LF best MOBO replacement for Alienware A51-R2

[EnSabahNur]

Hello.

I am looking for the very best motherboard replacement for my Alienware A51-R2 which came with an x99 mobo,  Intel® Core™ i7-5820K CPU, GTX 980, Samsung 970 EVO pro, DDR4 Ripjaw 5 some years ago. PC part picker recommends only LGA2011-3 CPU socket boards, but when I search which MOBOs are compatible with the Intel i7-5820K, I get recommendations for other LGA1151 and LGA2066 boards. Can I use these other boards or does it absolutely have to be a LGA2011-3 socket board?

Due to the hardware being quite old now, I can only find x99 MOBOs like this available for a reasonable price: https://www.amazon.com/MACHINIST-Motherboard-Support-Channel-X99-RS9/dp/B094CWF5BT/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=intel+x99+motherboard&qid=1633401297&s=electronics&sr=1-7, but I would really like to get an ASUS, MSI, ASRock, or a main brand board if possible. Could anyone provide a direct link to a board compatible with the i7 5820K in the $150-$230 range that's better than the one referenced in the link I provided?

Thanks so much in advance.

[RONOTHAN##]

2 minutes ago, GoochDeep said:

Can I use these other boards or does it absolutely have to be a LGA2011-3 socket board?

It must absolutely be an LGA 2011-3 board. You need to get something X99 to install the chip and use it. 

 

Your main option for buying a board for that CPU is used. Somethng like this would work

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/194415606695?epid=218527907&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item2d4412bba7:g:MbcAAOSwyU1hW3fZ&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAACkPYe5NmHp%2B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkPrKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSd3M8ngECaRA0SmyU4KT%2FnjmCBTmaf2JnZMHmfzU9v4HlFUe2QUOL8R5knuauXfLtBQTc2OsB3zOJFEp3Upfgn1p%2FgeG6Eu%2F5j7562iJqLtqHJxUgKbSJrrM%2BUge%2FROz%2B3nNJjGT%2B2kjWM8WHBNOOCgP4VGxNDNbO%2Bbou1F7tqymio0mWPxKedQCVUSM6K8s0yl%2BmF0vu6WnvlVzCQvbqPHz9lWLKwEBNH58SZ6mHnvNs3VWTECatz3EpoQV51EP%2FWZQsSvGlbpWk9vm1aQxMnZSOc3HFSA0RdIeUZPqyBVQNruOBC7inoOVEcTrQbGER%2Bvv%2FOeROXVuj9lwWu9rcFPczyqfzym%2FbMAJbM%2B9L9Ne%2Fww6a6dNYVtXAe35eH7ZE9Af43dy%2Bk6SDlAZ4GXlSHEQEQ0zI3IxOwCg5pA2xb85XfrTjh0CgfkNMeYs8yz5bVdWdCTc2RdAt7vIcVsMTw2z%2BJEV%2FmtPzc0kZv12I%2B5AzpZvljjAPdDg1ANZLALpr47SHGzMB8bUCUQNFzWfsoxzDaIZYR98uFZScenFob%2Bp25jasdxGXZOqRjGn4TI%2FulHdD4wPTOAmL5g5jqigds%2FNJPt48QXofwSR33BKRw44lz3cgydwL1yaEJ0jAILJsrTYXfiBX4zin8phjRnVgqskb%2B5XeSot9bwKibr4UMZvOhcoLVYW2OCUqykpNtQ%2F6sMRzcAZAMe4by%2BCPMj%2BfOgaYk5gqK8BhtwgE%2FJ%2B6CSU7AzgyMg5tfu6F%2BsGLRhiJ3bHPgglgb4YXHYkAkUJFfxLv%2BBgcU9B18MxyR54lnT0F99jd4hIZdiLDiOfEINX4|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2334524

 

You can find a different board if you'd rather go for something a bit higher end or more likely to have a warranty. 

[EnSabahNur]

2 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

It must absolutely be an LGA 2011-3 board. You need to get something X99 to install the chip and use it. 

 

Your main option for buying a board for that CPU is used. Somethng like this would work

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/194415606695?epid=218527907&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item2d4412bba7:g:MbcAAOSwyU1hW3fZ&amdata=enc%3AAQAGAAACkPYe5NmHp%2B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkPrKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSd3M8ngECaRA0SmyU4KT%2FnjmCBTmaf2JnZMHmfzU9v4HlFUe2QUOL8R5knuauXfLtBQTc2OsB3zOJFEp3Upfgn1p%2FgeG6Eu%2F5j7562iJqLtqHJxUgKbSJrrM%2BUge%2FROz%2B3nNJjGT%2B2kjWM8WHBNOOCgP4VGxNDNbO%2Bbou1F7tqymio0mWPxKedQCVUSM6K8s0yl%2BmF0vu6WnvlVzCQvbqPHz9lWLKwEBNH58SZ6mHnvNs3VWTECatz3EpoQV51EP%2FWZQsSvGlbpWk9vm1aQxMnZSOc3HFSA0RdIeUZPqyBVQNruOBC7inoOVEcTrQbGER%2Bvv%2FOeROXVuj9lwWu9rcFPczyqfzym%2FbMAJbM%2B9L9Ne%2Fww6a6dNYVtXAe35eH7ZE9Af43dy%2Bk6SDlAZ4GXlSHEQEQ0zI3IxOwCg5pA2xb85XfrTjh0CgfkNMeYs8yz5bVdWdCTc2RdAt7vIcVsMTw2z%2BJEV%2FmtPzc0kZv12I%2B5AzpZvljjAPdDg1ANZLALpr47SHGzMB8bUCUQNFzWfsoxzDaIZYR98uFZScenFob%2Bp25jasdxGXZOqRjGn4TI%2FulHdD4wPTOAmL5g5jqigds%2FNJPt48QXofwSR33BKRw44lz3cgydwL1yaEJ0jAILJsrTYXfiBX4zin8phjRnVgqskb%2B5XeSot9bwKibr4UMZvOhcoLVYW2OCUqykpNtQ%2F6sMRzcAZAMe4by%2BCPMj%2BfOgaYk5gqK8BhtwgE%2FJ%2B6CSU7AzgyMg5tfu6F%2BsGLRhiJ3bHPgglgb4YXHYkAkUJFfxLv%2BBgcU9B18MxyR54lnT0F99jd4hIZdiLDiOfEINX4|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2334524

 

You can find a different board if you'd rather go for something a bit higher end or more likely to have a warranty. 

Ah, thanks so much for the confirmation. I would like to do whatever I could to not get a used MOBO. 

 

Given that a new mobo is what I am interested in, can you let me know what your #1 recommendation for a new motherboard would be and what you think of these two options?: 

 

- https://www.amazon.com/MACHINIST-Motherboard-Support-Channel-X99-RS9/dp/B094CWF5BT/ref=dp_fod_2?pd_rd_i=B094CWF5BT&psc=1

 

- https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-X99-DDR4-3000-Motherboard/dp/B00NC05Q2C/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=intel+x99+motherboard&qid=1633407633&s=electronics&sr=1-7

 

Obviously the Machinist x99 board is quite a bit cheaper but I don't have any experience with this brand. Could you give the features of the board a look over and let me know what you think ?

[RONOTHAN##]

1 minute ago, GoochDeep said:

Ah, thanks so much for the confirmation. I would like to do whatever I could to not get a used MOBO. 

 

Given that a new mobo is what I am interested in, can you let me know what your #1 recommendation for a new motherboard would be and what you think of these two options?: 

 

- https://www.amazon.com/MACHINIST-Motherboard-Support-Channel-X99-RS9/dp/B094CWF5BT/ref=dp_fod_2?pd_rd_i=B094CWF5BT&psc=1

 

- https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-X99-DDR4-3000-Motherboard/dp/B00NC05Q2C/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=intel+x99+motherboard&qid=1633407633&s=electronics&sr=1-7

 

Obviously the Machinist x99 board is quite a bit cheaper but I don't have any experience with this brand. Could you give the features of the board a look over and let me know what you think ?

Those cheap Chinese boards and old stock, which is becoming less and less common by the day, are the only ways to get a new X99 board. Those Chinese boards are missing features, and some of them are unreliable. I don't know that much about that specific motherboard, but odds are it'll be good for a cheap multicore rig, but not much more than that. The ASUS board from amazon is a used board, its just that you're not getting it from eBay. I mean, I'd prefer the ASUS board, but get it from eBay for a quarter the price. 

[EnSabahNur]

20 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

Those cheap Chinese boards and old stock, which is becoming less and less common by the day, are the only ways to get a new X99 board. Those Chinese boards are missing features, and some of them are unreliable. I don't know that much about that specific motherboard, but odds are it'll be good for a cheap multicore rig, but not much more than that. The ASUS board from amazon is a used board, its just that you're not getting it from eBay. I mean, I'd prefer the ASUS board, but get it from eBay for a quarter the price. 

Ah, I found what appears to be quite a good mobo for a decent price on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/234178023811?hash=item3686191183%3Ag%3AG08AAOSw-tNhOHlh&LH_ItemCondition=1000.

 

What do you think of this board? Although it is a bit more than I wanted to spend, it appears that this is still pretty well priced?

[RONOTHAN##]

15 minutes ago, GoochDeep said:

Ah, I found what appears to be quite a good mobo for a decent price on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/234178023811?hash=item3686191183%3Ag%3AG08AAOSw-tNhOHlh&LH_ItemCondition=1000.

 

What do you think of this board? Although it is a bit more than I wanted to spend, it appears that this is still pretty well priced?

I still probably wouldn't buy it, mainly because of the price. You'd be better off buying an i5 11400 and a cheap B560 board for the same price. I personally wouldn't spend more than $150 on an X99 board, because otherwise you're probably better off flipping CPU and getting another CPU and motherboard. 

[EnSabahNur]

10 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

I still probably wouldn't buy it, mainly because of the price. You'd be better off buying an i5 11400 and a cheap B560 board for the same price. I personally wouldn't spend more than $150 on an X99 board, because otherwise you're probably better off flipping CPU and getting another CPU and motherboard. 

Although it would be a shame to replace a perfectly good (but old) i7-5820K, It has crossed my mind to simply purchase a new CPU that would allow me access to a greater range of newer, more fully featured, and cheaper mobo's, as it appears that there's many more options for much cheaper if I simply got a newer CPU--especially if I go AMD. 

 

If I were to get a new CPU to allow access to newer motherboards, what is the very best CPU + mobo combo you'd recommend if I was looking to spend around $300-350? The rest of the system is a GTX 980, 16gb of DDR4 Ripjaw V, and Samsung 970 evo pro + 850 evo SSDs.

[RONOTHAN##]

5 minutes ago, GoochDeep said:

Although it would be a shame to replace a perfectly good (but old) i7-5820K, It has crossed my mind to simply purchase a new CPU that would allow me access to a greater range of newer, more fully featured, and cheaper mobo's, as it appears that there's many more options for much cheaper if I simply got a newer CPU--especially if I go AMD. 

 

If I were to get a new CPU to allow access to newer motherboards, what is the very best CPU + mobo combo you'd recommend if I was looking to spend around $300-350? The rest of the system is a GTX 980, 16gb of DDR4 Ripjaw V, and Samsung 970 evo pro + 850 evo SSDs.

If you can get it for MSRP, the i5 11400 and a B560 board would be a great option. If you want to go AMD, the R5 3600 and something like the B550M Pro-VDH would get the job done pretty well, though the extra cash for a 5600G or 5600X would be worth it

[EnSabahNur]

12 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

If you can get it for MSRP, the i5 11400 and a B560 board would be a great option. If you want to go AMD, the R5 3600 and something like the B550M Pro-VDH would get the job done pretty well, though the extra cash for a 5600G or 5600X would be worth it

Ah, it appears the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and 5600X are known to be some of the best bang for the buck CPUs.

 

Given what we discussed, it seems like I should just pay a bit more and get one of these CPUs. What are the best bang-for-your-buck motherboards you'd recommend to go along with these CPUs?

[RONOTHAN##]

1 minute ago, GoochDeep said:

Ah, it appears the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and 5600X are known to be some of the best bang for the buck CPUs.

 

Given what we discussed, it seems like I should just pay a bit more and get one of these CPUs. What are the best bang-for-your-buck motherboards you'd recommend to go along with these CPUs?

The B550 Tomahawk is a very popular pick, since it's got very high quality VRMs for a very fair price. That said, you probably won't notice a difference going between it and the B550M Pro-VDH I recommended above. Either way I'd recommend you find a board with BIOS flashback in case you don't get a board with out-of-the-box support, you don't need to go through AMD's CPU loaner program. 

[EnSabahNur]

11 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

The B550 Tomahawk is a very popular pick, since it's got very high quality VRMs for a very fair price. That said, you probably won't notice a difference going between it and the B550M Pro-VDH I recommended above. Either way I'd recommend you find a board with BIOS flashback in case you don't get a board with out-of-the-box support, you don't need to go through AMD's CPU loaner program. 

Wow, it's crazy how much cheaper these new $110-$150 mobos are compared to a 10+ year old $300-400 x99 mobo. It appears it would be a much better use of $ to simply purchase one of the CPU+mobo combos you suggested vs attempt to find a super old x99 board for $300+. 

 

Im currently leaning toward the Ryzen 5 5600G (https://www.amazon.com/AMD-Ryzen-5600G-12-Thread-Processor/dp/B092L9GF5N/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=AMD+ryzen+5600G+CPU&qid=1633414987&sr=8-2) + B550 Tomahawk (https://www.amazon.com/MSI-MAG-B550-TOMAHAWK-Motherboard/dp/B089CWDHFZ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=B550+Tomahawk&qid=1633414450&sr=8-1) combo as the best performance for price combo. 

 

The Intel i5 11400 seems to get beat by the two AMD CPUs when directly compared and the AMD variants are cheaper, so Ryzen seems to be the way to go for the budget build. 

[RONOTHAN##]

8 hours ago, GoochDeep said:

Wow, it's crazy how much cheaper these new $110-$150 mobos are compared to a 10+ year old $300-400 x99 mobo. It appears it would be a much better use of $ to simply purchase one of the CPU+mobo combos you suggested vs attempt to find a super old x99 board for $300+. 

 

Im currently leaning toward the Ryzen 5 5600G (https://www.amazon.com/AMD-Ryzen-5600G-12-Thread-Processor/dp/B092L9GF5N/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=AMD+ryzen+5600G+CPU&qid=1633414987&sr=8-2) + B550 Tomahawk (https://www.amazon.com/MSI-MAG-B550-TOMAHAWK-Motherboard/dp/B089CWDHFZ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=B550+Tomahawk&qid=1633414450&sr=8-1) combo as the best performance for price combo. 

 

The Intel i5 11400 seems to get beat by the two AMD CPUs when directly compared and the AMD variants are cheaper, so Ryzen seems to be the way to go for the budget build. 

Ryzen is definitely the way to go, though I wouldn't count the 11400 out yet. It's usually priced $100 cheaper than it is now, and at $180 it's very hard to beat for the price. The two Ryzen chips do perform better however, and motherboards do cost less at the same time. 

[EnSabahNur]

8 hours ago, RONOTHAN## said:

Ryzen is definitely the way to go, though I wouldn't count the 11400 out yet. It's usually priced $100 cheaper than it is now, and at $180 it's very hard to beat for the price. The two Ryzen chips do perform better however, and motherboards do cost less at the same time. 

Ah, it looks like the Ryzen 5600G even has a iGPU on it vs the X that doesn't--makes the 5600G very appealing. 

 

In your experience, do you think it wise to wait to get the CPU and the mobo until Black Friday? From my experience, some products are hugely discounted but it's difficult to predict which products will have substantial discounts. Not sure if waiting until Black Friday would make much of a difference. 

[RONOTHAN##]

40 minutes ago, GoochDeep said:

Ah, it looks like the Ryzen 5600G even has a iGPU on it vs the X that doesn't--makes the 5600G very appealing. 

 

In your experience, do you think it wise to wait to get the CPU and the mobo until Black Friday? From my experience, some products are hugely discounted but it's difficult to predict which products will have substantial discounts. Not sure if waiting until Black Friday would make much of a difference. 

Do note that the 5600X does have better performance all around compared to the 5600G. If you want the iGPU, that's one thing, but be aware that it's a lower performer.

 

As for black friday, if you live near a Micro Center definitely wait. The past two years they've had killer deals on motherboards and CPUs, and probably before as well though I didn't look. 2019 they had the R7 2700X for $120 (I bought one) and in 2020 they had the 9700k for $200 (I convinced two friends to buy them). You might have to change your plans a bit, but you can get some awesome parts for dirt cheap if you're willing to wait.

[EnSabahNur]

4 hours ago, RONOTHAN## said:

Do note that the 5600X does have better performance all around compared to the 5600G. If you want the iGPU, that's one thing, but be aware that it's a lower performer.

 

As for black friday, if you live near a Micro Center definitely wait. The past two years they've had killer deals on motherboards and CPUs, and probably before as well though I didn't look. 2019 they had the R7 2700X for $120 (I bought one) and in 2020 they had the 9700k for $200 (I convinced two friends to buy them). You might have to change your plans a bit, but you can get some awesome parts for dirt cheap if you're willing to wait.

Gotcha. Unfortunately there's no Micro Centers nearby my location, as I usually get all my stuff from Newegg or Amazon now that Fry's has finally died, so I'm not sure if online deals would be worth the wait :<.

 

My idea with the 5600G's iGPU was that I could take the stress off of my 980 when doing basic tasks instead of always using the GPU to do everything, but I am not sure if that's how it works. 

 

Also, when comparing the 5600G and the 5600X, it seemed that the difference wasn't substantial, but if it is and my iGPU idea is incorrect, it appears the ~$50 difference to upgrade to the 5600X might be the way to go. 

[RONOTHAN##]

53 minutes ago, GoochDeep said:

Gotcha. Unfortunately there's no Micro Centers nearby my location, as I usually get all my stuff from Newegg or Amazon now that Fry's has finally died, so I'm not sure if online deals would be worth the wait :<.

 

My idea with the 5600G's iGPU was that I could take the stress off of my 980 when doing basic tasks instead of always using the GPU to do everything, but I am not sure if that's how it works. 

 

Also, when comparing the 5600G and the 5600X, it seemed that the difference wasn't substantial, but if it is and my iGPU idea is incorrect, it appears the ~$50 difference to upgrade to the 5600X might be the way to go. 

You can do that with the iGPU, but it's not really that noticeable of a difference. I'd just go with the 5600X if you can afford it

[EnSabahNur]

6 hours ago, RONOTHAN## said:

You can do that with the iGPU, but it's not really that noticeable of a difference. I'd just go with the 5600X if you can afford it

It appears that 90% of what I read in comparing the 5600G and the 5600X users almost always go with your recommendation of getting the 5600X. A couple questions you could definitely help with would be the following:

 

- What is the performance difference between the 5600G's Vega iGPU vs my GTX 980? From what I can find online, the GTX 980 is far superior, as the iGPU on the 5600G appears to be a laptop GPU. is this correct?

 

 

[RONOTHAN##]

2 hours ago, GoochDeep said:

It appears that 90% of what I read in comparing the 5600G and the 5600X users almost always go with your recommendation of getting the 5600X. A couple questions you could definitely help with would be the following:

 

- What is the performance difference between the 5600G's Vega iGPU vs my GTX 980? From what I can find online, the GTX 980 is far superior, as the iGPU on the 5600G appears to be a laptop GPU. is this correct?

 

 

They're in two different classes of chips. It's not a laptop GPU, but it's very similar to AMD's laptops iGPUs, and practically speaking the same iGPU that they've been using for the past 2-3 years. It's more comparable to a GT 1030 than a GTX 980. It's to the point where you can run a decent number of games at low to medium settings at 1080p, but nothing crazy.

[EnSabahNur]

7 hours ago, RONOTHAN## said:

They're in two different classes of chips. It's not a laptop GPU, but it's very similar to AMD's laptops iGPUs, and practically speaking the same iGPU that they've been using for the past 2-3 years. It's more comparable to a GT 1030 than a GTX 980. It's to the point where you can run a decent number of games at low to medium settings at 1080p, but nothing crazy.

Gotcha. Looking at the GT 1030 vs the GTX 980 compared via benchmarks, it appears that the 980 is significantly better, so although the iGPU and the GTX aren't directly comparable--if we were to--it appears that the 980 is much much more powerful than the 5600G's iGPU. 

 

 

[RONOTHAN##]

1 minute ago, GoochDeep said:

Gotcha. Looking at the GT 1030 vs the GTX 980 compared via benchmarks, it appears that the 980 is significantly better, so although the iGPU and the GTX aren't directly comparable--if we were to--it appears that the 980 is much much more powerful than the 5600G's iGPU. 

 

 

They are directly comparable, FPS numbers are FPS numbers. The 980 is a much more powerful GPU than the iGPU. 

[EnSabahNur]

26 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

They are directly comparable, FPS numbers are FPS numbers. The 980 is a much more powerful GPU than the iGPU. 

Now I was hoping you could help me decide on the best MOBO for my needs. 

 

I reading about the two chipsets compatible with the Ryzen 5600X, the X570 appears to typically regarded as the higher end chipset. The B550 tomahawk you recommended is very highly regarded for the reasons you mentioned, but I really wanted to ensure I get PCIe gen 4 and the maximum longevity in terms of future proofing the mobo. 

 

In short, I want to ensure I future proof without spending much more than $220 (I can go up to $250 if it really matters), the board has WiFi 6, a digital indicator, has PCIe gen 4, capabilities to run both my Samsung nvme 970 pro and 2.5" 950 evo SSDs and WD HDD, and SLI capability (as I have another 980 I might use in the build in the future). 

From my research, these are some of the boards with an easy BIOS update feature for the Ryzen chills and appear to be highly regarded to pair with the 5600X and I wanted to get your opinion of which (if any) you think are best and why:

 

- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WL5MFXL?tag=bestgaming03-20
- https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-TUF-X570-PRO-Motherboard-Flashback/dp/B08JWMPVD9/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=x570+motherboard&qid=1633559514&sr=8-1
- https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ROG-B550-F-Motherboard-Addressable/dp/B088VSTS9H/ref=psdc_1048424_t1_B07SW925DR
 

Thanks so much for all the help. 

[RONOTHAN##]

You really don't need an X570 board. B550 also has Gen 4 capabilities, just not on every slot. With B550, you get 1 Gen4 M.2 slot and 1 Gen4 PCIe 16x slot, all you really need. I'm still gonna push for the B550 Tomahawk, it's a very reliable and well featured board for a good price, plus has BIOS Flashback. If you really one to go for one of those, I'd do the Strix B550, though IMO that board costs about $30 more than it should. You can't really future proof a motherboard, but that board should have all the features you will need for the next couple years at least.

[EnSabahNur]

Okay, so I will be able to run both my card and both my SSDs (970 nvme pro & 2.5" 850 evo) at full speed with only 1x Gen 4 PCIe 16 slot? 

 

I kinda like the idea of having a cooling fan on the motherboard like on this vs a passive heatsink but I'm not sure how well they work, as I don't have any experience with them: https://www.amazon.com/MSI-MAG-X570-Tomahawk-WiFi/dp/B0892R8PDJ/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=am4+motherboard+tomahawk&qid=1633572171&sr=8-3

 

I can't seem to find a B550 tomahawk with a WiFi6 on it but the Strix B550 does have it. It appears that I might have to go with the $250 X570 tomahawk to get the quality VRMs and all the features I need.