Design Flaw Alienware 17 R4 UHD screen???

Question

Hello all and thankyou for reading my post.

I seem to have a complicated problem that may actually be a design flaw in the new Alienware 17 R4 laptop.

I currently have two AW17 R4 laptops.

Laptop 1:

I7 6700HQ

GTX1070M

3840 x 2160 with Tobii

32GB 2133MHz RAM

1 TB SSD & 2TB HDD

Win 10 Pro.

Laptop 2:

i7 7700HQ

GTX 1070M

1920 x 1080p non Tobii

24GB 2667MHz RAM

1TB SSD & 1TB HDD

Win 10 Pro

Laptop 1 was where the problem started.

This is hard to explain so if I sound childish it’s because I don’t want to miss any details.

There is something wrong with the UHD screen.

When you place the mouse cursor to the left of the screen is stops about 2-3mm before the edge/bezel, same on the top of the screen.

When you place the mouse cursor to the right side of screen it disappears underneath the bezel, if you take the bezel off it even disappears underneath the black tape lining the edge of the screen, it also does this at the bottom of the screen.

If the top of screen is north and bottom south it is like the whole PICTURE (NOT SCREEN) needs to move north/west about 3mm INSIDE THE SCREEN. Repositioning the actual screen will not work, it is the picture inside the screen that needs to move.

I ordered two new LCD cables and 2 new UHD screens, I have tried both new screens and cables on laptop 1 but the issue still persists.

I have also completed the following troubleshooting on laptop 1.

Full power drain
Different setting in Intel Graphics properties.
Disabled iGPU via function/F5
Tried three different GPU drivers including original Dell GPU drivers
Updated system BIOS to latest (S1.1.7) as it has QMax GPU update

None of these steps worked, so then I moved onto laptop 2.

Laptop 2 originally had a 1920 x 1080 screen, this screen worked without any of the issues mentioned above.

When I used one x new cable and new UHD screen on laptop 2 it started with the exact same issue as laptop 1.

So now I have two current AW 17R4’s that have each had two brand new UHD panels and screens fitted and they both present the same problem, but as I mentioned previously, it does not happen with the 1080p screen.

Given the troubleshooting I have completed and the brand new spares I have used I have come to the conclusion there may be a design fault in this model with this configuration.

If one of the Alienware reps could step in and help it would be much appreciated.

Carbon Based Lifeform · Answer

Bump.

strange. you didn't get an Answer for the second Time now.

i found this:

17 r4 display upgrade available?

i could have sworn i saw another Thread but i can't find it. maybe it was over at AW Arena. basically when installing 4K Screen you should apparently install a different Motherboard as well.

AndrewSi · Answer

Hiya, nah don't think that is right, the only difference between a 1080p and 4K screen is the panel and cable (And the LCD cover/bezel if you want Tobii).

Every other Alienware laptop I have repaired over the last 8yrs has never had a different mobo for a different screen.

That being said, laptop 1 was originally issued with a 4K screen from Dell, so if what you say is correct then laptop 1 should work fine with a 4K screen, but it does not.

I get new Alienware mobo's all the time, I've got a AW17R4 7th Gen 1070 mobo right now, brand new. Even if I use that it still has screen over run.

I've attached the config specs, as you can see laptop 1 was issued with a 4K

Laptop 1 Original Specs

AndrewSi · Answer

So I noticed from checking the 'Global Reach' graph in this thread that two Alienware reps have viewed this thread but have not posted any comments - I wonder why that is?

AndrewSi · Answer

Bump

AndrewSi · Answer

To anyone that's interested, I have made some progress with help from a guru on notebookreview forum.

Here is a short quote from checking the LCD EDID.

Quote" It has the same weird, out-of-place Hsync parameter as the other Dell edid. The system should ignore it, but perhaps it won't because the gsync pins on the panel are hooked up. They also have 48 Hz timings, which the stock AUO edids lack" End Quote

So at first glance it may be there is a corrupt EDID in most of the AU Optronics 4K 17 Inch panels, but still waiting for more info!!!

AndrewSi · Answer

Still no bites??? Has everyone gone on holidays?

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Design Flaw Alienware 17 R4 UHD screen???

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