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2014
June 8th, 2023 17:00
Motherboard Compatibility
I’m sure everyone is tired of this question but I am struggling to figure it out on my own.
I have an Aurura R5 Alienware Desktop
i want to upgrade the Motherboard and from what I gather I can replace it with a MicoATX motherboard?
I would prefer to use the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
what mobo would make this possible?
If I’m correct, I would need to upgrade the power supply first right?
After replacing the mobo and processor I can later upgrade the gpu from 1070 to 3070
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redxps630
9 Legend
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15.6K Posts
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June 8th, 2023 17:00
you could but the R6 proprietary power button would need to be rewired to turn on new board.
also the case LED will likely be all OFF since they were designed to work with R5 LED controller header only.
R6 case is not great for cooling open air type gpu. Blower type is better suited.
ProfessorW00d
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June 8th, 2023 18:00
It makes absolutely no sense to purchase a new motherboard, new processor, new power supply, and jam it all into a poorly designed, poorly engineered case like the Aurora R6. That air flow stifling swingout PSU contraption is the worst thing that ever happened to Alienware. You can buy a better case than the Aurora Series for $39.99 . I would recommend spending more than that to make it worth your efforts, but a new case will be less expensive than your new mobo, CPU, or PSU, and should provide much better air flow to all of those components . . . plus get you away from the aforementioned Dell proprietary nonsense.
Vanadiel
6 Professor
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7.1K Posts
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June 9th, 2023 07:00
I agree with the professor, and would even go a step further: do not skimp out on the case, select a good one.
There are review sites out there for cases, to make an informed decision. Spending $100 or more on a case might sound like a lot, but a good case makes all the difference to your component selection and in many cases to your hands and fingers.
Good cases are easy to build in, and don't have any sharp edges to cut yourself on, good airflow, lot's of room for components, meet regular ATX standards, decent silent fans, fan controllers etc...
I use a Lian Li Lancool II mesh performance black, best case I ever worked with. Review
This might look initially a bit over the top, but I can assure you it's super easy to work with and looks amazing.
redxps630
9 Legend
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June 9th, 2023 09:00
Re: I’m sure “everyone” is tired of this question but I am struggling to figure it out on my own.
you seem to know the response you will get already. If you really like to keep the R5 case and are willing to give up on the alien LED light of side panel/power button, and do some work to rewire power switch then yes. It is your project and you can do whatever you like. Some call it retro pc hobby. In 2023, R5-8 case is going to join the retro Dell case line soon. It is not as straightforward as R1-4 case, but still possible.
ProfessorW00d
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June 9th, 2023 09:00
The Lian Li lineup of cases is one of the most popular for water cooling because of the well engineered design and the reasons you mentioned.
ProfessorW00d
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June 9th, 2023 11:00
To this point, while I said up-thread that "it makes absolutely no sense", I will call myself out for hypocrisy because it makes absolutely no sense to spend $10K for and Area-51 R5 . . . but here we are
Vanadiel
6 Professor
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June 9th, 2023 12:00
I see a dust bunny!
Okane93
1 Rookie
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June 9th, 2023 17:00
I should have kept reading lol Alright, this will be my case then. Ordered
Okane93
1 Rookie
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June 9th, 2023 17:00
I mean I’ve been playing on my R5 for a long time with no heat problems but I’ll take your word for it and if you recommended a case I can convert everything to I’d appreciate it.
Okane93
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June 9th, 2023 17:00
I don’t though. I understand a mot of the hardware and I’m sure I can figure out how to rewire things simple as lights to make then compatible but I don’t have a clue what cpu gpu and motherboards are compatible. I know DDR4 and DDR5 are different ram sockets and that there are fittings each motherboard has for certain types of processors. I don’t care much about the aurura case or lights, but I’d like to know things like what all that came in the R5 is compatible if I were to put in a motherboard that supports a AMD Ryzen 5 7600X what else do I need to upgrade other than the power supply and case.
ProfessorW00d
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June 9th, 2023 19:00
Your R5 may be sufficient for the components that came with it, but in your original post you indicated that you were interested in upgrading CPU, graphics card, PSU . . . and modern components pull much more wattage which generates much more heat than components found in some of the more vintage rigs. As such, you would need to be more focused on good case air flow and other cooling solutions.
Which Lian Li did you order?
ProfessorW00d
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June 9th, 2023 19:00
For you AMD Ryzen 5 7600X processor, this would be an example on an ATX motherboard that has the compatible AM5 socket MSI MPG-B650-EDGE-WIFI That motherboard supports DDR5 RAM, so you would need to upgrade that, as well as your CPU, PSU and graphics card. You may need some quiet case fans . . . depends on what is included with the case you order. You will need a new cooling solution for your new CPU . . . air cooled or AIO, unless you want to do a custom water cool. The things you will need will depend upon what kind of rig you want to build.