upgrading alienware aurora r2

birdz6 · Jan 3, 2017

I looking to upgrade my alienware auroa r2 so i can run higher frame rates and on higher quality settings.
here is what i have
intel i3cpu 540@3.07 ghz
3 gr
ati radeon hd 5670

should i upgrade the processer, ram, video card...and how do i figure out whats compatable? where is my money best spent?

ThomasKK · Jan 4, 2017

Well, i would recommend getting a whole new system.

Your core i3 CPU is from the 1st generation, it won't perform very well in games.
3 GB of RAM is also not enough, you may want to have at least 8GB to handle newest games.
GPU is also very out-dated. You may want to take a look at GTX 1050Ti/1060 or RX 470/480. (but these GPUs will require a more powerful overall system)

You can figure out what's compatible at http://pcpartpicker.com/list/ it tells you if the items you have are compatible and what would be the issues if you took wrong components.

What is your "upgrading" budget?

birdz6 · Jan 5, 2017

I don't have a lot to spend...kids in college... the only game I do online is IRacing. my computer will run the game decent on smaller tracks with limited issues, but i get screen freezes and deal with ping and quality issues at the bigger tracks. i was hoping that maybe just a new cpu, memory or video card would be enough.

ThomasKK · Jan 6, 2017

Here, i checked if your current PC is okay with running this game: http://www.game-debate.com/games/index.php?g_id=651&game=iRacing&p_make=Intel&p_deriv=Core+i3-540+3.06GHz&gc_make=ATI&gc_deriv=Radeon+HD+5670+1GB+DDR3&ram=3&checkSubmit=#systemrequirements

This test has been made at 1080p. What resolution do you use and what framerates can you achieve?
Your CPU does meet the minimum requirements, but RAM and GPU do not. I would recommend upgrading ram to 2x4GB and a newer graphics card. Current gpu (HD 5670) has a performance rating of 3/10, which is very low, meanwhile iRacing says it needs something with a rating of 5-6 out of 10. You can search for graphics cards within your budget range and if you think you found a good deal, go to game-debate.com and search for your graphics card (exact model) and right there it will say what GD rating does it have.
For example, here is your GPU and CPU:
http://www.game-debate.com/hardware/?gid=416&graphics=Radeon%20HD%205670%201024MB
http://www.game-debate.com/hardware/index.php?pid=251&cpu=Core%20i3-540%203.06GHz#compareCpuHeader

You can also look at the graphics card's "resolution performance". 10 = Perfect, meanwhile 2-4 - can't be called a decent pick.

birdz6 · Jan 8, 2017

Thanks ThomasKK, I have (3) 1gb ram and have 4 slots. can I get (2) 4gb ram and leave 2 1gb in the other? is it of any value? and is there a way I can tell how to get a good GPU that will be compatible? sorry for being a novice, but computers aren't my thing. lol

ThomasKK · Jan 8, 2017

No problems, mate!

Well, i will need your motherboard's model number to tell you if it can have quad-channel ram inside (4 sticks), but i would not recommend it. Ram works best with exact same size, speed, latency etc.. 1st of all, a 4 + 4 + 1 + 1 GB setup would A: won't work, or B: lower size'd ram sticks may slow down faster ones. And, on the other hand, you actually won't need more than 2x4GB ram. 8GB is plenty for such setup.

For graphics card, as i said in previous comment, use this page: http://www.game-debate.com/
A GTX 750Ti should be a really solid choice for graphics card, game-debate says it's ~250% faster than your current radeon hd 5670. If you can find a used one for ~70$ it should be a great deal. A New one is not worth it and if you want to buy a new graphics card, go for GTX 1050 (~110$) since it is much newer and costs +- the same or even less than a new 750Ti. It will offer huge performance boost in more graphically demanding applications.

birdz6 · Jan 14, 2017

ThomasKK :

Here, i checked if your current PC is okay with running this game: http://www.game-debate.com/games/index.php?g_id=651&game=iRacing&p_make=Intel&p_deriv=Core+i3-540+3.06GHz&gc_make=ATI&gc_deriv=Radeon+HD+5670+1GB+DDR3&ram=3&checkSubmit=#systemrequirements

This test has been made at 1080p. What resolution do you use and what framerates can you achieve?
Your CPU does meet the minimum requirements, but RAM and GPU do not. I would recommend upgrading ram to 2x4GB and a newer graphics card. Current gpu (HD 5670) has a performance rating of 3/10, which is very low, meanwhile iRacing says it needs something with a rating of 5-6 out of 10. You can search for graphics cards within your budget range and if you think you found a good deal, go to game-debate.com and search for your graphics card (exact model) and right there it will say what GD rating does it have.
For example, here is your GPU and CPU:
http://www.game-debate.com/hardware/?gid=416&graphics=Radeon%20HD%205670%201024MB
http://www.game-debate.com/hardware/index.php?pid=251&cpu=Core%20i3-540%203.06GHz#compareCpuHeader

You can also look at the graphics card's "resolution performance". 10 = Perfect, meanwhile 2-4 - can't be called a decent pick.

birdz6 · Jan 14, 2017

i did what you said. the 8 gb ram seems to have made my whole system faster... can run higher frame rates.

the down side is i bought gtx 1050 video card and it didn't work. I called the manufacture for trouble shooting and they told me alienware aurora 2 hasn't updated their bios for a while. based on that I need to get a video card thats pre UeFI bios. Any idea how I can find those and what would be a good pick?

ThomasKK · Jan 15, 2017

Can you still return the 1050? If yes, do it.

I took a look at:
http://www.game-debate.com/hardware/index.php?pid=251&cpu=Core%20i3-540%203.06GHz&page=2#discussForm
From the comments bellow i found that the best GPUs people run with i3-540 is GTX 650Ti or 660. 700-series and above should have problems, because dell does not update bios for pre-build computers.. didn't know about that :|

King Dranzer · Jan 15, 2017

What is your budget for upgrade maximum

famousboy · Feb 4, 2017

King Dranzer :

So what would be the best build for this type of model ? I have the exact same one and trying to upgrade it if its even worth upgrading

King Dranzer · Feb 4, 2017

famousboy :

It depends on budget you wanna spend

famousboy · Feb 4, 2017

King Dranzer :

Well can you give some options or would it be better just to buy something new ?

King Dranzer · Feb 4, 2017

famousboy :

If you like that case and wanna stick with then I can help you with. No problem.
I had a friend who liked that case and how it looked so he asked me if upgrading it was possible. Surprisingly it was.

famousboy · Feb 4, 2017

King Dranzer :

famousboy :

If you like that case and wanna stick with then I can help you with. No problem.
I had a friend who liked that case and how it looked so he asked me if upgrading it was possible. Surprisingly it was. [/

Yeah I like that why I'm trying to figure out what's the best option to upgrade it

King Dranzer · Feb 4, 2017

For starters as I remember it came in with 2 PSU options one was 550W and other was 850W. Which one do you have.

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