Alienware X51 R2 User manual

Alienware X51 R2
Owner’s Manual
Regulatory model: D05S
Regulatory type: D05S002
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Notes, Cautions, and Warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of
your computer.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates potential damage to hardware or loss
of data if instructions are not followed.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal
injury, or death.
____________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2013 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of these materials in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc.
is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell™ and the DELL logo are trademarks of Dell Inc.; Alienware®is a
trademark or registered trademark of Alienware Corporation; Microsoft®, Windows®, and the Windows
start button logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and/or other countries; Bluetooth®is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG,
Inc. and is used by Dell under license.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming
the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and
trade names other than its own.
Regulatory model: D05S Regulatory type: D05S002
2013 - 06 Rev. A00
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Contents | 3
Contents
About Your Computer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Front View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Back View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Turn Off Your Computer and Connected Devices . . . . . . 7
Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Working Inside Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
System Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Entering System Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Boot Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Flashing the BIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Contacting Alienware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
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4| Contents
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About Your Computer | 5
About Your Computer
Front View
NOTE: Your Alienware X51 R2 computer supports dual orientation. You can place
your computer vertically or horizontally. The rotatable AlienHead allows you to
change the direction of the AlienHead depending on the orientation of your
computer.
1 power button 2 optical-drive eject button
3 optical drive 4 rotatable AlienHead
5 microphone port 6 headphone port
7 USB 3.0 ports (2)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
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6| About Your Computer
Back View
Specifications
For detailed information regarding the configuration of your computer, see Specifications
at dell.com/support.
1 optical S/PDIF port 2 HDMI port
3 USB 3.0 ports (2) 4 USB 2.0 ports (2)
5 rear L/R surround port 6 side L/R surround port
7 microphone port 8 hard-drive activity light
9 label tab 10 power adapter port
11 discrete graphics card 12 line-out port
13 line-in port 14 center/subwoofer LFE port
15 security-cable slot 16 USB 3.0 ports (2)
17 network port and network lights 18 coaxial S/PDIF port
1
2
3
17
8
10
18
12
9
5
7
4
15
614
16
13
11
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Before You Begin | 7
Before You Begin
Turn Off Your Computer and Connected
Devices
CAUTION: To avoid losing data, save and close all open files and exit
all open programs before you turn off your computer.
1Save and close all open files and exit all open programs.
2Access the Settings charm in the Charms sidebar. Tap or click Power and then
choose Shut Down.
Microsoft Windows shuts down and then the computer turns off.
NOTE: If you are using a different operating system, see the documentation
of your operating system for shut-down instructions.
3Disconnect your computer and all attached devices from their electrical outlets.
4Disconnect all telephone cables, network cables, and attached devices from your
computer.
5Press and hold the power button while the computer is unplugged to ground the
system board.
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8| Before You Begin
Safety Instructions
Use the following safety guidelines to help protect your computer from potential damage
and to help ensure your personal safety.
WARNING: Before you begin, read the safety information that
shipped with your computer. For more safety best practices
information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage at
dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
WARNING: Only a certified service technician is authorized to
remove the computer cover and access any of the components
inside.
CAUTION: To avoid damaging the computer, ensure that the work
surface is flat and clean.
CAUTION: When you disconnect a cable, pull on its connector or on
its pull-tab, not on the cable itself. Some cables have connectors with
locking tabs or thumb-screws that you must disengage before
disconnecting the cable. When disconnecting cables, keep them
evenly aligned to avoid bending any connector pins. When
connecting cables, ensure that the connectors and ports are
correctly oriented and aligned.
CAUTION: To disconnect a network cable, first unplug the cable from
your computer and then unplug the cable from the network device.
NOTE: Ensure that you remove the security cable from the security-cable slot,
if applicable.
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Working Inside Your Computer | 9
Working Inside Your Computer
WARNING: Only a certified service technician is authorized to
remove the computer cover and access any of the components inside
the computer.
For information on removing and replacing the internal component of your computer,
contact Alienware. See "Contacting Alienware" on page 18.
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10 | System Setup
System Setup
Overview
Use the system setup to:
•get information about the hardware installed in your computer, such as the amount
of RAM, the size of the hard drive, and so on
•change the system configuration information
•set or change a user-selectable option, such as user password, type of hard drive
installed, enabling or disabling base devices, and so on
CAUTION: Unless you are an expert computer user, do not change
the settings for this program. Certain changes can make your
computer work incorrectly.
NOTE: Before you change system setup, it is recommended that you note the
system-setup screen information for future reference.
Entering System Setup
1Turn on (or restart) your computer.
2During POST, when the Alienware logo is displayed, watch for the F2 prompt to
appear and then press <F2> immediately.
NOTE: The F2 prompt indicates that the keyboard has initialized. This prompt
can appear very quickly, so you must watch for it, and then press <F2>. If you
press <F2> before the F2 prompt, this keystroke is lost. If you wait too long and
the operating system logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Microsoft
Windows desktop. Then, turn off your computer and try again. See "Turn Off Your
Computer and Connected Devices" on page 7.
System Setup Screens
The system setup screen displays current or changeable configuration information for
your computer. Information on the screen is divided into three areas: the Setup Item,
active Help Screen, and Key Functions.
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System Setup | 11
System Setup Options
NOTE: Depending on your computer and installed devices, the items listed in this
section may or may not appear exactly as listed.
Setup Item — This field appears on the
left side of the system setup window.
The field is a scrollable list containing
features that define the configuration of
your computer, including installed
hardware, power conservation, and
security features.
Scroll up and down the list using the
mouse or with the up- and down-arrow
keys. As an option is highlighted, the
Help Screen displays more
information about that option and
available settings.
Help Screen — This field appears on the
right side of the system setup window and
contains information about each option
listed in the Setup Item. In this field you
can view information about your computer
and make changes to your current settings.
Use the mouse or press the up-arrow and
down-arrow keys to highlight an option.
Double-click or press <Enter> to make that
selection active and return to the Setup
Item.
NOTE: Not all settings listed in the Setup
Item are changeable.
Key Functions — This field appears below the Help Screen and lists keys and their
functions within the active system setup field.
Main
System Date Displays the current date in mm/dd/yyy format.
System Time Displays the current time in hh:mm:ss format.
BIOS Information
BIOS Version Displays the BIOS version number.
Build Date Displays the BIOS release date.
Product Information
Product Name Displays the product name.
Set Service Tag Allows you to enter the service tag of your computer.
Asset Tag Displays the asset tag of your computer.
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12 | System Setup
ME Information
ME Firmware
Version Displays the version of the Management Engine (ME) Firmware.
Memory
Information
Total Memory Displays the total computer memory.
Memory Available Displays the amount of memory available on the computer.
Memory Technology Displays the type of memory technology used.
Memory Speed Displays the memory speed.
CPU Information
Processor ID Displays the processor identification code.
CPU Speed Displays the processor speed.
Cache L2 Displays the processor L2 cache size.
Cache L3 Displays the processor L3 cache size.
Device Information
SATA Port1 Displays the device connected to SATA Port1.
SATA Port2 Displays the device connected to SATA Port2.
SATA Port3 Displays the device connected to SATA Port3.
mSATA Device Displays the mSATA device.
Advanced — Advanced BIOS Features
OptionRom Display
Screen Allows you to display or hide the RAID option ROM screen during POST.
Advanced — CPU
Configuration
XD Bit Capability Allows you to enable or disable XD Bit Capability.
NOTE: If enabled, the processor distinguishes between
the bits of code that can and cannot be executed.
Intel(R) SpeedStep
Technology Allows you to enable or disable Intel (R) Speedstep Technology.
NOTE: If enabled, the processor clock speed and core
voltage are adjusted dynamically based on the
processor load.
CPU C States Allows you to enable or disable CPU C states.
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System Setup | 13
Advanced — Integrated Devices
USB Controller Allows you to enable or disable the integrated USB
controller.
HD Audio Allows you to enable or disable the integrated audio
controller.
Onboard LAN
Controller Allows you to enable or disable the onboard LAN controller.
Primary Display Allows you to select which of the Integrated/Discrete
graphics device should be the Primary Display.
PXE Option
UEFI PXE Driver Allows you to enable to disable boot option for UEFI (Unified
Extensible Firmware Interface) Network Devices.
PCIE Gen3 Allows you to enable or disable PCIE Gen3 capability.
Advanced — Power Management Setup
AC Recovery Sets what action the computer takes when power is
restored.
Security
Supervisor Password: Displays the Supervisor Password status.
User Password: Displays the User Password status.
Set Supervisor
Password Allows you to set or change a supervisor password.
Set User Password Allows you to set or change a user password.
NOTE: This item is only displayed when the supervisor
password is already set.
Boot Menu Security Allows you to enable to disable Boot Menu Security.
NOTE: This item is only displayed when the supervisor
password is already set.
Boot
Boot Configuration
Bootup NumLock State Allows you to enable or disable the keyboard NumLock
state.
Wait For ’F1’ If
Error If enabled, the system HALT during boot to display system errors.
Secure Boot Control Allows you to enable or disable secured booting.
Load Legacy OPROM Allows you to enable or disable the Legacy Option ROM.
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14 | System Setup
Set Boot Priority
Boot Mode Allows you to select Legacy or UEFI boot mode.
NOTE: Legacy boot mode if selected, enables booting to
devices that support Legacy BIOS. UEFI boot mode if
selected, enables UEFI drivers.
CAUTION: Changing boot modes require that
your boot storage device be partitioned to
match the boot mode compatibility. Changing
boot modes could result in an incompatible boot
storage device, which may prevent the original
OS boot. Restoring the boot mode may resolve
an incompatible boot storage device failure and
recover the original OS boot.
Usb Boot Support Allows you to enable or disable booting from USB mass
storage devices such as hard drive, optical drive, USB flash
drives, and so on.
1st Boot Displays the first boot device.
Default: UEFI:Windows Boot Manager.
2nd Boot Displays the second boot device.
Default: USB Hard Disk.
3rd Boot Displays the third boot device.
Default: CD/DVD.
4th Boot Displays the fourth boot device.
Default: Floppy.
5th Boot Displays the fifth boot device.
Default: Network.
Hard Disk Drive BBS
Priorities Sets the hard drive boot priority. The items displayed are dynamically updated according to the hard drives detected.
Exit
Provides options to Save Changes and Reset, Discard Changes and
Reset, and Restore Defaults.
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System Setup | 15
Boot Sequence
This feature allows you to change the boot sequence for devices.
Boot Options
•Floppy —The computer attempts to boot from the floppy disk drive. If no operating
system is on the drive, the computer generates an error message.
•Hard Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the primary hard drive. If no
operating system is on the drive, the computer generates an error message.
•CD/DVD/CD-RW Drive — The computer attempts to boot from the optical drive. If
no disc is in the drive, or if the disc is not bootable, the computer generates an error
message.
•USB Storage Device — Insert the memory device into a USB connector and
restart the computer. When F12 Boot Options appear in the lower-right corner of
the screen, press <F12>. The BIOS detects the device and adds the USB flash option
to the boot menu.
NOTE: To boot to a USB device, the device must be bootable. To ensure that
your device is bootable, check the device documentation.
•Network — The computer attempts to boot from the network. If no operating
system is found on the network, the computer generates an error message.
Changing Boot Sequence for the Current Boot
You can use this feature to change the current boot sequence, for example, to boot from
the optical drive to run Dell Diagnostics from the Drivers and Utilities disc. The previous
boot sequence is restored at the next boot.
1If you are booting from a USB device, connect the USB device to a USB connector.
2Turn on (or restart) your computer.
3When F2 Setup, F12 Boot Options appear in the lower-right corner of the
screen, press <F12>.
NOTE: If you wait too long and the operating system logo appears, continue to
wait until you see the Microsoft Windows desktop. Then, shut down your
computer and try again.
The Boot Options appears, listing all available boot devices.
4On the Boot Options choose the device you want to boot from.
For example, if you are booting to a USB hard disk, highlight USB Hard Disk and
press <Enter>.
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16 | System Setup
Changing Boot Sequence for Future Boots
1Enter system setup. See "Entering System Setup" on page 10.
2Scroll using the mouse or use the arrow keys to highlight the Boot menu option and
press <Enter> to access the menu.
NOTE: Write down your current boot sequence in case you want to restore it.
3Navigate to Set Boot Priority to change the devices assigned to the following:
–1st Boot
–2nd Boot
–3rd Boot
–4th Boot
–5th Boot
4Double-click or use the arrow keys to highlight the boot priority and press <Enter> to
display the different devices.
5Select the device and press <Enter> or double-click to set the boot priority.
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Flashing the BIOS | 17
Flashing the BIOS
The BIOS may require flashing when an update is available or when replacing the system
board. To flash the BIOS:
1Turn on the computer.
2Go to dell.com/support/downloads.
3Under the category Support for Home Users, click Drivers & Downloads Home.
4Locate the Service Tag of your computer. The Service Tag for your computer is on a
label at the back of your computer. For more information, see the Quick Start Guide
that shipped with your computer.
If you have your computer’s Service Tag or Express Service Code:
aClick Enter Service Tag.
bEnter your computer’s Service Tag or Express Service Code in the Service Tag
or Express Service Code: field, click Submit, and proceed to step 5.
If you do not have your computer’s Service Tag,
aSelect one of the following options:
–Automatically detect my Service Tag for me
–Choose from My Products and Services List
–Choose from a list of all Dell products
bClick Continue and follow the instructions on the screen.
5Select the Operating System installed in your computer.
6A list of results appears on the screen. Click BIOS.
7Click Download File to download the latest BIOS file.
8In the Choose Download Method window, click Single-file download, and then click
Continue.
9In the Save As window, select an appropriate location to download the file on your
computer.
10 If the Download Complete window appears, click Close.
11 Navigate to the folder where you downloaded the BIOS update file. The file icon
appears in the folder and is titled the same as the downloaded BIOS update file.
12 Double-click the BIOS update file icon and follow the instructions on the screen.
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18 | Contacting Alienware
Contacting Alienware
NOTE: Dell provides online and telephone-based support and service options for
your Alienware computer. These services may vary by country and product and may
not be available in your area.
To contact Dell for sales, technical support, or customer service issues:
1Go to dell.com/contactdell.
2Select the appropriate service or support link based on your need.
3Choose the method of contacting Dell that is convenient for you.
If you are in the United States, call 1-800-ALIENWARE for help on your Alienware computer.
Websites
For the latest information, FAQs, and solutions to most common issues,
see dell.com/Alienware.
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