Requires VRM heatsink (Dell P/N J46J2) and 850W PSU — same requirements as the i7-6700K.
On non-K SKUs the heatsink is absent from the factory; do not skip this step.
This is the CPU ceiling for the R5 — factory option on K-SKUs only.
Upgrading from a non-K SKU requires VRM heatsink (Dell P/N J46J2) and an 850W PSU. Liquid cooling strongly recommended; the stock air cooler is insufficient at load.
Kaby Lake (7th gen). Dell never released a Z170 BIOS update for any 7th gen processor — the R5 failed Dell's internal validation testing and support was officially declined.
Kaby Lake (7th gen). Despite being LGA1151, the Z170 BIOS for the R5 was never updated to support it. Dell explicitly confirmed no update will be released.
Coffee Lake (8th gen). Requires Z370 or Z390 chipset — physically LGA1151 but electrically incompatible with Z170. Will not POST.
Factory option on higher-tier R5 SKUs — shipped with both 460W and 850W PSU configurations. Widely confirmed working in the R5 case.
Blower-style versions (e.g. PNY Blower, ZOTAC TWIN Edge) confirmed fitting the R5 chassis. Blower cooler preferred in this case for exhaust management.
Confirmed working on the stock 460W PSU. FE and compact dual-fan models fit without clearance issues.
850W PSU required — the 460W OEM supply cannot support this card's peak draw alongside the rest of the system.
FE (267mm) fits the R5 chassis. Most AIB cards run 280–305mm; verify length before ordering.
850W PSU strongly recommended — combined system draw approaches the 460W limit under sustained load.
FE and dual-fan compact models confirmed fitting at 229mm.
850W PSU required. FE card is 267mm and fits the R5 chassis.
Most AIB partner cards exceed 280mm — measure before purchasing any non-reference version.
850W PSU required. FE card is 242mm and fits within the ~280mm clearance.
Most AIB cards are 280–320mm — FE or compact dual-fan models only. Check dimensions before ordering.
No community confirmation in an Aurora R5 found at time of writing — upgrade is based on known clearance and power figures.
Founders Edition is 285mm — 5mm over the confirmed ~280mm clearance limit. All AIB partner cards are 305–335mm and will not fit without removing the front intake fan.
3-slot card at 336mm — far exceeds both the case clearance and the 850W PSU capacity. Not viable in any R5 configuration.
All available AIB cards are 3-slot and 287–330mm. Both the slot count and length exceed R5 case constraints, and 355W TDP exceeds the 850W PSU's effective headroom.
User reported the RTX 2060 running without issues on the stock 460W supply; combined system draw stayed within safe margins.
Compact FE and blower-style RTX 2060 models verified to fit the R5 chassis without clearance issues.
PNY blower model and ZOTAC compact versions specifically noted; blower exhaust recommended for R5's restricted internal airflow.
Users noted that open-air dual/triple-fan 1660 Ti cards may create thermal issues as hot air recirculates inside the case.
The R5 uses standard ATX PSU dimensions — any modern ATX unit up to ~150mm deep fits the swing-out bracket.
Critical caveat: the motherboard's GPU_PWR 8-pin header requires the CPU 4+4 pin cable from the new PSU, not a PCIe power cable. Wrong connection causes a black screen on boot.
Some users reported the R5 posting with a 7700K after sourcing a third-party firmware flash, but this is unwarrantable and not reproducible across all board revisions.
Dell's official position: the R5 system failed validation with the 7700K under load, and no BIOS update will be released. Do not pursue this upgrade path.
The R5 has a wide range of GPU options and a few tricky CPU gotchas — if you've successfully dropped in a card or swapped a CPU, your report is the most valuable data on this page. Community confirmations help other R5 owners make better decisions.