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.
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
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.