Area 51 upgrade

Question

Hi there!

I'm not experienced -at all- with upgrading and how all this works. I want to know if there are any incompatibilities with the Area 51 and current generation hardware.
Will any video card and processor be fully compatible?

I currently have 2 480 gtx sli, i7 930, 12 gb ram, Windows 7 64 bit.

I'm looking at upgrading to 2 780s and a new i7 processor.

Possibly looking at a new ssd as well, am I also able to upgrade to windows 8?

Thanks for any advice!

Cass-Ole · Accepted Answer

The Area 51 mthrbrd can only accept an Intel socket 1366 processor, aka core i79xx 1st gen; 9xx cpu's are code named Bloomfield & Gulftown. See wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Core_i7_microprocessors#.22Bloomfield.22_.2845_nm.29

Area-51 mthrbrd comes in two varieties; 1st gen has purple/lime green accents (part# j560m) gen 2 has black accents (part# xdj4c). Gen 2 is the preferred choice to run Gulftown i7's, aka core i7 extreme 6-core. Latest Bios A11 is preferred. I would recommend a bloomfield quad-core extreme (i7975x) based on 6.4 qpi rating, and a mild oc of perhaps 3.5ghz to press the point.

For more upgrade info, (cpu, memory, vid, power supply) search Area 51 upgrade or "swap" in the top right search box. If dual 780's make 1100w psu fail under pressure, post back for recommendations on either of the 1200w A-51 psu's or an aftrmrkt psu swap (requires special wiring harness for AlienFx board). Look into the evga powerboost also to enhance power to vid card/mthrbrd

http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/p/19346132/19823368.aspx#19823368

Saying you want to go all out, means having a deep wallet to call on when needed. Throw in a top i7 extreme cpu, & if the 780s need more juice, do a psu upgrade. This is basic upgrading, nothing to fear here. You're only limited by the 1366 mthrbrd. To move into later gen Intel cpu's, search the forum, you will see others have done a mthrbrd swap also & kept AlienFx. The threads to do so are on the forum, search the forum, sift through it, do some homework 1st - all the groundwork has been layed down in previous posts.

Tesla1856 · Answer

SSD is best upgrade for you right now.

It should handle one 780 no problem. For 2, you might have to look close at what PowerSupply you have installed. Single-card solution would work better.

RAM at 12gb is fine.

What are you doing to need a 930 upgrade? Do you often see all 8 threads at max. now? If you want processor upgrade also and Win8-64 Pro ... you should probably go ahead and buy a new computer. I say that because swapping the motherboard in this monster (along with possible MIO-Board issues) is not for a beginner.

anathema1 · Answer

I'm upgrading because I really want to keep the case and alienfx.

Power supply is 1100w would that be enough for 780 sli? I also use 3D vision.

It was purchased back in 2010 so I felt it was time to upgrade, and If I'm going to upgrade it I want to go all out! I'm just not tech savvy when it comes to specifics and I don't want to spend money on parts just to find out they have issues with the Area 51.

Cass-Ole · Answer

search area 51 windows 8 / 8.1 in top right search box for prior posts & best versions of CmndCntr to have installed when running win8, as well as 'help' if win8/.netframeworks require CmndCntr be 'repaired' etc if/when needed. Area51 is discontinued, so Alienware is slowly boxing us out, if you catch my drift. I'll be busy all week, this is the most I can help with, good luck.

anathema1 · Answer

Thank you very much Cass-Olé, that laid it out pretty clearly for me and answered all my questions. Appreciate you taking the time to explain!

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Area 51 upgrade

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