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Jaimaster77
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June 27th, 2020 09:00
Aurora R1, GPU (Dual Radeon HD 5770) Upgrade
Hi,
I'm thinking about upgrading the GPU of my Aurora (bought in 2010). I currently have the original dual Radeon HD 5700, but many games have problems with the Crossfire configuration, so I have to disable it quite often.
I was wondering if it's possible to replace both cards with a single, newer graphic card. I was considering the GTX 1660, but I have read about some blue screen issues related to the BIOS in the old Auroras. I can't find any reference about choosing a modern graphic card for my current motherboard, and what should I look for or consider before buying.
Any thoughts/experiences?
My Alienware is the 04VWF2 vA01 with the A11 bios version and the i7-920 CPU.
Thanks
Jaimaster77
4 Posts
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Posted June 28th, 2020 04:00
Thanks for your answer @Tesla1856. Very useful. I already have a SSD as bootable unit and made an improvement to the system RAM as well, but never thought about the USB-3 PCIe
It's true that the machine is 10 years old, but I feel that, with a small investment in a new GPU, it could serve me well for some years more. It works really well in general.
Jaimaster77
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Posted June 28th, 2020 09:00
I totally agree.
Glad to help.
Mine is still in service as well. I've said it before ...
Due to it's age and how well it still works ... the Alienware Aurora-R1 is the best computer I've ever owned.
Dell Rockstar
Microsoft Windows and Apple iOS Developer (Retired)
- Like many of you, I can appreciate a good game-engine.
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757 Posts
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Posted June 30th, 2020 08:00
You can improve your R1 and play BFV, MW, Tomb R, etc., with a few improvements.
I run all these games at Ultra settings and fps from over a hundred to 56. On average in the 70's but I do cap fps to less than 120 or one half screen refresh rate (144 - so 72fps).
Take a look at disabling the Spectre and Meltdown protections for a greatly improved CPU performance boost.
I would also recommend upgrading to W10. You can still install W10 for free, at least it was still free last month.
Jaimaster77
4 Posts
1148
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Posted July 3rd, 2020 10:00
As an update, I finally picked a XFX Radeon RX580 and it works like charms. No problems installing the card or the drivers.
So, XFX Radeon RX580 not only fits, but works in a non-UEFI (Legacy-BIOS) machine ...
Good to know.
Dell Rockstar
Microsoft Windows and Apple iOS Developer (Retired)
- Like many of you, I can appreciate a good game-engine.
- I answer questions here, but I'm not a Dell employee.
- Consider giving posts you like a "thumbs-up"
- Posting models-numbers and software versions speeds trouble-shooting.
- Click "Mark as Accepted Answer" on any post that answers your question best.I recommend reading the post from @AAA737flyer
You can dream high even with RTX 2080TI on the Aurora R1. I've got one and is running perfectly.
Just follow the recommedations.
And I agree: the best desktop ever. 11 years and still running recent games. Propably will run for another 9 years.
Dell/Alienware deserves a trophy for this legend.
Tesla1856
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Posted June 27th, 2020 11:00
1. My Alienware is the Aurora (bought in 2010).with the A11 bios version and the i7-920 CPU.
2. I was wondering if it's possible to replace both cards with a single, newer graphic card.
3. I was considering the GTX 1660, but I have read about some blue screen issues related to the BIOS in the old Auroras.
4. Any thoughts/experiences?
======================================
1. That's an Aurora-R1 . Remember, these systems are "Legacy-BIOS" or non-UEFI .
2. Yes
3. Newer video cards might not work (as they are designed to only work on true UEFI systems [with SecureBoot, etc. ] ).
4. Yeah, mine came with an AMD-5870. I pulled that out in 2017 and installed a MSI Gaming-X Nvidia GTX-1070. Works great.
https://www.dell.com/community/Alienware-General-Read-Only/Recommended-NVIDIA-graphics-cards-for-Alienware-Aurora-R1-2009/td-p/5590861
And if you haven't already, your machine also needs a PCIe Addon-card for USB-3 . It should also have by now ... a SATA SSD installed as bootable C: .
All that said, remember that this machine is now 10 years old. I'm not sure I would be putting much money into it now.
Dell Rockstar
Microsoft Windows and Apple iOS Developer (Retired)
- Like many of you, I can appreciate a good game-engine.
- I answer questions here, but I'm not a Dell employee.
- Consider giving posts you like a "thumbs-up"
- Posting models-numbers and software versions speeds trouble-shooting.
- Click "Mark as Accepted Answer" on any post that answers your question best.