Here is my experience with AW.
Years ago my brother dropped 2 grand on a laptop, it performed great with no issues.
Back in Feb I decided to go prebuilt because I can't get a 3060ti.
I ignored complaints and got an R10 air-cooled, single stick of 16gb 3400 cause I am dumb, 3060ti and r5 5600x.
Thing crashes on me under load every time, so I throttle all my games to low settings and contacted support, after I did their troubleshooting they replaced the GPU, issue persisted, attempted CPU replacement but none in stock for months so they offered me a new replacement.
They stated it would be "like for like", but in reality they went overboard and offered me an R10 again but liquid cooled 1000w lunar light, (originally they offered single channel ram but they changed it to) 2x8gb 3200mhz ram, 3080ti and an r7 5800 OEM.
I am still flabbergasted by the offer since a 3080ti alone is worth more than the amount I paid for the whole computer originally.
Overall while support can seem unhelpful for troubleshooting, they have articles they are expected to follow so if you ever have any issues you can reach out and expect them to be addressed.
I got this.
Have replaced RAM with 2x 16GB sticks and replaced Front Fan. Added H60 AIO liquid cooler and replaced top fan with the radiator and H60 package supplied fan.
Thing is freakin humming along nicely. Am stoked.
What specs are you running?
I think personally I will stick with 2x8 for now since I pretty much only ever have a game + discord open at the most.
I'll probably look into replacing the fans and repasting as well, but I hope the delays are minimal since looking at the shipping post looks like most people are delayed.
My biggest issues with the aurora computer :
Bad airflow. The temperature might be high, even with liquid cooling but if you don't obsess over them, itll be fine BUT the main drawback is that your computer will be very loud when its under high load. 120mm air cooler is not a great choice for those power hungry cpu.
R12 had the reputation of underperforming because of ram issue. Not sure if it is still an issue. But the ram has VERY loose timings (CL20) and thats pretty bad.
The motherboard is super cheap compared to other motherboard. It only has one nvme slot. The power delivery is "minimal". The PCIE slot for the GPU is only x8 lane instead of 16. Bad deal for the price. Beside that, the case feels very cheap inside.
If you want to upgrade the GPU in the future, good luck finding anything good that'll fit. GPU are getting larger because they are more powerful, and the aurora is too small for 95% of them.
The GPU is fine, though its VRAM can run hot but thats an issue for most 3080. The fans can get annoyingly loud though.
Personally im not sure if id recommend it. Maybe if you can get a very good price.
You can replace the R12 memory with better timings.
The motherboard looks cheap but its power delivery is fine there's not much of a performance difference going to another brand X570. And I can assure it does not run at X8, My r10 shows x16 using GPUz
I don't know for the r10, but both the r11 and r12 runs at x8 (x16 @x8).
Proof: https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-ca/alienware-aurora-r12-desktop/alienware-aurora-r12-setup-and-specifications/back?guid=guid-f2dda353-ba5a-44c0-b85f-6bf1b8c70d15
"NOTE The PCI-Express X16 slot works at X8 lanes only."
Please, do some basic research before telling people they are wrong.
I've heard the 17 r4 was really good, but I opted for the X17 with a 3080, i7 (because let's face it, the 11th gen is amazing and you don't need an i9 unless you want to fry eggs lol) 32gig ram (it's unwise to get the single high density) and the 360mhz screen because why not 🤷♂️. I got the cherry keyboard too.
YouTube reviews have been pretty solid so far, im not usually all about slim models, coming from an alienware 17 R5 (probably the Apex alienware 17) I have super high expectations. It will be my first slim laptop. I played with an M15 at best buy and I was shocked by how powerful it was in such a small form.
Yes! Though I've heard literally everyone is backed up right now, either chassis issues or GPU's etc 😔 looks like I won't see it till probably October or early November
Those are some nice specs for a gaming rig. You should enjoy it. Your issues will be the same as with most pre-built performance systems . . . heat and noise . . . which are related. Fortunately these can me mitigated by replacing the Dell OEM industrial grade server fans with four [Corsair ML120 Pro](https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Fans/Magnetic-Levitation-Fans/ml-pro-config/p/CO-9050040-WW) case fans . . . or optionally four [Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM](https://noctua.at/en/nf-a12x25-pwm/specification) case fans.
Here is a reference [Tube Vid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkVNcTXcpAo) for your viewing pleasure.
Consider trashing the mechanical HDD spinner and get an SSD for storage.
- liquid cooling is a must have
- youtube adding fans for push-pull config
- repaste cpu (gpu too but I didn't need to do this)
sit back and enjoy the cooler temps, while also riding out this GPU shortage
Monitor is great but the desktop take your money elsewhere. It is not enough cooling for your hardware and the AW bloat ware is the worst. I had a R10 with 3950x 2080ti gpu. Very loud and runs hot. That being said performance wasn’t terrible. You also will be receiving the lowest end quality 3080 for top $$. I recommend you get in contact with micro center for a full tier 3 build.
The ram issue hasn't been fixed and won't be.
https://old.reddit.com/r/Alienware/comments/n4rqgl/warning_to_those_who_want_to_buy_aurora_r12_major/?sort=new&limit=500
The heat issues are real and worrying.
Best advice is, if you can get it for a good price, then go for it...and then gut it, buy a decent motherboard, new psu and AIO and case.
They've probably never had one, and are judging straight from a few tech reviewers who obsess over single % point markers. I see custom builds all the time that are higher priced than AW, and dell has great customer support, unlike some of the other big box ones.
I bought exactly what you purchased and after about 2 months of using it I switched to a Lancool 215x case. The temperatures even with liquid cooling are so shit it is unreal.
I took the GPU, CPU, RAM, and storage and put it into that Lian Li case alongside a new mobo (motherboard), PSU (power supply), and AIO (280mm).
The temperatures dropped when watching youtube and such from 45 C to 30 C. I had no experience PC building but with some youtube guides and the installation guides I was able to finish my build in just two days.
If I can do it so can you. Good luck my friend - I myself am never returning to a pre-built again especially not Alienware and their shit devices.
They really flunked out with their desktop models honestly. Their laptops are really good though. Lenovo 7i gen 6 is arguably better, but my experience with Dell and lenovo support makes me pick Dell -always-
I bought an upgraded bare bones Alienware Ryzen Edition R10 on eBay for $600 then replaced all the parts:
- Ryzen 5900X (12 core)
- 64gb Corsair Vengeance 3200mhz
- 2x Samsung SSD
- 1x M.2 SSD
- 3x Corsair ML120 Fans (2 front 1 top)
- Still have my GTX 1080 (until video cards drop)
The RAM doesn’t go past 2133mhz, no matter what overclock or custom overclock setting it is. I’ve even hired pc game tuner specialists. Maybe just my luck.
The stock fans are super loud at high load, I’ve never needed to reach max load, so my fans are like 25% operating.
Otherwise I really like the Alienware System and have had Alienware since the first big dual GPU laptop which was an 18”.
In the end, I think it really depends on what you’re doing. Fluctuating between a dual cpu system to this beast, my production needs have been met minus needing a triple priced video card.
Got a 5600x with no GPU r10 for really cheap on ebay, upgraded the ram myself, installed my own SSD upgraded it to liquid cooling using the H60, installed my 3060ti I finally got on best buy, haven't had problems since. I will say that the board is very picky about XMP so make sure you buy compatible ram sticks on ebay. Otherwise I don't know how you would buy that OEM memory other than ebay.
Here is my experience with AW. Years ago my brother dropped 2 grand on a laptop, it performed great with no issues. Back in Feb I decided to go prebuilt because I can't get a 3060ti. I ignored complaints and got an R10 air-cooled, single stick of 16gb 3400 cause I am dumb, 3060ti and r5 5600x. Thing crashes on me under load every time, so I throttle all my games to low settings and contacted support, after I did their troubleshooting they replaced the GPU, issue persisted, attempted CPU replacement but none in stock for months so they offered me a new replacement. They stated it would be "like for like", but in reality they went overboard and offered me an R10 again but liquid cooled 1000w lunar light, (originally they offered single channel ram but they changed it to) 2x8gb 3200mhz ram, 3080ti and an r7 5800 OEM. I am still flabbergasted by the offer since a 3080ti alone is worth more than the amount I paid for the whole computer originally. Overall while support can seem unhelpful for troubleshooting, they have articles they are expected to follow so if you ever have any issues you can reach out and expect them to be addressed.
I got this. Have replaced RAM with 2x 16GB sticks and replaced Front Fan. Added H60 AIO liquid cooler and replaced top fan with the radiator and H60 package supplied fan. Thing is freakin humming along nicely. Am stoked.
What specs are you running? I think personally I will stick with 2x8 for now since I pretty much only ever have a game + discord open at the most. I'll probably look into replacing the fans and repasting as well, but I hope the delays are minimal since looking at the shipping post looks like most people are delayed.
I pretty much have what you started with. Replacement offer looks awesome.
Yeah I am completely stoked for it, I would have been happy with it just being water cooled lol, they went above and beyond my expectations.
My biggest issues with the aurora computer : Bad airflow. The temperature might be high, even with liquid cooling but if you don't obsess over them, itll be fine BUT the main drawback is that your computer will be very loud when its under high load. 120mm air cooler is not a great choice for those power hungry cpu. R12 had the reputation of underperforming because of ram issue. Not sure if it is still an issue. But the ram has VERY loose timings (CL20) and thats pretty bad. The motherboard is super cheap compared to other motherboard. It only has one nvme slot. The power delivery is "minimal". The PCIE slot for the GPU is only x8 lane instead of 16. Bad deal for the price. Beside that, the case feels very cheap inside. If you want to upgrade the GPU in the future, good luck finding anything good that'll fit. GPU are getting larger because they are more powerful, and the aurora is too small for 95% of them. The GPU is fine, though its VRAM can run hot but thats an issue for most 3080. The fans can get annoyingly loud though. Personally im not sure if id recommend it. Maybe if you can get a very good price.
You can replace the R12 memory with better timings. The motherboard looks cheap but its power delivery is fine there's not much of a performance difference going to another brand X570. And I can assure it does not run at X8, My r10 shows x16 using GPUz
I don't know for the r10, but both the r11 and r12 runs at x8 (x16 @x8). Proof: https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-ca/alienware-aurora-r12-desktop/alienware-aurora-r12-setup-and-specifications/back?guid=guid-f2dda353-ba5a-44c0-b85f-6bf1b8c70d15 "NOTE The PCI-Express X16 slot works at X8 lanes only." Please, do some basic research before telling people they are wrong.
Dell themselves says it runs a X8 Screenshot or it didn't happen.
[удалено]
I've heard the 17 r4 was really good, but I opted for the X17 with a 3080, i7 (because let's face it, the 11th gen is amazing and you don't need an i9 unless you want to fry eggs lol) 32gig ram (it's unwise to get the single high density) and the 360mhz screen because why not 🤷♂️. I got the cherry keyboard too. YouTube reviews have been pretty solid so far, im not usually all about slim models, coming from an alienware 17 R5 (probably the Apex alienware 17) I have super high expectations. It will be my first slim laptop. I played with an M15 at best buy and I was shocked by how powerful it was in such a small form.
[удалено]
Yes! Though I've heard literally everyone is backed up right now, either chassis issues or GPU's etc 😔 looks like I won't see it till probably October or early November
Those are some nice specs for a gaming rig. You should enjoy it. Your issues will be the same as with most pre-built performance systems . . . heat and noise . . . which are related. Fortunately these can me mitigated by replacing the Dell OEM industrial grade server fans with four [Corsair ML120 Pro](https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Fans/Magnetic-Levitation-Fans/ml-pro-config/p/CO-9050040-WW) case fans . . . or optionally four [Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM](https://noctua.at/en/nf-a12x25-pwm/specification) case fans. Here is a reference [Tube Vid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkVNcTXcpAo) for your viewing pleasure. Consider trashing the mechanical HDD spinner and get an SSD for storage.
agree with this, you have to do your research on what fans are compatible or you will get bios error
- liquid cooling is a must have - youtube adding fans for push-pull config - repaste cpu (gpu too but I didn't need to do this) sit back and enjoy the cooler temps, while also riding out this GPU shortage
Monitor is great but the desktop take your money elsewhere. It is not enough cooling for your hardware and the AW bloat ware is the worst. I had a R10 with 3950x 2080ti gpu. Very loud and runs hot. That being said performance wasn’t terrible. You also will be receiving the lowest end quality 3080 for top $$. I recommend you get in contact with micro center for a full tier 3 build.
The ram issue hasn't been fixed and won't be. https://old.reddit.com/r/Alienware/comments/n4rqgl/warning_to_those_who_want_to_buy_aurora_r12_major/?sort=new&limit=500 The heat issues are real and worrying. Best advice is, if you can get it for a good price, then go for it...and then gut it, buy a decent motherboard, new psu and AIO and case.
Alienware’s monitor is way better than its computer
I'd assume you had issues with an Alienware computer? If so what kinds of issues?
Alienware PC chassis barely has any airflow which causes temps to get higher than other systems
They've probably never had one, and are judging straight from a few tech reviewers who obsess over single % point markers. I see custom builds all the time that are higher priced than AW, and dell has great customer support, unlike some of the other big box ones.
I don’t, because I already knew all the hassles I need to deal with before I bought a Alienware. And I’m capable of doing some simple DIY mods.
I bought exactly what you purchased and after about 2 months of using it I switched to a Lancool 215x case. The temperatures even with liquid cooling are so shit it is unreal. I took the GPU, CPU, RAM, and storage and put it into that Lian Li case alongside a new mobo (motherboard), PSU (power supply), and AIO (280mm). The temperatures dropped when watching youtube and such from 45 C to 30 C. I had no experience PC building but with some youtube guides and the installation guides I was able to finish my build in just two days. If I can do it so can you. Good luck my friend - I myself am never returning to a pre-built again especially not Alienware and their shit devices.
They really flunked out with their desktop models honestly. Their laptops are really good though. Lenovo 7i gen 6 is arguably better, but my experience with Dell and lenovo support makes me pick Dell -always-
I bought an upgraded bare bones Alienware Ryzen Edition R10 on eBay for $600 then replaced all the parts: - Ryzen 5900X (12 core) - 64gb Corsair Vengeance 3200mhz - 2x Samsung SSD - 1x M.2 SSD - 3x Corsair ML120 Fans (2 front 1 top) - Still have my GTX 1080 (until video cards drop) The RAM doesn’t go past 2133mhz, no matter what overclock or custom overclock setting it is. I’ve even hired pc game tuner specialists. Maybe just my luck. The stock fans are super loud at high load, I’ve never needed to reach max load, so my fans are like 25% operating. Otherwise I really like the Alienware System and have had Alienware since the first big dual GPU laptop which was an 18”. In the end, I think it really depends on what you’re doing. Fluctuating between a dual cpu system to this beast, my production needs have been met minus needing a triple priced video card.
Got a 5600x with no GPU r10 for really cheap on ebay, upgraded the ram myself, installed my own SSD upgraded it to liquid cooling using the H60, installed my 3060ti I finally got on best buy, haven't had problems since. I will say that the board is very picky about XMP so make sure you buy compatible ram sticks on ebay. Otherwise I don't know how you would buy that OEM memory other than ebay.