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PSU THOUGHTS/QUESTIONS- AREA 51 R2
About to order a lot of upgrades today online. One upgrade is adding a 1200 Watt PSU to the system. Does anyone see any issues with adding the Corsair AXi Series AX1200i 1200 Watt PSU? I cant think of any but thought I would ask around... Also I have done a lot of research on the amount of watts I need and 1200 seems to be the sweat spot for the Area 51 with multiple GPU's. 1500 seems overkill. Fill free to question me on that as well
(This is for the Area 51 R2...Not a laptop...)
In case your wondering what I am adding to this computer
-1200 Watt PSU???
-32 GB 2400 MHZ Corsair Vengeance
- Zotac 980TI Amp extreme Second one
AlienwareAndy
17 Posts
1
January 19th, 2016 05:00
Hi there. The Area 51 uses a proprietary power supply so if you are of a nervous disposition please look away now....
The only way to fit a different power supply is to perform some rewiring. I highly doubt this would be recommended by Dell/Alienware but it was the only way I could rescue my chassis after my 1200w PSU decided to die. Here is how I did it.
Step one, locate the special 10 pin plug that connects to the logic board in the lower front part of the case and disconnect it. Remove the entire PSU loom from your old PSU (takes some time but be patient). Then, cut off the 10 pin connector for the logic board so you have this.
That is the only non ATX standard connector that the Area 51 uses, and it's for the logic/IO board.
OK so now you have it cut off you now need this.
Those are the "pin outs" of the 10 pin connector. Now you need a 24 pin schematic so you can grab what you need from that. Here is a 24 pin ATX schematic.
Now you need one of these.
It's a basic, very simple 24 pin ATX extension however note, it has the correct coloured wires which is quite important as it makes splicing easier. Then you need to solder the 10 pin into the 24 pin extension, making sure the correct wires meet each other (so 12v, ground, 5v, 5vsb and so on).
You should then have something that looks a little bit like this.
And presto, you can now fit any ATX power supply of your choice into an Area 51 ;)
W8lifts
124 Posts
0
February 5th, 2016 20:00
So EVGA 1000 watt semi modular psu works, I looked at the wiring and didn't see anything that should be stopping a standard psu from working.
Alienware - Rodrigo
7 Technologist
7 Technologist
•
4.4K Posts
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January 14th, 2016 16:00
Hi,
We offer an 850W and a 1500W PSU with this system. I cannot confirm if the Corsair AXi Series will function properly but some users have tried this upgrade, click here to view a thread about this upgrade from the Alienware Arena forum.
W8lifts
124 Posts
0
January 14th, 2016 16:00
Interesting, there must be a problem with the CPU power if he cant turn it on....Will have to review the return policy before buying....As far as the dell PSU, they want way to much for a PSU
W8lifts
124 Posts
0
January 17th, 2016 07:00
Well no luck on changing the PSU. Does Dell have a special Power Cable to the mother board? ... Think its a little messed up they say you can install a ATX Standard PSU but this is not turning out to be true. I have now tried two PSUs (Rosswell, Corsair) and both will not power the motherboard. Frustrating
W8lifts
124 Posts
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January 20th, 2016 07:00
Thanks for the very detailed response. I was on the right track with the ATX extension but decided to return the 1200 watt PSU. Might review the wiring again, but the 980ti"s in SLI seem to be just fine with a 850 watt PSU. Was a little surprised that the PSU could handle the load
W8lifts
124 Posts
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February 6th, 2016 04:00
As requested,
inerdtia
32 Posts
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February 27th, 2016 19:00
Hey @W8LIFTS, I am buying a new system that comes with the 850W supply and it comes with a 970, but I have a reference 980ti and want to do SLI of dual 980ti.
How has your experience with your setup been so far?
W8lifts
124 Posts
0
February 28th, 2016 05:00
980 TI works great in SLI. As long as you're not OC your card and CPU the 850 watt PSU will handle both cards, you might want to think about getting a larger PSU later down the road. You could also just add that 970 as a PhysX card....Lots of controversy about that
inerdtia
32 Posts
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February 29th, 2016 09:00
I spent 2 hours today on the phone with Dell support being transferred back-and-forth, just trying to figure out how I could swap the PSU for the 1500W.
I got really frustrated so I cancelled the order. Customer service is terrible. I think I will have to look for something else :-(
W8lifts
124 Posts
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February 29th, 2016 09:00
That's a a bad deal, they want to much money+ plus its one ugly PSU. Just buy the EVGA PSU and call it a day, no modifications are needed, just swap out harnesses. Now, this computer is picky with PSU's so if you want to to try a different PSU make sure you review the return policy...Took me three tries to find one that works...I'm not the only one...
inerdtia
32 Posts
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February 29th, 2016 09:00
.
inerdtia
32 Posts
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February 29th, 2016 09:00
Ah the irony... My call got disconnected when trying to cancel. Maybe I'll give it another shot after lunch.... Thanks dude
inerdtia
32 Posts
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February 29th, 2016 12:00
Well, I managed to talk to two different people involved in Alienware sales, but every time they looked up a 1500W PSU nothing came back, so I am going to assume that you just can't buy it separately.
For now, I am going to stick with the system I didn't cancel, and try out the 850W PSU without overclocking (too much).
I might get courageous in the future and try to get something else, and keep and eye on eBay and Dell in case they become available for sale.
W8lifts
124 Posts
1
February 29th, 2016 13:00
Takes like 15 minutes and 120 bucks to change that PSU ...