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Alienware Aurora R2 upgrade
Hello, I have an Alienware Aurora R2 with dual GPU AMD Radeon 6950 in crossfire. I had a long list of problems with these GPU's (they where both exchanged once during warranty) and now I'm having problems with them again. I would like to change them with something newer but I don't know what are the best GPU's that are still compatible with my MotherBoard.
The second objective would be to install a USB 3.0 PCIe Host Card but I don't know if that is possible with a dual gpu config.
Could you please help me with some advice for this upgrade?
Please don't recommend buying a new system. That is in the plan, but not for this year.
Thank you very much for any help.
Base : Alienware AuroraALX Cosmic Black Chassis
Processor : Intel Core i7-980x(3.33GHz,6.4GT/s 12MB )
Memory : 24GB 1333MHz (6x4GB) Tri Channel Memory
Media Card Reader : Alienware 19-in-1 Media card reader
Hard Drive : 512GB (2x256GB) Solid State Drive Raid 0 "Stripe" Dual HDD
Optical Drive : 16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Graphics : Dual 2GB AMD Radeon HD 6950 CrossfireX
Audio Integrated HDA 7.1 Dolby Digital capability
Operating System : English Genuine Windows 7 Ultimate (64 BIT)
Tesla1856
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March 15th, 2017 12:00
With ...
Processor : Intel Core i7-980x(3.33GHz,6.4GT/s 12MB )
Memory : 24GB 1333MHz (6x4GB) Tri Channel Memory
I think you have an Aurora (R1). With movable fins on top ... a Aurora-ALX (R1)
Should have Dell 875watt Power-Supply (but would not hurt to double-check). Should be line-item on original Invoice.
A "single card" solution will cool better and generally work better with less problems (no CrossFire or SLI to worry about). Yes, it can be "2 slots wide" but still only a single video card. You put it in the top-most slot.
Use the other PCIe slots for a USB-3.0 card (that's what I did).
uitama
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March 15th, 2017 14:00
Hello Tesla, thank you for your response. You are right, I verified and I have an R1 model. Is it possible to use a GTX1080 directly or GTX1070?
I found one like : Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 WINDFORCE OC, 8GB GDDR5X, 256-bit
And, at a similar price point: ASUS GeForce® GTX 1070 TURBO, 8GB GDDR5, 256-bit
Do you think it would be enough for games in 4k like Mass Effect Andromeda?
Any other recommendation, I receive with open heart :)
Thank you for your response,
Marius.
Tesla1856
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March 15th, 2017 16:00
Those should work if you have the 875w PowerSupply. The card I put in mine is in my sig and also in my Profile.
If you want to game in actual 4K resolution at best possible FPS ... I suggest the GTX-1080 or 1080ti.
uitama
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March 20th, 2017 04:00
Hello Tesla1856, thank you for all your help. I went and purchased a MSI GEFORCE GTX 1080 GAMING X 8G model. Unfortunately it is quite wider than what and I had to remove the plastic cover that was covrering the previous GPUs.
That is the only problem. Now I also have enough room for a USB 3.0 expansion but I need to find something for the PCIE 1 slot that is a little further from the video card. I have bought one and placed it on the PCIe x16 and that seem to be a little too close to the GPU. I fear it will not ventilate properly.
I will try the PCIe 1 version tomorrow.
Again thank you for your help./