15/17 r2 970m 4k or 980m 1080p?

So eBay has both for about 1500. Which do you think is a better value ?

-4k screen seems to be a better quality panel.
-but the 980m is a better gpu.

I'm sure the 980m will handle all the goodness this years, from fallout 4 to call of duty 10 to just cause 3 on the highest settings (even of its only at 30fps).

But would the 970m be able to as well?

I've seen complaints about ghostting on the 1080p panel.

Anyways the plan is for something that'll handle this years games. And then I'll pick up a GA and whatever does 4k at 30 or 60fps later. (980 ti or 1080ti or whatever )

 

980M + 1080P panel. There is absolutly NO mobile GPU (or even single desktop GPUs) capable of driving a 4K display and it would be stupid to purchase one now unless you are ok with scaling down the display, but it never looks as good as native. The 1080P panel is still a great option. Graphics Amp is a bad joke and well, the whole new line is a bad joke, but if you HAVE to have a new Alienware, my pick would be the 17 with the 980M and the 1080P panel. Zero point in a 4K panel at this point in time. Nothing strong enough to drive it.

 

get a clevo!

 

I have 15 with 4k and 980m. 4k on laptop, or any other computers at this stage is not a very good choice. Hardly any apps work correctly on it without performance issue.
Go with 1080p and 980m.

 

Why is the graphics amp a joke ? Benchmarks showed little in the way of bottlenecks. And im sure ill be able to get one for 100 or less when i get a desktop gpu capable of 4k.

Seems like a good solution ..

Why do you say its a joke?

Because it would be upgradable right?

But laptop gpus are usually expensive right ? And whatever 1080m might not be supported by that board right ?

So youd say downscaled 1080p on that screen is worse than the native on the 1080p one ?

 

because they're not using BGA CPUs and GPUs so even if a part fails it can be easily replaced by you and not have to be shipped to the repairer.

 

Wouldnt a warranty be cheaper? Ive seen ones with 2 or 5 year warranties that are transferable.
Also wouldnt the the graphics amp be cheaper than a new laptop gpu ? Also wouldnt it be more likly for a new desktop gpu to support 4k 60fps than a new laptop gpu ?

 

if you wanted desktop graphics then you would get a desktop, the GA is a gimmick as the CPU will be the bottleneck.

 

According to benchmarks from notebookreview and the likes, the x4 PCI-E slot only decreases performance by max 10%, and the performance decrease is smaller the higher resolution you run.

This is what i found on alienware forums and double checked the source.

A titan x and the 980 ti can already do 4k at 30fps. So presumably something slightly more powerful might not be hindered right ?

 

for me it defeats the point of it being a "portable" system.

 

Well i imagine id just leave it at home hooked up to a 4k tv.

Is there any major difference the 15 and 17 ?

 

As far as getting stuff done, working, and general browsing... I love 4k screens. I currently have a Y50 with the 4k screen and for general stuff like that, its nice. As for gaming, as others stated... its pointless because you have to go down to 1080p to get good frame rates. Still though, this is something to consider if you are in school or plan on using this for work... the 4k makes it similar to having 2 1080p screens open as far as desktop work goes. If I could do it all over again, I would go 4k. Windows 10 is supposed to help with scaling quite a bit too, but I would not put that in the "plusses" category yet anyway.

 

4k + laptop with single 980m = more money than sense unless you like seeing more columns in Excel?

1080p + 980m = somewhat capable laptop.

 

Can you provide benchmarking evidence for this claim? Just because you are against it doesn't mean that the entire premise is a bad one.

I'm running my 17R2 docked to an AGA with a GTX970 with a modified vBios I wrote for it and am extremely satisfied. Will everyones results be the same? no. . . but when you plug in the AGA unlock OC in bios, and then tweak it in XTU - my 4710 does not drop below 3.6ghz when the AGA is plugged in, and running GTA V, Witcher 3, Evolve, Arkham Knight (30fps capped) at max resolutions (with certain shaders / grass off) I stay at or above 60 fps.

When you use the AGA you give the BGA (crap) CPU more headroom. My TDP is no longer limited to 47 (again, after modifying settings in xtu) and I see 0 throttling. Is the difference between the 980m and 970 that great? The answer is . . . yes

http://www.3dmark.com/compare/fs/5183294/fs/5224553

Is it a gimmick? No and yes - for those who have dedicated desktop workstations, this serves NO purpose. But for those who want to use their laptop as a desktop via a dock, this is a great way to maximize performance on a dedicated monitor at home. Again, its not a solution for everyone, but its definitely a worthy add-on.