According to an anonymous source, the following 9th gen CPUs use the same microcode as 8th gen CPUs and as such, should work with an Alienware Aurora R7 regardless of which Dell BIOS version is installed (but note, the underlined CPUs ship in two different versions and the newer version would require an updated BIOS (which Dell has not made available for the Aurora R7).)
The following 9th gen CPUs require new microcode, different than 8th gen CPUs (and, absent a BIOs update, are not compatible with the Alienware Aurora R7):
It's possible that a 9th gen CPU will function when installed into an R7 motherboard. Right before they became available for purchase to the public, testers had leaked screen shots of 9th gen Coffee Lake processors running on 370 boards that hadn't yet had a BIOS update. In some cases, the BIOS just reported the processor as an unknown CPU but it still worked nevertheless.
Anyway, would be interesting to hear what the seller responds with.
Interesting, I suspect that if they do have a custom BIOS, they would be unlikely to admit it.
I thought I had read a post a while back from someone who tried to upgrade an R7 to a 9th gen, and the PC wouldn't post until they stuck the 8th gen back in. But I can't find it now so maybe I'm not remembering correctly.
The part about the seller saying it has nothing to do with BIOs makes me wonder whether they are dishonest or just ignorant. I mean just type "upgrade Z370 to 9th generation" into google and you'll get hundreds of hits about it being all about BIOs. But, if the latter, and dell discreetly slipped in the necessary microcode for the R7, then this is really good news for people seeking to upgrade their R7 to 9th gen. Now, who's going to be the first guinea pig?
System was shipped 12/27/2017 as an Aurora R7. CPU was an i7-8700.
Went diving a bit off the deep end of mod-land and noticed that a certain generic UEFI mod software has a pre-release on github a few weeks back. The seller has long record of selling PC systems and parts so maybe found a way to hack the BIOS? The downside is that once .20 release comes out and Dell really doesn't intend to support the system, it'll be bricked.
Hello, I am the seller who has the Aurora R7 listed on eBay. To be honest all I did was look up the service code in the support page, and updated to the latest bios. When I purchase this Aurora R7 it came with a i7 8700. The i7 8700 was dead so I went ahead and ordered a i5 9400F after I verified the chipset was Z370. The only reason I gave a short answer on eBay is because several people keep asking me how I got a 9th gen CPU to work on the Aurora R7. So if you have a Aurora R7, with an update to the latest bios you can upgrade to a 9th Gen cpu if you want. You dont need a "modded bios / custom bios" I was lol when I read that btw. As stated only reason I installed a 9th Gen on this PC was because I needed a CPU for this machine.
Yeah, made me curious, so I looked at the seller feedback and just noticed that 2 purchasers alleged being scammed with a defective product, one was an Alienware Aurora... maybe the purchaser tried to update the BIOs?
Currently out and about but can someone with a non unlocked 8th gen please check if their CPUID matches 9400F’s? Might be the restriction is for unlocked SKUs with different CPUID.
Just for the record, a i5-9600k CPU did not work in Alienware Aurora R7 with latest bios 1.0.17.
When I press the power button, the fan would spin momentarily and then shutoff. I was able to put the i5-8400 back in and everything was just fine.
Also, was able to use the i5-9600k in a XPS 8930 which did get a bios update for the 9th gen CPU support. I wonder if dell will eventually add the 9th gen support to Aurora R7.
So only @ravic can confirm this assuming both R7 and XPS with 9600k are still with him/ her.
What BIOS version is installed on the R7s you're selling and what does CPU-Z report back as processor installed?
Any chance you could post screenshots? If so, you'd be the first person I've come across on the interwebs that's managed to successfully upgrade an R7 with a 9th gen Coffee Lake processor.
Thank you for posting here. Compatibility with Z370 was never in dispute. Everyone familiar with this issue knows that 9th generation is generally compatible with z370. Z370 pre-dated the 9th generation chips, which is why the mobo manufacturers had to provide updated BIOs to add the microcode to allow 9th generation CPUs for existing users with 8th gen CPUs. Z390 would have shipped with the correct BIOs. Since your'e new here, as background, a Dell representative publicly indicated on this forum that Dell would not be providing a BIOs update for the R7 to allow use of the 9th generation CPUs, because Dell would not want to detract from sales of subsequent models (R8, and now R9), which continue to use the Z370 chipset. That is why the news that at least some microcode has been added to allow lower end 9th generation CPUs, at least, to work is big news on this community forum.
r72019
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September 1st, 2019 13:00
According to an anonymous source, the following 9th gen CPUs use the same microcode as 8th gen CPUs and as such, should work with an Alienware Aurora R7 regardless of which Dell BIOS version is installed (but note, the underlined CPUs ship in two different versions and the newer version would require an updated BIOS (which Dell has not made available for the Aurora R7).)
The following 9th gen CPUs require new microcode, different than 8th gen CPUs (and, absent a BIOs update, are not compatible with the Alienware Aurora R7):
*BOLD AND UNDERLINED CPUs SHIP WITH TWO DIFFERENT MANUFACTURING REVISIONS. ONLY THE ORIGINAL VERSION IS COMPATIBLE WITH 8TH GEN BIOS.
Disclaimer: I have not tested/verified the accuracy of this information, so YMMV, and follow it at your own risk! Just sharing what I've learned.
amstel78
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August 31st, 2019 13:00
It's possible that a 9th gen CPU will function when installed into an R7 motherboard. Right before they became available for purchase to the public, testers had leaked screen shots of 9th gen Coffee Lake processors running on 370 boards that hadn't yet had a BIOS update. In some cases, the BIOS just reported the processor as an unknown CPU but it still worked nevertheless.
Anyway, would be interesting to hear what the seller responds with.
r72019
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August 31st, 2019 13:00
Interesting, I suspect that if they do have a custom BIOS, they would be unlikely to admit it.
I thought I had read a post a while back from someone who tried to upgrade an R7 to a 9th gen, and the PC wouldn't post until they stuck the 8th gen back in. But I can't find it now so maybe I'm not remembering correctly.
r72019
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August 31st, 2019 14:00
The part about the seller saying it has nothing to do with BIOs makes me wonder whether they are dishonest or just ignorant. I mean just type "upgrade Z370 to 9th generation" into google and you'll get hundreds of hits about it being all about BIOs. But, if the latter, and dell discreetly slipped in the necessary microcode for the R7, then this is really good news for people seeking to upgrade their R7 to 9th gen. Now, who's going to be the first guinea pig?
GTS81
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August 31st, 2019 15:00
Service Tag:
Express Service Code:
System was shipped 12/27/2017 as an Aurora R7. CPU was an i7-8700.
Went diving a bit off the deep end of mod-land and noticed that a certain generic UEFI mod software has a pre-release on github a few weeks back. The seller has long record of selling PC systems and parts so maybe found a way to hack the BIOS? The downside is that once .20 release comes out and Dell really doesn't intend to support the system, it'll be bricked.
Zen_Tek
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August 31st, 2019 15:00
r72019
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August 31st, 2019 15:00
Yeah, made me curious, so I looked at the seller feedback and just noticed that 2 purchasers alleged being scammed with a defective product, one was an Alienware Aurora... maybe the purchaser tried to update the BIOs?
Zen_Tek
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August 31st, 2019 15:00
Zen_Tek
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August 31st, 2019 16:00
I hope this helps.
GTS81
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August 31st, 2019 16:00
Currently out and about but can someone with a non unlocked 8th gen please check if their CPUID matches 9400F’s? Might be the restriction is for unlocked SKUs with different CPUID.
GTS81
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August 31st, 2019 16:00
BIOS .19 and screenshots are on the online selling site. Looks legit to me.
GTS81
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August 31st, 2019 16:00
Per the epic R7 9th Gen thread:
https://www.dell.com/community/Alienware-Desktops/Aurora-R7-upgrade-to-i9-9900K/m-p/6239224/highlight/true#M7600
@ravic
So only @ravic can confirm this assuming both R7 and XPS with 9600k are still with him/ her.
GTS81
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August 31st, 2019 16:00
I wonder if a certain moderator is laughing at us all now for all the on the other thread.
amstel78
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August 31st, 2019 16:00
What BIOS version is installed on the R7s you're selling and what does CPU-Z report back as processor installed?
Any chance you could post screenshots? If so, you'd be the first person I've come across on the interwebs that's managed to successfully upgrade an R7 with a 9th gen Coffee Lake processor.
r72019
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August 31st, 2019 16:00
Thank you for posting here. Compatibility with Z370 was never in dispute. Everyone familiar with this issue knows that 9th generation is generally compatible with z370. Z370 pre-dated the 9th generation chips, which is why the mobo manufacturers had to provide updated BIOs to add the microcode to allow 9th generation CPUs for existing users with 8th gen CPUs. Z390 would have shipped with the correct BIOs. Since your'e new here, as background, a Dell representative publicly indicated on this forum that Dell would not be providing a BIOs update for the R7 to allow use of the 9th generation CPUs, because Dell would not want to detract from sales of subsequent models (R8, and now R9), which continue to use the Z370 chipset. That is why the news that at least some microcode has been added to allow lower end 9th generation CPUs, at least, to work is big news on this community forum.
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