Ok so I'm bad at computer stuff and....

[File2ish]

More to the point, if you are trying to squeeze more out of the same hardware, just upgrade the cooling system. Most OEM systems (Dell, Alienware, etc) use the cheapest parts possible, that's why they make so much noise. If your system doesn't sound like a jet engine, then you're good. If it sounds like a jet engine taking off when the game runs, then the CPU/GPU is working too hard and probably needs a better cooler. That's the cheapest thing you can do.

Upgrading the cooling system in an OEM built computer isn't always feasible, many OEM motherboards don't use the standard mounting brackets for the CPU heatsink that are generally found per socket type on ATX and ITX motherboards. Also Dell owns Alienware :P



On a separate note, after looking at the computer specs again when not dead tired after work; it seems he's playing on a laptop (I don't recall there ever being an AMD HD 8870 video card, and the i7 3820 fits Intel's naming scheme for mobile CPUs).

There is no easy upgrade path for a laptop, the best way to get more performance out of a laptop would be to install an SSD (if you have a free 2.5" drive port) as your game drive to improve loading times. And, going back to my previous comment about thermal paste: if you know someone tech savvy enough THAT YOU TRUST WITH YOUR EQUIPMENT to tear down your laptop, you can have them clean off and replace the thermal compound on the heatsink copper pipe brackets mounted to the CPU and GPU. This will help with the thermal issues when running games on a laptop and likely help it so the cooling fan isn't ramped up to 100% all the time. Neither of these will give you direct performance gains, but it will help your laptop in the long run.

That's the best advice I can offer outside of purchasing a new laptop outright. But your benchmark score is good for the game, no need to upgrade unless you really really want to play with higher settings.