It is time to give a status update on the Alienware Aurora R4 that I got a little over 5 years ago. The reason for this is because of it's current condition and some things I think fellow Alienware Aurora R4 owners may need to know. Although if you own an Alienware/Dell or heck any PC, some of this may be relevant to you.
I remember how learning about PC technology was a big thing in my teens. I grew up as a kid with a Commodore 128d, but we got our first Acer PC in 1995. Wow, what a change! I had gotten a little advanced with the Commodore. I knew how to program it, basically (pun not intended....BASICally), and I began to learn about it's hardware (300 baud modem yay!). The PC was a step up and jump into a new world. I continued to visit my favorite BBSes, while at the same time learning more about Windows and PCs in general. As I got older, I learned more, bought more computers, and was actually able to upgrade them. I seem to recall a time when I had 12MB (yes MB!) of RAM. Wow, those were the days! Haha. Eventually, I was building my own. However, at the time, I was pretty much "an AMD guy." I even wrote a paper in college about AMD Vs. Intel (and why I believed AMD was superior). It seemed to me that AMD was using newer, better technology (RISC), and they're CPUs were cheaper. It wasn't until about 5 years ago that all changed.
In early 2014, I posted here on Cheerful Ghost that I was thinking about a PC upgrade, a new build or a new buy (you can see that post here: https://cheerfulghost.com/GregoPeck/posts/1888/thinking-about-a-pc-upgrade). I did a little research and came up with what I wanted for hardware (Intel i7, GTX 690). I realized that the hardware I wanted was expensive, but I had some money to spend, so I wasn't too worried about it. However, I decided that it would probably be cheaper to actually just buy a PC. This was in part, because of the cost of Windows. So, I decided to "save some money" and buy an Alienware Aurora R4. However, I paid a lot for it, more than I've ever paid for a PC, so it seems my "save some money" logic kind of failed. In part it was because I really wanted an i7 and a GTX 690. I also decided on 16GB of RAM. And thus my life with my most favorite PC of all time began.
It wasn't too long before I realized that maybe I had selected the wrong GPU for this new PC of mine. Ark: Survival Evolved had just come out in Early Access and I loved it. Unfortunately the GPU wasn't up to the task. This is because the 690 is a two-in-one 4GB GPU, which means it was two 2GB GPUs working together as one (technically in SLI mode). Unfortunately, some games (particularly Ark) couldn't fully optimize the GPU. The game was only able to use half of it, sadly enough. I had to tone down the settings drastically (I think in DX10 or DX9 mode). The game really didn't look great, but I was able to play it.I had started playing on an official server and I really loved the game, but I had a strong feeling that I wanted to play the game and see it as it was meant to be played and seen. So, I decided it was time to retire the 690 and get an upgrade. My fellow players seemed to agree that a 980Ti was their best recommendation and that is what I decided to get. (You can read more about it here: https://cheerfulghost.com/GregoPeck/posts/4094/evga-geforce-gtx-980ti-6gb-classified-gaming-acx-2-0-post-mortem).
I got an EVGA GeForce GTX 980Ti 6GB "Classified Gaming" with ACX 2.0+ (thermal technology).I seem to recall that one of the first games I played was Subnautica, but I didn't really get into it until about 3 years later. I really just cared that it could run Ark and it did! I was greatly impressed and loving how beautiful the game looked and that I actually had a PC that could run it. Granted, I couldn't really run it on the highest "Epic" settings, but that was for a Titan or better GPU. I really loved this GPU much more than the more expensive 690. My memory tells me I paid $400-$600 for it, but Amazon says it's still for sale at about $700! Wow! How is this 3 year old GPU still worth that much? Is it really that good? Well, actually yeah, I think so.
I believe the GPU was overclocked out-of-the-box. I never did try to overclock it myself as I am not experienced with overclocking. I'm still used to the old days when doing so could be very dangerous, you could actually destroy a CPU or GPU trying to overclock it. So, I never messed with it, never tried to do it. Even though I got an overclocked GPU, I decided to let software take care of it for me. I used EVGA Precision X16, although I really only used it to control the GPU fan, which I set to 100% while gaming. At the same time I used the Alienware Command Center to set my HDD and PCIE fans to 100% while gaming as well. I didn't mind the noise.
Unfortunately, I began to pay attention to how hot the GPU was running. I eventually noticed that my GPU was running at 91c (celcius) while playing Ark and this seemed normal. I never experienced any issues that seemed as though the GPU wasn't working because it was too hot. I ran into some confirmation bias while researching the issue when I saw a post that said these GPUs run hot and it's max temp was 91-92c and if it got too hot it would throttle itself. I never applied thermal paste to a CPU or GPU before, but that was one recommendation I saw on the Internet and from a local friend. I finally bought some Arctic MX-4 from NewEgg as it's the most popular thermal paste on there and at Amazon (although it was cheaper on NewEgg and would arrive sooner). Before this, my PC actually shut itself off a few times. I did some more research about cleaning a PC (especially w/out compressed air) and used a hard plastic straw to blow some dust away and clear some fans. Later, I bought a can of compressed air at Wal-Mart and used it. However, I was watching my GPU thermals while playing Civ6 and getting nervous as it found it's way to the upper 80's (Celsius). Then, it dawned on me that I should check the CPU temperature, which I never worried about, because I had liquid cooling for it.
And there's where things ended recently. I used CPUID/HW Monitor and found out that my PC was running too hot (90c+)! I did some more research and found multiple people reporting issues with their CPU liquid cooling system. Some people had replaced their cooling system with a Corsair system. So, I ordered one, but then later decided I wanted a newer (and still compatible) model. Some people posted pictures of cooling systems that were clogged with green "goo." Luckily, they told you that you could clean them with isopropyl alcohol. I decided to take mine apart, but I didn't see any "goo." I put it back together and things seemed better, but the good "repaired" feel didn't last. I remember seeing "artifacts" on my screen (green lines, abnormalities) and the PC shut off. Finally, I was trying to get my PC on, but it would only beep at me continuously 6 times and then repeat. After more research, I found out that (at least for the Alienware Aurora R4) this meant a GPU failure. So, I took the 980Ti out and put in the 690. It came on the but 690 displayed different "artifacts" (white lines). I took the GPU out, tried to turn on the PC and again it beeped at me the same (it does this if you have a bad GPU or if there is no GPU).
I did notice the bottom of the two GPUs (the point of contact to the PCIE slot) was wet. I didn't see why or how. I even took the 980 apart, but didn't seem to find the source. However, I did later see the liquid cooler drop some water onto the PC while the GPU was out. So, I think this is how the PCIE slot got wet. I finally got it dried and tried the GPUs again, but it would only beep 6 times again with the 980 and the 690 still had white lines. So, I tried the 8800 I had in an old computer and it worked. So, it seems I have one definitely dead GPU and another damaged one. The 8800 seems fine, but it only has less than a gig of VRAM, crazy! So, I thought I need a new GPU and liquid cooler for the CPU.
I seriously started to think about getting a new computer, but I really didn't want to. This Alienware has spoiled me. I really love it and don't want to be without it. I went to Wal-Mart to look at their PCs, but I knew I wouldn't find anything, because I had looked at them weeks or months ago and scoffed at them. I'd look at the system specs and say aloud "are you kidding me?!" The "gaming" HP PC had an Intel i3 or i5! It also had maybe a 3GB VRAM GPU. It was only about $600, but there's no way it could come anywhere close to my Alienware w/ it's i7! Looking online was disappointing. Even though this computer isn't exactly worth what it was 5 years ago, it's still expensive (or rather over $1,000)! I couldn't get an affordable one with the specs I wanted (i7, 16GB RAM, 6GB GPU, etc.). It blew my mind that even though I spent a lot of money on this PC 5 years ago and then again 3 years ago (GPU upgrade), it was still a beast! I wouldn't mind having an i9 even though I don't know about them, but even an i7 means an expensive PC and there's no way I could possibly settle for an i5. So, basically I decided that my PC was just fine (specs wise) and I would be very happy if I could just get it running again even with most of the same hardware/components. I didn't need a new computer nor did I need an upgrade. However, I needed to replace some parts, which should save me some money. Although at this point, I've ordred almost everything except for a CPU and PSU (power supply unit).
I did run into a problem when it would not POST nor beep. I did some research, tried some things to no avail. I figured the motherboard must have fried with the wet GPU socket, so I ordered one on Amazon, but it was about $200. I really don't want to have to replace the motherboard, although it doesn't look as complicated (in the manual) as it seems. I may do it just because I know I have one or two USB ports on the back that no longer work (I have two on the front that have issues to due to water damage last year). During this whole time I did not test all the components and that was my mistake. I assumed too much. I reseated the CMOS battery multiple times and made sure that the PSU was good (it is, there's a way to test it for these computers). I thought everything else was fine, it had to be the CPU or motherboard, right? Well my mistake lied in my assumption. I actually watched a video on YouTube called "How to Repair a Dead Computer" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz9pMKy9Mbs&t=1824s). I was actually surprised that even though I am an experienced IT tech support guy, I learned something from this video. I had already taken out all of my RAM when the PC was not beeping nor POSTing and it beeped twice, which meant that RAM was missing. I put the RAM back in and it went back to no beeps no POST. But, after I watched this video (spoilers!), I thought "hm, that's one thing I didn't try" and it actually worked!! By removing and replacing individual RAM sticks, I found out that one of them was causing my problem. Here I assumed my RAM was all good, but apparently something happened to it. I figured one stick would be cheap, but I couldn't find (on Amazon or NewEgg) a stick of RAM that was exactly the same (same brand, same specs., etc.). I did a little research and concluded that it's probably either not good nor optimal to mix brands of RAM. I'd rather have all of them exactly the same and working together. So, I ordered a 16GB kit on Amazon.
So, here I sit borrowing a laptop that has a hard drive that's completely full and doesn't have space even for Windows Updates. (Wow!) I'm actually writing this post in Notepad! I can't wait to get my PC back up and running again. It really is hard to believe that a 5 year old computer could still be decent. Although, after reading my post history here, I found out that I had said the previous PC I built was 7 years old. I feel like I'm more used to the days where every few years a new computer was kind of necessary. I think at that time technology just progressed so steadily. It reminds me of Moore's Law (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law). I wonder if technology has slowed down at all or if it's still going at the same pace. Maybe as I grow older time gets taken into different perspectives. 5 years as a kid is a long time, but it passes so quickly when you're reaching 40.
Would I recommend an Alienware PC? Yeah, pretty much. If you have the money and don't want to build one yourself, sure. You can actually buy a refurbished version of my PC (with a different GPU) on NewEgg for under $1000. I didn't see it when I was looking for a new computer, otherwise I might have just bought it. Right now, I don't know that I'm ready to mark up how much this repair is costing me. I can just be glad that I can do it and that I have pretty much solved the puzzle of "what's wrong with my PC?" Here's to hoping the CPU is still undamaged. Well, even if I have to replace every part of my PC, I think it's worth it.
While there are arguments for building your own PC and not buying from a manufacturer like Dell or HP, there are some advantages such as warranty and tech support. My PC is now out of warranty (and so is the 980Ti), so I cannot freely rely on tech support. Although I did email EVGA requesting instructions on how to reapply thermal past to my out of warranty GPU. I got a reply saying there is no such "guide" or instructions, but I could find something on YouTube. He even sent me a link to a YouTube video I had already watched (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDLQ7FjPMf8). He could have just said "you're out of warranty, I can't help you", but apparently EVGA has good customer service. I can also attest to Amazon's excellent customer service. One more advantage to buying from a manufacturer, even if it's an older or refurbished PC, you can easily find resources online to help you figure out what's wrong. In my experience there are plenty of people out there who have the same PC as I do and have had similar problems with similar solutions. Luckily, parts also still exist for it on Amazon and NewEgg, making this rebuild possible. I can't wait to breathe new life into my PC.
Want to share your PC specs? How often do you buy or build a new PC? Do you buy or build? Who do you buy (PCs or parts) from? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments!
*Update*
I'm replacing so many parts! I wanted to include links for you, so check them out below. I found a pretty cool YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/Jayztwocents/). While I am an experienced IT guy and quite knowledgeable when it comes to computers (most people know me for that and often ask me some kind of computer question or for tech support), I'm actually learning! The more I learn, the more I want to do with my rebuild. So, although my HDD seems fine, I've decided to make the jump to SSD. These (along with other technologies) are apparently cheaper now and definitely worth getting. With this I won't have to sit around waiting for Windows or my games to load. Luckily, too, it seems easy to install Windows 10 on a new SSD, if you already have it installed on a HDD, because you have a digital activation that is stored on Microsoft servers. So, it seems, there's no need to buy a new copy of Windows or purchase a new key if you've already activated one. (Good job Microsoft!)
I'm running out of money, but I'm also very tempted to upgrade my monitor and get into high refresh gaming. I haven't experienced it yet, which is why my basic 60hz/60fps gaming is fine w/ me, I may decide to make that jump, too, although I may wait on it a bit.
I may come back and update this post as I install my new (or new-ish) parts, or if I find that I want or need another part.
I forgot to share with you the other parts I've ordered for this PC rebuild. Here they are:
The same motherboard that's in my PC (which I may actually send back as mine seems to be working):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IDULQ4W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti XC Gaming, 6GB GDDR6, HDB Fan Graphics Card
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NBHXKK6/ref=twister_B07PQNCT3B?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
EVGA Product Page: https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=06G-P4-1263-KR
Corsair Hydro 80i v2 Liquid CPU Cooler
https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-Radiator-Advanced-Lighting-Software/dp/B019954Y2Q/ref=sr_1_2?crid=V7BRJYDOE3FO&keywords=corsair+80i+v2&qid=1559751495&s=electronics&sprefix=corsair+80i%2Celectronics%2C169&sr=1-2
A-Tech 16GB RAM kit (a replacement, not an upgrade)
https://www.amazon.com/Alienware-NON-ECC-PC3-12800-1600MHz-Tech/dp/B00NE2US08/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=alienware+aurora+r4+ram&qid=1559751568&s=electronics&sr=1-4
ICY DOCK 2.5" to 3.5" SATA 6Gb SSD & Hard Drive Converter / Adapter / Bracket -Black
(Model: MB882SP-1S-1B)
https://www.amazon.com/ICY-DOCK-Converter-Mount-Adapter/dp/B002Z2QDNE/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=ICY+DOCK+2.5%22+to+3.5%22+SATA+6Gb+SSD+%26+Hard+Drive+Converter+%2F+Adapter+%2F+Bracket+-Black+%28Model%3A+MB882SP-1S-1B%29&qid=1559751701&s=electronics&sr=1-1-fkmr0
WD Blue 3D NAND 1TB PC SSD - SATA III 6 Gb/s, 2.5"/7mm - WDS100T2B0A
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-NAND-1TB-SSD-WDS100T2B0A/dp/B073SBQMCX/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=wd+blue+ssd+1tb&qid=1559751765&s=electronics&sr=1-3
I remember how learning about PC technology was a big thing in my teens. I grew up as a kid with a Commodore 128d, but we got our first Acer PC in 1995. Wow, what a change! I had gotten a little advanced with the Commodore. I knew how to program it, basically (pun not intended....BASICally), and I began to learn about it's hardware (300 baud modem yay!). The PC was a step up and jump into a new world. I continued to visit my favorite BBSes, while at the same time learning more about Windows and PCs in general. As I got older, I learned more, bought more computers, and was actually able to upgrade them. I seem to recall a time when I had 12MB (yes MB!) of RAM. Wow, those were the days! Haha. Eventually, I was building my own. However, at the time, I was pretty much "an AMD guy." I even wrote a paper in college about AMD Vs. Intel (and why I believed AMD was superior). It seemed to me that AMD was using newer, better technology (RISC), and they're CPUs were cheaper. It wasn't until about 5 years ago that all changed.
In early 2014, I posted here on Cheerful Ghost that I was thinking about a PC upgrade, a new build or a new buy (you can see that post here: https://cheerfulghost.com/GregoPeck/posts/1888/thinking-about-a-pc-upgrade). I did a little research and came up with what I wanted for hardware (Intel i7, GTX 690). I realized that the hardware I wanted was expensive, but I had some money to spend, so I wasn't too worried about it. However, I decided that it would probably be cheaper to actually just buy a PC. This was in part, because of the cost of Windows. So, I decided to "save some money" and buy an Alienware Aurora R4. However, I paid a lot for it, more than I've ever paid for a PC, so it seems my "save some money" logic kind of failed. In part it was because I really wanted an i7 and a GTX 690. I also decided on 16GB of RAM. And thus my life with my most favorite PC of all time began.
It wasn't too long before I realized that maybe I had selected the wrong GPU for this new PC of mine. Ark: Survival Evolved had just come out in Early Access and I loved it. Unfortunately the GPU wasn't up to the task. This is because the 690 is a two-in-one 4GB GPU, which means it was two 2GB GPUs working together as one (technically in SLI mode). Unfortunately, some games (particularly Ark) couldn't fully optimize the GPU. The game was only able to use half of it, sadly enough. I had to tone down the settings drastically (I think in DX10 or DX9 mode). The game really didn't look great, but I was able to play it.I had started playing on an official server and I really loved the game, but I had a strong feeling that I wanted to play the game and see it as it was meant to be played and seen. So, I decided it was time to retire the 690 and get an upgrade. My fellow players seemed to agree that a 980Ti was their best recommendation and that is what I decided to get. (You can read more about it here: https://cheerfulghost.com/GregoPeck/posts/4094/evga-geforce-gtx-980ti-6gb-classified-gaming-acx-2-0-post-mortem).
I got an EVGA GeForce GTX 980Ti 6GB "Classified Gaming" with ACX 2.0+ (thermal technology).I seem to recall that one of the first games I played was Subnautica, but I didn't really get into it until about 3 years later. I really just cared that it could run Ark and it did! I was greatly impressed and loving how beautiful the game looked and that I actually had a PC that could run it. Granted, I couldn't really run it on the highest "Epic" settings, but that was for a Titan or better GPU. I really loved this GPU much more than the more expensive 690. My memory tells me I paid $400-$600 for it, but Amazon says it's still for sale at about $700! Wow! How is this 3 year old GPU still worth that much? Is it really that good? Well, actually yeah, I think so.
I believe the GPU was overclocked out-of-the-box. I never did try to overclock it myself as I am not experienced with overclocking. I'm still used to the old days when doing so could be very dangerous, you could actually destroy a CPU or GPU trying to overclock it. So, I never messed with it, never tried to do it. Even though I got an overclocked GPU, I decided to let software take care of it for me. I used EVGA Precision X16, although I really only used it to control the GPU fan, which I set to 100% while gaming. At the same time I used the Alienware Command Center to set my HDD and PCIE fans to 100% while gaming as well. I didn't mind the noise.
Unfortunately, I began to pay attention to how hot the GPU was running. I eventually noticed that my GPU was running at 91c (celcius) while playing Ark and this seemed normal. I never experienced any issues that seemed as though the GPU wasn't working because it was too hot. I ran into some confirmation bias while researching the issue when I saw a post that said these GPUs run hot and it's max temp was 91-92c and if it got too hot it would throttle itself. I never applied thermal paste to a CPU or GPU before, but that was one recommendation I saw on the Internet and from a local friend. I finally bought some Arctic MX-4 from NewEgg as it's the most popular thermal paste on there and at Amazon (although it was cheaper on NewEgg and would arrive sooner). Before this, my PC actually shut itself off a few times. I did some more research about cleaning a PC (especially w/out compressed air) and used a hard plastic straw to blow some dust away and clear some fans. Later, I bought a can of compressed air at Wal-Mart and used it. However, I was watching my GPU thermals while playing Civ6 and getting nervous as it found it's way to the upper 80's (Celsius). Then, it dawned on me that I should check the CPU temperature, which I never worried about, because I had liquid cooling for it.
And there's where things ended recently. I used CPUID/HW Monitor and found out that my PC was running too hot (90c+)! I did some more research and found multiple people reporting issues with their CPU liquid cooling system. Some people had replaced their cooling system with a Corsair system. So, I ordered one, but then later decided I wanted a newer (and still compatible) model. Some people posted pictures of cooling systems that were clogged with green "goo." Luckily, they told you that you could clean them with isopropyl alcohol. I decided to take mine apart, but I didn't see any "goo." I put it back together and things seemed better, but the good "repaired" feel didn't last. I remember seeing "artifacts" on my screen (green lines, abnormalities) and the PC shut off. Finally, I was trying to get my PC on, but it would only beep at me continuously 6 times and then repeat. After more research, I found out that (at least for the Alienware Aurora R4) this meant a GPU failure. So, I took the 980Ti out and put in the 690. It came on the but 690 displayed different "artifacts" (white lines). I took the GPU out, tried to turn on the PC and again it beeped at me the same (it does this if you have a bad GPU or if there is no GPU).
I did notice the bottom of the two GPUs (the point of contact to the PCIE slot) was wet. I didn't see why or how. I even took the 980 apart, but didn't seem to find the source. However, I did later see the liquid cooler drop some water onto the PC while the GPU was out. So, I think this is how the PCIE slot got wet. I finally got it dried and tried the GPUs again, but it would only beep 6 times again with the 980 and the 690 still had white lines. So, I tried the 8800 I had in an old computer and it worked. So, it seems I have one definitely dead GPU and another damaged one. The 8800 seems fine, but it only has less than a gig of VRAM, crazy! So, I thought I need a new GPU and liquid cooler for the CPU.
I seriously started to think about getting a new computer, but I really didn't want to. This Alienware has spoiled me. I really love it and don't want to be without it. I went to Wal-Mart to look at their PCs, but I knew I wouldn't find anything, because I had looked at them weeks or months ago and scoffed at them. I'd look at the system specs and say aloud "are you kidding me?!" The "gaming" HP PC had an Intel i3 or i5! It also had maybe a 3GB VRAM GPU. It was only about $600, but there's no way it could come anywhere close to my Alienware w/ it's i7! Looking online was disappointing. Even though this computer isn't exactly worth what it was 5 years ago, it's still expensive (or rather over $1,000)! I couldn't get an affordable one with the specs I wanted (i7, 16GB RAM, 6GB GPU, etc.). It blew my mind that even though I spent a lot of money on this PC 5 years ago and then again 3 years ago (GPU upgrade), it was still a beast! I wouldn't mind having an i9 even though I don't know about them, but even an i7 means an expensive PC and there's no way I could possibly settle for an i5. So, basically I decided that my PC was just fine (specs wise) and I would be very happy if I could just get it running again even with most of the same hardware/components. I didn't need a new computer nor did I need an upgrade. However, I needed to replace some parts, which should save me some money. Although at this point, I've ordred almost everything except for a CPU and PSU (power supply unit).
I did run into a problem when it would not POST nor beep. I did some research, tried some things to no avail. I figured the motherboard must have fried with the wet GPU socket, so I ordered one on Amazon, but it was about $200. I really don't want to have to replace the motherboard, although it doesn't look as complicated (in the manual) as it seems. I may do it just because I know I have one or two USB ports on the back that no longer work (I have two on the front that have issues to due to water damage last year). During this whole time I did not test all the components and that was my mistake. I assumed too much. I reseated the CMOS battery multiple times and made sure that the PSU was good (it is, there's a way to test it for these computers). I thought everything else was fine, it had to be the CPU or motherboard, right? Well my mistake lied in my assumption. I actually watched a video on YouTube called "How to Repair a Dead Computer" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz9pMKy9Mbs&t=1824s). I was actually surprised that even though I am an experienced IT tech support guy, I learned something from this video. I had already taken out all of my RAM when the PC was not beeping nor POSTing and it beeped twice, which meant that RAM was missing. I put the RAM back in and it went back to no beeps no POST. But, after I watched this video (spoilers!), I thought "hm, that's one thing I didn't try" and it actually worked!! By removing and replacing individual RAM sticks, I found out that one of them was causing my problem. Here I assumed my RAM was all good, but apparently something happened to it. I figured one stick would be cheap, but I couldn't find (on Amazon or NewEgg) a stick of RAM that was exactly the same (same brand, same specs., etc.). I did a little research and concluded that it's probably either not good nor optimal to mix brands of RAM. I'd rather have all of them exactly the same and working together. So, I ordered a 16GB kit on Amazon.
So, here I sit borrowing a laptop that has a hard drive that's completely full and doesn't have space even for Windows Updates. (Wow!) I'm actually writing this post in Notepad! I can't wait to get my PC back up and running again. It really is hard to believe that a 5 year old computer could still be decent. Although, after reading my post history here, I found out that I had said the previous PC I built was 7 years old. I feel like I'm more used to the days where every few years a new computer was kind of necessary. I think at that time technology just progressed so steadily. It reminds me of Moore's Law (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law). I wonder if technology has slowed down at all or if it's still going at the same pace. Maybe as I grow older time gets taken into different perspectives. 5 years as a kid is a long time, but it passes so quickly when you're reaching 40.
Would I recommend an Alienware PC? Yeah, pretty much. If you have the money and don't want to build one yourself, sure. You can actually buy a refurbished version of my PC (with a different GPU) on NewEgg for under $1000. I didn't see it when I was looking for a new computer, otherwise I might have just bought it. Right now, I don't know that I'm ready to mark up how much this repair is costing me. I can just be glad that I can do it and that I have pretty much solved the puzzle of "what's wrong with my PC?" Here's to hoping the CPU is still undamaged. Well, even if I have to replace every part of my PC, I think it's worth it.
While there are arguments for building your own PC and not buying from a manufacturer like Dell or HP, there are some advantages such as warranty and tech support. My PC is now out of warranty (and so is the 980Ti), so I cannot freely rely on tech support. Although I did email EVGA requesting instructions on how to reapply thermal past to my out of warranty GPU. I got a reply saying there is no such "guide" or instructions, but I could find something on YouTube. He even sent me a link to a YouTube video I had already watched (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDLQ7FjPMf8). He could have just said "you're out of warranty, I can't help you", but apparently EVGA has good customer service. I can also attest to Amazon's excellent customer service. One more advantage to buying from a manufacturer, even if it's an older or refurbished PC, you can easily find resources online to help you figure out what's wrong. In my experience there are plenty of people out there who have the same PC as I do and have had similar problems with similar solutions. Luckily, parts also still exist for it on Amazon and NewEgg, making this rebuild possible. I can't wait to breathe new life into my PC.
Want to share your PC specs? How often do you buy or build a new PC? Do you buy or build? Who do you buy (PCs or parts) from? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments!
*Update*
I'm replacing so many parts! I wanted to include links for you, so check them out below. I found a pretty cool YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/Jayztwocents/). While I am an experienced IT guy and quite knowledgeable when it comes to computers (most people know me for that and often ask me some kind of computer question or for tech support), I'm actually learning! The more I learn, the more I want to do with my rebuild. So, although my HDD seems fine, I've decided to make the jump to SSD. These (along with other technologies) are apparently cheaper now and definitely worth getting. With this I won't have to sit around waiting for Windows or my games to load. Luckily, too, it seems easy to install Windows 10 on a new SSD, if you already have it installed on a HDD, because you have a digital activation that is stored on Microsoft servers. So, it seems, there's no need to buy a new copy of Windows or purchase a new key if you've already activated one. (Good job Microsoft!)
I'm running out of money, but I'm also very tempted to upgrade my monitor and get into high refresh gaming. I haven't experienced it yet, which is why my basic 60hz/60fps gaming is fine w/ me, I may decide to make that jump, too, although I may wait on it a bit.
I may come back and update this post as I install my new (or new-ish) parts, or if I find that I want or need another part.
I forgot to share with you the other parts I've ordered for this PC rebuild. Here they are:
The same motherboard that's in my PC (which I may actually send back as mine seems to be working):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IDULQ4W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti XC Gaming, 6GB GDDR6, HDB Fan Graphics Card
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NBHXKK6/ref=twister_B07PQNCT3B?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
EVGA Product Page: https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=06G-P4-1263-KR
Corsair Hydro 80i v2 Liquid CPU Cooler
https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-Radiator-Advanced-Lighting-Software/dp/B019954Y2Q/ref=sr_1_2?crid=V7BRJYDOE3FO&keywords=corsair+80i+v2&qid=1559751495&s=electronics&sprefix=corsair+80i%2Celectronics%2C169&sr=1-2
A-Tech 16GB RAM kit (a replacement, not an upgrade)
https://www.amazon.com/Alienware-NON-ECC-PC3-12800-1600MHz-Tech/dp/B00NE2US08/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=alienware+aurora+r4+ram&qid=1559751568&s=electronics&sr=1-4
ICY DOCK 2.5" to 3.5" SATA 6Gb SSD & Hard Drive Converter / Adapter / Bracket -Black
(Model: MB882SP-1S-1B)
https://www.amazon.com/ICY-DOCK-Converter-Mount-Adapter/dp/B002Z2QDNE/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=ICY+DOCK+2.5%22+to+3.5%22+SATA+6Gb+SSD+%26+Hard+Drive+Converter+%2F+Adapter+%2F+Bracket+-Black+%28Model%3A+MB882SP-1S-1B%29&qid=1559751701&s=electronics&sr=1-1-fkmr0
WD Blue 3D NAND 1TB PC SSD - SATA III 6 Gb/s, 2.5"/7mm - WDS100T2B0A
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-NAND-1TB-SSD-WDS100T2B0A/dp/B073SBQMCX/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=wd+blue+ssd+1tb&qid=1559751765&s=electronics&sr=1-3
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*Update*
The new CPU liquid cooler arrived today. I managed to get it installed, although it was quite frustrating. Trying to put the (long) screws through the back of and into the case and into and through a fan and into the radiator was difficult. I did watch a YouTube video of someone doing just this thing with my PC. I think at first he had the system (cooler) in the wrong orientation. It took me a while to realize why I wasn't having any luck with it, so I had to flip it upside down (or right side up). Then I got it all screwed in and plugged up. My CPU with the old cooler just days ago was running at a blazing 91c! I downloaded an Intel program that can tell you whether or not your CPU is thermal throttling and sure enough at that temp, my CPU was doing it. No wonder it shut itself off! It's still in the 90's but that's no longer the celsius measurement, that's the fahrenheit temp (which is what the cooling system's software from Corsair is telling me). However, HWMonitor is telling me that the CPU is running at a very cool 36ish (in celcius) at max. Wow this tech is seriously awesome! I must admit at first I was sceptical about liquid cooling, it's well known that water and electronics don't mix. However, there (obviously) are some good systems out there that remove all worries (just don't try to take it apart yourself and fix it or you might spring a leak). From what I've been through with this PC, I believe that liquid cooling is very necessary, especially if you're planning to run a beast and do some really good gaming.
On that note, I'd like to add that I upgraded a couple of other pieces of hardware in recent years. I got a Razor Chroma keyboard, which has lit keys. Now I believe this kind of hardware is essential, especially if you're gaming in the dark (WASD are not the "home keys" unfortunately). I also got a Corsair Harpoon RGB mouse. I needed a new mouse, went to Wal-Mart and found "gaming" mice, so I picked one up. It's pretty good and the Corsair software (iCUE) controls my mouse and my new liquid cooling system. I've been a fan of Corsair for a long time, I've bought at least two of their PSUs.
I just picked up an alienware m15 laptop a few months ago. It has a i7, rtx 2070 max q and 16 GB of ram. I wanted a powerful slim laptop that I could use at my desk and then carry into my game room, which has my vive set up. When this machine works, I enjoy it, but sadly I have had to go through a whole new computer and two motherboards in the few short months that I have had it.
The first one I got, did not work 100% out of the box. I would set the laptop down and the video would freeze. The charging would also cut out after a few minutes. Alienware replaced it for me with a brand new laptop, but it took them 3 weeks. After this ordeal, I decided that getting the extended warranty was a good idea (maybe this was their plan all along? :) )
After a couple of months with the new laptop, my rtx 2070 max q gave up the ghost. I called Alienware/Dell and they gave me an option to send it in for fixing or they could send someone to my house to replace the motherboard. Given that it is my primary pc, I went with option two. The tech came out within 2 days and replaced my motherboard, but something was wrong. The new rtx 2070 max q would not increase its core clock speed beyond the base 300 MHz. What this meant is that high end gaming would not work.
After some diagnosing with Dell/Alienware (they pretty much asked me to do all the debugging I had already did) they ordered up another motherboard for me. This motherboard seems to be working well for now.
When this machine is working, it does an awesome job, but it does run hot and the CPU can peak and it can throttle itself. That being said, I haven't noticed any performance degradation. Given that I have an extended warranty on it for several years, I don't think I will repaste it. If things fail, I will just get it fixed.
Wow that looks like a sweet laptop! That sucks that you've had issues with it though. I wonder how a beastly laptop like that stays cool. I used the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/24075/Intel-Extreme-Tuning-Utility-Intel-XTU-) to see that my CPU was throttling.
It's good that you got an extended warranty, although bad that you had to get some replacements and such. I initially didn't have a problem w/ my PC, except the mouse's optical piece was damaged shortly after getting it, but I quickly replaced it.
Anyway, I'm glad we have another Cheerful Ghost Alienware user. :)
I too see computers lasting longer these days. I can't decide if it is because I am old and don't care 100% about cutting edge anymore, or if there aren't as many leaps in video cards and processors (at least from a gaming standpoint) anymore. I think it is probably a little bit of the former and more so of the latter.
I agree with you and I think you're right on both accounts and so am I. LOL I haven't really cared much about "cutting edge" tech for a while. But, I've decided it's time to try some out. The CPU Liquid Cooling System in this PC was new tech to me when I got it 5 years ago. The GPUs I've order are a bit "cutting edge," too. Now, I'm making the jump to SSD, which is long overdue, I'm sure! Now I might even get into higher def gaming. I might not go 4k, but I might take the step above me w/ 144. I don't know much about ray tracing, just that it's new. I'm not too worried about it, but you're good because it's on your GPU. I'm not quite up to date on CPUs, either. However, I did read that my i7-4820k is still actually a really good processor. I'm sure your's is better and you have faster RAM, but I think what I have has been very good and I don't have too much reason to change (yet I'm doing some upgrading). I like computer tech, but I haven't been staying "in the loop," so I've missed out on a lot. Luckily, I found a great YouTube channel that's helped me get up to speed on things (https://www.youtube.com/user/Jayztwocents).
Update! All parts have arrived by now and are installed. I'm now running a fresh install of Win10 on the SSD and the difference is astounding! Before I had to wait maybe 5 minutes before Windows was ready for me to do stuff, now it's pretty much like *BOOM* right there! Whoa!
I tested the GPU, it got just over 120fps in Heaven benchmark (which is double what my monitor can display). It did reach 80c, so I emailed EVGA to see if this is normal or if they have suggestions for a water cooler or if I should reapply thermal paste with my new tube of Artic MX-4. I might let you know what they say, but I bet this is normal. It idles about 40c, but the CPU w/ the new water pump idles, well it looks like less than 25c. I did a stress test on it and I think it reached 40c. That's freaking sweet! I found out I can overclock it, but I'll see how things go and if I need that extra horsepower.
I have returned the motherboard as I didn't need it. I installed the new RAM in the first pair of slots. There were only 2 and for some reason I was expecting 4 (I got 2x8 not 4x4). So I decided to let the old RAM stay in DIMM 3 & 4 slots, but it wouldn't POST with both sticks in, so I had to settle w/ just leaving one of them in. So now I'm running at 20GB RAM. Wow!
I ran CineBench and well, the results didn't look so good, but that's a hard stress, demanding test. The only way I can check my CPU is to keep an eye on it and see how it goes. I've installed lots of monitoring software, but HWMonitor feels like the best while Prime95 is quite confusing.
I think that's it. I may update this post more in the comments section (since I used the max amount of characters in the post). I might get a new higher refresh rate monitor, otherwise I think I'm good for now. Oh and I did get that 10 year warranty for the GPU, not cheap, but I think it's worth it considering my GPU history in the last decade.
I have successfully revived my PC. The difference is astounding! It really feels like a brand new PC. I think the major key involved is the SSD. If you don't have one, you seriously need to get one, it makes a world of difference! I also firmly believe a liquid cooler kit (as the one I got, read the post) is essential, especially for a CPU and if you do heavy gaming.
Hi GregoPeck ,
I have an Aurora R4 ALX. Important to note that this system shipped in 2010. I got it 2nd hand from Goodwill. Before starting the system I opened the stock CPU liquid cooler and made sure there was no gunk. Later, I considered the Corsair one but instead opted for Dell Part# 01YGW (38mm wide rad + 38mm fan) since I just didn't want to modify connectors or run the Corsair utility. I also switched to a Xeon E5-2665 processor- 8 core/ 16 threads... but then went to a Xeon E5-2689. I also had the Samsung EVO SATA drive with the IcyDock but then went to the Samsung 970 EVO which is an NVME drive. To boot from this, I use a modded BIOS by edmoncu. For graphics, I use an Nvidia GTX 1050ti and this is just a 75W card but performs nicely. I have to say, this system has given me so much for my money. I used it in college for MultiMedia Authoring, Photoshop, VMware with virtual machines for networking labs... never had a single hiccup while other students had to go to the campus to finish coursework because their home PCs gave them a fit. I will try to run Passmark and get a score to post soon for this antique PC.
That's awesome! I don't know much about the Xeon processors. I'm assuming as long as the CPU is an Ivy Bridge with the same socket it might be compatible. I'm not sure exactly what CPUs are compatible with this motherboard. I don't know much about NVME, but I just Googled it and it looks cool. I don't think my SSD is NVME, but Windows boots up incredibly fast now. As for the CPU cooler, I love this Corsair one. It was a pain to install it, though. I had to put four screws through the case, through the fan, and into the radiator and didn't have very much screw to do so. At first it wouldn't work at all, then I realized I had to change how I had it positioned. I finally got it to work. My PC is incredibly quiet now! I don't mind running the Corsair iCUE software as I was already running it because of my Corsair Harpoon mouse that I got months ago. I put the iCUE cooler on "Extreme" fan control and I either can't hear it or barely so. The one that came with the PC was much louder.
Thanks for replying to this post!
Here's my Passmark score for this old PC. I took a hit on graphics since I don't have a 4K monitor :( but I'm still happy. https://i.imgur.com/7FlnzVN.jpg
Cool. I haven't done a benchmark like that in a long time. I don't have a 4K monitor either, although I'm thinking about getting an upgrade to 1440p.
I’m thinking I want to get a new video card for my PC. Rage 2 has been great on what I have but I’m entering new areas that make it chug a bit. Thinking I can get a solid deal on a 1080 or something even more powerful for pretty cheap.
Sweet! You probably can find a good deal on something like that. Like I said in another post, $300 for the 1660Ti, was a great deal considering the past few GPUs I've had. What do you have now? I've been going w/ 6GB of VRAM for a while and I feel like that's enough, for now.
After thinking more about it and talking to Travis I think I’ll hold off. The next games I’m playing will be on Switch but when I play another graphically intense game I think I’ll upgrade. One nice thing about waiting is prices go down so you don’t lose doing that. 😂
After your comment, I actually watched a new video explaining why now is not a good time to buy new hardware, because new stuff is coming soon and what's new now will get go on sale. https://youtu.be/kip0axDBjQ0 However, I think you'd be fine, because you're not really looking for currently brand new. But, still, if you wait then yeah prices are definitely going to get reduced. I was thinking about upgrading to a better monitor, but I pretty much blew what I had saved over recent months on all the other parts to get my PC back up and running. I might wait until next month or longer to get a new monitor, or maybe not at all, I don't know yet. I haven't done a whole lot of research or "window shopping," yet. I think I want a 1440p GSync monitor, that's about it, I'll need to do more research.
I agree with what you've decided. If you're going to be playing your Switch instead of your PC then yeah, do that and wait for GPUs get get cheaper. Playing on your Switch gives you something nice to do while you're waiting. As JayZTwoCents mentioned, waiting for the "back to school" or end of year (holidays) sales would be wise.
Back to the Switch, hit me up and tell me if you're going to get Civ 6, or write about it so I can read and comment!
👍
Sadly, I've grown to actually hate this PC, mostly because I took the case a part and didn't put it back together very well. This caused an issue with the power button, which I had fixed, but then I accidentally ripped two small cables in the front and now the power button no longer functions. There's also an amber light inside that I don't think I've seen before. I don't really want to repair it, because I don't want to go through the frustration of trying to put the case back together yet again. So, I've decided to build a new PC. I'll be posting about the new build soon, in case you're interested.
👻❤️👍