CarbonBasedLifeform it's my experience on a similar call, that since every owner gets a base 1year warranty, there should be no such thing as someone needing to buy a motherboard (it would be replaced under warranty), hence no 'sales' for it (but u might be told the list price & part#). It's also my experience that these items do come up for sale eventually, ~4-6months after a debut, so u have to call back in a few months. For instance, some of us might be interested in the new 48mm wide cpu cooler from R3, but it might be a few months til they sell it to the public. What u want to do is scour eBay, find the 1st R4 which includes a pic (or includes in the listing text) a service tag & go from there. If your local BestBuy or similar sells them, u can go that route also. From there u might tell the Spare Parts rep, u want to buy a 'spare' mthrbrd (since they might ask why u aren't after a warranty replacement)
If someone's going to do a write-up on x99 vs x299, or Hotwell/Broadwell vs Skylake, it won't be me. This is the time of the year however when Intel releases a new architecture, the questions are raised if it's worth the upgrade or not & for that we seek online reviews & videos, old vs new etc. I've looked online to get a peek at the R4 but haven't seen much more than the PDF service manual on the R4 support page. The Aliens are at PaxWest, someone would need to go through their videos (which I haven't done) to see if they displayed the R4 & talked about it's benefits. I haven't studied x99 v x299 reviews / vids lately (I've been watching TRipper / Ryzen instead). To find out what makes an R4 'better' than an R2, one needs to do a deep dive into Intel's new x299 SkyLake-X platform to see what makes it tick, then eventually get the details (other than mthrbrd/cpu) if R4 gets any improvements / extras that the R2 case doesn't. Better CPU / Chipset / Features (inc. Optane / USB 3.1) / Faster (2933MHz) DDR4 memory support is my guess why R4 > R2
*Aug. 2014 ... 3 years ago, is when R2 debuted ... 'changes' over time?, CPU & Bios upd8 = old 'Haswell' tech
*Aug. 2017 ... R4 kicks state-of-the-art Intel goodness = new performance king. Better than R2? You decide
Aliens need to answer for why 7800x is capped@2400MHz
possible engineering sample mthrbrd from PDF manual shows a new M.2 slot (#9), so there's that
Broadwell-based R2 w/ i7 6800k ($1750 base price) appears to be same cost as new i9 7800x ($1900 base price), where R4 gets a $150 GPU upgrade (from a 560 to 1050Ti as base GPU) to account for new price gap
To find out if 7900x crushes 6950x, one needs to look online, example: 'Taking the reins from Intel's Core i7-6950X, the new 7900X is now the ultimate gaming processor (as well as the first Core i9 ever!). Offering up the same 10 cores and 20 threads as the 6950X, but at much higher speeds and for nearly $700 less, in one fell swoop, it's made the 6950X irrelevant'. From there, tally up the pro v con columns
Samsung 960 EVO 256 GB should be fine. i prefer slightly bigger SSD so i can install some Games on it. right now i have the Samsung 960 Pro 512 GB SSD and Crucial MX300 1 TB SATA SSD installed. the M.2 SSD contains Windows and 4 Steam Games and there is still 250 GB Free Space available. the MX300 is used for Games i don't play often and for VR Games. the 2 TB Toshiba HDD is disconnected ATM so i don't have to hear it spinning for no reason. i don't know how much Stuff you usually install but i always try to keep my Hard Drives clean and uninstall Stuff i don't need so 1,5 TB Space is more than enough for me.
1. Are heavy upgrades to pre-built computers ever easy or really worth it? Do many components even transfer over anyway? (technology has moved forward)
2. You could buy a minimal config Area51-R4 machine (on sale), swap the video cards, move your nice HDD/SSD over and then sell or re-purpose the working (and still adequately-configged) Area51-R2.
1. in this Case actually everything except Motherboard and the old CPU. my 64 GB RAM might be a bit slow (2666 MHz) but it should work, all my SSDs, the one Year old GPU and even the CPU Cooler should work as well.
2. the Base A51 R4 Model costs 2000 Euro and comes with the i7 7800X, 1050TI 4 GB and 8 GB RAM. ahmmm.... No!
besides, fool me once.... you know where this is going i guess.
also, i don't know what to do with my current A51. all my Friends and Family Members have Custom Build PCs. guess where they got them.
and i can't just sell the Computer on Ebay. this thing is heavy AF and i have no Idea how to ship it. the Shipping Box is gone. i'll have to find a Buyer willing to pick it up. and then there is that one Thing, you know, the broken Motherboard.
the Area 51 R4 Motherboard can be ordered in Europe now.
Dell Product Number: HJ5Y7 (the only one available)
Price: 382 Euro.
i'm surprised. it costs much less then i thought and I don't know what to do now. I actually planned to Build a new Gaming PC. I already got a Bunch of Stuff like Corsair Case, PSU, AIO Cooler, Drives etc... but now i'm Considering to Upgrade my old A51 R2.
Ladies & Gents: Introducing the (2nd) most expensive motherboard on Planet Earth
___________________
$650 will of course buy the finest product on offer: Asus ROG Rampage VI Xtreme X299
___________________
I'm sorry but, the MSI-based R4 motherboard is at best on par with - but more like a step down from - an MSI Raider X299, which lists now at $200 (2x M.2 + 4133 DDR4 support), of which you could buy three & give two away as gifts
___________________
REAR I/O Trim Shield Plate
An 'Assembly', per Dell, tends to mean more than one part is involved, which may mean a new mthrbrd comes with a Rear I/O plate + thermal paste + Windows COA etc, but may not > if these plates are sold separate, it is essential your Sales rep discover the part# for one; rear I/Os sometimes double as EM RF interference shields etc & protect your ports from damage. Having one is important
___________________
(@Carbon, your part# & price seems to be good)(382 Euro : 455 USD)
but this is the Price I expected to hear before i called Dell Support. the X99 Board costs around 500$. oh Boy, what if the 382 Euro Price is just a Cyber Monday / Black Friday Offer? i'm gonna be so if the Price is higher when i call Dell next Time.
The time you get finished upgrading the R2 1.Motherboard $600.00 2. 7980 CPU $1900.00 3. Ram $700.00 4. I Tb Samsung 960 Pro $ 600.00 for a total of $ 3800.00 is it worth it?
I would love to upgrade my area 51 R2 with a new x299 board but reading this thread I see that it's not possible. It makes no sense to me. I think Dell should sell the x299 boards to anyone who has a valid service tag for R2. I want a board with M.2 and U.2 possibly and would like a Kaby Lake processor for Optane memory and the new Intel Optane SSD 900P. I realize that the argument is that is it worth it but as someone who just loves the latest and future proof tech and a serious VR enthusiast and avid gamer and no wife its very worth it to me. I honestly just want some M.2 action and Optane..
Btw I as a new proud owner of the Alienware 34 curved monitor I have to say its awesome and huge.. holy cow (cant fit my older 4k 60hz monitor on my Arozzi pc game desk until I get a wall mount.
If I cant buy a x299 board I am boycotting Dell lol.
JKTRRT
1 Rookie
•
52 Posts
0
September 3rd, 2017 16:00
It looks like that Samsung 960 Pro is going into my Area 51 R2 with the
Aquacomputer adapter. How many GB's is good for a boot drive?
On 3 September 2017 at 18:57, CarbonBasedLifeform
Cass-Ole
8 Professor
•
1.9K Posts
•
9.7K Points
2
September 3rd, 2017 17:00
CarbonBasedLifeform it's my experience on a similar call, that since every owner gets a base 1year warranty, there should be no such thing as someone needing to buy a motherboard (it would be replaced under warranty), hence no 'sales' for it (but u might be told the list price & part#). It's also my experience that these items do come up for sale eventually, ~4-6months after a debut, so u have to call back in a few months. For instance, some of us might be interested in the new 48mm wide cpu cooler from R3, but it might be a few months til they sell it to the public. What u want to do is scour eBay, find the 1st R4 which includes a pic (or includes in the listing text) a service tag & go from there. If your local BestBuy or similar sells them, u can go that route also. From there u might tell the Spare Parts rep, u want to buy a 'spare' mthrbrd (since they might ask why u aren't after a warranty replacement)
JKTRRT
1 Rookie
•
52 Posts
0
September 3rd, 2017 17:00
Why do you think the R4 is better than the R2?
Cass-Ole
8 Professor
•
1.9K Posts
•
9.7K Points
0
September 3rd, 2017 18:00
If someone's going to do a write-up on x99 vs x299, or Hotwell/Broadwell vs Skylake, it won't be me. This is the time of the year however when Intel releases a new architecture, the questions are raised if it's worth the upgrade or not & for that we seek online reviews & videos, old vs new etc. I've looked online to get a peek at the R4 but haven't seen much more than the PDF service manual on the R4 support page. The Aliens are at PaxWest, someone would need to go through their videos (which I haven't done) to see if they displayed the R4 & talked about it's benefits. I haven't studied x99 v x299 reviews / vids lately (I've been watching TRipper / Ryzen instead). To find out what makes an R4 'better' than an R2, one needs to do a deep dive into Intel's new x299 SkyLake-X platform to see what makes it tick, then eventually get the details (other than mthrbrd/cpu) if R4 gets any improvements / extras that the R2 case doesn't. Better CPU / Chipset / Features (inc. Optane / USB 3.1) / Faster (2933MHz) DDR4 memory support is my guess why R4 > R2
*Aug. 2014 ... 3 years ago, is when R2 debuted ... 'changes' over time?, CPU & Bios upd8 = old 'Haswell' tech
*Aug. 2017 ... R4 kicks state-of-the-art Intel goodness = new performance king. Better than R2? You decide
Aliens need to answer for why 7800x is capped @2400MHz
possible engineering sample mthrbrd from PDF manual shows a new M.2 slot (#9), so there's that
Broadwell-based R2 w/ i7 6800k ($1750 base price) appears to be same cost as new i9 7800x ($1900 base price), where R4 gets a $150 GPU upgrade (from a 560 to 1050Ti as base GPU) to account for new price gap
To find out if 7900x crushes 6950x, one needs to look online, example: 'Taking the reins from Intel's Core i7-6950X, the new 7900X is now the ultimate gaming processor (as well as the first Core i9 ever!). Offering up the same 10 cores and 20 threads as the 6950X, but at much higher speeds and for nearly $700 less, in one fell swoop, it's made the 6950X irrelevant'. From there, tally up the pro v con columns
CarbonBasedLifeform > give it 3months
Carbon Based Lifeform
2 Intern
•
872 Posts
1
September 4th, 2017 02:00
Samsung 960 EVO 256 GB should be fine. i prefer slightly bigger SSD so i can install some Games on it. right now i have the Samsung 960 Pro 512 GB SSD and Crucial MX300 1 TB SATA SSD installed. the M.2 SSD contains Windows and 4 Steam Games and there is still 250 GB Free Space available. the MX300 is used for Games i don't play often and for VR Games. the 2 TB Toshiba HDD is disconnected ATM so i don't have to hear it spinning for no reason. i don't know how much Stuff you usually install but i always try to keep my Hard Drives clean and uninstall Stuff i don't need so 1,5 TB Space is more than enough for me.
Carbon Based Lifeform
2 Intern
•
872 Posts
0
September 4th, 2017 02:00
Hi Cass-Olé.
Thanks for the Info. i didn't know about the 6 Months Delay. i'll try again in a few Months then.
haha.... yeah. Time to make a new Friend with a valid R4 Service Tag.
Carbon Based Lifeform
2 Intern
•
872 Posts
0
September 4th, 2017 02:00
1. in this Case actually everything except Motherboard and the old CPU. my 64 GB RAM might be a bit slow (2666 MHz) but it should work, all my SSDs, the one Year old GPU and even the CPU Cooler should work as well.
2. the Base A51 R4 Model costs 2000 Euro and comes with the i7 7800X, 1050TI 4 GB and 8 GB RAM. ahmmm.... No!
besides, fool me once.... you know where this is going i guess.
also, i don't know what to do with my current A51. all my Friends and Family Members have Custom Build PCs. guess where they got them.
and i can't just sell the Computer on Ebay. this thing is heavy AF and i have no Idea how to ship it. the Shipping Box is gone. i'll have to find a Buyer willing to pick it up. and then there is that one Thing, you know, the broken Motherboard.
Edit:
fixed some Stuff.
dbrewster
3 Novice
•
237 Posts
•
852 Points
0
September 4th, 2017 09:00
Y, and why is intel l3 cache half of what it was last year in Broadwell configs.? MayB some indiscreet controller in the
Architecture. ? (threadripper is like 3 or 4 times greater 34-36 ,b I read)
Carbon Based Lifeform
2 Intern
•
872 Posts
2
November 23rd, 2017 03:00
Hi Guys.
Update:
the Area 51 R4 Motherboard can be ordered in Europe now.
Dell Product Number: HJ5Y7 (the only one available)
Price: 382 Euro.
i'm surprised. it costs much less then i thought and I don't know what to do now. I actually planned to Build a new Gaming PC. I already got a Bunch of Stuff like Corsair Case, PSU, AIO Cooler, Drives etc... but now i'm Considering to Upgrade my old A51 R2.
Cass-Ole
8 Professor
•
1.9K Posts
•
9.7K Points
0
November 23rd, 2017 06:00
51 R2 Swaps using new AMD R3 Intel R4 Mthrbrds Advisory
power switch for A51 R3?
Re: Mini 'Proprietary' Front Panel + USB2.0 (Connectors Headers Cables)
____________________
Working with the front panel connector is one thing, plugging your FIO board into the new mini-USB header is another.
When possible, buy the R3/R4 factory cables (when their part #'s are found, I'll try to edit it them in here + into the Power Switch post)
Cass-Ole
8 Professor
•
1.9K Posts
•
9.7K Points
0
November 24th, 2017 10:00
Ladies & Gents: Introducing the (2nd) most expensive motherboard on Planet Earth
___________________
$650 will of course buy the finest product on offer: Asus ROG Rampage VI Xtreme X299
___________________
I'm sorry but, the MSI-based R4 motherboard is at best on par with - but more like a step down from - an MSI Raider X299, which lists now at $200 (2x M.2 + 4133 DDR4 support), of which you could buy three & give two away as gifts
___________________
REAR I/O Trim Shield Plate
An 'Assembly', per Dell, tends to mean more than one part is involved, which may mean a new mthrbrd comes with a Rear I/O plate + thermal paste + Windows COA etc, but may not > if these plates are sold separate, it is essential your Sales rep discover the part# for one; rear I/Os sometimes double as EM RF interference shields etc & protect your ports from damage. Having one is important
___________________
(@Carbon, your part# & price seems to be good)(382 Euro : 455 USD)
________________________
R2 Owners Buyer's Guide
$200 Raider v. $635 Alien
Carbon Based Lifeform
2 Intern
•
872 Posts
0
November 24th, 2017 16:00
holy .
but this is the Price I expected to hear before i called Dell Support. the X99 Board costs around 500$. oh Boy, what if the 382 Euro Price is just a Cyber Monday / Black Friday Offer? i'm gonna be so if the Price is higher when i call Dell next Time.
JKTRRT
1 Rookie
•
52 Posts
0
November 24th, 2017 17:00
The time you get finished upgrading the R2 1.Motherboard $600.00 2. 7980 CPU $1900.00 3. Ram $700.00 4. I Tb Samsung 960 Pro $ 600.00 for a total of $ 3800.00 is it worth it?
Carbon Based Lifeform
2 Intern
•
872 Posts
0
November 25th, 2017 03:00
well i already have 64 GB RAM here and i don't have to pay a Full Price for the CPU. Hint: Job related Discounts.
all i need is the Board and some Cables / Adapters which i can't Buy on the Retail Market.
BTW: Samsung is about to release the 980 Series M.2 SSD. so forget the old 960 Pro.
Gromz
1 Rookie
•
8 Posts
0
December 14th, 2017 19:00
I would love to upgrade my area 51 R2 with a new x299 board but reading this thread I see that it's not possible. It makes no sense to me. I think Dell should sell the x299 boards to anyone who has a valid service tag for R2. I want a board with M.2 and U.2 possibly and would like a Kaby Lake processor for Optane memory and the new Intel Optane SSD 900P. I realize that the argument is that is it worth it but as someone who just loves the latest and future proof tech and a serious VR enthusiast and avid gamer and no wife its very worth it to me. I honestly just want some M.2 action and Optane..
Btw I as a new proud owner of the Alienware 34 curved monitor I have to say its awesome and huge.. holy cow (cant fit my older 4k 60hz monitor on my Arozzi pc game desk until I get a wall mount.
If I cant buy a x299 board I am boycotting Dell lol.