Thanks very much ejn63!! Yes, made by Quanta, but it is a specific design by DELL Inc. i think... Anyway, i hope DELL will provide the AS5 or similar at least as an optional... The XPS M1710 and M90 are high-end systems, so I think is very important for DELL customers to have that option, also by paying more.. For example some Clevo's reseller provide the AS5 ... and that's probably why some Clevo M570U notebook runs cooler than XPS M1710... Bye :)

If you've seen Clevo's systems, then you know they are generally larger and bulkier, so yes there is more space for cooling systems.

They're totally different systems. Though Alienware sells systems made by Clevo, Dell doesn't. Dell's XPS is made for it by Quanta. As for the thermal compound, it's likely more efficient to use a pad rather than apply a paste at the factory.