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Alienware X51 thread of 2.56TFLOPS comfy couch gaming at 180W in a console size box
- Thread starter Chittagong
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Nihilistic Monk
Member
Thanks. Just attempting to get it to pass the wife test & I might hit the order button in the morning.
Good price on that, was looking up the ones on eBay and they're about £100 more roughly for the i7 version
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Dell-...t=UK_Computing_DesktopPCs&hash=item43b9bc5613
Seems a good price that one direct from Alienware/Dell, would go for it myself!
So it looks like I can buy the 660 w/ the I5 and 240W power supply for $949 on Dell's site.
I have a few questions
1.) Is the i5 sufficient for most games? Is an upgrade to the i7 worth the extra cost?
2.) Does anybody here use the wifi? I will need a wifi connection because I will most likely play this downstairs on the bigscreen plasma
3.) Will a 1TB HDD be large enough if I want to go digital download only?
4.) Any recommended accessories such as a wireless keyboard/mouse. I believe there is a Windows-compatible version of the X360 controller that can be used with this?
5.) Are there any games on the market right now that the X51 cannot handle at an acceptable resolution or framerate? I'm talking about games like Crysis 3, Far Cry 3 etc.
6.) If you have had any problems with your X51 what have they been and how has Dell's support been?
7.) For the people who own this machine, what resolution do you play on, are you playing at mostly max settings and generally speaking what kind of framerates are you getting with the latest games?
Thanks!
I have a few questions
1.) Is the i5 sufficient for most games? Is an upgrade to the i7 worth the extra cost?
2.) Does anybody here use the wifi? I will need a wifi connection because I will most likely play this downstairs on the bigscreen plasma
3.) Will a 1TB HDD be large enough if I want to go digital download only?
4.) Any recommended accessories such as a wireless keyboard/mouse. I believe there is a Windows-compatible version of the X360 controller that can be used with this?
5.) Are there any games on the market right now that the X51 cannot handle at an acceptable resolution or framerate? I'm talking about games like Crysis 3, Far Cry 3 etc.
6.) If you have had any problems with your X51 what have they been and how has Dell's support been?
7.) For the people who own this machine, what resolution do you play on, are you playing at mostly max settings and generally speaking what kind of framerates are you getting with the latest games?
Thanks!
1) Yes, but the i7 will give you better performance in single/dual threaded engines like Source, UE3, Blizzard games, among others, due to the higher clock speed.
3) Yes, I think a 256GB SSD is enough.
4) G700 is the best wireless mouse, Logitech K750 is an excellent keyboard.
5) You named them, though you can just turn down the graphics a bit to make anything playable.
Selling my used X51. Need money since I am out of a job. PM me for more details on price and any questions you may have.
Intel Core i7 2600 @3. 4ghz
16GB Ram Memory
670 FTW
Windows 8 64bit
Blu Ray Drive
1TB Hard Drive
Followed each step of the Irishlad YouTube videos. So if you want to know what my system is like look at his videos. I am not Irishlad
Intel Core i7 2600 @3. 4ghz
16GB Ram Memory
670 FTW
Windows 8 64bit
Blu Ray Drive
1TB Hard Drive
Followed each step of the Irishlad YouTube videos. So if you want to know what my system is like look at his videos. I am not Irishlad
Can I play Crysis 3 at 1080p30?
You should sell it and get a proper motherboard and CPU. Follow this guide: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=42660100&postcount=195
The motherboard is a standard ITX form factor though.
The motherboard is a standard ITX form factor though.
I'd look through some Crysis 3 benches with the 660Ti to compare (the Alienware 660 is closer to the 660Ti than the standard 660), but you should be able to achieve pretty consistent 16.3ms frame times at 1080p as long as you turn some settings down.
This guy claims to get 70fps on high settings in multiplayer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF0JrE-0isc -- edit .. nevermind. he upgraded the GPU.
1. I went with the i7.
2. Wifi is fine. That's how I use mine, and I have no complaints. Steam download speeds are great.
3. Yep. You can fit a crazy amount of games on the 1TB drive.
4. Definitely get the 360 controller with PC dongle. It's awesome and works with all the big multiplat titles.
5. Far Cry 3 runs great. I turned down a couple of settings a bit, but it runs at a nice solid frame rate at 1080p in Direct X 11. No interest in Crisis 3, sorry.
6. The graphics card wasn't seated properly when I got it. Support walked me through it. No problems since.
7. 1080p. Max settings on practically everything.
Yeah. You'll have to turn a few settings down from Very High to High but 1080p30 in Crysis 3 should be achievable if the Alienware card runs close to GTX 660 Ti performance. Plus if you turn on Adaptive V-Sync at half refresh rate, it'll lock your game to 30 FPS, but any time the frame rate drops, it'll cut the V-sync instead of dropping you down to 15 FPS. Pretty nifty.
terrdactycalsrock
Member
How easy is the X51 to upgrade?
Chittagong
Gold Member
Pretty much as easy as a PC upgrade can ever be. As a total PC noob I was able to do all kinds of things:
- Opening the case. Great tutorial available on Dell.com
- Replacing the video card. Very illustrative videos on YouTube
- Swapping RAM. Super easy, tutorial available on Dell.com
- Replacing PSU. It's a power brick, like in Xbox.
- Updating Windows. Took a while but didn't have problems. Best wait for a stable release always.
Basically anything you need to do is pretty easily achievable with the help of YouTube and Dell boards, that's where I learned my way. I even did a CPU repaste after the Dell engineer messed up my heatsink.
The only thing you want to make sure is that the parts you get fit and are the right ones, again asking around is a good way forwards.
terrdactycalsrock
Member
Thats very helpful, thanks! As someone who thinks about getting a PC constantly, but doesnt know how to build one the whole situation is intimidating to say the least. I feel like buying one of these and causally, slowly, upgrading individual pieces is a lot better than just throwing myself into the deep end and ordering all separate components from Tigerdirect
You'll be limited with the X51 on video card choices due to the thermal limits of the case itself as well as a top end of 350W or so (please give me accurate info here X51 pros) for power draw. A few people at dell said that they wouldn't suggest going any higher on a PSU due to the case's inability to dissipate heat beyond that.
So, you'll be stuck with the same motherboard/proc, and top out on PSU.
However, you will be able to upgrade the storage and video card fairly easy. Thankfully AMD and NVIDIA are pushing more and more towards low power draw which makes me hopeful for future GPU upgrades with the X51.
So, you'll be stuck with the same motherboard/proc, and top out on PSU.
However, you will be able to upgrade the storage and video card fairly easy. Thankfully AMD and NVIDIA are pushing more and more towards low power draw which makes me hopeful for future GPU upgrades with the X51.
Nihilistic Monk
Member
Thanks for the advice GAF.
Just submitted my order for the i5 with the 660 as described on the last page of the thread. Allegedly will ship on the 23rd. Excited :-D
Just submitted my order for the i5 with the 660 as described on the last page of the thread. Allegedly will ship on the 23rd. Excited :-D
Chittagong
Gold Member
This was my logic too. It's quite steep a price to pay for learning, but I simply wasn't confident I could build a PC from scratch without burning it, so I approached X51 as my intro to PCs. Now that I have successfully swapped components I feel more confident of doing a complete build sometime in the future. Although the Bolt gaming PC splurge option is pretty tempting, Titan and all...
Apocryphon
Member
Just received an email from Meteor Entertainment regarding Hawken being at PAX East and there's a list of bullet points - things you can do if you're going to be the. The top one is 'play Hawken on the new Alienware X51'. Hasn't it only been like 6 month since the last refresh?
Nihilistic Monk
Member
Oh damnit! Buyers regret and I haven't even received it yet! Should I cancel?
Chittagong
Gold Member
Wallet says phew
Apocryphon
Member
Nah. Dell are pretty good about people returning systems if a refresh has just happened. PAX might be over before you even receive it so you're better off just hanging on and seeing what happens. If they refresh, call them and cancel, or return the system once you get it.
EDIT: This is what I received...
Good luck! Mine got delayed 3 times :-/
How good are they? Like if you just bought one a week ago, a month ago?
OJdaKiller
Member
So is this basically what a Steambox is going to be? Just a sleak looking device to play PC games on your TV?
Apocryphon
Member
I returned my M17x R3 almost a full month after receiving it once the R4 was announced. They were fine about it. Just claim ignorance. Unless you've had it for like 3 months, in which case I reckon you'd be shit out of luck.
OJdaKiller said:
In a sense. It's great to have in the living room, but there's nothing stopping you using it as your main gaming PC. Stick a GTX 670 in there and you're golden.
OJdaKiller
Member
So how is it different than having a gaming PC? I ask because while I have a PC I game on (mid-tier card that seems to play stuff fine), I'm wondering what I might be missing out on. Other than being able to use your television as the monitor (w/o having an ugly tower next to the tv), what would the main differences be?
Apocryphon
Member
None.
mr stroke
Member
Alienware X51+GTX 670 are both finally here
For anyone looking to install a GTX670 in one of these should know it was super easy. Two screws and pulled out the GTX660 and swapped the GTX670 with in minutes. The Galaxy model fits with out mods and runs great with the 330w power supply
For anyone looking to install a GTX670 in one of these should know it was super easy. Two screws and pulled out the GTX660 and swapped the GTX670 with in minutes. The Galaxy model fits with out mods and runs great with the 330w power supply
Nihilistic Monk
Member
The only thing I'd be gutted about is if the new GFX card is a 670 for a similar price, but then hey I got the 10% off and can always upgrade as the price drops. Can't see SSD as standard in the model I bought anyway.
Good to hear dell returns are ok. I'm in the UK however, so that always makes me worry ala the "apple are so great" stories I hear on the web.
UK support is nowhere near as good/lenient as the states
Marty Chinn
Member
For anyone putting it in their living room cabinet, how are you cooling it if it's enclosed? I'm trying to figure out the best method to keep airflow to it while keeping the door closed.
It's less upgradeable and you can't overclock the processor. You can build a small form factor PC if you want something smaller. I see the X51 as a great purchase for someone who simply has no interest whatsoever in building their own, which I definitely understand.
Marty Chinn
Member
I've always had interest in building my own and have done several in the past. So it's not the lack of interest, but honestly, it was the form factor combined with the cost since I got a great deal on it. Plus, finding a slot loading slim Blu Ray drive is a pain in the ass to find with very few options out there.
I ordered mine like on the 4th of last month so i doubt i could claim that much ignorance
I guess i could just throw a 670 in it and when 680 drops half price gut the x51 and put it in a new tower.
mr stroke
Member
All it really needs is a bigger power supply and better air flow/fans. With those two changes you could put in i7-3970X +Titan/GTX 680
If they do that, then I will definitely throw a bitch fit and return mine.
Being able to throw a Titan in there would be hnngggg.
BruceLeeRoy
Banned
I'm waiting to be able to put a Titan in one of these before I jump in. I want this bad boy to last
ambientmystic
Member
Alienware X51+GTX 670 are both finally here
For anyone looking to install a GTX670 in one of these should know it was super easy. Two screws and pulled out the GTX660 and swapped the GTX670 with in minutes. The Galaxy model fits with out mods and runs great with the 330w power supply
Isn't running any i5 CPU + GTX 670 combo on just a 330W PSU cutting it pretty close?
I'm pretty sure most of PC Gaf uses at least an 80 Gold/Silver/Bronze 550 - 600 W dedicated PSU (Corsair/Seasonic/Silverstone etc) to properly power those components. I wouldn't feel safe running a High End rig like that with just a 330 W PSU. Not to mention the added strain to the PSU if you ever decided to OC that X51.
One Titan is worth more than an X51 at the current prices.
If it uses an external power brick then is it a possibility that the next revision of it is gonna just have a bigger one (~450 watts) and then have the option for GTX 680 / Titan?
I know the Falcon Northwest SFF is configurable with a Titan and an i7 proc and the only PSU they offer is a 450 watt Silverstone.
I know the Falcon Northwest SFF is configurable with a Titan and an i7 proc and the only PSU they offer is a 450 watt Silverstone.
Chittagong
Gold Member
I wouldn't dare to, especially if you have popped in a 7870 or 670. Both already push the thermal performance in open space so I would imagine a hot cabinet would lead to jet engine and/or shut down. I mean, already a PS3 running in my cabinet heats up the air inside pretty efficiely. I prefer to hide my electronics but having my gaming PC out in the wild has been a compromise I had to make.
Nihilistic Monk
Member
Good too see PC GAF being understanding. I used to build my own in my 20's but now I'm in my mid 30's and have 2 kids I hardly have time for gaming never mind building my own rig & returning parts f they're faulty and stuff. The form factor and easy warranty of the X51 is what's appealing to me. No muss no fuss.
If it is the same form factor case and a bigger PSU... Well.. I aintevenmadbro.jpg
X79 doesn't fit on ITX boards.
I can build you one. A smidge bigger, but with a more capable CPU too.
Total power draw on a system with an Ivy process and 670 is around 215W in games and 275-300 under full load.
That silverstone is far more efficient, so it can take it.
PartTimeWarrior
Banned
Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have cheaper out on the video card. Anyone here using the gt 640? What's performance like?
PartTimeWarrior
Banned
Yeah I'll probably go that route. Honestly I would love to run BF3 with decent framerate so I guess I'll test it out when it gets here.
also just checked my bank account and the payment to Dell is missing and the money is back. Maybe just a glitch in the matrix or something
Got my X51 last June and was wondering what kind of a jump in performance I'd see if I upgraded from the GTX 555 it came with to a GTX 660? Processor is an i7-3770 @ 3.40GHz, and I have the 330W PSU. I have an Oculus Rift on the way soon, and while it should be fine running on this given that I usually play at a higher resolution of 1920x1080 (Oculus dev kit runs at 1280x800), I may find that lower framerates could potentially dampen the experience in some games.
Plus a graphics card upgrade is something I at least consider once a year, and I always go for something under £200, so the GTX 660 fits the bill nicely.
Plus a graphics card upgrade is something I at least consider once a year, and I always go for something under £200, so the GTX 660 fits the bill nicely.
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