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November 24th, 2020 13:00

Aurora R6, question regarding hardware upgrade

Hello, I was wondering what pc parts I can upgrade to regarding my Alienware Aurora R6 Pc.

The current parts in my pc include:

-GTX 1060 6GB Graphics Card

-Intel i7 7700

-16 Gb DDR4 Memory (Dual Channel)

 

I am fairly new to upgrading PC's and got this prebuilt multiple years ago. With Christmas coming up, I was thinking of treating myself to a small spec upgrade. I am planning to upgrade my GTX 1060 to something a bit better for newer games and vr titles. I also know I will have to get a power supply upgrade. 

My big question is: What GPU and PSU can I upgrade to, like which ones will fit into the case, and will perform well with my 7700 CPU?

P.s. Links to items may help me because it seems there are many versions of the same GPU

6 Professor

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5.3K Posts

November 25th, 2020 17:00

CPU and mobo are fine, probably worst case scenario is the cpu would now be a bottleneck instead of the gpu (if that were the case before depending on use and specs).  In other words you'd only replace cpu and mobo to take full advantage of the gpu. There's always going to be a weakest link in the pc, up to you whether it warrants an upgrade.

6 Professor

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5.3K Posts

November 25th, 2020 17:00

The dimensions for the founders edition 2070 will easily fit with room to spare in the R6, so it's a safe bet to say the FE 2060ti will also fit in the R6 (although the full specs are not available yet).  For reference the FE 2070 dimensions:

Founders Edition Card Dimensions: Length   9.5" (242 mm)
  Width   4.4" (112 mm)
  Slot   2-Slot

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91 Posts

November 25th, 2020 05:00

I also have an Aurora R6 with the i7/7700 CPU.  My mods are as follows:

Removed stock CPU fan and replaced with Corsair H55 liquid cooling kit

Removed stock 16GB RAM and replaced with Corsair Vengeance 64GB/2400hz DDR4

Removed stock PSU and replaced with Corsair RM 850X modular unit

Removed stock M.2 drive and replaced with Samsung EVO 970 1TB NVMe

I kept the stock Nvidia RTX 1070 8GB graphics card, but there are a few more options you can upgrade to besides mine, I believe there are threads on these forums showing how to mount a 20XX series by removing the front fan.  Up to you whether you want more graphics power or better cooling based on your own system experience.

You can also technically upgrade the CPU to the i7/7700K if you want to overclock and absolutely top out your build, but if you do that be sure to add liquid cooling and the VRM heatsink to preserve components.

6 Professor

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5.3K Posts

November 25th, 2020 11:00

"I have done a bit of looking around and looked up the 1070. It appears that there are many different models, and I know that to fit in the case it has to be a certain size."

Note that the 1070 was discontinued at the end of 2018, even the successor gen rtx 2070 is now discontinued, so you'd be mostly limited to preowned stock or overpriced third party stock for a 1070.  Have you considered a current gen card, like the 3060ti which releases next week on 12/2 for estimated ~$400.

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22 Posts

November 25th, 2020 11:00

Hello! Thank you for the very detailed response!

I have done a bit of looking around and looked up the 1070. It appears that there are many different models, and I know that to fit in the case it has to be a certain size. Would it be possible for you to link me or tell me where I can find your specific model.

I was also wondering, would it be good to get an 850 W Power supply or should I shoot for something a bit less powerful.

For the time being, I am just looking for a GPU and PSU upgrade.

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22 Posts

November 25th, 2020 14:00

Yes, I would be very willing to buy a 3060 or the like. The problem is though, would this card be able to fit in my pc case, and would I have to replace any other components besides my PSU such as my CPU or Motherboard?

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22 Posts

November 25th, 2020 17:00

Thanks for giving comprehensive answer regarding size! So if I were to upgrade my GPU and get the RTX 3060, regarding bottlenecking, do you think it would be wise to also get a new CPU or would it be ok to stick with my 7700?

6 Professor

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5.3K Posts

November 25th, 2020 17:00

The best cpu supported by the R6 is the 7700k, which isn't a significant upgrade from the 7700 (and not an upgrade unless you OC). In order to add the 7700k you need to buy liquid cooler (if you have air cooling) and a vrm heatsink.  So I don't think 7700 to 7700k is a financially worthwhile upgrade.  Better to save the money for your next pc.  You can always transfer the gpu over. 

If you just want a a short term holdover upgrade you could also consider getting a used 1080ti on ebay, like an msi aero, asus turbo, or gigabyte turbo 1080ti.  I wouldn't spend more than around $350 to $380 on it.

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22 Posts

November 25th, 2020 17:00

IGNORE LAST POST! I'm very sorry, I did not finish reading your last post before replying. My bad. Thank you for your very good answers, maybe I will wait a bit before purchasing the 3060ti, just to see whether it would work well with my cpu.
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