Personally I prefer Arctic MX-4 though the newer MX-5 and MX-6 is fine as well. That sure looks like too much on the CPU and way too much on the GPU. Also looking at the picture I am not sure the heat sink contacts the CPU well on the left hand side. The retainer may be hitting the heat sink but that may just be the angle of the picture. This web page at Drivereasy has some suggestions as well.

Also if the screws are starting to strip then how can you be sure the heatsink assy. is making firm and solid contact on the CPU and maintaining that contact.

Thank you for the tips!

I've done the following now:

• I purchased some Corsair thermal paste (it was all they had in-store)
• Checked that the CPU retainer is lower than the CPU itself
• I also adjusted the heatsink screws to balance the contact with the heat sink (see photo, please ignore the GPU job :P)
• Re: stripping screws, I'm still able to turn the screws fully, just need to be more careful about it.

After these changes, it still reaches 100C within the first few minutes. I'm still confused why this would happen - I'd imagine poor thermal paste application to lead to high temps, but not 100C during idle. Could the heatsink and heat pipes themselves be damaged?

Either the heat sink or more likely very poor fan operation and/or the vents are plugged with dust or restricted in some way.

Also have a look at this Dell support page. And this long read from a user with a number of suggestions that may help.

Hi @scwu welcome to this free user-to-user Alienware laptop discussion forum. 

Please consider $100 Dell Laptop Repair | Dell Repair | Laptop Repair | Notebook Service Center (parts-people.com).  

@scwu the Intel version just runs hot. My AMD 7945HX runs about 90°C all the time while gaming. I believe it's hot spot, not package temp.

I think the Intel version, not sure on mine, has a paste/liquid metal mix version.

I would generally repaste on day one, but given it seems to be below temp threshold, I'm leaving mine as is.

Maybe try PTM7950. Most have good luck with it.

Hi. Have same issues with sam r2. Before, my laptop could heatup the room, now it blows cool air, while cpu is 100. 

We gotta find if heatsinks degrade or something.  

It is also notable, that the fan on gpu side blows warmer air, at gpu temperature of 43c, while cpu side (left fan) blows cold. The heatsink has cross pathways with one from cpu going to gpu fan area. 

So, something is wrong with cpu area heatsink contents. 

I also noticed that on my cpu heatsink side copper there are bubles (right, bublled copper, a little on the side farther away from the pathways that lead towards the fan)

Is tgere liquid inside? What kind of? Can it harden overtime and stop flowing? 

Seems we need a new heatsink. 

@dzmitrypatuk​ i had same issue. 

Repaste my laptop 3 time. Use mx4. Then Termalgizz.

Fans are clean. Same isue. GPU blows hot air and when im gaming its reach max 65c but CPU blows cold air. But from cpu heatsink on top of CPU is hott.so that mean CPU side heatsink not transfer  heat end of radiator .

Absolutely  nightmare.  Good laptop but cpu issue  has need to fix.

I consider  downgrade  CPU from i9 10900k  to i7 to get better termal solution. 

Please  Dell do something  about it.  You invest  a lot to new laptops  but forgot  those  who had Alienware  2 or 3 years  old. 

Done some upgrades. Got new cooling radiators  from Aliexpres.  Also delid and change liquid metal to CPU .

Now i can run this i9 10900k  to 4.7 GhZ with no issues.  And there is score what i got in Intel Benchmark.