Alienware 15 R3 Overheating Issues

Question

Just reaching out to the community or any dell representative that would kindly answer this question.

I got myself a nice new Alienware laptop to downsize and replace my existing desktop. First week it worked great and only really ran into one problem when i really wanted to tax the system and ran the Witcher 3 at 4k resolution on Ultra setting ( was very impressed with the results) about 30 min later the system restarted from over heating (I was fine with that as i was pushing the system to the max). Now a couple weeks later a whole lot of other issues have been popping up that I noticed. Audio Jack doesn't work, all of a sudden when I have it switched to the 1070 only my screen is a Pinkish/Purple hue. Now I cant even run gears of war 4 at 1080p maxed without it overheating in 30 mins (can't finish the first mission).

I contacted Dell support and I have a system exchange in the process.

Is anyone else with this laptop experiencing major overheating issues or problem with the fans (to me seems the side intake fans aren't holding up) Whats the best way to limit overheating?

I'm almost tempting to go outside when its below 0 Celsius to play on the laptop.

Dell support has been very good and accommodating but I'm starting to second guess this pricey purchase if this is going to occur with the new replacement system.

17R3 · Answer

I have the same specs as you and mine always overheats and just says shutting down after about an hour of Battlefield 1

I am having my keyboard and mobo replaced but even then I think they have *** paste on the CPU and GPU

Btw I have 8gb or ram how much you got ?

EmperorsFist · Answer

I'm running 16gb

EmperorsFist · Answer

It's odd cause certain games like forza horizon 3 can run no problem for hours where as gears of war only 30 minutes.

wshawk · Answer

I had many issues as well but overheating was not one of them. Maybe because I am using a graphics amplifier with a gtx 1070 desktop card. I think it takes the load off the laptop. I had issues with BF1 shutting down and had major errors with win 10 not booting. Dell was amazing in the support department and even replaced the unit which so far is working fine. (crossed fingers). It doesn't take away from the fact that I spent more time on the phone than playing. I havei7 k processor and 16 ram. Bf1 is a pretty intense game both GPU and CPU

ucibob · Answer

I'm having a very similar issue

EmperorsFist · Answer

Hello ucibob,

Download the latest firmware update from dell's support page and that'll fix the issue. Also I would recommend using driver booster (free trial on steam) to scan and update the outdated drivers, and also go to nvidias page and manually download the latest graphic driver.

I haven't had an issue since.

ucibob · Answer

I've done that. Pretty sure it's probably related to that hardware/overheating CPU issue that's all over reddit and youtube that dell supposedly acknowledged

ucibob · Answer

16

eternalkp · Answer

apparently this is all due to cheap thermal paste. www.youtube.com/watch

AAA737flyer · Answer

The thermal control on the laptops isn't the best. Download Hwinfo64 or some other fan control.

www.hwinfo.com/download.php

There is also an option in BIOS to set fan to gaming which runs the fan at near top speed. Not very user friendly however. Best bet is to install third party software. I installed the above and set the two fans to run at 3600 rpm and everything works great.

ucibob · Answer

yeah, not downloading a third party software to fix a manufacturing issue on a brand new $2400 laptop.  While returning for a refund, I was informed that this particular situation was eligible for and exchange of a brand system. Since, I like the system and the specs, this option is what I opted for.

Locked Topics – Alienware General

Alienware 15 R3 Overheating Issues

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