Will these upgraddes on Alienware X51 work?

[kroon]

Hello, I have posted this same question on the Dell forum, but so far, I have not gotten a reply. This website looks like one that is pretty active and could help me.

I got a Alienware x51 a month or so ago, and it came with a core i7, 240W PSU, 6 GB RAM, and NVIDIA GT 545. I've been meaning to upgrade my system so I can keep with the times, but it's the PSU that's holding me back, since you can only go up to 330W without risks. What I'm wondering is, can 16 GB RAM from Crucial and a HD 7870 work with my X51 (I know that I need the 330W psu, so what I'm also wondering is where can I get the same 330W PSU that is being used in the X51s)?

Here is the link to the Crucial RAM I'm looking at:

http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=F5751158A5CA7304

 

[bigshootr8]

I'm a little confused on the power supply issue you are asking about can you explain it a little different for me please. Also I would get higher quality sticks then non heat spreader sticks in a small case like that it doesn't hurt to add a little extra cooling. Perhaps these for example. Also keep in mind that unless you are doing things beyond gaming I would stick to something like 8 gigabytes of memory. I would also advise you not to mix and match memory unless you are willing to set timings and voltages within your bios.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233280

 

[antonice22]

looks like you got a weak psu.. you wrote you want to upgrade to hd 7870, so i suggest you getting a better psu that well be compatible with your hd 7870

 

[kroon]

@bigshootr8

Some models of the Alienware X51 come with a 240W PSU (It's an efficient gaming computer), and that is the one I got. I want to change to a 330W PSU, because I'm hearing that people have managed to get the 7870 in and say it works just fine on the X51, but the problem is, they have the 330W PSU. I want 16 GB because I want the PC to last. Oh yeah, thanks for the recommendation, too, I may just look into that.

@antonice22

I was looking into this Dell forum and saw some people being able to use the HD 7870 in the Alienware X51 and says it works just fine, and that it is ok for a 330W Adapter (Torture test on Prime95 was around 203W). As for heat, the graphics card had a 24C, while the GPU and CPU had around 65-73C during gameplay. In fact, the thread I was looking at was this: http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19442269.aspx

 

[bigshootr8]

I just don't understand why Dell, Alienware would put such a low wattage unit inside. I wouldn't put any card in that system till you upgraded to a higher wattage unit. An if you were to buy a new power supply why change to a 330w. Seems like a lot of stress to put on a power supply in a cramped slimline gaming machine.