Glitch with the alienware graphics amplifier?

I have 2 alienware 13s and 1 alienware 17r3.  I also have 2 different alienware graphics amplifiers.  One of them is running an NVidia 970 gtx , the other a 1080gtx.  All of my laptops are doing the same problem with either amplifier.

Anytime I launch a game in full screen mode, via the laptop screen or an external, game performance seems mediocore.  My fps  will random drop in places I don't "think" they should.   However, if I alt-tab out of the game, and then back in, it's as if everything is working full power.  I'm locked at a constant fps, in most games 60 (vsync on).  It has been doing this for so long and works so well I've gotten used to making it a habbit that anytime I launch a game, alt-tab is a must.  

Is this normal?  Or is has anyone else noticed this?  Again it is doing the same thing across 3 separate laptops, with 2 different amplifiers and video cards.  I mean just now I was running dying light, my fps was dipping from 60 to 35ish pretty hard, even in places that don't seem graphic intense.  And of course, like I knew it would, alt-tabbing out and back in caused the game to lock at 60 (like it should, via 1080gtx @1440p).

Being that I've seen this on multiple different hardware i'm convinced it's not something on my end.  In fact i'd be willing to bet this is happening on every laptop out there.