*OFFICIAL* Alienware "Graphics Amplifier" Owner's Lounge and Benchmark Thread (All 13, 15 and 17)

Same here. I can't upgrade to 387.92 with my MSI 1070. Anyone been able to update?

 

Hi guys!

As an owner of 17 R4 2016, I would like to know if anyone tried cryptocurrency mining with their AGAs? On paper, a combination of 1070 + RX Vega 64 should give some decent hashrates, can anyone share theirs? Also, does it stress hard the hardware?

P.S. Apologies if this has already been asked.

 

The 1070 is disabled when the AGA is connected.

 

Yes I have and the hash rate is fine but as stated before the internal card is disabled while the AGA is in use which could be both good or bad depending on what you want. My Vega 56 was getting about 37H/s @ -20% and 950 mem. Haven't tried an AGA plus a TB3 enclosure but ill give it a try once cryptos recover.

 

So i have a 15 R3 with a 1070 and a i7 6700.
I can confirm that VEGA does indeed work....to some degree.
It definately needs a DRIVER update to fix ALOT of bugs.
Playing CS:GO is pretty decent but i find the USB ports on the amp disconnect periodically. Kinda painfull while playing.
In windows most things are perfect, however i have a few issues editing a excel spreadsheet last night and then this morning my sound was all messed up everytime i moved the mouse.... Unplugged the AGA and all was back to normal.

As far as mining goes, its decent. I am running the latest AMD driver (Not the blockchain driver) and at 1000 core, 1100 mem -20% power i get 40mhash. Im guessing with the blockchain driver 45mhash is realistic.

 

Has somebody hace problems installing the latest drivers 387.87 I'm the gtx970m.

I taught that maybe was my windows 10 insider but I already uninstall drivers manually and with DDU and I can install oldest drivers.

But the 387.87 say that "I don't recognize any compatible graphics card"

PS: no it isn't the desktop drivers, and geforce experience pop up the update

Sent from my Redmi 3S using Tapatalk

 

I have this exact problem. The last two NVIDIA drivers don't recognise my GTX1080 in my AGA.

 

hello guys quick question, I have an aw r4 2017 with the std FHD 60hz screen on the laptop, if I buy AGA I can use my dual dvi cable from my 120hz monitor straight into the AGA dvi port? so I will be able to run @120hz? I am right?
Thks!

 

Assuming you buy a graphics card with a DVI port yes.

 

No issues here, again NVidia embed, AMD discrete

No issues here with NVidia/AMD combo newest drivers work just fine. I believe this is an NVidia specific issue at this point.

 

Ok, got it! Thanks!


Enviado do meu iPhone usando Tapatalk Pro

 

What you need to understand is that the AGA supplants the 16X internal PCI-E connection and bridges it over to the AGA so whatever you have connected to the AGA is what you're going to get. This works despite their "officially supported" list. Vega still isn't supported and it works fine, at one point the internal display did not work (not that I cared) but that is about as bad as you'll see. Because there is no software trickery involved you can put any card you want in there as long as you use an external monitor. At some point I plan on replacing mine with dual-vega once that releases.

If you haven't noticed already everyone on here that is having problems are using NVidia->Nvidia combos and unless I see evidence otherwise I would strongly discourage doing this. If you want to use Nvidia dual you are probably better off using TB3 enclosure. Again it disables the internal connection and is no different than if you had a desktop and manually swapped cards. Clearly Windows doesn't like this since NVidia split driver packages between the mobile and desktop versions but their deviceIDs are the same.

 

Thks for the reply.

I use the alienware as a second machine, but soon I will sell my desktop and buy the AGA to have the alienware as my main machine.

I will put my 1080ti in thr AGA and connect my 120hz monitor.

My R4 uses a FHD screen with
optimus but I don’t care if I loose intel graphics.

Thks


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Still can't update nVidia drivers for my AGA hosted GTX1080. My internal GTX980M updates fine when the AGA is disconnected but no joy otherwise. That's two different driver sets now rejected for my AGA.

Any one have a solution? Must be lots of others out there who can't update their drivers for nVidia card too........

 

The problem, atleast for me, was Windows Update keeps overwriting the installed driver. And I can't install the NVIDIA driver after that. Check your driver date if this is the case (if you have the May 2017 or July 2017 driver from Microsoft, not NVIDIA, means that Windows Update overwrote your drivers which prevents NVIDIA driver from being installed)

Solution:
1. Disable Windows Update
2. Run DDU to completely remove the current driver (preferably in safe mode) - Reboot
3. Install the latest driver from NVIDIA - Reboot
4. Disable driver update and block the NVIDIA drivers from Microsoft by following instructions here:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/take-back-control-driver-updates-windows-10/
5. Enable Windows Update

 

Came across this?

Seems like a huge difference between an AMP and desktop

I am still on the fence about buying a graphics amp over just building a desktop.

Then again I have 15r3 and I think I should of bought a 13inch version and an AMP or desktop.

I am so indecisive it's just not even fair!

 

Thank you man!!!!!!!!!!!! I had been having similar issues with the last 2 driver releases. I didn't do exactly what you said but it still worked. What i did is run DDU in safe mode. Restarted and downloaded the drivers from nvidia and they finally installed with zero issues. Thanks again!

 

Hi guys so I know you guys have an AMP.

I am stuck in a decision.
7"
15" Aw15r3 AMP with 1080ti and a 27" 2560x1440 with Gysnc 165hz 4ms

Or

8700k Desktop with 1080ti and a 27" 2560x1440 with Gysnc. 165hz 4ms

I already have my alienware 15 so thatas obviously a huge advantage.

I want to know what sort of FPS difference I can expect with the AMP and my system vs the desktop.
I would sell my 15" if I choose the desktop.

I am in a situation where I don't want to sacrifice to much vs cost.... I don't really need mobility.

However if we are talking a big performance drop I'd give up mobility for performance.
IE say I am playing say Wolfenstein new collousus at 2650x1440p if I get 100fps with the AMP and 110Fps with the desktop the amp is worth it. However If I am getting 110fps with the desktop and 70fps with the AMP then obviously its not a great investment.

I have the money to invest in either option with selling the 15 if I go the desktop route. I just don't want to make the wrong decision for the enjoyment of gaming and cost myself twice by taking the wrong option.

Thank you all

 

The performance loss is just about -15%

 

at 1440p that 15% should not keep you out of playable FPS since the 1080 Ti is a beast made for 4k gaming/VR.

 

Thanks guys that is really actually helpful! Ive been searching and searching for real world info

 

What monitor are you running currently?

I have some dell coupons I was looking at getting an Aurora r6 with the 34inch ultrawide monitor.

The AMP I think is a absolutely brilliant concept but it needs more PCI-E lanes, and also due to the limitations of the CPU's in a laptop the idea of extending the life of your laptop in say 2 years time is really a redundant concept. Its fine for now. 2 years time when CPU's have moved on so significantly will mean the CPU bottlenecks your system so badly..

7700hq plus a 1180ti for example is going to be seriously held back. Laptops with a desktop CPU would be better. Or even Laptops with seriously better CPU's might help.

The AMP is fantastic but its just not there yet..
not unless your upgrading your Laptop and graphics card in your AMP 2 yearly as well.

 

You do realize that CPUs have largely gone sideways for the last 5 years and laptop CPUs are very competitive to desktop CPUs now. I would have no issues running my 7820hk for 2-3 years. GPUs are advancing at a much higher rate which is why the AGA is fantastic. The CPU is more than good enough and the GPU which is doubling every couple years can be upgraded. The 8th Gen Intel stuff with 6 cores is the first upgrade worth making in years to me. Prior to that, the only reason to upgrade was for the platform improvements, not much happened on the CPU front.

I currently have 2x Dell U2515h hooked up to the 1080 Ti in my AGA.

 

You are swaying me! I was just going to build a 8700k based desktop myself but I love having a laptop. 6 core laptop might be nice though lol

How do you think my 7700hq will hold up with a 1080ti with AGA and a 34" curved predator monitor at 3440X1440P? 100HZ

I should state that I'm not a huge online gamer.

Kinda thinking I should of sprung for 7820HK. My. Most of what I do is basic the hardest thing my system does is game.

So is the 15% Loss purely the PCI-e lanes?

 

If you are not going to overclock (most have to underclock to stop throttling....) the CPU difference will not really be measurable. That monitor will be such that the GPU will have to work a little Still not 4k though, full 4k is where the PCIe might become a bottleneck but at lower resolutions I would think you are fine. Keep in mind PCIe 3.0 x4 is the same as PCIe 2.0 x8 which has been more than sufficient for pretty much all top end cards.

 

Fair play I can’t overclock my 7700hq it’s just fixed. Which is why I was debating whether or not I would have an issue with cpu holding me back, especially as i don’t have the 7820hk with all its over long goodness.

I actually won the Alienware paste job lottery mine never really gets that hot that it throttles ever. Neither does my GPU. I can smash them for hours with bench marks and it never throttles through temps.

I will have to seriously consider this idea of a amp with a 1080ti.

Ultrawide is another debate of mine in my head currently as I am not sure it will really be that amazing as opposed to a regular 27” 2560x1440p monitor. Especially over the huge cost. Sometimes the balance of cost vs enjoyment come into play.

 

My issue with ultrawide displays is that it is a non-standard ratio so support in software would be hit or miss I imagine. Especially in games where the HUD may be hardcoded to a 16:10 (or 9) aspect ratio that is pretty much ubiquitous.

Here is a sampling of Firestrike Ultra showing my laptop with 1070m, laptop with 1080 Ti in AGA, and desktop with a 4770k and dual GTX 980 Ti.

The 980 Ti's are EVGA FTW cards but other than that everything is 100% stock.


This is the same 3 setups running Timespy (non Extreme) to show a different workload.

 

See that's some really world figures.

I can see why the AGA is so tempting now.
Would save me some money as well.

I could get different laptop system and sell my current one as I could have different options like the 7820hk chip.

I find I am often quite loyal to some brands. Or my OCD is. I like everything to match so alienware keyboard, mouse etc... I don't know why but it pleases me, maybe I'm strange lol.

 

Benchmarks are useful for relative comparison but not an exact real-world dataset. Just want to set appropriate expectations. In my case, the 1080 Ti is about a 50% uplift on the 1070m. I may test the 1080 Ti in the desktop if I get bored to have that datapoint as well.

Not sure I would get a new laptop just for the -k CPU. Possibly if you want a different screen. As for the OCD, it is ok to use other mice and keyboards

I use a Corsair K90 from years ago and a Logitech G9x from the stone age

 

I actually have the new Alienware mouse mostly because it is a big mouse and I like to palm my mouse.

The screen was actually the reason for the change I could get a 4K panel instead of my 1080p, I would lose gsync but gain some battery life and also a sharper image.

**** Scratch that last. UK options don't allow for the 4k Panel and the 7820HK, only 7700hq. 7820HK is the 1080p gysnc or 120hz only.

 

Right,


SO i decided to bite the bullet and instead of ordering a desktop as I do like to have a laptop, I got a graphics AMP!

I also got an Alienware Montior the Huge 34" Curved one and also the new AW keyboard the silver one. So everything Matches!

If the AMP turns out to be a pain I send it back and build a desktop and sell the laptop but I might as well give my preferred option a shot.

So what 1080ti fits inside the amp? I was looking at this one:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07113WJPC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?smid=A1J6K71R4L2HC7&psc=1

or

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071CPWFVJ/ref=psdc_430524031_t1_B06XSJJK4M

or

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071Y78QG7/ref=psdc_430524031_t1_B06XSJJK4M?th=1

the monitor is 3440x1440p So I need the extra grunt

 

The EVGAs will likely fit. Not expecting the Zotac to. If you can find reference style coolers, or close to it, those will fit best.

I would recommend a blower style cooler if possible as that will allow you to unplug the noisy 92mm fan in the front of the AGA. The open air style coolers will need that external source of air flow to clear heat out of the enclosure. The blower vents itself through the face plate.

 

The zotac will nto fith for sure, but the evga is a little bit too tall as well. you need to mod the case to make it work. I heavily recommend buying the reference version if you do not want to tinker with it.

 

I actually can't find a reference 1080ti anywhere

 

These are the cards that are blower style fans that I can get:

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/zot...ready-graphics-card-3584-core-1480mhz-gpu-158

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/evg...aphics-card-3584-core-1480mhz-gpu-1582mhz-boo

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/gig...y-graphics-card-3584-core-1480mhz-gpu-1582mhz

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/msi...aphics-card-3584-core-1506mhz-gpu-1620mhz-boo

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/asu...phics-card-3584-core-1480mhz-gpu-1582mhz-boos


Can I change the fan in the AMP?
I am assuming by your Sig you changed it for this one?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bearing-Pr...d=1509549740&sr=8-1&keywords=Noctua+NF-A9+Fan

thanks all

 

Founders Edition or anything with a blower style cooler will work. Something like this:

https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=11G-P4-5390-KR

Generally, the blower style cards a lower cost and always sold out, this may take some hunting. I got lucky with mine being in stock at my local computer store.

This is what I have and seems reasonably priced:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-TURBO...F8&qid=1509550295&sr=1-4&keywords=gtx+1080+ti

Another option:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zotac-NVID...F8&qid=1509550295&sr=1-9&keywords=gtx+1080+ti

I would not worry about getting an overclocked card. To be honest, there are other bottlenecks that make the small clock boost moot. Also, the GTX 1080 Ti really thrives with an overclock under better cooling than is possible in these enclosures anyways.

 

You can change the fan, BUT, I also changed the power supply to make that easier - because I could just use a 4-pin molex to 3-pin fan adapter. If you do not change your power supply, you will need to cut and splice the AGA fan harness onto the new fan you install. I recommend just upgrading them both since the PSU in the AGA is bargain bin junk anyways. I upgraded my fan to the Noctua, but honestly it is unplugged right now in favor of quieter operation. It would be great if Alienware put a fan controller on their board that could be mapped to the GPU temp and throttle the fan speed accordingly but instead they went for the "dumb" fixed speed approach that was disappointing on a blatantly enthusiast oriented product like this. I will take some pics in a sec to show how mine looks.

 

Handy thank you!!!

I can get all those cards, EVGA, ASUS and the ZOTAC, which do you think would be the best one? Given that you have the ASUS already.

I don't want to cut up the AGA just yet as if it can't drive the huge monitor then not really any point in it, I will have to build a desktop.

If it works out I can get a new PSU and cut and solder away all night. I was looking at Fans as if the current fan is loud and I could just unplug it and drop in a quieter fan to aid airflow ten it would be a relatively cheap mod for now till I finish deciding if its the right decision.

 

I was able to install the Corsair CX650m without any modification needed although their was a little flex on the back of the AGA to get it screwed in snug. The power socket lines up with the hole just fine. I would have preferred a fully modular option but nothing I found fully modular would line up with the hole in the chassis - also they were all much higher wattage than what is really needed. I would have got the CX550m but had a rebate that made this cheaper - it is considerable overkill. Since it is not fully modular, the 24pin ATX as well as the 8pin EPS 12V are hardwired and I had the spare EPS plug and cable I had to bundle up with zip ties. A single PCIe power cable was needed since it has 2x PCIe 6+2 plugs on it. I then added a single Molex 4pin to power the fan with an adapter but currently that is not in use. So far I have been happy with everything. The PSU upgrade is a good idea to get something that is a) more reliable than stock junk b) better build quality helping reliability and c) more efficient due to better quality parts. I haven't seen anyone test it but undoubtedly the voltage is much better quality going into the GPU as well which will help long term lifespan and reliability as well as stability if you do decide to try some overclocking.

 

Thats amazing! I shall have a quick look on amazon for the CX power supplies.

I will get a GPU first then go from there!

 

I would say go with whoever your brand preference is - all other things being equal. I went with the Asus because it was in stock and the price was good ($700USD) when most 1080 Tis were over $800 due to the crypto mining stupidity. They will all perform the same at stock clocks - build/component quality and luck will dictate any overclocking headroom but I prefer stability over a small (5-15%?) increase in performance when gaming. Benchmarking is another story

If I had my choice I am an EVGA fan boy cannot speak to their warranty support in other parts of the world - I am in the US.

 

foudn this as well

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-RM...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=7ST0EY0QZAPTGEWTKW7F


Being true I am EVGA fan boy as well.

I actually have a slight dislike of ASUS

Advantage EVGA its cheaper than the ASUS

 

Those are nicer than the CX series actually however the power plug for the cable to the wall is in the wrong spot to line up with the opening in the chassis.

This would have been my top pick:

https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Factor-Modular-Certified-Warranty/dp/B01CGGOXWQ

But again, the chassis hole doesn't line up - also the chassis is made for ATX PSUs so this SFX sized one wouldn't line up right and would need brackets and stuff. I am also kind of a Corsair fan boy when it comes to PSUs

 

Make sure to get a CX---m model that is the newer Grey and Black label (450, 550, 650). The older ones with the green label were kind of rubbish - had one die on me once.

Rounding out my setup, I also got a 2nd 240W laptop power supply to leave one with the AGA, a nice Anker USB 3.0 hub to connect everything into, a SoundBlaster Omni USB soundcard to connect the 5.1 speakers to, and a Gigabit Ethernet USB 3.0 adapter (I have a Linksys one but they are all pretty comparable). I also thew my 5.25" SATA BD-R drive into a nice OWC enclosure that is connected to the USB hub. This was replacing a full blown desktop and I didn't want to give up any functionality With the USB Hub and screens connected into the AGA, the only thing I plug into the laptop is the AGA cable and power. Really wish the AGA passed power too!

EDIT: Sorry, didn't mean to quote myself

 

I was actually going to use the SF600 in my desktop build. I was using a Phanteks Evolv Shift case.

I have a 330watt I leave at home as I used to have two for my older Alienware 18.
Audio I use a USB Audioquest Dragonfly Red with Jitterbug.
Speakers are just a 2.0 Edifier Set up. I have some AKG 551 MK2's for headphones.
Alienware Mouse and keyboard.
Never thought of a USB ethernet adaptor But thats a good shout I will order one.
I only really need 3 ports currently Mouse keyboard and sound.
I do have an Anker usb 3.0 hub already lol.


Okay I have found the CXM with 550watts I have added it to my wish list as well.
I will order a fan the same as yours for the AMP once I am done testing to see if I am keeping it. its in the wish list.

By the looks of things if this works out I won't actually need to build a desktop! I can keep my mobile laptop and have a desktop at home!

 

I happily replaced my desktop (i7 4770k and dual GTX 980 Ti) and have not looked back. I do not play the newest games at 4k so always maxing out the 60 Hz of my monitors without issue. Make sure to get a molex to fan adapter as the Noctua didn't come with one. I had them lying around from past purchases - you may as well - most aftermarket fans come with them

On my to-do list is replay Crysis 3 with max settings and test it out - that should put a decent strain on the card. I also have the Gears of War remaster and Gears of War 4 and may give those a whirl. Think those are the newest games I have right now since I am not counting anything Blizzard makes as taxing for GPUs haha.

 

I do have some of those from some fans I have bought in the past. I have box of connectors and stuff.

I have to try all this in ultra wide lol:

Crysis 3
Battlefield 1
Wolfenstein 2 The new Colossus
Dirt:Rally
Doom
Company of Heros 2

 

I have noticed that some people have fitted watercooled GPU's in there AMP's.

I was thinking obviously I could overclock it like a beast to get more FPS to overcome some of the loss. Although at 3440x1440 the loss will be a lot less due to the increased GPU load.

Most of the watercooled ones actually will fit and a quick youtube of how, shows it is pretty easy.

So is one with a higher clock speed and watercooling for overclocking better? Or is the extra £100-£200 over the one I have had turn up already (below) not worth it?

This one arrived today.
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/evg...aphics-card-3584-core-1480mhz-gpu-1582mhz-boo

 

The watercooled ones just have a simple Asetek CLC system installed usually. You can buy a cpu cooler and the corsair bracket to get similar results yourself if interested. I know that for CPUs the cooling is about the same as a large tower cooler but with GPUs there is actually an appreciable improvement in surface area with radiator vs standard fins. The main variables will be a) cooling of other components and b) how good of a contact you can get between the cooling block and the GPU die. I WOULD expect the watercooled to be louder under most conditions (pump + fan through a rad)

 

That's true I had a CLC on my CPU in my old desktop with a 5820k OC to 4.5ghz on all cores.

Do you think with my intended Usage case the AMP with a 120hz 3440x1440p monitor. I should change for the liquid version? I'm wondering just how much more I can get that might help me hit acceptable FPS. I am a gamer that prefers eye candy to blazing FPS. If its not much more FPS though then the cost makes it not worth it. Especially the AMP won't be able to manage it!

So my Alienware Keyboard, monitor and AMP have now been delays to the 15th! Annoying as I already have my GPU.


I read about the new Ryzen Mobile laptops! They would be interesting with the AMP they have more cores and crucially more PCI-E lanes. The Asus one with a Ryzen 7 1700 has 16+4+4 Lanes. We only have 16. So Ryzen could have 8 to AGA and 8 to GPU and still have the 4+4 left!!!! Intel needs to respond and give us more lanes!