x17 R1, CPU i9-11980HK temperature

Welcome to Dell Social Media Support, Could you private message me the Service Tag, so I can look into this for you right away? 
You could refer to the below link to find the Service Tag: 
dell.to/2KwgYVt

Hi @Samwise123 welcome to this free user to user Alienware laptop discussion forum. This is not Dell Support. 

Alienware gaming laptops are designed to deliver high performance. Intel says CPU temperature can increase up to 100ºC (212ºF) maximum, but must not be higher. 

Placing x17 R1 on a flat surface and elevating rear clearance to improve air flow is advocated. Ensure that there are no air flow obstructions near to all vents. Only use x17 R1 when local temperature is not excessive. There are various items that can assist to provide full air flow clearance. For power user, a tray that includes external cooling fans might be beneficial. 

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Yes, it's normal for dell. Not for everyone else. I've owned alienware laptops since the first m17x laptops and they have always been poorly cooled. Dell sells processors they know they can't cool effectively.

Dell's usual pattern is to release a way too hot chip in a laptop, then a few months after launch throttle that chip with a bios update so they don't deal with the subsequent warranty issues.

The best cooled dell I ever had was the 17R4, with the i7, not laughably hot i9 processor. I run the fans on performance and all is reasonably cool.

Sorry, but there's no simple fix unless you are willing to take it apart and repaste it.

Hi @Samwise123 !

Here are some stuff I recommend doing:

Set Power plan to Balanced.

Plug in AC adapter.
Set Fans in Alienware Command Center to Performance or whichever maxes the fans.

Turn off any overclocks on the system done to the GPU and to the CPU.

Make sure the laptop is on a cool and elevated surface.

Apply these settings to NVIDIA Control panel to see if that helps as well as setting it to use advanced 3D settings only.

Image Sharpening: Off

Since we’re setting up a global setting, we don’t need to apply image sharpening across the board. If you want, you can individually apply sharpening to the games you want through program settings.

Anisotropic Filtering: Off

Anisotropic Filtering is an option that’s configured in the in-game settings. So there’s no point turning it on in the global settings. 

FXAA – Antialiasing: ON (for better preformance anyways)

Gamma Correction -Antialiasing: Off

Turn Gamma Corrections off. It helps you improve image quality, specifically in OpenGL programs which is why turning it on globally is a waste. 

Mode – Antialiasing: ON (Multisampling)

Similar to FXAA, set Antialiasing Mode to on as well as these settings are best configured within the NVIDIA game settings.

Background Max Frame Rate: 20

If you Alt+Tab out of your games more often and want to save up some GPU power, then turn Background Max Frames to 20. This helps you limit the resource dedicated to your game when you minimize it giving breathing room to the other tasks you’re doing. 

CUDA – GPUS: ALL

You should select all CUDA GPUs here.  

PSST! Hey there. Enjoying the guide so far? Why don’t you check out the Best COD Vanguard Settings guide next?

Low Latency Mode: Ultra

Low Latency Mode is one of the most amazing features Nvidia provides to its GPU owners. It helps reduce latency in competitive games significantly without affecting FPS negatively. However, not every game requires this feature so it’s best not to enable it globally. 

Max Frame Rate: Desired Value or Off

If you want to cap your framerate in every application, then use Max Frame Rate feature. It’s a good alternative to V-Sync and simply caps your frame to your desired value which reduces tearing. It also helps you avoid pushing your GPU more than needed. You could disable it if you don’t want to cap your FPS in games. 

Open GL Rendering GPU: Select GPU here

Select your GPU here if you’d ever want to run any OpenGL games. This way, all OpenGL games will run through your GPU for best performance. 

Power Management Mode: Adaptive or Normal (see below)

If you own a laptop then leave this option as it is to avoid maxing out your GPU at all times. Instead, set power management to max only for individual games. However, if you want the best performance and all other concerns are secondary, then set Power Management Mode to Prefer Maximum Performance. It’ll ramp up your GPU and give you a noticeable boost in FPS. This will also solve any FPS drops that you’re experiencing.

Shader Cache: Driver Default

Keep this option at default. Shader Cache is necessary to compile the game’s shader data and store them on your PC.

Monitor Technology: Depends on Monitor

If you have a monitor with variable refresh rate technology, select G-sync here. If you don’t see this option and you’re on a laptop, chances are intel Optimus is blocking this option and there’s nothing much you can do to use Gysnc. Unless your laptop has a MUX switch or Advanced Optimus that will let you activate G-sync.

Multi-Frame Sampled AA (MFAA): OFF

MFAA is Nvidia’s proprietary anti-aliasing technology that’s not much useful in most games. Turning it globally might negatively affect your PC’s performance so best keep it off. 

Anisotropic Sample Optimization -Texture Filtering: On

Anisotropic Sample Optimation drastically improves the visual quality in games with no major performance impact. Turn it one for the best visual clarity and optimized game performance.

Negative LOD Bias – Texture Filtering: Allow

Set Negative LOD Bias – Texture Filtering to Allow for texture sharpening in games. 

Quality – Texture Filtering: High Performance

Set the Texture Filtering – Quality option to high performance. As you could already tell, this will result in better performance in exchange for minor visual clarity. If you have a high-end PC, you can set this to Quality. 

Trilinear Optimization – Texture Filtering: On

Turn on Texture Filtering – Trilinear Optimization to make textures sharper. This won’t only make textures better but also positively affect your gaming performance.

Threaded Optimization: ON

Threaded Optimization is be set to Auto. Keep it that way to take advantage of multiple CPU cores. This provides consistent performance in games.

Triple Buffering: OFF

Since we’re not using V-Sync, we don’t need to activate Triple Buffering. So simply turn it off. 

Vertical Sync: Off

Turn V-Sync off here as it caps the in-game FPS to your monitor’s refresh rate. If you’re experiencing screen tearing, turn V-Sync in the game’s settings and not in Nvidia Control Panel. 

In the end, make sure to click on the “Apply” button to save all the settings.

Now that wraps up the best Nvidia Control Panel Settings for managing the 3D settings section. These settings will give you improved performance on your PC. Other than these, there aren’t any more settings in Control Panel you can tweak to increase performance. If you’re on a desktop or using a laptop with a mux switch, then you’ll have access to the following settings. Even though these settings don’t essentially give you better FPS in games, they’re essential to optimize nonetheless.

These settings can give you the best performance, but there might be game errors that you might need to tackle. Errors like Apex Legend Infinite Loading Screen can cause problems.