Aurora R10, upgrade from air cooling

Question

Hello folks, first time posting.

I mustered up my courage and ordered the Alienware R10 from the deal given in dell website: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/gaming-and-games/alienware-aurora-ryzen-edition-r10-gaming-desktop/spd/alienware-aurora-r10-desktop/wdr10ezios

Now I am not tech savvy and I’m buying the PC for some light gaming (I normally play Genshin Impact 2-3hrs a day) as well as for my work which will normally be drawing 3D models using CAD software and mostly using some remote labs through browsers.

I however saw several posts in YouTube and also dell website complaining about the thermal problems of this PC with air cooler. Most of the solutions was to replace the stock fans given with this machine. Obviously I never opened a desktop myself and the last time I had a desktop was back in 2000. What do you folks suggest I should do? :

1) Buy fans and install them? (p.s. I would need advice at what to do)

2) Leave them as it is.

3) Cancel the deal (even though I really need a machine right now to continue working)

Please help since I am getting anxiety due to this issue. I have never used machine such as this and I don’t know how it will perform. The machine is scheduled to arrive in Jan 13 2022 and it is currently shown to be in production.

Thank you.

jdubyas · Accepted Answer

This post shows what I did with my R10

Re: Aurora R10, air cooled to Corsair H60 AIO/Noctua setup - Dell Community

There isn't much space for better air cooler so you'll need to get an AIO like the Corsair H60. Doing push/pull on the AIO and replacing the front fan doesn't help with thermals but does make it run bit quieter. You'll also need to get VRM heatsinks. I got mine off ebay but sometimes you can find it on Amazon.

Solved: Re: Aurora R10, mm thickness of the VRM Heatsinks J46J2 and 4D5V9? - Dell Community

If you're not tech savvy, the R10 is not a system that's forgiving to work on. I've had to reset my memory modules several times, reset my cmos when my system would not boot up (mostly due to installing 3rd party mem modules in a configuration technically not supported, 4x8gb). It's been stable/unstable/stable with various bios/AWCC updates over the months. Most youtubers are pushing system to extremes and very comfortable working inside a computer.

But generally speaking, most normal usage don't involve maxing out CPU at 100% for long periods on end (which the air cooled CPU might be a bottleneck) and the default case fans are good at moving lot of air, albeit maybe a bit noisy. Replacing fans only help with noise, not reducing temps. Replacing with AIO water cooler will help with CPU but your workload will be more on your graphics card than on your CPU.

TLDR version: don't worry about it

Ahmf239 · Answer

Thank you for the tldr. I’m not too worried about the noise since I use noise cancellation headphones. You make sense when you say it’s my graphics card which will be taking most load. I’ll take your advice and won’t worry about it. Thanks.

RodsterB · Answer

No your warranty would not be voided unless you broke something that Dell could prove you did it. That’s always tough to prove but they do have that option. It can be tricky but it is doable. As many Alienware forum members have said in the past, Dell should never have allowed these machines to be sold with an air cooled package. Even with liquid cooling they can get toasty inside.

Another option is to remove the side panel, swing out the power supply and point an oscillating fan towards the inside of the case. That could really drop your temps without having to do an upgrade.

Ahmf239 · Answer

Ah the old school blowing fan technique. Nice I’ll do that during summer. Thanks for the tip.

Ahmf239 · Answer

Hello thank you for replying. If I install a liquid cooling solution would my warranty be voided?

RodsterB · Answer

IIRC, once your order enters production you can’t cancel, i.e. you no longer have that option. It may take a phone call to cancel.

Yes the air cooled units can get noisy inside the micro chassis. The Aurora R10 might look big on the outside but that’s mostly plastic panels hiding a VERY small chassis inside.

You could have someone install a liquid cooled option for you i.e. a PC shop shop since it has been awhile since you’ve worked with computers. Also based on this video, the air cooled Aurora’s don’t have VRM heatsinks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo3CKzeGw3c

Ahmf239 · Answer

Oh that makes sense.

jdubyas · Answer

My workflow is mostly 2D, Lightoom and video editing so keeping CPU cooler while rendering made the AIO make sense for my workflow since I'm CPU bound.  That and I hate noise so I went with noctua fans.

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Aurora R10, upgrade from air cooling

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