I believe Alienware is locking systems, prove me wrong!

[Dot_ted]

(Of this is the wrong forum/thread please let me know)

Budget (including currency): $5000(USD)

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Gaming, video creation, 3d modeling etc.

Other details: Alienware Aurora R15 (AMD 7950X, RTX 4090. 1250 watt Alienware PSU)

 

Recently (past 4 days) I have been trying to Take the CPU out of my Alienware Aurora R15 which has a suspected bad PSU, work in a new build.
I bought 2 and tried 3 different motherboards, I have a 1000watt PSU, and 64 (2x32) gigs of ram, I have done every single thing I can think of, which includes:

 

1) Clearing CMOS with jumper and removing the battery

2) Running on onboard graphics

3) Removing every cable but the necessities

4) Flash bios

5) Check every cable and connection (ram, aio, CPU, PSU, .etc

5.1) Removing 1 stick of ram

5.2) Using 1 stick of working ram from my main PC

5.3) Checking mobo ram compatibility (they all work with 4800mhz)

6) reseating CPU 2 or 3x per motherboard tested.

7) Letting it train for over an hour per cycle just to be sure

8) praying to the Alienware GODS

 

THE F*****G SECOND I PLUG IT IN TO MY FAULTY A** PSU SYSTEM (only faulty when it gets vibrated/touched/knocked) IT FRICKING WORKS, posts to Alienware BS bios, checks it and makes it work. Granted if I even look at the PSU wrong it turns off, but whatever. I spent over $600 in total on various parts never gave a sign of life, as soon as it goes back in its ALIENSH*T system it works...

 

I honestly think this is worth looking at, let me know.

[Mark Kaine]

Why a new case? Can't you just replace the "faulty" psu *in* your old (AW) case?

 

It's entirely possible that the mobo uses proprietary plugs and thus the mobo [won't] work in a different case. (So, yes, but that wouldn't be anything new, dell etc is known for this) 

[jaslion]

What adapter cables are you using to make the alienware work?

 

Also keep in mind the alienware has a bunch of stupid sensors that prevent posting of the board when in a differenr case if they arent detected. depends on what revision you have tho.

 

Its best to simply sell and replace these as they are not user friendly to work with

[Pusbucket]

3 hours ago, Dot_ted said:

(Of this is the wrong forum/thread please let me know)

Budget (including currency): $5000 FREEDOM DOLLARS (USD)

Country: USA (Northern Washington state)

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Gaming, video creation, 3d modeling etc.

Other details: Alienware Aurora R15, AMD 7950X, RTX 4090. 1250 watt Alienware PSU.

 

Recently (past 4 days) I have been trying to make my malfunctioning Alienware Aurora R15 (suspected bad PSU) work in a new case. I bought 2 and tried 3 different motherboards, I have a 1000watt PSU, and 64 (2x32) gigs of ram, I have done every single thing I can think of, which includes:

 

1) Clearing CMOS with jumper and removing the battery

2) Running on onboard graphics

3) Removing every cable but the necessities

4) Flash bios

5) Check every cable and connection (ram, aio, CPU, PSU, .etc

5.1) Removing 1 stick of ram

5.2) Using 1 stick of working ram from my main PC

5.3) Checking mobo ram compatibility (they all work with 4800mhz)

6) reseating CPU 2 or 3x per motherboard tested.

7) Letting it train for over an hour per cycle just to be sure

8) praying to the Alienware GODS

 

THE F*****G SECOND I PLUG IT IN TO MY FAULTY A** PSU SYSTEM (only faulty when it gets vibrated/touched/knocked) IT FRICKING WORKS, posts to Alienware BS bios, checks it and makes it work. Granted if I even look at the PSU wrong it turns off, but whatever. I spent over $600 in total on various parts never gave a sign of life, as soon as it goes back in its ALIENSH*T system it works...

 

I honestly think this is worth looking at, let me know.

 

dude, it's a proprietary system, meaning regular off-the-shelf parts, especially a PSU, won't work. Have fun with the front panel connector as well.

From a quick look at the specs your biggest issue is the Alienware uses a 12 pin connector for the mobo power when the standard is a 24 pin connector, so a different psu wont work on that board and vice-versa. Your wasting your time, or making it work could be beyond your abilities as it would require a lot of modifications.

so what you are trying to do can't be directly done, Dell/Alienware aren't locking anything any more than any company that builds and sells proprietary systems.

You've been proven wrong.

 

you could have spent that $5000 on two DIY systems.

 

and ;  "prove me wrong" -- "freedom dollars"?

seriously?? grow up

 

 

[Dot_ted]

6 hours ago, Pusbucket said:

 

dude, it's a proprietary system, meaning regular off-the-shelf parts, especially a PSU, won't work. Have fun with the front panel connector as well.

From a quick look at the specs your biggest issue is the Alienware uses a 12 pin connector for the mobo power when the standard is a 24 pin connector, so a different psu wont work on that board and vice-versa. Your wasting your time, or making it work could be beyond your abilities as it would require a lot of modifications.

so what you are trying to do can't be directly done, Dell/Alienware aren't locking anything any more than any company that builds and sells proprietary systems.

You've been proven wrong.

 

you could have spent that $5000 on two DIY systems.

 

and ;  "prove me wrong" -- "freedom dollars"?

seriously?? grow up

 

 

I changed everything but the CPU I should have made that more clear, therefore it should work, new ram, new mobo, new psu, new case, new AIO. 

 

Also yes, I would 100% spend 5k on 2 or even 3 new DIY systems, I bought the alienware for about 4400 then add tax, but shortly after the 4090 was release it was scalped and the price for just a 4090 was hitting 5k, so yes I bought a full built alienware for less than the cost of the GPU alone.

 

Also chill man. It was 5am and I have been troubleshooting for 3 days lmao. 
"grow up" lol

[Dot_ted]

6 hours ago, jaslion said:

What adapter cables are you using to make the alienware work?

 

Also keep in mind the alienware has a bunch of stupid sensors that prevent posting of the board when in a differenr case if they arent detected. depends on what revision you have tho.

 

Its best to simply sell and replace these as they are not user friendly to work with

I should of made it clear but it was 5am and I was tired as hell, but I replaced everything but the cpu, I literally removed the CPU and and built an entire new system.

[Pusbucket]

1 minute ago, Dot_ted said:

I changed everything but the CPU I should have made that more clear, therefore it should work, new ram, new mobo, new psu, new case, new AIO. 

 

Also chill man. It was 5am and I have been troubleshooting for 3 days lmao. 
"grow up" lol

your post makes it sound as if you were trying to use the Alienware motherboard in a new case, actually that's literally what you said.

so if everything is new, what the hell are you bitching about Alienware for?

if you built an entirely new system except for the cpu, DELL/Alienware don't have anything to do with your problems now.

 

 

[Dot_ted]

7 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

Why a new case? Can't you just replace the "faulty" psu *in* your old (AW) case?

 

It's entirely possible that the mobo uses proprietary plugs and thus the mobo [won't] work in a different case. (So, yes, but that wouldn't be anything new, dell etc is known for this) 

A new build entirely, just reusing the CPU, should of made that more clear. 
And replacing the faulty OEM PSU, is $400 plus tax, but I could do a full build minus 4090 and 7950x for less.

[Dot_ted]

1 minute ago, Pusbucket said:

your post makes it sound as if you were trying to use the Alienware motherboard in a new case, actually that's literally what you said.

so if everything is new, what the hell are you bitching about Alienware for?

if you built an entirely new system except for the cpu, DELL/Alienware don't have anything to do with your problems now.

 

 

Oh I am complaining because the CPU does not post in any motherboard, but as soon as I plop it back in the alienware mobo it posts just fine.

[Dot_ted]

6 hours ago, jaslion said:

What adapter cables are you using to make the alienware work?

 

Also keep in mind the alienware has a bunch of stupid sensors that prevent posting of the board when in a differenr case if they arent detected. depends on what revision you have tho.

 

Its best to simply sell and replace these as they are not user friendly to work with

Yeah My bad, I meant to say I replaced everything, just using the 4090 and CPU from the alienware PC

[jaslion]

Post the full system specs please new and old

[Pusbucket]

1 minute ago, Dot_ted said:

Oh I am complaining because the CPU does not post in any motherboard, but as soon as I plop it back in the alienware mobo it posts just fine.

do the new boards possibly need a bios update to support your cpu?

[Pusbucket]

I'm pretty sure vendors can't "lock" a cpu to only work in a certain board.

[Dot_ted]

2 minutes ago, jaslion said:

Post the full system specs please new and old

Old: Alienware Aurora R15 (AMD 7950X, RTX 4090. 1250 watt Alienware PSU, 2x32 4800MHz ram)
New: 

mobo: MSI PRO B650M-A WiFi

Cpu: AMD 7950X

Gpu: RTX 4090

 

AIO cooler: Thermalright Frozen Infinity 360

 

PSU: GIGABYTE UD1000GM PG5 V2-1000W 80 Plus Gold
Ram: 2x32gb 4800MHz DDR5 (Kingston ValueRAM) and I also tried the sticks that came with the old system as well, which looks basically the same

[Dot_ted]

7 minutes ago, Pusbucket said:

I'm pretty sure vendors can't "lock" a cpu to only work in a certain board.

Yeah I didn't think so, but I tried flashing the BIOS on all 3 boards, but they all should of supported it out of the box too. Based on their own lists of supported cpus 

[jaslion]

3 minutes ago, Dot_ted said:

MSI PRO B650M-A WiFi

Cpu: AMD 7950X

Ok now it's clear. The 7950x is psb locked. Aka it can ONLY work in that one dells board ever. 

[Dot_ted]

1 minute ago, jaslion said:

Ok now it's clear. The 7950x is psb locked. Aka it can ONLY work in that one dells board ever. 

Bruh isn't that illegal in some way? when I purchased it nowhere did it say anything about not being able to use the second most expensive pc part in any other PC but dell's.

Is there a fix or some sort of workaround you know of?

[jaslion]

3 minutes ago, Dot_ted said:

Bruh isn't that illegal in some way? when I purchased it nowhere did it say anything about not being able to use the second most expensive pc part in any other PC but dell's.

Is there a fix or some sort of workaround you know of?

Nope its forever fucked. 

 

Is this a gaming machine only? If so you can get a x3d chip now

[Dot_ted]

13 minutes ago, jaslion said:

Nope its forever fucked. 

 

Is this a gaming machine only? If so you can get a x3d chip now

Gaming mostly, occasionally my sons use it for 3d modeling, and lite video editing. 
I heard the 7600x3d is better than the 7950x gaming wise, and its not too expensive.

Also you have any idea where or who would buy a alienware locked cpu/mobo? I don't really want to be out of that much money, lol

[jaslion]

8 minutes ago, Dot_ted said:

Gaming mostly, occasionally my sons use it for 3d modeling, and lite video editing. 
I heard the 7600x3d is better than the 7950x gaming wise, and its not too expensive.

Also you have any idea where or who would buy a alienware locked cpu/mobo? I don't really want to be out of that much money, lol

Not really. Sell it as is as a for parts alienware with case.

[Caroline]

30 minutes ago, Pusbucket said:

I'm pretty sure vendors can't "lock" a cpu to only work in a certain board.

Oh my sweet summer child you have a LOT to learn about shitty proprietary prebuilt systems, fuckers have been going out their way for decades with the SOLE purpose of making users as miserable as possible and their computers impossible to upgrade or repair.

 

 

Dell out of the bunch is by far the worst, because awful form factors and power supplies with "anti-tamper" sense and odd voltage lines wasn't enough they decided to step up their game and bound components together, the CPU is locked to one specific motherboard, RAM slots can be BIOS disabled so even if you insert more RAM or replace the sticks for higher capacity ones the piece of junk will refuse to boot, same with drives, can't upgrade the storage as the BIOS looks for the specific S/N of the original drive.

 

And let's not even talk about the outright disgusting nightmare TPM is, why lock one component when you can lock all of them?

 

 

25 minutes ago, Dot_ted said:

Bruh isn't that illegal in some way? when I purchased it nowhere did it say anything about not being able to use the second most expensive pc part in any other PC but dell's.

Is there a fix or some sort of workaround you know of?

Nothing is illegal when you have enough money to bribe lawmakers and courts.

[Mark Kaine]

1 hour ago, Dot_ted said:

A new build entirely, just reusing the CPU, should of made that more clear. 
And replacing the faulty OEM PSU, is $400 plus tax, but I could do a full build minus 4090 and 7950x for less.

Oh ok yeah you should have,but now we know... (Still entirely possible it is actually locked in some way indeed, see below!)

 

 

56 minutes ago, Pusbucket said:

I'm pretty sure vendors can't "lock" a cpu to only work in a certain board.

Well I read something along those lines pretty recently tho.

Yep:

 

Hmm, Dell.......

 

 

15 minutes ago, Caroline said:

Nothing is illegal when you have enough money to bribe lawmakers and courts.

Ah, yes. 

[Mark Kaine]

40 minutes ago, Dot_ted said:

Is there a fix or some sort of workaround you know of?

Email DDTS he'll love this! (and probably do nothing about it, but who knows lol)

[Pusbucket]

5 minutes ago, Caroline said:

Oh my sweet summer child you have a LOT to learn about shitty proprietary prebuilt systems, fuckers have been going out their way for decades with the SOLE purpose of making users as miserable as possible and their computers impossible to upgrade or repair.

 

 

Dell out of the bunch is by far the worst, because awful form factors and power supplies with "anti-tamper" sense and odd voltage lines wasn't enough they decided to step up their game and bound components together, the CPU is locked to one specific motherboard, RAM slots can be BIOS disabled so even if you insert more RAM or replace the sticks for higher capacity ones the piece of junk will refuse to boot, same with drives, can't upgrade the storage as the BIOS looks for the specific S/N of the original drive.s and courts.

I generally avoid pre-built systems, so....

The only ones I have are a couple of Dell optiplex 790's. I've literally changed everything except the cpu in one with zero issues, so personally don't know what your complaining about. I haven't encountered any "locked" anything. Proprietary connectors for the front panel power button and audio is the only thing.

 

If cpu's are bound to a specific board, wouldn't that be a collaboration between the cpu maker and the vendor?

Can Dell alter a cpu without voiding the original warranty?

 

and why bios disable ram slots when it's easier to just not install the slot connector? Don't tell me because it's cheaper for a vendor like Dell.

when you consider the probably 100's of thousands of machines they build of each "family" it would be waste of $$$$ to install components only to disable them.

[Mark Kaine]

4 minutes ago, Pusbucket said:

and why bios disable ram slots when it's easier to just not install the slot connector? Don't tell me because it's cheaper for a vendor like Dell.

That's the weird part to me because DDTS loves "upgrading" Dell Alienware systems and he barely runs into any issues other than odd cables (but then of course he's usually using the original case, because that's why people buy Alienware isn't that true, the "flashy" case? 

 

4 minutes ago, Pusbucket said:

Can Dell alter a cpu without voiding the original warranty?

Yes, it's a CPU "feature" just like "TPM"... You could probably do it yourself, just need to get your hands on such a "super CPU"