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Cass-Ole

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Cass-Ole

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August 19th, 2019 11:00

New Aurora R9 1st Look

Community 1st Look on AlienTube

Hands-On Look by Engadget

Available tomorrow Aug 20th in white Lunar Light & matte black Dark Side of the Moon, starts at $970

658754-lunar-light-exclusive-lighting

alienware-aurora-r9-009

alienware-aurora-r9-002

looks like R5-R8 chassis with a re-skin; 3D-printed protoype skins below

a2d6136c5cd23ac9d3d20cbd3768f8a5

alienware-aurora-r9-017

The launch of R9 before Intel's upcoming Gen10 CometLake launch appears to suggest the Aliens know something on the inside: 10-core (10900k which needs a new socket = new motherboard) won't be in-bound 'soon enough' & that an R10 will host it later on using Z470/90 board etc

  • r72019

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    Posted August 19th, 2019 11:00

    It launches for sale on dell's website tomorrow!?! No wonder why there have been so many really good R8 sales in the last 2 weeks.

  • GTS81

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    Posted August 19th, 2019 11:00

    Make space under the bus. Us R8 users joining you soon.
  • r72019

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    Posted August 19th, 2019 12:00

    Looks like they just spray painted the old Z370 board blue.  Wouldn't be surprised if they also added another digit like a "3" to the part number.  

    Actually, on further consideration, that looks like a mini ITX motherboard and GPU.  Or maybe it's just the angle of the picture.  Hard to tell for the motherboard, but the GPU really does look to be a nonstandard size. 

    REPLYING TO: 

    The MB code is hidden so no way to figure out if it's a new board

  • r72019

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    Posted August 19th, 2019 12:00

    Oh yeah, and that seems to go well with the GPU no longer jutting out to like 1cm away from the front intake fan. 

  • r72019

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    Posted August 19th, 2019 12:00

    What exactly does "exclusive 100% hyper x fury xmp memory" mean, anyway? (your second screen shot) ... That Dell blocked upgrade compatibility for other types of RAM through BIOs and now you need to buy RAM upgrades through Dell?

  • r72019

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    Posted August 19th, 2019 12:00

    I thought the R8 just came out in like December... what a short shelf life. I wonder if the R9 is getting a Z390 motherboard?
  • r72019

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    Posted August 19th, 2019 12:00

    OMG don't tell me Dell recycled their same old Z370 board, for another iteration of the aurora R7. At least it actually looks different this time.

    "The Alienware Aurora R9 has options for 9th Gen Intel Core i3, i5, i7, and i9 processors, all aimed at connecting with the Intel Z370 chipset"

    https://www.slashgear.com/alienware-aurora-r9-desktop-takes-a-bold-gaming-gamble-19587686/

  • GTS81

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    Posted August 19th, 2019 12:00

    Just finished watching the video and took a bunch of screenshots. Enjoy!

    Video going great until... typo:

    https://imgur.com/wGn2QG7

    R9-1.JPG

    PSU swing-arm architecture. Hmm... But at least it says mid-tower right? Maybe a bigger swing-arm that works for @Anonymous ? What is "Exclusive 100% HyperX Fury XMP Memory"???

    https://imgur.com/8Slntvx

    R9-2.JPG

    Same bleep different day

    https://imgur.com/mYs3q0E

    R9-3.JPG

    Swing-arm benefit... 

    https://imgur.com/YW2nYu1

    R9-4.JPG

    The MB code is hidden so no way to figure out if it's a new board

    https://imgur.com/HjDk7qI

    R9-5.JPG

  • GTS81

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    Posted August 19th, 2019 12:00

    We will know soon by looking at BIOS revision number when it is released. Might start from 1 again due to the DRAM locking?

    Actually, on further consideration, that looks like a mini ITX motherboard and GPU.  Or maybe it's just the angle of the picture.  But the GPU really does look to be a nonstandard size. 

    I believe it's the angle. Other pics online show the location of the remaining SATA and m2 ports which are identical to our boards. Some 2060 and 2070 cards can be that short (https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007709%20601321572%20601292087%20601292089%20601292091). My budget-beater R8 config came with an RX560X that is even smaller as it occupies only 1 slot. 

    Looking at that same pic again, I see that the blue IO board connector on the MB side is now angled to that it frees up airflow at the top-left part of the fan.

  • r72019

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    Posted August 19th, 2019 13:00

    I suppose Dell should get some credit for the plastic face-lift.  This is how I've been seeing it: 

     R7 + bios update = R8. 

    R7 + bios update - 5 lbs of plastic = R9. 

    In any event, if correct, the nature of the changes over the last few iterations (especially the "exclusive RAM" and possibly non-standard ITX size GPUs in the R9) appears to be a strong signal for the direction Dell is heading, and that people like us who enjoy upgrading their PCs are not Dell's target or even intended consumer.