Aurora R7, upgrading help, #5

Question

Firstly hello to anyone and everyone reading this. I bought my pre-built gaming PC a lil while back (2018) and I'm looking to upgrade it now. Unfortunately I'm very limited with computer knowledge but can learn with a lil direction and a lot of advice if your willing to give it . So please be patient with me, for I have learned a lot but still have far to go. I've recently watched a few YouTube videos on the process of upgrading and/or building and I'm planning to watch a lot more to wrap my head around it fully and hopefully avoid making expensive mistakes (if possible) Almost kind of like not building my own pc when I had the chance to . I Probably would have avoided all these compatibility hazards and work-arounds ahead of me but based on the videos I've seen it seems to be inevitable regardless of what path I would have chosen. I really don't know cuz I've been very hesitant to open up my PC and risk damaging what's inside, and that's mainly because everything works just fine as it is but I am now frustrated playing on these low settings and even lower resolutions, while expectations of playing alongside my real life friends have been mounting with each passing AAA game that comes out and has multiplayer. I should also note that I bought a HTC Vive with my PC and if possible I'd like to open up my library to more VR games but only if the graphical quality is average or above and not below average as it currently stands. My guests love trying it out but they all say that its very fuzzy but very fun at least.. Anyways sorry about my life's story but hopefully you get a sense of what kind of person your helping/dealing with . Without further ado here is a summary of my PC below

OS Name Microsoft Windows 10 Home
Version 10.0.19041 Build 19041

System Manufacturer Alienware
System Model Alienware Aurora R7
System Type x64-based PC

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8700 CPU @ 3.20GHz, 3192 Mhz, 6 Core(s), 12 Logical Processor(s)

BaseBoard Manufacturer Alienware
BaseBoard Product 0VDT73
BaseBoard Version A00

Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 16.0 GB
Total Physical Memory 15.8 GB
Available Physical Memory 7.91 GB
Total Virtual Memory 30.3 GB
Available Virtual Memory 14.8 GB

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
Intel(R) PCIe Controller (x16) - 1901

Qualcomm QCA9377 802.11ac Wireless Adapter
Killer E2500 Gigabit Ethernet Controller

Sorry but I'm not sure what my power supply is like but if I remember correctly it was pretty low at the time of purchase.. the number 450 comes to mind but at this very moment I just don't know. Not until I open up my PC at least. I've already made peace that it's inevitable to buy a better one with hopefully a significantly stronger GPU and futureproof it because power is crucial at the end of the day. I still have to research the dangers of having too much power outside of the fact that it creates extra heat and a higher electric bill.

I've also never overclocked my GPU or my CPU (if it is possible) but I'm now willing to take that risk and learn how to if it will save me more money to do so and not have to buy a newer part.

I was hoping to not have to upgrade for another two years but I don't know If I want to deal with these performance issues anymore.

If you guys or gals can let me know what is holding me back and what is the best option to move forward then I would greatly appreciate your insight and advice. Currently I am lost with this motherboard and fearful of this compact mid-sized tower... Many thanks in advance!!!

r72019 · Accepted Answer

The Nvidia 3070 FE (4.4' x 9.5') will fit fine in an R7 and is compatible. If you have the 460w psu you will need to upgrade it first.   It really depends on what games you play and the use you put it (e.g. gpu vs cpu intensive) to see which component will bottleneck which.  For example you switch off hardware acceleration the cpu may be the bottleneck, turn it on and it may be the gpu. Or same deal gor example going from 1080 to 4k, that will put much more load on the gpu.  There's always going to be one component limited by the speed of another, that's just the nature of a pc.  I wouldn't worry about it too much with an 8th gen i7 and 3070.

crimsom · Answer

Hi @Gizmossis  welcome to this user to user forum. Please go to Search this Board and type in Aurora R7 Upgrade to see if solution posted provides a fix for your system.

r72019 · Answer

Also, note that the 8700 is locked and cannot be overclocked but it should be fine.  You're maxed out at an 8700k / 8086k (discontinued) max upgrade and its not a worthwhile upgrade from an 8700.

r72019 · Answer

@Gizmossis

The 1050ti is holding you back. It is also below the minumum system requirements for VR with the HTC VIVE

https://www.vive.com/us/support/wireless-adapter/category_howto/vive-wireless-system-requirements.html

Gizmossis · Answer

Ok thank you for the replies, but can you tell me how high a gpu I can go while achieving harmony with my cpu? I was looking at some RTX 3070's but after reading on the concept of 'bottlenecking' last night I'm not sure if this would be a good purchase or not? Also if this card is viable, would it be compatible with my motherboard?

Gizmossis · Answer

Ok thanks again for the help. Ill look more into it but you've helped ease my biggest worries. I do like my current card because it has allowed me to play open world games like Red Dead 2, GTA5, Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, Kingdom Come, Shadow of War, etc. but these last few months I've had to drop to 720p and to the lowest settings and sometimes that doesn't cut it like in Arma 3 which is the game I bought the PC for  . I can also play some VR but I've only played a few carnival games like Pierhead Arcade, some Racing games and some theme park type stuff but shooters are pretty much out of the question. I tried playing Onward yesterday and it was a absolutely brutal experience. I could have turned down the graphical settings but what good would that have done if you cant see anything to begin with. Thanks again for the help and happy coming New Year to you and Family!

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Aurora R7, upgrading help, #5

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