Alienware 15
Device | Status | Modules |
Intel | Working | xf86-video-intel |
Nvidia | Working | nouveau or nvidia |
Touchpad | Working | xf86-input-synaptics |
Camera | Working | linux-uvc |
Wi-Fi | Working | iwlwifi |
Bluetooth | Working | btusb |
Ethernet | Working | alx |
Card reader | Working | rtsx_usb |
For a general overview of laptop-related articles and recommendations, see Laptop
Hardware overview
Alienware 15(early 2015)
Tested configuration:
lspci:
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor DRAM Controller (rev 06) 00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor PCI Express x16 Controller (rev 06) 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 06) 00:03.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor HD Audio Controller (rev 06) 00:04.0 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation Device 0c03 (rev 06) 00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 8 Series/C220 Series Chipset Family USB xHCI (rev 05) 00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation 8 Series/C220 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #1 (rev 04) 00:1a.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 8 Series/C220 Series Chipset Family USB EHCI #2 (rev 05) 00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 8 Series/C220 Series Chipset High Definition Audio Controller (rev 05) 00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 8 Series/C220 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #3 (rev d5) 00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 8 Series/C220 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #4 (rev d5) 00:1c.4 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 8 Series/C220 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port #5 (rev d5) 00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 8 Series/C220 Series Chipset Family USB EHCI #1 (rev 05) 00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation HM87 Express LPC Controller (rev 05) 00:1f.2 RAID bus controller: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile SATA Controller [RAID mode] (rev 05) 00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 8 Series/C220 Series Chipset Family SMBus Controller (rev 05) 01:00.0 3D controller: NVIDIA Corporation GM204M [GeForce GTX 970M] (rev ff) 02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Qualcomm Atheros Killer E220x Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 10) 03:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation Wireless 7265 (rev 59) 04:00.0 Unassigned class [ff00]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTS5227 PCI Express Card Reader (rev 01)
lsusb:
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:8000 Intel Corp. Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:8008 Intel Corp. Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub Bus 003 Device 003: ID 8087:0a2a Intel Corp. Bus 003 Device 002: ID 187c:0528 Alienware Corporation Bus 003 Device 004: ID 1bcf:28b6 Sunplus Innovation Technology Inc. Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Alienware 15 R2
lspci:
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Skylake Host Bridge/DRAM Registers (rev 07) 00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Skylake PCIe Controller (x16) (rev 07) 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Skylake Integrated Graphics (rev 06) 00:04.0 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation Skylake Processor Thermal Subsystem (rev 07) 00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H USB 3.0 xHCI Controller (rev 31) 00:14.2 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H Thermal subsystem (rev 31) 00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H CSME HECI #1 (rev 31) 00:17.0 RAID bus controller: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile SATA Controller [RAID mode] (rev 31) 00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #1 (rev f1) 00:1c.4 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #5 (rev f1) 00:1c.5 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #6 (rev f1) 00:1c.6 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #7 (rev f1) 00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H LPC Controller (rev 31) 00:1f.2 Memory controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PMC (rev 31) 00:1f.3 Audio device: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H HD Audio (rev 31) 00:1f.4 SMBus: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H SMBus (rev 31) 01:00.0 3D controller: NVIDIA Corporation GM204M [GeForce GTX 965M] (rev a1) 3b:00.0 Ethernet controller: Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2400 Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 10) 3c:00.0 Network controller: Qualcomm Atheros QCA6174 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter (rev 32) 3d:00.0 Unassigned class [ff00]: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTS5227 PCI Express Card Reader (rev 01)
lsusb:
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub Bus 001 Device 004: ID 1bcf:2b8c Sunplus Innovation Technology Inc. Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0cf3:e300 Atheros Communications, Inc. Bus 001 Device 002: ID 187c:0528 Alienware Corporation Bus 001 Device 005: ID 04d9:a070 Holtek Semiconductor, Inc. Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Alienware 15 R3
lspci:
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Skylake Host Bridge/DRAM Registers (rev 07) 00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Skylake PCIe Controller (x16) (rev 07) 00:01.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Skylake PCIe Controller (x4) (rev 07) 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation HD Graphics 530 (rev 06) 00:04.0 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation Skylake Processor Thermal Subsystem (rev 07) 00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H USB 3.0 xHCI Controller (rev 31) 00:14.2 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H Thermal subsystem (rev 31) 00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H CSME HECI #1 (rev 31) 00:17.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H SATA controller [AHCI mode] (rev 31) 00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #1 (rev f1) 00:1c.4 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #5 (rev f1) 00:1c.5 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #6 (rev f1) 00:1d.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PCI Express Root Port #9 (rev f1) 00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H LPC Controller (rev 31) 00:1f.2 Memory controller: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H PMC (rev 31) 00:1f.3 Audio device: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H HD Audio (rev 31) 00:1f.4 SMBus: Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-H SMBus (rev 31) 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GP104M [GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile] (rev ff) 3c:00.0 Ethernet controller: Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2400 Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 10) 3d:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation Wireless 8260 (rev 3a) 3e:00.0 Non-Volatile memory controller: Toshiba America Info Systems Device 0115 (rev 01)
lsusb:
Bus 002 Device 003: ID 2109:0812 VIA Labs, Inc. VL812 Hub Bus 002 Device 002: ID 2109:0812 VIA Labs, Inc. VL812 Hub Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub Bus 001 Device 007: ID 0bda:58c2 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. Bus 001 Device 005: ID 8087:0a2b Intel Corp. Bus 001 Device 003: ID 187c:0530 Alienware Corporation Bus 001 Device 009: ID 1a40:0101 Terminus Technology Inc. Hub Bus 001 Device 008: ID 062a:4102 MosArt Semiconductor Corp. Bus 001 Device 006: ID 2109:2812 VIA Labs, Inc. VL812 Hub Bus 001 Device 004: ID 258a:1006 Bus 001 Device 002: ID 2109:2812 VIA Labs, Inc. VL812 Hub Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Alienware 15 R4
lspci:
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 8th Gen Core Processor Host Bridge/DRAM Registers (rev 07) 00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor PCIe Controller (x16) (rev 07) 00:01.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor PCIe Controller (x8) (rev 07) 00:01.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor PCIe Controller (x4) (rev 07) 00:02.0 Display controller: Intel Corporation UHD Graphics 630 (Mobile) 00:04.0 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v5/E3-1500 v5/6th Gen Core Processor Thermal Subsystem (rev 07) 00:12.0 Signal processing controller: Intel Corporation Cannon Lake PCH Thermal Controller (rev 10) 00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Cannon Lake PCH USB 3.1 xHCI Host Controller (rev 10) 00:14.2 RAM memory: Intel Corporation Cannon Lake PCH Shared SRAM (rev 10) 00:15.0 Serial bus controller [0c80]: Intel Corporation Device a368 (rev 10) 00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation Cannon Lake PCH HECI Controller (rev 10) 00:17.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation Device a353 (rev 10) 00:1d.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Cannon Lake PCH PCI Express Root Port #9 (rev f0) 00:1d.6 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Cannon Lake PCH PCI Express Root Port #15 (rev f0) 00:1d.7 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Cannon Lake PCH PCI Express Root Port #16 (rev f0) 00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation Device a30e (rev 10) 00:1f.3 Audio device: Intel Corporation Cannon Lake PCH cAVS (rev 10) 00:1f.4 SMBus: Intel Corporation Cannon Lake PCH SMBus Controller (rev 10) 00:1f.5 Serial bus controller [0c80]: Intel Corporation Cannon Lake PCH SPI Controller (rev 10) 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GP104BM [GeForce GTX 1070 Mobile] (rev a1) 43:00.0 Non-Volatile memory controller: Toshiba America Info Systems Device 0116 44:00.0 Ethernet controller: Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2500 Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 10) 45:00.0 Network controller: Qualcomm Atheros QCA6174 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter (rev 32)
lsusb:
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub Bus 001 Device 003: ID 1bcf:2b97 Sunplus Innovation Technology Inc. Bus 001 Device 002: ID 187c:0550 Alienware Corporation Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0cf3:e300 Qualcomm Atheros Communications Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Networking
Wi-Fi & Bluetooth:
Intel Corporation Wireless 7265
Wi-Fi - Supported out-of-the-box Bluetooth - TODO Wired ethernet:
Qualcomm Atheros Killer E220x Gigabit Ethernet Controller
Qualcomm Atheros QCA6174 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter
As of the main website you can install the supported driver for QCA6174 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter[dead link 2020-03-28 ⓘ].
First download the board.bin file via wget and put it into your firmware library:
wget http://www.killernetworking.com/support/board.bin[dead link 2020-03-28 ⓘ] sudo mkdir -p /lib/firmware/ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/ sudo mv board.bin /lib/firmware/ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/
and then download the specific firmware binary and move it into your firmware library:
wget https://github.com/kvalo/ath10k-firmware/blob/master/QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-4.bin_WLAN.RM.2.0-00180-QCARMSWPZ-1[dead link 2020-12-19 ⓘ] sudo mv firmware-4.bin_WLAN.RM.2.0-00180-QCARMSWPZ-1 /lib/firmware/ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-4.bin
then reboot and you are good to go.
Input
Suported out-of-the-box
See more at: Synaptics
Keyboard: For Macro keys - see : Extra keyboard keys
NOTE: Keyboard doesn't have Menu key.
Video
Nvidia & Intel video card configuration: Bumblebee
NVIDIA Corporation GM204M [GeForce GTX 965M]
Currently not supported by Bumblebee (Tested on Alienware 15 R2) Please install only Intel driver via xf86-video-intel
Control of the light colors
- Currently unsupported by pyAlienFx and alienfx[1] have some diff from previous version.
- Probably supported by alienware-kbl, a software to manage the light colors with a graphical interface, python or bash commands.
Issues
Sound don't switch to headphone, after plug jack
For fix: Add
'options snd-hda-intel position_fix=1'
to
/etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf
Alienware 15 R3
Xorg freezes when starting with discrete graphics card OFF.
For fix: Add
acpi_osi=! acpi_osi="Windows 2009"
to Kernel options.
When booting mine did not freeze. However when trying to enable a second monitor, running xrandr, or anything related to low level display functionality it would. This fix makes multi-monitor work.