m18 R2, just ordered, overheating question

Out of the many M18 R2 laptops that are created, several doesn't equate to most...

I find my M18 R2 to be a very capable beast... No real issues with this laptop, other than it can get warm, very warm, especially when gaming. 

Dell has a 30 day return policy, good chance to test the waters.

I've never personally had that issue, but do note that this laptop will get very warm and loud; I use noise cancelling ear buds. It's also normal to observe CPU temperatures at 100C (14900K and maybe other versions; junction temps 108-112C) and for it to thermally throttle in demanding games. It's a smooth, dynamic throttle, not a set limit like the old P-states, so performance is still pretty good.

I've only noted my RTX 4090 Laptop (AD103) throttling after about 2 hours of playing Star Wars: Outlaws with raytracing enabled. Power limit for 4090 is 175W and this will drop to 150W and lower when thermally limited. You can also use any of the thermal/performance profiles in Alienware Command Center and set each game individually.

Keep the exhaust ports clear of any obstructions, and do not use the laptop on any soft surface (like a bed) where the intake vents can become obstructed. If it shuts down during gaming or even normal operation under load (on a hard surface with all fans working), I'd consider that defective or misassembled.

@Alpha_Lyrae​ Thanks for the comments. I took delivery last week and am really enjoying the M18. No games yet. I did have an issue with the screen being frozen and no control with the mouse or trackpad after letting it sleep overnight for three days in a roll but the tech team updated the drivers and checked my settings and had no issues last night. (I usually will shut it down overnight but it should be able to wake from sleeping over night.) 

I'm having a similar issue as MBG56.  Any suggestions?

@JTAlienware​ the freezing from long sleep was fixed by Dell tech's. They disabled some windows fast startup. I also now have the computer shut down when the lid is closed.

Then I had intermittent freezing. They said it was due to a Windows 11 release that had "bugs" in it. I ended up doing a clean install and for about a week now everything is working great!

My question revolves around what’s best for the Alienware M 18, using the internal fans or allowing an external fan to cool. I recently started using a cooling pad, but noticed my CPU  runs about the same temperature as without the cooling pad. The only difference being the internal fans do not run. Would it be best to allow the internal fans to run as opposed to an external? Should this issue concern me at all?

My question revolves around whether using the external fan from a cooling pad or using the internal fans on the Alienware M 18 is best for the unit.  I recently started using a cooling pad and noticed the CPU temperature has remained about the same. The only difference being the internal fans, no longer kick on as the external fan apparently is cooling enough.  Would it be better For the laptop to use the internal fans?

@Golfinsocal​ crazy double post but they are different?

I know mine was un-useable when I first got it. I had to reapply liquid metal to fix the overheating issue. Seems they mix thermal paste with a dash of liquid metal. Also repasting is a pain due to the heatsinks being on the underside of the board. Took me an hour or so to knock it out. Also had to use smokeless to get undervolting functional so I could get the temps down further and actually get some decent benchmark scores outta this system. Now I have a usable laptop without having to deal with dell.