Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
3 Posts
0
24064
August 1st, 2018 08:00
X51-R2, CPU upgrade
Hi, I'm looking for a mod/admin who knows EXACTLY what CPUs i can put in my alienware x51 r2. I currently have an i3-4130 with the 240w power brick. I upgraded my gpu from a gtx 645 to a gtx 1050 ti, but now am being CPU bottlenecked quite hard in games like, Just cause 3, Planetside 2, etc. I know this list will only grow as time goes on and games get more demanding so I'd like to upgrade, but I don't have enough money to risk buying the wrong thing, or damaging my motherboard with an incompatible processor. If there are any alienware employees/mods/what have you, who see this, I would really like to know EXACTLY which CPU's are compatible with this system. Thank you for your time.
Mary G
4 Operator
•
20.1K Posts
0
August 1st, 2018 09:00
This is a user to user forum monitored by Dell. Users try to answer questions about problems. You need to research this yourself for all the pros and cons. There is an Alienware Owners forum that might help.
https://www.alienowners.com/threads/x51-r2-cpu-upgrade-help.6910/
Upgrade your PSU to install a better video card or run the one you installed. Yours is too small to run the card you installed and is causing the slowdown. It requires a psu with a minimum of 300w. That would be a better option than changing your CPU.
speedstep
9 Legend
•
47K Posts
0
August 1st, 2018 10:00
Depends on which motherboard you have.
I would absolutely upgrade to the 330W power Brick if you don't already have that. ( DA330PM111, XM3C3, ADP-330AB B, 5X3NX, 332-1432 )
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/accessories/apd/332-1432
https://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/product-support/product/alienware-area51/manuals
Alienware Area 51 R2
Dell Alienware X51 R2 Intel LGA 1150 Motherboard
MS-7796 0PGRP5 PGRP5
IMHO Intel® Core™ i7 65W Core i7-4790S BX80646I74790S is max
Intel® Core™ i7 130W uses too much power
Absolutely POSITIVE THAT 150W CPU Core I7 Extreme is NOT supported.
Alienware X51 R2 Launched on 6/3/2013
Core i5-4460S (Haswell)
Core i5-4430S (Haswell)
Core i7-4770S (Haswell)
Core i7-4790S (Haswell) BX80646I74790S
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Alienware-Andromeda-Motherboard-PGRP5/dp/B01CKESAXC
Eimy_B
4 Operator
•
4.4K Posts
1
August 1st, 2018 13:00
Hi @BudgetPCGuy.
Validated CPUs for the X51 R2:
- Haswell (6MB Cache, 3.0 GHz)
- Haswell (8MB Cache, 3.4 GHz)
Post-RTS Updates: The following processors are available post-RTS:
As @Mary G and @speedstep said, you'll need to upgrade your PSU to the 330w PSU since the 1050 ti needs more power.
BudgetPCGuy
3 Posts
0
September 7th, 2018 15:00
Thank you very much, and I am sorry for the tone, I did not realize this was only a user forum, I thought it was dell operated. My mistake. Perhaps a little late to ask this, but would a i5 4690 be compatible as well, or is there some reason I'm unaware of that it wouldn't? I have been told a bad CPU can fry your entire PC, and I couldn't even DREAM of replacing the whole pc, so this question is very important to me.
DELL-Chris M
Community Manager
•
56.9K Posts
0
September 8th, 2018 15:00
would a i5 4690 be compatible as well?
No. Alienware-Eimy listed the Dell tested/validated CPU for the five year old X51-R2 which did not include the i5-4690 CPU.
bigtoe215
1 Message
0
August 20th, 2021 16:00
How do i know if i have post RTS Update
r72019
6 Professor
•
5.3K Posts
0
August 20th, 2021 18:00
Check your bios version, f2 on boot, or type "msinfo32" in the bottom left corner and under system summary find your current bios version. If you are at A06 or greater (e.g. A08, A09, etc) you are good.
Otherwise get it here:
https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/drivers/DriversDetails?productCode=alienware-x51-r2&driverId=31R9N