Dell G7 17 7700 i7-10750H 16GB RAM 512GB SSD RTX 2070 Max P 144hz Display

Lcatchthemall on 19/08/2020 - 21:23
Last edited 05/09/2020 - 22:22

For all of us that have bought this amazing laptop, here are some points that can help you set it up:

• Change RAID to AHCI to avoid reinstalling Windows in the future if we use a second drive:
  Completely recommended to reinstall Windows from scratch as it will boost your battery life from 2 hours to up to 5-7 hours compared with the factory Windows.
  Youtube tutorial to change to AHCI

• Mounting bracket, screws, and heatsink for secondary SSD: Thanks @PediatricLemon
  https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07RRNC5WD/ref=ppx_od_d…

• To measure heat and wattage, use HWiNFO64 and RivaTuner server: Thanks @kml22
  Tutorial measure temp

• To check the hardware inside, you can use CPU-Z:
  CPU-Z

• Undervolting GPU guide for the Dell G7 17 7700: Thanks @Dipaty!

For some reason Dell has set in the BIOS of the GPU to automatically overclock up to 1900mhz when gaming (despite the GPU being rated at 1450mhz). However, when it does this it pulls obscene voltages through it, causing a lot of unnecessary heat with little to no real performance gain.
The solution? Limit the voltage that can be pulled through the GPU and thus, the maximum clock that it can push up to.

1. Open MSI Afterburner.

2. Press Ctrl + F to open the Volatge Frequency curvegraphic.

3.1. To limit the maximum GPU voltage to 0.8 and maximum clock to 1560mhz double click in the point and a yellow dotted line should appear like this:
https://imgur.com/a/Mu0ncSx

3.2. Select the point in the intersection of 1560 and 800 and click Ctrl + L, changing the curve to this shape:
https://imgur.com/L7xzHzf

A quick guide on how to use MSI Afterburner to limit the GPU voltage, view these video guides:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2xABgzp_1w
https://youtu.be/rV0tWKLAprg

• Undervolting CPU guide for the Dell G7 17 7700: Thanks again @Dipaty!

Thanks to reddit users VanGoghComplex and Snoozehead for finding the intial fix and their thorough troubleshooting.

Initially, the laptop has undervolting disabled in the BIOS, but there is a way to unlock it…

PLEASE NOTE: I take no responsibility for any damage you may cause to your system, this is an "Advanced" process so proceed with caution.

If you're using BIOS version 1.2 (or earlier) you can skip Step 1 and use the values 0x3e for CFG Lock and 0xda for OC Lock.
If you're using a different BIOS version (or a different Dell laptop altogether) please follow from Step 1.

Step 1: Finding the correct values to change in the BIOS.
a) Download this Python script to extract the BIOS files from the dell bios exe file. https://github.com/platomav/BIOSUtilities/blob/master/Dell%2…
You will need to also install Python for this section to work: https://www.python.org/downloads/

b) Download UEFITool from this link to search in the BIOS files for the location of the values we need to find. https://github.com/LongSoft/UEFITool

c) Download the Dell BIOS file from the dell website that you currently have installed (if you're using an old bios version and would like to unlock undervolting then install that BIOS version first).

d) Download Universal IFR Extractor from this link to search for the names of the values we need to set to 0 in the BIOS to unlock the undervolt. http://bios-mods.com/pub/donovan6000/Software/Universal%20IF…

e) Place the Dell BIOS exe file in the same folder as the python script and then run the script. The script should open a command-prompt looking window, you'll need to type out the exact filepath to the DELL BIOS exe file. This will then create a new folder with the content files inside.

f) Launch UEFITool and then open (open image file) the first file that was extracted by the python script (in my case it's called "1 — 1 System BIOS with BiosGuard v1.2.0.bin").

g) Go to Action>Search and then go to the "Text" tab and type in "CFG Lock" (without the quotation marks). In the bottom section of the window it should find 1 result. Double-click the result to navigate to it (in my case it took me to a line that says "PE32 image section". Right click this line and press "Extract as is". Save the extracted file.

h) Launch Universal IFR Extractor and navigate to the file that you extract in "g)". This will save a text document with readable information. YAY! A document that we can actually read and isn't just code…

i) Open the file that was created in "h)"and search (CTRL+F) for "CFG Lock". This should take you to a line that will look something like this: "0x74FAC Setting: CFG Lock, Variable: 0x3E {0..". The section we are looking for is what it says after Variable: (in this case 0x3E).
This is your CFG Lock code. This is the name of the section that we need to set to 0 in your BIOS. A few lines under this section you should see a section that looks something like this: "0x74FCD Setting: Overclocking Lock, Variable: 0xDA {0.." This is the code for your OC Lock (in this case 0xDA).

Now that we've got our CFG Lock and OC Lock codes we can proceed to Step 2…
.
.

Step 2: Changing the values of your CFG Lock and OC Lock in your BIOS.
a)Format a spare USB drive to FAT32 on a GUID partition map.
If you're unsure whether your drive is GUID or not, go to Disk Manager in windows, right click the USB drive and go to Properties>Volumes and it'll say it next to partition style.
If you're unsure of how to change to a GUID partition map, please follow these instructions: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/disk…

b) Make a folder in the root of the USB (the main folder of the USB) called EFI.

c) Make a folder in EFI called BOOT.

d) Download this file (the one called grubx64.efi) and place it in the BOOT folder. https://github.com/XDleader555/grub_setup_var/releases/tag/v…

e) Rename the file to bootx64.efi

f) Reboot to your BIOS (spam F2 on your keyboard when booting up the laptop).

g) Disable Secure Boot in your BIOS. Save/Apply Changes and Exit.

h) Spam F12 when booting to load the One Time Boot Menu and select your USB Drive from the list of options. This will boot into the USB.

i) Once it has loaded, type in the following command (be very sure you type it in correctly): setup_var CpuSetup 0x3e 0x0
PLEASE NOTE: If you did Step 1 of this guide, then replace "0x3e" with the code you got for your CFG Lock. Make sure to keep the 0x0 there though as this is the command that turns the lock off.

j) Type in the following command (be very sure you type it in correctly): setup_var CpuSetup 0xda 0x0
PLEASE NOTE: If you did Step 1 of this guide, then replace "0xda" with the code you got for your OC Lock. Make sure to keep the 0x0 there though as this is the command that turns the lock off.

NOTE: All of the 0 in the previous points are actual zeros (the number, not the letter).

k) Type in the following command: reboot

l) Spam F2 whilst booting to load back into your BIOS settings and re-enable Secure Boot. Save/Apply Changes and Exit.
PLEASE NOTE: Some people have reported that they need to also reset the BIOS back to Factory Settings (not default settings) to make the undervolt unlock, but I personally didn't need to.

CONGRATULATIONS! You've just unlocked undervolting on your laptop! Give yourself a pat on the back ;)
Now please feel free to pick your favourite undervolting program (Throttlestop or Intel XTU), I personally used Throttlestop.

Here's a guide for Throttlestop: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/31385-the-throttlestop-guide…
Here's a guide for Intel XTU: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Extreme-Tuning-Utility-X…

Please remember to test your undervolts for stability using your favourite CPU intentive benchmarking software. I personally used Cinebench R20 and the built in tests of Throttlestop.

I personally have an undervolt of -100mv going right now, but I'm still in the testing stage.
You WILL have different results to me as this all relies on the good ol' silicone lottery - some people will be lucky and get laptops that can achieve a significant undervolt, and unfortunately some wont.

Good Luck!

PS: our eternal thanks to @kml22 for his efforts to clarify the 2070 Max P and all the info provided.

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  SpIcYChIcKeNCuRrY on 27/08/2020 - 20:18

  HI guys and girls,

  Has anyone bought extended warranty for the laptop?
  I filled in my details online and the Dell fella called me back offering $150/year or 4 years for $440.

  Has anyone got a similar or better than this deal in terms of extended warranty?

  • 

    kml22 on 28/08/2020 - 16:14

    Sound about right, I think it was $158 for extra year of warranty (without discount). During the time you order the laptop you could have saved 20% on the $158 using the discount code.

  • 

    Toemass on 15/01/2021 - 19:54

    Hey sorry if this response is too late but I got offered $350 for 3 years for Premium warranty with a bit of negotiation.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 27/08/2020 - 20:57

  +1

  Hey all! Hope you're doing well.

  This laptop arrived a couple days ago and I'm fairly happy with it except for one strange quirk I observed today. When charging in sleep mode, the laptop would heat up to the point where it'd be hot to the touch. Has anyone experienced this? I read it has something to do with a feature on Win10 called 'Connected Standby' or 'Modern Standby'.

  • 

    Dipaty on 28/08/2020 - 03:42

    I haven't noticed this on mine yet, but I also haven't used it on the battery enough to drain it for a full charge either. I'll let you know if I experience it and how I end up fixing it

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 28/08/2020 - 09:13

      Cheers, mate! Let me know what you find.

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 28/08/2020 - 14:41

    Small update: It seems regardless of whether or not it's charging the laptop will still heat up while sleeping. I've resorted to using 'hibernate' which mostly addresses the issue with the tradeoff being a slightly lengthier bootup.

• 

  schmuppet on 28/08/2020 - 00:00

  What BIOS version is everyone running? I'm on 1.2.0 and can't seem to undervolt my CPU.

  EDIT - ok I just re-read the guide at the top of this thread. Can someone share the modified BIOS file or does this vary on a per machine basis?

  • 

    Dipaty on 28/08/2020 - 03:40

    It's not a bios file that you install, the method is to edit the bios file that's currently being used.
    If you're on v1.2.0 then you can just skip to Step 2 of the guide.

    • 

      schmuppet on 28/08/2020 - 10:02

      +1

      Yep all good I read it again and it makes sense now. I'm also having the same issue as @clokeyyy where the frame rate drops to ~10 even though thermals and voltages look ok. I'll fiddle around with it for another week but if I can't get it working properly by then it's going back to Dell.

      • 

        clokeyyy on 28/08/2020 - 12:27

        Keep me posted @schmuppet I'd be interested to see if you can figure it out too

        • 

          schmuppet on 28/08/2020 - 19:26

          +1

          @clokeyyy: I've done the bios unlock for undervolting and am running -85mv, locked the GPU at 1560/800 with MSI Afterburner, and removed the dodgy Windows update (not sure if this made a difference though as I didn't test with/without). Seems all good now.

      • 

        Dipaty on 28/08/2020 - 13:29

        +1

        I know it doesn't look like a thermals or a voltage issue - but this is exactly what was happening to me and a few others here.
        Try using MSI Afterburner to fix it as per this post https://www.ozbargain.com.au/comment/9177861/redir
        When your FPS is dropping to ~10, it's because your GPU is dropping to 300mhz. This should lock it in.
        Another thing I've found, if you've got Windows update KB4566782 installed, try uninstalling it. For some reason that one's causing issues with the GPU as well. These two things combined should resolve all of your GPU problems

        • 

          schmuppet on 28/08/2020 - 17:55

          @Dipaty:

          3.1. To limit the maximum GPU voltage to 0.8 and maximum clock to 1560mhz double click in the point and a yellow dotted line should appear like this:
          https://imgur.com/a/Mu0ncSx

          3.2. Select the point in the intersection of 1560 and 800 and click Ctrl + L, changing the curve to this shape:
          https://imgur.com/L7xzHzf

          @Dipaty 3.1 works for me but 3.2 just seems to lock the voltage/frequency to the selected point, doesn't change the curve at all. Is there any reason to change the curve if the voltage and frequency are locked?

          • 

            Dipaty on 28/08/2020 - 18:19

            @schmuppet: I personally don't change the curve at all, I just lock in the voltage and frequency when gaming so it can't surpass that voltage. When you change the curve instead, it can still increase the voltage above 0.8 but it won't increase the speed.

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  RockmanRock on 28/08/2020 - 12:42

  +1

  I ran a display colour check and calibration in Calman, the display is pretty accurate colour-wise out the box and calibrates well.
  https://imgur.com/a/o9WVpMg

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  pickystenis on 28/08/2020 - 14:20

  Anyone know how to turn off the blue light on the charger plug? It's way too bright for when I want to go to sleep. Current solution is to just turn it off at the wall but obviously the laptop isn't getting charged anymore.

  • 

    clokeyyy on 28/08/2020 - 14:36

    +2

    You could just cover it with some sort of tape, there is no way to turn it off as far as i know.

  • 

    Bargain4Days on 08/09/2020 - 05:33

    If you have some tinkering skills, you can desolder the led, or just use a sharpie to cover the led

  • 

    RockmanRock on 08/09/2020 - 13:05

    +1

    I used some heat shrink tubing to cover it
    https://imgur.com/a/UxhBb65

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  schmuppet on 28/08/2020 - 15:11

  +1

  Any chance that Dell will fix all these issues in a BIOS update or should I just return the thing?

  • 

    Dipaty on 29/08/2020 - 02:01

    +1

    They may fix a few things, but I doubt they'll fix them all. In my opinion, it's not that hard to fix them yourself - a little bit of tweaking and this is a killer machine for the price

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  Modesty on 28/08/2020 - 15:34

  whats the maximum capacity ssd you can add to this laptop , and how much will it cost? How hard/easy to add the additional ssd, do one need to remove old or or both can work same time?

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  Modesty on 29/08/2020 - 14:44

  i am looking to buy this laptop, as it seems to be pretty good. Can someone please share their reviews on this and I will like to expand its ssd to 1 tb or 2 tb. How hard is it to do that as I never done that and how much will it cost extra. Thanks

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  jimbler on 29/08/2020 - 19:37

  I've got some weird issue happening every now and then where I think the keyboard layout changes from US keyboard to something else. When I try to type a quotation mark " it doesn't work, and I have press it again, but then two quotation marks appear on the 2nd press. From googling, I discovered that this in a common issue that is caused by changing the keyboard layout from US to a different country or something else etc…., but I haven't been changing anything? The only thing I've really been doing is playing around with the lights etc…in the Alienware command centre, but surely this wouldn't be affecting it would it?

  I found the solution by holding down the windows key and space bar, but I'd love to know what's causing it to change all the time.

  Edit - you can replicate the issue by pressing the windows key and spacebar and it's the first option "English (United States)" that causes the issue with not being able to use the quotation mark correctly. When you change it to the 2nd one "English (Australia)" it works as it should. Any idea why it would keep alternating between both and not just stay on "English (Australia)"?

  • 

    dynamite459 on 29/08/2020 - 21:29

    +1

    In Settings > Language > Preferred languages, click on English (United States or Australia) to reveal Options.

    From there, Add "US - QWERTY" then remove "United States-International"

    You could just have English (Australia) as a preferred language and then it'll stop switching when you press Win+space bar.

    • 

      jimbler on 29/08/2020 - 23:02

      Thanks. I've done it. Hopefully it's sorted out now.

• 

  catchthemall on 30/08/2020 - 15:22

  +1

  Hey guys, for those who are having batttery issues or are let down by how little it lasts, fresh Windows install is the solution. I have moved from having only 2 hours of juice to 7 hours of internet browsing, youtube watching and epic install and downloading with undervolting and turbo dissabled. This is awesome! Totally worth the hustle of going through reinstalling everything.

  Only downloaded Alienware OC for the rgbs. Windows update will take care of the rest of the drivers.

  Also, I got to free almost 40Gb of space, deleting all backup partitions as you can download every driver from dell website (maybe you want to keep them, but they are around 21Gb) and all the bloatware.

  PS: Thanks to @drakarn_123 and @clokkey.

  • 

    clokeyyy on 30/08/2020 - 18:14

    No worries at all man, what undervolt settings are you currently running at?

    • 

      catchthemall on 30/08/2020 - 18:36

      +1

      You provided a great solution mate! I am doing further testing and I can get almost an hour of light use for 10% drop of the battery; office, browsing, and youtube on the background…mindblowing! dell was probably collecting even my keystrokes to suck that much battery.

      Ok, going for the undervolting, I am using -91.8 for core and cache and Disable turbo. Temperatures are not over 35 degrees and stable. Also cannot hear the fans and everything is still buttery-smooth.

      (Tried close to -100 and it crashes)

      • 

        mrbondx3 on 31/08/2020 - 14:02

        Does the battery life indicator at the bottom show 7 hours? Or did it show like 2 hours estimated but lasted for 7 hours? Thats pretty insane, kinda tempted to fresh install

        • 

          catchthemall on 31/08/2020 - 19:06

          @mrbondx3: Yes, it shows the 7 hours on top of the battery icon. If I am doing browsing and youtube only, it goes up t 10 hours 30 minutes and my last charge of battery lasted me more than 9 hours doing excel and browsing.

          100% recommended to a fresh install, otb windows is terrible for the battery duration.

          • 

            Dipaty on 03/09/2020 - 21:11

            @catchthemall: Out of curiosity, did you try undervolting before reinstalling windows?
            If so, did you find different results before and after?

            • 

              catchthemall on 03/09/2020 - 22:15

              @Dipaty: Yeah, did both, before and after reinstalling. I haven't noticed any difference, in both cases, it performs equally.
              -90 is the maximum I can go before crashing in both cases and temps are equal around 53 in idle with turbo and 45 with turbo disabled.

  • 

    Xanatus on 24/09/2020 - 15:37

    Hey,

    I'm just wondering when you say you got 7 hours of internet browsing what setting this is on.

    If i am on battery mode on "Best Performance" with the screen set at 100% brightness i get a few hours, but if I set it at 50% screen with battery set at "better battery" i can get like 9-10 hours just using the net (based on the time on the battery, I haven't yet had a 9 hour session!)

    Thanks for the feedback.

    • 

      catchthemall on 24/09/2020 - 22:08

      +1

      Yeah, almost exactly what you said. Never used best performance unplugged, but with Better battery and screen brightness to 60-70 that lasts for around 8 hours.

• 

  ozbdude on 30/08/2020 - 21:41

  +4

  Not sure if this is going to help anyone:

  The best result I've obtained in terms of gaming and battery life so far after several hours of playing around and after these results, I honestly believe for the price range of 2k to 2.4k, this is the best gaming laptop with the best battery life, thermal and display panel, period. I don't think dell have used liquid metal in this laptop so wonder what sort of thermals and performance we can get if we apply liquid metal, would be great if someone here could dare to try this :-)

  Settings for best gaming result (Bit noisy)

  Game: Horizon Zero Dawn - Full HD - Ultra setting

  Setting:
  Game shift on
  CPU: 2.6 GHz, turbo boost disabled, undervolted to -99.6mv - TEMP: 64 max, limiting CPU to 3.3 and then to 3.7 didn't result into much fps gain (1 or 2 fps hardly), however, temp increased to 80 to 85
  GPU: 1845mhz locked at 852mv using MSI afterburner CTRL+L trick (That's desktop level 2070 performance) TEMP: 63 max and 8 to 10% average FPS gain compared to stock boost clock which goes up to 1730mhz

  The temperature of both CPU and GPU drops to 59 to 61 in less intensive scenes and to under 45 when accessing game menu and inventory
  Front of the laptop raised slightly using a small piece of cardboard right below the front two rubber pad for better airflow, without using this temp increased by 4 to 5 degree

  Game shift off and cardboard removed: both Cpu and Gpu temperature reaches to around 70-74 degree

  Played for about 3 hours and didn't have a single BSOD, Crash, or Throttling.

  https://imgur.com/gallery/qO3eBtB

  For Better Battery Life of about 8 to 9 hours:
  CPU setting: turbo boost disabled, undervolted to -99.6mv, Speedshift: 255 Throttlestop>>>TPL>>>Turboboost short and long power clamp 20
  Power mode: Better Battery
  RGB light: Off

  • 

    clokeyyy on 30/08/2020 - 21:58

    Hey mate can i see a screenshot of your GPU's voltage curve in MSI Afterburner ?

    • 

      ozbdude on 30/08/2020 - 22:46

      +1

      Here you go, mate and all the best, and let us know your best result, I'm sure we can still tweak here and there for another 4-5% gain, very difficult to find the best setting, I get stable 237mhz overclock (which results into 1900+ mhz gpu boost)and 1000 for memory with stable 40-45 minutes of gpu burn in test using furmark however crashes when in-game within few minutes, not sure what's causing the crash as i think furmark stresses the GPU more than the game

      https://imgur.com/nUcZXnQ

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  bypeng on 31/08/2020 - 07:41

  Has anyone successfully bought a 3rd party SSD bracket/heat sink yet?

  • 

    Subere on 31/08/2020 - 11:16

    This.
    Heatsink I'm not too worried about because I've seen a bunch on Amazon or Ebay that will work in laptops.
    Its the bracket or standoff screw that I'm having issues finding. There's a bunch of standoff screws on sale on Ebay for various manufacturer motherboards (Asus, MSI etc) but hard to find one for this laptop. Might have to investigate the motherboard model and go from there.
    This is a major PITA as I have a secondary SSD coming and I haven't even installed any games yet because I want to put it all on that.

    • 

      bypeng on 31/08/2020 - 12:17

      Yes. My SSD actually comes with Heatsink. Dell hasn’t replied to me on the bracket yet. Hopefully they have a different answer. I am happy to pay for it if they can send me one.

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  augieee on 31/08/2020 - 10:19

  Does anyone know what the buttons A,B,C,D, do that is ontop of the number pads?

  • 

    Subere on 31/08/2020 - 11:14

    +1

    Check the Alienware Command Centre app. Its for macros

    • 

      augieee on 31/08/2020 - 11:59

      ohh i see it now! thanks heaps!

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  RockmanRock on 31/08/2020 - 22:32

  +1

  Rearranged and put a Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB as the boot drive and kept the Kingston A2000 1TB as the secondary drive. Not sure if just my install or if from my previous laptop migration but BitLocker was enabled and I forgot when cloning, which meant a few hours spent restoring from yesterday's backup image. All working fine now though (minus the missing heatsink issue etc)
  https://imgur.com/a/VZPb0L9

  FYI in Crystal DiskMark 7;
  Original SSD https://imgur.com/a/chHrvYD
  A2000 SSD https://imgur.com/a/QrhdHZa
  970 Evo Plus SSD https://imgur.com/a/S0wCsln

  • 

    schmuppet on 31/08/2020 - 22:46

    Damn that 970 is fast!

  • 

    mrbondx3 on 31/08/2020 - 23:22

    where did you get the screws to attach the ssds?

    • 

      Subere on 01/09/2020 - 11:04

      Probably repurposed what was in there. Use a bracket for the top SSD and then use the thermal cover for the 2nd SSD.
      Thinking of doing something similar with mine. I'll use the bracket for my A2000 in SSD2 and hopefully the thermal cover can keep the original 2230 in SSD2 secure.
      I'll get another third party heatsink for the A2000.

      • 

        mrbondx3 on 02/09/2020 - 06:44

        u would still need a screw for the thermal cover tho

        • 

          Subere on 03/09/2020 - 17:53

          @mrbondx3: I used the mounting bracket on SSD Slot 2 and used the thermal cover for SSD Slot 1 (with the drive that came with the laptop).
          Both have their own screws.

• 

  schmuppet on 31/08/2020 - 23:16

  +1

  It appears that my machine doesn't go to sleep when I close the lid, anyone else experienced this issue? It had 4 hours remaining on the battery, I closed the lid then returned to it a couple of hours later and the battery was on 4%. Machine felt a little warm too.

  • 

    Subere on 01/09/2020 - 11:03

    Check your power settings

    • 

      schmuppet on 01/09/2020 - 11:12

      Everything looks fine, BIOS settings are good too.

      • 

        clokeyyy on 01/09/2020 - 12:10

        I experienced this last night, closed my lid of my laptop while plugged in which it should sleep, but instead of the battery losing charge, my laptop was really hot to the touch after an hour of the lid being closed

        • 

          Subere on 01/09/2020 - 12:23

          +1

          @clokeyyy: Most times I have to hit the power button twice to turn the laptop on. First press the fans initialise for a second but nothing happens. Second press and Windows boots.
          Not sure if this is normal or I have to hold the power button longer shrugs

          • 

            bypeng on 01/09/2020 - 12:48

            @Subere: I noticed that too. A bit strange.

          • 

            nataz6 on 01/09/2020 - 22:10

            +2

            @Subere: I think you may have the same problem I had. I laughed when I found the cause. When you open the lid it automatically boots. So I'd do the same, 1 push actually turned it off, then I'd look at it stupid, push and hold power button and curse it till it started 🤣

            • 

              Subere on 02/09/2020 - 17:54

              +1

              @nataz6: Lol. I did notice just now that it auto booted when I lifted the lid. I'm positive this has happened to me even if the lid was left open…
              I'll have to be more aware next time I start it up.

• 

  drakarn_123 on 02/09/2020 - 13:39

  +1

  Here's a hot little tip for anyone considering using the SD card slot for storing stuff on a long term basis.

  Don't. The SD card does not insert all the way in like a SIM card goes into its slot, it protrudes out by a lot and is in danger of getting snapped or dislodged.
  Secondly, I foolishly bought a Sandisk Extreme MicroSD that should write up to 90MB/s but the controller in the laptop seems to max it out at 30MB/s.

  I'm interested to know if people have other suggestions, like using a USB C dock or something to a) get it out of the way b) get better speed out of it

• 

  schmuppet on 02/09/2020 - 20:19

  Can anyone use XTU to change their core multipliers? It's all greyed out for me but appears to work fine via Throttlestop. I'd rather use XTU though because of the monitoring graphs.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 02/09/2020 - 21:04

  Anyone still waiting for price to drop to 2k to make the purchase :), then please do let me know as I've decided to let this bad boy go for 2k. Had purchased about a month ago from Dell eBay and haven't registered my name for warranty so you can still register your name

  Pickup at or near Melbourne CBD

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  Aussie Legacy on 03/09/2020 - 01:17

  G'day guys, just want to start by saying cheers for sharing all the info!

  One thing I've noticed with mine is an almost constant electrical buzzing sound coming from the internals (loudest when listening through the air vents underneath). It also seems to be slightly reactive to what I am doing on the screen i.e scrolling up and down a webpage quickly increases the noise. Its not extremely loud but can easily be heard in a quiet room when the laptop fans are off. I haven't owned a laptop in ages and am not sure if this is normal.

  When I plug my Deathadder V2 in, it makes an even louder and higher pitched noise noise when moving the mouse. From what I've read this is likely electrical interference and unfortunately happens when plugged into every USB port.

  For both noises I have tested unplugged and charging and mouse vs no mouse (nothing else ever plugged in). I also haven't made any changes such as undervolting/overclocking etc.

  Anyone got any thoughts or similiar experiences?

• 

  clokeyyy on 03/09/2020 - 01:53

  I'm starting to have problems with my GPU throttling back to 300mhz again, i blocked the Windows 10 KB4566782 update from being installed, I've tried two different voltage curves in MSI afterburner now and it keeps happening

  Any suggestions?

  • 

    Subere on 03/09/2020 - 17:07

    +1

    finally loaded up a game and I'm noticing this also. Drops down to 300MHz for some reason despite the GPU temps not that high at all.
    I haven't blocked that Win10 update or anything but I have undervolted the GPU in MSI Afterburner and basically seeing a square wave graph of the GPU clock going from 1500 to 300 almost at regular intervals.
    I have the fans at Ultra Performance in both the Dell Power Manager and the Alienware one to ensure maximum cooling.
    Edit: CPU temps weren't that high or excessive either

    • 

      Subere on 03/09/2020 - 18:14

      I've blocked that Windows update and will test later tonight to see if that helps.

• 

  PediatricLemon on 03/09/2020 - 11:01

  +4

  For anyone trying to find a solution to putting an SSD in without the dell bracket, I have found this which should work I think:

  https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07RRNC5WD/ref=ppx_od_d…

  It's got several "riser" type mounting screws which should work in place of the bracket I'm hoping. I'll let you know how I get on. It also comes with a heatsink so two birds with one stone.

  • 

    RockmanRock on 03/09/2020 - 11:31

    Nice find

  • 

    PediatricLemon on 28/09/2020 - 15:20

    Well they finally arrived and unfortunately they didn't work the way I hoped they would to mount the SSD, so I'm still in search of a solution. At the moment I just have the drive mounted unsecured, which works but obviously isn't ideal.

• 

  gustus on 03/09/2020 - 11:50

  +1

  I just found out there's a bunch of apps that run in the background (different than the startup apps) and I have turn them off and it has increased the battery life. Just a head up if anyone doesn't know. I only keep:
  Dell Power Manager, Dell Update, Intel Optane Memory and Storage Management, Realtek Audio Console, Thunderbolt Control Center, and Windows Security.
  I am unsure if I need to keep the Intel Optane, Realtek and Thunderbolt control tho so I keep those turn on just in case, but let me know if you know if those can be turn off without jeopardize the gaming experience.

  • 

    schmuppet on 03/09/2020 - 18:37

    Nice find. How do you stop these from running? I'm coming from a Mac so I don't know Windows all that well.

    • 

      gustus on 03/09/2020 - 20:31

      +1

      Haha same. Was also a mac user.
      Go to Settings > Privacy > Background apps

• 

  yjk on 03/09/2020 - 12:26

  +3

  Hi Guys,

  So, I think I've managed to identify what seems to be causing my issues, as it wasn't thermal throttling, it was actually power limit throttling, which seems to cut power to not just the CPU, but the GPU.

  In my experience, the undervolting (while reducing temps) still caused it to activate the power limit throttling causing my frames to drop to 15fps for extended periods.
  Locking or adjusting the curve in MSI Afterburner didn't seem to prevent this (it probably helps to reduce temps).

  The only way i was able to prevent power limit throttling was to check the 'disable and lock turbo power limit' in Throttlestop and uncheck the 'Turbo Boost short power max
  ' with the undervolt (-95 for me) temps would go to 86 (in quiet) and 91 (in balance/performance) before the CPU would thermal throttle down slowly to maybe 3.8ghz at its lowest.

  No more drastic dips in FPS
  - I haven't needed to reduce the max turbo speeds (doesn't seem to hold for long for me anyway, it seems to go back up to 4.2 on all cores after awhile even when set to 3.8) or even adjust the MSI Afterburner to prevent the throttling. I still recommend during so to reduce temps, just not a requirement to prevent the power limit throttling.

  I have a feeling that my laptop would benefit from a re-paste, but this seems to be enough until the warranty runs out.

  Mine seems a little more severe than other people's issues. but due to this, i think i found the underlying issue with this laptop due the inadequate cooling solution the power limit throttling is the culprit.

  Much thanks to Dipaty for his support!

  • 

    Dipaty on 03/09/2020 - 23:18

    No worries, glad you've found a fix in the end - funny enough, the throttling has actually come back for me today, after not having any issues at all for the past week and a half, so I'll give this a go now. Already had the 'Turbo Boost short power max' unchecked from earlier testing (which helps the CPU performance a lot) but let's hope that the "disable and lock turbo power limit" helps fix the GPU throttling full stop.

    For anyone who also needs to try this - "disable and lock turbo power limit" can be found in the FIVR section of Throttlestop (under the table of information) and "Turbo Boost short power max" is found in TPL section of Throttlestop (the 2nd checkbox).

    Cheers!

    • 

      Subere on 03/09/2020 - 23:29

      +1

      I'm assuming you have to unlock the CPU undervolting to perform these (hopefully) fixes?
      Bit annoying you buy a machine like this and the GPU drops to 300MHz and 10fps for no real reason.

      • 

        Subere on 04/09/2020 - 12:17

        I disabled CPU Turbo Boost in bios.
        Played for 30 minutes just now (Shadow Warrior 2) and CPU temps remained around 75 deg and GPU clock remained stable. No FPS drops. Fingers crossed.
        I set the thermal management in AlienWare CC to Ultra Performance for the games by default.

        Last night the CPU was hitting 99 deg at times (playing same game) so it was clearly thermal throttling, probably boosting the CPU clock for unknown reasons. Would go from 70s to high 90s randomly. Maybe the Turbo Boost was causing this. Who knows.

        FYI I haven't undervolted the CPU, only used MSI Afterburner for the GPU curve - even that was going to 1700 when I've set to to 1500ish. But remained stable.

        I keep testing with different games.

    • 

      yjk on 04/09/2020 - 19:17

      +2

      Yeah, i think this laptop has a quite a few problems. Unfortunately, I've actually decided to return it, as I'm encountering too many issues

      • My touchpad seems to play up randomly, with the cursor moving by itself or not tracking properly at times.
      • Touchpad is also slightly loose at the bottom and tends to make a tapping sound and affects the tracking a little
      • Laptop while sleeping will randomly turn on and off, and the laptop being very warm after i come back to it a few hours later when it should be in sleep.
      • Even with the under clock it still appears to run warmer than i would like and i am concerned during summer it will begin power limit throttling again.
      • AWCC keeps turning the RGB lights to a disgusting yellow green, this can be prevented by disabling the AlienFX API option in the setting. But its just another bug that i shouldn't have to deal with.
      • AWCC randomly will want to reinstall the OC application, which from understanding doesn't actually work as its only enabled in Alienware laptops.

      I don't believe it should be necessary to disable the turbo boost on a laptop, tweak yes, but to disable just to keep a brand new laptop from over heating? i think not.

      Its a real shame as this is one of the best looking laptop i've seen with all the features and specs i could hope for at a great ozbargain price.

      • 

        F1ProjectOne on 11/09/2020 - 14:07

        Hi, Could you enable private message? I would be interested to purchase it from you if you haven't returned it yet

• 

  Gifwonder on 05/09/2020 - 22:03

  +1

  my comptuer crashing, but its not cause of hte CPU or GFX anymore,

  the 512gb SSD they provided (now without the heatsink) is sitting at 80 degrees!

  • 

    clokeyyy on 05/09/2020 - 22:18

    +1

    Same thing was happening to me, mine peaked at 78 degrees too,i had two BSODs so i ended up having to remove that SSD entirely and use my secondary 1TB SSD as my main drive instead

    • 

      Gifwonder on 05/09/2020 - 22:19

      SHIIIIT!

      guess i will have to buy another 1gb ssd :(

      • 

        jimbler on 05/09/2020 - 22:38

        Where do you find out the ssd temps? HWiNFO64?

        • 

          Gifwonder on 05/09/2020 - 22:50

          +2

          @jimbler: CrystalDiskInfo but anyhting that can read smart info can get it for you

          • 

            jimbler on 05/09/2020 - 23:06

            @Gifwonder: Thanks I'll give it a go.

            • 

              Gifwonder on 05/09/2020 - 23:41

              @jimbler: yeah well i put the heatsink back on it and left my other m2 card hanging LOL.. with the heatsink temp hovers at 60… as opposed to 85 degrees

              • 

                Subere on 07/09/2020 - 10:54

                @Gifwonder: Strange. Mine sits at idle around 40 deg based off HWiNFO.
                I left the thermal bracket on the 512 SSD that came with the laptop. I took the mounting bracket and used that for the second drive (Kingston A2000).
                The Kingston idles just over 30. Probably because its not being used for the OS. Not sure what either get to when gaming though as I haven't checked.

                I do have my laptop raised though on a cooling pad, so not sure if that is helping. But it shouldn't be making a 40 deg difference.

                • 

                  Gifwonder on 08/09/2020 - 10:07

                  @Subere: yeah well keeping the heatsink on the 512gb is the only way its working.

                  haven't decided to invest in a cooling pad yet.

                  was looking at the thermaltake massive 20 rgb

                  • 

                    Subere on 11/09/2020 - 16:26

                    @Gifwonder: I found this useful and interesting when I watched it a few weeks ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXvKiy65pwg

                    Comparing cooling pads vs just a stand etc.
                    I think he also reviews the Massive 20 RGB too in a separate vid.

• 

  nataz6 on 06/09/2020 - 18:37

  Does anyone have bag recommendations for the G7? I was thinking either a messenger style or gaming backpack so I can carry my headphones as well.

  • 

    schmuppet on 06/09/2020 - 18:45

    I got this one and it seems pretty good. I'm in Melbourne so it hasn't left the house yet though.

• 

  Tassie Tiger on 12/09/2020 - 08:14

  +1

  Hey guys not sure if many of you are still lurking about here but I've run in to an issue. I was initially a bit disappointed with the performance of this laptop, thermal throttling among other issues out of the box is disappointing imo but after doing the process to unlock undervolting and doing that and also locking my GPU through MSI afterburner has it running pretty well with better temps.

  A few hours ago though I closed the lid and unplugged the charger expecting it to just go to sleep like I have set in the advanced power options but upon my return a few hours later the laptop is extremely hot and the fans are spinning madly intermittently. Bigger problem still is that I couldn't even turn it off properly or start it up, it was just a black screen like it was off except for the heat and fans. I finally have managed to get it going again after holding the power button for like 10 secs which seemed to properly turn it off then waited 10 minutes with it unplugged and now it starts again. Despite me getting it to work again I suspect this laptop has some serious issues quite frankly and I'm starting to consider returning it since if this is what it's like while a month old imagine what it will like a year down the line? Looking for some sort of reassurance I guess.

  It's a shame because it seems like it could be a great laptop I just think there's some serious design issues at play here. Anyway sorry for long post and interested to hear if anyone has any advice

  • 

    catchthemall on 12/09/2020 - 11:32

    Did you reinstall Windows? I had that issue but after reinstalling everything runs ok, proper sleep when I close the lid and no overheating.
    I think reinstall is a must before using the laptop, it will get rid of the bloatware and solve so many issues like the battery lasting nothing to almost 10 hours.

    I know what you're feeling, to me, the only trade off is the overheating that has been considerably reduced by the undervolting. But for 2k I think this is a great laptop, great specs and build, wouldn't buy anything else in the market right now.

    • 

      Tassie Tiger on 12/09/2020 - 12:41

      I did not reinstall Windows which I regret because I now have enough stuff downloaded/installed that it would be pretty annoying and time consuming but it looks like I might have to do it after all. I almost always have it plugged in so battery life isn't as much of an issue for me but if a fresh install helps other stuff I might just do it.

      Do you think this laptop is better than say the HP Omens? I have heard they have much better thermals than Dell laptops but have no personal experience with them. I think I will probably stick it out

      • 

        catchthemall on 12/09/2020 - 14:28

        I'd recommend you to reinstall it asap so you can judge if you need to return it. It won't take you more than half a day and will give you peace of mind. Also 7 to 10 hours battery, man, that's unheard outside of macs.
        I left Windows update to grab all the drivers and installed Alienware oc and the audio driver from the dell website (sound was a bit low with the generic one picked by windows).

        So regarding the Omen, yes, they have better thermals. But here are the trade-offs, they cost at least 500 bucks more and they are very thick (although checked the weight and it's almost the same than our dell). So not worth it for me; I'm happy playing games at highest with 70fps and 80 degrees and disabling turbo to stay in the 50s when I am doing work.

        I was one of the skeptics after placing the order and I was thinking of canceling, glad I didn't!

• 

  RockmanRock on 12/09/2020 - 15:47

  Does anyone know the changes in the new 1.3.0 bios that was released earlier?

  • 

    j-scrizz on 12/09/2020 - 15:49

    O new Bios.
    Anyone got some info on what it does?

    • 

      clokeyyy on 13/09/2020 - 13:11

      I don't see any mention of bios V1.3.0 on my G7 drivers page on Dell's website?

      • 

        RockmanRock on 13/09/2020 - 13:18

        Mine came through Windows update screen in W10. https://imgur.com/a/NI3ijNR

• 

  yellowfever on 12/09/2020 - 21:23

  FYI my G7 encountered its first freeze from standby, after I left Kayo streaming running, and it went to sleep, I came back and fan was running very high and feels very hot. Screen would not turn on but keyboard would detect and light up, pulled the power cable and held the power button for 10 secs to turn off.
  Restarted back OK. Very strange

  • 

    clokeyyy on 12/09/2020 - 21:37

    Mine just randomly froze reading your comment, lol!

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