• My previous Alienware PC suddenly died on me... well, it was showing problematic signs for a few months, like sometimes only recognizing one of the monitors upon bootup, or occasionally not passing POST.... But one day, it suddenly won’t startup... i tried to reseat the memory chips and graphics cards, and even replaced the CMOS battery, but that didn’t get it to work... 

• I also tried to start the PC with no memory chips or graphics cards installed, to no avail; the PC didn’t make any beeping sounds, although the case lights would turn on and all the fans spinning nicely after pressing on the power button.... until one night, while i left the PC on to see if i could revive it, it made a loud pop noise, tripped the whole house, and then exuded a burnt smell.

• Now, it won’t even light up, and i suspect the culprit is either a short-circuited motherboard, faulty power supply, or worse, a fried processor.... Sadly, it’s warranty is over, so, since repairing it could be a costly affair, and i needed a better PC anyway to continue with my photography processing and 3D animation works, it seemed a good idea to buy a new PC... 

• So i checked Dell’s website but their usual Alienware models were not sold anymore, and were replaced with the new G5 gaming desktops... thankfully, the G5’s were pretty high on specs, plus were on Chinese New Year sale, so i quickly ordered one...

• Below is Dell Alienware Area 51 R2 (left) and new Dell G5 Gaming Desktop (right).

Dell G5 Gaming DesktopPJ Home, Lorong Utara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

RM 9,128.

i9-10900KF #3.7GHz
32GB DDR4-2933
nVidia RTX 3070

• Just to compare the new PC with all the Dell PCs I have owned before, the newest is the least expensive of all, yet the most powerful and advanced.... do compare it with the 1999 PC - what an amazing difference!

• Below is a comparison of my previous and new PC:-

• So, all in all, i’m very satisfied with the Dell G5 Gaming Desktop - it’s very fast,  compact, and value for money....

After the APR K04 performance upgrade, I had to do an engine overhaul and rebuild, which was completed in end of February 2020. Karl, Isaac and team rebore the engine block and replaced a slew of components, including:-

• Wossner pistons (for all four pistons)
• Conrod and main bearings
• Timing belt
• Water pump
• Oil pump
• Pressure control valve (PCV)
• High performance spark plugs (NGK BKR9)

The whole new bundle with labour costs me around RM13,900.00!

After a run-in period of 5,000km I had the car dyno tested again (but please take note that from mid-March there was a Covid-19 Movement Control Order (MCO), so since I hardly got a chance to drive my car, as we had to work from home, it took me a while to cover the required distance). Below are the results dated 18 July 2020 (this is the third dyno test) :-

VW Golf GTi - Dyno TestPJ Home, Lorong Utara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

After engine rebuilt / overhaul.
APR K04 HPFP Intercooler Stage 3.

iPhone 6s Plus - 13.6

As you can see from the above graph:-

- the red coloured line is the original test before K04 upgrade,

- the blue line was after the K04 upgrade,

- the orange line was after the engine rebuild.

After the engine rebuild, there is a noticeable difference in surge by as much as of 50 Nm in torque at around 3,200 rpm, with a strong pull from as early as 2,500 rpm until 5,200 rpm. In fact, there is also an increase in power by as much as 30 PS at around 3,200 rpm, and certainly a good boost of power from 2,700 until 5,200 rpm. Compared to the original (although I already had done Stage 2 upgrades), I improved about 70 PS and 98 Nm! So now, my car has a max of 281 PS and 412 Nm (which is more than the Renault Megane RS at 280 PS and 390 Nm)! What can I say, the car just feels really, really good  ｡^‿^｡

As of this writing, my Golf GTi is almost 13 years old, and although it is working fine, I felt it was about time for me to get a new car.... However, in order to purchase a new car that is much better, it would be a very pricey consideration. I'll let you in a secret - my dream car would be the new Renault Megane RS, a beautiful and very sporty hot hatch. Unfortunately, that will set me back an easy RM300K but that would give me a 1.8L turbo providing 280PS and 390NM of driving pleasure controlled via its unique 4-wheel steering system. Sadly, with a 5-year bank loan (I don't think I could get a longer term as I'll be retiring then), I'd be chained tightly around the neck for a crazy repayment of RM5K per month or more! That's like buying an iPhone 11 Pro practically every month!

So, I guess buying a new car was out of the question.... I could buy a 2nd hand car and do it up, but the thought of buying a used car and the hassle of going through the purchasing process irked me.... Then I thought, hey, I already have a used car - my current one! Yup, it's in very good condition, and I certainly know the owner's (me) driving habits.... So, why don't I just give it a boost in performance and maintain it the usual way, I reckon it could last for another 10 years, insya Allah.

Hence, instead of putting a down payment of RM30K for a new car, I'd used the same amount (well, around RM27K), to bring new life into my current car! The last time I did any performance modifications was over 10 years ago, and it made a lot of sense to follow through with APR Malaysia to inject the needed speed. Karl, who successfully did the Stage 2 mods the last time, recommended the following upgrades:-

1. APR K04 Turbocharger system + OEM Bosch Injectors
2. APR Intercooler
3. APR HPFP High Pressure Fuel Pump
4. APR K04 ECU software ugprade
5. NGK Laser Platinum PFR8 B Spark Plug

Note: My VW Golf GTi is a 2007 2.0L Turbo MKV FSI. It already has the following mods:-

• APR Carbonio CAI Cold Air Intake
• APR 3" Race Downpipe
• APR Stage 2 remap

Performance Upgrades to VW Golf GTiJalan PJU 1A/3J, Ara Damansara, Selangor.

APR K04 Turbo + Injectors
APR Intercooler
APR HPFP High Performance Fuel Pump

Approx RM26K.

FinePix X100 - Digital Camera FinePix X100 Ver2.10


Standard - DxO PhotoLab 2.2.2

It took about a month for the parts above to arrive from USA after making the order, then Karl and his assistant Isaac plus technical team took around 4 days to install and test the entire system. Actually, it was supposed to take only 2 days, but there was a misfiring hitch that needed a while to troubleshoot, and was finally pinned down to one of the new injector being faulty, which Isaac replaced with a new and working one.

Performance Upgrades to VW Golf GTiJalan PJU 1A/3J, Ara Damansara, Selangor.

APR K04 Turbo + Injectors
APR Intercooler
APR HPFP High Performance Fuel Pump

Approx RM26K.

FinePix X100 - Digital Camera FinePix X100 Ver2.10


Standard - DxO PhotoLab 2.2.2

Also, a few other components needed to be replaced as they were discovered to be worn out, such as the cam follower, ignition coil pack, charcoal cannister, and air filter. By mid afternoon on 23 November 2019, all was completed and after a quick test drive, I was left smiling from ear to ear.

Performance Upgrades to VW Golf GTiJalan PJU 1A/3J, Ara Damansara, Selangor.

APR K04 Turbo + Injectors
APR Intercooler
APR HPFP High Performance Fuel Pump

Approx RM27K.

FinePix X100 - Digital Camera FinePix X100 Ver2.10
Standard - DxO PhotoLab 2.2.2

Mind you, before the installation, we had dyno'ed the car, to get a baseline of it's current performance stats, that is about 211PS and 314NM at the wheel, which is pretty good considering its age. A week after the installation, we did another dyno and the new output is a screaming 279PS and 386NM (on RON95 fuel)! Eat that, Megane RS...

VW Golf GTi Dyno Test #2

Having driven my upgraded ride for a week, which included an outstation spin, all I can say is, "Wow!" Although I didn't do any 0-100 km/h test runs, without a doubt, not only is it significantly quicker and much more responsive, it does so with incredible smoothness with way less effort and it seems to be pulling strongly right till redline, where before it would run out of breath past 5,000 RPM.

Below are the before and after dyno charts. Notice that the K04 graph is very smooth while the before graph (incorrectly labelled "stock" as it really is "stage 2") shows a rather jumpy and unstable curve. That could be due to anything from old spark plugs to an aging turbo unit and certainly means that the new K04 system has been installed and tuned properly and is performing remarkably well. In any case, after 3,000 RPM, there is a sudden surge in power and torque with a total jump of about 68PS and 72NM from the previous setup!

VW Golf GTi - APR K04 Dyno ResultsPJ Home, Lorong Utara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

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You must understand, the standard, stock GTi is no slouch, so when Karl warned me that I must replace the existing braking system to a more stopping set (to be done another time...), he wasn't joking. I mean, this thing just rockets and doesn't seem to know when to slow down! Below 2,500 RPM it potters smoothly like before, but floor the pedal in Sport Mode, and you've unleashed a powerful beast bent on burning rubber on the tarmac, and leaving its stock rivals in a state of shock.... It's furious, unrelenting, and stupidly fast.

I like it.... very much ;-D

VW Golf GTi - APR K04 - Quick Test Drive

Enjoy the rest of the pics....