Dell Alienware X51 R2 Owners 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.
2013 - 10  Rev. A01
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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
45 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 USB 3.0 ports (2)
3 USB 2.0 ports (2) 4 rear L/R surround port
5 side L/R surround port 6 microphone port
7 hard-drive activity light 8 label tab
9 power adapter port 10 HDMI 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
17
7
9
18
12
8 4
6 3
15
5
14 16
13
11
10
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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  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 . If you 
press  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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