2017 15" Alienware 15 R3 (GTX1070) [7th,4C,H] + RTX 2080 @ 32Gbps-TB3 (Razer Core) + Win10 [itsage] // TB3 vs Alienware Graphics Amplifier  

My review of the Alienware Graphics Amplifier last summer was incomplete in that I couldn’t find a capable host computer to distinguish the performance difference between AGA vs Thunderbolt 3. Through many eGPU builds with different enclosures and hosts, I’ve found the Alienware 15 R3 to be the perfect candidate for AGA vs TB3 testings. I used the original Razer Core because that was the same one used in the review. The graphics card is the RTX 2080.

 

System specs:

2017 Alienware 15 R3 – i7-7700HQ/GTX 1070 dGPU/HD Graphics 630 iGPU/32GB RAM/512GB  NVMe SSD + 1TB HDD

 

eGPU hardware:

Razer Core + Nvidia RTX 2080 + .5m Thunderbolt 3 cable

Alienware Graphics Amplifier + Nvidia RTX 2080

 

Hardware pictures:

 

Installation steps:

Thunderbolt 3 eGPU was plug-and-play for this Alienware 15R3. It’s an eGFX certified Thunderbolt 3 laptop and one of the very few to have direct connection from Thunderbolt 3 port to CPU. Also unique to this computer is the AGA port for the Alienware Graphics Amplifier. It’s routed similarly as TB3 port, a 4 PCI lane connection directly to the CPU. As the HWiNFO screen capture below shows, Dell reserved an x8 to the discrete GTX 1070 graphics card, an x4 to the Thunderbolt 3 port, and an x4 to the AGA port. The GTX 1080 Ti was via Thunderbolt 3 and RTX 2080 was through AGA.

 

Benchmarks:

I ran the RTX 2080 first through the Graphics Amplifier then Razer Core. Nvidia drivers were latest version, 411.7. The external GPU connected to an HP Z27Q 5K monitor. All benchmarks were through external monitor with internal display off. I also disabled PCI Controller 1901 [GTX 1070 dGPU] to make sure no glitches were happening. Here are the numbers.

AW15R3 + RTX2080	AGA FHD	TB3 FHD	AGA QHD	TB3 QHD	AGA 4K	TB3 4K	AGA 5K	TB3 5K
Unigine Valley	4,637	4,285	3,315	3,102	1,574	1,525	873	856
Unigine Heaven	3,322	2,867	2,137	1,945	960	917	494	483
Unigine Superposition	18,451	17,348	13,263	12,310	6,766	6,522	4,080	3,963
3DMark Time Spy	15,846	13,564	10,545	9,416	5,167	4,879	3,029	2,946
3DMark Fire Strike	25,428	20,452	18,342	13,675	9,898	7,694	5,129	4,785
Tomb Raider 2013	228.5 FPS	187.7 FPS	152.7 FPS	135.1 FPS	77.2 FPS	74.7 FPS	44.2 FPS	43.9 FPS
Shadow of Mordor	161.6 FPS	127.3 FPS	121.7 FPS	99.4 FPS	71.0 FPS	62.6 FPS	45.7 FPS	42.7 FPS
Dirt Rally	100.3 FPS	119.25 FPS	99.3 FPS	106.0 FPS	73.9 FPS	74.9 FPS	52.5 FPS	53.3 FPS
Hitman	86.3 FPS	81.7 FPS	77.1 FPS	68.5 FPS	38.6 FPS	35.8 FPS	21.5 FPS	21.1 FPS

 

Comments:

Here we see the performance difference between the Graphics Amplifier vs Thunderbolt 3 is similar to that of internal PCIe slot vs TB3. The gap lessens at higher resolutions. The AGA is no doubt a better performer when paired with a capable host such as this Alienware 15 R3. One thing to note is the proprietary cable. I’ve seen boot issues due to a damaged/kinked cable. The end connector is hard to remove and typically requires force. Limit the removal of the cable to extend its life.