Opinion for New AW17

I am considering purchasing a New Alienware 17 to replace my 7 year old Sager and desktop. In relation to the desktop, this is more of a side grade.

I will be using this primarily at home with the Graphics Amplifier.

In my desktop I have a GTX 1080. So looking at the configuration for the Alienware, I was considering dropping the 1070 down to a 1060 because when I am not at home that should be sufficient for 1080p gaming and doing my miscellaneous work. When at home the 1080 will be good for my 1440p GSYNC monitor.

Does it make sense given I want to use the laptop docked to downgrade the GPU and put that savings towards the Graphics Amplifier?

 

I still would choose the 1070 for on the go. I also suspect the 1070 version comes with better cooling so that when you come home and use the AGA (like I do by the way) the laptop that only runs off the CPU is extremely quiet and well cooled. This enhances the experience and quality of the laptop in the long run.

 

I second that. I would go with the GTX 1070. The 1060 IMO is just a waste to be getting in the 17" variant. The leap from 1060 to 1070 is pretty significant, most definitely enough to justify going with the 1070.

Just some fun facts:

Going from a...

1060 to 1070 is big. (768 more CUDA's = 60% More)

1060 to 1080 is HUGE (1,280 more CUDA's = 100% More)

1070 to 1080 a healthy leap (512 more CUDA's = 25% More)

However, it all depends if you really demand all the power, but the GTX 1070 should be the bare minimum on the 17".

* Regarding the 1070 it's interesting how it has more CUDA cores than the desktop variant.

Notebook 1070 to Desktop 1070 - (128 more CUDA's = ~7% More)

Note: The GTX 1080 Notebook's GPU Clock is 1566 / 1733 MHz

Unless you are playing at 4K, gaming on the 1070 and 1080 will be pretty much the same at 1080p and 1440p. Well you may feel it a little at 1440p with max settings, but not enough to really notice...either way you should be well over 60fps on most titles.

 

Does anyone know if Dell plans on releasing the 6820HK with the 120hz GSYNC panel? I find it weird you cannot get the better CPU with the upgraded panel.

 

prob not. annoying.

and the extra $300 for 1070 gives you a massive upgrade in performance, I think going 1060 on these machines is kind of a waste. You can get cheaper machines with similar performance of 1060.

 

I have my system now and am enjoying it so far. I went ahead and repasted with my MX-2. If I didn't have the heatsink issue, I would be under 70C on all cores under load. GPU stays below 60C as well. Have the CPU holding steady at 3.6ghz and have peaked the temps at high 70s, low 80s on Cores 0 and 2. That was using IntelBurnTest and RealBench Stress Test. I was looping Unigine Heaven on it for about 8 hours and the CPU stays under 75C. I do believe I am content and happy with my system.

 

If you paid big bucks for a 1080, it makes more sense to use it on a fully fledged desktop system...

A 1080 in the AGA and bandwidth limited (PCIe 3 x4) is probably not that much better than the 1070 in the laptop...

It sounds to me you're paying big bucks for nothing since you already have a 1080 and great monitor and only need additional ~$1000-1500 more to build a top tier desktop...

On the other hand, if you need portability then you need a laptop but an Alienware 17 @4.5kg is not exactly portable...

Btw, what heat sink issue did you have?

EDIT: typo. It's PCIe 3 x4, not PCIe 3 x8

 

The issue where the heatsink doesn't apply pressure evenly to entire surface, if it did I would be sitting pretty on temps.

The difference between PCI-E x8 and x16 is negligible.... I mean... we talking like 2%-5%.... you can't tell the difference......

Also, I attend LAN events pretty regularly and am part of a group that hosts larger Intel LANFest events throughout the year, I get awfully tired of having to tear down my desktop and desk every time I want to head to an event.... it's a major pain in the ass. Desktop was getting to be about 4 years old and just wanted something new. I haven't had a laptop since my Sager NP8690.

As noted in my original post, this is going to be docked most of the time.

 

My bad. I had a typo. The AGA runs only at PCIe x4 and it's going to be significant with the 1080.

Check out this PCIe comparison by TechPowerup with the R9 Fury X https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_Fury_X_PCI-Express_Scaling/18.html

Does the 17 have a tripod mount heat sink like the 15 R3?

 

Oh I remember when Wizzard put that together.. even still at 4x.... you are talking 2%-5% loss on a majority of games.... there are those outliers like BF4 which then you adjust accordingly for. I have encountered no issues with my AGA aside from the AlienFX taking a reboot or two to come on. Stressing out over 10-15 FPS when you are already over a playable limit despite the loss is just being petty. Been doing this PC thing awhile and I have gotten to the point where I don't scrutinize over 2%-5% as long as the experience is enjoyable.

Yes, the 17 has the tripod mount heatsink.

 

I would go with the gtx 1070 for on the go gaming you already have the gtx 1080 desktop.... I would just get the alienware graphics amplifier with the dell advantage rewards points should be free or dam near

I bought my 1070 a few days before the 1080 came out I called dell to return the 1070 so I could order the 1080 they offered me 300$ cash back to keep the 1070 i already had 350 advantage rewards points so I bought a 1080 desktop card and the amplifier the gtx1080 was pretty much free

so for anyone that's buys an alienware just call dell and tell them you want to send it back they will work with you at first they offered me 100$

 

I think you are confused with the definition of "free". You spent money to earn those 350 reward points and they gave you back $300 of your own money. Nothing was free here lol.

 

Its not going to be more significant with the 1080. Time and time again tests shows there is no real difference for pretty much any generation. There is just a slight decrease in performance and it seems universal for any card out there. Budget or high end. Its just a few %.