Aurora R8, PSU upgrade

Question

so since 4090 is almost out, I wonder if it can fit in my 3-year-old aurora r8? if it can, is it possible to upgrade my current 850w PSU into a, 1200w or potential 1600w PSU so it can actually run 4090?

Vanadiel · Accepted Answer

Likely will not fit, and why would you want to put that video card in an R8?

The 4090 requires the best CPU you can currently purchase, to avoid a CPU bottle neck. Anything less and you will not get the performance out of that video card you should be getting.

You are much better off putting a 3000 series card in that R8, and even then you will run into a bottleneck if you use a 3090.

I would recommend a 3070, or 3080.

ProfessorW00d · Answer

I concur with the assessment of Vanadiel. Your 850 watt PSU is sufficient for the Ampere graphics cards. You can fit an RTX 3070 or 3070Ti in your case without any mods. The RTX 3080 would require minor modification. All would need upgraded cooling solution. What CPU are you running?

redxps630 · Answer

It is better to swap R8 components to a non-Dell high air flow case before considering 4000 series gpu upgrade.  This has been done in community.  The cost of new case is far less than new card.  Putting a very high power psu in R8 to feed a very power hungry card is looking for trouble to bake gpu and cpu and everything else in there.  R8 case is not designed to be upgradable in terms of power components.  If you want to stay w Dell, get an Area 51 R2 case (price coming down and in good supply) which has much better air flow.

ProfessorW00d · Answer

There are currently some Area-51 R5, R6 & R7 cases on eBay right now in 'open box' unused condition. Some include mobo & PSU . . . some are case & I/O daughter board only.

danielrall · Answer

@ProfessorW00d​ @Vanadiel I'm considering upgrading the GPU in my son's Aurora R8 from an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 ti in conjunction with a new gaming monitor (monitor suggestions welcome!). However, his R8 has a liquid-cooled 460W PSU, and the power draw from a 3060+ -- or even 2080+, if I could locate one at a reasonable price -- GPU is substantially higher than from the 1660 ti (120W). Any idea how much wattage leeway the existing PSU has (he has essentially no peripherals, and a single spinning HDD alongside some SSD), or whether there's another Aurora-friendly PSU which might fit the bill for his liquid-cooled configuration? Thanks, - Dan

Vanadiel · Answer

@danielrall​ It's the CPU that is liquid cooled, not the PSU. I would replace the PSU with a higher Wattage version if upgrading to a newer video card.

ProfessorW00d · Answer

@danielrall​  The Aurora R8 PSU is standard ATX format, which is 150mm wide, 86mm tall, and the length can vary. You should consider a fully modular PSU that is no longer than 150mm. If you go longer than the 150mm you begin using up your cable management space. With a fully modular PSU you can leave any unnecessary cables in the box. Have zip ties handy. Below is a 850watt Seasonic Focus that is 140mm long.

Vanadiel · Answer

@ProfessorW00d​ Seasonic is a very good brand of PSU, cannot go wrong with those.

Alienware Desktops

Aurora R8, PSU upgrade

Was this post helpful?