GTX10XX: Graphics amp w/4720HQ

Hi,
So the new pascal cards are real and it seems like Nvidia claims that the gtx 1080 is faster than a gtx 980 SLI setup for $700. I was thinking of getting a graphics amp + gtx 1080 but I am not sure how much performance I can get with my AW 17r2. My CPU is a 4720HQ running at +100 MHz OC. Maybe I can crank it up to +200 MHz (3.6/3.7/3.8) but that's it. Do you think I may face CPU bottleneck or any kind of stuff that can hold the GPU back?

Thanks

 

Your CPU wont bottleneck it. I think it will work well with the AGA. I will going for that setup as well.

 

But will it actually fit in the graphics amplifier or work with it? Considering getting the GA myself if it's compatible.

 

Given the dimensions of the reference GTX 980, as released by Nvidia, are the same as the GTX 980, it'll fit.
As for working, depends on the Nvidia drivers.

 

Do you know how much performance loss should I expect from AGA compared to an equivalent desktop? e.g. a desktop with 6600k/GTX 980 and an AW with 4720HQ/GTX 980 would have approx. same CPU power (4720hq is a bit more). These two results show about same results:

6600k/GTX 980: http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/9015930 (11024)
4720hq/GTX 980: http://www.3dmark.com/fs/6259042 (11034)

However the core clock for the desktop pc is 1216 MHz and the core clock for the laptop is 1127 MHz. I think the stock clocks for a reference model of GTX 980 is 1216 MHz. I think something got wrong during reporting the core clock for the laptop. Anyways, these results show that there is no difference between a laptop w/AGA and a desktop with the equivalent hardware. Do you have comments on this?

 

Typically, the performance lose between PCIE 3.0 x4 and PCIE 3.0x16 is 5 to 10%, ignoring the CPU; of course, there can be cases of a lesser or greater difference. However, given that these numbers support the GTX 980 / R9 Fury X in those scenarios, I can't comment on if there will be a difference with the performance delta with the GTX 1080.

 

on these benchmarks you need to see the graphic score, in this case is a 3% gpu performance drop, not too much to me :S

 

I'm actively working with the marketing and product teams to get more info about this. At the moment, according to the specs, it should work (less than 10.5" length, and less than 300W power consumption), but we can't confirm it until after we get some units to test it ourselves and the driver support (as mentioned by Game7a1).

 

I appreciate the effort. Also, I thought that the power consumption limit for the amplifier is 460 W, am I wrong about that?

 

This is from the AGA FAQ on the Dell website -

"Q: What GPUs are compatible?
A: Provides support for a single full-length, dual-wide, PCI-Express x16 graphics card. This system can support graphic cards of up to 375W. We currently support NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 600 as well as AMD Radeon HD 5000 series and newer."

However -

"Power Supply AlienwareTM 460 Watt Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply"

I'm guessing that the power supply is rated for 80% efficiency as 460 minus 20% comes in at 368 which is probably why they say cards up to 375W.

 

We limit it to 375W to avoid any issues, but it could be a bit higher than that. Sorry if I confused you with the 300W part. I meant to say that the power it needs is very low and definitely under what the AGA can supply.

 

If I get an AGA the first thing I will do is replace the PSU. Put a full modular 80gold or better PSU in it. Only use the ATX cable and it will be more durable than the standard offering.

 

So far the antec and corsair have been proven to fit the AGA while having the ports lined up correctly. Otherwise you'd have to do some drilling and cutting on the AGA.

 

"Nvidia claims that the gtx 1080 is faster than a gtx 980 SLi"

This would be blown out of proportion (best case possible) for the sake of marketing. Likely only in one scenario and possibly just for VR.

 

I agree but all this new pascal architecture thing got me thinking that maybe it is true.