# Alienware Alpha R2 Owners Club



## r3zon8

Note- Umars TechTalk video of the Alienware Alpah R2 on the Alienware Youtube Channel mentioned that the Steam machine does NOT have the Alienware Amplifier port.

However this was partially true. The Port is physically on the mainboard but simply hidden from the IO Shield. When I disassembled by unit to upgrade the Intel 3165 card for the Intel 8260 card I found the port! You can use a small blade or X-acto knife to simply cut the soft plastic on the IO shield and youll now have the Amplifier Port!


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## Magnusson2004

Hi

I do not currently own an Alpha R2, but am at the point of buying one.

I was just wondering, how it performs in games in general? How are settings in 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 and the fps?

Read a review where the say that it can be loud under stress, is this really that noticeable?

Any issues with heat under full load?

// Michael


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## Magnusson2004

me again...

how does it run games like:

Elder Scrolls Online
Witcher 3
GTA v
Assassin's Creed Unity, Syndicate etc?


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## iaFx

Hello, thanks for the info, one cuestion:

You can turn on your Steam Machine with the Steam Controllerr?


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## retroPhil

So close.........So so close........


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *retroPhil*
> 
> 
> 
> So close.........So so close........


Mine left china on the 27th too!

Did have an ETA of 4th, but thats been and gone and it's now changed to 6th.
I'm in the UK.

What system did you order? I got the i7. I have a 16GB HYPERX 2400 SODIMM sat here waiting for it lol


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## retroPhil

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Mine left china on the 27th too!
> 
> Did have an ETA of 4th, but thats been and gone and it's now changed to 6th.
> I'm in the UK.
> 
> What system did you order? I got the i7. I have a 16GB HYPERX 2400 SODIMM sat here waiting for it lol


Yep exactly the same ETA, went from 4th and now the 6th hahah

And yes I ordered the i7 aswell

And for extra spooky points....


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## retroPhil

LUTTERWORTH!


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *retroPhil*
> 
> Yep exactly the same ETA, went from 4th and now the 6th hahah
> 
> And yes I ordered the i7 aswell
> 
> And for extra spooky points....


Holy cow thats freaky!
That is the exact RAM I have, in the exact packaging still sealed also sat next to my keyboard of my PC at work lol

How much did you pay for your i7? I spoke to a Dell sales guy on live chat, and he knocked it down a bit to £716. Not a massive discount but better than nothing!

I also have a 256GB M.2 SSD here to go in mine. But I took it out of my old PC and forgot to take the little screw out. Hoping there is a screw preinstalled on the R2 motherboard for the M.2 drive.

Have you seen any teardown videos yet??


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## retroPhil

Hahahaha. I got ripped off! I paid £721, a whole 5 pounds. I've been looking around for videos. Its mainly unboxing. Forbes is the closest, but its hardly a teardown.


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *retroPhil*
> 
> Hahahaha. I got ripped off! I paid £721, a whole 5 pounds. I've been looking around for videos. Its mainly unboxing. Forbes is the closest, but its hardly a teardown.


I'll check the forbes one out, just trying to see if there is a prefited screw for the M.2 drive!

Mines now out for delivery, so today's the day!

If you get yours before mine, let me know what you find 
(ie, if the memory works etc)


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## retroPhil

WWAAGGHHHHHH!!!!! Mines due in half an hour.


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *retroPhil*
> 
> WWAAGGHHHHHH!!!!! Mines due in half an hour.


WOOOO!! mines due between 11:30 and 12:30 

Let me know how you get on with the RAM and if there is a screw already on the motherboard for the M.2 drive


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## retroPhil

WAAAAAAA!!!



I'll check now for you!!


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *retroPhil*
> 
> WAAAAAAA!!!
> 
> 
> 
> I'll check now for you!!


Yeesss!! I'm excited for you lol

Bloody typical, mines being delivered to my work and I have a day off today, so will go in and get it once its been delivered


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## retroPhil

Nope. Sorry man. :/

Your gonna have to attack some appliance in your house with a matching screw


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *retroPhil*
> 
> 
> 
> Nope. Sorry man. :/
> 
> Your gonna have to attack some appliance in your house with a matching screw


Cheers matey, very helpful 

Will have a look at work and see what I can find!


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## spoonablehippo

Hows she running retroPhil?


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## retroPhil

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Hows she running retroPhil?


Just transferring files and running windows updates atm, which makes me miss having an ssd









16gb went in no problem. Don't make the same mistake as me and start unscrewing the CPU heatsink screws durhhh.


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *retroPhil*
> 
> Just transferring files and running windows updates atm, which makes me miss having an ssd
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 16gb went in no problem. Don't make the same mistake as me and start unscrewing the CPU heatsink screws durhhh.


Haha won't do! Had a R1 Alpha, so have swapped the RAM in these before.

I'm taking the 500GB HDD straight out and putting in a 2TB one I'm pilfering from my PS4. Its only 5400RPM, but as the OS and program files will be on the M.2 and the HDD is only for actual game installs it shouldn't slow it up too much (I hope).


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## retroPhil

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Haha won't do! Had a R1 Alpha, so have swapped the RAM in these before.
> 
> I'm taking the 500GB HDD straight out and putting in a 2TB one I'm pilfering from my PS4. Its only 5400RPM, but as the OS and program files will be on the M.2 and the HDD is only for actual game installs it shouldn't slow it up too much (I hope).


I'm such a newbie









I'll post a benchmark in abit.


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## retroPhil

Goes great with my clutter











KI


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## r3zon8

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Haha won't do! Had a R1 Alpha, so have swapped the RAM in these before.
> 
> I'm taking the 500GB HDD straight out and putting in a 2TB one I'm pilfering from my PS4. Its only 5400RPM, but as the OS and program files will be on the M.2 and the HDD is only for actual game installs it shouldn't slow it up too much (I hope).


The inclusion of the M.2 slot really makes this a desktop replacement class box. I was between this and the new Aurora but I think im good with just the Alpha/Steam R2 now.


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## r3zon8

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> I'll check the forbes one out, just trying to see if there is a prefited screw for the M.2 drive!
> 
> Mines now out for delivery, so today's the day!
> 
> If you get yours before mine, let me know what you find
> (ie, if the memory works etc)


No prefitted screw for the M.2 slot. Bastards!


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## r3zon8

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Hi
> 
> I do not currently own an Alpha R2, but am at the point of buying one.
> 
> I was just wondering, how it performs in games in general? How are settings in 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 and the fps?
> 
> Read a review where the say that it can be loud under stress, is this really that noticeable?
> 
> Any issues with heat under full load?
> 
> // Michael


I owned an Alpha R1 prior to this and all games were >30fps at 1080p/medium. fan noise was not noticeable from the couch during long extended gaming sessions.

With the R2..the fan is noticeably louder. The GF even noticed the added sound when playing Doom(2016) and Overwatch- the only 2 games Im playing at the moment.

I played plenty of Doom on the R1 and Overwatch. Mostly had to use Low/Medium on Doom and Medium on Overwatch. with the R2 Im at High on Doom and Ultra on Overwatch. 60fps without issue.

This little machine really is a beast guys! Im really happy with the R2 upgrade. Im glad Dell/Alienware listened to all the fans and placed a proper GPU in this.


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## retroPhil

Forza 6:


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## spoonablehippo

Well, got mine yesterday!

Had a nightmare trying to get it to recognise my Samsung M.2 drive though. Finally got it sorted by changing the SATA mode in BIOS to ACHI. The default was RAID ON.

But anyway, what a beast!

I have been having an email conversation with Richard Leadbetter from Digital Foundry, and he has given me some overclocking settings to try that worked well with the desktop GTX 960.

I've used MSI Afterburner, and have added the full +200 to the core and +400 to the RAM as rich suggested. No problem!

Gained an impressive amount during the 3D Mark Skydiver test, and during stress testing, the GPU temperature got up to 82 deg but stayed at that level.

I went to try and change the thermal paste on the GPU like I did with the R1 Alpha, but I don't think you can!?
The heatsink for the GPU is a monster compared to the R1, and I couldnt see any screws to remove it. It even has some copper heat pipes running around the bottom.

Below is the pic of the skydiver results, before and after overclocking:



Heatsink:




One thing I've noticed though, is that when under load my GPU starts to buzz!!! Can anyone with an R2 listen to theirs and see if it does it too or if mine has a problem?

Cheers


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## retroPhil

some awesome work there!

I don't get any buzzing at this end.


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *retroPhil*
> 
> some awesome work there!
> 
> I don't get any buzzing at this end.


Looked into it. and apparently is something called "coil whine" and quite common/normal.

I let it stress test at full load for around half hour, and the noise has stopped


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## retroPhil

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Looked into it. and apparently is something called "coil whine" and quite common/normal.
> 
> I let it stress test at full load for around half hour, and the noise has stopped


lol breaking it in


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## Marshallp

how about 3dmark firestrike score??

wanna know before O.C. score and after O.C. score


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Marshallp*
> 
> how about 3dmark firestrike score??
> 
> wanna know before O.C. score and after O.C. score


Your wish is my command


----------



## megt

Hi,
I'm really interested to buy a Alienware Alpha R2 (if my GF agrees







) and I would like to know if you have a graphic amplifier.
I have already one with my Alienware 13 and I would like to know if using the GA, the fan noise of the Alpha will be lower.

Otherwise, between the CPU and GPU fan, which one does the most of noise ? If it is the GPU, it will be perfect fore me !


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *megt*
> 
> Hi,
> I'm really interested to buy a Alienware Alpha R2 (if my GF agrees
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ) and I would like to know if you have a graphic amplifier.
> I have already one with my Alienware 13 and I would like to know if using the GA, the fan noise of the Alpha will be lower.
> 
> Otherwise, between the CPU and GPU fan, which one does the most of noise ? If it is the GPU, it will be perfect fore me !


I don't have the graphics amplifier, but as it is 95% of the fan noise is from the GPU.
However the R2 is noticeably louder when idling then the R1


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## megt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> I don't have the graphics amplifier, but as it is 95% of the fan noise is from the GPU.
> However the R2 is noticeably louder when idling then the R1


Great, it is what I was thinking !

Now I just have to convince my GF, it is more complicated !


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## KyotoSan

Hey guys









I bought an Alpha R2 a week ago and it's great, but i have a big question/roblem:

The fan is extremly loud, when i'm playing. For example: When i'm running WoW on high/ultra settings, the fan is so loud, that the sound of the game is drowned by the fan noise.
The Alienware Command Center doesn't have the Thermal Control, Speedfan doesn't list any fans, HWInfo doesn't show the fan controll button.








Is that normal? And why can't I control the fans?

Thanks in advance.


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *KyotoSan*
> 
> Hey guys
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I bought an Alpha R2 a week ago and it's great, but i have a big question/roblem:
> 
> The fan is extremly loud, when i'm playing. For example: When i'm running WoW on high/ultra settings, the fan is so loud, that the sound of the game is drowned by the fan noise.
> The Alienware Command Center doesn't have the Thermal Control, Speedfan doesn't list any fans, HWInfo doesn't show the fan controll button.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is that normal? And why can't I control the fans?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


I've noticed this too! Very loud, and even when idling on the desktop the fan is very audible.

There will be no fan controls. The Alpha is not your traditional PC, more like a games console in it's design in that there are no thermal variables! Dell/Alienware know exactly what hardware is inside and the cooling system and fan speeds have been set accordingly to keep that specific set of hardware within it's safe thermal limit.
During testing, the GPU in my Alpha R2 reached 82 degrees, which is fine, but if you lowered the fan speed then obviously it's going to get hotter and could be damaged.

The loudness of the fans is the trade off for having a 960 in such a small form factor I'm afraid :-(


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## retroPhil

I've uploaded a couple more videos.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgJWZxs6E68U9XN8NWKukhA


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## Magnusson2004

Also received my R2. What an amazing small box.

Stays fairly stable at 82 degrees (Celsius) when gaming, with the fans blaring away.

Got the standard wifi Intel 3165...will an upgrade to 8260 be any better for downloading? (I know it depends on my router, but just a general thought).

Any ways to tweak this wonder box? I have the i7-6700t version, with 8gb ddr4 and 256gb M.2 and 1tb SSHD for storage.

I was considering getting rid of my custom built itx pc which I have in my living room, if I got happy with this AW box. I have an EVGA 980ti sc acx in it at the moment, but was thinking about getting the AW graphics amplifier also. Still trying to figure out what will suit me best.


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Also received my R2. What an amazing small box.
> 
> Stays fairly stable at 82 degrees (Celsius) when gaming, with the fans blaring away.
> 
> Got the standard wifi Intel 3165...will an upgrade to 8260 be any better for downloading? (I know it depends on my router, but just a general thought).
> 
> Any ways to tweak this wonder box? I have the i7-6700t version, with 8gb ddr4 and 256gb M.2 and 1tb SSHD for storage.
> 
> I was considering getting rid of my custom built itx pc which I have in my living room, if I got happy with this AW box. I have an EVGA 980ti sc acx in it at the moment, but was thinking about getting the AW graphics amplifier also. Still trying to figure out what will suit me best.


Similar setup to mine! But upped the RAM to 16GB and have a 2tb drive for games storage.

Give MSI Afterburner a go. I've added +200 to the core and +400 to the RAM and it runs fine 

I sold my i7 4790K watercooled setup with a GTX 980 to get the R2 and I'm very happy with it. I wasn't using the full potential of my rig at all and it was large and in the way.
Cant believe Alienware squeezed so much power into such a tiny box 
And like you say, we have the option of the amplifier if I decide I do want more GPU power at a later date.


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## Magnusson2004

Alright, will give afterburner a go later on







Thanks for the info.

What does the temp reach under load when you have oc´ed it a bit?

Do you use yours on a pc monitor or tv? I use mine on a 4k tv, as I did with my itx build. Noticed I am not able to use 2560x1440 in any options, neither Nvidia control center or games, which is weird. I can choose 3840x2160, but I guess that is the native resolution of my tv.

Just wanted to see if it could manage some 2k gaming









Next step will be to oc per your advice and get 16gb Hyperx Impact.


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Alright, will give afterburner a go later on
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the info.
> 
> What does the temp reach under load when you have oc´ed it a bit?
> 
> Do you use yours on a pc monitor or tv? I use mine on a 4k tv, as I did with my itx build. Noticed I am not able to use 2560x1440 in any options, neither Nvidia control center or games, which is weird. I can choose 3840x2160, but I guess that is the native resolution of my tv.
> 
> Just wanted to see if it could manage some 2k gaming
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Next step will be to oc per your advice and get 16gb Hyperx Impact.


Max temp on mine with the OC was 82c. That was during 3D Mark's stress test.

My TV is only 1080P, so cant help with the 4K question I'm afraid. Although I think the Alpha R2 is excellent at 1080P gaming, I think 2K would make it **** a brick!

Save a little bit of money when you buy the HyperX RAM and just get the 2133MHz version. I got the 2400MHz, but its still restricted to 2133MHz in the BIOS.


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## ATWTech

Hey guys, great thread!

I do performance videos on the R1/R2 if you want to check them out.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0iZfxDrdVkGB1RZkkfG_1g


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## Magnusson2004

Hi ATW

Already saw your vids on youtube..great stuff.

I love this box.

I am just wondering how I can achieve 2560x1440 on my LG 4k tv?

I could choose that resolution with my gtx 980ti...but no option with the R2. Only native 3840x2160 and jumps to 1980x1080. No 2560x1440


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## ATWTech

Guessing you already tried Nvidia Control Panel and the standard Windows settings change? Maybe make sure you're hooked up to the HDMI 2.0/HDCP 2.2 port on the TV. This could be obvious though, so I apologize.

There's some 1440p games that run great too. Track mania, DmC, 35MM etc.


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## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> Guessing you already tried Nvidia Control Panel and the standard Windows settings change? Maybe make sure you're hooked up to the HDMI 2.0/HDCP 2.2 port on the TV. This could be obvious though, so I apologize.
> 
> There's some 1440p games that run great too. Track mania, DmC, 35MM etc.


Hi

Yeah have it hooked up to my tv in the same HDMI port as my 980ti was. So that has been tested to work.

No option in display settings or Nvidia control panel.

Really weird as it should be an option


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## Ferasu

Hi Everyone and thank you for all the info in this thread..

I just ordered my R2 and can't wait to get it !

Now I wanted to add the SSD M.2 drive, does anyone know if the port is a normal PCIe or NVME? if someone can take a picture of the ssd connector it would be awsome

also is this compatible if someone tried it https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-950-PRO-Internal-MZ-V5P256BW/dp/B015SOI392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468575372&sr=8-1&keywords=samsung+950+pro+256

According to the live chat support it's compatible but they weren't confident with the answer


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## retroPhil

And there was me thinking I needed to buy an amplifier first.


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *retroPhil*
> 
> 
> 
> And there was me thinking I needed to buy an amplifier first.


Yep, after the overclock that's pretty much the first test I did lol

I'm desperately hoping it's good enough to cope with Elite Dangerous in VR, even if on low settings.

Will you be getting a VR headset soon retroPhil?


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## retroPhil

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Yep, after the overclock that's pretty much the first test I did lol
> 
> I'm desperately hoping it's good enough to cope with Elite Dangerous in VR, even if on low settings.
> 
> Will you be getting a VR headset soon retroPhil?


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *retroPhil*


Thank you!!!!!
I've asked the guy what frame rates he's getting etc and the overall experience.

I actually have a R9 390X sat here, but no amplifier.


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## retroPhil

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Thank you!!!!!
> I've asked the guy what frame rates he's getting etc and the overall experience.
> 
> I actually have a R9 390X sat here, but no amplifier.


Nice nice









Hopefully I will be getting one yes. Probably going to be late next month tho.


----------



## retroPhil

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Thank you!!!!!
> I've asked the guy what frame rates he's getting etc and the overall experience.
> 
> I actually have a R9 390X sat here, but no amplifier.


lol I've just commented aswell. Guys getting bombarded


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## ATWTech

I've had it shut down twice since over clocking. Both on Black Ops 3. Max temp is like 83c. What's the highest it should go that I should get worried?

Never experienced it on the R1.


----------



## retroPhil

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> I've had it shut down twice since over clocking. Both on Black Ops 3. Max temp is like 83c. What's the highest it should go that I should get worried?
> 
> Never experienced it on the R1.


I've had it running 82c with GTA5/Doom and everythings been ok. How long had you been running for?

im on +200 / +400


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *retroPhil*
> 
> I've had it running 82c with GTA5/Doom and everythings been ok. How long had you been running for?
> 
> im on +200 / +400


Just had another shut down not even overclocked and it's at 82c or so. So weird.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> Just had another shut down not even overclocked and it's at 82c or so. So weird.


I am also on 82c, without oc. Had no issues..hopefully will not have any


----------



## retroPhil




----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *retroPhil*


I see you are using driver 359.46..is that the driver that came with the R2? Is that a custom AW driver?

I upgraded mine to newest Nvidia driver on their homepage. Hope that doesn't mess anything up


----------



## retroPhil

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> I see you are using driver 359.46..is that the driver that came with the R2? Is that a custom AW driver?
> 
> I upgraded mine to newest Nvidia driver on their homepage. Hope that doesn't mess anything up


AW drivers.


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## Magnusson2004

I have just ran SupportAssist...it says my LiteOn 256gb ssd is running hot..above normal 65c. Maybe this is the reason that you have shutdowns ATW?


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> I have just ran SupportAssist...it says my LiteOn 256gb ssd is running hot..above normal 65c. Maybe this is the reason that you have shutdowns ATW?


Possibly...but I just experienced flickering and video cutting in and out and corrupting mid game not overclocked...


----------



## Magnusson2004

I wish AW could make a new slim Graphics Amp. With a Pcie riser, like in the Silverstone RVZ01 case..and a slim psu,like the size of a laptop brick but still with 500w output. Would make it easier to store besides my tv or on a shelf


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> Possibly...but I just experienced flickering and video cutting in and out and corrupting mid game not overclocked...


Umm not good..have you tried the 15min gpu stress test within Dell SupporttAssist?


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Umm not good..have you tried the 15min gpu stress test within Dell SupporttAssist?


Running it now. Was only at 75c also doing RE5.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> Running it now. Was only at 75c also doing RE5.


Doing a full system scan myself. Then a gpu stress test


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Doing a full system scan myself. Then a gpu stress test


No issues on test, everything passed. Not sure what's going on.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> No issues on test, everything passed. Not sure what's going on.


Everything is ok here also. Maybe you should contact AW support?


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> No issues on test, everything passed. Not sure what's going on.


Which drivers are you using?


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Which drivers are you using?


368.81



That's what it looked like when it happened.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> 368.81
> 
> [IMG
> ALT=""]http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/2829760/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]
> 
> That's what it looked like when it happened.


Hmm ok just me thinking...roll back to AW custom drivers 359.46...they are made for the R2. I also updated to the newest, did not have issues like yours. But give it a try


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Hmm ok just me thinking...roll back to AW custom drivers 359.46...they are made for the R2. I also updated to the newest, did not have issues like yours. But give it a try


That could be it. I manually installed them because it wasn't showing up on GeForce Experience which makes sense since it's for the 1070/1080 exclusive Ansel.

I'll be doing a factory reset just to start fresh. Can anybody test Shadow of Mordor/Black Ops 3 to see if yours shuts down? You don't have too, just trying to see if it's only my system.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> That could be it. I manually installed them because it wasn't showing up on GeForce Experience which makes sense since it's for the 1070/1080 exclusive Ansel.
> 
> I'll be doing a factory reset just to start fresh. Can anybody test Shadow of Mordor/Black Ops 3 to see if yours shuts down? You don't have too, just trying to see if it's only my system.


I would love to, but 2 games I don't have sadly. Maybe some of the others have them?


----------



## ATWTech

Just finished resetting it completely and installing everything. Will give this another go and see how it performs.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> Just finished resetting it completely and installing everything. Will give this another go and see how it performs.


Good luck...let us know how it goes?


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> Just finished resetting it completely and installing everything. Will give this another go and see how it performs.


Are you using Hivemind? I installed the beta 2 version ...not working to my liking yet. But it is a great interface


----------



## spoonablehippo

Sorry to hear of the system shutdown problems :-(
Ive not had any problems myself, only played Elite Dangerous and COD: AW so far on mine though! Ive done the 3D Mark stress test while overclocked and no issues so far.
If it makes any difference, i put in a new HDD and did a complete fresh install of a retail Windows 10,and just installed geforce experience with the latest drivers, so no Alienware or Dell drivers or stuff on my system at all!

I do have shadow of mordor actually! How long do i have to play it to see and symptoms?


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Sorry to hear of the system shutdown problems :-(
> Ive not had any problems myself, only played Elite Dangerous and COD: AW so far on mine though! Ive done the 3D Mark stress test while overclocked and no issues so far.
> If it makes any difference, i put in a new HDD and did a complete fresh install of a retail Windows 10,and just installed geforce experience with the latest drivers, so no Alienware or Dell drivers or stuff on my system at all!
> 
> I do have shadow of mordor actually! How long do i have to play it to see and symptoms?


While overclocked it was about 10min, non overclocked about 15. I did 1080p ultra. I don't remember it being that demanding though.

Yeah even after a complete wipe using the on board reset feature it kept the Alienware stuff.


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Sorry to hear of the system shutdown problems :-(
> Ive not had any problems myself, only played Elite Dangerous and COD: AW so far on mine though! Ive done the 3D Mark stress test while overclocked and no issues so far.
> If it makes any difference, i put in a new HDD and did a complete fresh install of a retail Windows 10,and just installed geforce experience with the latest drivers, so no Alienware or Dell drivers or stuff on my system at all!
> 
> I do have shadow of mordor actually! How long do i have to play it to see and symptoms?


Shadow of Mordor is like 40GB so you don't have to if you have a Internet limit/etc.


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> While overclocked it was about 10min, non overclocked about 15. I did 1080p ultra. I don't remember it being that demanding though.
> 
> Yeah even after a complete wipe using the on board reset feature it kept the Alienware stuff.


Ok, will give it a shot a bit later!

Yeah didn't want any dell or alienware stuff on it at all, so did a fresh install from a USB stick created using the Microsoft "Media Creation Tool".

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> Shadow of Mordor is like 40GB so you don't have to if you have a Internet limit/etc.


Thanks ok, already have it installed. Also I'm in the UK, we don't really have download limits anymore. Just as well really, downloaded and reinstalled all 63 of my steam games to my alpha 2TB HDD when I got it lol


----------



## Magnusson2004

Which oc settings work the best and are stable?


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Which oc settings work the best and are stable?


I think hippo is running +200 +400. Stable for him, me, not so much lol


----------



## spoonablehippo

Played Shadow of Mordor last night for around 30 min's with no problems!
Did a video as well


----------



## Magnusson2004

I just did +100 on core and memory...hit 87c in AC: Unity. But no issues


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Played Shadow of Mordor last night for around 30 min's with no problems!
> Did a video as well


Danmn, I should try again since I reset it.

Thanks again for the video! Much appreciated.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> Danmn, I should try again since I reset it.
> 
> Thanks again for the video! Much appreciated.


So will a totally clean install w/o any Dell stuff on, make the R2 perform better?


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> So will a totally clean install w/o any Dell stuff on, make the R2 perform better?


I'm not sure. It might a little since all the little alienware stuff won't be running in the background.


----------



## ATWTech

As I've seen others suggest...anybody think it could be the power supply? Maybe not overheating?

I just thought about it and it makes sense since I had to unplug the power supply from the wall and the cord connecting to it from the Alpha before it turned on again.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> As I've seen others suggest...anybody think it could be the power supply? Maybe not overheating?
> 
> I just thought about it and it makes sense since I had to unplug the power supply from the wall and the cord connecting to it from the Alpha before it turned on again.


It could be..but am not sure. Does seem to be 'something' since you had to unplug the R2


----------



## Magnusson2004

Anyone know what 'safe' temps under load are for the R2?


----------



## spoonablehippo

Its a standard desktop class GTX 960 in the Alpha, and according to NVIDIA, the maximum GPU temp is 98c:
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-960/specifications

Mine hits a maximum of 82c when under full load, so no problems there!


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Its a standard desktop class GTX 960 in the Alpha, and according to NVIDIA, the maximum GPU temp is 98c:
> http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-960/specifications
> 
> Mine hits a maximum of 82c when under full load, so no problems there!


Same here. Just not in in-game menus in Assassin's Creed Unity...87c. That is hot.


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Its a standard desktop class GTX 960 in the Alpha, and according to NVIDIA, the maximum GPU temp is 98c:
> http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-960/specifications
> 
> Mine hits a maximum of 82c when under full load, so no problems there!


Haha and I'm over here worried about 82c

Away for the weekend so I'll do more testing tomorrow.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> Haha and I'm over here worried about 82c
> 
> Gotta be the PSU. Away for the weekend so I'll do more testing tomorrow.


Is the original psu not powerful enough or faulty?


----------



## spoonablehippo

So, who's going to be the first to try and replace the thermal paste on the GPU?
The CPU is the same arrangement as on the R1 so pretty straight forward, but the GPU looks quite different!
It hasnt got the 4 x screws holding the heatsink down, so not sure...


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> So, who's going to be the first to try and replace the thermal paste on the GPU?
> The CPU is the same arrangement as on the R1 so pretty straight forward, but the GPU looks quite different!
> It hasnt got the 4 x screws holding the heatsink down, so not sure...


It looks like 4 clips, so you would probably have to take the motherboard out...then squeeze each clip to release the heatsink. Tried it once with a Asrock Ion 330 system..was not easy


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> It looks like 4 clips, so you would probably have to take the motherboard out...then squeeze each clip to release the heatsink. Tried it once with a Asrock Ion 330 system..was not easy


..and the paste they used was super sticky..could not get it all of. So maybe AW has done the same.


----------



## Magnusson2004

The
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> Haha and I'm over here worried about 82c
> 
> Gotta be the PSU. Away for the weekend so I'll do more testing tomorrow.


The original psu is 180w...Dell also have a 240w, maybe that would help?


----------



## Magnusson2004

ATWTech..how did you reset your R2 to factory settings?


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> ATWTech..how did you reset your R2 to factory settings?


Windows icon
settings
updates & security
recovery
under "reset this PC" click get started


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> Windows icon
> settings
> updates & security
> recovery
> under "reset this PC" click get started


Oh just the normal way..does it keep the Alienware stuff?

Thought you used AlienRespawn


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Oh just the normal way..does it keep the Alienware stuff?
> 
> Thought you used AlienRespawn


yeah it kept the alienware stuff, though I didn't do the one where it deletes everything, so maybe that will delete it? I'm not sure what I did on my Alpha R1, but when I updated to Windows 10 it took out all the Alienware stuff when I did.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> yeah it kept the alienware stuff, though I didn't do the one where it deletes everything, so maybe that will delete it? I'm not sure what I did on my Alpha R1, but when I updated to Windows 10 it took out all the Alienware stuff when I did.


I'm gonna keep the AW stuff..like it so far.

Just need to see if it is a driver issue that makes 2560x1440 resolution unavailable to me


----------



## ATWTech

Other than that, everythings been running great since resetting and not updated the drivers. 1440p 60FPS on some games is just incredible.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> Other than that, everythings been running great since resetting and not updated the drivers. 1440p 60FPS on some games is just incredible.


Lucky you...wish I could do 2k. Are you using the AW nvidia drivers now?


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Lucky you...wish I could do 2k. Are you using the AW nvidia drivers now?


Yeah whatever the recent ones before Nvidia released drivers for Ansel. I think it's 368.46?


----------



## karazan

Hi all, new to the forum but also new to owning an Alpha R2. Just have a question to the fellow owners out here.

Is it worth having 2 SSDs? or 1 SSD and 1 normal HDD.. Have ordered mine with the 256GB m.2 PCIE SSD, and planning to get a 2nd HDD for games.

The plan is to have the 256GB PCIE SSD running the OS, and the other drive option for apps/data/games

Just wondering if having a 2nd SSD (eg: a 512GB 850 EVO ) is worth the price vs a larger normal HDD for storage?


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *karazan*
> 
> Hi all, new to the forum but also new to owning an Alpha R2. Just have a question to the fellow owners out here.
> 
> Is it worth having 2 SSDs? or 1 SSD and 1 normal HDD.. Have ordered mine with the 256GB m.2 PCIE SSD, and planning to get a 2nd HDD for games.
> 
> The plan is to have the 256GB PCIE SSD running the OS, and the other drive option for apps/data/games
> 
> Just wondering if having a 2nd SSD (eg: a 512GB 850 EVO ) is worth the price vs a larger normal HDD for storage?


Welcome Karazan









That's exactly the same setup I have.

I have the M.2 for the OS (windows 10) and and all other app's like Steam, Origin, UPlay & MSi Afterburner etc. The system boots fully in around 4 seconds I'd say, pretty much instant









Then, I have a 2TB 2.5" HDD installed as my D: drive, and have set that as the install location for Steam, Uplay & Origin game data, so all games get installed to it.

This setup is the best in my opinion and works a treat


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> That's exactly the same setup I have!
> 
> I have the M.2 for the OS (windows 10) and and all other app's like Steam, Origin, UPlay & MSi Afterburner etc. The system boots fully in around 4 seconds I'd say, pretty much instant
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Then, I have a 2TB 2.5" HDD installed as my D: drive, and have set that as the install location for Steam, Uplay & Origin game data, so all games get installed to it.
> 
> This setup is the best in my opinion and works a treat


+1 to that.

I use a 1tb sshd for games storage.

Don't think you would need an ssd for storage.


----------



## karazan

Awesome !! thanks for the tips Magnusson2004 and spoonablehippo









Will definitely have that setup and use a larger HDD


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *karazan*
> 
> Awesome !! thanks for the tips Magnusson2004 and spoonablehippo
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Will definitely have that setup and use a larger HDD


Happy to help..we need more experience with this sweet machine?

Post anything that you discover that can be relevant for optimizing and tweaking etc


----------



## Magnusson2004

Does anyone think it would benefit with getting the Dell 240w ac adapter instead of the 180w? Or would it melt the insides??


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Does anyone think it would benefit with getting the Dell 240w ac adapter instead of the 180w? Or would it melt the insides??


The system will only draw as much power as is required so it wont damage it.

Buy why would you need it?

I have the highest spec R2 with the i7, a M.2, 2TB HDD and several USB 3 devices all plugged in. I have encountered 0 problems with the system running at full load! Its also overclocked, using yet more power.

The 180w power supply provides more than enough. If it didn't, it would of been picked up during the development and extensive testing phase of the R2 and they would of upped it

If your having shut down issues, than the unless it's faulty, the PSU wont be the cause I'm afraid


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> The system will only draw as much power as is required so it wont damage it.
> 
> Buy why would you need it?
> 
> I have the highest spec R2 with the i7, a M.2, 2TB HDD and several USB 3 devices all plugged in. I have encountered 0 problems with the system running at full load!
> 
> The 180w power supply provides more than enough power! If it didn't, it would of been picked up during the development and extensive testing phase of the R2 and they would of upped it
> 
> If your having shut down issues, than the unless it's faulty, the PSU wont be the cause im affraid


True..I was thinking desktop wise, where a larger psu would give more headroom to oc. But like you say, there should be no issue with the current adapter. Luckily no, no shutdowns.


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> True..I was thinking desktop wise, where a larger psu would give more headroom to oc. But like you say, there should be no issue with the current adapter. Luckily no, no shutdowns.


I think the voltage for the GPU is locked in the BIOS. We would need a custom BIOS created for the R2 to unlock it, like whats been done with the R1! "Blind rage??" or something its called lol
Cant remember


----------



## spoonablehippo

So, I Bidded on the Graphics Amplifier on ebay but missed out. The seller contacted me directly afterwards saying he had several open box ones and they were £100 each plus £8 p&p!

Sounds dodgy I know, but yesterday I text him back and went for it!!!









Well today it arrived as promised! Box is open, but all cables still sealed and the unit still has the protective wrapping! In absolute MINT condition 

Unfortunately my R9 390X is too chunky to fit inside with the lid closed lol








So had to test with the lid off.

It works perfectly 









Did a firestrike ultra test, and its just a bit less then my old 4790K - GTX 980 combo, so im very happy!



The seller has more if anyone in the UK wants one?


----------



## retroPhil

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> So, I Bidded on the Graphics Amplifier on ebay but missed out. The seller contacted me directly afterwards saying he had several open box ones and they were £100 each plus £8 p&p!
> 
> Sounds dodgy I know, but yesterday I text him back and went for it!!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well today it arrived as promised! Box is open, but all cables still sealed and the unit still has the protective wrapping! In absolute MINT condition
> 
> Unfortunately my R9 390X is too chunky to fit inside with the lid closed lol
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So had to test with the lid off.
> 
> It works perfectly
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Did a firestrike ultra test, and its just a bit less then my old 4790K - GTX 980 combo, so im very happy!


I can't believe it, that massive chunky container wasn't big enough









Who was the ebayer please I want to investigate this!


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *retroPhil*
> 
> I can't believe it, that massive chunky container wasn't big enough
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Who was the ebayer please I want to investigate this!


I'll pm you his mobile number


----------



## retroPhil

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> I'll pm you his mobile number


thx :B


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> So, I Bidded on the Graphics Amplifier on ebay but missed out. The seller contacted me directly afterwards saying he had several open box ones and they were £100 each plus £8 p&p!
> 
> Sounds dodgy I know, but yesterday I text him back and went for it!!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well today it arrived as promised! Box is open, but all cables still sealed and the unit still has the protective wrapping! In absolute MINT condition
> 
> Unfortunately my R9 390X is too chunky to fit inside with the lid closed lol
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So had to test with the lid off.
> 
> It works perfectly
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Did a firestrike ultra test, and its just a bit less then my old 4790K - GTX 980 combo, so im very happy!
> 
> 
> 
> The seller has more if anyone in the UK wants one?


Sounds amazing. Sadly i'm in Denmark, so no go for me.

What does the R2 sound like when using external gpu? Still like a small jumbo?


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Sounds amazing. Sadly i'm in Denmark, so no go for me.
> 
> What does the R2 sound like when using external gpu? Still like a small jumbo?


No, the Alpha's own GPU effectively turns off! You have to plug the HDMI cable into your Graphics card in the amp.

The only fan noise from the actual Alpha was a low noise from the CPU fan during stress testing.

The Amplifier is also great as it's a USB hub!
It Has 4 x USB 3.0 ports on the back, so can have all my accessories (and eventual VR headset) plugged into it all tucked away


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> No, the Alpha's own GPU effectively turns off! You have to plug the HDMI cable into your Graphics card in the amp.
> 
> The only fan noise from the actual Alpha was a low noise from the CPU fan during stress testing.
> 
> The Amplifier is also great as it's a USB hub!
> It Has 4 x USB 3.0 ports on the back, so can have all my accessories (and eventual VR headset) plugged into it all tucked away


Dang, now I want one..need more AW gadgets?


----------



## Magnusson2004

Bought an AW amp from a uk seller. Should be on its way.


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Bought an AW amp from a uk seller. Should be on its way.


Sorry if I've made you spend money lol 

What card are you going to put in?

I'm ordering a GTX 1060 as soon as I sell my R9 390X!


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Sorry if I've made you spend money lol
> 
> What card are you going to put in?
> 
> I'm ordering a GTX 1060 as soon as I sell my R9 390X!


Well was going to get one at one point..why not now haha?

Have an EVGA 980ti sc acx to go in it


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Well was going to get one at one point..why not now haha?
> 
> Have an EVGA 980ti sc acx to go in it


Very nice!
Check the dimensions though to make sure it fits! Sounds like a beefy card lol


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Very nice!
> Check the dimensions though to make sure it fits! Sounds like a beefy card lol


Yeah would be very sad if it didn't fit? I have seen a few other posts online where people have the same card in it. The dimensions are at least smaller than your MSI 390x..but let us see when the breadbin arrives?


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Yeah would be very sad if it didn't fit? I have seen a few other posts online where people have the same card in it. The dimensions are at least smaller than your MSI 390x..but let us see when the breadbin arrives?


Ah good 

Also, don't underestimate the size of the amp, its HUGE!!!

I've seen pics and videos of it etc, but its only when you physically hold it for yourself you realise what a monster it is!!!




Forgot to say when you asked about fan noise, the amp itself is quite noisy.
It has a fan in the front, but it is a standard fan type, so replacing it with an aftermarket quiet fan should be simple.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Ah good
> 
> Also, don't underestimate the size of the amp, its HUGE!!!
> 
> I've seen pics and videos of it etc, but its only when you physically hold it for yourself you realise what a monster it is!!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Forgot to say when you asked about fan noise, the amp itself is quite noisy.
> It has a fan in the front, but it is a standard fan type, so replacing it with an aftermarket quiet fan should be simple.


It does look large? but if one has had a mini itx tower then that should be nothing compared to it.

I have bought an F9 Arctic case fan..have had good experience with that type of fan before.
And it is silent.

I am just wondering where I should store the breadbin...using the R2 at my tv.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Ah good
> 
> Also, don't underestimate the size of the amp, its HUGE!!!
> 
> I've seen pics and videos of it etc, but its only when you physically hold it for yourself you realise what a monster it is!!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Forgot to say when you asked about fan noise, the amp itself is quite noisy.
> It has a fan in the front, but it is a standard fan type, so replacing it with an aftermarket quiet fan should be simple.


How is the gaming performance when using the GA?

Have read that desktop gpu's take a hit in performance(fps) because it only has a pci-e 3.0 x4 cable


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> How is the gaming performance when using the GA?
> 
> Have read that desktop gpu's take a hit in performance(fps) because it only has a pci-e 3.0 x4 cable


Not sure as didn't actually try any games lol

But like I said before, my Firestrike score with the Alpha and 390X was only marginally lower than my previous rig with a i7 4790K + GTX 980!

So no problems 

Have seen a few reviews, and the performance drop is marginal. The Alienware proprietary interface offers far more bandwidth than the Thunderbolt 3 connector used for the Razer core etc.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Not sure as didn't actually try any games lol
> 
> But like I said before, my Firestrike score with the Alpha and 390X was only marginally lower than my previous rig with a i7 4790K + GTX 980!
> 
> So no problems
> 
> Have seen a few reviews, and the performance drop is marginal. The Alienware proprietary interface offers far more bandwidth than the Thunderbolt 3 connector used for the Razer core etc.


Alot of mixed reviews I would say. Getting all cross-eyed reading them. So i'd rather get the info from you since you have it at hand?

Good to hear it is a minimal drop. Was getting a bit worried lol.

Did you use the normal nvidia desktop drivers for it or mobile drivers? (Guessing mobile drivers are only for AW laptops + AGA)


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Alot of mixed reviews I would say. Getting all cross-eyed reading them. So i'd rather get the info from you since you have it at hand?
> 
> Good to hear it is a minimal drop. Was getting a bit worried lol.
> 
> Did you use the normal nvidia desktop drivers for it or mobile drivers? (Guessing mobile drivers are only for AW laptops + AGA)


Well, the 390X is an AMD card, so just plugged it all in and the Alpha booted up and auto installed the standard AMD driver set, just as if it was a normal PC and you added a new graphics card.

There are is no special software or drivers for the amplifier itself.

Word of warning though. With Alienware laptops, they are designed to work either with or without the amp, and switching from the amp to your internal GPU is not a problem.
But with the Alpha that doesn't seem to be the case!
When I'd finished testing the amp, I shut down the Alpha and disconnected it all. But when I then booted the Alpha back up without the amp attached, I received an error message saying "Please reconnect the Alienware Graphics Amplifier to maintain system stability. Press F1 for shutdown".
I pressed F1 and the Alpha shutdown, turned it back on (still without the amp) and it booted as normal!

So it seems if your going to use the amp with the Alpha, you should leave it permanently attached.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Well, the 390X is an AMD card, so just plugged it all in and the Alpha booted up and auto installed the standard AMD driver set, just as if it was a normal PC and you added a new graphics card.
> 
> There are is no special software or drivers for the amplifier itself.
> 
> Word of warning though. With Alienware laptops, they are designed to work either with or without the amp, and switching from the amp to your internal GPU is not a problem.
> But with the Alpha that doesn't seem to be the case!
> When I'd finished testing the amp, I shut down the Alpha and disconnected it all. But when I then booted the Alpha back up without the amp attached, I received an error message saying "Please reconnect the Alienware Graphics Amplifier to maintain system stability. Press F1 for shutdown".
> I pressed F1 and the Alpha shutdown, turned it back on (still without the amp) and it booted as normal!
> 
> So it seems if your going to use the amp with the Alpha, you should leave it permanently attached.


Thank you for the warning.

Weird that they haven't made it easier to attach/detach. But as long as it works and doesn't fry the R2 I am happy.


----------



## akromatic

i think the difference is the lack of optimus for a desktop platform which means it cant automatically switch back from the accelerator to the default onboard graphics.


----------



## spoonablehippo

Just ordered this to go in my Amplifier!
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1060-turbo-6gb-gddr5-1280-core-vr-ready-graphics-card

Main reason its a good price, and also because it has the reference design "blower" fan.

The amplifier is an enclosed unit with not a lot of airflow, and most partner cards exhaust hot air straight out into the PC casing, where as the reference design will blow straight out the back! Much like the fans in the actual Alpha.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *akromatic*
> 
> i think the difference is the lack of optimus for a desktop platform which means it cant automatically switch back from the accelerator to the default onboard graphics.


I think that sounds like a valid explanation.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Just ordered this to go in my Amplifier!
> https://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1060-turbo-6gb-gddr5-1280-core-vr-ready-graphics-card
> 
> Main reason its a good price, and also because it has the reference design "blower" fan.
> 
> The amplifier is an enclosed unit with not a lot of airflow, and most partner cards exhaust hot air straight out into the PC casing, where as the reference design will blow straight out the back! Much like the fans in the actual Alpha.


Any way of monitoring gpu heat in the breadbin?

Will keep my eye out for potential heat issues, as my 980ti is the acx cooler.


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Any way of monitoring gpu heat in the breadbin?
> 
> Will keep my eye out for potential heat issues, as my 980ti is the acx cooler.


Not sure.
The GPU temp comes from the card itself so works as normal. But I don't think there is anyway of reading the actual temperature inside the amp casing.

Mind you, as long as the GPU stays within safe thermals then it's irrelevant really lol


----------



## megt

Hi Guys,

I'm more and more interested to buy an Alienware Alpha R2








I think I will buy one in few weeks.

I already have an Alienware 13 and the Alienware Graphic Amplifier (AGA).

So someone spoke about the performance reduction with the Amplifier. So it is partially true but it is not mainly due to the PCie connection. It is linked to the processor.
In the case of the Alienware 13, it is a low voltage CPU so the CPU is not enough for a high power GPU.
I give you two links of the reviews of an Alienware 13 (http://www.notebookcheck.net/Alienware-13-GTX-960M-Notebook-Review.142854.0.html) and Alienware 15 (http://www.notebookcheck.net/Alienware-15-Notebook-Review.136667.0.html) with the AGA.
The first one (Alineware 13) is limited by is CPU while the other one (Alienware 15) is less limited.

Moreover, I agree that the AGA does lot of noise. It is only coming from the front fan.
So I have changed the fan following these instructions : http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19618258

Now it is perfect and I can play without any noise









I hope it will help you if you would like to change your fan in your AGA !


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *megt*
> 
> Hi Guys,
> 
> I'm more and more interested to buy an Alienware Alpha R2
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think I will buy one in few weeks.
> 
> I already have an Alienware 13 and the Alienware Graphic Amplifier (AGA).
> 
> So someone spoke about the performance reduction with the Amplifier. So it is partially true but it is not mainly due to the PCie connection. It is linked to the processor.
> In the case of the Alienware 13, it is a low voltage CPU so the CPU is not enough for a high power GPU.
> I give you two links of the reviews of an Alienware 13 (http://www.notebookcheck.net/Alienware-13-GTX-960M-Notebook-Review.142854.0.html) and Alienware 15 (http://www.notebookcheck.net/Alienware-15-Notebook-Review.136667.0.html) with the AGA.
> The first one (Alineware 13) is limited by is CPU while the other one (Alienware 15) is less limited.
> 
> Moreover, I agree that the AGA does lot of noise. It is only coming from the front fan.
> So I have changed the fan following these instructions : http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19618258
> 
> Now it is perfect and I can play without any noise
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I hope it will help you if you would like to change your fan in your AGA !


Hi and welcome?

Thanks for the info and links. That reminds me of an R2 review I read that stated the same as you are saying..about the cpu limiting the AGA performance. They recommended an i7 cpu.


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Hi and welcome?
> 
> Thanks for the info and links. That reminds me of an R2 review I read that stated the same as you are saying..about the cpu limiting the AGA performance. They recommended an i7 cpu.


Yeah I see better CPUs are recommended but it's kind of incredible how good an i3-6100 is with a Titan X.


----------



## ATWTech

I will add that this R2 (i7) handles 4K h.265 files like a champ. Independence Day (31.GB 60Mbps Bitrate) runs flawlessly with about 40% cpu used.

*Yes, I bought the disc


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> I will add that this R2 (i7) handles 4K h.265 files like a champ. Independence Day (31.GB 60Mbps Bitrate) runs flawlessly with about 40% cpu used.
> 
> *Yes, I bought the disc


That is awesome!

So can be used as an htpc also?


----------



## Magnusson2004

Have any of you had any issues with the fans..mainly gpu fan going crazy?


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Have any of you had any issues with the fans..mainly gpu fan going crazy?


What do you mean by "crazy"? I've had it go full power at times and they're loud but my headset blocks the noise of it.

Also have an Amp + 1080 coming so can't wait to see how this beast performs.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> What do you mean by "crazy"? I've had it go full power at times and they're loud but my headset blocks the noise of it.
> 
> Also have an Amp + 1080 coming so can't wait to see how this beast performs.


Wow cool with a gtx 1080..serious stuff

Well, just the gpu fan that spun loud and hard 5 minutes in to AC unity and also Gta v...and kept on a good 6-8min after. Until it reached 47 celsius according to GPU-Z..then it stopped


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Wow cool with a gtx 1080..serious stuff
> 
> Well, just the gpu fan that spun loud and hard 5 minutes in to AC unity and also Gta v...and kept on a good 6-8min after. Until it reached 47 celsius according to GPU-Z..then it stopped


Hm. I suspect Unity would he a big PITA performance wise/fans but GTA V I didn't think would. What was the GPU temp while running them? Mine seems to kick in when I'm going full load installing games/etc and when it hits 82c.

Also, no shutdowns lately if any guests are reading. Saw a few posts on the sub reddit worried about overheating/shut downs/ mentioning me and I didn't want to be some whistle-blower haha


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> Hm. I suspect Unity would he a big PITA performance wise/fans but GTA V I didn't think would. What was the GPU temp while running them? Mine seems to kick in when I'm going full load installing games/etc and when it hits 82c.
> 
> Also, no shutdowns lately if any guests are reading. Saw a few posts on the sub reddit worried about overheating/shut downs/ mentioning me and I didn't want to be some whistle-blower haha


In Unity while gaming normally it can hit 82c..but in menu's it hits 84-86c. In Gta V it's also max 82c.

82C seems to be the sweet spot all around.

But no glitches, artifacts or shutdowns. Maybe the lil' monster just wants to cool down.


----------



## Glokta

Hey guys thinking of upgrading to the i5 R2. I have a Samsung EVO 500GB SSD on the way and was wondering what's the best way to go about putting the SSD as soon as I get the system delivered - I heard Alien Respawn isn't available on the R2 so I can't go through that with SSD replacement like the old guides for the R1 said. Do I have to do a cloning (Todo Ease US or whatever it's called)? Help a newbie out?

Basically I want to install the OS and a few open world games on the SSD to get the best performance.

Also, has anyone tested any heavily modded games like the Skyrim with 4K textures on the R2? Or just Skyrim base game? Curious about performance and GPU temps. I'm surprised it gets so hot for certain games you guys play but all I really wanna play are older open world games (Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3) so I hope it isn't as hot or the fans run as loud for me.

Also what do you reckon 8GB RAM enough or 16?


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Glokta*
> 
> Hey guys thinking of upgrading to the i5 R2. I have a Samsung EVO 500GB SSD on the way and was wondering what's the best way to go about putting the SSD as soon as I get the system delivered - I heard Alien Respawn isn't available on the R2 so I can't go through that with SSD replacement like the old guides for the R1 said. Do I have to do a cloning (Todo Ease US or whatever it's called)? Help a newbie out?
> 
> Basically I want to install the OS and a few open world games on the SSD to get the best performance.
> 
> Also, has anyone tested any heavily modded games like the Skyrim with 4K textures on the R2? Or just Skyrim base game? Curious about performance and GPU temps. I'm surprised it gets so hot for certain games you guys play but all I really wanna play are older open world games (Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3) so I hope it isn't as hot or the fans run as loud for me.
> 
> Also what do you reckon 8GB RAM enough or 16?


Hi and welcome

I would say get 16gb right away. Then you are set.

I just did a reset of my R2..and I got to a screen that looked like AlienRespawn.

Well, to be fair it is a full blown 960 gpu stuffed in a lunchbox..you're gonna get some heat.


----------



## Magnusson2004

ATW, Retrophil, hippo...what are your cpu temps like...idle and load?

Mine hit 79c under load...even changed thermal paste.


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> ATW, Retrophil, hippo...what are your cpu temps like...idle and load?
> 
> Mine hit 79c under load...even changed thermal paste.


I never usually monitor cpu temp. I'll check those out when I get a chance.


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> ATW, Retrophil, hippo...what are your cpu temps like...idle and load?
> 
> Mine hit 79c under load...even changed thermal paste.


Just did a 3D Mark stress test, and the CPU got to a maximum of 59c. Interestingly that same part of the test gave me my highest ever GPU temp at 86c!!!!! Never been able to get it above 82c so far. Mind you the ambient room temperature is alot higher then its ever been.

I've let my CPU settle down to an idle now, and its holding steady at 39c.
My GPU is 47c at idle.


----------



## Glokta

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Hi and welcome
> 
> I would say get 16gb right away. Then you are set.
> 
> I just did a reset of my R2..and I got to a screen that looked like AlienRespawn.
> 
> Well, to be fair it is a full blown 960 gpu stuffed in a lunchbox..you're gonna get some heat.


Thanks. Yeah I might just get the 16GB.

Can you confirm if Alien Respawn software is present? I'd prefer to replace the HDD with the SSD and go through that process like with the guides for the R1 as it seemed easiest.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Glokta*
> 
> Thanks. Yeah I might just get the 16GB.
> 
> Can you confirm if Alien Respawn software is present? I'd prefer to replace the HDD with the SSD and go through that process like with the guides for the R1 as it seemed easiest.


I can't find the software if I search for it. But it looked like AlienRespawn when I was resetting the R2


----------



## chewywookiee

Hi all,

Signed up as I've just ordered an alpha r2.

Dell Australia running a tax time promotion... Free upgrade to 16gb RAM on the i7.

Pretty stoked. First new PC in almost 10 years haha

It's coming with the 256gb SSD. (interestingly, it seems only SSD is available for the Aus machines but all the reviews complain about HDDs being standard!)

Anyway, wondering if anyone can clarify what other drives will fit in there if I want to bulk out the storage. Will any 2.5 inch drive work?

I've got a 3tb network drive so not really worried about storage yet. Just decided to save 250 bones by sticking with 256gb, but can see I may want to add storage later...

Also is anyone getting a Roccat Sova for this thing? I'm super keen for that. Setting up a loungeroom workstationplaystation.

Should probably copyright that


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chewywookiee*
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> Signed up as I've just ordered an alpha r2.
> 
> Dell Australia running a tax time promotion... Free upgrade to 16gb RAM on the i7.
> 
> Pretty stoked. First new PC in almost 10 years haha
> 
> It's coming with the 256gb SSD. (interestingly, it seems only SSD is available for the Aus machines but all the reviews complain about HDDs being standard!)
> 
> Anyway, wondering if anyone can clarify what other drives will fit in there if I want to bulk out the storage. Will any 2.5 inch drive work?
> 
> I've got a 3tb network drive so not really worried about storage yet. Just decided to save 250 bones by sticking with 256gb, but can see I may want to add storage later...
> 
> Also is anyone getting a Roccat Sova for this thing? I'm super keen for that. Setting up a loungeroom workstationplaystation.
> 
> Should probably copyright that


Yes any 2.5 SSD/HDD and one M.2 SSD


----------



## ATWTech

Have an Amp + 1080 coming soon, this system will be a beast. Anybody else using an amp? How is it?

Also, set up, just plug in the amp turn PC on and install new drivers?


----------



## ATWTech

Got my Amp + 1080 hooked up. Easy set up. I think it's ready for VR


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> Got my Amp + 1080 hooked up. Easy set up. I think it's ready for VR


Yep, your good to go lol

I cancelled my order for the 1060 I was getting to carry on saving for a 1070 instead.
However, I saw a used HTC Vive for sale on a forum I use for a really good price, so I used the money for that instead lol

So now I'll see how well the vive works with the standard 960 in the R2 

It arrives Tuesday hopefully!

So my graphics amp will sit boxed up for a little while longer yet lol


----------



## megt

I have ordered my Alpha last Tuesday so now I'm waiting it








I will plug my AGA with a gtx 970 and see if I'm VR ready.
I can't wait anymore...


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *megt*
> 
> I have ordered my Alpha last Tuesday so now I'm waiting it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I will plug my AGA with a gtx 970 and see if I'm VR ready.
> I can't wait anymore...


You should be fine!
With the 960 inside the R2 overclocked, the Steam VR test shows me as right near the top of the yellow "Capable" band!

So with the 970 you will be in the green


----------



## Glokta

Sitting here twiddling my thumbs waiting for my i5 Alpha R2, lol...

Do they even update you when it's shipped? Judging from some comments from owners on reddit it's hit or miss with Dell Customer Support. Supposed to arrive tomorrow from their original provided estimate delivery date but yeah, not too sure. What time frame did you guys get yours within?

I ordered mine about eight days ago, and still no updates on my personal Dell order page. Called up and got a manager who said it had already been built and was being handed to the courier four days ago. Have expedited shipping.

Just want it already so I can start playing max'd out Fallout: New Vegas with ENBs! Hehe. Might play some Rage as well.


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Glokta*
> 
> Sitting here twiddling my thumbs waiting for my i5 Alpha R2, lol...
> 
> Do they even update you when it's shipped? Judging from some comments from owners on reddit it's hit or miss with Dell Customer Support. Supposed to arrive tomorrow from their original provided estimate delivery date but yeah, not too sure. What time frame did you guys get yours within?
> 
> I ordered mine about eight days ago, and still no updates on my personal Dell order page. Called up and got a manager who said it had already been built and was being handed to the courier four days ago. Have expedited shipping.
> 
> Just want it already so I can start playing max'd out Fallout: New Vegas with ENBs! Hehe. Might play some Rage as well.


I feel your pain









Dell's tracking service is absolutely archaic!


----------



## ATWTech

Got a BIOS update in "SupportAssist" 1.0.2 to 1.0.5 I think was the numbers. Not sure if it fixes anything/what it does though.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> Got a BIOS update in "SupportAssist" 1.0.2 to 1.0.5 I think was the numbers. Not sure if it fixes anything/what it does though.


Same...have no idea what it did/does


----------



## Glokta

Might be to do with the fan cooling?

http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19986140

And Raven (Alienware Community Manager) mentioned a new BIOS update re: cooling on one of the Reddit threads a few weeks ago.


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Same...have no idea what it did/does


You still getting high CPU temps? I'm maxing at 73c usually when that seems a bit warm. That's even using the Amp so nothing's really getting too warm inside the Alpha.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> You still getting high CPU temps? I'm maxing at 73c usually when that seems a bit warm. That's even using the Amp so nothing's really getting too warm inside the Alpha.


Get high 70s, bit better with amp...contacted Dell here in Denmark. They say a temp of 80c or so is not bad, top working temp is 103c or so.


----------



## spoonablehippo

Its arrived!!!


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Its arrived!!!


Beautiful! I need to get a VR headset. Let me know how it goes with performance.


----------



## Glokta

Finally got my R2!

Installed my Samsung Evo 750 500GB SSD right away and performed a clean install of W10.

So far, so good.

Re-installing GeoForce, installing my own security (Kapersky) and all that before I start installing games.

What software of Alienware is worth re-downloading, and what drivers for the GPU? I know Hivemind for R2 isn't out of beta yet so will wait for that. What else other than AlienFX (if anyone has links, could you let me know)?

Pretty excited to test this baby out!


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Glokta*
> 
> Finally got my R2!
> 
> Installed my Samsung Evo 750 500GB SSD right away and performed a clean install of W10.
> 
> So far, so good.
> 
> Re-installing GeoForce, installing my own security (Kapersky) and all that before I start installing games.
> 
> What software of Alienware is worth re-downloading, and what drivers for the GPU? I know Hivemind for R2 isn't out of beta yet so will wait for that. What else other than AlienFX (if anyone has links, could you let me know)?
> 
> Pretty excited to test this baby out!


You did the same as me 

Driver wise, just install GeForce experience and it will install the correct drivers.

The only Alienware software I would bother with is the Command centre/Alien FX. But thats not available yet to download! Dell support said August/September.

I tried installing the version for the R1 but it tells you the hardware is not compatible!


----------



## karazan

Well just received my R2 yesterday and started playing around with it, has anyone enabled AHCI for their SATA settings yet in the BIOS?
Apparently it gives a bit better performance for the 2nd HDD.
By default, the R2 ships with the setting set to RAID from DELL


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *karazan*
> 
> Well just received my R2 yesterday and started playing around with it, has anyone enabled AHCI for their SATA settings yet in the BIOS?
> Apparently it gives a bit better performance for the 2nd HDD.
> By default, the R2 ships with the setting set to RAID from DELL


Well, I had to change my SATA setting to AHCI, otherwise windows (or any other program) refused to see my M.2 drive!
I could see it in BIOS, but absolutely nothing would see it.
As soon as I changed that setting to AHCI from RAID, it worked straight away.


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *karazan*
> 
> Well just received my R2 yesterday and started playing around with it, has anyone enabled AHCI for their SATA settings yet in the BIOS?
> Apparently it gives a bit better performance for the 2nd HDD.
> By default, the R2 ships with the setting set to RAID from DELL


Interesting. I'll have to see how to get this enabled and if it helps performance.


----------



## ATWTech

So when the graphics amp, can I just unplug the power and boot PC normally to use the 960? Then shut down and reboot with power plugged into amp to go back to that GPU? The drivers should be the same..


----------



## spoonablehippo

Well, got the i7 R2 Alpha, and am having a terrible time trying to get my HTC Vive working on it :-(

Got an 1070 to go into the amplifier, which is this one: https://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-geforce-gtx-1070-asus-turbo-8gb-gddr5-vr-ready-graphics-card-1920-core-1506mhz-gpu-1683mhz-boos

It's the only one I could find that is a blower style, which is best for the amplifier enclosure and also has 2 x HDMI outputs, one for the TV and one for Vive.

So, it's all hooked up and initially work's ok, using the USB port's on the back of the amplifier but I keep getting loss of tracking from the headset?! Only manage to get a few minutes out of it at best.
I am 100% convinced this is a USB problem, as when I get loss of tracking, my wireless keyboard & mouse stop responding too, and the USB dongle is plugged into the amplifier. I occasionally get a USB device error message pop up in windows too!

I have to either reboot my Alpha, or fully unplug and reconnect the link box thingy to get it working again.

I've tried disabling all power management settings, and unticking the box to allow windows to shut down the device in every USB hub/device in device manager to save power.
When playing Elite Dangerous (not in VR) I was getting weird controlled lag as well from my Thrustmaster, which is also plugged into the amp!

Any ideas guys?

One thing that may make a difference, is I've just seen on dell support for the R2, there is now a specific Graphics Amplifier software download, which wasn't there before!! Would that have different USB drivers for the amp? When I got my amp I just plugged it in, so never downloaded any software for it etc, and I'm running a generic Windows 10 version installed fresh from a USB, not the one that came with my R2. So no specific drivers for the system, just whatever windows has auto installed.

Will that make a difference?

Sorry for the long rambling post lol


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Well, got the i7 R2 Alpha, and am having a terrible time trying to get my HTC Vive working on it :-(
> 
> Got an 1070 to go into the amplifier, which is this one: https://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-geforce-gtx-1070-asus-turbo-8gb-gddr5-vr-ready-graphics-card-1920-core-1506mhz-gpu-1683mhz-boos
> 
> It's the only one I could find that is a blower style, which is best for the amplifier enclosure and also has 2 x HDMI outputs, one for the TV and one for Vive.
> 
> So, it's all hooked up and initially work's ok, using the USB port's on the back of the amplifier but I keep getting loss of tracking from the headset?! Only manage to get a few minutes out of it at best.
> I am 100% convinced this is a USB problem, as when I get loss of tracking, my wireless keyboard & mouse stop responding too, and the USB dongle is plugged into the amplifier. I occasionally get a USB device error message pop up in windows too!
> 
> I have to either reboot my Alpha, or fully unplug and reconnect the link box thingy to get it working again.
> 
> I've tried disabling all power management settings, and unticking the box to allow windows to shut down the device in every USB hub/device in device manager to save power.
> When playing Elite Dangerous (not in VR) I was getting weird controlled lag as well from my Thrustmaster, which is also plugged into the amp!
> 
> Any ideas guys?
> 
> One thing that may make a difference, is I've just seen on dell support for the R2, there is now a specific Graphics Amplifier software download, which wasn't there before!! Would that have different USB drivers for the amp? When I got my amp I just plugged it in, so never downloaded any software for it etc, and I'm running a generic Windows 10 version installed fresh from a USB, not the one that came with my R2. So no specific drivers for the system, just whatever windows has auto installed.
> 
> Will that make a difference?
> 
> Sorry for the long rambling post lol


You ever get it working?

Looks like somebody on reddit experienced the shut down... playing WoW. Nothing heavy like me.


----------



## spoonablehippo

Well, still not got this sorted it seems :-(
Now trying it with the Vive hooked straight up to the Alpha, with all other USB devices removed (except my dell wireless keyboard/mouse dongle) and t's still loosing tracking :-(
Had a google, and found this reddit thread, which is my issue exactly:

__
https://www.reddit.com/r/4gbh2t/constant_tracking_loss_problems_help/
Unfortunately, it boils down to a USB controller issue, which is something I can't do anything about with the Alpha!


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Well, still not got this sorted it seems :-(
> Now trying it with the Vive hooked straight up to the Alpha, with all other USB devices removed (except my dell wireless keyboard/mouse dongle) and t's still loosing tracking :-(
> Had a google, and found this reddit thread, which is my issue exactly:
> 
> __
> https://www.reddit.com/r/4gbh2t/constant_tracking_loss_problems_help/
> Unfortunately, it boils down to a USB controller issue, which is something I can't do anything about with the Alpha!


That would suck. Umar did a video on the Alienware channel about the Amp + VR and seemed to work fine/set up fine but not sure about the tracking.

Side note, went back to the internal 960 and it was overheating like crazy and running terrible. I guess I should have Uninstalled the drivers and tried again. Oops, lol.


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> That would suck. Umar did a video on the Alienware channel about the Amp + VR and seemed to work fine/set up fine but not sure about the tracking.


I don't think my problem has anything to do with the amp, as the vive is hooked up to the Alpha itself.


----------



## ATWTech

That bios update must have borked my fans. Using the internal GPU it's getting up your 86/87 in every game and the fans I can hear but nothings blowing out the back.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> That bios update must have borked my fans. Using the internal GPU it's getting up your 86/87 in every game and the fans I can hear but nothings blowing out the back.


Did you get this sorted out?


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Did you get this sorted out?


yeah it seems to be back to normal, between the new windows 10 update, BIOS, etc, anything could have happened


----------



## kenzo kabuto

I've the version with 256 SSD
can I add a second HD? Which one?


----------



## ATWTech

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *kenzo kabuto*
> 
> I've the version with 256 SSD
> can I add a second HD? Which one?


Does you just have the 256GB m.2?

You can fit a 2.5 SSD or HDD in the other slot.


----------



## barnsey

So I've just treated myself to an i5 alpha r2 with the 256gb m2 and will look to upgrade the ram to hyper x 16gb and install a 1tb hard drive. It will be used mainly as a htpc along with emulation and the occasional steam session. Is there anything that I need to know?
Thanks in advance and I can't wait, after chatting to the dell sales bloke he managed to knock it down to £640.. Happy days!!


----------



## kenzo kabuto

Which ram and HD are you going to buy? I'm considering the same upgrade


----------



## barnsey

I'm looking at getting 16gb hyperx 2133mhz sodimm for about £65and a 1tb 7200 sata for around £50. And gonna be controlling it with a xbox one controller using gopher 360 or controller companion (when I'm not using a mouse and keyboard)


----------



## koolgus

Can anyone sell me one for cheap or where i can get 1 for cheap


----------



## megt

Hi Guys,

So finally I bought the Alpha R2








The computer works well but I have some troubleshot with the Alienware Graphic Amplifier.

When I use it with my GTX 970 from Zotac, at the beginning there is no problem but them after few minutes, the frame rate decreases and it is almost impossible to play.
But if I am only on Windows or watching videos, there is no problem. It is only playing games.
The worst is that sometimes, if I modify the parameters (graphics) in certain games, I don't have any problems and I can play during lot of time.

I didn't have any problem when I used the AGA with my Alienware 13.

Do you have the same issue than me ?

I will try to use another graphic card in order to know if it is coming from my GTX 970.
I have already check the PCIExpress speed (the issue from GTX 1070) but mine the bus speed is always X4 and there is no problem from here.


----------



## traygar

Hi guys. Just got my shiny new steam R2 the i7 model. I'm wanting to load windows onto it after not been able to play all the games i'd like. Problem is I want to download the Dell recovery disk but require a Alpha R2 service tag for a windows based machine as the recovery disk I can download is only for Steam machines. I have windows 10 key so can input that when everything's installed to activate as I understand the windows code is hard wired into the bios of the Dell Alpha R2. Could anyone help me out with a windows based Alpha R2 service tag so I can download the recovery disk. The hardware on both machines steam/ windows is identical. Cheers guys.


----------



## traygar

Hi, I know its real cheeky to ask but is there any chance you could tell me your service tag code for your windows based Alpha R2 as I am wanting to download from dell a recovery disk and to install it on my steam based machine. I know that the windows key is embedded in each machines bios but I am hoping I can install the recovery and use a windows 10 key I have. If you want my steam os service tag i'd be glad to share, as I guess you could run both. Any idea if the windows version is Alpha is Windows 10 home or premium. Thanks


----------



## cborw

Hi traygar
Have you considered installing the regular Windows version for wich you have the license?
You could do a fresh install of Windows and then install all the drivers and software you wish from Dell's support page.
That's what I did here to convert my steam machine to a regular Windows based desktop PC.
In my case I chose not to install any software or driver from Dell.
If you choose this path you can download Windows 10 usb tool from www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 and follow the instructions to create a usb installation flash drive.
Remember to choose the version of Windows 10 you have the license for and not the one that comes preinstalled on the Alphas (if they are diferent you would not be able to activate it with your key).
If I remember correctly there is even an option to insert your key before choosing the Windows version so it downloads the correct version for your license.
The tool will then download the Windows image you chose and configure the flash drive to be bootable.
Then you just have to boot up you steam machine from the usb disk and follow the instructions.
I suggest deleting all the disk partitions you have during the initial configuration of the installation process.
All necessary Windows 10 partitions will be automatically created if you do it.
Remember this would delete every data you already have in it so a backup may be appropriate before you begin.
Good luck!


----------



## traygar

Thanks for the advice cborw. I was aware I could do this but was looking to have the alpha r2 in the same state it would have been in had I bought the windows version. I noticed the Alpha R2 is shipped with a better wifi card, but the back plate covers the amplifier port. Do you if it functions in windows only? Im thinking thats why its covered on the steam version. Cheers


----------



## cborw

Sorry traygar
I don't know if the amplifier port works under Steam OS nor if it works under Windows installed on a Steam machine
The cover may indicate it does not work with Steam OS but it could also be part of the console experience they are designed for (no unnecessary tech options for the average consumer)
Maybe you could try it and tell us what happens


----------



## traygar

I don't have the app to test, but once windows is installed, I will attempt to install the driver for the Amplifier. If it installs and is shown as active under control panal/ hardware devices then it will definitely work. When I bought the R2 Steam OS version the online sales people told me the Steam R2 had the Amplifier port and it worked. I phoned Dell customer services today and told them I had transcripts which clearly state the R2 Steam OS version. The rep immediately offered a 10% discount refunded to my payment card. I purchased the R2 via quidco which tracked as £36 cash back and had a 15% off Unidays discount code. All in all the Steam R2 topspec i7 R2 original cost £750 as has now cost £525 so feeling I got a massive bargain. Think I might flog the Steam controller too as have multiple xbox one controllers.


----------



## traygar

I can confirm that I have successfully converted my R2 Steam Machine to a Windows based model. I had to shell out for a Windows 10 Pro key costing £14.94. The graphics amplifier port is on the motherboard and a very very thin piece of back plate materials not much thicker than a plastic bag! hides it on the steam os R2 model. The normal port opening where the amplifier goes in from outside can be seen and you'd easily cut away the think but easy to cut plastic. It would be easy to expose the amplifier port by anyone. Alienware command centre downloaded from Dell confirms Amplifier port available. Everything is working guys. Buy the Steam OS version of the R2 its cheaper and just convert it. PS I had to turn legacy on in bios so I could install windows.

I don't have the app to test, but once windows is installed, I will attempt to install the driver for the Amplifier. If it installs and is shown as active under control panal/ hardware devices then it will definitely work. When I bought the R2 Steam OS version the online sales people told me the Steam R2 had the Amplifier port and it worked. I phoned Dell customer services today and told them I had transcripts which clearly state the R2 Steam OS version. The rep immediately offered a 10% discount refunded to my payment card. I purchased the R2 via quidco which tracked as £36 cash back and had a 15% off Unidays discount code. All in all the Steam R2 topspec i7 R2 original cost £750 as has now cost £525 so feeling I got a massive bargain. Think I might flog the Steam controller too as have multipul xbox one controllers.


----------



## peppermist

Do you think you could upload a CLOSE photo of the amplifier port that you had to cut out. The reason is, If by chance they use the same motherboard for the cheaper i3 models but hide the amplifier port saying its not included on the i3 alpha r2 unless you buy the expensive model then that would be awesome to get the cheaper model and order an amplifier and beef it up along with CPU etc. at a later date. My only concern is... even if it's soldered on the motherboard.. maybe the Bios isn't configured with right firmware to enable it on the i3?


----------



## peppermist

Do you think you could upload a CLOSE photo of the amplifier port that you had to cut out. The reason is, If by chance they use the same motherboard for the cheaper i3 models but hide the amplifier port saying its not included on the i3 alpha r2 unless you buy the expensive model then that would be awesome to get the cheaper model and order an amplifier and beef it up along with CPU etc. at a later date. My only concern is... even if it's soldered on the motherboard.. maybe the Bios isn't configured with right firmware to enable it on the i3?


----------



## traygar

Hi, I can only confirm its on the steam os r2 model that has the i7 intel processor and that Dell comand centre confirms it is present. When I upgraded the ram and ssd it was on the motherboard. The windows i3 model has the amplifier port, the steam i3 will use the same motherboard. There are no setting in bios, actually bios is very basic. To get windows working you switch bios to legacy mode. Dell wouldnt waste time making different motherboards for the intel model, wouldnt make sense. That said I doubt the amd model has the port as that likely would be a different board. In any regard i'd go for i7 or at least i5 model, dell get the processors cheaper than you can buy. Going for the i3 will cost you in the long run. Dont waste money on a fast m.2 drive like evo 950. Invest in a 1tb ssd it will be plenty fast enough.


----------



## ATWTech

My M.2 SSD got up to 77 C which is 12 C above the threshold. Kind of worrying.


----------



## spoonablehippo

Well, sold my HTC Vive :-(

I tried everything, but kept
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ATWTech*
> 
> My M.2 SSD got up to 77 C which is 12 C above the threshold. Kind of worrying.


What are you using to monitor your M.2 drive temps?

I have a Samsung M.2, but cant find any software for it at all!


----------



## laudrac

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *megt*
> 
> Hi Guys,
> 
> So finally I bought the Alpha R2
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The computer works well but I have some troubleshot with the Alienware Graphic Amplifier.
> 
> When I use it with my GTX 970 from Zotac, at the beginning there is no problem but them after few minutes, the frame rate decreases and it is almost impossible to play.
> But if I am only on Windows or watching videos, there is no problem. It is only playing games.
> The worst is that sometimes, if I modify the parameters (graphics) in certain games, I don't have any problems and I can play during lot of time.
> 
> I didn't have any problem when I used the AGA with my Alienware 13.
> 
> Do you have the same issue than me ?
> 
> I will try to use another graphic card in order to know if it is coming from my GTX 970.
> I have already check the PCIExpress speed (the issue from GTX 1070) but mine the bus speed is always X4 and there is no problem from here.


I had the same issue with my Gtx980 somehow the card cooling does not work properly. I installed the software to create a fan profile for the card. This has solved my problem. I realized that the card was troddeling and the Fan run at 32 procent


----------



## megt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *laudrac*
> 
> I had the same issue with my Gtx980 somehow the card cooling does not work properly. I installed the software to create a fan profile for the card. This has solved my problem. I realized that the card was troddeling and the Fan run at 32 procent


I will try that next time.
Because when I use my graphic card only on windows, I don't have any problem while in game, it quiclky decreases the fps and now I also have 0 fps and the computer doesn't work at all...


----------



## laudrac

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *megt*
> 
> I will try that next time.
> Because when I use my graphic card only on windows, I don't have any problem while in game, it quiclky decreases the fps and now I also have 0 fps and the computer doesn't work at all...


I know I tried 2 gtx980 and had the same issue in the amp, but no issue with the card in my other pc. Somehow the temp controll does not work in the amp. With the additional profile it worked in the amp for hours without an issue


----------



## megt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *laudrac*
> 
> I know I tried 2 gtx980 and had the same issue in the amp, but no issue with the card in my other pc. Somehow the temp controll does not work in the amp. With the additional profile it worked in the amp for hours without an issue


I have tried with a GTX 980 Ti and I played during a long session and I didn't have any trouble.
Maybe it is comming with my graphic card and the Ampl.

As I said I tried my GPU on another computer and didn't have any trouble as you.

I will try your solution next week and tell you if I have fix everything


----------



## laudrac

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *megt*
> 
> I have tried with a GTX 980 Ti and I played during a long session and I didn't have any trouble.
> Maybe it is comming with my graphic card and the Ampl.
> 
> As I said I tried my GPU on another computer and didn't have any trouble as you.
> 
> I will try your solution next week and tell you if I have fix everything


The profile I used was standard on 40% fan speed temp 50 60% and above 60 80% this kept my card from troddeling. Somehow in the amp the card start at 65 to troddeling. I don't know why.


----------



## laudrac

In the fact that there are issues with some graficcards anyone could suggest a card that has no issue?


----------



## Glokta

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *laudrac*
> 
> In the fact that there are issues with some graficcards anyone could suggest a card that has no issue?


Yeah looking for the same advice. About to drop the dollars on a Alienware Graphics Amplifier and a new GPU.


----------



## Magnusson2004

Maybe its just me..but having a terrible time with my Alpha atm.

Getting black screen, no signal all the time. When using the amp + 980ti..no signal..using onboard 960..no signal. Tried 4 different hdmi cables. Reseated ram and m.2. Reseated the jumper thing....when it suddenly works it cuts out, no signal, then comes back again. Have tried native resolution 3840x2160..custom 2560x1440..no signal. Right now I feel that I have a very expensive paper weight









Happy I got an xbox one s..no issues..no nonsense


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Magnusson2004*
> 
> Maybe its just me..but having a terrible time with my Alpha atm.
> 
> Getting black screen, no signal all the time. When using the amp + 980ti..no signal..using onboard 960..no signal. Tried 4 different hdmi cables. Reseated ram and m.2. Reseated the jumper thing....when it suddenly works it cuts out, no signal, then comes back again. Have tried native resolution 3840x2160..custom 2560x1440..no signal. Right now I feel that I have a very expensive paper weight
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Happy I got an xbox one s..no issues..no nonsense


Hmm tried the r2 on a pc monitor...it worked first time.

Did get a new 4k tv with hdr support, instead of the "old" 4k tv. Still LG. Can't figure out why the r2 outputs no signal to the tv, when the pc monitor is ok..and my old 4k tv worked...hmm.


----------



## Overspec

Have you tried using the SAME HDMI *cable* and HDMI *Input* that your XB1 uses?
(So basically try to eliminate ALL differences EXCEPT the AlphaR2 as source so you can then be sure it is the ONLY variable and therefore responsible for the problem)

Unlikely to be causing the problem however check your TV's overscan settings (usually in Settings\Picture\Advanced settings) and change Overscan setting to "Just Scan".
Note: This setting was only available on my Samsung but NOT on my another cheaper brand TV)

Nigel


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Overspec*
> 
> Have you tried using the SAME HDMI *cable* and HDMI *Input* that your XB1 uses?
> (So basically try to eliminate ALL differences EXCEPT the AlphaR2 as source so you can then be sure it is the ONLY variable and therefore responsible for the problem)
> 
> Unlikely to be causing the problem however check your TV's overscan settings (usually in Settings\Picture\Advanced settings) and change Overscan setting to "Just Scan".
> Note: This setting was only available on my Samsung but NOT on my another cheaper brand TV)
> 
> Nigel


Nigel..you are awesome!

A simple bit effective swap of hdmi ports helped..worked with the xb1 cable in the xb1 port. Switched it around and everything works. The hdmi port must have gotten lazy

Thank you sir! This solution I had not tried..but given up


----------



## Overspec

Glad to have helped.
Couple of things to note that may trip you up in the future:

RE The "Just Scan" setting I mentioned. It should be used if your picture is too big and extending beyond the edges of your TV screen. If this setting is available on your TV always use it _instead_ of changing any settings in your graphic card's configuration software as that increases the work the card has to do.
RE The HDMI cable - if using 4K it should be HDMI v1.4 certified as this ensures the cable will support the bandwidth required. It also adds other features such as an HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC) etc - for full details see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI
Regards
Nigel


----------



## Magnusson2004

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Overspec*
> 
> Glad to have helped.
> Couple of things to note that may trip you up in the future:
> 
> RE The "Just Scan" setting I mentioned. It should be used if your picture is too big and extending beyond the edges of your TV screen. If this setting is available on your TV always use it _instead_ of changing any settings in your graphic card's configuration software as that increases the work the card has to do.
> RE The HDMI cable - if using 4K it should be HDMI v1.4 certified as this ensures the cable will support the bandwidth required. It also adds other features such as an HDMI Ethernet Channel (HEC) etc - for full details see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI
> Regards
> Nigel


I think I will get an extra xbox one s cable as they are hdmi 2.0a hdr compliable.

Thank you so much again


----------



## RicoReed

Hi... suddenly my graphics amplifier has stopped working ? I did a windows update from 10 to anniversary edition so I could play forza horizon 3 but now my amplifier won't start up ? I have gone back to normal windows 10 but it still keeps saying I need to restart system to connect the graphics amplifier... any help ?


----------



## megt

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *laudrac*
> 
> The profile I used was standard on 40% fan speed temp 50 60% and above 60 80% this kept my card from troddeling. Somehow in the amp the card start at 65 to troddeling. I don't know why.


So I will give you a feedback after several trials.

First, I remember you that I have a Zotac GTX 970 Dual fan (https://www.zotac.com/us/product/graphics_card/gtx-970).
I have used my Alienware 13 plus the AGA and the GTX 970 without any problem.

However, since I have the Alpha R2, I was not able to play video game with the AGA and the GTX 970. The fps decrease quickly and then I was obliged to reboot my computer.
If I was only on Windows without playing I didn't have issue.
I have tried with a EVGA GTX 980 TI Supercloked and it works perfectly with it. I was able to play during several hours without any problem.

So as it was proposed by Laudrac, I have modified the fan speed of my graphic card. Even if I have selected 80-90% for 50°C, I had exactly the same problem.

I sent several emails to the Dell service support and I sent them the results.
They said me that the AGA may have some conflict with some cards without any reason.

So I have bought a GTX 1060 FE and now it works perfectly. I prefer to pay a little be more and have the FE version than to buy another brand which may not be accepted by the AGA.


----------



## hermitmaster

Alpha R1 owner here. I've got 8gb RAM, 960gb SSD, and an i5 4590S in my Alpha. Is it worth upgrading to the R2? I'd be looking at a refurbished i7 model with 16gb RAM, an M.2 SSD for boot, 1TB SATA SSD for games.


----------



## brianb27

Looking to buy a lowend alpha for my 10 year old. Any one seen a benchmark comparison between the original i-3 alpha and the new i-3 alpha r2 with the radeon card? Or even a review or benchmarks on the alpha r2 with the radeon card?


----------



## hermitmaster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *brianb27*
> 
> Looking to buy a lowend alpha for my 10 year old. Any one seen a benchmark comparison between the original i-3 alpha and the new i-3 alpha r2 with the radeon card? Or even a review or benchmarks on the alpha r2 with the radeon card?


Buy an R1 unless you can get an R2 for under $400. The performance delta between the two is minimal and the R1s can be had for around $300.


----------



## brianb27

"R1 unless you can get an R2 for under $400. The performance delta between the two is minimal and the R1s can be had for around $300."

Thanks hermitmaster I thinking the same way. It really looks like going from gen 4 to gen 6 on the processor makes much difference and the radeon on the R2 doesn't look like much of an improvement based on benchmarks I can find. It does seem like a non t version processor gives a cpu performance bump at the cost of some electric of.course.


----------



## hermitmaster

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *brianb27*
> 
> "R1 unless you can get an R2 for under $400. The performance delta between the two is minimal and the R1s can be had for around $300."
> 
> Thanks hermitmaster I thinking the same way. It really looks like going from gen 4 to gen 6 on the processor makes much difference and the radeon on the R2 doesn't look like much of an improvement based on benchmarks I can find. It does seem like a non t version processor gives a cpu performance bump at the cost of some electric of.course.


I've had a 4130T, 4170, and now a 4590S in my R1 with no perceptible difference in noise or temps.


----------



## retroPhil

So my R2 which I bought brand new a few months back has started to sound like a tractor. I opened up the Alpha, checked to see which fan was causing the noise. Found it was the CPU fan, so I pulled it out, did the usual stuff, removed any dust, refit it, checked to see if it was rubbing against anything.... still noisy.

So to fix the problem I pulled the fan apart and put some butter on it.


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *retroPhil*
> 
> So my R2 which I bought brand new a few months back has started to sound like a tractor. I opened up the Alpha, checked to see which fan was causing the noise. Found it was the CPU fan, so I pulled it out, did the usual stuff, removed any dust, refit it, checked to see if it was rubbing against anything.... still noisy.
> 
> So to fix the problem I pulled the fan apart and put some butter on it.


Hi Phil! Think we got our Alpha's around the same time 
Did you ever contact that guy about the Graphics Amp?

And did you really put butter in your fan?!!??! lol


----------



## retroPhil

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Hi Phil! Think we got our Alpha's around the same time
> Did you ever contact that guy about the Graphics Amp?
> 
> And did you really put butter in your fan?!!??! lol


Hippo!









No I didn't in the end - I got distracted buying something else that month and never got around to it. Tbf I rely more on the CPU and RAM more.

I have got into the habit of leaving the R2 on all the time and well I guess I dried up the fan's lubricant..or something. I ordered a new CPU fan, but as a last attempt I grabbed some Lurpak from the fridge (cause I had nothing else) and blobbed abit in the centre of the fan, and my fan is super silent again. lul


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *retroPhil*
> 
> Hippo!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No I didn't in the end - I got distracted buying something else that month and never got around to it. Tbf I rely more on the CPU and RAM more.
> 
> I have got into the habit of leaving the R2 on all the time and well I guess I dried up the fan's lubricant..or something. I ordered a new CPU fan, but as a last attempt I grabbed some Lurpak from the fridge (cause I had nothing else) and blobbed abit in the centre of the fan, and my fan is super silent again. lul


That's fair enough! I returned the 1070 I got for the amp as I really didn't actually need all that extra power and the whole point of it was to run an HTC Vive, which didn't work with the Alpha's USB ports. So all a waste of time in the end lol

I kept hold of the amp though, its all boxed up in the loft 

I also leave my Alpha on most the time, perhaps I will start shutting it down lol


----------



## RosielX

hey







Just got my i7/GTX 960 version last week. Very nice little machine.

I got it with 8GB RAM, a 256GB SSD and an 1 TB HDD.

I have been reading that users and reviewers are generally getting a Fire Strike score of ~6.1k.

However I was only getting around 5.5k; increased up to 5.9k after I enabled physX in the nvidia control panel. I do have latest nvidia drivers.
GPU Temperature during the test does not go higher than 81 C.

Apart from steam, MSI afterburner, and some games I have not really installed anything else. I did install Alienware Hivemind at some point, but I got rid of it after I failed to make it work properly with my controller.

Any ideas why my score is lower than expected ?


----------



## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *RosielX*
> 
> hey
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just got my i7/GTX 960 version last week. Very nice little machine.
> 
> I got it with 8GB RAM, a 256GB SSD and an 1 TB HDD.
> 
> I have been reading that users and reviewers are generally getting a Fire Strike score of ~6.1k.
> 
> However I was only getting around 5.5k; increased up to 5.9k after I enabled physX in the nvidia control panel. I do have latest nvidia drivers.
> GPU Temperature during the test does not go higher than 81 C.
> 
> Apart from steam, MSI afterburner, and some games I have not really installed anything else. I did install Alienware Hivemind at some point, but I got rid of it after I failed to make it work properly with my controller.
> 
> Any ideas why my score is lower than expected ?


Going back through my Firestrike results, the highest one I can find is 7093, but that's with overclocking using Afterburner!

Have you overclocked your R2 yet?


----------



## RosielX

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Going back through my Firestrike results, the highest one I can find is 7093, but that's with overclocking using Afterburner!
> 
> Have you overclocked your R2 yet?


Not yet. Would like to establish the expected performance of my system before doing that, which seems a bit lower than anticipated thus far.


----------



## Overspec

Just a thought - try disabling Nvidia PhysX, Windows Cortana & Xbox Game DVR.
How to disable Xbox Game DVR 



.


----------



## RosielX

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Overspec*
> 
> Just a thought - try disabling Nvidia PhysX, Windows Cortana & Xbox Game DVR.
> How to disable Xbox Game DVR
> 
> 
> 
> .


Disabling either did not help at all.

However I got the benchmark boosted to the expected 6.1k score by changing my desktop resolution to 1920x1080, which was very surprising to me!

I played with the resolution getting it switching it from 4k to 2k and back and it seemed to reliably affect the score!

Very very weird. Has anybody else noticed anything similar or can explain as to why this happens?


----------



## Overspec

4K = 3840 pixels × 2160 lines = 8.3 megapixels.
HD = 1920 pixels x 1080 lines = 2 megapixels
So I guess the extra 4 x video processing overhead might be dragging your benchmark score down.


----------



## Awdornowheel

Could you show me a picture of the amp port ?
On your R2 steam machine


----------



## Squidward

Hi All,

I am looking at buying an i7 Alienware Alpha R2 unit in the near future.
However I am not sure how it will look and run on my LG 49" UB850V 4K TV? The TV is about 2.5 years old and has all of the latest updates.

It does not have HDR so there is no facility to control any of that. I did have an Xbox 360 running on it for a while and this seemed okay but I never really pushed it. i.e. I was just playing Portal 2









The only setting the TV has is Game Mode which may be just controlling the brightness etc.

As the Alpha is designed for true 1080p gaming I want to try and find out if the screen response time is going to be an issue . I want to play games like Planetside 2 and other FPS's where screen refresh is important?
Despite looking on the LG site and everywhere else I cannot find a response time. I am worried about spending a lot of money only to find the TV is not a good match for it.

Am I being overly concerned? There does not seem to be lots of threads of people buying Alphas who are having major screen issues at 1080p?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks


----------



## Overspec

4K is much higher resolution than 1080p so if your TV can do 4K it will easily handle the 1080p output of the Alpha R2.
I have mine plugged into a 9yr old Samsung 55" with max resolution of 1080p and run it at 60Hz and it looks good.
*Tip*: Usually found in the advanced type setting of your TV is a setting called "Just Scan".
Enable this for the HDMI input your Alpha is plugged into & your screen size should be perfect (no black borders around the edge).
If you don't have this setting you may need to adjust size using Windows Video Properties which will place a slight extra load on the GPU so Just Scan is preferable.


----------



## Squidward

Thanks for the advice. I will look for a Scan setting on my HDMI.

So the response time is not really an issue? I had read for Gaming monitors anything under 5ms is a must. I suspect my TV is nowhere near this, probably 50ms based on similar TV's.
Having said all this I not planning to go MLG so it probably would make any difference to me.








I just want an enjoyable smooth experience. i.e. Not getting thrashed because of a slow TV. I realise I have probably completely over looked into this...









Thanks again.


----------



## Overspec

The response time of my 9 year old Series 6 52" Samsung is quoted as 4ms.
I suspect your 4K TV would be lower than that but either way I don't think you will notice anything visually.


----------



## Squidward

Thanks for the reassurance


----------



## s8boxer

Hey









I was thinking of drill my alpha r2 case (matching internal side shield holes with case holes), allowing it a better ventilation (I'm getting +- 87-89oC GPU!). Some plp suggested change GPU thermal paste to a better one, or even change the GPU cooler (there is anything better on the market?).

So any suggestion on how to cooling it better? I'm using one of those metal notebook base, with a bottom fan, which reduced +-2oC CPU's temp, but not on GPU temp







.

Btw a mechanic engineer suggested to open multiple holes at the sides of the top face case , but don't on the metal plate above it. Then in the center, add a fan to blow air to this metal plate, where the hot air will escape on those (new) side holes. Seems pretty cool, but too ugly ahaha







.


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## PDCRAK

Anybody here use the Samsung 960 EVO NVME SSD with any issues? Currently having problems. Used AOMEI to clone.


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## spoonablehippo

What problems are you having? My Alpha wouldn't work with my Samsung NVME M.2 drive at all until I switch HDD mode to AHCI in the BIOS!


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## PDCRAK

I cloned it using AOMEI backupper program. SSD Is recognized by my pc and in device manager as well. Now my issue is I cant boot using UEFI mode I have to go to legacy to have the boot option but then I get inaccessible boot device. The BIOS shows the SSD as well.

*Edit - I tried switching to AHCI. no go. still wont boot from M.2


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PDCRAK*
> 
> I cloned it using AOMEI backupper program. SSD Is recognized by my pc and in device manager as well. Now my issue is I cant boot using UEFI mode I have to go to legacy to have the boot option but then I get inaccessible boot device. The BIOS shows the SSD as well.
> 
> *Edit - I tried switching to AHCI. no go. still wont boot from M.2


Well, I can only suggest starting from fresh!

Cloning drives is not the best thing to do anyway as it also clones bad sectors/fragmentation etc, which you really don't want on your shiny new M.2!

Create a Windows 10 install USB stick, then make sure your Alpha is set to UEFI and AHCI in the BIOS and boot it then hold F12 and click on the install USB stick.
If the installer recognises it then your all good to go!

I have a 2TB HDD as my data drive, with just Windows installed on my M.2. My Alpha boots from off to fully loaded Windows in around 4 seconds


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## PDCRAK

Thanks for the help, Got it working now it feels amazing. Just did a Windows Startup Repair and boom.


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## ace200402

Did anyone find a stable oc with afterburner for the r2?


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ace200402*
> 
> Did anyone find a stable oc with afterburner for the r2?


Hi,
The GTX 960 in the Alpha is the full desktop chip, so you can safely use the overclocking specs for that!

The sweet spot is +200 for the core, and +400 for the memory!


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## ace200402

Thanks ill give it a try, also is the system limiting fps? Never goes over 60


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ace200402*
> 
> Thanks ill give it a try, also is the system limiting fps? Never goes over 60


Well, I'm on my phone so can't type a full indepth response ATM, but I'm guessing you have a 60hz monitor or TV? That means your monitor will refresh the image 60 times a second, so 60fps.


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## ace200402

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *spoonablehippo*
> 
> Well, I'm on my phone so can't type a full indepth response ATM, but I'm guessing you have a 60hz monitor or TV? That means your monitor will refresh the image 60 times a second, so 60fps.


Thats it , thanks alot i got alot of good information from this site and i hope the R2 lives long.


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## ace200402

One more thing, are there any well known/trusted free pc benchmarks?


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## spoonablehippo

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ace200402*
> 
> One more thing, are there any well known/trusted free pc benchmarks?


Certainly are!!

The main one people use is Unigini Valley: https://benchmark.unigine.com/valley


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## ace200402

I'm loving my R2, oh installed a m.2 ssd for the os and it boots up in under 5 secs, has anyone found better fans for cooling?


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## spoonablehippo

Can't believe it's been nearly 9 months since the last post on this thread!

I'm guessing the Alpha R2 definitely is dead. It's no longer available in the UK to purchase, which is a pain as I'm after another one as it really is just the perfect little machine for me!

I still have hopes for an R3 version.


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## AWCRAK

*alpha r2*

just wondering has anyone tried to use Maxwell bios editor to alter the clocks on the 960 in the r2???


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## johnnypr

*games 4k alienware Alpha R2 i7-6700T???*

I have an alpha R2, I would like to be able to use my 4k tv in games, my question if they have already tried it, I will be banned by an rtx 2070 seper (for example) to play 4k 60FPS GRAPHICS HIGH using my alpha R2 with your i76700T?


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## thanostc

Hello to all! Has anyone tried a heatsink to an m.2 ssd fitting under the ram and CPU fan blower? Thanking you in advance!


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