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

Huh this isnt possible? Only 1 nvidia driver package is installed at a time and it is using the latest you have installed. The driver packages are at this time also unified so they contain both the desktop and laptop drivers in one.

 

Seems reasonable....

Here's my Titan X (Pascal) with AW13 Internal Screen:

https://www.3dmark.com/fs/13646020

Overclocked and external display:

https://www.3dmark.com/fs/13653218

 

Good job but for me that is way to much to do for that increase in performance. I am happy with my 25k score!

 

Yeah from those numbers it seems my computer is set up fine running those cards and using Firestrike without any overclocking on the cards using external display 2560x1440

19k for 2080
25k for the 2080ti

 

So what is the % drop in performance with the AGA as compared to a desktop for the RTX cards when using an external screen?

 

in my case is 0% for a gtx 1080ti, so for a 2080 should be 0% too. but i dont have a 2080ti to test

 

no, when the laptop boot, i have the 389.12 driver. different when it boot with AGA the 416.34 boot with it

 

thats very strange behaviour. Because the driver DLL's dont have individual ID's. Where are they stored on your laptop? It might be because of that you use a pre-10XXGTX laptop GPU. But in my case windows is loading the exact same Nvidia driver DLL's with or without the AGA attached.

 

With external display, I saw around 5% lost with Titan X (Pascal) compared to desktop on external screen.

Not bad.

 

It's not that strange. I'd imagine the computer loads up the driver for the AGA card as opposed to the internal dGPU, and if they're different drivers, they're different. They're likely stored in the same destination the dGPU drivers are. I assume this is designed for the case where the GPUs are different (Nvidia/AMD vs AMD/Nvidia or even consumer vs workstation). I've had the same thing judal has for a couple moments of owning my 13 R1 and R2.
For reference, this used to happen during the not-too-early days of the AGA.

 

The thing is. nvidia is using an unified driver package now with one set of DLL's loaded into windows. They all refer to the same path ant you cant have 2 separate driver DLL's with the same name in the same path.

 

two different persons are saying you that it happens, and you are saying that it can't. do you want a video to believe ?
"nvidia is using an unified driver package now with one set of DLL's loaded into windows." where is the nvidia offical document that say that ?
or is only a personal thinking?

 

Yeah that’s amazing. AGA is the only reason why I would consider Alienware. The other thunderbolt e-gpus lose too much power.

 

TB3 is also a lot more variable in the throughput it provides, the AGA is rock solid. Ironically, I am building a custom dock that will have both

Putting a Sonnet Echo Express SE1 and my AGA hardware all into one case along with some BD-R drives and a USB hub. Need the TB3 stuff to add 10 Gbps for my laptop to my server LAN Need to head to the store and get either a dremmel or a hacksaw to cut some holes in the metal frame of the case I am using. The AGA riser card with the AGA and USB ports is all sorts of stupid and non-conforming to normal PCIe size and shape. Was easy to solder up a power harness to get 12v into the Sonnet board from the PSU - frees up a power plug on my desk since it had its own AC>DC power brick originally.

 

I think Dell included different inf that notebook driver uses. That's why you're able to use 2 of them w/o any conflict and getting full performance. I suppose Windows updates are disabled for good.

 

Yeah i want to see it actually. Because if you click on the driver details in control panel you see the exact same DLL's, inf files etc being loaded as drivers for both GPU's!

and its not like 2 different people can be wrong at the same time. Do you even know how the driver architecture is done in windows?

Part of the Nvidia drivers in the nvapi64.dll, nvcompiler.dll (and like 20 others DDLs) etc and those are always installed in system32 and in the syswow64 folders. How the hell do you want to install 2 different versions, with the exact same filenames in the same folders?

Half of the driver is installed in program files as well.

Check where all the DLL's and filenames of where they are installed.

 

ok kid excuse me, i didnt know that you work for nvidia hahahaha no official documents.... just words you read on internet ....
i will make the video just to show you how wrong you are. the tripod guy lol

 

Maybe I didn't explain myself well. You know how in the Nvidia driver folder, you can have multiple folders, each for a particular driver version (say 411.xx and 391.xx, for xx being whatever number). When the computer boots without the AGA, it looks for the driver/folder that was installed during that state. And when it boots into with the AGA/eGPU attached, it looks for the driver/folder that was installed during that state.
Normally, it would be the case that they refer to the same sub-directory, but there can be cases where the refer to the same file under different directories (as I'm sure the files and whatnot can be different in each driver version).

 

You arent reading my post, check the driver details in the control panel and see which files WIndows is loading for your GPU, the location and the files names. There arent any sub directories. The files are directly isntalled in system32 etc. Check my attached file for details.

So we are going on the insult tour now? First of all, I think I am a bit older than you are (like 10 years or so), second you have been posting false information before (i shall never forget that you claimed that putting thermal pads on a choke would fix the burning DC cable issue) and i called you out on it. Third like I said check the control panel and the DLL's being loaded, as you can see based on the attachment in this post. Nvidia is installing their drivers in the mentioned folders before, how do you want to install for example nvapi.dll for 2 versions in the same folder when they have both the exact same filename? My internal 1070 is loading the exact same drivers as the Nvidia card in the AGA that I specially hooked up again to prove a point. Nvidia is ALWAYS loading drivers from the same location and that is the system32 folder. So explain to us all how you can isntall the exact same filenames for 2 different graphic cards in the same folder. Nvidia specifically started released unified drivers for this purpose which they released at the same time as the Razer Core TB3 enclosure. Before that as @Game7a1 stated 2 different driver sets where loaded and the AGA software handled that separately.

Now show us your video of which drivers are being loaded and their paths.

The only thing that might be possible is that you have some sort of "incomplete driver" because a couple of DLL's are loaded from a separate folder based on the hardware ID but those are only the initialization dll's and not the rest that comes with an Nvidia driver package.

 

Okay, I see what you mean.
However, what I'm curious is what would be the case if his notebook driver is before Nvidia made unified drivers?

 

I never used the AGA myself before that so I cant comment on that, guess it used a separate driver wrapper for the external GPU.

 

@rinneh you are going to see it on a video, at this time i am at work. i am assuming you are not a windows/nvidia programmer, so your conclusions about how it works are just yours. i have tried many desktops gpus on my laptop and always is the same case. you are not going to have the reason, dont matter how loud you talk or how sure you feel about your understanding.
just look at the driver versions
https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/29139234 gtx 970m gpu score: 8 878
https://www.3dmark.com/fs/16772483 gtx 1070 gpu score: 19 880
https://www.3dmark.com/fs/16457282 gtx 1080ti gpu score: 31 587

when i restart/start windows (thing that is necessary to use the AGA) it simply change the driver for the desktop variant. how hard is to understand that ? just accept that you dont have the reason

if something were wrong how do you explain the high gpu scores ?

 

@rinneh here is the video you were asking for

 

That's really odd, its just like a split personality. So, AW internal monitor is turned off if AGA has external display?
Try this software because it lists all driver under each section http://m.majorgeeks.com/files/details/driverstoreexplorer.html
W10 can maintain 2-4 different driver packages and can detect/install on the fly w/o user intervention. On W7 it might cause Out of Range error with on-the-fly driver w/o reboot.

 

what you are saying is a blasphemy.... the master of the tripod will kill you hahaha he is a genius and he said windows 10 can only have 1

 

@Vasudev nice vasu i didnt know about drive store app, take a look. seems like i have 6 nvidia driver waiting to be loaded

 

You are litteraly not showing anything in your video. Go to the panel that I described, check all the driver files, click those files and show the driver version their and their path. So again read my post, click the control panel > System > Nvidia GPU adaptar > driver details, check the paths of those drivers and check the driver version of those specific DLL's. Also tone down with the remarks Juan, as I said you have been pushing wrong information many times before. Maybe it is because you stick some thermal pads on your GPU, that probably did it .

What @Vasudev is saying is that WIndows can hold multiple drivers in its driver repository, that is something different from what is being loaded.

I think you arent even understanding what I am saying, what does your external vs internal GPU scores have to do with this? Did I state anywhere your external GPU isnt working? No I did not. But you already fail to follow any of my instructions to see which DLL version etc is ACTUALLY being loaded and you are trying to talk smack around it. Did I unsult you anywhere just by questioning you? What is your reason for your petty remarks afterwards? With your logic you arent allowed to post any of your findings etc because you are not a said engineer? Then you where never qualified to post your thermal ideas (Even though many where questionable to begin with which was clear).

edit: Oh but from checking your 3dmark scores I actually something funny, your internal GPU score is said to have a non approved driver and could point out to a driver irregularity/driver glitch would prove my point actually haha. Because driver version "23.21.13.8912" in original state IS approved by 3Dmark.

 

I can now become a millionaire just by cleaning the drivers(in terms of memory reclaimed in bytes). Man, lot of nvidia,intel,old killer drivers, your huawei phone driver for mtp,vpn, mei, irst and lot more drivers. You can save nearly 4GB-20GB of disk space. I'll help you cleanup on Sunday evening.
Have you tried switching to MSI-x mode for nvidia driver in MSI_utility v2 ?

 

@rinneh
i think you have a tripod personality hahahaha if that video dont show you something, go visit a psychologist
the driver is not approved because it doesn't come from nvidia directly, is from DELL https://www.dell.com/support/home/u...d=14FFM&osCode=WT64A&productCode=alienware-15

maybe Dell can give you a job, seems like you know better about drivers than them

 

Again with the petty insults.Juan, I am sure you have better manners than that. Oh and yeah I have my degree in developing actually.......

Read, and check these details and just show what you see here on both cards. Again I attached the screenshot what to check and show us this. Those details are showing whats actually being loaded in windows. So no your video isn't showing anything.

As far as I know Dell drivers are just repackaged but the driver checksums itself are the same? Dell only repackages drivers for their distribution channels after testing and thats all they do. There are not changes made to the drivers itself for the GPU. This is actually something I got confirmed when I was in contact with some of the Alienware guys when I reported the microstutter bug when using the AGA and switchin gbetween display cloning and separate screen modes.

 

The latest Windows version has this built in luckily in the disk cleanup utility.

 

They do a bad job at keeping it tidy. I don't think cleanmgr even touches older drivers. It cleanup update cache and runs only delta SxS cleanup and not a proper cleanup. Dism++ cleans it up perfectly.

 

Hmm havent checked it that indepth. Will look into it how good of a job it does.

 

Well, it is possible to use the internal and external display with the AGA, but it would use the GPU connected to it (usually the iGPU). That's why if a laptop has G-Sync, both the dGPU and eGPU will be enabled because the dGPU drivers the internal display.

 

Got my dock put together - had to get a Dremel and hacksaw to make some holes. The most annoying part was making holes and adding standoffs for the 2 pcbs (one for AGA and one for Sonnet TB3 dock) to line them up with the rear expansion slots. The AGA riser card with the AGA connector and USB ports was a pain. Glad to report it all works as expected. My laptop now has Blu Ray drives, 10 Gbps Ethernet, and of course, a 1080 Ti.

Future project, liquid cooling the GPU, PLENTY of space for that....couldn't find any better suited case for the project.

 

That’s some custom work there! Nice job

 

I mean, I was really just cutting one hole and screwing in some others into a standard ATX case. And soldering one power harness. But yes, it was the bravest I have been with computer stuff to date haha. I would not pay me to do metal work....bit of a hack job

Now I need to come up with more stuff to fill all that empty space! Or figure out a smaller case that is better suited to this. I need 5x Expansion slots, that is the challenge, you are always going to be in a tower form factor to get that it seems - MAYBE a HTPC/desktop case. If I was redoing it, I would have moved the TB3 stuff down a slot or 2 so that the GPU is not as crowded. Bad planning on my part but not an issue once I watercool and get the big shroud/cooler out of the way. This case will be easy to watercool in, 240mm rad up front with plenty of space for the pump/res. My old desktop was in a Corsair 750d, the big brother case to this one.

 

@cookinwitdiesel That looks amazing! Also I am back, lol This time with a 13r3 instead of the 15r3 I had. Long story is back a few posts I will be going AGA and large monitor again. Probably not the Alienware ultra wide again It was good in some games but in others the ultrawide just stretched things and it looked awful

 

https://twitter.com/aw_umar/status/1057354397204860929
So... this is now a thing. Sadly.

 

This does not seem to apply to my current 17r4 (1060 internal) with AGA w/1080ti. I am currently using nvidia driver 398.82 as Umar suggested to me a few months ago and it all seems to work great. I also use and external gaming monitor connected to an AGA DisplayPort and only project to it (asus vg248qe 144hz, 1080p).

Maybe this is only for new 20 series nvidia gpu's???

 

More reasons to avoid RTX and GFE. Probably @j95 can make a modded inf.

 

I like the GFE, am i missing something. Like I know it sends information to Nvidia but like so does windows, and facebook listens to your mic, so you can't really avoid that kind of crap while also being a PC gamer unless you wanna suffer through linux, so whats the big deal. I kinda like the optimization option, occasionally it gets it wrong but for the most part, it works decently and i really dig how it'll show FPS counter in most games.

 

I just find it to be an annoying software that takes up space. I would imagine the optimization has come a long way since it's inception (early days had trouble figuring out what was right for mobile graphics), but even then, I can figure out what's best for me. The auto-update functionality it has, while disable-able, is bothersome. Plus, I have no use for the additional features like Ansel or Shield. And if I need something like an FPS counter, Riva-Tuner does the job much better.

 

Oh lol yeah i use a shield too. Wow I forgot about that function. I should use it more XD

I do like rivatuner though, good point.

Any way fair enough

 

To be honest I dont get the issue, you isntall it and after it you dont need to touch it again. Its just part of the driver suite and thats it.

 

So, once you install this what driver does it update to and how often does it do this? Thanks.

 

It only updates if you tell it to update pretty much. With any major game release they offer a driver update but its not mandatory for most games to even install the updates.

 

Thanks for that. What is the oldest driver for my AGA that is mandatory? Thanks.

 

Hmm I dont knwo to be honest which is the oldest driver you can use. I always kept on updating myself for the best performance in modern games.

 

I have a really weird situation with my grpahics amplifier, everything was working very well until the psu of my AGA died after some power outage at the house so i replaced it with a Corsair vs 550.. Now i have performance issues which goes away when ever flash my bios !!!??!!! Works for some time, then again suffering from low fps then flash the bios to any version it is fixed..Could any of you pros could tell me what the hell is going on