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    Upgrading from an AW18 Gtx780 SLI

    Discussion in 'Alienware 18 and M18x' started by Cequence, Jan 3, 2017.

  1. Cequence

    Cequence Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hello all great ppl!

    I´m starting to consider upgrading my AW18 with Gtx 780 SLI that has served me faithfully for the last two years.
    I´m aware that Alienware has stopped with the production of 18" laptops so the choice will have to go down in screen size.

    So now to my questions:
    What would ppl recommend to purchase if I would like to stay in the Alienware family.

    My thoughts have ofc wandered to the new AW17 with gtx1080, or is maybe the gtx1070 enough?
    I have also been thinking of maybe going for a AW13 and the attached external amplifier, is this something that works good or is the AW13 and its CPU going to be a major bottleneck ?

    Also read the there is issues with the screens on the AW17, which one is the best one ? the 1080p or the 3K or the 4K one ?

    is it stupid to even consider updating now or should one wait for Kaby Lake ?

    Hope someone can help steer me to a good decision.

    Best regards
    Joakim
     
    Cequence, Jan 3, 2017
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  2. JimmyC

    JimmyC Notebook Consultant

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    G'day, fwiw I'm upgrading my AW18 with dual gtx780's to a AW17 with single gtx1080 and the 1440p screen. I chose the 1440p screen over 4k as I wanted to go higher res without having to use a magnifying glass to see icons on the desktop. 120hz and GSync are definitely bonuses too.

    My understanding from those whose opinions I trust is that the 'line issue' on these panels is visible when looking at static, plain images (colour grading screens for eg), or if you're too close to your screen. Outside of those situations ie: actually playing a game, it's not an issue.

    I chose the gtx1080 because it should play any game now and in the next couple of years at 1440p with all the fruit enabled. Same couldn't be said for 4k so that's the second con for the 4k option. The gtx1080 would however be a massive overkill, and subsequently a waste of money, with a 1080p screen. If you went 1080p, save your coin and go with the gtx1070.

    As for Kaby Lake, the extra money for a .2ghz CPU bump doesn't make any sense to me so I'm sticking with Skylake for this upgrade round.

    My new beast is on order from HIDevolution. Can't wait to put it through its paces! :)
     
    JimmyC, Jan 11, 2017
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    Aroc likes this.