swapping Alienware x51 R1 to new case - need some feedback + check-up

Benvh89

New Member
Hey everyone,

i currently own an alienware x51 with following speccs and details;

R1 model (2 years old)
i7 3770 @ 3.4 GHZ
1TB
8GB RAM
BIOS 14

since i've had issues the past months and I did a lot of research.. i am going to transfer everything that's possible into a new rig.

I have made the following choices (nothing is fixed - just my best picks)

Case: Corsair Carbide SPEC-03
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LX
Power supply: Corsair CX600 V2
Card: Zotac NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB
CPU cooling: Corsair H60
SSD: Samsung 120GB 840 Evo

Will all these components fit together (I've checked all details and i was sure it would)

Is the motherboard the best pick?

is the watercooler a good option or is it not necessary?

Any suggestions? Am I forgetting parts?

Thanks in advance!
 
You probably don't need a over clocking motherboard, because you don't have the unlocked version of the processor.

Maybe you want the Corsair CX600M, it's modular for an extra ten bucks.

Also that case is really low end, I suggest you look at higher end corsair, nzxt, or fractal design cases.

The Zotac version of the card is good, but the MSI and Gigabyte versions have better cooling and overclocking.

What problems are you having with your current build? We may be able to fix that instead of buying a whole bunch of new parts
 
You do realize that you will need a new copy of windows? Your OEM license on the Alienware will not work on the new motherboard.
 
hey guys,

thank you so much for these replies!

Current problems are overheating, random reboots, blue screen / black screen.;etc..

after the research i did, it appeared to be a general problem with the airflow / heat management of the x51 case.. thats why i want to move it to a bigger case.

Dell will provide me with a copy of my windows on a USB stick. That will work, right?

OK, good tip on the motherboard, thanks!

what is exactly wrong with the case, as in, what does it lack? what will other cases do better? or have more?

again, thanks a million for this feedback!
 
If you are using a new motherboard then Dells version of windows won't install on it because it won't detect a Dell motherboard. Did you tell them that you were going to be using a retail motherboard and not theirs?
 
okay makes sense.. thanks for that info!

no, i haven't decided anything yet.. i wanted to do some research first before making REAL plans.

extra costs, omg
 
Okay I see.. So this is like a 70$ case.. What budget or series should I look at then? I've seen several from 100+ but I do want to stick with mid.. Micro atx cases..
 
That NZXT looks nice! thanks for the tip.

Will I be able to recover my DVD/CD reader from my X51?

And regarding cables, an SSD doesnt come with a cable.. that I know, but, do all other components come with cables normally?

Since i'm going for a case with a plexy window.. would it be wise to, for example, pick 1 color for all cables? (because i suppose that looks better)

Regarding the motherboard, do you have any suggestions?
 
The case, mobo, and PSU will have all the cables you need, but if you have more than 3 hard drives, you will need to buy a SATA data cable
 
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