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So now that we've had ample time to digest all the new AMD Vega 56/64 reviews and information, lets start a discussion about them. Performance wise, the Vega 56 more or less equals a GTX 1070 while the Vega 64 lines up with a GTX 1080. However, to many people's dismay, the Vega 64 is far too overpriced with the cheapest one currently available on Newegg being an XFX one for $689 which is nearly the same price as a GTX 1080 Ti but about 35-40% slower. In addition, both the Vega 56 and 64 use more power than their counterparts and this especially applies to the Vega 64 with it nearly consuming twice as much power as the GTX 1080. Some of the reasons I've read over the internet from Vega buyers for their purchases are the ability to utilize their FreeSync monitors as well as some Linux uses. I know our community here also utilizes desktop GPUs for eGPU uses and AMD does support eGPU now so with that in mind, do you plan to purchase a Vega 56 or 64 and if so, why?

I didn't see any thread for the latest stable AMD drivers so I figured I'd chime in on my experience with them. They installed successfully and I was able to reboot but the whole system locked up after 10 min of browsing the web and I was forced to hard restart. I kept getting blue screens and was never able to load windows. I have prema v2 bios but does anyone else with an AMD mobility card have problems with this driver? I noticed AMD Overdrive is finally available for my GPU (8970M) but never had a chance to use it.

IMPORTANT: The 6970m is not officially supported by Dell. Upgrading to this card may void your warranty. The 6970m is a powerful card, it will draw more power and produce more heat. This card can significantly improve the performance of your system, however, the long-term effects of running this card in a M15x are currently unknown, but it works great so far. Cards that are known to work: The card Dell uses in the M17x R3: This has only been tested for a short while so far, but it seems to work perfectly fine. Credits go to Rogue-OP and iloveb00bs, the first guys who tried to put a 6970m in a M15x. -DP/HDMI works, confirmed by Strigae, fan control works It seems you need to install the M17x R3 drivers first before you can get the official AMD drivers. I guess installing for example the modded 11.4 will work as well. Dell Part nr. is: V9XKH.Good luck when ordering one from Dell, depending on where you live and what kind of rep you get on the phone they might not want to sell you the card as it isn’t officially available for your system. Call again in this case, or if you know someone with a M17x R3 let him order the card for you. 6970m from MXM-upgrade.com: Works great, but no fan control. The fans are constantly at a high speed, but not completely at full full speed. For now you’ll need to manually control the fans with HWinfo32. -DP/HDMI works. Sound through HDMI works when you install the Dell 6970m vbios and the M17x R3 HDMI audio driver. Here are the instructions for this. Card can now be ordered for the M15x from mxm-upgrade. Clevo (and resellers) 6970m: The card from Clevo and resellers (Eurocom etc.) works as well, but make sure you get a version of the card which has holes for the back plate! Some of these cards have the screw holes for mounting the heatsink soldered on which makes it impossible to use the Dell backplate, and since Clevo uses slightly smaller screws than Dell you can’t simply put your heatsink on such a card. Contact your dealer in advance to make sure you get a card which doesn’t have the screw holes soldered to the PCB, otherwise you’ll have to remove it (which is difficult) or use some smaller screws on the heatsink. For all these cards the heatsink of the M15x fits perfectly. No modification needed. Cards from other vendors / manufacturers may work as well. If you got a different 6970m running in your M15x let me know and I’ll upgrade the list. Things to do before swapping the cards: Download the drivers. This modded 11.5 should work, click on “MobilityMod Windows 7/Vista” in the linked thread. Also get GPU-Z for monitoring your video card and verifying it, Trixx, for under- and overclocking and in case you haven’t got a Dell card also HWinfo32 (I recommend getting it anyway since it is a great system monitoring tool) Make sure you have thermal paste, maybe some new thermal pads as well as something to clean the heatsink (e.g. isoproply alcohol) and some cloths around. I also highly recommend using a grounded ESD-mat and a wristband. Know what you’re doing. You need to partially disassemble your machine to get to the GPU. Prepare yourself thoroughly, check out my little guide. In case you need more information, there’s also the M15x service manual, as well as the teardown video. It can be helpful to write down all the steps in advance when you’re doing this for the first time. The upgrading procedure: Uninstall your GPU drivers. Make a power drain (Turn off your M15x, remove the power cord and the battery. Then press and hold down the power button (Alienhead) for about 10-20 sec. Remove your GPU. Clean your heatsink, if necessary replace the thermal pads with new ones. Make sure the 6970m has a retention bracket on the back of the GPU. If not take the one from your old GPU and put it there. Also make sure you read the section about the “retention bracket problem”. Properly insert your GPU, make sure that it sits properly. Apply the thermal paste, and attach the heatsink. Then (after reassembling your system), boot, install the drivers and reboot. Make sure the fans are running. Open GPU-Z and verify your card and the clocks. It should look more or less like this. Default 3D clocks are 680/900MHz (core/memory) and 150/100MHz when idling. Make sure PowerPlay is enabled in the Catalyst Control Center. Also make sure Stealth Mode is deactivated. Check your temperatures. Idle temps should be 40-50°C, but this also depends on your ambient temperature . While gaming or doing something similar GPU-intense the system will run significantly hotter, 70-80°C, maybe a bit higher. Note: By lifting the back of your system a bit (for example with a book) you can improve the airflow in the system. This can really help lowering the temps. The back plate problem: The retention bracket of the 6970m has a different size than the regular M15x cards (260m, 5850m etc.)When your card doesn’t come with this x-plate you need to take the one you have on your old GPU, but this one won’t fit properly. Nevertheless it works, even if it covers some resistors on the back of the card. Make sure you’re not shorting anything. Usually the back plate has an insulating black plastic pad on it, this will work. However, if your x-plate doesn’t have this pad on it, you must cover it with some thin, insulating tape. Here you can see the problem, in the first picture I marked the are which gets covered by the backplate and in the second picture the highlighted area shows where the plate should be. The space beneath the card becomes pretty tight, but it works. My advice is contacting your dealer before buying the card and asking whether he can provide the correct x-plate. (In case he tells you that you should use the one from your old card tell him it has a different size.) Power consumption: The power draw of the card is probably about 75-100W. I run this card together with an i7 920xm in my M15x and it works fine. Nevertheless you need to be careful, as the PSU of the M15x is only rated 150W. When doing some 3dM11 runs with both GPU and CPU overclocked I measured about 160-170W current draw from my system during the combined test. You really need to be careful when running this card, especially when you have an extreme processor (920/940xm). Pushing both GPU and CPU can (and will) bring the PSU to its limits (and above). Some numbers about the power draw when playing games, everything on stocks: Black Ops Zombies (everything on max): ~ 130-140W Portal 2 (everything on max): ~110-125W Medal of Honor (everything on max) ~140-150W Crysis 2 (set to “Hardcore) ~ 140-150W The device I use for measuring the power draw has an accuracy of about ± 10W. Fan control: In case you have a card which makes your fans running at a high speed all the time you will need to use HWinfo32 to automatically (or if you prefer, manually) control the fan speed. It’s possible to create a fan control look-up table and let HWinfo32 automatically control the fan speed by temperature. 1. Click on the fan symbol2. Click on “Custom Auto” 3. Choose the temperature sensor diode which you want to use as reference.4. Set the desired speeds/temperatures according to your needs. Do this for both GPU and CPU, ignore GPU2 fan. I recommend using the hottest GPU diode (usually MemIO).A big thanks to Mumak, the developer of this fantastic tool. Here you can find the official Alienware fan control thread in case you find a bug or need to know more. Warning: Adjusting the fan speed can be dangerous!! Always keep an eye on your temps and never forget to adjust the values before doing something CPU or GPU intense (in case you control them manually) Possible problems and solutions: Unable to install drivers. Solution: Try a different driver. Also contact your vendor, maybe he knows a specific one that works. Idle clocks are 250/900 instead of 100/150. Solution: Check your display settings and make sure only your internal notebook monitor is selected. 250/900 are the idle clocks when you’re connected to an external monitor (or when your display settings are got messed up, probably driver related) The GPU temps are crazy high! Solution: Repaste. You probably did a bad job with the thermal paste. Also make sure your system is dust-free and that the heatsink sits properly and is making contact (also check the pads where the memory modules touch the heatsink). While idling the GPU clocks change from 2d to 3d clocks and back all couple of seconds. Solution: This behaviour can be caused by the M17x r3 6970m driver (A00). Get the latest AMD driver and you should be fine. If you have this problem with a different driver try another driver version.

Original Author: doink Notebook CPU: Intel Core i7-2630QM RAM: 4x2GB 1333MHz iGPU: Intel® HD Graphics 3000 dGPU: Nvidia Geforce GT550m eGPU: ASUS STRIX-R9390X-DC3OC-8GD5-GAMING OS: Windows 10 Pro 64bit EXP GDC Beast Preparation Prepare the pcie memory (you have 2 options): Mod your bios and then you can disable the dGPU, set your TOLUD to 2.25GB and change the pcie port2 speed to gen1. ( guide ) - You can disable the dGPU in the unlocked Chipset tab -> System Agent (SA) Config -> Graphics Config -> iGPU Port configuration = Disabled, and set the Primary display to IGFX - Chipset tab -> Memory Config -> Max TOLUD = 2.25GB - Chipset tab -> CougarPoint (PCH) Config -> PCI Express Config -> PCI Express Root Port 2 -> PCIe speed = Gen1 Do DSDT override and you will disable the dGPU from Setup 1.30 - You can change the pcie port speed back to gen2 after everything works. - Remove your old AMD driver with DDU - Install Setup 1.30 Disassembly The wifi mPCIe port is located under the caps lock LED so you have to get rid off the top cover of the case. Optibay users can cut off the slim part of the bay to get enough space for the hdmi cable. If you have any problems with the disassembly just follow this video: Asus done some wierd mPCIe implementation on this notebook so you have to isolate PIN 22 on the GDC Beast mPCIe connector. (more info from sNullp) You can find the mPCIe pinout here: PCI Express Mini Card (Mini PCIe) pinout diagram @ pinoutsguide.com I just used electrical tape to solve this problem, luckily the neighbour pins are unused so you have enough space for the *magic*. If you don't do it your timing on the GDC Beast won't work (no long green light near the switches) and you can't bypass the POST screen hang with egpu connected -> setup 1.3 never detects your eGPU. (windows will after sleep-plug-wake but with error 12 so its a dead end) Set the switches on the EXP GDC to CTD 6s and PTD 14s. Plug all the cables in and fire up the system. Wait at the os selection page until the green light goes off and the egpu fans starts to work. Enter Setup 1.3 and if you used the bios mod you can simply PCI Compact -> igp+egpu if you done the DSDT override you simply Video Cards -> dGPU off, PCI Compact -> 56.25GB -> igpu + egpu -> force igpu to 32bit Chainload to your os and start windows. Install the Radeon driver, don't reboot with egpu connected (POST hangs with amd gfx), always do shutdown-restart instead. If everything goes, no freezes, no random disconencts then try setting the mPCIe port speed to Gen2. Numbers 3dmark FIRE STRIKE 1.1: 7719@Gen1 | 8438@Gen2 Graphics Score 10412@Gen1 | 11578@Gen2 Physics Score 5903@Gen1 | 6178@Gen2 Combined Score 3116@Gen1 | 3396@Gen2 With my dGPU, i get 830 (820/6200/314) points. SKY DIVER 1.0: 18923@Gen1 | 19766@Gen2 Graphics Score: 35536@Gen1 | 38899@Gen2 Physics Score: 6130@Gen1 | 6219@Gen2 Combined Score: 13757@Gen1 |13910 @Gen2 CLOUD GATE 1.1: 13164@Gen1 | 15158@Gen2 Graphics Score: 48568@Gen1 | 60916@Gen2 Physics Score: 3707@Gen1 | 4177@Gen2 3dmark11: 10123@Gen1 | 11209@Gen2 Graphics Score: 13492@Gen1 | 16003@Gen2 Physics Score: 5969@Gen1 | 6092@Gen2 Combined Score: 5537@Gen1 | 5643@Gen2 Graphics Test 1: 48.35 fps@Gen1 | 61.62 fps@Gen2 Graphics Test 2: 75.07 fps@Gen1 | 82.35 fps@Gen2 Graphics Test 3: 91.53 fps@Gen1 | 104.7 fps@Gen2 Graphics Test 4: 43.0 fps@Gen1 | 51.1 fps@Gen2 Physics Test: 18.95 fps@Gen1 | 19.34 fps@Gen2 Combined Test: 25.76 fps@Gen1 | 26.25 fps@Gen2 Dota2 With the default renderer i get ~25-28fps in every video setting, using the -DX11 arg 60-90fps on highest settings. Not Stable! I currently have random connection issues even on Gen1 speed, the screen hangs for 2-3sec and then usually amd driver restores the egpu. This happens usually after 1-2 hour if im in one game but in 3dmark i can't run all the tests at once at gen2. So no random fps drops only random gpu drops Update: Same issue with PE4C-PM060A V3.0. Thanks for @Tech Inferno Fan helping out with the PIN22 idea and ofc for the awesome Setup1.3 program. View full article

Hi, last Friday the Videocard (AMD Radeon HD 7970M) died. So i Bought a new one (HD8970M). Wednesday it arrieved. i installed it. Installed newest AMD driver. seems to Work. So I started Playing some WoW. After an half Hour I recognized that its getting really hot because the GPU Fan didn't move. Tried new BIOS (A12) other Driver. Unistalled all Drives via Display driver Uninstaller. than i found that with HWInfo I can Set Fans Manual (works well). But now there is no way i get the Graphiccard working again. in BIOS it says "Discrete Graphic: Not detected". I removed the GPU and reinstalled it. bootet -> BIOS says "discrete Graphic: ATI GFX" -> reboot to Windows -> no Graphic card in System manager (except Intelhd4000) AMD driver says: no AMD installed. Reboot -> bios -> "Discrete Graphic: Not detected". Retried all of this with no AMD driver installed. in Systemmanager there is "Standard-VGA-device) -> installed driver -> no graphic driver installed. (tried another BIOS A11) same issues Please are there some hints? i would try the Unlocked BIOS but i can't download it right now because of Pre-Promotion

I am currently using gtx 1060 3gb with mpcie and no hotplug (or something with that name) setup due to locked bios. I am tired of using old graphic driver as it seems to be not giving the best frames for new titles and my windows constantly trying to update my driver via windows update. even if i turn it manually, it constantly brings problem. I heard this isn't the case for AMD, but which one is better for mpcie gpu setup without hotplug capability?

AMD has just released Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.1 Hotfix Driver that includes a lot of resolved issues for games like Fallout 4, Elite Dangerous, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Star Wars: Battlefront, Just Cause 3, Assassins Creed Syndicate and DiRT Rally. The AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.1 Hotfix Driver can be downloaded from the following link: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.1 Hotfix Driver for Windows® 10, Windows 8.1 & Windows 7 64-bit Release notes with resolved and known issues: View full article

Hi, I have a Clevo P170EM with an AMD 7970M. Last year I tried to change the vBIOS of my 7970M, a friend of my tried to change it because he wanted to ''overlock'' the card. He said no worries I said okay do it, then later on he returned my laptop and bricked both my card and the normal BIOS. I had to repair the laptop trough a repair company in the city. They only could repair the BIOS by doing another BIOS on it. They said to try everything with the card but my laptop wouldn't accept it. The problem: After the Windows 10 installation I installed all the drivers from the manufacters site (http://www.eurocom.com/ec/drivers(226)ec). Including the SSD driver, then I FIRST installed and fully updated the Intel HD Graphics. After that I installed the AMD videocard drivers (crimsons edition), the weird part is, AMD autodetect sees my card and so does Windows. Then the driver ask me to restart my laptop, after restarting the Windows logo appears then the screen goes black with a blinking cursor left upper screen. I believe it has someting to do with the vBIOS of the card and I also believe that the card is not bricked but just wrong BIOS. I asked the manufacter and they say that the card may be bricked, when I ask for the BIOS they would not provide it for free (bastards). I asked for both the motherboard and AMD card BIOS, they said I have to pay for it. Question: Can someone provide information and files for the right vBIOS? I mean the vBIOS that is standard. Greetz, Jamie P.s I have some pictures and screenshot of Windows and the BIOS detecting the graphic card, the weird thing is both OS and BIOS detect the card but when I install the drivers it goes black P.s.s I already tried everything AMD support provided so I have no use for comments like ''Try unistall with DDU'' or try with second monitor etc. As you can see I've disabled the card because when I enable, Windows freezes and screen goes black.

Specs :- Intel i5-2410m 2.3 GHz 8 GB ram Intel hd 3000 (igpu) AMD hd 6470m (dgpu) Win 10 # Use the mpcie slot for egpu GPU powers on and Epu setup 1.x recognized the graphics card. Disabled the dgpu using setup 1.x. Installed latest crimson drivers In device manager gpu shows with error 43. Disabled the egpu from device manager and re-enabled it again. Then it showed normally. BUT THE PROBLEM IS I CANT CONNECT IT INTO A EXTERNAL DISPLAY. i USED THE DVI-SINGLE LINK PORT AND THE HDMI PORT BUT MY MONITOR DOESNT PICK UP THE SIGNAL. Help required !!!! 01. First look at the Device manager. 02. After re-enabling the gpu

Is that possible use it without external display? It always mention Radeon Settings are currently not available.Please try again after connecting a display to AMD graphics and extending the display.

Hi guys! I have a big problem-> I need to undervolt my GPU (MSI 7970M@DELL_BIOS). I am using this vBIOS: https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/132831/dell-hd7970m-2048-120629 Stock VDDC on this GPU is 1.050V and when I changing this one to 0.975 in VBE7 it is ok-> I can save it and flash it. Computer succesfully restarts but when I check modded settings the VDDC is still on 1.050V I checked if the VBE7 seriously saving the VDDC to vBIOS but it is ok. I have no idead what i need to UV this card (i know it's possible...) Everything is changing (GPU, MEM MHz) but VDDC can't change. Please help me ;-)

AMD's new RX 480 $200 graphics card is out and delivers GTX 970/R390 performance as promised. However, there are some conflicting reports of the new Polaris GPU drawing more power from the PCI-e slot than it is rated. According to Tom's Hardware, the RX 480 draws 86 watts peak from the motherboard's PCI-e slot although the official ceiling is 75 watts. After Tom's Hardware published their report, other websites such as PCPer followed up with their own testing and reported similar findings: Additionally, there are some users that reported potential issues with their motherboards that arose after using the RX 480 in their systems: Keep in mind both of those reports do not 100% confirm the problem is the RX 480 but given the reported issues with it's power draw and these users boards experiencing problems after installing an RX 480, there is a strong possibility that it is the cause. There is a reddit thread in r/AMD on this topic and AMD's Robert Hallock has issued the following response: We're awaiting AMD's full official response which should hopefully be coming soon. UPDATE: TechPowerUp contacted AMD and received the following official response: View full article

Hi! I'm new here. I have a MBP 15-inch (Mid 2014, Iris Pro 5200) with macOS 10.12.1 installed. Can I run eGPU with an AMD Graphics Card (HD 7000, R9 300, R9 Nano or RX 400) using the internal display on macOS? (I don't prefer running it on Windows.) I've known the automate-eGPU.sh, but I'm not sure if it can support the internal display. Thanks for answering!

Specs: Sager branded Clevo P170EM 16gb ddr 3 AMD 7970M i7-3820QM BIOS 1.00.04bLS2 I'm working on this laptop for a friend and it will NOT stay on more than a couple minutes before it shuts down. I have tried everything that i can think of and it still shuts down. Im thinking it some kind of thermal or video card problem but I cant quite narrow it down. here are the things i have tied: cleaned/re greased both fans. cleaned all heat sinks fins lapped and reapplied thermal paste reapplied thermal tape to the GPU replaced CMOS battery reset CMOS removed/reinstalled all drivers for iGPU an the 7970 tested all ram in a seperate latop top individually swapped fans to test headers After all of this it still will beep about 20-22 times and shut down it is in no way getting hot the fans still spin but the computer still shuts down. What else can i try ? I can't be the only one who has this problem. I've added a file that show the bios version.

Build Info: DriverVer=12/19/2012, 9.012.0.0000 9.012-121219a-151592C-ATI Catalyst: 13.1 CCC: 2012.1219.1521.27485 D3D: 9.14.10.0945 OGL: 6.14.10.12002 OCL: 10.0.1084.4 Sign Date: January 11-16 (Microsoft WHQL) AMD Catalyst 13.1 Release Notes AMD Catalyst 13.1 Win 8 | Win 7 | Vista (64-bit) AMD Catalyst 13.1 Win 8 | Win 7 | Vista (32-bit) AMD Catalyst Mobility 13.1 Win 8 | Win 7 | Vista (64-bit) AMD Catalyst Mobility 13.1 Win 8 | Win 7 | Vista (32-bit) AMD HydraVision 13.1 Win 8 | Win 7 | Vista (32-bit & 64-bit) AMD HydraVision Mobility 13.1 Win 8 | Win 7 | Vista (32-bit & 64-bit) ----- via guru3d & AMD

HI, I'm trying to get my egpu going on windows (for the time being I don't care about OS X), and I can't barely get started. Akitio + Evga 1070 I read many guides but I still don't get it. Right off the bat the Thunderbolt or Basic Display Adaptor doesn't even show up on Windows Device Manager. I think I read somewhere that Windows needs to boot with the Intel graphics not the AMD and in order for that to happen I need to mess with the EFI to make sure the Windows boots with the Intel and not AMD? If that is the case, i couldn't find any instructions on how to do that properly. I really appreciate any input or help! Thanks

Hi all, I'm looking to sell a PE4L V2.1b (Expresscard Version) and GTX750. I have used them both reliably on my Thinkpad X230t, achieving x1.2Opt and able to run pretty much any game decently well, for the past year without any issues. This setup works great as a portable setup since the GTX750 doesn't require external power. I recently bought a desktop so I have no further need for them. Here is a link to the graphics card. I'm looking to sell the PE4L for $60 (got it for $70) and the GTX750 for $70 (got it for $90) or $120 for both, with a flat rate of $5 for shipping. Here's a picture of my previous setup that I was running off the eGPU. If you have any questions or want more pictures of the parts, please PM me! Thanks!

Well guys...so now we know... What are your thoughts and first initial impressions? Do you foresee the new cooling design being able to cool the 1080 better than DTR's/Clevo's? Are you going to be ditching your current AW to get the new one? Will you be buying a different brand all together? Reason for the switch? Are you willing to pay DTR prices for the new AW if it turns out that way? (AW 1070 pricing is now available) Which screen option will you be opting for? FHD, QHD, or 4K? Do you care for Tobii? How long do you normally keep your laptop? -> Do you normally upgrade every year with the latest refresh? --> If so, is having LGA/MXM really practical for you? Things that I like: "...magnesium alloy for rigidity, copper for better performance and steel...." ".....overclockable DDR4 system memory capable of up to 2667 MHz overclockable DDR4 system memory capable of up to 2667 MHz....." ".... 17" QHD 120Hz display is designed to deliver the smoothest gaming experience with 4ms response time, wide viewing angles, 400 nits of brightness, and NVIDIA G-Sync technology...." "....a thinner design, better ventilation, higher quality sound and external ports organization...." ".... larger and more effective speaker box has been installed, improving audio output for a clearer and more dramatic gaming experience....." "....Avoid excess cables and embrace the “desktop mode” design, where most of your critical connections and ports are in the back and out of the way....." "....We offer the maximum amount of battery power legally allowed with the 99 Whr battery– storing and delivering the most amount of power found in any notebook battery for longer uninterrupted game play....." Don't forget the LED lighting that unlocks the BIOS and makes the AW hover for better ventilation. On another note, this is one step in the right direction...it can breathe I take it... What we know so far (stuff that we actually care about): * New AW17 1080 will be 180W and GDDR5X https://www.twitch.tv/alienware/v/87746534 (Thanks @DeeX for the heads up. Also confirmed from the horses mouth himself, Azor.) @ 4:46:26 …mentions 180W @ 4:49:33 ...worth watching it from here, lol... @ 4:50:10 ...takes a crack at Clevo...I love DTR's, but what he says is true. No heart behind Clevo's design, just a bunch of rebranded, rebrands. * Full on Copper heat sinks and heat pipes. * Back of display is metal. * Bottom of laptop is metal, anodized aluminum. * Laptop is very rigid. Watch them try bending it...it's solid as a rock. Lots of metal. * Keys on the keyboard are guaranteed and rated at 10 Million strokes. * Keys have a longer 2.2mm travel length. * N Key roll over technology. Able to register multiple keystrokes. * 19 Total Macro Keys. More added near the Num pad side on the 17". * The back plate of keyboard is steel enforced, all metal. * Bottom and Side air intakes. * Designed to keep the heat toward the rear and away from the front areas, keyboard / palm rest. ____________________________UPDATE (9/14/16)____________________________ Well guys: Click here Here are some early pricing (out) comparisons. I've been playing around with different configurations to get an idea of what we can expect for the overall pricing. I've noticed that it is a bit more ala carte in a way...well kinda... Note: It's possible that my numbers are off and if it is then I'll update it, but please do go price it yourself if you have a moment... Couple things I've noticed: * There is an option to get a display unit without Tobii. Thank goodness. I wonder if this is true for the up coming QHD panel? * The price for the 4K UHD w/ Frobii is outrageous. +$400?! Sheesh... Hope they offer 4K without Frobii. ____________________________UPDATE (9/23/16)____________________________ www.Alienware.com is now LIVE with pricing of the new machines, but only up to GTX 1070 configurations. --- Early Comparisons of an Alienware 17R4 (GTX 1070) vs Clevo P775DM3 (GTX1070): (Blue = Better / Red = Falls Short / Grey = Equal) ------------------------------------------- Clevo P775DM3 / Fager NP9172-S * i7-6700K * 1080 FHD w/ GSYNC * GTX 1070 * 16GB RAM DDR4 2400MHz * 256GB M.2 SSD * Killer 1535 * 2 Year Warranty …$2,114…NO TAX w/ GTX 1080: $2,502 Options: * 4K UHD w/ GSYNC is +$275 ________________________________ Alienware 17R4: * i7-6820HK * 1080 FHD w/o GSYNC * GTX 1070 * 16GB DDR4 2400MHz * 256GB M.2 SSD + 1TB Paper Weight * Killer 1525 * 2 Year Warranty $2,474 + PLUS TAX $198 (Avg. 8%) = ...$2,672... Options: * 4K UHD w/ Fobii Eye Tracking is +$400 ________________________________ Reality in terms of value to cost ratio: * 6700K (socketed lga) > 6820HK (mobile bga) * GTX 1080 for only $275 more on the DTR. How much more will GTX1080 be on the AW? * 1080FHD has GSYNC on DTR * Can paying $558 More for AW17R4 be justified? ________________________________ Current thoughts at this time and moment: Well to be honest, as for the pricing it doesn't look good if the numbers on the pricing page is anywhere near accurate. There's no way that I can justify paying ~$558 more at this point, however, that can change depending on the GTX 1080 and QHD variant. It's too early to tell. I'd like to also add that the 2 Year Warranty for Dell is "Blue," because it is far superior than Clevo's 2 Year Warranty. This is a fact (at least if you're in the US), so please let's not argue about this. As I've said before, "Do not pay DTR prices for a bga machine." This is just my opinion and everyone is entitled to their own, but please do the math and make a wise decision that best fits you and your needs. Notice that the comparison is between the AW17R4 vs the Clevo P775DM3, which is not the bulky DTR, but the more slimmer and (IMO) cleaner looking one. What are your thoughts?

Guessing who will be the first company to include the nVidia Pascal 1080 and AMD Polaris GPU's inside their Laptops: 1- 2- 3- 4-

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NVIDIA's Pascal is on it's way and should be available sometime in June based on current leaks. One of the first GPUs may be a full GDDR5x GP104 based GeForce 1080 GPU and we will almost assuredly have mobile variants shortly thereafter. AMD hasn't given us nearly as much information on Polaris except their performance/watt demo a few months ago but we're fairly certain it is priming for release as well. With the new generation of GPUs quickly approaching, do you plan to upgrade to either of them upon release? Why or why not?

TweakTown just released a new story claiming that NVIDIA rather than AMD will be the one powering Nintendo's new NX console which is scheduled for release in early 2017. More specifically, it was rumored that AMD's new Polaris in combination with an x86 CPU or part of an APU was the brains behind the new NX. Instead, the rumor is that the NX will be utilizing an NVIDIA Tegra SoC that uses the newest Pascal architecture. To add a little more salt to the rumor, Emily Rogers, an online journalist that has supposedly been privy to this sort of information in the past, is now stating the NX is not powered by an x86 architecture but rather a custom design that utilizes "modern chips". She doesn't specify what those "modern chips" are but if you take what TweakTown claims in addition to what she said and Nintendo's history of not chasing after the most powerful hardware, there's some plausibility to all of this. I guess we'll find out soon enough if Nintendo did choose to go with NVIDIA this time around and if so, expect a nice boost to NVIDIA stock if all this turns out to be true. View full article

Ok so I do I lot of work on Rhino 3D, Sketchup and too Revit. I also use Maxwell and sometimes VRay for rendering. My current 15" Macbook pro with Iris pro graphics really sucks for this. When I move models around they get laggy and often freeze and crash. I do expect rendering to always take a while. Should I go with the Thunder2 and a GTX 970 with a PSU or would I be fine with the built in AMD R9 m370X of the higher priced macbook. The GTX kills it on benchmarks however the GTX requires a PSU and its hard to take around.... Thanks!

Hi, I have a Macbook Pro Retina 13" (Late 2013) with: - Haswell i5 4258U - 8 GB DDR3-1600 - Iris 5100 iGPU - 256 GB SSD - Thunderbolt 2 I built an eGPU using the Akitio Thunder2 PCIe Box, I tested it with an EVGA GTX 750 Ti SC and it was working perfectly. The card was PCIe powered using a 120W PSU (12V, 10A). All I need is a graphics card powered only by PCI-Express slot. I was thinking about a GTX 950 LP (new models which draw 75W directly from PCIe). In your opinion which one is better? - ASUS GTX950-2G (will it fit in the Akitio?) - ASUS MINI-GTX950-2G - MSI GTX 950 OCV2 - EVGA GTX 950 SC Alternatives: - ASUS Strix GTX 750 Ti with 4GB GDDR5, which will allow games like COD BO3 to run high-res textures, but has less CUDA Cores than GTX 950; - Wait for Nvidia Pascal/AMD Polaris mid-range GPUs