Dell D23M002 Operation and maintenance manual

Aurora R7
Setup and Specifications
Computer Model: Alienware Aurora R7
Regulatory Model: D23M
Regulatory Type: D23M002

Notes, cautions, and warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you
make better use of your product.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to
hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage,
personal injury, or death.
Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and
other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other trademarks may
be trademarks of their respective owners.
2017 - 08
Rev. A00

Contents
Set up your computer..................................................5
Create a USB recovery drive for Windows................8
Reinstall Windows using a USB recovery drive................................8
Setting up the Virtual Reality (VR) headset —
optional.......................................................................10
Views...........................................................................11
Front.........................................................................................11
Back......................................................................................... 13
Back panel................................................................................ 15
Specifications............................................................ 18
Computer model........................................................................ 18
Dimensions and weight...............................................................18
System information.................................................................... 18
Operating system.......................................................................19
Memory.................................................................................... 19
Intel Optane memory..................................................................19
Ports and connectors..................................................................20
Communications........................................................................ 21
Wireless module................................................................... 21
Video........................................................................................22
Audio........................................................................................22
Storage.....................................................................................23
Power ratings............................................................................ 24
Computer environment............................................................... 24
3

Intel Optane memory................................................. 26
Enabling Intel Optane memory.................................................... 26
Disabling Intel Optane memory....................................................26
Getting help and contacting Alienware................... 28
Self-help resources.................................................................... 28
Contacting Alienware..................................................................28
4

Set up your computer
1 Connect the keyboard and mouse.
2 Connect the network cable — optional.
5

3 Connect the display.
NOTE: The DisplayPort on the back panel of your computer is
covered. Connect the display to the discrete graphics card of
your computer.
NOTE: If you have two graphics cards, the card installed in PCI-
Express X16 (graphics slot 1) is the primary graphics card.
4 Connect the power cable.
6

5 Press the power button.
7

Create a USB recovery drive for
Windows
Dell recommends that you create a recovery drive to troubleshoot and fix
problems that may occur with Windows. An empty USB flash drive with a
minimum capacity of 16 GB is required to create the recovery drive.
NOTE: The following steps may vary depending on the version of
Windows installed. Refer to the Microsoft support site for latest
instructions.
1 Connect the USB flash drive to your computer.
2 In Windows search, type Recovery.
3 In the search results, click Create a recovery drive.
The User Account Control window is displayed.
4 Click Yes to continue.
The Recovery Drive window is displayed.
5 Select Back up system files to the recovery drive and click Next.
6 Select the USB flash drive and click Next.
A message appears, indicating that all data in the USB flash drive will be
deleted.
7 Click Create.
NOTE: This process may take several minutes to complete.
8 Click Finish.
Reinstall Windows using a USB recovery
drive
CAUTION: This process formats the hard drive and removes all data
on your computer. Ensure that you back up data on your computer
before beginning this task.
8

NOTE: Before reinstalling Windows, ensure your computer has more
than 2 GB of memory and more than 32 GB of storage space.
1 Connect the USB recovery drive to your computer.
2 Restart your computer.
3 Press F12 after the Dell logo is displayed on the screen to access the boot
menu.
A Preparing one-time boot menu message appears.
4 After the boot menu loads, select the USB recovery device under UEFI
BOOT.
The system reboots and a screen to Choose the keyboard layout is
displayed.
5 Choose your keyboard layout.
6 In the Choose an option screen, click Troubleshoot.
7 Click Recover from a drive.
8 Choose one of the following options:
–Just remove my files to do a quick format.
–Fully clean the drive to do a complete format.
9 Click Recover to start the recovery process.
This will take several minutes to complete and your computer will restart
during this process.
9

Setting up the Virtual Reality (VR)
headset — optional
NOTE: The VR headset is sold separately.
1 Download and run the setup tools for your VR headset at www.dell.com/
VRsupport.
2 Connect the VR headset to the USB 3.1 Gen 1 and HDMI ports on your
computer, when prompted.
NOTE: Connect the headset to the HDMI port on the primary
graphics card and connect the display to any available port on
the card.
3 Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the setup.
10

Views
Front
1USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (2)
Connect peripherals such as external storage devices and printers.
Provides data transfer speeds up to 5 Gbps.
2Headphone port
Connect a headphone or speakers.
3Microphone port
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Connect an external microphone to provide sound input.
4USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port
Connect to external storage devices. Provides data transfer speeds up to 5
Gbps.
NOTE: This port does not support video/audio streaming or
power delivery.
5USB 3.1 Gen 1 port
Connect peripherals such as external storage devices and printers.
Provides data transfer speeds up to 5 Gbps.
6Optical-drive eject button
Press to open or close the optical drive tray.
7Optical drive (optional)
Reads from and writes to CDs, DVDs, and Blu‑ray discs.
8Power button (AlienHead)
Press to turn on the computer if it is turned off, in sleep state, or in hibernate
state.
Press to put the computer in sleep state if it is turned on.
Press and hold for 4 seconds to force shut-down the computer.
NOTE: You can customize the power-button behavior in Power
Options.
12

Back
1Back panel
Connect USB, audio, video, and other devices.
2PCI-Express X16 (graphics slot 1)
Connect a PCI-Express card such as graphics, audio, or network card to
enhance the capabilities of your computer.
For optimal graphics performance, use a PCI-Express X16 slot for
connecting the graphics card.
NOTE: The PCI-Express X16 slot works at X8 speed only.
13

NOTE: If you have two graphics cards, the card installed in PCI-
Express X16 (graphics slot 1) is the primary graphics card.
3PCI-Express X4 slots (2)
Connect a PCI-Express card such as graphics, audio, or network card to
enhance the capabilities of your computer.
4PCI-Express X16 (graphics slot 2)
Connect a PCI-Express card such as graphics, audio, or network card to
enhance the capabilities of your computer.
For optimal graphics performance, use a PCI-Express X16 slot for
connecting the graphics card.
NOTE: The PCI-Express X16 slot works at X8 speed only.
5Power-supply cage release-latches (2)
Allows you to remove the power supply unit from your computer.
6Power-supply diagnostics button
Press to check the power‑supply state.
7Power-supply diagnostics light
Indicates the power-supply state.
8Power port
Connect a power cable to provide power to your computer.
9Service Tag label
The Service Tag is a unique alphanumeric identifier that enables Dell
service technicians to identify the hardware components in your computer
and access warranty information.
10 Side panel release latch
Allows you to remove the side panel from your computer.
11 Security-cable slot (for Kensington locks)
Connect a security cable to prevent unauthorized movement of your
computer.
14

Back panel
1Hard-drive activity light
Turns on when the computer reads from or writes to the hard drive.
2Optical S/PDIF port
Connect an amplifier, speakers, or a TV for digital audio output through an
optical cable.
3USB 2.0 ports (6)
Connect peripherals such as external storage devices and printers.
Provides data transfer speeds up to 480 Mbps.
4DisplayPort
Connect an external display or a projector.
NOTE: The DisplayPort on the back panel of your computer is
covered. Connect the display to the discrete graphics card of
your computer.
15

5USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port
Connect peripherals, such as external storage devices and printers.
Provides data transfer speeds up to 10 Gbps.
NOTE: This port does not support video/audio streaming or
power delivery.
6USB 3.1 Gen 2 port
Connect peripherals, such as external storage devices and printers.
Provides data transfer speeds up to 10 Gbps.
7Side L/R surround port
Connect audio-output devices such as speakers and amplifiers. In a 7.1
speaker channel setup, connect the side-left and side-right speakers.
8Microphone port
Connect an external microphone to provide sound input.
9Front L/R surround line-out port
Connect audio-output devices such as speakers and amplifiers. In a 2.1
speaker channel setup, connect the left and right speakers. In a 5.1 or a 7.1
speaker channel setup, connect the front-left and front-right speakers.
10 Line-in port
Connect recording or playback devices such as a microphone or CD player.
11 Center/subwoofer LFE surround port
Connect the center speaker or the subwoofer.
NOTE: For more information about the speaker setup, refer the
documentation that shipped with the speakers.
12 Rear L/R surround port
Connect audio-output devices such as speakers and amplifiers. In a 5.1 or
a 7.1 speaker channel setup, connect the rear-left and rear-right speakers.
13 USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (3)
Connect peripherals such as external storage devices and printers.
Provides data transfer speeds up to 5 Gbps.
14 Network port (with lights)
Connect an Ethernet (RJ45) cable from a router or a broadband modem for
network or Internet access.
16

The two lights next to the connector indicate the connectivity status and
network activity.
15 Coaxial S/PDIF port
Connect an amplifier, speakers, or a TV for digital audio output through a
coaxial cable.
17

Specifications
Computer model
Table 1. Computer model
Computer model Alienware Aurora R7
Dimensions and weight
Table 2. Dimensions and weight
Height 472.5 mm (18.60 in)
Width 212 mm (8.34 in)
Depth 360.50 mm (14.19 in)
Weight 14.62 kg (32.23 lb)
NOTE: The weight of your computer
varies depending on the configuration
ordered and the manufacturing variability.
System information
Table 3. System information
Processor • 8th Generation Intel Core i5/i5k
• 8th Generation Intel Core i7/i7k
NOTE: If your computer is shipped with
an Intel Core i5k or Intel Core i7k
processor, you can overclock the
processing speed beyond the standard
specifications.
Chipset Intel Z370 chipset
18

Operating system
Table 4. Operating system
Operating system supported Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Memory
Table 5. Memory specifications
Slots Four DIMM sockets
Type DDR4
Speed • 2666 MHz
• Up to HyperX FURY DDR4 XMP at 2933
MHz
Configurations supported
Per slot 4 GB, 8 GB, and 16 GB
Total memory 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB
Intel Optane memory
Intel Optane memory functions as a storage accelerator. It accelerates the
system and any type of SATA-based storage media such as hard drives and
solid-state drives (SSDs).
NOTE: Intel Optane memory is supported on computers that meet the
following requirements:
• 7th generation Intel Core i3/i5/i7 processor or higher
• Windows 10 64-bit version or higher(Anniversary Update)
• Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver version 15.5.xxxx or higher
19

Table 6. Intel Optane memory
Interface PCIe NVMe 3.0 x2
Connector M.2
Configurations supported 16 GB and 32 GB
NOTE: For more information about enabling or disabling the Intel
Optane memory, see Enabling Intel Optane memory or Disabling Intel
Optane memory.
Ports and connectors
Table 7. Ports and connectors on the back panel
Back panel:
Network One RJ45 port
USB • Six USB 2.0 ports
• Three USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports
• One USB 3.1 Gen 2 port
• One USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port
Audio • One audio input/microphone port
• One optical S/PDIF port
• One coaxial S/PDIF port
• One front L/R surround line-out port
• One side L/R surround port
• One rear L/R surround port
• One center/subwoofer LFE surround port
• One line-in port
Video One DisplayPort - optional
NOTE: The DisplayPort on the back panel
of your computer is covered. Connect the
display to the discrete graphics card of
your computer.
20