Please do NOT advertise your Alpha for sale here. Either as a post or a comment. This is not ebay.

Hi all, any suggestions on how to set up double monitors with the alpha?

Hello all. My family has an Alienware Alpha r2 that's been passed along. First my dad had it, then me, and now my little brother has it. He really likes playing Just Cause 3, Fortnite, and a couple other games on it. However, he has been having some performance troubles with it recently. Even when drivers are updated, the games are laggy and crash frequently. I'm hoping to get him a component or two for Christmas to make his playing experience a little better. I was hoping you all would have some suggestions on what to get GPU wise or what else I would need. Thank you!

Has anyone had any luck getting a founder’s edition 30-series card to work in the AGA with an Alpha R2?

My 1080 Ti works great, but the 3080 doesn’t. It is recognized by windows when installed, but windows and the nvidia app act like the GeForce drivers (video/audio) are not installed.

Tried using DDU with a fresh install multiple times, as well as GeForce experience and the new nvidia app. The same thing happens anyway… drivers claim they’re installed but then are not recognized as being installed. Display stutters with poor performance, games won’t launch, nvidia control panel is missing, and nvidia app says nothing is installed.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I could probably build a new mini pc at this point… but I’m really attached to the Alpha and would hate to get rid of it.

So I bought an Alpha r1 about two years ago just needing a replacement computer for my laptop. It’s been running fine and I haven’t had any issues with it really. I swapped the hard drive for an SSD and put some more ram into it. Just looking to see if there’s really anything else that I can or should do to it or is that as good as it’s going to get.

Also wondering if anybody has found an adaptor or way to it to run two monitors. I’ve seen all these usb-c stations that can run multiple hdmi ports, but as you know, there’s no usb c port and only one hdmi out. Anybody been able to overcome this? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Hello! I first got my Alpha R2 i7 Refurbished with a 960 16gb Ram 256gb NVME around 2016 as a Christmas present for my first computer, It's lasted this long but recently I decided to do some upgrades and cleaning. I dusted out the computer, put some M4 Thermal coolant on the cpu & gpu, and put a 1TB crucial gen4 nvme. I reassembled and got 4 flashing lights. I assumed it was the CMOS so I ordered a new one and just to make sure I put the old ssd back in just in case that was the issue. I was still getting the yellow light. Today I got the CMOS replaced it and it still wasnt booting. I looked at the blinking light code pattern and see that 4 blinking lights is equal to a memory/ram problem so I put the new ssd back in and tried to see what was wrong. After a few attempts of plugging in and back in and turning on now it just wont turn on at all no feedback no nothing. I don't know what to do Im only 16 so its not like I can just drop 1.3k+ on a new computer this is all I have while im saving up for a new one and everything I try just isn't working. Any suggestions, ideas, input, and feedback is welcomed I just want to fix this so I can play my games or at least save my files and pictures as I have some important memories on here.

just throwing this out there for any bios modding enthusiasts (you could make history among r2 users) to do anything with

i don't know the version don't ask

DELL NVIDIA Alienware Alpha R2 Basic Input/Output System

yes i know its a uefi fight me

Hello, I am using a base R1 i3 model with an upgraded SSD and 8gb of ram. I am curious about how it runs with the PCSX2 emulator. Specifically, on higher end games such as Gran Turismo 4, Ratchet & Clank, and Shadow of the Colossus. Can it run most PS2 games? What can it not run at all? Is there any chance of this machine being able to handle RPCS3? Thanks in advance.

TLDR: I have an Alienware Alpha that is still kicking and I am attempting to use its HDMI input feature but am having audio issues.

The Alpha comes with two HDMI ports, one input and one output. The Alpha does not have a traditional audio jack of its own, instead relying on HDMI audio output through its HDMI output port (because the whole thinking was you'd plug it into a TV which has speakers, which works with my Alpha). That said, because I use a monitor without its own speakers, I have connected a USB Sound BlasterX G1 dongle (for my headset) and a USB external sound card (for my speakers), and I have the computer audio output settings set to one of these two, no problem.

However, when I connect my Nintendo Switch (another device that only exports its audio through the HDMI when it's dock, relying on TV speakers (with the exception of if I plug an audio jack directly into the thing)) to the Alpha via the HDMI input port, and use the Alienware Command Center to switch over to the HDMI input viewing mode, the audio from the Switch does not get routed through the defaulted audio output on my computer, and I hear nothing at all from the Switch (other than anything like music or Discord that was already active on my Alpha).

I suspected that the reason for this could be that I do not use a pure HDMI output for my Alpha's connection to my monitor, but instead a converted HDMI to VGA cord (because my monitor doesn't have enough ports). Testing this theory, I tried everything I tried before, but this time used the Alpha's HDMI output port to connect it, via just HDMI, to a TV. In this case, both the video and audio outputted, but unfortunately this is not a permanent solution.

To get to my question, is there a driver/software/other I can use to tell the computer that I want it to route the video from my Switch into the monitor, but the audio from my Switch into the audio devices selected on my Alpha?

Thanks in advance!!

Computer details:

Intel Core i3-4130T CPU @ 2.90 GHz

Graphics card is listed as a 'NVIDIA GeForce GPU'

12gb ram (I upgraded this)

I wanna use it for gaming and content creation

Have any of you Alpha-obsessed psychos considered never getting rid of their Alphas? Seriously; when I grow older and get a job, I will find some kind of micro-ITX motherboard which will work in the case of the R2. Just give me maybe a decade or two and I will return, striking a pose with my RTX 5060-powered Alpha playing GTA 7 in the year 2069. I’ll be willing to drop a few bands on this apache helicopter. Taking my old chassis to the lab to recreate the PS4 fan power; I mean, starting my PS4 makes my house start to levitate.

As a 1080p gamer, I’ve run into some problems utilizing the GTX 1060 3GB with the AGA due to the card’s age. I’ve been considering an upgrade for a long time now, and I think I’ve finally found a candidate for my Alpha. I’m pretty young; 13, and I am seeking a decent gaming device which is better than the 1060 and supplies ideal 1080p performance which has little to no bottleneck. I currently have the i7-6700t, and I was thinking about upgrading to the 3060 Ti. This is honestly an investment not worth the $300 price tag when you’re running a low-power processor which is almost ten years old. I was researching some viable LGA 1151 socketed CPUs somewhat compatible with the 3060 Ti. I’ve discovered some users rocking the 6700K variant of the Skylake i7s and I was considering doing so. First, I looked into a higher-end 330w Dell PSU to be compatible with the nearly 90w TDP processor. I was thinking about thermals, but I then stumbled across a copper heatsink with more fins than the OEM one. Is this a viable upgrade which will keep me satisfied for the next couple of years? Ideas? I will turn this thing into a Frankenstein build just to supply my needs (I was considering building a B650 PC for around $800) without the price of a full-sized PC until I get a legitimate occupation. I am trying to squeeze as many years out of this PC as possible and need help from the community to see if these parts are compatible before dropping $500 on the upgrades listed.

Continuing on with the Emulation On The Alpha series that I started back when I created this subreddit - showcasing and guiding players through the best emulators and setups for the time to achieve the emulation dream via the Alpha.

Previously we highlighted EmuDeck and referenced Retro Game Corps' video guide: EmuDeck Starter Guide for Windows.
He's now created a video guide showcasing Retrobat, a similar simple user-friendly installer to install and configure emulators and a Emulation Station frontend.

RetroBat allows you to download, update and configure the most renowned emulators directly from the interface.
With just a few clicks, you can set up a powerful emulator launcher that’s ready for gaming. It uses Emulation Station so works smoothly with a game controller. Take it easy and have fun playing the games you love instead of spending the time setting up everything manually.

Here's the Retrobat Guide by Retro Game Corps.

Retrobat can be downloaded here.

Just sharing upgrade experience with Alienware Alpha R1 network card upgrade.

Tl;dr Intel(R) Wireless-AC 9260 works great.

I upgraded this about 2 years ago due poor speed at a distance. Roughly $15 on amazon. Works fine, no issues since. The benefits are

• Bluetooth 5.
• improved network stability and speed to an access point about 50 ft away

Per a speed test, there was no obvious improvement over the original card if the R1 is moved closer, within 20 ft of the access point. Also, I did need to download drivers from intel for the product "AC 9260NGW"

Edit: also, the upgrade was as easy as adding new RAM.

So I bought a ZOTAC RTX 2080 AMP Extreme for my AGA and it doesn’t work. It booted to Windows but before could do anything it totally crashed. Kept trying it and sometimes I would just get the RGB, sometimes it would get as far as BIOS and sometimes it would get to Windows and then immediately crash.

Never had a high end GPU and kinda crushed. Any ideas on how to get it working? (Also, it doesn’t seem to fit. Has anyone else gotten the case closed with one of these. Dell’s website specifically says this card is supported so idk wtf is up.)

I have a alpha r2 with the m470m, last year I upgraded the cpu to the 6700t and 16gb of ram and a 2tb m.2 and the psu block, is there a way I can upgrade the cpu more? Also by chance could I do 32gb of ram in one channel? The cpu supports 64gb but there's only 1 slot I believe.

So I recently got an AGA for my 960 R2 and am still shopping for a GPU, so decided to do some benchmarking on the 960 before it gets put out to pasture.

Now I had always assumed that the 960 on-board was a scaled down version of the full-size with same performance. However, I ran a UserBenchmark (ikik) and the GPU landed in the 7th percentile for 960s! (All other components were between 59-83)

So then I ran Superposition (1080p Med) and scored a 4063 — maybe not so bad? Nope! Of the 11 published scores for 960s the lowest is 4566 with the highest at 5313. So that’s >10% lower performance than the next lowest.

I also recently found out that Alienware was selling a stripped down version of the 2080 ti in some of their desktops that are apparently trash. Kinda disappointing, but I guess Im glad I got the AGA.

If anyone else has an R2 with a 960 and has some scores they’d like to share I’d be very interested in how other ones work! Maybe mine’s just washed.

Hi everyone.
I have a R1 and a R2 lying around, and I'd love to boot them on Steam OS.

Has anyone here done it ?
What is the best distro to install ?

I tried some of them without success some time ago...

I had it set up to my tv from 2016 to 2022. A year in i started having the yellow light. At first i changed the cmos battery and it worked fine for a few months.Then i started resetting the cmos instead of changing the battery it got so annoying to the point i soldered a switch to the reset pins and hid it in the bottom compartment. One day in 2022 it wouldn’t turn on, and the cmos reset wouldn’t work anymore. All i got was the yellow light of death. I disassembled it completely and by accident the cable i used for the quick reset touched another point on the power button. Smoke came out. I was moving abroad a few days later so my buddy couldn’t make the trip. Had to say goodbye and put it in a recycling bin. I still miss it bros. It was the coolest looking computer but also the one that gave me the moat problems. Maybe someday i will find a mini pc like that but i doubt it. For now i will keep missing my aloha r1.

Appreciate the info

I have the version with the i3 processor.

I am wondering if anyone has ever upgraded one of these? I don't use it much for gaming, but could give it some upgrades.

Advice would be appreciated

Okay so ive had my alienware alpha for years now and it still works, slow but works. I played a few games on it last year when I pulled it out of storage from moving (metro series) but now it won't run games well, even after defragging.

Im wanting to get a computer for my kiddo. She's 8 and is a little gamer. Then I thought we'll maybe it's possible to to upgrade it for a while anyway. Is that even possible anymore???

Sooo my question is would it be cost efficient to upgrade the cpu, ram, memory etc on my alpha for her to play things like minecraft, roblox, goat game, maybe diablo if it could keep up ... she won't be trying to run anything graphic heavy on it.

Or should I just get her a good setup now? 🤔 I'm will to spend a good bit cuz her bday and Christmas is back to back and I know she loves it and already has streaming setup on dad's computer.

I'm just about to give up on this Alpha R2 and throw the mobo in the bin but I wanted to see if this made sense to anyone else.

At this point, the system is completely dead. No lights, no fan spinning, no nothing EXCEPT sometimes when I plug the AC adapter into the mobo, I could swear I feel a very faint short vibration coming from the system. I can't find anything about this online but that tells me the power is going into the system.

Before anyone @s me about the battery, I've already replace it and yes, the terminals are connected correctly.

I've tried multiple different AC adapters. Different RAM chips and speeds pulled from old Dell laptops. Also tried a different CPU. No SSD plugged in and no Wi-fi plugged in either. Tried the jumper on the CMOS reset option, middle and not connected at all.

Anyone know what the slight vibration could mean? Thanks.

Anyone have a source for the proprietary cable for the npy83 graphics amplifier (or have one to sell)?

Purchased one on ebay and missed the small print that it didn't include the cable.

I picked up this R1 from a friend and it had a YLOD. I changed CMOS/SSD/Thermal Paste. It still would only flash Yellow. I ended up booting with 1 ram stick in the first slot and it started just fine. It now has a fresh install of windows+NVIDIA driver. I tried a variety of sticks (only 1 set is matching-4+4) and configurations. The PC will never boot with a stick in the 2nd slot. I have a 16gb matching set coming tomorrow but I'm sure it still won't boot with two. Any solutions to this issue?

Pretty sure it’s on windows 10. It only sometimes shows my network and when I try to connect it tells me my password is wrong even though I have triple checked. I cant get into windows desktop because I’m signed out and get a Microsoft prompt that won’t load because I have no network connection. It won’t connect to Wi-Fi through the sign in page either. I also have a little white flashing light in the back. Please help!

I think that the eeprom is corrupted (i followed all the steps for it the cmos clear etc. but nothing) i have no clue where to begin, i de-soldered the eeprom chip, but it got mangled in the process so im gonna order replacements. When i do, where can i find the bios file to flash it and solder it back in?

I’m trying to update my CPU for my Alienware alpha, model D07U, which I believe is an r2. Feel free to correct me. I just want it to be good enough to run fortnight. I found a I5- 4570 and an I7 - 4770, On the low. Which one would be better? The alpha currently has an I3. I’m not big into computer. Just doing to play fortnight with my friends. Any help would be nice. Thank you.

I'm trying to figure out which mini pc to buy so l can play Wuthering waves cuz I don't feel like waiting for the ps5 release. I don't know much about pos but I'm just wondering if I can play with a mini or I should just wait. Someone plz help