m18 R2, CPU overheating, temperature spikes at low load

Hi everyone,

I recently purchased an Alienware laptop from Best Buy on August 22, and I’ve been experiencing serious thermal issues right out of the box. I wanted to ask if anyone else has encountered similar problems.

🔧 System Behavior:

• CPU temperature spikes rapidly even at only 10% load, often fluctuating by more than 10°C within seconds.
• At just 10% load, the CPU temperature can reach 80°C.
• At 20% load, it frequently hits 100°C (as shown in Alienware Command Center, which maxes out at 100°C).
• Common apps like Chrome and OBS often crash or close unexpectedly.
• Dell’s online diagnostics report CPU thermal and bus errors.

🛠️ What’s Been Done:

• I contacted Dell online support on August 26, and they scheduled an onsite repair.
• On August 28, a technician replaced the entire thermal module (fans, heatsinks, etc.).
• Unfortunately, the issue persists with no noticeable improvement.

❓ My Questions:

• Has anyone else experienced similar thermal instability or overheating with recent Alienware models?
• Could this be a motherboard issue rather than just cooling?
• Any suggestions on what else I should ask Dell to check before sending it back in?

Thanks in advance for any insights or shared experiences!