Hello,
I bought my first laptop and i have few questions about it.. I bought Alienware x15 R2 - Specs: Intel Core i7 12700H, Nvidia GeForce 3700Ti, 32GB RAM with QHD 240hz... Mainly going to use it like a "desktop pc",but from time to time i can take it with me outside...

Questions:

  1. Battery - so about the battery.. how to reduce the ageing of the battery life - i have options in the BIOS where i can set it to be Primarily AC use or a Custom, where to start charging from 50% to 80% .. like that never going to do a full cycle.. but i can't decide.. when i set it for example to be a custom, than when taking it outside it will start from 80% and about the Primarily AC - what excatly this option do... Also im using it all the time plugged in, is that good or its better to unplug it while it's 100%... or just unplug it for the night.. cuz when playing games need to be plugged...
  2. I tried a game [Borderlands 3] and the temps of the CPU goes too much - 100... how to reduce these temps and i think this is not normal, cuz its using more GPU insted of CPU.. i check some people set 10 at the TCC offset in the BIOS menu.. but what is this exactly.. is it going to "cut" the performance? I'm thinking also to disable the Turbo Boost of the CPU, is it going to drop the FPS ... going to set it 99% instead of 100%...
    Anything else?
    Also what benchmarks i can use to test it?
  3. The surface of the laptops is like a magnet for fingerprints, how do you clean yours or any other ideas ?

Also it's my first laptop so any recommendations will be welcomed[Bios options or anything else]...

Thanks.

2 years ago

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it's NOT your case because you say you just buy it BUT....
The only thing i can say is for OLD things (not new same your,i mean after 2-3 years of use) FAN accumulate DUST that form a sort of CAP and so make the fan be nothing (you could see this also in my twitter or channel i release pics\videos)
and this make gpu fan work at 80% because can't dissipate,the result of all this is +19° Temperature.
So it's important after 2-3 years to remove the dust from the gpu (or device) fan,this then will make temperature go down -19° and make also the gpu can work with 33%\50% fan speed (instead of 80%)

dust:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FTFcO6uXEAAZcxY?format=jpg&name=large
difference in temperature:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FTFcO6KWYAEm-1G?format=jpg&name=medium

2 years ago
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I had an Alienware laptop and let me tell you no amount of dusting help with the temps on the GPU.
Alienware laptops are Dell and Dell uses toothpaste for thermal. I had to repaste every year or so and that meant taking the laptop apart almost entirely because the thermals are well hidden by design. And it still didn't prevent the motherboard from ending up as a toaster and dying from the heat eventually.

2 years ago
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😭😭😭😭😭

2 years ago
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The surface of the laptops is like a magnet for fingerprints, how do you clean yours or any other ideas ?

Use a clean wet microfiber cloth, then a clean dry one.
Then do it again if needed. It is better to be patient than to try to press harder.
You shouldn't need something else than water, unless when your fingers were not clean !
Then use the same product than the one you would have used to wash your fingers : usually mild soap or maybe dish-washing liquid or something like... I never needed anything else than water myself, so your mileage may vary.

Alternative solution : wear gloves 😂

2 years ago
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  1. Other than following basic 'keep battery between 20 and 80%', there isn't much you can do. Physics can't be defeated. As for plugged AC, normally once notebook's battery is charged to 100% it should stop receiving any more electricity entirely if manufacturer isn't a dumbass.

  2. Yes, disabling boost USUALLY negatively impacts performance. But in your case it MAY increase it. Give it a try and see if there is a difference. As to why that's possible, well, once CPU (any, be it PC, notebook or mobile) reaches high temp/power limit, it will throttle and reduce its frequency (and thus its permormance) to keep the temp safe.
    One of the most popular benchmarks for testing purposes is Furmark. You can also use MSI Afterburner and its overlay to keep an eye on CPU and GPU temps, load and frequency.

2 years ago
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I would return the laptop and go with a different brand. Dell/Alienware make some of the worst desktop PCs so I expect their laptops to be crap also. Reviews of their desktops always have them overheating during benchmarks so no surprise it's also happening in their laptops.

2 years ago*
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Overheating is an understatement. My last laptop was running at 75C idle and shutting down from the heat when playing pixel art games only 30 months after I bought it.
I also got one for my sister and it had the same issues. And she was not playing AAA games on ultra settings so yep.
Never getting a Dell or Alienware again.

2 years ago
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So without the Turbo boost and the TCC Offset[10] the temps are around 60-70 of the CPU and GPU is around 70 ... i tried the same game Borderlands 3 and there was no difference at all... i think this is good, when i need more CPU power i can turn it back to Enabled.. also it was on Aggressive...
Set the charging to 50 - 80, but still continue to charge..

2 years ago
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Just remove the battery and run it with power-cord, if you are mainly using it by the desk. No need to have the battery attached at all.

Laptops are really hot. It's quite normal. Skip all the turbo crap.

Install MSI Afterburner to control GPU fanspeeds.

2 years ago
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There is no option to remove the battery... GPU is okay, but the CPU temps goes high even when not using at all...

2 years ago
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Alienware are hot by design. They want you to have to buy another one in 2 years tops.
I recommend looking at youtube to find out how to get to your GPU and to repaste if you are willing to void the warranty.
I have had two Alienware laptops and one Dell. Same issues.

2 years ago
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I think the problem with buying something Gaming Branded like that is ... this thing is not really made to last be working good after 2-4 years ... they just expect you to buy a new one after the new generations of parts come out .

That might be the case with all laptops nowwadays dunno , but Gaming brand ones especially ...

2 years ago
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I'd say nothing you can buy now is made to last more then 2-4 years in general.

But an added problem with these "gaming" products is that they are trying to earn more simply on "culture". I mean gaming chairs, gaming coffee cups, gaming keyboards. For the most part they are no way better then similarly (or lowered) priced regular products, but people jump on the naming. You could buy very well functioning PC case for cheap, but people still jump on RGB and sticker filled non-functioning case just because it has gaming in the name.

Lately I bought an IKEA chair for 150 eur. It apparently has even some kind of ISO compliancy for office products guaranteeing that it holds up cycles of use. Friend of mine bought a gaming chair for roughly the same price (because it just looks cooler).... and that shit is rickety, construction is made from plastics and I doubt it will survive even a year.... but hey - its gaming :D IKEA chair has full metal body and is very firm and strong

2 years ago*
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My mom picked up a gaming chair because it looked comfortable, and the damn thing broke within a month. I'm just thankful that her warranty paid for it in full. She still has the chair, too. She managed to rig-up a sort of fix for it.

Other than that? I've never seen any gaming chairs that worked properly. Like you said, it's plastic crap.

2 years ago
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But to be frank a lot of these ~100 EUR chairs are pretty much shit.. gaming or not gaming :D
I had two of such and both broke within a year. For one the wheel broke off and I landed on my back and the other actually the whole back of the chair broke off and almost landed on my back as well :D

But I can't be bothered to pay around 500 EUR for real office chairs.. I know they are great but cmon... thats expensive.

Thats why I love those IKEA chairs... A lot of stuff you can buy there actually is very good quality. I know I literally just now badmouthed products which use gaming as marketing but IKEA also has a gaming line now and I bought a pretty big "gaming" desk. something a bit over 100 EUR as well. And it actually has very good structure and even has place for cables and specific slit in the desk that can be used for mounting monitor stands and cables. They also have gaming chairs, but I am not very keen on trying them out. The chair I got from IKEA was just your regular office chair

2 years ago
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Yeah, I've seen a lot of non-gaming shit, too. A lot of it. I've had chairs straight-up drop to the ground with me in them.

I wouldn't pay $500 for a chair. My mom once did $300, and it was trashy af. I doubt that 200 more would up the quality that much.

I've heard good things about IKEA. While my current yard sale setup works just fine, I have considered looking at what IKEA has in-store. Might do that once my $10 yard sale find wears out.

2 years ago
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I recently bought a MSI gaming laptop with built-in non-removable battery. Their little conservation program keeps battery charge between 50-60% charged while plugged in.

Temps of 100°C for CPU is common for laptop CPUs but I still think it's unhealthily high. Undervolting and/or re-pasting the cooler assembly with liquid metal could help. Counterintuitively undervolting can improve performance as it allows CPU and GPU to boost to a higher frequency while running cooler. Unfortunately every company has its own Uefi/Bios and you should change settings only if you know what the setting does to avoid unintentionally bricking the device.

To remove fingerprints I use babysoft moist wipes.

2 years ago
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I want to second this - my laptop which I bought 2017 was quickly reaching temps of 90-100 when I got it, even with not particularly intensive games and it made me nervous. I discovered undervolting (I still don't really understand what that is xD) and the temps only go up to about 70 ever since. I use ThrottleStop which has a bazillion settings that I have no clue how to use but was lucky enough to find a video guide for make make and model of my laptop. So I just set it up and haven't dared to touch it since!

2 years ago
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Yes, but i7 12700H seems locked and I can’t undervolt.. pretty bad..

2 years ago
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Has to be Alienware's bios preventing you from changing the core voltage. Try Intel's Extreme Tuning Utility to undervolt in Windows.

2 years ago
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In the ThrottleStop no options for mine..

2 years ago
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Aww really :(
Maybe ask on alienwarearena too - you're likely to run into some people with your exact laptop.

One thing about the battery - I saw you said you can't remove it. Is it impossible to remove or would you have to open it up? I have a m17x r2 (bought a decade ago second hand so it's even older :p) and one day it wouldn't turn on. The battery must have worn out because when I removed it, the laptop worked fine. Putting the battery back just messed it up again, so had to use it with a huge chunk missing at the back 😅
Just something to keep in mind - see if the battery can be removed if needed!

2 years ago
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I need to open the laptop I guess, but don’t want to mess something xD

2 years ago
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It should say in the manual, I wouldn't open it until the warranty is over - unless you're confident :)

With my old alienware you could open it and have access to everything easily, and didn't even have to open it to remove the battery - it was just a huge brick that slid off the back! My more recent laptop (Acer) is a lot more restrictive, just a small hatch to change the storage and another for the ram. That reminds me - I should find out about my battery! My manual shows a pin hole I can use to "simulate removing and replacing the battery", not sure what situation that's useful for. Nothing about removing it though :/ I imagine they prefer us to by new laptops over buying new parts it seems. At least it's not Apple hey 😉

2 years ago*
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This comment was deleted 2 years ago.

2 years ago
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If you have an option to set charging to "AC always connected" or along those lines, do that. And when you want to take it outside, charge it fully only then. Basically battery will deteriorate either way. It has some number of cycles it will work. The number is high, but if you keep it, lets say between 60-80%, you could double the number of cycles. Its just physics. If you use it twice as less, you might increase the longevity twice as well (meaning - you might get lets say 200 cycles when you charge it 20-80% constantly, but might increase it to 400 cycles if you only charge it from 60-70. Those are assumptions but roughly it will be better if you keep the cycles shorter). I have both my work laptop and personal one set to these always charging modes and keep them at 70-80%. Battery life seems ok for both, but its a laptop and it will die either way at some point. Thats why I personally stick with ultrabooks just for work and convenience and leave gaming to home PC

As for heating up - thats just laptop for ya... Buy some beefy cooling pad for it.

My personal one has metallic body so now and then I go over with wet wipes and clean it with dry cloth I have for my glasses (similar cloth comes with Apple products when you buy them - they are really good).

2 years ago*
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I set it to AC Primarily, but always charging to 100%.. there is also a custom charge which i tried[50-80], but i think its not working, because stays at 59% and not charging till 80%.. about the CPU i can’t decide how to use it.. with the Turbo boost enabled temps goes 95-100, without 60-70 and I tried with both at game(Borderlands 3) and there was no difference at performance.. at the benchmark is a pretty huge difference and it cuts the performance much, but i’m aware if i use it all the time when playing to 100 C temps.. If i use wet wipes at the keyboard is it going to be a problem or just in the surface?

2 years ago
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I wouldn't put wet wipes near it in all honesty - it's probably ok for the chassis and keys if it's not too wet but you can buy a tub of screen cleaning wipes for quite cheap if you shop around and I just use those for everything. I also have some cleaning putty to get in the nooks and crannies. Like this one https://smile.amazon.co.uk/TRIXES-Keyboard-Cleaner-Computer-Everyday/dp/B01330UT7M/ref=sr_1_7?crid=1C32ZOJFUWG7Q&keywords=computer+putty+cleaning&qid=1653412988&sprefix=computer%2520putty%2520cleaning%2Caps%2C79&sr=8-7

2 years ago
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CPU at 100°C will cause thermal throttling of CPU/VRMs that's why I suggested undervolting. Delicate electronics turned on don't go well with wet wipes. A big no-no and should be avoided at all cost.

2 years ago
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Don't laptop CPUs usually work around / near 100 degrees by default when under load? Or has the cooling improved over the years?

2 years ago
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At stock this is still true for many laptops. Manufacturers don't want your laptop to stay operational for very long after warranty has expired. I have a sixteen year old HP still working flawlessly which is bad for sales of course.

2 years ago
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It's working fine staying at 59%
It only starts charging when dropping below the 50%. Either way just be cautious that 100% will deteriorate faster

My laptop has a mode of charging 5% below threshold. If I have it set at 75% it will chare once it falls below 70

2 years ago
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Primarily AC stays only at 100%.. so there is no cycle when in example can drop only to 97-8 max or just staying at 100.. is this not better than drops to 50 than charge to 80>?

2 years ago
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I don't know the exact thought process behind these "intelligent" charging modes, but the idea is to keep it at specific percentage which is not 100% .. so while you are within the 50-80 it will remain at that percentage be it 60 or 70. Only when you use it without charger, it drops, lets say to 40, it will do a full cycle up to 80% and then stay there until you manage to drop it below 50.

https://www.windowscentral.com/leave-laptop-plugged
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/leave-laptop-plugged-time/
Here are some links with info as well. Not an expert on these of course. But my laptop as well suggests to keep it at 70 if I plan to have it connected to charger.

All in all its not that bad of course - I would think even if you keep it at 100% constantly it would only die after warranty period... New batteries have integrated controls that limit the charge and help the batteries not to overheat or over/under charge... So basically its all in the cycles you can get out of it. But seeing how new laptops have integrated batteries and it would be a pain to change them - why not. In the links you can see that prolonged connection to charger at 100% under higher temperatures can lower the capacity rather drastically. And seeing how you are getting high temps, the battery is probably heating up as well.. if not from itself then from CPU.

I personally suggest following these good practices :) I dont think anything bad would really happen if you wont, but I personally find no problem with keeping it at smart charge.. For now its comfortably sitting at 74% for me as I have screen connected through USB hub which charges laptop as well. If you are able to remove charger without interference (I lose my second screen when I do it) you can do that as well probably and get similar result.

2 years ago
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personally i might just toss it in the dumpster and learn from my mistakes.... :(

not for the same one but could help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxDX4ysgHFc

2 years ago
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Closed 2 years ago by erntTt.