Aurora R2 Crossfire Capability???

The Aurora/Aurora R2 power supplies are not qualified to run the Radeon HD5870s in CrossFire. You would have to install a 1KW power supply or better in there. If you had the 875w power supply, you could run two of the following -
GeForce GTS240
GeForce GTX260
GeForce GTX460
Radeon HD5770

I have a M17X-R2 (It says on the bottom), but If I rt click on computer, it says M17X10.

I have the Crossfire 5870 as well. But how do I know what my battery is, to see if it's compatible with Crossfire 5870?

It says its a PA-9E Family ; Model GA240PE1-00 ; DPN J211H ; Input 100-240V (50-60Hz ; Output 19.5V.

Is that sufficient. since I have ATI Mobility 5870 Crossfire now, instead of just the ATI Mobility 5870?

My other one M17X-R2 (that didnt have Crossfire), melted my surge protector holes.

Just curious. Thank You!

You are correct.

The Aurora power supplies are not qualified to run the the higher ended video cards in SLI or CrossfireX. You would have to install a 1KW power supply or better in there. If you had the 875w power supply, you could run two of the following (the 525w power supply can only run one video card) -
9JDYJ P118N GeForce GTS240 SLI
5X2CH P201N GeForce GTX260 SLI
GR23P P202N GeForce GTX460 SLI
HWHRN M206 Radeon HD5670 CrossfireX
GCJ42 P120A Radeon HD5770 CrossfireX

The Area 51 and Aurora R2 are qualified since they sell with the 1KW and 1.1KW power supplies. You could run two of the following -
9JDYJ P118N GeForce GTS240 SLI
5X2CH P201N GeForce GTX260 SLI
D810P U120N GeForce GTX285 SLI
T682N E120N GeForce GTX295 SLI
GR23P P202N GeForce GTX460 SLI
GeForce GTX480 SLI (only available on the Area 51)
HW617 SLI Flexible Bridge
U161C 2x3 to 2x4 converter for 8 pin connector
W327J E119A Radeon HD4870 CrossfireX
GCJ42 P120A Radeon HD5770 CrossfireX
2XTG4 U121A Radeon HD5870 CrossfireX
Radeon HD5970 CrossfireX (only available on the Area 51)

Picked up an Aurora R2, looks great and plays great- but always looking to boost performance. I bought this system hoping to install another ATI Radeon HD 5870 via Crossfire. I know that I have to replace the current 525W PSU with something 850W or higher. However, based on the i7-680 Lynnfield processer's integrated PCIe 2.0 architecture, running either 1x16 PCIe or 2x8 PCIe, is Crossfiring two 5870's feasible, and if so, optimal- even with an 850W+ PSU?

Tough call. Maybe someone at TomsHardware (or similar site) has tried it both ways.

But for the cost (of 2 running at 8x and using all that power):

$ 200 (Dell 875w PS)
$ 400 ATI 5870

... I think I would just buy the PS and a single 5970 (and sell the old 5870 for $300).

Because of the side panel connection, you will have to be pretty handy to retro-fit a non-Dell Aurora PS in there. But if you think you can do it, might as well get something like a Corsair 1000. Or, the PS Booster (in other thread) might be all you need to work with your existing 575w. 

Chris, hate to question you, but some of this doesn't seem quite right. I think I know the product line pretty well, and even I get confused sometimes. Of course, my knowlege is limited to the one sitting on my desk, the service manuals, and what I can build online in the shopping cart.

First, the Aurora-R2 is actually the lower-end model. It was made second, but it uses the Intel P55 chipset and the more inexpensive (yet newer) Intel chips. They come with the 525w or optional 875w power supply. I think the P55 chipset itself has inherent limitations on trying to run dual cards at (PCIe 16x for both). They both run at only 8x . I don't think it's an issue until you use cards faster than a ATI 5770/nVidia 260.

The plain Aurora (the first one) is closer to the Area-51 because they both use the X-58 chipset and the Performance Series Intel processors. It only comes with a 875w PS (no option for a 1000w or higher). You can get them with dual ATI 5870 or nVidia 460 (as the biggest pair) and they should run ok power wise (but cutting it close). If you go crazy with over clocking, high-wattage processors, and HD RAID, you might need a PS Booster.

Thanks for all the part numbers.

It is confusing. But those are the part numbers listed under each specific model in our tool. Are you saying that the data is wrong in our internal tool? Maybe, it wouldn't surprise me.

It is interesting that the later R2 has the higer wattage power supplies.

Are you saying that the data is wrong in our internal tool?

I guess so. It seems to have some wrong config data about:

Aurora-R2 (P55):
1. While newer, it's actually the weakest.
2. It DOES NOT come with higher wattage power supplies

Aurora (X58)/Aurora ALX (X58):
1. Only built with 875w PS.

Just take a look at the online sales configurator, the service manuals, and my posts to see the errors.

Whether you want to fix your "internal tool" or built your own speadsheet ... for an accurate list of options and possible advanced configs, the matrix should be built starting with:

Aurora-R2 - (P55) - 525w ps
Aurora-R2 - (P55) - 875w ps
Aurora       - (X58) - 875w ps
Aurora ALX (X58) - 875w ps

Very keen on getting the current Aurora with i7 930 so I get the X58 motherboard and the 875W PS. Also keen on the 5870 crossfire and planning on overclocking it in future. Hence concerned that the PS may not be capable of handling 5870 crossfire. It's certainly an option currently on the NZ Dell Online Store. I've seen this where they used a 750W PS: http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/gpu_displays/gigabyte_radeon_hd_5870_1gb_crossfire/1

So: can 875W handle crossfire 5870 or not? If not I'll wait for Aurora R3 etc. especially given I'm quite keen on USB 3.0

We've just bought our about 2 weeks ago don't know if it is the R2 but it is an X58 chipset according to dell's website.

Anyway DELL is pretty good they have fixed the problem and is currently trying to build us a new one. At least with Dell their back up is pretty good compared to Alienware Australia from Adelaide.

Your wrong man. 1000 watt power supply is OVERKILL for dual 5870. Straight from AMDs site they state that dual 5870 cards need 600watt power supply or better. 800watt would be more than enough