Alienware Aurora R5 - Dissection and Upgrades

Hi Everyone..

My R5 (base $799 config) just arrived today and ofcourse the first thing I did was power up, verified all was working OK and then shut her down to prep for some upgrades I had in store. Feel free to request for questions.

RAM/Memory Module Tests:

There seems to be a lack of information or an official HCL on what ram sticks work and which dont. Well, I dont have the resources to test every brand and speed stick that is out there but I want to share my results.

This is a DDR4 Kit (8GBx4) from Crucial. You can see the exact part numbers in the pictures below. You can also see the RAM modules that shipped with the unit and its part numbers.

First installed 2x8GB stick and it posted successfully. No issues or alerts. Below is the CPUz printout.

The sticks are clocking down to 2133mhz without issue. Im OK with the slower speed in the spirit of compatibility. All looks OK.

Now we fully populate all DIMM slots. This configuration is 4x8GB Crucial Dominator

POST and CPUz confirms all OK.

GPU/Video Card Tests:

Upgrading to the GTX 1080 is fairly uneventful. No fitment issues whatsoever. Note: Base/Standard PSU only has 1 6+2 PCI-e molex connector. Meaning only a single 8 pin GPU is allowed. I assume stepping up to the larger wattage PSU would ensure you have enough juice for SLI of 8pin cards.

GPUz confirms all OK. Drivers are updating now.

Not much else to report here.

 

CPU Upgrade:

6700K should be delivered tomorrow. Ill report back then.

SSD Upgrade:

I have a Samsung 950 Pro NVMe PCI-e SSD (512GB) here that I will test once I ready to reinstall Windows 10. Note: The M.2 slot is missing the screw so I will need to source that elsewhere.