Yeah, I see that, I saw it before but when i asked and questioned they said the system is still in production and there doesn't seem to be any problem? I'm not sure what I should do now...

You will need to speak to a sup so that order can be cancelled/changed before its too late... :/

Hi,   I want to buy the Aurora or Aurora AXL system but I get a not compatible message when I try to order it.   I want 2 graphic cards in Crossfire (HD5870) and 1 Titanium Sound Card.   Cant do it!!!!! I called Alienware and I could not fully understand the representative.  If I understood  correctly he sad that if I order on the phone they coud make it happen...   I also need to order online as I have a code for a -15% reduction.   Thats weird....any comments

Asterix,

You will not be able to have a sound card in the Aurora system (ALX or non-ALX) because the motherboard is a micro ATX (smaller than standard motherboards) and it has only 2 PCIe ports which will be fully occupied by the 2 HD5870 cards.  If you absolutely want a dedicated sound card (e.g. titanium card) in the Aurora, you'll have to go for a 1 video card solution (e.g. could be a dual GPU card like the GTX295 or the HD5970). 

Otherwise, you have 3 choices:

1. You use the onboard sound card.  It is a 7.1 RealTek HD sound card and the quality is pretty decent.  Onboard sound cards are way better than in the past.  If you do not do any music editing or professional use of it, I don't think it's necessary to buy a dedicated sound card.

2. If you absolutely want a dedicated sound card, you can buy a USB solution, like the X-FI go! (2.1) or the X-Fi Surround (5.1).  The reviews are good and the quality will be better than the onboard sound card and almost comparable to the Titanium, while letting your PCIe slots free for 2 graphics cards.

3. If those two solution are unnacceptable for you, buy an Area-51 or build your own PC.

Alienware chose to use micro ATX motherboards for the Auroras because they wanted to build high-end gaming PC with reasonable dimensions.  The space required to keep a efficient air flow to cool down the high-end hardware and to allow a convenient access to all hardware (in case you want to upgrade the parts) results in a case that is quite large.  In comparison, the Aurora (micro ATX) is almost as large in height than a standard multimedia PC (standard ATX) and it is larger in depth!!  While the Area-51 is a total monster which dimensions could be somewhat compared to a server PC.  For me, the Area-51 is way too big (it would not even fit under my computer desk...).

So I hope that clears your interrogations, which had not been answered properly by dell.

Thanks Niklai for the answers,

1. I pretty much need a great Sound Card as i have some music recording programs that I use. (I have a little jam area in my pad and we jam often).

2. I would like to buy the HD 5970 card but it is not available on Alienware systems in Canada. I wish they offered it.....

3. Im with you on the Area-51, Way too big for me!!!!!

4. I just called Dell and they are suposed to send me a reply if anything is possible in regards to an extra PCI slot.

Cheers

I have read both manuals, the area51 and Aurora.

As far as I can see in the manuals they have different motherboards

Area51

2 PCIE x16

1 PCIE x4

2 PCIE x1

1 PCI slot

3 memory slots (max 3x4GB modules = 12GB)

Aurora

2 PCIE x16

2 PCIE x1

6 memory slots (max 6x4GB modules = 24GB)

An extra pci slot is not possible. They are not going to make a special motherboard / case solution for you. The layout of the Area51 motherboard is too different to fit in the Aurora case. If you need a good soundcard I personally would opt for a good usb solution as suggested in this thread.

- Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 sound card (USB)

- Soundblaster X-Fi go (USB)

- USB Sound Blaster Digital Music SX

Thanks Niklai for the answers,   1. I pretty much need a great Sound Card as i have some music recording programs that I use. (I have a little jam area in my pad and we jam often).   2. I would like to buy the HD 5970 card but it is not available on Alienware systems in Canada. I wish they offered it.....   3. Im with you on the Area-51, Way too big for me!!!!!   4. I just called Dell and they are suposed to send me a reply if anything is possible in regards to an extra PCI slot.   Cheers

you could buy the cheapest card (5450?) and buy the 5970 on your own.