GPU upgrade options: Alienware 17 R1 (Dec 2013)

Hi,

I recently had the good fortune to be able to buy an Alienware 17 R1 from Dec 2013 for 1 symbolic euro.

This is the first time I've had an Alienware device, and the first (and judging by the evolution in laptops, probably last) MXM equiped laptop I've owned.

The model I have is equiped with a 60Hz display, a GTX 770M and a 180W power supply. From what I've read online, all of these are bad things when trying to upgrade.

I don't intend to spend a fortune on displays, heatsinks and power supplies, and I don't intend to get the dremel out and go mental on a heatsink for modifications.

What are my options for a step up in the graphics department? I was looking at a GTX 1060, as that's reasonably close to the 75W TDP of the current GPU and what my current heatsink is capable of handling (80W for the GTX 1060).

 

In case I got anything wrong, this is the laptop I'm talking about: https://www.dell.com/support/home/e...0-NmxsWGxUNk9sSzZIMlp2QkFZYk5zUT090/overview#

I have contacted the seller of these cards: https://www.ebay.com/itm/154175190513, who says they are compatible with my unit. Is this true?

 

Pascal works best of 120hz display mostly because it doesnt support LVDS (which is how the 60hz panel functions) but to get around that you can use SG mode which is like the modern day Optimus, but you do lose some performance and may experience input lag in games on the internal panel. Every configuration seems to handle it differently but this can be bypassed by using the 120hz eDP panel or possibly by using an external screen (i.e. standard monitor)

Not sure if the 2060 has been tried yet, or if MXM modules are available for it. The 1060/1070 have both been proven to work.

The standard "Dell" 1070 should work fine as well but you will need to replace the AC adapter, if you are looking for the simplest path forward I would endorse your current line of thought with the 1060.

Cutting into the chassis is only needed when using the MSI 1070, all other iterations dont need that. The only reason it seems more commonplace is because the MSI 1070 is the best built GPU from a component standpoint, however it of course doesnt mean you should or even need to get it.

Most annoying part is sourcing a known functioning card, sometimes it can prove difficult, other times it works the first go around. Just make sure you can get your money back in case you get a lemon.

 

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I have a few follow up questions.

1. I have been using a Optimus-based laptop for a long time, and it never really bothered me. Would this "SG" graphics mode be worse than "standard" Optimus? Does anyone know how it is different? I'm mostly going to be using this laptop with my 2 external displays at home (not exactly a road warrior type of laptop anyway).
2. With regards to the 120Hz panel, do I need to find a panel specifically for the Alienware 17? Are there options where I could also upgrade the resolution (to say, 2560x1440)?

I've also seen stores selling the GP106M advertised as working for the AW17R1. This is a Nvidia Tesla MXM card made for compute/mining based on the same chip as the GTX 1060. I could not find a lot of info on this, other than @drystxx who seems to have succeeded in installing one in an Alienware 17: http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...s-lounge-thread.721578/page-661#post-11081765

 

Optimus is different on all machines, some its fine and seamless and others it creates input lag to the panel and/or terrible screen tearing. I personally despise it as it renders my machine borderline paperweight, what people perceive and hose the machines behave with Optimus are entirely individualistic. My bias is that I personally despise Optimus, so take that into account.

Optimus is simply Intel HD actually powering the screen, while the GPU does work through the same pipeline, instead of having it going straight to the screen, which would be PEG mode or dGPU generally speaking. It introduces a middle man, which is an extra variable to account for. This can likely (and I believe this to be correct) bypassed by using external monitors iirc.

There is no known 1440p panel that works in the Ranger, you are welcome to test, but that would be on you. Only a few panels have been tested to work that I am personally aware of, the stock OEM option (TruLife display) and the N173HHE-G32 but the later requires some modding to retrofit.

Those GP106M cards will only work in SG / Optimus mode only, also you will be stuck with older drivers as that card requires other people to mod the driver, beyond what already needs to be modded to function under the typical 1060 MXM scenario. You are welcome to try, especially if you get your hands on one for cheap but remember its not a 1060, its a GP106M MXM component. It may not work in all games, you will be stuck with old drivers, and iirc the NVENC is disabled as well. Its function is quite limited, and where it does function you wont know until individually testing your work/home use case.

 

Does the GP106M require more than just a device ID mod in the driver? I don't intend to upgrade the display (as I mostly will be working with external displays, it's just wasted money for me), so Optimus on the internal display won't bother me much.

The cost for a GTX 1060 MXM seems to be ~$300 whereas a GP106M is around half the price at $150.

I don't mind modding the driver each time I upgrade, but I do want to get newer drivers from time to time.

My daily driver is a Quadro P3200 Max-Q at the moment, so which also isn't a GeForce card but works great for gaming. I'm wondering if the GP106M would do any worse as far as game compatibility goes.

 

Yes, not a mod that many know how to do. There is a pre-modded driver that will allow function but its not being updated to my knowledge, this may be in addition to the INF mod that is normally needed for "unsupported" GPU's to function.

If you TDP mod the 1060 to 100w it might beat out the P3200 Max-Q, not as well read as I used to be on Pascal. P3200 looks to be a beefier GPU but as a Quadro its less "dynamic" as consistency is the main attraction of quadro's so they might come out to similar performance. This is supposition though, not entirely sure.

As for compatibility it probably will be less, as its really intended for one purpose, mining.

 

I guess I'll get a GTX 1060. Will this work with my GTX 770M heat sink? Is $300 a normal price for these cards?

 

300 is a normal price for the Dell 1060's, and it should work with the stock 2 pipe heatsink you probably have. The only issue with the Dell 10 series cards is they tend to use a 3mm X-bracket while the older 700 and 800 series cards that were originally used in the Ranger used a 5mm X-bracket. You cannot screw down the heatsink with a 3mm X-bracket, so you may need to buy a 5mm one.

And As Receiver said, be ready to vigorously test the 1060 if you end up getting one as they tend to be hit or miss. I personally tried one of the Dell 1070's but the laptop would shut down if it used around 110 watts of power, and it seemed the die was chipped. I'm not saying don't buy one, but just be ready to test it, and be ready to return it as the warranties are quite short.

Here's a link to a 5mm X-bracket:
https://www.aliexpress.com/i/4001074792149.html

 

Thanks for the feedback!

That's another 30 bucks on top of the card. We're almost halfway the cost of a used Alienware with a GTX 1060 from the factory now.

I'm not 100% sure about this but I believe they were used in some Tesla cars for self driving AI as well.

 

I just found this while searching eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/164840541903

This seems like a good value, and a standard size MXM card. But I obviously don't know much about these things, so I thought I'd post it here to double check if it would be a good pick.

 

@ssj92

Do you have any experience working with that card? listing states a server pull but also looks like the "Dell" 1060, maybe just needs a vbios for video output?

 

Should work fine in Optimus and eDP laptops. vBIOS might not be needed but there is a P3000 Dell vBIOS so shouldn't be an issue.

However, at that price, it's better to buy the P4000 I bought: https://www.ebay.com/itm/402159522478?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=672099467772&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

Performs maybe tiny bit better than 1060 but cannot be overclocked. Temps are amazing since it's a Quadro: https://www.3dmark.com/fs/23908504

 

Oh thats a nice find, thanks for sharing

 

Sadly that one does not ship to my country.

 

Isn't that a 100W card? Would that work with my 2 heatpipe heatsink and 180W power brick?

 

I set up a forward shipping service. So I can order the P4000. Could you please confirm whether or not you think the card would work with my 180W, 2 heat pipe laptop?

 

It will work fine. The P4000 runs cooler than my 1060 did.

 

Bit the bullet and ordered.

A bit scary ordering from an account with 22 rating and that claims that the item comes without any guarantee that it works or the right for a refund.

But I believe eBay and PayPal don't allow that kind of thing unless the post is explicitly listed as broken.

 

Just a heads up, you'll need to get the 240 watt PSU even for the GTX 1060 upgrade. That part is a 100 watt card. If you use the 180 watt PSU with it, it will power throttle and you'll get the same performance as if you were on battery power even though the 180 watt PSU is technically enough. I experienced this when I upgraded to my GTX 1060 and the issue went away when I plugged in a 240 watt PSU.

 

Everyone puts no refunds, doesn't work since the seller doesn't really make that call