Trying to upgrade my Alienware Auroa R4 CPU/GPU?

[Beckerslaw]

Hello fellow gamers,
I have an Alienware Aurora R4 here are the specs
Processor: 3960x
Memory: 32GB
Hard Drive: 512 SSD +1 TB
Power Supply:875 Watt

Now I want to upgrade my graphics card as well as my processor with NVidia 980 SLI and the 4960x processor can my machine handle that sort of power wattage? Thank you.

 

[Math Geek]

your cpu is a socket 2011 cpu which means that you would need a new motherboard to move to an i5-4690k which is a socket 1150 cpu. you should be getting good performance from the cpu and would probably only need a gpu upgrade depending on what you have now. i don't see any mention of the gpu included with that model.

as far as upgrading to 980 sli, you should be ok with the psu included. if you have 62+ 12v amps with that psu then it will be fine. a quality 650w psu will have this so even a mediocre 875w one should be good but it won't hurt to check the label to be sure.

 

[Beckerslaw]

your cpu is a socket 2011 cpu which means that you would need a new motherboard to move to an i5-4690k which is a socket 1150 cpu. you should be getting good performance from the cpu and would probably only need a gpu upgrade depending on what you have now. i don't see any mention of the gpu included with that model.

as far as upgrading to 980 sli, you should be ok with the psu included. if you have 62+ 12v amps with that psu then it will be fine. a quality 650w psu will have this so even a mediocre 875w one should be good but it won't hurt to check the label to be sure.

actually its an i74960x extreme editition and how do I check the label? sorry for being a noob im new to upgrading computers

 

[Math Geek]

what i mean is that the slot on the motherboard for your current i7 cpu is the lga 2011 slot. and the slot for the i5-4690k is an lga 1150 slot so to change the cpu you will need a new motherboard with an 1150 slot as the i5-4690k will not work on your current motherboard's 2011 slot.

and by check the label i mean open the case and look at the power supply. it will have a label which lists all of it's stats. something like this http://www.malor.com/gamerswithjobs/sample_power_supply_label.jpg check the 12v amps to see how strong the psu is. in the sample i provided there are 4 12v rails (12v1, 12v2, 12v3...) so add them together 16+16+16+16=64 amps. check your psu to see. i'm sure it is enough but also safe to check. you're looking for 61-62 or more amps.

what graphics cards do you have now? that pc is pretty stacked and should already have 2 good cards running together. 2 x 980's is pretty strong stuff and overkill unless your running 4k or triple 1440p or other crazy monitor configurations. a single 970 will be plenty for 1080p or even 1440p

 

[Beckerslaw]

I am currently running Nvidia 680 in SLI mode the reason for all this overkill is i play a game called Total War Rome 2 and even with my rig the game still lags. Ultimately I wanna play this game on extreme settings with 0 issues.

 

[Math Geek]

i see, i have no experience with that game so no idea what influences it more the cpu or gpu. your psu should be enough for 2 x 980's and hopefully this will satisfy your demands just check those amps to be sure and then enjoy.

 

[tps3443]

Yes! A 4960X will work, you do NOT need a new motherboard. Just update the bios, so it supports Ivy-E processors . And the R4 X79 motherboard supports SLI too! Getting the newest A09 bios will support a 4960X, and the GTX 980 cards in sli.

Fast gaming rig there!

Wow lol math geek lol. He doesn't want a 4690K! Lol

3960X is lga 2011

4960X is lga 2011

Why are you bringing a i5 socket 1150 4690K in to this? He does not want to down grade performance.

 

[HitManHey]

Yes your Alienware R4 will support this (07JNH0 x79 motherboard?) but you need at least A09 bios update as the bios before that don't support Ivy Bridge.

 

[mdd1963]

A single GTX1080 will perform great...; GTX980's are not cheap at 400 each, a single GTX1080Ti would be cheaper....and faster

 

[jamessargent1979]

Not a solution just an extension onto this post, did you have any success installing the i7 4960 CPU? only ask ask I have got hold of a i7 3960x which is a slight upgrade on the i7 3820 I currently have in it. I am running Bios version A11. Yet when I install the i7 3960x doesn't even boot to a bios turns on and I have lights thats it. Go back to the i7 3820 and boots perfectly. I have removed CMOS battery, factory bios settings, even done the CMOS jumpers, makes no difference. Tried several times with the same results??

 

[USAFRet]

Not a solution just an extension onto this post, did you have any success installing the i7 4960 CPU? only ask ask I have got hold of a i7 3960x which is a slight upgrade on the i7 3820 I currently have in it. I am running Bios version A11. Yet when I install the i7 3960x doesn't even boot to a bios turns on and I have lights thats it. Go back to the i7 3820 and boots perfectly. I have removed CMOS battery, factory bios settings, even done the CMOS jumpers, makes no difference. Tried several times with the same results??

You really need to start a new thread for your particular situation.