Let's DELL

[xiaowhois]

xiaomi is best for powerbanks. bought a few for a year plus and they are still going strong.

xiaomi value for money lo, 10k powerbank enough for ur smartphone

 

[xiaowhois]

From Amplifier's specification, it occupies 13.2 litres with dimensions: 17.35 cm x 40.955 cm x 18.55 cm

And here's the dimension comparison for both series of gaming consoles:

PS4 at slightly over 4 litres while Xbox One at 7+ litres.

it is like a mini cpu lo just that it is "extended" GPU

 

[koreanlover]

Dell Alienware Graphics Amplifier is as big as a mini desktop~

so that guy with Alienware 13 R2 left the public place without bringing his Alienware Graphics Amplifier home?

Haolian portable but forgot his bulky Alienware Graphics Amplifier ~

I guess anyone walk pass might have bagged his Dell Alienware Graphics Amplifier as a Thanksgiving gift from Santa~

OMG the Dell Alienware Graphics Amplifier is so huge! It doesn't look so big in the video.

 

[xiaowhois]

cannot me still got many things not done and kena electrocuted v painful... and i will miss dell very badly too

dont play play with electricity~ later not just painful maybe u will uplorry

 

[xiaowhois]

OMG the Dell Alienware Graphics Amplifier is so huge! It doesn't look so big in the video.

as big as mine UPS at home haha~

 

[koreanlover]

Dell Alienware series laptop by default come with 1Yr ProSupport: Next Business Day Onsite Service w/Accidental Damage. Sth that dont come by default from their Dell inspiron 15 7000 series laptop

still got won award by Alienware 15

Good for serious gamers who cannot wait for their Dell Alienware laptop to be down for too long.

 

[koreanlover]

The graphics amplifier is a smart solution as Dell do not need to put the latest Nvidia mobile GTX980 in their alienware.

The gpu is a full GTX980, very fast but very hot and big to cool inside a laptop.

If the 3-4KG alienware is heavy, imagine what more weight will be added to laptops when you have GTX980 inside.

Yes think the Alienware Graphics Amplifier is made to reduce the weight of the laptop.

 

[MoneyFace =p]

Honestly speaking, although this amplifier is a very practical implementation to bump up graphics performance, i feel that the Graphics Amplifier occupies a tad too much space. Especially behind the long graphics card and in front of the power supply where the PSU cables reside, having huge empty space which has no utility other than to house the length of cables, which makes the entire box clumsy and oversized.

I believe this amplifier box is still in its infancy of R&D and has great potential to be further developed and redesigned. They can redesign the entire box to be much slimmer and space-efficient, to something like Alienware X51 SFF PC / Silverstone Raven RVZ structure layout, where the graphics card is orientated on the same plane adjacent to the power supply. This will bring down the entire box to a much flatter, slimmer form factor liken to gaming consoles.

And as seen above, the power supply utilised is also a full sized regular ATX PSU, and it protruded way past the height of graphics card, generating quite substantial unnecessary space above graphics card. With just 375W required to power up the graphics card and 4x USB 3.0 ports, ATX PSU is definitely overkill and they could have replace it with a more compact SFX form factor PSU that is also capable of providing the similar wattage output. 300-450W is a very common wattage range for SFX PSU and also easily available on the market. SFX PSU is also shorter that it flushes perfectly well in line with the height of standard full profile graphics card, as seen in the image below. SFX PSU is also much lighter than regular ATX ones. Hence, using SFX PSU will bring the box volume down much further and results in a much slender and lighter amplifier box.

 

[MoneyFace =p]

it is like a mini cpu lo just that it is "extended" GPU

Yup sadly after calculation, it is similarly big as some mITX DIY PC chassis like Cooler Master Elite 100 series with lot of unused space.

 

[MoneyFace =p]

Yes think the Alienware Graphics Amplifier is made to reduce the weight of the laptop.

Rather than thinking it to reduce weight of laptop, it is more purposed to reduce the need to get a higher-end laptop (that is also substantially heavier) since you no longer need to have a laptop with powerful internal graphics. Just take the lowest end Alienware laptop that supports this Graphics Amplifier (luckily all are compatible) and pair it with affordable high-end desktop card like GTX 970, and you are ready to take down all games in max settings glory. And yet still substantially cheaper than the biggest, most powerful Alienware laptop.

 

[koreanlover]

Actually all gaming laptop with quad core and at least a nvidia 970m cost around $2.4k, so to say alienware expensive is not just them.

The pro of alienware laptop is the strong material used for enclosure, it is heavy but solid. It is also big in a sense it is design to allow more air to flow through the system, and the same design can hold 970m and 980m gpu. The last bit is alienware allows you to open up the bottom and add new hardware such as ssd and ram.

Yes most of the gaming laptops with at least a Nvidia 970m would cost around that price, so it might not be that expensive after all.

 

[xtramadness]

Alienware 17 connects to Intel Thunderbolt which is USB Type-C with support for SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps, 40Gbps.

But I thought they said was some PCIe x4 or something liddat in the Alienware M18 R3 or Alienware 17 system?

 

[jarred1223]

OMG the Dell Alienware Graphics Amplifier is so huge! It doesn't look so big in the video.

the Dell Alienware Graphics Amplifier can act as heater if your hands are cold after gaming in air-con room

 

[xtramadness]

yup it is from Creative. Creative Sound Core3D-EX is for use for Alienware Graphics Amplifier to provide good sound quality as well as voice communication.

That is interesting... Haven't really heard much from Creative... Nice to see Dell opting to use local stuff for their Alienware M18 R3 or Alienware 17's amplifier!

 

[xtramadness]

The graphics amplifier is a smart solution as Dell do not need to put the latest Nvidia mobile GTX980 in their alienware.

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/notebook-gpus/geforce-gtx-980
The gpu is a full GTX980, very fast but very hot and big to cool inside a laptop.

If the 3-4KG alienware is heavy, imagine what more weight will be added to laptops when you have GTX980 inside.

The Alienware M18 R3 or Alienware 17's amplifier's main competitor should be MSI’s GS30 Shadow.

nonetheless, the good thing is that the Amplifier really can help to extend the lifespan of an Alienware laptop

 

[xtramadness]

People who are rich enough to purchase these Alienware laptops are more likely to spend a bit more, at the small fraction of their laptop, to get this amplifier.

This Graphics Amplifier also solves the complexity and hassle buyers need to face if they were to build a DIY PC. Choosing from countless choice of PC parts to assembly and configuring system themselves.

Alienware laptop owners only need to hoot graphics card of their choice, much simple enough. Then install graphics card into the only PCIe slot inside the box, plug in the PCIe cable, install driver on the laptop, and they are good to go. That easy!

Having this amplifier is also much easier than upgrading the MXM based removable discrete graphics card on the laptop, where you need to remove almost every single internal part to reach down for the MXM card. MXM cards are also a lot less available than regular desktop graphics cards. You also need to clean the heatsink and reapply the thermal paste, which is going to be a tedious and scary journey, even for amateurs.

There is also a category of which those who want it will keep saving and spend all on the Dell Alienware M18 R3 or Alienware 17 system, then no money buy amplifier.

I assume that the Alienware systems cannot use with the MSI GS30 right?

Because the Alienware Amplifier's connection is only carrying data at x4 PCIe Gen 3 data rates = ~ 4GB/s. Whereas a standard GPU connection on a desktop is a full x16 Gen 3 connection or ~16GB/s. The GS30 can support that full x16 data rate! Will there be trottle?

 

[xtramadness]

A pity that this Graphics Amplifier only included a 80 mm fan on its chassis. A 120mm/140mm fan mount hole option will have been more welcomed by gamers as they can take advantage to mount the 120mm AIO watercooling radiator from Fury X, and also for enthusiast to convert their air cooled graphics card with hybrid watercooling using standalone AIO cooler mounts like Corsair Hydro HG10 A1 / NZXT Kraken G10. I believe there's also enough vacant space beside the power supply to house a mini water reservoir should enthusiasts want to take a step further to install custom watercooling system. And there are also wider varieties of 120mm specialised fans (airflow and static pressure) available on the market to improve airflow within than that of 80mm fan.

Here's the MSI GS30:

GPU capacity: PCIe x16 Slot for desktop graphics card
Graphics: MSI Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 GAMING 4G LE
Sound: 2 x 5-watt speakers with 5-watt subwoofer
HDD Capacity: SATA slot for 3.5-inch HDD
Ports: 4 x USB 3.0, Ethernet, microphone jack, headphone jack
Weight: 20.39 pounds (9.25KG)
Dimensions: 14.34 x 8 x 8.09 inches (W x D x H)

Source:
http://www.techradar.com/sg/reviews...s-and-netbooks/msi-gs30-shadow-1277918/review


The Alienware Amplifier for the Dell Alienware M18 R3 or Alienware 17 systems use a 80mm fan, BUT, the MSI GS30 uses 92mm fans and their laptop just 1.2KG!

 

[xiaowhois]

Yup sadly after calculation, it is similarly big as some mITX DIY PC chassis like Cooler Master Elite 100 series with lot of unused space.

too bad they use special cable or else can DIY your own Alienware Graphics Amplifier

 

[xiaowhois]

That is interesting... Haven't really heard much from Creative... Nice to see Dell opting to use local stuff for their Alienware M18 R3 or Alienware 17's amplifier!

there are many new sound products by creative this 2yrs

support local brand haha

 

[WhiteHunter]

seems like one member has dropped out of this contest since his account is banned for whatever reasons.