Waiting for Aurora R3 delivery - nervous?

Hey Everybody

Just wondering, the original poster I think was due to receive his unit.  Wondered if he got it and how it's working out.

In my case the lockups occurred right out of the box multiple times before I rerounted the cables for the 2nd video card install 2 weeks later.   I went back multiple times and checked all connectors on the MoBo to ensure they were seated securly.

thanks for taking the time to reply, really appreciate it,

guess i will have a go at doing the same, and fitting my 6870's over the weekend, 

DaZ

Here is what I'm getting in a week or so:

Matte Stealth Black Alienware Aurora w/ 875W Multi-GPU Approved PSU
Intel Core i7-2600 (8MB Cache) Overclocked Turbo Boost to 3.9GHz
Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate, 64bit, English
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
4GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 6990
2TB SATA 6Gb/s (7,200RPM) 32MB Cache
Alienware 19-in-1 Media Card Reader
Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium
Dual Drives: Blu-ray Disc (BD) Burner (Writes to DVD/CD/BD) and DVDRW

Do I have to be worried about freezing since I'm getting a HD6990 and a 875w PSU?

Yes - I mentioned in another thread (about AMD vs. Dell drivers) that I received my PC and it's now been on and running various things (benchmarks, some games, web browsing, etc.) for more than 24 hours.

Barring the black screen (which needed a reboot) when I tried to install the latest AMD drivers (which I guess is a no-no?), the machine hasn't exhibited any problems.  Let's hope it remains that way!

I'm still plugging away at restoring files, apps and such.  Busy busy!

Here is what I'm getting in a week or so:   Matte Stealth Black Alienware Aurora w/ 875W Multi-GPU Approved PSU  Do I have to be worried about freezing since I'm getting a HD6990 and a 875w PSU?

ATI's web site list the minimum requirements for just the 6990 at PSU 750.

Crixc below is correct. The ATI power mins include the whole system. Here is a review showing the 6990 power usage at 500watts.

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1566/13/

http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/amd-radeon-hd-6000/hd-6990/Pages/amd-radeon-hd-6990-overview.aspx#2

• PCI Express® based PC is required with one X16 lane graphics slot available on the motherboard
• 750W Watt or greater power supply with two 150W 8-pin PCI Express® power connectors recommended (1000W and four 8-pin connectors recommended for AMD CrossFireX™ technology in dual mode. 1200W recommended for optimal performance).
• Certified power supplies are recommended. Refer to http://ati.amd.com/certifiedPSU for a list of Certified products
• Minimum 1GB of system memory
• Installation software requires CD-ROM drive, a keyboard, a mouse, and a display
• DVD playback requires DVD drive and a DVD
• Blu-ray™ playback requires Blu-ray drive and a Blu-ray disc
• For an AMD CrossFireX™ system, a second AMD Radeon™ HD 6990 Graphics card, an AMD CrossFireX™ Ready motherboard and one AMD CrossFireX™ Bridge Interconnect cable is required
• Use of 3 or more displays with AMD Eyefinity technology requires a DisplayPort-capable panel or an AMD Eyefinity validated dongle. See http://www.amd.com/EyefinityDongles for a list of validated DisplayPort dongles.

Here is what I'm getting in a week or so:   Matte Stealth Black Alienware Aurora w/ 875W Multi-GPU Approved PSU  Do I have to be worried about freezing since I'm getting a HD6990 and a 875w PSU?

ATI's web site list the minimum requirements for just the 6990 at PSU 750. This doesn't include power consumption for any other power usage such as the mobo, drives, speakers, fans, etc...

http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/amd-radeon-hd-6000/hd-6990/Pages/amd-radeon-hd-6990-overview.aspx#2

• PCI Express® based PC is required with one X16 lane graphics slot available on the motherboard
• 750W Watt or greater power supply with two 150W 8-pin PCI Express® power connectors recommended (1000W and four 8-pin connectors recommended for AMD CrossFireX™ technology in dual mode. 1200W recommended for optimal performance).
• Certified power supplies are recommended. Refer to http://ati.amd.com/certifiedPSU for a list of Certified products
• Minimum 1GB of system memory
• Installation software requires CD-ROM drive, a keyboard, a mouse, and a display
• DVD playback requires DVD drive and a DVD
• Blu-ray™ playback requires Blu-ray drive and a Blu-ray disc
• For an AMD CrossFireX™ system, a second AMD Radeon™ HD 6990 Graphics card, an AMD CrossFireX™ Ready motherboard and one AMD CrossFireX™ Bridge Interconnect cable is required
• Use of 3 or more displays with AMD Eyefinity technology requires a DisplayPort-capable panel or an AMD Eyefinity validated dongle. See http://www.amd.com/EyefinityDongles for a list of validated DisplayPort dongles.

750 Watt or greater is for the whole system, ATI does not give power recommendations for the video card alone.

The ATI 6990 requires 2x 8 pin connectors (150w each) and PCI slot (75 watts) so total GPU power is 375 watts the other 375 watts

out of the 750w is for your system.

Here is a post that further confirms this: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/303666-28-6990

Thanks guys appreciate the responses.

I got mine today and just aweseome just one thing the deliver man did not call me or anything he just left it right outside the door nobody in my family did see him so none has signed that he was here

I ordered my R3 before becoming aware of these issues and should receive mine on 8/24/11. I have since read almost every forum concerning lockup/freezes and am coming to the conclusion that it may be date related, i.e. computers ordered before a certain date that may have had faulty hardware, possibly motherboards with bad RAM slots. I will post again when I receive mine. I first plan to run it straight out of the box to see if the issue persists. Will keep all informed. I truly hope it has been as this is my first Alienware and I am one very excited camper :), slightly concerned, but i got no problems returning within 21 days, reordering and continuing until they fix it or refuse to let me order any more :) :)

Intel Core i5-2300 2.8GHz (6MB Cache) Overclocked Turbo Boost to 3.3GHz

16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz (4X4GB), 4 DIMMs

2GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 6950

1TB SATA 3Gb/s (7,200RPM) 32MB Cache

Matte Stealth Black Alienware Aurora w/ 525W Multi-GPU Approved PSU

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit, English, w/Media

Single Drive: 24X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability

KillerNIC 2100 PCIe

btw way I love my m14x and I love Dell.  I think if I wanted to tdevote the time and energy they would totally help me fix this.  I have the super gold top of the line three year service contract where you get to pick your own tech etc.  So shame on me i guess.  

UPDATE ON EARLY POST TO THIS thread

I had posted early on that mine was super fast and ran like a dream.  I have had my R3 since April 11, 2011.  I still like it but the reality is that it crashes to a black screen after I exit out of an intense gaming program.  Which, since this rig is used almost exclusively for gaming and surfing, might occur several times each day.  I dont mind- I just push and hold the start button to shut it off and manually power it back on.  It's not worth the time and effort to try to fix/send back. - for me. Others Im sure will disagree and I agree with them.  I just dont want to deal with the bother on an intermittent issue.  

Also, while its a desktop unit I use wireless to access the internet.  The wireless card that came with the unit is very weak.  Often will not log onto the internet at all.  I know this is a problem with the unit as I have the m14x which I have had for a few weeks now and will load the internet at the same time as I start my R3-you know, to see if my signal is weak.  My m14x gets on right away.

Also makes quite a bit of scraping and pinging noises that dont seem to affect performance

So anyway, I wanted to post mostly because I feel my original post is deceptive without this qualifier.

Would I buy the R3 again?....No I dont think so.  Maybe though.  Ive kind of bonded with my unit and it seems like it is really trying to run well.  (I tend to humanize inanimate objects.)    

So thats my follow up.  Hope it helps.

got mine about a year ago, and I've not once had an issue. I LOVE my R3, it's just a beast and honestly...no regrets what so ever :)

All I can say is: I LOVE the performance of my Aurora ALX system (see specs below, it's a Lamborghini). However, it had a MINOR issue - the thermal vents were stuck, and would not open/close at all. I know this is a trivial defect, but if I'm gonna spend 5k on a system it better be perfect...I think everyone would agree that is reasonable. Called Alienware support (2 days after receiving the system)...System delivered 7/28...after well over 10 hours on the phone (getting the runaround with every call attempt, 5 support folks said they would call back and never did) they finally sent a tech out with the part to replace. Oh ya...the part was sent and arrived at the in-home tech's place the next day, but it took 1 1/2 weeks to finally hear from someone and get them over to fix it. The tech could not fix it, so he called Dell and was told they would call me and send a new tower. Yup...they never called, so I called them. Support had no idea they were supposed to send me a new tower!! "Sir, can you explain what the issue is with your system?" Round and round we go again (another 10+ hours on the phone, multiple techs, no call backs, etc.). Today is August 22nd, and my new tower is still "in production" - for about a week (I was told it would be shipped in 24-48 hours). NIGHTMARE!!

However...on a happier note (?), the Nvidia 3D glasses that I ordered with the system had an issue. The left lens "exploded" on the inside (and I had not used them yet, they were just in the provided case high up on a shelf)! So I called Dell, who told me to call Nvidia...who told me to call Dell since this is within 30 days of purchase. I thought, "great, here we go again". The next Alienware tech support person (who I just got off the phone with 10 minutes ago) was the BEST support person I have talked to since I purchased my XPS 700 system 5 years ago! New glasses are shipping today or tomorrow! Now, seeing is believing...I'll update once I have confirmation of shipping, and if my new tower gets sent.