When are the new Alienwares with Maxwell coming?

Is there any chance the base CPU for AW17/18 could bottleneck the 980M?

Also, does the CPU need to be faster in the case of two GPUs VS one to avoid bottle-necking the GPU(s)?

And, if AW never release 900M based notebooks, which would be better, performance wise (in games), 780/880M SLi or a single 980M?

 

Amen to that brother...

 

Actually, Alienware may be losing me as a potential customer. I've had my Sager for 2 years now, and have no complaints. However, the 675mx is starting to show its age, so I am in the market for a new laptop with the 980. I also really want an 18' notebook. Clear win for Alienware, right? Except...I can't get an 18 with a 980m right now. So i have to wait. But looky loo, is that an 18in MSI model I spy coming? With a mechanical keyboard? Hmmmm.....

 

According to this thread, the base Haswell quad mobile is a light bottleneck for the GTX 980m. Maybe not for the GTX 970m, but for the GTX 980m, it would be advised to get something more powerful than the i7-4710MQ.
I doubt Alienware would not use the 900 series (desktop and mobile) in their computers. They're just taking longer than desired.

 

It will definitely bottleneck 980M SLI. The 4710MQ was causing a slight bottleneck in CPU-intensive games with a single 980M.

 

Only a bottleneck above 60fps in some games, so if you're gonna be gaming with a 60Hz monitor then I'd be comfortable with a 4710MQ (even with 980M sli, makes no difference), but with a 120Hz monitor I'd spend a bit more to get a better CPU because then you'd be trying to hit 120fps (which is where the CPU's start to bottleneck).

 

In any industry, no one wants to lose a dime. Every penny counts. If the new Alienware launches at the end of January, so I get the laptop delivered home by the end of February .. idiotic. Then it is not long before the launch of gtx1080m in early ockt. I am not interested and buy a Laptop that perhaps should be upgraded within 8mnd. It is completely behind the net.

 

The 1000 series, or Pascal, launches in 2016, not 2015. What information states the 1000 series will launch next October?

 

There will 100% be a mobile GM204 GPU with more cores than 980M coming next year. Its part of the cycle where better silicon stepping in the manufacture process let them go down in voltage and can therefor increase core count while staying within the mobile thermal envelope. They usually launch refreshes around May-June

That is what papusan is referring to. It should still be in the 900M series though (980MX perhaps).

 

You must have a processor speed of 3.9-4.0ghz to avoid cpu becomes the bottleneck in CPU intensive games. It has been tested by several, including one here on the forum with a think it was 4930k tested with 4 cores ..

 

Or gtx980mx. Nvidia will not lose money. If not a new top card comes at the end of 2015, Nvidia losing money. They should deliver one top gpu card once a year.

 

Not so sure why people say that when the last top-end MX GPU was dedicated to the iMac; only the GTX 675MX and GTX 670MX were available for laptops. It would be more belivable if it would be a GTX 985m, but we don't know. Desktop GPUs skipped a year (no 800 or GTX 300 series), so why can't mobile GPUs too again (no GTX 300m series)?

 

I do not know if Apple is going to use any mx gpu anymore.

 

I was talking more about the power consumption the last MX GPU, not about what computer has it.

 

They might do what they did with the 600 series to make up the time between the official 1000 series release. A better version of the cards with MX at the end. 970mx, 975mx (rebranded 980 in this case), and 980mx (souped up 980m).

 

I hope there is something more to the delay than just the Graphics Amplifier, and I hope that they have not discontinued the 18.

 

It's just been announced... the AW 18 is dead... replaced with the all-new AW 22 luggable, 35 pounds of gaming awesomeness with dual 980 desktop cards, full 4K 3d and built in bass speaker to boot... none of that wimpy mobile garbage

Worst part is only one fan for cooling - way to fail Alienware...

 

Dirty liar Docsteel. Off with your head, your systems are forfeit.

 

We know the 980m is getting a refresh in the mid future since it already has space for extra power circuitry. Fully enable the cores and maybe slap 1500Mhz memory on it and you are good to go.

 

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but.........

According to a MSI rep in the video within the article I'm linking to below, the forthcoming MSI GT80 is going to have a "Extreme" Core i7.

Considering the angst over what Alienware may or may not be doing with the 18, I thought some of you might be interested in this.

MSI gives KitGuru a tour of the most powerful laptop ever: KitGuru TV | KitGuru

 

Anyone going to PAX South? I'm sure we have some Texans among us.

 

That is a very interesting notebook. Not exactly pretty but it should do the job just fine with 980M SLI and all. Its rumoured to launch in January and if Alienware have watchful eyes to their competitors, its another bad sign that Alienware is indeed killing the AW18. If they werent , they would be a fool to wait til January when MSI GT80 hit the market

 

It'll probably have the 4940MX cpu.

 

Yep, I wish all the misinformation about 4710HQ bottlenecking a single 980M would just die. Yes HTWingNut observed a difference between 3 and 3.5GHz, but we don't have any data points beyond 3.5GHz so we can't say anything about scaling or bottlenecking. A single 980M still won't give a consistent 120 FPS on maxed settings even at 1080p unless you're playing some really old games, so for a single 980M the base 4710MQ/HQ will be just fine.

That was me, and the original post is here. Going from 3.5GHz to 4GHz resulted in a 4% gain, and from 3.5GHz to 4.5GHz it was a jaw-dropping 6%. 4710HQ will suffice as long as you overclock it to 3.5GHz. Even if you don't you're missing out on maybe 6-7% performance at worst, hardly what I'd call a bottleneck.

To address the obvious white elephant: yes I tested a single game, so it's not representative. However if you look at HTWingNut's results, in the games where going from 3GHz to 3.5GHz made a meaningful difference, the games were already pushing close to or well over 100 FPS anyway. So by the time you get "bottlenecked" by a 4710MQ/HQ, you're already pushing 100 FPS, so it's not the difference between playable or unplayable.

 

Maybe i am in the minority, but i would be interested in a 22in 4k laptop with mechanical keyboard, extra row of macro buttons on top and side, 4 cooling fans, 4-6 hard drive bays with an optical disk bay, and some decent built in speakers.

 

I forgot to mention the built in projector for cinema-style gaming

 

I'd give a kidney to have a notebook manufacturer start making such a machine!

And I believe many fellow members would share our enthusiasm if such a laptop were to be created.

 

What good is that if the forthcoming MSI GT80 is going two have a " Extreme" Core i7, which perhaps can not overclock properly due to poor power supply and perhaps a completely locked bios?

 

We don't know about the PSU rating yet, but if past history is anything, the bios can probably be unlocked. That's been the case in the past with the MSI machines.

I don't know if the current G72 falls into that category though.

 

I know at least how Msi laptops its power supplies have been previously. They have been undersized. Just a tragedy. It is only now that they have a slightly larger power supplies, and I think I read somewhere that this also get an undersized power supply. Others of their new laptops also have for weak Power supply.

 

Dont know if you guys saw that on the alienware FB page, here it is:
Ole said:

Then Alienware replied:

 

With regards the i7 - sure, we're always on the forefront of technology and will absolutely update the machine with new configurations as soon as Intel release their new chips suited for lower voltages. In terms of graphics, right now we can't make any statements regarding the 900 series from NVIDIA, but if our history has proven anything, its that we are dedicated to the very best and most extreme graphics - and will regularly update our systems in order to meet the demands of our fans.

When (what month ?), Dell going to do it? Six months after the gtx 980m was launched? Idiotic .. Then this graphics card on the way to be replaced with a newer .. :laugh:

 

Or in other words, a race to the bottom (of the performance barrel).

 

In autumn 2015 it launched a new Intel Extreme laptop processor with a total TDP of 37 w. Sounds great?? It's just too bad that it is soldered ... :laugh:

 

Typical Public mouth piece response. Just lame that they have no hardware to put their money where their mouth is.

 

I think the backlash could have been mitigated by giving the 13 a full fat quad. If you really want to strip your lineup down to help save costs have the 13 + box and a dual card 17 inch machine.

 

My sentiments exactly... on a certain level the system makes sense, it will work for GPU-bound games well enough to justify the entry level price... but to consider coupling it with the G/A... well, at least people should be happy the AW 18 is continuing for now. Obviously, with the intro of the G/A things got screwed up behind the scenes and they just can't directly say so and they are using the introduction of new chips as cover. For a 17, the G/A kind of makes sense for a certain group, but if they had done this for a stronger 13 or 14 offering... that would have been sweet and actually got a positive buzz going. No mention of the 14 makes me wonder though... seems like a huge gap in the middle now that they aren't working to fill by the sound of it.

The only good news (beyond the 18 news) is that at least it sounds like the pressure is mounting enough they are having to start addressing it.

 

What if Dell has now decided and have for example 13 "- 15" and 18 "Alienware laptops launched in the spring? 13" laptop has already been launched.

 

They previously did this, a few years back, with the 11", 15", and 17". It proved not as profitable as 14", 17", and 18". If they decide to go this route again, but with 13", 15", 17", I am fairly certain they will basically repeat past ordeals. It will not be a successful lineup. People who want an 18" notebook will turn to MSI and others.

Plus, Alienware claims they will keep the AW 18, clearly expressed on Facebook. Thus, ending any discussion of a 17" SLI machine.

 

I think this whole Graphics Amplifier situation with the 13 would have been ok if they implemented it better, and as long as it wasn't slowing down the release of the 900M series notebooks. If it was an i7 CPU that could be cooled effectively, and if the Graphics Amplifier box was more compact then I think it would have been a good implementation so it would allow you to transport the Graphics Amplifier without too much hassle - even though I appreciate that you'd still have to keep it at home most of the time (not truly mobile).

 

I personally think they are afraid of disturbing the AW 17 sales, and are determined to not have high failure and replacement rates that undoubtedly MSI and their ilk are headed for with their overly thin designs and thermal loads, so the AW 13 was purposely weak going out the door. An i7 ULV will help, but it's still a ULV at the end of the day and will likely yield 15% or so improvement, nothing earth shattering. They banked on the G/A making up the difference that a full on quad makes, and that doesn't make sense except for GPU-bound games. The AW 14 sold reasonably well because it served double-duty, being a mobile workstation while doing gaming at decent fps. The AW 13 gives up the mobile workstation quality of the 14 while being adequate for GPU-bound games. I believe the 14 sales were lackluster enough (in Dell's eyes) that they felt the move to a more mobile platform made sense for today's market, and are leaving the heavy lifting to the AW 17 and 18. but giving all the lines the G/A option to help even things out. It's not the strategy I would have preferred, but I can understand their thinking.

 

I don't know why they got rid of the Alienware 14 so soon. I can't help but wonder if it's temporary until NVIDIA releases the rest of Maxwell or what. It doesn't make sense to leave a gap between 13" and 17". And no, that "Graphics Amplifier" does not justify having such a large gap between products. I would laugh if I were at a meeting and they suggested that. They are basically forcing people to go "ultra thin and light" with low performance, or spend thousands more for high-performance. That's ridiculous.

Nothing in between = lost sales (in my opinion). We need news, Alienware! Give us something...

 

If I were to get the AW 13 i5, when would I experience bottlenecking while gaming with the eGPU? Heavy BF4 on ultra or something like that? When it bottlenecks does it just begin to drop and FPS drops a lot?

 

It will perform better than what the 860M can provide. That's a given. However, during gaming you will not experience the full performance offered by the desktop GPU, and FPS may be dialed back due to this. Heat is also a concern, which may cause serious FPS throttling. Haswell ULV's still get pretty hot.

Basically, purchasing a GTX 680, GTX 770, GTX 780, GTX 780Ti, GTX 970, or GTX 980 to game with your AW 13 is a complete waste of money. Lower-end desktop GPU's like the GTX 660, GTX 660Ti, GTX 750Ti or GTX 760 may not be as severely bottlenecked, but still will not perform as well with such a weak CPU.

Alienware 13 discussion can be found here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-13-m11x/759061-new-alienware-13-a.html

 

That was a post written by my throw away account (Candy crush account lol)

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=990518394307923

They went pretty silent after I asked them to clarify the AW18 because what Alienware said in the post wasnt really a straight forward answer to me

Selling them now yes, but does it mean in the future with 980M or just until 880M chips run out?

 

I understand it, but not that it is correct in the market place or that I agree with it myself either.

Seems pretty obvious that the AW 14 is either gone or on hiatus depending on how sales go with the AW 13, and as I was saying the fit to a mobile workstation/gaming rig just wasn't hitting the market right and hence the 13 as a lighter, more graphically focused platform emerged. Earlier I felt a revised 14 or 15 would emerge, but the more I think about what they are doing with the G/A makes me think not as Dellienware is setting up AW to be more nichey with the 13 and 18 on either side of the 17 which is the main laptop seller. All things being equal, I wish they would have kept the 14, and simply relaunched an Alienware 11 but too many people couldn't handle the small screen it seems (on top of the hinge problems that Dell had to deal with before) and it divides too many sales up on the bottom end. Never mind vendors like MSI produce scads of different laptops in a range these days... Dellienware just refuses to do more than three to their (and our) detriment

 

It does not make any sense to redesign and launch the Alienware 14 and then abandon it just after one year, why put so much effort and resources into it just to discontinue it after 1 year !!

 

No one knows if it is stopped permanently, they haven't formally announced it's stopped but its gone from the site for now. They could redesign it to work with the G/A, or it could be gone altogether. Its really not that much effort to design a laptop, everyone under the sun seems to make them these days with multiple versions sometimes in the same line. It's only Alienware that seems to plod along with a limited range for a long time, I think people think this is normal and a sign of some massive design process which just isn't the case.

 

Just talked to my close source, AW18 is indeed discontinued. Dual GPU laptop, still in discussion in the company. I won't get my hopes up. Guess clevos are the future for me.

 

Broadwell and Skylake ruined this whole NB gaming scene....