Upgrade Alienware X51 power supply

Hi i need to upgrade the power supply because i want to put in a GTX 780 and 16gb of ram. I am putting it in a new case and the old power connector has no means of attaching to new case so i need the internal power supply for that too. I was just wondering will it break or damage the motherboard in anyway or is it just not designed for that.

No, the system wasn't built for that because it has a power board designed to work with an external PSU (AC adapter).

okay so the power board just converts/splits it into what an internal power supply does. (if that makes sense) and just wondering why dont you guys sell a 600W external power supply. I dont need a new power supply for the motherboard anymore because i can just get a 250W power supply just for the graphics card.

the motherboard is a standard motherboard so me putting power into it the way it was designed wont break it. what stops me from getting rid of the power board???

the motherboard is a standard motherboard so me putting power into it the way it was designed wont break it. what stops me from getting rid of the power board???

Yes, by removing the power board you'll be able to install an internal PSU. However, this process is risky and expensive, so we don't recommend it at all. If you decide to do the upgrade, keep in mind that the warranty won't coverage for any hardware that gets damaged during the process. 

Now Naomi, will the Alienware X51 R2 eventually support other more power GPU's in the years to come?  I do have the gtx 760 ti currently, and I do know that upgrading is going to be limited to the 330w. Will Dell and Radeon and Nvidia work to further support GPU upgrades Past the GTX760ti and the R9 270?

dude what Naomi is saying is pretty clear. If you have a x51 R1 you cant get a gpu upgrade over Dell released Nvidia GTX660. if you have an R2, currently the highest Nvidia gpu you cant get is a GTX 760ti.  The power supply for the X51 is warranty covered for the 330w Dell issued external PSU.  Do whatever you want with your computer but any of the modifications you suggested are not covered by Dell's warranty.

Well I have a R2 model with i7 and 330W supply, where can I buy the 760 ti graphics card that will work with my PC. Can you send me a link? Thanks

Could you post links? Or model# ?

Hello, I have a similar question for X51 R2.

What are the available upgrade of video cards for X51 R2?

Thank you!

I have the X-51 with the 240W PSU and recently it started to shut down while playing the same games I use to play before just fine. I am not sure if it is a bad PSU or the card; however, I noticed that  the Geforce 545 isnot longer available.   Is either one of these a reason for the PC to do this?  Can I use the GTX660Ti with this PSU. If not what other GPU can I use?

the two power connectors you see are the 6-pin type

if your GTX 660 requires 1x6pin connector, then you just plug one of the two into it, you don't need to bother with the second connector.

There is no requirement to use those any of those two connectors, you can buy cards like a GTX 750 that don't have a "power jack".

Hi, is it possible to use an 'EVGA GeForce GTX 960 SSC GAMING ACX 2.0+ 4GB GDDR5' as it seems to use the same amount of power as my current 545

I have a alienware x51 manufactured in in 2013. I didn't upgrade my power supply. Im running a 220w and I installed a GTX 750ti. It runs great. Way better then the gt 660 I was using.

Radeon R9 270, 2GB minimum psu is 500? or am I looking at the wrong card?    My x51 also restarts after I run a game on an average of usually 20 minutes. it ran for an hour today after I shut it down for sometime. There could be several issues I've researched. overheating of a gpu ( not sure what gpu is vs cpu) video card overheating, or faulty psu.    my question is, how can I tell 100% if it's my vid card or not? the same can be asked with the psu. I've ran a gtx 645, ( i'm unsure on how to clock or overclock things-FYI ) for almost 3 years. have spent countless hours running all my games on high or ultra. now, it dosent shut off when I run ESO but the game lags after about 20 mins. I'm considering upgrading to the gtx 660 superclocked.

Also does the x51 case have anything to do with faulty air flow by its design?