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

above

 

Hi, after seeing Metro Exodus with Raytracing ON (to me RTX in this game is mind-blowing), I seriously consider buying an Amplifier and RTX 2080.

As I am on 1440p laptop OLED, I will eventually use it as the only display. All games scale perfectly at 1080p, there is virtually no difference vs. native.


I have a quick question, please help me out here:

1. When using internal (laptop) screen, I heard of performance impact of around 10% vs. if I had RTX 2080 inside laptop or used external screen. This would be no problem, even if it is 25%.

BUT is there any LAG involved? Like ... if I move mouse, is there a visible delay to screen?

Thanx in advance and happy gaming !!!

 

No mouse lag etc. Unless you are dealing with the optimus bug (deactivate the intel gpu or boot the laptop with only the external screen enabled)

The external gpu acts exactly like the internal gpu.

 

I have same laptop as you do with same specs. There is absolutely no lag at all. After getting the AGA, I will no longer game without it as the increase in performance is significant compared to gaming with 1060 and oled screen

 

Still wondering if AGA can wake up after putting the laptop to Sleep?

 

No because the sleep function disappears entirely when docked to the AGA.

 

Wait what? I was able to sleep my laptop while docked to AGA.

 

I remember reading somewhere that originally you could but Dell changed it somewhere along the way. In my case, undocked the sleep function is where it should be but docked, simply not there.

 

I decided to watercool my 2080ti. The parts that I will do are: EKWB xres 140 revo RGB, radiator is thermaltake RL360 (pretty overkill, but this is a spare from my last build), block is EVGA hydro cooper
The setup is kinda looks like this

Testrun seems pretty good now

 

Just passive on the res or will you add fans?

 

Yeah I will add the fans, 3 of them

 

Just checking, didn't look like a low fins per inch radiator

 

Since you went totally mod crazy would it be better to fit it all into a case made for a desktop ? What temps are you seeing with it water cooled?

 

I just got a copy of Battlefield V and it’s looks awesome. Finally see what this ray tracing is all about! With DXR and DLSS turned on, the game looks phenomenal. I have the settings on Ultra and I am getting 60fps on 2560x1440. This amp with 2080ti rocks! The reflections are really nice and up until today I have no seen any games I play have support for it.

 

DLSS as it stands right now is a total bust in actual games (not static demos). We'll see what driver improvements and developer innovations can do in the future but for now if you can get good fps without it, definitely don't enable it.

 

Yeah I went full retard and do the craziest mod to my AGA lol
The temp before with my EVGA RTX 2080ti Black (stock clock, stock fan curve, with lid wide opened, room temperature 75*F): Idle at 45*c, load at 75*c
Temp after the mod: Idle at 28*c, load at 66*c
Not a big jump but I go for the aesthetic and the silent

 

Some more pics, there are lots of things I wanna do like cutting short the cables, but for now that's pretty much it



I have tons of WIP pics if anybody interested in I can post it

 

Hmm. I never experience DLSS before so I don’t know what is considered a bust. My only taste of it is with Battlefield V. I am getting solid 60FPS with both DXR and DLSS turned on with ultra settings on 1440p. I would imagine it’s working pretty good since DXR takes up a lot of resources of the GPU, Yet I am still getting solid 60FPS. I would think it would be attributed to DLSS technology. I have been glued to the game since I loaded it yesterday. The reflections at night as insane.

 

Hmmm watercooled units from what I read run about 40-50c on load. 66c is a little high for watercooled no?

 

Check these out ( here and here), they explain it better, basically it's not the performance/fps it's the (unacceptably) reduced image quality.

 

Yes I have checked out the threads but for some there are no issues with it being blurry on my game. Battlefield V with DXR and DLSS turned on the game is crisp and sharp as it can be. I think people who are having issues are using 4K resolutions that are the the normal resolutions which are supported. It’s weird because many states the games is blurry which I definitely believe them but there are also people that have no issues like me. I got a free copy so I wanted to see for myself and I am so glad. I had this RTX2080ti card over 4 months and finally I can see what DXR is all about. I am happy.

 

You could go further...

When I get bored, I have a full water cooling setup for this GPU as well

 

Well my point just is if you are looking for the PRETTIEST gaming experience possible, DLSS by its very nature is not going to enhance that in any way, like ever. DLSS is a performance-enhancing feature only for those that struggle when enabling ray tracing...some quality will always be sacrificed. So if you can achieve good fps without it, you will have better IQ in BFV (which already has a good AA implementation) as well as the only other 2 games that even support it: FFXV and Metro Exodus. If you're happy you're happy though, I'm not gonna be the guy peein' in yer cornflakes just tryin' to help. =)

 

I just flipped the fans over so it will push the air instead of pulling it. Surprisingly the temp went down to 57*c. Maybe I can lower it a little bit by repasting, but 57*c is too good for me now

LOL maybe it worked but not practical to me. With my setup, I can bring it to a LAN party and still get all the WOWs and WTFs LOL

 

DLSS simply helps FPS when using DXR technology which you are correct.

https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/nvidia-dlss-your-questions-answered/

All I am stating is after reading countless post and articles about this new DXR and DLSS technology and finally witnessing it with my own rig I was flawed at the performance. If you haven’t played a game with it then you will believe everything that people post then of course you will think DLSS is a waste of time.

DXR with its reflections are very nice and if you haven’t actually seen it with gameplay it quite noticeable. I didn’t realize how nice it was until I played it with it on. I seen countless videos of gameplay. The subtle details all around makes it so worth it.

Maybe it is a fluke that my 13r3 with 2080ti in AGA runs at 60FPS with DXR and DLSS turn on with max settings at 1440p.

 

57c under load is nice!

 

I would love to get an aga for my 13 r3 but I've been waiting until they release a new one. How old is this design? Reminds me of the current Aurora and area 51 designs lmao. Seriously though.. I would like a more solid metal design. I might end up pulling the trigger as I have yet to hear rumors of a new one. I think I saw these go for $150? What's the lowest anyone has seen these sell for? Last thing. What connector does the fan use? I remember it being a weird connector. Ideally I would like to put a 4pin noctua fan in there.

 

If the next gen of cards after 2080 are so radical that none of them fit AT ALL then Dell will have no choice but until then don't hold your breath on a redesign of this klunky chassis. You can surely find them cheaper on Amazon or ebay or wait for a Dell sale where you can get it cheaper still. I think I paid $30 for mine during a big sale combined with some leftover store credit. The fan cable is proprietary so you either have to splice it or replace the PSU so you can use standard fan connectors.
Another thing if you go back a few pages and look at some of the mods done is that any non-blower card design will simply not be cooled properly with the case closed so that's something to consider as well.

 

I wouldnt say "not cooled properly" the cooling is the same as an mATX case for example closed. Just if you pop the hood open it is pretty much an open test bench.

Larger cards do fit if you use low profile power cables and cut out some of the plastic tabs on the top inside.With those mods I could fit in an EVGA FTW card easily.

 

Ray tracing looks nice (Especially in Metro exodus) but the performance hit is so bad. DLSS still needs a lot of work. Now you are pretty much better of just selectin 4K for example and turn the rendering resolution lower in games like Battlefield.

 

I respectfully disagree. First, current non-blower cards exhaust all air out the 'top' of the card into the chassis (AGA has zero ventilation holes on the top of the chassis). Second, such cards need a good supply of fresh air coming in from outside the case so the fans can do their job (AGA has nowhere near adequate side ventilation for this purpose). Finally, the fan the AGA does come with is woefully inadequate to get enough airflow to the rear and out the back to cool down a beast like the 2080 Ti (and very hot PSU). Bottom line, the AGA design is simply outdated and all I'm saying is it's something to keep in mind if you're concerned about the life of your (very expensive) 2080 Ti. I spent $20 on some USB fans and about an hour drilling vent holes and got my GPU temp under load from 76C (poor) to 68C (decent). For me I simply aesthetically don't like running my AGA as an open-air chassis so the effort was totally worth it.
Your 2nd comment reinforces what I already said in that once cards don't fit they'll have to redesign it (well, many cards already don't fit without mods of some kind).

 

Hmmm if solid 60FPS with DXR and DLSS on is considered bad then I guess your asking for too much! I find it actually pretty amazing the quality of the graphics especially when the gameplay is at 60FPS at 1440p. I rather have the DXR “On” with the trade off of not having FPS at 90-100FPS. It so much nicer with Ray tracing graphics. I have the resolution modifier also set to 110% and still get solid 60fps! I don’t know what it is with 4K the performance drop but I am happy with 2K performance. The detail of the reflections and lighting is amazing. I still can’t believe a 7700hq with a AGA running 2080ti can perform like this on 1440p.

 

Gaming at 4k is just not feasible in my opinion (for complex titles, whatever Blizzard is putting out will run fine). Not with the currently available graphics tech. That is why I got an $800 1440p monitor and not a 4k one for my desk setup. Much better value and bang for your buck - and still looks fantastic. 1080p/1200p was the standard for what, 15 years? Our eyes did not get better in that time frame. People get caught up on stupid high DPI setups when the diminishing returns are amazing. There is talk about 8k movies and TVs coming out soon - unless you have a 10 foot screen what is the point?! (and even then....MOVIE THEATERS use 4k/8k on 100 foot screens and it looks great)

 

2k gaming is perfect IMO. 4K although it’s nice can get pricey with the monitors especially when there is Gsync. 8K is just ridiculous!

 

Look how awesome Battlefield V graphics are. This pic doesn’t do it justice as the pic resolution is watered down to be able to post on the forums. Solid 60FPS ultra settings with DXR and DLSS “on” running on 1440p.

 

Not to rain down on the parade but the graphics of BF5 are awesome with and without RTX enabled Rather with RTX disabled because DLSS hurt the crispness.

 

I have played both with RTX on and off and I haven’t noticed any difference in crispness you are describing. They are both the same on my machine but the FPS definitely drops from 90-100 to 60FPS.

@rinneh. What card do you have ?

 

Something interesting just now, but maybe it's because I rarely play games on PC?

I played a game called "Software Inc", a small tycoon management game about managing a startup software company.

While playing it, I have the game on the external monitor with the RTX 2070 hooked up to it.

The RTX 2070 was blowing really hot air out from the AGA, so much it warmed the vicinity. AGA is enclosed (lid is shut completely, RTX 2070 is a blower-type graphics card).

Never knew how hot the air is until now, so it's really something. May have to check the GPU temps when I get home.

 

Sounds normal, the heat the GPU and PSU radiate is pretty tremendous and actually the hotter the air feels EXPELLING from the case the better really, tends to indicate cooling functioning properly.

 

Yeah. I'm so used to the laptop graphics card just heating a small area behind the laptop chassis, it has been quite a long time since I endured the heat from desktop graphics card.

Actually, I just now understood what people meant by "using your GPU to heat your house" memes.

 

HWinfo or GPUz should be able to see the temps. Mine is around 60-65C during gaming, which isn't too terrible for a desktop card.

 

You can use software like msi afterburner to adjust your AGA's GPU fan speed (not the AGA fan itself though). There is a fan curve option. Just increase these a little at a time in order to keep your GPU temps down. Adds a little noise, but not too bad.

 

Thats actually exceptionally low for an air cooled card.

 

Yes that is very good for air cooled card. What card are you using and did you have to modify the AGA? What games do you play ?

 

1060 3GB

I got about 50 games, it doesn't break 70C even when running Furmark. I know, what's the point of having a desktop 1060 when you already have a laptop one, right? Well, when your PCH chip is constantly hitting 85C in games and no mod can totally fix it and the warranty has expired, this is the next best thing I can come up with, as I don't wanna part with this beast.

 

Yes. I agree. Keeping laptop temps cool and not using internal GPU will for sure extend the life of the laptop.

 

Has anyone noticed if newer nvidia drivers screw up some functionality with the AGA hot removal?

I am using original AW15 R1, with bios A09 and AGA software 3.0.13 and a 980ti in the AGA. With driver 389.11, hot removal of AGA works correctly. When I yank the cable or click "Restart Later" on prompt, then the AGA gpu is removed from the system and disappears from device manager. Seems this function is dependent on the nvidia drivers. When I use 4xx drivers, hot removal only works correctly after I restart from using internal gpu after connecting AGA. However if I cold boot with the AGA plugged in, hot removal doesn't work correctly. The nvidia drivers don't remove the AGA gpu from device manager. What this means is that if a program tries to read the AGA gpu (like gpu-z), it leads to a BSOD.

On a side note, driver 389.11 is the last driver that works for me with the internal gpu (970m) that doesn't lead to crashes when I alt tab from 3d applications.

Seems to me that nvidia broke AGA compatibility after 389.11, at least for AW15 R1/ AW17 R2 users.

 

Keeping up with trying games with DXR and DLSS technology, I purchased metro exodus. Omg it looks awesome! The game play is fun and with the DXR implemented it makes the game so much more immersive with the lighting effects and reflections. The DLSS technology works much better in this game then Battlefield 5. I am getting close to 75-80FPS on ultra settings as suppose to Battlefield 5 which I was seeing 60FPS. This AGA is awesome!

 

It can possibly be the BIOS version also. Update your bios to the newest version and also try reinstalling the graphic amplifier drivers from dell website to see if it addresses your issue.

 

The thing that worked for me on PCH was a little copper heat sink and a good laptop cooler. This made a good 15C difference on mine, I never get above 70C while gaming, but the laptop cooler makes it a little awkward to game directly on the laptop but it works good with an external keyboard and monitor.