Thoughts on New System - Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop

All,

I'm a bit new to gaming in general and multiplayer specifically. I have a great opportunity to purchase a new machine. I'm currently running DCS on a Dell laptop: XPS9360-7336SLV 13.3" Laptop (7th Generation Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD.

The system that I have spec-ed out is a Dell Alienware Aurora with the following bits and bobs. Does anyone have any thoughts on things that I can modify/add/subtract? I intend to only use the system for DCS, both TrackIR and VR (HP Reverb).

• 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 9900
  
• NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2080 Ti 11GB GDDR6
  
• 64GB Dual Channel DDR4
  
• 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200RPM 3.5" SATA HDD,
  
• Alienware 850 Watt Power Supply with High Performance Liquid Cooling
  

These items I have already and am very happy with them.

• Thrustmaster F/A-18C Hornet™ HOTAS Add-On Grip,
  
• TPR Pendular Rudders
  
• Warthog™ Dual Throttles
  
• Foxx Mounts Stick and Throttle
  

Cheers,

-eric

What's the price on it?

$3.3k, just the system. The HOTAS, Throttles, rudders, Track IR, etc., I already have.

You really don’t need 64gb of memory. 32 is more than enough and should save you some money. I have the same system, and I love it. I have had 0 issues with it.

Super. Many thanks!!

All,

 

I'm a bit new to gaming in general and multiplayer specifically. I have a great opportunity to purchase a new machine. I'm currently running DCS on a Dell laptop: XPS9360-7336SLV 13.3" Laptop (7th Generation Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD.

 

The system that I have spec-ed out is a Dell Alienware Aurora with the following bits and bobs. Does anyone have any thoughts on things that I can modify/add/subtract? I intend to only use the system for DCS, both TrackIR and VR (HP Reverb).

 

• 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 9900
  
• NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2080 Ti 11GB GDDR6
  
• 64GB Dual Channel DDR4
  
• 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200RPM 3.5" SATA HDD,
  
• Alienware 850 Watt Power Supply with High Performance Liquid Cooling
  

 

These items I have already and am very happy with them.

• Thrustmaster F/A-18C Hornet™ HOTAS Add-On Grip,
  
• TPR Pendular Rudders
  
• Warthog™ Dual Throttles
  
• Foxx Mounts Stick and Throttle
  

 

Cheers,

-eric

Cool system enjuku:thumbup:

Water AIO on the CPU?

Not going for the i9 9900(K) chip?You could give it a little bump, guess it's not really needed when it can max at 5Ghz? It's base is only set at 3.10 Ghz

Not sure if giving it a little push would help here? BitMaster or someone might know.

ED should be sponsored buy Intel / NVIDIA

The amount of dollars that go's through this section of the forum, just to get the best experience in DCS. I guess the VR thing is really the one pushing even more here.

DCS is possibly one of the best VR experiences out there.

I would rather trade 32GB for a "K" CPU in that case.

32GB total + 9900k makes more overall sense imho.

The rest reads great !

The power supply is liquid cooled or the whole system?

Concur with 32GB Ram instead of 64.

Are you planning on storing a lot of movies/games? Buying an SSD is an easy upgrade for sometime in the future. You could get away with 1TB Nvme SSD or even a 512 GB if it was only for DCS. That will hold all the maps just fine. If you are buying storage through Alienware it will be overpriced. You could buy a faster SSD for the same $ from Newegg or Amazon.

EK makes a nice aluminum block cooling kit that works very well for overclocking. Much cheaper than the copper block stuff and it works better than an AIO for CPU OC. DCS runs well with the stock turbo boosts but you can squeeze some frames out by only OCing the 2 cores that DCS uses. Then the rest of the cores don't put out as much heat.

Thank you for the input. It's much appreciated.

-eric

Dell Alienware is Vastly Overpriced

Dell Alienware is Vastly Overpriced

All pre-built systems, especially by the big brand names, are vastly overpriced. Check. A lot of

people just insist on paying more than they have to though.

I understand the pricing, but there may be intrinsic factors such as convenience, support, et. al., that some are willing to pay for.

It's not as easy as it sounds. Just being in the position to be able to pay 3-6 grand for a nice Dell/HP/etc. system for gaming doesn't really give you the 100% guaranty that you may only have to flick the switch and enjoy, it ain't that easy.

A gamer, and especially a DCS Pilot, needs to be willing to dig into "some" computing knowledge.

You should not be afraid of the OS nor should you get stomach ache when you have to troubleshoot drivers, controllers and sorting that Spaghetti pile of USB cables.

It can only work if you dare the above and have the cash as well. I dare to say, out of experience with friends who wanted a PC "like you got" to play/fly the sims I do. It never worked, they all failed somewhere before they had any fun. Seen that a few times and ever since I try to not repeat that, for the sake of my friends.

Money is one part, enthusiasm and the will to dig into PC issues is another factor you have to accept and obey.

Dell will not help you to get DCS running the way you want it. Not with the included 1Y-NBD and not with the 5Y-NBD_Premium-Plus. It's not all gold that shines and also costs as much as gold. What is great, is the hardware service and warranty stuff, but you really pay a big Obulus to take part.

My advice, any good local shop will build you a better PC for less money and personal contact in addition. Give your money to the local guys if they are available where you live.

*I may add, I have recently sold a Dell with Intel 8700 24Gb NVMe etc. system with a 5Y-NBD-PremiumPlus. But it wasnt for gaming, it's a HomeOffice machine for an older Lady with 80+ years. Yeah, she rocks despite her age.

Rock 'till you drop :)

for an older Lady with 80+ years. Yeah, she rocks despite her age.

How do you know that?

Because I know her for about 15 years by now.

In that special case and since she and her husband, when he still was alive, always had chosen Dell

as their Desktop PC vendor I suggested to replace the aging XPS system ( 9 years w/o any glitch with daily usage !) with another Dell PC. This time, XPS line did not offer the parts I insisted on thus I had chosen an Optiplex Desktop system for her. They are fairly small, quiet and the service you get if hardware starts to make trouble is a good thing.

The story goes like this: We ordered the complete package, Dell Desktop, 2x8GB extra RAM in a separate box ( in addition to the 2x4GB built in which I said is too little),extra 2TB HDD and a 4k screen, 5y NBD Premium Plus...and I gave them a "do not deliver before THAT date" because the lady was on holiday.

The PC arrived via UPS while she was on holiday, haha, that happens when you employ call centers from other countries with broken german and broken english, that upfront.

The monitor repeatingly stayed OFF/no-signal when the PC booted. It sometimes took literally hours and dozens of boots to eventually get the screen to turn on. Sometimes it worked for a week w/o issues and then, the problem showed again, no screen turns on. A clear reason to call Support ( I was SOOO glad I didnt sell that ! ). After a few calls and some more hours ( take extra RAM out, try this, try that, take HDD out, etc.. ) we decided to try another cable that Dell would send us. The technician, all those technicians I have ever dealt with are real nice and helpful with lots of expertise I must admit. The reason he

said was a feature in DP cables that some cables have, others dont and not all combinations of HW accept both cables. The problem is known under "Pin20" issue, never heard of that before that day tbh.

Fortunately the new DP cable fixed it, it has a non-connected Pin20.

I was so happy I didnt sell that stuff and happy again that we opted for the Premium Plus Support to get it fixed.

Knowing that spare parts are only a call away for the next 5 years makes sense too.

Just, for a gaming rig, I dunno. I would always prefer a hand made system with a soul.

* the real issue was that Dell had sent the wrong cable 1st place. That should have never happened and should have shown up as NOT-COMPATIBLE on their screen when we ordered, but it didnt. So even their internal system is not flawless when you put parts together, not good.

** Pin20 on reddit:

They don''t call it "Dell Hell" for nothing; it's not a joke.

Read their tech support forums before you spend your money. Dell destroyed them. Caveat emptor when it comes to Alienware.

I'll not put another penny in their wretched pockets again.

They don''t call it "Dell Hell" for nothing; it's not a joke.

 

Read their tech support forums before you spend your money. Dell destroyed them. Caveat emptor when it comes to Alienware.

 

I'll not put another penny in their wretched pockets again.

To be fair, their Home User support and their Server support are 2 different pairs of shoes.

I have only ever had good experience with that server branch but I admit, I have personally had some bad experience with a 4k€ laptop repair once that ended in an escalation..but I won that fight in the end.

It makes absolut sense to buy a server from Dell, HP or any of the big ones. You have a guaranty the stuff works as intended, a risc no DIY builder likes to take with such tasks and deadlines.

For a "fairly simple" gaming rig, I would always prefer the DIY way and take chances but save tons of money that can go into GPU, PSU and what not else one needs for gaming.

The only reason why I would pick them for gaming was if I needed a laptop. You cannot repair a laptop as you can with a Desktop. You are caught in the trap and need vendor support if parts fail. Thats when 5Y-NBD kicks in nicely...for a premium price.

I would not count on help if you call for "My DCS fps have dropped to 30, WTF is going on?"

It's rather for "My CPU runs hot" "one USB Port is non functional" or "my PSU made BANG and ever since the PC wont turn on" scenario. That should be clear.

Dell, HP, etc are not only usually overpriced, in addition the biggest issue is they use proprietary MBs and videocards which limit upgrading individual components in the future. PSUs will also be minimum needed to run the system so any upgrades that may fit in will likely reguire you to buy a new PSU as well (hopefully it uses a standard ATX format but no guarantees).

Do yourself a favor and save $500 while getting a system with better cpu/gpu from someone like cyberpower PC. You can literally spec every single component down to the make and model of the part. Want a specific MB brand and model? No problem. Specific model videocard? Easy peasy. Etc

My system was built by cyberpower PC 3 years ago to my exact specifications including custom watercooled loop for cpu/gpu. I Upgraded the video card mid year as well as added an m.2 drive on the MB with zero problems. Everything works great and it was cheaper to buy than purchasing the parts individually and assembling it myself. Warranty coverage can be specified as long as you want as well.

I've done the Dell Alienware dance. 3 boards and countless downtime later, I swore I'd never buy one again.

I've done the Dell Alienware dance. 3 boards and countless downtime later, I swore I'd never buy one again.

I did too. A similar experience.

I understand the pricing, but there may be intrinsic factors such as convenience, support, et. al., that some are willing to pay for.

Yes, exacltly. I have pieced up a rig from pcpicker site and its actually the same or even more$$$$

Great system your choosing ! I agree on bumping down the 64gb to 32gb. I'll be getting the same system next month. The R8 or R9 I havent decided yet and also choosing the i7 or i9 thats still twirling in my head. I am choosing the 2gb NVMe tho and adding a samsung 1gb sata with it. Although I think I can do everything I will be doing which is mostly DCS on the 2gb NVMe. I'm also researching if the intel i9 9900KS turbo boost tech will do anything for running DCS.

IDK, I basically took a stock microcenter box with 9700k and put a 2080ti in it, and some more ram. Later I replaced the PSU. I paid alot less than 3.3k for a box with very similar specs. (about 800 for the box, 1200 for the GPU) the later PSU cost a few hundred but it ran with the stock PSU, I just wanted to be safe OC'ing it. About the only thing I'm not happy with is the mobo isn't the one I wanted but it has been 100% solid. Prior to this the last computer I built was nearly 15 years ago, and the process was still very easy.

Dell, HP, etc are not only usually overpriced, in addition the biggest issue is they use proprietary MBs and videocards which limit upgrading individual components in the future. PSUs will also be minimum needed to run the system so any upgrades that may fit in will likely reguire you to buy a new PSU as well (hopefully it uses a standard ATX format but no guarantees).

 

Do yourself a favor and save $500 while getting a system with better cpu/gpu from someone like cyberpower PC. You can literally spec every single component down to the make and model of the part. Want a specific MB brand and model? No problem. Specific model videocard? Easy peasy. Etc

 

My system was built by cyberpower PC 3 years ago to my exact specifications including custom watercooled loop for cpu/gpu. I Upgraded the video card mid year as well as added an m.2 drive on the MB with zero problems. Everything works great and it was cheaper to buy than purchasing the parts individually and assembling it myself. Warranty coverage can be specified as long as you want as well.

+1 on this. I bought from Cyberpower last year. Works great! Great customer service as well.

Just got a new aurora r8...9900k to 4.7gh...rtx 2080oc..32 gb ram and other goodies specifically for DCS moving forward.

My last system is aurora r4 nearly 7 years old but still going strong in DCS.

Yes you can save a few bucks building your own or buying somewhere else and as someone who has built a few in the past..that extra few bucks is money well spent.

Works flawlessly straight out of the box and barring abuse will last a few years.

And I think I got great value for my money...about 2630 euro.