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SuperHigh

7 Posts

190958

May 17th, 2014 23:00

Alienware X51 R1 - Upgrading to R2 Motherboard

I recently purchased a new X51 R2 motherboard online, and the seller just informed that I had to do certain things when I go into the BIOS and insert my service tag. Otherwise; I could end up breaking my motherboard for good.

Does anyone know if this is true? If so, what are the steps, and would it work in my case (upgrading from R1 to R2 Mobo)?

Also, do I need to mod my case in any way in order for the motherboard to fit?

Thank you in advance.

Alienware-Naomi

1.8K Posts

May 19th, 2014 11:00

Hi,

Does anyone know if this is true? If so, what are the steps, and would it work in my case (upgrading from R1 to R2 Mobo)?

Whenever you replace you Motherboard you should manually enter the Service Tag in the BIOS. However, if the previous owner's Service Tag is already there, you won't be able to change it because it can only be done if the BIOS is in Manufacturing Mode.  Follow these steps to check if the option is available:  

  1. Turn on the computer.
  2. Press F2 repeatedly during POST to enter the System Setup (BIOS).
  3. Check on the Main or Security Tag tab and enter the service tag in the Set Service Tag field.

Note: If you enter yor X51 R1 Service Tag on an X51 R2, your system will be recognized as an R1 on AlienAutopsy and the Dell website. 

 

Also, do I need to mod my case in any way in order for the motherboard to fit?

 

The X51 R1 and X51 R2 case is the same so you don't have to modify anything for the Motherboard to fit. Although, some of the ports on the back might not fit the same spaces in the chassis. 

Alienware-Naomi

1.8K Posts

May 20th, 2014 09:00

Both parts should be the same so there's no need to change anything. You're good to go!

Alienware-Naomi

1.8K Posts

May 27th, 2014 11:00

The I7-4790K, 3.6GHz is fully compatible with the X51 R2 Motherboard but not with the X51 R1.

Alienware-Naomi

1.8K Posts

May 27th, 2014 14:00

No problem!

SuperHigh

7 Posts

May 19th, 2014 15:00

Thank you so much for the info. I have one more question: Do I need to change the power & I/O boards or would it be fine?

Thanks again.

SuperHigh

7 Posts

May 23rd, 2014 08:00

One more thing, I know that with the new BIOS (A06) the motherboard now supports haswell refresh CPUs.. So, I'm wondering if the 4790"K" isn't an exception -and would work with the X51's H87 mobo- since it is confirmed to be compatible with the Z87 chipset?

I'm hoping it would, since the only major difference is the unlocked multiplier. But I'm not quite sure.


The reason I'm asking is because the 4790K has a better TIM which would prolly help with the temps. And I'm also planning to take the processor out some time later to use it in a new build with a Z97 chipset motherboard, and would love to have the option to overclock it in a different setting.

Thank you again for your time and help, it is truly appreciated.

SuperHigh

7 Posts

May 27th, 2014 11:00

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your help.

wiked19850402

2 Posts

September 3rd, 2014 14:00

After reading this post I've just upgraded my x51 R1 with an R2 mobo + i7-4790 and there are some things to note - firstly the front i/o board is different... the R1 board has USB 2.0 with a small connector cable that connects the front USB sockets (mounted on the i/o board) back to the mobo but the R2 board has a larger USB 3.0 socket which does not fit the plug/ cable. Therefore the front USB sockets will obviously not work unless you buy an R2 i/o board + USB 3.0 internal connector cable. The i/o board also powers the AlienFX lighting cables and since the mobo upgrade the alien head light doesn't work anymore and the sidelights glow a dim white and can't be changed. I have installed AlienFX, reflashed bios, reinstalled windows + dell drivers etc but can't get it working. Is this because of the difference between the r1 + r2 i/o boards + firmware? Also, perhaps a sidenote as the board was bought used from ebay and may be glitchy, it came with a flat cmos battery and had bios A00 with no SATA or ME drivers... I had to do all sorts of tricks with Ubuntu running on USB hard drives to try and get the drivers installed + flash bios... finally installing Windows 8 on a USB HDD and flashing with A06 made the sata devices appear... ME firmware still says N/A in setup and can't install the Alienware ME drivers as it says the platform doesn't support it. When turning the computer on it takes about a minute now before the Alienware boot logo appears and it boots up - is this slow boot caused because it's looking for the drivers/ ME firmware? Thanks

BoryBrason

2 Posts

October 14th, 2014 02:00

Hi,

I have just made this upgrade and unfortunately noticed that the R2 is a socket 1150 and the R1 uses socket 1155.

So I now have to decide to either source another R1 board or upgrade my processor. Annoyingly the board in the case connecting the front USB sockets to the motherboard appears to also need changing.

Am I wrong?

Kind Regards

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