[opticalmace]

Yes, 55C - that's the only bizarre number in my mind. The first thermal paste laid out by the Dell engineer when he replaced the mobo was really bad so I redid it, twice with different thermal paste to see results. Regardless, each time I get the same idle temp. Maybe I have to try once more... or could the CPU be broken somehow?

Have you applied thermal paste before? I think you just made a mistake. Check a couple youtube videos for proper technique. I don't think the CPU is broken considering it passed the stress test, but 55C is way too much for idle and 85C is too much for max (IIRC you don't want to pass low-mid 70s).

edit: GPU may play a role (more heat) but I still think you probably mucked up the paste.

[Proelite]

Quick, we need the usual suspects to come in here and tell us not to expect this much from the next generation of consoles due heat, money and countless other reasons.

[Khrno]

TOTAL £992

That's the cost of the Alienware brand. You could have gotten a much better build from any other UK site for that same price.

If you are happy with what you got for that money, then that's that. But for anyone else trying to get into PC gaming with that same budget, they well could go higher and better than the OP.

[thetrin]

If case form factor is important to you, I can see why one would think that's a good price.

I'm fine with having a tower for half the price sitting next to my TV.

[raven777]

great thread Chittagong!

Your post in dell alienware forum helped me a lot.

I just recieved my x51 today, and so far I am very happy with it. I know building your own is cheaper but the size form factor was very important to me.

I am planning to upgrade to sapphire HD 7850 in the future. Its selling out real fast in newegg.


The only problem I have is the high pitch fan noise. I heard about it before on the forum, but its more annoying than I expected. Do you have the same high pitch noise problem? Is there any way to solve this, without actually changing the fan?

[Moegames]

great thread Chittagong! Your post in dell alienware forum helped me a lot. I just recieved my x51 today, and so far I am very happy with it. I know building your own is cheaper but the size form factor was very important to me. I am planning to upgrade to sapphire HD 7850 in the future. Its selling out real fast in newegg. The only problem I have is the high pitch fan noise. I heard about it before on the forum, but its more annoying than I expected. Do you have the same high pitch noise problem? Is there any way to solve this, without actually changing the fan?

i have a x51 myself the noise can be fixed by changing the fan, 3rd party unfortunately. The DC Brushless fan's that come with it are not that great and you think they would be. I also had to search around in various forums and i found the issue to be wide spread.

[evil solrac v3.0]

I expect next gen consoles to be approaching this size.

[undu]

Why did you buy the 555 GTX version? It's more expensive than the 545 GT one, and has 2 GB less of RAM, has the i5 cpu, and the PSU still delivers 240W, isn't that enough to run the system with the new card?

[SparkTR]

Using Alienware X51 as a yard stick for next generation consoles is pretty interesting. The system is entirely unoptimized, yet manages to pack 2.5TFLOPs into a console size box that is well within the power budget of the launch PS3. Given the huge amount of cost optimizations, efficiencies of a light OS and economies of scale, I now believe that 1080P games matching BF3 Ultra at 60FPS are a realistic possibility as a minimum ballpark of graphics we'll see at next generation console launch.

Except the limiting factor is price, even if you managed to cut $700 from the price of your machine through 'cost optimization' it would still be too expensive in the competitive console market, not including the cost of including Kinect, tablets and other peripherals in the box.

[raven777]

Why did you buy the 555 GTX version? It's more expensive than the 545 GT one, and has 2 GB less of RAM, has the i5 cpu, and the PSU still delivers 240W, isn't that enough to run the system with the new card?

There is difference for GPU upgrade in 240W model and 330W model.

At the moment, for 240W the recommended GPU upgrade is HD7770, while 330W is HD7850.

I don't think 240W version will be able to handle HD7850 properly.

[Chittagong]

Why did you buy the 555 GTX version? It's more expensive than the 545 GT one, and has 2 GB less of RAM, has the i5 cpu, and the PSU still delivers 240W, isn't that enough to run the system with the new card?

While the 240W could handle the system with a 7850 (mine maxed at 203W under stress, 180W in gameplay), I read somewhere that it's not good to run a PSU too close to it's maximum capacity. So I got the 330W system for that extra margin.

Have you applied thermal paste before? I think you just made a mistake. Check a couple youtube videos for proper technique. I don't think the CPU is broken considering it passed the stress test, but 55C is way too much for idle and 85C is too much for max (IIRC you don't want to pass low-mid 70s).

edit: GPU may play a role (more heat) but I still think you probably mucked up the paste.[/QUOTE

Dammit. I did watch a few video but I guess I got it wrong anyhow. I applied it in a vertical line over the core and used pressing down the heatsink to spread it (someone said vertival line is best for the i5). I think I need to redo it this weekend then. Couple of questions

- I didn't tint the surfaces, is this required?
- I have Arctic Silver 5 and Arctic Cooling MX-4, any preference?

I found GPU temp plays almost no role i the CPU temp, the temperatures are very comparmentalized in the system.

great thread Chittagong! Your post in dell alienware forum helped me a lot. I just recieved my x51 today, and so far I am very happy with it. I know building your own is cheaper but the size form factor was very important to me. I am planning to upgrade to sapphire HD 7850 in the future. Its selling out real fast in newegg. The only problem I have is the high pitch fan noise. I heard about it before on the forum, but its more annoying than I expected. Do you have the same high pitch noise problem? Is there any way to solve this, without actually changing the fan?

Thanks, welcome to the club! Yes the high pitch noise is a minor annoyance currently, but DELL-Chris M has said in no unclear terms that Dell will sort it to everyone and that it's not warranty related even, so no period applies. They just seem to have trouble in figuring out warehouse logistics for replacing the fan, old fans are found in new boxes still. So I am not worried, Dell is trustworthy in my books.

[teeny]

For the non technically minded people out there (including myself), it is a far less intimidating route to experience decent PC gaming.

I tried to follow GAFs build-a-new-PC thread, but still found it too complicated to bother with.

For the "noobs" out there that dont have a clue and, for whatever reason, arent willing to invest the time to learn, can someone please spec this PC that is "half the price", but as good (or better) than the Alienware X51, using UK stores to match the OPs price?

Note - not saying it isnt possible, but the custom builds I came up with were expensive.

[Durante]

For the "noobs" out there that dont have a clue and, for whatever reason, arent willing to invest the time to learn, can someone please spec this PC that is "half the price", but as good (or better) than the Alienware X51, using UK stores to match the OPs price?

I'm sorry I don't know good UK stores, but I can't imagine they're more expensive than mainland Europe. Anyway, here you go:

CPU - 164€ - http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/details.php?art=126934
MB - 62€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=1A41527
Memory - 35€ - http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/details.php?art=131787
7850 - 232€ - http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/details.php?art=133767
Case - 48€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=9A28944
PSU - 20€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=2A00110
HDD - 83€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=1A01192

642€, that's 521 GBP and these prices have 20% tax included. I forgot the insane cost of HDDs currently.

I totally splurged on the case, but I also happen to think it looks (and probably feels, do I ever hate glossy plastic) about 5 times better than the Alienware.

[StoppedInTracks]

Welcome to the PC gaming world, friend. I hope you will enjoy your stay.

I am too eyeing some ultra high-end HTPC box for 1080p gaming. Very interesting in your experience with X51, thanks!

[Mr. Return]

I'm sorry I don't know good UK stores, but I can't imagine they're more expensive than mainland Europe. Anyway, here you go: CPU - 164€ - http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/details.php?art=126934 MB - 62€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=1A41527 Memory - 35€ - http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/details.php?art=131787 7850 - 232€ - http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/details.php?art=133767 Case - 48€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=9A28944 PSU - 20€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=2A00110 HDD - 83€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=1A01192 642€, that's 521 GBP and these prices have 20% tax included. I forgot the insane cost of HDDs currently. I totally splurged on the case, but I also happen to think it looks (and probably feels, do I ever hate glossy plastic) about 5 times better than the Alienware.

Your selected case isn't capable to hold the 7850, it only has a single slot opening.

[Backfoggen]

Put a GTX 690 in there.

[Chittagong]

I'm sorry I don't know good UK stores, but I can't imagine they're more expensive than mainland Europe. Anyway, here you go: CPU - 164€ - http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/details.php?art=126934 MB - 62€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=1A41527 Memory - 35€ - http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/details.php?art=131787 7850 - 232€ - http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/details.php?art=133767 Case - 48€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=9A28944 PSU - 20€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=2A00110 HDD - 83€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=1A01192 642€, that's 521 GBP and these prices have 20% tax included. I forgot the insane cost of HDDs currently. I totally splurged on the case, but I also happen to think it looks (and probably feels, do I ever hate glossy plastic) about 5 times better than the Alienware.

+ Windows 7

[robjoh]

I'm sorry I don't know good UK stores, but I can't imagine they're more expensive than mainland Europe. Anyway, here you go: CPU - 164€ - http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/details.php?art=126934 MB - 62€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=1A41527 Memory - 35€ - http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/details.php?art=131787 7850 - 232€ - http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/details.php?art=133767 Case - 48€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=9A28944 PSU - 20€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=2A00110 HDD - 83€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=1A01192 642€, that's 521 GBP and these prices have 20% tax included. I forgot the insane cost of HDDs currently. I totally splurged on the case, but I also happen to think it looks (and probably feels, do I ever hate glossy plastic) about 5 times better than the Alienware.

OS cost? 99€? Yes Alienware is still more expensive, but 200£ difference comes from that Chittagong upgraded the box with a 7850.

So how large will the difference be if you are happy to play with the performance of a GTX555? What is comparable in the consumer market?

[Danielsan]

I'm sorry I don't know good UK stores, but I can't imagine they're more expensive than mainland Europe. Anyway, here you go: CPU - 164€ - http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/details.php?art=126934 MB - 62€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=1A41527 Memory - 35€ - http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/details.php?art=131787 7850 - 232€ - http://www.e-tec.at/frame1/details.php?art=133767 Case - 48€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=9A28944 PSU - 20€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=2A00110 HDD - 83€ - http://www.haym.info/SHOP/index.php?artikelnr=1A01192 642€, that's 521 GBP and these prices have 20% tax included. I forgot the insane cost of HDDs currently. I totally splurged on the case, but I also happen to think it looks (and probably feels, do I ever hate glossy plastic) about 5 times better than the Alienware.

Would this PC be on par or better than the PC in the OP? I'm looking to at least play The Witcher 2 with settings on high.

I'm currently looking to purchase a laptop to replace my horrible PC. I want the portability so that I can browse & watch videos online from couch or bed. Given that my current PC is a piece of shit and I want to be able to enjoy some PC games (on my HDTV) I've been looking at laptops with a decent CPU and video card. As it stands now I'm waiting for either an HP, Asus or Dell laptop with a 650m Kepler card built in and a Ivy Bridge i7 CPU. For this I'm willing to spend up to €1000.

Given that a sub €1000 laptop will probably never be a fantastic gaming machine I've been thinking about building a gaming desktop PC and purchasing a cheaper laptop for portability reasons instead.

[Durante]

Your selected case isn't capable to hold the 7850, it only has a single slot opening.

Right! I hope no one just bought the build on a whim ;)

Also, I totally forgot about Windows, I haven't paid for that in forever. (No, not piracy, first I got it from university and then from my employer)

So how large will the difference be if you are happy to play with the performance of a GTX555?

You can get a GTX 560 SE for 120€. That brings the price to 530€ or 430 pounds. Plus Windows if you need it.

[chrislowe]

I bought a MSI GTX 560 1GB for $99 last week, but yeah it was on sale so not the normal price.

But that card wants 24Amp on the 12v channels, and neither my 300watt or my 500watt (only 18amp) psu could deliver that, so i had to get a 600watt psu that output that power.

[TouchMyBox]

+ Windows 7

Steam is coming to linux, bro.

[robjoh]

You can get a GTX 560 SE for 120€. That brings the price to 530€ or 430 pounds. Plus Windows if you need it.

So roughly 500£ with windows against 799£ from alienware. That was expensive.

[DSmalls84]

Would this PC be on par or better than the PC in the OP? I'm looking to at least play The Witcher 2 with settings on high. I'm currently looking to purchase a laptop to replace my horrible PC. I want the portability so that I can browse & watch videos online from couch or bed. Given that my current PC is a piece of shit and I want to be able to enjoy some PC games (on my HDTV) I've been looking at laptops with a decent CPU and video card. As it stands now I'm waiting for either an HP, Asus or Dell laptop with a 650m Kepler card built in and a Ivy Bridge i7 CPU. For this I'm willing to spend up to €1000. Given that a sub €1000 laptop will probably never be a fantastic gaming machine I've been thinking about building a gaming desktop PC and purchasing a cheaper laptop for portability reasons instead.

I have the i5 model with a GTX 555/6 gb ram and the Witcher 2 runs with all settings except ubersample on at about 45-60 fps @ 720p. I tried upping it to 1080p and got framerate in the mid 20s-low 30s.

Other Benchmarks:

Crysis - High 4xAA @ 720p 50-60 fps/ Very High @720p 35-50 fps

Alan Wake- Max Settings 4xAA @ 720p 45-60 fps

Diablo 3 Beta - Max @ 1080p 60 fps

Skyrim - 1080p, 4xAA, Ultra w/ Shadows lowered to High - Runs mostly 45-60 fps with a few dips to 30 in some areas (Thieves Guild is worst)

Thought I would post some Benchmarks in here for people considering an X-51. Before I bought one I had trouble finding any besides what was in reviews, so maybe this will help some of you guys.

[specialguy]

While the 240W could handle the system with a 7850 (mine maxed at 203W under stress, 180W in gameplay), I read somewhere that it's not good to run a PSU too close to it's maximum capacity. So I got the 330W system for that extra margin.

Umm, so the CPU and everything else consume nothing? CPU's can pull close to 100 watts when loaded.

Also, again, PSU rating doesn't mean what you can pull out of it :

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=157628

I'm sure Alienware built some fudge factor in it's recommendations and ratings, but still.

[Lord Error]

That's pretty cool box, but the price is a bit much for a bit better than what I already can get from my PC :\ If I was buying a first PC, I'd be more tempted for sure.

[Chittagong]

Umm, so the CPU and everything else consume nothing? CPU's can pull close to 100 watts when loaded. Also, again, PSU rating doesn't mean what you can pull out of it : http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=157628 I'm sure Alienware built some fudge factor in it's recommendations and ratings, but still.

Not sure - have had the meter pictured on for a few weeks, between the system and the wall. It hasn't really climbed much higher than the pic, 203W. So unless I have a faulty meter, Intel and AMD have exaggerated their power requirements, and Alienware lowballed their PSU specification - all to the benefit of a gamer squeezing the juice out of the system.

The urban legend seems to be that Dell PSU classification is not peak power but a high usage setting. Didn't buy it though - hence my 120W safety margin (203w vs 330w)

So just to be clear - the 203w I measured was for the torture test of the entire system maxed out, not just GPU

[Medalion]

So this is how the Steambox will come to us, something like this

[Haunted]

Quite an informative post, Chittagong. Thanks for sharing your experiences, that's a sexy little box and fits just fine in your setup. I'll leave the "overpriced!" discussion to others more familiar with current PC pricing, but I don't think you should feel bad about it. Good thread. :)

With the current gen consoles really showing their age, and no true next generation consoles in the horizon, I decided to make the jump to PC gaming this year.

I've been basically talking non-stop about this sentiment on these boards because I've seen this happening basically non-stop in my circle of acquaintances and other (German) online communities for the last year or so.

The reactions I've seen ranged from seriously impressed to downright shocked how much better games from the same generation can look on a competent PC compared to the PS360 (or in one case, a former Wii-only gamer, haha).

[A Twisty Fluken]

Good review, confirming the fact that it's way too loud for me, but reinforcing my impending move to put my existing ultra quiet PC from the fractal mini into a proper HTPC case.

[JB1981]

awesome thread. i'm very jealous. i can afford one of these things but i have a hard time justifying the investment since i have already built up a good library on both 360/PS3 and haven't even gotten through all the games. it would be nice to play all the games i purchased at higher resolution/better framerate with all the high-end graphics effects intact but i do enjoy what i am getting right now. i guess i could put this downstairs on the 50" plasma too.

tempting ....

[Nabs]

awesome thread. i'm very jealous. i can afford one of these things but i have a hard time justifying the investment since i have already built up a good library on both 360/PS3 and haven't even gotten through all the games. it would be nice to play all the games i purchased at higher resolution/better framerate with all the high-end graphics effects intact but i do enjoy what i am getting right now. i guess i could put this downstairs on the 50" plasma too. tempting ....

The Summer sale is coming, bro. It's a great time to jump in. 10' UI + Plasma sounds like a dream.

[JB1981]

The Summer sale is coming, bro. It's a great time to jump in. 10' UI + Plasma sounds like a dream.

What does that mean summer sale? Like there will be a sale this summer on these things? Screens in the OP are so nice

[Vulcano's assistant]

What does that mean summer sale? Like there will be a sale this summer on these things?

Steam Summer Sale, games at $7, etc

[Plywood]

The case is what really makes it seem so nice. So hard to find good compact cases(atleast for me anyway).

[Karak]

The case is what really makes it seem so nice. So hard to find good compact cases(atleast for me anyway).

Ya the case is quality. I am fiddling with them all day and haven't seen a single issue with the innerds on these systems. Really well done. There are some con's like the fans are a bit on the weak/cheap side but the systems are flying for a reason. For some users with particular desires and skills this is a PERFECT system. It is pretty amazing when you see them sitting inside a clients home theatre and it looks the same size as a normal console.

[JB1981]

Ya the case is quality. I am fiddling with them all day and haven't seen a single issue with the innerds on these systems. Really well done. There are some con's like the fans are a bit on the weak/cheap side but the systems are flying for a reason. For some users with particular desires and skills this is a PERFECT system. It is pretty amazing when you see them sitting inside a clients home theatre and it looks the same size as a normal console.

what kind of performance can you expect from this thing (the best model)without swapping the card for something better like the OP? Can I play most PC games at 1080p 30? Like BF, Crysis 2, Batman AA, Witcher 2 etc? And if you do want to swap the card, will dell do that for you?

[evil solrac v3.0]

what kind of performance can you expect from this thing (the best model)without swapping the card for something better like the OP? Can I play most PC games at 1080p 30? Like BF, Crysis 2, Batman AA, Witcher 2 etc? And if you do want to swap the card, will dell do that for you?

you can swap it yourself, it's extremely easy. the card has a little latch and you just press and then pull it out. it's sturdier than it looks so don't be afaraid about it breaking.

edit: it should play all games at 720p @ 60 frames. pretty sure a good amount of games could be 1080p @ 30. without even tweaking some of the settings.

[JB1981]

you can swap it yourself, it's extremely easy. the card has a little latch and you just press and then pull it out. it's sturdier than it looks so don't be afaraid about it breaking. edit: it should play all games at 720p @ 60 frames. pretty sure a good amount of games could be 1080p @ 30. without even tweaking some of the settings.

yes but don't you have to mess around with the PSU and all that stuff?

[sk3tch]

Really nice thread. You should be proud of the progress you've made from having never opening an electronics gadget before to this! Now you will be hooked on tinkering...it never stops, man. :)

[Chittagong]

yes but don't you have to mess around with the PSU and all that stuff?

Nope, the PSU is an external powerbrick, like the Xbox 360 one

[JB1981]

Nope, the PSU is an external powerbrick, like the XboxK 360 one

Did u buy the $699 i5 ???

[pestul]

Steam is coming to linux, bro.

Might want to tell AMD to write some competent Linux drivers too..

[specialguy]

Except the limiting factor is price, even if you managed to cut $700 from the price of your machine through 'cost optimization' it would still be too expensive in the competitive console market, not including the cost of including Kinect, tablets and other peripherals in the box.

Not really. PC pricing has little do with cost.

Most chips actually cost maybe $100 or less each. So $100 for the CPU and $100 for the GPU in a console. Then of course RAM and the rest.

If that much. Pitcairn is pretty small.

AMD will sell you a Bulldozer that is much more expensive to produce than Intel will sell you a Ivy Bridge. Why? Cause they have to. Even a GTX680 die likely costs $100 or less.

[Chittagong]

Did u buy the $699 i5 ???

The more expensive i5 one. The one with GTX 545 is 240W, whereas the more expensive GTX 555 one is 330W.

[specialguy]

what kind of performance can you expect from this thing (the best model)without swapping the card for something better like the OP? Can I play most PC games at 1080p 30? Like BF, Crysis 2, Batman AA, Witcher 2 etc? And if you do want to swap the card, will dell do that for you?

You really cant swap out a card? With the aid of youtube video? What are you Garnett Lee?

[specialguy]

Not sure - have had the meter pictured on for a few weeks, between the system and the wall. It hasn't really climbed much higher than the pic, 203W. So unless I have a faulty meter, Intel and AMD have exaggerated their power requirements, and Alienware lowballed their PSU specification - all to the benefit of a gamer squeezing the juice out of the system. The urban legend seems to be that Dell PSU classification is not peak power but a high usage setting. Didn't buy it though - hence my 120W safety margin (203w vs 330w) So just to be clear - the 203w I measured was for the torture test of the entire system maxed out, not just GPU

Oh, my bad I misunderstood. Still, I wouldn't chance pulling 203 watts on a 240 watt power supply, after PSU inefficiency it's just too close.

With the current gen consoles really showing their age, and no true next generation consoles in the horizon

I think signs strongly point to late 2013. Which is still almost two years since we're still early in 012, but the end is in sight. Especially considering we'll have rumblings to tide us over (EG, E3 in June 2013 should be a full blowout, and that's only a year away).

At that point all the console to PC ports will likely render your X51 obsolete with a massive jump in recommended specs. LOL just kidding, sort of.

[theBishop]

I love the idea, but as usual for Alienware, it's too expensive. I'll stick with my Antec Fusion case and whatever hardware I like:

[specialguy]

Might as well just knock your midtower on it's side LOL. Dont like the way that looks at all.

[Chittagong]

Still, I wouldn't chance pulling 203 watts on a 240 watt power supply, after PSU inefficiency it's just too close.

Pretty much exactly this.

It seems funny now that just a few weeks back serious doubts were raised of even the 330w being able to cope because AMD had listed a 500w psu requirement for a system with the 7850. Of course it turned out that it was much less power hungry in the end. But yeah, 240w PSU would cut it too close for my comfort.