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

As far as the OS knows it is just a GPU connected over PCIe x4 same as if it was internal off the motherboard. Should be fine for CUDA use. I am not sure if the Alienware software is actually needed though for the AGA to function properly, that software is windows only.

 

Thank you for running these test! I'm trying to figure out the most modular way for both my girlfriends XPS13 and my 17 R4 to hook into my new AW3418DW monitor. Unfortunately her little XPS13 doesn't have the power to push the full 3440x1440 very smoothly, at least when she starts getting into content editing.

I've been looking at the AORUS 1080 Box, primarily because of cost, but it doesn't allow for changing the GPU. That leads to me to try to find something similar to the core where I could swap cards between the core (for her PC) and the AGA (for mine). Seems like a lot of work, but also seems like the best option giving our situation. Might just need to build a desktop for the house lol.

 

A desktop will probably be the best long term solution with the best user experience. My experience with a TB3 eGPU on my AW 15 was NOT good. Still need some wrinkles ironed out and I see zero incentive for Alienware to undergo that work as they have and push the AGA currently.

 

As far as I kn

It only works correctly when you uninstall the AGA software.

 

Oh I did that, and many other things, it just wasn't coming together smoothly at all and was pretty unstable.

 

Hmm strange, from the experiences that I saw it ran pretty smoothly as far as TB3 performance can go.

 

Ok everyone, here is my current issue.

I have a 17 r5 with a 8th gen i7 8750H and a internal 1070.

I have a graphics amplifier and i installed a Asus ROG STRIX 1080ti OC into it and after going back and forth with drivers and updates, hell i even reset my computer to factory presets because alienware tech support told me that the 1803 build could be the issue i still cant seem to get this thing to work.

It has both the 1070 and the 1080ti working at the same time and the laptop does not recognize that the GA has been plugged in. When playing games, it does show that the 1080ti is working, however im only getting about 90-120 FPS on some titles while Doom is almost unplayable with crazy fluctuations in FPS.

Tech support had me run some tests and benchmarks and the 1080ti is just not performing how it should. I thought that it might have been a power source issue so i upgraded the PSU to a CX650M but still, the problem exists.

Any thoughts? Currently running the most updated Nvidia notebook driver (398.11) and it just isnt working.

 

This to me sounds like a software issue assuming the R5 has proper BIOS support. Do you have the Alienware programs installed? (OSD, AGA, Command Center)

 

So i have the most updated BIOS on my laptop that Dell has to offer, i also have the command center and OSD installed, but i dont see any software for the graphics amplifier, i see something on my start menu called Alienware Docking Station or something like that but nothing specifically for the AGA.

Also, when i look online at the available drivers, there is no driver for the graphics amplifier for the 17 r5. Crazier thing is when i look back at say a 17 r4, there is a driver for the graphics amplifier but when i downloaded it and tried to install, it said it was not compatible with my laptop and failed the installation.

 

That is truly odd to me then. I would hit up support.

 

So i called them yesterday and gave them all the details, they had me reset my computer because they thought that the 1803 build of windows might have something to do with the issue. Once i got everything back online, the problem still existed and it is running like crap.

Also, the AGA is just not being recognized as having been plugged in BUT i can use the GPU and it pushes games, just not as it should but i got full fan control and RGP, clock speeds, everything on the GPU i can mess with.

Currently running on the 1709 build, i installed the invidia drivers first with the aga disconnected and then again with it connected, hell i even tried disabling the internal 1070 but it didnt make a difference. The only thing i am thinking could be it is IF the AGA is faulty, Software is not yet available for the 17 r5 to run the AGA, or there is something wrong internally in my computer which would really suck.

Also, did i mention that when i ocnnect the AGA to my computer., my mouse will cut in and out. Im using a Razer Naga which works perfectly without the AGA plugged in, but the moment i plug it in, it starts connecting and disconnecting randomly. I unplugged it form the AGA USB port and plugged it directly into my laptop but the problem remains. uggggggggggggggghhhh i need help and support was pretty useless in this whole situation!!

 

It works on 1803, that is what I am using on my 15 r3 without issue. The lack of AGA software (and support) is weird for the 17 r5.

 

Yea, this seems to be a support and driver issue with the R5 line of laptops, im going to call support when i get out of work to see if they have any more ideas or if they can remote in to my computer to poke around. its just so frustrating. If anyone has any ideas or similar situations, i am alllllll ears!

 

Has anyone else noticed their AGA on models like the 13r3 has recently become a lot more stable/seamless?

In the past I had to restart my PC an additional time to switch over to external or internal discrete graphics. eg. I'd have to boot once with the 'new'setup (whether it be AGA connected or disconnected), it would load Windows and rely on Intel HD and the dGPU/eGPU wouldn't always be fully loaded (Eg nVidia control panel wouldn't be visible when right clicking desktop) and then I'd have to restart again.

Now it seems to work straight away! Great!

(Note: This is now similar to what I had with my previous 15r3 with a GSync panel whereby it always worked first boot everytime)

 

I’ve had the opposite experience. I have to reinstall my Nvidia drivers when I switch from my AGA 10&0ti to the built in 1060 (even though it’s the same driver for both).


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YOu dont need to reisntall the drivers. jsut wait for them to load up. It can take a while depending on your driver combination.

 

That’s incorrect. I waited 20 minutes and device manager still shows no driver. If I reinstall 391.35 it works perfectly on restart. Same thing happens when switching to or from the AGA.


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than you have a faulty driver install. Use DDU install your intel driver first and after the nvidia with AGA attached.

 

Done that. The driver isn’t faulty. It works with either graphics card, just needs to be reinstalled when switching between the two.


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Did a fresh windows install? If so your cable could be faulty

 

Yes, and the cable is fine because the AGA works perfectly.


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Im using the AGA for more than 2 years now and came across 2 cable issies which you wouldnt expect. 1 was that it messed with the laptops alienFX lights and the other was the failure of detection from time to time. Replaced the cable and both issues where gone. Even though in general the card inside the AGA worked well. If after a fresh windows install the issues are still present you can be sure the cable or AGA is botched.

 

NEW HERE AND HAVE A QUESTIONS!
I ad a 10G rig but due to health reasons and surgeries planned had to sell it so I wanted to get the best laptop experience and did my research and ended up getting a Alienware 17 R5 1080 with a amplifier with a Titan Xp OVER a razer blade pro and there dock due to the Alienware connecting to the PCI slot not TB3...

My question is I CANT GET IT WORKING!
After reading it seems it is not supported yet is this the simple reason? or am I doing something wrong I can get it to show but freezes and bottlenecks ect,
Any help would be appreciated thanks

 

Several people have reported issues with the r5s and AGA. I’d pester support until they can get a working fix. Just wondering, why the need for the Titan Xp when the r5 has a 1080 OC?


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The Titan X p is more powerful Maybe not by a landslide like other configurations but still a boost and the best you can get. I assume he meant Xp vs Xc?

 

Hello!!!

A question. I have an Alienware 17r4 GTX 1070 and I have a Graphics Amplifier + Aorus GTX 1080 TI Xtreme
I use the drivers downloaded from Nvidia (the latest drivers) for the GTX 1080 TI. The problem is that: when I start without the Graphic Amp, Windows 10 installs the drivers automatically for the Nvidia GTX 1070 from Windows Update (which is always a minor version to the latest published by Nvidia) and replaces the version of drivers that I use with the Graphic Amp. Is there any way to prevent this from happening? Because when I reconnect the Graphic Amp + GTX 1080 TI, I have to reinstall the drivers that I downloaded from the Nvidia site. It's a crap ...

I tried this solution: https://forums.guru3d.com/threads/win10-windows-update-prevent-installing-nvidia-drivers.401588/ But it does not work...

I can not find the way that when I start without the Graphic Amp, Windows does not automatically install the Windows Update drivers and use the drivers that are already installed. I can only block the automatic installation of all the updates, but I just want to block the automatic Nvidia driver installations only.


Some help???

Thanks in advance!!!!

 

I have never had this issue but what I would try is:

1) use DDU to completely wipe and remove all nvidia drivers
2) boot up normally without AGA and install mobile drivers
3) shut down
4) boot up WITH AGA
5) at this point I would expect windows to try to find drivers for the 1080 Ti, once that settles down, then install 1080 Ti drivers you want

After all that is done, shut down, and boot up without AGA to see if you are getting desired behavior. Then shut down and boot with AGA to see if THOSE drivers are loading correctly. I always perform a graceful shutdown when adding or removing the AGA, this may help with driver smoothness on my end.

 

Alienware Graphics Amplifier with Oculus Rift - a very short review

I have an Alienware laptop; 17r4 i7 7700hq with gtx1060, 32gb ram. I bought an Alienware graphics amplifier (AGA) and Zotac 1080 ti blower to try to improve my VR performance of my flight and racing sims. With my oculus rift everything worked fine but I did not end up getting any significant VR FPS improvements. Just ended up being a rather large and noisy usb hub, lol!

I have read a number of reviews on the AGA and it only seems to add significant performance if you are using an external 2d monitor connected to the gpu's card in the AGA. I would have thought that the Rift would qualify as something similar but obviously not. Oh well, now I have a nice new gtx1080 ti for a future gaming PC build. In the meantime, my current 17r4 works very well with my Rift (much better than it did with WMR btw). I just need to lower graphics setting a bit on some sims (like x-plane 11.21 in VR).

 

Something is wrong with your setup. You should see significant gains with the 1080ti vs the onboard 1060. What are your firestrike scores with each? Mine more than doubled with my FE 1080ti compared to the 1060, even while running the laptop display.


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I get good scores for both, and ya with the 1080ti it is about twice as high as with just the onboard 1060. The final outcome depends on its operating scenario. I'll try to explain the 3 diff ones I tested;

If I use an external monitor (I borrowed an HD monitor from a friend to test) I got significant performance improvements (~30% max) with non-VR games. This is not very useful for me right because I do not want to run an external monitor.

If I run non-VR games without an external monitor, so it just plays on my laptop's display, there is no significant performance improvement (~10% max). In fact, some simulators like realflight 8 (in non-VR mode) end up with poorer FPS performance (but still very playable).

If I run my VR system (Oculus Rift w/touch controllers) I do not get any significant performance improvements in any of my VR games (maybe ~5% max). Since all of my VR components are connected to the AGA, including the headset hdmi to the 1080ti card, I would have thought that this would have given similar improvements that I got with an external monitor. This was not the case for me so since the main purpose for buying the AGA and 1080ti was to improve my laptop's VR performance, this experiment has been a waste of time and money.

If anyone is running VR (vive, oculus, or wmr) with an AGA through a fairly modern Alienware laptop (with at least a 1050ti onboard) and a 1070-1080ti in the AGA, I would like to hear your experiences. Thanks.

 

Cant speak to VR, but my 1080ti gives significant gains over the 1060 even without the external monitor. Just for example, my 1060 can only manage ~40fps at 1080p while playing Deus Ex, while the 1080ti can run at 1440p at a constant 60fps. CoD Ww2 can run high 60 FPS at 1080p with the onboard video, my 1080ti can manage 60fps 1440p ultra.


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Sounds like yours is working well for you with non-VR apps.

 

hey everyone

I have the new 17 R5 i9 with GTX 1080.

if I got the AGA with a 1080ti, how much performance will I gain over the internal gtx1080, using an external 2k 144hz monitor

I wanna do that, so the monster CPU can enjoy the heatsink alone as I need it to be overclocked at 5ghz all time!!

thanks

 

Check the benchmarks for games that you play for those cards. Thats what you need to know.

 

thanks for replying. I know the AGA won't be able to deliver the full 1080ti performance .. I'm looking for the in general result between internal 1080 and external 1080ti

 

It should be pretty much full 1080 Ti performance, PCIe 3.0 x4 is the same as PCIe 2.0 x8 which was never really a bottleneck for any GPUs

 

The bottleneck is very minimal.

 

after some research, I came up with this:

10% drop in gtx1080ti performance
20% improvement over gtx1080

 

If you use the internal ascreen. External is only a couple percent.

 

I ran a Titan X (Pascal) with very minimal performance loss on external screen.

 

hi all

is there any way i could buy
gpu for my dock and have it running in sli with the 1080 in my 17 r5?

ty in advance

 

Nope you cant

 

can anyone pls tell me what pins or power connections the amp has?

do i have to buy a gpu with an 8 and 6 pin, or 2 X 8 pin?

tyvm

 

It has 2 6+2 ping connectors. So you can use pretty much all combinations up to max 2x 8pins.

 

And if you were to replace the PSU with something aftermarket you could accommodate cards that require 3 connectors (as long as can physically be put in the AGA)

 

For VR (eg wmr, Rift, Vive, where you plug the headset into the AGA gpu hdmi)) all these performance improvements go out the window imho. If anyone is looking to improve their VR performance using an AGA using it plus an better gpu installed in it, you are wasting time and $'s. The only exception might be if your laptop does not currently meet minimum VR specs, and even then this may or not work.

As I have mentioned previously, I recently bought an AGA and gtx1080ti to improve the VR performance of my WMR and Oculus Rift VR systems over my stock Alienware 17r4 laptop with i7 7700hq and gtx1060. The net result was only, at best, a 10% improvement for VR games/apps. Certainly not worth the $'s or living with essentially a large, noisy usb hub.

Best advice for those with AW laptops that want better VR performance is to just use your current one for not too demanding VR apps and save up for either a better laptop or gamming desktop pc.

 

It might be as well there is something wrong woth your setup and or your software.

Also make sure your external gpu is actually running at 3.0 4x and not 1x which does happen for some users.

 

Yes. it is using 3.0 4x. I'm sure you are trying to be helpfull but unless you have actually tried to use an AGA with a VR system then yours and other non-VR guys comments are not very useful for VR-guys imho. Thanks anyway.

 

Summarizing your above post, you see a 30% gain with an external monitor, 10% with internal, and 5% with VR. There is definitely something wrong with your setup. Far Cry 5 manages only 40fps on Ultra at 2560x1440 with my 1060. AGA with internal monitor at 2560x1440 it easily manages 60fps (capped by V-sync). AGA with external I get 80 FPS (G-sync) at 3440x1440. Can’t speak to VR, but I’m getting 100%+ with external and 50% (capped by vsync) internal. That contrasts very sharply with your 30% and 10% gains.


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VR is nothing more than an external monitor. If the benefits arent that huge it is a software issues.