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September 30th, 2012 19:00

Will a AMD HD 7970 fit my system?

Just a quick question - looking to replace my HD 5870 x 2. Have had nothig but problems with Crossfire, so want a single card solution.

System is:

Alienware Aurora ALX

Intel i7 975 3.6GHz;12GB DDR3 1333MHz;Intel X58 Express Chipset;ATI CrossfireX Radeon 2 x HD 5870;Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit

Needs to be simple to install - no modding.

Anyone with experience with this series of card? Also, which one? I see a number of different brands and versions i.e.HIS HD 7970 X Turbo, etc.

Am in Sydney, Australia

December 14th, 2012 15:00

OK - so I bought a Gigabyte HD 7970. It installed easily (working out the power supply cables took a little time). Works well  -  no issues so far. By the way, BF3 is spectacular with this card.

133 Posts

October 1st, 2012 01:00

Google the specs/size of your current GPU first or go to the AMD site and find your GPU. Then go to the HIS site find the 7970 model your buying and match up the specs/size with your current card to determine whether it will fit or not.

I dont image the dimensions of the card being that different, im 99.9 percent sure the 7970 will fit

72 Posts

October 1st, 2012 14:00

It will fit I have the HD7970 in the R1 you have the alx which is a little larger than mine.

158 Posts

October 2nd, 2012 14:00

I'll leave you the service manual of the Aurora ALX so you have a guide when installing a new graphics card.

8 Wizard

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17K Posts

October 2nd, 2012 17:00

It will fit I have the HD7970 in the R1 you have the alx which is a little larger than mine.

 
Really? Nice
 
You wouldn't happen to a score from a popular Benchmark would you?
 
No, AFAIK ... non-ALX and ALX Aurora's are exacly the same size (including PCIe card slots ... allowable card lengths).

8 Wizard

 • 

17K Posts

October 2nd, 2012 18:00

Also, which one? I see a number of different brands and versions

I've had good luck with AMD-XFX cards.

Yes, single card is better, especially in smaller machine like Aurora.

October 21st, 2012 01:00

Anyone actually installed an HD 7970?

10 Posts

October 21st, 2012 08:00

I installed a Saphire HD 7970 in my Area 51 last month.  There was plenty of room and it booted on the first try.  I did have to sacrifice the top brace screwed into the top of the OEM graphic card that came with the computer.  The brace totally supported the card all the way from side to side.  While the 7970 is adequately supported with the plug-in interface and a few screws, I defenately would remove the new card and pack it seperately if I needed to ship the computer.  In my opinion, this is an excellent way for Alienware to install the graphic card and ship the computer to the consumer as the brace attached to the top of the card is rock solid.  Again, I think you would likely be able to install the 7970 without a problem.

Various versions of the AMD 7990 are on the way (or here already), including the PowerColor HD Devil13 Dual (7970) GPU Video Card. This card comes with 3 integrated fans but is double the thickness of a single AMD 7970.  As of today, this card is not yet released.  

I liked the Saphire brand because it came with almost every cable you could think of and it's own set-up disk with all the drivers.  The packaging was top rate. 
 
My Area 51 is water cooled and I'm wondering if anyone has thought it necessary to add addition fans in this type of setup to offset any potential heat issues?

   

November 8th, 2012 05:00

Hmmm - has anyone shoehorned one into an Aurora ALX which, I think is smaller than the Area 51?

10 Posts

November 8th, 2012 07:00

The tech people at Alienware are really good about this.  I phoned them before I purchased the Saphire 7970.  Give them a call and they will tell you if the video card you have in mind will fit.  The toll free number is at Alienware.com.

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