Alienware x51 R3 upgrades

Hello everyone, new here to NBR Forums! I have a question..I have seen it done over and over with complete success..but I just want to get more in depth information about this before I go buy one.

Right, so I plan to buy the Alienware X51 R3 SFF Desktop PC with these specs.

Intel® Core™ i5-6600K (6MB Cache, Overclocked up to 4.3GHz) WATER COOLED
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960 with 2GB GDDR5 (Replacing with my Reference 10.5" GTX 970)
16GB Dual Channel DDR4 at 2133MHz
256GB PCIe SSD (Boot) + 2TB (64MB Cache) 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s
1 Year Premium Support

Okay with those specs I understand that the Alienware X51 comes with a 330W Power brick which is more than enough for my GTX 970 and everything else to run, I am also going with this version because I haven't used a DVD slot/tray in about a year with my current set-up. Now my main question is, with removing the small 14mm front intake fan to make my 970 fit...will I have ANY overheating or crashing issues? I don't want to drop $1,600 USD for something I plan to upgrade partially and have it not work. My GTX 970 will be working at stock speeds and clocks, however if temperature is a problem I can boost the fan speeds with a custom MSI AB Profile.
I'm also looking for a Small Form Factor because I'm tired of my heavy mid-tower.

Games I mainly play as of right now: World of Warcraft (My 750Ti could play this, not too worried), Runescape (Still not worried) Crysis 3 (Worried about temps while playing this).

So would this be a good move?

I appreciate your feedback and tips on this.

Thanks, sk.Empyre

 

Replace the 90mm intake with something nice like a Noctua, also replacing the paste on the 970 will help use something like Gelid GC Extreme or Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut.

I can make you a 970 bios that will lock the voltage at 1.212v which will keep it running super cool, stock is 1.212 to 1.235v depending on voltage leak.

at 1.212v you should get some extra wattage headroom and could probably stick it at 1500mhz core and 2000 memory.

 

I had a H61 Alienware x51 and ran a 3770k and a 770 in it fine.

You can overdraw the 330w quite alot without issues.

 

330W is nothing nowadays. My M18xR1 has 330W power supply but laptop components are built to draw less power than desktop ones (silicon selection). As @Gofspar said you will overdraw it easily.

 

Dual PSU mod should work with X51... However a i5-6600K + 970 should be fine.. a 980 or 980ti wouldn't be so fine!

 

I've seen youtube videos of people with the X51 R2 i7-4770 / GTX 970 with the 330W and run it completely fine for hours while playing Crysis 3 and other titles.

 

The GTX 970 is a validated GPU for the X51 R3, so you shouldn't have any problems with the 330w PSU. You would only need to remove the front fan if you were getting a GTX 980 or greater (as in, as long as a GTX 980). And before then, a few users have had GTX 970s in their X51's without any issues when using it.
But a question. Is it possible for you to return your 10.5" GTX 970 for a smaller one (MSI, ASUS, EVGA, and PNY have sub 10" GTX 970s that work)?

 

No, I can't return it it's 30 days past it's purchase so I'm stuck with the 10.5" Reference card.

 

Keep in mind that, then, that if you want to retain your warranty,)or a part of it at least), you have to keep the fan with you (not necessarily in the computer, but don't throw it away).
You should still be good to go even with a smaller fan or without one.

 

Yeah I contacted Dell and they said as long as I tell Tech support that I will be putting in a 970 and taking out the fan it will still be under warranty.

 

Well, if you do need it, this is easy enough to do and it should work perfectly with the x51... [Tutorial] Dual 330W AC Adapter Mod