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Jimzaay

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Hello, I am terrible with computers btw. Ok so my Alienware Aurora components need a new case so I went to the Dell forums and asked for help about fitting the components inside of a new case and some user was saying that My Alienware Aurora Water cooling system and my daughterboard(Idk what that is) needs to stay behind but the main components would be fine. I am really confused as to what he means. He was saying that The Alienware Aurora Water cooling system has a special 7 pin black connector or something and that has really confused me and I am unsure of what to do so any help would be great. I also need a recommendation for a case. Thanks<3
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They are correct. Dell likes to use a special connector on some components... just because. However, that should be considered a minor obstacle. Presumably, the Aurora has a 120x120x?? thickness square that attached in the back with a very hefty fan. The exact thickness varied a little depending upon the year of purchase. Most are around 25mm and would equate to a Corsair H50/55/60. Any of those coolers up to the H75 will adequately replace it. The H80i GT would be an upgrade, you would only need it if there is a more substantial overclock in place than the factory preset one. Of course, you can always snip off the 7 pin and make a traditional connector, but that kind of thing isn't for every one. Also, if the computer is 3 years old or more, it might be somewhat prudent to replace the cooler. The Alienware factory versions tend to start dropping of quite a bit at that point.

 

The "Daughetboard" is that little mini-motherboard toward the front of the case. There are some fan connections and the light effects built into the case are controlled with from it as well. Obviously the light show won't continue. It is another unique Dell design, but unlike the water cooler, it is not essential for the transfer. You will loose that front PCI-fan connection and the HDD fan connection. You should have one spare up top, but that may be it. Most the R1-4 series didn't have a lot of fan headers. It is possible you may need a fan controller or some other type of fan control board. The fan shroud (the black swing door) won't go either, but it won't be needed in the new case.

 

As for case choices, you should feel free to pick the one you desire. A small form factor won't work, but anything mid-sized and up will. Presumably you have grown tired of what you have and want to go in a new direction. One thing I will say is those Alienware cases, whatever they do lack, it's not weight. You are coming from a very solid heavy case. Most common cases are not going to have the same heft. This could be a plus or a minus, depending upon your needs. Plastic is cheaper than steel and aluminum. Price point will generally give a large clue as to the balance of the composition.

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Thank you very much, money isn't a problem, the only thing i didn't understand is will I have to replace my daughter board and the fans you where mentioning in the second paragraph. I understand that my pc is 3 years old and I will have to replace the water cooling and I will take your advice and buy the h80i GT. Thanks.
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The fan header issue is something to keep an eye on. If I remember, my R1 had the SYS and CPU fan headers fused into the top mesh on the inside of the case. That does make moving them a little trickier. If necessary, a fan controller does add another expense to the move.
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The motherboard - yes. The daughterboard won't have factory place to mount it, but it would be too difficult to do in a larger case. But the real question is whether you need the daughterboard for the main board to function. I see the LED lines and fan headers as I remember. Power supply lead and... one 20 pin connector back to the main board. I can't be sure what functions are being off-loaded from the mainboard to it's junior companion and that obviously is key to whether or not it needs to be moved as well. There was a time when this was discussed in the Owner's Forum. Hopefully, some of those people are still around.

 

Also, on my R1 the fan headers are all mounted on a thin PCB strip in the roof. The entire strip unscrews from the case. You could mount it with velcro or something similar or try and separate each header (as long as you're careful). Either way, it's looking like you may want to lean toward a case without a window.

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There are brackets on the bottom of cases. They adjust to fit an array of different size power supplies. The length varies between different wattage levels of power supplies. You'll need to measure the one inside yours, but my 850w R1 PS is no where near that length and neither is the largest PS Corsair sells. There is a lot of room in the bottom of the SPEC03.

 

Corsair Specs say a 120mm cooler fits in the rear. With an H80i GT, more often the obstacle is large shrouds or very tall memory on the left side of the motherboard. Typically, Alienware doesn't do that and if you have space for the giant 38mm deep dish fan now, a 50mm radiator plus 2x25mm fans should also fit.

 

The strip connects to the main board. You should be able to see it the top of your case. There will be some extra headers not used after the transfer, including the pump connector. The H80iGT will run from SATA power and drive it's own fans from the pump block. This will free up the SYS fan header can drive two front fans on a splitter with no difficulty. However, if you want top mounted fans, I don't know if there will be enough fan headers left without resorting to a controller or some other method.

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The fans work with pretty much anything 12v based. Be careful hooking the monster 38mm fan up to anything on a different board. It has a large current draw that exceeds the common 1.0A max found on most boards. Most cases also come with new fans.

 

So, that is the tricky part of the decision. You can move the old board, with its memory, GPU, and CPU to a new case. You will likely need a new CPU cooling device and moving the board may require a little bit of ingenuity to get everything settled.

 

It would be much easier to drop in a new motherboard that is compatible with your CPU. However, if you have the Alienware original memory, it may or may not be compatible with the new board. Having to buy additional memory is a possibility depending upon the board. The chip will work. If you have to replace everything but the CPU, is it still worth it? Or are you better served upgrading the whole platform?

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