Aurora R7, upgrade to i9-9900K?

Of course we cannot see into the future. Like you, we simply check Dell Alienware Desktop sales page and read the Alienware marketing press releases.

If you want pure conjecture from a marketing point of view...

My guess is that the Intel 9th Generation CPU's would be bundled with the new Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070/2080/2080 Ti video cards on a future Alienware Desktop model. If we did that, it is doubtful that we would create a BIOS for older Alienware Desktop models to allow the Intel 9th Generation CPU. You ask, "why not?". Because doing so would then take away from possible sales of the future Alienware Desktop model.

I agree that whatever response I get on this subject would be conjecture and speculation.  But, I do hope that Dell would in future, supply BIOS updates to their customers (especially those that tend to hang on to their systems longer than most).  For instance, I still alternate work on a 2008 Mac Pro 3,1 with 8 cores.  It's a 10 year old machine but has benefited from official, and sometimes not-so-official software and ROM updates that have allowed it to utilize more modern GPUs and to keep chugging away on the latest OS X releases.

I sincerely dislike planned obsolescence, but do understand its need from a business perspective.

That said, what kind of support has Dell shown in the past when it comes to BIOS updates for its older line of desktops?  Do they provide them allowing newer processor support on older systems that have compatible sockets and architecture?  I'm only asking because I'm fairly new to Dell so don't have as much institutional memory as other owners. 

My Aurora is the first PC I've purchased in over 5 years that I haven't built myself.

So in other words, we shouldn't buy a Dell or Alienware, and should instead buy a system from a company willing to support it's customers, even if that means they can't squeeze us for every penny.

I understand that Alienware is no longer the high end gaming system it once once. It's just part of a big company living off the name of what once was, but come on. Give us some support. It's part of the reason that people buy desktops! 

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@amstel78 wrote:

For instance, I still alternate work on a 2008 Mac Pro 3,1 with 8 cores.  It's a 10 year old machine but has benefited from official, and sometimes not-so-official software and ROM updates that have allowed it to utilize more modern GPUs and to keep chugging away on the latest OS X releases.

 

 

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Preaching to the choir brother. :Smile:

But officially, OS-X support for 2008 Mac-Pro and MacBooks stops around El-Capitan (released 3 years ago).

https://eshop.macsales.com/guides/Mac_OS_X_Compatibility

I'm sure 2008 Mac Pro 3,1 has a very specific set of allowable processors (I thought we were talking about Intel processor swaps across model-family)? Not whether an old machine will run current OS. I know a Aurora-R1 (circa 2009) runs Windows-10 64bit v1803 (latest) just fine.

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@amstel78 wrote:

Would it be possible down the road to upgrade the  i7-8700K in my Aurora-R7? I ask because the new i9-9900K CPU's are still utilizing the LGA-1151 socket. In addition, many benchmark tests of the i9-9900K online seem to show the CPU running on Intel Z370 chipset. I'm assuming at least from what I know that an upgrade path is feasible as long as Dell updates the BIOS on the Aurora-R7?

ETA: just saw this which seems to confirm my assumption: https://www.pcgamesn.com/intel-core-i9-z370-support

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I've never really seen Dell, HP, or Lenovo support an Intel processors family that it didn't initially ship with. Especially not on consumer models (Alienware is NOT business-class). None of them use Retail (after-market/custom-build) Motherboards. 

You can look to business-class models (OptiPlex and Precision) for a wider range of installable processors, but pretty sure above statement still applies. They do have a slightly longer life-cycle.

It's hard for a motherboard (and company) to support a processor that hasn't been released yet, but this caught my attention.

https://www.dell.com/community/Alienware-Desktops/Aurora-R7-i7-8086k-compatible/m-p/6115941#M4478

Welp, I guess I'll be returning my Alienware Aurora R7 i JUST purchased. Especially since its still within the return policy date. I'll just wait until i guess the new one ships with the i9. 

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@moe9992 wrote:

Welp, I guess I'll be returning my Alienware Aurora R7 i JUST purchased. Especially since its still within the return policy date. I'll just wait until i guess the new one ships with the i9. 

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I think the (possible) future Aurora-R8 will only have an Intel-i7. Aren't the i9's considered "enthusiast" and reserved for Area51 ?

I know it seems impossible, but no matter what computer your buy today for $1000, in 1 year there will be a better one for $1000. 

It's possible Dell may use the same motherboard for the i9 processor. The main difference with the z390 chipset is the inclusion of integrated WiFi and gen 2 USB-C ports.  Otherwise, everything is the same. Also, preproduction i9 CPUs were tested on z370 boards without a BIOS update and ran fine except for an incorrect CPU ID. 

I may end up buying an i9 down the road and installing it to see what will happen. If it doesn't work, I can always sell it or return it and go back to the 8700k.

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@amstel78 wrote:

It's possible Dell may use the same motherboard for the i9 processor. The main difference with the z390 chipset is the inclusion of integrated WiFi and gen 2 USB-C ports.  Otherwise, everything is the same. Also, preproduction i9 CPUs were tested on z370 boards without a BIOS update and ran fine except for an incorrect CPU ID. 

I may end up buying an i9 down the road and installing it to see what will happen. If it doesn't work, I can always sell it or return it and go back to the 8700k.

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I'm looking forward to the results of your test.

I will be disappointed if they do not allow a bios update for the i9 on the r7 motherboard.

If they end up not supporting the i9-9900k in the Alienware R7 like all The other Z370 motherboards out there I plan on selling my alienware r7 and all my other dell computers and I will not continue buying my computers from dell. I have bought quite a few recently aswell. I've recommended others to do so, but now I'm afraid if this is the case that's going to stop and tell them otherwise due to the lack of care for their customers. If all the other z370 motherboards just require a bios update to support 9th gen processors then I don't see why dell couldn't push out an update for the R7. I didn't buy an Alienware expecting to be left out for no valid reason.

Planned Obsolescence: a policy of producing consumer goods that rapidly become obsolete & so require replacing

10/8/18: Intel’s 9th Gen K-Series CPU Added to New Aurora R8 

'we are already moving to new 9th Generation 8-core K-Series (i5, i7, i9) just in time for the holidays!' --> lol --> 'we', not meaning R7 owners, who got tossed under the bus --> Now – a mere 12 months later ... ... ...

'Because doing so would then take away from possible sales of the future Alienware Desktop model!' ... 'so we're not doing so' = tossing you the owner under the bus

Hmph. You'd think that all aftermarket board companies offering a Bios update for older boards ('doing so') would take away from their future sales too - yet - they still freely offer it anyways as a courtesy (who'd re-patron a board manufacturer or, say, a gaming company that failed to offer a simple firmware update?)(do the Aliens really think that after they dis R7 owners by turning their PCs into dead-end products, those same folks would reward them for it by coming back for an R8?)

'Our past customers may hurt future sales, therefore we must toss them all under the bus!' What?

I'm hoping Dell does the right thing here and provides a BIOS update to allow full compatibility with i9 processors. If not, then this will be the first and last Dell I buy. 

I had a feeling deep down that I should have just gone the BYO route, but with little time to spend on extraneous activities, decided to purchase the Alienware; partly due to reputation and warranty. 

Looks like I could have made an expensive mistake as far as long term viability goes.  Heck, maybe even the iBuyPower PC's on Amazon have a longer lifespan since they use off the shelf motherboards. 

I agree if they do not allow the bios update I will be selling this pc and will not buy dell again.  When you take into consideration the x8 limited pcie lanes the ram limitations and now the potential CPU upgrade limitation...

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@Ljosh wrote:

I agree if they do not allow the bios update I will be selling this pc and will not buy dell again.  When you take into consideration the x8 limited pcie lanes the ram limitations and now the potential CPU upgrade limitation...

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While (obviously) not as high-end as an Area-51, if you find a better retail pre-built gaming computer (not counting boutique from retail parts) ... please let us know.

I really like my "loaded" Aurora-R6.