Creative Communities of the World Forums

The peer to peer support community for media production professionals.

Activity Forums Adobe After Effects Advice on PrePurchase PC & Specs

  • Advice on PrePurchase PC & Specs

    Posted by Gary Behrend on September 4, 2016 at 2:08 pm

    I was thinking about buying an Alienware PC model # A51R2-1766SLV made by dell. I currently have a Mac Mini and an older outdated HP use. Through a Friend I can get this new unused Alienware PC for a really really good price ($999 instead of the retail price of $1700). The Specs are Below. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) how well would this PC work with After Effects, ProPremiere, & Rendering? I’ve tried to do my homework, but would just like some reassurance. I’d rather buy nice than by twice. Your help would be appreciated.

    FULL SPECIFICATIONS (not summarized)

    GENERAL
    – Manufacturer – Dell Alienware
    – Series – Area 51
    – Model Number – a51R2-1766SLV

    VIDEO
    – GPU Type – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
    – Video Memory – 4GB GDDR5
    – VR Ready – Yes
    – Video Connectors – 1 x HDMI
    – This PC Supports 3 Extra Wide Video cards for up to 12K. Unstoppable graphics capabilities can enable a mind-melting 11520×2160 resolution across triple Ultra HD 4K monitors (sold seperately). The new Area-51 is designed to support up to three full-length double-wide graphics cards.

    PROCESSOR – Core i7 5820K (3.3GHz)
    – CPU Core – Six-Core
    – CPU Type – Core i7
    – CPU Speed – 5820k (3.3GHz)
    – Turbo Boost Speed – Up to 3.6GHz
    – Smart Cache – 15MB
    – CPU Brand – Intel
    – Front Side Bus – QPI 0GT/s
    – CPU Socket – LGA 2011-3
    – CPUs Installed – 1
    – CPUs Supported – 1

    MEMORY
    – Total Memory – 16GB
    – Memory Speed – DDR4-2133
    – Memory Slots (Total) – 4
    – Form Factor – 288-pin DIMM
    – Maximum Memory Supported – 32GB

    OPERATING SYSTEM
    – Windows 10 Home 64-bit

    CASE & MOTHERBOARD
    – Case Orientation – Vertical
    – Motherboard Chipset – Intel X99 Express

    CPU Main Features
    – Virtualization Technology
    – Hyper-Threading Technology
    – Idle States
    – Execute Disable Bit
    – Thermal Monitoring Technologies
    – Intel 64
    – Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology
    – Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O
    – Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables
    (EPT)
    – Intel Identity Protection Technology
    – Intel Smart Response Technology
    – Intel AES New Instructions

    HARD DRIVE
    – HD Interface – SATA
    – HD Capacity – 2TB
    – HD RPM – 7,200 RPM
    – HD Configuration – 1 x 2TB

    SOLID STATE DRIVE
    – SSD Capacity – 128GB

    MULTIMEDIA DRIVES
    – Optical Drives Included – 1
    – Optical Drive – DVDRW
    – Optical Drive Specs – Slot-Loading Dual
    Layer DVD Burner (DVDRW, CD-RW)

    AUDIO
    – Audio System – Internal High-Definition
    – Audio via Creative Sound Core3D

    COMMUNICATIONS
    LAN
    – Gigabyte LAN
    – LAN Data Rate Speed – 10/100/1000Mbps

    WLAN
    – Intel Dual Band Wireless – AC 7260
    – Bluetooth – Bluetooth 4.0
    – Wireless Technology – 802.11ac

    MEMORY CARD READER
    – FRONT/TOP PANEL PORTS
    – USB 3.1
    – 2 x USB 3.1 (Gen 1 Type-A)
    – BACK PANEL PORTS
    – USB 2.0
    – 4 x USB 2.0 (Type-A)
    – USB 3.1
    – 4 x USB 3.1 (Gen 1 Type-A)
    – LAN RJ45 – 1
    – Audio – 5 ports

    Here is A Quick Summary Of Specifications:
    (FULL Specifications found above)

    – Intel Core i7-5820K Processor 3.3GHz
    – Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit
    – 16GB DDR4-2133 RAM
    – 128GB Solid State Drive+2TB 7,200RPM
    Hard Drive
    – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB GDDR5 VR
    Ready
    – Slot-Loading Dual Layer DVD Burner
    – Media Card Reader
    – 10/100/1000 Network
    – Intel 7260 802.11ac 2×2 Wireless

    Tudor “ted” jelescu replied 9 years, 12 months ago 2 Members · 1 Reply
  • 1 Reply
  • Tudor “ted” jelescu

    September 4, 2016 at 8:01 pm

    Having worked on Alienware before I can tell you that they look great, however I was disappointed by the performance – and it was not just my particular machine, there were 6 in our office. Now we have 2 Origin PC and 4 3XS ones that work great, however the price was pretty steep. I have a great machine at home however that did not break the bank, an MSI, with 32 GB RAM, i7, GTX870M. What I love most is a 3 SSD SuperRAID2 setup. That was worth all the money. This rig was under 2500 USD and it’s a workhorse. So I guess if you have the funds I would recommend to choose something else, but for the price you can get it at, it may be the machine of choice for you.

    Tudor \”Ted\” Jelescu
    Senior VFX Artist

We use anonymous cookies to give you the best experience we can.
Our Privacy policy | GDPR Policy