The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
So my AGA arrives later today and I'm a little confused about the AMD drivers situation. They recommend you download a specific driver for the AGA but that's over a year old. Should I just install the latest Crimson drivers and hope for the best?
Ok so got my AGA all set up, and first impressions so far are a bit mixed. Firstly, I was able to install the latest AMD Crimson drivers for my card and have everything recognized and work (currently running the Dell recommended Catalyst drivers just for troubleshooting purposes).
I was able to do downsampling with a tool called GeDoSaTo, which allows me to downsample even with the 970m or the AGA and laptop screen (DirectX 9 games only). I'm using Shift 2: Unleashed for all my framerate testing, I'm able to get about 15fps more when trying to downsample from 4k on the R9 290 than the 970m, so far so good, except I'm noting I'm getting really horrible micro-stuttering during gameplay with the AGA, even though the fps counter still reads in the 35-45 range. After messing around with various overclocking and downclocking settings, I was able to get smooth gameplay only if I set "Power Limit" in MSI Afterburner to -50%, which I assume means the PSU isn't enough to power the 290 properly.
So my next move will be to buy an Antec VP600P PSU (direct fit based on a youtube video) and then hopefully give me the headroom I need to overclock and run smoothly. In hindsight I should have spent the $80 more to get a GTX 970 since I haven't seen anyone complain about that, but at least I'm future-proofing myself by getting a larger PSU (although may be irrelevant as newer GPUs are more power efficient). I guess if I did more research on GPU power consumption before-hand I would have seen that the R9 290 requires 250 more watts than the 970.
I do have 10 days to return the 290, but as I bought it on ebay, I don't want to go through the hassle of paying to ship it back, and then screwing over the seller and making him have to sell it again.
Edit: This question may make me sound like an idiot, but the AGA PSU has 16 power pins and the GPU has input for 14, so I just plugged both connectors in and left the 2 additional PSU pins dangling, is that normal or should I get some sort of 8 -> 6 pin adapter?
Edit 2: It seems a CORSAIR CX600 and Thermaltake SP-650 will also fit for cheaper...just bought the CX600 on Amazon Prime now and will be delivered in the next 2-3 hours, will update my review tonight if it does or doesn't fix my issue.
This sounds great! (GeDoSaTo) Did you disable UEFI secure boot to use this? On their website, it says you have to. If so, how? I dont want to break anything BUT I must try this!!!
It doesn't work with all games, but enough that it's worth it, plus it has Sweetfx integrated. To disable secure boot, boot into your BIOS and you'll see an option to disable it, when you switch it off, it may enable Legacy boot, so go and disable that again.
I'll test it another time with secure boot enabled again, as that's the primary security mechanism against rootkits, but it doesn't break anything by having it off. GeDoSaTo has a little bit of a learning curve to get configured, if you need help let me know.
Update on my AGA + R9 290 woes: Just ran some Fire Strike benchmarks, 1200 less than my 970m score lol. Replacing the PSU within the hour (thanks Amazon), let's hope that does it.
Yes it's a conundrum for sure. The GPU in the stock AGA gets 15+ more FPS in the benchmark on Batman Arkham Knight and 15+ FPS during the same bit of gameplay in Shift 2 (w/ 4k downsampling), so the AMD GPU is clearly more powerful during actual gameplay with the exception of the micro-stutters. Amazon just arrived, be back in an hour.
Alright, new PSU installed, took about 10 mins, but sadly it didn't alleviate the problem, and turns out it was more of a heating issue. Although my temps didn't hit more than the mid 80's during benchmarking it was killing my performance. For the time being I'm running the AGA open to improve airflow, and with a 12% overclock, I'm now getting a 9392 Fire Strike score (10998 graphics) which is where I should be. Maybe if I'm bored this week I'll swap the stock PSU back in and see if I can get the same numbers.
Seems I can get a water cooling kit for the GPU for $30 for the bottom end so that may be my next move.
I am looking to purchase a card that would fit in the AGA with no sweat. Can anyone confirm if the Gigabyte 980 ti G1 Gaming would fit just fine? It looks a bit thick with its cooling.
It's a 2 slot card so it should fit no problem in terms of width. I think it's a longer card than most 980 ti's but I had a massive Sapphire r9 290x tri cooler that fit without any issues. I think it will fit just fine.
I would return the GPU just incase its that? Is the a new one or used? I dont know about the GPU you have and how it compares but i have 980ti on the AGA and i get around 17500 graphics score on FS with no Overclock
I also noticed you said in an earlier post that you are going to play using DSR on your external screen? How do you do this? When I plug my AGA into my TV, I still get no DSR option?
I have a new AGA and not yet received a video card, but I installed the AGA onto my AW 15R2 (also have a AW 17R3 and it does the same thing) and have the following 2 issues:
1. The USB does work, but in Command Center it does not list the AGA as linked
2. Each time I boot into Windows 10, it says it requires a Windows restart for the AGA to be configured.
Is this normal when a graphic card is not yet installed in the AGA?
Yes for the USB ports, sort of for the Command Center prompt.
Without a GPU, the laptop detects the GA as a PCIe USB dock. Nothing more.
As for the prompt, I have no idea. But restarting it doesn't change whether the laptop detects the GA or not.
Hey, is anyone going to be using the AGA with the Oculus? Anyone try it? My understanding is that it will not work with Optimus but have heard of people getting it to work with an Optimus laptop and an AGA.
People have told me it will work but I don't think it will. I bought my AGA and 980ti for this reason, then found DSR doesn't work as it has optimus. So I thought I would plug directly from 980ti to my TV and see if DSR works.... Guess what! It doesn't. Still goes through optimus, so im assuming Oculus will be the same. Fuming!
Man that makes me very nervous. I ordered a AW 17 R3 laptop and an AGA, and I don't think I could stop it without a 15% restocking fee (it's in "production"). If anyone can post a link or point me to someone who has some experience, then I'd be pretty grateful.
The Oculus forum community manager said they'd heard of it working. See here:
I am having issues trying to use HDMI cable on my amp.
Games work fine but the IE and playing videos and the screen is just choppy as hell.. if i use a regular cable(white old style) i have no issues.. its only when im using an HDMI Cable do i have issues.
I have the 13' and a GTX 980TI
I was just speculating that I would be able to once if I plug a display directly into the AGA, I didn't have an AGA at that point, but will try it today.
I also resolved my GPU issues by asking the seller for a refund lol. Went and bought an XFX 390 from Best Buy today and had them match newegg for $304. My pretty sweet Fire Strike score after overclock
http://www.3dmark.com/fs/7645864
Update: I can confirm that DSR works for me on my AMD (VSR), but they cap it 3200x1800 for some reason. Don't see why it wouldn't also work for Nvidia, make sure you have your external display plugged into your GPU and not laptop. I used HDMI for what it's worth.
Does anyone have any problems passing surround sound audio via HDMI with the AGA? I can no longer get 7.1 no matter what I do, and no way to figure out if the GPU or AGA is the culprit.
If someone else can confirm DSR works over HDMI on Nvidia I think I'm going to jump ship and get a GTX 970.
WOW, that is sick! A few questions if you don't mind..
How well does the card fit in your GA?
Which laptop model do you have?
Is this stock benchmarks or have you OC anything?
and lastly would this setup work for VR like the rift or HTC Vive?
I ask because I have a 17R2 and GA but no card yet, still waiting on price drops or Pascal but want to get into a VR setup and use it with the GA. Thanks!
Well done on the GPU. I wish I had got an AMD now as I tried again plugging into TV from GPU and there is nothing I can do, to find DSR. NOTHING!!! Fuming. Does this mean im going to have to fork out and get a 4k screen? So frustrated! Why nVidia can't do this when AMD can is beyond me! nVidia suck
That's funny, because here I am thinking of returning the AMD to get a 970, and on AMD forums people are blasting AMD for locking out 4k downsampling on the 390 when Nvidia allows it on their similar spec cards.
People on this thread have said DSR works on external screens, maybe someone else with Nvidia can chime in for both our sakes. Also, any Nvidia owners having problems with getting 5.1/7.1 systems to be recognized?
Edited. Was a brain fart on my part, meant external, sorry for the confusion. For internal screens, I'm using the GeDoSaTo tool with great success for the 50% of my games that are compatible with it.
As soon as someone can check for sure, post a screenshot up or something of 4k downsample working on Nvidia I'm going to return my AMD and get a 970.
I haven't seen anyone on this forum say they have got it working? Im sure its because of this optimus junk. And also when I post about it, I get no response. I dont get it at all... Also makes me think, if I was to get a G-Sync monitor, G-Sync probably won't work either. I have no faith.
Yeah, they say directx 10 and 11 are in the works but I haven't seen any updates. There's another tool, SoftTH which has been making a directx 10/11 promise for about a year now as well.
I looked back at older posts I thought confirmed DSR working weren't as confirming as I thought I read.
To get 4k DSR on the AMD side, the only cards that will do it are the R9 380/380x ($250, but pretty weak compared to my 390), and the R9 Fury/x (too pricey).
While like you, I'm pretty disappointed in the AGA, I'm currently enjoying GTA V with its own in-game 4k downsampling at 30fps with nearly Ultra settings.
Under advanced graphics it's called "Frame Scaling", was added in one of the updates. Change it to 2.0 and voila, 4k downsampling. Apparently it's a huge performance hit compared to Nvidia DSR, but whatever, when it's all you've got...
I'm currently researching having to drop another $300 to get a 4k 15.6 laptop screen. Really nip DSR in the bud. I really wanted to wait a bit and get a freesync/G-sync 27" 4k screen, but in all honestly I'm really enjoying just laying on the couch or bed gaming with a gamepad, even compared to on the projector, obviously can't match the vibrancy of an LED panel.
I'm really having a hard decision between exchanging a 390 for a 970 and taking a slight performance hit and going down from 8GB or VRAM to 4GB, why oh why did I get into PC gaming lol.
I am thinking the same thing. Only its almost £500 for me to change to 4k as I have 17 R3. Alot of money! but I am really fussy. PC gaming is a sink hole for money!
Did you manage to find part numbers for the screen or not? I cannot find part numbers or anything on it. Killing me
I have no idea of the panel that Dell ships from the factory for the 17's, you should ask in the 17 Owner's Lounge thread, but apparently the highest rated 17" 4k panel you can get is the AU B173ZAN01.0. Now where to get a genuine one online, I have no idea. Just be sure to be careful when buying one, as 90% of places will just sell you a generic Chinese screen that will be compatible with that model, so be sure to ask a lot of questions before deciding to buy from someplace.
I've had a lot of luck buying on ebay, like I've already replaced my 15 R2 screen to one that's 98% sRGB coverage for my photoshop usage. It's used, but at least I know it's genuine as it was pulled out of another laptop.
The panel make/model I gave you is from notebookcheck.net top displays page. I'm not sure what screen they put in AW 17 from the factory, but I can guarantee you it won't be as good as the one I listed, it will be a compatible fit though.
I've encountered the final straw to make me exchange my AMD for an Nvidia though, tried to play Ryse and could only get a max of 35 fps, even though others with the same specs can get 60+ and my 970m can still get 30 fps with the same graphics settings. Just goes to show what people say about compatibility with Nvidia drivers is absolutely true.
It doesn't really fit. The card is too tall. I have it set up like a test bench currently. I have the lid detached. I might make some adjustments later on to make it fit, but cards run cooler with it open from what I've seen.
I have the 17 R2. i7-4710hq and 970m. 16gb 2133mhz RAM.
CPU and GPU overclocked. GPU 1525mhz Core. 8ghz memory.
980 TI's are perfect for VR. It would work just fine.
Does anyone think it's a bad time to grab a 980 Ti? AMD Polaris is supposed to be coming in April, but I don't know if they'll have anything with more performance at that point, and if they do, will it cost a fortune? I keep hearing Pascal is not coming until late this year. I (will) have a 980M in my 17 R3 (waiting for delivery), so I'm not certain about mixing that with a Polaris in the GA.
I have not long got my 980ti and im very happy with it! Im gonna wait on the pascal because the first lot will be good..... but give it a year or two as they will reduce in price and even better pascal cards will be coming out then.
980ti will last a few years yet
You can mix AMD and Nvidia. I had a R9 390x before my new 980 TI. It worked quite well.
The 980 TI is a great card. I was lucky enough to pick up a EVGA Classified for $629 on sale. It was cheaper than most other 980 TI's! I can max every game I own at 1440p without a sweat. It's super overkill for a 1080p setup.
Hello all. So I have been doing some research on stuttering frame rates when playing games...... It drives me insane!! This may even help a'lot of gamers....
So, let me explain. We all know consoles run at 30 FPS and yet run smoother than a'lot of pc games running at 50 FPS (even with V-Sync). This is because most TV's run at 1080i when gaming on consoles, which is 30hz, not 60hz. So the 30 FPS on consoles match what your TV is outputting and as a result, its runs smooth.
So I did some testing..... V-Sync requires you to maintain 60 FPS (on 60hz display) minimum so the the number of frames rendered matches the numbers of frames your screen can output, otherwise you get a frame stutters and its a "frame pace" issue.
So.... I have a 980ti in my AGA and when playing games like Rise of the Tomb Raider, Assassins Creed Syndicate and other demanding games on ultra settings, I get a stuttering whenever my frame rate drops below a steady 60 FPS. I have found that if I reduce my refresh rate to 48hz on my 1080p screen then the stuttering goes away completely unless my fps drop below 48fps (which is 48hz) which gives me more room for raising settings.
What I really want to know is..... Before I go and spend out on upgrading my Screen to 4k. I need someone to test for me if its still smooth running at 30hz (in your intel display settings) and at 30 FPS, VSync on. My display wont go below 48hz annoyingly so cannot test myself.
If it runs smoothly then I shall upgrade. Would like a video if at all possible??
Hello so I registered to ask a bit about my setup. I have an i7 6700hq and recently ordered the GA and a 980ti(the 6gb one from dell's website) and was curious if this would let me go 4k on FFXIV or run Witcher 3 at decent settings(as in better then ps4) even at 1080p?
Though I mostly play mmos so I know I have lower requirements then alot of you I am still curious(my current setup with 980m gets 19-20fps at 4k in FFXIV if that is any indicator)
I agree I figure if I can get near 20 fpswith a 980m then a 980to should boost it to AT LEAST 30.
Note get near 20 at MAX settings with a reshaped in dx11 client..sooo if I remove the reshader and lower settings might even squeeze a 600 out. But I will keep you all updated.
It comes Monday now(was originally yesterday but they changed the date)
So with all the rumors on how much gigaflops and whatever per sec the pascal titan can push out, I have a feeling a major bottleneck will be the graphics amp and the 4 channels instead of the full 16. Would be a shame if our supposed future proof is already dragging behind with next gen cards.
There's maybe a bit of latency introduced that costs some speed. Maybe if the games get much higher textures (especially when cards get more and more memory and devs start pushing higher res) and Pascal needs a lot more bandwidth then maybe there could be an issue. 4k maybe? But I think the data pushed over the bus might also happen in bursts. I need to read up on this more.
Ah interesting, from my brief skim, seems PCIe 1 to 3 doesn't have a huge difference using a 980, so we should be set for many more generations unless nvidia/amd suddenly makes huge leaps using space rocks to make their gpus.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
Last edited: Feb 20, 2016
