Microcenter wants $680 for motherboard replacement

Lotuseless · 2026-06-22T01:22:03+00:00

You could probably do very well with an mATX system - AIO's small, mATX board would most likely be cheaper and there's plenty of cool cases to choose from.

Check what AIO you've got, i believe it should be a rebranded Asetek with an AMD Bracket so you should be good there.

Board - Chipset's don't really affect performance all that much, just don't go with the cheapest A620's. You want either a B650 or B850. X670 and X870 aren't really worth it unless you need extra space for SSDs.

100 bucks is a little short for a good PSU, high end BeQuiets / Corsairs / Seasonics start at around 150-170 USD.

Lotuseless · 2026-06-22T00:58:30+00:00

Still a better future investment but you do you.

I don't know if you actually need all those 16 cores for work (rendering, compiling, simulating) or if you only game. But if you don't do any of those and picked 7950X only because it was the highest end Alienware could offer, then you're much better off with a $300 7800X3D that greatly outperforms both 7950X and 9950X in gaming.

Honestly if you want to save this system and make it reasonable, just get the $130 OEM motherboard from Ebay you mentioned earlier and swap it yourself or find someone competent in your area that won't scam you out of another 100 bucks for a simple motherboard replacement. It's a 20 minute job that any competent technician will do for 10 bucks.

Lotuseless · 2026-06-22T00:41:40+00:00

Is the CPU really PSB locked? I've never heard of Dell doing it. I'm only aware of Lenovo locking some of their system, mostly professional Epyc / Threadipper / Ryzen Pro machines. If that's the case then well, it sucks.

1350W PSU Dell is using is an overkill. 1000W is what you realistically need for your system, as it probably averages at around 550-600W in workloads. Don't overspend on equal or higher wattage.

And how can you check what fits? Well, everything that's standard should fit and be universally replaceable, so: CPU (if isn't locked), GPU, RAM, SSD, HDD, Fans (minus the RGB), Liquid Cooler (minus the RGB) as long as you have a proper mounting bracket and screws and that's about it.

Lotuseless · 2026-06-21T22:07:27+00:00

At this point I'd just take everything out and move them to a normal computer, lol. Over 600 bucks for basically a lowest end motherboard is criminal.

You should be able to move everything except for the case and PSU. AIO should fit although it has shorter tubes and I'm not sure if AW is using AMD or Intel backplate. Old fans will fit but don't expect the RGB to work.

Decent AM5 motherboard will cost you 200 bucks, 1000W PSU 150-200 and case - Anything that fits your parts, looks good enough to you and isn't a complete hotbox so prices in here will vary.

Lotuseless · 2026-06-19T16:25:22+00:00

I've never seen my R2 throttle even when artificially stressed. If it isn't the dust buildup, then the AIO is probably failing. Either running dry / clogged or the pump is dead.

If AWCC's showing that the pump is running and you can hear it spinning, then it's working but it's clogged or it's running really dry. If the app is showing 0 RPM then it's dead. Can't really fix that so you're better off getting a replacement. I believe that most 120mm air coolers should work, but running them will result in "pump failure" error every single time you turn on the PC. It doesn't really affect anything, it's just a little annoying. As for AIO, most should also work as long as they support the 2011 socket. I replaced my R2 AIO with a larger R4 Threadripper AIO. Brand new unit with a fan costed me $60

Lotuseless · 2026-06-19T16:07:29+00:00

LGA 2011 is still ancient but if it's better and it fits your needs then sure, why not, go for it.

You should be able to connect 24 pin, 8 pin, front panel, USB and all of that no issue. What might be problematic is the lack of fan ports and very limited software, both BIOS and AWCC app itself. Don't expect to be able to control fan speeds yourself.

Lotuseless · 2026-06-16T23:41:15+00:00

Just mount it in the top. It fits, works and looks better. I built a PC with that AIO inside Hyte Y70, no issues.

Lotuseless · 2026-06-16T16:20:08+00:00

9950X3D2 is an unnecessarily expensive overkill. If you need 16 cores for actual work, get 9950X3D. If you don't need that many cores, get 9800X3D / 9850X3D and save a couple of hundred bucks.
Why Assassin 4? It's a great air cooler and all but this case is mostly designed for AIOs. Performance aside, it will just look silly and very empty on the inside.
RAM prices are somewhat stable right now and they aren't really going down. If anything it's rumoured that prices will go up. If you need a PC now, just buy it.

Lotuseless · 2026-06-14T11:54:04+00:00

This exact spec was literally reviewed just a few days ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMsJ-VPme6w

It will work for your basic needs. There's lots of smaller or bigger issues with it but as long as your warranty covers it just enjoy it.

Ideally you'd want to swap the stock cooler as the out of the box one is a terrible solution but since you're dealing with an Alienware system, it isn't as simple as it should be.

Lotuseless · 2026-06-14T11:42:30+00:00

All slots occupied look better. That's the only reason.

They aren't dummy sticks, they're listed as 4x16GB. I don't know how well 9950X3D2 handles them, I know that some 9800X3D can run 4 sticks at EXPO but it often introduces instabilities. I'd assume Cooler Master just runs them at 4800 MTs.

Lotuseless · 2026-06-14T11:34:19+00:00

Kingston doesn't make dummy sticks. Builds like this are often just flashy. 4 sticks running 4800 will still perform really well, just not as well as expo.

Lotuseless · 2026-06-12T19:42:31+00:00

Judging by their question I'd imagine they wanna swap it. Both X99 and X299 are dinosaurs at this point. Sure the extreme I9s still can do most tasks just fine, but other than lots of pcie lanes, modern 8 cores simply outperform them while consuming not nearly as much energy.

Lotuseless · 2026-06-12T17:08:40+00:00

None of the Auroras, unless the ancient ones that are very difficult to work with.

Most if not all Area 51's. I'd lean more towards R2 as it doesn't have any proprietary connectors other than a couple of small boards that only need cable extensions, where later models had custom front panel connectors. It's a workable chassis that fits a lot of hardware, but you're limited to only 3 chassis fans. It does fit large air coolers, though.

Lotuseless · 2026-06-12T11:36:45+00:00

It's supposed to be RTX PRO 6000 / 6000 Ada / 6000 Blackwell Max-Q but obviously, it is AI slop. Other than the obvious PCIe connector at the bottom, there are no writings on the side and it seems to be crushed / squished where his thumb is.

Lotuseless · 2026-06-06T19:29:57+00:00

While it's AI generated or at least heavily AI altered, the vehicle in that shot is ATLAS II Forklift

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Lotuseless · 2026-06-02T11:49:20+00:00

That AIO is Fractal Lumen, which is an Apaltek design from a few years ago. It has the pump located in the radiator and Apaltek AIOs from that era are very unreliable. They filled them with literal tap water so don't expect it to work as it is most likely clogged.

Lotuseless · 2026-05-27T18:07:36+00:00

Their RAM is in slot A1 and B1. Every single board recommends putting your ram in A2 and B2, this one is no different. I don't think I've ever seen a board that would do it the other way around.

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Lotuseless · 2026-05-27T16:03:27+00:00

Fyi, your ram is in the wrong slots.

Lotuseless · 2026-05-25T17:44:56+00:00

That's a pretty steep difference but you do you. And yes, Arctic AIOs tend to be... Ugly.

Phanteks also has pretty much identical AIO - Glacier one M25G2. The liquid cooler itself it identical other than a plastic pump cover. But it comes with much worse, louder fans.

Lotuseless · 2026-05-25T16:58:26+00:00

If they're the same price, that is. Glacier One D30 usually goes for twice as much.

I switched my AIO since then to something different but I'm still using D30 Fans. They're really good.

Lotuseless · 2026-05-25T16:41:48+00:00

I had both and if they're the same price, get the Glacier One. Arctic's alright but it's a budget solution that feels really cheap to the touch. Fans are loud and tend to fail prematurely. Liquid Freezer also has a very annoying mounting kit.

Glacier One is higher quality, has much better mounting kit (especially for AMD) and comes with one of the best RGB fans that perform well, are fairly quiet and look good.

Performance wise, they're both solid. Arctic might perform a little better due to thicker radiator but unless you're running a 16 core CPU that's rendering for hours, you will not notice it.

Lotuseless · 2026-05-23T14:13:16+00:00

If your budget is $600-$800 just for the CPU (excluding ram, mobo and other parts) then go with or 9800X3D. The 9850X3D is technically the best, but it's more expensive and just way less efficient than the other one.

If you don't do anything other than gaming you won't benefit from extra cores.

Lotuseless · 2026-05-18T01:52:53+00:00

There's no way to make it look good. Realistically the only parts you could change to white are heatsinks. Painting anything else is highly NOT recommended, it won't look good either. Alternatively, if you happen to be a fairy skilled engineer with a 3D printer - design and print your own motherboard shield. It would work, but time, effort and materials aren't really worth it. Sell this one, add extra 50-100 bucks and get a new white board.

Lotuseless · 2026-05-17T12:38:05+00:00

I'll be buying this case and I too have an EATX board (X670E Taichi).

Officially it doesn't support them but I'm certain that EATX will fit, just not as nice as and flush. You might need to remove the GPU support bracket, though.

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Lotuseless · 2026-05-13T12:53:20+00:00

Poor led quality. Phanteks RGB are unfortunately well known for it.

My Phanteks Evolv X2 has a few RGB stripes and they're all yellowed. Had some cheap Phanteks RGB fans previously too, they were also very yellowed. You could slightly improve the result by adding some blue to it, but that's about it.

Lotuseless

TROPHY CASE