Upgrading from alienware x51 r2 Help

Mrjason11

Commendable
Feb 29, 2016
17
0
1,510
First before the hate comes for having an alienware it was a gift. But, now i am looking to upgrade to a bigger case and increase my performance. I currently have a Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770 CPU @ 3.40GHz, 3401 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s). 8gbs of ram and a EVGA 970 Super Clocked. This is also running on a 330W power supply. While i dont plan on upgrading all at once I just would like a road map on what components to upgrade and in what order. I use this PC for College as well as hardcore graphics intensive gaming. I realize i will probably have to upgrade the case and power supply to handle more parts. But as far as the order and what parts would make the best pc is beyond me. Any help is appreciated. Thanks :)
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Solution
Your motherboard does not use standard placement holes to screw it down to the motherboard tray so there is no way to mount it in a new case. Your motherboard also only has one pci-e slot for graphics cards so running dual cards is out of the question.
well its an alienware so its made by dell.

CPU is still strong so no need to upgrade that.
Ram will be locked at 1600Mhz and only supports 2x8gb sticks
Kind of stuck with the Motherboard, Window key will also be locked to this board so if you change boards you will need a new windows key.
Looking at pictures of your computer it looks like the motherboard is proprietary so looks like a new case it out of the question.

So now that we narrowed down the things that dont need changed or stuck with.



PSU would be the first thing i would look at changing, a good EVGA G2 550/650w or Seasonic S12II 620w would be good for the system.
SSD this will help with boot times and program loading, it wont help with FPS in games.
Graphics card would be the last thing unless your unhappy with game performance, any way you go you will need to upgrade the PSU for a new graphics card. A small boost in performance would be a 1060, which trades blows with a 980 so its not much gains over your 970. A 1070 would be the logical next step for you.

so steps

PSU first you cant do anything until this is changed
SSD second/third
GPu third/second
 

Mrjason11

Commendable
Feb 29, 2016
17
0
1,510

So why cant i move the parts into another case? Im new at this so i dont really understand. Because i eventually want dual graphics cards and such
Thanks.
 
Your motherboard does not use standard placement holes to screw it down to the motherboard tray so there is no way to mount it in a new case. Your motherboard also only has one pci-e slot for graphics cards so running dual cards is out of the question.
 
Solution

Mrjason11

Commendable
Feb 29, 2016
17
0
1,510


What would i have to do to change that
 
The x51 is non upgradeable mate in its entirety.

You have the absolute best components in there now that its capable of running.
That system was never built to be upgradeable!

What you're taking about is a full rebuild.
All you can carry over is your CPU/ram/hard drive /GPU.

You would essentially be better selling the system as a full running system as it stands & building entirely from scratch imo I'd you really want to upgrade.

In all honesty your rig is good though , what is youre not happy with exactly??
 

Mrjason11

Commendable
Feb 29, 2016
17
0
1,510


Well its not that im unhappy. I just want to have a system that can do everything and run all my games on ultra. Have lots of multi tasking and be super responsive and i just assumed it would mean i needed a bigger case and such. I didnt realize it would be me having to replace all of those major parts. If i was to take what i had and still move to another case about how much would that cost to replace the needed parts and buy a new and bigger case capable of holding two graphics cards.
 
You have to change the motherboard then mate plain as - and that's then a rebuild not an upgrade.

Its a proprietary component & runs off 12v DC power only.

You will not find a DC unit with more than 330w , they don't exist.

I've seen people in the past upgrade these to full cases , run the board off 12v DC & run an extra atx PSU just for the graphics card.
It's possible to do this but it is a massive pita if you're not experienced in these things.