Alienware 17r4 with GTX 1070 upgrade to GTX 1080? Is it worth it?

[Cylocybin]

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Ok, here we go. Thanks for reading. TLDR down below because I know time is precious but I appreciate anyone that stops by to comment. Thank you.


I have an Alienware 17 R4 with Gtx 1070 and have been content with it for the most part but I recently got a 165hz 1440p external monitor (native on laptop is 1080/60) and I never had a monitor with a refresh higher than 75 (old CRT lol) now I know what I've been missing.


I don't get any screen tearing without Vsync while gaming on the laptops native screen and at 1080p of course the frame rates are higher and it looks great but after using the higher refresh external monitor I do notice a difference. If I gamed all the time on the laptop itself I'd probably just get used to it and not worry about it but going back n fourth from ext to no ext ..you know what I mean.


So when I am gaming on the laptop without the Ext-Monitor (staying away from home, travel etc) I can notice the difference and when I start to notice those differences I feel a desire to eliminate them or at least close the gap


I don't game on the laptop without the EXT-Monitor all that often, but when/if I do.. It'd be nice to have that 1440p/120


That being said, the MOST intensive use this machine gets and the ONLY reason I bought it is to play Overwatch.


Some BF1 maybe an hour a week if even. I just bought Dirt Rally which I get 70-90 fps maxed out no worries there and maybe I will get into a new AAA game in the future if one catches my eye.. GTX 1080 would help with future proofing some?

But...

95% of the time it's to play Overwatch

With OW settings completely maxed out @ 1440p/165hz and i maintain 100-120 fps and usually stay constant in the middle. Sometimes I might see 90fps with intense action.. but never do I see any tearing, stutter or notice any input lag afaik and GPU temps stay between 59-66c and it all feel fantastic!


Of course I would love to see a constant 144+ frames in OW but image quality IS more important to me. (100fps with gsync already looks, seems and feels really nice and smooth) Although I would definitely take more frames if gtx 1080 offered it. Just second to IQ. FYI


I could drop overwatch settings and easily maintain much higher FPS but like I said, I like the eye candy and I disliked the visual difference going to medium-high more than I liked the higher frames.. so I don't want to do that.


Battlefield 1 - whole other story.. this one of course is a little more demanding than OW but I manage to stay above 90-100 @ 2560x1440p on the Ext-monitor with medium ish settings for the most part.. Its fine ...but I think this is where a gtx 1080 would put me more in the game.. because the lower settings makes it less immersive for me and it does feel a little "draggy" at times. I'm constantly looking at the graphics thinking ew and I don't enjoy the game longer than 20-30 mins. When using the R4 without the Ext-Monitor @ 1080p there is no problems maintaining 100-120 with higher graphical settings.​

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TLDR​

Im contemplating selling my AW 17 R4 gtx 1070 FHD/60hz IPS and getting the next tier model with 120hz QHD IPS and GTX 1080
probably look for a refurb with decent warranty (mine has a year left)
or
If Im lucky, a deal on a used or if Im even luckier, someone who wants to downgrade to mine
and nab some cash on top.

BUT

I need to figure out how much of a gain there is VS the price to upgrade

and

if it's even worth it in the long run to make this move.


How much is this worth in terms of $/performance etc

Current Specs ----- Upgraded Specs

i7 7700hq vs i7 7820hk - % performance increase ?
Gtx 1070 vs Gtx 1080 - % performance increase ?
16gb Ram vs 32GB (Dual Channel Enabled)
1080p/60 vs 1440p/120hz

​

At the end of the day I guess my overall goals would be:
​

• Achieve at least the same frames in BF1 (or other AAA's) as I do now with better Image Quality​
• It would be sweet to get 120-144 FPS in overwatch with Max settings, If even possible? IDK​
• Have 120hz QHD LCD so Gaming on the Laptop or Using Ext-Monitor etc feels very similar.​

I also don't mind the smile I'll wear knowing I have the upgraded specs.

Just how much are they worth considering what I currently have?

Thank You to anyone that decides to share their opinions and time to steer me right direction.​

 

[Shadowed]

Bad deal. You have an MXM3 GPU which is upgradeable, but the performance jump is simply not worth it.

Laptop 1070s overclock reasonably well. Ideally a desktop 1070 will go from ~1800 mhz to 2050 mhz and 8000 mhz memory to 9400 mhz memory with an increase in power limit and voltage. You can do about 8400 mhz memory and 1900 mhz core.

The new 1100 series is nearly out. A 1070 to 1180 may be a solid upgrade.

You are SOL on a CPU upgrade. No hex cores for you.

 

[Cylocybin]

So perhaps I should just look into selling my laptop and looking for one with 1440/120 with 1070 and just forget the 1080

 

[Shadowed]

So perhaps I should just look into selling my laptop and looking for one with 1440/120 with 1070 and just forget the 1080

My buddy games on a laptop 1070 at 1440p144hz. It isn't bad once you overclock. I would keep the laptop until next gen fully rolls out. He has an i5 6600k in his which is a big bottleneck in a lot of games. Ideally you will want a hex core and the new 1100 series.

You could try downloading CRU and creating a custom 2560x1080 165hz resolution. This will add black bars to the top and bottom of the monitor, but it will be 21:9 and run a bit better.

I do suggest downloading MSI afterburner to overclock. I am assuming you have the 2048 core version which is actually faster than a stock clocked 1070. Your laptop can easily handle an overclock.

With the OC, we are talking 10 more fps minimum.

On my 1070, I get 20 FPS more at 1080p from 1850mhz to 2050 mhz and 8000 mhz to 9500 mhz. Very noticeable.

 

[Cylocybin]

i checked gpuz and it does say 2048

 

[Shadowed]

That a great GPU. It deserves a small OC

 

[Cylocybin]

i checked gpuz and it does say 2048

its plays fine using the 2560x1440 external monitor i just want to basically upgrade the laptop so when Im not using an external monitor I can still have 1440p natively with 120hz etc

SO, scrapping the aspirations of a 1080.. my pursuit is to find one with similar specs but with different LCD. Going from 1080p/60 to 1440p/120

 

[Cylocybin]

That a great GPU. It deserves a small OC

Don't want to chance voiding my warranty? Especially not for 10fps

 

[Shadowed]

You can't damage Pascal with overclocking, especially without a power limit and voltage slider

I've been overclocking laptop GPU's for over a decade and it is super safe. But I understand If you are hesitant.