600.16385, 6/21/2006
6. Display Adapters
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2
-8.750.0.0, 6/9/2010
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2
-[Same as Above]
7. DVD/CD-ROM drives
Optiarc DVD RW AD-7590S
-6.1.7601.17514, 6/21/2006
WD Virtual CD 1110 USB Device
-[Same as Above]
8. Human Interface Devices
HID-Compliant Consumer Control Device
-6.1.7600.16385, 6/21/2006
HID-Compliant Device
-6.1.7601.17514, 6/21/2006
HID-Compliant Device
-[Same as Above]
HID-Compliant Device
-[Same as Above]
HID-Compliant Device
-[Same as Above]
HID-Compliant Device
-[Same as Above]
Microsoft eHome Infrared Transceiver
-6.1.7600.16385, 6/21/2006
USB Input Device
-6.1.7601.17514, 6/21/2006
Wacom HID Pen
-[Same as Above]
Wacom Virtual Hid Driver
-2.9.2.4, 9/21/2009
9. IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers
ATA Channel 0
-6.1.7601.17514, 6/21/2006
Ricoh Memory Stick Controller
-6.0.1.12, 6/16/2008
Ricoh SD/MMC Host Controller
-6.0.3.11, 6/24/2008
Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller
-6.1.7601.17514, 6/21/2006
10. IEEE 1394 Bus Host Controllers
Ricoh 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller
-6.1.7601.17514, 6/21/2006
11. Imaging Device
2.0M Pixel Camera
-6.1.7601.17514, 6/21/2006
12. Keyboards
Microsoft eHome MCIR 109 Keyboard
-6.1.7600.16385, 6/21/2006
Microsoft eHome MCIR Keyboard
-[Same as Above]
Microsoft eHome Remote Control Keyboard Keys
-[Same As Above]
Standard PS/2 Keyboard
-[Same As Above]
13. Mice and Other Pointing Devices
HID-Compliant Mouse
-6.1.7600.16385, 6/21/2006
HID-Compliant Mouse
-[Same as Above]
PS/2 Compatible Mouse
-[Same as Above]
Wacom Mouse
-1.2.2.0, 2/15/2007
14. Monitors
Generic PnP Monitor
-6.1.7600.16385, 6/21/2006
15. Network Adapters
Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network)
-6.1.7600.16385, 6/21/2006
Bluetooth Device (RFCOMM Protocl TDI)
-[Same as Above]
Generic Marvell Yukon PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller
-11.0.5.3, 2/23/2009
Hamachi Network Interface
-6.0.2.2, 5/14/2007
Intel(R) Wifi Link 5300 AGN
-13.5.0.6, 1/19/2011
16. Processors
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme CPU X9100 @ 3.06GHz
-6.1.7600.16385, 6/21/2006
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme CPU X9100 @ 3.06GHz
-[Same as Above]
17. SD Host Adapters
SDA Standard Compliant SD Host Controller
-6.1.7601.17514, 6/21/2006
18. Sound, Video and Game Controllers
ATI High Definition Audio Device
-7.11.0.7706, 5/6/2010
Realtek High Definition Audio
-6.0.1.6363, 5/3/2011
19. Storage Controllers
Intel(R) ICH8M-E/ICH9M-E SATA RAID Controller
-8.6.2.1315, 8/6/2010
20. System Devices
ACPI Fixed Feature Button
ACPI Lid
ACPI Power Button
ACPI Sleep Button
ACPI Thermal Zone
Composite Bus Enumerator
Consumer IR Devices
Direct Launch Application Launch Button
Direct Launch Application Launch Button
Direct Launch Application Launch Button
Direct Launch Application Launch Button
Direct Launch Application Launch Button
Direct Memory Access Controller
High Definition Audio Controller
High Definition Audio Controller
Intel(R) 82801 PCI Bridge - 2448
Intel(R) ICH9 Family PCI Express Root Port 1 -2940
Intel(R) ICH9 Family PCI Express Root Port 2 - 2942
Intel(R) ICH9 Family PCI Express Root Port 3 - 2944
Intel(R) ICH9 Family PCI Express Root Port 5 - 2948
(NOTE: It's odd that port 4 isn't there? lol)
Intel(R) ICH9 Family SMBus Controller - 2930
Intel(R) ICH9M-E LPC Interface Controller - 2917
Microsoft ACPI-Compliant Embedded Controller
Microsoft ACPI-Compliant System
Microsoft System Management BIOS Drivers
Microsoft Virtual Driver Enumerator Driver
Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Chipset PCI Express Root Port - 2A41
Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Chipset Processor to DRAM Controller - 2A40
Numeric Data Processor
PCI Bus
PCI Standard PCI-to-PCI bridge
PCI Standard PCI-to-PCI bridge
PCI Standard PCI-to-PCI bridge
PCI Standard PCI-to-PCI bridge
Plug and Play Software Device Enumerator
Programmable Interupt Controller
Remote Desktop Device Redirector Bus
System CMOS/real time clock
System timer
UMBus Enumerator
UMBus Root Bus Enumerator
(NOTE: Alright, i'll be honest with you, my endurance wore thin somewhere around the 20th item in here xD If you request any drivers or anything else from this section let me know and i'll retrieve what I can! Same Holds true for the following list : P)
21. Universal Serial Bus Controllers
eHome Infrared Receiver (USBCIR)
Intel(R) ICH9 Family USB Universal Host Controller - 2934
Intel(R) ICH9 Family USB Universal Host Controller - 2935
Intel(R) ICH9 Family USB Universal Host Controller - 2936
Intel(R) ICH9 Family USB Universal Host Controller - 2937
Intel(R) ICH9 Family USB Universal Host Controller - 2938
Intel(R) ICH9 Family USB Universal Host Controller - 2939
Intel(R) ICH9 Family USB Enhanced Host Controller - 293A
Intel(R) ICH9 Family USB Enhanced Host Controller - 293C
USB Composite Device
USB Mass Storage Device
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
22. WD Drive Management Devices
WD SES Device
-1.0.9.0, 1/19/2011

----------END---------

Bios Version:
1.00PARTTBL

I am not entirely sure how this corresponds to Alienware's nomenclature (A13, 14, etc...)

Also, to be absolutely sure that I have listed anything and everything I have also 'Saved all information' from the dxdiag output and saved it as an .txt

DxDiag.txt If you cannot download this as I have attached it let me know and I will upload it offsite.

----------END---------

Alright! That is just about everything I have ~_~ If there is anything else I can provide, any specifics, more descriptions or observations I have made please let me know. I have programs like DPCLatency Checker, RealTemp, PCWizard et cyc if you would like me to run any specific diagnostics or tests and report back! Again, thank you and anyone else who is taking the time to look into my inquiry.

Regards,
Nick

 

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/con...nk+5300+and+Intel®+WiFi+Link+5100+productseng

install this and have a nice day
if it does not fix your problem i'll dig deeper

also your still running 4gb or you upgraded since?
and what is the rating fo your psu

 

I'm not sure how to check the PSU, is there a way to do so without opening the body? (I'll be at a state I can do that soon).

What exactly was the problem, what conclusion did you come to? I am installing the driver now but will not be able to fully test it until tomorrow night but i'm curious as to what conflict this driver will resolve?

Thank you for your help, I will report back within the next 3 days as to the results! (It takes a while to be sure the issue has been eradicated)

 

the rating is written on the brick that you plug in the wall

it's the old intel 5300 driver that had stability issue

 

Information on AC Adapter unit:
Model: 0405B20220
Input: 100~240V, 50~60Hz, 3A
Output: 20V, 11A

Played for about 20 minutes this morning. No sounds, but sometimes it won't show immediately. I'll report back each night after putting in a good hour or two. Again, thank you very much for your help thus far!

 

you might ear it once in a while if you OC but other wise should really be fixed

 

Played tonight for about 15 minutes and then that sound returned. Though it is reduced in frequency (so far) and just how loud or obnoxious it is... it still occurs. Do you perchance have any other ideas or recommendations? Anyone?

Thank you for any and all help! It is greatly appreciated.

Scratch that, just as obnoxious as before. However! My Pings are much lower and connectivity more stable, so that is definitely a positive note! (I attribute that to the driver)

 

Do you let the computer go to sleep and then play? My old OCZ used to do the same after I started it from sleep.

my solution was to disable sleep.

 

the issue showed again?

 

As a general rule I keep my laptop up and running for the entirety of when i'm using it. I do not -believe- it ever enters sleep mode though I will disable it as a precaution none the less. It is unfortunate that the sound seems to occur so randomly. There was a time (about 2 weeks ago) when I could play for hours on end and didn't hear a sound. However, in my attempt to try and 'fix' it more I (stupidly - attempting to fix what needn't be fixed) used mobility modder to put in the absolute newest driver. This caused graphic distortion in Bad Company 2, so I rolled back... and then the sound continued. However, because of how random it is I cannot be sure if those 5 couple days they were truly fixed or in some kind of very stable period. Unfortunately, I did not document the drivers I had installed at the time.

Yes, the issue did return. Last night I was playing Bad Company 2 and somewhere around 20~30 minutes in it started, and then continued with about the same frequency as in game. It's odd, I wonder if something triggers it because I seemingly won't have an issue and then once it occurs it continues from there on out; very odd. As a side note, i'm going to go through right now and compare the drivers I currently have with the ones in 'My Hive.' (It was only yesterday that I finally figured out where to download them from there (derp ;p . I'll come back with what I find (and report and differences).

Thank you all for reading and replying. Better than sinking another 60 into Dell ~_~

Seems like all of my drivers match the ones in MyHive, unfortunately allot of them are specific to Vista. So, the ones that were designated for Windows 7 I checked. With the exception of the 5300 driver which has been previously over written they all match (Audio driver I picked up from the OEM - only one offered by Alienware is for Vista)

Also, Sleep mode has been disabled already~ Set to never sleep from Power Options.

I read somewhere that some of the new Bios flashes (B13 and B14) alleviated some of these issues for other users. However, it has also been said that the main purpose of these Bios upgrades were to allow for 8G Ram Support. I was thinking about trying to upgrade to 8Gigs to
1. Give me a reason to try the Bios Flash
2. Try and give my comp more resources to work with to alleviate stress

I don't know much about computer operation, sorry to say, so it's possible this won't do a thing. Any suggestions or comments? Worst comes to worse i'm out $100, $150. (Which would suck, but, 'eh, could be worse)

 

the drivers on my hive have been out dated since befor i even bought my laptop

here is a list of drivers put up by the people of the forum try updating to the oem counter part of the my hive drivers
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/426562-official-alienware-m17-drivers-page.html

for the graphic go there
ATI Catalyst? Mobility Display Driver
and then there
http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/Pages/crossfirex-app-profiles.aspx

both are needed if the issue persist go in catalyst control center and disable catalyst AI or CFX

b13 or b14
b13 was for fixing a similar issue that showed only paired with quads
b14 was a second attempt at it and allowing for 8GB of ram

 

How do you disable Catalyst AI or CFX? I installed the second ap (AMD) but do not see an executable or program listing in the start menu (I read about disabling catalyst AI as a way to stop this issue before but could not find how to in CCC)

Also, I have installed all of the drivers that I could from the Official Alienware forum listed previously (With the exception of the newest graphics driver which gave me allot of graphic distortion in Bad Company 2).

 

if you doN,t have the lastes driver it should eb that way


the driver i gave you does not need any modding it's a mobility exclusive straight from amd with the application profiles it should work fine with any game

if disabeling catalyst AI solve it for you then it's likely your CFx cable that need reseating

 

Alright, disabled Catalyst AI and will be testing tonight. Played for about an hour earlier, no sounds. I shall report back as I can get more play time in. Thank you again for all your help!

Played with Catalyst AI disabled and it still returned, i'm going to try doing the exact opposite later (throwing it up to Advanced). The sound was reduced, and took less time to return but after about 2 or so hours it was pretty frequent. Any more suggestions or ideas? I'm hoping that it's not a hardware problem, but it may be.

 

does the issue apear in any other games?

 

I notice it the most frequently when playing Bad Company 2. When I played Black Ops it occurred there about just as much. It seems to be the trend that while it occurs the most in multiplayer games I have also seen it in the single player campaigns of both of the above, though, with significantly less frequency. I have also seen it occur in the following:

Alien Swarm (Very Rarely)
Minecraft (had on incident, not since then though)
Combat Arms (Very rarely)
Bad Company 2 - Vietnam (Very rarely, if I play exclusively this)
Metro 2033 (Very Rarely)

I have noted that the problem is in more high intensity games (obviously). I have never heard it in Killing Floor, though...

My game selection is pretty scarce. Curious if it was a graphics issue I ran 3DMark (the free version) to try and see if I could force my comp to over run itself, it finished the tests without problem. (though, it only took about 30 minutes or some small amount of time like that)

What is interesting about the above by the way is that I can play Vietnam with pretty much 0 incident. I've done it for... 3, 4 hours on end without any problem. However, playing the traditional Bad Company usually shows this breakdown after .5~1 hour.

While this seemingly suggests a hardware issue (like heating) I want to point out two tests that I did that seemingly contradict that. At one point in time I thought it was a problem with the amount of power I was receiving. I noticed that when I was playing at home one day that as a general rule I played while connected to an extension chord. The sound was just as frequent as normal. I had been playing for about 2, 3 hours on traditional Bad Company and thought that plugging the unit in directly might allow for better feed. While plugged into the outlet I was able to play 2 hours without incident. Then, to try and confirm I plugged it into the extension chord again. Here's the ringer; no problems. Despite the fact that previously the same conditions caused it (not to mention that by now my comp should have been hotter than before, starting to build an argument against heating)

One night while using my HDMI chord to watch some trailers on a TV here in our apartment I was on battery. A friend of mine loaded up a 720P trailer for Human Revolution and wouldn't you know it... the video was stuttering, and stuttering hard. I plugged in the computer and almost immediately it stopped. Unplugging brought it back, plugging back in resolved it. So it must be power! The next morning, loaded up the same videos on battery... not a single issue. Though, I wasn't plugged into HDMI (not sure how significant that was, though, I will try again.)


And the search continues...

I'll be trying Catalyst AI set to advanced, seemed to clear it up last but I didn't play for very long.

Scratch the Catalyst AI going to advanced. When it is enabled Bad Company either crashes on startup or has some really intense graphic distortions on loading. It is generally more unstable (This is the same problem I incurred when updating graphics before with mobility modder, I was unable to disable Catalyst AI then)

 

you need to instal the graphic driver i posted it has zero issue i'm 99% positive it's that there won't be any graphic distortion with it

the only other option left is effectively a over heating one
Open Hardware Monitor - CPU Temperature, Fan Speed and Voltages in a Free Software Gadget activate the graph and post a screen when it happens

 

With the link you provided I downloaded the "Catalyst Software Suite" which then started a download of 11-5, which I then installed. Should I just download the 'individual download?' The graphics distortion I am referring to only occurs at the loading screen, goes away if I alt-tab out or change resolution, however, with Cat AI disabled it doesn't show and leaves Bad Company fairly stable.

 

ok so you are running catalyst 11.5 with the apropriate CAP i liked also?

wierd an issue to be reported

and the temperature?

 

Alright,

I played tonight for about an hour and a half. Heard the sound a few times, but nothing too terrible. There was a fair amount of Throttling though. I am attaching two images. The first one is pre-gaming, after a normal day of PC usage (on for about 15 hours, playing music, internet, etc). The next image is after playing for an hour and a half between Call of Duty Black Ops and Bad Company. While the sound was present in Bad Company it was not in Black Ops (Though, I have heard it there before.) I hope this information helps! I'm not sure of what standard temps are, but these strike me as pretty high.

Also, this strikes me as being a little odd, not sure if it's significant, but why is it that the Load on the GPU core in the bottom card is maxed at 2% but the top one is maxed at 100%? IS that something with the Slave and Master setting?

Just struck me as odd.

 

your CPU is overheating... might want to fix that...

 

Besides keeping it as well vented as possible i'm not really sure how to do that though. I usually keep it propped up at the corners (so the bottom isn't touching the table) and the area to the left and back of my computer (where the main vents are) clear to get the best air flow but even with that I get the results you see above. Since this is an issue that has been occurring for the past six months or so I assume it's been getting worse, is there any physical fix that can be done?

I tried opening up the body to clear any dust or debris, but it appeared pretty clean. At least the top half, I never removed the motherboard completely so it's possible that there is a allot of dust under main motherboard? I'll look around for some cooling guides.

 

re doing the paste job is what you will need to do

the main place the dust accumulate in that system is inside the heat sink you need a compressor a or a can of air and you blow through the exaust (you need to hold the fan while doing so cause if you let if spin you might damage somnething)

but now that i see your cpu temperature i'm afraid your problem comes from the nb and the only software that can see it that i trust is hwinfo 32

HWiNFO32 Download

do only one short run till it stutter after it did take a screen and post it here
i'll put up a guide on how to repaste and all as well as where to get the materials

 

Thank you for the assistance! Screen caps will be posted the minute I have them (within about 48 hours). I will run the program that you have linked before and post back ASAP. I will be off for a mid summer break (a week) 2 weeks from today, and can do any thermal adjustments then.

Also, what do you mean when you say you're 'afraid' the problem comes from the Northbridge? Can it not be fixed...? Or is it just a pain to?

 

There's a design flaw with the M17 in that Northbridge heatsink covering the Northbridge part of the CPU does not cover it all the way and thus increases heat and causes the stutter/stability issues us quadcore user's see.

Now if you had a dual core CPU, the issue would go away as it covers the CPU fully.

Refer to: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-ocz-whitebook-quad-problems.html#post4696880

 

M17_User,
It's strange that you would say that, because I do have a dual core, so at first when Is started looking all of this up and seeing that it was mostly quad core related I was curious if 'stuttering' referred to the same issue that I was having (as mine was mostly an audio distortion) Though, it does seem similar enough. It was my understanding that quad core users experienced this problem very early on, where as I have had this computer for a little over two years and have only started to experience it for about the past 6 or so months. (increasing in intensity with time). As Granyte and the other users have aided in diagnosing though, it appears heat related as well.


Granyte,
I will be posing screens as you requested tomorrow night (after my exam). Just to make sure I don't post the wrong image, is this the screen you are requesting? (Attached) To take an image of this screen at at the onset of stuttering?

Sorry for barraging you with questions but i'd rather get it right, admittedly I don't know much about all of this so thank you again for the help and patience.

 

he got extreme dual core the m17 stutter issue is power related but since heat often mean more power consumed both can be related


sorry for not specifying but in hwinfo 32 there is a sensor option that was the screen i needed

but this one shows me other data i see that you are running a raid note that it makes your system overall hotter and more powerconsuming

 

Ran Bad Company for about an hour, took a photo of the main screen, a couple charts that I thought to be important and the overall temperature readings. Let me know if there is anything else that is needed (Yeah, the temps are pretty outrageous ) Images are attached.

 

you need to do something about how hot the CPU is getting...

 

ok i got al the data i need you should stop putting any kind of heavy load on the laptop until you repasted the cpu paste i'm looking for a decent guide on how to do it

 

Roger that, I'll stick to lighter games in the meantime. Would it help to lower graphics in the games that I will play until repasting/heat treatment?

 

the best guide I've found...

http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appmeth/int/ss/intel_app_method_surface_spread_v1.1.pdf

 

Thanks for the guide! After looking over it this will definitely help with preparation, but knowing where and what to apply will be a major concern. I've opened my computer a few times before, removed the motherboard, heat sink, etc and the odd thing is that i've never actually seen any thermal paste in the computer. Perhaps it is not in the immediate backboard? After removing the above components I don't recall running into any. Is it possible that it was worn away completely?

Side note, did -not- remove the motherboard, only graphics cards and heat sink.

 

yes it's possible or that it dryed paste is suposed to be between the heat sink and the actual die on both gpus and on the cpu

note that on the cpu heat sink there is also a component that is under a thermal PAD seeing your data replacing the pad with a better quality one would help but is not absolutly necessary how ever don,t peel off the pad unless you got a replacement it would have a desastrous effect ont he system


and note that with the hot times here i will probably not even game at all until i can pul my moddification project a head

 

Alright, I will not stress the computer at all then. I'm going to try and replace anything that will help, so i'll pick up some replacement pads as well. You had mentioned earlier that you would be willing to list what was needed and where to get such components, could I ask you to do me this last favor? I'll order the cooling materials tonight with the intent to follow the guide provided earlier along with any specific M17 guides that can be found/recommended.

 

m17 disassembly manual
Alienware M17-R1 Disassembly-Assembly Guides Nu!Netherlands News Weblog



thermal grease is availible here Newegg.com - Thermal Paste, Thermal Grease, Thermal Compound

as far as i know they are all quite similar what really makes a diference is how well you clean the surface

BEFOR cleaning make sur you disconnected every power source from the laptop including the csmos that's the little black button cell this will prevent you from ruining your day if you spill alcool or grease accidentaly


for that you must use isopropil alcool 99% is recomanded but you can use some standar 70% you just need to wait longer for it to dry befor aplying the new grease


Thermal Pad - 1.0mm | Page 1 | Sort By: Product Title A-Z - FrozenCPU.com  
thermal pad there

i got the EK sheet for 18$ and i prolly have pads for the rest of my days

same procedure you must clean the surface because the previous pad might leave residue behind

 

That particular pad happens to be out of stock (lol) so i'm going to contact them and see when they expect another shipment. I figure replacing both will only improve my odds. I will pay very strict attention to each detail in the guides provided. Unfortunately, with school I will not be able to start this until next Sunday. That being said, I am going to be collecting these materials so that on the 19th I will sit down and thoroughly clean and thermally condition this system. If I have any questions mid way i'll post them here. Thank you all again for your help, and upon completion I will post new temperature readings. I'm just hoping that this will end any problems, if not trust that i'll be right back here lol

 

but anyway any 1.0mm thick pad will do the job any of those in the link i gave is good

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/373496-m17-how-reapply-thermal-paste-cpu-gpus.html

That thread should be helpful

If you have any questions, throw em my way as I'm actually repasting my GPU's today and putting in a 2nd 3870 \m/

 

wow this thread is old lol it predate me getting a m17


m17_user take pictures while you are at it
do you sill use the m17 original pads on the gpu memory?

 

I was going to but that thread is pretty thorough.

I'm repasting everything right now but yea my pads are still on the GPU heatsink and I'm keeping them on there. They're in pretty good condition but if I run into issues afterwards, I'll buy some.

The CPU northbridge paste was pretty crappy though that I had to redo that.

 

Thank you all for the contributions!

Unfortunately, it will be a little while before I am able to get to repasting my comp (about a week) but in the meantime I may take apart my comp and upload photos of the cpu, gpu, etc and make sure I know exactly what to replace, what not to, etc. This system must last at least another year, so I cannot afford any screw ups lol. As it's my first time doing real maintenance on this i'll post dozens of questions i'm sure. A bit of topic, but i've been thinking about trying to upgrade my comp recently, either with more RAM, better graphics, CPU. However, i'm not sure if this is possible or worthwhile. Given my current configuration (listed on the first page) does anyone know of any better graphics cards, cpu, etc that would be compatible with this rig? Or is it not worth messing with?

 

there should not be any kind of paste on the north bridge if you bought it straight on from AW the crappy stuff probably seemed like desintegrated paste

 

There was a redish paste or pad on my NB for some reason and yea I got it from AW in 2009.
My temps are actually higher though so I'm going back again to do the paste after I get new thermal pads because it's mainly the GPU's that are running hot. (IDLE at 50-60; Gaming in the 70's).

OT: You could easily upgrade your RAM to 8 GB's.
This is what I put in mine: Newegg.com - G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Laptop Memory Model F3-8500CL7D-8GBSQ

Wait till newegg has some on sale and get em like I did ^_^

You could also upgrade to a quad core but that brings in issues eventually or manage to find a pair of rare ATI Mobility HD 4850's as a GPU upgrade.

 

i personally had a bad experience with gskill ram i switched to kingston hyperX

the 4850s are indeed uberrare but it seem some one else found some holo first edition 4850's
a quad core i would advise you against upgrading to one you are adrealy having the issue most have with a quad but with a dual

 

Wasn't thinking about going quad core, just because of the issue that quad core users were reporting, 2 seem to be doing me just fine. I will definitely keep an eye out for the improved graphics cards though. RAM was something I wanted to do regardless, and like Granyte I tend to favor Kingston as i've used them in the paste and they were quite reliable. I'll be re-pasting my computer next week, and hoping for the best results from there. If this problem is indeed a thermal one that with any luck that will resolve it completely, otherwise, not quite sure what to do. I'll keep everyone posted over the next week!

Hey,

For anyone still watching this forum and willing to help I will be repasting my computer this Sunday, afterwards uploading pictures of before and after as well as temperature readings. Thank you all again for the replies! (I was able to get some of those thermal pads, is there anyone you would recommend over the other; paste or pads? Or some combination of the two?)

 

I literally just did my M17 but you need to clean the paste off the CPU and GPU core's and the heat sinks that cover them and then repaste the cores. The Northbridge and GPU memory banks will need a new thermal pad placed on them if you want the best results.

 

Guys, I need some serious help over here. Just redid my computer, replaced thermal pads and repasted everything. Turned on computer, black screen that goes nowhere. I hear the sound of windows loading in the background but I cannot see anything. Not sure what's going on, when plugging into an external monitor nothing shows up either. Any suggestions or reccomendations to check? Switched graphics card to see if I got slave and master reverrsed, still nothing.

strike that, we just got it back. I'll report back later tonight after testing.

Alright, so, after repasting it seems that everything is running allot better. The temperatures are about 10 degrees lower across everything, which is wonderful. I still incur the occasional throttling but i'm not sure there is much I can do about that. Wanted to thank everyone from their help, and should there be anything other questions I will post again! Thank you all! (No sound so far)