**TL;DR**

* If you've got the 285K Area-51 with Dell's 64GB 6400 kit, XMP Profile 1 runs the memory in Gear 4. Turning XMP *off* is actually faster for the CPU. Free, two minutes, zero risk.

* I then went a lot further and got the same sticks running 6400 in Gear 2 with tighter timings, using settings Dell hides. Memory latency went from about 114 ns to 90 ns and my Time Spy CPU score from around 16,400 to around 19,800.

* Happy to stick everything on GitHub if people want it.

**The sorry saga**

Dell does not allow us to set Intel200S!

I bought an Area-51 recently (AAT2250, Core Ultra 9 285K, RTX 5090, 2x32GB Dell/Kingston DDR5-6400, Dell part XN09RP). Lovely machine, but the benchmarks never added up. My first clean Time Spy CPU score was around 16,400. On 3DMark that beats roughly 12% of people with the exact same CPU and GPU. Bottom of the class, on a PC that costs what this one does.

Talk about an insult.

I spent a couple of weeks on the CPU side first: power limits, undervolting, the lot. Nothing moved it.

**What it turned out to be**

Open CPU-Z and look at the Memory tab. With XMP Profile 1 on, mine showed the DRAM at 3192 MHz and the memory controller at 798 MHz. That's Gear 4, where the controller runs at a quarter of the memory speed. It's the slow mode, normally kept for very fast kits that can't run any other way.

Turn XMP off in the BIOS (F2, Performance, Extreme Memory Profile, pick Default DIMM Profile) and you get 5600 in Gear 2, with the controller at half speed (about 1397 MHz).

On mine:

* XMP 6400, Gear 4: about 114 ns latency, Time Spy CPU between roughly 16,400 and 17,000

* Default 5600, Gear 2: about 106 ns latency, Time Spy CPU around 17,900

To be fair to XMP, raw bandwidth is a bit higher with it on (about 91 vs 83 GB/s). But latency and every CPU-bound number I tried were better on plain old 5600. Bit mad really.

**Going further (this part is at your own risk)**

Dell's BIOS is built on Intel's, and all of Intel's memory options are still in there, just hidden. Windows isn't allowed to write to them, but a UEFI shell on a USB stick at boot is. That let me set a custom memory profile that Dell's menu doesn't show: speed, gear, timings and DIMM voltage.

I worked up in small steps over a few days:

* 6000 Gear 2, CL38-40-40: about 95 ns

* 6400 Gear 2, CL46 (Dell's own XMP timings, just in Gear 2 this time): about 96 ns

* 6400 Gear 2, CL40-42-42 at 1.25 V with the refresh interval doubled: about 90 ns

Time Spy is now just over 40,000 overall, with a CPU score of around 19,800. That overall score is in the top 9% of all 5090 results on 3DMark. My first run on this PC was below the median. And the CPU score is finally above the average for a 285K with a 5090.

Reality check: games at 4K barely move, because they're waiting on the GPU. Cyberpunk with path tracing went from about 71 to 72.5 fps. This fixes the CPU side, it doesn't buy you a new graphics card.

Stability so far: 9 hours of y-cruncher overnight, and 90 minutes of FurMark and y-cruncher together with the DIMMs sat at 78C. No errors.

**Things I learned the hard way**

* Ask these sticks for more than 1.25 V and the PC won't start at all (2 amber, 4 white blinks). 1.30 V and 1.35 V both did it. I still don't know why.

* Dell's RTC reset (PC off but plugged in, hold the power button for 25 seconds) wipes the hidden settings and got me back every time. It saved me twice.

* The sticks are made by Kingston and look identical to the retail FURY Beast 2x32GB kits. Kingston's datasheet for the retail 6000 kit is here: https://www.kingston.com/datasheets/KF560C40BBK2-64.pdf It's a handy sanity check on what's normal for these chips, but the Dell ones are only rated for their own XMP (6400 CL46 at 1.2 V), so don't assume the retail timings will just work.

* The doubled refresh interval is outside what any manufacturer ships. It tested clean here, but it's the one change I'd tell people not to copy blindly.

**Caveats**

* This is one machine, on BIOS 1.21.0. I've stopped updating the BIOS, because Dell has closed this sort of thing with updates on other models.

* It needs Secure Boot off to boot the USB shell, and I doubt it does your warranty any favours. If you break yours, that's on you.

* The simple fix (XMP off) has none of these risks. Start there.

**What I'd love to know from you lot**

* What does CPU-Z show on yours with XMP on, and which BIOS version are you on?

* Anyone on a newer BIOS: is it still Gear 4?

* Anyone with the 7200 CUDIMM kit, or an Aurora: what gear do you get?

* Has anyone got more than 1.25 V working on these sticks, or know why it refuses?

* Anything else you've found. I'd rather share this than sit on it, and I'm sure some of you know things I don't.

If there's interest I'll put the lot on GitHub: my notes, the map of the hidden settings, the scripts (they refuse to write anything unless the BIOS matches what they expect) and the memory test I used.

Credit where it's due: I did the firmware digging and the scripting with a lot of help from Claude. I'm not that clever by myself.

Good afternoon. I would like to ask advice on which option would be better. I have decided on the 18-inch Alienware Area-51, but I am unsure whether to choose the RTX 5070 Ti with 12 GB of VRAM or the RTX 5080 with 16 GB.

Is there a significant difference between these two graphics cards? And is it worth paying an additional CHF 500 for the more powerful RTX 5080?

Hi everyone.
I have an Alienware Area 51 18” 2026
290HX 5090 64gb
I would like to test the performance of the device and confirm that everything is functioning at the optimum level.
Any advice on how to do so and what to look for and/ or record?
All help is really appreciated.
Thank you

Anyone else having horrible thermals im looking at my mobo and looks like the heatsink puts to much pressure on the cpu and the vram contact was horrible and thermal throttling. Given that its dells poor design im thinking of making my own heatsink and bracket to solve the problem does anyone want the file? You'll have to have a machine shop fab it but there shops online you can order that part and have it sent from China. Im just at wits end trying to fix the thermals the laptop itself is great performance is bad die to thermals

I tryed to reset my pc but now I am stuck here

I think something with the recent update but the snip it tool no longer works. Is it only me?

It's a new name for my tools project.

Dell sent me a strike for using their trademark (ironically, they dropped AlienFX support into AWCC 6 about a year ago), so I renamed it as they wished.

Anyway, I stay with the community and will continue Tools support and development.

It is most audible when I put my ear near the top vent of the PC. You should be able to hear it in the video I added. Any insight appreciated.

Can someone with the Alienware AW3426DW check if you can run 240hz 10bit 4:4:4 with dsc disabled over hdmi , please and Ty

When using DisplayPort as your video source and hdmi earc as audio, does alienware process or downmix the container at all or does it send it untouched to your earc device?

I know some other monitors with this function used to downmix to stereo before sending to earc

Alienware Aurora R7 in new chassis + couple upgrades and tweaks.

I have got my Alienware Aurora R7 since 2018 but wanted to give it a spark on a budget. I have already bought new GPU couple months ago, when prices were still acceptable. RTX was working fine in original R7 chassis, system was running pretty well but I wanted to go further so here it is.

Got rid of original AW top/fron fan and original AW AIO as they are very loud and I do not mind pressing ESC every POST. Front panel disassembled from old setup and glued to the back of the new chassis, cables are wired nicely inside, right behind aio fans. I had to use 1 set of PSU power cables extension as original AW cables are quite short. More or less all other parts and cables from original setup are inside new chassis.

Upgrades and tweaks:

DELL GTX 1080Ti (still operational) -> RTX 5070

DELL 120mm AIO -> new 360mm AIO

added chassis fans + 1 extra 2000rpm fan, which was already working in a "modded" original AW R7 chassis

added heatsink for original m.2 nvme ssd

replaced CPU VRM pads

added PCI sata/m2 adapter to connect by additional m2 drives

Both GPU and CPU are undervolted and overclocked:

RTX 5070 -> 2990Mhz/15000Mhz/910mV

8700K -> 4.7Ghz all cores/4.3 cache/-45mV offset/0.5 AC and 1.4 DC loadline. R7 mobo/bios is very limited so to tune up 8700K properly I am using ThrottleStop and I have set below offsets:

0x527=0x0 # CFG Lock -> Disabled

0x5D6=0x0 # Overclocking Lock -> Disabled

0x1010=0x1 # Overclocking feature -> Enabled

0x1011=0x3 # Core Over Clocking Level -> Customization

0x698=0x2B # Max OC Ratio -> 43

0x699=0x0 # Core/Ring Voltage Mode -> Adaptive

0x69C(2)=0x0000 # Core Voltage Offset -> 0 mV

0x6BA=0x0 # BCLK Aware Adaptive Voltage -> Disabled

0x4FF=0x1 # Power Limit 1 Override -> Enabled

0x501=0x1 # Power Limit 2 Override -> Enabled

0x4FB(4)=0x00023668 # PL1 Limit -> 145W

0x502(4)=0x00023668 # PL2 Limit -> 145W

0x644(2)=0x03FF # VR Current Limit (IccMax) -> 255.75A

0x604(2)=0x0032 # Core/IA AC Loadline -> 0.50 mOhm

0x60C(2)=0x008C # Core/IA DC Loadline -> 1.40 mOhm

0x68E=0x0 # Energy Efficient Turbo -> Disabled

0x695=0x2 # DTS SMM -> Critical Temp Reporting

My "new" AW runs great, it is more than enough for my actual needs. Runs everything max at 1440p, cold as ice.

SpeedWay - 6011: https://www.3dmark.com/sw/4037430

SteelNomad - 5581: https://www.3dmark.com/sn/17243093

Hey guys, long story short, I bought my Alienware x14 r2 3 years ago. When I first got it, I'm not sure whether if the battery had been faulty from the factory or if its something I did to cause an issue. Well, I kind of set my laptop to not sleep or to not turn the screen off, and I'm not sure if I had messed around with some other settings that will cause the laptop to also not sleep when the lid is close. So then one day, i left my laptop plugged in with the lid closed for maybe an hour or 2, then when i touched my laptop, i noticed that it was super hot, almost like a frying pan that had been on the burner for 5 mins. Ever since then, whenever i watch Youtube videos or do anything slightly demanding, the fans will kick on at full blast. Another thing is the battery will drain kind of quick, like from 100 percent to 10 percent in 1hr and 40 min. I thought nothing of it at first as I was meant to believe that maybe that's just how gaming laptops are. But then, it got kind of annoying after awhile and I figured that this is not normal. So, I called Dell support and they asked the laptop to be shipped for repairs, they ended up replacing the motherboard. I fired it up and everything seems to be normal now, no more overheating, I can watch videos without the fans going full turbo. However, the battery life was still the same, it can only last for about an hour and a few mins before I get a low battery warning. I had tried to lower all the power hungry settings as best as I could but its still the same. Now its been like this for 3 years and I just kind of have to settle with being plugged in all the time, and I almost got used to it. But now I'm thinking of replacing the battery. But I'm kind of concerned that I might just end up wasting my money on a new battery, would there be anything else that would cause the battery to drain so fast other than the motherboard being replaced? what other part could have been affected? or is the motherboard the main part of the issue regarding the battery life? if the motherboard was the issue and it has already been replaced, will installing a new battery fix this problem? or could there be something else besides the motherboard causing the battery to drain so fast? should I go ahead and replace the battery or am I just going to waste time and money?

Hi Guys,

i have the AW2725DM and i use it for my normal PS5.
I know its not an high end monitor and i also know that i can not expect wonders for it with my PS5.

Anyway i want to get the most out of it especially for playing GTA 6.
Can you help me which settings i should choose on the Monitor and also on the PS5 ?

Thank you so much !!!

Anyone had this issue straight from Dell? I can rest my 4tb nvme on this with the heat sink in place but sounds like a bend in the making. Using proper Phillips 00 but it just slips under strain. Tried padding with electrical tape as well for grip but no go. Sounds like a crappy reason to have to get support on-site

I had this Alienware m18 r2 since late 2024 and I have never cleaned it will cleaning the fans etc. Help?

Hello. I purchased an Alienware Area 51 Desktop in June. It has a RTx5090 and AMD 9850X3d. Its supposed to have 32g of 6400mhz RAM but it only ever reads 5600mhz even if I enable OC in the BIOS which has limited options. CPU Z shows the RAM is capable of 6400mhz but its seems locked at 5600mhz. Is there a way to get it to run at the 6400mhz. I mean I know that it likely wont have a ton of boost to performance but still I paid for 6400mhz RAM so Id like to get the most out of it. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thank you

Hello! I have an AW3225DM monitor and my previous arm (Vivo) was too weak to hold it up. It would constantly sag or rotate on its own whenever I tried moving it. I unfortunately threw out the stand that came with it. Any recs for a good, budget arm or stand that can hold it up at eye level?

My alienware aurora r15 currently has 32 gb of tforce vulkan ram at 4800mhz and im trying to enable xmp but its greyed out ive tried downgrading bios to 1.05 but it doesnt allow it are tehre any ways to enable xmp

Okay so to start, I bought this laptop approximately two years ago. It is not old by any means and it has not started to have problems until the last couple months. It began with a blinking error on my power button. It flashes blue 7 times and red 2 times before repeating. (You can kind of see part of the error in the video)Then my screen began to not work upon opening the lid. I could get the screen to turn on after a couple times closing and re-opening the lid. Later it started getting worse to the point I would have to hard restart to get my screen to work. More recently I will sometimes open the lid and my screen will kind of freak out. (best way to describe it, ive attached a video) I took it into a repair shop and they looked through hardware and software and repaired some corrupted drivers. However the problem still persisted after the repair. I took it back to the same shop as they said I wouldn't have to pay again if I brought it back within 30 days. I thought that it might be the cables that connect the screen to the motherboard which I have heard is more of a common problem with these models. They told me that the cable was completely fine and that there were no repairs needed for that. After getting it back for the second time, it worked the first time I opened it up. But then after that the flashing error came back and my screen was still having problems. I am continuing to have to hard restart to get the screen to work, and I have to do it multiple times for the screen to turn on. Sometimes I will also get a popup after restarting telling me that my computer is "diagnosing the problem" and will tell me its a BIOS problem but runs into issues every time it tries to repair itself. I am really unsure what to do at this point after spending over 200$ on repairs that didn't even fix the problem. If anyone has any advice please let me know.

Hey there, bought a aw3426dw recently and it arrived yesterday. Until today, tried turning it on and it wouldnt detect any signal from my PC, even my secondary monitor wouldn’t detect

However if i power on the second monitor first, the display will output, after that i turn on the alienware monitor and itll show a display too

Any fixes? Tried 2 different DP cables and plugging into different DP port on my GPU, still the same.

Never mind the bloated price for maxed out everything without warranty, but compared to last month, they're delayed to end of the year? Is this normal?