Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
1 Rookie
•
1.8K Posts
2
105335
The ALX Files: Operation Kalifornikation / Area-51 R2 Kase Build / Surfin' with the Alien
- below I'll dokument my ufo projekt ... new triad kase surfed on in from Kalifornia -
purchased from a fellow member of notebookreview, today now Aug 8th, it touched down in a personal Klose Encounter of the 5th Kind I've had with these Aliens; just an empty kase w/power supply, then putting a system together & posting the results as they happen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibqn-tS01pE
{ http://www.ebay.com/itm/171878235870?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT }
- Idea Storm -
R U working with an empty case? i7 6700k overklocks to 4.8GHz; its qwad-kore & higher klock-speed's a gaming kontender over the 5820k. The top-secret US military base known as Area-51 situates on Groom Lake, Nevada. Drop a new SkyLake cpu in your Alien?
I give you Area-51 GLX - Groom Lake Edition - of kourse
- the Alpha or the Omega -
run your service tag / build sheet on Dell.com, you will find many references to the descriptor Centauri, Like Phobos Deimos & Andromeda before it, this then is its given astrologikal name.
'Alpha Centauri - also known as Rigil Kent or Toliman - is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus & the third brightest star in the night sky'. I don't have mucho extra dinero this year for an x99 or z170 system & I need to come to grips with that; as such, Omega Centauri will be the 3rd brightest star in my Alien Kollektion for the foreseeable future
eBay seller / listing photos
1st on list: sleeve the bare-naked wires. this is just sloppy. it's lazy. everywhere I look:
- this looks like an amateur build because it's been exekuted like one at the faktory -
the R2 power supply's made by Delta for Dell; Delta makes psu's for other kompanies like Antec, I'll be building a kable set for this kase, kustom-sized & hand-made using an Antec HCP-1300 set I own. I'll yank the old kase harness out & one-by-one rekreate the kustom lengths. HCP-1300's use upgraded 16gauge wire; a welcome treat over the stock 18gauge wire kommissioned by Dell
a chat with Dell Sales: price of a new door side panel (part# 2PHP0) is ... wait for it ...
$274.99
{ ... doesn't that mean $550 a pair ... }
next time u take your door panel off I want you to decide if it's a $125 part or a $275 part
but 1st things 1st:
- ugly bare door-striker is no more, save for the cloth-tape remnants that sully my post -
disassembly & an air-dusting:
how much better would a black pcb-board have been ... a black pop-off lid was needed here
left: courtesy of lazy broke aliens >< right: courtesy of get 'er done
had to show that Delta fan sum luv w/a bit a new sleeve & a black 4pin connector
shoutout to the Skorpions circa 1982's --> BlackOut
survey the front/rear damage: in the rear, major naked-in-publik offenders are the door striker, batteries, backporch led light & Wi-Fi. below, dressed for success; went so far as to trade a new black connect on the odd 4pin harness:
everything's done, all wires properly finished
for my Alien? psu fan will face-up in an attempt to suk hot air out better & add a fresh look. simple window-skreen will help akt as a dust-filter turned skrew-katcher
motherboard tray --> is it x99 socket 2011-v3 only?
- can a SkyLake z170 skt 1151 cooler backplate even fit ??? -
I bought this case on a whim & don't have Intel x99 Haswell-E money right now so I thought I'd drop something else in later down the road, perhaps SkyLake eventually, who knows. tonight I test-fit my spare A-51 R1 mthrbrd but the original cooler back-plate had an issue with the mthrbrd tray on the 2011-v3 raised 'boss' / indents shown above circled. that indent happens to line up right where the stock x99 alienboard cpu plate is as a form of a cpu-plate backer
mthrbrd manufacturers center/align/orient the cpu wherever, so as u ponder a swap be advised the 2011-v3 indent may or may not be an obstruction for your cooler backplate. I'm going to use an Alienware cooler; these are made by a company called AseteK & I ordered a cooler backplate / install kit from them on their eBay store ($10 shipped) since the old x58 mthrbrd I have here is the fastest way for me to get a system going & CmndCntr 4.0 tested for compatibility:
x99 socket 2011-v3 boards do not need (they already have) a dedicated cpu/cooler backplate:
- if u buy an x99 board - if it fits in the mthrbrd tray - re-use your cooler retention ring
- SkyLake socket 1151 may need its own backplate for the cooler retention ring (?)
contact Asetek for your socket 1366/1150/1155 universal install kit & ask if SkyLake 1151 is supported yet; be aware of the mthrbrd tray raised pressure plate thingy brought to your attention since I do not know if the mthrbrd tray supports a Skylake board or if it only accepts x99's ... all I know is that indent got in my freakin way tonight & I need a plan that doesn't include whacking it flat w/a hammer ... the day will come when empty triad cases are prolific & one shouldn't be so qwik to assume (like I did) that any ATX mthrbrd will slide right in & have liqwid-kooling without issue:
Asetek kooler-kit arrived a day after I modded my original back-plate; my mthrbrd's installed already, it's too late to find out if this kit will work or not without modification, though my template suggests it may've needed cut, but maybe not. the red areas I drew-in to represent the most probable location of the mthrbrd tray cpu-plate brackets, based on the template sketch I worked out to mod my original backplate:
black majik marker represents mthrbrd-tray cpu-plate brackets; the left bracket was an obstacle to my original back-plate; if this kit will work for this particular skt 1366, it will barely work relative to the left bracket; if there's obstruction during your install, you'll need to remove plastic from the mounting-ring w/a razorblade or similar until the ring fits in the tray; just because mine was a tight fit doesn't means yours will be, but then again, maybe so ...
you'll probably be using an x99 2011-v3 mthrbrd & should be able to re-use your kooler & hardware w/out issue for that reason; if u go with haswell skt 1150 / skylake skt 1151 you'll find out yourself if these Asetek kooler-kits work on delivery - if they need a mod to fit - or can't fit no matter what due to the tray design, matters I can't help with, so good luck
with a slight mod to the original cooler retention backplate, I've mounted an Area-51 R1 rev2 x58 mthrbrd; this is the system I'll bring to the table for now, as very little out-of-pocket expense has to occur in using hardware & parts I already own {the 'TriadMaster' has found himself 'bout broke for August/September}. the kooler's a 38mm copper-base Aurora R4, by Asetek, part# 01YGW, using a 25mm 4pin pwm fan; later I'll swap on a black retention ring ...
brand new XDJ4C A-51 R1 mthrbrd, bought it for $50-shipped: steal of a lifetime. the eBay vendor's in Houston Texas & got the board direct from Dell in RoundRock, TX
delivery day, bench-test to make sure it works; arrived new w/BIOS A06, I'm flashing to A11
it's high-time I got some use out of my new mthrbrd; way better than sitting in a styrofoam coffin. the R2 alienFx front i/o board (aka master i/o) has usb 3.0 external ports; my R1 mthrbrd doesn't have usb 3.0 so I've bought a 15mm / 6inch usb 3.0-to-2.0 adaptor to cure it:
below, 18" hand-made front panel (pwr on / hdd led / pwr led / reset) & spare 17" usb 2.0 harnesses; necessary since the ones that were provided are too short to reach the lower headers; the less gawdy part-tags my Alien wears the better ...
those stock USB / Panel cables (right) are short 10" / 11" (~6cm); you may need a pair of 20" or longer typical usb cables to help reach from the FI/O board to your new mthrbrds usb/front panel headers, example: 20" USB cable --> the usb connector is standard, but to use a new usb for your front panel headers, do this:
typical MSI front panel header: poke a hole in your 5x5 usb connector so it fits over pin #9
note: usb connector is a basic 5x5 & suitable for some mthrbrds; later I'll make a new front panel cable for a mthrbrd which uses a 10x10 connector: I made a solid 10x10, a pair of 5x5's could easily have been substituted: two 5x5's = one 10x10 (for Asus etc); a spare 5x5 usb connector is necessary
next: build a kase harness
24" 16gauge cpu 8pin: to get the connector through the access hole, my kable wears a 4+4 8pin (the original's are a solid 8pin / can't fit the hole; no solid 8pins allowed). I separated the 4+4 into two halves to gain access through the hole & rejoined them in the mthrbrd cpu 8pin header
at psu modular end (red row) a pair of type1 EPS 6pins are slapped on for 12v/ground; sata & molex/peripheral wear EPS 6pins in top row; all have rebuilt ends wired up exact for the Delta
my reference Dell OEM Radeon 270's, 5970's & 290x have stabilizer brackets too long to fit in here; looks like a 12" long card's the max, mine are like 13". crikey. the brace is useless ...
1st grfx kable & 24p finished
making the 2nd grfx kable
what was a long 24" incher, now cut down to 14"; I keep the pci-e end untouched so it retains factory krimped psu terminals, then apply my own terminals to the other end. the Delta uses a 6pin front panel - kable has 8 aktual wires in the 6+2- I've jumped the 18gauge 2pin pairs onto the primary 16gauge grounds; they're wired in parallel sharing ground pins like the originals do
sleeve / zip-tie / heatshrink on one end; ready for type2 / Pci-e 6pin connex on the other end
type2 / Pci-e 6pins attached; zip-tie & some liqwid plastic, ready to lay-down the heatshrink
et voilà: 8-wire 16gauge 6+2 Grfx
- a certain improvement over the original pair -
{grfx #3 & remaining sata finish out the new set}
I'll be the 1st to admit that things like 'a black ALX with window' & an admirable SkyLake GLX hardware setup will simply take time - maybe a few months - definite back-burner projekt; I've settled here for what I can immediately build on a $20 payout for odds n' ends ... this mthrbrd has a free kopy of windows 10 owed to it / needed a home in order to get online & snatch-up 10 ...
8.17.15 --> "We have lift off in T minus 10 ... 9 ... 8 ..." <--
- the Virginia Lights -
... Area-51's just earned its nom de guerre ...
KAL
- the lower top kase fan they cheapskated us on -
{note the extra-wide '38mm-wide' radiator. the reality is you only get a 25mm radiator}
as if the 38mm-wide radiator wasn't false-advertising enough, alienware.com cgi clearly shows two top fans, which puzzles many owners & employees alike
{Dept of CGI never got the memo that all kases & kustomers would be denied their right to a 3rd fan. 10cent pieces of plastik substitute for high-dollar fans instead, to save them $, ya think?}
yes the unmistakable silhouette of the two built-in fan grilles: top is open / lower's 'blocked'
7T3N3 is the supposed part# of the top fan being passed around the interwebz; however, VNPD3 is probably more like it. my chat with Sales said this: 'upon checking, yes, we do have this part (HLDR, P-FAN-120, CENTAURI) available for $27.99 before tax & shipping'. splendid?
on AwareYoutube, when asked about the missing fan, here's an answer, one of many: "the spot you might be referring to is there for no special purpose & isn't required for optimal performance of the machine". translate AlienSpeak into English however you prefer, but it looks to me like they broke out a good ol' fashioned Jedi MindTrik meant for the weak-minded; basically the Aliens should have given everyone their other top-fan (or at least put the bracket in there for it) instead of charging $30 after-the-fakt. if you buy a pricey fan bracket, the plastic cover can be peeled off the wall so you can go about installing a fan there:
the spot you might be referring to is there for no special purpose
'these aren't the droids you're looking for'
I guess the Aliens are gonna burn me soon for a $30 VNPD3 fan+bracket; their reputation with me was ruined ages ago, so, what-ev. I'll use a slimmer 120x25mm fan, low-power < 0.75amps, so I won't be using noisy 1.5amp Delta fans there, no way.
- Other Mthrbrd Swaps -
- Area 51 r2 - swap to a new motherboard, is it possible
- http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/p/19631919/20786834#20786834
I was contacted 2weeks ago by an R2 owner who bought a new Asus Sabertooth x99 mthrbrd; he simply booted into his original Windows install (with CC4 already on it) & also tried a clean install:
-
"cc4 & cc3 reinstalled on my hard drive that never had it on before with the new Asus board, so whoever told u that is incorrect and if u tried then you must have been installing it not as a admin or something ?" ( I did try as an admin; the proprietary block may be against my x58 mthrbrd itself, whereas his is x99 & might be 'approved')
either with cc4 on the original hard drive or a new install, he was met with these results:
- "Command center doesn't really work at all, the fans & temp gauges, only a few work & the lights on the machine work but changing colors is a task . the thermal part of cc4 won't work, I've tried & only able to get certain ones working. Power settings work & OC shows up but gives wrong readings & lastly the game booster works but not sure how well"
Crikey
here's a teezer photo I was sent;
SaberKat soket 2011-v3 fits the mthrbrd tray fine, no mods, no backplate reqwired
you saw that I made / sleeved my own longer usb & front panel kables; the Asus owner above asked me to intervene & make a new front panel cable with 10x10 connektor; a typical 18" usb kable's used; the original 'panel' kable wires / kolors have been charted (5x5 / top); then I shuffle some wires/pins around at both ends so it all gets wired-up right; the new usb kable has its own unique wire-kolors, charted (10x10 / bottom). A needle is used to poke a hole in the black 5x5 connector in the keyed slot (which is normally blocked off), yours may be similar
***pssst***
(wanna see illicit Kommand Center 4 ... on Aurora R4 ?)
*whispers* how about on an Area-51 R1 ...
it gets to keep the white lights theme, huh?
{both CC4.0 skreen shots were taken as I experimented here with my alien kollection}
- the Banzai Pipeline -
- Purple Reign -
KAL's kolor-theme is a shout-out, in memory of my girly-friend Airene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aZsvQ7pg4k
- December 2015 Edit -
How To: Adding the Missing Fan
Alienware Area 51 R2 Missing Lower Memory Fan
Owning my own R2 Triad kase, I share everyone's frustration & disappointment at these Aliens for:
- not including the lower fan for free
- substitution of a 10 cent plastic block-off plate in its place
- feigning ignorance a fan was even meant to go there (see youtube employee comments)
- charging ~$30 for the fan + fan frame (aka profiteering on a trivial part)
- not selling the $5 bracket separately ('boxing you in to a pricey fan purchase')
- making Command Center software useless after a person does install their ~$30 lower fan
- this goes hand-in-hand with ***-poor judgment in crippling the chassis fan headers
the part# of the fan bracket + Fan is VNPD3, available from Dell Sales.
Whether you just want a fan, or you installed FuryX / NVidia Hybrid Kooler & want more air
As we know, the new FuryX now inside Triad is liqwified; depending who was on the clock that day putting your system together, the top radiator fan might be oriented as an intake & toss heat directly into the case, or just as easily be an exhaust mount - *** hot air through the rad & push it out of the case - either way, now might be time to try the lower fan they skimped on to intake more fresh air or exhaust more hot air, depending. Above photo: someone's dropped theirs to the bottom of the case, & it makes sense to now want to install the missing fan ...
- 'Your' 25mm wide or 'Their' 38mm wide Fan -
- Dell sells a 120mm x 38mm Delta or Nidec 1.4amp - 1.5amp fan with VNPD3
- will a 38mm wide fan even fit under' Fury X's kooler? dunno yet.
- if not, return it ... or perhaps try your own 25mm wide (4pin pwm) fan 1st
- if a 25mm fits then kiss whatever $20+ you paid out for their 38mm fan u can't use
Whether adding any type or size or amperage fan will tend to negate thermals, be neutral (neither raise nor lower case temps), or actually benefit the system I can't say, but it's probably worth a try until you hear different. Intuition suggests moving more CFM's of air in or out of the case is a good plan.
Donovan is my source for saying that if you add a lower fan to your case wall & hook it up to your R2 mthrbrd fan header, the Command Center (and your UEFI / Bios) will do nothing, not like with the usual top fan; one asks themselves how Fury X's 'top-rad-fan' even integrates into CmndCntr 4:
- TitanX hybrid koolers get their fan pwr+signal directly from the card so I hear
- if FuryX does this too, the mthrbrd top fan header might actually be 'open' / unused
- if so, now's the chance to plug new lower fan in & integrate with CmndCntr, zip zop zoop
Otherwise I believe Donovan said that the remaining chassis fan headers on the R2 mthrbrd are either constant 5volts (low speed) or constant 12volts (max speed = hair dryer), basically worthless fan headers? If in fact they are constant 5v / 12v then neither situation has a fun factor & reqwires a plan. I dumped his email but I think that's what he said in our discussion over VNPD3. I'll assume it is so.
- How to get power to another case fan -
Mini 4pin PWM Fan Controller:
- http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-Fan-Controller-Use-on-4pin-PWM-Fans-Only-/251310564631?hash=item3a8346e517:g:D8QAAOxyPc5R8pd-
- sweet idea, but I've never tried one yet, research b4 purchase
Constant 7volts for your fan --> basically = 'medium' fan speed:
- the idea's to 'bridge' 5volts with 12volts & you wind up with 7volts
- https://www.google.com/#q=7volt+case+fan+mod
- https://www.google.com/#q=7volt+case+fan+adaptor
- http://www.ebay.com/itm/Molex-to-4-x-3pin-Fan-Cable-7V-/261132749745?hash=item3cccb98bb1:g:KOAAAMXQGQRR819Y
- http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=7v+fan&_sop=15
'Speed' or 'Noise' Reducer (aka in-line power resistor):
- resistor will basically take 12volts & reduce it to say 9volts & thus slow your fan down
- http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Pin-Fan-Speed-Noise-Reduction-Cable-FREE-S-H-/371211341363?hash=item566deb8e33:g:eP8AAOxyq5NRC~oW
*** Note: if you use Dell's 1.4amp - 1.5amp Delta / Nidec fan, that's a nominally hi-power fan which will probably burn-up any weak type of fan speed reducer which employs a weak resistor:
- adaptors with in-line resistors are usually meant for a low-power fan (0.5amps or less)
- running a hi-power fan on one of these, the resistor will probably burn-up (majik smoke)
- ALWAYS message your vendor if / when they do not state the maximum amperage or watts their resistor can handle & shy away from buying one with unknown amp/watt ratings
- Volts x Amps = Watts --> example 12V x 1.5A = 18W >< 12V x 1.4A = 16.8A
If a speed reducer seems your best / only option, substitute Dell's 38mm hi-amp fan with a 38mm of lesser amps or a 25mm fan of lesser amps (0.5a or less etc)(12V x 0.5A = 6Watts) as your safest bet.
(In-line) Fan Controller: the Zalman Fan Mate
- rated at 6Watts (0.5amps) or less > best used on 25mm & low-pwr 38mm fans
- if you attempt a fan rated over 0.5amps then fanmate will burn up / stop working, ok?
- 'FanMates' are just an idea for a low power fan, so look for one with beefier specs & you might get lucky or bite the bullet & buy a low power fan to go with it
this is a basic pci fan controller
- take the knob off, pull the pci plate off, place knob back on, stuff the rest in the case if needed
- note that some are 3pin fan only, some may be 4pin pwm capable
- http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=pci+fan+controller&_sacat=0
4/6/8 Fan Hubs:
- I've never used a fan hub, but the Silverstone model above comes with a SATA cable to snatch 12volts - sounds like a good thing - since extra fans need more power
- it takes the signal from your motherboard fan header, divides it up to as many as 8 fans, which get SATA power instead of draining the mthrbrd fan header which is our greatest fear of course, especially if you're trying to run 3AMPS worth of Screaming Delta's in there
- Fan hubs are worth looking into & researching but I have no opinion since I don't own one
- FAN HUB eBay
Otherwise do a basic 3pin 4pin pwm fan controller search on bing/google/eBay:
- 4pin PWM Fan Splitter: the Holy Grail or Your Worst Nightmare? -
this ease-of-use adaptor is meant for low-power fans
I saved the fan splitter cable for last. Remember. Hi-amperage Delta / Nidec fans are what Dell uses & call it a rule of thumb that 1.5amps is the most current you want to draw from a fan header:
- your ~1.5amp Delta / Nidec top fan already maxes out your 'top fan header'
- if you try to integrate another VNPD3 fan & use that splitter?
- you will place a 3amp burden on your fan header & your mthrbrd is now at risk for a burn-out
- do what u want to, but I wouldn't place two of Dell's 1.5amp fans on the same fan header
- you've been warned
If, like me, you're willing to call the top fan header 1.5amps MAX, the proper (costly) solution is this:
- buy a pair of 0.75amp or less fans, such that .75a x 2 fans = 1.5amp max draw on that header
- buy a splitter cable like in the photo
- safely run both your case wall fans off that top fan header
- curse the day these Aliens stole your fan, sold you a $28 bracket back & borked the mthrbrd
"We'll neither give them another fan nor allow the use of another fan in Command Center"
Blame them for whatever lengths & expenditures u go through to get that stupid 'missing' fan installed.
- MSI's X99 Command Center -
I know what you're thinking: "dude. it's just a fan, chill out".
Is it just a fan? Or is it the larger picture which is at issue & at the heart of the matter? I'll say this once.
MSI motherboards? The people who make the R2 MS-7862 mthrbrd for Alienware? MSI customers who buy an X99 motherboard? They too get an MSI Command Center ... sound familiar?
Their Command Center works. It controls all fan headers, of course it does:
MSI Command Center is used to 'adjust cooling features' & Total Fan Control "gives you complete control of all your fans on the motherboard, convenient for gamers & overclockers; users can real-time monitor the status of the fans, set profiles, record fan speed voltage & temperate status into a log file".
On top of it, in their UEFI / BIOS all fan headers are monitored & changeable. Of course they are.
'Somebody' at Alienware intentionally crippled the MS-7862 R2 mthrbrd UEFI, crippled all the chassis fan headers, crippled CmndCntr. WHY? To save themselves $10 by not putting the 'missing' fan in?
If they'd simply put the fan in, 'unlocked' chassis fan headers & integrated 'fans' into Alien Command Center? We wouldn't be here reading all the many ways to integrate a rogue fan into the case.
What should be a qwick harmonious install now becomes a rogue part in need of help. By crippling the motherboard & software? Look at the lengths a person has to go through now. They saved themselves $10 by withholding your fan, heck, they stand to make $28 if you buy the fan back from them & you yourself might be out $40 or more, just to run a fan? Unacceptable. 'Missing' lower case fan opens up brand new doorways into the truer nature of the corporate for-profit mindset of the Alien.
Of course I know why they don't ship the fan. Of course I know why a 10cent plate goes there instead.
Who told MSI to cripple the mthrbrd & the Command Center as well? Why? Why sabotage the board?
How can a $5000 gaming PC not do something as basic & simple as plug & play its own case fan???
Forget Everything You Know
maxmod
3 Posts
0
December 4th, 2015 15:00
How much did you pay for that R2 case? I want get one to do a full water cooling build.
Cass-Ole
1 Rookie
1 Rookie
•
1.8K Posts
0
December 4th, 2015 16:00
'twas $340 shipped (350 | OBO); the owner kept the (whimpy) 25mm kooler & X99 mthrbrd / cpu / memory / gpu, transferred over to a different kase: play the eBay waiting game to land yours