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Best Laptop with External GPU combination for Gaming @4K?

Leondar
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Hello Peeps,

 

(First off, am I on the right forum?)

 

What would be the best Laptop to buy to couple with an External GPU for the purpose of College work and High FPS (60+ at least) Gaming on Ultra settings @ 4K? What would the External GPU Unit (Razer Core, Alienware Graphics Amplifier, etc) be?

 

For example, the DELL Inspiron 15 @$950 with the i7-7700HQ and the 1050Ti looked like a good option, as does the Alienware series with the GTX 1070. Would you recommend either of these, or are there other better options at the same price range?

 

If I'm going with the Alienware 15, is the Alienware Graphics Amplifier, a recommended buy, to the Razer Core?

 

Do the current External GPU units support the 1080Ti and cards, after?

 

(Optional)

  • Could you elaborate on the reasons behind your choice?
  • Some relevant videos/content on this subject, would be excellent! (Apart from Linus' and Dave Lee's videos)
  • What are some excellent Laptop+External GPU combinations?

 

Some more questions

 

  • What other overheads/circumstances would you advise taking into account?
  • It appeared from some sites that CPU bottleneck could be an issue, with that in mind, will the current processors (i7-6700HQ being among the most popular) or the processor on the laptop you mention, bottleneck the GTX 1080/1080Ti?
  • Also, what are the pros and cons of linking a Laptop of one Manufacturer with the External GPU unit of another for optimal performance? (Example Alienware with Razer Core)

 

Thanks in advance!

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Getting 4k at 60fps ultra is very difficult on a desktop. On a laptop it's basically impossible unless you get a dual gtx 1080 laptop. The problem with external gpus is that the scaling sucks compared to having a GPU inside the laptop. You take a pretty big performance when running an external gtx 1070 vs a laptop running an internal gtx 1070. My suggestion would be get a laptop with a good internal gpu because external gpu solutions are only practice if you are running a laptop without a dedicated gpu and you what to game on it.

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Someone will probably correct me but I believe the Alienware external GPU unit doesn't make full use of all PCIE lanes or something like that resulting in lesser performance.

 

There is an MSI unit too which looks good, I can't remember off the top of my head what it's downfall was though.

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I was put off the whole external GPU thing simply because the tech isn't where it needs to be for it to be a genuinely viable alternative to a desktop and it's especially not a financially viable alternative.

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2 minutes ago, wilamu said:

I was put off the whole external GPU thing simply because the tech isn't where it needs to be for it to be a genuinely viable alternative to a desktop and it's especially not a financially viable alternative.

This is why I love my HP 2570p. It's $350. It's socketed (so you can literally drop in a quad-core and kick ass and chew bubble gum). It's got support for dual HDD/SSDs and 16GB of RAM. It's 12.5" large. And yet.. you can literally get an eGPU dock for it for $50, but it uses 1 2.0 lane with compression. But it performs surprisingly well, and with a 950 it's a decent little eGPU setup and especially for the price. 

idk

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I watched a video on YouTube where the dude got almost a 40-50 FPS hike to his GTX 970 on the Alienware 15, using an External 1080, on 4K "Very High", I'm assuming he didn't go Ultra.

 

Forgot the other thing I wanted to write about.

 

Rice and typing can be distracting.

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11 minutes ago, Droidbot said:

This is why I love my HP 2570p. It's $350. It's socketed (so you can literally drop in a quad-core and kick ass and chew bubble gum). It's got support for dual HDD/SSDs and 16GB of RAM. It's 12.5" large. And yet.. you can literally get an eGPU dock for it for $50, but it uses 1 2.0 lane with compression. But it performs surprisingly well, and with a 950 it's a decent little eGPU setup and especially for the price. 

I like that! It's cheap and you get good bang for your buck!!

Just now, Leondar said:

I watched a video on YouTube where the dude got almost a 40-50 FPS hike to his GTX 970 on the Alienware 15, using an External 1080, on 4K "Very High", I'm assuming he didn't go Ultra.

 

Forgot the other thing I wanted to write about.

 

Rice and typing can be distracting.

haha don't lose any rice in your keyboard!! 

 

Yea he is getting good performance but the cost of that set up was kind of my point. 

 

If you've got the money why the hell not !

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22 minutes ago, Brooksie359 said:

Getting 4k at 60fps ultra is very difficult on a desktop. On a laptop it's basically impossible unless you get a dual gtx 1080 laptop. The problem with external gpus is that the scaling sucks compared to having a GPU inside the laptop. You take a pretty big performance when running an external gtx 1070 vs a laptop running an internal gtx 1070. My suggestion would be get a laptop with a good internal gpu because external gpu solutions are only practice if you are running a laptop without a dedicated gpu and you what to game on it.

The onboard GTX 1080's benchmarks were pretty good.

 

Source: 

 

Given that the GTX 1080 on the Laptop has a 10-15% downgrade in performance to the Desktop 1080, and the Thunderbolt does a 10-15% downgrade to the External GPU, the trade off seems to be none, mathematically at least.

 

The reason I even want an External GPU unit is for the drool-worthy stuff of the future!

 

Assuming CPU bottleneck isn't a thing.

 

Plus, I will build a Desktop PC when I have a place I finally settle down at, Mobile seems to be the way to go for now.

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6 minutes ago, wilamu said:

haha don't lose any rice in your keyboard!! 

Worst thing ever, after the original Mass Effect Trilogy's conclusion.

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9 minutes ago, wilamu said:

I like that! It's cheap and you get good bang for your buck!!

haha don't lose any rice in your keyboard!! 

 

Yea he is getting good performance but the cost of that set up was kind of my point. 

 

If you've got the money why the hell not !

Ever eaten a croissant over a keyboard? Never again. 

Literally had my keyboard covered in flakes and crumbs and I instantly regretted it. 

 

idk

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8 minutes ago, wilamu said:

Yea he is getting good performance but the cost of that set up was kind of my point. 

 

If you've got the money why the hell not !

Yes!

 

Money is not a problem, for the foreseeable future. Would have been excellent if the Alienware 15 didn't cost $3-fuckin-000 where I live (India), including the import, taxes, etc.

 

Could have probably bought the A-15, the External GPU, the Unit, and Half of Russia for that much.

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1 minute ago, Droidbot said:

Ever eaten a croissant over a keyboard? Never again. 

Literally had my keyboard covered in flakes and crumbs and I instantly regretted it. 

 

Added to the list of 3742 things to never do before I die.

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1 minute ago, Leondar said:

Yes!

 

Money is not a problem, for the foreseeable future. Would have been excellent if the Alienware 15 didn't cost $3-fuckin-000 where I live (India), including the import, taxes, etc.

 

Could have probably bought the A-15, the External GPU, the Unit, and Half of Russia for that much.

THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS

The 1070 model is $3300 dollarydoos here. AU is seriously overpriced. 

idk

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13 minutes ago, Leondar said:

The reason I even want an External GPU unit is for the drool-worthy stuff of the future!

Then wait for the technology to mature a bit, ext. GPU's are in their infancy right now.

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4 minutes ago, Droidbot said:

THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS

The 1070 model is $3300 dollarydoos here. AU is seriously overpriced. 

WHAAAT?

 

Must have got my source wrong. Gotta hit that Alienware site up...

 

On second thought, oh wait, Australia.

 

Damn.

 

So much for being closer to Antarctica.

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Just now, wilamu said:

Then wait for the technology to mature a bit, ext. GPU's are in their infancy right now.

So I go with the (overpriced) Alienware 15 for now?

 

Or should I consider a Razer product?

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6 minutes ago, Droidbot said:

THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS

 AU is seriously overpriced. 

I wonder what I thought AU was...

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Just now, Leondar said:

So I go with the (overpriced) Alienware 15 for now?

 

Or should I consider a Razer product?

Please don't, the Blade throttles its balls off - the Alienware's thermals are surprisingly good. 

idk

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54 minutes ago, Leondar said:

Hello Peeps,

 

(First off, am I on the right forum?)

 

What would be the best Laptop to buy to couple with an External GPU for the purpose of College work and High FPS (60+ at least) Gaming on Ultra settings @ 4K? What would the External GPU Unit (Razer Core, Alienware Graphics Amplifier, etc) be?

 

For example, the DELL Inspiron 15 @$950 with the i7-7700HQ and the 1050Ti looked like a good option, as does the Alienware series with the GTX 1070. Would you recommend either of these, or are there other better options at the same price range?

 

If I'm going with the Alienware 15, is the Alienware Graphics Amplifier, a recommended buy, to the Razer Core?

 

Do the current External GPU units support the 1080Ti and cards, after?

 

(Optional)

  • Could you elaborate on the reasons behind your choice?
  • Some relevant videos/content on this subject, would be excellent! (Apart from Linus' and Dave Lee's videos)
  • What are some excellent Laptop+External GPU combinations?

 

Some more questions

 

  • What other overheads/circumstances would you advise taking into account?
  • It appeared from some sites that CPU bottleneck could be an issue, with that in mind, will the current processors (i7-6700HQ being among the most popular) or the processor on the laptop you mention, bottleneck the GTX 1080/1080Ti?
  • Also, what are the pros and cons of linking a Laptop of one Manufacturer with the External GPU unit of another for optimal performance? (Example Alienware with Razer Core)

 

Thanks in advance!

https://www.amazon.com/SAGER-NP9873-S-P870DM3-G-SYNC-Nvidia/dp/B06VTCRZZM/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1488798642&sr=1-8&keywords=sager

 

 

this doesn't even need an external gpu unit to achieve ultra settings 4k 60fps.

it has TWO gtx 1080's.

 

 

 

 

 

battery life is like 20 minutes tho lol.

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Just now, Preston builds said:

https://www.amazon.com/SAGER-NP9873-S-P870DM3-G-SYNC-Nvidia/dp/B06VTCRZZM/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1488798642&sr=1-8&keywords=sager

 

 

this doesn't even need an external gpu unit to achieve ultra settings 4k 60fps.

it has TWO gtx 1080's.

 

 

 

 

 

battery life is like 20 minutes tho lol.

$4200 before customs, thank the heavens I have 2 kidneys. Could have done with 10 more tho.

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2 minutes ago, Preston builds said:

battery life is like 20 minutes tho lol.

 

And you need a truck to take it anywhere ;) haha

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7 minutes ago, Droidbot said:

Please don't, the Blade throttles its balls off - the Alienware's thermals are surprisingly good. 

Alienware 15 it is, then.

 

Fingers crossed, the External Graphics Amplifier gets god-level optimized soon, so I can crunch the regret of spending the savings for my grandma's funeral on a Laptop with a UFO logo.

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2 minutes ago, wilamu said:

And you need a truck to take it anywhere ;) haha

One with at least a 132528162852 MAh battery.

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6 minutes ago, Preston builds said:

https://www.amazon.com/SAGER-NP9873-S-P870DM3-G-SYNC-Nvidia/dp/B06VTCRZZM/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1488798642&sr=1-8&keywords=sager

 

 

this doesn't even need an external gpu unit to achieve ultra settings 4k 60fps.

it has TWO gtx 1080's.

 

 

 

 

 

battery life is like 20 minutes tho lol.

lol, hidevolution has a machine with a 5.2Ghz 7700k and dual 1080s out of the box.. 

idk

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