i took apart my MSI Stealth Pro VR the other day at work around 3am... Re pasted it and man was it hard to tear it all down but got it back all too 100
My 15R3, CPU max temp hits 87'C and my GPU max temp hits 70'C. Not to shabby with stock thermal paste... may look into retimming tho a year from now. Right now, its not to bad.
Repasting the 15 R3 is not that scary. If you have the I76700HQ + 1060GTX combo, than you don't even have to remove the mobo or the WIFI cables which apparently are easily broken. The heat sink is separate from the fans, allowing you to have much better access to the CPU/GPU. While you've got everything disassembled, it's also a good time to clean out fans, pipes, ducts, and vents. When I finally opened my 15 R3 up, I saw that there was barely any thermal paste on my CPU - it was all mostly on the heat sink. No wonder temps would fly into the 90's and throttle over simple operations like opening Google Chrome. My 1060GTX also had a big scratch over the top of it. At least it actually had some thermal past on it. I actually never got any overheating on my GPU, just that it was running a little hotter than I'd like. For me, I'd run XTU benchmark I got 760 marks @ 2200mhz (far below even the stock clock speed). It was only this fast because I recently upgraded the ram to 32GB @ 2400mhz and swapped my HDD over to an SSD. The highest temp was 100C and of course it thermal throttled a few times even at these gimped settings. I used the IC Graphite Thermal Pad, which is a new product that just came out. This not only lasts longer than paste, it also takes the guess work out of applying paste too. You simply just cut it down to the size of your die and apply it directly to the CPU. Simple! This pad also performs just as well as any high end paste too, and is reusable. There really is no downside to it and let me tell you, it worked as advertised. My results from XTU benchmark after repaste, I got 983 marks @ 3400mhz with a max temp of 94C and NO thermal throttling. In fact, it only would spike into the low 90's a few times throughout the test, rather than be pegged at 95-100C for the majority of it. Most of the time temps were in the high 70's to high 80's with an occasional spike into the low 90's. I'm now able to finally run my 15 R3 like it was designed to be ran... I am happy with these results and just in time for Black Ops 4!
Thanks for the main video and for an update. I'm thinking to buy 15R3 and will use it for video editing and encoding to H265 which puts heavy load on CPU... 100% sometimes for such a long periods like 24 hours non stop. New thermal paste is a must a guess but... What about thermal pads on VRMs?
I just got a refurb R3 with a 7820HK and a 1070 from Dell. after 15-20 minutes of OverWatch, MSI AfterBurner puts the Max Peaks of the GPU at 86C and the CPU at 97C with a big variance between the cores (About 10-15 C) I am going to try Dell Customer Service first (We will see) and if not, I might attempt this, but I am not real comfortable repasting a laptop as I have only done it on full PCs.
Just one remark : you say that the difference in max temperatures is lower after repaste, but it is actually greater after repaste ; you had an 8°C difference before, and it goes up to 10°C after repaste. Still, I agree that temperatures droping 20°C is amazing.
Thanks for pointing that out, I'll be sure to add information about that in the description because I can't add any annotations because I have an end screen link to the previous video. (TH-cam does not allow both annotations and end screen elements... for some bizarre reason.)
You're welcome! I just received my AW 15 today, with an i7-7700HQ. I stressed it with GTA V for about 45 minutes and CPU temperatures reached 90°C, although temperature difference between cores was lower, about 4-5 °C. 90°C is still very high, so I'm going to repaste with Grizzly Kryonaut. I'll update when I have some results :)
Update : I repasted a first time, and temperatures got lower, but the difference in temperatures went as high as 17°C. I opened the laptop again and noticed that the thermal paste didn't spread evenly during the first attempt I repasted again and also bended the tension arm of the heatsink on the CPU as some other people recommended. After repasting with Cooler Master MasterGel Maker, and bending the tension arm of the heatsink on the CPU to get a better spreading of thermal paste, temperatures after 90 minutes of gaming got down to between 70°C and 77°C, so much better than stock and first repaste.
GTA pegs my CPU at 85-95, alllll day long, repasted twice, the game never throttles it just worries me? I dunno, it runs fine just scares me, the GPU sits at 81 all day long, soon as I leave the game its in the 65 within a minute or less.
My damn Asus GL502, CPU runs 85-95 alll day long, I literally can't get it to drop. Re-pasted it twice. It runs fine don't get me wrong, never throttles but still high as fuk. After about 1 hour the GPU sits around 81c. I dun get it :(
I didn't know there was a bios update for the GL502? Actually, I just repasted it a 3rd time. I put on some Thermal Grizzly, also I set the CPU at 99% so it wont Turboboost which has never helped games. Right now she purrs like a kitten when gaming, cpu usually between 72-76 and GPU around 65c or so(Unless its like Tomb Raider or something, then GPU gets up to like 68C I think. I'm happy with it now :)
I just bought Alienware 15 R3 7700HQ in India and it has heating issues. While running Alienware's SupportAssist 15min Stress Test I got max of 94°C and average of 87°C. But Dell India said that they won't accept third party temperature monitoring software so denied my request for replacement and said that my system is running without any issues by doing a pre-boot assessment test. My question is, is it necessary for me to do repasting? I'm not going to do over clocking my CPU. But I'll be playing heavy games(minimum of 3hrs a day).
Those stress tests hit the CPU at 100% on every thread, something that will never happen in game. If you don't notice any sudden drops in frame rate, (to the point it is unplayable) and your system isn't shutting down, the repaste is not necessary. Also, it helps to put the system on a hard surface so it can suck cool air from underneath so try to keep it off carpet when gaming for prolonged amounts of time.
Did you mean "Premium Support"? My current warranty details shows the following: 1. LIMITED TELEPHONE TECHNICAL PHONE SUPPORT 2. Carry-In Service (3-Business Day)(8x5) 3. Parts Only Warranty (Carry-In Service) 4. Premium Support 5. NBD (Next Business Day on-site) 6. POW (Parts Only Warranty) 7. Accidental Damage Service
Princess Luna Nope. I actually can confirm this because I returned one after repasteing because the temps were grossly uneven. I also freely admitted to doing so while talking to the tech and return departments.
Brave_SirRobin sounds good. I'm looking towards Alienware 15 r3 w/1060 as my primary study/play machine. Can you confirm 6 hours of text processing on the battery? Does undervolting and repasting help battery life?
The undervolting will help, and the 1060 will defiantly sip power compared to the 1070. The only thing I don't know is if your model will feature G-Sync. If so, your battery life will be
Brave_SirRobin wow, that sounds absolutely great. Thank you, good sir. One last question: do you find it uncomfortable to use it "lappy", i mean, somewhere on the go, in the plane, train, on a bench outside etc. due to its weight and dimensions?
I would say it largely depends on a few factors. If you happen to be wearing short shorts or just something that would cause skin to be under the support at the rear of the laptop (near the vents) it may A.) get uncomfortably hot, and B.) dig in a little because there is just the one rubber support on the back it might leave a mark after extended use. As far as the weight, it is by far the heaviest 15" laptop Iv'e ever owned, but the distribution of that weight is even, so it doesn't really feel like 8lbs in the lap. The only issue really stemming from the weight is that on something like a bus, it can be difficult to keep the thing front and center (It slides around easily) So, if the driver were to slam the breaks for whatever reason, it's gonna go flying.
was the dissasembly in the video on a kaby lake or still on the previous version? can you still just get the top off of the fans so you don't need to fully disassemble the kaby lake version if the one in the vid was the previous version?
Mathieu Leroy Yeah i did the same on my kaby lake device, funny thing though, i found that one of the thermal pads was missing, if you've already repasted, did you also find a missing thermal pad?
does the warranty cover this problem? or is it simply not worth the wait, and should i just get the repaste done by myself? this is kinda disappointing because i bought one of these and expected it to be a reliable daily driver. i know something's not right when it frequently throttles after 30mins, then i just found out that under heavy load the CPU reaches fcking 99°C with 10°C difference between cores
Well, yes, you could hit up tech support and get them to send someone to fix it for you. But you can also just return it if you've had it for less than 30 days, which is what I ended up doing.
unfortunately i've had mine for 3 months, and just realized this problem now as i only just started playing heavy games recently. i bought them from third party seller, as dell in my country havent sell the R3 yet so warranty claim would be a pretty long process. but then again im really scared to fuck things up if i do it on my own, the best way i could think of is getting it repasted at a local pc shop lol. great videos though, thanks
juniora aburto I didn't initially with the Skylake model. So,I returned it, got there refreshed kabbylake version, but the temps were still crap. However, repasteing the new one helped more as the video showed. The still images I used for this video were of the new one. You can tell because the new one has a 1070 provided by HSB, whereas the older one was provided by Tripod.
currently still wondering if its worth it to get a new kaby lake model.. if i did i would be bringing it straight to my local pc shop and have them repaste it since im a bit afraid to completely take it apart myself. just not sure if i wanna go through the hassle or just get an msi gt72vr dominator instead and not have to worry about repasting right off the bat. thanks for showing the before and after temps btw.
Well you don't NEED to repaste it. As far as getting the dominator, I would say if your budget allows it, get the alienware for nothing more than the incredible build quality.
Brave_SirRobin well considering the temps still get in the mid 80's its still kind of a must to have it repasted, especially if it drops 20c. i mean this isnt a cheap laptop so i want it to last as long as possible. and the dominator is around the same price as the alien so thats why im unsure. also like you said, the alien build quality is pretty good as well. just wish it was good enough to where the consumer doesnt have to fiddle with a brand new machine to get it to stay cool :/
Brave_SirRobin yes, the new kaby lake gt72 has amazing temps from what ive seen, usually around 67 to maybe low 70's on stock paste, plus the fans are much quieter on full load. thats the big reason im considering it along with the alien 17r4
In that case, you need to figure out what is more important to you, size or cooling potential. The Alienware laptops are actually slim considering the heat they are packing, and they look like ultrabooks next to the behemoth dominators. As a student, it is really important that I can fit this thing in my backpack and something that is usually overlooked is the size of the power brick. I don't know about the dominators brick, but I do know the Alienware has a very low profile despite the 240w output.
i took apart my MSI Stealth Pro VR the other day at work around 3am... Re pasted it and man was it hard to tear it all down but got it back all too 100
My 15R3, CPU max temp hits 87'C and my GPU max temp hits 70'C. Not to shabby with stock thermal paste... may look into retimming tho a year from now. Right now, its not to bad.
Great Video! I respect you putting in what you made mistakes on. It will definitely help with future videos if you decide to make them. Thumbs up!
Repasting the 15 R3 is not that scary. If you have the I76700HQ + 1060GTX combo, than you don't even have to remove the mobo or the WIFI cables which apparently are easily broken. The heat sink is separate from the fans, allowing you to have much better access to the CPU/GPU. While you've got everything disassembled, it's also a good time to clean out fans, pipes, ducts, and vents.
When I finally opened my 15 R3 up, I saw that there was barely any thermal paste on my CPU - it was all mostly on the heat sink. No wonder temps would fly into the 90's and throttle over simple operations like opening Google Chrome. My 1060GTX also had a big scratch over the top of it. At least it actually had some thermal past on it. I actually never got any overheating on my GPU, just that it was running a little hotter than I'd like.
For me, I'd run XTU benchmark I got 760 marks @ 2200mhz (far below even the stock clock speed). It was only this fast because I recently upgraded the ram to 32GB @ 2400mhz and swapped my HDD over to an SSD. The highest temp was 100C and of course it thermal throttled a few times even at these gimped settings.
I used the IC Graphite Thermal Pad, which is a new product that just came out. This not only lasts longer than paste, it also takes the guess work out of applying paste too. You simply just cut it down to the size of your die and apply it directly to the CPU. Simple! This pad also performs just as well as any high end paste too, and is reusable. There really is no downside to it and let me tell you, it worked as advertised.
My results from XTU benchmark after repaste, I got 983 marks @ 3400mhz with a max temp of 94C and NO thermal throttling. In fact, it only would spike into the low 90's a few times throughout the test, rather than be pegged at 95-100C for the majority of it. Most of the time temps were in the high 70's to high 80's with an occasional spike into the low 90's.
I'm now able to finally run my 15 R3 like it was designed to be ran... I am happy with these results and just in time for Black Ops 4!
I have the same laptop and it shut off in a game because it hit 100C so thanks for making this
The new refreshed model seems to work great for me, I'm getting around 68c on full load and on some really rare occasion it reaches 75c.
the r4?
Thanks for the main video and for an update.
I'm thinking to buy 15R3 and will use it for video editing and encoding to H265 which puts heavy load on CPU... 100% sometimes for such a long periods like 24 hours non stop.
New thermal paste is a must a guess but... What about thermal pads on VRMs?
I just got a refurb R3 with a 7820HK and a 1070 from Dell. after 15-20 minutes of OverWatch, MSI AfterBurner puts the Max Peaks of the GPU at 86C and the CPU at 97C with a big variance between the cores (About 10-15 C) I am going to try Dell Customer Service first (We will see) and if not, I might attempt this, but I am not real comfortable repasting a laptop as I have only done it on full PCs.
When you talked about the difference in GPU temps... I see you showing the integrated GPU and not Nvidia?
Just one remark : you say that the difference in max temperatures is lower after repaste, but it is actually greater after repaste ; you had an 8°C difference before, and it goes up to 10°C after repaste. Still, I agree that temperatures droping 20°C is amazing.
Thanks for pointing that out, I'll be sure to add information about that in the description because I can't add any annotations because I have an end screen link to the previous video. (TH-cam does not allow both annotations and end screen elements... for some bizarre reason.)
You're welcome!
I just received my AW 15 today, with an i7-7700HQ.
I stressed it with GTA V for about 45 minutes and CPU temperatures reached 90°C, although temperature difference between cores was lower, about 4-5 °C.
90°C is still very high, so I'm going to repaste with Grizzly Kryonaut. I'll update when I have some results :)
Update :
I repasted a first time, and temperatures got lower, but the difference in temperatures went as high as 17°C. I opened the laptop again and noticed that the thermal paste didn't spread evenly during the first attempt
I repasted again and also bended the tension arm of the heatsink on the CPU as some other people recommended.
After repasting with Cooler Master MasterGel Maker, and bending the tension arm of the heatsink on the CPU to get a better spreading of thermal paste, temperatures after 90 minutes of gaming got down to between 70°C and 77°C, so much better than stock and first repaste.
Idris Kahil good for you man!!!
GTA pegs my CPU at 85-95, alllll day long, repasted twice, the game never throttles it just worries me? I dunno, it runs fine just scares me, the GPU sits at 81 all day long, soon as I leave the game its in the 65 within a minute or less.
use the ic graphite thermal pads my dude i've got the same config and my shit dropped like 8c
It will dry so quickly (kryonat)
My damn Asus GL502, CPU runs 85-95 alll day long, I literally can't get it to drop. Re-pasted it twice. It runs fine don't get me wrong, never throttles but still high as fuk. After about 1 hour the GPU sits around 81c. I dun get it :(
BigD Travels did you update bios
I didn't know there was a bios update for the GL502? Actually, I just repasted it a 3rd time. I put on some Thermal Grizzly, also I set the CPU at 99% so it wont Turboboost which has never helped games. Right now she purrs like a kitten when gaming, cpu usually between 72-76 and GPU around 65c or so(Unless its like Tomb Raider or something, then GPU gets up to like 68C I think. I'm happy with it now :)
Go to this website look up your model and update to the latest bios it will help fix issues www.asus.com/support
I did
nothing for the Asus GL502VS for bios updates?
www.asus.com/us/Notebooks/ROG-GL502VS/HelpDesk_Download/?_ga=2.149687222.1001328134.1493470628-1742900302.1493469845
should I replace the thermal pads too??
I just bought Alienware 15 R3 7700HQ in India and it has heating issues. While running Alienware's SupportAssist 15min Stress Test I got max of 94°C and average of 87°C. But Dell India said that they won't accept third party temperature monitoring software so denied my request for replacement and said that my system is running without any issues by doing a pre-boot assessment test.
My question is, is it necessary for me to do repasting?
I'm not going to do over clocking my CPU. But I'll be playing heavy games(minimum of 3hrs a day).
Those stress tests hit the CPU at 100% on every thread, something that will never happen in game. If you don't notice any sudden drops in frame rate, (to the point it is unplayable) and your system isn't shutting down, the repaste is not necessary. Also, it helps to put the system on a hard surface so it can suck cool air from underneath so try to keep it off carpet when gaming for prolonged amounts of time.
Brave_SirRobin Thanks that's really helpful
Brave_SirRobin I ran Unreal Engine's Heaven benchmark then my CPU went to a MAX of 97°C is it OK. But my GPU's max is only around 70°C
No, that is unacceptable. Get Dell to fix it or get you a new one.
Did you mean "Premium Support"? My current warranty details shows the following:
1. LIMITED TELEPHONE TECHNICAL PHONE SUPPORT
2. Carry-In Service (3-Business Day)(8x5)
3. Parts Only Warranty (Carry-In Service)
4. Premium Support
5. NBD (Next Business Day on-site)
6. POW (Parts Only Warranty)
7. Accidental Damage Service
Is the Gelid GC Extreme as good as this one?
Does repasting void warranty?
Princess Luna Nope. I actually can confirm this because I returned one after repasteing because the temps were grossly uneven. I also freely admitted to doing so while talking to the tech and return departments.
Brave_SirRobin sounds good. I'm looking towards Alienware 15 r3 w/1060 as my primary study/play machine. Can you confirm 6 hours of text processing on the battery? Does undervolting and repasting help battery life?
The undervolting will help, and the 1060 will defiantly sip power compared to the 1070. The only thing I don't know is if your model will feature G-Sync. If so, your battery life will be
Brave_SirRobin wow, that sounds absolutely great.
Thank you, good sir.
One last question: do you find it uncomfortable to use it "lappy", i mean, somewhere on the go, in the plane, train, on a bench outside etc. due to its weight and dimensions?
I would say it largely depends on a few factors. If you happen to be wearing short shorts or just something that would cause skin to be under the support at the rear of the laptop (near the vents) it may A.) get uncomfortably hot, and B.) dig in a little because there is just the one rubber support on the back it might leave a mark after extended use. As far as the weight, it is by far the heaviest 15" laptop Iv'e ever owned, but the distribution of that weight is even, so it doesn't really feel like 8lbs in the lap. The only issue really stemming from the weight is that on something like a bus, it can be difficult to keep the thing front and center (It slides around easily) So, if the driver were to slam the breaks for whatever reason, it's gonna go flying.
was the dissasembly in the video on a kaby lake or still on the previous version? can you still just get the top off of the fans so you don't need to fully disassemble the kaby lake version if the one in the vid was the previous version?
Mathieu Leroy Yeah i did the same on my kaby lake device, funny thing though, i found that one of the thermal pads was missing, if you've already repasted, did you also find a missing thermal pad?
does the warranty cover this problem? or is it simply not worth the wait, and should i just get the repaste done by myself? this is kinda disappointing because i bought one of these and expected it to be a reliable daily driver.
i know something's not right when it frequently throttles after 30mins, then i just found out that under heavy load the CPU reaches fcking 99°C with 10°C difference between cores
Well, yes, you could hit up tech support and get them to send someone to fix it for you. But you can also just return it if you've had it for less than 30 days, which is what I ended up doing.
unfortunately i've had mine for 3 months, and just realized this problem now as i only just started playing heavy games recently. i bought them from third party seller, as dell in my country havent sell the R3 yet so warranty claim would be a pretty long process. but then again im really scared to fuck things up if i do it on my own, the best way i could think of is getting it repasted at a local pc shop lol. great videos though, thanks
That's a good idea actually, but make sure they don't charge you something ridiculous for a small job like this.
Brave_SirRobin why did you return it? if you where getting better temperature?
juniora aburto I didn't initially with the Skylake model. So,I returned it, got there refreshed kabbylake version, but the temps were still crap. However, repasteing the new one helped more as the video showed. The still images I used for this video were of the new one. You can tell because the new one has a 1070 provided by HSB, whereas the older one was provided by Tripod.
This is why AW is trash. They can't provide good quality when you have to fix their short comings.
Dude you have an edgy voice and you should add some suspense or horror to your videos like music or something.
currently still wondering if its worth it to get a new kaby lake model.. if i did i would be bringing it straight to my local pc shop and have them repaste it since im a bit afraid to completely take it apart myself. just not sure if i wanna go through the hassle or just get an msi gt72vr dominator instead and not have to worry about repasting right off the bat. thanks for showing the before and after temps btw.
Well you don't NEED to repaste it. As far as getting the dominator, I would say if your budget allows it, get the alienware for nothing more than the incredible build quality.
Brave_SirRobin well considering the temps still get in the mid 80's its still kind of a must to have it repasted, especially if it drops 20c. i mean this isnt a cheap laptop so i want it to last as long as possible. and the dominator is around the same price as the alien so thats why im unsure. also like you said, the alien build quality is pretty good as well. just wish it was good enough to where the consumer doesnt have to fiddle with a brand new machine to get it to stay cool :/
Have you looked into what the temps are like on the MSI?
Brave_SirRobin yes, the new kaby lake gt72 has amazing temps from what ive seen, usually around 67 to maybe low 70's on stock paste, plus the fans are much quieter on full load. thats the big reason im considering it along with the alien 17r4
In that case, you need to figure out what is more important to you, size or cooling potential. The Alienware laptops are actually slim considering the heat they are packing, and they look like ultrabooks next to the behemoth dominators. As a student, it is really important that I can fit this thing in my backpack and something that is usually overlooked is the size of the power brick. I don't know about the dominators brick, but I do know the Alienware has a very low profile despite the 240w output.