New Alienware Aurora Ryzen 9 (3950X)

Re: Aurora R10 --> 'Techquilla' ran this article Nov.10th (Aurora 3950X Coming Soon), Tom's ran the benchmark story yesterday 11th

CPU Cooling = 280mm Radiator (or greater) (= x2 140mm fans)

R10 CPU cooling is about to get interesting

AMD is advising a 280mm radiator minimum (see AMD 3950x Thermal Solutions & Asetek 3950x Liquid Cooler List)(from photos above, & stated at the release day venue last week) … a good portion of aftermarket cases can not house a larger 280mil radiator, but can house a slimmer 240mil (x2 120mm fans), so I'm surprised they didn't advise a 240mil as the minimum

Given the stock Alien cooler for 8-Core 9900k is the same old 120x30mm wide rad found as far back as the R5 4-Core 6700k, R10 now at 16-Cores may, might get the Area-51 (R3 R6 R7) Threadripper 120x48mil cooler (similar to 49mm H80i V2, below)

Standard 240 AIO = 240x27mm, the above 120x48 (= 240x24) cooler has slightly less surface area (& cooling potential); given that AMD recommends a 280mil rad (280x27), minimum (they prefer it gets a 360mil, lol), if the A51 cooler above isn't revised & used in R10? Well, I'd like to see the Aliens try & skate by with that same old / same old 30mil cooler paired to the $750 MSRP AMD chip ( = x2 105w TDP 3800x 8-cores)

Trivia: new R10 X570 mthrbrd is part# NWN7M (per GeekBench)

Is that the new case? 

REPLYING TO @Cass-Ole : 

"AMD is advising a 280mm radiator minimum ...Given the stock Alien cooler for 8-Core 9900k is the same old 120x30mm wide rad found as far back as the R5 4-Core 6700k, R10 now at 16-Cores may, might get the Area-51 (R3 R6 R7) Threadripper 120x48mil cooler (similar to 49mm H80i V2, below) ... Well, I'd like to see the Aliens try & skate by with that same old / same old 30mil cooler paired to the $750 MSRP AMD chip"

The pictures of the R9 still show it using the same 120 x (140?) mm metal box up top, under the plastic face-lift.  With the old design (R5-8), fitting a 240mm radiator requires removing the metal radiator box and shaving some plastic (and even then, airflow to part of the radiator is blocked unless you shave some metal off the internal casing.  I'm wondering if the plastic of the R9 could theoretically even accommodate a 240mm radiator up top without a haircut. 

I don't think it's logistically possible to fit a 280mm rad up top. 

I think a 120 x 48mm deep radiator would come close to hitting the PSU swing arm, but it may be possible without any refinements.  Dell wouldn't be able to do push pull, or stick a thicker fan in there though. 

I'm not affiliated with Dell in any manner, but I think it would be safe to say the old style case was discontinued with the R8.

If the R8/R9 AIO radiators are 30mm thick, then I think I'm maxing out with ML120 Pros sandwich at 30(rad) + 25(fan) +25(fan) = 85mm. I always thought my radiator is only 27mm thick so for benefit of doubt, let's move to lower range of 82mm. That means the brawny 120mm x 48mm from Area 51 would have no problem being fitted into the chimney hole with total thickness being 83mm.

Furthermore, I'm suspecting that Aurora R9 has an even taller chimney if Dell maxes out on the available space between the top of the inner frame and the top bezel.

@Cass-Ole :

Even if they try to fit the 120x48mm rad in there, it'd still be 'undersized', according to AMD. To keep temps down, the Bios & overclocking in general has to be gimped / throttled, is my point. 

You are exactly right on this point. Otherwise we're gonna see pictures of Aurora R10s blowing up pretty soon. If the Aurora R10 does indeed come with a 120mm x Xmm radiator, then marketing could be hoping for target user group that doesn't saturate the AIO loop. Think deep pocketed buyers who will run OCCT for maybe 5 minutes and then post rave reviews online about how cool the system stays.

I say bring it! Prime95 FFT no AVX offset, all cores running for 30 minutes. Free fire extinguisher with purchase.

@Bmwpower603 My bottom photo is the Area-51 R3; my guess is the new AMD 'R10' will look same as your Intel R9 you received Oct 1st

For cooling, if the R5-R9 came with 120x30mm Asetek cooler + 38mm Rad-Fan, I mean, they might try the A51 AMD 120X48mm cooler mated to slimmer 25mm fan, what other option is there? I know there's no way to get a 280mil Rad in there, maybe not even a 240mil (if so, it should be ported over to the R9's 9900k) ... my post today was to say 280mm is the minimum AMD recommends, so what would it say if they try the same old 120x30 cooler in there? Even if they try to fit the 120x48mm rad in there, it'd still be 'undersized', according to AMD. To keep temps down, the Bios & overclocking in general has to be gimped / throttled, is my point. If AMD thought a 120x48 could work as the minimum they'd say so ... if they thought a 240mil could work they'd say so. By saying 280mil is the minimum they're telling desktop owners to invest in a bigger case to support a bigger / wider cooler; that's the opposite of saying 'keep what you have, it'll work' (where H80i H100i are very popular coolers, which neither are advised for use not even by Asetek who makes those, & that's very odd). Looking forward to seeing the R10 cooling solution soon + temp / noise data 

@r72019 :

I don't think it's logistically possible to fit a 280mm rad up top. 

If there's one crazy way to push the limit for this case with radiators, it would be to stuff one 240mm on top and another 240mm in front, and loop them serially using a modular AIO system. That's of course a pipe dream and I'm not even near to getting that 240mm fitted on the top of the R8. 

Another alternative is to ditch that swing-arm, build a basement, put the PSU + reservoir there with an open loop.

"If R5 - R9 rads are 30mm thick, then 30(rad) + 25(fan) + 25(fan) = 85mm" ... u mean 80mm (= I always thought my rad's only 27mm thick so let's move to lower range of 82mm ... u mean 77mm (=

When A51 R3 R4 & Aurora R5 hit the sales menu (2016-17), their rad sizes were all listed as part of sales literature (27mm 30mm 48mm) but those specs were all removed a year later, that's where I got 30mm & 48mm rad-sizes committed to memory; I screenshotted all three & posted it somewhere as a comparison, ie why did 7980XE as a $2500 CPU option get the same base whimpy 27mm rad as the base 7800x did (cooler 'included in price') & not the better 48mil. (I'm waiting to see what the new 10980XE gets compared to new TRipper3). I bought MH0HN Aurora cooler for potential use here ($20/shipped, it didnt work out due to the cooling tubes, sold it), it was about 1 3/16" wide (30mm)

So, current TRip cooler (TFGHM HR6V4), 48 + 25 = 73, push-pull = 98; so yes, can they get away with a 48mil + one slim fan, or will they try the same 30mm + 38mil fan

Again, AMD catches me by surprise with a 280mil 'minimum' recommendation when 240mils are probably (a guess) the more prolific size in use as mass-consumed entry-level 'big' coolers, which is to say, they risk harming sales by suggesting buyer 'needs' a bigger cooler which may also mean a bigger case. In the end, I look forward to reviews which will let us know how certain coolers stack up, since surely someone will try a 240 to see what happens, perhaps test 80i as well. For Aurora we do need to worry about the shill media (like HotHardware, who I suspect will get 1st dibs), but hopefully good things are ahead & all's well that ends well

*I predict the R10 buyers won't be allowed to upgrade to R11 ZEN 2+

*I predict the 3950x will cost, oh, let's say base x570 CPU = Ryzen 3600 ($200 MSRP, cost to buyer is say $250 w/ markup but 'included in price' = base entry starting price of entry-level desktop) > 3950x option will be 'add $750', total cost = $1000 --> (if base CPU is 3500x = $150 = $200 w/ markup, 3950x = $950)

@Cass-Ole :

"If R5 - R9 rads are 30mm thick, then 30(rad) + 25(fan) + 25(fan) = 85mm" ... u mean 80mm (= I always thought my rad's only 27mm thick so let's move to lower range of 82mm ... u mean 77mm (=

Now you know why my custom cable sleeving project is taking ages to complete.  

Again, AMD catches me by surprise with a 280mil 'minimum' recommendation when 240mils are probably (a guess) the more prolific size in use as mass-consumed entry-level 'big' coolers, which is to say, they risk harming sales by suggesting buyer 'needs' a bigger cooler which may also mean a bigger case.

In fact, I applaud AMD for doing this and not give false expectations like "oh, you'll be ok. Just buy it!". At the expense of their own revenue, they choose to be transparent with buyers and say "if you want X, you need Y".

For Aurora we do need to worry about the shill media (like HotHardware, who I suspect will get 1st dibs)

And that my friends, was how I ended up with purchasing my R8.

Aaannddd... It's out:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/alienware-aurora-r10-ryzen-edition

"We had a few questions about cooling when we opened up the Aurora R10. For starters, the liquid cooler for the Ryzen 9 3950X has a 120mm radiator. When AMD announced the processor, it recommended a 280mm or larger all-in-one (AIO) cooler. The AIO in this machine is probably fine for many lesser processors in other configurations. But if you’re planning on doing lots of rendering or high-end video editing and will opt for the 3950X, or want the best possible overclocks, you may want to look for a system that offers beefier cooling--both on the CPU and elsewhere.

...

We did try overclocking the 3950X but didn’t get very far. We got up to 4.0 GHz before our Cinebench stress test started crashing. With more cooling, you could possibly go further, although overclockability varies from chip to chip. When overclocked, the average temperature of the CPU was 86 degrees Celsius (186.8 degrees Fahrenheit) while running the Cinebench R20 stress test 20 times in a loop, though it often peaked higher."

Well, even when my 9600K was hitting 90s with FFT, the air flowing out of the radiator was never warmer than a hair dryer. Of course I haven't dared touch it directly. My H55 radiator did give me a more than uncomfortable heat when I accidentally left the pump off and my system was tripping itself over. Maybe frying an egg is unlikely but some scrambled eggs might be possible as the raw egg hits the industrial fan spinning and it gets cooked at the same time. 

Good observation about the DDR. The other big question would be that X570 board this system runs on.

Maybe we need to send some of these to @amstel78 and @Anonymous out in the east as they are pounded by record cold temps!

Loud and inadequate cooling... as expected with a 120mm rad.  More disappointing, unstable overclock above 4.0, on a cpu with a 4.7 boost speed.  I'd call that unsatisfactory.  Probably being thermally throttled in that oven.  Anyone taking bets on whether you can fry an egg on top of the metal radiator chimney?

Also, surprised they're still going with the dated 2933 HyperX on a Ryzen... speed and timing matters more than with Intel.

Nothing more satisfying than using the other team’s crown jewel as a glorified space heater right?

Interesting, the Aurora Ryzen Edition supports PCIe 4.0.  I guess to be expected since they put the Ryzen in there...  although I think only AMD's 5700 Navi cards will support that much bandwidth.  So in other words, Dell's below statement omits the fact that Nvidia cards will only run at half the Aurora's rated speed (i.e., PCIe 3.0).  Now where have I seen that before.  Oh yeah.. I wonder if the x16 slot is cut down to x8 bandwidth like it is on the R7/8/9's z370 board. 

"The Aurora Ryzen Edition is the first Alienware machine to feature PCI-Express 4.0 Technology, which doubles the bandwidth available to graphics cards for enhanced overall gaming performance"

Nice posts today gentlemen, I got busy & need to catch up tomorrow

As expected, HotHardware shills fell in love with that whimpy cooler - even padded it out as a 140mil - well placed 'typo' to keep their audience off the scent a little, lest they howl at the 120, lol

The base Ryzen chip is a brand new whimpy 3500 OEM edition, so it won't or may not have a public price attached to it (while the 3500x seems to be a Chinese OEM only without a price, per Wiki). The 3600 lists at $199; therefore the 3500 probably accounts for $150 of the $1200 base starter price, it may account for $175 or $200, we won't get to find out. Call it $150, so when 3950x is 'add $1100', 3950x = $1250 total (pay X for the base 3500 now add $1100 more = $1100 + X)

Paired to that whimpy 120x30mm (+$50), that's a $1300 CPU, or about $500 over retail ... sounds about right

If you're interested in all Ryzen CPU prices, find its option cost & add $150 to it, example: 3900x = $150 +  add $600 = $750 | $500 MSRP = $250 surcharge (aka Alien Tax), $750 without a cooler

For DDR4, assign a cost to the 8Gb HyperX (included in Price, call it $60); 64Gb 3200MHz = $1200 + $60 = $1260

Same kit at Kingston's website is $360 = $900 AlienTax (feel free to check there & Amazon = $334 = $925 over)

$1400+ surcharge in just the CPU/Mem

I'm surprised they didn't use the TRipper 48mil cooler for a small down-bump in temps; what you'll get for paying $1400 more than everyone else is something loud, overheats & can't overclock, no thanks. Not keen on paying $750 for a 3900x either.

Try the base 3500 + 8Gb Mem; sell CPU + Mem & buy your own CPU & DDR4 + cooler? Or do base models not get a VRM heatsink like the R5 & R6 didn't get, we'll find out

Also interesting is the CPU header's now an 8pin 6-wire deal, & the GPU_PWR header's gone. Keep it real fellas ... ... ...